Bonnie Hunt's New Talk Show

Bonnie Hunt has been called the best talk show guest on television. Now Bonnie finally brings her relatable comedic point of view to her own daytime talk show.

"The Bonnie Hunt Show" will be taped daily so Bonnie can offer her unique perspective on the day’s events. From entertainment and pop culture to the news, Bonnie will talk to her audience and crew about anything and everything that’s on her mind. The top of the show is sure to become appointment television for viewers looking for a smart, funny, common sense reaction to the complicated world they live in.

Everything that Bonnie has done in her life has prepared her for this new role. From her working class roots in Chicago and her time as a nurse, to her training at Second City and her success in movies and television, Bonnie’s authenticity in the many characters she’s played has made her everyone’s favorite best friend, sister and mom.

As a performer, writer, producer and director, Bonnie has earned the respect of everyone in the industry including the biggest stars in Hollywood. "The Bonnie Hunt Show" will be a place where celebrities can feel safe, let their guard down and have a good time.

Bonnie’s love of everyday people will set her show apart. Growing up in a large, blue-collar family, Bonnie was instilled with the work ethic that has made her successful and a gift of gab that makes her so entertaining. Every day, Bonnie will introduce America to itself through the stories of its people. From the inspiring to the amazing, viewers never know whom they might meet but it will always be memorable.

Bonnie’s show will be wrapped around her personality. She made her mark in show business with her love of storytelling, respect for the audience, her sense of humor and now "The Bonnie Hunt Show" will bring all these qualities together.

"The Bonnie Hunt Show" is produced by Bob & Alice Production and paraMedia inc. in association with Telepictures Productions and is distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution.

HOST

Bonnie Hunt
(Host/Executive Producer) Bonnie Hunt is a versatile and accomplished writer, director, producer and an Emmy®, Golden Globe and SAG Award-nominated actress, earning critical acclaim in film, television and theater.

Growing up in one of Chicago’s blue-collar neighborhoods, Hunt pursued an acting career with the famous Second City improvisational theater while continuing to work as an oncology nurse at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. She soon became familiar to audiences with her unforgettable cameos in such films as "Rain Man," where she played the toothpick-dropping waitress, and in "Dave" as the White House tour guide. Her improvised line, "We’re walking, we’re walking…" quickly became famous as people embraced Hunt’s unique accessible brand of humor. More...

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS

DON LAKE
(Executive Producer) Don Lake was born in Toronto, Canada. He first arrived in Los Angeles to attend California Institute of the Arts. After graduating, he returned to Toronto to join Second City, the renowned improvisational theatre company.

Productive years in Toronto led to two long-running series for Showtime and several feature films. But it was the opportunity to continue his association with Second City that brought Lake back to Los Angeles to form a new company on the West Coast, where he first met Bonnie Hunt. More...
JIM PARATORE
(Executive Producer) Highly respected television veteran and Emmy® Award-winning producer Jim Paratore serves as executive producer of "The Bonnie Hunt Show." Paratore’s production company, paraMedia inc., will be producing the talk show in association with Telepictures Productions. The full-service television production company also has an exclusive overall deal with the Warner Bros. Television Group.

Paratore brings over 20 years of experience in daytime television to "The Bonnie Hunt Show." He successfully launched the Emmy® Award-winning talk shows "The Rosie O’Donnell Show," "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and "The Tyra Banks Show" and continues to serve as an executive producer on "Ellen." More...
DAVID PERLER
(Co-Executive Producer) David Perler serves as co-executive producer of "The Bonnie Hunt Show."

Perler served as an executive producer of "The Tony Danza Show" and as the supervising producer of "The Rosie O’Donnell Show," where he garnered three Daytime Emmy® Awards. His other talk show experience includes "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and "Leeza." More...

For information and for tickets to the Bonnie Hunt Show, visit her site at: www.bonniehunt.com

Soap Opera Writer James E. Reilly Remembered

The recent passing of head writer James E. Reilly has stunned the industry. His longtime friend and agent Jonathan Russo, who confirmed Reilly's death to Soap Opera Weekly, "We spoke an hour or two hours a day for almost 15-20 years. We did the math, 27 years. He was a towering figure in the industry. He deserved my time and attention. He wanted it and we were friends. We liked to catch up," Russo shares. "He never ran out of thoughts or ideas. He never repeated himself unless it was intentional so he didn’t lose viewers. He never had other people submit story ideas ever. He sat down and laid out and presented stories and layouts for 2 shows. This is an amazing accomplishment," Russo adds.

Ken Corday (Executive Producer, DAYS): "The DAYS OF OUR LIVES family is deeply saddened by the recent passing of James E. Reilly. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. Jim was not only an ingenious storyteller who changed the landscape of daytime drama, but he celebrated life with passion, humor, and an appreciation for the best it has to offer. He was an inspiration for us all...and will be greatly missed."

Lisa de Cazotte (executive producer GH:NIGHT SHIFT, former EP PASSIONS): "Jim Reilly was not only a legend in our industry, but he was a great friend and mentor. His creativity, sense of humor and genius will be sorely missed. There will never be another like him and I am deeply grateful for the years we spent working together on PASSIONS and for the joy he brought to my life."

