ATWT: Bonus New Year's Eve Episode

Soapclassics.com has a new bonus episode of As the World Turns posted. It is from December 30, 1999. Here is a summary and my thoughts on it, as this will only be up for a limited time.

Christmas in Soapland 2011

Here are the highlights of what went on during Christmas on the daytime soaps. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to report on some shows, while others went out of their way to celebrate the day.

GL: On DVD Coming 2012

Last night, information was released that soapclassics.com is going to offer 20 episodes of Guiding Light for sale in Mid-January. So far we have one photo of cover art and this post from welovesoaps.net with spoiled episodes.

ATWT: Christmas in Oakdale

In this entry, I am going to write about my thoughts on the Christmas in Oakdale soapclassics.com As the World Turns release. All episodes on this release have full opening and closing credits, some of which were holiday style with special cast photos.

ATWT: Villains and Vixens Disc 4

In this entry, I am going to write about my thoughts on the fourth disc of soapclassics.com As the World Turns release.

OLTL: Fraternity Row Fantasy

One Life to Live had a fanciful episode on Monday, December 16, 2011. Here is a quick summary, which is not in 100% order and my thoughts on it.

ATWT: Bonus Christmas Episode

Soapclassics.com has a new bonus episode of As the World Turns posted. It is from December 24, 1982. Here is a summary and my thoughts on it, as this will only be up for a limited time.

Y&R Neil and Sofia Get Married

On the Thursday, December 15, 2011 episode of The Young & The Restless, Neil (Kristoff St. John) and Sofia (Julia Pace Mitchell) were married in a small ceremony. Here are my thoughts on this episode.

B&B: Tuesday December 13, 2011 Episode

Here are my thoughts on the December 13, 2011 episode of The Bold and the Beautiful. This was a special edition as it focused on the foster care system.

GL: Taking Soaps Seriously Part 1

From surfing the web, I found the full text of Michael James Intintoli’s book Taking Soaps Seriously the World of Guiding Light. It is available for no cost here, so I decided to write about it.

Y&R: The Backwards Episode

My television listing referenced “The Young & the Restless” that aired on December 9, 2011 as the backwards episode. It was kind of confusing, but these are my thoughts on it, if you haven’t seen it read no further.

Days: Horton Square Tree Lighting

On Tuesday, December 6, Days of Our Lives started the holiday celebrations early as characters put up trees all over town. Richard Culliton wrote this episode.

OLTL: Matthew's Awake

On the November 23, 2011 Thanksgiving holiday episode Matthew Buchanan (Eddie Alderson) narrated the show, while he was comatose. At the end of the episode, he flat lined, but the following Monday he awoke from his coma.

Starlit Book

Starlit is a 2010 novel, by Lisa Rinna best known to daytime soap opera viewers as Billie Reed on Days of Our Lives, her stint on Melrose Place or as host of the defunct SoapNet show, SoapTalk. She's also been a competitor on Dancing with the Stars, had her own reality show, and appeared in various television movies. This entry has plot references and spoilers for the book, so if you don't want to know, don't continue reading it.

ABC: Frons Out in January

The news came out today that Brian Frons will no longer be the head of ABC Daytime effective January. Someone new named Vicki Dummer, who was already at ABC will be doing the job. She is from the reality show realm and manages that part of the business for ABC. It sounds like the syndicated shows along with the ABC Daytime shows will all be under her management. For more information about the changes read the article on Deadline.

GH: More Behind the Scenes Changes

Last night, news came out on twitter from ABC: Soaps In Depth that Jill Farren Phelps was out as General Hospital's executive producer and Frank Valentini, the head man at One Life to Live was taking her place. Today it was revealed that Ron Carlivati, who was the last head writer at One Life to Live will be the program's new head writer.

This may be a big change for the show, as Phelps has been at GH for a decade. The current head writer Garin Wolf and his co-head writer Sherry Altman will continue at GH, but not in those positions.

Will this keep General Hospital on the air longer? Is the program going to continue and celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2013? Who knows, but it will be interesting to see if GH changes in tone and scope. According to press reports, they will be starting at General Hospital on January 9, 2012.

For press information on this news visit: Entertainment Weekly’s Story which is an interview with Frank Valentini or New York Magazine's Story.

Y&R: Delia's Illness Reunites Couples

On The Young & The Restless, Billy Abbott (Billy Miller) finally was able to return to Genoa City after Victor (Eric Braeden) stopped keeping him away from his family. Unfortunately the divorce papers his wife Victoria (Amelia Henlie) filed came back so while they are reunited, it looks like they are no longer married.

GH: Lucky Friday General Hospital Marathon

On Friday, November 25, 2011, SoapNet aired a General Hospital marathon focusing on the character of Lucky Spencer as played by Jonathan Jackson. The marathon featured four episodes from the 1990s and one from earlier in 2011.

ATWT: Bonus Thanksgiving Episode

Soapclassics.com has the November 24, 1999 episode of As the World Turns up for Thanksgiving. Here are my thoughts on this show.

AMC & OLTL: Thoughts on the Cancellation Again

November 23, 2011, the day before Thanksgiving, where many of us are preparing for the holidays the news comes down that OLTL isn’t happening either. Prospect Park’s words were that All My Children and One Life to Live are suspended (see the press release for their exact wording.)

AMC: J.R. Martinez (Brot) won DWTS

Just finished watching the last episode of Dancing with the Stars for 2011, and J.R. Martinez won the mirrorball trophy with his partner Karina.

