Exclusive: Eric Braeden talks about controversial exit as Victor Newman on 'Young and the Restless'

In yet another blow to the already ailing soap opera world, Eric Braeden, the venerable star of CBS’ The Young and the Restless, has exited the top-rated daytime drama after a nasty negotiation with Sony. The production company wanted the popular actor to take a pay cut for playing mega mogul Victor Newman, but Braeden—who’s been on the soap since 1980—opted to leave instead. Barring any last-minute change, Braeden’s final episode will air on Nov. 2. Reps for Sony and CBS had no comment, though one insider indicated that no further talks are planned. EW talked with Braeden, 68, about Sony’s decision to exercise a draconian clause in his contract (his deal that was set to expire in November 2010 can still be renegotiated every 26 weeks) and what it means to the future of daytime dramas.

EW: Where do things stand? Did your representative counter Sony’s offer and you have yet to hear an answer?
Braeden: Precisely.

As of today, are you willing to take what Sony offered?
No. There is no appreciation of the fact that I’ve been an important part of the show for 27 years that has been no. 1 in the ratings. That’s extraordinary. So to be dealt with in a perfunctory matter as if you had just known these people for a few months is what is most offensive. This is a certain corporate culture now that is very deleterious.

Is it true you offered to take a pay cut before?
I was the first one [to offer] because I knew that if we all did it, we would insure the continuation of the show. I did it two years ago when I signed my last contract, which I thought would last until next November.

Did you say your on-set goodbyes?
I said this could be a long goodbye, and I may not see you for a long time. Who knows? I’m not saying I’ve been let go – we’re still negotiating. But it feels like that.

What does this say about the state of the industry when a production company is asking the star of the No. 1 show in daytime to take a pay cut? Should everyone be worried?
Yes, though it depends on what the star does. All options are open right now. What can I tell you? I know there are certain economic realities that dictate the actions they are taking right now, but the manner in which its being done is most insulting.

You taped your last episode on Sept. 23. Was that the way you wanted Victor to go?
No. It was rushed. It was obviously meant to intimidate. It was obviously done with enormous forethought to coincide with the end of the 26-week cycle. Essentially that is what the business is doing now and has been doing for a while. And quite frankly, it’s outrageous. When I sign a three-year deal, I’m obligated to fulfill that deal. The producers, however, can come to me after a half-year and say, “We’ve changed our minds.” Where in the world of business does this kind of contract exist? Do I blame the people for wanting to squeeze as much out of us as they can? I do not. The question is, when do you squeeze too much?

Would you do another daytime drama?
I doubt that. Never say never in this business or in life, but I doubt that.

Can you see the genre still existing in 10 years?
Yes I can. How many reality shows can you watch? They’re so obviously phony. Our show deals with adult problems in a long continuous manner, and very much like the way things are dealt with in real life. In that sense I think there will always be a need for (soaps). They’re almost novelistic in their approach.

Chris Rock: Sued Over 'Good Hair'

It appears 'Good Hair' isn't all good after all -- at least for comedian Chris Rock that is.

The narrator and director of the film has been slapped with a lawsuit by documentary filmmaker Regina Kimbell for allegedly lifting the concept from her 2005 documentary 'My Nappy Roots.'

TMZ reports that in 2007, while on the set of the hit television series 'Everybody Hates Chris,' Kimbell showed Rock her original docu-flick, which also featured notable celebrities discussing various hairstyles.

To the filmmakers claim, 'My Nappy Roots' won best documentary at the 2007 Hollywood Black Film Festival.

The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles, seeks "no less than $5 million" in damages and attorney fees.

In the meantime, Rock will maintain his natural roots this Friday when he releases 'Good Hair,' which stars Nia Long, Meagan Good, Al Sharpton, Marvet Britto, Andre Harrell and Raven-Symone.

Lack of Legal Help: One More Way the Deck Is Stacked Against Homeownersl

The following story comes from The Huffington Post and I must admit they hit the nail right on the head!

"Lack of Legal Help: One More Way the Deck Is Stacked

Against Homeowners"

As bad as America's foreclosure crisis is -- and it's very bad, with over 300,000 homes receiving a foreclosure filing every month -- it's being made even more devastating by the lack of legal assistance available to beleaguered homeowners.

