We Love Soaps: Celebrating The Year of the Soap Opera 2012

Colleen Zenk (Clooney) Gets Ready To "Confess"

2012-01-27T14:16:00.008-05:00

Emmy-nominated Colleen Zenk has excited us with a new video to promote her role in the new production of "Marrying George Clooney: Confessions From A Midlife Crisis." The play--by Amy Ferris, Ken Ferris and Krista Lyons--is based on the bestselling memoir and blog of the same title.

Set in cyberspace, it’s about love, life, moms, dads, siblings, marriage, friendships, Ambien, confessions, googling old boyfriends at 3 a.m., fantasies and awakenings. It's about falling in love with yourself, and it's about a realization that women no longer have to punctuate any single part of their lives with a period. Enjoy the clip below, and join We Love Soaps TV in celebrating Colleen Zenk ("Clooney") from February 29th - March 24th, at Cap21 Theater, at 18 West 18th Street, 5th Floor, NY, NY. Buy YOUR tickets here.

NEWS ROUNDUP: Matt Bomer To GLEE! Betty White Back? Bebe Neuwirth Recurs On THE GOOD WIFE

2012-01-27T13:49:00.003-05:00

Matt Bomer to guest star on GLEE
The former GUIDING LIGHT star will appear in April as Blaine's older brother. And he will sing!

Alley Mills Gets Busted on THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL
"Betty White told me they've asked her to return to the show even though her character is dead. I don't know how they can do that. She'll probably be haunting Pam in the mirror."

Soap Operas With a Social Message
Every Sunday evening, seven million Kenyans sit in front of their television sets to watch MAKUTANO JUNCTION, a soap opera set in a fictional village. By placing characters in situations not uncommon to the audience, producers hope viewers will think twice before spending money on alcohol rather than on lifesaving medicine.

Bebe Neuwirth will recur on THE GOOD WIFE
The actress and singer will play Judge Friend, described as a sexy woman with a stern manner and little patience for joking around. She’s assigned to a case involving a battle for control of a large equity group and is placed in a rather awkward position when the top witnesses for both sides appear to be totally guilty of perjury.

BUFFY Alum Azura Skye Takes Flight on GRIMM
Skye will play a kind, mild-mannered bed and breakfast owner named Robin Steinkeller, who also happens to be a Seltenvogel (an extremely rare bird-like creature). Robin has something very valuable to many in the Wesen world, and Nick (David Giuntoli) finds her in a panic to escape her abusive husband.

Demi Moore’s Long Time Cougar Past Surfaces
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT has dug up the first interview they ever did with the actress in 1982 while she was at a restaurant celebrating GENERAL HOSPITAL co-star Philip Tanzini's 15th birthday — and booze wasn't the only thing hitting Demi's lips. Tanzini played Jeremy on GH.

A profile of former ONE LIFE TO LIVE star and singer/songwriter Bill Anderson
He spent a few seasons on the daytime soap opera ONE LIFE TO LIVE playing a fictional version of himself.

Longtime extra Lottie Goodwin celebrates 100th birthday with EMMERDALE's Chris Chittell
Chittell said walk-on extras "are on their feet all the time and Lottie only left EMMERDALE eight months ago. That shows the measure of the woman. She is a joy, always upbeat and never complains."

INTERVIEW: The Further Adventures Of Bradford Anderson Part One; Working with Frank Valenti, the future of GENERAL HOSPITAL & Golden Handcuffs

2012-01-27T12:27:00.010-05:00

GENERAL HOSPITAL fans know Bradford Anderson as the lovably cuddly Damian Spinelli. Indie Soap Fans know him for his portrayal of troubled Greek hero Achilles in THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF CUPID AND EROS. Everyone knows Anderson as a talented actor, activist, musician, and devoted father. Come get to know all these parts of Anderson in our new interview with the Indie Soap Award Nominated star.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: It is such a pleasure to speak with you! It’s been exactly a year since our last interview, and a lot has changed on daytime and in the Indie Soap World. First of all, I would like to sincerely congratulate on your first Indie Soap Award nomination for THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF CUPID AND EROS.
Bradford Anderson: Thank you so much!

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: Where were you when you heard the news?
Bradford Anderson: As appropriate as it is, Avi [Glijansky], who brought me into the project, was the one who informed me, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: Were you surprised?
Bradford Anderson: Absolutely! I was just glad that it could be bring more eyes to the project.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: Anything you can share with us about the further adventures of THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF CUPID AND EROS?
Bradford Anderson: I know Avi always has things mulling in his mind. He’s a pretty smart guy. He has his hands in a few different pots. He and I are talking about revisiting a project he did in college. We are talking about producing our own short film that I would produce and he would direct, so we’re in the early stages of brainstorming for that story. This year is going to move by awfully quick. But as far as Cupid and Eros there is nothing set in stone as far as I know, but I know he has plans for more episodes.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: One of the big changes from a year ago was the cancellation of two pillars of daytime, ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE. We thought they were saved, then we lost them again.
Bradford Anderson: It’s been a roller coaster.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: As someone who continues to work on a network daytime soap, what has it felt like to witness these events from your point-of-view?
Bradford Anderson: I remember when I started early on, it became clear that this wasn’t a forever thing anymore. I remember when I started in 2005, the end was not in sight. It was maybe on the horizon but not in-sight. Then, as a couple of years went by, people started to realize, “Oh, okay, it’s something we have to start thinking about.” As actors, we have to think about it. All of us on soaps are incredibly lucky to have jobs that last years, not just days and weeks. It’s an anomaly in this business. People came to expect that you can get work on a soap and depend on it. So a lot of us have had to reconfigure our thinking in terms of , “Okay, I have to stay relevant outside this genre, because this genre may not always be around.” It’s scary.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: At the same time, with the cancellation of four major soaps in the last three years, we have seen a plethora of creative output. People have starred in Indie Soaps, written books, headlined Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, performed standup comedy, became public speakers... none of which would have been possible with the schedule of working on a daytime series.
Bradford Anderson: That’s the thing. This has somewhat of a negative connotation, but I know some people called their stable soap gig their “golden handcuffs.” Working on a stable soap is an amazing situation. But if you are a creative person that has desires to do other things, you may turn down other opportunities because they are not as lucrative, or your eyes simply aren’t open to other creative opportunities. But as everyone knows, soap actors are scrappy, we have to think on our feet. When the job goes away, those characteristics don’t, so you’re going to find people that can make transitions into just about anything.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: Is there anything you can share with us about GH’s future at this point?
Bradford Anderson: (Pause) It’s hard to say. It’s tough because we have this new energy now with Frank [Valentini] and Ron [Carlivati]. I haven’t had any of Ron’s scripts yet, so I haven’t seen his influence, we’re still working off the old material. But Frank is on set at every moment. We’re not quite used to such an on-hands approach. Every one is on their toes; they like his point-of-view, they like his direction. He gives notes to every department, and everyone can see clearly that those notes are good notes.

We’re getting through days quickly, we’re getting out quickly, so they don’t have to pay overtime. It’s all about money at this point. So looking at that alone, in theory, we should be on budget. And, the quality of the work we are doing, at least from what I can see, is great. He’s getting really good stuff out of people. He’s crafting moments, which is what soaps are about. In that respect, there is a very hopeful sentiment in the building. We feel we are on the path to doing better and better work, and that is great.

At the same time, a lot of us wonder if it even matters. Is it a certainty that we’re done soon? Is it even in our control to change our destiny? Some days it feels like it is, some days it feels like it isn't. In order to go to work and feel positive you have to at least think we have the power to change things. If the numbers go up and the budget goes down then hopefully we can. But then you see that THE CHEW got better ratings than we did in January, and beat us in the 18-49 category. I don’t know the budget cost between us and them but I can guarantee you they are cheaper. If it’s tens of millions dollars cheaper then, even if we get our numbers up, then I don’t know what they prioritize. If THE REVOLUTION comes in and does well too? Then why would they keep us? If money is the only thing that matters, then why would they keep us?

You go to work some days, you see great work, and you’re very hopeful that if that continues and we play our cards right that we will have the opportunity to continue. Then you look at it from the grand scope of things, you see that the talk shows get greater or similar ratings? I don’t know, it’s a different ball game.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: That unknowing from day-to-day can put you in a very difficult position emotionally.
Bradford Anderson: Yes. There are days we are hopeful. There are days we are pessimistic: we hear news or we hear rumors out there. Some days you feel like you’re at the wheel and you think you can still change things. Other days it’s pretty pessimistic.

Editor's Note: Come back Monday for Part Two, where we discuss 2012 as The Year Of The Soap, inconsistencies with the Nielsens, and the revolving Maxies.

Damon L. Jacobs is a Licensed Therapist in New York City who specializes in treating grief/loss, depression, stress management, anger management, addiction, and bullying. He is also the author of the popular book "Absolutely Should-less: The Secret to Living the Stress-Free Life You Deserve," currently available at Amazon.com. For more information about scheduling a speaking engagement, please email him at Shouldless@gmail.com, or check out www.shouldless.com

Today in Soap Opera History (January 27)

2012-01-27T00:05:00.009-05:00

On this date in...

1972: On THE EDGE OF NIGHT, Nancy called Martha with an invitation to Vic and Laurie's engagement party.

1983: Actor Robert Christian died of AIDS-related complications on January 27, 1983 in New York City at age 43. Christian had roles on ALL MY CHILDREN and SEARCH FOR TOMORROW, but his biggest soap role was as Bob Morgan on ANOTHER WORLD.

1984: On ONE LIFE TO LIVE, Simon came to say goodbye to Cassie.

1988: On ANOTHER WORLD, Felicia and Mitch became engaged.

1993: On AS THE WORLD TURNS, Neal received an offer she couldn't refuse.

1997: Florencia Lozano debuted as Téa Delgado on ONE LIFE TO LIVE.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
James Cromwell (ex-George, SIX FEET UNDER; ex-Gerald, DALLAS) - 72
Mimi Rogers (ex-Blair, PAPER DOLLS) - 56
Carrington Garland (ex-Kelly, SANTA BARBARA) - 48
Alan Cumming (Eli, THE GOOD WIFE; ex-Billie, THE L WORD) - 47
Lisa Cerasoli (ex-Venus, GENERAL HOSPITAL) - 43
Davetta Sherwood (ex-Lily, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS) - 28

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a piece of soap opera history for this daily column, please email it to editor@welovesoaps.com.

RELATED:
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 1)
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 2): DARK SHADOWS, RAGGED ISLE, DALLAS, Univision Telenovelas and More
- Most Fascinating People of 2011

WHAT TO WATCH: Friday, January 27, 2012

2012-01-27T00:01:00.000-05:00

What's new in the world of soaps? Serialized scripted content is everywhere in 2012, The Year of the Soap, and we have your guide to the new episodes airing on Friday, January 27, 2012. Daytime TV, primetime, broadcast, cable, web series, we've got it all.

NOTE: Daytime soap times may vary in some local markets.

(All times are ET)

12:30 p.m.		THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (CBS)

1 p.m.		DAYS OF OUR LIVES (NBC)

1:30 p.m.		THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (CBS)

3 p.m.		GENERAL HOSPITAL (ABC)

8 p.m.		UNA MAID EN MANHATTAN (Telemundo)

		WWE SMACKDOWN (Syfy)

9 p.m.		RIVER RIDGE (SFN)

		FRINGE (FOX)

		FLOR SALVAJE (Telemundo)

		SPARTACUS : VENGEANCE (Starz)

10 p.m.		RELACIONES PELIGROSAS (Telemundo)

		MERLIN (Syfy)

NBC is airing the two-hour series finale of CHUCK starting at 8 p.m. ET.

The CW is airing repeats of NIKITA and SUPERNATURAL.

Remember to use #yearofthesoap on Twitter to promote your favorite serialized shows.

RELATED:
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 1)
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 2): DARK SHADOWS, RAGGED ISLE, DALLAS, Univision Telenovelas and More

GOSSIP GIRL Celebrated For 100 Episodes By Mayor Bloomberg & NYC; City Hosts 23 Primetime Series

2012-01-26T23:52:00.001-05:00

An event celebrating the 100th episode of GOSSIP GIRL was held in New York City on Thursday. The show continues to contribute to the city's economy.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke of the show's contribution to the city's economy from Silvercup Studios in Long Island City, where the CW soap is filmed.

According to the mayor, last year New York City hosted 140 television shows and 188 films, and the TV and movie industry generated $5 billion in local economic activity.

"Ten years ago, only nine primetime series were based in New York," said the mayor, who gave much of the credit to the state's 30 percent tax break for filming in the state. "This season that number is up to 23, the most ever."

GOSSIP GIRL star Penn Badgley, who appeared at the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations in the fall, wore a "We are the 99%" T-shirt today.

Robert Hegyes Dead At Age 60

2012-01-26T19:09:00.004-05:00

Robert Hegyes, the Jersey-born actor who played Jewish Puerto Rican wheeler-dealer Juan Luis Pedro Phillipo de Huevos Epstein on the 1970s classic WELCOME BACK KOTTER, died from an apparent heart attack after suffering chest pains at his Metuchen home this morning. He was 60.

Following KOTTER, Hegyes appeared on CAGNEY & LACEY, then continued to act on television, mostly in guest-starring roles including NEWSRADIO, DIAGNOSIS MURDER and THE DREW CAREY SHOW. He made occasional films, including Bob Roberts with Tim Robbins.

In 1985 he played one of the Vipers (Pete's gang) on DAYS OF OUR LIVES.

A longtime resident of Venice, California, he brought the city to the internet in the web series THE VENICE WALK.

Hegyes also taught at Brooks College of Long Beach and wrote screenplays. Peter Loewy, who runs the Forum Theatre Arts Center in Metuchen, says he planned to work with Hegyes on a one-man show a year or so ago, but Hegyes' health problems -- he needed a hip replacement, among other things -- put it on hold indefinitely. "He was a gentle guy," Loewy remembers. "He had, ironically, a big heart."

Below is a photo from the WELCOME BACK KOTTER reunion at the TV Land Awards in March 2011.

NEWS ROUNDUP: Brad Bell Estate Hosting Two Obama Fundraisers, PBS Yanks DOWNTON Jewelry, Jessica Lowndes Video Premieres

2012-01-26T16:20:00.002-05:00

Two Obama Hollywood Fundraisers Set for Brad Bell's Holmby Hills Estate
Barack Obama's Hollywood fundraisers have begun selling tickets to $35,800-per-person dinner for the president at the Holmby Hills estate of soap opera producer and writer Bradley Bell (co-creator, executive producer and head writer of of THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL) and his wife Colleen, according to an invitation obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.

Actor Will Ferrell and his wife Viveca Paulin are among the co-sponsors of the dinner. Event organizers are also working on a line-up of musical acts to perform on the lawn of the Bells' house for earlier in the day. Those tickets start at $250 per person.

PBS pulls DOWNTON ABBEY-inspired jewelry after show objects
A "Lady Mary knotted pearl necklace and earring set” ($184.99) and a “Lady Sybil black pearl bracelet and earring set” ($159.99) were among the accessories that ShopPBS.org took off its shopping site on Tuesday afternoon.

Sebastian Stan Heads to ONCE UPON A TIME
Stan, who recently starred opposite Chris Evans in Captain America, will guest-star in an upcoming episode of the ABC fairy tale series air in March or April.

REVENGE's Emily VanCamp Dating Costar Josh Bowman
Though a second insider insists "it's not serious" between the two, the actors rang in 2012 with pals at posh Paris club Rasputin.

ALCATRAZ: Fans Trying to Break In to Prison
National Parks Service rep Alexandra Picavet tells TMZ tourists are starting to stray from their tours and sneak into "closed areas" on the former federal prison.

90210's Jessica Lowndes Premieres Music Video for "Nothing Like This"
While her character on 90210 has experienced all of the highs and lows of a musical career, Jessica Lowndes is just starting out on her own as a vocalist drawing on the experience of a break-up for the sake of her art.

Sundance: Gina Rodriguez of 'Filly Brown' is the newest 'It' girl
"When I was growing up, I didn't see me as a doctor or a lawyer on TV. I saw me as the hooker or the prostitute or the pregnant teen, and I've played those roles, girl," she said. "I played a pregnant girl on GUIDING LIGHT. I was a little hood kid on LAW & ORDER — a Salvadoran immigrant."

Daytime Ratings: THE REVOLUTION 1.68 Million Viewers, Trounced By THE TALK; New Lows For GENERAL HOPSITAL

2012-01-26T15:47:00.006-05:00

Daytime ratings for the week of January 16, 2012, are starting to come in. CBS issued a press release with news of THE TALK beating THE REVOLUTION.

From CBS:
THE TALK, CBS's daytime talk show, delivered its largest audience and women 18-49 ratings in nearly a year, according to Nielsen live plus same day ratings for the week ending Jan.20.

THE TALK averaged 2.39 million viewers and 0.9/05 in women 18-49, the best in both categories since the week ending Feb. 4. 2011.

Compared to the same week last year, THE TALK was up +12% in viewers (vs. 2.13m), +29% in women 18-49 (vs. 0.7/04) and +10% in women 25-54 (1.1/06 from 1.0/05).

In head-to-head competition, THE TALK also topped the premiere week of ABC's THE REVOLUTION by decisive margins in viewers and key women demographics. THE TALK out-rated THE REVOLUTION in viewers by +42% (2.39m vs. 1.68m), by +50% in women 18-49 (0.9/06 vs. 0.6/03) and by +38% in women 25-54 (1./06 vs. 0.8/04).

UPDATE:
The lack of having ONE LIFE TO LIVE as a lead-in has already started impacting GENERAL HOSPITAL ratings. The show had an all-time low household rating of 1.6 and an all-time low number of Women 18-49 viewers (530,000). The non-ABC daytime soap operas were up in the ratings!

