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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: soap operas

soap operas stories: 13 news summaries
why, james franco, why?


 General Hospital 
 More Sopranos 
 Than Soap Opera 

James Franco's guest stint highlights shows thuggery

Nov 19, 09 12:05 PM CST
(Newser) - Sure, it’s weird that James Franco is guest starring on General Hospital—but what’s weirder is that the soap is one of the small screen’s most violent creations, even by daytime television’s dubious standards. It stopped being a show about a hospital long ago, writes Willa... More »

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entertainment • television • celebrity • soap operas • General Hospital • James Franco • daytime television • James Franco General Hospital • James Franco soap opera

 Franco 
 Joining Cast  
 of General 
 Hospital 

Actor asked for, got part on long-running soap

Oct 1, 09 5:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - James Franco—yes, that James Franco—is joining the cast of General Hospital in November for at least a few weeks. In fact, Franco—whose movie credits include Pineapple Express, Milk, and all three Spider-Man flicks—asked the soap’s producers for a role, reports Soapnet. They were only too... More »

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television • soap operas • General Hospital • actor • James Franco

TV Review

 Melrose Still Fun, Still Bad 

Relaunch as trashy as ever, critics agree

Sep 8, 09 12:31 PM CDT
(Newser) - Horrible and dramatic people once again fill the halls of Melrose Place, this time with a glossier look and a whodunit plot. Here’s what the critics are saying:
  • Reluctant longtime fan Linda Stasi of the New York Post was surprised that “the new tenants actually
... More »

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soap operas • Ashlee Simpson • Melrose Place • television review

Sesame Street, View Among Daytime Emmy Winners

Susan Haskell, Christian Leblanc, Darin Brooks take home honors

Aug 31, 09 9:58 AM CDT
(Newser) - The ladies of The View unseated Ellen Degeneres as Best Talk Show Host at yesterday's Daytime Emmy Awards, though they weren't at the ceremony, E! reports. Other big winners included Rachael Ray for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show and Tyra Banks for Outstanding Informative Talk Show, while The Bold ... More »

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entertainment • The View • Tyra Banks • celebrity • soap operas • Emmy Awards • talk show • daytime talk show • Ellen DeGeneres • The Bold and the Beautiful • Rachael Ray • Sesame Street • game shows

Guiding Light's Lesbian Couple Finally Gets
to Kiss

No, not during soap's last days...online

Aug 25, 09 10:53 AM CDT
(Newser) - Thanks to the Internet, a popular lesbian soap opera couple will finally get their long-awaited kiss. Crystal Chappell, Guiding Light’s Olivia, is bringing friends and fans together to create a Web series after the soap goes off the air next month. And though never allowed to make out... More »

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entertainment • lesbians • celebrity • soap operas • kiss • Guiding Light

 After 72 Years, CBS 
 Axes Guiding Light 

After 72 years, show canceled for ratings decline

Apr 1, 09 1:44 PM CDT
(Newser) - Guiding Light, the CBS soap that began on radio 72 years ago, will air for the last time Sept. 18, the New York Post reports. Like many daytime serials, Guiding Light has been battling falling ratings. It has been on the chopping block since last year, when its revamp as... More »

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television • CBS • soap operas • Guiding Light • daytime television

 Prognosis Isn't Good 
 for Soap Operas 

Things look bad

Jan 10, 09 1:11 PM CST
(Newser) - There’s reason for the young to be restless, because the days of their lives may not last much longer. The economic downturn is driving soap operas to the brink of extinction, Portfolio reports. Not long ago there were 16 network soaps; now, just eight remain, and with ad... More »

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television • advertising • soap operas • TV ratings

Soaps Slip on Auto Ad Woes;
Even Lucci Takes Pay Cut

Dramas cut budgets amid fears of lost advertising

Nov 28, 08 12:20 PM CST
(Newser) - Trouble in the auto industry is causing drama for daytime TV as soaps lose big advertising dollars, Advertising Age reports. Local dealerships are key backers of the shows, which have been in a ratings decline for years. The upshot: trimmed budgets, fewer sets, and dropped actors, including a pair of... More »

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television • soap operas • auto industry • budget cuts • television advertising

 WB Favorites Survive Online 

Fresh content, networking tools also in the mix

Sep 2, 08 2:53 PM CDT
(Newser) - Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer can rejoice: The defunct WB network relaunched last week as an interactive website. TheWB.com features on-demand episodes of its classic teen shows, alongside original programming aimed at the 16- to-34-year-old market, Advertising Age reports. The site also sports "sharing features,"... More »

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social networking • Internet • Facebook • soap operas • Warner Brothers • network television • Buffy the Vampire Slayer

'Tudors': Flashy Fiction Is Far From Fact

Historians balk at steamy soap, but fans aren't deterred

Mar 30, 08 7:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - In the battle of fact versus flair, it’s pretty obvious which side “The Tudors” comes down on. Showtime’s steamy period soap opera, which premiers its second season tonight, trades a chubby, tight-wearing Henry VIII for slim, sexy Jonathan Rhys Meyers. “It’s sloppy filmmaking,” one... More »

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Showtime • soap operas • history • sexy costumes • Jonathan Rhys Meyers • Anne Boleyn • Henry VIII • The Tudors • period drama

 Warren Buffett: Soap Star 

Billionaire investing guru will make a cameo on "All My Children"

Mar 19, 08 8:07 PM CDT
(Newser) - Well, sure, he can make a billion at the drop of a hat. But can the man act? We'll see. Warren Buffett, he who sits atop the list of wealthiest people, with $62 billion, will make a cameo on the soap "All My Children" during May sweeps week, Reuters... More »

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Warren Buffett • ABC • soap operas • Berkshire Hathaway • All My Children • Agnes Nixon • Susan Lucci • guest appearance • cameo

Writers' Strike Could Send Soaps Down the Drain

Strike threatens an already troubled genre

Nov 12, 07 4:31 AM CST
(Newser) - The strike by the Writers Guild of America could leave an entire genre hanging by a bubble. Daytime soaps operas won't be sent into reruns immediately, like late-night talk shows, because  producers have scripts stockpiled. But the soaps have been hemorraghing viewers  for years, reports the Los Angeles Times, and... More »

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soap operas • Writers Guild of America • Hollywood writers' strike • General Hospital • The Young and the Restless • Days of Our Lives • Nielsen Media Research • As the World Turns • The Bold and the Beautiful • The Guiding Light

Cubans Ignore Static on Illegal TV

Even committed commies crave US satellite shows despite Castro ban

Jul 12, 07 7:54 AM CDT
(Newser) - Cubans are turning to black-market satellite TV to watch soap operas, US news and music videos, and even the Chicago White Sox—in defiance of a national ban on the programs, the Christian Science Monitor reports. "If there is censorship, there is business," said one  provider who faces... More »

MORE ABOUT:
television • DirecTV • cable TV • Fidel Castro • Cuba • censorship • black market • satellite TV • Committee for the Defense of the Revolution • soap operas • VH1 • boob tube

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