(SOAP Q Weekly) OLTL and AMC Update; Evans Pleads; Frisco Returns; Bo Dishes; 90210 and Dallas news!

• ONE LIFE TO LIVE Characters On GENERAL HOSPITAL Moving Back To Llanview, At Least Temporarily!

• Start Watching ONE LIFE TO LIVE Come April!

• ONE LIFE TO LIVE Cast & Crew Update!

• Robin Strasser Dishes Her Return to ONE LIFE TO LIVE!

• Scott Evans Pleads Guilty To Cocaine Charge, Will Not Spend Time In Jail!

• Prospect Park's Jeff Kwatinetz says new ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE will give "actors and writers a little more freedom"!

(SOAP Q Weekly) GH at 50;Genie, Kin, Erika, Robin, Bob, Jordi returns; DIVA Done; Maggie on Downton; CHEW Death; Ripa; Primetime; Dallas!

• Frank Valentini Previews GENERAL HOSPITAL's 50th Anniversary!

• Genie Francis AND Kin Shriner Returning To GENERAL HOSPITAL

• Steve Burton Talks THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS: Short-Term Contract, Thinner Look

(IT's WAR) Towleroad Calls Out GH’s Felix As “Lipstick Yielding Gay Male Nurse”! Ron Carlivati Fires Back To Negative Comments, Towle Apologizes!

Courtesy/ABC

A firestorm of controversy had erupted over the last 48 hours on the popular Gay blog, Towleroad!  In a post, Towleroad, after referencing a review from We Love Soaps on the introduction of  the new character of Felix Dubois (played by Marc  Anthony Samuel) on General Hospital took to task what they interpret as a negative portrayal of a gay character.

As many had seen in his first on-screen appearance, the character of Felix carried on him some lipstick.  However Towleroad’s slant on this was, “To establish his character as gay, his first scenes involved him pulling out a tube of lipstick and offering to touch up a heterosexual woman. Oy.”   After this posting, readers to the blog continued on with negative comments,  outrage, and attacks including this one:  “This idiocy from General Hospital  is the equivalent of a blackface minstrel show. With enough ridicule, I hope the producer and writer become a laughing stock, which is what they deserve.”

(SOAP Q) Michael Muhney of Y&R reveals on Twitter what kind of lover he would be if he were gay!

Michael Muhney ‏

If I were gay I’d have a tramp stamp over my butt reading, “CLASSY.” Wait. If I were gay I’d be a “top”. Forget it.

Young and Restless airs its 10,000 episode this Thurs, 9/27 on CBS! 

(SOAP Q) GAY DAYS: Dramatic things ahead for Sonny and Will!

 

In the August 22 episode of DOOL, Sonny will be attacked by a supposed friend Tad (Brendan Coughlin) who is afraid that Sonny is trying to “turn” him gay.

Smith tells Windy City Times that the show’s approach to the bullying issue will differ considerably from what’s usually seen in the media: “We’re showing both sides of it.

We’ll see where Sonny is coming from, and where the bully is coming from. It’ll be great to see people grow and mature.”

Now Will, played by Emmy winner Chandler Massey.

He’s been through quite a journey in the past year and apparently, the journey is going to include sleeping with ex-girlfriend Gabi. I’d have no problem with that (young people can be somewhat fluid as they figure themselves out) but since the show hasn’t even had Will sexually involved with another guy, I find the while ting rather annoying at this point.

Massey tells Soap Opera Digest: “Will is battling self-esteem issues. So when you get two people who have some sort of romantic history in a room together, and both are feeling insecure about themselves, they seek any comfort they can find.” Stay tuned!

(SOAP Q) A Times Square Wedding!

Roger Newcomb, creator of the We Love Soaps website, celebrates his wedding in NYC over the weekend: I was married in the middle of Times Square on Saturday, August 18. With friends and family sitting on the Red Steps in Duffy Square, Kevin Mulcahy Jr. and I said our "I dos." It was our dream wedding, in our dream location surrounded by more love and enthusiasm than I ever could have imagined. We both always wanted to live in New York so we went all our with a New York theme. As you might notice from the photo above, three-time Emmy nominee Colleen Zenk, best known to soap opera fans as Barbara Ryan in AS THE WORLD TURNS, officiated our wedding. Colleen became an ordained Universal Life Church minister in order to participate in our special day. CONGRATS!

(SOAP Q) Ian Buchanan Joins OLD DOGS & NEW TRICKS In Recurring Guest Role !

According to We Love Soaps, (Semi-OUT) DAYS OF OUR LIVES star Ian Buchanan will join the cast of the award-winning web sitcom OLD DOGS & NEW TRICKS for its second season as a recurring special guest star.

