Huntress

My favourite Madonna album is Ray of Light, closely followed by Confessions on a Dancefloor. I'm also one of the few people who actually likes American Life. It's so much better than Music and Hard Candy. Among her so-called "classics", my favourites are La Isla Bonita, Like a Prayer, Who's that Girl, Live to Tell, Vogue, Justify My Love and Secret. This one's a major hit in Germany right now, but the group is from the UK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kuwdw7KmGwA

Vanessa's only back for a couple of weeks. She leaves again in early September, shortly after the 1000th episode. Regine Seidler is also back for the anniversary episodes as Ben's mother Nadja Roschinski. This is the first time in the history of German soaps that a character that has been recast returns in the form of its original portrayer. Seidler, an original cast member of AWZ, left the show in February 2008 because of her pregnancy. She was replaced by Birgit Würz who never managed to become popular among the audience. Therefore Nadja was written out in December 2008. These days Birgit Würz plays one of the lead characters in the telenovela "Rote Rosen". On "Unter uns", Marylu Saskia Poolman will replace Kathleen Fiedler in the contract role of Anna Weigel. She will be the third actress in the role and first appear on-screen in September 2010. Previously, Poolman starred in the short-lived RTL soap opera "Ahornallee" which was cancelled after two months in 2007. There she starred opposite Mascha Müller who later became famous as Princess Luise von Waldensteyck on "Verbotene Liebe". Speaking of Mascha Müller, her former on-screen lover Andreas Jancke (Gregor on VL) has joined the cast of "Hand aufs Herz" where he will play the male lead. Interestingly enough, Vanessa Jung who will play the female lead also played opposite Jancke on "Verbotene Liebe". "Hand aufs Herz" is set to debut on October 4th, 2010 at 6 pm. Just like its predecessor "Eine wie keine", the new soap will air against "Verbotene Liebe". Jessica Ginkel, who played Caroline Neustädter on "Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten" from 2006-2009, is now playing the lead character in the latest ZDF telenovela "Lena – Liebe meines Lebens" which will debut on September 20th, 2010. Current soap and telenovela line-up on German television: ARD: 2.10 pm ROTE ROSEN | 3.10 pm STURM DER LIEBE | 6 pm VERBOTENE LIEBE | 6.25 pm MARIENHOF ZDF: 4.15 pm HANNA – FOLGE DEINEM HERZEN* RTL: 5.30 pm UNTER UNS | 7.10 pm | ALLES WAS ZÄHLT | 7.40 pm GUTE ZEITEN, SCHLECHTE ZEITEN SAT1: 6 pm EINE WIE KEINE** | 6.30 pm ANNA UND DIE LIEBE * will be replaced by LENA – LIEBE MEINES LEBENS in September ** will be replaced by HAND AUFS HERZ in October

Following the cancellation of the telenovela "Eine wie keine" which will air its final episode in September, Sat1 is currently developing a new soap opera called "Hand aufs Herz" ("Cross my Heart", literally "Hand on the Heart"). According to the first press release, the show is set at a school in Cologne and is supposed to be a daytime version of "Glee" and "High School Musical". Among the cast members are Oliver Petszokat (played Ricky Marquardt on "GZSZ" from 1998-1999, hosted Big Brother for a short while and also had two #1 hits on the German Singles charts) and Vanessa Jung (played the second Jana Brandner von Lahnstein on "Verbotene Liebe" from 2005-2008). Shooting for the show will begin in August.

"Alles was zählt" celebrates 1000 episodes Left ro right: Jörg Rohde (Ben Roschinski), Francisco Medina (Maximilian von Altenburg), Silvan-Pierre Leirich (Richard Steinkamp), Julia Augustin (Vanessa Steinkamp), Tatjana Clasing (Simone Steinkamp) & Silvia Maleen (Jenny Steinkamp) Left to right: Ulrike Röseberg (Annette Bergmann-Zadek), Ania Niedieck (Isabelle Reichenbach), Anna Katharina Samsel (Katja Bergmann) & Juliette Menke (Lena Bergmann) Left to right: Dennis Grabosch (Roman Wild), Igor Dolgatschew (Deniz Öztürk) & Sam Eisenstein (Marian Öztürk) Igor Dolgatschew (Deniz Öztürk) & Dennis Grabosch (Roman Wild) Ania Niedieck (Isabelle Reichenbach), Jörg Rohde (Ben Roschinski) & Anna Katharina Samsel (Katja Bergmann) Ulrike Röseberg (Annette Bergmann-Zadek) & André Dietz (Ingo Zadek)

