News

As Carrie Bradshaw's (Sarah Jessica Parker) main love interest throughout Sex and the City, Mr. Big's (Chris Noth) multiple marriages are of particular interest and he is married several times. Right from the pilot, when she bumps into him on a New York City sidewalk, Carrie is drawn to the mysterious, successful Mr. Big. Big's job is never explained, but he is a hugely affluent entrepreneur. While Carrie's writing career, adoration of fashion, and close friendships are explored in every episode, Big isn't as open. At times, he can appear to be cold and distant, which leads to many dramatic storylines.

Mr. Big is his Satc nickname, but his real name is John James Preston, and Big's most memorable character trait is his inability to commit to Carrie. They split up in season 1, reunite in season 2, try to be friends, and have an affair before they finally share their...

1974: The Doctors' Toni learned she had a son.

1991: General Hospital's Anna and Robert were shocked by Faison.

1996: Stephen Nichols made his Gh debut as Stefan.

2010: Salem said goodbye to Alice Horton on Days."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1963: On Ben Jerrod, as the trial was reaching the conclusion, Ben's (Michael Ryan) strategy was on the verge of collapse.

Thanks to Jeff for sending in the item above.

1966: On the second episode of Dark Shadows, Victoria (Alexandra Moltke) watched as Elizabeth (Joan Bennett) collapsed,...

1967: Dark Shadows' Barnabas bared his fangs (upside down).

1981: The art auction began on General Hospital.

1987: Days of our Lives' Harper arrived in Salem.

2008: Noelle Beck debuted as the new Lily on As the World Turns."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1959: CBS aired the 2,000th episode of Search for Tomorrow. The network released a celebratory photo with the following caption: "Mary Stuart, who for nearly eight years has played the stellar role of Joanne Tate on the program, shows off a...

Two legendary actresses died on this day in history:

Charita Bauer (1985) and Mary Stuart (2002)."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1968: On Dark Shadows, Reverend Trask (Jerry Lacy) returned to his room with Victoria's belongings. Suddenly he heard chains rattling outside his room and called out, "Who is it?" He opened the door, but no one was there. He heard a woman's scream and ran back into his room and bolted the door, but he continued to hear the chains. Then Barnabas' voice called out to him, and again he shouted,...

1967: Dark Shadows' Barnabas faced off with Jeremiah.

1979: Atwt's Bob and Lisa made Christmas Eve plans.

1979: Eon's Deborah was kidnapped. 2000: Vicky McKinnon

appeared as a ghost during a séance on Atwt."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1949: On radio soap opera The Guiding Light, Mama Bauer (Adelaide Klein) died.

1967: On Dark Shadows, in a duel, Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid) shot his uncle, Jeremiah (Anthony George).

1979: On As the World Turns, Dr. Bob Hughes (Don Hastings) made a Christmas Eve date with his ex-wife,...

1933: The Romance of Helen Trent premiered.

1987: Matthew Ashford debuted as Jack on Days of our Lives.

1985: Guiding Light's Reva almost ran into Josh at Cedars.

2008: All My Children's Reese and Miranda surprised Bianca."The best prophet of the future is the past."

― Lord Byron

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1933: The Romance of Helen Trent debuted over CBS Radio. The show aired 7,222 episodes during its run until June 24, 1960. Created by the husband-and-wife team of Frank and Anne Hummert, Helen Trent was conceived as the epitome of virtue in a world where behavior was usually judged in black-and-white terms. Helen Trent never smoked, drank, or...

1974: The Doctors' Toni learned she had a son.

1991: General Hospital's Anna and Robert were shocked by Faison.

1996: Stephen Nichols made his Gh debut as Stefan.

2010: Salem said goodbye to Alice Horton on Days."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."

― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1963: On Ben Jerrod, as the trial was reaching the conclusion, Ben's (Michael Ryan) strategy was on the verge of collapse.

Thanks to Jeff for sending in the item above.

1967: Dark Shadows' Barnabas bared his fangs (upside down).

1981: The art auction began on General Hospital.

1987: Days of our Lives' Harper arrived in Salem.

2008: Noelle Beck debuted as the new Lily on As the World Turns."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."

― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1959: CBS aired the 2,000th episode of Search for Tomorrow. The network released a celebratory photo with the following caption: "Mary Stuart,...

Two legendary actresses died on this day in history:

Charita Bauer (1985) and Mary Stuart (2002)."Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results."

― Machiavelli

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1968: On Dark Shadows, Reverend Trask (Jerry Lacy) returned to his room with Victoria's belongings. Suddenly he heard chains rattling outside his room and called out, "Who is it?" He opened the door, but no one was there.

