AMC, Days, GH: Christmas in Soapland 2010

Here is the last installment featuring what happened at Christmas for All My Children, Days of Our Lives and General Hospital. These are really rough due to holiday busyness. None of these shows really got to me emotionally unfortunately, though I do appreciate that AMC and Days did not ignore the holiday even if it was sad.

Christmas in CBS Soapland 2010

This blog entry discusses “The Young and the Restless” and “The Bold and the Beautiful” holiday episodes of 2010. This year I was able to see two B&B Christmas episodes and the three Y&R shows.

OLTL: Christmas in Llanview 2010

Since One Life to Live has aired its Christmas episode already, I decided to blog about it now. Some of the other shows have yet to start with Christmas episodes and some are still celebrating the holiday, and I will hopefully write more about them after I’ve seen them.

AMC: Jake, Amanda, Cara and Griffin

The newest quadrangle on All My Children seems to be wedded couple, Jake and Amanda, Jake’s former wife Cara and Griffin, the man who Jake believes caused the breakup of Cara and Jake’s marriage. At this point, I am not sure what to think and wonder is this just the entry story for Cara and Griffin and they will eventually be going into separate directions or if this will be a long term tale with them coming between Jake and Amanda.

Y&R The Fenmore Sisters

Earlier this year, The Young and the Restless decided to make Jill and Lauren half-sisters. Neil never told Lauren about having a child earlier in his life, so this was a shock to her as well as the audience. Finally the two women bonded, and in time perhaps they will act more like siblings.

Days: A Secret in Salem

I finished reading Sherri Anderson’s “A Secret in Salem” on Thursday, which is a novel with characters from Days of Our Lives. Here are my thoughts on it. Intentionally I have avoided comments on the book so not to sway this entry. This will have story information, so if you haven’t read it and don’t want to know don’t read the rest of this post.

Soap Parodies in Late Night

It seems like the latest thing to parody soaps on television. In the last few weeks, Chelsea Lately on E! and The Colbert Report on Comedy Central have poked fun at daytime soaps. The Soup is another show that has occasional daytime serial clips. As long as I feel like people are being silly without being disrespectful, I can handle it.

Thoughts on Casting, Recasting and Stunt Casting

One of the most important parts of a soap opera is the cast of characters on the program. If the writing is there and the acting isn’t, a program suffers conversely if the acting is there and the writing is bad, the material has the opportunity to be elevated. I just wanted to share some thoughts on this topic in this entry.

Thanksgiving in Soapland 2010

This is just a short summary of what happened on the soaps (All My Children, Days of Our Lives, General Hospital, One Life to Live and The Young & the Restless) I watched over the American Thanksgiving holiday. These are just short blurbs (125 words or less), so things are missing.

SOD: Insider's Guide the Secret Life of Soaps from 1988

I was looking through my old soap opera magazines and came upon this particular issue from October 4, 1988 of Soap Opera Digest. While this issue is the regular size, it states it is a special issue as it features those things that make “soaps so unique and so much fun.” I wanted to explore these items and see if they are still prevalent in soaps today. At the end of this entry, I will summarize some of what else is in this particular issue.

AMC: David's Alive and Zach's Gone

All My Children had two stunning turns of events. David Hayward faked his death and Zach Slater was lost in a plane crash. The two events are interconnected and it seems like much of Pine Valley won’t be having a Happy Thanksgiving.

Days: 45 Years a Celebration in Photos

Yesterday, I received my copy of the Days of our Lives 45 Years a Celebration in Photos by Greg Meng and Eddie Campbell. I was able to purchase it new with discounts for under $10, which included shipping. What follows are my thoughts on the book.

GH: Ethan and Maya Marry

General Hospital’s Ethan Lovett and Maya Ward were in for a shock when they discovered they got married while in Las Vegas. Having a lot to drink, they blacked out, said vows and signed the paperwork.

OLTL: Greg goes up the River

Another casualty of Eli Clarke on One Life to Live was Dr. Greg Evans (Terrell Tilford). While he didn’t die, the actions he took while being blackmailed were illegal. Greg agreed to a plea bargain for 6 years and will serve at least 4 years in Statesville Prison until he is eligible for parole.

AMC: Brot and Natalia Will they finally happen?