Silvia Maleen (Jenny) wants to play other roles. I'm sure she'll turn up on some telenovela soon or later While RTL has renewed "Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten" until 2016 and the ARD has renewed "Verbotene Liebe" for at least another year, the latter network may pull the plug on "Marienhof" in February 2011, as it was revealed yesterday. Once attracting almost 3 million viewers every day, the soap has lost half of its audience during the last few years. However, the big question is: What could replace "Marienhof" if it was indeed going off the air? The timeslots between 6 and 8 p.m. (leading up to the most watched news program on German television) have proved to be desaster for the ARD as many shows that were shown after "Marienhof" were cancelled after a short time.

I found this gem on youtube: It's the explosion – but with Rhonda & Matt (scenes from season 1) edited in and it fits perfectly.

From a creative point of view, all 5 soaps are pretty stable at the moment. AWZ got better the minute they wrote Stella and Lars off the canvas. There are three more exits coming up as Silvia Maleen (Jenny), Norman Kalle (Oliver) and Nina Bott (Celine) will all exit the show in August/September. On GZSZ, Sarah Tkotsch (Lucy Cöster) is out after 2 1/2 years. There are rumors that two ex cast members might return but it has also been announced that a single mother and her three (or four?) children will join the soap later this year. On UU, Kathleen Fiedler and Marcel Saibert are out. Fiedler replaced original cast member Janis Rattenni as Anna, the youngest Weigel daughter, in June 2006. She was never quite popular with the audience (IMO, that woman just can't act). Now, in the midst of an upcoming love story with her cousin Paco (Milos Vukovic), Anna is badly burned when a deep fryer explodes. Anna cannot deal with her disfigured face and leaves town. Since her mother Irene (Petra Blossey) looks for a possibility to finance Anna's plastic surgery, one could assume that the character may receive a recast in the future. Marcel Saibert first appeared as Martin "Mars" Sommer during the summer of 2004. He stayed on for a few weeks before he left town. One year later, he was put on contract, but apart from a love story with Anna he never had an important storyline. Fans of all three RTL soaps are also eagerly waiting for the new opening sequences to debut. GZSZ last updated its opening in December 2007 (in June 2008, Sandra, Marc and Franzi were removed but nobody was added), UU last updated its opening in October 2007 (in May 2008, Björn was removed but nobody was added), and AWZ last updated its opening in August 2008. More than 1/3 of the current cast members are missing from each opening. I don't follow the buzz on VL and MH but I read that VL's Olli and Christian will get married soon.

It's been some time since I last saw an episode of "Dawson's Creek". I own all seasons on DVD but I stopped watching at the beginning of season 4. When seasons 5 and 6 were broadcast on tv I caught some episodes here and there, but the show had a terrible timeslot where I live (saturdays at 3 p.m.). Regarding the characters, I always thought Dawson was the weakest link of the bunch. He was so bland, immature and unattractive. I think my favourites were Jen and Pacey, followed by Jack and Joey. Grams was awesome, too. Early Andie was tolerable, but when season 3 began, the character suddenly had no direction and became useless.

