AUCTION: 1993 VHS From Hillary B.Smith's Collection

Hillary B. Smith is appearing on two soaps right now, ONE LIFE TO LIVE and VENICE. She received an Indie Soap Award nomination earlier this year and just received a Daytime Emmy pre-nomination. Aside from being a phenomenal actress, Smith also does a lot of charity work and kicked off a series of auctions today to raise money.

100% of ALL proceeds from the sale of these items will be going directly to Sherman Oaks Veterinary Group for the Willie-Coppee Fund, so this is your chance to own a piece of soap history and help our furry friends and their loved ones!

The first item, available starting today on eBay is a VHS tape from her personal collection from the year 1993 (complete description below).

Still Time To Vote in the Soap of the Week Polls

Voting will continue until Monday morning for the Indie Soap of the Week and Daytime Soap of the Week polls. If you haven't voted yet, you can do so below.

WLS Interview Archive: Tia Dionne Hodge

Not many African-American actresses get their start on soaps by playing the ghost of a dead white man.  But as I learned in this interview last December, Tia Dionne Hodge [Amelia on ONE LIFE TO LIVE] has a history of trail blazing her own career path, on her own terms.   If you haven't read it, please enjoy this interview with this multi-talented and fascinating actress. 

 In Part One - We learned how this inspiring talent started on ONE LIFE TO LIVE, what it was like to play Robin Strasser's "wife," and how she approaches political stories in her work.

In Part Two -  We explored more about how she relates to Amelia, and what drives Tia to inspire others.
 
In Part Three - Hodge discussed her ability to multitask various projects, and hints at Amelia's future on ONE LIFE TO LIVE. 

Damon L. Jacobs is a Marriage Family Therapist practicing in New York City, and the author of "Absolutely Should-less: The Secret to Living the Stress-Free Life You Deserve". He is re-imagining a world without "shoulds" at www.shouldless.com.

BESOS Y LAGRIMAS: Jennifer Lopez on SNL Telenovela

Jennifer Lopez hosted SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE last night and appeared in a hilarious sketch of a telenovela called BESOS Y LAGRIMAS (Kisses and Tears). Watch it below.

The Week in Review: Most Popular Posts

In case you missed them, here are the 15 most popular topics over the past week at We Love Soaps:

1.   Daytime Emmy Awards Pre-Nominations Announced
2.   The GUIDING LIGHT Tribute – 72 Years of Drama
3.   Some Thoughts on the Daytime Emmy Pre-Noms
4.   50 Greatest Actresses: The Fans Strike Back (40-36)
5.   Ian Buchanan - The WLS Interview, Part One
6.   50 Greatest Actresses: The Fans Strike Back (35-31)
7.   Ian Buchanan - The WLS Interview, Part Two
8.   Moving Day with OLTL - Brett Claywell Interview
9.   50 Greatest Actresses: The Fans Strike Back (30-26)
10. 50 Greatest Actresses: The Fans Strike Back (50-46)
11. 50 Greatest Soap Opera Actresses: The Complete List
12. The Wisner Washam Interview, Part 1 of 3
13. The Wisner Washam Interview, Part 2 of 3
14. Peggy McCay is Hot On "Cold Case" - WLS Interview, Part 4
15. 2010 WGA Award Winners: Y&R, MAD MEN

If you missed the latest episode of WE LOVE SOAPS TV with Hillary B. Smith, you can watch it and other recent episodes below.

NEWS: Zinser, Sugar, Bierdz, Green Screens

Y&R's Thom Bierdz comes to D.C. to take part in an art benefit and to promote an autobiography
"He was a dead, straight guy for 20 years," says Bierdz. "And then last year [during] May sweeps, it was revealed that [the character] had not died, but had faked his death. Why? Because he was gay and felt that he would not be accepted."

Bierdz concedes the storyline is far-fetched. "I don't know anybody who's faked their death," he laughs, adding, "[but] it's so great that gays are being represented [on daytime television] with normalcy."

90210 ups Gillian Zinser to series regular
Zinser, who has recurred as tomboy surfer chick Ivy Sullivan on the CW's soap, has been upped to a regular on the sophomore show, which was recently picked up for a third season. A newcomer in town, Ivy, who had a fling with Liam (Matt Lanter), has become one of the gang.

50 Greatest Actresses: The Fans Strike Back (20-16)

Earlier this month, We Love Soaps revealed our panel of critics' 50 Greatest Soap Opera Actresses of All Time list. We then asked fans to submit their own lists so that we could create "The Fans Strike Back" countdown. Hundreds of We Love Soaps readers submitted their lists.  The results have now been tabulated and so far we have revealed 50-46, 45-41, 40-36, 35-31, 30-26 and 25-21. Today we'll take a look at 20-16.

