Photo Credit: JPI Studios via Twitter

On Tuesday, August 14, Jon Hensley (ex-Holden Snyder, “As The World Turns“) tweeted, “Hi All, B&B has invited me back for a few more episodes, i shoot them next week! No details yet!”

Fans can expect to see his character, Dr. Meade, on screen again sometime in September.

Andrew Eccles/Disney-ABC

In an interview with John Nogawski, president, CBS Television Distribution, Broadcasting & Cable revealed that Disney/ABC Domestic Television is spending roughly $80 million just to get its Katie Couric hosted talker, aptly named “Katie,” off the ground in the next couple of weeks.

“I think [Disney/ABC] cut a bad deal,” said Nogawski. “They did get very large license fees, but the majority of those license fees are attributed to ABC’s owned-and-operated stations. ['Katie'] is going to have to do a very large number for them to make money.” By comparison, CTD is spending roughly $30 million to launch “The Jeff Probst Show” ($24 million on production, $6 million on promotion).

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Photo Credit: Disney/ABC Television Group

As has traditionally been the case for the past couple of years, ABC has announced that it will be re-running a previously aired episode of “General Hospital” on Labor Day (Monday, September 3).

Soap Opera Network has learned that the network will re-air the Monday, July 23, 2012 episode of “GH,” which found Anna discovering Luke in a fiery garden shack, Lulu confronting Patrick over his drug problem, Todd challenging Blair over her feelings and Connie paying Johnny a visit.

Full Episode Description:
It appears Luke might expire in the fire he accidentally started when Anna arrives to the rescue.  Their reunion is cut short by Heather. Someone is shot. Earlier, Heather battles Olivia with LSD-filled syringe and injects her with the hallucinogenic.  Dante arrives. Connie pays Johnny a visit and admits she’s keeping Kate from being fully integrated. Unbeknownst to them, the camera Heather planted in the office for Todd is on.  Meanwhile, Michael and Starr grow closer and Starr feels ever more grateful to Johnny for giving her the chance to move on after losing her boyfriend and daughter. Lulu confronts Patrick about his continued drug use.  Patrick confesses that he’s afraid to give the pills up because he’ll have to deal with the reality that Robin is gone.  Todd is stung by learning of Blair’s engagement to Tomas and challenges her to say she doesn’t still love Todd.

“General Hospital” moves to a new time period beginning Monday, September 10 (2:00 PM ET/1:00 PM PT/CT). The network promises to thrill audiences in the days leading up to the timeslot switch with lives hanging in the balance and shocking revelations hitting Port Charles. Who survives and who thrives? You’ll just have to tune in to find out!

Photo Credit: Barnes & Noble

For those of you attending the Saturday, August 18 book signing of “The Young and the Restless Life of William J. Bell,” with co-authors Lee Phillip Bell and Michael Maloney, along with 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”), who are all scheduled to attend, please take note of the following information courtesy of Barnes & Noble Ventura, which will be hosting the event.

Photo Credit: Source Books

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.

Photo Credit: John Paschal/JPI Studios

UPDATE, 7:31 PM ET: Schmidt’s rep tells Soap Opera Network that the actor completed filming a few weeks ago, but was unable to confirm whether his final scenes have already aired. Soap Opera Network has reached out to a “Y&R” representative, but we’ve been informed that the individual is on vacation until next Monday.

PREVIOUS, 5:41 PM ET: Kevin Schmidt announced via Twitter early this evening that he’s been let go as Noah Newman on CBS’ “The Young and the Restless.”

“Hey @Official_YandR! How many times you gonna try and bring in a “New Noah”? There’s only one! Sorry to those who watch for me. #Peace @CBS,” read Schmidt’s tweet.

A representative for the actor confirmed his exit to Soap Opera Network.

Photo Credit: Pacific Coast News.

Deadline is reporting Olympic gold medalist Ryan Lochte is scheduled to make his series television debut when he makes a cameo appearance on the CW’s “90210.” 

Last week Lochte made it known that he’d like to take a stab at television by either competing in an upcoming season of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” or possibly finding love on the networks “The Bachelor.”

Lochte’s “90210″ episode is scheduled to air on Monday, October 29.