Total Viewers (From SON):
1. Y&R 5,061,000 (+274,000/-121,000) - versus last week/last year
2. B&B 3,471,000 (+137,000/+281,000)
3. DAYS 2,528,000 (+104,000/-191,000)
4. GH 2,209,000 (-348,000/-471,000)

RELATED:
- Daytime TV Ratings: Week Of January 9-13, 2012 - OLTL 3.85 Million on Friday, #2 in W18-49 Demo For Week

Lesley-Anne Down Not Offered A New Contract With THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL

2012-01-26T12:37:00.005-05:00

THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL's Lesley-Anne Down (Jackie) has updated fans on her contract status via a new posting on her official website:

Bradley Bell has decided not to renew Lesley-Anne Down's contract on B&B.
Lesley-Anne wants all of you to know how special and important you all are to her.
Your continued effort and support of Lesley-Anne is so appreciated by her.
When one door closes another one opens. This thankfully has been the case in this instance. We will let you know what it is when the time is right.

DIRTY SOAP Not Returning For Second Season

2012-01-26T12:32:00.002-05:00

On Wednesday DIRTY SOAP cast member Jenna Gering tweeted that the show would not be back for a second season.

"So the word is that Dirty Soap is NOT being picked up for another season," she wrote. "Thanks to all of u who watched. You all have been so supportive!!!"

She explained that the ratings were not satisfactory for the E! network.

"Apparently E! Needed a million viewers for that Sunday time slot. It averaged .8"

Though this news was expected, we will miss live-tweeting the show. At times the stories felt manufactured and forced (even moreso than the typical reality show or docu-series). Perhaps some cast changes could have made it more of a ratings success.

We Love Soaps Announces Additional Celebrity Presenters For 3rd Annual Indie Soap Awards

2012-01-26T00:03:00.006-05:00

WE LOVE SOAPS ANNOUNCES SEBASTIAN LA CAUSE, MICHAEL O'LEARY, RACHAEL HIP-FLORES AND YVONNE PERRY AS ADDITIONAL CELEBRITY PRESENTERS AT THE THIRD ANNUAL INDIE SOAP AWARDS

Winners will be revealed at a live ceremony

on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT

(New York, NY) January 26, 2012 - We Love Soaps reveals second slate of celebrity presenters for the 3rd Annual Indie Soap Awards. The ISAs honor the best dramas and comedies in scripted serialized web series. The winners will be announced in a gala award presentation ceremony at New World Stages in New York, NY, on February 21, 2012.

We Love Soaps is proud to announce the following celebrity presenters:

• Michael O'Leary, longtime star of Guiding Light; nominated actor from Steamboat

• Yvonne Perry, longtime star of As The World Turns; actress from Empire

• Orlagh Cassidy, star of Guiding Light and Another World; nominated actress from Empire

• Julie Ann Emery of TV's Damages, ER and Commander in Chief; nominated actress and producer from Then We Got Help!

• Karri Bowman of TV's Grounded for Life; nominated actress from Bandwagon

• Sebastian La Cause of Broadway's Rocky Horror Show and Chicago; creator and nominated actor from Hustling

• Kevin Earley of Broadway's Tale of Two Cities and Thoroughly Modern Millie; actor from Then We Got Help!

• Michael Myracle of action films Violent Zone and Delta Force 2; nominated actress from California Heaven

• Catherine Frels of The Academy of Classical Acting at George Washington University; nominated actress from Thurston

• Anthony Anderson, nominated actor and ISA winner from Anacostia

• Rachael Hip-Flores of the new series Good People in Love; nominated actress and ISA winner from Anyone But Me

• Rick Dalton, nominated actor from Ragged Isle

• Jason Leaver, nominated creator of Out With Dad

• Marion Akpan, actress from Anacostia

"We try to keep the focus on their incredible achievements in the web series medium, but it's just impossible to ignore the fact that we're packing the theater with an incredibly talented and accomplished mix of theater stars, indie filmmakers and daytime soap opera (and other!) TV actors," said We Love Soaps founder, Roger Newcomb. "Moving the show to New World Stages allows us to do something even bigger and better this year. We even have a surprise or two planned!"

As previously announced, Kristos Andrews (The Bay), Jodi Britton(Sundays), Michael Caruso (DeVanity), John Colella (Vampire Mob), Jillian Clare (Miss Behave), Patrika Darbo (Miss Behave), Dee Freeman (Pretty), Sid Garza-Hillman (Sundays), Michael Taylor Gray (Pretty), Stacy McQueen (Pretty), Forrest Naylor (Sundays) and Alexis Zibolis (DeVanity) will also be presenting awards during the ceremony.

We Love Soaps has been covering the best in serialized programming since 2007 from television to the web. The Indie Soap Awards, or ISAs, were developed in 2009 to celebrate the best of serialized content developed for the web. For more information, visit http://welovesoaps.com/isa

###

Media Contact

Kevin Mulcahy Jr. kevin@welovesoaps.com

212-664-7620

WHAT TO WATCH: Thursday, January 26, 2012

2012-01-26T00:02:00.000-05:00

What's new in the world of soaps? Serialized scripted content is everywhere in 2012, The Year of the Soap, and we have your guide to the new episodes airing on Thursday, January 26, 2012. Daytime TV, primetime, broadcast, cable, web series, we've got it all.

NOTE: Daytime soap times may vary in some local markets.

(All times are ET)

12:30 p.m.		THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (CBS)

1 p.m.		DAYS OF OUR LIVES (NBC)

1:30 p.m.		THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (CBS)

3 p.m.		GENERAL HOSPITAL (ABC)

8 p.m.		UNA MAID EN MANHATTAN (Telemundo)

9 p.m.		DEVANITY (SFN)

		FLOR SALVAJE (Telemundo)

10 p.m.		ARCHER (FX)

		THE FIRM (NBC)

		RELACIONES PELIGROSAS (Telemundo)

10:30 p.m.		UNSUPERVISED (FX)

Remember to use #yearofthesoap on Twitter to promote your favorite serialized shows.

RELATED:
- Most Fascinating People of 2011
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 1)
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 2): DARK SHADOWS, RAGGED ISLE, DALLAS, Univision Telenovelas and More
- NOMINATIONS: 3rd Annual Indie Soap Awards
- Fan's Choice Indie Soap of the Year: Vote Until Feb. 13

Today in Soap Opera History (January 26)

2012-01-26T00:01:00.003-05:00

Happy Australia Day! Our friend and contributor Nelson Aspen adds, "As an honorary Aussie for the last nine (!) years, please wish all the WLS readers a HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY from me, too! 'Good on ya, mates!'"

On this date in...

1967: Jordan Charney debuted as Sam Lucas on ANOTHER WORLD. Sam married Lahoma Vane (Ann Wedgeworth) in 1969 and the two of them moved to SOMERSET in 1970.

1972: On THE EDGE OF NIGHT, Adam urged Bill to search the house one more time just to make sure Frank Sloane wasn't hiding there.

1996: On ALL MY CHILDREN, Noah's trial continued. Watch the episode below:

1998: VERANO DEL '98 (Endless Summer), an Argentine telenovela, premiered on Telefe television.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
Anne Jeffreys (ex-Amanda, PORT CHARLES/GENERAL HOSPITAL; ex-Sylvia, BRIGHT PROMISE) - 89
Walt Willey (ex-Jackson, ALL MY CHILDREN; ex-Joe, RYAN'S HOPE; ex-Jim, ANOTHER WORLD) - 61
Allison Hossack (ex-Olivia, ANOTHER WORLD) - 47
Michael O'Hearn (ex-Luke, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) - 43
Tracy Middendorf (Babbette, BOARDWALK EMPIRE; ex-Laura, BEVERLY HILLS 90210; ex-Carrie, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) - 42
Gilles Marini (Angelo, SWITCHED AT BIRTH; ex-Luc, BROTHERS & SISTERS; ex-Jean Claude, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL) - 36
Kelly Stables (ex-Teenage Bobbie, GENERAL HOSPITAL) - 35
Sara Rue (ex-Penny, EASTWICK) - 33
Kelli Barrett (ex-Maddie, AS THE WORLD TURNS) - 28
Rebecca Ritters (ex-Hannah, NEIGHBOURS; ex-Jules, CORONATION STREET) - 28

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a piece of soap opera history for this daily column, please email it to editor@welovesoaps.com.

RELATED:
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 1)
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 2): DARK SHADOWS, RAGGED ISLE, DALLAS, Univision Telenovelas and More
- Most Fascinating People of 2011

NEWS ROUNDUP: HOUSEWIVES Death, Justin Harley In Dixie, Tim Gunn Sexless 29 Years, DOWNTON Season 3, Demi Moore's Whip-Its

2012-01-25T17:58:00.006-05:00

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES scoop: Major character dies!
The character (one of the wives? a husband?) is set to die in March. Though the actor obviously won’t appear in the much-anticipated finale, at least he or she will be available for pilot season. Many pilots have already been ordered for fall 2012 consideration and casting has begun.

Justin Hartley and Scotty McCreery coming to HART OF DIXIE
Hartley's character, a war hero, turns up the southern charm in his first return to The CW since the end of SMALLVILLE. AMERICAN IDOL winner McCreery will play himself.

Special-effects reel reveals that everything on BOARDWALK EMPIRE is fake
Special-effects reels are kind of a mixed bag for TV fans. On the one hand, it’s pretty cool to see how visually spectacular television can be cobbled together from half a building, a green screen, and a whole shitload of CGI. On the other, it can be kind of a dream-killer to see those eye-popping worlds you love to escape to every week reduced to wireframes.

Watch it below:

The CW has ordered a pilot for FIRST CUT from 90210 writer Jennie Snyder Urman
The pitch: “Glad to leave her nerdy past behind for a fresh start in the adult professional world, a newly minted doctor discovers that, sadly and comically, life at the hospital where she works is no different than high school.”

DOWNTON ABBEY will see an influx of Americans — and two weddings — for its third season
US-born actress Elizabeth McGovern, who plays Lady Grantham, revealed there will be reunions with her relatives from the States — and told how much she loves the show. McGovern said: "I feel a bit guilty because I get paid to do something that is so much fun. We have a lot of laughs. I love the team behind DOWNTON so it really is a joy."

You Can Have Dinner at Downton Abbey for a Mere £7,900
The Dowager Countess would most certainly frown upon this: The real-life noble family that lives in Highclere Castle—the setting for Downton Abbey—is selling day tours to the famous site for £7,900 (~$12,000). The cost includes tea with the the eighth Earl and Countess of Carnarvon, a tour of the state rooms, lunch in the dining room, and a tour of the grounds. No mention of whether or not the "downstairs" will be available for viewing.

DOWNTON producers unhappy with PBS jewelry line
Producers Carnival were forced to call in lawyers to stop the Public Broadcasting Service, the US network that airs Downton Abbey, from naming jewellery after the show’s most famous character, Lady Mary Crawley.

Alan Ball’s Drama BANSHEE Gets Series Order from Cinemax
The action drama centers on an “ex-convict and master thief who assumes the identity of the sheriff of Banshee, PA, where he continues his criminal activities even as he’s being hunted by the shadowy gangsters he had betrayed years earlier.”

THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL's Jennifer Gareis expecting second child
Gareis and husband Bobby Ghassemieh already have a son Gavin, 19 months.

GENERAL HOSPITAL returnee/crossover schedule
Finola Hughes brings Robin's mother, Anna, back to town the week of February 13. OLTL's Kristen Alderson (Starr) makes her GH debut the week of February 20, and Tristan Rogers returns as Robert Scorpio the week of February 27. That same week also marks the Port Charles arrivals of Llanview transplants Todd and Blair Manning, played by Roger Howarth and Kassie DePaiva. Michael Easton's John McBain will arrive in March.

No plans for Melissa Archer's Natalie to cross over to GH at this time
A spokesperson for GH tells Soaps In Depth that at this time, Archer will not be joining the cast. "Despite us loving them, there are no immediate plans to bring her to Port Charles," says the rep.

Alyshia Ochse (Cassandra) leaving GENERAL HOSPITAL
The actress made her official GH debut as the "Woman In White" in early December.

Why was former GENERAL HOSPITAL actress Demi Moore hospitalized?
Demi Moore's friend called paramedics Monday night after the actress inhaled a dangerous amount of nitrous oxide, TMZ has learned. One of Demi's friends who was at her home told emergency workers Demi was doing whip-its.

Emmerdale, Weatherfield and Walford are officially filthy
Cleaning experts from Vileda were dedicated watching the UK’s television soaps for two weeks, and have been left amazed to see that not one house, or pub, was cleaned in that time.

DESPERATE FOR RATINGS: Tim Gunn reveals he hasn't had sex in 29 years
Tim Gunn has given his new ABC chat program, THE REVOLUTION, a big publicity boost with a very personal revelation. During a panel discussion about Americans in low-sex or no-sex relationships, Gunn admitted he hasn't had sex in 29 years — and said he's perfectly fine with it.

PREVIEW: CW Wednesday Night Soap ONE TREE HILL ("Love The Way You Lie")

2012-01-25T17:35:00.001-05:00

As The Year of the Soap continues, The CW's ONE TREE HILL airs a new episode on Wednesday, January 25 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

In "Love The Way You Lie," Dan (Paul Johansson) helps a struggling Haley (Bethany Joy Galeotti) at Karen’s Café.

Meanwhile, Quinn (Shantel VanSanten) discovers that Clay (Robert Buckley) is hiding something from her, and Chase (Stephen Colletti) tries to mend a broken heart.

Brooke (Sophia Bush) is let down by her lunch plans with her dad, and Julian (Austin Nichols) makes a life-changing mistake.

Watch a preview below:

James Lafferty, Tyler Hilton, Lee Norris and Jackson Brundage also star.

RELATED:
- The Best (& Sometimes Worst) of TV 2011: Shout-Outs and Take-Downs for OLTL, GLEE, REVENGE, Frons, Storms, Kirkendall and Many, Many More
- The Best (& Sometimes Worst) of TV 2011: Shout-Outs and Take-Downs for OLTL, GLEE, REVENGE, Frons, Storms, Kirkendall and Many, Many More

RESULTS: Indie Soap & Couple of the Week Poll (January 15-21, 2012); VENICE/Gina & Ani No. 1

2012-01-25T12:57:00.001-05:00

Below are the results from the WE LOVE SOAPS TV "Indie Soap of the Week" poll for the week of January 15-21, 2012. VENICE nabbed the top spot for the ninth week in a row. HUSTLING moved up to second place with its season finale episode, while OLD DOGS & NEW TRICKS remained strong in third.

If you're a fan of any of these shows, we encourage you to check out some of the other series you may not have watched yet. Indie soaps that aired one or more episodes last week were eligible.

We also asked readers which web series couple was their favorite last week. Whether they are on the episode or not, the debate rages on about who fans want VENICE's Ani with. Gina came out slightly ahead this week. Muscles & Bobby from OLD DOGS remained third. Check out the Top 5 below:

RANK	COUPLE	LAST WEEK	TOP 3
1	Gina & Ani, VENICE	1	6
2	Lara & Ani, VENICE	2	4
3	Muscles & Bobby, OLD DOGS	-	1
4	Ryan & Liv, HUSTLING	-	0
5	Michael & Ribina, PRETTY	-	0

Watch last week's indie soaps below:
- BLOOD LIES Episode 5 "Making Choices"
- DEVANITY Season 2 Episode 2
- GOSSIP BOY Episode 5 "The Mysterious Man"
- HOW I SEIZE IT Episode 43 "Gender Identity"
- HUSTLING Episode 8 "The Flow" (Season 1 Finale)
- INTERRACIAL Episode 2
- OLD DOGS & NEW TRICKS Episode 4 "Stuck in a Jam"
- ORANGE JUICE IN BISHOPS GARDEN Season 5 Episode 2 "The Audition"
- PRETTY Season 3 Episode 6
- RIVER RIDGE Episode 2 “Tell My Stories To The One’s I Love, Hide My Fears From Those I Don’t”
- SOCIAL ANXIETY Episode 1 Part 2 "Poe"
- THROWING STONES Season 2 Episodes 6 & 7
- TWO DOORS DOWN Episode 11 "Baby Blues"
- VENICE Season 3 Episode 9 (Subscription)

If you are an indie producer and would like to have your web series added to our Indie Series Network (ISN) Guide, please contact editor@welovesoaps.com.

RELATED:
- Most Fascinating People of 2011
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 1)
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 2): DARK SHADOWS, RAGGED ISLE, DALLAS, Univision Telenovelas and More

WHAT TO WATCH: Wednesday, January 25, 2012 (New Episodes)

2012-01-25T12:19:00.003-05:00

What's new in the world of soaps? Serialized scripted content is everywhere in 2012, The Year of the Soap, and we have your guide to the new episodes airing on Wednesday, January 25, 2012. Daytime TV, primetime, broadcast, cable, web series, we've got it all.

NOTE: Daytime soap times may vary in some local markets.

(All times are ET)

12:30 p.m.		THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (CBS)

1 p.m.		DAYS OF OUR LIVES (NBC)

1:30 p.m.		THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (CBS)

3 p.m.		GENERAL HOSPITAL (ABC)

		VENICE The Series (venicetheseries.com)

8 p.m.		UNA MAID EN MANHATTAN (Telemundo)

		ONE TREE HILL (CW)

		TOUCH (FOX)
		(Series Premiere)

9 p.m.		THE TUDORS (BBC America)

		FLOR SALVAJE (Telemundo)

10 p.m.		RELACIONES PELIGROSAS (Telemundo)

		MISTRESSES (BBC America)

ABC is airing a REVENGE repeat on Wednesday night at 10 p.m.

Marg Helgenberger's final CSI airs on CBS at 10 p.m.

Remember to use #yearofthesoap on Twitter to promote your favorite serialized shows.

RELATED:
- Most Fascinating People of 2011
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 1)
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 2): DARK SHADOWS, RAGGED ISLE, DALLAS, Univision Telenovelas and More

RESULTS: Daytime Soap & Couple of the Week Poll (January 16-20, 2012) - DAYS OF OUR LIVES/John & Marlena No. 1

2012-01-25T01:45:00.001-05:00

Here are the results from the WE LOVE SOAPS TV Daytime Soap & Couple of the Week poll for January 16-20, 2012. We are down to four daytime soaps and DAYS OF OUR LIVES was voted as the favorite of our readers last week.

In our latest Favorite Couple poll, John & Marlena from DAYS OF OUR LIVES remained at No. 1 for the eighth week in a row. See the full results below.

RANK

COUPLE

LAST WEEK

TOP 3

John & Marlena, DAYS

Bo & Hope, DAYS

Jason & Sam, GH

Billy & Victoria, Y&R

EJ & Nicole, DAYS

Today In Soap Opera History (January 25) - GUIDING LIGHT Premiered 75 Years Ago Today!