ATWT: More Episodes on DVD

Happy news from Welovesoaps.net and soapclassics.com: there is a new ATWT set with Christmas episodes available for purchase right now called Christmas in Oakdale.

Dial Emmy for Murder Book

This is my quick review of Eileen Davidson’s book “Dial Emmy for Murder”, which was written in 2009. It is her second soap opera mystery novel, (two additional books came out in 2010 and 2011.) Ms. Davidson currently plays Ashley Abbott McCall on the Young and the Restless, but she has also appeared as Ashley on The Bold and the Beautiful. She also appeared in roles on the soap operas Days of Our Lives (Kristen, Susan and more), and Santa Barbara (Kelly Capwell). My summary/review does spoil some information, but does not give away the killer.

OLTL: David Vickers saves the day, the dog, not the man

This week on One Life to Live, Brody Lovett (Mark Lawson) saw his world fall apart, as everyone found out that he was not baby Liam’s biological father. The Buchanan clan had yet another wedding ceremony aborted at the altar as Natalie (Melissa Archer) realized that she could not marry him. This turn of events would never come to be if not for Princess David Vickers. Tina’s (Andrea Evans) Shih Tzu found the document, and it became a comedy of errors.

Thoughts on Episode 8 of Dirty Soap

This is my summary of episode eight of Dirty Soap on E! The final episode of the season aired on November 13, 2011. It did not feature Kirsten Storms (Maxie on GH).

Days: A Secret Threatens a Newly Married Maggie & Victor

Last week on Days of Our Lives, Maggie (Suzanne Rogers) and Victor (John Aniston) were married. They wed in the Kiriakis mansion with Victor’s nephew Justin (Wally Kurth) performing the wedding. Their guests were Henderson (Ron Leath), Daniel (Shawn Christian) and Melanie (Molly Burnett). Due to a snowstorm, Bo and Hope had to leave, Brady and Jennifer, Justin’s wife Adrienne and son Sonny never made it to the ceremony.

ATWT: Oakdale Though the Years Disc 3

In this entry, I am going to write about my thoughts on the third disc of soapclassics.com As the World Turns release. All of the episodes had opening and closing credits.

AMC: Bad News from ABC: SID

Just wanted to do a drive by entry tonight, due to the horrid news that ABC: Soaps In Depth shared that All My Children on Prospect Park is on hold.

My entire reaction to it tonight is ARGH! I feel like Charlie Brown getting the football pulled away from Lucy. Hopefully this is just a temporary setback and not forever. Also I hope it isn’t a forbearer and One Life to Live shares the same fate. Development Hades is still Hades.

To read exactly what SID posted click here.

B&B Hope and Thomas

On Wednesday, November 10, I was able to catch an episode of The Bold & The Beautiful. The main story was about Hope (Kimberly Matula) and Thomas (Adam Gregory).

AMC: Charm

Due to missing All My Children, I decided to finally read my copy of the Kendall Hart (Alicia Minshew) book “Charm”. It was written by an unknown author in 2008 and was a tie-in novel to All My Children. Here are my thoughts on it and if you don’t want to know don’t read the rest.

Thoughts on Episode 7 of Dirty Soap

This is my summary of episode seven of Dirty Soap on E! This episode did not include Galen Gering (Rafe on Days), his wife Jenna or Kirsten Storms (Maxie on GH).

Y&R: Sharon's Finally Free

This past week Sharon Newman (Sharon Case) was finally cleared of the murder of Skye Newman (Laura Stone). Skye had faked her death with the help of her father-in-law, Victor Newman (Eric Braeden), framing his son Adam (Matt Muhney). Sharon cornered Skye in Hawaii, and Skye slipped and fell into a volcano.

GH: Kristina's Off to College

On Friday’s General Hospital, Kristina Davis (Lexi Ainsworth) left Port Charles to go to Yale. As the daughter of Sonny (Maurice Bernard) and Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn), Kristina had to deal with conflict her entire life. Her mother did not approve of her father’s business and early on, she was raised with Ned as her father.

AMC & OLTL: Some Good News Some Bad News

Today more information on Prospect Park came out to us. Here are my thoughts on it.

Thoughts on Episode 6 of Dirty Soap

Here is my post about the sixth episode of Dirty Soap on E!

ATWT: Secrets and Scandals Disc 2

In this entry, I am going to write about my thoughts on the second disc of soapclassics.com As the World Turns release.

GH: The Boat Cruise

On General Hospital, Patrick Drake (Jason Thompson) decided to do something nice for his wife Robin (Kimberly McCullough). Instead of them going by themselves, the boat cruise on the lake would be a celebration for his half-brother Matt (Jason Cook). Unfortunately this event would go from a happy party to a disaster.

Thoughts on Episode 5 of Dirty Soap

This is my summary of episode five of Dirty Soap on E! This episode did not include Galen Gering (Rafe on Days), his wife Jenna or Kirsten Storms (Maxie on GH).

ATWT: Great Weddings Disc 1

In this entry, I am going to write about my thoughts on the first disc of soapclassics.com As the World Turns release.

Y&R: Neil's the Dad so Malcolm Bolted

On The Young & the Restless, Sofia (Julia Pace Mitchell) had her son Moses, named after her father. Instead of the boy being the child of her husband Malcolm (Darius McCrary), he is the child of Malcolm’s older brother Neil (Kristoff St. John). Finding out that Neil was biological parent was enough reason for Malcolm to depart Genoa City with divorce papers in hand.

Thoughts on Episode 4 of Dirty Soap

Here is my post about the fourth episode of Dirty Soap on E!