NAME: Deidre Hall
RANK (FANS): 20
SOAP ROLES: Marlena Evans, DAYS OF OUR LIVES (1976-1987, 1991-2009); Barbara Anderson, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (1973)
RANK (CRITICS): 25

NAME: Maura West
RANK (FANS): 19
SOAP ROLES: Carly Tenney, AS THE WORLD TURNS (1995-1996, 1997-present)
RANK (CRITICS): 29

Today's Soap World Birthdays

Kelly Bishop (ex-Grace, AS THE WORLD TURNS; ex-Freida, ALL MY CHILDREN) - 66
Stephanie Beacham (ex-Martha, CORONATION STREET; ex-Iris, BEVERLY HILLS 90210; ex-Sable, THE COLBYS) - 63
Bernadette Peters (ex-Jodie, UGLY BETTY) - 62
Rick Lohman (ex-Gary, SEARCH FOR TOMORROW; ex-Joel, GENERATIONS) - 61
Lena Cardwell (ex-Simone, PASSIONS) - 28

Julianne Moore Returning to AS THE WORLD TURNS?

EW.com is reporting the former Daytime Emmy-winning actress is in "serious talks" to reprise her role (roles?) as Frannie and Sabrina Hughes on AS THE WORLD TURNS. This has actually been in the works for quite a while now. And will ATWT actually let Moore make the brief cameo she wants to do and not demand more? Surely no one in charge of the show would blow an opportunity where a big star wants to return like this, right? Stay tuned.

Ian Buchanan - The WLS Interview, Part Three

In Parts One and Two of our interview with Ian Buchanan, the abundantly talented actor discussed his early modeling career, leaving home at seventeen, and getting caught in a whirlwind of popularity as Duke Lavery on GENERAL HOSPITAL. In Part Three, he shares aspects of his experience playing virginal psychiatrist James Warwick on THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL, winning an Emmy, and how his own therapy has helped him to make positive changes.

We Love Soaps: After experience on primetime and cable, how did the role of James Warwick on BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL come your way?
Ian Buchanan: Someone had pointed Brad [Bell] in my direction.  I was about to start a revival of “Equus” playing a psychiatrist.  They were interested, they saw the play, and then I started on the show, which I loved being on for seven years.

We Love Soaps: Did you have any concerns about returning to daytime after your experience as Duke on GENERAL HOSPITAL?’
Ian Buchanan: Not at all.  I think I was older and a little more sensible.  I knew what to expect.  It was huge around the world, and I was a little more responsible in choices I made.  I was a little more committed on a daily basis instead of, “Let’s just try to make the best of this and then get the hell out.”  That served me very well and served them very well.  It was a very different experience because I was going into a show that had a strong core group.  There weren’t too many people that got in and stayed but I did and I loved it. 

We Love Soaps: You certainly had a longer run than most non-Forresters on the show. 
Ian Buchanan: I did.  It was such a great character though.  It was so well written. They maintained his integrity, even though he got in trouble and did some things he should not have done, especially in the Maggie/ Sheila story. For me he was all around decent guy.

Debbi Morgan & Cornelius Smith, Jr Win Image Awards

ALL MY CHILDREN's Cornelius Smith, Jr. and Debbie Morgan were won NAACP Image Awards on Friday night for Actor and Actress in a Daytime Drama series.

Other soap opera-related winners included:

- Drama series: LINCOLN HEIGHTS

- Actor in a motion picture: Morgan Freeman, Invictus

- Writing in a dramatic series: Shonda Rhimes, GREY'S ANATOMY

- Directing in a drama series: Chandra Wilson, GREY'S ANATOMY

The Wisner Washam Interview, Part 2 of 3

Wisner Washam is a Daytime Emmy Award-winning soap opera writer best known for his many years writing for ALL MY CHILDREN from the 1970s to the 1990s. He also had a stint writing for GUIDING LIGHT, developed multiple soaps of his own and has been married to former soap star Judith Barcroft for the past 40 years. In this exclusive interview with We Love Soaps, Washam shares his experiences of moving to New York to be an actor, landing a writing gig with Agnes Nixon, and details of the many projects he's worked on over the past 20 years.

In Part One, Washam recalled his journey from North Carolina to New York city. In Part Two, he shares memories of working on ALL MY CHILDREN and why he ultimately left for good.

We Love Soaps: IMDB and Wikipedia are not very clear on the dates of your run at ALL MY CHILDREN or the exact time you took over as head writer.
Wisner Washam: I don't know exactly what year. There was no day in which I was crowned head writer as I recall. It just evolved that I took over as Agnes found other things she needed and wanted to do, and I was a good leader for the team of writers.

50 Greatest Actresses: The Fans Strike Back (25-21)

Earlier this month, We Love Soaps revealed our panel of critics' 50 Greatest Soap Opera Actresses of All Time list. We then asked fans to submit their own lists so that we could create "The Fans Strike Back" countdown. Hundreds of We Love Soaps readers submitted their lists.  The results have now been tabulated and so far we have revealed 50-46, 45-41, 40-36, 35-31 and 30-26. Today we'll take a look at 25-21.

