Today in Soap Opera History (July 13)

1983: All My Children's Tad returned to Pine Valley.
1990: Days of our Lives' Hope "died" in an explosion.
1999: As the World Turns' Jack gave Carly a compass.
2009: The Young and the Restless' Phillip revealed he was gay.

"History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1965: On Another World, Lee Randolph (Gaye Huston) wasn't happy when Dr. Lewis said she could go home at the end of the week.

1966: On The Guiding Light, Leslie Bauer (Lynne Adams) accused her husband, Ed (Robert Gentry), of becoming a "cold blooded cynic" to help soothe his anger of his father's drinking.

Today in Soap Opera History (July 13)

1983: All My Children's Tad returned to Pine Valley.
1990: Days of our Lives' Hope "died" in an explosion.
1999: As the World Turns' Jack gave Carly a compass.
2009: The Young and the Restless' Phillip revealed he was gay.

"All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."
― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1965: On Another World, Lee Randolph (Gaye Huston) wasn't happy when Dr. Lewis said she could go home at the end of the week.

1966: On The Guiding Light, Leslie Bauer (Lynne Adams) accused her husband, Ed (Robert Gentry), of becoming a "cold blooded cynic" to help soothe his anger of his father's drinking.

Today in Soap Opera History (July 13)

1983: All My Children's Tad returned to Pine Valley.
1990: Days of our Lives' Hope "died" in an explosion.
1999: As the World Turns' Jack gave Carly a compass.
2009: The Young and the Restless' Phillip revealed he was gay.

"History is a vast early warning system."
― Norman Cousins

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1965: On Another World, Lee Randolph (Gaye Huston) wasn't happy when Dr. Lewis said she could go home at the end of the week.

1966: On The Guiding Light, Leslie Bauer (Lynne Adams) accused her husband, Ed (Robert Gentry), of becoming a "cold blooded cynic" to help soothe his anger of his father's drinking.

Today in Soap Opera History (July 13)

1983: All My Children's Tad returned to Pine Valley.
1990: Days of our Lives' Hope "died" in an explosion.
1999: As the World Turns' Jack gave Carly a compass.
2009: The Young and the Restless' Phillip revealed he was gay.

"If you don't know history, then you don't know anything. You are a leaf that doesn't know it is part of a tree."
― Michael Crichton

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1965: On Another World, Lee (Gaye Huston) wasn't happy when Dr. Lewis said she could go home at the end of the week.

1966: On The Guiding Light, Leslie (Lynne Adams) accused Ed (Robert Gentry) of becoming a "cold blooded cynic" to help soothe his anger of his father's drinking.

Teen Choice 2015 Winners List: 'Empire', 'Pretty Little Liars,' Jensen Ackles, Ashley Benson, Lucy Hale

The Bold and the Beautiful's Pierson Fode with Victoria Justice on the
red carpet of Teen Choice 2015.

The following were honored Sunday at Teen Choice 2015, which aired live on FOX from the University of Southern California’s Galen Center in Los Angeles. This year, teens logged on to TeenChoice.com, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and cast more than 25 million votes in support of their favorite teen icons in film, television, music, sports, fashion, comedy and the web.

Hosted by Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Gina Rodriguez and Josh Peck, Teen Choice 2015 featured performances by Empire’s Jussie Smollett and Bryshere “Yazz” Gray, 5 Seconds of Summer, Flo Rida and Robin Thicke, Little Mix and Rachel Platten.

Candie's girls, Fifth Harmony, presented the “Candie’s Choice Style Icon” award to Britney Spears, whose trendsetting style has made her a permanent fixture in pop culture and a true fashion innovator.

Teen Choice 2015 winners include:

TELEVISION
Choice TV Show: Drama (#ChoiceDramaTVShow)
Pretty Little Liars

Choice TV Actor: Drama (#ChoiceDramaTVActor)
Ian Harding – Pretty Little Liars

Choice TV Actress: Drama (#ChoiceDramaTVActress)
Lucy Hale – Pretty Little Liars

Today in Soap Opera History (July 23)

Ted Corday

"History never looks like history when you are living through it."
― John W. Gardner

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1966: Producer and director Ted Corday died at age 58. Corday moved from Broadway to radio dramas to television directing at The Guiding Light and As the World Turns. In 1965 NBC asked Corday to create three new daytime soap operas leading to the premieres of Days of our Lives, Paradise Bay and Morning Star. Days continues to this day while the other two shows were went off the air July 1, 1966, three weeks before Corday's death.