1967: Dark Shadows' Barnabas faced off with Jeremiah.

1979: Atwt's Bob and Lisa made Christmas Eve plans.

1979: Eon's Deborah was kidnapped. 2000: Vicky McKinnon

appeared as a ghost during a séance on Atwt."History is a vast early warning system."

― Norman Cousins

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1949: On radio soap opera The Guiding Light, Mama Bauer (Adelaide Klein) died.

1967: On Dark Shadows, in a duel, Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid) shot his uncle, Jeremiah (Anthony George).

1979: On As the World Turns, Dr. Bob Hughes (Don Hastings) made a Christmas Eve date with his ex-wife, Lisa Shea Colman (Eileen Fulton).

1979: On Guiding Light, Roger Thorpe...

Prep school can be just as much of a bitch as public school. Both feature bullies, dastardly teachers the likes of which Pink Floyd once crooned about, and nasty kids. Only one, however, is filled with a coven who likes to snack on virgin blood.

Directed by Hillary Brougher, Innocence stars Kelly Reilly, Sophie Curtis, Graham Phillips, Linus Roache, Stephanie March, Sarah Sutherland, Perrey Reeves, Liya Kebede, Daniel Zovatto, Sarita Choudrouy, Rachel Heller, Evelina Turen, Mikal Evans, Noelle Beck and Kelly Bensimon.

Dig on the trailer and more below.

Synopsis

After the untimely death of her mother in a Montauck surfing accident, Beckett, 16, and her father, novelist Miles Warner, move to the city to begin a new life. Enrolled at the exclusive Hamilton preparatory school in Riverdale, Becekett finds first love and discovers that the school is run by a coven of beautiful and seductive women who perpetuate their fountain...

"We are going to have so many babies."

If you need a primer on the characters..

This will be a mini-cap, focusing primarily on gay-in-training Walt.

Walt and Maggie decide to make amends, just in time for Carrie's 17th birthday. Maggie is ready to grovel, but Walt admits that it wasn't all her fault. He couldn't love her the way she deserves to be loved, which should be a huge rainbow flag for Maggie, but this is 1985, and the Ask J.T. column is still a few decades away, so how's a girl to know how to interpret gay signals?

Carrie wants to throw herself a birthday party, but Larissa wants her to work the Interview party for the hot new book Less Than Zero, and its future Twitter Asshat author the same night. When Plus One Sebastian has to back out (his estranged mother wants to see him), Carrie...

The most recent episode of The CW’s The Carrie Diaries had many special moments, not the least of which were Carrie Bradshaw’s first encounter with both Manolo Blahniks and a Cosmopolitan. There were also break-ups, shake-ups and a lot of sequins! EW talked to Diaries’ executive producer Amy B. Harris about all the very fashionable drama.

Entertainment Weekly: So what will happen with Carrie and Interview? Her father forbade her from going to New York.

Amy B. Harris: Carrie is going to return to Manhattan and there’s going to be some surprising encounters that allow her to return to that universe.

Nadia Dajani once played Nina Katz, Aiden’s post-Carrie girlfriend. Yes, pretzel girl, that’s correct. And Noelle Beck played Mr. Big’s first wife Barbara on Sex and the City. These two actresses are returning to the world of fashion and gossip. Both have just been cast in the prequel series, The Carrie Diaries.

This is more than a little weird when you really think about it. It’s like we’ve entered a time warp. But it is also good news for these actors. Both ladies now have recurring roles on the CW series. In the defense of logic, the actresses are not reprising Sex and the City roles. That wouldn’t make sense because they would have to be younger, since Carrie Diaries is a prequel. instead they have new roles to sink their teeth into.

According to TV Line, Dajani, who has also appeared on Ned and Stacey...

Ben Hoffman gratuates from infoMania to The Ben Show on Comedy Central.

News

Former Common Law cop Michael Ealy is moving on to play an android cop in a pilot about a future where police officers are paired with an android partner.

This is starting to feel like a curse for Syfy. The British fantasy series Sinbad has been cancelled after just one season. The series is set to debut on Syfy in April and is the second imported series (along with Primeval: New World) to get the axe before it can make its debut stateside this year. I guess I should be happy there's already a second season of Continuum in the works.

The cast for Will Arnett's CBS comedy pilot keeps getting better, adding Mary Elizabeth Ellis (probably most easily recognized as The Waitress from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) to play Arnett's sister.

USA has ordered a reality series,...

Hopefully there’ll be no rift in the TV space-time continuum when a pair of Sex and the City alumnae join The CW’s freshman prequel dramedy The Carrie Diaries for multi-episode arcs.

