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The National Television Awards were held recently in London. The soaps and stars were there hoping to win awards. This is how the final results went:
- EastEnders won the award for Most Popular Soap, beating CS, Emmerdale, H&A, BS, Neighbours and Family Affairs.
- Martine McCuthceon, EastEnders' Tiffany, who has recently had glandular fever, braved it and won the award for Most Popular Actress.
- Matthew Marsden, Corrie's Chris, won the award for Most Popular Newcomer.
Singing Nat
Natalie Imbruglia has released a single, entitled Torn. You'll remember Natalie as Beth in Neighbours.
No Fur!
Tina Hobley, who plays Samantha in Coronation Street, has joined a growing band of stars who have come out against fur as a fashion item. She tells Company magazine: "Cruelty to animals is never stylish." Fellow soap star Angela Griffin, who plays Fiona, agrees: "I'd prefer to hug something cuddly and warm, rather than something cold and dead."
Aussie-wood
Hollywood came to Melbourne last month for the opening of the All Star Café. Sylvester Stallone was in attendance, as was Kimberley Davies. Hanging out with them were Neighbours' Jesse Spencer and Brooke Satchwell - who are rumoured to be cosy off-screen as well as on. Ryan Maloney also turned up with his latest love.
Another Aussie star tipped for Hollywood stardom is Caroline Gillmer - a.k.a Neighbours Cheryl Stark. She has apparently been looking into moving in with Kimberly Davies.
Singing EastEnders
Paul Nicholls is releasing a single! He has agreed to rap on a charity single with fellow EastEnder Shaun Williamson. The single will be released later this year...
Sally - a boy!?!
Home and Away's Kate Ritchie has endured a terrifying trip back in time - to a past life. During a session with a regression therapist, she was stunned to discover that mor than 100 years ago she lived as a boy.
"I died at the age of 15 imprisoned in a gruesome dungeon," says Kate, "Or so I was told."
More Sally news: Kate Ritchie, despite rumours to the contrary, will be sticking with Home & Away for at least another year on the promise of beefier storylines.
Oh Baby!
Congratulations to both EastEnders' stars Caroline Paterson (Ruth), and Shobu Kapoor (Gita) who have both given birth to babies recently. We send all our love to both, but special hope goes to Shobu, because her baby was born three months premature, and is in an incubator.
Outside Hackney?
Have you noticed that EastEnders is leaving Walford more and more? Firstly, it was the trip to Paris, then Ireland, and soon Italy. A crew-member recently slipped up and told a local Irish person while filming there that the reason was because the set in the UK was falling apart!
Kylie's Back!
Ex-Neighbours star Kylie Minogue is to make an acting comeback, and this time she's playing a bloke! The singer is to play the part of a young male castrati singer in a drama called The Misfit from a new young writer and a friend of Kylie's. The short film will be shown on BBC2 around December.
I'm not a believer
Despite coming up with the original idea for the alien visitation sereis The Uninvited, ex-EastEnder Leslie Grantham doesn't believe that there is intelligent life in space. "We've got someone on the Moon, so if they are that intelligent, they would have been able to get someone here." he says. "They haven't, as far as I'm aware."
Street SpiceCoronation Street's Leanne Battersby is poised for pop stardom - thanks to her Spice Girl take-off.
Record company bosses want to sign up Leanne - actress Jane Danson - after seeing her hilarious impersonation of the Fab Five in the soap.
Using a broom as a microphone, Leanne had factory work-mates roaring with laughter as she sang Wannabe.
Phil Ellis, who runs the Zebra International label, was equally impressed, and is now seeking talks with Jane, 18, to discuss a recording contract. Phil said: "She has the potential to become a big star."
A Street insider said: "Jane is really delighted."
Ill Wendy
EastEnders star Wendy Richard has been forced to pull out of a major pantomime because of ill-health.
Wendy, 50, successfully battled against breast cancer 18 months ago, but a hectic schedule for EE has left her exhausted. Now the actress, who plays Pauline Fowler in the show, has been told by doctors to drop out of the the Dick Whittington panto she was due to star in at Brighton.
Lorraine Chase will replace Wendy as the Fairy Bow-Bells.
Soap Fan Jailed
A man who wrote "chilling" letters to TV soap actresses he was obsessed with was jailed for five years recently by a judge who told him he was a "considerable danger to the public."
Neil Ritchings (28) was sentenced at Plymouth Crown Court after pleading guilty in July to two offences of making threats to kill Dr Jason Eustace, boyfriend of 25-year-old actress Rhian Jones, of the Welsh series, Pobol Y Cym. Prosecutor Llewellyn Sellick said Ritchings, from Bath, had also written letters to two other actresses in the series as well as members of staff at the BBC.
Pobol Y Cym is made by the BBC as part of its 10 hours a week Welsh language obligation, and broadcast by independany channel S4C. Ritchings was told by Judge Graham Cottle that the threat to Dr Eustace was issued when the defendant was serving a three-year jail sentence for affray.
