Posts with tag one life to live
Posted Sep 11th 2008 2:02PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Daytime, Reality-Free
Executive experience. We've been hearing an awful lot in the media lately about what constitutes executive experience and how important it is when a person gets the chance at an important position. Well, you know what I've learned while watching soap operas? Experience is overrated. Anyone can be a CEO or mayor or run a company, it's easy.
Take Donna on
The Bold and the Beautiful. Until recently, Donna was a model. She used her beautiful body, great features and dazzling smile to show the finest in Forrester Creations. Now, due to her husband's heart attack which resulted in a coma, Donna has taken over the company and appointed herself CEO. It doesn't matter than Donna's never designed a thing or knows how to mass produce, market and distribute a clothing line. Never mind that she couldn't balance her checkbook let alone the bottom line of an international fashion business. Because she had Eric's power of attorney, she took control of the company. Executive leadership was something that she absorbed from Eric, right? Like osmosis or transference. Yeah, right.
Continue reading TV Squad Soap Report: No experience necessary
Posted Sep 4th 2008 2:01PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Daytime, Reality-Free
When I heard about the pregnancy, I was shocked. It was so unexpected, such a surprise, a complete unplanned occurrence that had me scratching my head and wondering what was going on. No, I'm not talking about the revelation that John McCain's choice for vice president, Governor Sarah Palin's unmarried teenaged daughter is pregnant.
I'm talking about
Guiding Light's Reva Shayne's stunning discovery that she's having a baby well into her 40's and after a near-fatal bout with breast cancer.
Seriously, I was floored by that turn in the storyline. The writers had me and every other viewer fearful that Reva's breast cancer had returned. On the brink of her marrying Jeffrey, Reva learned that the drugs she'd been taking had actually acted like fertility pills and, bada-bing, bada-boom, Reva's having a baby.
Continue reading TV Squad Soap Report: Baby mama fever
Posted Aug 13th 2008 3:06PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Daytime, Casting, Reality-Free
It's not unusual anymore when a primetime star suddenly makes the jump into daytime. Recently,
Michael Gross has signed on to The Young and the Restless. Patrick Duffy is a semi-regular on
The Bold and the Beautiful, Bruce Weitz is a Mafioso kingpin on
General Hospital, and if you tuned in yesterday you got to see John James terrorize half a dozen Oakdale residents on
As the World Turns as a deranged doctor. If you're keeping score, they were previously the stars from
Family Ties, Dallas, Hill Street Blues and
Dynasty, respectively. So, really, a primetimer coming to daytime is SOP (standard operating procedure) these days.
However, when a daytimer goes to primetime and then returns to daytime, that can be interesting. Sarah Brown's return to
GH qualifies and so does this one:
A Martinez is joining One Life to Live. For the last decade, A's been a regular guest or regular on
Viva Laughlin, Raines, CSI, Huff, JAG and
Profiler. All good roles, but nothing to match his daytime experience.
Continue reading A Martinez says yes to One Life to Live
Posted Jul 30th 2008 10:02AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Daytime, Reality-Free
A few weeks back, I enthusiastically reported the plans for
One Life to Live's 40th anniversary celebration. Viki was going to have a near death experience and heaven; a classic
OLTL moment would be re-created, the Iguaza Falls plunge; and in an elongated mini-arc, Bo and Rex would be transported back in time to 1968, the year
OLTL began. It was an ambitious undertaking, but it was still nice to hear that they were thinking big, as opposed to
General Hospital which did virtually nothing to commemorate their 45th anniversary in April.
So, now that Viki's visit to heaven -- which did not include Pearly Gates -- has concluded and Sarah and Cristian have gone over the falls -- and look to be dead -- I felt compelled to comment. First, Viki. I really, really like Erika Slezak. She's the Meryl Streep of daytime, able to take on all kinds of stories and make them work. Fortunately for Erika, she didn't have to sing any crappy ABBA songs like poor Meryl in
Mamma Mia!Continue reading TV Squad Soap Report: Heavenly fun on One Life to Live
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 17th 2008 4:21PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Daytime, Reality-Free
Death on a daytime soap is kind of like death in science fiction: it may be the real thing, but then again, maybe not. Fans of
One Life to Live were recently stunned by the death of Nash Brennan. His was truly a case of sudden death. One minute he was a vital part of the scene, negotiating to keep the land for his vineyard, the next he was taking a swing at Jared, falling through a skylight and fatally injured.
The chances that Nash's death is not the real thing seems remote. He was shown on his deathbed in the hospital, saying goodbye to his wife Jessica, making a heart with his finger to show her that he'll always love her. It was sad and poignant and final. At least, I think it was final. You can't always be sure on soaps, as I said.
Continue reading TV Squad Soap Report: Dead but not gone
Posted Jun 12th 2008 4:41PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Daytime, Reality-Free
I don't know about you, but I was kind of ticked off that
General Hospital decided that 45 years on the air wasn't a good enough reason for a special episode. They had a cake -- good for them -- but generally speaking, the media celebrated the
GH anniversary more than the show did. Well, ABC and
One Life to Live are doing just the opposite for four decades of broadcasting.
One Life to Live will celebrate its 40th anniversary -- officially July 15th -- with three special, out of this world storylines. It all starts on July 21. How out of this world? Well, it will be celestial.
Headwriter Ron Carlivati told
TV Guide that his plans, which are extensive, include sending Viki back to Heaven. Longtime fans will recall that in 1987, Viki "died" and went to Heaven, which was inspired by
Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and looked very sci-fi.
