Although Daytime Confidential spilled this information a week or so ago, CBS and The Talk rolled out the red carpet the official announcement that former General Hospital superstar Steve Burton will be joining The Young and the Restless.
Burton appeared on The Talk today (which incidentally airs against GH) to offer details about his new role on the #1 daytime drama on television. He will be playing Dylan McAvoy, an ex-army veteran. The role comes just months after he left the role of Jason Morgan on GH, a role he has held for over twenty years. He said that left the show because he wanted to spend more time with his family in Nashville. Apparently, his deal with Y&R and CBS will allow him to commute, something that GH and ABC wouldn't let him do.
What also apparently sweetened the deal was Jill Farren Phelps, who used to be the executive producer of GH, and is now at Y&R. The two have been close since their GH days, and they are currently developing a telenovela with James Franco. When Sony, who apparently is helping with the development and also produces Y&R, offered him a deal on that soap, he agreed.
It should also be noted that, since Phelps was let go along with head writer Bob Guza, General Hospital has gone through several changes that may not have worked for Burton, like the removal of the mob element. What makes me suggest that is the fact that both GH and Y&R are filmed in Los Angeles, so it is kind of farfetched for Burton to insinuate that ABC wasn't willing to be flexible with his commute options, considering his level of popularity on the show. Also, Phelps has a history of bringing her favorite soap stars with her when she joins a show, with very middling results.
Either way, Steve definitely looked refreshed and it was nice to see him in something besides a black t-shirt. I will certainly be watching to see what his character will be up to Genoa City. He is supposed to start airing by the end of January.
As the year comes to a close, I've noticed that I haven't made a soap opera post in quite some time. That's probably because most of the stories right now are downright unwatchable.
However, when the right writing comes along, it's pretty easy to remember why soaps really are quality television.
General Hospital, which is also home to the horrid Brenda/Dante story right now, aired some quality television in August, when popular couple Patrick Drake and Robin Scorpio faced their biggest challenge yet, his one night stand with the crazy Lisa Niles.
In July, Patrick slept with Lisa, who was secretly unstable, after drinking. The same night, Robin came back from a trip to Africa helping people with AIDS. The subsequent month saw Patrick being guilty and Lisa becoming more and more deranged. Finally, after Lisa went too far and kidnapped their daughter Emma, Patrick finally broke down and told Robin the awful truth.
I've always thought that Jason Thompson and Kimberly McCollough were the true powerhouses of the show, and this scene proved it. The whole scene was hyper-emotional, but the nuances of both of their performances kept from reaching the over-the-top. You could easily see both sides and how devastated they both were, even though Patrick was mostly in the wrong. Speaking of, Jason is easily the best crier in daytime. Even though his character has been an utter idiot, I really did feel back for Patrick, because of Jason's awesome performance. The one smart thing that Robert Guza has done in the past decade was putting him against the always brilliant Kimberly McCollough. Talking about her performance is unnecessary, since it's beyond obvious at this point she is the best actress on GH right now. Still, her heartbreakingly cynical response to Patrick's confession was just gold.
If General Hospital was smart, they would focus the show on these two instead of Brenda and the mess she brought back with her.
Or, they could make this an ensemble show again and restore it to its former glory.
Today marked the 40th year that ABC soap opera All My Children has been on the air. With the dire straits the genre is in right now, reaching such a milestone is a really big deal. You would expect ABC to do it up right for their show's birthday, and it's exactly what they led us to believe. They brought back some very popular faces, including Eva La Rue (Maria Santos), Julia Barr (Brooke English), and of course Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos (Hayley and Mateo Santos). They even tracked down Taylor Miller, who last played Nina Cortlandt Warner fifteen years ago. With all of these popular characters back on set, it was expected to be one of the best anniversaries in the show's history.
Clearly, we were all wrong.
The anniversary show that aired today was an utter farce. While the format was pretty good (TV show host Hayley returned to do a Pine Valley documentary, interviewing her fellow townspeople), the actual content was a complete copout, and an insult to the show's rich, four decade history. Speaking of, you would need slow motion on your DVR to find any clips from before 2005, since they came and went so quickly they might as well have not been there. In some cases, clips were replaced with pictures of the characters and couples, making one question if the AMC producers even know where the show's archives are. What we did were lengthy recollections of head writer Charles Pratt's show-killing storylines, like the highly despised tornado of 2008 being passed off as a true Pine Valley rallying effort.