Those group pictures of the "Marienhof" cast were taken when the latest opening was filmed in early 2010: (Left to right:) Mirco Wallraf (Raul Garcia, 2002-), Alfonso Losa (Carlos Garcia, 2000-), Giovanni Arvaneh (Sülo Özgentürk, 1995-1998; 2003-), Tuna Ünal (Tarek Berisi, 2009-), Wolfgang Seidenberg (Frank Töppers, 1995-), Hendrik Borgmann (Nic Stein, 2009-), Simon-Paul Wagner (Marlon Berger, 2000-) (Left to right:) Julia Dahmen (Constanze Riemer, 2005-), Heike Ulrich (Tanja Maldini, 2000-), Isabella Hübner (Lisa Busch #3, 2004-), Viktoria Brams (Inge Busch, original cast member), Antonio Putignano (Stefano Maldini, 2000-), Sandra Koltai (Toni Maldini #2, 2005-), Simone Gorholt (Ruth Horvath, 2009-) (Left to right:) Maike Billitis (Kerstin Töppers, 2007-2010), Christian Volkmann (David Verhaag, 2007-2010), Ivonne Polizzano (Netty Töppers, 2007-), Erwin Aljukic (Frederik Neuhaus, 1998-), Sven Thiemann (Charly Kolbe, 1997-), Verena Mörtel (Heidi Torg, 2009-), Christian Buse (Thorsten Fechner, 1999-) Not only will Nicole Belstler-Boettcher return as Sandra Behrens next month, Roland Pfaus will also reprise the role of Jakob Weidemann. Both Sandra and Jakob left town together last year. Pfaus is the second actor in the role and was on contract from 2005 to 2009. In addition, Berrit Arnold will once again return to "Marienhof" as Annalena Bergmann, Frank's ex wife. Arnold was on contract from 1994 to 1998 and again from 2001 to 2004. Later she returned for several guest appearances in 2005 and 2007.

"Unter uns" has finally released a new cast picture. Back row (left to right): Birte Glang (Heidi Danne; 2010-), Ben Ruedinger (Till Weigel #2; 2000-), Lars Steinhöfel (Easy Winter; 2005-), Claudelle Deckert (Eva Wagner Weigel; 2001-2006; 2008-), Tabea Heynig (Britta Schönfeld; 2010-), Stefan Bockelmann (Malte Winter; 2001-), Valea Scalabrino (Sina Uhland; 2010-), Stefan Franz (Rolf Jäger; 2002-), Petra Blossey (Irene Weigel; original cast member), Milos Vukovic (Paco Weigel; 2000-), Marco Sprinz (Richie; recurring), Imke Brügger (Rebecca Mattern; 1997-), Sarah Bogen (Lilli Mattern; 2001-), Kai Noll (Rufus Sturm; 2003-), Isabell Hertel (Ute Weigel; 1995-), Benjamin Kiss (Henning Fink #2; 2010-) Front row (left to right): Patrick Müller (Tobias Lassner; 2006-), Joy Lee Juana Abiola (Micki Fink; 2009-), Marvin Linke (Moritz Schönfeld; 2010-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Bue7mGTWt4

I didn't want to open a new thread for this, so I'm gonna post this here. Two weeks ago, Mehrzad Marashi won the 7th season of "German Idol". In order to prevent his first single from becoming #1 on the German singles charts, a huge internet campaign was brought into being. People were asked to buy "Boomerang" by Blümchen instead, a song that was first published in 1996 and reached #11 on the charts back then. Today it was announced that Mehrzad's single still reached #1. However, "Boomerang" entered the charts at #7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0EJcm1ne18 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSZ97H1ltYg

No, this is only the second time that a crossover happens. In 2007, there was a small one between AWZ and UU when several characters of AWZ attended a concert by UU's resident musician Mars. In other casting news: - Alexander Becht (Lenny) exits GZSZ on 19 April, 2010. Becht joined the soap in December 2007. Felix Isenbügel, who plays Lenny's boyfriend Carsten, will also exit the soap this summer. Originally a recurring player, Isenbügel became a contract cast member last summer once Lenny and Carsten fell in love. - In order to stabilize ratings, the producers of "Marienhof" have decided to bring back Nicole Belstler-Boettcher as Sandra Behrens. Belstler-Boettcher first appeared as Sandra in 1995 and was fired in 2009 because the producers felt that the character had run its course. There are also rumors that Miriam Smolka will return as Mascha, a character that hasn't been seen on screen since 2001. Mascha is Frank Töppers's (Wolfgang Seidenberg) daughter and was a major character in the late 90s.

