Soap opera 'One Life To Live' films in Raritan
By Tiffani N. Garlic/For The Star-Ledger 
November 12, 2009 , 8:02PM

Raritan is still in Somerset County , but today it doubled as a town on the American-Canadian border during the filming of a soap opera.

The ABC daytime drama “One Life To Live” wrapped up a two-day shoot in the Somerset County borough filming scenes at the Nevius Street Bridge .

In true soap-opera fashion, the bridge was the stage for a hostage situation on Washington ’s border with Canada . Characters Todd, Blair, Tea, Bo, Nora, Danielle and Ross were involved.

Production Manager Brian O’Meara said the show searched all over the tri-state area for bridges.

“The reason we like it is because it’s close to traffic and it’s a very majestic looking bridge,” he said of the Raritan location.

Raritan Police Lt. Mickey Kirk said the bridge, located on Mill and Nevius streets, was closed off from its usual pedestrian traffic for most of the day so crews could film uninterrupted.

“One Life To Live” spokeswoman Lauri Hogan said although the show is mostly shot on a New York sound stage, the crew has shot in New Jersey before including Seaside Heights, Alpine and Fort Lee.

Soap opera crews are no strangers to Somerset County . “Guiding Light,” had filmed its last few years in Peapack-Gladstone. The show recently went off the air, wrapping up filming in the area in August.

The “One Life To Live” episodes shot in Raritan will air at 2 p.m. on ABC the weeks of Dec. 7 and 14.

 "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" to Move
Courtesy of Soapnet.com - By Jesse Murray

Big news! From New York today we learned that “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” will be getting new digs! Beginning the week of January 4, 2010 (one day before the show’s 40th anniversary), “All My Children” will tape out of an HD-compatible production facility in Los Angeles . “One Life to Live” will move a few blocks from their current studio to occupy the one that “All My Children” is vacating.

Okay, so what does this mean? First and foremost, “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” are still going to air at the same time you’re used to seeing them. And the stories will only get better: the people in Pine Valley will still spend an inordinate amount of time in the hospital, and everyone in Llanview will continue to run into each other at the absolutely worst possible moment.

Agnes Nixon, creator of both shows, had this to say to ABC News:

"I am so grateful for the wonderful commitment from ABC to 'All My Children,' "While I will miss being able to run over to the show ... it feels a little like I am sending one of my children off to be married. ... I am glad the network is making moves that will enable the team to continue telling stories about Pine Valley . ... There are many more secrets to be revealed."

CW in talks to Televise Daytime Emmys after CBS passes
Courtesy of www.variety.com

After months of floating in the abyss without a venue or TV partner, the Daytime Emmys might finally have found a home.   The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is in discussions with the CW Television Network for a possible Aug. 31 broadcast, to be held at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles .   CBS had the option to air this year's Daytime Emmys but passed, so NATAS has been looking since then for a television outlet for the upcoming show.

The news of the possible CW deal spread quickly throughout the daytime community and was met with enthusiasm.  "This keeps the Daytime Emmys from never being seen again (on network television)," says Michael Logan, soap columnist for TV Guide. "We were led to believe that nobody wanted them. This is really terrific."

"Everyone's talking about it," says Michael Bruno, a daytime talent manager, who represents five of this year's pre-nominated actors. "People are excited, and they're already buying dresses." 

Nielsen 2009 sweeps dates
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nielsen_Ratings

March 2009:  March 5 - April 1, 2009

May 2009:      April 23 - May 20, 2009

July 2009:     July 2 - July 29, 2009

Nov. 2009:    October 29 - November 25, 2009

Note:  The February 2009 sweeps period has been moved to March so that the ratings would not be affected by any problems created by the February 17th switchover of the USA's broadcast television signals to digital television.

Phil Carey Passes Away At 83

By Divine Courtesy of entertainmentrundown.com - February 8, 2009

One Life to Live has lost another fan favorite. Phil Carey, who played the cantankerous Asa Buchanan, has died at the age of 83.

The actor passed away earlier this weekend, one week after his costar Clint Ritchie, who played his son on OLTL.