Remember all of the great returns I mentioned in the beginning? Window dressing, for the most part. Former major players like Brooke and Nina were relegated to 15 seconds or so of screentime, while JR was given at least 3 minutes to ramble about the loss of Babe. The most annoying part of it was that the originator of the role, Alexa Havins, wasn't featured at all, making us deal with random clips of the couple with the newer actress instead of the couple's best moments. It was the same deal with other re-casted roles, most notably Liza Colby, formerly played by Marcy Walker, now played by Jamie Luner. Other high profile characters missing from the show included Dimitri Marick, Grandma Kate Martin, Leo du Pres, and Anna Devane, among many others. Dixie Cooney was relegated to one mention by Tad and Palmer, while Maria's marriage to Edmund Grey was virtually ignored save for an indirect mention of her wedding. Don't even get me started about Gillian.
Amongst the dreck was some good moments. I choked up a bit as Mateo and a tearful Maria recalled their unreasonably dead sister Julia. Watching Adam trying to successfully remember his wives in chronological order was hilarious, as was Erica's dig at Brooke: "Brooke who?" The ending, where show creator Agnes Nixon recited that famous poem that the show was built on, was easily the best moment of the entire program.
Thankfully, Charles Pratt has been fired for attempted soapicide, but it is a shame that he was around long enough to leave this disappointment for fans wanting to remember the good times. A trip to YouTube would have been a better retrospective.
Just on the heels of As The World Turns' shocking cancellation announcement, the show puts out the most heart-wrenching, wonderful, flawless episode of the year, and possible the best in the show's recent memory.
A month or so ago, ATWT made the shocking, stupid decision to kill off the delightfully funny Brad Synder (played by Austin Peck), just as his wife Katie gave birth to their son Jacob. Since then, he has been wandering around as a ghost, accessible only to Henry, watching as the lives of his loved ones were falling apart.
On Christmas Eve, he finally got a chance to help, with some guidance from jolly old Saint Nick.
Brad was finally able to help the people he left behind move on with their lives. He spoke to his daughter Liberty, his ex-girlfriend/Liberty's mother Janet, his despondent brother Jack, and of course his devastated wife Katie. Just as he was about to put the star on the top of their Christmas tree, Santa arrived to inform him that their time was up. With plenty of tears, hugs, and kisses, the best couple on the show said goodbye and Brad finally ascended to heaven.
All I can say to As The World Turns is well done. OK, I can say more. This episode was absolutely devastating to watch. For a show on its way out (unless someone saves it), it is comforting to know they aren't decreasing their output. In fact, it appears they are increasing it, since this is the best episode I have seen since Carly and Jack's breakup way back in 2006. Even though Brad's death is something I utterly disagree with, they give an astonishingly great send-off. Everything about this episode was perfect. The acting, however, was where the money was. Terri Colombino (Katie) and Michael Park (Jack), who have been delivering Emmy-worthy performances since November, were excellent, although the biggest performance came from Austin Peck. As The World Turns proved to be the best thing to happen to him acting-wise, because he couldn't have delivered such a powerful performance as the idiot Austin Reed on Days of our Lives. With this episode, Peck's hair model status can be officially declared null and void as he steps into the ring for the 2010 Daytime Emmys.
All My Children and all other soaps who have the luck to not be canceled, take note: this how a soap is supposed to be run.
Long-running soap opera As The World Turns has been cancelled, according to multiple reports.
The daytime drama will stop production in June and air its final episode in September. At is end, the show will have run for 54 years, making it one of television's longest-running programs.
In September of this year, ATWT's sister soap Guiding Light ended its 72 year run after ratings hit all time lows.
Proctor and Gamble, the producers of both shows, is officially out of the daytime drama industry with this latest cancellation.
