Showing posts with label Shortland Street. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shortland Street. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Alan Coleman Dead at 76

Alan Coleman, who was executive producer of Australia's NEIGHBOURS and also worked on PRISONER and THE YOUNG DOCTORS, has died at age 76.

Coleman died on December 9 on the NSW Central Coast, his agent Darren Gray said.

Considered a pioneer of Australian soap opera, Coleman was born in Birmingham, England and worked as the first director on CROSSROADS, the UK's first ever five nights a week serial.

Monday, October 11, 2010

CLASSIC CLIPS: Coming Out Stories on Soaps

For all the talk about lack of diversity in daytime soap operas in 2010, there have been some wonderful coming out stories over the years, most especially Billy on ONE LIFE TO LIVE (Ryan Phillippe), Bianca on ALL MY CHILDREN (Eden Riegel) and Luke on AS THE WORLD TURNS (Van Hansis). Indie soaps have also provided some incredible moments including Vivian on ANYONE BUT ME (Rachael Hip-Flores). Here's a look back at a few of those stories with sometimes less than accepting reactions.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

News Round-up: Alison Sweeney, Katy Cavanagh, Census

INTERVIEW: DAYS' Alison Sweeney (Sami)
"People ask me why I was so committed to losing weight after Megan was born and why I wanted to do it quickly. I felt that I owed it to the contestants, to every person that stood on that scale next to me and given it everything they had all week long to get there. I owed it to them to show them I honored what they did and how brave they are and I wanted to be a part of that."

ANOTHER WORLD TODAY: EPISODE #2009-2
The second episode of the ANOTHER WORLD revival text series is now online.

90210 contest winners appear tonight
To kick off Prom season the Clean & Clear Brand partnered with The CW's hit show, 90210, to countdown to the West Beverly High School Prom episode where they'll be introducing two prom-goers, Jenna Matus and Kayla Law. These best friends from Hauppauge, New York entered the "Countdown to Prom" sweepstakes and won the chance of a lifetime -- a walk-on role on 90210, airing Tuesday, May 12th at 9pm EDT.

James Sutton on his EMMERDALE role
The former HOLLYOAKS star said: "He's a lot more grounded, a lot more grown up - and he's heterosexual! (It) means that my mother can actually watch me on TV without hiding behind a cushion!"

SHORTLAND STREET rapped for violence...again
Graphic violence has landed Television New Zealand's popular soap opera SHORTLAND STREET in trouble with the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) again. The latest complaints related to episodes which screened on January 19 and 20 and concerned gang crime. Gang leader Kane had kidnapped Kingi, a police informant, and Tania, a nurse from Shortland Street Hospital.

Multiple scenes of violence were shown, including Kingi punching and kicking the henchmen who had kidnapped them, Tania hitting a henchman over the head with a hammer and Kingi being buried alive. A verbal and written warning preceded both episodes: "The following programme is rated PGR. It contains violence and scenes that may be unsuitable for a younger audience. We recommend the guidance of a parent or other adult."

South African soap star charged with intimidation
Muvhango actor Joe Ragwala, 53, has been charged with intimidation. He appeared briefly in the Thohoyandou magistrate's court last week and was released on bail until he appears again on May 29. Ragwala, who lives in Ha-Mangilasi in Vuwani, Limpopo, plays the part of Ntshavheni Mukwevho in the SABC 1 soap opera, MUVHANGO.

Census Bureau must get numbers right in 2010
Maybe this time around the U.S. Census Bureau will get the numbers straight. In the past, the decennial routine of counting every American has resulted in a significant undercount among immigrant populations. The Census Bureau has allotted $600 million for multilingual outreach. And if there's any doubt it's needed, just consider what happened in 2000, when 196,000 Floridians were not included in the census.

Former soap writer/producer Susie Horgan hopes to inspire at workshop
"Publishing is changing so rapidly and writing can be found anywhere," said Horgan, a Wilton resident for 23 years. As a life coach with a passion for writing, Horgan wants to help people find the tools to write their own stories. "It's amazing to me how universal it is," she said.