He was born Eugene Carey, July 15, 1925 , in Hackensack , New Jersey . He grew up in suburban Long Island towns of Rosedale and Malverne.

He studied drama at the University of Miami . The actor made his film debut in John Wayne’s Operation Pacific in 1951 and won over studio executive and he was quickly signed to a long-term contract with Warner Brothers. He went on to star in such films as Cattle Town , The Man Behind the Gun, Calamity Jane, The Nebraskan and The Long Gray Line. During the 60’s and 70’s, Carey, guest starred in various television shows, including such hits as The Rifleman, The Virginian and Gunsmoke.

Phil will forever be known as OLTL’s Asa Buchanan. He joined the cast of OLTL 1979, having been offered the role after a strong, but unsuccessful, audition for the role of Palmer Cortlandt on All My Children. When the  the show opted not to renew his contract 2007 and offered him recurring status he refused, so the show wrote a storyline that killed off Asa. He did however later make some guest appearances in 2008.

The cause of death has not been reported but in January 2006, Phil was diagnosed with lung cancer and underwent chemotherapy.

“He was a very kind and considerate man. Always aware of the others feelings. NOT like Asa at all in that respect,” Timothy D. Stickney (R.J. Gannon) said of Phil. “I grew to like him as much as I respected him. A good man from a time when not all were as open and respectful toward others.”

Phil is survived by his wife, Colleen Welch, and five children, Linda, Jeffrey and Lisa Ann, with first wife Maureen Peppler; and Shannon and Sean, with Welch.

Clint Ritchie Dead At 70
Courtesy of entertainmentrundown.com

Soap opera veteran Clint Ritchie has died at the age of 70.

His family and friends are reportedly shocked after he successfully has a pacemaker implanted only to die 10 hours later, quietly in his sleep.

Clint suffered a heart attack in late January and had a pacemaker implanted but developed a deadly blood clot and he died in the early hours of Jan. 31.

Clint was best known for his 20-year role as “Clinton ‘Clint’ Buchanan” on ABC’s One Life To Live.

He loved the role of “Clint Buchanan” because it allowed him to show off the real cowboy side of his character. Clint joined the cast of OLTL in 1979 and retired in 1998. He reprised his role in several encore appearances, the last in 2004. His role was eventually recast.

“We are deeply saddened by the death of our dear friend Clint Ritchie. He will always have a special place in our hearts and One Life to Live’s legacy,” Frank Valentini, One Life to Live’s executive producer, said in a statement. ” With his creation of the role of Clint Buchanan, he helped to bring to life one of the most memorable families in the show’s history. The OLTL family will always hold dear the memories of the man we fondly referred to as ‘Bucky.’ Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.”

A true cowboy, Clint lived on his 60-acre Happy Horse Ranch in Grass Valley, Calif., near Sacramento with his horses, many dogs and cats.

He starred in several TV Westerns in the ’50s and ’60s including the 1965 pilot for The Wild, Wild West. His movie credits include: The St. Valentine Day’s Massacre, Patton, and A Force of One.

Clint never married or had children.

Day 1: It's over. You're devastated, numb, angry, lost, hurt, helpless, hopeless, shaken -- meanwhile, the source of your grief has the arrogant nerve to still be alive. He's probably having himself a perfectly good day, while you feel as if you're dying inside.

Catherine Hickland (Lindsay, OLTL) knows. She's been there. More than once. She also knows that soon you will get past your pain and on to the great life that's waiting for you. Inspired by the soap diva's own trial-and-error efforts to recover from a broken heart in a healthy and productive way, The 30-Day Heartbreak Cure is an easy-to-follow, one-day-at-a-time plan for getting yourself over him and back on your feet. All you need to do is set a deadline -- one month from today -- for your pain to end, and let Catherine guide you through it.

Catherine's solid, empathetic advice will help you take responsibility for your recovery, repair your self-esteem, and learn from the best and the worst of what you've been through. "Look at it this way," she says, "you only have to follow these rules for thirty days. There's nothing you can't handle for thirty days, except feel like you're feeling today."

Each day brings a new reflection and a simple activity that will help you look better, feel better, and ultimately discover that you're not just as good as new thanks to this experience, you are better.

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• Paperback: 272 pages
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