Planned Parenthood and the Media Research Council Release Statements Following Last Night's Episode of 'Scandal'

Kerry Washington stars as Olivia Pope on Scandal.

Planned Parenthood and the conservative Media Research Council have both released statements about what happened on last night's episode of ABC's Scandal.

Warning: Spoilers ahead...

In the episode, Republican Sen. Mellie Grant (Bellamy Young) filibustered a bill to defund Planned Parenthood (and it worked), while Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) decided to abort her baby. Viewers saw the abortion while "Silent Night" played the background.

Planned Parenthood released the following statement: "Tonight, the millions of people who tune into Scandal every Thursday night learned that our rights to reproductive health care are under attack. Never one to shy away from critical issues, [showrunner] Shonda Rhimes used her platform to tell the world that if Planned Parenthood lost funding for contraception counseling, STI testing, cancer screenings, and safe, legal abortion — millions of people would suffer. And this episode wasn’t the first time one of Rhimes’ characters had an abortion, yet tonight we saw one of our favorite characters make the deeply personal decision that one in three women have made in their lifetime. We applaud Shonda Rhimes tonight — and every Thursday night – for proving that when women are telling our stories, the world will pause and watch. We just hope those in Congress — and throughout the nation — who are steadfast on rolling the clock back on reproductive health care access are taking note.

The MRC had this to say: "Hollywood’s liberal values permeate movies and television. Last night’s episode of ABC’s Scandal was pretty much an hour-long advertisement for Planned Parenthood. In the most disturbing scene, the main character has an abortion to 'Silent Night' (a hymn celebrating the birth of Jesus) playing in the background. This is Hollywood’s moral depravity on full display."

Shonda Rhimes revealed an additional bit of information on Twitter: "The #Scandal writers did their research– every budget item Mellie recites it actually REAL. #TGIT"

Kerry Washington summed up her feelings by tweeting two hashtags: "#IStandWithMellie #IStandWithPlannedParenthood"

NEWS: Shonda Rhimes, Kerry Washington, Redaric Williams, Richard J. Allen, Taina Elg

Shonda Rhimes

Shonda Rhimes talks to Elle about power, feminism, police brutality and more
"The entire world is skewed from the white male perspective," says Rhimes. "If you're a woman, they have to say it's a female-driven comedy. If it's a comedy with Latinos in it, it's a Latino comedy. 'Normal' is white male, and I find that to be shocking and ridiculous."

Shonda Rhimes on pushing boundaries on Grey's Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder
"I always dispute the concept that we push boundaries. We do not push boundaries. I feel like we play very creatively within the fences that we've always had. I respect the fact that we have these fences. It's a really awesome challenge to do stuff creatively within them. I feel like we have a really good relationship. I don't believe that it's adversarial. We've been working with the same people for years and years and years. They are smart. It's not as if they're out to get anybody. They have a job to do, and we have a job to do. I happen to like debating, and I like to debate like a lawyer, and I can argue any points to death, and I will. But I really do feel like there is an attempt right now, just in general, to maybe push the line back a little bit. I think in our country, we're so oddly puritanical about the wrong things. You literally can shoot someone in the face on television and a 7-year-old can watch it. But you can't show the slight of a man's hip, because dear God, someone might think of sex. And while we all hope our kids grow up to have sex, we do not hope they grow up to shoot someone in the face."

Shonda Rhimes Reveals She Lost 98 Pounds This Year
"I realized I could either spend my life going, 'I wish I could lose weight,' or I could just do it," she said.

While Rhimes used her can-do attitude to achieve her weight loss goals, she admitted to the magazine that it didn't come easy. "Nothing is 100 percent fun all the time," she continued. "But I have never not done something with a pointed focus."

Play the Shondaland Drinking Game
whether you're a Meredith (tequila), an Olivia (red wine), or an Annalise (vodka), sit back with your spirit of choice and take a sip when E!'s predictions come true.

Olivia Pope and the Pope! Extra Was with Kerry Washington in NYC as Pontiff Arrived
"He’s my celebrity crush, Pope Francis, because he is so generous and such a revolutionary," said Washington. "He is so compassionate. I’m not even Catholic, but I just think what he stands for in carrying the message of God -- not being about judgment, but about service -- is really extraordinary."