1968: On Another World, as he sat on the porch drinking lemonade with Jim and Mary Matthews, Steve Frame (George Reinholt) remembered how he had run five lemonade stands when he was eight, then said he probably bought the Bay City Bengals football team to compensate for never having had time for games.

'Once Upon a Time' Was The Most Tweeted-About TV Show of Comic-Con

"Our fans RULE!!!" tweeted Once Up a Time star Emilie
de Ravin (‏@emiliederavin).

Starting last Thursday, droves of die-hard fans filled the San Diego Convention Center for Comic-Con throughout the weekend. They simultaneously lit up Twitter streams around the world with their #SDCC experiences. For those who braved the lines (and some of the costumes), Twitter was a great place to share unforgettable moments, while fans watching from afar jumped on Twitter to get minute-by-minute updates on their favorite stars, TV shows and movies.

Twitter has now released Comic-Con's most Tweeted-about shows, films and celebrities:

Most Tweeted-about TV shows:
Once Upon a Time (@OnceABC)
Arrow (@CW_Arrow)
Supernatural (@cw_spn)
Teen Wolf (@MTVteenwolf)
The Vampire Diaries (@cwtvd)

Note: Notice that the Top 5 are all serialized dramas (and Game of Thrones is not on the list).

Most Tweeted-about celebrities:
Jennifer Lawrence
Jared Padalecki (@jarpad)
Jensen Ackles (@JensenAckles)
Misha Collins (@mishacollins)
Dylan Sprayberry (@DSprayberry)

Most Tweeted-about movies:
Mockingjay Part 2 (@TheHungerGames)
Batman vs. Superman (@BatmanvSuperman)
Star Wars (@starwars)
Suicide Squad
Justice League

Today in Soap Opera History (July 13)

1983: All My Children's Tad returned to Pine Valley.
1990: Days of our Lives' Hope "died" in an explosion.
1999: As the World Turns' Jack gave Carly a compass.
2009: The Young and the Restless' Phillip revealed he was gay.

"History never looks like history when you are living through it."
― John W. Gardner

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1965: On Another World, Lee (Gaye Huston) wasn't happy when Dr. Lewis said she could go home at the end of the week.

1966: On The Guiding Light, Leslie (Lynne Adams) accused Ed (Robert Gentry) of becoming a "cold blooded cynic" to help soothe his anger of his father's drinking.

Today in Soap Opera History (July 23)

Ted Corday

"History is a gallery of pictures in which there are few originals and many copies."
- Alexis de Tocqueville

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1966: Producer and director Ted Corday died at age 58. Corday moved from Broadway to radio dramas to television directing at The Guiding Light and As the World Turns. In 1965 NBC asked Corday to create three new daytime soap operas leading to the premieres of Days of our Lives, Paradise Bay and Morning Star. Days continues to this day while the other two shows were went off the air July 1, 1966, three weeks before Corday's death.

1968: On Another World, as he sat on the porch drinking lemonade with Jim and Mary, Steve (George Reinholt) remembered how he had run five lemonade stands when he was eight, then said he probably bought the Bay City Bengals to compensate for never having had time for games.

NEWS: Connie Knight, ABC Family, ITV, Binge TV, Kevin Spirtas, Allyson Carey, Amanda Setton, John Walton

Connie Knight, mother of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, will guest star on 'The Young and the Restless'
The longtime fan will be making an appearance in Genoa City in the episode slated to air Wednesday, August 13.

ABC Family Targeting Older Women Amid Restructuring
ABC Family is looking to tighten its viewership focus. On the heels of the July 8 exit of Kate Juergens — a top architect of the network's millennial brand — and a restructuring under new chief Tom Ascheim, the network known for teen smash Pretty Little Liars wants to age up how it is perceived and lure more 20-somethings. ABC Family's median viewer is 29, which dips to 25 for original programs.

Ascheim, a former Nickelodeon exec who took over in December, tells THR his five-year plan is for ABC Family to be seen as a young-adult network instead of one that caters to families with kids.

Liberty Global says buys ITV stake from BskyB
Colorado-based Liberty Global, which has made a string of European acquisitions in recent years, added in a statement however that it did not intend to make an offer to acquire ITV. Liberty Global has purchased 259.8 million ITV shares at 185 pence per share from pay-TV giant BSkyB. ITV broadcasts hit period drama Downton Abbey and long-running soap opera Coronation Street.

The CW Fall 2014 Premiere Dates

The CW Network will strategically roll-out its Fall 2014 launch this October with two highly anticipated new series, The Flash and Jane The Virgin, joining returning favorites.

