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CW Daytime Emmys presentation Q&A with ATI President!

April 8, 2009

emmytrophy.jpgFor many who wanted to know the answers and the beginning stages of plans for CW’s presentation, of this years long awaited and highly anticipated Daytime Emmys broadcast, Jim Romanovich, ATI’s president of Worldwide Media and Entertainment, who is the company producing this years telecast, has answered some general inquiries. Much of the  Q&A are at TristanRogers.com. Here is a sampling, and it all looks extremely promising!

Why August and not June like in previous years?
“Two reasons. June was too soon and it’s a month I never understood for doing a show of this magnitude. The season is over and people are in summer mode-meaning vacation! We want to do something very special with this event and we need time to do it. I chose August 30th because it was the Sunday to kick everything off on the CW, stars will be back from vacation, viewers will be excited about new TV events as summer winds down, and contrary to what was stated elsewhere, this is not Labor Day weekend. It’s a really good time to do this.”

So what’s going to be different from past telecasts?
“A sense of fun and celebration. First and foremost, this is a television event and we need to entertain the audience if we want them to watch. We’re not re-inventing the wheel. But how about a new wheel? Our plan is more interaction and humor-but not the dreaded banter between two presenters. I am planning a tribute to Guiding Light which will hopefully have a major star formerly of the soap along with classic clips and, if possible, as many living stars as possible on stage. That might be more difficult to achieve than I envision, but you know how we’re thinking. Also expect a memorium to Phil Carey and Clint Ritchie from One Life To Live. With the soap categories, think tribute rather than just “the nominees are…” As we get closer, changes may be made for various reasons. But whatever changes we make, it will be for the good of the show. I can tell

Why did the Big Three pass and now it’s airing on the CW?
“The irony here is that when some doors close, others open. And sometimes the ones that open make more sense than the ones that close. In this case the CW, of all broadcast networks, fits the demo of Daytime TV perfectly. I have read that the CW caters only to young women and therefore older viewers won’t watch the show. I don’t believe that. Fans of daytime will find this and watch it. I also think this is a perfect opportunity to replenish the pond. Soaps need to be reinvigorated by new viewers. Viewers who may have never even considered One Life to Live, General Hospital, or The Young and the Restless. If the CW airs this event, which also runs Gossip Girl, Melrose Place, Smallville, 90210, and America’s Top Model, it somehow makes it all very cool and current.”

So how did this all come about as there seems to be many companies involved.
“I have been a fan of daytime since 1981 with the whole Luke, Robert and Ice Princess story which was something I never would have expected would be a “soap” story. Flash forward to November 2008 and I read that NATAS still had not secured the 2009 broadcast for CBS. In January, we had an internal meeting at ATI about The Daytime Emmys really being an opportunity for us on many levels. David McKenzie, president of ATI, gave me the go ahead to pursue it. My first call was to Frank Radice at NATAS who just became president and he and I hit it off immediately. We’re both cut from that same forward thinking cloth. I presented him with an opportunity to make this event a broadcast reality in 2009. We signed a deal and I was off to the races. I spoke with CBS and ABC and gave them a proposal, but they still couldn’t do it. I thought about cable. I thought about MyNetwork. Unfortunately MyNetwork does not program every night and we really wanted to get a prime television viewing night, such as a Sunday, when everybody is relaxed and at home. The CW came into play through my friendship with MGM president Jim Packer (in which we’re doing other projects together). MGM runs movies every Sunday night on the CW and I thought that everyone would come out as winners if we were to plug in the Emmys in one of movie slots. It gave him something new and big to distribute and he really orchestrated the CW deal. And so it all fell into place because the CW also saw the promotional potential we would generate to help launch their fall season.

Why The Orpheum Theatre?
“Availability and its sense of style. On every season of American Idol (save for the current season), The Orpheum was used for ‘Hollywood Week’. It is one of the most beautiful and ornate theatres in all of Los Angeles and a real throwback to a golden era of show business that I think we need to embrace, just as soaps need to embrace their histories. You can’t look forward to the future without embracing the past and sometimes the greatness of Hollywood’s past gets muddied in the business at hand. I’m a huge fan of Hollywood history. Some shows being honored began in that Golden Era of Hollywood so there’s a parallel in this approach that just didn’t happen by accident.”

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‘Neighbours’ EP Jason Herbison on Series Daytime Emmy Nomination: “It’s a Huge Honour to be Nominated Alongside Such Iconic US Daytime Dramas”

April 24, 2024

When the 51st annual Daytime Emmy nominations were revealed last Friday, the iconic Australian soap opera, Neighbours, made the grade as one of the nominees for this year’s Outstanding Daytime Drama Series going up against U.S. titans such as General Hospital, The Young and the Restless et al.

That is because the revival of Neighbours, which is now seen in the United States streaming on Amazon Freevee, is now eligible under the rules from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS).

Not only did Neighbours receive its first Daytime Emmy nomination for Drama Series, but also for one of its legendary stars, Guy Pearce, who returned for a stint in the revival as Mike Young. Pearce is nominated for Outstanding Guest Performance in a Daytime Drama Series.