Empire Is the Most Aggressively Political Soap in TV History
Writes Matt Zoller Seitz: "From the placement of illustrations of pop-culture icons to whom Lucious is presumably an equal (Alfred Hitchcock, Jimi Hendrix, Billie Holliday, James Earl Jones) to the continual definitions and redefinitions of blackness, as embodied by the characters' arguments and power-grab schemes, the premiere alone had more to say about the tricky predicament of black entertainers on network TV than any of the think pieces that have been written about Empire since it debuted."

Redaric Williams to star in "Mama's Got a Plan" at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit November 12-15
“Mama’s Got a Plan” is about the behind-the-scenes maneuverings in a church between the son of the minister, his “power-hungry” wife, his ex-con brother who challenges him for leadership of the church, and others. The cast includes several Detroiters — Redaric Williams (ex-Tyler, The Young and the Restless), gospel singer Lisa Page-Brooks, Claudia Jordan (Real Housewives of Atlanta) and BET’s Tasha Page Lockhart.

The sign of the board at The Rovers Return.
Photo Credit: ITV/Coronation Street

Man claims Coronation Street Live proposal was a prank on his brother
A social media competition to get a message on a chalkboard at The Rovers Return was won by Twitter user @literallyadam and "Katie Lowe will you marry me?" was posted on it for the show.

The same account later revealed she said "yes", but a Twitter user has now claimed he faked the proposal as a prank on his brother.

A user with the account name @BradTheLadLong tweeted a lengthy explanation of the incident with the message: "Truth behind my 'wedding proposal' on Corrie. Sorry Marc and Katie. Pranks go wrong...but we move on."

Stage West opens season with critically acclaimed "Bad Jews" from Richard J. Allen
From 1993 to 2002, he wrote for several daytime soaps, the longest stint being on Days of our Lives. He won two Emmys for writing on As the World Turns. But his master’s degree is in theater, and he says he is happy to return to his theatrical roots.

One Life to Live and Guiding Light alum Taina Elg to share her story at Finlandia
Elg, a Finland-born 85-year-old veteran of screen and stage, will offer folks a behind-the scenes glimpse of her life as a Hollywood star.

Andre Bauth sued by tenants of the building he owns
Actor and Daytime Emmy-winning producer Andre Bauth, who is behind bars on suspicion of attempted murder, was sued Wednesday by tenants of a building he co-owns and co-manages in Hollywood, with the residents alleging the structure is decaying and in violation of numerous health and safety regulations.

Pitbull to produce Miami family drama 305
Written by Sascha Fox logo horizontalPenn (Survivor’s Remorse) and directed by Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies), 305 — named after the Miami area code — is executive produced by Miami-born-and-raised rapper Armando Perez, known by his stage name Pitbull.

NEWS: Shondaland, Patrick Darbo, GLAAD NRI, Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Gloria Allred, Hunter King

The casts of Grey's Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder
pose with Shonda Rhimes.

Shonda Rhimes poses with the casts of Scandal, Grey's Anatomy and How to Get Away with Murder
"Her identity as a woman – and the fact that she is a mother – lends to an understanding of people's range of experiences in life," Scandal star Kerry Washington says of Rhimes' ability to helm Shondaland, the production company behind ABC's entire "Thank God It's Thursday" lineup.

Shonda Rhimes explains Grey's Anatomy’s one-year time-jump
“I couldn’t imagine a world in which Meredith could go a month and be able to speak or breathe — or [even] six months,” Rhimes says. “I needed time to pass for her to even be in a place where I felt like she could have a conversation.”

The Young and the Restless actress Hunter King to guest star on CBS comedy Life in Pieces
Tweeted King: "Had so much fun working on @LifeInPiecesCBS today! Everyone was so nice and SO funny! Can't wait for you guys to see the episode."

GLAAD is changing how it tracks LGBT inclusivity on TV
GLAAD is publishing an extensive report on the state of LGBT representation on television this morning. It’s become a major part of the organization’s media advocacy over the last decade — and after this year, it’s being replaced.

