'Beyond the Gates' Premieres February 24 on CBS

Upcoming CBS daytime drama Beyond the Gates, a set in a leafy Maryland suburb just outside of Washington, D.C., and in one the most affluent African American counties in the United States, premieres Monday, February 24, 2025 at 2pm ET/1pm PT on CBS.

'Days of Our Lives' Livestream Event on September 8 Promotes 'Beyond Salem'

To celebrate the premiere of the Peacock Original limited series, Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem, Xfinity and Peacock today announced an exclusive Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem livestream event only for Xfinity Reward Members.

The event reunites an all-star cast including Lisa Rinna, Deidre Hall, Drake Hogestyn, James Reynolds, and Eileen Davidson on Wednesday, Sept. 8th at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT. Viewers will enjoy a conversation with the stars - giving fans a chance to view exclusive content, hear stories from the set, and even have the chance to ask their favorite stars questions.

This special event is only for Xfinity Rewards members and is just one of the many benefits available through the Xfinity Rewards program. If you’re not yet a member of Xfinity Rewards, signing up is free and simple to do through the Xfinity app or online at Xfinity.com/rewards. From there, members can view and redeem all rewards currently available to them.

“Xfinity Rewards is all about creating unique experiences that only Comcast NBCUniversal can make possible, said Pooja Kapadia, Vice President, Customer Marketing and Loyalty. We’re thrilled to be able to bring together Xfinity, Peacock, and the team at Days of Our Lives, to create this fun and memorable event for our customers.”

The Peacock Original limited-series DAYS OF OUR LIVES: BEYOND SALEM begins streaming Monday, Sept. 6th on Peacock. New episodes will drop daily culminating with the limited series finale on Friday, Sept. 10th. All episodes will be available to stream for free. New episodes of Days of our Lives air weekdays on NBC and are available to stream exclusively on Peacock for free.

NEWS: 'Game of Thrones,' 'Mad Men,' 'Tori Spelling, Kate Mulgrew, 'Gotham'

Photo courtesy of HBO

Why Sunday's Big Game of Thrones Death Was a Very Necessary Departure from the Books
So why did Dan Weiss and David Benioff decide to bump off Mance on the show? Well, for a number of reasons. First of all, it’s pretty clear that the mission statement of this season is “efficiency.” I’m a huge fan of the books, but if you’ll forgive me for saying so, Martin’s fourth and and fifth novels could have used a lot of editing. That’s essentially what Weiss and Benioff are doing here. They’ve obviously gotten rid of the whole plot with Mance Rayder’s baby (so, apparently, that book story line doesn’t pay off in a significant way), and without that plot there isn’t a real reason to keep Mance around.

Kate Mulgrew's Drama From Real Life
Actress Kate Mulgrew has revealed she gave a child up for adoption in her early 20s because she felt she was too young to become a mum. The Orange Is The New Black star has detailed the heartbreak of discovering she was with child at 22 in her first memoir, titled Born With Teeth. After finding out she was pregnant the father, who was an actor in the Royal Shakespeare company her to consider an abortion. However, Mulgrew was adamant on keeping their unborn child, even offering her own mother money to hire a nanny while she took on acting gigs. Mulgrew was appearing on U.S. soap opera Ryan's Hope at the time of her pregnancy and returned to work just three days after giving birth.

This Ethiopian Soap Opera Could Save Lives
Goats bleat in the background as two college friends banter in the opening of a new radio series for rural Ethiopian communities that’s part soap opera and part public service announcement. Launched last month, the “edutainment” project is combined the development know-how of the Portland-based aid organization Mercy Corps with the entertainment prowess of Warner Bros.

Gotham's Ben McKenzie on the End of the Season: "Not Everybody Lives"
The season finale, he noted, will see Gotham inch closer toward "ultimate anarchy" that will result in "masked vigilantes roaming the streets" — with major consequences for the characters around Gordon.

"Not everybody lives, and the people who do live don't necessarily end up mentally all there," he said. "There's a price to be paid. It's really crazy."

Tori Spelling Rushed to Hospital After Falling on a Hibachi Grill at Benihana
According to a Daily Mail report, eyewitnesses at the Encino, Calif. restaurant say Tori tripped and fell backwards as she was getting up to leave, and "shouted out in pain." She suffered a large burn on the back of her right arm.

Time Warner, Viacom Back Away From Nielsen Guarantees For Ads
Time Warner and Viacom are in talks with select advertisers that would have the sponsors pay for video ads based on measures very different from the industry’s current standard, Nielsen ratings. The deals would center not on an average of how many people actually saw the commercials — as is the current practice — but rather on how the ads affect consumer behavior or how often consumers interact with the pitches.

Mad Men Director Michael Uppendahl Explains Sunday's Parade of Guest Stars, How to Orchestrate the Ideal Elevator Scene
"So many people are saying, 'Give me Joan,' and all these other wonderful characters. You know the clock is ticking. There's not much more screen time for any of them, because there are so few episodes remaining. I think it's a bold writing move — and Matt is at home with bold writing moves — but it was especially bold to spend so much time with people who aren't necessarily the regulars. Elizabeth really came through for us. It's an interesting role, and I was really happy it was her. I hadn't had the pleasure of working with her before, but I really enjoyed it."

Nashville's Laura Benanti will write a humorous essay collection
The actress will share funny (and occasionally weird) stories from her time growing up in New Jersey, moving to New York City at 18 to pursue her Broadway dreams, and ending up married and divorced twice by age 34. Benanti will also address themes like learning to be alone, people-pleasing, and “ladyfriendships”—all of which she writes about frequently on Twitter.

Where Are They Now? The Cast of Charmed
Before Witches of East End, and our favorite Teen Witch, there was Charmed.

NEWS: 'EastEnders' Ireland Spinoff; 'Devious Maids' Trims Cast; 'GH Now' Profitable; 'Revenge' Triple Threat

EastEnders' Kat and Alfie Moon are on their way to Ireland.

EastEnders six-part spin off to film in Ireland
Tthe BBC is planning a spinoff based on two of the show’s most popular characters, Kat Slater Moon and Alfie Moon, with the setting somewhere in Ireland. The six-part series doesn’t have a name, and will start filming in Ireland in the fall.

