Amber Moore

In the modern era of soaps, contract talks are never easy. Tighter budgets mean an actor might not get the salary he or she was accustomed to, producers have to kill off veteran characters to save money, and the younger, less-expensive talent is out the door to chase stardom without getting their feet wet. So these days, whenever I hear that a popular soap actor is in contract negotiations, I'm not very optimistic that he or she will stick around. How refreshing it was then to learn that Gina Tognoni decided to re-sign with the low-rated Guiding Light as Dinah Marler.

Tognoni certainly is talented enough to make it in prime time or film, having already won a Daytime Emmy as Dinah last year, and there was talk that General Hospital was interested in casting her as Brenda Barrett, the role made famous by Vanessa Marcil. GH is also the soap that snatched up Tognoni's former co-star and on-screen rival Laura Wright to play Carly Corinthos after almost a decade with GL. One Life to Live was also supposedly interested in having Tognoni return as Kelly, the role she originated in the mid-to-late-1990s and most recently was played by Heather Tom.

So Dinah fans can breathe a sigh of relief for now, as the complex former villain is keeping the light on in Springfield.

The Young and the Restless has never been shy about offering bit parts to reality-show contestants and professional athletes, so with its upcoming story line about the fictional reality show Extreme Catwalk, it's only natural there would be a crossover. Gloria Abbott (Judith Chapman) and Jill Abbott (Jess Walton) will serve as judges of Extreme Catwalk, while Amber Moore (Adrienne Frantz) will be modelling her own designs on the runway. So who better to break up a potential catfight between the judges than America's Next Top Model panel member Nigel Barker? The former male model turned photographer and reality-show personality will appear on Y&R on May 29 and 30. No word on whether former Top Model judge Janice Dickinson was ever considered - a natural for soaps, don't you think?

Daytime Emmy nominee Alexandra Chando, who plays spunky teen Maddie Coleman on As the World Turns, has taped a public-service announcement (PSA) for a leading national non-profit organisation, Love Our Children. The group is dedicated to breaking the cycle of violence against children and has become the go-to prevention organisation for all forms of violence and neglect against children in the United States. To view the PSA and learn more about the charity, log on to www.loveourchildrenusa.org.

Congratulations to Passions for its Webby Award nomination. Its online storytelling websites, 'Passions Vendetta' and 'Passions Tabloid Truth', were both nominated in the drama category. Recognised as the 'Oscars of the Internet' by The New York Times, the Webby Awards are the leading international awards honouring excellence on the Internet, including websites, interactive advertising, online film and video and mobile websites.

Established in 1996, the 11th Annual Webby Awards received a record 8,000 entries from all 50 states and more than 60 countries worldwide. You can currently view the chapters of Passions' Tabloid Truth at www.nbc.com/Passions/tabloidtruth for yourself.

- Dana Block