"Over the years, we’ve seen a remarkable increase in LGBT representation on most of the TV networks we track in our report," says Matt Kane, GLAAD’s programs director for entertainment media. "We may have the numbers, but [networks] still aren’t quite representing the LGBT community in a way that’s accurate… There are still people who are starved for representation in popular culture." Having achieved some progress on a quantitative level, GLAAD is focusing its efforts on broadening the kinds of LGBT people depicted on TV, namely people of color and transgender people.

Download the GLAAD 2015 Network Responsibility Index here.

Patrika Darbo disappointed she's not returning for Days of our Lives' 50th anniversary
“They haven't approached me, and my feelings were hurt. I thought I did a good job, and I would have thought they'd at least ask Kevin and I to come back. I think Nadia [Bjorlin, Chloe Lane] is coming back again to do something. We were the start of her big dynasty, so it always hurts your feelings a little bit that you're not asked back,” Darbo tells Soap Central.

Darbo laughing added, “But you know what? That's business. The business has changed, they're moving the show forward, and we don't have a slot in it. It doesn't make me feel any less about my feelings being hurt, but I'll get over it!”

The Good Wife's Dylan Baker escapes a high-rise fire after attempting to rescue a neighbor
"When I opened the door, it was a full-fledged fire,” Baker said of his seeing his neighbor’s apartment on fire on the 33rd floor of their building. The elderly neighbor was later rescued and is in critical condition.

Lucille Ball biopic in the works, starring Cate Blanchett and written by Aaron Sorkin
The I Love Lucy star's children, Lucy Arnaz Jr. and Desi Arnaz Jr., will serve as producers on the film chronicling her 20-year marriage to Desi Arnaz.

NBC orders Brides of Dracula drama
The gothic soap from Greg Berlanti asks: "What if Van Helsing did NOT kill the three brides of Dracula? What if they survived for centuries and are now living in New York City?"

Why Apple Making TV Shows Is a Bad Idea
"For starters, there’s too much TV already, and there’s no one left who needs to be convinced to watch it," writes Vulture's Adam Sternbergh. "If anything, we’re watching as fast as we can. Second, Apple is certainly not going to redefine content the way it redefined music players, smartphones, and tablets, unless it’s been hiding some kind of genetically engineered Weiner-Whedon-Kohan clone in cryogenic freezing."

Amazon gives a series order to Bryan Cranston’s Sneaky Pete
The Giovanni Ribisi drama has found a new home after being rejected by CBS in May.

'SVU's' Olivia Benson tops survey on favorite female TV characters
The tough yet compassionate detective played by Mariska Hargitay on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is the favorite female character on TV, with 21% of the vote, according to a national poll to be released Wednesday.

Coming in a distant second with 8% is Taraji P. Henson’s Cookie Lyon on Empire, followed by Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones with 7%.

EastEnders executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins teases fall stories: "There are lots of shocks in store"
The next few months are being billed as a dramatic time for Albert Square with the BBC One soap building up to a "very big Halloween" and ultimately Christmas.

Speaking at an EastEnders press event, Treadwell-Collins said: "We have got Max's trial which is filled with twists and turns and we want to keep the audience surprised by the outcome. "We have got Ronnie, Charlie and Vincent's very warped love triangle, we have got Carol's departure, Dot comes out of prison, Robbie comes back and Lauren comes back briefly."

The 100 TV Dramas Everyone Should Watch
The list only includes shows that aired in the last 20 years.

Gloria Allred’s life is set to become a CBS drama series
The high-profile defense attorney, famous for taking on controversial cases involving female clients, is helping develop a TV series based on her life for CBS.

Your favorite '90s TV catchphrases were all about shade
Daily Dot lists the best '90s TV catchphrases, ranked by shadiness. No. 1: “You got it, dude” from Full House.

NEWS: Jen Lilley, Al Sharpton, Chandler Massey, Shonda Rhimes, Gabriel Mann

EastEnders Ben and Paul stripped down to their boxers near a dead body.