“In the next few weeks on EastEnders viewers will witness huge twists for Kat and Alfie that will change their lives forever. My team here are very excited about creating a whole new drama that stands apart from EastEnders while taking our style of storytelling to a place of stories, myth, secrets and immeasurable beauty,” the show’s executive producer, Dominic Treadwell-Collins, said.

Are the Irish still a punchline for British television shows?
With a new Irish-set EastEnders on the way, it remains to be seen whether British television has weaned itself off insultingly clichéd portrayals of Ireland.

Revenge Boss Previews Amanda's New Triple Threat as Season 4 Concludes
Showrunner Sunil Nayar advises viewers to keep an eye on Victoria, Margaux and Louise.

“Louise is someone who’s always looking for, not just love, but someone she can trust,” Nayar says of Nolan’s ex-to-be potentially joining forces with Victoria and Margaux. “Betrayal is a touchstone for her, and she’s learned a lot of new facts she didn’t know before — especially things that her husband didn’t tell her, like who Amanda Clarke actually was.”

'Born With Teeth,' Actress Kate Mulgrew On A Life Lived With Abandon
"I found myself pregnant at the age of 22 while I was playing Mary Ryan on a very popular soap opera called Ryan's Hope. And I immediately called my mother who was still in a passage of grief over the loss of her daughter Tessie, my sister Tess. ... I said to mother, 'This is going to be very difficult, Mom, but I have to tell you the truth: I'm pregnant.' '

"And she said, 'Well, that's too bad. You've made a big mistake, kitten, and now you're going to have to fix it. And the only way you can fix it is to give the baby up for adoption. So I think you should go over to Catholic charities and find a wonderful social worker who will guide you through this process and you will do the brave thing and you will give up this baby. So, kitten, pull yourself together and do what you know you need to do. You won't be the first and you certainly won't be the last — ' I think she said 'actress' who's ever given birth to an illegitimate child. So that was that."

ABC Gives Fans a Little Extra With GH Now!
“The investment was small enough that we deficit-financed it. We felt it was really worth it,” says Chris Thomes, vice president, Disney/ABC Digital Media Studio, Disney/ABC Television Group.

It took three months to complete taping since they worked around General Hospital's production schedule. ABC's digital platform is typically ad-supported, yet GH Now! held its own in terms of impressions. Pre-roll advertising helped make the project profitable.

Despite having no official renewal, feelers are already out for possible sponsors, but Thomes says new episodes are not contingent upon landing a sponsor.

“We’ll do this one way or another. It would be great to have a sponsor, and I’m sure we will, but I’m bullish on making this happen because the fans really, really enjoy it.”

Devious Maids Trims Regular Cast For Season 3
Edy Ganem and Drew Van Acker will no longer be regulars on the show but will both return for multiple episodes. Meanwhile, Mark Deklin, who joined as a new regular in Season 2, will not be coming back.

Sunday night survival guide: How to navigate this week's biggest TV events
Clear your DVR, check the batteries in your remote, and stock up on snacks that don’t make any noise when you eat them: You’ll need to be in peak TV-viewing form this Sunday, April 12, which promises to be even more packed with shows than your average Sunday night.

CW Orders Comedy Significant Mother to Series
The story follows Portland restaurateur Nate (Josh Zuckerman), whose world is turned upside down when he comes back from a business trip to find out that his best friend and roommate, Jimmy, is now dating his newly singly mother (Krista Allen). The attempts by Nate’s dad (Jonathan Silverman) to woo back his mom are not helping the situation. Needless to say, all this pressure severely handicaps Nate’s own dating life. Emma Fitzpatrick and Jay Ali (Bloomers, The Fosters) also star.

Taylor Schilling On OITNB: "I Actually Have Not Watched The Show Yet!"
"I actually have not watched the show yet," Schilling tells ET Canada while in Toronto. "My plan going into shooting the next season is to make sure and watch 1, 2 and 3, so I have a lot of television watching to do."

Empire Star Taraji P. Henson Reveals Cookie's Amazing Improvised Naomi Campbell Insult That Was Cut
Taraji P. Henson stopped by Late Night With Seth Meyers to reveal a few secrets about her beloved badass character, Cookie Lyon.
For example, her memorable lines "Shut up, Dora" and "Boo boo kitty" were completely improvised, she told host Seth Meyers. " 'Boo boo kitty' is the new 'Bye, Felicia!' "

But one Cookie insult directed at Naomi Campbell didn't make the cut. "She tried to side-swipe me by adding a line — Cookie was ready," said Henson. "So I said to her, I said, 'I want me some grandbabies, but you got them dried up Benjamin Button eggs.' "

Brazilian soap operas slowly cast black middle class
Just over 50 percent of Brazil’s population is black or mixed race, yet for decades such characters have rarely been seen on novelas, which frequently depicted a society that was almost exclusively white. If black Brazilians did land roles, they portrayed maids, thieves or drug dealers – overtly bad characters or marginal ones who disappeared after a few episodes. Now a rising black middle class is helping to change that.

'Days of our Lives' ratings continue to tumble
The Live + Same Day daytime ratings are in for the week of March 30-April 3, 2015. The Bold and the Beautiful (+77K) and General Hospital (+198K) were up in total viewers, while Days of our Lives (-73K) was down, tying it's all-time low household rating (1.6).

WebVee Guide & HLG Studios Team Up to Live Stream the 6th Annual Indie Series Awards

The Indie Series Network has partnered with WebVee Guide and Happy Little Guillotine Studios to stream the 6th Annual Indie Series Awards ceremony, live from the historic El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood on April 1.

The Indie Series Awards, founded in 2009, celebrate the best in independently produced, scripted entertainment created for the Web. Click here for a complete list of nominees.

"We are thrilled to partner with WebVee Guide and Happy Little Guillotine Studios to live stream this year's ISAs," said Indie Series Awards producer and founder Roger Newcomb. "I have so much respect for the consistent quality coverage WebVee produces to highlight the work of indie creators, and have long admired HLG's award-winning work which has helped create and evolve the digital entertainment space."

