Ricky Martin (ex-Miguel Morez, “General Hospital“) was a guest on the Thursday, August 16 edition of “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” and the singer/actor along with host Jimmy Fallon spoofed his stint on the ABC Daytime drama series.

In late July it was announced that Martin had signed a talent holding deal with Universal Television, which will look to develop a television series and specials with him in a leading role.

“Ricky is an iconic superstar who is as talented as he is popular,” said Bela Bajaria, Executive Vice President, Universal Television, in announcing the deal. “Whether he’s performing before sold-out concert crowds, or starring on Broadway, where he is currently playing to SRO in ‘Evita,’ Ricky connects with his audience in a very palpable way – and we are thrilled that he will be adding TV star to his incredible resume.”

Martin joined the cast of “GH” in 1994 as the character Miguel Morez, the father of Juan Santiago through his teenage relationship with Lily Rivera. He left the series in 1995, four years before becoming an international music sensation with the launch of his english speaking self-titled album. “Ricky Martin” has sold more than 22 million copies worldwide since its May 1999 release.

After five weeks of non-stop drama, one of my favorite new television shows, “Political Animals,” is concluding its six-episode mini-series run on USA Network tonight.

Andrew Accles/USA Network

Throughout its run, “Animals” has surrounded the lies, the affairs, the betrayals, and the numerous addictions of the Hammond family. As the families matriarch, Elaine Barrish (Sigourney Weaver), the former First Lady and Governor of Illinois, and current Secretary of State, is once again seeking to become the first female President of the United States. While she believes President Garcetti (Adrian Pasdar) is a good man, she feels she can do a much better job in the most powerful position in the world. In the season finale, aptly titled “Resignation Day,” Garcetti throws an unexpected curve ball in Barrish’s plan to resign from his cabinet by asking her to be his Vice President in the next election. This comes as an unexpected twist, considering Garcetti already has a Vice President in Fred Collier (Dylan Baker). Being that “Political Animals” is a primetime political soap opera, things are likely to happen that may end up putting a wrench in Garcetti’s plan in the end.

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Photo Credit: It Books, for HarperCollins Publishers

Despite falling five places from the previous week, Jeanne Cooper (Katherine Chancellor, “The Young and the Restless“) has remained a New York Times best seller for the second consecutive week.

In its newest best sellers list, published today, the Times reports that Cooper’s memoir “Not Young, Still Restless” ranks at number 30 in the Hardcover Nonfiction category. The list covers the week ending Sunday, August 26, 2012.

“Restless” went on sale on Tuesday, July 31 and was written by Cooper with Lindsay Harrison. It was released by It Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Photo Credit: Mitchell Haaseth/NBC

In the spirit of the upcoming holiday season (it’s fast approaching), Deidre Hall (Dr. Marlena Evans, “Days of our Lives“) is now selling her watercolor paintings as 5×7 inch holiday cards.

According to her website, each order of cards will include 15 original watercolor cards (including envelopes) that are personally signed by Hall. Pricing ranges from as low as $35 for domestic purchases and $40 for international purchases.

On the back of every card is a message related to her support of the Wounded Warrior Project. “100% of the proceeds of this card is being donated to Wounded Warriors because they gave 100% to us,” the message reads.

To order your set, click here or print an order form, if ordering by check or money order.

Note: Purchase is tax deductible. Shipping and handling is $5 for domestic purchases and $10 for international purchases. Allow 4-5 weeks for delivery.

What follows is the Fall 2012 Key Art for the new CW primetime series “Arrow,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Emily Owens, M.D.”

What follows is the Fall 2012 Key Art for the new CBS primetime series “Elementary,” “Made in Jersey,” “Partners” and “Vegas.”

Photo Credit: CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

Back in March of 2011, Carlos Pelz, a former hairstylist of CBS’ “The Bold and the Beautiful,” filed a lawsuit against CBS Television, Bell-Phillip Television Productions and “B&B” senior supervisors Ron Weaver and Jody Lawrence-Miller, claiming defamation after learning of a March 2010 internal memo that cited him as “lazy, ambivalent, produced poor-quality work, was incompetent and was unfit to continue as ‘key’ hairstylist for the show,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. Last week, Pelz lost his case after the overseeing judge dismissed his claims on summary judgment.