EastEnders funeral parlor gay embrace cleared by TV watchdog
Ofcom has cleared a controversial EastEnders scene that showed two men half naked in a funeral parlor of breaching the broadcasting code. The media regulator received 76 complaints about the scene in the BBC1 soap, which showed characters Ben Mitchell and Paul Coker stripped off above the waist and embracing in front of a dead body in an open coffin.

“Ofcom assessed a number of complaints about a storyline in these episodes and concluded they didn’t raise issues warranting further investigation,” said a spokesman for the broadcasting regulator. “We found the scenes were justified in the context of a long running plot line and sexual contact between the characters was implied rather than overt.”

Al Sharpton and Andre Leon Talley to appear in season 2 premiere of Empire
Empire’s imprisoned patriarch Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) will get the support of two very powerful real-life figures in the season 2 premiere: Reverend Al Sharpton and fashion icon André Leon Talley will both appear when the Fox hit returns on September 22 to show their support for the embattled music CEO at an epic, outdoor “Free Lucious” concert.

Days of our Lives star Jen Lilley: "I’m going down in soap glory!"
“I play everything balls-to-the-wall,” she says. “My worry is not pushing the audience too far. I worry about not being full-on committed in every moment, which is not always easy in the crazy world of soaps. I had a storyline where Theresa got pregnant and had her fetus stolen. All I could say was, ‘Bring it on! I know this is goofy, but I’m going down in soap glory!’”

Jen Lilley on working with Days co-star Thaao Penghlis
“Soap opera legend, Thaao Penghlis, played Lord Haman. When we filmed The Book of Esther I had just finished my run as Maxie Jones on ABC’s General Hospital, so Thaao and I instantly bonded over our shared soap opera background and swapped behind-the-scenes stories. One day, Thaao told me he has died and come back to life 6 times on NBC’s Days of Our Lives! I giggled and asked him which death was his favorite, and he said, one time his character, Tony, died because someone slit his carotid artery. The fans were so outraged that Tony was killed off, that a short time later, his character came back, driving a boat, with his fabulous Fabio-esque hair blowing in the wind, and as the camera zoomed in, you could see a BAND-AID on his neck where his carotid was sliced! I was in stitches, no pun intended!

“Now, three years later, Thaao and I are working together on Days of our Lives. It’s funny how paths intertwine. Thaao is one of the finest actors I’ve ever met…he’s mesmerizing. It’s almost unfair having to act opposite of him, because you don’t want to say your lines; you want to be an audience member, rapt by his performance!”

Scandal Season 5 to mark the 'reconstitution' of the Gladiators
Acknowledging that the show’s central Gladiator conceit was sidelined a bit in Season 4 because “we were busy healing” Olivia, Shonda Rhimes says Season 5 will feature “the reconstitution” of Team OPA.

Heroes Reborn premiere expanded to two hours, The Blacklist delayed one week
Heroes Reborn will air from 8 to 10 p.m. on September 24. It will be followed at 10 p.m. by the series premiere of The Player, starring Wesley Snipes.

Revenge star Gabriel Mann to visit The Mysteries of Laura
Mann will play Shane Parker, a “charismatic entrepreneur who co-founded a billion dollar nano-tech company.” Shane’s suspicious behavior after his partner’s death gets the attention of the NYPD, making Shane a suspect.

Ricky Martin and Reese Witherspoon to appear on premiere of Neil Patrick Harris' upcoming live show, Best Time Ever
Harris clearly is struggling with the secrecy around the show, though he did let slip that both Ricky Martin and Reese Witherspoon have been booked to appear. "All of us will be seeing it together for the first time on September 15," he said. "It feels to me more pressure in anticipation because it's a blind commit in some ways. We don't want to reveal every single thing. We're holding a lot of cards close to our vest because that's what's going to make it exciting."

If NBC's Coach reboot is a success, ALF could be next
“It’s not a direct kind of reboot,” NBC entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt said about the new Coach, with original creator Barry Kemp. It’s a picking up and it’s an extended family and Hayden is a grandfather, and a father-and-son story. So it’s a way to do another variation on a family show with, I think, a truly talented star and a great showrunner and a presold title. And if that works, then ALF: The Series is next.”

