Reality and Fiction Collide in Soap/Talk Crossover

A few weeks ago, Peter Bergman and Tracey E. Bregman, who play Jack and Lauren on CBS’s THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, made a guest appearance on THE TALK.

They appeared as actors, not their characters, to promote the Jabot cosmetics line.

Jabot is a fictional company on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, started by Jack’s father, John Abbott. But now Jabot is also a real cosmetic brand created to attract fans of the show who had heard the name mentioned for decades on the soap.

But here’s where it gets really interesting.  Or confusing, depending on your point of view.

On Thursday, during THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, the characters of Jack and Lauren travel from Genoa City, Wisconsin, to Los Angeles to appear on THE TALK. In that episode, they’ll be promoting the fictional version of Jabot Cosmetics while being interviewed by Julie Chen, Leah Remini, Holly Robinson Peete, Sara Gilbert and Sharon Osbourne, the female hosts of THE TALK, appearing as themselves.

If you understand all of that, you’re probably smart enough to solve the nation’s debt crisis.

Needless to say, the characters’ fictional appearance on the talk show was taped earlier on the same day that the actors appeared as guests.

So be sure to tune in to Thursday’s Y&R; there are sure to be surprises waiting for nearly everyone.

Osbourne Stepping Away from ‘The Talk’

Sharon Osbourne is said to be taking a break from CBS’s THE TALK sometime in September.

The New York Post reports that the reason she’s leaving is to spend more time with her husband, the legendary rocker Ozzy Osbourne, who is currently on an 18-month tour.  He is scheduled to get a break in September.

There’s no immediate word from CBS on how long of a break she has requested, but apparently there is no search for a replacement underway, which could indicate that the break is a relatively short one.

Osbourne is one of five hosts who have been with the daytime talk show from the beginning.  Her colleagues around the big table include Julie Chen, Holly Robinson Peete, Leah Remini and Sara Gilbert.

Osbourne’s other television credits include NBC’s America’s Got Talent and Celebrity Apprentice, as well as the cable reality series The Osbournes which she created and produced.

Osbourne is also a best-selling author of Revenge, about the competitive relationship between two sisters, and Sharon Osbourne Extreme: My Autobiography.

THE TALK airs weekdays at 2:00pm on LIVE 5 WCSC.

Live 5 News Introduces New News App

There’s a new app for that!

Live 5 News in introducing a new version of its popular news app with more features and an easier-to-use interface.

The new app is already available in the Android Market and on iTunes for iPhone users.  A Blackberry version is expected to be released by the weekend.

Users who have relied on the older version of the Live 5 News app will need to download the new version, as the old one is slated to stop working some time in the next few weeks.

The newly-redesigned app will feature the latest news, weather and sports stories and video in a cleaner format. It will also feature more content than its predecessor.

The app also sends out Breaking News push alerts. Viewers can also submit pictures, video and text new tips to us through the app. The entire app is very interactive, allowing viewers to thumb through news stories, scroll up and down, zoom in and share on Facebook, Twitter and through email.

To download the app, viewers can search “Live 5 News” (with spaces) in iTunes or the Android Market.

Get more details on the new app here.

Amazon Prime Adds Thousands of CBS Episodes

More viewing options are on the way to current customers of Amazon Prime, CBS and Amazon announced in a new deal on Wednesday.

The agreement brings 2,000 episodes from the CBS library to the service at no additional cost to consumers, bringing the total number of movies and TV shows available to more than 8,000.

Complete seasons of 18 television series, including the full Star Trek franchise, NUMB3RS, MEDIUM, Frasier and Cheers are part of the agreement. Starting this summer, Amazon Instant Video customers will be able to access dozens of CBS shows.

Though terms of the deal have not been disclosed, analysts have estimated that it could be worth as much as $100 million.

Amazon Instant Video is a paid streaming video service with more than 90,000 movies available for purchase or rental. Customers can watch from Amazon on a PC or Mac, or without a computer on an Amazon-compatible television set.

CSI: Welcomes Familiar Face Back for Fall

CBS’s crime drama CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION is officially welcoming back actress Jorja Fox full-time this fall.

The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that the actress, who appeared during the show’s first seven seasons, then departed early in its eighth, will be a full-time regular for the program’s upcoming 12th season.

Fox’s character, Sara Sidle, is the wife of Gil Grissom, the series’ original main lead character. That character was played by William Petersen from the first episode.

Their marriage was never seen on camera, but in Season 10, during a return to the Las Vegas crime lab, the character revealed that she and Grissom were married and had been living in Paris where he has been conducting a seminar.

When Petersen left that role 10 episodes into the show’s ninth season, he was replaced by Laurence Fishburne. After two full seasons, Fishburne decided not to return this fall, and Ted Danson was recently announced as a replacement.

There’s no word, yet, on whether Fox’s return to the series might be a sign that Petersen will be back, but that is a development longtime fans of the show continue to hope for.

The new season begins Wednesday, September 21 at 10:00pm.

Pelley’s Evening News Shows Growth

There’s good news and not-as-good news on ratings for the CBS EVENING NEWS with SCOTT PELLEY.

The good news is that ratings have increased 5% year to year from the same week last year when Katie Couric was the primary anchor.  The comparison involved the week of July 4th.

The not-as-good news is that both NBC and ABC also saw a 5% increase in their evening newscasts’ ratings that week.

So on one hand, the show is performing better than last year, but on the other, it’s still the same distance in ratings from the NBC and ABC.

Still, no one at CBS News claims to have expected overnight improvement in ratings for a show that has been the number 3 news broadcast for years.  And Pelley has largely won over critics who feel he is definitely adding more substance to the newscast.

So we’ll have to wait and see whether the increase continues.

Danson Joins CSI:

Multiple Emmy and Golden Globe Award Winner Ted Danson will join the cast of CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION this season, replacing Laurence Fishburne, who exited the series at the end of this past season.

CBS announced the casting news on Wednesday. The venerable forensic series begins its 12th season this fall.

Danson will play the new CSI Supervisor for the grave shift after heading the crime lab in Portland. He comes to the team as they are still grappling with the professional and personal fallout from last season’s take-down of serial killer, Nate Haskell.

“You can create a new character on the page, but until the perfect actor comes along and breathes life into it, it’s just words,” Executive Producer Carol Mendelsohn said. “We’re very excited Ted Danson came along.”

“From the moment we all started talking about the role, it was clear he couldn’t be more perfect,” said Executive Producer Don McGill. “Intelligence, wit, warmth, depth of character and emotion, he brings it all. And now he’ll have to bring latex gloves, too.”

Danson will remain a series regular on the critically acclaimed HBO series, Bored to Death. He has also recently garnered accolades for his roles on “Damages” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

Danson recently published his first book, Oceana: Our Endangered Oceans and What We Can Do to Save Them, currently available in book stores.

CSI: is the most-watched television show in the world. Set your DVRs to catch the season premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 21st at 10:00pm on LIVE 5 WCSC.