Directors killed the video star

Nobody is safe: In the past 48 hours alone, death (and near-death) has afflicted fan-favorites on "The L Word," "24" and "The Sopranos." "In an already risky industry in which shows get canceled without notice," says the LA Times, "there is no such thing as job security for actors no matter how beloved their character or how long they have been playing him or her -- even on a hit show. The lack of character-centered dramas in film has allowed for a renaissance in television, but the 200-channel universe has made it tougher to hold the attention of the audience, so writers have had to raise the stakes. For stories that deal with terrorism, crime and even the supernatural, death often becomes a logical outcome."