Dolly Parton's next NBC Movies to be based on her songs "Jolene" and "The Seeker"
According to executive producer Sam Haskell, the network and Parton will next tackle "Jolene," based on her 1973 hit. John Sacret Young (The West Wing) is writing the script.

Days of our Lives alum Chandler Massey recalls his first day on set
"I remember the first day I had like four lines, and the choice I were just so wrong," Massey (ex-Will Horton) joked on a special AfterBuzz TV appearance.

Watch Massey's interview below:

46th Annual Image Awards: Complete List of Winners

Winners in the 46th annual Image Awards were announced at events held on Thursday and Friday. Shonda Rimes’ How To Get Away With Murder took home three awards including Outstanding Drama Series and Lead Actress for Viola Davis. Taraji P. Henson, star of the feature No Good Deed, won for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture and also was named Entertainer of the Year. The Image Awards eliminated the daytime drama categories this year.

Below is the complete list of winners

Outstanding Motion Picture
“Selma” (Paramount Pictures)

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
David Oyelowo – “Selma” (Paramount Pictures)

NEWS: "Anti-Game of Thrones" Death; Hursley Grandson Visits 'General Hospital'; Thaao Penghlis Back to 'GH'; Univision For Sale?

Finale Postmortem: Director Breaks Down the "Anti-Game of Thrones" Death
[WARNING: The following contains spoilers from the Season 4 finale of Game of Thrones. Read at your own risk!]

On Sunday's big finale, several characters bit the dust, but no one died with less dignity than Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance), who perished while on the toilet after being shot by his son Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) with a crossbow.

"Tywin's death is the anti-Game of Thrones death in that it's very simple," director Alex Graves tells TVGuide.com. "There's a guy sitting down and rather [than] it being how much blood or how much gore or how shocking it was, it's actually about how futile and humiliating it is that this pillar of strength and arrogance who has had an enormous purpose in the War of the Five Kings is killed on the toilet, a death he would not be happy with."

Cinemax nabs war drama 'Signal'
Signal, which counts Ben Silverman as an exec producer, will look inside the clandestine world of military contracting during the Iraq/Afghanistan war.

NEWS: Shonda Rhimes, Ryan Murphy, Chris Colfer, Richard Caine, Alec Baldwin, Danny Dyer

ABC Entertainment President Paul Lee compares Shonda Rhimes to Charles Dickens
"I call her the Charles Dickens of the 21st Century if Charles Dickens had been black and a woman," Lee says about the all-Shonda Thursday on the ABC fall schedule.

Ryan Murphy Responds to Rumors About Star Tension on 'Glee' Set
Extra's Jerry Penacoli caught up with director Ryan Murphy at the premiere of his HBO movie, “The Normal Heart,” talking about his hit FOX show Glee and the recent rumors of a rift between stars Lea Michelle and Naya Rivera, along with the headlines Rivera was fired.

Murphy replied, “I don’t think there is a story between Naya and Lea. I always marvel at the things that become headline news that most of the time are completely fabricated. Naya's coming back next year, Lea's coming back next year, anybody ever in that cast has an open invitation to come back and finish the character they so beautifully started.”

NEWS: 'Game of Thrones' Controversial Scene, 'Devious Maids' Ratings Up, Aaron Sorkin Apologizes for 'The Newsroom'

George R.R. Martin Sounds Off on the 'Game of Thrones' Controversial Rape Scene: "We Never Discussed" the Change
Sunday night's outing of Game of Thrones left fans of George R.R. Martin's epic fantasy series shocked (and angry) after watching a sex scene between brother and sister Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Cersei (Lena Headey) Lannister—who um, reconnect next to their son King Joffrey's (Jack Gleeson) corpse—go down in a completely different way than in the book.

In A Storm of Swords, the sex was written as consensual; on the TV show, which the episode's director described as "horrifying," Jaime rapes Cersei, who tells him to stop. "I don't care," he responds.

'Scandal' Creator Shonda Rhimes on Jimmy Kimmel Live: Behind the Scandalabra (Video)

Shonda Rhimes joined Jimmy Kimmel last night in the Pope & Associates conference room where she talked about the Scandal season finale, the fight in the writer's room over Jake's story line, and why they chose such strange places for Quinn and Huck to have sex.