2012-01-25T01:09:00.003-05:00

On this date in...

1937: NBC Radio premiered a new radio soap opera, THE GUIDING LIGHT, from Irna Phillips. The show ran on radio (NBC then CBS) until 1956. In 1952, the series debuted on CBS-TV and ran until September 2009. GUIDING LIGHT recreated the early years of the show on the 70th Anniversary in 2007. You can purchase that special episode on the new GUIDING LIGHT Classics DVD.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Look for our interviews with Denise Pence (Katie) and Kristen Vigard (Morgan) in the coming days.

1972: On ANOTHER WORLD, a distressed Pat filled Mary and Alice in on Walter's disappearance.

1991: NBC daytime soap GENERATIONS aired its final episode.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
Leigh Taylor-Young (ex-Katherine, PASSIONS; ex-Elaine, SUNSET BEACH; ex-Rachel, PEYTON PLACE) - 67
Kevin O'Rourke (ex-Stan, ONE LIFE TO LIVE) - 56
Ana Ortiz (ex-Hilda, UGLY BETTY) - 41
George Alvarez (ex-Ray, GUIDING LIGHT; ex-Enrique, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL; ex-Alex, GENERAL HOSPITAL/PORT CHARLES)
Mia Kirshner (ex-Isobel, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES; ex-Sherry, THE L WORD) - 37
Paul Taylor (ex-Isaac, AS THE WORLD TURNS) - 36
Michael Trevino (Tyler, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES) - 27
Natalie Hall (Colby, ALL MY CHILDREN) - 24

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a piece of soap opera history for this daily column, please email it to editor@welovesoaps.com.

RELATED:
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 1)
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 2): DARK SHADOWS, RAGGED ISLE, DALLAS, Univision Telenovelas and More
- Most Fascinating People of 2011

Three New DARK SHADOWS DVDs To Be Released On April 10; One DVD Features All 1,225 Episodes

2012-01-24T23:30:00.007-05:00

The Year of the Soap continues with even more classic episodes and clips to purchase. On April 10, 2012, three new DARK SHADOWS DVDs will be released. The biggest is "Dark Shadows-The Complete DVD Collection" where all 1,225 episodes from the ABC network daytime run (1966-1971) will be available along with a slew of bonuses including interviews with series creator Dan Curtis and various stars of the soap.

Below are the links where you can pre-order at Amazon.com:

* Dark Shadows - The Best of Barnabas (180 minutes)
* Dark Shadows - Fan Favorites (180 minutes)
* Dark Shadows - The Complete Original Series (~ 5000 minutes)

The release comes a month in advance of the May 11th premiere of the new Dark Shadows film (directed by Tim Burton and starring Eva Green, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jackie Earle Haley, Helena Bonham Carter, and Johnny Depp as "Barnabas") premieres on May 11.

Nick at Nite To Air 80-Episode Daily Telenovela; Exec Producers Jill Farren Phelps & Hisham Abed, Head Writer Josh Griffith

2012-01-24T23:05:00.006-05:00

The Year of the Soap continues with the annoucement of another new serialized show. REACH FOR A STAR is an 80-episode daily series co-executive produced by six-time Emmy Award-winner Jill Farren Phelps (most recently GENERAL HOSPITAL) and Hisham Abed (THE HILLS; THE CITY). Read the press release from Nickelodeon below:

Nickelodeon, in partnership with Televisa, has ordered 80 episodes of a groundbreaking, original one-hour U.S. adaptation of the popular Mexican telenovela, REACH FOR A STAR (Alcanzar una Estrella) for Nick at Nite, it was announced today by Cyma Zarghami, President of Viacom’s Nickelodeon Group; and Jose Bastón President of Television and Content from Televisa. The first telenovela ever adapted for the U.S. audience, REACH FOR A STAR is a single-camera, daily series following a teenage girl whose life changes completely when she becomes a star and wins the love of her teen idol. REACH FOR A STAR will be produced in association with Sony Pictures Television and is set to premiere later this year on Nickelodeon’s nighttime block for families--Nick at Nite. Production begins in March in Los Angeles, Calif.

“We have experienced first-hand the popularity of the daily scripted format with our kid audience through the success of House of Anubis and our teen audience with DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION,” and our Nick Latin American channel has already had great success in producing telenovela’s with Televisa,” Ms. Zarghami said. “This partnership brings together Televisa’s un-matched leadership in the telenovela genre with our expertise in making content, and we’re looking forward to introducing this first true English-language telenovela to Nick at Nite’s family audience.”

“As part of the steps towards building a strong presence in the Anglo TV market, Televisa is excited to coproduce with Nickelodeon one of the many successful scripts from our library in a daily series format,” said Bastón. We are convinced that the daily series will be well received by Nick´s family audiences, and will capture their attention daily as it has happened in different markets in the world where Televisa has exported its production capabilities. The Televisa and Nick alliance will certainly result in a successful formula, and we envision Reach for a Star as the first of many joint projects.

“For more than a decade Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) and Televisa have been strategically building upon their regional partnership that today encompasses, distribution, consumer products and co-productions,” said Pierluigi Gazzolo, Chief Operating Officer, VIMN. “Reach for a Star marks a dynamic new phase in our partnership and VIMN is incredibly excited to once again be expanding our content portfolio with Televisa.”

REACH FOR A STAR follows Nickelodeon’s success with its live-action serialized series, HOUSE OF ANUBIS and DEGRASSI. Nickelodeon has also experienced tremendous success with the format in Europe and Latin America. The REACH FOR A STAR series is an adaptation of the hit Mexican telenovela, Alcanzar una Estrella, first broadcast on Canal de las Estrellas and Univision in 1990. The success of the series led to a film and sequel telenovela starring Latin American pop sensations, Ricky Martin and Sasha Sokol.

REACH FOR A STAR follows a smart, shy and independent high school senior, Loren, who has ambitions of being a songwriter and secretly sends her song lyrics to her celebrity crush, rock superstar Eddie Wild. Loren’s wildest dreams come true when she not only wins a songwriting competition sponsored by Eddie, but strikes up a friendship with her idol. Eddie sees beyond Loren’s potential as a songwriter and gives her a first break as a singer, and when the truth about his less-than-faithful girlfriend Chloe is revealed, Eddie and Loren’s friendship blossoms.

The series will be co-executive produced by six-time Emmy Award-winner Jill Farren Phelps (GENERAL HOSPITAL, ONE LIFE TO LIVE) and Hisham Abed (THE HILLS and THE CITY). Josh Griffith (YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, AS THE WORLD TURNS) will serve as head writer.

PREVIEW: CW Tuesday Night Soap 90210 "Mama Can You Hear Me?"

2012-01-24T20:27:00.001-05:00

The Year of the soap continues with an all-new episode of 90210, "Mama Can You Hear Me?" on Tuesday, January 24 at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.

Naomi is determined to fix the relationship between her boss Rachel (guest star Michelle Hurd) and her daughter Holly (guest star Megalyn Echikunwoke), which forces Holly and Naomi to work together.

Greg (guest star Niall Matter) asks Silver to move to New York with him and Navid finds out some shocking information about Greg’s daughter.

Annie discovers Liam’s girlfriend Vanessa (guest star Arielle Kebbel) might have been involved with his motorcycle accident.

Tristan Wilds, Jessica Lowndes and Gillian Zinser also star. Stuart Gillard directed the episode written by Scott Weinger.

PREVIEW: ABC Family Tuesday Night Soaps SWITCHED AT BIRTH & JANE BY DESIGN

2012-01-24T20:21:00.001-05:00

The Year of the Soap continues on ABC Family with new episodes of SWITCHED AT BIRTH and JANE BY DESIGN on Tuesday, January 24.

SWITCHED leads off the night at 8 p.m. ET/PT with “Les Soeurs d’Estrees.” Daphne and Bay try to raise money to save Emmett from losing his motorcycle, and John reveals something to Angelo that might put his business partnership with Regina at risk.

Daphne is desperate to help Emmett keep his motorcycle, and ends up lying to John and Kathryn to get the money. Meanwhile, Melody tells Bay to stay away from Emmett. The Kennish’s interview potential new attorneys to work on their case against the hospital and despite Daphne’s reservations, Regina agrees to go into business with Angelo. But, will John’s revelation to Angelo tear his business relationship apart from Regina, or bring them closer together?

SWITCHED AT BIRTH stars Katie Leclerc, Vanessa Marano, Constance Marie, D.W. Moffett, Lea Thompson, Lucas Grabeel and Sean Berdy.

Academy Award winner Marlee Matlin guest stars as Melody Bledsoe, Gilles Marini as Angelo and Maiara Walsh as Simone.

JANE BY DESIGN follows at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Jane doesn’t react well to Billy’s secret, while the Donovan Decker offices batten down the hatches for a top fashion editor’s visit in “The Finger Bowl.”

Now that Billy and Lulu have decided to take their relationship public, Billy must tell Jane. Feeling betrayed and lied to, Jane doesn’t take the news of the high school’s new “It” couple well. But now with the news out there and neither group of friends seeming very supportive of it, can Billy and Lulu withstand the peer pressure? And has Jane truly lost her one true ally in the social shark tank that is high school?

Meanwhile, Jeremy and Jane are given the impossible task to present the new fashion line to top fashion magazine editor Miyoko Sato and make a good impression when she visits the Donovan Decker offices.

JANE BY DESIGN is executive produced by Gavin Polone, April Blair and John Ziffren. The series stars Erica Dasher, David Rogers, Nicholas Roux, Rowly Dennis, India De Beaufort, Meagan Tandy, Matthew Atkinson, and featuring Andie MacDowell.

RELATED:
- INTERVIEW: Katie Leclerc (Daphne) & Vanessa Marano (Bay) Share Lots of Dish and Giggles from the Return of ABC Family's New Hit, SWITCHED AT BIRTH
- INTERVIEW: JANE BY DESIGN's Andie MacDowell
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 1)
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 2): DARK SHADOWS, RAGGED ISLE, DALLAS, Univision Telenovelas and More
- Most Fascinating People of 2011 (Katie Leclerc)

WHAT TO WATCH: Tuesday, January 24, 2012

2012-01-24T20:15:00.002-05:00

What's new in the world of soaps? Serialized scripted content is everywhere in 2012, The Year of the Soap, and we have your guide to the new programs airing on Tuesday, January 24, 2012.

NOTE: Daytime soap times may vary in some local markets.

(All times are ET)

12:30 p.m.		THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (CBS)

1 p.m.		DAYS OF OUR LIVES (NBC)

1:30 p.m.		THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (CBS)

3 p.m.		GENERAL HOSPITAL (ABC)

8 p.m.		SWITCHED AT BIRTH (ABC Family)

		90210 (CW)

		UNA MAID EN MANHATTAN (Telemundo)

9 p.m.		JANE BY DESIGN (ABC Family)

		FLOR SALVAJE (Telemundo)

10 p.m.		RELACIONES PELIGROSAS (Telemundo)

		JUSTIFIED (FX)

		SOUTHLAND (TNT)

RELACIONES PELIGROSAS premieres on Telemundo. For English subtitles as closed captions, use CC3.

RELATED:
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 1)
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 2): DARK SHADOWS, RAGGED ISLE, DALLAS, Univision Telenovelas and More
- Most Fascinating People of 2011

Nominees: 84th Academy Awards

2012-01-24T10:40:00.000-05:00

Nominees for the 84th Academy Awards:

Actor in a Leading Role
Demián Bichir in "A Better Life"
George Clooney in "The Descendants"
Jean Dujardin in "The Artist"
Gary Oldman in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
Brad Pitt in "Moneyball"

Actor in a Supporting Role
Kenneth Branagh in "My Week with Marilyn"
Jonah Hill in "Moneyball"
Nick Nolte in "Warrior"
Christopher Plummer in "Beginners"
Max von Sydow in "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

Actress in a Leading Role
Glenn Close in "Albert Nobbs"
Viola Davis in "The Help"
Rooney Mara in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady"
Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn"

Actress in a Supporting Role
Bérénice Bejo in "The Artist"
Jessica Chastain in "The Help"
Melissa McCarthy in "Bridesmaids"
Janet McTeer in "Albert Nobbs"
Octavia Spencer in "The Help"

Full list here

Today in Soap Opera History (January 24)

2012-01-24T00:01:00.013-05:00

On this date in...

1979: On ANOTHER WORLD, Jim told Marianne he wouldn't forgive her even if Pat were acquitted.

2000: SOAPnet, one of two possible cable soap opera channels vying to get on the air, launched. The Soap City cable network never came to fruition. SOAPnet is leaving the air in March.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
Michael Ontkean (ex-Harry, TWIN PEAKS) - 66
Tonya Crowe (ex-Olivia, KNOTS LANDING) - 41
Steve Silverman (Creator, PRETTY)
Johann Urb (ex-Will, EASTWICK) - 35
Tatyana Ali (ex-Roxanne, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS; ex-Quincy, BUPPIES) - 33
Justin Baldoni (ex-Graham, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL) - 28
Mischa Barton (ex-Sonja, THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE; ex-Marissa, THE O.C.; ex-Lily, ALL MY CHILDREN) - 26

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a piece of soap opera history for this daily column, please email it to editor@welovesoaps.com.

RELATED:
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 1)
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 2): DARK SHADOWS, RAGGED ISLE, DALLAS, Univision Telenovelas and More
- Most Fascinating People of 2011

NEWS ROUNDUP: Katherine Kelly's Exit, Abrams on Serialization, MAD MEN Kiss, TRUE BLOOD Recast

2012-01-23T20:19:00.001-05:00

CORONATION STREET bids farewell to Becky McDonald in fitting style
(Spoiler ahead) Katherine Kelly's much-trumpeted exit from the show aired on Monday night as Becky crashed Tracy and Steve's wedding.

"It was the build-up to that moment that was so skilfully handled as Becky crashed the pair's nuptials, raising eyebrows but lulling everybody into a false sense of security until the moment she could pounce."

ALCATRAZ's J.J. Abrams on serialization
"I can’t help but like shows that have an ongoing mythology. It’s the way life is. It’s a weird thing, to me, to feel like things are always just wrapped up completely."

Title for season premiere MAD MEN episode revealed
AMC drama's March 25 two-hour premiere is title "It's called 'A Little Kiss,'" Matt Weiner reveals. "I like the title to have some kind of synergy with the show so it will pique your interest."

THE GLEE PROJECT Books Lea Michele as Guest Mentor
Michele, who is the first of the show’s Season 2 guests to be revealed, broke the good news herself via Twitter over the weekend, but Oxygen officially made the announcement on Monday morning.

Reality Weekly’s Tough Launch
It’s not easy to compete in the magazine business these days, and if the gossip surrounding Reality Weekly’s launch is any indication, it gets even tougher in the celebrity weekly category. American Media Inc. (which also owns Soap Opera Digest and Soap Opera Weekly) has only published a handful of issues so far and official figures won’t be ready for six weeks, but sources claim the first issue sold slightly more than 100,000 copies — even though the title delivered 500,000 magazines to newsstands. Subsequent issues have sold less than the launch issue, as is normal, sources added. A spokeswoman from AMI said the figures are not accurate and are actually higher.

TRUE BLOOD Recasts Cousin Claude
Actor Giles Matthey will assume the fairy wings previously worn by Neil Hopkins, who played the role in an episode last season.

First look at the trailer for MISSING
When Becca Winstone's (Ashley Judd) son, Michael, disappears while studying abroad, there is nothing that will stop her from getting him back.

Soap Opera Stars In Primetime: Upcoming Guest Appearances

2012-01-23T19:09:00.003-05:00

Daytime and primetime soap stars are everywhere this winter! Below are some of the upcoming guest appearances by soap stars on primetime shows including the debut of William Devane on REVENGE. We update this list every few days. If you see a name missing or find out an official airdate, add it in our Comments section.

JANUARY
23 HART OF DIXIE - Nadine Velazquez
25 CRIMINAL MINDS - Maggie Contreras, Penny Peyser
25 CSI - Marg Helgenberger (final episode), Annabeth Gish
26 THE FINDER - Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, Wilson Cruz
26 30 ROCK - Terri Conn
29 CSI: MIAMI - Grant Gustin, Elisabeth Rohm
31 RINGER - Brody Hutzler, Madchen Amick

FEBRUARY
1 HOT IN CLEVELAND - Susan Lucci, Ryan McPartlin
2 THE MENTALIST - Van Hansis, Alicia Witt
2 PERSON OF INTEREST - Rachel Miner
3 SUPERNATURAL - Sara Canning
3 BLUE BLOODS - F. Murray Abraham, Maureen Mueller, Anthony Mangano
6 2 BROKE GIRLS - Jennifer Coolidge
6 HAWAII FIVE-0 - Mark Deklin
7 UNFORGETTABLE - Chris Beetem
7 NCIS: LOS ANGELES - Alana De La Garza
8 CRIMINAL MINDS - Dean Cain
8 HAPPY ENDINGS - James Wolk
8 REVENGE - William Devane
10 A GIFTED MAN - Peter Hermann
14 NEW GIRL - Ryan Kwanten
19 THE GOOD WIFE - Parker Posey, Jonathan Groff
TBD CSI - Roger Bart
TBD GLEE - Ricky Martin

MARCH
13 RINGER - Nic Robuck

2012
TBD PRIVATE PRACTICE - Ashley Jones
TBD HAWAII FIVE-0 - Ed Asner
TBD HOT IN CLEVELAND - Steven Weber
TBD CASTLE - Justin Hartley
TBD MELISSA & JOEY - Shawn Christian
TBD MODERN FAMILY - Bobby Cannavale
TBD SUPERNATURAL - Misha Collins (recurring)
TBD LAW & ORDER: SVU - Fisher Stevens
TBD CSI: NEW YORK - Molly Burnett, Sherri Saum
TBD CRIMINAL MINDS - Lexi Ainsworth
TBD SMASH - Thorsten Kaye (recurring)

RELATED:
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 1)
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 2): DARK SHADOWS, RAGGED ISLE, DALLAS, Univision Telenovelas and More
- Most Fascinating People of 2011

Kirsten Storms Not Returning To GENERAL HOSPITAL As Planned; Jen Lilley Continues As Maxie

2012-01-23T19:02:00.003-05:00

GENERAL HOSPITAL's Kirsten Storms will not be resuming the role of Maxie Jones next month after all, according to Soaps In Depth. "Kirsten Storms will not be able to return as soon as originally hoped and announced," a rep for the show said. "Jen Lilley will continue to play Maxie Jones for the foreseeable future."

