Luke-related stories
Posted Oct 28th 2009 8:03AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Daytime, Casting, Emmys, Reality-Free

Tuesday was
Jonathan Jackson's first day back on General Hospital in the role of Lucky Spencer. It's a role he originated (as a youngster), coming onto the show in 1993 when Luke and Laura -- Anthony Geary and Genie Francis -- made their much-heralded return. Jonathan stayed on
General Hospital till 1999, winning three Daytime Emmys in his tenure, and basically stamped the character as his own. That's why when he decided to return now, it's been a big deal.
Continue reading Lucky's back ... Jonathan Jackson's terrific return to General Hospital
Posted Oct 8th 2009 3:15PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Daytime, Casting, Reality-Free

While a lot of ABC soap fans are flipping out about
Thorsten Kaye's exit from All My Children, and others are giddy about
James Franco bringing his movie star luster to
General Hospital, there's more big news coming about those soaps. First, the original Lucky,
Jonathan Jackson, is returning to General Hospital after 10 years off the show. And the original Greenlee,
Rebecca Budig, is coming back to All My Children after leaving the show in March 2009.
Both these returns are exciting... and fraught with drama. While Jonathan is a three-time Emmy-winner and a superb Lucky -- he originated the role -- his choosing to resume the part means that Greg Vaughan has been dumped.
To be really, really honest, Greg was a great looking Lucky, but he never had a good grasp on the character of Lucky.
Continue reading Big star returns for All My Children and General Hospital
Posted Mar 17th 2009 12:03PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Daytime, Reality-Free

There are many things the soaps do well. You know, things like lavish weddings, fancy dress balls, murder trials, even corporate boardroom shenanigans. On the other hand, there are more action-oriented story lines that just bring out the worst in soaps.
In the last few weeks, for instance,
All My Children staged the worst looking motorcycle/car crash I've ever seen on TV. It was riotously funny, and that was not the desired effect. When a wedding gown-wearing Greenlee (sans helmet) careened off the road into a frozen river, the sight of her veil flying in the wind as the tires screeched, with the headlights blinking and the actors pretending to be tossed around, was a hoot. All I was thinking while watching the accident was: "Could this be executed any worse?" (Also, what a waste of Rebecca Budig's return.)
Continue reading TV Squad Soap Report: Do what you do best... drama!
Posted Jul 11th 2008 6:23PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Daytime, Casting, Reality-Free

One of the biggest stars of daytime is coming back to the tube. Genie Francis, the Emmy-award winning actress who created the role of Laura -- as in Luke and Laura --
will return to General Hospital on August 26 for a brief guest stint. This will be a very interesting return, too, because her last tenure on the show in 2007 was not only award-worthy, it also ended with her character resuming the catatonia in which she's been trapped for the past few years.
So how can she return to
General Hospital? There's a hint in Genie's quotes to the Associated Press. "This is a short visit. It's a mother-daughter story. Years ago when I started playing the character as a 14-year-old girl, it was a mother-daughter story, only I was the daughter. So it's kinda cool this is full circle."
Continue reading Genie Francis returns to General Hospital...again
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 3rd 2008 4:21PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Daytime, Brothers and Sisters, Emmys

It was big news when
As the World Turns, CBS and Procter & Gamble's 52-year-old daytime drama, presented a gay love story between two men. When Luke Snyder (Van Hansis) admitted to Noah Mayer (Jake Silbermann) that he loved him, it was a major step forward for the soap opera genre. However, fans of the show are upset. No, they're okay with them being gay. They just want them to be more affectionate. They're protesting!
In an AP story
about the As the World Turns protest, Roger Newcomb, a die-hard fan, said, "We totally support this show and applaud the show for doing this story line. We just don't understand why they [Luke and Noah] have to be censored or treated differently."
Continue reading Gay fans demand more love on As the World Turns