"I always want to make the show something that you feel like you can't do other stuff while it's on," Rhimes said. "You can't fold your laundry and watch the show. Or yell at your husband and watch the show. Or talk on the phone and watch the show. I want you to watch it or you're going to miss something."

Watch the Rhimes appearance on JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE below:

NEWS: Crystal Hunt, Early 2014 TV, David Tennant, Diversity Hires, Carrie Preston, Holiday TV Roundup

Former GUIDING LIGHT and ONE LIFE TO LIVE Actress Crystal Hunt Tells Her Side of Bar Fight Story
“Crystal was confronted by an inebriated woman who walked up to her and became confrontational, aggressive and menacing,” her attorney Shepard Kopp told TheWrap. “Crystal was disturbed by the woman’s erratic behavior and got up from the bar and moved over to a table in the corner, approximately 30 feet away. The woman followed her and continued her harassing behavior at the table.

“At that point, Crystal asked that security personnel in Pearl’s have the woman removed from the bar, at which point they asked the woman to leave, but she refused. She continued to approach Crystal in the same menacing and aggressive way. Afraid for her personal safety, Crystal acted in self-defense.”

UK-Bound 2014 Pilot Season? ABC Comedy GALAVANT To Film There, Will Others Follow?
Comedy series have been immune from runaway production, with only dramas making the trek to other countries, mostly Canada. That is about to change. ABC/ABC Studios' single-camera pilot GALAVANT, a comedy fairytale written by Dan Fogelman, will shoot in the UK, including Wales, employing some 150 locals. This is the first U.S. broadcast pilot to film in the UK since the country in April approved a tax credit that provides a 25% rebate on 80% of the production budget spent in the UK.

Why 100 new TV shows are launching in early 2014
More people watch TV from January to March than at any other time of year. The TV industry has known this for years, which has led networks to add more shows. Because there's more to watch, more viewers watch -- or so the thinking goes. A basic yardstick appears to bear this out: 115.1 million people watched prime-time TV at any given moment last year, from January through March, according to Nielsen. That compares to 106 million during the summer. Usage is expected to reach record levels next month -- surpassing last winter's record level.

NEWS: Paula Garces Welcomes Son; Kevin G. Schmidt Shooting 'The Hill'; Shonda Rhimes to Release Memoir in 2015; Is Josh Bowman Leaving REVENGE?

ALL MY CHILDREN aired for the final time on New Zealand's SABC3 on Tuesday
Lefa Afrika, acting head of SABC3 said; “Although it is a very well-made soapie, audience ratings have been declining on our channel and we have had to make a business decision to discontinue the show."

Paula Garces Welcomes Son Antonio Andres
The ALL MY CHILDREN and DEVIOUS MAIDS star, 39, and her husband Antonio Hernandez welcomed their first child together on Wednesday. Son Antonio Andres Hernandez was born at 4:40 p.m. weighing in at 7 lbs., 5 oz and measuring 20½ inches long.

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS alum Kevin G. Schmidt shooting short film, The Hill
Schmidt portrays the main character, Jeff, once a high school sports hero.

“It’s about a high school football champion, who scores the winning touchdown for the championship game in the fourth quarter with 15 seconds to go,” producer Dana Altman explains. “We pick the story up after he graduated from high school. He marries young and has a child.”

NEWS: Vince Gilligan on BREAKING BAD RETURN; Shonda Rhimes; Freddie Prinze Jr.; New Men of DOWNTON ABBEY

NBC Nabs Futuristic Prison Drama From Seth Grahame-Smith & Greg Berlanti
PARADISE is set in the late 21st century in the city of Las Vegas which is now the world’s largest maximum-security prison, known as Paradise. Matthew Turner, M.D., is its newest inmate, convicted of a murder he didn’t commit. Desperate to get back to his family and prove his innocence, Matthew will have to find a strength he never knew he had, and stay alive long enough to do the one thing no inmate has ever done: escape.