NAME: Jess Walton
RANK (FANS): 25
SOAP ROLES: Jill Abbott, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (1987-present); Kelly Harper, CAPITOL (1984-1987)
RANK (CRITICS): 24

NAME: Julia Barr
RANK (FANS): 24
SOAP ROLES: Brooke English, ALL MY CHILDREN (1976-2006, 2010-present); Brooke English, ONE LIFE TO LIVE (2005); Reenie Szabo, RYAN'S HOPE (1976)
RANK (CRITICS): 32

Today's Soap World Birthdays

Elizabeth Taylor (ex-Helena, GENERAL HOSPITAL) - 78
Tracey Ross (ex-Eve, PASSIONS; ex-Diana, RYAN'S HOPE) - 51
David Gail (ex-Joe, PORT CHARLES; ex-Dean, SAVANNAH; ex-Stuart, BEVERLY HILLS, 90210) - 45
Brandon Beemer (Owen, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL; ex-Shawn, DAYS OF OUR LIVES; ex-Lucas, UNDRESSED; ex-Seth, GENERAL HOSPITAL) - 30

VOTE: Indie Soap of the Week Poll

Which indie soap was your favorite this week? Vote in the weekly We Love Soaps poll and check back on Monday morning for the results. Only the shows that aired one or more new episodes from Feb. 20-26, 2010 are listed. Based on release schedules, the shows in the poll will change weekly.

Free Web poll for your Web site - freepolls.com

VOTE: Daytime Soap of the Week Poll

Which daytime soap was your favorite the week of February 22-26, 2010? Vote in the weekly We Love Soaps poll and check back on Monday morning for the results.

Free Web poll for your Web site - freepolls.com

Ian Buchanan - The WLS Interview, Part Two

In the first part of our interview with Ian Buchanan, the Emmy winning and outspoken talent reflected on his early career in modeling and landing GENERAL HOSPITAL.  In this part we look back on his success as Duke Lavery and on prime-time television.  Which TWIN PEAKS actor delivered his pizzas? Find out below!

We Love Soaps: Why do you think Duke and Anna were such a huge phenomenon?
Ian Buchanan: I think we are very similar, which is kind of weird.  We trusted each other immediately.  We worked really well together.  We were there for each other, which was great.  She was very supportive of me, she wanted me to get the job.  She was pretty amazing.  We were instantly, and still are, the closest of friends.  I think people related to that.  And we were British.  They liked the dark hair, the unibrow.  Finola always said, “If Duke and Anna ever had a child, it would have been an eyebrow.” 

We Love Soaps: What did you have to change about your life once the phenomenon hit?
Ian Buchanan: I think just little things.  I used to walk from the studio to where I lived in Hollywood.  I still did that and then the crew said, “There are people at the gate, we’ll give you a ride home.”  I’m very happy to speak to people.  I grew up in a very small town where everybody knew everyone.  So I was used to it.  I didn’t really change much.  People kept warning me I had to not get stuck in places, but that never happened.  I didn’t change much.

We Love Soaps: Did you find that fans were respectful of you?
Ian Buchanan: Yes, for the most part. 

We Love Soaps: How was it working with Kimberly McCullough at such a young age?

INDIE SOAP BEAT: February 26, 2010

In this week's "Indie Soap Beat" feature we reveal the latest happenings from around the world of independent soap opera and web series production. Click the show logos to visit the official websites.

ALL'S FAIRE, which features former GUIDING LIGHT star Rob Bogue as Sir Robert, has released a hilarious new "F. Your Consideration" video for the Streamy Awards. You can watch it here. The musical video makes references to not having any big name sponsors or big name stars (including Bogue).

ANACOSTIA has aired its season finale but the cast is still making the press rounds. Look for interviews coming up on DCTV next Thursday and Saturday. Also, Indie Soap Award nominee Anthony Anderson and company will be in New York on Saturday taping an appearance for an upcoming episode of WE LOVE SOAPS TV.

STEAMBOAT released a trailer and the first episode last week and fans seem to like it so far. The show is a comedy series described as "THE OFFICE meets ALL MY CHILDREN" with Kim Zimmer starring as the executive producer if a dying soap. The second episode was released today. The soap spoofed on the show is hilariously brought to you by Lactene.

ANYONE BUT ME returned with an all new episode on February 23. GOSSIP GIRL actress Liza Weil guest starred as Aster's (Nicole Pacent) therapist. Pacent has also joined the cast of new feature film and episodic series, Queens of the World.

Some Thoughts on the Daytime Emmy Pre-Noms

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) today announced the Drama Performer Pre-Nominations for the 37th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy® Awards. There were some interesting choices and several surprising omissions.

LEAD ACTOR
How nice to see John Aniston get a pre-nomination although I was expecting last year's nominee Peter Reckell in that spot for DAYS. Former winners Maurice Benard and David Canary should easily make their way to the final cut. Doug Davidson had some terrific performances during the year on Y&R and it's great to see him included. It is a crime that Justin Deas and his fabulous work on GL are not nominated. Grant Aleksander, too, for that matter. Will Eric Braeden ever be recognized again? Michael Park!