All My Children: A Tornado Sweeps Pine Valley

The much advertized tornado swept through fictional Pine Valley, PA on Thursday October 16th and will continue through the next week. The dramatic storyline will kill off the character of Babe Carey Chandler and reintroduce popular characters, Erica Kane's youngest child Bianca Montgomery and Dr. David Hayward.

October 16th also marked All My Children's the taping of it's 10,000 episode which will air on November 12th. The soap's creator Agnes Nixon will appear in the episode as a ghost who will help the town deal with the tornado aftermath.
All My Children airs weekdays on ABC and weeknight on SOAPNet.

source: abc daytime, credit to: thorstenkayefans.net

All My Children Celebrates Taping Of 10, 000 Episode

Photo: Wire Iamge

The landmark soap that features Erica Kane and her many husbands will celebrate the taping of their 10,000 episode on Thursday, October 16th. The rumors surrounding the premise of the episode include Erica Kane where she is the innocent victim of an incident (not relating to the much hyped tornadoes). All My Children began in 1970 when creator Agnes Nixon created Pine Valley. The groundbreaking soap was instrumental for some of the most popular characters in daytime, including Erica Kane, her daughters Kendall and Bianca, and Adam Chandler. The soap is iconic for unprecedented stories such as daytime's first abortion, first gay character, and super couples such as Tad & Dixie, Angie & Jesse and Zach & Kendall. All entertainment media to cover the event outside the ABC studios at 320 W. 66th Stre
et, New York City.

All My Children Icon Eileen Herlie Has Passed Away

Soap Icon and All My Children Matriarch Eileen Herlie has passed away at the age of 88. Eileen has played Myrtle Fargate since the early 80s. Myrtle's maternal relationships with popular characters Erica Kane, Zach Slater, Bianca Montgomery and Kendall Slater has made her a much needed presense on the show. Eileen's last screen appearance as Myrtle was in late June when she gave her surrogate son, Zach Slater a much welcomed visit.
Eileen Herlie was born to a Catholic father and a Protestant mother in Glasgow, Scotland.
Herlie was trained as a theatre actress, but her first big film break was being cast by Laurence Olivier in his 1948 film adaptation of William Shakespeare's Hamlet. She portrayed Hamlet's mother, Gertrude, despite the fact that she was 13 years younger than Olivier, who portrayed her son, Hamlet. She reprised her Gertrude in the 1964 Broadway production starring Richard Burton. She repeated her Gertrude in the 1964 film version of the Broadway stage production.

After Olivier's Hamlet Herlie continued to make sporadic film appearances, but remained primarily in the theatre. In 1955 she was Irene Molloy in The Matchmaker on Broadway (this play was later made into Hello Dolly!). In 1960, she was nominated for a Tony Award as 'Best Actress in a Musical' for Take Me Along, in which she played opposite Jackie Gleason.

In 1976, Herlie made the move to television soap operas in the role of Myrtle Fargate on All My Children. In the 1980s, Herlie was nominated for three consecutive Daytime Emmy Awards (1984, 1985 and 1986). She became close friends with fellow cast member Louis Edmonds, and spoke at his funeral in 2001.

Until the late 1990s, Herlie was one of the few actresses to ever portray the same character on three different soaps. In 1993, she portrayed Myrtle on the All My Children sister-soap Loving. In December 2000, she portrayed Myrtle in crossover appearances on the soap opera One Life to Live, where a 'Who's the Daddy?' storyline was playing out on all four ABC soaps (All My Children, One Life to Live, General Hospital, and the now cancelled Port Charles).

Herlie is one of five children, Dennis, Gerald, Norah (all deceased) and Alfred. She was married and divorced once, but has no children.

Eileen has received numerous awards and nominarions for her work on stage and screen.
Daytime Emmy Awards

(1986) Daytime Emmy Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for All My Children
(1985) Daytime Emmy Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role in a Daytime Drama Series for All My Children
(1984) Daytime Emmy Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role in a Daytime Drama Series for All My Children
Tony Awards

(1960) Tony Award Best Actress in a Musical for Take Me Along

Days Of Our Lives Fan Event

SAVE THE DATE FOR A "DAY OF DAYS"!

STARS OF NBC'S DAYTIME DRAMA 'DAYS OF OUR LIVES' TO MEET FANS AT CITYWALK AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD THIS NOVEMBER!

Who: Stars of "Days of our Lives" (see below)

What: DAY OF DAYS
Meet & Greet, Q&A and many more exciting activities with your favorite "Days of our Lives" stars!

Where: CityWalk at Universal Studios Hollywood
1000 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608

When: Saturday, November 1, 2008 - 10:00am

Admission to event is free!