Continue reading One Life to Live plans amazing 40th anniversary shows
Posted Jun 5th 2008 11:02AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Daytime, Emmys, Reality-Free
The Daytime Emmys are coming.
The nominations have been announced and ABC plans to broadcast the award presentation on June 20 at 8 p.m. (EST) with Sherri Shephard and Cameron Mathison sharing the hosting duties. One of the things that invariably drives soap fans nuts is not being able to see the Emmy submissions; that is, the actual shows that the Blue Ribbon Panels are seeing when they choose the Emmy winner from the set of nominees.
Well, in a landmark move -- one more reason to love the web -- the
National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has teamed with YouTube to create venue to see most of the nominating clips and judge for yourself. That's what I've done and I've decided to handicap the big Daytime Emmys contests. Tell me what you think, if you judge these clips the way I have.
Continue reading TV Squad Soap Report: You judge the Emmy submissions
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 29th 2008 10:24AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Daytime, Reality-Free
What constitutes a good kid these days? I ask because if I go by the standards put forth by some of the daytime soaps, it's a pretty low bar that's been set. Take, for example, a good kid on
Guiding Light. Daisy, Harley's daughter, was told last week that she would not be allowed to graduate with her high school class. Her mother was dismayed. How could they do that to her daughter? Daisy is such a good kid, Harley said again and again. She'd worked hard to get her grades up and she deserved to graduate with her classmates.
Continue reading TV Squad Soap Report: Let's hear it for good kids!
Posted May 20th 2008 2:03PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Daytime, Reality-Free
Soap operas thrive on drama and they're not above borrowing from other sources. You could say it happens all the time, because it does. Of course, you can also go by that old Hollywood axiom that there are really only seven stories and they're told over and over again in a variety of new and different ways. Be that as it may, a look at some soap stories going on now will remind you of some other media.
For instance, on
All My Children, you might look at Erica Kane's incarceration for insider trading (or whatever she was supposed to have done that was criminal) and think it's reminiscent of the Martha Stewart case. After all, like Martha, Erica is host of a TV show and an entrepreneur of the highest order. But the part of Erica's story that made me giggle was when she was on the run from prison with fellow con Carmen. Being handcuffed together was right out of
The 39 Steps (the Hitchcock movie and now on Broadway) and
The Defiant Ones, but the two women from different worlds clicking was more like
Ugly Betty. Remember, last season when Claire Meade escaped from prison chained to a tough girl named Yoga? Think the
AMC writers were taking notes?
Continue reading TV Squad Soap Report: Inspired storytelling?
Posted May 13th 2008 4:41PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Daytime, Celebrities, Reality-Free
Sometimes you have to call it like you see it. Last week,
One Life to Live staged a bachelorette party for Adriana with a surprise appearance (not to viewers, but to the characters) by Snoop Dogg. I was skeptical. This sounded like just another shoe-horned, topical musical guest starring role to throw a spotlight on the show. Well, it was to a point. It was a publicity stunt. However, the way
One Life put the show together, this intervention was something to shout about. It was a superb hour of music, comedy, drama and soap entertainment. If you're going to be cast in a bright spotlight, you better shine, and that's just was
One Life to Live did.
Continue reading TV Squad Soap Report: One Life is soaring
Posted May 8th 2008 11:06AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Daytime, Obituaries, Reality-Free
There are many, many good actors and actresses in daytime. Some shine brighter than others simply because they are so supremely talented that they raise the level of the drama they are creating. There are two women I'm writing about now. They are both daytime actresses of the highest order. One celebrated her birthday yesterday, May 7th. She's
One Life to Live's inimitable Dorian Cramer, actress Robin Strasser. The other, I'm sad to report, passed away last weekend. The incomparable
Beverlee McKinsey was famous for two characters: Iris Carrington on
Another World and Alexandra Spaulding on
Guiding Light. Ms. McKinsey, who'd retired from daytime -- and acting overall -- in 1992 (except for a brief cameo on
General Hospital) died on Friday evening from kidney failure after undergoing a transplant.
I remember vividly watching
Another World when Beverlee McKinsey was front and center. She was a dynamic actress, a real scene stealer. She commanded your attention as the spoiled, grown daughter of millionaire scion MacKenzie Cory, Iris, on
Another World. Her voice saying, "Daddy," is embedded in my memory.
Continue reading TV Squad Soap Report: Two of daytime's all-time best
Posted May 4th 2008 9:21AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Daytime, Casting, Reality-Free
Is that Carlo Hesser I spy? It looks a lot like Hawk from
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century? Actually, it's both, and his name Thom Christopher. The veteran character actor, who most recently was Colonel Dax on
Guiding Light, is coming back to the soap that he's best known for,
One Life to Live. In 1992, he won a Daytime Emmy for this role.
Soap Opera Digest reports that Thom's will resume the role of Carlo Hesser, evil-doer extraordinare, on June 27.
Christopher's comeback comes on the heels of the major announcement, that is the
return of Andrea Evans as Tina Lord Roberts after a nearly two decade absence. And
One Life isn't done with the splashy returns. Susan Haskell, another former Emmy-winner (for her role as Marty Saybrooke), is also finding her way to Llanview. Never mind that her character plunged off a cliff in a van last year (when Christina Chambers played the part). You'll see, she was thrown from the vehicle and survived somehow. Trust me. Like sci-fi, soap opera deaths are not as final as you think.
Continue reading Another fave returns to One Life to Live
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