LEAD ACTRESS
I'm greedy but was hoping to see Crystal Chappell nominated for both GL and DAYS. Thank God her Award-deserving work on GUIDING LIGHT was recognized. It seems like not that many GL actors submitted themselves but Chappell was one that could not be overlooked. Sarah Brown was another actress I was hoping to get two nominations for two different shows. Kudos for the pre-noms for Hillary B. Smith and often overlooked Sharon Case.

Daytime Emmy Awards Pre-Nominations Announced

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) today announced the Drama Performer Pre-Nominations for the 37th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy® Awards.

A preliminary drama performer ballot containing each of the six performer categories was assigned to all registered, eligible peer voters from NATAS and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. This ballot contained the full list of all entrants submitted from each show and each voter was entitled to select as many candidates as they believed worthy of Emmy® consideration. The candidates below who received the highest number of votes for each show in each category now advance to the final at-home screening round. This round, due to be conducted in March and April, 2010, will determine both nominees and winners.

The 37th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy® Awards will be produced by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in late June, 2010.

ON THE SET: Behind the Scenes at GUIDING LIGHT

NJN Public Television and Radio has been broadcasting all week a previously unaired 2006 pilot for a show called ON THE SET hosted by Frank Dicopoulos. In the pilot episode, the show goes behind the scenes at GUIDING LIGHT and talks to several of the shows cast members from this time (this was at CBS before the production model change of 2008).

UPDATE:
Someone posted this pilot on YouTube and we posted that video earlier but after reading the Frank Dicopoulous Twitter rant in our Soap World Tweets section we are removing.

I will make this show available to all of you, I promise! I will let you know when, where, and how shortly! Whoever pirated the show and put it on you-tube, I want you to know it is in direct viloation of the law as this show is copyrighted and whoever pirated the show and put it on you-tube, I want you to know it is in direct viloation of the law as this show is copyrighted and owned by me and my director. If I wanted to put this on you-tube, I would have. I strongly urge and suggest whoever did this to have it taken off immediately. This matter is currently being persued and investigated. Thank you! I have always been there for more my fans and will always be in the future! As you can tell this is very upsetting to me! I don't like the fact that someone took advantage of a situation. I need some feedback to see if I'm on the right track here, what do you all think?

I personally think having it on YouTube could only help the project have a chance of getting picked up so hopefully he will follow through and make the show available to those interested in watching it outside the New Jersey/New York area.

NEWS: Power, Chappell, Rodriguez, Bethel, Pacent

Power, owner of ATWT & GL international distribution rights, sets up new division
Power is expanding its business with the launch of a new division, Powerlocal, which will be led by Sue Green as managing director.

Green will be responsible for the adaptation of existing concepts, as well as sourcing and creating new project for local production worldwide. The primary focus of the division will be serialized drama for access and prime time. Power holds the distribution rights for the long-running daily soaps GUIDING LIGHT and AS THE WORLD TURNS, and both will be a key part of Powerlocal's venture. Green will also focus on entertainment, factual and reality programming. She will further take charge of the format development, acquisitions and sales.

Wilson Bethel as Captain America?
Who will land the coveted role of Captain America? The casting process is down to the wire, screen-tests are happening literally as we speak, and the blogs are buzzing about the recently-revealed names who have made it to the shortlist.

Crystal Chappell featured in new issue of Curve
Curve published a Q&A with Chappell in their March issue conducted by Jamey Giddens. "I was completely invested in Otalia and always will be. I couldn't quite let it go."

Franco sells compound
James Franco, who plays poet Allen Ginsberg in the forthcoming film Howl, recently sold his Sunset Strip-area compound for $3.3 million. The Spanish-style villa, built in 1923, has three bedrooms and 3 1/2 bathrooms in 4,000 square feet.

Nicole Pacent Joins Cast of Queens of the World
Pacent, star of hit lesbian web series ANYONE BUT ME, joins the cast of new feature film and episodic series, Queens of the World.

50 Greatest Actresses: The Fans Strike Back (30-26)

Earlier this month, We Love Soaps revealed our panel of critics' 50 Greatest Soap Opera Actresses of All Time list. We then asked fans to submit their own lists so that we could create "The Fans Strike Back" countdown. Hundreds of We Love Soaps readers submitted their lists.  The results have now been tabulated and the countdown kicked off with 50-46 being revealed on Monday, 45-41 on Tuesday, 40-36 on Wednesday, and 35-31 on Thursday. Today we'll take a look at 30-26.

