411 on Soaps

Rumors are swirling that Melrose Place will not be picked up by the CW and negotiations with One Tree Hill are rocky. The good news? Soapnet is ready to scoop up the primetime sudser if the CW doesn’t.

Per Spoiler TV:

One Tree Hill: There are some messy contracts and negotiations and it could go either way but even if renewed it will likely have budget cuts and maybe lose more cast members and producers. SOAPnet has the option of renewing it if the CW were to cancel it.

Jana starts to zero in on Ryder and Daisy’s connection. Daisy keeps hustling Lauren. Tucker finds out someone’s snooping into his past. Billy and Victoria are both stuck in a New York airport. The duo decide to hang out in the bar. The Newman heiress gets pissed when the Abbott playboy gives her a copy of Restless Style….and if you want to know the rest, go see Jillian at Daytime Confidential!

Daytime Confidential is reporting that Guiding Light alum Daniel Cosgrove (ex-Bill Lewis) will guest star on CBS’s The Good Wife on Tuesday, January 12.

Don’t forget that Cosgrove’s appearance on As the World Turns is scheduled for the early part of this year.

These spoilers are from Daytime Confidential. Normally, I would link directly to them, but there just isn’t enough spoilers to make the trip!

Daniel/Amber: The newlyweds butt heads over Little Deacon

Eden: A relative has an offer for her.

Neil: He’s the bearer of bad news for the Abbott family.

Ashley/Sharon: The women start to add things up

The Hollywood Reporter and Daytime Confidential are reporting that Tatyana Ali will star in the new Martin Lawrence-produced sitcom Love That Girl, premiering Jan. 16 on TV One. Don’t miss it!

Daytime Confidential is reporting that hottie Eric Sheffer Stevens has joined the cast of As the World Turns as Dr. Reid Oliver. Stevens’ first air date is January 19.

Is anyone else wondering where the Public Service Announcement is for ABC’s General Hospital as Kristina is beaten by her boyfriend?  Well, so are we!  A group from Daytime Confidential has started a group to raise awareness to Brian Frons regarding this matter.  They’re DC usernames are blackjack21, daisyclover1938, ericaseviltwin, samrocks and taa2.  They’ve created a basic letter that you can send out to Mr. Frons, in the hopes that he will realize the importance of this socially relevant storyline, and educate viewers to the fullest extent of their ability.  Here is the letter you can send via US Postal Mail or E-Mail:

VIA U.S. MAIL
Mr. Brian Frons, ABC Daytime President
c/o ABC/Disney
500 S. Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91512

RE: General Hospital PSAs for Kristina/Kiefer Storyline (for e-mail)

Dear Mr. Frons,

I am one of the General Hospital viewers who strongly believes that a public service announcement (“PSA”) pertaining to the teen relationship violence storyline should air more frequently as the story continues. Specifically, we feel that ABC/General Hospital should include a PSA addressing the abusive relationship after each episode during which Kiefer physically abuses Kristina.

We appreciate and enthusiastically support ABC’s decision to highlight a socially relevant and pervasive issue. Our concern stems from the conspicuous absence of a regular statement from the network providing guidance and resources to individuals in abusive relationships such as that of Kiefer and Kristina Davis. Given that General Hospital is the highest rated soap among female viewers aged 12 to 17, there is clearly an audience that would benefit from such a message

As you know, Kiefer’s first act of violence occurred on July 17, 2009 when he struck Kristina for not giving in to his sexual advances. By including a PSA from the national teen dating abuse organization, Love Is Respect, General Hospital ensured that this serious issue was handled in a manner that was educational as well as entertaining. Recently, however, on November 11, 2009, when Kiefer struck Kristina and called her a “stupid bitch,” there was no mediating message provided. This was a very difficult scene to stomach for many viewers, and it was so disturbing that we felt compelled to write to this letter to ABC. Although we recognize that Kristina’s subsequent decision to protect Kiefer and keep quiet is very common reaction—especially among young women—without a sponsored PSA at the end of the show, General Hospital not only legitimized this behavior, but it arguably glamorized it as well.

Please understand that this request is not about our preference for a particular storyline; rather, we are asking for greater sensitivity from ABC/General Hospital with respect to a storyline that is already in progress. Teens today face more challenges than those of us from earlier generations, and relationship violence is more prevalent than ever, affecting teens of all demographic groups. The aftermath of the Chris Brown/Rihanna incident is further proof that no woman is immune from relationship violence. Therefore, while some aspects of the show (e.g., Jason Morgan’s mob lifestyle, or Helena Cassadine’s revenge plots) are clearly fictional and few, if any, viewers would admire or attempt to imitate them in their own lives, the same cannot be said about Kiefer abusing Kristina, or her continued silence.

We have been watching General Hospital for many years and during this time there have been several wonderfully written storylines that were both socially relevant and enlightening, including Monica Quartermaine’s cancer diagnosis, Elizabeth Webber’s rape, Robin Scorpio’s HIV diagnosis, and Sonny’s Bipolar Disorder diagnosis. More recently, despite fans’ mixed reactions to Robin Scorpio-Drake’s Post-Partum Depression storyline, the group therapy scene with actual survivors was highly informative. In addition, the frequency with which ABC aired the Post-Partum Depression PSA provided potential sufferers with regular opportunities to learn about resources available to them. These storylines served as a valuable tool for promoting awareness among viewers without personal experience; further, they served as a method of decreasing the stigma for both survivors, as well as those who were afraid to come forward and seek professional help.

In sum, we believe that increasing the frequency of the PSAs on General Hospital would greatly benefit those who can identify with Kristina, or possibly with Kiefer—especially if they are likely to miss the resolution of the storyline several weeks or months in the future. Therefore, we urge you to consider airing the PSA each time Kiefer engages in an act of violence against his girlfriend Kristina. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me using the information provided above. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Anyone who is interested in supporting this cause can print it out and mail it, or can copy and paste it via e-mail. E-mail to brian.frons@abc.com or Brian.Frons@email.disney.com.

This will be the 11th annual Soaphunks.net Awards and a few of our favorite hotties have made the list! One Life to Live led with 18 nominations, helping ABC lead the networks with a total of 33 nominations. CBS earned 28 nods, and NBC scored 19. Click on the link and begin voting for your favorites at Soaphunks.net on Dec. 1, 2009. Daytime Confidential has the complete list!

Finally! Paul will plant his lovely lips on Nina’s and shut her up for a bit. Adam will share more secrets with Sharon and Jack will try to make a deal with Jack. Jillian at Daytime Confidential has all the deets on what’s coming up in Genoa City. Just click on the link! Thanks!