Are All My Children’s Brot and Natalia finally headed for a romance? When I say finally, I mean it as this relationship was teased last autumn. That’s a long time to play with a potential couple without either finding another love interest.

Chicago Website with Soap Opera Archive

Normally, I don't write about websites, but I was surfing and stumbled upon the site for the Museum of Broadcast Communications. Currently, the museum is closed and scheduled to be reopened in Spring 2011. This entry will mainly focus on their soap opera information.

OLTL: Goodbye to Cole

Wednesday, November 10 marked the last day of Cole Thornhart as his portrayer Brandon Buddy has left One Life to Life. Cole was sentenced for ten years in prison for shooting and killing Eli, who murdered many people including Kelly’s mother Melinda and Eli’s own brother Ross, blackmailed Greg and kidnapped Tea, Dani, Starr, and Hope. So while what Cole did was wrong, to many his actions were justified.

Happy Birthday Days of Our Lives

Today marks the 45th anniversary of the premiere of Days of Our Lives. The show began on November 8, 1965 on NBC as a 30-minute program that aired between 2-230 in the afternoon. This past weekend they had the Day of Days event in California, which many people attended and the news has been announced the show has been renewed for another two years. If anything that is a wonderful birthday present.

Y&R: J.T. and Mac Get Married

On Friday’s US episode of The Young and the Restless, J.T. and Mac got married and left town with his son Reed. Unfortunately all of this was rushed to get the characters out of Genoa City.

Days: Caroline Switching the DNA

This week it was revealed that Caroline Brady switched the DNA results for Chloe’s baby on Days of Our Lives. Well color me shocked. Here are my thoughts pro and con about this revelation as I am not sure if I like idea.

The Marie Claire Controversy and Soaps

If you've been around the net, this past week you should have seen news about what was blogged about on the Marie Claire website about the CBS sitcom Mike and Molly. Granted I've never watched the program, but I do have an opinion on the situation. I think daytime soaps seemingly have the same feelings on the topic as the author.

ABC Daytime had a Rerun Wednesday

Wednesday, October 27, 2010 marked a special commemoration on ABC Daytime and SoapNet, as they rebroadcasted episodes. They featured shows focused upon specific couples AMC Greenlee and Ryan, OLTL Todd and Tea and GH Jason and Sam.

Soap Opera Stars November 1984

While looking for something that had nothing to do with soaps, I came upon an issue of Soap Opera Stars from November 1984. Other than the reader’s poll, and a humor feature of soap opera bloopers, what is interesting is how many of the people in the magazine are still known to viewers of soap operas today.

Y&R: Victoria Rowell's Satirical Soap Book

I didn’t expect to be writing this entry, but I went to the bookstore today. Victoria Rowell’s novel “Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva” was on sale. The book, which came out in May 2010, was marked down from $16.00 to $3.99, but when I looked at my receipt it was only a $1. This wasn’t at some discount book chain, but Borders, so I was extremely surprised. What follows are my thoughts on the book.

OLTL: Rex's Paternity Up for Grabs Again

One of the enduring threads of One Life to Live’s Rex Balsom is his identity. While we have thought that Roxanne was his mama, earlier this year we found out that was far from the case. This entry discusses spoilers and speculation.

Y&R: The Tornado

I was not overly excited over the recent tornado on The Young & The Restless. Stunts such as this should advance story, but I wonder how much did this event really moved along when it came to plot or if it influenced anything when it came to characterization. That's the point of this summary to see if it really changed the status quo in Genoa City.

Quality Television and Soap Operas

I was looking at my book collection and stumbled upon one entitled "Television's Second Golden Age: From Hill Street Blues to ER" by Robert J. Thompson from 1996. This is a book I had forgotten I owned and I wanted to write a bit about it. In future, I may get into more detail about it, but it got me to thinking about television past.

Current Status of My Soap Viewing

The idea I had for today’s blog was trying to come up with three reasons for watching five of the six soap operas currently on the air. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to come up with a numbered list, but here are the reasons in no particular order. I wish I had come up with a more interesting title, but my creative juices didn't come up with anything uniquely me.

Days: Brady and Nicole's Twisted Reunion

When I didn’t think Brady and Nicole would act odder, Days of Our Lives threw down the gauntlet with them reunite by starting to have sex in a mausoleum on top of a coffin. Both of the characters are damaged, he’s a drug addict and she’s suffered an abusive father who forced her into pornography. My reactions to this were extremely mixed and I need to get them out of my system. I should loathe these characters for what they have done, and be upset by this story, but for some reason I am currently interested in what will happen in the short term. Of course, these feelings could change tomorrow, but here goes.