More Presenters Announced for 6th Annual Indie Series Awards

Patrika Darbo, Martha Madison

The Indie Series Network (ISN) announced additional presenters today for the upcoming 6th Annual Indie Series Awards (ISA6).

Presenters during the April 1st ceremony will include Ryan Bartley (L.A. Macabre), Sarah Brown (Beacon Hill), Richard Cutting (Milgram and the Fastwalkers, DeVanity), Patrika Darbo (The Bay), Mike Donis (Pete Winning and the Pirates), Megan Duffy (Dating Pains), Burt Grinstead (Burt Paxton), Richard Hatch (Pairings), Martha Madison (Winterthorne, The Bay), Susan Louise O'Connor (Wallflowers) and Alexandra Paul (Mentor).

They join previously announced presenters Anthony Anderson (Anacostia), Jillian Clare (Acting Dead), Ashli Dowling (We Are Angels), Andrea Evans (DeVanity), Lilly Melgar (The Bay), Mhairi Morrison (Feathers and Toast), Becky Kramer (Jewvangelist), Jen Lilley (Youthful Daze), Minae Noji (Love Midori), Alisha Spielmann (Producing Juliet), Jason Stuart (Mentor), Corsica Wilson (L.A. Macabre) and Colleen Zenk (Thurston).

Additional presenters will be revealed in the coming weeks.

The 6th Annual Indie Series Awards ceremony, hosted by Emmy Award-winning actor Eric Martsolf (Days of our Lives), will be held on Wednesday, April 1 at the historic El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood.

The Indie Series Awards celebrate the best in independently produced, scripted entertainment created for the Web. Click here for a complete list of nominees.

News Brief: Nathan Parsons, John Stamos, Seana Kofoed, Katherine Kelly Lang, Rob James-Collier, Steve McFadden, Brittany Snow

* General Hospital and True Blood alum Nathan Parsons is set as the lead in Point Of Honor, Amazon's Civil War family drama pilot from Carlton Cuse and Randall Wallace. Luke Benward (Ravenswood) co-stars in the project, which centers on best friends and brothers-in-law, John Rodes (Parsons) and Robert Sumner, who find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict

* Seana Kofoed has joined the cast of CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless in the role of Madame Isadora, a psychic who has some predictions to share. She debuts Friday, October 17, and will appear in a few episodes.

Katherine Kelly Lang. Photo Credit: Chris McKeen

* The Bold and The Beautiful star Katherine Kelly Lang, who went to Australia to showcase her Katherine Kelly Lang Kaftans for TVSN, told Confidential she was surprised by how carefree Aussies are. "I got here and I noticed every second word is, 'no worries,'" the 53-year-old soap star said. "Oh, you show up late to work? Oh, no worries. Everybody says 'no worries', and they really mean it, they are not just saying it."

* Downton Abbey star Rob James-Collier says he is having sleepless nights over a harrowing storyline that will push his character into an "abyss." James-Collier, 37, who plays scheming under-butler Thomas Barrow, reveals that his character’s tortured homosexuality will come to the fore in the new series of the hit ITV drama which begins next Sunday in the UK.

* As Netflix adds six countries, the world's largest video-streaming service is getting a glimpse of what it's up against. Polls in Europe's biggest TV markets signal that local content — often available on free channels during prime time — consistently beats U.S. blockbusters.

* Fox has given a put pilot order to an untitled project starring John Stamos as a longtime bachelor whose life is upended when he discovers he’s a father and a grandfather.

* Orange is the New Black writer Lauren Morelli and her husband of two years, Steve Basilone, just filed for divorce. Morelli began writing for OITNB five months after she got hitched. She says as she started writing for the main character -- who had once been in a lesbian relationship -- she saw herself in the character. Morelli says she began to feel like a fraud ... married to a man but clearly gay.

* After improving slowly but surely for two decades, growth in the number of women working on primetime TV shows has stalled during the past five years, according to the latest report from the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University. The ranks of women working behind the scenes and on camera in primetime series during the 2013-14 season was essentially flat compared to 2012-13 and with the numbers from 2009-10, according to the report by Martha Lauzen, exec director of the center.

* EastEnders actor Steve McFadden, best known for his role as Phil Mitchell in the long-running BBC soap opera, has settled his legal action against the Metropolitan police and the News of the World after receiving a public apology and substantial damages.

* Brittany Snow and Courtney Knowles co-founded Western Michigan University's Love is Louder organization, as part of the Jed Foundation. "I had similar experiences where I went through school where I felt different and alone and isolated," Snow recently told students. "I was on a soap opera at the time called Guiding Light in New York and I went to school back in Florida. I didn’t have a stable atmosphere. I developed a lot of self esteem issues and insecurities, body issues, anxiety, and I didn’t know what was happening. I knew I couldn’t deal with it. It made me very shameful."

* Gillian Anderson, who recurred in Hannibal Seasons 1 and 2 as the title character's shrink, Bedelia du Maurier, has closed a deal to be a series regular in Season 3.

* HBO is not moving forward with Ryan Murphy's sex-and-relationships drama pilot, Open, which starred Scott Speedman, Anna Torv, Wes Bentley, Michelle Monaghan and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

* Why was A&E's Longmire canceled? The audience was too old.

* Eva Longoria has a movie coming out this month: a drama about tensions at the Mexico border, Frontera, with Michael Peña and Ed Harris. And she says she’s currently developing another TV series, which she will produce and star in.

* Sony said this week it may lose upwards of $2 billion this year — five times more than it anticipated just a couple of months ago. It also will pay no dividend for the first time since the company went public in 1958.

News Brief: Shemar Moore on 'Y&R' Script; 'Scandal' Recasts First Daughter; Rebecca Mader, Colleen Zenk to 'Blue Bloods'

Shemar Moore and Kristoff St. John.