NAME: Gina Tognoni
RANK (FANS): 30
SOAP ROLES: Kelly Cramer, ONE LIFE TO LIVE (1995-2001, 2002, 2010-present); Sami Nelson, VENICE (2009-2010); Dinah Marler, GUIDING LIGHT (2004-2009)
RANK (CRITICS): -

NAME: Frances Reid
RANK (FANS): 29
SOAP ROLES: Alice Horton, DAYS OF OUR LIVES (1965-2007); Rose Pollock, THE EDGE OF NIGHT (1964); Grace Baker, AS THE WORLD TURNS (1959-1962); Portia Manning, PORTIA FACES LIFE (1954)
RANK (FANS): Honorable Mention

NAME: Martha Byrne
RANK (FANS): 28
SOAP ROLES: Catherine Prescott, GOTHAM (2009-present); Andrea Floyd, GENERAL HOSPITAL (2009); Lily Walsh Snyder (1985-1989, 1993-2008)
RANK (FANS): Honorable Mention

Today's Soap World Birthdays

John Bolger (Garrett, GENERAL HOSPITAL; ex-John, ONE LIFE TO LIVE; ex-Phillip, GUIDING LIGHT; ex-Gabe, ANOTHER WORLD; ex-Garrett, GENERAL HOSPITAL) - 56
Christopher Maleki (ex-Spike, PASSIONS; ex-Taylor, DAYS OF OUR LIVES; ex-Ben, PORT CHARLES; ex-Cole, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL) - 46
Greg Rikaart (Kevin, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS) - 33

The Wisner Washam Interview, Part 1 of 3

Wisner Washam is a Daytime Emmy Award-winning soap opera writer best known for his many years writing for ALL MY CHILDREN from the 1970s to the 1990s. He also had a stint writing for GUIDING LIGHT, developed multiple soaps of his own and has been married to former soap star Judith Barcroft for the past 40 years. In this exclusive interview with We Love Soaps, Washam shares his experiences of moving to New York to be an actor, landing a writing gig with Agnes Nixon, and details of the many projects he's worked on over the past 20 years.

We Love Soaps: You grew up in North Carolina. Did you always want to be an actor?
Wisner Washam: Yes, I did very much. This morning I was remembering when I was kid I made a stage out of cardboard and used little figures from the Lionel Trains set that were about three inches tall. I would make scenery and do plays with these little characters. When I grew up and got this job, it was like a dream come true. It was a childhood dream and we really had fun in the early days of the show. It was like having little characters we could play with. We made ourselves laugh a lot, and made ourselves cry too. It was a glorious time in the early years at ALL MY CHILDREN.

Soap Opera TV Ratings For Feb. 15-21, 2010

Compiled from a list of several sources, here are the Nielsen ratings for the week of February 15-21, 2010 for all the daytime and primetime television soap operas.

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (10.85 million, 6.8/10)
GREY'S ANATOMY (10.2 million, 6.6/10)
BROTHERS & SISTERS (7.9 million, 5.4/9)
THE GOOD WIFE (7.8 million, 5.3/9) - repeat
PRIVATE PRACTICE (7.6 million, 5.1/8)
THE DEEP END (4.3 million, 3.0/5)
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (5.14 million, 3.7/11) - daytime airing only
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (3.40 million, 2.4/7)
DAYS OF OUR LIVES (3.28 million, 2.3/7) - daytime airing only
ALL MY CHILDREN (2.90 million, 2.2/7) - daytime airing only
GENERAL HOSPITAL (2.75 million, 2.0/6) - daytime airing only
AS THE WORLD TURNS (2.67 million, 1.8/6)
ONE LIFE TO LIVE (2.62 million, 2.0/6) - daytime airing only
ONE TREE HILL (1.9 million, 1.3/2)
LIFE UNEXPECTED (1.8 million, 1.2/2)
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES (1.7 million, 1.1/2) - repeat
SUPERNATURAL (1.5 million, 1.0/2) - repeat
LIFE UNEXPECTED (1.3 million, 0.9/1) - Wednesday 8 p.m. repeat
90210 (0.90 million, 0.6/1) - repeat
MELROSE PLACE (0.82 million, 0.5/1) - repeat
GOSSIP GIRL (0.61 million, 0.4/1) - Wednesday 9 p.m. repeat

RATINGS NOTES:
- BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL moved back into second place among the daytime soaps.

- The Winter Olympics had a big impact on the primetime soap ratings.

ABC: Daytime No. 1 in Women 18-34 and Women 18-49

From the ABC ratings press release:
* ABC ranked as Daytime's No. 1 network in Women 18-49 (1.3 rating/861,000 - tie) and Women 18-34 (1.0 rating/326,000 -tie).

* GENERAL HOSPITAL stood as Daytime's No. 1 program in Women 18-34 (1.1 rating/364,000) the week undercover cop Dante takes the stand against his mob boss father, Sonny.

* This week qualified as ONE LIFE TO LIVE's most-watched week in 9 months in Women 18-49 (821,000) and in 3 months in Women 18-34 (308,000) - since weeks of 5/18/09 and 11/16/09, respectively, during a climatic production in which Stacy falls through the ice to her death.