Rob Loud/Getty Images

Ron Palillo, best known for his star turning role as Arnold Horshack on “Welcome Back, Kotter,” has died, reports TMZ. The actor appeared as Gary Warren in episodes of “One Life to Live” in 1994. He died this morning of an apparent heart attack.

On Thursday, August 9, “OLTL” lost another alumnus when Al Freeman, Jr., passed at age 78. He portrayed Llanview Police Captain Ed Hall on the drama series from 1972 to 1988. He won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor for his role on “One Life” in 1979 – the first win in that category for the soap and the first for an African American actor. Former co-star Judith Light (ex-Karen Wolek) tweeted “Al freeman Jr. amazing man,extraordinary actor,a joy 2 work with on the soap opera OLTL. He will missed. Rip dearest Al.” Cause of death has not been released.

via Press Release

Photo Credit: Jordan Strauss/WireImage

With Major Crimes, Dallas and Perception,
TNT Now Claims Cable’s Top 3 New Series Launches for the Year-to-Date

TNT‘s blockbuster series The Closer ended its extraordinary seven-season run last night with 9,075,000 viewers in Live + Same Day, making it cable’s #1 series telecast for the summer-to-date.

The Closer‘s finale was followed by the debut of TNT’s newest drama, Major Crimes, which brought in 7,184,000 viewers in Live + Same Day to rank as cable’s #1 new series launch for the year-to-date. TNT has now charted cable’s Top 3 new series launches of 2012, with Major Crimes followed by the June 13 premiere of Dallas (6.9 million viewers) and the July 9 debut of Perception (5.6 million viewers).

Since premiering in 2005, The Closer has assembled a remarkable string of successes. The award-winning drama is the only series in cable history to rank #1 for five consecutive years, which it did from 2005 to 2009. This year, The Closer is once again topping the charts as cable’s most-watched series for the summer-to-date.

Within the pantheon of The Closer‘s many highly rated episodes, last night’s series finale is the drama’s second-most-watched episode ever. It ranks closely behind the show’s September 2007 midseason finale, which drew 9,207,000 viewers in Live + Same Day. The finale is expected to surpass that episode’s Live + 7 delivery (9,948,000) when final data becomes available in two weeks.

Among key demos, last night’s finale of The Closer averaged more than 2 million adults 18-49 and 2.7 million adults 25-54 in Live + Same Day. The premiere of Major Crimes brought in 1.5 million adults 18-49 and 2.0 million adults 25-54. In both demos, it now ranks behind Dallas among cable’s top new drama series launches for the year-to-date, with Perception coming in third among adults 25-54.

Starting next Monday, Major Crimes will move into The Closer‘s timeslot at 9 p.m. (ET/PT), followed by all-new episodes of Perception at 10 p.m. (ET/PT).

About TNT’s The Closer
For seven memorable seasons, Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson and the LAPD’s Major Crimes unit have closed some of television’s most intriguing, mind-bending and surprising cases. This summer, Johnson and her team faced their final cases together as the record-breaking blockbuster series starring Emmy® winner Kyra Sedgwick came to an end. Sedgwick has been joined by The Closer’s extraordinary Screen Actors Guild Award®–nominated cast includes Jon Tenney as Brenda’s husband, FBI Special Agent Fritz Howard; J.K. Simmons as Police Chief Will Pope; Corey Reynolds as Detective Sergeant David Gabriel; Robert Gossett as Commander Taylor; G.W. Bailey as Lieutenant Provenza; Tony Denison as Lieutenant Andy Flynn, Michael Paul Chan as Lieutenant Mike Tao, Raymond Cruz as Detective Julio Sanchez and Phillip P. Keene as audio-visual technician Buzz Watson. Two-time Oscar® nominee Mary McDonnell also starred in The Closer as Captain Sharon Raydor, the role she continues to play in Major Crimes.

The Closer is produced for TNT by The Shephard/Robin Company, in association with Warner Bros. Television. The series was created by James Duff, who serves as executive producer with Greer Shephard, Michael M. Robin, Kyra Sedgwick and Rick Wallace.