According to a new study by the Brennan Center for Justice, set to be released tomorrow, "the nation's massive foreclosure crisis is also, at its heart, a legal crisis" -- with the vast majority of homeowners facing foreclosure doing so without legal counsel.

For example, in New York's Nassau County, in foreclosures involving subprime or non-traditional mortgages (which disproportionately are targeted at minorities), 92 percent of the homeowners did not have a lawyer.

Having legal help can be the difference between people keeping their homes and being evicted. A lawyer can stop foreclosure proceedings or put enough pressure on lenders to get them to rework the terms of the loan. A lawyer can also intervene in other ways, such as enforcing consumer protection laws or spotting legal violations by banks and lenders.

According to the report, the barriers keeping homeowners from obtaining proper legal representation are twofold. The first, not surprisingly, is funding.

In 1996, the budget for the Legal Services Corporation, the primary agency that provides help for low-income Americans in civil cases, had its budget cut by one-third. At this point, to match the funding level the Legal Services Corporation received in 1981 would require an increase of $753 million. If Goldman Sachs or Bank of America needed that kind of cash (or even 10 times that kind of cash), Washington wouldn't think twice. But low-income homeowners have no clout in DC. No wonder the Brennan Center found that legal service programs for the poor are currently "besieged with requests for foreclosure assistance."

The second barrier is that restrictions to adequate legal help have been deliberately built into the system. Remember the "Contract With America"? It turns out one of its provisions severely limited the ability of homeowners to get legal protection from predatory lenders. For instance, homeowners represented by the Legal Services Corporation are barred from bringing class action suits. Nor are they able to make the other side pay attorneys' fees even when the law would normally allow it. As the report states, "the possibility of having to pay attorneys' fees provides a critical incentive to help ensure that a better funded legal adversary does not drag out proceedings in an attempt to exhaust the indigent client's resources."

The Obama administration has called on Congress to remove many of these limitations, but its $789 billion stimulus plan didn't contain a single dollar for foreclosure-related legal help. That's about as "shovel ready" a program as one could ask for, but it somehow didn't make the cut.

I've written before how foreclosures are a gateway calamity, with every foreclosed home creating a whole other set of crises. The Brennan study backs this up with cold hard statistics. According to the report, an estimated 40 million homes are located next door to a foreclosed property. The value of these homes drops an average of $8,667 following a foreclosure. This translates into a total property value loss of $352 billion. And vacant properties take a heavy toll on already strapped local governments: an estimated $20,000 per foreclosure (California is estimated to have lost approximately $4 billion in tax revenue in 2008).

And the negative impact of a foreclosed home can affect the entire community: a one percent increase in foreclosures translates into a 2.3 percent rise in violent crimes.

But even though the collateral damage of the foreclosure crisis is widespread, the crisis continues to get short shrift by the media and by Washington. And as the Brennan Center study powerfully demonstrates, the legal deck is utterly stacked against struggling homeowners. It's time to do the right thing and give at-risk homeowners -- especially those who have been the victims of discriminatory lending practices -- access to at least a tiny fraction of the legal tools at the disposal of the banks forcing them into foreclosure.

To read the full report in pdf format, click on "Full Report" on the Brennan Center's website.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/lack-of-legal-help-one-mo_b_310353.html

Harry Connick Jr SLAMS Australian Blackface Skit, Host Apologizes (VIDEO)

An Australian variety show host has apologized for a skit in which singers parodying the Jackson Five performed in blackface.

American singer and actor Harry Connick Jr., who was serving as a guest judge on Wednesday night's "Hey Hey It's Saturday," was visibly shocked by the skit, in which four men with afro wigs and blackface sang and danced behind a Michael Jackson impersonator wearing white makeup.

Connick, 42, gave the performance a zero score and told them that if it had been done in the United States it would have been pulled off the air.



Blackface was a traditional trope of minstrel shows in the U.S. that dates to the 19th century. Whites playing stock black characters -- usually offensive stereotypes meant to demean -- rubbed coal, grease or shoe polish on their faces. Blackface performances are not common in Australia.

Public reaction to the "Hey Hey" performance in online forums was mixed. Some Australians said they were embarrassed such a racist sketch had been broadcast, while others said detractors were too politically correct and that the skit was funny.
Michael Jackson died June 25 at age 50.
At a news conference on other issues Thursday morning, opposition politician Helen Coonan labeled the skit "disgusting."