Freddie Prinze Jr. joins WITCHES OF EAST END
Prinze will play Leo Wingate, a gallant and sweetly shy entomologist who falls head over heels for Wendy Beauchamp (Madchen Amick). The scholar is said to specialize in rare and exotic insects, and he soon begins to wonder whether Wendy is more interested in his body or his bugs. He is set to guest star in the fourth episode, with more episodes possible.

NEWS: Christie Clark Welcomes "Baby Charlotte"; Chloe Grace Moretz Offered HOLLYOAKS Role; DOWNTON ABBEY at TCA

Former DAYS OF OUR LIVES actress Christie Clark welcomes third child
Clark (ex-Carrie, DAYS) and her husband, Thomas Barnes, have welcomed their third daughter, Charlotte Joy. Tweeted the proud mom, "Baby Charlotte. " Charlie" Joy was born on Aug 6 th 2013! 8 Pds 4 oz! Everyone is thrilled to bits over here!!!!" Charlie joins older sisters Hannah, 5, and Emma, 2.

Senior VP of daytime programing for CBS Entertainment Angelica McDaniel makes Glamour's "Meet the Women Who Run Your Favorite Movies and TV Shows" feature
As senior VP of daytime programing for CBS Entertainment, she oversees more than 1,000 episodes of TV every season for the network—and checks her BlackBerry for the prior day's ratings before she even gets out of bed. CBS president Nina Tassler calls her a "force of nature."

Words she lives by: "Don't get stuck in the frenzy of the day to day. You have to be aware of the bigger picture."

Chloe Grace Moretz Offered HOLLYOAKS Role
Moretz revealed she became hooked on the teen drama during a stint filming in Britain, and she mentioned her obsession during a chat on Radio 1 on Tuesday, August 6th.

NEWS: Few Breakout TV Hits in 2012-2013, Eva Longoria Earns Master's Degree

The 2012–13 TV Season in One Really Depressing Chart
The 2012–13 television season officially passed into the Nielsen history books Wednesday night, bringing to an end what will likely be remembered as one of the worst years ever in the history of network TV (assuming, of course, that anyone still remembers what "television" is in 50 years). There were hardly any new breakout hits (though THE FOLLOWING, REVOLUTION, and ELEMENTARY did okay). And, as has been widely reported, the Big Four as a whole bled viewers: They collectively lost about 10 percent of their adults-under-50 audience this season, with none of the major broadcasters growing year to year in the key demo. But as bad as things look on the macro level, the devastation is even more evident — and jaw-dropping — when you dig into the numbers for all the returning shows.

11 Winners And Losers Of The TV Season
1. Losers: All the Networks
2. Winner: CBS
3. Losers: Most New Shows
4. Winner: Shonda Rhimes

GLEE star Lea Michele writes a book
The Emmy-nominated actress, 26, has signed a deal with Harmony Books to write her first book, titled "Brunette Ambition," which will be a part memoir, part how-to and part style guide. It's due out next spring.

NASHVILLE: In Defense of Hayden Panettiere's Juliette Barnes
Given the unflattering (but surely fun to act) plotlines, Hayden Panettiere also wins the Michael Emerson prize for “Humanizing Terrible Characters on Network TV”: not only does she make such ridiculous antics seem completely authentic and natural to her character, she also renders Juliette … likable.

Eva Longoria earns master's degree
Longoria spent the last three years working on a master's degree in Chicano and Chicana Studies from CSUN. She graduated on Wednesday.

Colombian soap opera actor beaten for portraying TV tough-guy villain
Actor Mauricio Bastidas, who appeared as villain Pedro Venildo Caseres on RCN's ‘Tres Milagros’ was beaten on the street by angry viewers who confused him for the bad guy he played.

Are EASTENDERS, CORRIE, EMMERDALE and HOLLYOAKS making the UK fat and lazy?
Soap opera chiefs have slammed suggestions that their shows promote unhealthy lifestyles and poor diets, saying their programs "aim to reflect modern life" and comply with Ofcom guidelines.

Their remarks come following the publication of a two-week study by Liverpool John Moores University Business School that looked at more than 830 scenes from our most popular continuing dramas and found that 72 per cent of the food consumed, or referred to, was unhealthy and that exercise was only shown or mentioned on four occasions.

