Big Day of Soap News

On Wednesday evening soap viewers received two rather unexpected announcements. The first came in the form of a tweet from OLTL's Robin Strasser (Dorian) who told her fans that she would have to end her run on the show sooner than expected, meaning she will not be there when the show ends early next year. Strasser said "I'll have to leave OLTL sooner than the cancellation date, for compelling health reasons. Unable 2 meet high standards I owe our great show." She then went on to say "BUMMER! Darn right. WISDOM indicates a GRACE-full exit, before I fall on my bum. "Always leave 'em laughin". With Tuc and luck, hope I will!" So far no announcement has been made about when her last day of taping will be and certainly no final airdate has been determined, but I will keep you posted.

In other, perhaps bigger news, Robert Guza, Jr. has been replaced as headwriter by Garin Wolf. Wolf, as you might recall, was responsible for the storylines we saw during the writers' strike. As many have reported this change is effective immediately. Reaction to this news has been mixed. Many General Hospital fans have been lobbying for someone to replace Guza for years so to some this comes as a welcome change. However given everything that has happened at ABC recently it is difficult for me personally to see this as something positive. I certainly don't want to contribute anything to the rumor mill because believe me I am no more informed than any other GH viewer; but given that AMC brought on a new headwriter a mere two weeks before announcing its cancellation I can't help but be concerned for GH's future.

Jack Is Back! : DOOL

Early Tuesday morning I noticed several tweets regarding Matthew Ashford's DOOL return. And although I kind of suspected he might come back to the show one day, given that Jack has been mentioned in almost every scene since Melissa Reeves came back, I was still skeptical. This was partially because I could not and have still not been able to confirm that this announcement originated on Ashford's official facebook page, as many claimed. It would appear now, however, that it did considering that news of his return was reported by Soap Opera Digest just hours later.

DOOL also gave me reason to be skeptical of Ashford's return because for months it seemed like the show was trying to discredit Jack, implying that he abandoned his family to go find himself and never looked back. I assumed this was an attempt to get the audience to hate him so that they would be more receptive to the Jennifer/Daniel pairing, because as we all know Jack and Jennifer were among the show's most popular supercouples. In reality I guess all the Jack mentions simply served the purpose of setting up his return and subsequent storyline. While many fans are understandably upset about the way he has been portrayed in recent months, myself included, I have to wonder if things are really as they seem. My theory is that perhaps Jack left to do something he didn't feel safe telling anyone about and that this walk-about was just a cover, a way to protect himself and his family. If this is true it would appear that something went wrong considering that no one has been able to make any kind of contact with him. Since I can't imagine him returning to Salem without reuniting with Jennifer I have to assume he has been in some kind of trouble.


So far details of Ashford's first airdate have not been released. In the meantime, however, you can catch him on the web series The Bay, alongside former DOOL co-stars Mary Beth Evans and Charles Shaughnessy. Click here to read my recent review of The Bay and go to http://thebaytheseries.com/ to start watching.


For all the Jack and Jennifer fans out there, a special treat -


I found the following video clips yesterday morning. They are from the show TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes. Melissa Reeves becomes the target of a prank set up by Matthew Ashford and her husband Scott Reeves, GH's Steve. Enjoy!

Part 1

Part 2

[no copyright infringement intended]

Soap Fan Planned Protest May 17th

The battle rages on in the fight to save the soaps. Tomorrow, May 17th soap fans will hold a protest rally outside Lincoln Center in New York City from 2-6pm. Several daytime favorites have expressed an interest in attending the rally and/or offering their support. The following is an e-mail announcement I received from the Soap Fans United website. It will tell you everything you need to know about tomorrow's rally. Also be sure to stop by and join the Soap Fans United site @ http://www.soapfansunited.com to stay up to date on everything that is being done to save the soaps.


Dear Fellow Soap Supporter:



A demonstration protesting the cancellations of the ABC soap operas All My Children and One Life To Live has been planned for May 17, 2011 outside Lincoln Center in New York City. The rally will be held from
2:00 pm-6:00 pm to target the advertisers arriving at Avery Fisher Hall for ABC's Upfront Presentation starting at 4:00 pm. Since advertisers will be present to see presentations of shows in the new line-up, we want to take advantage of the opportunity to let the advertisers know that we want their support for the soaps and that we want to save the soaps.


When the cancellations were announced, ABC Daytime President Brian Frons stated that General Hospital is safe “for the time being.” Based on past statements by Mr. Frons, many sense that General Hospital is not so safe. We not only feel that fans of All My Children and One Life to Live need to fight for their soaps, but fans of General Hospital need to be pro-active, not only to help in the effort to save All My Children and One Life to Live, but to preserve General Hospital. We encourage fans of all three ABC soap operas to work together in an effort to save their shows and the soap genre from eventual extinction.


We would like to inform you of the rally and encourage you to not only attend or cover the event, but invite others who have a vested interest in soap operas by mentioning the rally in your column or posting about it on your website.