A familiar face to television and film audiences, Buchanan's credits include THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, GENERAL HOSPITAL, ALL MY CHILDREN and TWIN PEAKS.

Buchanan will appear in the second half of Season 2 as Christoph, a successful photographer who becomes an age-appropriate romantic alternative for one of the OLD DOGS.

“I’m excited to be joining the cast of OLD DOGS,” said Buchanan. “It will be another new adventure!”

HAPPENING NOW: Bullied boy named Jonah pours heart out in self-made video called “What’s Going On”!

HEARTBREAKING: His name is Jonah and he’s in eighth grade. He’s been bullied since the first grade and been cutting himself since the second grade.

He’s made a video that is catching the attention of people today, including Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black who wrote in his blog a supportive message to Jonah: You’re a magnificent creature, a beautiful soul and we need you in this world. I know I’m not alone in sending you my love and appreciation tonight.
It’s hard not to shed tears along with Jonah as he holds up a series of cards that express how he feels about being bullied and called names like Gay. Fag. Douche. Homo. Asshole.

MORE NEWS: Coming Soon!

by MK Scott
Publisher

Hello Darlings! You haven't heard from me for awhile because I have had a full plate of Traveling up and down the West Coast. I have been to San Francisco, Las Vegas, and West Hollywood.

I GOT Lots of coverage to Post and will start up again during the Holiday Weekend. My trip is winding down and it is nice to relax in Palm Springs at not one but two resorts Tonight it is The Hacienda (For Couples) and Warm Sands Villas (For Singles).  Next is Back to LA for a Week and then San Francisco, Portland and Then Home.

Stay tuned for some EXCITING NEWS!

Hurricane Update: River Water in Manhattan!

Tropical Storm Irene, nee Hurricane Irene, passed through New York during the night. I woke up this morning to find the power on and no immediate signs of damage in my Brooklyn neighborhood. The sun is now peaking a little through the clouds. 

But in Manhattan river water is reportedly flowing through some of the streets. Thankfully, though, Con-Edison says the flooding in Lower Manhattan is less severe than expected.

The London Guardian has a great live blog on the storm.

Twitter Campaign: Boycott Murdoch!

Could Fox News and the New York Post get swept up in the fallout from the News of the World scandal? Determined Twitter and Facebook campaigns are urging the boycott of all Rupert Murdoch operations in the wake of the burgeoning phone hacking scandal at the shuttered British newspaper. Boycottmurdoch aims to organize “anti-Murdoch campaigners" for "effective action," while Boycott News International is urging a boycott of all of Murdoch's newspapers, reports the Telegraph. “As we do not have the ability to vote him out of power, we should do the next best thing: refuse to give money to anything produced or related to the Murdoch media empire, and raise awareness so that other people do the same," notes the boycott site. 

Murdoch's ambitious plan to run mammoth British broadcast operation BSkyB is already being threatened by the News of the World scandal. British investigators, meanwhile, are preparing to question police officers as they probe evidence that cops were paid off by News of the World reporters for information on citizens, including their private phone records. It was also revealed that royal family members were likely among some 4,000 victims of phone hacking by the tabloid. Records were also apparently illegally obtained on former prime minister Gordon Brown and his family—including medical records of his son, who suffers from cystic fibrosis—by the News of the World, the Sun, and the Times of London, all owned by Murdoch, reports the Guardian.

SOAP Q: Guza Out of HOSPITAL, Dena's DAYS Over!

GENERAL HOSPITAL head writer Bob Guza is out according to ABC Soaps In Depth, We Love Soaps and other tweets on Twitter Thursday afternoon.

Ingo Rademacher tweeted: "Bob Guza is done as head writer of GH. Thanks for a great 15 yrs Bob. Good luck to u in the future."

Jason Thompson added: "Well its official. Bob Guza is no longer our GH head writer. Welcome Garin Wolf! Pretty crazy."

Garin Wolf will take over as head writer of the show. He previously worked at AS THE WORLD TURNS and wrote for NIGHT SHIFT before joining GH and winning three Emmys as part of the show's writing team.

Also, Dena Higley has been fired as head writer of DAYS OF OUR LIVES according to a report by Soap Opera Network. Stay tuned!

TV: Couric's CBS Talk Show Dead?

Katie Couric's talks with CBS over a possible talk show are dead in the water, sources tell TMZ. CBS has pulled the offer because Couric—who is stepping down as anchor of CBS Evening News—was seeking too much involvement with the network's news operation. ABC is now expected to be Couric's future home, although CBS still has the right to match any offer until her contract expires early next month.