Y&R The Police Corruption Story & Chance's Death

The Young & the Restless did a story about drug dealing cops and corruption in the district attorney’s office. What did it achieve story-wise and how may it influence further plots.

GH: Robin and Stone Together Again

This week on General Hospital the show gave us a treat by reuniting Robin and Stone as Robin “saw” him while stuck in a well. The program brought back Michael Sutton to play his late character Michael “Stone” Cates. I haven’t been reading comments online about these scenes so I wouldn’t be influenced by what others had to say.

The Soap Opera and Reality Show Debate

One of the biggest discussions about television in the last decade is how reality programming is hurting scripted fare, like soap operas. So I wanted to go through a list of things to see where my feelings fall on this topic.

OLTL: Have you Driven a Ford, Lately?

For the last couple of days, the Ford advertising jingle “Have you driven a Ford lately?” has been stuck in my mind. The words come to mind, images of the One Life to Live characters appear and I’m not sure what to do. So, I decided to write this blog entry to try and make it stop. This post will have spoilers.

GL: Tina Sloan's Book Changing Shoes

Since Guiding Light was cancelled Tina Sloan who played Lillian on that program, wrote a book and has created a one-woman show which is being performed tonight in New York City and throughout the US this autumn. Here are my thoughts on the book, which is about growing older, female friendships, family and working in the entertainment industry. Spoilers abound, so if you haven’t read it and don’t want to know stop now.

ATWT: The Last Episode Airs Today

Today is one of those black wearing days since As the World Turns airs its last episode. I’ve been taping the last couple of weeks to send off the show. For the last few days, I’ve been trying to come up with something eloquent to say about As the World Turns going off the air, but I don’t expect this blog entry to be that. This isn’t about the final episodes as I have yet to see them.

AMC, ATWT, Days, GH: The Death of Soap Doctor Patriarchy

With As the World Turns ending this week, I was reminded of something one of the kinds of characters I miss that no longer exists on daytime television: the kindly fatherly doctor. It feels like they disappeared like house calls or the milkman.

Y&R Billy & Victoria Marry Again

On Thursday, Billy Abbott and Victoria Newman got married again on The Young and the Restless. It seems like most people in town are against their union, but many of them still appeared at the ceremony. This entry is recounting the actions from when they moved in together through the wedding.

Days: Paternity Swapping Madness

On Days of Our Lives, Chloe is pregnant and it looks like Philip is the biological father. Stephanie, Philip’s former fiancée, figured out they had an affair. To protect her relationship with Nathan, she decided to find out about Chloe’s child, with the help of a friendly hacker named Ian. When they first looked at the results, it showed that Daniel wasn’t the father, but when they returned to change the data, it stated Daniel was the dad. So who changed the paternity test and is it even possible there was a switch back?

GH: The Impact of Sonny Going to Rome

On General Hospital, Sonny left Port Charles again after being accused of shooting Johnny. Instead of following Bernie’s plan, he decided to go to Rome. I want to discuss in this blog, what impact it has had so far and where else I feel this should be felt in Port Charles.

The End of Summer Blues

Usually towards the end of August and into early September there seems to be a lull with the soaps. For some reason, this year it doesn’t seem that way. I don’t know what it is, and I wanted to write about this as I feel a “lull”, but the shows didn’t lull. Warning: this post will include some spoilers.

GH: The news about Leslie Charleson being taken off contract

In the last few days, it was reported by ABC: Soaps in Depth that Leslie Charleson who has played Monica on General Hospital since the 1970s was taken off contract. We may still occasionally see Monica on screen. Over this weekend, I mentally flashed to the past and thought about material from days gone by.

ATWT: August 25, 2010 Episode

Here’s another one of my semi-regular reviews of random episodes of As the World Turns that I was able to see. This week I caught the August 25th episode. The series has less than a month of episodes left to air. If things are inaccurate, that’s what you get for watching less than five episodes a month. In the real world, I think a lot of people watch soaps like this casually seeing episodes when they are home and not recording every episode.