The report cited long-serving EMMERDALE character Eric Pollard (Christopher Chittell) as being Britain’s unhealthiest, with 62 per cent of his scenes said to feature him drinking during the daytime in the Woolpack, or at home, with a glass of red wine. According to findings, 79 per cent of all food-related scenes on EMMERDALE feature unhealthy eating – news that might come as a surprise to loyal viewers who frequently see Nikhil Sharma (Rik Makarem) fretting over his exercise regime.

An official spokesperson for ITV said: “EMMERDALE and CORONATION STREET aim to reflect modern life. Both programs comply with the regulations set down by broadcaster regulator Ofcom.”

NEWS ROUNDUP: Meredith Vieira Daytime Talker? THE GROVE To Screen In Macon! Robin Givens Joins 90210

Meredith Vieira in Talks with NBCU for Daytime Show
Meredith Vieira, the former co-host of NBC’s TODAY show, is in talks with another division of NBCUniversal about hosting a syndicated talk show.

The daytime series would start no sooner than September 2014, people with knowledge of the discussions said. The people insisted on anonymity because the discussions were private and could end without a deal for a new show.

Crystal Chappell to screen THE GROVE at The Macon Film Festival
Chappell will screen the pilot episode of her latest web series THE GROVE at the Cox Capitol Theatre, on Friday, February 15.

NEWS ROUNDUP: Marcy Rylan Returning To THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS; SMASH Scoop; NASHVILLE Preview

Marcy Rylan returning to THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
Rylan has been asked to return and will start taping again in January. Her status will now be recurring.

PBS Exploring Ways to Air DOWNTON ABBEY Closer to U.K. Run
“The audiences for DOWNTON have been terrific,” said John Wilson, senior vp and PBS’ chief programming executive. “So you can’t say that [airing months earlier in the UK] has knocked the legs out from underneath DOWNTON ABBEY. On the other hand, we can’t know how much more terrific it might have been had it aired closer to the UK premiere.”

PBS selling DOWNTON ABBEY t-shirts
You can own a "Free Bates" or "Kissing Cousins" DOWNTON t-shirt.

Boss Shonda Rhimes Breaks Silence on Katherine Heigl Kerfuffle: 'It Stung'
In Sunday’s installment of OPRAH'S NEXT CHAPER (9 p.m. ET, OWN), Oprah Winfrey asks GREY'S ANATOMY creator Shonda Rhimes about Heigl’s controversial decision in 2008 to remove her name from Emmy consideration because she did not feel she was “given the material to warrant a nomination.”

NEWS ROUNDUP: Heather Tom Welcomes Son; DAYS November Preview; Sandy Impacts NYC Production

DAYS OF OUR LIVES November Preview
In a new DAYS video preview, Kristen stirs up trouble for John and Marlena (plus slaps Brady), Chad is determined to cause trouble for Gabi and Nick, Rafe wants Sami, Will and Sonny get intimate, and Nicole's lie is exposed.

THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL's Heather Tom welcomes a son
Tom (Katie) and her husband James Achor, who welcomed their first son, Zane Alexander, on October 28. The actress shared via Twitter, "Zane is 8lbs 1oz- and so strong and healthy in every way."

GILDED LILLYS: Another Period Soap, And Another Shonda Rhimes Show

ABC has ordered production on the pilot for Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers' period drama, GILDED LILLYS.

Written by KJ Steinberg (GOSSIP GIRL) and set in 1895, GILDED LILLYS follows the opening of the first true luxury hotel built in New York City, along with the family who owns it, the staff who work it and those who stay there.

Rhimes soaps include GREY'S ANATOMY, PRIVATE PRACTICE and SCANDAL (coming in April).

Shonda Rhimes Sells Another Project, ABC Buys Another 'Primetime' Soap

THE CIRCLE is the latest Shonda Rhimes show to be sold this season. The ABC Studios-produced project is described as part soap, part conspiracy thriller that follows ten friends, adopted as children by a billionaire philanthropist, who begin to question their past when one of their own is murdered.