AsTheWorldTurns-related stories
Posted Aug 7th 2009 9:02AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Daytime, Cancellations, Pickups and Renewals, Ratings, Reality-Free
There's good news and bad news on the CBS soap opera front. The good news is that
The Young & the Restless has been renewed for two years. The bad news is that
As the World Turns could be axed just like Guiding Light.
The Young & the Restless is CBS daytime's top rated soap. It's been number one in the Nielsens for nearly 20 years running. So the renewal wasn't a big surprise. However, the pick-up came with a warning to cut costs, tighten the budget and, basically, don't expect the stars to get big raises anytime soon. In the past year alone, two of the veterans -- Melody Thomas Scott and Jess Walton -- opted to take less money when the show threatened to write them out or recast. Welcome to the brave new world of daytime!
Continue reading Good news, bad news for CBS soaps
Posted Mar 4th 2009 10:55AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Daytime, Reality-Free
It's been a little over a year since
Guiding Light bolted from the confines of a New York studio to create a reality based production, a sort of cinema-verite style that brought to life a real New Jersey town to "play" Springfield. The results have been middling at best, but recently
GL has lurched forward in a positive way and that can all be explained in two words/one name --
Grant Aleksander. The actor is back as Phillip Spaulding, one of the most important characters in the history of the show.
The last year of
GL hasn't only been about the new production. Coinciding with all that physical change which has set more and more scenes outdoors and in "wild" set, the cast has been undergoing massive change. Top line veterans Ricky Paull Goldin, Nicole Forester and Beth Ehlers have all departed, and recently John Driscoll was tragically killed off.
Continue reading TV Squad Soap Report: Aleksander the Grant
Posted Feb 4th 2009 5:02PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Daytime, Cancellations, Reality-Free
NBC seems determined to destroy
Days of Our Lives, the last soap left on the network. After receiving a truck load of negative press for
firing/letting go/dumping Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn, the producers are now dropping the axe on perhaps the most popular romantic couple ever on the show, Patch and Kayla. According to
Soap Opera Digest,
Mary Beth Evans and Stephen Nichols have been let go.
This may seem like an economic necessity for
Days of Our Lives, especially since the soap only has a year-and-a-half to prove to NBC that it's still viable -- that was the length of the pick up it received when it was renewed in 2008 -- but to fans this is just another slap in the face.
Continue reading Days of Our Lives dumps another supercouple
Posted Oct 1st 2008 8:41AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Ratings, Reality-Free
Did you see
Mad Men recently? As part of Harry's creating a TV division at the Sterling Cooper ad agency, he was made responsible for screening scripts of TV fare so that the content pleased/satisfied/supported the advertisers' desires. Interestingly, it was Joan -- the office manager/head secretary -- who was given the scripts to read and her main focus of
As the World Turns.
She became completely engrossed in the 1962 Oakdale story in which a character came to from a coma with a new personality. Her enthusiasm for the soap story convinced the advertisers to back
As the World Turns rather than
Love of Life, another CBS soap at the time.
Mad Men was historically accurate about
As the World Turns. It was the top-rated soap opera for 20 years -- 1958-1978 -- and in 1962 (the year in which
Mad Men is currently set),
ATWT had increased its share from 47.7 to 53.7 in just a year. It was the soap on the rise and over half all TVs on in daytime were watching this CBS soap.
Continue reading TV Squad Soap Report: SOAPnet's boom and a Mad Men memory
Posted Jul 10th 2008 2:23PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Daytime, Reality-Free
Soap operas are a funny form of television fiction. They have rules all its own, they can tell all kinds of stories and do them in the most unusual ways. Here's a few things I've noticed lately, things that seem to only be possible, on a soap.
Only on a soap...can a medical clinic be conceived, built and stocked in less than a month. It's true. It happened in Port Charles. On
General Hospital, soon after Emily died -- and Nikolas stopped seeing visions of her thanks to a brain tumor -- he decided to dedicate a health clinic in her memory. Since Nikolas is a royalty, some kind of prince, cost was no object. He never met with an architect or designer, never spoke to contractors, never searched for a location and dealt with permits. He did have a fight with the mayor for a couple of shows about opening the clinic after it was already completed. If only all construction projects could be done so easily. Jeff Lewis on Bravo's
Flipping Out doesn't even work that fast!
Continue reading TV Squad Soap Report: Only on a soap...