INTERVIEW: Katy Cavanagh (Julie, CORONATION STREET)
"It's taken me a year but I've been quite lucky because I crept in at the back and pottered around for a bit, finding my feet. I was definitely ready to get my teeth into something. I'm so chuffed with it. I've loved it. It's nice to show a different side to Julie and discover what's behind her slightly manic positivity."

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

News Round-up

MobiTV adds CBS shows
MobiTV said Tuesday that it has struck a content deal with network TV provider CBS (now the parent company of CNET News) to bring some of its most popular TV shows to mobile phones.

MobiTV will offer a CBS channel as part of its $10/month services, offering full episodes of hits such as CSI, NUMB3RS, CSI: NY, and THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS. The shows will be available on AT&T and Sprint-Nextel the day after they appear on TV. It will also include video-on-demand news sport and comedy clips from CBS Mobile.

MobiTV, which has been around for about five years, already offers more than 40 channels of daily live TV from several networks including ABC, NBC, ESPN, and Discovery Networks. It also offers made for mobile videos and video on demand clips to more than five million subscribers on over 350 mobile devices.

PASSIONS' Daphnee Duplaix to host Playboy TV game show
Ever see a smart man lose his wits when a pretty woman looks his way? Then just imagine the stupefying effect that a beautiful (and scantily clad) temptress would have on the mental processes of a male game show contestant.

That's the inspiration behind SHOW US YOUR WITS, Playboy TV's sexy new game show. When unsuspecting guys at a gentlemen's club slip into the back room for a lap dance, they are surprised by the show's beautiful host -- Playboy Playmate Daphnee Duplaix, from NBC's popular daytime drama PASSIONS (Valerie), who announces that they have been chosen as contestants on Playboy TV's newest game show.

But with SHOW US YOUR WITS, the surprises don't stop there. The contestants soon find themselves struggling to answer embarrassingly simple trivia questions when faced with the distracting activities of some of the world's sexiest dancers. In the bonus round, contestants get the chance to double their winnings, but only if they're able to ignore the double distraction of two girls at once.

90210's Lori Loughlin wants more drama
"I'd hate to think this is it for her," former daytime star Loughlin says of Debbie's lackluster story arc thus far. "I'd love to see more conflict in her life, I'd love to see her and Harry come against obstacles that real couples deal with - the days when the bloom is off the rose."

Lionsgate to acquire TV Guide Network and TVGuide.com
In a surprise move, Lionsgate Entertainment Corp. agreed Monday to buy TV Guide Network and TVGuide.com for $255 million, torpedoing a deal announced just over two weeks ago with media entrepreneur Allen Shapiro and a private equity unit of JPMorgan Chase & Co.

The purchase from Macrovision Solutions Corp. is expected to significantly expand Lionsgate's cable holdings and reach, giving the Santa Monica studio one of the most widely distributed cable networks in the United States.

Watch the full season premiere of KYLE XY a week early on Fancast
Fancast has the exclusive online premiere that you can watch right now. The show's new season starts on ABC Family next Monday.

Mario Lopez psyched to run the Rocky steps
Former B&B actor Mario Lopez was up at 6:30 yesterday morning to run the Art Museum steps before starting a day of interviews promoting EXTRA. The actor, who had stayed at the Four Seasons, said the Rocky statue belongs at the top of the steps, and argued that it is most certainly art when informed of the battle that resulted in the bronze version of Sylvester Stallone being put on the lawn. "It's an inspirational story the city should embrace," he said.

MAD MEN is a Critics pick
TV critics and Emmy voters don’t always see eye to eye, but when it comes to the delights of Don Draper, the two camps are completely copacetic. Avoiding any signs of a sophomore slump, AMC’s MAD MEN—which in September snagged the drama series Emmy—soared to the top of Television Week’s semiannual Critics Poll, the first basic-cable series to manage that feat. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS was ninth in the poll.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: BRIAN LANE GREEN
If your January is a let down from the blizzard of holiday activity, check out the upcoming stage production by the Gulfshore Playhouse at the Norris Center in Naples. It’s “Singing Down the House — Brain Lane Green and Johnny Rodgers in Concert,” Jan. 16 and 17, a show done in a cabaret-style setting. Green is known to soap fans for his roles on ANOTHER WORLD, ALL MY CHILDREN and DAYS OF OUR LIVES.

