BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Day 25

While everyone knows that Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball in 1947, it is largely forgotten that the groundwork for that event was laid more than 40 years earlier. In 1903, the Ohio Wesleyan baseball team played an away game against Notre Dame. The team’s catcher was a young African-American, Charles Thomas. When he was denied lodging at the team’s hotel in South Bend, Indiana, the Ohio Wesleyan baseball coach, Branch Rickey, had Thomas share his room. Years later, Rickey said the painful segregation incident was his inspiration to sign Jackie Robinson with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Today, African-Americans are part of all Major League Baseball teams, which draw over 80 million fans each year to their games.

New York & Company To Outfit AMC Cast

See a dress of Kendall’s that you like? What about Taylor? Do you dare to want a dress worn by Erica Kane? Now here’s your chance.

Throughout the month of March, the female cast members of ALL MY CHILDREN will be wearing clothes from the national retailer New York & Company. “The versatility and style of their collection will not only enhance the day to day fashions of our diverse cast of characters, but also afford our audience the opportunity to find the fashions they see on ALL MY CHILDREN in the New York & Company stores throughout the country,” explains executive producer Julie Hanan Carruthers in a statement. Yes, what that means is you can dress like Kendall Hart Slater (Alicia Minshew) or Taylor Thompson (Beth Ehlers) or Erica Kane (Susan Lucci). Select items will be on sale through ABC.com, simply click on the “Shop” button then go to the “SeenON!” section of the AMC page.

For more info on purchasing ABC items, click: SEEN ON TV or ABC.COM

Bono & The Edge Swings Spider Man To Broadway

The first official announcement of the “Spider-Man” musical has confirmed the show’s February 2010 opening at Broadway’s Hilton Theater — although at this point, one of the only bits of news revealed about the much-discussed project is the fact that the tuner has a subtitle.

SOURCE:VARIETY

LL Cool J To Star in NCIS Spin-Off

LL Cool J is getting on the gumshoe beat.

The rapper-actor has been set to star in CBS’ planned spinoff of “NCIS.” He’ll play a tough but charming former Navy SEAL who works undercover for the NCIS unit in L.A. and is an expert on the Middle East.

The spinoff of CBS’ durable drama will air as one half of a two-part episode of “NCIS” later this season. “NCIS” showrunner Shane Brennan created the untitled spinoff and exec produces for CBS Paramount Network TV. NCIS stars Mark Harmon.

Conan Teams With Andy Richter On Tonight Show

Andy Ritcher
Conan O Brien
Conan O’Brien and Andy Richter are back together again.

Richter, who was O’Brien’s “Late Night” show sidekick from 1993-2000, has signed on to be the announcer on “The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien” when the new version of the 11:30 p.m. NBC stalwart kicks off June 1.

Richter has been involved in several comedy series. Included in that run is short-lived Fox laffer “Andy Richter Controls the Universe” and also-short-lived Peacock skein “Andy Barker, P.I.”

Full Article: VARIETY

ABC and Campbells Talk Healthy Hearts

Alicia Minshew Erika Slezak Kirsten Storms
ABC Daytime is teaming up with Campbells to promote Women’s Health Month.

Between the special storylines in the shows and the public service announcement featuring ABC talent carrying the heart-health message, “The audience sees that the actors they are watching every day care about them and their health, so it’s a terrific opportunity for us as well,” says ABC Daytime President Brian Frons.

The heart-health theme has been integrated into ABC’s soaps in different ways. All three ABC shows features a prominent character who is a heart transplant recipient. One Life To Lives Viki Davidson(Erika Slezak)has the heart of her late husband Ben. General Hospital’s Maxie Jones (Kirsten Storms) has the heart of cousin BJ. Earlier this year, All My Children’s Kendall Hart Slater (Alicia Minshew) received the heart of her brother Josh.

On “All My Children,” the hospital will open a new cardiac wing with a luncheon sponsored on the show by Campbell. Actual Campbell executives will appear in the episodes, Ms. Milway said.

On “One Life to Live,” characters Vicki and Dorian will co-host the second annual Valentine’s Day Go Red Ball, which is sponsored by Campbell.

“General Hospital” will feature an episode recalling its heart-transplant storyline with an “It’s a Wonderful Life” twist. The character Maxie, is an employee of a magazine that’s donating a dress to be worn at a Go Red gala.

“Because we own our own shows, we can really directly and quickly sit down with our exec producers and head writers, and because they’ve had some success with it, I think now they actually look at it as an opportunity to sort of outdo each other in terms of being entertaining and informative at the same time,” Mr. Frons said. “We actually enhanced the entertainment value of the shows and we actually had a happy client. We don’t get to have everybody happy at the same time very often in TV.”

All Children, One Life To Life and General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC and on weeknights on SOAPnet.

To learn more visit the website: ABC.com