* Shemar Moore and Kristoff St. John reworked The Young and the Restless script for his return on September 10 and 11. "The original script did not pay enough attention to the Winters family history — they had us discussing all this more recent stuff Malcolm didn't know anything about — so I got on the phone with Kristoff and we worked out a few ideas. We then went to speak with Mrs. Phelps [executive producer Jill Farren Phelps] and expressed our concerns and she was great. We were able to get in some great references to the past that I think the longtime audience will really appreciate. I hope and believe the fans will like what they witness, but I think they're going to wish that many other questions and topics had been addressed."

* There's a new First Daughter in town. Scandal has tapped Body of Proof's Mary Mouser to play Karen Grant, who was previously portrayed by Madeline Carroll,

* Matt Nable (Riddick) has been tapped to play DC Comics villain Ra's al Ghul on Arrow.

* Once Upon a Time has tapped Frances O’Connor to play Belle's mother in the upcoming fourth season. The 47-year-old actress will portray Colette, whom we'll meet briefly in the sixth episode, but find out she had an immense impact on Belle’s life. There’s a possibility to see her again later in the season.

News Brief: 'Longmire' Canceled; New Showrunners for 'Ray Donovan,' 'The Following'; Chad Michael Murray; Nolan Funk; Corbin Bernsen; Jed Allan; Allison Janney

* One Tree Hill alum Chad Michael Murray has joined Marvel's Agent Carter as a series regular. Marvel announced on Friday that Murray has been cast in the major role of Strategic Scientific Reserve Agent Jack Thompson, who meets Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) when she takes on a new role at the SSR in New York City.

* Enver Gjokaj is set to co-star opposite Hayley Atwell in Marvel's Agent Carter, ABC's new series designed to serve as a bridge between the fall and spring runs of Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.

* Nolan Funk has been tapped to guest-star in an upcoming episode of Arrow. Funk will play Cooper Seldon, Felicity's hacker boyfriend from her days at MIT.

* Corbin Bernsen will guest-star in an upcoming episode of CBS' new drama Scorpion. The Psych star will play Bob Connelly, a Las Vegas casino owner who turns to Walter's (Elyes Gabel) team when his profit margins start to shrink. But Walter will discover that underneath the glitz and glamor, all is not as it seems with Connelly and his casino.

* A&E has cancelled Longmire, which ended its third season earlier this month. "We would like to thank the phenomenal cast, crew and producers of Longmire, along with our partners at Warner Horizon, for their tireless work on three seasons of quality dramatic storytelling," reads a statement from A&E. "We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved together." Warner Horizon will shop the Wyoming-set crime drama to other networks.

* Ann Biderman, who launched and served as the showrunner of Showtime's hit fixer drama Ray Donovan for its first two seasons, is stepping down for the series' recently picked-up third go-round. Multiple sources involved with the show attribute the departure to hefty financial overruns on the series, though Biderman still will be involved as a creative consultant. Showtime has begun negotiations with David Hollander, another writer/executive producer on the series, to step in as showrunner.

* Lost alumna Jennifer Johnson, who joined The Following in June as executive producer/day-to-day showrunner, is leaving. Instead of bringing in a new person two seasons in, which proved not to be the right creative fit for the dense, serialized drama, WBTV has opted to promote within. Writers Brett Mahoney and Alexi Hawley have been upped to executive producers. They will co-run the Kevin Bacon-starring dark thriller alongside director Marcos Siega, the series’ long-time on-set executive producer.

* For the past 15 years a bunch of guys have been getting together for a Thursday lunch at the Desert Falls Country Club in Palm Desert. They call themselves — what else? — the "Lunch Bunch." Included in the group is former Days of our Lives, Santa Barbara and General Hospital star Jed Allan, author of the book "Please Spell The Name Right."

* Patton Oswalt joins Battle Creek stars Josh Duhamel and Dean Winters as the unorthodox mayor of Battle Creek, Mich., in the freshman season's sixth episode, "Cereal Killer." The character’s full name? Mayor Scooter Hardy.

* "Television is a woman’s medium," Allison Janney said, reflecting on her two Emmy wins this year. "I am proud to work in TV."

* Melissa Rivers could face a life-or-death decision as she awaits an update on her mother's condition after she went into cardiac and respiratory arrest during a routine doctor’s visit Thursday. Joan Rivers, 81, was placed in the coma Thursday after going into cardiac and respiratory arrest during a routine doctor's visit.

* Momentum is building in the campaign to get the complete series of the classic Aussie soap The Young Doctors released as a DVD box set. To date over 20,000 fans have ‘liked’ the Facebook page calling on FremantleMedia (who now own the rights) to come to the party.

* The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman set tongues wagging earlier this month when he floated the possibility that original survivor Daryl Dixon could be gay. Now, the AMC hit's showrunner, Scott M. Gimple, is weighing in on the buzz. "We're not holding back information on Daryl’s sexuality as any sort of big reveal. The fact that there’s still a question as to what Daryl's orientation is in Season 5 absolutely speaks to Daryl’s character; he is a very guarded, very closed-off individual in a lot of ways."

News Brief: Lucy Lawless, 'Friends' Reunion on Kimmel, 'Full House' Reboot, Kathryn Prescott, Shonda Rhimes

* Marvel has released the first image of Lucy Lawless as Agent Isabelle Hartley in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2 premiere.

* Despite all the pieces heralding this as a golden age of television, the Emmys — or more accurately, those who mounted and attended them — still haven’t gotten over their infatuation with movie stars, or retired their age-old inferiority complex. Not only does this fly in the face of history — movie stars aren’t exactly a new feature of Emmy voting — but it does a general disservice to those who have rightfully garnered praise for their television work.

* Grey's Anatomy and Scandal creator Shonda Rhimes is set to make her acting debut in a fall episode of The Mindy Project.

* Visit the sets of this year’s Emmy Award nominees on Google Maps.

* Finding Carter star Kathryn Prescott has joined CBS' upcoming miniseries The Dovekeepers, playing a teenaged tomboy named Aziza. Blessed with expert archery skills, Aziza disguises herself in her brother’s armor to join the male warriors of Masada — even managing to fool her lover Amram (played by 90210's Diego Boneta).