For the third year, The CW will kick off the new season with an exclusive telecast of the biggest concert of the year, the iHeartRadio Music Festival, airing over two nights, Monday, September 29 (8-10 p.m. ET) and Tuesday, September 30 (8-10 p.m. ET).

Thursday, October 2, all-new seasons of bloody, sexy drama return with the season premiere of The Vampire Diaries (8-9 p.m. ET) followed by Mary, Queen of Scots continuing her Reign (9-10 p.m. ET).

Thursday Night Ratings: The CW Delivers Its Most Watched Thursday in Six Weeks

Below is a roundup of Thursday, May 1 ratings reports from ABC, The CW and CBS.

From ABC:
ABC Thursday Prime (8-11 p.m. – 6.6 million and 1.5/4 in AD18-49): With a repeat Grey's Anatomy at 8 p.m., and original Grey's at 9 p.m. and Black Box at 10 p.m., ABC finished #2 on Thursday in Total Viewers and won the night in Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34 (10th straight week).

Grey's Anatomy (9-10 p.m. – 8.7 million and 2.6/8 in AD18-49): Nearly tripling its Adult 18-49 lead-in at 9 p.m. (+189%), ABC’s Grey's Anatomy shot up to dominate its hour, beating CBS’ comedies by 44% (Two and a Half Men/Bad Teacher = 1.8/5), NBC’s iHeart Radio Music Awards by 53% (1.7/5) and Fox with American Idol and Surviving Jack by 117% (1.2/4). In fact against Grey's, Idol fell to a new all-time low for any telecast in AD18-49 (1.5/5).

'The Vampire Diaries' Preview: Flashbacks to the 1960s

Michael Malarkey as Enzo — Photo Credit: Annette Brown/The CW

The fifth season of The Vampire Diaries continues with a new episode ("Man on Fire") on Thursday, April 24 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.

Stefan (Paul Wesley) tries to distract Elena (Nina Dobrev) from obsessing about the state of her relationship with Damon (Ian Somerhalder), while Bonnie (Kat Graham) does her best to be realistic about how the changes happening on the Other Side will affect her existence as the Anchor. Damon demands the Traveler knife, forcing Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) and Matt (Zach Roerig) to admit it has gone missing.

Through flashbacks to election night, 1960, Enzo (guest star Michael Malarkey) reveals to Elena, Stefan and Bonnie that he has learned what happened to his long-lost love, Maggie (guest star Heather Hemmens), and then, with the unwilling help of Liv (guest star Penelope Mitchell) and Luke (guest star Chris Brochu), things take an ugly turn. Trying to calm Enzo down, Damon intervenes, but his words cause Enzo to make a desperate and dangerous decision that leads to a violent confrontation with Stefan.

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES Preview: Markos Arrives in Mystic Falls

Paul Wesley as Stefan and Caitlin McHugh as Sloan. Photo
Credit: Annette Brown/The CW

The fifth season of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES continues with a new episode ("Rescue Me") on Thursday, March 27 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.

In order to keep Stefan (Paul Wesley) from being harmed by Sloan (guest star Caitlin McHugh) and the Travelers, Caroline (Candice Accola) and Enzo (guest star Michael Malarkey) agree to make a trip to Atlanta to find a newly discovered doppleganger. Caroline is surprised when Enzo opens up to her about his past.

Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Elena (Nina Dobrev) spend an awkward afternoon at Jeremy's (Steven R. McQueen) parent-teacher conference, where they hear bad news about his behavior at school. Afterwards, Damon reluctantly tells Elena upsetting news about Jeremy's personal life. Bonnie (Kat Graham) has an unsettling encounter with Luke (guest star Chris Brochu), and learns more about his family history.

Thursday Night Ratings: THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, SCANDAL Up

ABC won Thursday in Adults 18-49 (2.0/6), with SCANDAL (2.9/9) and GREY'S ANATOMY (2.4/7) finishing as the night’s Top 2 TV shows, as both shows were up week to week. Check out ratings reports from ABC, NBC and The CW below:

From ABC:
ONCE UPON A TIME IN WONDERLAND (8-9 p.m. – 3.5 million and 0.8/3 in AD18-49): During the 8 o’clock hour, ABC’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN WONDERLAND was up 9% in Total Viewers and retained 100% of its week-ago Adult 18-49 number. It was the show’s most-watched telecast since November – since 11/21/13. From 8-9pm, the ABC freshman drama topped NBC’s comedies by 6% in Total Viewers (3.5 million vs. 3.3 million for COMMUNITY/PARKS AND RECREATION).