Following are the Daytime Lineup averages, plus Top Programs Ranks - Week of February 15, 2010:

Daytime Rank: Total Viewers
No. 1 CBS 3.91 million
No. 2 NBC 3.28 million
No. 3 ABC 3.05 million

Ian Buchanan - The WLS Interview, Part One

He has played one of the most beloved and most reviled characters in soap history.  As Duke Lavery on GENERAL HOSPITAL he was at the center of a fan phenomenon, but as Greg Madden, the doctor responsible for Erica's unabortion on ALL MY CHILDREN, he was the recipient of unprecedented fan anger.  In between he took time to win an Emmy as unlucky-in-love therapist James Warwick on BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL.  But who is the man behind these historical roles, and how does he perceive the highs and lows of his illustrious career? Please enjoy this feature with the abundantly talented and wonderfully outspoken actor.

In the first part he discusses his modeling career before landing GENERAL HOSPITAL, and how fear has shaped his choices.

We Love Soaps: I’d like to talk with you a bit about your career path on daytime and off daytime as well.  Many fans know you first as the anti-hero Duke Lavery on GENERAL HOSPITAL.  Yet you had a career before that.
Ian Buchanan: I was a model for ten years.  Then Gloria Monty rescued me from performance art in New York.  I was performing half in drag.

We Love Soaps: Only half?
Ian Buchanan: I was actually doing an all male version of Jean Genet’s, “The Maids” in a workshop at the Actor’s Studio.  A couple of people from ABC came and then a couple of weeks later they had me go on tape for GENERAL HOSPITAL. I had never seen a soap opera.  They said, “It’s a leading romantic lead.”  I said, “You’re joking, from this?” But she was not joking.  And that’s how I ended up on GENERAL HOSPITAL.

We Love Soaps: What kind of modeling had you done prior to this?
Ian Buchanan: Everything.  I spent three years in Japan and Tokyo.  I did the first campaign for Sony Walkman.  A lot of runways in Paris and London.  A lot of catalogues.  I had been very busy and enjoyed traveling a lot, but ultimately I wanted to be in New York and at some point become an actor.

NEWS: Grimes, Smollett, Aussie Soaps, O'Leary, Ferrera

Camryn Grimes returning to Y&R for a day
Grimes will reprise her role as Y&R's Cassie Newman for one day when Sharon and Nick's late daughter pays another ghostly visit on March 15.

America Ferrera Says Goodbye to UGLY BETTY
“I’m staying in denial for now — I’ll deal with all those emotions in a little bit. I imagine that when we finally wrap it’s not going to be a dry-eyed goodbye.”

Neil Patrick Harris to be a bad guy on GLEE
According to reports, Harris is playing a character who is "really funny and really mean."

Will the CW Renew MELROSE PLACE or LIFE UNEXPECTED?
CW boss Dawn Ostroff says of LIFE UNEXPECTED's renewal chances: "I would say it's got a real shot at this point." As for the struggling Tuesday night soap, she says, "We hope MELROSE PLACE picks up steam."

Oh My Love - A New Tina Sloan/Gil Rogers Movie

In a world defined by youthful beauty and monetary accomplishments, it is often difficult for some to accept the aging process gracefully. Stu (Gil Rogers) and Beverley Levinson (Tina Sloan), a modest couple from New York City, have spent more than four decades as husband and wife, experiencing life’s joys and its challenges together. When time catches up to the pair both physically and mentally, Stu and Beverley find they must come to terms with growing older and accept the hardships that come with age. PB Productions’ Oh My Love, explores the depths of the human psyche and highlights how love and a strong emotional connection can bond two people for eternity.

For more info on the film, check out ohmylovethemovie.com.

Watch the trailer below.

50 Greatest Actresses: The Fans Strike Back (35-31)

Earlier this month, We Love Soaps revealed our panel of critics' 50 Greatest Soap Opera Actresses of All Time list. We then asked fans to submit their own lists so that we could create "The Fans Strike Back" countdown. Hundreds of We Love Soaps readers submitted their lists.  The results have now been tabulated and the countdown kicked off with 50-46 being revealed on Monday, 45-41 on Tuesday and 40-36 on Wednesday. Today we'll take a look at 35-31.

NAME: Susan Seaforth Hayes
RANK (FANS): 35
SOAP ROLES: Julie Willams, DAYS OF OUR LIVES (1968-1984, 1990-1993, 1994, 1996, 1999-present); Joanna Manning, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (1986-1989, 2005, 2006); Joanna Manning, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (2003); Patricia Steele, SUNSET BEACH (1999); Carol West, THE YOUNG MARRIEDS (1965-1966); Dorothy Bradley, GENERAL HOSPITAL (1963)
RANK (CRITICS): 37

NAME: Colleen Zenk Pinter
RANK (FANS): 34
SOAP ROLES: Barbara Ryan, AS THE WORLD TURNS (1978-present); Nurse, RYAN'S HOPE (1978)
RANK (CRITICS): Honorable Mention

NEWS: Rosemary Prinz, Linda Grover, Heigl, Rodriguez

Linda Grover, 76, dies; conceived Global Family Day
Linda Grover, 76, who devoted more than 10 years to establishing Jan. 1 as a worldwide day of peace, died Feb. 20 of uterine and ovarian cancer at the Washington Home and Community Hospices. During her career she serves as head writer for NBC's THE DOCTORS, CBS's SEARCH FOR TOMORROW and ABC's GENERAL HOSPITAL.