"I'm sad [Kirsten] is still sick," Lilley tweeted. "Rest up love! I'll keep Maxie kickin :) xo Here's to a bit more time on my favorite soap!"

Look for our new interview with Indie Soap Award nominee Bradford Anderson coming soon. When we spoke last week, he was still expecting Storms back on the show by this week.

RELATED:
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SOAPnet To Air Robin & Patrick Valentine's Day Marathon (4 Episodes)

2012-01-23T18:47:00.001-05:00

It will be a Valentine's Day to remember as SOAPnet celebrates the February holiday with a GENERAL HOSPITAL marathon featuring beloved couple Robin and Patrick in four special one-hour episodes from the multi-award winning ABC Daytime drama.

The marathon airs Sunday, February 12, from 3:00-7:00 p.m., ET/PT.

The following episodes will air (all times Eastern and Pacific):

3:00 p.m. -- Episode 11170 - A determined Patrick shows up outside of Robin's window and declares his love. She finally succumbs and admits she loves him too. Original airdate: November 7, 2006.

4:00 p.m. - Episode 11677 - Robin and Patrick's daughter, Emma, is born and they introduce her to the family. Original airdate: November 4, 2008.

5:00 p.m. - Episode 11712 - In front of their family and friends, Robin and Patrick are married. Original airdate: December 29, 2008.

6:00 p.m. - Episode 11961 - Robin and Patrick share a special celebration in honor of their first anniversary. Original airdate: December 29, 2009.

Watch The Entire SMASH Pilot Now!

2012-01-23T18:31:00.000-05:00

We invited EMPIRE creator Greg Turner to We Love Soaps headquarters on Friday to watch the premiere episode of SMASH, a new musical soap premiering on NBC on Monday, February 6. We all enjoyed it and are hoping viewers will find the show.

SMASH centers on a desire to create a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe and a rivalry that forms between two actresses vying for the lead role.

NBC has now uploaded the entire episode to YouTube and you can watch it below:

More about SMASH:

SMASH is a musical drama that celebrates the beauty and heartbreak of the Broadway theater as it follows a cross-section of dreamers and schemers who all have one common desire -- to be a "Smash."

The series centers on a desire to create a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe -- written by the successful songwriting duo of Tom (Tony Award nominee Christian Borle, "Legally Blonde: The Musical") and Julia (Emmy Award winner Debra Messing, "Will & Grace"). Julia recently began the process of adopting a child with her husband (Brian d'Arcy James) of many years, but her focus is torn when she has the opportunity to write another Broadway hit.

A rivalry soon forms for the lead role between a youthful, inexperienced Midwestern beauty (Katharine McPhee, "American Idol") -- who is trying to find fame in the big city against all odds -- and stage veteran (Megan Hilty, "Wicked," "9 to 5: The Musical"), who's determined to leave the chorus line and finally get her big break. A tenacious producer, Eileen (Oscar winner Anjelica Huston, "Prizzi's Honor"), discovers the "Marilyn" project and jumps on board with a brilliant director (Jack Davenport, "Pirates of the Caribbean" films) -- whose talent is matched by his cunning and egocentric amorality. The series stemmed from an idea of executive producer and multiple Emmy and Oscar winner Steven Spielberg ("ER," "Schindler's List").

The pilot was written by acclaimed playwright/screenwriter Theresa Rebeck ("Mauritius," "NYPD Blue"). Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (Oscar-winning "Chicago," "Hairspray") and Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey ("United States of Tara," "The Borgias") will also serve as executive producers. Original songs are written by Tony and Grammy Award winners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman ("Hairspray," "Catch Me If You Can"), who also serve as executive producers. "Smash" is a production of Universal Media Studios in association with DreamWorks Television and Madwoman in the Attic. The pilot was directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer ("Spring Awakening," "American Idiot").

Sunday Night Ratings: ONCE UPON A TIME, PAN AM, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES Hold Up Against Football

2012-01-23T18:19:00.003-05:00

The NFC Championship game dominated the Sunday night ratings, but ABC's soaps held up well.

Here is the ratings report from ABC:
ONCE UPON A TIME (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
Opposite Fox's high-rated NFL NFC Championship game (NY Giants-San Francisco 49ers) that went into overtime, ABC freshman drama ONCE UPON A TIME (9.3 million and 3.2/7) surged over its lead-in (+79% in viewers/+167% in young adults) and gained viewers throughout its broadcast to beat out CBS' UNDERCOVER BOSS (9.2 million and 2.2/5) in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. In fact, the ABC freshman drama substantially increased it winning advantage over the CBS unscripted series to 45% in Adults 18-49, jumping from 10% the prior week. Disney-owned ONCE UPON A TIME qualified as Sunday's No. 1 non-sports TV program with viewers and young adults.

* Despite facing the big NFL Championship competition, ONCE UPON A TIME increased its numbers week to week in Adults 18-34 (+4%) and Women 18-34 (+3%), scoring its 2nd-best results in the last 2 months on both measures - since 11/13/11. In addition, the show surged 12% over the prior week with Men 18-34 to earn its 2nd-strongest performance since November - since 11/27/11.

* ONCE UPON A TIME produced sizeable year-over-year growth for ABC in the hour, improving by 33% in Total Viewers and by 68% in Adults 18-49 over original programming on the same night last year ("Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" on 1/23/11 = 7.0 million and 1.9/4).

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
Registering as the No. 1 non-sports program in the 9 o'clock hour, ABC's DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (7.5 million and 2.6/5) towered over its original drama competition in the time slot, beating NBC's "Prime Suspect" (4.3 million and 0.8/2) by 3.2 million viewers and more than tripling its Adult 18-49 number (+225%). In addition, HOUSEWIVES stood as Sunday's No. 2 non-sports program with Adults 18-49.

* DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES grew week to week in Adults 18-34 (+5%), Women 18-34 (+15%) and Women 18-49 (+3%).

PAN AM (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
During the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's PAN AM dominated the season finale of NBC's PRIME SUSPECT by 86% among Adults 18-49 (1.3/3 vs. 0.7/2).

* PAN AM built week to week by 8% in Adults 18-49, equaling its highest-rated telecast since the beginning of December - since 12/4/11.

ABC: Katie Couric Fall 2012 Talk Show Cleared in 95 of Top 100 Markets (press release)

2012-01-23T18:07:00.002-05:00

In only four months, Katie Couric's highly anticipated nationally syndicated talk show, KATIE, has already been cleared in 93% of the country, it was announced today by Janice Marinelli, president, Disney-ABC Domestic Television. KATIE will premiere on leading stations across the country in September 2012.

"The sales momentum behind KATIE has been truly remarkable," commented Marinelli. "The multi-talented Katie Couric is in a class all her own, which is why we believe the show has led the charge in the first-run syndication marketplace this year. We are committed to an extraordinary launch with these preeminent stations across the country."

Disney-ABC Domestic Television has secured outstanding station clearances and key early fringe time periods for the LIVE one-hour daily daytime talk show. Sales to date include 95 of the top 100 markets. In addition to the ABC Owned station group, KATIE has also been sold to leading stations from broadcast groups including Allbritton Communications, Belo Corporation, Cox Media Group, Gannett Broadcasting, Granite, Griffin, Hearst Television, LIN Broadcasting, McGraw-Hill, Media General, Meredith, Raycom, Scripps Howard Broadcasting, Sinclair and Young Broadcasting, among others.

Katie Couric is an award-winning journalist, best-selling author and popular TV personality. In addition to hosting the new nationally syndicated program, KATIE, Couric is also a member of the ABC News team. KATIE will be executive-produced by Katie Couric and Jeff Zucker and is distributed by Disney-ABC Domestic Television.

Hillary B. Smith On Her New Bold & Beautiful Role: This Sounds Like Fun!

2012-01-23T17:59:00.001-05:00

Emmy and Indie Soap Award winning actress Hillary B. Smith debuts on her newest soap, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, on March 8 as Dr. Stacy Burton, a psychiatrist specializing in sex therapy.

In a new interview with TVLine, Smith says, "I could have gone on that show as a janitor and I would have been happy."

So who needs sex therapy on THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL?

"I have not seen a script yet, but Brad called and gave me a little thumbnail sketch of who I’d be working with and what I’d be doing," Smith adds. "I’m going to be working very closely with a contract player and helping them deal with a crisis, so that works for me."

Smith is a master of medical terminology and the new role is like coming full circle in daytime.

"I started my soap career as a nurse [on THE DOCTORS]," she says, "and now I’ve graduated to a doctor — after being a lawyer! — so this is great."

Smith is nominated for Best Lead Actress (Comedy) at the 3rd Annual Indie Soap Awards for her role on FUMBLING THRU THE PIECES. Winners will be announced in a ceremony on February 21.

For more on her B&B role and her thoughts on the end of ONE LIFE TO LIVE, visit TVLine.com.

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PREVIEW: CW's Monday Night Soaps GOSSIP GIRL & HART OF DIXIE

2012-01-23T14:15:00.001-05:00

GOSSIP GIRL is back with an all new episode, "Father of the Bride," on Monday, January 23 at 8 p.m. on The CW.

Blair prepares to celebrate her upcoming royal wedding with a bachelorette party, but others scheme behind her back to make this a night to remember.

After discovering the truth behind Chuck and Blair’s car accident, Nate joins forces with a surprising ally to gather the evidence.

Serena and Dan pretend to be dating again to protect someone close to them.

Watch a preview below.

Kelly Rutherford and Matthew Settle also star. Amy Heckerling directed the episode written by Peter Elkoff.

HART OF DIXIE follows at 9 p.m. ET/PT with "Hell’s Belles".

When Zoe (Rachel Bilson) goes in search of some family history in Bluebell, she discovers that she is a legacy to the Bluebell Belles. Of course, once Lemon (Jaime King) catches wind of the news, she makes it her sole mission in life to make sure Zoe doesn’t become an official Belle and puts her through a humiliating initiation. With the help of Wade (Wilson Bethel), Lavon (Cress Williams) attempts to jump back into the dating scene, but he finds it difficult because Didi (guest star Nadine Velazquez) is telling everyone that he’s in love with her. Meanwhile, George (Scott Porter) devises a plan to stop a huge chainstore from building near Bluebell and as a result driving business away from the town.

Janice Cooke Leonard directed the episode written by executive producer Donald Todd.

RELATED:
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- OPINION: GOSSIP GIRL's Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford, Ed Westwick & even Leighton Meester Make This Viewer Squeal with Delight
- OPINION: GOSSIP GIRL's Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford, Ed Westwick & even Leighton Meester Make This Viewer Squeal with Delight
- OPINION: GOSSIP GIRL's Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford, Ed Westwick & even Leighton Meester Make This Viewer Squeal with Delight
- OPINION: Sum of Rachel Bilson, Jaime King, Cress Williams & Scott Porter Greater Than HART OF DIXIE

PREVIEW: ABC Family Monday Night Soaps PRETTY LITTLE LIARS & THE LYING GAME

2012-01-23T14:09:00.002-05:00

The Year of the Soap continues on ABC Family on Monday, January 23 with new episodes of PRETTY LITTLE LIARS and THE LYING GAME.

In “The Blonde Leading the Blind” on PLL at 8 p.m. ET, love is a powerful motivator for Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer, especially if it means keeping their loved ones safe.

The best way to get to someone is through the people they love, and “A” knows this better than anyone. Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer have had to sacrifice a lot at the gloved hands of “A,” especially when it comes to love. Toby continues to pursue Spencer, knowing that she is keeping something from him. With another “accident” possibly popping up at any minute, Spencer is desperate to keep Toby safe and can think of only way to truly end it. Also worried about her relationship, Hanna begs the other girls to stop using Caleb to help with their search. The more involved Caleb gets, the bigger target he becomes. But is the valuable information Caleb is finding more important to the others than Caleb’s safety?

Meanwhile, Aria is desperate to save her relationship with Ezra still not returning her calls. Will one more “date” with Holden give Aria the opportunity to get the answer from Ezra she is longing for?

PRETTY LITTLE LIARS won three Teen Choice Awards in 2011 for Choice Summer TV Series, Choice Summer TV Actress – Lucy Hale and Choice Summer TV Actor – Ian Harding. The show also won the “TV You Betta Watch” Award for 2011’s NewNowNext Awards as well as the “Cast to Watch” for 2011’s The Young Hollywood Awards.

PRETTY LITTLE LIARS is produced by Alloy Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television and is executive produced by I. Marlene King, Oliver Goldstick and Leslie Morgenstein. The series stars Troian Bellisario, Ashley Benson, Holly Marie Combs, Lucy Hale, Ian Harding, Laura Leighton, Chad Lowe, Shay Mitchell and Sasha Pieterse.

THE LYING GAME follows at 9 p.m. ET/PT with "Black and White and Green."

On the night of the country club’s Black and White Ball for junior members, Emma finds herself on the outside looking in, and Ethan must put up a faÃ§ade in order to protect her.

Although their loyalty to each other is strong, the jealousy and lies start to take their toll.

Can Emma and Ethan look past their doubts and mend the wedge forming between them? Secrets, lies and jealousies threaten to topple relationships.

THE LYING GAME is produced by Alloy Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television and is executive produced by Charles Pratt, Jr., Leslie Morgenstein and Gina Girolamo. The series stars Alexandra Chando, Andy Buckley, Blair Redford, Kirsten Prout, Alice Greczyn, Allie Gonino and Helen Slater with recurring guest star Adrian Pasdar.

RELATED:
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- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 2): DARK SHADOWS, RAGGED ISLE, DALLAS, Univision Telenovelas and More
- Most Fascinating People of 2011

Discount Tickets For "Love, Loss and What I Wore" Featuring Robin Strasser Starting Feb. 1

2012-01-23T13:30:00.004-05:00

Emmy winner Robin Strasser joins the cast of "Love, Loss and What I Wore" on February 1, 2012, and you can now buy two tickets for only $99* (normally $158) with the special discount code below.

"Love, Loss" is an intimate collection of stories by Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron based on the book by Ilene Beckerman. We saw the show last year with Kim Zimmer as part of the cast and it was terrific. You don't want to miss Strasser reciting one of these stories! She joins the February cast which also features Dawn Wells (GILLIGAN'S ISLAND) and Zuzanna Szadkowski (GOSSIP GIRL).

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:*
Wed 2 & 8, Thurs-Fri 8, Sat 2 & 8, Sun 3 & 7
*Please visit www.LoveLossOnStage.com for schedule and cast updates.

THREE WAYS TO ORDER:
1. ONLINE: Visit www.broadwayoffers.com and enter code LLLSP77
2. BY PHONE: Call 212-947-8844 and mention code LLLSP77
3. IN PERSON: Bring a print-out of this offer to the Westside Theatre Box Office
407 West 43rd Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues).
Box office open Mon-Sun noon- 6 p.m.
Premium Seats Also Available at $100!

*Expires 4/1/2012. Black out dates may apply. Schedule and cast subject to change.
Offer subject to availability. Normal service charges apply to online and phone orders. No exchanges or refunds. All sales are final. Cannot be combined with other offers. Not valid for prior purchases. Limit of 8 tickets per order. Offer may be revoked at any time.

WHAT TO WATCH: Monday, January 23, 2012

2012-01-23T13:11:00.002-05:00

What's new in the world of soaps? Serialized scripted content is everywhere in 2012, The Year of the Soap, and we have your guide to the new programs airing on Monday, January 23, 2012. Daytime TV, primetime, broadcast, cable, web series, we've got it all.

NOTE: Daytime soap times may vary in some local markets.

(All times are ET)


12:30 p.m.		THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (CBS)

1 p.m.		DAYS OF OUR LIVES (NBC)

1:30 p.m.		THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (CBS)

3 p.m.		GENERAL HOSPITAL (ABC)

8 p.m.		PRETTY LITTLE LIARS (ABC Family)

		GOSSIP GIRL (CW)

		UNA MAID EN MANHATTAN (Telemundo)

9 p.m.		THE LYING GAME (ABC Family)

		HART OF DIXIE (CW)
		(Winter Premiere)

		ALCATRAZ (FOX)

		FLOR SALVAJE (Telemundo)

		BEING HUMAN (Syfy)

		WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW (USA)

10 p.m.		LA CASA DE AL LADO (Telemundo)

		LOST GIRL (Syfy)

Remember to use the hashtag #yearofthesoap on Twitter.

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Today in Soap Opera History (January 23)

2012-01-23T00:38:00.003-05:00

On this date in...

1939: TIME magazine published a fascinating story about radio soap creators, Frank and Anne Hummert, explaining their prolific serial production operation (Blackett-Sample-Hummert Inc.). "By hiring dialogue writers, and not creators, the Hummerts save lots of money. Most serial writers in radio command $200 to $400 a week. For The Goldbergs, Gertrude Berg gets about $2,000. The Hummerts pay a minimum $25 per 15-minute script. Since most Hummert ghosts are glad to add caviar to bread-&-butter from other jobs, they have seldom squawked." Read the entire article here.

1968: On ANOTHER WORLD, Dru (Geoffrey Lumb, who also played Mitchell Dru on both AS THE WORLD TURNS and THE BRIGHTER DAY) advised Alice not to conjure up trouble between Russ and Rachel.

1979: On THE EDGE OF NIGHT, Gus grabbed his chest in pain during a conversation with Miles.

1987: Larkin Malloy aired for the final time as Kyle Sampson on GUIDING LIGHT.

1994: SEARCH FOR TOMORROW actress Sherry Mathis, who was very popular during her seven year run as Liza, died at age 44 after a battle with cancer. She came to New York in 1971 and made her Broadway debut in the Stephen Sondheim musical "A Little Night Music." She also appeared in "Music Is," a 1976 musical by George Abbott, Richard Adler and Will Holt, which was based on Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night." Mathis graduated from Memphis State University and returned to Memphis at the end of her life where her brother, William, was living.

2001: PASSIONS released a book, "Hidden Passions: Secrets From the Diaries of Tabitha Lenox," revealing new details about the residents of Harmony.