About TNT’s Major Crimes
TNT’s all-new drama series Major Crimes is taking television’s favorite squad of detectives into bold new territory. Two-time Oscar® nominee Mary McDonnell stars in the series, continuing her Emmy®-nominated role from The Closer. Joining her are fellow Closer veterans G.W. Bailey, Tony Denison, Michael Paul Chan, Raymond Cruz and Phillip P. Keene. In addition, Robert Gossett, Jon Tenney and Jonathan Del Arco will guest-star in several episodes. The series also stars Graham Patrick Martin as Rusty, a homeless juvenile whose character will be introduced in the final episode of The Closer, and Kearran Giovanni as Detective Amy Sykes, an ambitious undercover police detective and military veteran who served in Afghanistan. While The Closer‘s focus has been on the lead character’s uncanny ability to secure airtight confessions from suspects, Major Crimes centers on what it takes to secure an airtight conviction.

Major Crimes is produced by The Shephard/Robin Company, in association with Warner Bros. Television. The Closer‘s James Duff, Greer Shephard, Michael M. Robin, and Rick Wallace serve as executive producers on the new series.

About TNT
TNT, one of cable’s top-rated networks, is television’s destination for drama. Seen in 99 million households, TNT is home to such original drama series as Rizzoli & Isles, Falling Skies, Dallas, Perception, Major Crimes, Franklin & Bash, Leverage, Southland and the upcoming Monday Mornings. The network also features dramatic unscripted originals like this summer’s The Great Escape and the upcoming Boston Blue (working title) and 72 Hours (working title). In addition, TNT is the cable home to popular dramas like The Mentalist, Bones, Supernatural, Las Vegas, Law & Order and Castle, which starts this year; primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards®; blockbuster movies; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR, the NBA and the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news; entertainment; animation and young adult; and sports media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

via Press Release

Photo Credit: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

TOM CAVANAGH TO STAR IN LIFETIME ORIGINAL MOVIE KILLER AMONG US

Captivating Film Co-Starring BORIS KODJOE and TESS ATKINS
set to Make World Premiere September 8

LOS ANGELES, CA (August 14, 2012) – Golden Globe® nominee Tom Cavanagh (Scrubs, Ed) will star in the Lifetime Original Movie Killer Among Us, which will make its world premiere on Saturday, September 8, 2012, at 8:00PM ET/PT. Inspired by a true story, the film follows Nick Carleton (Cavanagh), a widowed father of three who is coping with the loss of his beloved wife, while minding his teenage daughter Alex, (Tess Atkins, Girl Fight, The Killing) as she bravely tries to uncover the ruthless murder of her mother.

In Killer Among Us, Alex (Atkins), reeling from her mother’s shocking and mysterious murder, is trying to help her family’s life get back to normal, taking on the role of mother for her two younger siblings and lending a hand to her father Nick (Cavanagh). With no leads and the case growing cold, the police have no choice but to close their investigation. Not ready to give up, police detective Joseph Moran (Boris Kodjoe, Resident Evil: Afterlife, Soul Food) takes an unorthodox approach to try to find the killer by enlisting Alex’s assistance, which may put her in harm’s way. Reluctant to help at first, Alex begins to search for clues and anything out of the ordinary that could help solve her mother’s murder. But what she slowly begins to unearth is something more shocking than anything she could have ever imagined.

Killer Among Us was written by Katherine Fugate, directed by Bradley Walsh and produced by Front Street Pictures/Ordinary Road Productions. Executive producers include Harvey Kahn, Jack Grossbart, Linda Kent and Fugate.

ABOUT LIFETIME

Lifetime Television is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. The network posted major growth in viewership among the key demographics in Second Quarter 2012 versus Second Quarter 2011, posting a 13% jump among Women 18-49, +5% among Adults 18-49 and +1% in Women 25-54. Additionally, among Women 18-49, Lifetime marked the network’s strongest 2Q growth in 10 years. Lifetime Television®, LMN®, Lifetime Real Women® and Lifetime Digital™ are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC, a subsidiary of A+E Networks. A+E Networks is a joint venture of the Disney-ABC Television Group, Hearst Corporation and NBC Universal.

NBC Universal

After attracting nearly a quarter of a billion viewers over the course of 17 nights, while airing the Olympics from London (July 27-August 12), NBC returned to earth last night as viewers tuned out of the network despite it premiering new series “Stars Earn Stripes,” and the second season premiere of “Grimm.”

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