B&B Steffy Marries Liam

This week Steffy (Jacqueline MacInness Wood) plan to get Liam (Scott Clifton) succeed as she married him on the top of Ajax in Aspen. Does this mean the end for Liam with Hope or will he honor his commitment to Steffy?

ATWT: On DVD Hurrah!

Yesterday we had awesome soap opera news. Classic episodes of As the World Turns will be available on DVD. The twenty-episode set (4 disks with 5 episodes each) can be purchased at www.soapclassics.com and I’ve already ordered my copy.

Thoughts on Episode 3 of Dirty Soap

The third episode of Dirty Soap aired on E! Here are my thoughts on it.

GL: Kim Zimmer's Memoir Part Four

Here is the fourth and final part of my write up on Kim Zimmer’s (Guiding Light’s Reva) memoir. The full title of the book is “I’m Just Sayin’! 3 Deaths, 7 Husbands, and a Clone! My Life as a Daytime Diva.” Laura Morton who co-wrote Susan Lucci’s book also did that job here. These are just my thoughts; spoilers about the book are included.

GL: Kim Zimmer's Memoir Part Three

Here is part three of my write up on Kim Zimmer’s (Guiding Light’s Reva) memoir. The full title of the book is “I’m Just Sayin’! 3 Deaths, 7 Husbands, and a Clone! My Life as a Daytime Diva.” Laura Morton who co-wrote Susan Lucci’s book also did that job here. These are just my thoughts; spoilers about the book are included.

AMC: Last Chance for Romance Marathon Part 2

In this entry, I am going to discuss the last four episodes that aired during the “last chance for romance” All My Children marathon on 9/18/2011.

Thoughts on Episode 2 of Dirty Soap

Here is my entry on the second episode of E's Dirty Soap.

GL: Kim Zimmer's Memoir Part Two

Here is part two of my write up on Kim Zimmer’s (Reva) memoir. The full title of the book is “I’m Just Sayin’! 3 Deaths, 7 Husbands, and a Clone! My Life as a Daytime Diva.” Laura Morton who co-wrote Susan Lucci’s book also did that job here. These are just my thoughts; spoilers about the book are included.

AMC: Last Chance for Romance Marathon Part 1

This weekend I started watching SoapNet’s Last Chance for Romance marathon of All My Children episodes, which aired the two weeks ago Sunday, September 18, 2011. This entry is on the first three episodes.

Days: The Reboot So Far

Friday September 23 was a big day in the soap world, as the last episode of All My Children aired, and Days of Our Lives aired the first episode that was fully written by the new head writing team of Marlene McPherson and Darrell Ray Thomas. Here are my thoughts on the revamp after watching one full week of episodes.

B&B: Liam gets Engaged Again

This week on The Bold & the Beautiful, Liam (Scott Clifton) lost Hope (Kimberly Matula) and became engaged to Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood). In the matter of one episode Liam lost one fiancé and gained another, say what? Let’s go back and explain what happened…

MTV's Awkward. Season One

Last night, MTV aired the final two episodes of season one of Awkward. The program is a 30 minute serialized teen comedy, which is coming back for a second season in 2012. Here are my thoughts on how the show advanced since my first post on it after the airing of episode three. This entry has information through the last episode of the season, so if you haven’t seen it yet read no further.

AMC: I Love Lucci Marathon (Part 2)

The last episodes of All My Children have aired on ABC. This past weekend I caught up with the I Love Lucci marathon that was on Saturday the 17th.

Thoughts on the Premiere of Dirty Soap

Last night E! aired the first episode of the soap opera reality show, Dirty Soap. The program was on from 10-11 pm in the east. Here are my thoughts on it.

AMC: The Last Two Episodes

I did a write up about the first three episodes of All My Children’s final week on ABC. Here are my thoughts on the last two episodes.

GH: Jason and Sam Elope

On General Hospital, Jason (Steve Burton) and Sam (Kelly Monaco) spontaneously eloped. While they plan to marry the next day, Sam and Jason decided to take a motorcycle ride to cool off, and ended up newly married.

AMC: Two Shows Left

Here is my summary on the first three shows of All My Children’s final week on ABC. We only have two more shows to air, and it is starting to hit me fast that the end isn’t near, it is just about here. The first three shows of the week had a family focus. Monday was about the Hubbards, Tuesday was about the Kane/Montgomery group and Wednesday was about the Martins. Each family gathering ended with a photograph along with a montage of past scenes. Unfortunately some characters were omitted and they didn’t show different performers if the part was now played by another person. There were other characters shown on these episodes, but those were the primary groupings.

Days: The Revamp

Right now Days of Our Lives is clearing the decks and the revamp is supposed to be on September 26. The September 23 episode is a clip show with characters discussing the past and I plan to write about that as I hope to enjoy it. This entry has spoilers, but isn't about the people coming back that's left for another entry once we see them.

GL: Kim Zimmer’s Memoir (Part 1)

Since today is the 2nd anniversary of the last episode of Guiding Light ending, I wanted to do a write up on Kim Zimmer’s (Reva) memoir. The full title of the book is “I’m Just Sayin’! 3 Deaths, 7 Husbands, and a Clone! My Life as a Daytime Diva.” Laura Morton who co-wrote Susan Lucci’s book also did that job here. These are just my thoughts; spoilers about the book are included. I’m going to do this in more than one part due to size and space.

AMC: I Love Lucci Marathon

SoapNet aired a five-hour marathon with complete episodes of All My Children called I Love Lucci on Saturday, September 17, 2011. Here are my thoughts and a summary of the first episode from over 30 years ago.