2003: Polish primetime daily soap NA WSPOLNEJ premiered on TVN. It continues today with over 1,500 episodes aired.

2006: Telenovela LA FEA MAS BELLA ("The Most Beautiful, Ugly Girl") premiered. Produced by Televisa as the second Mexican version of the popular Colombian telenovela BETTY LA FEA. The U.S. version of this show was UGLY BETTY.

2006: Australian soap HEADLAND aired its final episode.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
Chita Rivera (ex-Melody, ONE LIFE TO LIVE) - 79
Gil Gerard (ex-Alan, THE DOCTORS) - 69
Francesca James (ex-Kitty, ALL MY CHILDREN; ex-Marcy, ONE LIFE TO LIVE; Producer/Director) - 63
Richard Dean Anderson (ex-Jeff, GENERAL HOSPITAL) - 62
Richard Gilliland (ex-Brent, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES; ex-Congressman Morganthall, TORCHWOOD) 62
David Patrick Kelly (Noah, GOSSIP GIRL; ex-Jerry, TWIN PEAKS) - 61
Antonio Villaraigosa (Himself, ALL MY CHILDREN) - 59
Robert Funaro (ex-Eugene, THE SOPRANOS) - 53
Peter Koch (ex-Harry, DALLAS) - 50
Gail O'Grady (ex-Anne, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES) - 49
Mariska Hargitay (ex-Carly, FALCON CREST) - 48
Tiffani Thiessen (ex-Valerie, BEVERLY HILLS 90210) - 38
Geoffrey Wigdor (ex-J.J., LOVING; ex-Eli, ONE LIFE TO LIVE; ex-Ryan, GUIDING LIGHT) - 30
April Pearson (ex-Michelle, SKINS) - 23
Brennan Bailey (Andrew, MISS BEHAVE) - 15

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a piece of soap opera history for this daily column, please email it to editor@welovesoaps.com.

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FLASHBACK: The Hummert Radio Soap Opera Mill 1939

2012-01-22T21:48:00.001-05:00

Radio: Hummerts' Mill

TIME
January 23, 1939

One of the oddest outfits in the very odd business of radio is Blackett-Sample-Hummert Inc. Not only is the company the No. 1 buyer of radio time, it is the No. 1 producer of radio material—and, incidentally, a big source of professional exasperation.

Figures available last week showed that in 1938 B-S-H had placed orders for $9,000,000 worth of air time. This was about one-eighth of all money paid for radio network time and over $3,700,000 more than B-S-H's nearest competitor spent. The commission on this sale was about $1,350,000 for B-S-H.

Practically all the time B-S-H bought was used for 15-and 30-minute dramatic serials spotted in the morning or afternoon to amuse housewives, and to push cereals, headache remedies, tooth paste, floor polish, cosmetics, etc. for 19 sponsors. For many of these spots B-S-H's great, straight-line script mill turned out at mass production prices JUST PLAIN BILL, SECOND HUSBAND, JOHN'S OTHER WIFE, ROMANCE OF HELEN TRENT, MR. KEEN, TRACER OF LOST PERSONS, LORENZO JONES, BACKSTAGE WIFE, OUR GAL SUNDAY, YOUNG WIDDER BROWN, STELLA DALLAS, ALIAS JIMMY VALENTINE, DAVID HARUM. All these were ghostwritten by some 14 anonymous authors in the names of Adman Frank Hummert and his wife, Anne.

Fifteen years ago the firm Blackett & Sample was organized by Chicago Admen Hill Blackett and John Glen Sample. In 1927 E. (for Edward) Frank Hummert, longtime newspaperman, Liberty Loan slogan writer ("Bonds or Bondage") and pressagent, joined the firm as copy writing chief. In 1930 pretty, brown-haired Anne Ashenhurst, newspaperwoman, was hired to help him. With his young new aide, Frank Hummert discovered that the jackpot in the radio business was the serial "script show."

Their first was Just Plain Bill, a village barber, who has been spouting homely homilies for eight years. Others followed in profusion. By 1935, when Frank married Anne after the death of his first wife, both were vice presidents of the company, Frank with salary and commissions totaling some $117,000, Anne drawing a modest $21,000.

The Hummert mill produces 50 serial scripts a week, a total of some 6,500,000 words a year. In their Greenwich, Conn. home Frank and Anne figure out the trends of their serials four to six weeks in advance, dictate outlines to a battery of stenographers. Outline for an episode (BACKSTAGE WIFE) may read something like this: "Suspecting that Cynthia Valcourt murdered Candy Dolan with Ward Ellman's gun, after Tess left the fiat, Mary, Larry and Ward rush to Tony Valcourt's penthouse to have a talk with Tony and Cynthia, having sent Tess Morgan to her apartment. Arriving at the penthouse, they are refused admittance by the butler. . . . If Cynthia gets away, Tess may take the rap for the crime. Can they save her? . . . What will Tess do?"

When a script is finished by the ghost writers it goes to an adjunct of the Hummert mill known as Air Features, Inc. for production. No Hummert ghost may even stick his nose inside Air Features' production studios.

By hiring dialogue writers, and not creators, the Hummerts save lots of money. Most serial writers in radio command $200 to $400 a week. For THE GOLDBERGS, Gertrude Berg gets about $2,000. The Hummerts pay a minimum $25 per 15-minute script. Since most Hummert ghosts are glad to add caviar to bread-&-butter from other jobs, they have seldom squawked.

Last year the Hummerts began sending scripts to London to be Anglicized and broadcast from Normandy and Luxemburg to British listeners. Anglicizing largely involved changing cops to bobbies, dollars to pounds, Manhattan Merry-Go-Round to London Merry-Go-Round, Lorenzo Jones to Marmaduke Brown, and most writers felt that some fame or profit from this rebroadcasting should come to them. But every script that went abroad was prudently marked, like those used in the U. S.: "Authors—Frank and Anne Hummert," and B-S-H picked up all the chips.

Not only writers but actors are concerned with B-S-H's system. Radio has no prescribed wage scale, although most big agency production units pay a basic wage of about $25 for a 15-minute stint, rehearsals included. Featured Artists Service, Inc., the Hummert casting agency, pays a basic $12.50 but rehearsals are briefer than most and great numbers of players get fairly steady work (a serial can hold out as long as a sponsor can). But American Federation of Radio Artists (A. F. of L. affiliated) insists that this is not reason enough for half-pay. Last week A. F. R. A., having failed for a year to negotiate minimums of $15 a 15-minute program, $6 for the first rehearsal hour and $3 for each half-hour thereafter, put the case before its entire membership.

This week, at meetings of A. F. R. A. locals all over the U. S., immediate strike action was being considered against all sponsored radio programs whose producers refuse to sign up.

RELATED:
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NEWS ROUNDUP: Chandler Massey's 16-Love, Y&R Cover Charge, Sh!t the Dowager Countess Says

2012-01-22T15:34:00.003-05:00

Chandler Massey talks about his 16-Love character
"I like quite a bit about him. The thing I liked is he's a guy whose not afraid to stick his neck out there and go for it and fall flat on his face sometimes," Massey said.

Y&R: "Really should be listed with the sex stations and accompanied by a cover charge"
Terry Sprague laments the decline of quality programs on television: "Even THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, a program that really should be listed with the sex stations and accompanied by a cover charge, has deteriorated well beyond what I thought it was capable of doing. There is not one living soul in Genoa City who has not been in bed with everyone else in that city."

Y&R's Tonya Lee Williams believes daytime drama is dying
“Now I look at daytime drama as a piece of history,” Williams said during a recent telephone interview from her home in Los Angeles. “Popularity is cyclical and budgets (for network television) are shrinking. If you’re not a CSI or CRIMINAL MINDS with gory autopsies and psycho killers, you’re at the bottom of the ladder. Things are changing, shifting. Reality television rules. I’m not dissing reality television. It’s just the way things are now.”

Williams will receive the Martin Luther King Jr. Award at the Black Theatre Workshop Vision Gala, Jan. 28.

Fans are having DOWNTON ABBEY viewing parties
A DOWNTON ABBEY viewing party, held in Boston last week, had all the theatrical trimmings of an Edwardian drama: period furnishings, food inspired by upper-crust menus of WWI and guests in ABBEY-era costume.

DOWNTON ABBEY success shows global nostalgia for UK period drama
Publishers are rushing to re-release books about Edwardian England that mirror the setting of the show, from investigations into British aristocracy to the lives of maids.

DOWNTON ABBEY: Sh!t the Dowager Countess Says (Video)

HOME AND AWAY star Esther Anderson has revealed that she may try to crack America
The actress, who plays Charlie Bucton in the soap, quit the show in 2011. Her last scenes on HOME AND AWAY will air this week in Australia, as Charlie leaves Summer Bay for good.

Tate Berney (AJ Chandler) from ALL MY CHILDREN wants to help defeat lung cancer!

WINNERS: 23rd Annual Producers Guild Awards - DOWNTON ABBEY, BOARDWALK EMPIRE

2012-01-22T13:09:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, the Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced this year’s winning motion picture and television productions at the 23rd Annual Producers Guild Awards ceremony held at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.

Period soap DOWNTON ABBEY won The David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television (Producers: Julian Fellowes, Nigel Marchant, Gareth Neame).

BOARDWALK EMPIRE received The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama (Producers: Eugene Kelly, Howard Korder, Stephen Levinson, Martin Scorsese, Rudd Simmons, Tim Van Patten, Terence Winter).

Click here for a full list of winners.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 22)

2012-01-22T12:53:00.002-05:00

On this date in...

1958: On THE EDGE OF NIGHT, Toni was kidnapped by one of Fitzsimmons' goons.

1973: On ANOTHER WORLD, Steve begged Mary and Jim not to take Alice's things away as it would remove the last traces of her presence in his house. Over dinner, Alice told Eliot she was no longer in love with Steve and that he never really cared about her.

1986: On DYNASTY, Krystle had a vicious fight with Rita, her look-a-like. Linda Evans fights with herself in the clip below:

1993: Alison Sweeney debuted as Sami Brady on DAYS OF OUR LIVES.

2007: Popular Televisa novela DESTILANDO AMOR premiered.

2010: Longtime ALL MY CHILDREN star James Mitchell died at age 89. He joined the cast of AMC in 1979 as Palmer Cortlandt.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
Piper Laurie (ex-Catherine, TWIN PEAKS) - 80
Dwan Smith (ex-Irma, GENERAL HOSPITAL) - 68
John Wesley Shipp (ex-Doug, AS THE WORLD TURNS; ex-Kelly, GUIDING LIGHT; ex-Carter, ALL MY CHILDREN; ex-Blanchard, ONE LIFE TO LIVE; ex-Martin, SANTA BARBARA) - 57
Linda Blair (ex-Ally, HIDDEN FACES) - 53
Robert Mailhouse (ex-Brian, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) - 50
Brian Gaskill (ex-Dylan, GUIDING LIGHT; ex-B.J., AS THE WORLD TURNS; ex-Oscar, THE BOLD AND THE BEATIFUL; ex-Rafe, PORT CHARLES; ex-Bobby, ALL MY CHILDREN) - 42
Katie Finneran (ex-Nurse, ALL MY CHILDREN) - 41
Gabriel Macht (ex-Tal, BEVERLY HILLS 90210) - 40
Balthazar Getty (ex-Tommy, BROTHERS & SISTERS; ex-Nate, PASADENA) - 37
James Murray (ex-Sandy, CORONATION STREET) - 37
Beverley Mitchell (Kaitlyn, THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER) - 31
Robyn Richards (ex-Maxie, GENERAL HOSPITAL) - 25

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a piece of soap opera history for this daily column, please email it to editor@welovesoaps.com.

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WHAT TO WATCH: Sunday, January 22, 2012 (New Episodes)

2012-01-22T12:15:00.002-05:00

What's new in the world of soaps? Serialized scripted content is everywhere in 2012, The Year of the Soap, and we have your guide to the new episodes airing on Sunday, January 22, 2012. Daytime TV, primetime, broadcast, cable, web series, we've got it all in our daily listings.

Click the links below for previews.

(All times are ET)

8 p.m.		ONCE UPON A TIME (ABC)

9 p.m.		DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)

		DOWNTON ABBEY (PBS)

		SHAMELESS (Showtime)

10 p.m.		HOUSE OF LIES (Showtime)

		ANGRY BOYS (HBO)
		(Back-to-Back Episodes)

		PAN AM (ABC)
		(Back-to-Back Episodes)

10:30 p.m.		CALIFORNICATION (HBO)

FOX is airing the NFC Championship Game on Sunday night between the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers.

Cameron Mathison guest stars on DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES.

CBS is airing a repeat of THE GOOD WIFE.

NBC has all new back-to-back episodes of PRIME SUSPECT.

A Cinderella Story: Once Upon A Song premieres at 8 p.m. on ABC Family. Read a recent Q&A with one of its stars, Megan Park, here.

Remember to use #yearofthesoap on Twitter to promote your favorite serialized shows.

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PREVIEW: DOWNTON ABBEY Season 2 Continues on PBS

2012-01-22T12:02:00.002-05:00

The Year of the Soap continues as DOWNTON ABBEY, the Primetime Emmy Award-winning series from Julian Fellowes, airs a new episode on MASTERPIECE classic on Sunday, January 22 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings).

The second season continues with the estate serving as a convalescent home for wounded veterans.

Isobel and Cora butt heads over control of Downton's medical role; Mrs. Bird launches a soup kitchen; and Matthew and William embark on a perilous patrol behind German lines.

Watch a preview below:

Watch Downton Abbey, Season 2: Episode 3 Preview on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.

Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern and Dan Stevens headline the cast.

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PREVIEW: ABC Sunday Night Soaps ONCE UPON A TIME, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES & PAN AM

2012-01-22T11:52:00.001-05:00

ABC's Sunday night soaps air all new episodes on Sunday, January 22 as The Year of the Soap continues. ALL MY CHILDREN's Cameron Mathison guest stars on DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES. We have a preview scene below.

But first, ONCE UPON A TIME kicks off the night with "7:15 A.M." at 8 p.m., ET.

Mary Margaret and David continue to grapple with their unrequited love, and Emma and Regina grow suspicious over a mysterious new stranger in town.

Meanwhile, in the fairytale land that was, Snow White yearns to ease her breaking heart as Prince Charming’s wedding to King Midas’s daughter approaches.

Here's a sneak peak video from the episode:

ONCE UPON A TIME stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold, Lana Parrilla as Evil Queen/Regina, Jared Gilmore as Henry Mills, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/John Doe and Raphael Sbarge as Jiminy Cricket/Archie Hopper.

Guest starring are Lee Arenberg as Leroy/Grumpy, Anastasia Griffith as Kathryn/Abigail, Meghan Ory as Ruby/Red Riding Hood, Alan Dale as King George, Kwesi Ameyaw as Dr. Thatcher, Eion Bailey as stranger, Jonathan Holmes as majordomo, Michasha Armstrong as guard, Geoff Gustafson as Stealthy, David-Paul Grove as Doc, Gabe Khouth as Sneezy, Faustino Di Bauda as Sleepy, Jeffrey Kaiser as Dopey, Michael Coleman as Happy and Mig Macario as Bashful.

The story for ”7:15 A.M.” was by Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz, and the teleplay by Daniel T. Thomsen. Ralph Hemecker directed.

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES follows at 9 p.m. ET with "What’s the Good of Being Good."

Bree’s life continues to spiral as her alcohol consumption rises -- as does her lust for men.

Lynette goes out on her first date since separating with Tom -- with Renee’s hairdresser.

Alejandro’s current wife suspects foul play is afoot and has a confrontation with Susan. Gaby discovers that Alejandro’s step-daughter was also abused by this wretched man.

Ben has special plans in store for Renee.

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES stars Teri Hatcher as Susan Mayer, Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo, Marcia Cross as Bree Hodge, Eva Longoria as Gabrielle Solis, Vanessa Williams as Renee Perry, Ricardo Antonio Chavira as Carlos Solis, Doug Savant as Tom Scavo, Jonathan Cake as Det. Chuck Vance, Charles Mesure as Ben Faulkner and Madison de la Garza as Juanita Solis, with Brenda Strong as Mary Alice Young and James Denton as Mike Delfino.

Guest starring are Kathryn Joosten as Mrs. McCluskey, Mason Vale Cotton as MJ Delfino, Daniela Bobadilla as Marisa Sanchez, Justina Machado as Claudia Sanchez, Dakin Matthews as Reverend Sykes, Patrick Fabian as Frank, Jeffrey Corbett as Don, Cameron Mathison as Greg, Sal Landi as loan shark, Doug Purdy as man and Christian Meoli and workman.

”What’s the Good of Being Good” was written by Jason Ganzel and directed by Ron Underwood.

ABC's retro Sunday night soap, PAN AM, finishes the night at 10:01 p.m. ET with "New Frontiers."

Maggie tells Ted why she has reservations about Amanda, and Dean pines for Colette, who reveals she’s asked for a transfer to the Hong Kong hub.

On a flight to Rome, Colette befriends a handsome, mysterious man, Omar, and agrees to show him the city.

Meanwhile, Dean is accosted by the local customs officials, who are looking for a smuggler; Kate needs to learn a new talent as a pickpocket; and Laura is shocked to discover that the Life Magazine photographer, Graham, sold the nude photos he took of her to a gallery, where they are on display.

PAN AM stars Christina Ricci as Maggie, Margot Robbie as Laura, Michael Mosley as Ted, Mike Vogel as Dean, Karine Vanasse as Colette and Kelli Garner as Kate.

Guest starring are Ashley Greene as Amanda Mason, Darren Pettie as George Broyles,Vincenzo Amato as Alessandro, Jayce Bartok as Boho guy, Davide Borella as Carabinieri, Jeremy Davidson as Richard, Tom Lipinski as Stefan, Rodrigo Lopresti as male art patron, Mark Lotito as umbrella man, Piter Marek as Omar, Julia Taylor Ross as female art patron and Tom Titone as customs official.

“New Frontiers” was written by Jessica Ramos & Scott Erik Sommer and directed by John Fortenberry.