First photo from GLEE
The new FOX show stars former ATWT actor Matthew Morrison (ex-Adam).

SHORTLAND STREET murder too brutal rules BSA
From gay sex scenes to murder scenes - Television New Zealand's popular soap opera SHORTLAND STREET is in trouble with the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) again.

In December, the BSA upheld a complaint about a homosexual encounter shown on one episode. The BSA said the scene in question was not suitable for child viewers, even when subject to guidance from a parent or adult, because of its sexual content. The BSA made it clear its findings had nothing to do with the fact that the scene involved two men; the scene would have been equally inappropriate if it had involved a heterosexual couple.

In a decision released today, the BSA upheld a complaint about an episode where character Craig Valentine was killed. The episode showed a car chase before Dr Valentine was beaten with a baseball bat and eventually left in a car which was set alight. The episode was given a PGR warning. A majority decision by the BSA said the episode was unsuitable for children, even with adult supervision, because of the realism of the violence.

The BSA website states: "The theme was likely to frighten and disturb child viewers, particularly because the violence - which included easily accessible weapons such as baseball bats - was realistic in the sense that it could happen in New Zealand."

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Out on the Town - December 8, 2007

Megan Ward (Kate on "General Hospital") attended The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep special screening in Los Angeles.

Ward was recently named to the WeLoveSoaps Top Newcomers of 2007 list.

Patrika Darbo (ex-Nancy, "Days of our Lives") was also in attendance.

The film stars Geraldine Brophy, Craig Hall and Joel Tobeck from "Shortland Street" and Ben Chaplin from "Casualty."

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Top 10 at the Box Office - Soap Stars Making an Impact

1. Bee Movie [wkd $26M], (cume $72.1M) - Featuring Ray Liotta (ex-Joey, "Another World")
2. American Gangster [wkd $24.2M], (cume $80.6M) - Featuring Russell Crowe (ex-Kenny, Neighbours"), Ruben Santiago-Hudson (ex-Billy, "Another World"), Tom O'Rourke (ex-Justin, "Guiding Light")
3. Fred Claus [wkd [$19.2M], (cume $19.2M) - Featuring Kathy Bates (ex-Belle, "All My Children")
4. Lions For Lambs [wkd $6.5M], (cume $6.5M) - Featuring Paula Rhodes (ex-Tiffany, "All My Children")
5. Dan In Real Life [wkd $5.8M], (cume $30.6M) - Featuring Amy Ryan (ex-Renee, "As The World Turns") and Matthew Morrison (ex-Adam, "As The World Turns")
6. Saw IV [wkd $5M], (cume $58M) - Devon Bostick (ex-Nic, "Degrassi: The Next Generation")
7. The Game Plan [wkd $2.4M], (cume $85.4M) - Featuring Kyra Sedgwick (ex-Julia, "Another World"), Roselyn Sanchez (ex-Pilar, "As The World Turns") and Paige Turgo (ex-Dina, "Guiding Light")
8. P2 [wkd $2.2M], (cume $2.2M)
9. 30 Days Of Night [wkd $2.1M], (cume $37.3M) - Featuring Manu Bennett (ex-Jack, "Shortland Street"), Joel Tobeck (ex-Craig, "Shortland Street") and Elizabeth Hawthorne (ex-Julia, "Shortland Street")
10. Martian Child [wkd $1.7M], (cume $6M) - Featuring Amanda Peet (ex-Layle, "One Life to Live") and Sophie Okonedo (ex-Gina, "Casualty"),

Box Office data: Dealine Hollywood

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Soap Star Police Blotter Grows

The soap world is buzzing this week over the stunning arrest of Nathaniel Marston. But this is nothing new for soaps. Here's a run down of some of the many soap star arrests over the past few years.