AMC: All My Afternoons 1970s Soap Book

Here is my summary of the All My Children chapter of All My Afternoons, by Annie Gilbert. This section is 20 pages long and broken into five parts.

Y&R: Devon is Tucker's Son

Recently a new blood tie was discovered in Genoa City: Tucker (Stephen Nichols) is Devon’s (Bryton) father, which makes Devon, a grandchild to Kay (Jeanne Cooper). While Tucker was comatose, Kay found out about Tucker’s missing child and put Paul (Doug Davidson) on the trail. With limited information, he was able to find out it was Devon.

Thoughts on Glee and The Glee Project

Just felt like writing about Glee tonight as the new season is coming later in September. Over the summer, I watched The Glee Project and was one of the few who saw the movie. This entry does have spoilers.

AMC: Ten More Shows on ABC

We have two weeks left of All My Children on ABC daytime. This entry discusses my thoughts on the program right now, along with spoilers to what is known to be coming up in AMC’s last two weeks (10 episodes).

Days: The End of the DiMera & Kiriakis War?

For many years the DiMera and Kiriakis families have been fighting. Stefano DiMera (Joe Mascolo) and Victor Kiriakis (John Aniston) are rivals in business whether it is of the legal nature or not. Both men are seen as villainous, but regardless of their behaviors they do love their families. The war is currently at a truce, but there is no indication that this is built to last.

1992 Soap Opera Magazine

Due to the holiday weekend, and the lack of new soaps on Labor Day, I decided to go through my magazine collection. I went through a box of Soap Opera Magazine (about 50 of them) and chose the oldest in the stack dated December 29, 1992 (Volume 2, Issue 52). The over 18-year old issue like many in this box is not complete, so I apologize in advance.

OLTL: The Newest Set of Twins (Todd & Victor)

During the month of August, it was revealed that the Todd Manning (as played by Trevor St. John) we’ve known for the last eight years was really Victor Lord Jr. and the actual Todd Manning was last seen when Roger Howarth played the part. This story had a lot of shocks so far and here are some of the highlights.

AMC: J.R. Martinez (Brot) on DWTS

The news of the new cast of Dancing with the Stars came out on Monday night. Surprisingly, J.R. Martinez (Brot) from All My Children was part of the cast. While other AMC performers have been on the show, (Susan Lucci, Cameron Mathison, and Aidan Turner), the new season of DWTS begins after AMC ends its run on ABC.

GH: Dreams of Jason

On Friday, August 26 and Monday, August 29, General Hospital featured dreams about Jason Morgan (Steve Burton) and alternate realities based on his life. We saw how Carly (Laura Wright), Monica (Leslie Charleson), Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst) and Sam (Kelly Monaco) thought about Jason during his brain surgery.

Y&R: Jack, Jill, Colin and Genevieve

On “The Young & the Restless”, a new quadrangle was formed once Colin’s soon to be ex-wife Genevieve came to Genoa City. She hooked up with Jack (Peter Bergman), while Colin has tried to get Jill (Jess Walton) to take him back.

OLTL: Goodbye to Dorian and David

Today marked the last episode for One Life to Live’s Dorian Lord (Robin Strasser) and David Vickers Buchanan (Tuc Watkins). The two who remarried earlier this year got a happily ever after as they left town separately. It is disappointing we won't continue to see them, but at least they remain committed to one another off screen.

B&B: Liam proposes to Hope

I’m not a regular viewer of “The Bold and the Beautiful”, but I happened to be home today and caught the show that aired on Monday, August 22. This is based on near first impressions as I have barely seen Liam (Scott Clifton) and Hope (Kimberly Matula) interact on camera.

GH: More Stories About the Hospital these days

One of the first moves of General Hospital’s new head writer Garin Wolf was to make Dr. Robin Scorpio-Drake, the Chief of Staff of General Hospital. Since then, we’ve seen a lot more of General Hospital. There isn’t quarantine, a bomb, chemical weapons, or a hostage crisis just more of the hospital. This entry has spoilers.

AMC: Bianca finds love with Marissa

On All My Children, Bianca (Christina Bennet Lind) and Marissa (Sarah Glendening) aka Minx fell in love. With the end of the show on ABC, the story seems a bit rushed, but the program actually allowed the characters to consummate their relationship on screen.

OLTL: Destiny's Pregnancy

On One Life to Live, seventeen-year-old Destiny Evans (Shenell Edmonds) discovered that she was pregnant. Destiny and Matthew Buchanan (Eddie Alderson) had been intimate just one time.

Days: All My Afternoons

This entry is about the Days of Our Lives section of All My Afternoons a 1979 book by Annie Gilbert on soap operas.

More about Switched at Birth Season One

After the first three episodes of Switched at Birth, I wrote about the ABCFamily show. As the summer season is over, I wanted to write about what has happened. The great news is according to news outlets, the show has been renewed. There were ten episodes over the summer and come January 2011, another 22 will air to round out the first season.

Y&R: Billy's Downward Spiral

Billy Abbott (Billy Miller) had everything he never thought he wanted. On the Young & the Restless, he had a life with his wife Victoria (Amelia Henlie), a suburban house in the style of Father Knows Best, and children. Well, he had it all, and now it’s lost due to his actions in Genoa City.

MTV's Awkward.

Awkward. is a serialized comedy (not a dramedy) that airs on MTV on Tuesday’s at 11 PM EDT. This weekend I caught the first three of its twelve episodes that are airing this year.

AMC: Greenlee Sees Leo

This week on All My Children Greenlee Smythe (Rebecca Budig) saw her lost love Leo du Pres (Josh Duhamel). Unfortunately it seemed to be only a dream or a hallucination instead of reality.