Photo: Freemantle

Throughout its run, Neighbours has received several nominations and wins in Australian and the UK, with this being its first nomination in the U.S.

Neighbours Executive Producer Jason Herbison shared on this momentous moment for the series: ‘Neighbours has been on an incredible journey these past few years and a Daytime Emmy Award nomination is the icing on the cake! It’s a huge honour to be nominated alongside such iconic US daytime dramas. This news is an exciting moment for our hard working cast and crew and a wonderful recognition of the new chapter of the show on Amazon Freevee.”

Photo: Freemantle

For those who need a bit of a refresher on the revival of Neighbours. The series streams exclusively on Amazon Freevee in the UK and U.S. and on Prime Video in Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa.  New episodes air daily Monday-Thursday on Amazon. The new series launched on 18 September, 2023, and picks up two years after the finale left off. In Australia, Network 10 retains first-run rights in Australia for the new chapter of the series.

Photo: Freemantle/AmazonFreevee

The series is known as the longest running local drama of all time in Australia and has launched the careers of so many celebrities including: Margot Robbie, Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, the aforementioned Guy Pearce, and Liam and Chris Hemsworth, to name but a few.

Long running series star Alan Fletcher and Jackie Woodbridge shared their many thanks on Neighbours Daytime Emmy nominations in a video message below.

So, what do you think of ‘Neighbours’ being nominated for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series at the 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards? Could they be the spoiler in the category? Weigh-in below.

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Lisa Rinna Would Be Down to Reprise Her Role of Taylor McBride in ‘Melrose Place’ Reboot

April 23, 2024

When Lisa Rinna departed her popular role of Billie Reed on Days of our Lives back in 1995, her next major role would be a jump to primetime and the soapy Melrose Place.

In 1996, Lisa was introduced as new character Taylor McBride and stayed with the Fox young adult sudser for three seasons. Now in 2024, with the recent reveal that a Melrose Place revival is the works with Heather Locklear, Daphne Zuniga and Laura Leighton all on board to reprise their signature roles, would Rinna board the project should it come to fruition?

Speaking with PEOPLE, Rinna expressed, “Well, gosh, I’ve heard about it. I haven’t been approached or anything, but I would love to see what Taylor McBride is up to 25 years later. Wouldn’t that be something?”

Photo: FOX

OG Melrose Place fans know that in story, Taylor moved to the Melrose Place apartment building with her husband Kyle played by Rob Estes. However, Taylor had her eye on Dr. Peter Burns played by former GH star Jack Wagner (ex-Frisco). But, by the time she had moved to the apartment complex, Peter had married tough as nails ad executive, Amanda Woodward, played by Heather Locklear.

Recalling her time on Melrose Place, Rinna added that it, “was one of my greatest and most fun acting experiences, playing Taylor and working with Heather and the whole crew.”  Rinna also noted, “So if they need a Taylor McBride appearance, they know who to call. I’m around.”

Photo: JPI

The new Melrose Place is in development at CBS Studios. In the premise of the reboot, the Melrose Place residents reunite after the death of one of their friends, “but the pressure cooker of a reunion soon uncovers old traumas, rekindles old romances, reignites old resentments, and reveals new secrets… throwing our characters into chaotic drama that’s reminiscent of the past, but with a much more modern perspective.”

So, would you want to see Lisa Rinna reprise her Melrose Place role as Taylor McBride? Comment below.

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Sean Kanan’s Stepdaughter, Juliet Vega, to Appear on The Bold and the Beautiful

April 23, 2024

Coming up on this Friday’s April 26th episode of The Bold and the Beautiful, Juliet Vega, the stepdaughter to Sean Kanan will make an appearance on the CBS daytime drama series in the role of Michele.

Keeping it “All in the Family”, the character is named after Juliet’s real-life mother, and Kanan’s wife, writer and producer, Michele Kanan.

Back in 2012, Sean married Michele Vega and thus began their blended family which included his daughter, Simone, and Michelle’s children, Peter, Gigi, and her twins, Annie and Juliet.

Photo: JPI

According to a B&B show spokesperson, Juliet’s B&B character is intentionally named Michele in honor of her mother and Sean’s wife.

While we don’t know how “Michele” shows up in story, it is the same episode that Clint Howard makes an appearance as well seemingly tied to the case of where in the world is Sheila Carter (Kimberlin Brown)?

Photo: CBS

We can’t imagine that Juliet wouldn’t get the opportunity to mix it up on-screen with her stepdad, Sean Kanan. Previously, the two acted together in Sean’s streaming series Studio City, where she played the role of Delilah and he played soap actor, Sam Stevens. In it, Delilah is the bio-daughter Sam never knew he had.

So, looking forward to seeing Juliet on B&B and how ‘Michele’ turns up in the story? Comment below.

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Peter Reckell returns for a second visit with Michael Fairman following the wrap-up of his recent run as Bo Brady on Days of our Lives.Leave A Comment

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