AMC: Scott and Annie Get Married

On Wednesday, August 25, 2010, Annie and Scott got married in the park. This is the latest development in the quadrangle of Annie, JR, Scott and Marissa on All My Children. JR and Scott are cousins, Marissa is the fraternal twin sister of JR’s late wife Babe, and Annie was married to JR’s father Adam.

Soaps as Cult TV

In my television book collection, one of the more unique books I own is by John Javna it is called Cult TV A Viewer’s Guide to the Shows America Can’t Live Without!! The two exclamation points are in the title. It was published back in 1985, but even today there are things I find interesting. What follows is a quick summary of what is in the book, some of the guidelines and how I feel that relates to soap operas.

Days: Hope’s the Mugger & it is all Bo’s Fault?

This week on Days of Our Lives, Hope Williams Brady went on trial for muggings and attempted murder. She attacked acquaintances, friends and family while in state induced by sleeping pills. Pleading guilty, she was given a couple of years in the county jail to be rehabilitated.

OLTL: GL Alum Kim Zimmer joining OLTL for a Short Stint

In today’s soap opera news, Soap Opera Digest has announced that Kim Zimmer who is best known for Reva Shayne on Guiding Light is rejoining One Life to Life in her former role of Echo that she last played over 25 years ago. She’ll be in a story with Dorian, Viki and Clint among other characters. Supposedly this will be a limited run, but we do not know the duration of her stay yet.

Y&R: Does the Naked Heiress Really Have No Clothes?

The re-introduction of Abby Carlton Newman on The Young and the Restless involved much nudity of the implied sort. The character suffered an extreme case of SORAS as the character was born in 2000 and is now around 21 years old. This has caused whiplash among some viewers, which I can sympathize with, as it is frustrating seeing someone grow up and out of sequence of characters that should be on screen peers. Instead of being a good sweet girl, all she wants is fame. While Abby is a rich girl, she differs from Marcy Rylan’s former role as the last Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light. Thankfully so far, the viewers have been spared a pregnancy story as that was her first major one on GL.

GH & B&B & ATWT: Why the Brenda Experiment Didn't Work For Me

On Tuesday, ABC Daytime pre-empted their normal programming for an all Brenda Barrett marathon. While I appreciated the gesture, as I approve of the idea of showing episodes that were more than 5 years old, I skipped it and recorded The Bold & The Beautiful and As the World Turns.

AMC: Angie's Pregnant

On All My Children, Dr. Angela Hubbard has discovered she is pregnant. This should be a happy time, as for many years Angie believed her husband Jesse to be dead. They reunited and remarried, but life doesn’t go smoothly sometimes.

OLTL: The Twins are Pregnant

Currently on One Life to Live, sisters Jessica Buchanan Brennan and Natalie Buchanan Banks are pregnant. The women, who are fraternal twins (that have different fathers); both have issues in regards to the paternity of their unborn fetuses. As a viewer, I have many concerns with this plot. I’m frustrated, and it has nothing to do with supporting any pairing. At this point, I feel this is a shock or tease story as there is a possibility they both became pregnant after having sex with the same man.

Soaps in General: Down with Proximity Pairings

If you are reading this you may wonder what is a “proximity pairing” and why someone is railing against this kind of coupling. I define a “proximity pairing” as a couple that is put in proximity of one another and we are supposed to accept the duo is right for each other even if they barely are focused upon as a couple. Sometimes there is no bias and the only reason for the couple is they are both free and in the same story. Other times, it is based on factors such as age or race. In this entry, I am going to focus on stories where the pairings made sense, and overcame the label so they don't exist only in a bubble. I’m not saying all couples that are put together for this reason are poor or that soaps need not do this, just that I find they can be extremely frustrating. If there were terminology, for what I am describing, I’d love to hear it. Hopefully this post isn’t too preachy.

GH: The Hospital Shoot Out

This past week, bullets rang out in Port Charles. Unlike most shoot outs on General Hospital this one involved people who were not members of the mob.

Y&R: Christine's Back, but why?

On "The Young & the Restless" Christine aka Cricket Blair has returned to Genoa City. She came home with a secret, and it looks like we already know what it is. Hopefully there is a twist and this isn't all to the story.

ATWT & B&B: Friday CBS Soap Madness

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I was able to catch part of Bold and the Beautiful and all of As the World Turns on Friday. Here are some of my thoughts on these two shows that I once watched regularly and now see a lot less often.