Days: Sonny's Gay and Not Everyone is Okay

This summer Days of Our Lives introduced their first regularly airing gay male character Jackson Kiriakis (Freddie Smith) who goes by the nickname Sonny. He’s the youngest and only biological child of Justin and Adrienne. Warning: this article contains speculation based on long term spoilers, but no specific information.

GL: My Long Overdue Summary of SLS in Connecticut

Last year, I attempted to write about the GL event in March 2010 that took place in Connecticut at the Mohegan Sun. I found an unfinished document, which I have added to and edited. Warning this is very long, based on my memory and I write about my planning on such prior to the event.

Part 2 of Thoughts on Afternoon Delight by Carolyn Hinsey

Here are my thoughts on Afternoon Delight Why Soaps Still Matter by Carolyn Hinsey. If you haven’t read the book, there are spoilers in content. I’m not going to give away everything, but this summary and commentary is just on the last half of the book.

Thoughts on Carolyn Hinsey’s Book Afternoon Delight Part One

Here are my thoughts on Afternoon Delight Why Soaps Still Matter by Carolyn Hinsey. If you haven’t read the book, there are content spoilers. I’m not giving everything away, but this summary & commentary is on the first eight chapters.

AMC: Goodbye Jane Campbell

The dual role story that Susan Lucci has been playing has come to an end. Erica Kane forgave Jane Campbell for kidnapping and pretending to be her.

Soap Opera Dash

Over the holiday season, Soap Opera Weekly made a list of items to buy for yourself or the soap lovers you know. One of them was the game Soap Opera Dash by PlayFirst.

Days: Looking Towards September

Right now Days of Our Lives is filming the new episodes that air going to air in late September. This push with new producers, new writers and returned performers signals a sea change for the program. Warning: this post includes both spoilers and speculation.

OLTL: Shane being bullied leads to Death and Destruction

On One Life to Live, Shane being bullied began as a story about awareness of the horrors of being picked on by classmates. It has mutated into a revenge story in which Rex goes after all those who hurt Shane, Gigi and Rex.

Another World: All My Afternoons

This is a summary of the Another World chapter in the 1979 book All My Afternoons by Annie Gilbert. After a summary of the show, the chapter is broken into four sections: a day in Another World, final taping begins, the mellowing of Rachel Cory and Soap Opera writers.

AMC & OLTL: The Newest Soaps on the Web

Last night there were rumors, but today we got news. ABC sold broadcast rights to All My Children and One Life to Live to a company named Prospect Park, who plans to make new episodes to air online. There is a press release you can read here at We Love Soaps. While I am excited I also have a feeling of apprehension. What follows are my immediate thoughts, which are subject to change.

Y&R: Sharon Remembers Her Past

On July 4, 2011, The Young & the Restless did a special episode for the holiday focusing upon Sharon Collins Newman (Sharon Case) and her past. This show summarized the history of the character and included clips from the 90s until present day.

Days: Hollywood 4th of July Episode

Today Days of Our Lives did a special episode for July 4th. Instead of it following normal continuity, a group of characters were talking about movies in the Brady Pub.

Soap on Antenna TV

Last week I found out that Antenna TV airs reruns of Soap on Sunday nights, to find out if you have the station visit their websiteand have some retro fun.

AMC: Ryan and Greenlee Get Married

On the Wednesday episode of All My Children, Ryan Lavery (Cameron Mathison) and Greenlee Smythe (Rebecca Budig) finally said, “I do”. Ryan surprised Greenlee with a wedding, as their last ceremony wasn’t legal.

Y&R: Tucker and Ashley's Hospital Nuptials

On the US episode of The Young and the Restless, Ashley Abbott (Eileen Davidson) and Tucker McCall (Stephen Nichols) were pronounced married by a chaplain. The characters wed in his hospital room after he awoke from a coma.

ABCFamily Show: Switched at Birth

This summer I took a chance by watching ABCFamily’s show Switched at Birth. As I have no prime time shows on Monday nights during the summer, I figured why not. The fact that it did wonderfully in the ratings for its first episode surprised me and I decided to continue to watch the program.

GH: Coma Time for Lisa Niles

This week spelled the end for General Hospital’s Lisa Niles (Brianna Brown) as the character went into a coma after she was injected with drain cleaner.

Thoughts on the 2011 Daytime Emmy Show

Here are my thoughts on the 2011 Daytime Emmy Show that aired for two hours on CBS on Sunday, June 19, 2011. Like last year, a lot of people were disappointed by the show hosted by Wayne Brady.

AMC: A lot of Comings before it’s Going

This entry talks about the people who are coming back or are already back on canvas at All My Children. There is speculation along with spoilers, so read with caution, as not all my wishes will come true. This is a compilation post about all the news from the last few weeks.

ATWT: All My Afternoons

Here is my summary of the As The World Turns chapter of All My Afternoons, a book from 1979 by Annie Gilbert. They break this chapter into three parts: one is general information, dressing room drama (quotes from actors on the show at the time) and from the script (one page of script from 1976.)

OLTL: The End of Marty's Reign of Terror

This week Marty Saybrooke (Susan Haskell) ran away from Llanview for good. The character had become unhinged due to loss of her family.

ABC: Katie Couric in Fall 2012, GH Out?

Today the news was made official that Katie Couric is going to have a syndicated show that is currently untitled. It will air on owned and operated ABC stations at 3 pm starting in September 2012.