Amidst the controversies of Prop 8, Carrie Prejean, and the White House's apparent ignorance of their gay rights promises, soap operas have begun to feature gay and lesbian storylines more than ever before. Launching with the mega-popular pairing of Luke Snyder and Noah Mayer on As The World Turns, nearly every soap has featured some kind of LGBT relationship, in an effort to accurately portray the spectrum of human relationships. So far, some have been successful (Olivia and Natalia on Guiding Light), while others have been dreadful (Adam and Rafe on Young and the Restless). What can be said for all of them, though, is that new ground is continually being broken, making soaps arguably the most socially-conscious programming on television.
Sensitivity is important, but at the end of the day, it means nothing if the storyline is weak and the acting is sub-par. Thankfully, that can't be said about One Life to Live, which has launched its first gay storyline in 16 years (a bit of history: Ryan Phillippe played Billy Douglas, the first-ever gay teenager on a soap opera, in 1993). The story revolves around medical student Kyle Lewis and officer Oliver Fish. The two characters were friends in college and have crossed paths once again, sharing a mutual secret: they were lovers. While Kyle is open about his love for Fish, Fish is determined to deny being gay, dating Layla Williamson to either convince himself he's straight or hide the truth from everyone else.
After two months of rising tension between the two, the dam finally burst in a passionate, angry, gripping, and emotional fight in the alley behind the diner. After learning that Roxy knew about their past, Fish pulled Kyle to the back to confront him. Kyle finally lays all the cards out on the table, announcing aloud their past relationship, and that he still loves him. They then proceed to fight about their past and present: Fish tries to make Kyle see that their relationship was a "bad experiment" and that he was with Layla, while Kyle accused Fish of using Layla as his "beard" and lying to everyone, especially himself. With the fight reaching a fevered pitch, Kyle kisses Fish, and Fish clearly reciprocates.
While the kiss may be the headline for most (I believe it's the first for the show), what truly caught my attention was the scene leading up to it. For someone who barely had a clue about this storyline (I was watching ATWT instead) I found myself easily engrossed in this scene. The energy was palpable and coming from so many different sides. Whether it was Fish's fear, Kyle's desperation, or even the passion from both, you could feel everything those characters were offering up. The dialogue was raw and realistic, refusing to tiptoe over the implications of hiding oneself. The acting was brilliant from both actors, but who blew me away particularly was Brett Claywell as Kyle. Formerly Tim on One Tree Hill, he delivered every word in that scene with a captivating mix of emotions; pain, fury, desperation, and love. Originally portrayed as a bad guy, you could help but feel for Kyle as he finally blew the lid off their secret romance and revealed his lingering feelings for his closeted ex-lover. Scott Evans (Fish) was excellent at portraying a man in deep denial, and the moment where he slipped, revealing that he would lose everything if he came out, was pure soap magic.
If you take the social and political implications embedded in this scene, what you have left is a pure soap opera scene. Without all of the gimmicks, you have two people dealing with deep and powerful emotions that aren't necessarily exclusive to one sexual orientation. What soaps used to be were tools to examine the interactions between human beings in various social settings in a way that was relatable, yet revelatory. That concept was lost amongst baby swaps, murder mysteries, brain chips, and other foolishness. Kudos to OLTL for reviving it, in a way that is relevant to today's times.
The summer may be winding down, but the soap operas on ABC are heating up, if the new promo is anything to go by!
The promo titled "Feel The Love" uses the Sara Evans song "Feels Just Like a Love Song" and features quite a few surprising couples. From All My Children, there is Zach and Kendall, Frankie and Randi, and in a surprise, Scott and Annie. On One Life to Live, there is "Cole and Starr, Gigi and Rex, and Brody and Jessica. Finally on General Hospital, there is Johnny and Olivia, Spinelli and Maxie, and in a major surprise, Jason and Sam. If the promo isn't misleading, than it seems the couple will reunite this month.
In what's being seen as another cost-cutting measure by the brass of ABC Daytime, soap opera All My Children will be moving from its current New York City studio to Los Angeles. According to soap opera blog Daytime Confidential, ABC Daytime president Brian Frons broke the news to the cast and crew today about the move after rumors broke out last week.
Moving the show to LA would help the show save money with the use of permanent sets. In New York, people had to be hired to break the sets down after taping. One Life To Live, the show that airs directly after AMC, will take the studio space.