Related | Monday Ratings: Castle Draws Monday’s Largest Crowd, The Following Dips, Carrie Diaries Ticks Up

Nadia Dajani (Ned and Stacey, The Big C) is joining the show as Deb, a feisty woman who begins dating Carrie’s widower dad Tom — but without his daughters’ knowledge. Dajani previously portrayed Satc‘s “pretzel girl” Nina Katz, who dated Aiden after he split from Carrie.

Related | 2013 Renewal Scorecard: What’s Coming Back?...

On TV this Thursday: 30 Rocks with Jim Carrey, a Friday Night Lights fave is a Person of Interest, The Mentalist faces a familiar nemesis and more. As a supplement to TVLine’s original features, here are nine programs to keep on your radar.

8 pm American Idol (Fox) | The first phase of the competition comes to an end as the judges reveal their final selections for this season’s Top 24.

8 pm 30 Rock (NBC) | Tracy rallies the writers to help him use a nearly-expired Benihana gift card worth so much that it will take a Leap Day miracle to spend; Liz helps Jenna seduce an Internet billionaire.

On this date in...

1990: Loving star Noelle Beck (Trisha) married Eric Petterson.

1991: On Another World, Jake and Paulina had an engagement party.

2002: 20 year old actor Josh Ryan Evans died. In an unusual and pre-taped coincidence, his character, Timmy, died on Passions the same day. NBC issued the follwing statement about Evans: "We are deeply saddened by the sudden and tragic loss of Josh Ryan Evans. He was a truly unique talent with a remarkable spirit. He will be sorely missed by his Passions family and by all of us at NBC."

Celebrating a birthday today are:

John Saxon (ex-Tony, Falcon Crest; ex-Rashid, Dynasty; ex-Edward, Another World) - 76

Ja'net DuBois (ex-Loretta, Love Of Life) - 66

Loni Anderson (ex-Teri, Melrose Place) - 66

Erika Slezak (Viki, One Life To Live) - 65

Maureen McCormick (ex-Rebecca, Passions) - 55

Jill Lorie Hurst (former Guiding Light writer)

Scott William Winters (ex-Cyril, Oz) - 46

Editor's...

Striking while the iron is hot, "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" has penned a story inspired by Charlie Sheen's recent life. In "Rispetto", which airs later in season 10, "Gary Unmarried" actor Jay Mohr is set to portray a Sheen-type character who is not only famous but also "incredibly successful badboy".

According to Deadline, Nyle Brite, unlike Sheen, is a "rockstar" fashion designer whose every creation turns to gold. His badboy reputation of cocaine benders and call-girl parties only skyrockets his career and mints him as the "lovable rogue". In the real world, Sheen pleased CBS with the rating of "Two and a Half Men" before his drug habit and bender with porn stars sent his career down the drain.

Nyle is one of the suspects in a murder when one of his party guests turned up dead. "As the World Turn" actress Noelle Beck is guest starring as Debra Brite...

The Law & Order franchise is known for looking at the biggest real-world headlines for storyline inspiration, and that seems to be the case with an episode from the upcoming 10th and final season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

On the USA Network series, Jay Mohr (Gary Unmarried) will guest-star as a famous and incredibly successful Charlie Sheen-type bad boy. Mohr’s character, Nyle Brite, hails from a different area of the arts: He is a a “rock star” fashion designer whose every creation turns to gold. And his reputation for cocaine benders and call girl-populated parties only skyrockets his...

Exclusive: The Law & Order franchise is known for looking at the biggest news headlines for storyline inspiration. This seems to be the case with an episode of the upcoming 10th and final season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent on USA Network, in which Jay Mohr will guest star as a Charlie Sheen-type famous and incredibly successful badboy. Mohr's character, Nyle Brite, is from a different area of the arts: he is a a "rockstar" fashion designer whose every creation turns to gold. His badboy reputation of cocaine benders and call-girl parties only skyrockets his career and mints him as the "lovable rogue." (Sheen's most recent hospitalization that led to the production shutdown on Two and a Half Men and Sheen's subsequent firing from the show followed the now-infamous 36-hour bender with porn stars at his house, which reportedly included large amounts of cocaine.) Since L&O:ci is a crime drama,...

Members of the Reagan family were contemplating their family legacy this week in ways both big and small.

When Danny brought Nicky to a crime scene, her “Age of Innocence” was soon over. After specifically being told by her uncle to wait in the car, she did what any 14 year old would.

She snuck out to view the dead body. Regrettably, the experience wasn’t as enticing as she’d imagined. Kudos to Danny for telling Nicky to go home and tell her mother the truth when she offered to hide it. It’s nice to be reminded that Danny is a responsible father himself.