October 2007
Nathaniel Marston ("One Life to Live") was charged with four felony counts Monday—second-degree assault, menacing, reckless endangerment and resisting arrest—stemming from a brawl in New York on Sunday, October 21, at 4:30am,that left one man hospitalized and a police officer injured. According to a criminal complaint filed in Manhattan Criminal Court, the 32-year-old soap hunk attacked three men by swinging a metal crate at them in midtown Manhattan. Marson isn't a stranger to New York's finest. Back in 1999, he was arrested for punching out an ATM. He was working on CBS' "As the World Turns" at the time.

September 2007
Adam Rickitt ("Shortland Street"), international soap star and singer, was arrested for shoplifting in New Zealand. The 28-year-old hunk, who starred in British soap "Coronation Street", admitted to police he stole cheese, a bottle of HP sauce and a jar of coffee from a store in Auckland. He was escorted to a police station by cops and will appear in court at a later date. He says, "I was so stressed out that without realising, or thinking, during my weekly shop of $200, I failed to pay at the checkout. "My actions were without malicious intent. I wasn't thinking straight at that moment. I can't apologise enough." Rickitt is in New Zealand starring in the popular soap "Shortland Street".

Kirsten Storms ("General Hospital"), was pulled over for throwing a lit cigarette out of her car. The officer then noticed a strong smell of alcohol emitting from her car. Storms failed sobriety tests and then was arrested and eventually released. It is presumed she will continue as Maxie on GH. Previously, Storms played Belle Black on "Days of Our Lives" prior to the current portrayer, Martha Madison.

Sean Kanan (ex-"General Hospital" and "The Bold and the Beautiful") was arrested, on his second DUI charge. This arrest fell nearly on the 10-year anniversary of his first DUI, which was in 1998. With a second arrest, he could face up to one year in jail. Kanan most recently played Deacon Sharpe on "The Bold and the Beautiful".

December 2006
Ben Freeman ("Emmerdale") was granted bail after being accused of raping a 16-year-old British girl while on holiday in Barbados. The 26-year-old, who plays Scott Windsor in the ITV soap, was arrested on the Caribbean island last week. The court ruled Mr Freeman, of West Yorkshire, could leave the country, setting bail at 100,000 Barbados dollars (£26,000).

January 2006
Cleveland Campbell (ex-"Emmerdale") was accused of breaking the jaw of a partygoer following a 21st birthday bash for then-girlfriend ("Hollyoaks" actress) Gemma Atkinson at a hotel in Bury. Campbell was arrested on January 26, 2006. He played antiques dealer Danny Daggert in "Emmerdale", was at the time the boyfriend of Bury-born Miss Atkinson.

March 20005
Jason Cook ("Days of Our Lives") was arrested after he allegedly became argumentative with airport officials who found a pipe with marijuana debris in his luggage. The "Days of Our Lives" actor was arrested at the Des Moines International Airport about 6 a.m. Monday on charges of public intoxication and possession of drug paraphernalia.

December 2004
Dean Gaffney (ex-"EastEnders") spent Christmas night in police cells after a "large fight" at his family home. Police and ambulance services went to the house shortly before midnight after getting a 999 call. Gaffney, 26, who played Albert Square's hapless road sweeper Robbie Jackson until leaving in December 2003, was arrested and put in the cells.

November 2004
Jimmi Harkishin ("Coronation Street") was arrested after a clothing store suspected him of stealing. Harkishin,who plays shopkeeper Dev in the soap, was held by staff until police arrived.

September 2002
Joe McGann ("Night and Day") was arrested for allegedly trying to break into his ex-girlfriend's house. It is believed the unnamed woman dialled 999 claiming he had kicked down her front door.

The list goes on and on. And we won't get into how ATWT just hired a man (Wole Parks) who was charged in a hit and run which caused a woman's death last year.