The move to the west coast, home to fellow ABC soap General Hospital and CBS soaps Young and the Restless and Bold and the Beautiful, throws into questions the contract statuses of two of the show's biggest stars, Michael E. Knight and Susan Lucci. Both reportedly are strict East Coasters, and the move could potentially be a deal-breaker.
There is no word when the move will take place, or what space the show will be using.
There are times when I wish celebrity blogger Perez Hilton would just shut his trap.
The last time I felt that way was when he launched the Carrie Prejean gay marriage scandal, turning a forgettable beauty queen into a right-wing celebrity, a la Joe The Plumber.
Well, he’s doing it again.
It was announced this week that actor Chris Engen, who plays Adam “Victor Jr.” Newman on soap opera Young and the Restless, quit and was being recast. It shouldn’t have been surprising to many soap fans, since rumors of his departure have been around for months.
However, the story gained a bit of color when it revealed by Nelson Bronco of TV Guide Canada that Engen reportedly quit over a kiss with his new co-star Yani Gellman, who plays lawyer Rafe. Also reported was Engen’s unhappiness with the darker turn his character was taking and his meeting with the show’s brass to discuss his future on the program.
Perez Hilton, in his usually harsh manner, took the story and used it to attack Chris Engen, accusing him of being homophobic and verbally assaulting him.
While I think Chris Engen is an idiot for quitting the leading show in daytime during a recession, I think its equally idiotic to accuse him of homophobia because performing in a gay storyline made him uncomfortable, if that is the reason at all.
As I mentioned earlier, rumors of Engen’s departure have been around for months, since his character was sent to jail for forging his father’s diary. The reason behind his discontent is probably because the constant changing to his character’s story. He was introduced as the devoted son of Hope Adams, Victor Newman’s beloved blind ex-wife. When she died, Victor took Adam under his wing. From there, he became a power-hungry control freak who began working with Victor’s archenemy Jack Abbott to set Victor up. He was eventually caught and sent to jail. After some time in the clink, Adam was released into Victor’s custody when Adam began to lose his eyesight. Just last week, though, we learned two secrets: Adam has been injecting stuff into his eyes to appear blind, and he is behind Ashley’s gaslighting.
With such a jumpy storyline that has made his character hugely unpopular, it isn’t surprising that he would want to leave. Add to that the plans to possibly involve him in a same-sex relationship, when his character is in love with prosecutor Heather, being frustrated isn’t impossible to understand. If you truly aren’t enjoying your role, and there aren’t plans to rectify it, then leaving may have been his only way out.
Now, if it is because of the gay kiss, so what? Just because he doesn’t want to kiss someone of the same sex does not make him a homophobe. He may not have been comfortable with kissing a guy, like most straight men in the world. That doesn’t make him anti-gay. Actors, or anyone for that matter, shouldn’t be forced to do something that makes them uncomfortable, even if it irrationally angers some people. Not every actor is that open; for instance, Steve Burton, Jason Morgan on General Hospital, has developed a reputation for refusing to do love scenes as of late. That doesn’t mean that he hates his female co-stars, does it? No, it means he respects his marriage and feels that refraining from love scenes lends to that. The same goes for Chris Engen. Just because he doesn’t want to kiss another man doesn’t mean he should have such an ugly word slapped onto career.
Who knows why Chris Engen chose to leave Young and The Restless? Whatever the reason, it is absolutely wrong to accuse someone of being so hateful, especially when the facts aren’t all out. If he isn’t homophobic (which is most likely the case), than his name has been slandered for either staying within his comfort zone or leaving for greener pastures. Ironically, that is the argument that Carrie Prejean used in defense of her Miss USA answer.
If I were Chris, I would sue Perez Hilton for slander.
We probably all knew it was coming, but its sad nonetheless.
Legendary soap opera Guiding Light has officially been cancelled by CBS, according to various sources, including Soap Opera Digest and daytime blog Daytime Confidential.
The news comes a day after it was revealed that plans were reportedly being made for a replacement. The 72-year old soap will officially end its run on September 18th.
Guiding Light is the second show in the last three years to be cancelled, and the fifth in the last decade. Since the cancellation of NBC's Passions in 2007, the soap has been in the bottom of the ratings, with average viewersship floating about the two million-mark. The show, in an effort to reverse its fortunes, changed its entire production model. The change faced rather harsh criticism.