* Could a Full House return be in the works? The family sitcom, which aired on ABC from 1987 to 1995, is still a ratings juggernaut via repeats on Nick at Nite. Now Warner Bros. TV is mulling a new take on Full House, with some of the original cast intact. Leading the charge is John Stamos (Uncle Jesse) — who has an ownership stake in the show, which gives him good reason to champion the new series.

* Susan Sarandon's first job in New York? "A soap opera called A World Apart. I think I was about 21. No, wait, actually I did the movie Joe before, as soon as I got to New York. It was so much fun that I decided to be an actor."

* Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow reunite on Jimmy Kimmel for Friends fan-fiction. Watch below:

News Brief: 'True Blood' Finale Disappoints Critics, Hits Season High in Ratings; Matt Bomer to Guest on 'Freak Show'; Do Primetime Emmys Still Matter?

* True Blood's last episode was the most disappointing series finale in a long time. Something about the blandness of True Blood's finale felt almost offensive. Jessica and Hoyt got hitched, because it was Bill's greatest wish to see his progeny married off? Bill just had to lecture Sookie about how having children makes life worth living? Sookie needed to chat with the Reverend about God's plan? For a show that once skewered Ted Cruz and other self-proclaimed defenders of "family values," this was pretty conservative stuff. What happened to the transgressive fun of True Blood?

* True Blood ended as it lived: a complete mess with no emotional center.

* 4.1 million viewers tuned in for the initial airing of the True Blood series finale, a Season 4 high.

* Do the Primetime Emmys still matter in 2014? Television -- most reasonably discerning people can agree -- is better than ever. There are more worthy series to honor on more networks than at any time in the medium's 75-year history. Yet, the awards show that honors this bounty seems to be sliding into, if not outright irrelevance, then senescence.

* Ashton Kutcher was the highest-paid TV actor in 2014 ($26 million).

* Matt Bomer will guest star on one episode of American Horror Story: Freak Show. Creator Ryan Murphy broke the news himself at EW’s Emmy Party saying he’s excited to reunite once again with the "amazing" actor

* TiVo now has a product aimed at cord-cutting DVR lovers: The company has announced its first antenna-only DVR, the Roamio OTA. Priced at $50, the limited-edition DVR is not equipped to receive or record cable or satellite television. According to TiVo, 88% of the most-recorded shows among its customers are available free over-the-air with a digital antenna.

NEWS BRIEF: Patti LaBelle, Kylie Minogue, Ana Ortiz, Kim Matula, Alexa Vega, David Cubitt, Melody Thomas Scott, Judith Chapman, Zuleikha Robinson

* Patti LaBelle will appear in four episodes of American Horror Story: Freak Show, playing the mother of Gabourey Sidibe’s character

Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan in Neighbours.
Photo Credit: FremantleMedia/Rex Features

* Kylie Minogue became famous playing Charlene Robinson in Australian soap opera Neighbours before leaving to launch her music career, but another ex-star has let the cat out of the bag that the pop princess may make a return for the show's 30th anniversary celebrations next year. Anne Charleston, who played Charlene's mum Madge Bishop, told the Daily Mirror: "The Neighbours special 30th anniversary is coming up. I will probably be involved and it will go to air in March. I think Kylie is on board for the special and I imagine everyone will be in on it because it's a big occasion."

* Devious Maids star Ana Ortiz will guest-star on ABC's upcoming drama How to Get Away With Murder.

* The Bold and the Beautiful's Kim Matula says Wyatt is the man for Hope. "Somewhere, deep down, Hope must have wanted this to happen so she wouldn't have to make the decision for herself," Matula says. "For years she's been telling herself she belongs with Liam. They share so much history. They make sense together. And she does love him. But it's Wyatt she really wants."

* Spy Kids starlet-turned-Tomorrow People agent Alexa Vega is joining Nashville Season 3 for a multi-episode arc. [SPOILER ALERT] The actress will play Kiley, Gunnar’s first love and high school sweetheart who is now a struggling single mother. She arrives in Nashville with the intention of providing some stability for her (suspiciously-aged) 10-year-old son.

* Venice star and former Days of our Live actress Nadia Bjorlin is engaged to new beau Grant Turnbull.

* What is it about the web that helps diverse voices find an audience, and what are some of the great shows to make their mark? East Los High and 32 other web dramas are upstaging TV with their diversity. A watershed moment came in 2010, when We Love Soaps inaugurated the Indie Soap Awards, now entering its fifth year. The first winners speak to the incredible diversity in the market: Taking home the top prize was Robert Townsend’s Monica Calhoun-starrer Diary of a Single Mom, which like East Los High found sponsorship through non-profit initiatives to provide education for social change. Susan Miller and Tina Cesa Ward took home the writing prize for their tenderly executed lesbian-led and racially diverse teen drama, Anyone But Me.

* Showtime is taking a page from the broadcast networks' playbook, launching the upcoming fourth season of drama Homeland with two back-to-back-episodes for a two-hour premiere on October 5. Homeland was supposed to run by itself for two weeks, until joined by Showtime's newest drama series, The Affair, originally slated to follow Homeland beginning October 19. Its debut is now being moved up a week, to October 12.

* Homeland and Rome alumna Zuleikha Robinson is joining the Fox drama series The Following as a new regular and a pivotal character in Season 3. She will play Gwen, an ER doctor and the mother of a 7-year-old girl. She is also the love of FBI Agent Hardy’s (Kevin Bacon) life — and his first real chance at a family and true happiness.

* It's become very chilly for the Crawley family as Downton Abbey's Christmas Special continues filming. The award-winning ITV period drama - which has moved from the usual Downton Abbey estate to Alnwick Castle in Northumberland to film the snowy special - has transformed the castle and the village into a magical winter wonderland, despite the heat of August.

* Medium star David Cubitt, who played Detective Lee Scanlon on the CBS procedural, has landed a meaty guest role in CW comic-book drama Arrow's third season as Mark Shaw, who becomes Manhunter. Cubitt is slated to appear in the third episode.

* Leslie Moonves says his CBS Corp. is interested in buying the CNN news channel if it becomes available. Getting between Rupert Murdoch and Time Warner is another matter.