On 15 May, 2010 (episode 4490), "Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten" celebrates 15 years on the air. Traditionally, anniversary episodes feature a huge event which results in a tragedy. - In the 2500th episode (2002), "Daniel's Bar" exploded during Cora and Leon's wedding party. Several characters ended up being trapped in the basement and uber bitch Sonja Wiebe died in the wreckage. - In the 3000th episode (2004) the whole cast was aboard an airplane that was about to crash. Luckily, everybody survived. - In the 3500th (2006) episode several characters were involved in a serious car crash near the border to the Czech Republic. Heavily pregnant and heavily injured Isabel had to give birth to her baby boy in a cabin. She died a few episodes later. - In the 4000th (2008) episode Emily and Franzi, both strung-out, accidentally set the "Fasan" restaurant on fire. Franzi died in the wreckage. This time, the "Mocca" café will be destroyed by a landslide while Katrin throws a huge party in a nearby building. This episode will also feature a crossover with "Alles was zählt" as AWZ's Simone and Richard Steinkamp (Tatjana Clasing and Silvan-Pierre Leirich) attend Katrin's party.

Some casting news... – Ania Niedieck has joined "AWZ" in the new contract role Isabelle Reichenbach. Isabelle is a new member of the ice figure skating squad and will some cause trouble for Katja and Ben. Niedieck played a different character on "AWZ" a few months ago. – Last fall Dominic Saleh-Zaki returned to "VL" as Andi Fritzsche, now Andi's ex-girlfriend Nico von Lahnstein, once again played by Verena Zimmermann, is also back on the canvas. Zimmermann debuted on "VL" in November 2002 and stayed on contract until September 2007, followed by a guest appearance in March 2008. Nico is also Christian's ex-girlfriend. – Also on "VL", Stephan Käfer has been cast in the new contract role Philipp zu Hohenfelden. He will become Nico's new love interest. – On "Unter uns", the role of Henning Fink has been recast with Benjamin Kiss. Previously, Andreas Zimmermann had played the role from February 2009 to March 2010. – Also on "Unter uns", Valea Scalabrino has been cast in the new contract role Sina Uhland. Sina turns out to be the illegitimate daughter of Wolfgang Weigel, who died last fall. Verena Zimmermann & Stephan Käfer of "Verbotene Liebe"

My favourite from this year's Melodifestivalen was "Kom" by Timoteij: And I'm still mad that this song didn't win the Finnish pre-selection (however, I've grown to like the winner, "Työlki ellää" by Kuunkuiskaajat): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6clePOIm7Y

This was #1 on the German Singles Charts two weeks ago (the first time a song entirely sung in French has reached the top spot since the late 80s): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2gRSTofDsk

I just finished watching season 5 and I also think that this is the show's best season although I found it quite strange that some cast members (Brandon, Kelly, Donna, Valerie) were heavily featured throughout the whole season while others (Steve, David, Andrea) didn't have a major storyline. Dylan has been bugging me since season 3 and I think he has to be the most unrealistic character on the whole show. It's also striking that Ray was heavily featured – more than David and Steve – and I think that Spelling initially had huge plans for this character. I also read this an interview with one of the shows' executive producers a while ago. I don't understand why Donna started dressing like a slut, when it doesn't fit her character. Valerie at least wore decent clothes most of the time. My character ranking for season 5: 1. Valerie 2. Brandon 3. Kelly 4. Donna 5. Ray 6. Clare 7. Steve 8. Andrea 9. David 10. Dylan 11. Jesse 12. Jim & Cindy

Yes, the English audio track is included. But there has been no news of more episodes being released on DVD - probably because almost nobody bought the first volume. The show wasn't a huge hit in Germany to begin with, so I don't really know why they bothered to release it on DVD here.