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NEWS ROUNDUP: James Purefoy Joins REVENGE, Y&R Uniformly Unbelievable, TV’s Eerie Race-less World

2012-01-21T23:16:00.005-05:00

James Purefoy to recur on REVENGE
Beginning in Episode 17, the soon-to-be-divorced Victoria is “going to have a big, passionate love affair” with Purefoy’s mystery man, Stowe tells The Insider.

Y&R uniformly pushes believability button
On one of the few remaining daytime TV soap operas, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, a wealthy woman employs a house maid who actually wears a uniform, a frilly-bordered white apron over a dark dress with a matching lace, white maid's headpiece. Even in the most unimaginable situations arising in soap cities, this is the only character who appears costumed as a French maid from a century ago. It's an odd wardrobe decision. That's not all that's odd about this form of entertainment.

Robert Hoffman set to recur on 90210 as Bob starting in March
"An easygoing surfer who is passionate about community service, Caleb is the ultimate catch. Seriously, the dude is charming and compassionate with capital 'C's. While sparks fly between him and one of our ladies, there's a slight problem. He's already promised himself to somebody: God."

NIKITA Boss to 'Start Killing People Off'
Without revealing who (or how many) would get the ax, showrunner Craig Silverstein tells TVLine that the body count is about to rise on the CW thriller.

Burt Reynolds Is ARCHER's Sterling Archer's Spirit Guide
"A lot of people had told me there was this animated show, where the lead character kept talking about me and a whole bunch of films I'd been in and was a big fan. I watched the show—first of all, I was shocked with what they could get away with because it was animated. In the 20-year-old audience, there's a lot who aren't interested in a lot of other films, and I really dig that stuff. So I thought it might be good for me to do one, and I had a great time doing it."

TV’s eerie new race-less world
In an Obama age, shows like PARENTHOOD flatter us into believing race no longer matters -- and avoid hard truth.

No meat for J.R.! DALLAS star has gone vegan
Larry Hagman, who was diagnosed a few months back with a treatable form of cancer, told a gaggle of other reporters after a TNT press session, that he’s sworn off meat on the advice of his longtime TV wife, Linda Gray, alias Sue Ellen, who looks healthy, fit and fantastic at the age of 71.

DEGRASSI co-creator to receive Order of Ontario
Linda Schuyler, best known for the DEGRASSI TV shows, will be at Queen’s Park on Thursday along with 26 other recipients to be invested by the Honorable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, with the province’s highest honour.

Maggie Gyllenhaal, Bruce Norris, Rhys Ifans & Greta Gerwig In Talks For HBO pilot THE CORRECTIONS
In the Noah Baumbach/Scott Rudin project, the four would join previously cast Chris Cooper, Dianne Wiest and Ewan McGregor. Based on Jonathan Franzen’s acclaimed book, THE CORRECTIONS revolves around the troubles of a Midwestern couple (Cooper and Wiest) and their three adult children as they trace their lives from the mid-20th century to “one last Christmas” together near the turn of the millennium.

Katherine Kelly reveals she headed straight from the cobbles to the hairdresser to wash Becky McDonald out
After finishing her final scenes as CORONATION STREET's Becky McDonald, actress Katherine Kelly knew just where she had to go next. Within minutes of leaving the famous cobbles for the last time, she headed straight to... her stylist. To get that much-loved boozy blonde washed right out of her hair.

Andrea Moar (Schenck) Dead AT 55; Former ALL MY CHILDREN Drowns In Mexico

2012-01-21T22:22:00.006-05:00

Former ALL MY CHILDREN actress Andrea Moar Schenck, who played Carrie Sanders Tyler on the soap in the early 1980s, drowned while vacationing in Mexico on January 13. She was 55.

Schenck was relaxing in the water off the coast of Cancun and died while she and her husband, Dr. Carlos Schenck, were on their annual vacation having just celebrated his birthday a day earlier.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Schenck was floating on her back not far from shore near the couple's vacation resort, "gazing at the sun, doing what she liked best" when she went under, her husband said Friday. "She loved the ocean."

Schenck's run on ALL MY CHILDREN included Carrie's marriage to Chuck Tyler (Richard Van Fleet).

Carlos Schenck said his wife "very much embraced" having her soap opera role as her professional legacy, "but she was multidimensional."

Her other soap roles included Julia on RITUALS, Anna on HOME AND AWAY, and Di on HEARTBREAK HIGH.

Her other acting credits included "The Women" at Park Square Theater in St. Paul in the late 1990s, nearly 60 other plays, a guest appearance in a REMINGTON STEELE, and commercials for American Express and Kraft barbecue sauce.

Schenck left Los Angeles in the early 1990s following a major earthquake and as the AIDS epidemic was claiming the lives of several of her friends. She moved to the Twin Cities, where her mother and sister, Sheila Moar, were living.

Andrea Schenck was born in Dayton, Ohio, and raised in Princeton, N.J., where she was a standout high school tennis player. She graduated from Davidson with a degree in English literature and played varsity tennis there.

Along with her husband and her sister, she is survived by her mother and brother.

A memorial service was held at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Weisman Art Museum.

INTERVIEW: Megan Park Talks Cinderella, Miley Film, Her Music Career & Previews New SECRET LIFE

2012-01-21T20:40:00.002-05:00

Megan Park is loved by primetime soap fans for her role as Grace Bowman on THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER. Outside of SECRET LIFE, she starred in the feature film Charlie Bartlett, opposite Anton Yelchin and Robert Downey Jr. Her other feature credits include Some Things That Stay, Kaw, and The Butcher's Daughter. She has also starred in the Canadian series ACE LIGHTNING, BLOBHEADS, and LIFE WITH DEREK as well as the comedy pilot IN MOLLY'S OPINION and the Emmy-winning and Gemini-nominated series DARK ORACLE.

Park was born in Lindsay, Ontario, Canada, but she grew up in London, Ontario, and now lives in Los Angeles.

Her latest project is the role of Beverly Van Ravensway in ABC Family's original movie, A Cinderella Story: Once Upon A Song, which premieres on Sunday, January 22 at 8/7c!

Below is a transcript from a new interview with Park where she previews the new film and the upcoming season of SECRET LIFE, as well as updates us on her music and expresses her enthusiasm for another film she did with Miley Cyrus.

The premise of Cinderella is you can't sing and you need to be dubbed sort of like the movie Singing in the Rain. Do you sing in Cinderella?
Megan Park: I don't get to, which is such a bummer. I have to bad sing. I have to fake sing, which is actually really hard to purposefully bad sing off key. But, no, I don't get to sing in Cinderella Story. Maybe I'll get to sing in something else.

What's happening with your band, Frank and Derol, and how did you team with Codi Caraco and Brandi Cyrus?
Megan Park: Basically, to make a really, really long story short, Codi was a good friend of mine who I met through my boyfriend, and she's a really talented musician. She went to Berkeley School of Music, and we started playing music together. I play the guitar and I sing. I've been doing that since I was younger and it just sort of happened, I guess, organically as a friendship, and we were like, maybe we should start a band for fun, never thinking anybody would ever hear anything that we did. And so we started Frank and Derol just the two of us and started playing shows.

And then I was living with Brandi Cyrus at the time, and she's obviously is a musician as well as so we were like, hey, come play with us, come—you know she plays guitar so she started playing as well. And then people started really liking what we were doing, which was cool, and we put some stuff on MySpace and everything. And then it was kind of crazy because people started expressing interest in signing the band and all that sort of stuff. So then, once we got the opportunity to sign it sort of became—for me, acting is my passion and my main sort of focus and what I really love and music is more of a hobby. And for Brandi and Codi it was sort of their passion and what they really wanted to pursue. So we kind of sat down and had a conversation and I was like, well, why don't you guys try to do the thing, sign and do the band full on, the two of you and I'll still go hang out with you guys and write when I can and play with you.

And it just kind of worked out that way for the best because to be honest it wasn't something that I wanted to commit to fully, to take away from my acting because it was just sort of a fun hobby. And for them it was what they really wanted to do so I guess it was sort of fate that I met Codi and then introduced them, and we all sort of got to do that together. But it worked out for the best for everybody and they're still my great friends. And it wasn't like one of us left the band and it was all weird. It was just like, who wants to commit to the time of this, and it's not that I didn't want to commit. It's just that I didn't want to do something half-heartedly that I wasn't going to be able to commit to 100% and my passion is in acting and I really wanted to pursue that. So that's what happened, basically, with the band.

You’re no longer with the band or you're still doing things with the band?
Megan Park: No, officially the band is Codi and Brandi and they're doing the album. And I sort of play with them and write with them when I can, and some of the songs that I was originally writing are on the album. But I no longer am a part of the band.

Who did the band sign with?
Megan Park: They signed with Interscope.

We really love the character of Grace [on THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER] and we've actually seen a lot of evolution with her character throughout the season. Could you talk about how you feel that Grace is going to evolve in the future?
Megan Park: Grace has kind of changed really drastically. And to be honest, this season is probably one of the seasons where Grace changes the most out of any year. There's a lot of like new relationships and some really crazy self-awareness things that happen to her and some major lifestyle changes so it's exciting. And I don't really know—what happens with our characters and I never really know what to expect because I've been surprised before. But from the looks of it Grace is kind of becoming more independent and really, really going in a different direction than I thought she would ever sort of end up. So my guess is probably as good as yours. It's kind of a surprise to me as well.

What's the biggest character difference between your role in this new film and your role as Grace?
Megan Park: Playing Beverley and playing Grace are literally complete opposites. Grace is a very compassionate person and she really wants to please everyone, and Bev is pretty selfish and just kind of wants to get ahead. I mean they're both really good people at the heart of it but Beverley is not necessarily the nice girl. So they're pretty polar opposites, which was really fun to get to do something so different than Grace. It was kind of fun.

You [acted in Cinderella] with Lucy Hale. What was the experience like and are the two of you still in contact?
Megan Park: Actually I just talked to her yesterday, I think, or the day before. She's great. We met years before—we actually met in the audition room for SECRET LIFE, which is so weird. And I guess you're supposed to be competitive, the people I auditioned with, but we just started chatting and became friends, and the she ended up doing PRETTY LITTLE LIARS and I did Secret Life so it's kind of cool. And she's just really easy going and cool, and when I found out that she was doing the movie that was one of the main reasons I wanted to be part of it, was to get a chance to work with her.

And we bonded pretty much within the first ten minutes of the read through the first day, and never left each other's side. Every day off we would go shopping in Wilmington and hang out, and that's continued since we've been back in L.A. She's just a really sweet girl and she's very easy to get along with and we ended up having a lot in common. And she's just really fun and dorky and goofy like I am and doesn't take things too seriously so we got along really, really well. She's a cool girl.

And we both have major online shopping problems and online shopped together nonstop when we were filming so that was kind of the only bad part, that we egged each other on with the online shopping.

For your character Grace, what can we expect in the new season of SECRET LIFE from your character?
Megan Park: Grace changes as a person the most this season than any other season. She really starts questioning like a lot of major things in her life and really wants to make some serious changes. And she gets confused and she's not really sure where her life is headed. So it's like a really big personal discovery for Grace and new relationships, kind of shocking relationships. There's a lot of growth with Grace. She really grows up this year.

What similarities and differences did you find between this Cinderella and the original?
Megan Park: The original was more sticking with the traditional Cinderella-esque fairytale, and this one was sort of like a modern day take on it, which I thought was kind of unique and creative. Obviously there's only one wicked stepsister and it wasn't keeping with the fairytale. It was sort of a more relatable story to modern day teens today, which I thought was really cool. And then, making it about the music, which is another cool aspect, and the music is so great and it's so pop-y and refreshing. It was just sort of a really refreshing take on the whole story.

Did you draw from the stepsisters in the movie or is there another villain that you got inspiration from?
Megan Park: I talked to the director about whether I should draw upon the original stepsister and how similar they wanted it to be to the original, and he really wanted me to like just take a fresh take on it. And I guess I could say that I probably drew on past people that I've met, personal experiences with, people that in real life, because I really wanted Bev to be as realistic as possible. And also in the original the wicked stepsisters are just purely, purely wicked, and Bev is not. She really does have a heart and she's insecure and she doesn't have a great relationship with her mother and so many different things. I wanted to add a lot of steps to her and make her not so completely one note. She's not purely, purely evil so I wanted that to show.

There seems to be an East Indian theme to it, in the home and in the party and what have you. I wanted to know if there is anything behind that. Was there a meaning to that, in doing that?
Megan Park: I don't exactly know because in the original script there wasn't really any mention of that, but then the director said that they wanted to do a fresh take on the dance in a way that Katie could have her face covered that was kind of unique and fun and fresh. So they came up with a Bollywood idea for the dance so she could obviously be wearing the outfits with her face covered. And then, it ended up sort of like infusing itself into other parts of the movie and with the character Ravi and stuff like that. So it was really cool, and it just kind of made for a little more excitement and a different take on the whole theme of the movie, and it ended up being cool.

What made you decide to play this vast different role from Grace on your other show?
Megan Park: I was in New Orleans filming this movie called So Undercover with Miley Cyrus and it was a character that's really sweet and really dumb and a different sort of take on a character more in the vein of Grace. And that's a character that I tend to play a lot because I really connect with those characters and I really like playing them. Bev is not purely evil and it was sort of a different approach to the character.

I thought it would be really cool and fun, and I just like doing things that I think are fun and exciting. And obviously, meeting Lucy and getting to work with Missi Pyle was a major thing for me. I'm such a fan and I love the comedy roles, and this movie is actually very funny. There are a lot of funny moments, and there was a lot of opportunity for me to do some sort of comedic work, and I learned a lot from working with Missi Pyle and that was a major drawing point for me. It was just really fun. It was an opportunity to do something new.

Did you guys have any jam sessions behind the scenes or anything fun like that?
Megan Park: We totally did actually. It's so funny that you ask that because Missi Pyle—most people don't know—is a great musician and has a band and has toured, and she had a good friend sing with her named Jenna who is also a musician, and it was amazing. And Lucy's boyfriend at the time was a musician. My boyfriend's a musician. So it kind of turned into like this crazy jam session a lot. And Freddie, of course, and Titus, everyone it seemed like, was sort of musical in a sense so it was really fun. Missi had this like great beach house and we were all staying down there, and we would play guitar out on the balcony. It was really fun. Everybody was like really into the whole music thing. It was great. Everybody had their guitar there at some point.

What was it like working with [the cast of Undercover] and doing that movie?
Megan Park: That was probably the most fun four months of my entire life. We had too much fun. I look back I'm like, did we make a movie? Oh, yeah. I forgot because we just had so much fun the whole time. It was great. We were in such a magical city and to be there for that long and working with Miley and Kelly Osborne and Eloise Mumford. It was basically just all girls all the time. There was an actor Josh Bowman who is in it but he only came at the end so basically it was just a bunch of girls by ourselves the whole time. We all were staying together and we went to sorority boot camp because we're in a sorority but the real sorority up in Baton Rouge, and we had so much fun. It did not seem like work, and by the time it was all over I couldn't believe that we made a movie because we had so much fun. But we did so hopefully, people like the movie too.

What was it like growing up in Ontario and what route did you take to become an actress, and also how did you get representation by Paradigm, and how did you get this particular role?
Megan Park: Okay. Well, I did, I grew up in Canada. My whole family still lives there, and I just started doing local theater and it was something that I really love. And my parents would not let me do anything professionally. They were like, no; if you want to do it you can do it when you're 18. So I snuck it in a few years earlier. I found my own agent and they were like, well, if you find all the information yourself you can do it. So I would take the train into Toronto and audition for things, and I worked really hard and got an agent in Canada. And then, sort of broke into the industry that way, doing Canadian movies, Canadian TV shows, and just loved it.

And then I came down to L.A. four years ago, I guess, now, and I was here for a week to take this acting class that I really wanted to take. That I heard was amazing. And then, while I was down here, I got sent the script for Secret Life and the audition, and I went in and I went back every single day that week—and then by Friday I think I tested for the part. I didn't even know what a test or a studio test and all this stuff was and I think maybe it was a blessing I didn't know what I was getting myself into because I wasn't nervous. I just sort of like walked in and was like, uh, I guess I'll read for this, and then I ended up getting the part.

So I went back to Canada. I got my stuff and moved back like a month later and started filming and it's kind of been, obviously, keeping me really busy ever since then. I always had hoped and planned to move down here and do this but I didn't really know when and where it was going to happen. And I guess the stars aligned and timing was really on my side, and it just happened way faster than I thought it would, so I feel really, really, really lucky.

Oh, and you also asked me about getting into Paradigm. It just sort of fell into place as well. Once Secret Life started airing they reached out to me and said they liked my performance in the show, and I signed with them. It's been great.

About the Gloriana music video "Kissed You Goodnight," what was your experience like filming that?
Megan Park: It was so fun. We knew the band. My boyfriend knew them really well because he's a musician, and they came to us and they said would you guys want to do this music video for us? You basically have to just fly to Nashville for a couple of days, hang out with us, and then you'd have to kiss a lot on camera. I was like, wow, this sounds like pretty much the easiest job of my entire life. I'm in.

So we thought it would be cool and we loved the song. They sang it to us and obviously wanted to support and help our friend's band in any way we could. They're great and we like their music. And literally we got to go there and we filmed in this beautiful house in Nashville, a city that we both love, and we got to be in this music video and kiss. Obviously, he's my boyfriend in real life and so it wasn't awkward, and it was just a really fun thing to do. We had a great time. It was really cool.

Any future plans or would you be open to more music videos?
Megan Park: I think I would probably love to be in my boyfriend's music video, one of his at some point when his new record comes out. I think that would be pretty cool, but other than that no plans so far. We'll just have to see what happens I guess.

As an actress, singer, style star you're probably considered a triple threat right now in Hollywood. Do you have aspirations to grow the mini-mogul in the future?
Megan Park: I don't know. I guess I'm not versed enough in like the mini-mogul world to know really like what's involved. And I honestly really want to do projects that make me happy and hopefully make other people happy. I'm becoming more and more confident and am falling more and more in love with the whole world of comedy, and I think that's something that I really want to explore a lot more. But right now, you know, that whole thing isn't necessarily on my vision board of things that I'm aiming towards, but obviously being successful and reaching out to a lot of people is a goal. So if that means doing all those things that would be great but right now I just really want to make cool art that I like and work with people that inspire me, are kind of my main goals right now.