* Game of Thrones actor J.J. Murphy died on Friday at the age of 86. While the Irish actor had yet to make his debut on the HBO hit series, he was set to take on the role of Knights Watch member Ser Denys Mallister in the upcoming fifth season and died just four days after filming his first scenes for the show.

* Filming for the hit HBO show Boardwalk Empire made Far Rockaway look like Atlantic City in the 19th Century. The crew was filming flashback scenes that revolve around Steve Buscemi's character, Enoch 'Nucky' Thompson.

* How bad will Nikki's drinking get on The Young and the Restless? [SPOILER ALERT] Says actress Melody Thomas Scott, "Pretty bad, I hear. For weeks now she's been leading up to this. She's been staring at vodka bottles and playing with cocktail glasses, running her finger longingly around the rim...like foreplay. Her need for a drink is becoming more and more urgent and inevitable. [Laughs] And I am delighted! A big part of Nikki's appeal is that she's a wealthy, high-society woman who seemingly has everything, yet she's a drunk in the gutter. The audience enjoys seeing her suffer — and I am happy to accommodate!"

* Linda Dano on the death of her former Another World co-star, Charles Keating: "Charles was a man of many colors - both on screen and off. His incredible talent and devoted friendship were the hallmarks of who he was. It's so hard to think of the vibrant man we all knew as having to deal with illness but he did with his usual resolve. My heart goes out to his wife of over 50 years and his sons. To all of you who loved him as we did, please know that he was everything you thought he was!"

* The Young and the Restless actress Judith Chapman is bringing Rick Foster’s one-woman show “Vivien: A Journey into the Triumph and Madness of Vivien Leigh” to Greenville's Centre Stage for three performances this weekend.

* In the first trailer for Kingdom, we’re introduced to a family drama set in the world of mixed martial arts. At the center of it all is Warrior star Frank Grillo, who once again plays a trainer and the owner of a gym. Nick Jonas stars as Grillo’s prize-fighting son, while Jonathan Tucker plays Jonas’ older, slightly darker brother. Friday Night Light‘s Matt Lauria also comes into play as a fighter recently released on parole and trying to come back into their world.

NEWS BRIEF: William Roache Returns to 'Corrie', Teresa Castillo Back at 'General Hospital', John Partridge Covers Dolly Parton

* People who watch shows like Mad Men or The Walking Dead are far more likely to do so by recording it on a digital video recorder and watching it later, skipping over the ads as they do so, than viewers of other shows, according to research by digital video recorder maker TiVo. Viewers of Madison Avenue drama Mad Men, for instance, skip 73% of the ads. Similarly, 66% of ads during The Walking Dead are skipped.

* Coronation Street's Ken Barlow (William Roache) returns from Canada this week and is shocked to find out that his son Peter is in prison on remand for Tina McIntyre's murder. Said Roache: "Ken is really happy to be back, he has had a great time in Canada, he's used the time to do things he loves doing, he has started writing poetry and become a vegetarian, things which he immediately gets stick about on his return from Deirdre and Tracy. But he wouldn't want it any other way."

* Thursday, August 21 marks the return of Sabrina to General Hospital following portrayer Teresa Castillo's maternity leave (she gave birth to her first child, daughter Victoria Milani, on May 29). "I'm excited to see what Ron [Carlivati, head writer] has planned for the next chapter in Sabrina's journey,” she says. "It will be nice to regain my identity as an actor."

* The Hawaiian film and TV industry saw an 84.9 percent increase in the number of jobs it created from 2001-2011, much greater than the 13.8 percent increase for Hawaii's creative sector as a whole, which also includes marketing, music, radio broadcasting, etc. Much of its success is due to the hit TV show LOST.

* Monica Lewinsky on Orange is the New Black: "I was Orange-bingeing, when along came Episode 11. (O.K., I’m a late adopter. Just getting through Season 1.) In it, there was a vulgar reference to my last name and DNA. I did what I usually do in these situations where the culture throws me a shard of my former self. After the cringing embarrassment, the whiff of shame, and the sense that I am no longer an agent running my own life, I shuddered, I got up off the sofa, and I turned it off."

* Former EastEnders star John Partridge covers Dolly Parton ("Jolene), Nine Inch Nails ("The Hand That Feeds") on his debut album. "Dames, Dudes + Cowboys Too" will be released on September 15 via Big Hand Recordings.

* Was Phil Mitchell vs Ian Beale in EastEnders the best UK soap opera fight ever?

NEWS BRIEF: 'The Bold and the Beautiful' Live Stage Show, 'The Walking Dead' Most Discussed, AMC In Talks to Acquire Stake in BBC America

* Actors from The Bold and the Beautiful will appear in a live stage show in the Netherlands on October 3rd and 4th. Participating actors include Scott Clifton (Liam Spencer), Thorsten Kaye (Ridge Forrester), Kim Matula (Hope Logan) and Heather Tom (Katie Logan).

* Folks at the Burbank, California-based restaurant Not a Burger Stand have come up with an amusing way of offering discounts to their customers. Each week they draw up a new famous television show or movie character on a chalkboard and note that if customers order their food in the voice of or dress up as the character shown, they will receive a certain percentage off the bill.

* Supernatural will be welcoming back some familiar faces for its 10th season (premiering October 7), including Sheriff Mills (played by Kim Rhodes). Meanwhile, the CW series' "musical-ish" 200th episode will feature "just about every character — I’ll say they will be represented — that you’ve ever loved or hated on the show, and I say that very obliquely on purpose," executive producer Jeremy Carver teases. "So they will be there in spirit."

* Readers of TV adaptations of books need to let go. "I'm so sick of going on the Internet and seeing all the book readers being snobby, spoiling it for other people, then saying, 'Well, it's not a spoiler. The books have been out for years.' Like, couldn't you just stop being mad for a second and let other people enjoy the show?"

* These days, a new show has to use every tool in its arsenal to attract viewers as quickly as possible: splashy advertising, big name guest stars, over-the-top promos, and of course, a blockbuster web presence, one that gathers fans on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr who will then faithfully promote the show with homemade image macros and clever hashtags born from love. But while a show might leave our airwaves, a Facebook fan page is forever. What becomes of the social media accounts of canceled shows?