OLTL: Happy Birthday One Life to Live!

On this day in 1968, One Life to Live premiered on ABC daytime. The show created by Agnes Nixon was originally called Between Heaven and Hell. In honor of this anniversary I want to write about my early impressions and memories of the show in a non-linear style. If anything is inaccurate, I apologize as I am writing solely from memory.

Days: Chloe is Pregnant

On Days of our Lives, Chloe Lane discovered she was pregnant after her elevator crashed. While engaged and living with her fiancé Daniel, Chloe cheated on him with her ex-flame Philip, who happens to be married to Daniel’s daughter Melanie. Chloe had been set up by Vivian to believe her intended was unfaithful with Carly, who is Melanie’s mother.

GH: Just Boom

General Hospital’s Sonny Corinthos had a brilliant plan to eliminate his enemy Johnny Zacchara – a car bomb. Unfortunately as tactics go this one failed, as his daughter Kristina was the only one who got hurt, though she was out of the hospital within two days.

Days: Kim and Shane Reunite

After many years apart, Shane Donovan and Kimberly Brady have decided to work on their relationship. This Days of Our Lives duo fell in love about 25 years ago, and has not been on screen together since the early 1990s.

ATWT: Henry and Vienna Marry

On Monday, July 5, 2010, Henry and Vienna got married on As the World Turns. The nuptials won’t last for a long term even if ATWT wasn’t going off the air in September. Since I was home from work, I took this opportunity to check into the lives of the people of Oakdale and write about this particular episode.

GL: Remembering Guiding Light's 1994 BBQ

Today there is weirdness due to the lack of Guiding Light for some of us who watched it. I didn’t really feel it at other holidays, as I was busy with other activities. The Fourth of July is different this year, as it fell on a Sunday, and consequently I’m off work on Monday.

2010 Half-year Review of Soaps

Here is my brief review of the soaps so far in 2010. This isn’t comprehensive, and just includes some highlights typed up stream of consciousness style in a less than 70 word format.

Days: Alice Horton Tribute

Earlier this year, Frances Reid passed away, and Days of Our Lives created a story in which her character Alice Horton became ill and died. Over the last few episodes, characters from Salem’s past returned to pay their respects and say goodbye to Alice Horton.

Thoughts on the 2010 Daytime Emmy Show

Last night on June 27, 2010, CBS aired the Daytime Emmy Awards hosted by Regis Philbin. The show was two hours in length, and seemed to be barely about daytime television. Many people were irate watching the broadcast as it was more about celebrating the best of Las Vegas than any genre of daytime television.

ATWT: The End of Taping

With the end of June, comes the last days the cast and crew of “As the World Turns” will be at work. Hearing about and looking at pictures from the wrap party being held last Friday, June 18 and seeing this announcement on Entertainment Weekly’s site shows that the last tape day was yesterday.

More Thoughts on Web Soaps

A few months ago, I wrote about my feelings about web soaps and whether or not I thought they were a fad or the future. Now with a lot more series having been produced, or in production and/or pre-production, I want to explore this a bit further with some pros and their potentially related cons.

GH: Johnny and Olivia Break Apart

General Hospital’s Johnny and Olivia knew they were on borrowed time when they got involved, but now the time has passed. The unexpected couple was together a long time for Port Charles, though it seems the obstacles are just too much for it to continue.

AMC: Jake and Amanda Renew their Vows

On their first anniversary, All My Children’s Dr. Jake Martin and Amanda Dillon renewed their wedding vows. The couple’s first year of marriage was somewhat rocky, as was their courtship, but after everything they went through the couple has finally found some happiness together.

True Blood Season One

In the last week or two, I’ve seen a lot of press on HBO’s series True Blood, in which the program is referred to as a soap opera. Since I recently watched the first season on DVD, I decided to write about it here. A few months ago, it was on sale for under $20 for the season set, though unfortunately the season two set is still too much, and without HBO I have no idea when I will see that or season three which is premiering in the next few days. While I’ve only seen the first season of the television show, I have read the first eight full-length novels that Charlaine Harris has written about Sookie Stackhouse and her friends and foes. This post does reveal plot lines, so if one has never watched, they may want to skip due to spoilers.