Of course Nicky didn’t do it. After all, she is 14.

As usual I appreciated the Reagan family dinner. How great was it when Linda told her boys to be quiet because the adults were talking? How often do you see that on TV?

And...

According to the Internet Movie DataBase (IMDb.com): "The STARmeter rankings provide a snapshot of who's popular based on the searches of millions of IMDb users. Updated weekly, these rankings also graph the popularity of people over time and determine which events affect public awareness."  Here is a listing of some present and past soap stars and their current ranking, as well as some public figures.  Do you agree with the list? Is Lisa Rinna really more popular than President Obama? Weigh in below.   1. Darren Criss (Glee) 3. Leonardo DiCaprio (ex-santa Barbara)4. Johnny Depp (star of Dark Shadows movie)9. Dot Jones (Glee, Venice) 11. Jill Clayburgh (ex-sft)19. Brad Pitt (ex-aw)28. Amber Tamblyn (ex-gh)54. James Franco (ex-gh) 101. Parker Posey (ex-atwt)

119. Jessica Lowndes (90210) 121. Amanda Seyfried (ex-atwt)125. Demi Moore (ex-gh)134. Lyndsy Fonseca (ex Dh, ex-y&R)144. Courtney Thorne-Smith (ex-Melrose Place)157. Morgan Freeman (ex-aw)189. Josh Duhamel (ex-amc)200. Julianne Moore (ex-atwt)208. Paul Wesley (ex-gl)236. Lindsay Lohan...

Daytime television's hottest stars glammed it up for the red carpet at the Emmy Awards Sunday, where bright hues and silky frocks ruled the red carpet! Tell "Extra" -- Which fierce fashionista looked the best at the awards show?

Best Dressed Daytime Emmy AwardsTatyana Ali

Tyra Banks

Jennie Garth

Lori Loughlin

Susan Lucci

Rachael Ray

Bree Williamson

Rachel Zeskind

Lindsay Hartley

Renee Jones

Brenda Dickson

Laura Wright

Melissa Claire Egan

Shelley Hennig

Noelle Beck

Katherine Kelly Lang...

Artistic License Films

NEW YORK -- Other than rare exceptions like "Body Heat", modern attempts at replicating the conventions of film noir rarely succeed. The latest example is "If I Didn't Care," an indie effort written, directed and produced by the Cummings brothers (Ben and Orson) that is set in the tony, midwinter environs of the Hamptons. It is playing at theaters in Manhattan and, appropriately, Sag Harbor in Long Island.

Trophy husband Davis Meyers (Bill Sage, veteran of several Hal Hartley films) spends his mid-weeks alone in his palatial East Hampton home while his hotshot lawyer wife, Janice (Noelle Beck), lives and works in the city.

Frustrated by his wife's refusal to have a child, he is having an affair with a real estate broker, Hadley (Susan Misner). At her prodding, the two formulate a plan to get rid of his wife permanently, but the wrong person winds up dead.

Enter police investigator Linus (Roy Scheider), a Columbo-like, trenchcoat-wearing sleuth who not only likes to quote Schopenhauer but who also named his dog after the philosopher. The inevitable cat- and-mouse game between cop and culprit ensues.

Unable to render its familiar tropes with any freshness or wit, the film lacks the sexiness, vivid characterizations, pungent dialogue and evocative atmosphere that the genre requires. Sage fulfills his role as the handsome but slightly gone-to-seed conspirator perfectly, and Scheider goes through his paces like the canny pro he is. But the film is notable for its picturesque Hamptons locations and the brevity of its 75-minute running time.

Shaun Cassidy has come on board CBS' drama pilot Nice Guys, from Shane Black and Joel Silver. In drama pilot casting news, Jason O'Mara has landed a lead role on Graham Yost's Countdown on ABC; Miguel Sandoval and Jake Weber have been tapped to star opposite Patricia Arquette in NBC's Medium; Paul Blackthorne has been cast in ABC's Gramercy Park; D.W. Moffett and Noelle Beck have been tapped to play the parents in Fox's untitled Berg/Harbert/Levy blended family pilot; Jake 2.0 star Christopher Gorham has been tapped to co-star opposite Neal McDonough in NBC's untitled medical mystery pilot; and Jon Seda has joined Taye Diggs in UPN's Kevin Hill. On the pilot pickup front, UPN has added Second Time Around, a comedy toplined by Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker, while NBC has given the green light to Beverly Hills SUV, a comedy from Bernie Mac creator Larry Wilmore.