* Who were the most talked about characters in The Walking Dead's fourth season? No one got as much attention as Rick or The Governor, but Michonne and Daryl certainly had their moments. Hershel also got lots of attention — by dying. And Beth and Carol's journeys were the subject of much speculation.

* AMC Networks is in talks to acquire nearly a 50% stake in cabler BBC America.

* Covert Affairs actress Piper Perabo wore a unique, textured metallic gown to tie the knot with director-producer Stephen Kay, who played Reginald on General Hospital in his acting days, last Saturday in New York City.

* Guiding Light's iconic "The Slut of Springfield" scene aired 30 years ago.

* Former Scandal star Columbus Short was ordered to appear Wednesday morning in criminal court for a hearing in his domestic violence case. His wife was asking the judge for more protection from the actor, who is mired in legal trouble. But the actor wasn't there, so the judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest.

* NBC's The Blacklist has tapped Krysten Ritter for a guest-starring gig.

* Katie Couric left her self-titled talk show behind in a special "Farewell to Katie" episode that aired Wednesday.

* What better way to celebrate the release of Twin Peaks: The Entire Mystery on Blu-ray than with a mash-up with The Muppets?

* Claire Holt, who famously pulled out of her series regular gig on The Originals during its first season, has snagged a series regular role on NBC's upcoming Charles Manson-themed event series Aquarius. Holt will play tough-skinned police officer Charmain Tully.

NEWS BRIEF: Sebastian Roché, Alison Sweeney, Kelly Ripa, Kristolyn Lloyd, Jonathan Jackson, William Roache, David Gregory, Michael Muhney, Michelle Forbes

Sebastian Roché was married on June 1 with his former
General Hospital co-star, Ingo Rademacher, serving as best man.

* Sebastian Roché (Jerry Jacks on General Hospital) married longtime love Alicia Hannah in France on June 1. His former co-star, Ingo Rademacher (Jerry's brother, Jax), served as the best man. Rademacher shared a photo of himself and Roche before the wedding.

* After nearly 22 years playing Days of our Lives fan favorite Sami Brady, Alison Sweeney officially retired from the show last week, but not before one last scene. "All of a sudden I'm walking out on stage and there's this huge crowd of people," Sweeney, 37, tells PEOPLE of the surprise send-off members of the cast and crew put together for her. "I realized they were gathering for me. It was so amazing and so touching and special."

* ABC Family has put in development Rated P For Parenthood, a half-hour musical comedy chronicling the stages of modern-day parenting from former All My Children stars Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos' Milojo Prods. and writer-actress Jamie Denbo. The show is based on the stage musical comedy of the same name created by Sandy Rustin, with music and lyrics by Dan Lipton & David Rossmer, which had an off-Broadway run in 2012. Denbo will write the adaptation and exec produce with Ripa and Consuelos.

* Though still recurring as The Bold and the Beautiful's Dayzee, Kristolyn Lloyd will reprise her role as Heather Duke in the off-Broadway production of Heathers: The Musical. Lloyd takes over the role on June 9, a part which she played at The Hudson Theatre, Los Angeles, in 2013.

* Michael Muhney was reportedly spotted back on the set of The Young and the Restless. Muhney played the role of Adam Newman on the show until he was fired last December amid allegations that he sexually harassed 20-year-old co-star Hunter King on set.

* Nashville star Jonathan Jackson + Enation will make their national TV debut June 10th on The View, and June 11th on The Better Show on Better TV. They will be performing their new single, “Everything Is Possible,” from their upcoming fall 2014 album, due out on Loud & Proud Records.

* Former One Life to Live actor David Gregory is among the nominees at the upcoming Connecticut Critics Circle Awards.

* Original Coronation Street star William Roache headed back to the show. The 82-year-old’s character, Ken Barlow, is said to be part of a comic storyline when he returns to our screens in the summer following a year long break during which he was cleared of a list of historic sex offences.

* Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan has confessed his biggest concern with Better Call Saul is that it might follow in the footsteps of another unsuccessful spinoff. "I am worried ... it may turn out this was a mistake to do this," Gilligan told his fellow directors at a Hollywood Reporter roundtable. "If it's 'After M.A.S.H' rather than 'Frasier' it won't be for a lack of hard work and wishful thinking, but you just don't know until the world takes it."

* Antiheroes were once the beloved crotchety truth-tellers on TV (think House), but today the average flawed protagonist is more likely to be of a much darker stripe. Breaking Bad and Dexter ushered in this wave a few years ago, as empathetic leads with a secret, driven by forces both external and internal to ever more heinous actions. But recent seasons have taken that a step further, offering even more grisly fare for audiences to chew on with the likes of Hannibal, The Blacklist, House of Cards and The Following.

* Neatorama counts down "The 25 Most Powerful TV Shows of the Last 25 Years" (Melrose Place is #2, Glee #6, Venice #17).

* A Game of Thrones language course (Living Language Dothraki: A Conversational Language Course Based on the Hit Original HBO Series Game of Thrones) is coming your way October 7.

* Showtime has put in development a 1980s rehab drama produced by Robert Downey Jr.

* With the cancellation of Arsenio Hall's show, late-night TV will once again be all white and all male.

* Brooklyn has become a hip place to shoot TV shows and movies. The wave of movie, advertising and especially television filming that has inundated the borough in recent years, glorifying its leafy neighborhoods and cultural cachet, has swept it into the mainstream, the big-budget and the touristy.

* Orphan Black star Michelle Forbes on Marion's weird arc: "Marion does get weirder and weirder over the next couple of episodes -- and I like that."

* The Originals has cast Sonja Sohn (The Wire) in the recurring season two role of Lenore, a powerful salt-of-the-Earth in New Orleans.

* Nigerian actor and filmmaker, Udoka Oyeka, has joined the cast of Africa’s biggest soap opera, Tinsel, in a major role. Udoka plays the character of Tsav who is the younger brother to Sheila (Ireti Doyle), older brother to Yaya (Beverly Naya) and the son of Yahimba (Taiwo Ajayi Lycett).