OLTL: Bo and Nora Wed Again

Monday, June 7, 2010 was the big day when Bo and Nora got married again on One Life to Live. Their first marriage in the mid-90s fell apart due to her infidelity, but they finally worked their way back together.

GH: Brenda Comes Home

The latest in General Hospital news is the return of Vanessa Marcil in her role of Brenda Barrett. The character that first appeared in Port Charles over 15 years ago is loved and missed by many. Of course, while many love Brenda some do not and worry the character will take over the canvas.

Y&R: Billy and Victoria's Wedding

In honor of June, it seems like I’m going to be writing a lot about soap weddings. Here are my thoughts on latest wedding on The Young and the Restless.

Days: Vivian Marrying Victor

Last week on Days of Our Lives, Victor Kiriakis married Vivian Alamain. The duo’s nuptials were met with more grief than glee as no one except for Vivian felt this was a very good idea.

Sayonara SoapNet by 2012

The big news in the world of soaps in the last 48 hours is the announced end of SoapNet. The channel which will cease broadcasting in about 18 months will be replaced by Disney Jr. This headline is such a big deal it was a trending topic on Twitter the evening of the American Idol Finale. To read TVGuide's take click here. My thoughts on this are jumbled so I am using this entry to explore them.

The Changing Face of CBS Daytime

With the latest rumblings that As the World Turns will most likely be replaced by another version of the game show Pyramid or Password, a talk show, or a reality game show hybrid with a cooking element, one wonders what CBS is thinking beyond the bottom line. I do not know why we have yet to hear what the replacement show will be or its length. Will CBS give back 30 minutes to their local stations or air an hour show in its place.

OLTL: The Musical

On Friday, Monday and Tuesday, (May 14, 17 & 18) One Life to Live presented three musical episodes. These particular days had original tunes alongside covers of songs by famous artists. Starr X’ed Lovers was the name of Langston’s musical, and I figure we are to assume that the original songs used throughout the episodes were from the fictional show. The reactions to the musical have been mixed with some enjoying it and others not so much. This entry includes general impressions and is not a full summation of the episodes.

Thoughts on Daytime Emmy Nominations 2010

The list for the Daytime Emmy nominees came out yesterday morning. For a full list visit the Emmys website here. Here are my thoughts as a long time soap viewer who doesn’t claim any sort of authority beyond watching soaps for years. The Daytime Emmys are a celebration of all the programs that air in the daylight hours. For the sake of this blog entry I am just writing about the major soap opera categories.

AMC: Seeing vs. Believing Reality show with Ricky Paull Goldin

Earlier this month, TLC aired a special with Ricky Paull Goldin who currently plays Dr. Jake Martin on All My Children. It was a paranormal reality show and called Seeing vs. Believing.

GH: Michael Killing Claudia

This past fall Michael killed his stepmother Claudia. Everyone in his life is supposedly doing what is best for Michael, whether it is his parents, Carly and Sonny, stepfather Jax, siblings Dante, Kristina, and Morgan or godfather Jason. What these people think is the correct course of action is what is unclear and is causing the conflict.

ATWT: Helen Wagner's Death

Daytime legend Helen Wagner passed away this past weekend at the age of 91. For 54 years, she played Nancy on As the World Turns.

OLTL: Todd's Visit to Hades

On Thursday, April 29, Todd flat lined and One Life to Live gave us a quick glimpse of what hell would be for him. His daughters and their mothers waited outside while he was being worked upon after he was beaten severely by Cole Thornhart.

RH: Summarizing Some Stories 1980

Since the SoapNet broadcasts of Ryan’s Hope have gotten us to the end of another year, this time being 1980, I wanted to assess where the program is at with the storylines. Some of this may not be accurate, as at times I’ll have technical difficulties and miss episodes.

AMC: Tribute to Palmer & Departure of Adam

Last week marked a changing of the guard on All My Children with Palmer’s Tribute and Adam’s departure from Pine Valley. James Mitchell passed away earlier this year, and they aired a special episode in honor of his character Palmer Cortlandt on Tuesday. David Canary has retired, so his character of Adam Chandler has been retired as well. Adam’s twin brother Stuart was killed off last year.

P&G's Newest Production

On Friday, April 16, 2010, NBC aired the first co-production of Walmart and Procter & Gamble Productions called Secrets of the Mountain. In promoting this movie, a bomb was dropped, which is what took so long for me to write about this situation. Thanks go to welovesoaps.net for letting everyone know about this news.