Pelz, who won two Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling for a Drama Series in 2009 and 2010 for his work on the show, claimed “libel, emotional distress, anxiety, embarrassment, shame and humiliation” as grounds for the lawsuit. He added that his consecutive Emmy wins proved he produced quality work. Unfortunately, the judge did not agree and sided with CBS, which stated in its defense that the internal memo was privileged communication under a portion of California Civil Code (§47 c).

“Although Plaintiff presents evidence that multiple other employees thought highly of Plaintiff, this evidence does not undercut the testimony showing that Lawrence-Weaver was reasonable in relying on other sources of evidence showing that Plaintiff’s job performance was subpar,” the judge said in his ruling.

Photo Credit: YouTube

“This is a victory for California employers, who should not be deterred by the threat of defamation lawsuits from criticizing employees’ performance if they have a reasonable basis for doing so,” said Jeremiah Reynolds, one of the lawyers representing the defendants, in a statement.

Pelz worked at “The Bold and the Beautiful” for 22-years as a hairstylist (1988-2010), according to his IMDb page.

Earlier this year, CBS won another case brought against “The Bold and the Beautiful” when New York’s infamous “The Naked Cowboy” claimed the show infringed on his trademarked brand after featuring the character Oliver Jones (Zack Conroy) in a pair of briefs and a cowboy hat, while playing the guitar, in scenes that aired in 2010.

Where have we been? In June, Texas Battle (Marcus Forrester, “The Bold and the Beautiful“) released his 2013 Calendar, which features numerous sexy poses by the actor that will never be seen on the CBS Daytime soap, unfortunately. Fortunately, you can snag your copy today by either purchasing the standard edition for $14.99 (includes calendar and a poster) or the special edition for $19.99 (includes an autographed version of the calendar, poster, special behind the scenes footage, a Q&A, and a “B&B” screen test scene) at TexasBattle.com.

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Sunday, August 19 is United Nations World Humanitarian Day, and in anticipation of the world wide initiative, Beyoncé Knowles has released her new music video “I Was Here,” which was filmed on Friday, August 10 at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.

While not specifically soap opera related in nature, I’m known for saying to people that life is a soap opera, so with this initiative being about humanity and the world not being such a cut and dry place, I thought it was fitting to present to you all “I Was Here.” In the video, Beyoncé features civilization coming together during times of devastation, hunger, and prosperity, and the mark we make on the lives of those we come across.

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Photo Credit: Cliff Lipson/CBS

Soap Opera Network has learned that Susan Flannery (Stephanie Forrester, “The Bold and the Beautiful“) has been added to the “Young and Restless Life of William J. Bell” book signing being held today from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Barnes & Noble located at 4820 Telephone Road  Ventura, CA 93003.

As previously reported, Ronn Moss (Ridge Forrester, “The Bold and the Beautiful”), Doug Davidson (Paul Williams, “The Young and the Restless”) and Tracey E. Bregman (Lauren Fenmore, “The Young and the Restless”) will join co-authors Lee Phillip Bell and Michael Maloney at the wristband required event (see full details below).

Per a representative for the book store:

• Books to purchase and wristbands will be available at our cash-wrap on the first floor. The line for the event and the event will be upstairs on the second floor.

• Our cashiers will begin handing out wristbands when we open at 9:00 am. To get a wristband a customer must either purchase a copy of the book, or bring a receipt with their book to show the cashier. Books purchased ahead of time and from other vendors are acceptable with a receipt. Customers may begin lining up by wristband number at 1:00 pm.

• Please note that while the event is listed as being from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm we may not keep the authors & cast all the way until 4:00 pm if they finish signing earlier. This means customers should arrive towards the beginning of the event so they don’t miss out.

Questions or Concerns? Call (805) 339-0990 to speak to a customer service representative.