NEWS BRIEF: Celestin Cornielle to 'Days'; Lindsey Morgan; Lea Michele; 'Breaking Bad' Billboards; 'Hemlock Grove' Poster; 'EastEnders' Mystery Attack

* Celestin Cornielle is coming to Days of our Lives this fall. The actor recently posted on his Facebook page: "I'm currently playing a pivotal role in the story line of EJ (character played by #JamesScott"

* You can now sink your teeth into the very first poster for Season 2 of the dark supernatural thriller Hemlock Grove. The show is gearing up its promotional push for Season 2, which is set to hit Netflix on July 11.

* An EastEnders regular will be left fighting for life in a major new storyline next month. (Spoiler Alert)

* Former General Hospital actress Lindsey Morgan on what she learned working on the soap: "GH taught me so much about work ethic and professionalism and endurance. 12 hour days shooting about 5 pages of dialogue is a luxury compared to 6 hours days going over 30!"

* Six contenders for the best drama actress Emmy — Claire Danes, Julianna Margulies, Keri Russell, Vera Farmiga, Sarah Paulson and Jessica Pare — talk to THR about the roles that got away, the difficulty of filming romantic scenes while seven months pregnant and the pressure of their jobs.

* Linden Ashby and Susan Walters are still happily married 28 years after meeting on the set of ABC daytime soap opera Loving.

* Years after denying a love connection with her Glee costar Matthew Morrison, Lea Michele is finally fessing up. In her new book, "Brunette Ambition," the 27-year-old actress/singer admits she and Morrison, 35, actually did date—albeit briefly and before Glee.

* Coronation Street's Jennie McAlpine, who plays Fiz Stape, is expecting her first child with partner Chris Farr.

Two-time Olympic champion Victoria Pendleton will appear in a special Tour de France-themed episode of ITV’s Yorkshire-based soap opera, Emmerdale, with the episode due to air on Friday 4 July – the day the 101st edition of the race begins in Leeds.

* With a print campaign to follow next month, AMC is putting up Breaking Bad Emmy consideration billboards in several locations around Los Angeles to remind voters that the now-completed show is still eligible to repeat its Best Drama series win last year.

* Ellen DeGeneres's senior yearbook photo was used to depict the long-lost love of Giorgos Zenios's character in a recent episode of popular Greek-Cypriot soap opera Brousco.

* Launch TV Network Company has acquired broadcast rights for the pilot of Martha Byrne's web series, Gotham.

* How did NBC finished the season at No. 1? An especially strong fall for NBC led right into the network's pricey (but profitable) coverage of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. By the time the May sweep rolled around, a NBC victory in the key demographic of adults 18-49 was long assured -- leaving the rest of the Big Four to spin what has otherwise proved to be a disappointing year.

* Law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times that The Shield actor Michael Jace confessed to fatally shooting his wife, April, multiple times around 8:30 p.m. Monday at their home in the 5400 block of Brynhurst Avenue.

* Amir Arison, who recurred on The Blacklist's first season as the slightly awkward and witty FBI technician, is being promoted to series regular for Season 2.

* House of Cards is casting multiple roles, including an NSA director, senators and reporters for Season 3.

* A popular webseries made in Vancouver, WA is heading to the big screen. The Weinstein Co. has offered the creators of The Haunting of Sunshine Girl, a popular web series about a 16-year-old girl living in a "haunted house" in Washington state, a deal that will create a new movie and book series.

* Former Walking Dead showrunner Glen Mazzara is developing a follow-up to the 1976 horror classic Omen for Lifetime. Titled Damien, the drama centers on the film's young boy Damien Thorn. Now an adult and haunted by his past, Damien is faced with a series of macabre events and must finally face his true destiny: he is the Antichrist.

NEWS BRIEF: Lindsey McKeon, Matt Davis, Diversity on Fall Schedule, John Barrowman, Ilene Chaiken, Sherri Saum & Kamar de los Reyes Welcome Twins

* Supernatural post-mortem: Lindsey McKeon dishes on Tessa's shocking decision. "Nothing seems worse to her than what she’s dealing with right now. She sees the opportunity — [she] wanted to take her own life in the auditorium — [and] now here's the First Blade and this is the chance to do it."

* Matt Davis is returning to The Vampire Diaries as series regular for Season 6. As everyone raced to save the Other Side on Thursday's season finale, a few familiar faces, including Lexi (Arielle Kebbel) and Alaric, returned. But while Lexi was sucked up into the atmosphere, Alaric was left standing alongside his friends.

* All 24 new TV series for Fall 2014, in order of how fast they'll be cancelled. NCIS: New Orleans and How to Get Away with Murder are predicted to run the longest.

* In TV's new reality, diversity is just good business. The major broadcast networks announced what was the most racially diverse broadcast schedule in a long time–maybe ever, depending how you measure it. It wasn’t just about “black best friends” this year; there are several new and returning shows with minority lead characters, several of them minority women. The trend was spread across networks–though ABC had an especially diverse lineup–and across groups: not only African American but Hispanic and Asian American actors will lead casts next season.

* The L Word creator Ilene Chaiken has joined FOX's newly picked up series Empire as executive producer and showrunner.

* Tribune CEO Peter Liguori is not pleased with The CW's performance. He believes the network "should not program to [young] people who don’t watch television."

* John Barrowman to become Arrow series regular in Season 3.

* The Fosters' Sherri Saum and One Life to Live's Kamar de los Reyes welcome twin boys, John Rubén and Michael Luís.

* SundanceTV is developing a modern Rip Van Winkle drama. Crack in the Sky centers on a Don Draper-type who falls asleep in 1962 and wakes up in 2012.

* The West Wing oral history: 9 things you didn't know or forgot. Wonder Years' Danica McKellar would eventually get the role of Will Bailey’s stepsister in season 4.

* Will web series The Dreamers return for a second season? Creator and star Kelsey Jorissen says, "After my cast read episode 12 of the dreamers, they told me that Kara deserved a second season. I think that all of the characters deserve it."