Bye-bye Betty

Last week we had tax day in the USA and the last episode of Ugly Betty. Rumors have already begun about the possibility of a movie, but who knows if that will come to pass.

OLTL: Farewell, Kyle and Fish

This week on One Life to Live we saw the swan song of medical student Kyle Lewis and police officer Oliver Fish. The couple got their happy ending while remaining in Llanview.

AMC: Aiden's Out on DWTS

Occasionally the world of soaps and reality shows cross, but that came to an end this season on “Dancing with the Stars.” Even if there are no performers on the program from the daytime or nighttime serial genre, I still watch DWTS.

OLTL: See You Schuyler

The character of Schuyler Joplin went to prison on One Life to Live for kidnapping his former girlfriend, Gigi and shooting Bo Buchanan. Scott Clifton, who is best known as General Hospital’s Dillon, played the part of recovering drug addict, who had a lot of demons.

AMC: Tad the Cad is Now Damon's Dad

All My Children wrote in an encounter between Tad and his former love Hillary. This one stolen moment created a child that she raised with her husband. Now Damon is in Pine Valley getting into trouble and causing problems for himself and those around him.

OLTL: Goodbye Kimmie

I was planning to write about each of the One Life to Live character departures, but since Rachel's was so uneventful. She told Schuyler that she is going out of town to help a friend move. Rachel didn't even interact one last time with her mom Nora or her brother Matthew. For this reason I'm starting with Kim Andrews and summarizing her time in Llanview.

Soap Opera Stars November 1986

Just wanted to share some info from a nearly 25 year old soap magazine in my collection. This issue has stories about people who are still known by viewers today and a poll a reader's poll for the year 1985-1986. The poll results are slanted towards Days of Our Lives. I'll share the winners and runners-up, along with some other details written about in this issue.

GH: Happy Anniversary

In honor of General Hospital’s 47th anniversary, I wanted to share my first memories of the show. While what I am writing may seem to be funny it is true to the best of my recollections of my life prior to the age of eight. It is not an April fool’s day joke.

Thoughts on the Emmy Pre-nominations 2010

Lost track of time and hadn't gotten a chance to comment on the Daytime Emmy pre-nominations. I'm one of those people who finds these awards fascinating and likes to see what the industry feels is worthy of honoring.

Love in the Afternoon - Valetine's 1983

GSN gave us soap fans a gift this past week, with the rebroadcast of five Family Feud episodes with 20 daytime stars from the 1980s. The competitors were five men and five women from both of the casts of All My Children and General Hospital. Within this blog entry are spoilers of what happened on these episodes.

Days: Frances Reid's Death

I have waited nearly a week to write about Frances Reid passing away. Even after this time, that news fills me with sadness, though she lived to the age of 95. We were all very lucky to have been able to enjoy her work for 42 years (from 1965-2007) on Days of Our Lives as Alice Horton. The one uplifting thing was seeing both the character and actor trend on twitter on the night her passing was announced. She has touched many people over the years.

Days: Mickey's Passing

In January, Mickey Horton passed away, and Days of Our Lives said goodbye to one of its original characters. The actor who is synonymous for the character of Mickey, John Clarke retired in 2004 (though still living) and the program tried unsuccessfully to recast the role twice. My reaction to this may be different from some, because I felt somewhat underwhelmed.

2009 Year in Review

This year in soaps review is about two weeks late. I hope that this is better, late than never. There will be things I miss or skip, for brevities sake. These are just the things that made the largest impact on me and I’ve limited myself to 70 words per program.

Days: Baby Sydney Saga

I have wanted to write about the baby Sydney saga for weeks, and finally we’ve hit a lull in the story. Other plots on Days of Our Lives are taking center stage, giving a natural break in the action.

AMC: 40th Anniversary

All My Children is now officially over the hill, and promoted two special episodes for their 40th anniversary.

New Year's Resolutions for 2010

Here are my 2010 New Year’s Resolutions when it comes to this blog and serialized programming in general.

Y&R: Billy Abbott's New Year's Eve Dream

The Young and the Restless had a special New Year's Eve episode. Billy Abbott seems to care more about drinking and his magazine business (Restless Style) than his family and friends. In this special episode, Billy is confronted with a possible future, as the spirit of his deceased father John pays him a special visit.