Nancy Grace Vs. Jon Gosselin Round 2: 'You've Got On 2 Diamond Earrings' (VIDEO)

Monday night Nancy Grace declared war on Jon Gosselin, and another battle will unfold tonight on 'The Insider.'

After Jon and Nancy argue over whether he is sorry to talk over her, they try to reconcile Jon's dating Hailey Glassman with his goal of "restoring family values." Then Nancy goes for the jugular and rips into Jon's sparkly earrings.

"You've got on two diamond earrings. You're obviously not broke," she yells. Jon points out that his bling is merely "CZs" but that doesn't matter to Nancy. "Don't care," she says. "Don't care" is right! I don't care about the Gosselin's NOR do I care for the blabber mouth Nancy Grace. She's a joke in herself and had Jon had any comedic timing he would have just went off and spoofed her and called her out on her ridiculous attitude and methods of reporting the news. She's crack pot if you ask me and I bet she'd be the first one to jump at the chance at her own reality show.

Munchkins From 'Wizard of Oz' Reunion Video

Ok, we're off to see the Wizard! After 70 years, fans of the classic film 'The Wizard of Oz' may have finally learned the real reason the Wicked Witch was able to conquer the Lollipop Guild: they were sleeping on the job.

At least, that's one explanation that came out of the recent reunion that Newsweek put together for the five surviving munchkins in honor of the movie's anniversary, as Lollipop Guild coroner Meinhardt Raabe dozed off in the middle of a conversation that fellow munchkin Ruth Robinson Duccini described as "probably the last time we'll be together."



The reunion wasn't a time to mourn, though, but rather to celebrate the legacy of the film and the lives of the actors who provided some of the film's most famous and beloved scenes, which helped change the way the public looked at little people. Reminiscing about the production, the five discussed the generosity of Judy Garland, fears that Scarecrow actor Ray Bolger would injure himself with his stunt work and their discovery that Dorothy's little dog Toto actually got paid more than the munchkins because "he had a better agent."

Of course, it's too bad Meinhardt wasn't awake for all the banter, but that's okay. After providing seven decades of joy to viewers of all ages, we think he's earned his rest.

Levi Johnston Getting Gym-Ready to Pose Nude for Playgirl

Just when you thought that Levi Johnston couldn't do anything to make himself look like more of a fool, now he's about to expose much more – himself.

Rex Butler, a lawyer for the 19-year-old father of Sarah Palin's grandchild, says it is a "foregone conclusion" Johnston will pose nude for Playgirl and is now getting gym-ready three hours a day, six nights a week, working out with an Anchorage body builder. Like Ok, can I ask who the HELL gives a damn about what this guy looks like much less him naked? Anyways...

The trainer reportedly is Marvin Jones, a former Mr. Alaska competitor who has prescribed a low-carb, high-protein diet for Johnston, whose date to disrobe before the camera has not yet been determined – though Levi's full monty is expected to go online before the end of the year.

Playgirl made the approach to the budding media celebrity (who stars in a new nut commercial), said his attorney. "We told him he would have to do what actors and actresses do. They get in the gym," said Butler.

Playgirl rep Vincent Stevens could not be reached for comment. Palin's spokespeople did not respond to a request for their take on Johnston's upcoming photoshoot.

I wonder if Jon Gosselin or The Octo-Mom will be next to bear it all for the Playgirl/boy magazines...

FIRST LISTEN: Jennifer Lopez's Dance Track 'Fresh Out of the Oven'

Jennifer Lopez's new album Love? is due in January, but fans of the singer-actress can get their fix now, with the release of a dance track titled "Fresh Out of the Oven," featuring the rapper Pitbull.

Listen to the track in its entirety.

A note of explanation: Lopez's new song will not appear on her upcoming album – and a Web site established to promote it, featuring a dancing female figure named Lola, has spawned rumors that Lopez has adopted a new persona.

Not so. "Lola is just for this song, it's not her ongoing persona," says a source close to the singer. "It's something fun. She hasn't become Sasha Fierce [Beyoncé's artistic alter ego]. There won't be anything to do with Lola on her Love? album."

"This is a hot club record that the label loved and Jennifer thought was fun," Amanda Ghost, president of Epic Records says. "Jennifer and Pitbull got together and the record leaked. Lola is a fun character just for this song."

Free care for illegal immigrants?

Should hospitals give illegal immigrants free health care or let them go untreated?