Andreas Jancke's leaving because he wants to play other roles. Mascha Müller (Luise von Waldensteyck) is leaving with her on-screen husband. I doubt that Andreas will have much success outside the soap genre because he's a terrible actor. He's only popular because of his good looks. Current contract cast members of all 5 soaps (March 2010): Alles was zählt Daniel Aichinger - Dr. Axel Schwarz (2006-) Nina Bott - Celine Laffort (2008-) Tatjana Clasing - Simone Steinkamp (2006-) André Dietz - Ingo Zadek (2006-) Igor Dolgatschew - Deniz Öztürk (2007-) Sam Eisenstein - Marian Öztürk (2006-) Dennis Grabosch - Roman Wild (2006-) Norman Kalle - Dr. Oliver Sommer (2007-) Silvan-Pierre Leirich - Richard Steinkamp (2006) Tobias Licht - Lars Berger (2008-2010) Silvia Maleen - Jenny Steinkamp (recast, 2008-) Francisco Medina - Maximilian von Altenburg (2007-) Juliette Menke - Lena Bergmann (2007-) Nadine Rennack - Stella Coretti (2008-2010) Jörg Rohde - Ben Roschinski (recast, 2009-) Ulrike Röseberg - Annette Bergmann (2006-) Anna Katharina Samsel - Katja Bergmann (2009-) Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten Wolfgang Bahro - Dr. Jo Gerner (1993-) Tayfun Baydar - Tayfun Badak (2008-) Alexander Becht - Lenny Cöster (2007-) Daniel Fehlow - Leon Moreno (1996-1999; 2001-) Ulrike Frank - Katrin Flemming-Gerner (2002-2003; 2004-) Björn Harras - Patrick Graf, Jr. (2009-) Isabell Horn - Pia Koch (2009-) Felix Isenbügel - Carsten Reimann (2008-2010) Clemens Löhr - Alexander Cöster (recast, 2009-) Frank-Thomas Mende - Clemens Richter (1992-) Anne Menden - Emily Höfer (2004-) Kristin Meyer - Iris Cöster (2007-) Raul Richter - Dominik Gundlach (2007-) Lisa Riecken - Elisabeth Meinhart (1992-) Sila Sahin - Ayla Özgül (2009-) Jörn Schlönvoigt - Philip Höfer (2004-) Susan Sideropoulos - Verena Koch (2001; 2002-) Sarah Tkotsch - Lucy Cöster (2007-) Janina Uhse - Jasmin Nowak (2008-) Felix von Jascheroff - John Bachmann (2001-) Marienhof Erwin Aljukic - Frederik Neuhaus (1998-) Giovanni Arvaneh - Sülo Özgentürk (1995-1998; 2003-) Maike Billitis - Kerstin Töppers (2007-) Hendrik Borgmann - Dr. Nic Stein (2009-) Viktoria Brams - Inge Busch (1992-) Christian Buse - Torsten Fechner (1999-) Julia Dahmen - Constanze Riemer (2005-) Simone Gorholt - Ruth Horvath (2009-) Maria Hönig - Lea Horvath (2009-2010) Isabella Hübner - Dr. Lisa Busch (recast, 2004-) Sandra Koltai - Toni Maldini Verhaag (recast, 2006-) Nermina Kukic - Susi Schäfer (2004-) Alfonso Losa - Carlos Garcia (2000-) Verena Mörtel - Heidi Torg (2009-) Ivonne Polizzano - Netty Töppers (2007-) Antonio Putignano - Stefano Maldini (2000-) Wolfgang Seidenberg - Frank Töppers (1995-) Jan Stapelfeldt - Valentin Ernst (2008-2010) Sven Thiemann - Charly Kolbe (1997-) Heike Ulrich - Tanja Maldini (2000-) Tuna Ünal - Tarek Berisi (2009-) Christian Volkmann - Christian Verhaag (2007-) Simon-Paul Wagner - Marlon Berger (2000-) Mirco Wallraf - Raul Garcia (2002-) Unter uns Joy Lee Juana Abiola - Micki Fink (2009-) Petra Blossey - Irene Weigel (1994-) Stefan Bockelmann - Malte Winter (2001-) Sarah Bogen - Lili Mattern (2001-) Imke Brügger - Rebecca Mattern (1997-) Claudelle Deckert - Eva Wagner (2001-2006; 2008-) Kathleen Fiedler - Anna Weigel (recast, 2006-) Stefan Franz - Rolf Jäger (2002-) Birte Glang - Heidi Danne (2010-) Isabell Hertel - Ute Weigel (1995-) Tabea Heynig - Britta Schönfeld (2010-) Marvin Linke - Moritz Schönfeld (2010-) Patrick Müller - Tobias Lassner (2006-) Kai Noll - Rufus Sturm (2003-) Ben Ruedinger - Till Weigel (recast, 2000-) Marcel Saibert - Mars Sommer (2004; 2005-) Lars Steinhöfel - Ingo "Easy" Winter (2005-) Milos Vukovic - Paco Weigel (2000-) Andreas Zimmermann - Henning Fink (2009-) Verbotene Liebe Wolfram Grandezka - Ansgar von Lahnstein (2004-) Jens Hartwig - Tristan von Lahnstein (2009-) Andreas Jancke - Gregor Mann (2005-2010) Jana Julie Kilka - Jessica Stiehl (2010-) Sven Koller - David Brandner (2008-) Konrad Krauss - Arno Brandner (1995-) Miriam Lahnstein - Tanja von Anstetten (1995-1998; 2001; 2004-) Jasmin Lord - Rebecca von Lahnstein (2008-) Krystian Martinek - Ludwig von Lahnstein (2009-) Dr. Gabriele Metzger - Charlie Schneider (1995-) Mascha Müller - Luise von Waldensteyck (2009-2010) Thomas Ohrner - Matthias Brandner (2008-) Simone Ritscher - Maria di Balbi (2009-) Dominic Saleh-Zaki - Andi Fritzsche (2001-2007; 2009-) Sebastian Schlemmer - Sebastian von Lahnstein (recast, 2009-) Thore Schölermann - Christian Mann (2006-) Martina Servatius - Elisabeth von Lahnstein (1999-) Theresa Underberg - Lydia von Lahnstein (2008-) Renée Weibel - Helena von Lahnstein (2009-) Jo Weil - Oliver Sabel (1999-2002; 2007-) Jenny Winkler - Nathalie Käppler (2004-)