The judge told Ritchings: "It is quite clear from the facts of this case you represent a considerable danger to the public. You have made no secret either of your violent intentions or of your intentions to continue to stalk and harass certain women."
Slim Street
Coronation Street's tubby councillor Alf Roberts is set for a slimline return to the show after sheedding four stone in a health drive following his second heart attack in five years.
Bryan Mosley, who has played Alf since 1961, will resume prpping up the bar in the Rovers in October after an eight month absence, during which the father-of-six paid a visit to Loudres.
New Life
Although not strictly a soap but an incredibly addictive series and one which has established itself on TV shedules, This Life , is in it's next stage of redevelopment. The new series will see a whole new cast moving into the house and taking on new storiess and new relationships. No more Anna, Milly, Egg, Miles and Warren as they all get the boot and a complete new household is shifted in!
Denise Tanner?
Denise Black, who played cheating hairdresser Denise Osbourne in Coronation Street, is to play Pat Phoenix in a TV love story. Granada TV bosses noticed Denise's similarity to the flamboyant actress who played Elsie Tanner.
Pat died from cancer in 1986, aged 62, just days after marrying actor Anthony Booth, who she helped recover from serious burns. The Things You Do For Love is out next year.
Hollyborough? Erinswood?
Guy Pearce - who started life in Neighbours as diving instructor Mike - is currently tipped for big things in movies. He stars in the new film LA Confidential alongside Danny De Vito, and apparently he is so good some people are already calling him the next Brad Pitt!
Dingles Down Under
Emmerdale will release a 25th Anniversary video this Christmas (a la Coronation Street). It will see Zak, Mandy and Butch Dingle taking a trip down under to the Aussie outback in search of a long-lost uncle. The video will be released just before Christmas and is promised to be a bumper fun-filled laugh-packed soap-fest in a video!
Patsy's fabulous
| Patsy Palmer recently made her first public appearance since her stay at a therapy clinic after the break-up of her engagement to Nick Love. She was seen enjoying herself at Barbara Windsor's 60th birthday party. As you can see, Patsy was looking radiant. |
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Angela and Will
| Angela Griffin, Corrie's Fiona, has started seeing Hollyoaks star Will Mellor after the breakup of her long-term relationship with Keith Lamport, but insists that it isn't love. "With Will, it's fun. If it was a heavy relationship and we were talking about moving in together and being together for the rest of my life, that would probably scare the pants off me. But ours is an easy-going relationship. It's about going out and having fun." says Angela. |
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It's all a Charade
EastEnders star Sophie Lawrence says her bid for pop stardom was a farce because her miming was so bad she had to turn her back on the audience. Sophie, 25, returned to the soap as Diane Butcher after quitting six years ago to pursue a solo singing career. Her first single Love's Unkind made number 21 and she embarked on an intensive British promotional tour.
"I performed at nightclubs and had to turn my back on the audience because I was miming so badly. It was so embarrassing and I felt such a fraud. I even hated going on Top of the Pops something most singers would kill for," she says.
Living it up
Isla Fisher is living it up in London. Isla, who has now left Home & Away, is living in London so she can see more of her mystery man. She won't reveal his identity but we hear he's a record company boss living in London. Isla's staying with him this summer before she jets off to drama school in Paris.
Sean and Juliet
Ex-EastEnders star Sean Maguire is performing in a pub! Sean is currently playing Romeo in Romeo & Juliet in his local pub in Islington, North London. "I've always wanted to be on the stage," he says, "even if it is a small one!"
Your wish is granted
Burly Queen Vic landlord Ross Kemp (Grant) has just signed a money-spinning deal with BBC bosses to stay in the soap. Ross had threatened to leave the soap over a proposed Christmas storyline which saw Grant rape his wife Tiffany - until he was offered a whopping £20,000 a year pay rise, and the promise that the storyline would be scrapped. Now the 32-year-old actor will stay for at least another year.
Not Good Neighbours
Fully Booked presenter and ex-Neighbours star Sarah Vandenburgh has revealed that her time on the Aussie soap was a nightmare. She says that the young stars were expected to do 14 hours filming every day and were nagged about spots and getting fat. "I was lucky," says Sarah,"I could handle it because at 20, I was a little older."
Funny...whenever she's interviewing a Neighbours’ star on her show, she says she had a great time there...
Not GoodBye
Contrary to reports, Bill Waddington will not be leaving Coronation Street. He has agreed with producers to keep Percy in the Street on a part-time basis to keep "those Battersbys in line".
Also, not leaving is Stan Richards. There were reports that Emmerdale's Seth would be hanging up his hat for the last time due to health problems, but these are untrue.
EastEnd Spice
The Spice Girls have recruited the young actor who plays Billy Jackson to star in their movie! The poor lad even looks a bit like a young Mel B!
Also, in the movie are his co-stars Paul Nicholls and Dean Gaffney who play the girls’ fans!
Whatever next!?! Leanne & Toyah Battersby as Geri and Emma look-a-likes?