Susan Lucci (Erica, "All My Children") made it to round seven of "Dancing with the Stars before being voted off the show Nov. 5. Before she was told to pirouette out of the competition she managed to break a toe and bruise her leg. Susan the trouper continued with the show. Flying from the East Coast to the West Coast every week was tiring. Her husband, Helmut Huber, was often seen in the audience cheering her on. He was the silver-haired gentleman standing and clapping at the end of her routines. "Dancing with the Stars'" loss is Super Soap Weekend's gain. This is the final time for the event, which has been held at Disney World for 12 years. ABC has decided to send its stars around the country instead of having the stationary extravaganza, which was getting very expensive for the network and the fans. The event is slated for Nov. 15-16.

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Many actors at "All My Children" were concerned that Eileen Herlie (Myrtle), who died Oct. 8, would not get the sendoff she and her character deserved. They can rest easy. Herlie, who was one of the show's most beloved actresses, will get her due on a special episode of AMC on Dec. 19. The episode will include flashbacks of Myrtle's 32 years on the ABC soap. Over the years Myrtle interacted with everyone and served as adviser, landlord and owner of the boutique. The show is hoping that several former AMC stars will return the show for the funeral.

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For months "General Hospital's" head writer Bob Guza has promised a November sweeps story that would stun fans, a script twist that had never been seen on daytime. The last time viewers were promised that was when "Guiding Light" had Reva cloned. It was a story line that was almost "goodbye, Dolly" for the show. (Remember Dolly the sheep, the first animal to be cloned?) Guza would not reveal the twist; although, some magazines thought he was going to do a "Desperate Housewives" gambit with the show lurching forward several years to see what our characters would be doing later in life. That seemed a bit dicey. If you know where the characters are headed, why watch? What if a character that was killed off appeared in the "play it forward" rating stunt? Of course, the fast-forward could have been someone's dream. For now, no one has to guess. Guza has put the story on hold. The writer decided that GH had too many hot storylines going to interrupt them for a rating ploy. He swears we will see the "it has never been done before" story line sometime in the future. Over the years I have known several soap writers. When it came to divulging plots they were usually protecting the story lines from being leaked or wishing the producers would let them do the story they wanted. Often those pipe dreams went up in smoke when producers or network heads said "nope. We can't do that."

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According to a press release, CBS Diversity Institute and Casting is undertaking a new initiative to enhance access for actors of color who are 18 years and over to the talent pool for the daytime dramas "The Young and the Restless" and "The Bold and the Beautiful." As an extension of CBS Diversity's ongoing talent showcase initiatives, candidates will be pre-screened by the network casting department in December and the casting directors of these CBS daytime dramas will read actors on a regular basis starting in January 2009.

"Diversity requires action and we see this as a very intentional way of bringing attention to actors of color and continuing to open doors to the most successful daytime franchises in history with this new and additional avenue of access," said Josie Thomas, CBS senior vice president of diversity.

"With our daytime dramas on the air year-round, this is a remarkable opportunity for new talent to be seen by the highest number of people possible in this medium," said Barbara Bloom, CBS senior vice president of daytime programs.

Actors of color who are 18 years and older can submit resumes and photos electronically by logging onto www.breakdownexpress.com under CBS Daytime Diversity Initiative.

To find out more about Lynda Hirsch, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.

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