Days: U-Turns and Upheavals

Last week news came out of the Days of Our Lives offices that things are going to be changing. While we knew about the writing swap, the cast is going to be looking different. This post includes spoilers and such from around the web and speculation based on comments made in Soap Opera Digest and other publications.

Death in Daytime Book

This is my quick review of Eileen Davidson’s book “Death in Daytime”, which was written in 2008. It is her first soap opera mystery novel, (two additional books came out in 2009 and 2010.) Ms. Davidson currently plays Ashley Abbott on the Young and the Restless, but she has also appeared in that role on The Bold and the Beautiful. She also appeared in roles on the soap operas Days of Our Lives (Kristen, Susan and more), and Santa Barbara (Kelly Capwell). My summary/review does spoil some information, but does not give away the killer.

AMC: The Death of Baby Sara

On All My Children, Madison North and Ryan Lavery’s premature daughter Sara died soon after her birth. The little one developed pneumonia and couldn’t fight off the infection. Her death was tragic for all that cared about her.

Y&R & B&B on Memorial Day 2011

Since I was off for Memorial Day and doing nothing I decided to watch CBS daytime specifically their airings of The Young & The Restless and The Bold & the Beautiful. Here are my thoughts on those two episodes.

Prime time TV Thoughts and More - 2010 Season

The traditional television season ended last week. With that the last episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show also aired. Season finales abounded as most of us wait for the summer shows to begin airing. This is a post mortem of sorts about the changes.

Y&R: The Fight Over Baby Lucy

One of the big stories on The Young & the Restless is about the youngest denizen of Genoa City, Lucy. Billy Abbott and his wife Victoria Newman Abbott had been raising her, but she is the biological child of Daisy and Daniel. At first only Daniel has any idea that, the Abbotts illegally adopted his baby. Now everyone knows which has caused a lot of strife. This entry is only up to date for US episodes.

Soap Viewers and Loyalty

This is a topic, I’ve wanted to write about for months, but wasn’t sure how to broach it. It is one of these hotbeds of discussion and dismay among soap fans that are online.

Days: Head Writer Swap

Today Soap Opera Network had breaking news. The current head writer Dena Higley is out and has been replaced by Marlene McPherson (used to be credited as Marlene Clark Poulter) and Darrell Ray Thomas Jr.

GH: New Head Writer

General Hospital viewers got a shock today with the news that Bob Guza is out of the job as head writer. Garin Wolf, who went fi-core during the writers’ strike, is the new guy in the top writing job.

Days: A Stirring from Salem

This is my review and partial summary of the newest Sheri Anderson novel using original characters along with Days of Our Lives favorites. If you don’t want to know, don’t read anything after the jump. These books aren’t canon, as things that happen in them don’t match the real Days, but they are entertainingly fun.

Thoughts on Daytime Emmy Nominations 2011

Here are my thoughts on the Daytime Emmy Nominations for 2011. The broadcast will be Father’s Day, June 19, 2011 on CBS. Wayne Brady is hosting, and as his show replaced Guiding Light on the CBS schedule, I am glad they waited to have him in this gig.

AMC & OLTL: Women don’t want Escapism?

The last month has been definitely insane for all of us who follow soap operas. Just felt the need to post again about what I’m feeling, and then get into the issue of escapism.

Y&R: Jana's Dead

On the episode of The Young & The Restless that aired in the US today, Jana (Emily O’Brien) died. Perhaps her earlier health problems led to her death, but she didn’t meet her end before causing a lot of problems.

GH: Cancellation Rumors

With All My Children and One Life to Live cancelled, there has been speculation that General Hospital is next on the chopping block. This week TMZ said it looks to be the case with the Katie Couric news. Here are my thoughts.

Days: Ciara and Theo are Rescued

On Days of Our Lives, Ciara Brady and Theo Carver ran away and were rescued by Rafe’s double. This entry is about that recent plot.

GH: The Intervention

On Thursday, April 28, General Hospital staged an intervention for the character of Luke Spencer (Tony Geary). The character had hit rock bottom due to his alcohol use. During the 3 PM eastern broadcast of the program, there was a pre-emption for a Presidential speech, so I watched the episode in full on the same day SoapNet airing.

OLTL: The Special Viki Episode

On One Life to Live, they honored Erika Slezak’s 40th anniversary with a special episode focused on her character that aired on Wednesday. Here are my thoughts on the show.

Books on TV: Boob Tube

Thanks to Soap Opera 451 for the book suggestion entry. Here is a direct link to their entry on it. Boob Tube is a 2010 ebook novel by Mark and Lesleyann Coker. The story takes place in LA in the soap opera industry. The plot is fictional, but inspired by real life.

Days: How they wrote off Nathan, Stephanie and Philip

The title of this blog entry is self-explanatory. I’m going to summarize how these characters left the Days of Our Lives canvas in the last few weeks.

AMC & OLTL: Soaps, ABC & the Legacy of Disney

Dropping in with yet another topic on the cancellation of All My Children and One Life to Live. The difference is this is about Disney’s ownership of the network and how ironic it is that they would be allowing shows with such legacies to end.

AMC & OLTL: More Cancellation Thoughts

It has been over 48 hours since the cancellation of All My Children and One Life to Live have been announced. Hopefully in the next couple of days, I can write about other topics, but for tonight I needed to touch upon this situation again. This entry may not be 100% sane, due to the late hour it is being written, but I felt the need to get out of my system.

AMC & OLTL: The Cancellation News

Earlier today, it was made official that All My Children and One Life to Live are going off the air within the next few months. The topic has been trending on twitter, go on Facebook or look around message boards and alas it is no longer a rumor. I had scrapped what I was planning on writing and posted this instead. Here are my initial thoughts about this situation.