Heigl returning to GREY'S ANATOMY on Monday
Heigl’s due back on the GREY'S set on Monday, so it looks like Izzie will be in this season’s final five episodes. What happens after that is anyone’s guess.

Today's Soap World Birthdays

Jennifer Ferrin (ex-Jennifer, AS THE WORLD TURNS) - 30

NEWS: Giddish, Web-to-TV, SKINT, La Rue, WGAW

33 web series now WGAW signatory
There’s been a fair amount of coverage around the Writer’s Guild East’s (WGAe) efforts to organize new media creators, with as many as 22 web series shops on board as of last month. But out west, its sister guild, the WGAW, has been quieter, though no less successful in bringing in signatories in online content. The latest, BIG FANTASTIC, in fact is the 33rd web production company to become signatory under the WGAW’s recently won jurisdiction in digital and mobile.

Indie Web Hit BREAK A LEG Lands International TV Deal
The show just sold the licensing rights to its show to Fox Italy, marking a big step forward for Web producers looking to graduate to the TV set.

Cablevision Launches Web-to-TV Product
Cablevision is addressing the current buzz over seamlessly bringing Web content to the living-room TV with "PC to TV Media Relay," a new service that will allow its digital cable customers to take whatever information or images appear on their PC screen and display it on a special dedicated channel on their TV set. The cable operator plans to begin testing the service by June.

50 Greatest Actresses: The Fans Strike Back (40-36)

Earlier this month, We Love Soaps revealed our panel of critics' 50 Greatest Soap Opera Actresses of All Time list. We then asked fans to submit their own lists so that we could create "The Fans Strike Back" countdown. Hundreds of We Love Soaps readers submitted their lists.  The results have now been tabulated and the countdown kicked off with 50-46 being revealed on Monday and 45-41 on Tuesday. Today we'll take a look at 40-36.

NAME: Judi Evans
RANK (FANS): 40
SOAP ROLES: Adrienne Johnson Kiriakis, DAYS OF OUR LIVES (1987-1991, 2007-2008, 2010-present); Maeve Stone, AS THE WORLD TURNS (2009); Bonnie Lockhart, DAYS OF OUR LIVES (2003-2007); Paulina Cory, ANOTHER WORLD (1991-1999); Beth Raines, GUIDING LIGHT (1983-1986)
RANK (CRITICS): Honorable Mention

NAME: Kate Mulgrew
RANK (FANS): 39
SOAP ROLES: Mary Ryan Fenelli, RYAN'S HOPE (1975-1977, 1983, 1986, 1989); Garnet McGee, DALLAS (1978)
RANK (CRITICS): 38

Today's Soap World Birthdays

Jean Alexander (ex-Hilda, CORONATION STREET) - 84
James Farentino (ex-Nick, DYNASTY) - 72
Debra Jo Rupp (ex-Edna, AS THE WORLD TURNS; ex-Victoria, ALL MY CHILDREN) - 59
Jay Kenneth Johnson (Phillip, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) - 33

Welcome to We Love Soaps - Stephen Seidel

Talented actor and "Renegade Reporter" Stephen Seidel has joined the We Love Soaps. He will covering some events on the West Coast for us in his own unique style.

As an actor, Stephen has appeared on teleivision on GUIDING LIGHT and SATURDAY NIGHT LIGHT. He has also had key roles in several films including Cadillac Records, Intervention and my film, Manhattanites. In Manhattanites, he played a news reporter who was interviewing Ilene Kristen's character, Marilyn during a press conference. His ability to improvise makes him a fabulous choice to represent We Love Soaps at various live events.

To find out more about Stephen, visit his official website. Also, check out his Renegade Reporting site.

Look for Stephen's first We Love Soaps segments very soon.

Moving Day With OLTL - Gina Tognoni Interview

We Love Soaps had the opportunity to visit the new ONE LIFE TO LIFE set in Manhattan on February 16th and tour the new digs.  During this time we spoke with several cast members about their current experience on the show, the big move, and reflections on their time in Llanview.  Please enjoy this series of interviews.

GINA TOGNONI ("Kelly Cramer Buchanan")

We Love Soaps: I always mispronounce your last name!
Gina Tognoni: The “g” is silent.  But now, just recently married, it’s “Chiarello”.  But I still go by Tognoni for work.

We Love Soaps: So the last time we talked it was right before the big Cramer Women reunion.
Gina Tognoni: Right, we hadn’t even taped one scene yet.  Now Kelly has come to Llanview, she’s staying in Llanview.  It’s really interesting how this all turns out.  The first airdate was February 12th, they were light and simple scenes.  Then as we go into the rest of this week [Feb. 22-26] it picks up pace and gets more intense. 

We Love Soaps: Anything you can preview for us?
Gina Tognoni: I’m back, Kelly gets some really bad news.  The Cramer Women have to come together and support one another.  I can’t say anything more than that.  There are a lot of cool moments, a lot of cool stuff with Todd [Trevor St. John] coming up.