Meet all your favorite Days of our Lives stars, including:
Kristian Alfonso
Blake Berris
Nadia Bjorlin
Darin Brooks
Molly Burnett
Shawn Christian
Bryan Dattilo
Kevin Dobson
Mary Beth Evans
Galen Gering
Deidre Hall
Shelley Hennig
Leann Hunley
Drake Hogestyn
Jay Kenneth Johnson
Renee Jones
Lauren Koslow
Eric Martsolf
Joe Mascolo
Rachel Melvin
Stephen Nichols
Thaao Penghlis
Jim Reynolds
James Scott
Alison Sweeney
Arianne Zucker

The event schedule includes:
10-10:30 a.m. - "Day of Days" Introduction
10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. - "Meet & Greet" with the cast of "Days of our Lives"
1–2 p.m. - Lunch Break
2–3 p.m. - Q&A Panel with the Stars
3–3:45 p.m. - "Days of our Lives" Trivia Challenge
3:45 – 4:00 p.m. - Event finale including the selection of a grand-prize raffle winner and a sneak peek of future "Days of our Lives" story lines

Throughout the event fans will also have the chance to win raffle prizes, be selected as a "Days" star look-alike and win exciting "Days of our Lives" merchandise.

For more information on CityWalk at Universal Studios Hollywood go to www.citywalkhollywood.com.

Soap Actor Thorsten Kaye Talks Hockey!

Thorsten Kaye plays Zach Slater in “All My Children.” His dressing room is a team shrine.

On a recent afternoon at ABC Studios in Manhattan, Thorsten Kaye wore his Detroit Red Wings shirt in back-to-back love scenes.

Kaye, who plays the casino owner Zach Slater on the soap opera “All My Children,” finished rehearsing with Alicia Minshew, who plays his wife, Kendall Hart. Then he rolled up his script and walked to his dressing room and opened the door.

“This is like my own little Detroit locker room,” Kaye said, smiling. “This room is my tribute to the Red Wings.”

Kaye, who said he is looking forward to their season opener on Thursday night against Toronto, sat on a small bed covered by sheets emblazoned with the team’s winged-wheel logo. A giant logo loomed on a wall above his head, and other Red Wings memorabilia was scattered about, including an overhead light fixture that resembled the scoreboard at Joe Louis Arena. On Kaye’s scoreboard, the home team is always leading, 2-1.

“Look at that,” Kaye said, pointing to an empty Champagne bottle signed by all the Red Wings after they defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins to win the Stanley Cup last season. “I wish I was there to celebrate with them that night.”

Kaye saw three games of the finals in Detroit but could not make it to Game 6 in Pittsburgh, where the Red Wings raised the Cup. He was in the studio that day, but he watched most of the game in character, through his cameraman’s lens.

“My camera guy put the game on his viewfinder so that I could see it while we were filming,” Kaye said.

Indeed, Slater often wears Red Wings jerseys and caps, and plays hockey with his young sons.

“My character is a misunderstood family man who just does what he needs to do,” Kaye said. “But being a Red Wings fan makes him a lot more human.”

Kaye, 45, was born in Mainz, Germany, and grew up in London. He came to the United States when he was 17, on a track and field scholarship at United States International University in San Diego, now Alliant International. He moved to Detroit to study acting at Wayne State University. By the time Kaye completed his master’s degree in classical theater, his affection for the Red Wings, and for hockey, had flourished.

“Hockey is the greatest sport in the world, and in my opinion, has the greatest athletes,” Kaye said. “You never hear a hockey player talking about himself in the third person, like so many other athletes from other sports.”

Kaye said his most memorable night at Joe Louis Arena was Jan. 2, 2007, when the Red Wings retired Steve Yzerman’s No. 19 jersey.

“I have been around actors my entire life, but I can tell you that the tears for Yzerman that night were very real,” he said. “And I don’t think I’ve ever heard a longer standing ovation.”

Though Kaye has become friendly with some players, notably Chris Chelios, he could not get any of them to say he was a soap opera fan.

“People never admit to watching the soaps,” Kaye said, grinning. “But I’ve been in the trainer’s room a few times and the soaps are on while guys are getting taped up and rubbed down, so somebody’s watching.”

Kaye, who proudly displayed his autographed photo of Darren McCarty hoisting the Stanley Cup last season, as well as a game-used stick autographed by Yzerman, has shrines to the Red Wings at his homes in New York and Detroit, and in Connecticut, where he lives with the actress Susan Haskell and their daughters, McKenna, 5, and Marlowe, 18 months.

Last season, Kaye won new fans in Detroit by blogging on NHL.com.

“I was most impressed with Thorsten’s knowledge about the Red Wings and his overall knowledge of the game,” Roberta McCarty, Darren’s mother, said in a telephone interview. “I also met Thorsten in person during the playoffs last season, and it was refreshing to talk to a celebrity who truly cared about his team and really knew his hockey.”

E-mail: cheers@nytimes.com

source: New York Times

SOAPS IN THE CITY

Soaps In The City will take place in LA October 16, 2008 by teaming up with Cops4Causes and Poz Magazine to host a private party to help support AIDS Project Los Angeles. Tickets can be purchased at michaelfairmansoaps.net for $50; only 250 are available. The event will take place at East/West on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood.

Cast members from General Hospital, Days Of Our Lives, The Bold and The Beautiful and The Young and the Restless will be on hand to mingle with guests.

Ilene Kristen, Roxy on One Life To Live, will perform.

Soaps In The City will kick off red carpet arrivals at 6:30 pm.