AMC: Susan Lucci's Memoir

This week I took time out to read Susan Lucci’s memoir All My Life, which was co-written with Laura Morton. The over 300-page book had some interesting tidbits. In this entry I am going to share some of it and my other thoughts on the book.

All My Afternoons: 70s Book Search for Tomorrow

Here is my fourth write-up on All My Afternoons by Annie Gilbert. The book is copyright 1979. This entry will summarize the Search for Tomorrow chapter, which is broken into five sections: general show history, “Happy Birthday SFT”, Mary Stuart, Larry Haines and The Soap Opera Kid.

AMC: Angie has a baby

This entry is through April 1st episode of All My Children. This past week, Angie Hubbard gave birth to a baby. Sadly the child was stillborn. I’m still processing all of this, but I wanted to write about my thoughts at this point.

Days: The Gay Story Rumor Mill

Again I’m writing about rumors, but at least they are not ones about a cancellation. Days of Our Lives may do a “gay” story. Entertainment Weekly wrote an article about it here. Now SOD ran with the rumor with additional information in print. Spoilers or at least rumors are posted after this paragraph.

OLTL: Dorian and David Finally Wed

Today on One Life to Live Dorian Lord and David Vickers Buchanan were finally married for real. This ceremony was low key, but legal.

GH: The Death of Little Jake

This past week, General Hospital showed a medical story in which little Jacob Martin Spencer (this week they’ve been saying Webber, but when he was born it was Spencer) died due to injuries from being hit by a car. Since this is an ongoing story, I am only going to comment on what we’ve seen so far on GH.

AMC: The Cancellation rumors & The Waiting Game

The last couple of days being a soap opera viewer have been rough. We’ve been waiting and waiting to find out is it true is All My Children really going to be cancelled and if so when? Or is it something else entirely. When most of the major media on the web are stating they believe AMC’s end is imminent, what can be done, just wait and listen. This post is just about coping or thinking out loud about the situation.

AMC, GH: Green Card Relationships

Currently both All My Children and General Hospital have plots about getting married for a green card. This puzzled me, as it isn’t the kind of story that is done too often in daytime soaps. Perhaps they were inspired by the 2009 movie “The Proposal” which centered on a woman who decides to marry her assistant to stay in the United States, and by the end of the movie they fall in love.

GL: Soap Opera Book All My Afternoons from the 1970s

Here is my third write-up on All My Afternoons by Annie Gilbert. The book is copyright 1979. This entry will summarize the Guiding Light chapter, which is broken into two sections, the first is general history of the program and the second is called “Charita/Bert Bauer’s Photo Album.”

Days: Victor and Maggie Kiss

A new development occurred in the relationship between Victor Kiriakis and Maggie Horton on Days of Our Lives. This blog entry speaks about that as I wonder what could happen next in their story.

Y&R: The Battle over Newman Enterprises

This week on The Young & The Restless, Victor Newman lost arbitration and has to pay three of his children 500 million dollars each. Abby his youngest started this fight, as she wanted access to her trust fund. Victoria joined in after being hurt by Victor one too many times. At the very end, Nicholas sided with his sisters due to Victor allowing Sharon to be accused of Skye’s death.

GH: Brenda and Sonny Wed & No One Ends up Dead

General Hospital finally got to the altar and married. This wedding was years in the making and their dream came true. This post is about the ceremony and what happens next.

All My Afternoons: Soap Opera Book from the 1970s (Part 2)

Here is my second write-up on All My Afternoons by Annie Gilbert. The book is copyright 1979 and has some very interesting information. This entry will be on the second and third parts of the introductory chapter.

All My Afternoons: Soap Opera Book from the 1970s (Part 1)

I have decided to do write-ups on All My Afternoons by Annie Gilbert. The book is copyright 1979 and has some very interesting information. This entry will be on the first part of the introductory chapter.

Soaps & the Tearjerkers

This morning, on CBS Sunday Morning, they did a segment on tearjerkers and how they have disappeared from the movie theaters. If you would like to read about it click here. That story inspired this entry.

Thoughts on the Emmy Pre-nominations 2011

Here are my thoughts on the pre-nominations. At this point, we do not know what these performers will submit to attempt to win a Daytime Emmy. Looking from the original ballot to the pre-nomination list, the list was cut from 142 people to 80. Usually the final tally of nominees is around 30. This is the last year of eligibility for As the World Turns, so it is possible we may have less nominees in the future. The people on this list will get to pick scenes. The judges will screen the material at home and this one round will determine the nominees and final winners. While that is not my favorite style of judging, nothing I can do about it.

Days: EJ and Nicole Marry Again

On Days of Our Lives, EJ DiMera remarried his former wife Nicole. They were wed in front of family, and well family as neither really has friends. Here are my thoughts on this latest development and it includes spoilers.

Y&R: Cane's Death

Cane Ashby played by Daniel Goddard died recently on The Young and The Restless. This entry is about his death, funeral and through his burial. In the last week, there have been rumors that the death may have been exaggerated, but at this point we’ve seen his body in a coffin, so one should figure he has perished.

Insatiable: Vampire Novel with Soap Subplot

One of the latest books I've finished reading is Insatiable by Meg Cabot. In this particular novel, the main character Meena is a soap opera writer who lives in New York City. For that reason, I am going to talk about it on this blog. This entry has book spoilers, though I do not mention some major elements, but don't read any further if you don't want to know.