GREY'S ANATOMY (9-10 p.m. – 8.0 million and 2.4/7 in AD18-49): Tripling its Adult 18-49 lead-in at 9 p.m. (+200%), ABC’s GREY'S ANATOMY (2.4/7) once again won its hour, increasing its winning advantage over Fox’s AMERICAN IDOL (1.9/6) to 26% (up from a 5% advantage the prior week). In fact falling below a 2.0 Adult 18-49 rating for the first time ever, AMERICAN IDOL delivered another all-time low. Grey’s was up week to week in Total Viewers (+8%) and Adults 18-49 (+4%).

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES "Gone Girl" Preview: Flashbacks To Nadia's Search For Katherine

Steven R. McQueen as Jeremy, Kat Graham as Bonnie, Michael Trevino
as Tyler, Candice Accola as Caroline and Ian Somerhalder as Damon.
Photo Credit: Blake Tyers/The CW

The fifth season of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES continues with a new episode ("Gone Girl") on Thursday, March 6 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.

While Nadia (guest star Olga Fonda) remembers her centuries-long search for her mother, Stefan (Paul Wesley), Caroline (Candice Accola) and Matt (Zach Roerig) come up with a desperate new plan to save Elena's (Nina Dobrev) life.

For the second time, Bonnie (Kat Graham) and Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) must turn to Liv (guest star Penelope Mitchell) for help.

Thursday Night Ratings: SCANDAL and GREY'S ANATOMY Up, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES Steacy

Below is a roundup of preliminary ratings reports for Thursday, February 27, 2014.

From The CW:
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES returned from its two-week hiatus even with its last original episode in A18-49 (0.9/3).

In its time period, TVD outrated both ABC and NBC in W18-34 (1.3/4). It outrated ABC in A18-34 (0.9/3), and was only one tenth behind NBC in both A18-34 and A18-49.

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES "No Exit" Preview: Good News, Bad News

Shaun Sipos as Aaron, Paul Wesley as Stefan and Ian Somerhalder
as Damon.  Photo Credit: Bob Mahoney/The CW

The fifth season of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES continues with a new episode ("No Exit") on Thursday, February 27 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.

As Damon's (Ian Somerhalder) behavior escalates from destructive to deadly, Stefan (Paul Wesley) begins to regret their last conversation and decides to track Damon down and intervene. For reasons of her own, Elena (Nina Dobrev) volunteers to come along.

Dr. Wes (guest star Rick Cosnett) enlists the Travelers to set a trap that will once again test Damon's friendship with Enzo (guest star Michael Malarkey).

The CW Sets Season Finale Dates and Kicks Off Summer With Four-Hour Event Series LABYRINTH

The CW today announced the broadcast television premiere of the four-hour event miniseries LABYRINTH, airing across two consecutive nights on Thursday, May 22 (8-10 p.m. ET) and concluding Friday, May 23 (8-10 p.m. ET). Filmedon-location in the medieval town of Carcassonne in southwest France and Cape Town, South Africa, the historical miniseries jumps back and forth between modern and medieval France as it follows the lives of two women who are separated by centuries, but united in their search for the Holy Grail. LABYRINTH features a multi-national and award-winning cast, including John Hurt, Sebastian Stan, Jessica Brown-Findlay, Vanessa Kirby and Tom Felton. The series is an adaption of Kate Mosse's New York Times best-seller and multi-million selling, international hit adventure/thriller novel of the same title.

In addition to the LABYRINTH broadcast dates this May, The CW also announced the season finale dates for its series, as follows:

NEWS: Rosemary Prinz, Eric Braeden, Paige Turco, Dylan Bruce, Jacinda Barrett, Stevie Nicks, Chris Brochu

Former soap star Rosemary Prinz brings her warmth to Playhouse
Prinz, who played Penny Hughes on AS THE WORLD TURNS for 12 years among other soap roles, is in Cincinnati to star in Amy Herzog’s "4000 Miles" at Playhouse in the Park.

She’s still working hard at 84: "My idea of a perfect way to go is, you finish the show, you take your bow, the curtain comes down and that’s it."

WWE shopping 'Raw,' 'Smackdown' and other TV properties
That doesn't mean that those shows will definitely be moving. Although NBCUniversal's exclusive negotiating window with the WWE expired over the weekend, it still has limited rights to match a competing offer.

However, NBCUniversal and WWE are far apart on a price. WWE is looking for a dramatic increase in rights fees and has retained Chris Bevilacqua, head of media advisory firm Bevilacqua Helfant Ventures, to negotiate its deal.