2011 Emmy-nominated Colleen Zenk plans to attend the rally during the first hour, while Mimi Torchin plans to arrive between 3:30-4:00 pm and stay until about 5:00 pm. Kim Zimmer and Robert Newman have voiced their support for the rally, with Robert Newman suggesting that he will see if he can clear his schedule to attend the rally. Dan Lauria and Beth Chamberlain have also expressed support and an interest in attending if they can clear their schedules.


The proper permits for the protest rally have been secured by Soap Fans United with the allowance for amplification. The police have been invited to the event and plan to designate a section across from Avery Fisher Hall for the protesters at the rally.


Please forward or pass this information along to other soap publishers, bloggers and supporters who might be able attend or help cover this rally to not only stand for the hard-working, talented professionals who face unemployment over the next few months, but to help preserve scripted programming for future generations.


For further information regarding the rally, please visit the Soap Fans United website at www.soapfansunited.com or email Soap Fans United at contact@soapfansunited.com.


Thanks for your consideration,
Shawn Brady/Maree Blackston
Soap Fans United






Soap Fans United Protest Rally
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
2:00 pm – 6:00pm
Lincoln Center – 132 W 65th St & Columbus Ave
New York, NY 10023

38th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards

Nominations for the 38th annual Daytime Emmy Awards were announced last week. The following is a list of the categories that you will be most interested in, along with a few that you probably won't be and will likely never see announced during the Emmy telecast. For more information and to see a complete list of nominees go to http://www.emmyonline.org

Outstanding Lead Actress

Alicia Minshew (Kendall) AMC

Debbi Morgan (Angie) AMC

Colleen Zenk (Barbara) ATWT

Susan Flannery (Stephanie) B&B

Laura Wright (Carly) GH

Michelle Stafford (Phyllis) Y&R

Outstanding Lead Actor

Ricky Paull Goldin (Jake) AMC

Michael Park (Jack) ATWT

James Scott (EJ) DOOL

Maurice Benard (Sonny) GH

Christian LeBlanc (Michael) Y&R

Supporting Actress

Melissa Claire Egan (Annie) AMC

Julie Pinson (Janet) ATWT

Heather Tom (Katie) B&B

Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis) GH

Bree Williamson (Jessica) OLTL

Tricia Cast (Nina) Y&R

Supporting Actor

Jonathan Jackson (Lucky) GH

Jason Thompson (Patrick) GH

Brian Kerwin (Charlie) OLTL

Doug Davidson (Paul) Y&R

Billy Miller (Billy) Y&R

Younger Actress

Brittany Allen (Marisa) AMC

Lexi Ainsworth (Kristina) GH

Emily O'Brien (Jana) Y&R

Younger Actor

Scott Clifton (Liam) B&B

Chandler Massey (Will) DOOL

Chad Duell (Michael) GH

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design

All My Children

The Bold and the Beautiful

General Hospital

One Life to Live

The Young and the Restless

Outstanding Achievement for a Casting Director

All My Children

General Hospital

One Life to Live

The Young and the Restless

Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design

All My Children

The Bold and the Beautiful

General Hospital 

The Young and the Restless

 Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team

The Bold and the Beautiful

General Hospital

One Life to Live

The Young and the Restless

Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team

As the World Turns

The Bold and the Beautiful

Days of Our Lives

The Young and the Restless

Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling 

All My Children

The Bold and the Beautiful

One Life to Live

The Young and the Restless

Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Direction

All My Children

General Hospital

One Life to Live

The Young and the Restless

Outstanding Achievement in Live & Direct To Tape Sound Mixing

All My Children

General Hospital

One Life to Live

The Young and the Restless

Outstanding Achievement in Makeup

All My Children

The Bold and the Beautiful

One Life to Live

The Young and the Restless

Outstanding Achievement in Multiple Camera Editing

The Bold and the Beautiful

General Hospital

One Life to Live

The Young and the Restless

Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction And Composition

The Bold and the Beautiful

Days of Our Lives

General Hospital

The Young and the Restless

Outstanding Original Song

General Hospital - "Bad for You" by Rick Krizman

General Hospital - "Home Again" by Robert Hartry

One Life to Live - "Starr X'd Lovers" by Michele Vice-Maslin, Chuck Wild, and Dorian Cheah

Outstanding Achievement in Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/Video Control

The Bold and the Beautiful

Days of Our Lives

General Hospital

The Young and the Restless

Outstanding Stunt Coordination

General Hospital

One Life to Live

The Young and the Restless

Outstanding Special Class Short Format Daytime

Gotham

Venice


Outstanding Drama Series

All My Children

The Bold and the Beautiful

General Hospital

The Young and the Restless

I was surprised to see that the What If? series was nominated in the New Approaches-Daytime Entertainment category. I'm not sure I even remember this category, but since ABC is in the process of cancelling their soaps I am guessing we won't be seeing What If? again. It's too bad because that was a really innovative idea and it could have easily translated across all networks. 