Would you ever consider writing a comedy for yourself?
Megan Park: Actually I am writing a comedy with Missi Pyle. We came up with the idea when we were working together on this movie, and she's obviously an extremely experienced talented actress. And she kind of approached me and she's like, I have this idea about this script. Would you like to work on it with me? And I'd never really written. I'd written in my free time but never professionally like we've been doing, and so I was like, okay. I'll give it a shot. I don't really know what I'm doing.

But it's been the most amazing experience and so rewarding. And we actually pretty much have written a script and it's going to be going through rewrites and stuff like that. But I'm going to say that she's the brains behind it and I just sort of helped out in any way I could and sort of helped her voice the young character in this script. But it's been amazing and it's obviously a comedy and it's something that we hope will get made. It's been pretty rewarding and we're actually going to be taking a writing workshop together, I hope, at some point this year because for whatever reason our brains work really well together with writing. And she's been teaching me a lot. So, yeah, it's definitely something that I really want to explore more.

Is it easy to make the transition from actually being an adult and then having to go and play a teenager in your various roles?
Megan Park: It hasn't been frustrating. It's actually felt really normal because it's all I've ever known. I'm always really young for my age, just in life in general, I guess. I graduated high school, and then I just sort of moved on to the high school of SECRET LIFE and I've been doing that ever since I graduated high school, so it isn't something that I'm frustrated with. I don't really get cast for roles older than high school yet so I'm kind of totally fine riding this wave as long as it lasts. But there definitely is something in me that's looking forward to playing more mature roles and growing up a little bit, but I'm kind of taking it in stride. As long as I'll play high school, I'll play high school, and when the time is right and the roles start coming for me to play older I'm totally going to be ready and excited to do that too.

THE SECRET LIFE has a pretty racy storyline. But how did that work for you?
Megan Park: You know it's kind of interesting when you sign on to a show because you're basically signing on to play a character because you only really see the first episode of the show. And the pilot was just amazing to me, and it was kind of like shocking, the whole idea of—obviously the show is based on the secret sex life. I think that was the original title, was like the SECRET SEX LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER or something like that. And it was sort of eye opening but I think that it was done in a way that was really real, educational, and it wasn't something that I was embarrassed by.

I mean I was really excited and proud to be a part of a show that was sort of breaking down the barriers of that. So no I wasn't nervous about it and I'm not nervous about it. I think that it's done in a really real way and that's always been Brenda Hampton’s focus, not just to educate and to show different choices that people make and how their lives sort of turn out when they make those choices, the positives and the negatives, which I really like. So no it hasn't made me nervous but it definitely is a risk when you sign on to a show and you don't really know what's going to happen, but I've just been really happy with everything so far, the way it's turned out.

Have you gotten any flack at all, any from either back home or just letters about this storyline?
Megan Park: No. You know what, I don't really read a lot of stuff because it's kind of out of my control in a sense, what happens on the show. But I put my trust in Brenda and ABC Family and they've totally made me feel safe and protected. And I think the show is really great and I don't think there's anything in it that's too controversial, and I do genuinely feel like if there is ever a storyline that I didn't feel comfortable doing then I would definitely have a voice and be able to talk to Brenda. She's really respectful that way, and she's really wonderful in wanting to make sure that everyone feels really comfortable. And I think I can speak for the rest of the cast with that too.

Where was Cinderella shot and can you tell us something of your experiences on the set with your cast, producers, and directors?
Megan Park: We shot the movie in Wilmington, North Carolina, which is a beautiful little town, and we had a lot of fun there. It's a cute place. There are lots of cute restaurants and we all were staying out by the beach. It was just amazing. Every night we were sort of like going out to dinner and hanging out with each other, and I really got to bond with Lucy and Missi Pyle the most. And the three of us spent a lot of time together, and they're both just really inspiring and unique in their own way.

I got to be goofy and silly with Lucy and just have fun and go out and be crazy. Then, with Missi I got to ask her a lot of questions and pick her brain and do lots of different things. It was really cool. We all had a really good time. Again, it seemed like I wasn't really working, which is the best feeling.

Could you talk about working on the set, the actual shooting?
Megan Park: It was great being on set. The director was really cool. We spent a lot of time rehearsing everything ahead of time so when we actually got to the set it felt like everybody knew what was happening and what was going on. Honestly it was just a really simple great shoot. It felt like a really creative set. A lot of times we'd film and then the director would be like, hey, let's just improv this one. Especially working with Missi Pyle, obviously she like to improv and it was hard to keep a straight face 90% of the time when working with her.

But it was great. It was just a really simple set and it went really smoothly and other than having to do a lot of dance rehearsal and Lucy, I'm sure, having to do a lot of recordings ahead of time, that was the only thing I was really nervous about, was doing the dancing because I hadn't danced a lot before. But it went well. It was just really smooth and effortless.

About A Cinderella Story: Once Upon A Song
It's a modern and enchanting twist on an enduring classic. Katie (Lucy Hale of PRETTY LITTLE LIARS) dreams of being a recording artist, but is continually thwarted by her cruel stepmother (Missi Pyle) and stepsister (Megan Park). When Katie falls hard for Luke (Freddie Stroma), the new boy at her Performing Arts school, she tries to get his attention with her singing. But when her stepsister takes credit for Katie's amazing voice and Luke falls for the wrong girl, Katie must learn to stand up for her dreams before her stepmother forces Katie to sing Luke into the arms of her wicked stepsister.

RELATED:
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 1)
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 2): DARK SHADOWS, RAGGED ISLE, DALLAS, Univision Telenovelas and More
- Most Fascinating People of 2011

VOTE: Indie Soap & Couple of the Week Poll (January 15-21, 2012)

2012-01-21T16:03:00.002-05:00

Which web series was your favorite last week? Support your favorite continuing drama or comedy and vote in the weekly We Love Soaps poll below. Voting ends Tuesday at 9 a.m. ET. Only the shows that aired one or more new episodes from January 15-21, 2012 are eligible. You can vote for your favorite "Couple of Week" as well for the eligible shows. VENICE won last week's poll with Gina and Ani from the show voted as the favorite couple of our readers.

If an indie soap aired this week and is not on the list, cast your vote as "Other" and add a note in the Comments section of this post. And if your favorite aired a holiday special feel free to give that a shout out as well to let everyone know.

Watch this week's indie soaps below:
- BLOOD LIES Episode 5 "Making Choices"
- DEVANITY Season 2 Episode 2
- GOSSIP BOY Episode 5 "The Mysterious Man"
- HOW I SEIZE IT Episode 43 "Gender Identity"
- HUSTLING Episode 8 "The Flow" (Season 1 Finale)
- INTERRACIAL Episode 2
- OLD DOGS & NEW TRICKS Episode 4 "Stuck in a Jam"
- ORANGE JUICE IN BISHOPS GARDEN Season 5 Episode 2 "The Audition"
- PRETTY Season 3 Episode 6
- RIVER RIDGE Episode 2 “Tell My Stories To The One’s I Love, Hide My Fears From Those I Don’t”
- SOCIAL ANXIETY Episode 1 Part 2 "Poe"
- THROWING STONES Season 2 Episodes 6 & 7
- TWO DOORS DOWN Episode 11 "Baby Blues"
- VENICE Season 3 Episode 9 (Subscription)

If you know about a web series that aired this week we missed in the poll OR
you are an indie producer and would like to have your web series added to our Indie Series Network (ISN) Guide, please contact editor@welovesoaps.com.

RELATED:
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 1)
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 2): DARK SHADOWS, RAGGED ISLE, DALLAS, Univision Telenovelas and More
- Most Fascinating People of 2011

Today in Soap Opera History (January 21)

2012-01-21T15:21:00.002-05:00

On this date in...

1949: Irna Phillips' THESE ARE MY CHILDREN, the first television soap opera to appear on a major television network, premiered on NBC. It ran weekdays at 5 p.m. until it went off the air just over a month later, on February 25. FARAWAY HILL is considered to be the first television soap on a network. The series ran from October 2, 1946 to December 18, 1946 on DuMont.

1958: On THE EDGE OF NIGHT, Marceau informed Harris that the car accident victim had died.

1966: On ANOTHER WORLD, John and Lee had a terrible argument.

1997: Beth Ehlers returned to GUIDING LIGHT after more than three years away.

2005: John Reilly took over the role of Alistair Crane on the NBC soap PASSIONS.

2008: Telenovela GUEGO EN LA SANGRE (Burning for revenge) premiered on Mexico's Canal de las Estrellas network.

2009: DAYS OF OUR LIVES aired its 11,000th episode.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
Robby Benson (ex-Bruce, SEARCH FOR TOMORROW) - 56
Joe Marinelli (ex-Sorel, GENERAL HOSPITAL; ex-Pauly, GUIDING LIGHT) - 55
Charlotte Ross (Judy, GLEE; ex-Eve, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) - 44
Matthew Willig (ex-Tank, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS) - 43
Ken Leung (ex-Miles, LOST) - 42
Jerry Trainor (ex-Eric, UNDRESSED) - 35
Luke Grimes (ex-Ryan, BROTHERS & SISTERS) - 28
Paige Kettner (ex-Abby, DAYS OF OUR LIVES; ex-Erin, BEVERLY HILLS 90210) - 21
Ryanne Kettner (ex-Abby, DAYS OF OUR LIVES; ex-Erin, BEVERLY HILLS 90210) - 21
Logan O'Brien (ex-Lucas, GENERAL HOSPITAL) - 20

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a piece of soap opera history for this daily column, please email it to editor@welovesoaps.com.

RELATED:
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 1)
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 2): DARK SHADOWS, RAGGED ISLE, DALLAS, Univision Telenovelas and More
- Most Fascinating People of 2011

VOTE: Daytime Soap & Couple of the Week Poll (January 16-20, 2012)

2012-01-20T20:42:00.003-05:00

Which daytime soap opera was your favorite the week of January 16-20, 2012? ONE LIFE TO LIVE finished on top last week. But which show was did you like best this week?

And who was your favorite couple? John and Marlena from DAYS OF OUR LIVES are our reigning champs. This is a write in question so you can pick any couple from any daytime soap you enjoyed the most this week.

Vote in the poll below and check back on Monday morning for the results. Voting ends at 9 a.m. ET on Monday.

Chrishell Stause Tweets Amanda/Jake Ending That Almost Was

2012-01-20T14:19:00.001-05:00

Former ALL MY CHILDREN star Chrishell Stause tweeted on Friday the ending that she shot for the soap that never aired:

To those wanting to know the original ending vignette I filmed for AMC (we had filmed BEFORE the Prospect Park offer), Amanda & Jake walk into Oak Haven with Trevor & their new adorable boy they adopted, where Janet greets them. U see them hug & visit. Family. Each family was gonna have their own sweet vignette & music playing over. Makes me sad only a few were filmed & none will be seen.

What do you think? Would you have preferred this ended with the families or are you satisfied with the finale?

Daytime TV Ratings: Week Of January 9-13, 2012 - OLTL 3.85 Million on Friday, #2 in W18-49 Demo For Week

2012-01-20T14:11:00.008-05:00

The only ratings we have for daytime so far are from CBS which sent out a press release about THE TALK with neither of their daytime soaps mentioned. It will be interesting to see how well ONE LIFE TO LIVE performed airing against THE TALK in most places.

From CBS:
CBS's THE TALK delivered its largest audience since the week ending July 23 and matched its best key women demographics of the season for the second consecutive week, according to Nielsen live plus same day ratings for the week ending Jan. 13.

THE TALK averaged 2.27 million viewers, 1.1/06 in women 25-54 and 0.8/05 in women 18-49.

This reminds us of the Wall Street Journal article on CBS Daytime from September 2011 that mentioned the improved profit margins with non-soap programming:

CBS has made a number of adjustments to its daytime schedule, replacing expensive scripted fare with cheaper game shows and gab-fests. In October 2009, it supplanted long-running soap opera GUIDING LIGHT with game show LET'S MAKE A DEAL. A year later, the company replaced another soap opera, AS THE WORLD TURNS, with THE TALK.

The strategy has had some success: at an investor conference last week, Mr. Moonves said five to seven years ago, CBS's daytime line-up was losing about $25 million annually. This year, he said, the five shows that comprise CBS's daytime schedule will make CBS more than $100 million. The other CBS daytime shows include THE PRICE IS RIGHT and soap operas, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL and THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS.

UPDATE:
ABC has now sent out a press release. Their comments are about THE CHEW and not ONE LIFE TO LIVE. They fail to mention the reason THE CHEW achieved its highest ratings ever on Friday was because it aired between ONE LIFE TO LIVE being featured on THE VIEW and the ONE LIFE TO LIVE finale.

The final week of ALL MY CHILDREN averaged 689,000 female viewers ages 18-49 while ONE LIFE TO LIVE averaged 784,000.

From ABC:
* ABC ranked as Daytime's #1 network in Women 18-34 (0.6 rating/188,000 - tie), Women 18-49 (1.0 rating/661,000 - tie) and Women 25-54 (1.4 rating/848,000).

* This week ranked as THE CHEW's most-watched week to date in Women 18-49 (526,000), its 2nd-most-watched week in Total Viewers (2.560 million) and 3rd-most-watched week in Women 25-54 (676,000).

* Friday's THE CHEW, featuring actress Lana Parrilla of ABC's ONCE UPON A TIME became the series' #1 telecast to date in Total Viewers (2.774 million), Women 18-49 (617,000) and Women 25-54 (784,000), and its #2 telecast on record in Women 18-34 (232,000).

Following are the Daytime Lineup averages, plus Top 5 Programs Ranks in Women 18-49 (sorted by) and Women 25-54:

Source: NTI, Live + Same Day: Week of 1/9/12. "Price is Right" is average from 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. All ranks/ties based on rating unless otherwise noted.

UPDATE #2:
ONE LIFE TO LIVE averaged 3.12 millions viewers in its final week.

Total Viewers
1. Y&R 4,787,000
2. B&B 3,334,000
3. OLTL 3,120,000
4. GH 2,557,000
5. DAYS 2,424,000

ONE LIFE TO LIVE
Monday: 2.0/2,807,000
Tuesday: 2.1/2,719,000
Wednesday: 2.1/2,925,000
Thursday: 2.4/3,302,000
Friday: 2.7/3,848,000

Source: SON

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NEWS ROUNDUP: SMASH Is Broadway’s Big Prime-Time Moment, EASTENDERS Murder, Jesse Metcalfe Engaged

2012-01-20T09:08:00.001-05:00

SMASH: Broadway’s Big Prime-Time Moment
SMASH carries huge stakes for both NBC and Mr. Greenblatt. “We’re in a pretty bad situation,” he said of NBC’s last place among the networks. “We desperately need something to catch fire, and we hope this is it.” For Broadway, nothing less than pride is on the line.

SMASH is the theater capital’s best shot to reveal itself to the rest of America. Mr. Greenblatt and the Broadway veterans on the show’s creative team have emphasized authenticity above all else, transplanting their own DNA into the characters and plotlines, and even hiring real-life insiders like the producer Emanuel Azenberg and the theater owner Jordan Roth to play themselves.

Romance in store for GLEE's Rory?
However, star Damian McGinty, who plays the part of exchange student Rory Flanagan on the hit show, is certain that his new storyline won't involve any steamy scenes. Speaking to The Irish Daily Star he said: "I think he's a little innocent."

EASTENDERS Spoiler: Murder Plot Revealed
Ben Mitchell is set to murder Heather Trott in a shocking storyline that will see actress Cheryl Fergison leave the BBC1 soap.

DALLAS star Jesse Metcalfe engaged
US Weekly reports that the actor is engaged to his real life leading lady, Cara Santana, who has appeared in CSI: MIAMI and THE WHOLE TRUTH.

CORONATION STREET's Ian Puleston-Davies defends child smacking storyline
The ITV1 soap receive a barrage of complaints after Ian's character - builder Owen Armstrong - slapped girlfriend Anna Windass' (Debbie Rush) adopted daughter Faye after she deliberately poisoned his pet fish, but the actor believes it was a topic that needed to be addressed. Speaking on ITV1 show LOOSE WOMEN, he said: "It wasn't an easy decision but we thought it was a topic that needed to be aired."

CORRIE's Sunita to get steamy with Karl?
Despite being married to Weatherfield businessman Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin), the Rovers Return barmaid - played by Shobna Gulati - will embark upon a steamy affair with the pub landlord, right under the nose of his long-term partner Stella (Michelle Collins).

New documentary on the band Queen out January 31st: "Days of Our Lives"
"Days of Our Lives" has a certain amount of adult content not proper for anyone underage viewers. But for audiences who are old enough, it's one heck of a look at Queen's rise to fame. Documentaries on this band have been recorded before. But few, if any, have gotten as in depth as this newest release.

ALL MY CHILDREN's Julia BarrTo Judge Born Free USA’s Fourth Annual Fashion Competition for Eco-Friendly Designers

2012-01-20T08:26:00.001-05:00

Independent fashion designers are invited to enter their fur free fashions in the fourth annual Born Free USA fffashion Competition for a chance to win prizes; significantly boost their fashion career; be featured in a national magazine; and help promote the ethical and environmental benefits of fur free fashion.

Entrants will have the chance to have their submissions judged by an expert panel including: two-time Emmy Award winning actress and animal activist Julia Barr (Brooke, ALL MY CHILDREN); actress, bestselling author and beauty expert Victoria Principal (Pam, DALLAS); international couture legend Elizabeth Emanuel best-known for creating Princess Diana’s wedding gown; Melissa Rivers, host of fashion events on TV Guide Channel and FASHION POLICE on E!, among other red carpet and reality programs; and Marina Draghici, Broadway, film and television Tony Award-winning (Fela!) costume designer and Hollywood stylist.

According to Adam Roberts, Executive Vice President of Born Free USA, “We are so happy that Julia agreed to be a judge for the second year in a row for this important competition. She truly believes in the protection of wildlife and of all animals. We have great respect for her, and we appreciate having her as a Born Free USA supporter and a judge for fffashion.”

Previous fffashion competition winners include designer Valerie Mayen, a competitor on the 2009 season of PROJECT RUNWAY.