In the last few months, Guiding Light also brought back fan favorites to boost ratings. The most high-profile was Grant Aleksander's return as Phillip Spaulding; the veteran was shockingly fired in 2004.
The cancellation of such a prolific soap leaves the entire industry, which has been in a downward spiral since the 90's, completely in question.
The future of the soap opera is looking bleaker every day.
TV Week and Entertainment Weekly are both reporting that CBS is planning for a replacement for Guiding Light, the longest-running soap opera and drama in broadcast history.
Although it's not set in stone, there seems to be little hope for the struggling sudser. Despite an extremely high-profile change in the show's production, as well as the return of fan favorite Grant Aleksander as Phillip Spaulding, ratings are still low compared to other daytime programs. Guiding Light averages about 2.5 million viewers a week.
Although I haven't really been watching Guiding Light much (since it's been a steaming pile of horse crap lately except for Aleksander), hearing of its cancellation just makes the ending of the soap opera all the more inevitable.
There is a common belief that masterful actors have the ability to help their fellow castmates reach a higher level when they share scenes.
Well then, I guess Debbie Morgan is a masterful actor.
Morgan, an actor with a career that spans over 25 years in mediums including film and television, returned to All My Children last year, playing Angie Hubbard. Since then, she has helped maintain a somewhat stable ground for the fledgling soap. No matter what kind of crap she is given, she turns it into screen gold, hence her Daytime Emmy pre-nomination.
Her true gift lies in her ability to elevate her costars to her level. Such is the case in last week's episode, where Angie treats Ryan Lavery's injuries after a rough night at the casino. What could have been a fly-by-night scene became a significantpiece in understanding the loss that Ryan (played by Cameron Mathison) is suffering after Greenlee's death. While treating his injury, Ryan FINALLY opens up about Greenlee, and instead of spewing unsympathetic garbage about revenge, he expresses feelings of hopelessness, pain, and vulnerability. By the end of the exchange, he breaks down in Angie's caring arms.
What makes this scene particularly special is that for the first time in nearly eight years, Cameron Mathison isn't performing full throttle. His performance here, opposite Emmy-winning Morgan, is quiet and restrained, exposing Ryan's grief far more poignantly than the tirades against Zach that he has been forced to play in the last week or two. He resists the urge to over-express himself, making the scene powerful.
What's spectacular about Debbie Morgan is that, despite her powerhouse acting chops, she lets Mathison take the reigns of the scene, acting with him instead of against him. Their chemistry here is ace, giving Mathison his first viable, non-romantic acting partner since Julia Barr as Brooke English. I'm referring to the scenes with Brooke and Ryan in the hospital after his true love Gillian dies. Just like those, this scene is a truly special moment where everything, as understated as it may be, are terrifically in sync.
All My Children's Kendall Hart has been sleeping in a coma for a very long time, and it appears her awakening also brought her long-dormant mean side to the surface. Granted, she has alot to be mad about; her husband Zach allowed her sister Bianca to use his sperm to conceive a child with confused fiancee Reese.
In typical Kendall fashion, she took out her anger on the happy couple in her impromptu toast, the night before their wedding. Seemingly innocent at first, Kendall's claws quickly came out, delivering a deliciously cool verbal slap to her future sister-in-law. Without breaking a sweat, a fingernail, or her glass, Kendall essentially called Reese a manipulative witch and Bianca a unrecognizable traitor. The killer line? "Weddings are so supposed to be about beginnings...however, for the rest of us, its about endings, mainly that we won't be seeing you around any longer. So, here's to a safe and swift journey home". The treacherous toast had Reese running, alcohol in hand, into the arms and lips of Zach.
So, yes, Kendall's toast may have been a tad rude, inappropriate, mean-spirited, bitchy, and self-destructive. Then again, isn't that what we love about Kendall?
Fans of CBS soap Guiding Light are in for a real treat!
I was informed by the wonderful people at Fancast.com that actor Grant Aleksander, who plays the recently returned Phillip Spaulding, will be participating in a live online chat tomorrow!