General Hospital is nominated in the Outstanding Promotional Announcement-Episodic category for the "Brenda's Back" promo. Say what you will about General Hospital but they do have some intriguing promos. I have to say though I am surprised this particular one got nominated for an Emmy. I wouldn't rank that as being one of their best.  

Since I don't watch all the soaps it would be unfair of me to comment on who I think is most deserving of an Emmy this year. I will say that I would like Laura Wright to win simply because I have admired her work for years and I think this nomination is long overdue. I also would like to see Chad Duell win in the younger actor category. As annoying as Michael is right now, Chad has done an outstanding job in that role, especially considering that he stepped into it in the middle of an ongoing storyline and was given complex material right up front. Of course no matter who walks away with an Emmy this is likely to be a bittersweet awards show with three canceled soaps being recognized. In addition there are people nominated who have either left their respective shows or are getting ready to. To add insult to injury, Wayne Brady, the host of Let's Make a Deal, aka Guiding Light's replacement, will be hosting the Emmys. I have nothing against Wayne Brady, in fact I'm a fan and I'm sure he will do a wonderful job as host; but I'm also sure soap fans are not going to appreciate yet another reminder of what has been lost.

So there you have it - the list of nominees, at least soap opera related nominees. Who are your picks to win? Any favorites? Anyone you think was overlooked? Sound off in the comment section.

The Bay: The Web Soap You May Not Be Watching

Let me preface this by saying I don't really watch the cyber soaps, as I suspect many people don't. Even though shows like Gotham and Venice have managed to gather a respectable following, as well as Emmy nods, the Internet is still a new medium for the soap genre and it takes effort and commitment to regularly follow an online show, even a favorite one. In addition, for those who have a slow connection, online viewing may seem like a rather daunting task. In fact I'm sure many people think "who has the time?" or "why bother?"


Enter the web series The Bay.


I only became familiar with The Bay after reading an article about it on TV Guide's website. Apparently there is a distinct possibility that it will eventually land on television. Still, having heard nothing of the show, I thought how good could it be? As it turns out it is good...very good in fact. Created by Gregori J. Martin, the show stars some of daytime's most beloved actors, including Mary Beth Evans (Kayla, DOOL) and Tristan Rogers (ex-Robert Scorpio, GH; Colin Atkinson, Y&R) to name just a few. Since much of the show's charm lies in its ability to weave a mystery, I'll refrain from discussing the premise. I will say though that before watching The Bay I had almost forgotten that it was possible for mystery, intrigue, and suspense to exist alongside continuity within a single soap storyline. We see that so rarely these days this was like a breath of fresh air.


Though The Bay only has one season under its belt I'm already hooked and rather impatiently awaiting the installment of season two. Season one contained sixteen webisodes, running at less than ten minutes each. I actually watched the entire season in one night. The Bay's website also contains a six-part confessional which provides background information on the main characters. However, it is not necessary to watch these prior to watching the show. Regular soap viewers will be able to pick up enough information along the way to figure out how most of the characters relate to each other without viewing the confessionals, although some may find them helpful.

There is so much more I could say about this series, but for now I think I'll just let the show speak for itself. To start watching, visit The Bay's website at http://thebaytheseries.com/ and click here to read the TV Guide article about the show's future.

Sister Switch: DOOL

It has been almost two weeks since Tamara Braun took over the role of Taylor Walker, replacing Natalia Livingston who had inhabited the role since late January. I never really understood the need for this sudden casting change, but being a fan of both actresses I kept an open mind. Sometimes these types of changes take a while to get used to, particularly when they are as ill-timed as this one, or as ill-timed as the switch from new Lucky to original Lucky on GH, or from Drew Garrett to Chad Duell in the role of Michael, but I digress.






DOOL used the standard excuse of taking the character in a different direction to explain the Taylor casting change. To be perfectly honest I have never really understood this explanation. Soaps use it all the time and it never makes much sense. Actors act - if a show decides to take a character in a different direction the actor should, by definition, be able to act accordingly. If there is a chemistry problem between the actors and it is inhibiting the natural progression of the storyline, soaps should just say that. However in the case of this particular casting change, chemistry does not seem to have been the issue since Natalia and James Scott, at least from my perspective, had chemistry. So far I'm just not seeing that same spark since Tamara took over the role. Perhaps it's because this casting change was, as I said, so ill-timed, coming months after seeing Natalia's Taylor onscreen nearly everyday. Therefore maybe I just haven't given myself enough time to process this change. Typically though when two actors share a natural chemistry viewers notice it right away. In this case I didn't. Maybe DOOL should have kept Natalia in the role of Taylor and created a different role for Tamara because I don't think this casting decision is doing anyone any favors, least of all Tamara. Taking this part seems like as big a step back for her as it does for this storyline.