Posted Jul 3rd 2008 10:03AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Daytime, TV Squad Lists, Casting, Reality-Free
It was big news in the world of daytime when Joseph Mascolo exited
Days of Our Lives a few months ago. After all, Mascolo's Stefano Dimera was hailed as the
number one villain of all time in daytime by Soap Opera Digest.
His return to
Days was supposed to be long-term, but it didn't work out that way. In a surprising, some would say typical, soap way, the phoenix will rise again. Stefano Dimera, in the form of Joseph Mascolo, is coming back to
Days of Our Lives. His reign of terror will commence once more -- in early August. Meanwhile, the other big time evil-doer on the show, Victor Kiriakis, will become more moderate and good by comparison.
Evil on the soaps is, well, a necessary evil. You can't have characters who are happy and blissful all the time. You need the selfish, the greedy, the vengeful, all those evil types to keep the stories interesting.
Continue reading TV Squad Soap Report: Evil abounds
Posted Jun 26th 2008 10:22AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Daytime, Emmys, Reality-Free
Did you enjoy the
Daytime Emmy Awards last week? Were you happy to see grand soap stars like Anthony Geary and Jeanne Cooper honored? I have no complaints with the winners -- and as I mentioned in previous posts, I had predicted some of them correctly. But I do have qualms about so many actors and actresses who weren't even nominated.
A lot of great performances weren't recognized. Therefore, I've decided to recognize a few actors and actresses who should be on the ballot in 2009! That's right, this is a pre-emptive list of six who should be included in next year's Daytime Emmy nominations.
Continue reading TV Squad Soap Report: My Emmy nominations for 2009
Posted Jun 2nd 2008 8:02AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Industry, Daytime, WGA Strike, Reality-Free
The headwriter carousel is spinning in the world of soaps and two shows have tapped new scribes for their shows. Only they're not new, really, only new to these shows. See, in soaps, everything old is new again when it comes to headwriters. The names are usually the same, just the soaps are different.
First,
All My Children has brought in the super-experienced Charles Pratt, Jr. to take over the script duties. He being June 23, but with the lead time for soaps, his stories won't begin unfolding for about six weeks. Still, ABC daytime prez Brian Frons, was singing Chuck's praises in the announcement, saying, "Charles Pratt, Jr. is a master storyteller. His talents in writing today's biggest primetime hits in conjunction with his vast experience with daytime dramas will undoubtedly elevate
All My Children stories in new and exciting directions."
Pratt does have extensive experience, including
Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives, Melrose Place, Santa Barbara, and back in 2002,
General Hospital. The guy can spin a yarn and joining
All My Children he'll have lots of great characters to explore. He's also coming in just as two major stars have been added to
the All My Children cast, Guiding Light transplants Beth Ehlers and Ricky Paull Goldin.
Continue reading New (old) headwriters for All My Children & Y&R
Posted Jun 1st 2008 8:31PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Daytime, Celebrities, Reality-Free
Count Grammy and Emmy-winner Cyndi Lauper as a fan of
As the World Turns' gay couple Noah and Luke. Like the dedicated "Nuke" lovers out there, Cyndi's been anxious for the duo's romance to move more swiftly on the soap. She's decided to do something about it -- and promote her new album at the same time.
Cyndi Lauper will appear as herself on the July 3 episode of As the World Turns, sing a couple of songs and subtly let Luke and Noah know that she supports their relationship.
The controversy surrounding Nuke's soap story -- that their romance is moving too slowly because they're not heterosexual, but homosexual -- has vexed fans. Lauper told
Entertainment Weekly, "I think they're young, these guys, and they're sweet. They're taking their time and struggling with the heart issues, which is even more endearing than just being like the straight couples, half-naked and having sex all over the place. The best way to people is through the heart, and that's why I think it's kind of interesting the way they've done it. It's about love.''
Continue reading Cyndi Lauper to sing on As the World Turns
Posted May 16th 2008 2:23PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Daytime, Celebrities, Casting, Reality-Free
You could call it bailing from a sinking ship, assuming you think the current changes on
Guiding Light are something like being on the Titanic. On the other hand, it may just be a talented actress spreading her wings to take on a new challenge. However you couch it,
Guiding Light star Beth Ehlers is bolting the CBS soap for ABC's All My Children. She'll be assuming the role of Liza Colby Chandler, the part most recently played by Marcy Walker (who played Tangie back on
Guiding Light in 1993).
This is the second major exit from
GL, and it seems that the bottom line reason for the departures is the bottom line. Cost cutting across the board at the P&G soaps --
GL and
As the World Turns -- have squeezed the actors salaries.