Fans of the show will get the opportunity to ask Aleksander questions about his much-hyped return to Springfield. I would particularly ask him what finally made him come back after four years.
It's been a sad week for fans of ABC soap One Life To Live.
First, the original Clint Buchanan (currently played by Jerry verDorn) Clint Richie died on Monday at the age of 70. Now, the actor who played Buchanan patriarch Asa Buchanan, Phil Carey, has passed away today at the age of 83.
Both men have spent a combined total of over 40 years on One Life to Live.
As a fan of Nick and Sharon, you guys have no clue how HILARIOUS capturing this face was yesterday. On Young and the Restless, Nick told his wife Phyllis that he slept with Sharon in the cabin, AND he loved both of them.
In 2006, the writers of ABC soap All My Children shattered the show's nearly four decade history in a universally panned storyline that mocked both the genre and science. They revealed that Josh Madden, played by Collin Egglesfield, was actually thought-to-be aborted fetus of the legendary Erica Kane and her first husband Jeff Martin.
Yes, thought-to-be aborted fetus.
Three years later, a new team have decided that the character has finished his time in Pine Valley and they are killing him off. However, his death won't be in vain. He will be saving his comatose sister Kendall (Alicia Minshew is returning from a long vacation) with his heart.
My only regret regarding this story is that it wasted the talents of Egglesfield, who surely deserved to be more than a scientifically impossible experiment. Yet, I'm glad that we all can officially forget this massive ink blot that was his time on AMC
Here are his death scenes (including a surprisingly quiet performance from the brilliant Susan Lucci):
I haven't been watching The Young and the Restless at all lately, but after seeing some stuff on YouTube, I might DVR it.
This scene DEFINITELY helped me make that choice.
On the December 23rd episode, the legendary Victor Newman had a tete-a-tete with his son Adam, who got caught scheming against him, in jail. Father and son, both in jail for different crimes, really had it out, and its definitely not an overstatement to call the exchange very intense.
You see, Adam wants Victor to arrange for him to get out of jail. Of course, Victor refuses and knocks some sense into youngest Newman, literally. Victor lets Adam know that the Newman name isn't a title that comes with extraordinary privileges. It's something that demands inner strength and requires hard work, which, until now, Adam has avoided. Now, in order to prove that he is worthy of being a Newman, Adam has to show the inner strength that has helped the name perserve for over 20 years.
Eric Braeden is always brilliant, but I was quite surprised by Chris Engen. Playing against one of Y&R's best is difficult enough, especially when you are a newbie like he is. Still, he held his own and made Adam quite sympathetic, despite being a sniveling little coward. He went from bitchy to manipulative to desperate seamlessly. The two actors delivered a top-notch, energy-exploding scene that makes you hope for more between father and son.
Fans of NBC soap opera Days of our Lives are in an uproar over the shocking firing of two of its most iconic actors, Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn.
Soap Opera Digest is reporting that the two, who play supercouple Marlena Evans and John Black, will be written off the show in January.
The massive firings are the results of huge budget cuts after the show was renewed through the summer of 2010. According to executive producer Ken Corday, firing the two iconic actors was "a very tough decision to make".
They may not be the last, though. Rumors are circulating that they aren't the only big name talent on the chopping block.
I haven't watched DAYS seriously in a while (since the stories sucked), but this is truly an outrage. With all the useless people they have on that show, they choose to fire two of daytime's biggest stars? And there's more coming?
They might as well stick a fork in themselves, because they are O-V-E-R!
Soap opera veteran Grant Aleksander will be reprising his role as Phillip Spaulding on CBS soap Guiding Light. After four years of continual rejections, Aleksander will return to the role that made him famous in the coming months.
In 2004, in an extremely controversial decision, Phillip Spaulding was killed off in a "whodunnit" storyline. Months later, it was revealed he was alive. CBS and show owner Proctor and Gamble have made many attempts to get Aleksander to return to the show, but he refused. During his hiatus, he focused on directing. He directed for sister soap As The World Turns.
When Phillip was last seen, he was still suffering from the mental illness that stemmed from his marriage to Olivia Spencer. It is unclear whether he will be cured by the time he arrives.
There are times when I wish celebrity blogger Perez Hilton would just shut his trap.