"The negotiations just went on way too long," a CBS insider tells the Hollywood Reporter. "The deal just kept getting more and more rich, with more and more people involved. Then it was all the things that had more to do with news and that had nothing to do with a talk show."

TV: CBS Replaces Katie Couric With Scott Pelley!

CBS made it official yesterday, announcing that 60 Minutes veteran Scott Pelley would replace Katie Couric on the CBS Evening News effective June 6, a widely expected move that represents a major shift for the network. “Scott has it all,” gushed CBS News Chairman Jeff Fager. “We like to think of CBS News as the ‘reporter’s network’ and I can’t think of anybody in this business better suited for the anchor chair than Scott.” Here’s how people are reacting to the news:

BREAKING NEWS: Osama bin Laden Is Dead!

Osama bin Laden is dead, the New York Times reports. Few details yet, but the newspaper (and just about every other media outlet now) quotes a US official saying the al-Qaeda leader has been killed in a "targeted assault" by US forces. CNN says that it happened in Pakistan, and that other members of his family were killed as well. President Obama has confirmed to the nation tonight. A source tells AP that it's no guessing game: The US has bin Laden's body.

The news of the 54-year-old bin Laden's death comes nearly 10 years after the 9/11 attacks. The development presumably leaves Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda's No. 2, in charge—assuming he wasn't with bin Laden.

BREAKING NEWS: Meet the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge!

At long last, newlyweds William and Kate (or, if you like, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) have appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace and engaged in not one, but two public kisses as husband and wife. Big cheer from the throngs below, but the kisses themselves? Pretty short, but sweet!

The Dress was very Princess Grace Style.

Rest assured you can still Snag Prince Harry and Kate's Hunky Brother, James!

PAYBACK is a BITCH: Gleeful Palin Zings Exiting Katie Couric!

Not one to forgive and forget, Sarah Palin took the opportunity yesterday to kick Katie Couric now that she's down—and exiting as CBS News anchor. Couric famously put Palin on the spot in an interview during the presidential campaign when Palin was unable to name a single publication she reads regularly. Asked on Fox News about Couric's departure, Palin quipped: "Yeah I read something about that in a newspaper." She also mocked Couric's comment that the anchor was leaving her job to explore "multi-dimensional" story telling.

"Yeah, I hear that she wants to now engage in more 'multi-dimensional story telling' versus, I guess, just the 'straight on, read into the, that teleprompter screen story telling,'" Palin said. "More power to her. I wish her well in her 'multi-dimensional story telling.'" Palin has spoken often about her anger over Couric's question about her reading habits, calling it disrespectful and proof-positive that the liberal media is out to get her.

SOAP Q: Fans protest at ABC's offices over cancellation of CHILDREN and LIFE!

Daytime television buffs rallied in Midtown Tuesday to let ABC know that without their soaps, they'll have no lives to live, reports We Love Soaps.

A distraught group of 30 soap opera fans gathered outside ABC studios to protest the imminent cancellation of iconic soaps ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE.

"These Soap Operas are our lives," said Danielle Pope, 25, a child care provider from Brooklyn. "I grew up watching these soaps. These characters are like family. When they marry we celebrate. When they die, we mourn."

NEW CHICK? Katie Couric makes it official: she is stepping down from “confining” CBS Evening News anchor chair!

Katie Couric told Tavis Smiley last night that doing a daytime talk show is at the top of her list although there is no official deal yet to announce. But was she is ready to announce that she is indeed stepping down as anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News.

She told Tavis that the anchor desk a “pretty confining venue” and that she wanted to be doing something that was “a little more in my wheelhouse.”

Couric, who was host of The Today Show for 15 years, she said wants to do “what I think I do best, which is interacting with people, interviewing with people.”

Hey, Didn't she promise Barbara Walters that she would tell her first? Why Tavis? Also my Pick to Replace her would be Merideth Viera! Duh!

BREAKING NEWS: 'King & Spalding' Law Firm Backing Out of DOMA Case!

Amanda Terkel at the HuffPost broke the news that King & Spalding, the law firm hired to defend DOMA, is backing out of the case, having determined the "process used for vetting this engagement was inadequate."

Ben Smith at Politico reports: King and Spalding Chairman Robert D. Hays, Jr., whose partner Paul Clement was to lead the defense, said in a statement through a spokesman, Les Zuke:

Today the firm filed a motion to withdraw from its engagement to represent the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group of the House of Representatives on the constitutional issues regarding Section III of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. Last week we worked diligently through the process required for withdrawal.