Moving Day With OLTL - Farah Fath Interview

We Love Soaps had the opportunity to visit the new ONE LIFE TO LIFE set in Manhattan on February 16th and tour the new digs.  During this time we spoke with several cast members about their current experience on the show, the big move, and reflections on their time in Llanview.  Please enjoy this series of interviews.

FARAH FATH ("Gigi Morasco")

We Love Soaps: I have loved your work for over ten years on soaps, from your very first day as Mimi on DAYS OF OUR LIVES to now.  What’s that like to look back on your career in daytime and say that for the past ten years you have been on daytime?
Farah Fath: I think it’s a little trippy.  It will never register with me.  It will never register that I’m on television.  If it did, then I would maybe have a different personality.  Maybe I would be cocky, I don’t know.  It will never register.  It’s a dream come true.  The fact that I ended up on my favorite show, which was DAYS—I went from watching it to getting a call to audition for it, to a week later being on the set with everyone I grew up with.  It was unreal.  They became my family.  Now here I am on ONE TO LIVE, the soap my mother watched.  So I’m making all parts of my family very happy.

We Love Soaps: After eight years of DAYS how did this role come about? You went from Mimi to Gigi.
Farah Fath: I talked to Ron Carlivati about that and I don’t think he realized that Mimi was my name on DAYS.  He has a personal friend named Gigi.  He named this character after his good friend that he went to school with.  ABC Daytime actually had a big meeting about it.  Is it too silly to name this character Gigi after I played Mimi for so long? At the end of the day they said who cares? Toward the end of my run on DAYS I knew I wanted to move to New York.

Happy 12,000 GENERAL HOSPITAL!

GENERAL HOSPITAL aired its 12,000th episode on Tuesday. The show debuted new opening credits to celebrate the occasion. Only two daytime soaps have produced more episodes.

"In any climate, it is amazing that we have the opportunity to celebrate such a momentous occasion," Executive Producer Jill Farren Phelps said in a statement. "This milestone honors the strength of the daytime drama and looks to the future that GENERAL HOSPITAL will continue to air many, many more episodes."

Through many ups and downs over the years, GENERAL HOSPITAL has always inspired one of the most passionate fanbases in television history.

Congratulations to the show on this milestone!

Soap Stars Attend 2010 AFTRA Awards

The AFTRA Foundation honored five union members on Feb. 22 at the AFTRA Media and Entertainment Excellence Awards. The ceremony, which alternates yearly between New York and Los Angeles, was held at the Plaza Hotel in Gotham. Radio host Bob Edwards, 1st vice president of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, emceed the event.

Several current and former soap stars attended including Don Hastings, his wife Leslie Denniston, Linda Dano and Robert S. Woods.

NEWS: Michael Learned, David Canary, White, Hastings

Don Hastings on the end of ATWT and possible role on OLTL
“We still don’t have a finish date, maybe in July,” he said. Will he miss the show? “It hasn’t hit me yet because I’m still working.” He wants to keep working, too, and joked with Bob Woods about playing a serial killer on his soap, ONE LIFE TO LIVE. “I wouldn’t kill you, though,” joked Hastings. “I like you!”

Maybe This Whole Crusade to Have Betty White Host SNL Isn’t Such a Good Idea After All
New York Magazine's Mark Graham writes: "We love the Internet, we really do. After all, it is the very source of our livelihood! That said, we have learned over the years that if you give the Internet a pixel, it will take a mile."

LIFE UNEXPECTED: A Quiet Freshman Gem on The CW
Ed Martin writes: "Like most of the shows on The CW, LIFE UNEXPECTED is very much a primetime serial full of pretty people neck-deep in drama. But unlike virtually all of the others, this one has an uncommonly ambitious storyline as its foundation and characters with so many layers to them it could take years to peel them all away. The opportunities for rewarding emotional connections are endless."

Michael Learned joining GENERAL HOSPITAL for a short run
Learned is joining the cast of GH for a short-term story arc. The four-time Emmy winner begins taping in mid-March and will appear onscreen in early April. Learned will play Shirley Smith, a cancer patient, who will be involved with Robin (Kimberly McCullough), Patrick (Jason Thompson), Lisa (Brianna Brown) and the rest of the hospital staff.

ALL MY CHILDREN exec producer Julie Hanan Carruthers plots David Canary's exit
Canary will continue shooting AMC into April, then Carruthers will use the recent death of James Mitchell (Palmer) as impetus for Adam to leave town. “Everyone in Pine Valley will be greatly affected by the loss of Palmer, especially Adam,” previews the soap chief. “It will force him to face his own mortality, something that’s very rare for such a Type A personality.”

Lifetime's audience has been shrinking as it aims for younger viewers
ifetime's numerous makeovers have taken a toll: Its prime-time audience has plunged so much that the channel no longer even ranks among the top five favorite cable networks among women under 50, according to Nielsen.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Perhaps the network would have done well with a cable version of GUIDING LIGHT featuring Otalia.

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