News

Ratings Report for the Week of August 11-15, 2014

Legendary host of “The Price is Right,” Bob Barker is set to appear on the Thursday, August 28 episode of CBS’ “The Bold and the Beautiful.”

In 2012, Soap Opera Network published our own version of the annual TV Guide Magazine “TV’s Highest Paid Stars” issue. In the time since it was published we’ve been quite shocked to see how many of you were curious to know how much some of daytime and primetime’s biggest and brightest stars of yesteryear have gone on to make with their current work in primetime dramas and comedies, reality shows, and even daytime talk shows. Although we were unable to continue our report in 2013 due to circumstances beyond our control, we thought it would be a great opportunity to continue producing the soap opera edition of one of TV Guide’s best selling issues with the release of the 2014 edition.

Per TV Guide’s Michael Logan, legendary host of “The Price is Right,” Bob Barker, is returning to CBS’ “The Bold and the Beautiful” on Thursday, August 28 in scenes that’ll spoof his classic fight scene from the 1996 Adam Sandler film, “Happy Gilmore.”

After being challenged by “The Young and the Restless” co-star Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea Newman), Greg Rikaart (Kevin Fisher) has exclusively shared with Soap Opera Network video of himself taking part in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which included a surprise appearance by best friend and neighbor, Rebecca Budig (ex-Greenlee Smythe, “All My Children”).

It’s the craze that has swept the nation, social media and Hollywood over the last month as the world seeks to help fight Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” which is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord according to the ALS Association website. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Harpo’s Oprah Winfrey have already done it and so have a cruise ship load of daytime soap stars past and present, which now includes real-life best friends Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea, “The Young and the Restless”) and Chrishell Stause (Jordan, “Days of our Lives”), who were challenged by Egan’s mother, Mary. They weren’t alone! Also taking part was “Y&R’s” newest star, and Stause’s real-life boyfriend, Justin Hartley (Adam Newman).

For the week of August 11-15, 2014, NBC’s “Days of our Lives” tied for fifth place among all network daytime programming in the Women 18-49 demographic (0.8 rating, 6 share) and tied for first in Women 18-34 (0.5 rating). “Days” earned its highest Women 18-34 rating since the week of July 7-11 (0.5) and equaled its highest Women 18-34 rating in 14 Weeks (since the week of May 5-9 with a 0.6).

If you’ve been tuning into NBC’s “Days of our Lives” recently and were wondering what exactly Will Horton (Guy Wilson) wrote in great detail about the affair between Abbigail Deveraux (Kate Mansi) and EJ DiMera (James Scott), NBC.com has you covered. The official website for the daytime drama series published the full fictional TruVista Magazine article on Wednesday, August 20, which also includes details not revealed on air.

“The Bold and the Beautiful’s” John McCook (Eric Forrester) and Hunter Tylo (Dr. Taylor Hayes) will be joining previously announced Thorsten Kaye, Heather Tom, Scott Clifton and Kim Matula for the official 2014 “B&B” Fan Show, which will take place in the Netherlands on Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4. The event provides fans with a unique peek into the behind-the-scenes world of the daytime drama, and a deep dive into the turbulent lives of the characters. The show will feature interaction between fans and the cast, including the chance to ask questions as well as revelations about the actors’ private lives and projects outside of the series.

In a clip that aired during the Monday, August 18 broadcast of KABC’s “Eyewitness News” at 4:00 PM, reporter George Pennacchio noted time slot changes taking place on the ABC Owned Television (OTV) station beginning Monday, September 8, which finds “General Hospital” returning to its original 25+ year time period of 2:00 PM on the station.