GH: Michael and Abby

Recently on General Hospital, Michael Corinthos (Chad Duell) admitted to his family that he was raped by another prisoner named Carter while he was in Pentonville. This story was months in the making as he finally spoke the truth. Going to prison, changed Michael as well as his family. As part of this story, he has developed feelings for a much older woman named Abby (Andrea Bogart).

AMC: 1997 Erica Kane Book: Having it All

Since Susan Lucci is going to be releasing a real life book, I decided to do a write up on Erica’s tome about how to be successful. This hardcover from July 1997, (original price 17.95) explains the does and don’ts to “Having it All”. I’m not going to critique the book just summarize its contents.

OLTL: Friday's 1995 Rerun Episode

This Friday ABC Daytime aired older episodes with One Life to Live’s being from November 14, 1995. Since All My Children and General Hospital had episodes from the last 5 years, I have decided to only write about the OLTL broadcast.

Oprah’s Soap Opera Episode 2011

Today The Oprah Winfrey show had an episode focusing on soaps. This is a summary of what happened. I know the clips are online, but I like writing about things when I see them as years in the future my impression of the same program may be very different.

Thoughts on the Elements of Soap Couples

In honor of Valentine’s Day being next week, I wanted to share my thoughts on the most vital elements that are needed to create a successful soap couple. I’ve limited myself to the top three things I need to invest in a pairing.

OLTL: Daddy Dilemma

Jessica and Natalie have given birth to their sons back on 1/11/11. The boys were Liam Asa McBain and Ryder Asa Lovett; their paternities are still in question. In this entry, I discuss the pros and cons for each of the various fathers in this One Life to Live story. This entry is without spoilers.

Days: Justin and Adrienne Reunited

On Thursday’s American episode of Days of Our Lives, Justin (Wally Kurth) and Adrienne (Judi Evans) reunited on camera. While my first reaction was “it is about time, my next was why they broken up in the first place?” In this entry I go into my thoughts on Days’ treatment of this 1980s era couple.

Oprah’s Search for the World’s Biggest Soap Fan

For grins and giggles, as I am not going to submit anything to them, I wanted to see if I could answer the questions listed on Oprah’s site. They give you a maximum of 2000 characters, and I doubt I will be able to be that concise. Instead of waxing poetic on my favorite things (past and present), I’m just going to answer the questions or attempt to if someone wants to submit their answers they can go to Oprah’s site and apply to be on the program. Back in the 90s, I could have seen myself actually submitting something, but now I’ve gone through too much hurt as a viewer to feel comfortable talking about the shows without a caveat of some sort. That said if this episode comes to pass, I plan on recording it as it will be interesting to see what kind of viewers they do speak with about the programs.

GL: Today in Guiding Light History

For some soap fans (past and present), today is an important day as it is the anniversary of the first radio episode of The Guiding Light that aired on January 25, 1937. Back in 1997, 14 years ago GL did some special things promoting this anniversary online. I wanted to share those memories in this entry. This entry was borne due to how I felt the need last night to find my transcript of the GL radio show they did back all those years ago. Since I took the time to find the paperwork, I decided to blog about it.

Glued to the Set: 90s Book with Daytime Soap Section

This is my summary of the daytime soap section of book Glued to the Set by Stephen D. Stark. This nonfiction book focuses on 60 shows and events that made us who we are today, and is from 1997. This part focuses on All My Children though it is not solely about that program. In the book, they actually say that they contemplated having it being about General Hospital or Guiding Light instead. The chapter on soap operas is called All My Children, Soaps and the Feminization of America.

Days and GH: The Casting News of the last few days

As a viewer of a lot of soap operas, I’ve seen many actors come and go, and shows for that matter. This entry discusses casting spoilers at Days of Our Lives and General Hospital. If you are spoiler free, and haven’t heard this information wow. If you don’t want to know, don’t read this entry.

Likes and Yikes 2010 - Part 2 (GH, OLTL and Y&R)

I posted part one which featured my likes and yikes for AMC, ATWT, B&B and Days. Here is part two for GH, OLTL and Y&R. This is similar to the print edition of TV Guide and their famous Cheers and Jeers section and like that feature there are things that are seen as both likes and yikes. This is far from comprehensive, but lists the things that stood out for me most in 2010.

Likes and Yikes 2010 - Part 1 (AMC, ATWT, B&B and Days)

For 2009, I did my likes and yikes for daytime soaps and I wanted to share my list for 2010. This is similar to the print edition of TV Guide and their famous Cheers and Jeers section and like that feature there are things that are seen as both likes and yikes. This is far from comprehensive, but lists the things that stood out for me most in 2010. Here are my thoughts on All My Children, As the World Turns, The Bold & The Beautiful and Days of Our Lives. The rest of the soaps along with any other general comments about daytime will be listed in another entry.

2010 Year in Review

Here are my short summaries about soaps in 2010. They are all between 90 and 100 words. Last year, I did a halfway mark write up, so this will focus on the second half of the year. I still haven’t watched the last episodes of As the World Turns, but I can write about what happened though not comment about the positives and negatives of these plots.

GH: The Bus Crash

Here are my thoughts and a brief summary on the General Hospital Bus Crash. There were some things that were okay about it, but others that made me shake my head. This post is through the current episodes, so any later repercussions that may have been mentioned in spoilers are not discussed making this is a safe read for the spoiler-free. I’ve avoided reading commentaries so any similarities are a coincidence.

New Year's Resolutions for 2011

Here are my 2011 New Year's Resolutions when it comes to this blog, entertainment, and serialized programming in general. Hope everyone has a happy, healthy and safe 2011.