Martha Byrne and Scott Bryce left
ATWT in recent months, reportedly in contract disputes, and Ricky Paull Goldin departed
GL last month and was quickly snatched up by
All My Children. Just like Ehlers.
And how coincidental that they were a major couple in Springfield. They even won a special Daytime Emmy in 2002 as America's Favorite Couple --
GL's Harley and Gus. Well, now they can spark that same chemistry in Pine Valley. Move over, Erica and Adam and Tad and Joe, you've got company.
Continue reading Beth Ehlers bolts Guiding Light for All My Children
Posted May 1st 2008 10:04AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Daytime, Reality-Free
There's something about the name Carly, I guess. The four actresses that have caught my attention are now or have played a "Carly" on daytime TV. They are all terrific actresses. They've all brought something dynamic and exciting to their characters, even when they are no longer named Carly. The four ladies in question are Laura Wright, the current Carly Corinthos Jacks on
General Hospital, Maura West, Carly Tenney Snyder on
As the World Turns, Tamara Braun, Carly #2 on
GH and currently Ava Vitali on
Days of Our Lives, and Sarah Brown, Carly #1 on
GH and presently Claudia Zacchara on
GH. Each woman has made a lasting impression on daytime, and they continue to rattle the rafters still.
Continue reading TV Squad Soap Report: The Carlys of my life
Posted Apr 30th 2008 2:02PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Daytime, Talk Show, Emmys, Reality-Free
The Daytime Emmy nominations were announced this morning on
The View. My initial reaction is this: there are so many repeat nominees! This list is filled with actors who have won multiple times. Are the Daytime Emmys in a rut? I'm afraid so. This list seems very stale to me, not that many of these performers aren't worthy, but a lot of other worthy actors were completely overlooked. Again. Emmy could use an overhaul, but we'll discuss that another time.
Here are the main nominees -- and some comments -- and you can check out the complete list and a photo gallery of the
Daytime Emmy nominees at AOL Television. On Friday, June 20, ABC will broadcast the awards in primetime (8-11 p.m. EST) from the Kodak Theater in Hollywood.
Outstanding Daytime Drama General Hospital
Guiding Light
One Life to Live
The Young & the Restless Here we have the usual suspects. Last year,
Y&R and
GL shared the prize. My choice would be
OLTL this time around -- they had a great year and have been on the uprise. However,
Y&R has a lot of actor nominations and that could mean another Emmy for the Bell show. I'd be flabbergasted if either
GH or
GL win. Both shows have received critical blasts this past year.
Continue reading The Daytime Emmy nominations announced
Posted Apr 7th 2008 5:25PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Daytime, Reality-Free
The waiting goes on. Kind of like that spinning planet that symbolizes
As the World Turns. TV Squad reported
recently that many fans of the soap are anxious to see the two gay lovers
, Noah (Jake Silbermann) and Luke (Van Hansis), smooch on screen. There are web sites with a clock ticking, waiting for the next on screen kiss from the fellas. Now comes news that
TV Guide's Michael Logan questioned Barbara Bloom, head of CBS Daytime, to find out if the show, the sponsor or the network is afraid to depict a homosexual teen love story in the same way they do a heterosexual one?
Continue reading CBS daytime head is all for gay love story on As the World Turns
Posted Mar 26th 2008 9:01AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Daytime, TV Squad Lists
For some actors, the soaps are a stepping stone to a career in features. That's how it was for Meg Ryan, who began as Betsy on
As the World Turns. For others, like Eva Longoria Parker, the place she made her mark before becoming one of the
Desperate Housewives was as Isabella on
The Young & the Restless. Allison Janney is another one. She was a lowly -- but brilliant -- maid at the Spaulding mansion on
Guiding Light before lighting up the screen as C.J. Cregg on
The West Wing and winning four Emmys along the way. Looking at the current crop of actresses at work in daytime today, who are the women, the divas if you will, who are ready for primetime, nay silver screen, success? Here's a list of seven who have caught my eye.
Continue reading Seven soap divas ready for primetime
Posted Mar 24th 2008 3:21PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Daytime, Casting
They'll be whistling Dixie in Pine Valley again.
Cady McClain is coming back to All My Children. It's not unusual for a soap favorite to return to the show where they once were a prominent player. It happens all the time. Cady has done it before, multiple times. But this time is different. This time she's coming back as a ghost!
You see, last January 2007, Dixie was killed by a serial killer. She returns now because she has a job to do, reuniting Tad with the child they thought they'd lost, Kate.
Continue reading Cady McClain will haunt All My Children
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