Joan Collins of "Dynasty" fame will appear on "Verbotene Liebe" this spring. She plays "Lady Joan", a British millionairess, who keeps a much younger lover. Collins starts filming on February 22nd, 2010. Source: http://www.bild.de/BILD/unterhaltung/TV/2010/01/24/verbotene-liebe/joan-collins-dreht-verbotene-liebe.html

Sylph, if you like Euro trash you should watch this: I'm also digging this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqbnxHs8AcA

"Unter uns" bade adieu to patriarch Wolfgang Weigel (#3726) During Till and Eva's wedding, Wolfgang had his second heart attack. In the hospital, Wolfgang begged his son to stay away from Eva. Till refused to do so. Wolfgang's family and friends were worried about Wolfgang's condition. While Rebecca, Rufus, Malte, Henning, Ute and Richie gathered at the "Schiller", Anna, Paco and Rolf visited Wolfgang. He told them how proud he was of them. While Till and Eva eventually got married, Wolfgang died with Irene by his side.

The show's still on the air. The first season has 19 episodes and so far 12 have been shown. However, ratings have been rather disappointing for ARD (total viewers: ca. 2.7 million, market share: 7-9 percent), so it's highly unlikely that the show will be renewed for a second season.

"Verbotene Liebe" celebrates 3500 episodes on November 6th, 2009 Gregor (Andreas Jancke) & Luise (Mascha Müller) Cast picture | Front row from left to right: Matthias (Thomas Ohrner), Nathalie (Jenny Winkler), Arno (Konrad Krauss), Sebastian (Sebastian Schlemmer), Lydia (Theresa Underberg), Charlie (Gabriele Metzger), Gregor (Andreas Jancke), Luise (Mascha Müller), Eduard (Hubertus Regout), Maria (Simone Ritscher), Ansgar (Wolfram Grandezka), Tanja (Miriam Lahnstein), Tristan (Jens Hartwig), Elisabeth (Martina Servatius), Helena (Renee Weibel), Rebecca (Jasmin Lord), Andi (Dominic Saleh-Zaki) | Back row from left to right: Christian (Thore Schölermann), Stella (Anne Wis), Oliver (Jo Weil), David (Sven Koller) Elisabeth (Martina Servatius), Charlie (Gabriele Metzger) & Maria (Simone Ritscher) Tanja (Miriam Lahnstein), Gregor (Andreas Jancke), Luise (Mascha Müller), Ansgar (Wolfram Grandezka), Rebecca (Jasmin Lord), Matthias (Thomas Ohrner) & Lydia (Theresa Underberg) Helena (Renee Weibel), Rebecca (Jasmin Lord), Tristan (Jens Hartwig), Oliver (Jo Weil), Christian (Thore Schölermann), Lydia (Theresa Underberg) & Sebastian (Sebastian Schlemmer)