According to Monica Engebretson, Senior Program Associate at Born Free USA, who oversees the competition, “This is an extraordinary opportunity for emerging fashion designers to gain exposure in the industry and showcase their talent, while promoting compassionate eco-savvy designs. Born Free’s fffashion campaign and this annual competition aim to send a message to fashion designers, retailers, and consumers that fur has no place in socially-conscious ethical fashion.”

To compete in 2012, designers must create a fur-free woman’s or man’s coat, shirt, pants, dress, skirt or suit. For details, rules, and to enter the competition, go to www.bornfreeusa.org/fffashion. Deadline for entries is April 15, 2012. Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place, selected from the top ten finalists. There will also be a “Green Award” and a “Student Award.”

Born Free USA is a nationally recognized leader in animal welfare and wildlife conservation. Through litigation, legislation, and public education, Born Free USA leads vital campaigns against animals in entertainment, exotic “pets,” trapping and fur, and the destructive international wildlife trade. Born Free USA brings to America the message of “compassionate conservation” -- the vision of the U.K.-based Born Free Foundation, established in 1984 by Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna, stars of the iconic film Born Free, along with their son Will Travers, now CEO of both organizations. Born Free’s mission is to end suffering of wild animals in captivity, conserve threatened and endangered species, and encourage compassionate conservation globally. More at: www.bornfreeusa.org; twitter http://twitter.com/bornfreeusa; Facebook http://www.facebook.com/BornFreeUSA.

WHAT TO WATCH: Friday, January 20, 2012 (New Episodes)

2012-01-20T00:07:00.002-05:00

What's new in the world of soaps? Serialized scripted content is everywhere in 2012, The Year of the Soap, and we have your guide to the new episodes airing on Friday, January 20, 2012. Daytime TV, primetime, broadcast, cable, web series, we've got it all.

NOTE: Daytime soap times may vary in some local markets.

(All times are ET)

12:30 p.m.		THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (CBS)

1 p.m.		DAYS OF OUR LIVES (NBC)

1:30 p.m.		THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (CBS)

3 p.m.		GENERAL HOSPITAL (ABC)

8 p.m.		UNA MAID EN MANHATTAN (Telemundo)

9 p.m.		GRIMM (NBC)

		RIVER RIDGE (SFN)

		FRINGE (FOX)

		FLOR SALVAJE (Telemundo)

10 p.m.		LA CASA DE AL LADO (Telemundo)

		MERLIN (Syfy)

Remember to use #yearofthesoap on Twitter to promote your favorite serialized shows.

RELATED:
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Today in Soap Opera History (January 20)

2012-01-20T00:03:00.002-05:00

On this date in...

1936: Radio soap opera DAN HARDINGS' WIFE premiered. It ran until on NBC Radio until February 10, 1939. Isabel Randolph starred.

1958: On THE EDGE OF NIGHT, Benson called Fitzsimmons to tell him that there was trouble brewing.

1967: On ANOTHER WORLD, Liz encouraged Danny to take Missy and split even though she couldn't get Fred to help her unlock the trust fund.

1969: On DARK SHADOWS, Maggie told Carolyn it wasn't possible for anyone to come back from the dead.

1995: Amber Tamblyn debuted on GENERAL HOSPITAL as Emily.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
David Lynch (Creator, TWIN PEAKS) - 66
Colleen Zenk (ex-Barbara, AS THE WORLD TURNS; ex-Nurse, RYAN'S HOPE) - 59
Lorenzo Lamas (ex-Hector, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL; ex-Lance, FALCON CREST; ex-Burt, SECRETS OF MIDLAND HEIGHTS) - 54
James Denton (Mike, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES) - 49
Rainn Wilson (ex-Casey, ONE LIFE TO LIVE) - 46
Stacey Dash (Val, SINGLE LADIES) - 45
Lisa Vultaggio (ex-Hannah, GENERAL HOSPITAL) - 39
Evan Peters (Tate, AMERICAN HORROR STORY; ex-Jack, ONE TREE HILL; ex-Jesse, INVASION) - 25
Avery Phillips (ex-Young Quinn, GLEE) - 7

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a piece of soap opera history for this daily column, please email it to editor@welovesoaps.com.

RELATED:
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- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 2): DARK SHADOWS, RAGGED ISLE, DALLAS, Univision Telenovelas and More
- Most Fascinating People of 2011

INDIE SOAP BEAT: DEVANITY, HUSTLING, OLD DOGS, VENICE, THE BAY, ROSE, STONES

2012-01-19T22:21:00.009-05:00

Here's the latest news and episodes from the world of indie soaps:

* Indie Soap Award Best Drama nominee DEVANITY was back on Thursday with a brand new episode. Tempers flare as Lara and Bianca lash out at each other after the funeral, and rival jeweler Andrew Regis arrives to make Jason an offer that could destroy DeVanity. Daytime soap veterans Kyle Lowder and Robin Riker guest star. You can watch it on the hot new online network The SFN.

* HUSTLING aired its Season 1 finale this week. Ryan (Sebastian La Cause) and Liv (Jessica Press), get better acquainted. Ryan opens up to her about his past. Rosa Juarez (Daphne Rubin-Vega) stops by for the rent and offers some sound advice.

* On the latest episode of OLD DOGS & NEW TRICKS, Ross confesses his recent marital woes, Brad's latest conquest bruises his self-esteem, Muscles has too much in common with Bobby (Thom Bierdz), and living vicariously though his friends' adventures leaves Nathan feeling empty.

* Episode Four of ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME has now been released. A date does not go Veronica's way and Chris tries to offer some advice. Rose meanwhile is at a BiAS meeting where she makes an impulsive commitment.

* VENICE also aired the latest Season 3 episode on Wednesday, a funeral! DAYS OF OUR LIVES legend Susan Seaforth Hayes appears. Subscribers can watch it here.

* THE BAY is working on a four-hour summer television mini-series and a book about the character of Sara Garrett. We Love Soaps' Roger Newcomb revealed the news on Pop2Reality Radio this week. Listen to "The Year of the Soap" discussion here.

* THROWING STONES is back with "Breaking Good" on the Koldcast network.

* A new episode of WHATEVER is now online.

* A new DVD of 20 GUIDING LIGHT episodes was released on Wednesday (the first ever release of remastered full-length episodes). Indie soap stars Crystal Chappell, Jordan Clarke, Tina Sloan, Beth Ehlers and Michael O'Leary are among those featured.

* Only 33 days until the 3rd Annual Indie Soap Awards!

NEWS ROUNDUP: New Anne Heche Show, Courtney B. Vance To REVENGE, Chandler Massey Movie

2012-01-19T21:31:00.002-05:00

Anne Heche set to star in NBC comedy pilot
Heche will also serve as a producer on the single-camera project, SAVE ME, from writer John Scott Shepherd, Sony Pictures TV and Neal Moritz’s studio-based Original Films

Courtney B. Vance joining the cast of REVENGE
Vance is joining the ABC thriller as a high-powered defense attorney who’s tasked with representing the not-yet-revealed prime suspect of the the not-yet-revealed murder victim.

His character, Ben Barnett, is described as a take-charge defense lawyer who bursts onto the scene and takes control of all aspects of his client’s situation, organizing a “war-room” and assigning roles to everyone connected to his client. He is not always the nicest guy, but he’s the best at what he does.

Alison Sweeney is hopeful about DAYS OF OUR LIVES future
"We’re just hopeful at DAYS OF OUR LIVES that we can continue to fight the fight and represent daytime and keep our characters on for as long as we possibly can. We want fans to know that we’re still there and we’re making the best show we possibly can. Hopefully NBC will believe in us and keep us on for a long time.”

Review of new Ally Mash/Chandler Massey/Keith Coulouris movie, 16-Love
Ally Mash (Lindsey Shaw, PRETTY LITTLE LIARS) is a San Diego high schooler who's never had time for much of an off-court life, due to Dad (Keith Coulouris) pushing her into a pro career. Spraining an ankle during a tournament against a bitchy Russian player (Susie Abromeit), however, she's forced to take some time off. Encouraged by best friend Rebecca (Lindsey Black), she plays hooky from Dad's elaborate rehab program and instead trains hunky fellow competitor Farrell (Chandler Massey, DAYS OF OUR LIVES). Romantic sparks -- and an eventual rematch against her Russian nemesis -- ensue.

"Fortunately I played tennis growing up, my whole family played tennis and everything, and I was very passionate about tennis from a young age," said Massey.

Television's 15 Best Pro Wrestling-Themed Episodes of Fictional Shows
15 of the better wrestling episodes of TV shows, including some shows that were centered around pro wrestling.

New photo of Johnny Depp as Barnabas in Dark Shadows movie
Here's what's happening in the film. In 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins set sail from Liverpool, England to America with their young son Barnabas. They brought with them the family curse. Two decades later and Barnabas pretty much runs the town of Collinsport, Maine. He runs Collinwood Manor, he's rich and powerful ... until he breaks the heart of the witch Angelique (Eva Green). She turns him into a vampire and buries him alive. Two centuries later, Barnabas is freed and finds the world of 1972 very different. His estate is in ruins and the remnants of the Collins family are harboring dark secrets.

A Commercial, Sandwiched Between Lines of Dialogue on HAWAII FIVE-0
For nearly a minute, the unfortunate actors (Alex O’Loughlin, Grace Park and the former sumo wrestler Taylor Wily) stepped completely out of the story in order to plug Subway sandwiches, as the food-truck vendor Kamekona (Mr. Wily) is found eating five subs as part of his new diet.

GREY'S ANATOMY: Katherine Heigl Wants to Come Back
"I've told them I want to," Katherine tells us. "I don't know... Being a showrunner and being a writer of a TV series like that is so complicated that I mean she's got how many characters are there now? There's a lot and so she's balancing about 40 different storylines, so I don't know if it fits in to their sort of vision for this season or next or however many seasons it goes."

GREY'S ANATOMY's Sarah Drew welcomes a son
Micah Emmanuel Lanfer was born on Wednesday evening. Co-star Jessica Capshaw has revealed she's pregnant.

All-Star Cast for West Coast Premiere of Dustin Lance Black’s “8” Announced
Acclaimed WHITE COLAR television star Matt Bomer; Emmy Award-winning journalist Campbell Brown; Academy and Golden Globe Award-winner and Emmy Award-nominee George Clooney; Golden Globe Award-winner Jamie Lee Curtis; Emmy Award-nominee Jesse Tyler Ferguson; prominent gay rights activist Cleve Jones; Academy, Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winner Christine Lahti; Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winner Jane Lynch; Emmy, Golden Globe and Tony Award-nominee Matthew Morrison; Tony Award-nominee Rory O’Malley; Emmy Award-winner and Academy and Golden Globe Award-nominee Rob Reiner; Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winner Martin Sheen; Emmy Award-winner Yeardley Smith; and acclaimed STAR TREK television and film star George Takei will star in the West Coast premiere of “8.”

MAD MEN's Jon Hamm gets animated
PBS kids series MARTHA SPEAKS will kick off its fourth season with some Hollywood star power.

Twilight vampire is headed to TRUE BLOOD
Christopher Heyerdahl will also play a vampire on the HBO series.

TREME fans will have to wait until fall for third season premiere of HBO series
A network spokesman confirmed Thursday that HBO will hold season three of the New Orleans drama until fall, return date to be determined.

‘Book Of Mormon’ Star Andrew Rannells Inks Deal To Topline NBC’s Ryan Murphy/Ali Adler Comedy
Rannells has been signed in a joint 20th Century Fox TV-NBC talent holding deal with the intention for him to play one of the 3 leads in the NBC/20th TV comedy.

TV Review: Daytime TV (in UK). All Of It.
"Essentially, daytime TV is a way of slowly engendering suicidal thoughts in shift workers, the jobless and stay at home mums. It is designed to make you take out payday loans at 3,000 per cent APR before stocking up on pasta sauce and logging on to ebloodyHarmony."

FUNNY OR DIE: Call Me Doctor with Rachel Bilson
Bilson mocks her HART OF DIXIE character.

Call Me Doctor with Rachel Bilson from Rachel Bilson

Soap Opera Stars In Primetime: Upcoming Guest Appearances

2012-01-19T18:24:00.009-05:00

Daytime and primetime soap stars are everywhere this winter! Below are some of the upcoming guest appearances by soap stars on primetime shows. We update this list every few days. If you see a name missing or find out an official airdate, add it in our Comments section.

JANUARY
19 THE SECRET CIRCLE - Michael Graziadei
19 30 ROCK - Kelsey Grammer
19 THE MENTALIST - Eric Winter, Matt Battaglia, Michael Rady
22 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES - Cameron Mathison
23 HART OF DIXIE - Nadine Velazquez
25 CRIMINAL MINDS - Maggie Contreras, Penny Peyser
25 CSI - Marg Helgenberger (final episode), Annabeth Gish
26 THE FINDER - Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, Wilson Cruz
29 CSI: MIAMI - Grant Gustin, Elisabeth Rohm
31 RINGER - Brody Hutzler, Madchen Amick

FEBRUARY
1 HOT IN CLEVELAND - Susan Lucci, Ryan McPartlin
2 THE MENTALIST - Van Hansis, Alicia Witt
2 PERSON OF INTEREST - Rachel Miner
3 SUPERNATURAL - Sara Canning
3 BLUE BLOODS - F. Murray Abraham, Maureen Mueller, Anthony Mangano
6 2 BROKE GIRLS - Jennifer Coolidge
7 UNFORGETTABLE - Chris Beetem
8 CRIMINAL MINDS - Dean Cain
10 A GIFTED MAN - Peter Hermann
14 NEW GIRL - Ryan Kwanten
19 THE GOOD WIFE - Parker Posey, Jonathan Groff
TBD CSI - Roger Bart
TBD GLEE - Ricky Martin

2012
TBD HAWAII FIVE-0 - Ed Asner
TBD HOT IN CLEVELAND - Steven Weber
TBD CASTLE - Justin Hartley
TBD MELISSA & JOEY - Shawn Christian
TBD MODERN FAMILY - Bobby Cannavale
TBD SUPERNATURAL - Misha Collins (recurring)
TBD LAW & ORDER: SVU - Fisher Stevens
TBD 30 ROCK - Terri Conn
TBD RINGER - Nic Robuck
TBD CSI: NEW YORK - Molly Burnett, Sherri Saum
TBD CRIMINAL MINDS - Lexi Ainsworth
TBD SMASH - Thorsten Kaye

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INTERVIEW: James Reynolds Talks DAYS OF OUR LIVES, Issues Of Race On TV & His Image Award Nod

2012-01-19T18:00:00.005-05:00

James Reynolds has been a vital part of DAYS OF OUR LIVES for over 30 years, and his character, Abe Carver, continues to surprise us. WE LOVE SOAPS TV just got off the phone with James, after calling to congratulate him on his nomination for an NAACP Image award earlier today! We spoke briefly about issues of race on TV and in America, as well as the politics of Salem's mayoral campaign and the country's race for president. Of course, we also got his reaction and insights concerning Abe's post-election plans as well as Celeste's return. You can read a transcript of the Q & A below.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: Congratulations on your nomination for the NAACP Image Award! What were your first thoughts when you heard?
James Reynolds: My first thought, and my thought currently is, what an extraordinary honor it is, and how pleased I am. But also, that It should also have the name "Renee Jones." I know very well that I wouldn't have received the nomination were it not for Renee.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: How has Daytime TV changed in the years you have been a part of DAYS?
James Reynolds: Daytime is now different, because the remaining shows have frequently moved away from some of the characters with long histories, and given emphasis to other characters. On DAYS, Abe and Lexi have remained a part of the tapestry of Salem, which is an important way to treat all the characters.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: When it comes to issues of color, are things better (or worse) today when compared to the early 80s?
James Reynolds: TV by and large, I find, still has a long way to go.

There is no show I can think of with a minority cast on the major networks, and very few even when it comes to cable. It sometimes looks like any minority casting is an afterthought, and not an essential part of how the show was conceived.

Up until recently, there were whole areas that were overlooked, like game shows, but CBS (for instance) and other networks have done an excellent job. Also, NBC with some of their shows. But those were overlooked for a long time.

Reality shows still are very stereotypical in their casting of minority characters. Particularly African American characters. There's always the one or two, and they always want the "angry black person", whoever that is.

Then there are shows like THE BACHELOR, who have yet to cast anyone of color! [Laughs.] Well, that's not completely true, but they very rarely have anyone of color in the show, and apparently it's not something they seem to be very concerned about. So those things all have to be addressed.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: What are your thoughts on where to start?
James Reynolds: I think it is a question of just looking at opportunities more than anything. I think it requires forethought, and people have to put it out there. This country--most of what we do should represent what the country looks like, and too often it doesn't.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: Very interesting, thank you. Now, if I can, I'd like to go ahead and talk a little about the DAYS canvas. What can you tell our audience about Celeste's return?
James Reynolds: I can tell you that it's a story that's going to be very, very important to the show for the next month, if not longer. Several months, I should say, if not longer. Her return is going to bring more than a couple surprises to Salem.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: Now I'm even more curious!
James Reynolds: Yes!

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: Another big topic in Salem is the election. Are there any politicians in the real world that your opponent reminds you of?
James Reynolds: Oh wow. Wow! [He laughs.] Yes, there are!

I don't know how political I should be, but one person comes to mind... someone who might be running for the Republican nomination, that I'm reminded of. [He laughs.] But, I probably shouldn't state his name.

I'm always cognizant that we have wonderful fans that are Republicans, and Democrats, and Independents and Libertarians and all the way down the line. We all have our own personal thoughts, and some of us may become politically active. I certainly have been active politically--we all should be active politically! We're American citizens and we should enjoy exercising that right. In the role of representing the show, though, I'm always aware that that's not necessarily what I should be doing.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: In a way, you must feel very close to your character after all these years. If you could somehow control Abe's destiny, what would you like to see for him? What would you like to see happen in the coming years for the character of Abe?
James Reynolds: Wow. Well, some of that actually is going to--my answer would depend--well not depend on; but depending on the story...

What comes out in story is going to dictate some of those desires. What you will see come out in story in the next few months is going to dictate some of those desires, but certainly I can tell you that I would love... [He laughs.]

The election is on Valentine's Day, by the way. I would like to see Abe continue in political office. I would like to see him continue as a key person in moving the future of Salem. I certainly would like to see that.

EDITOR'S NOTE: We'll be interviewing more DAYS OF OUR LIVES stars soon. Do you have any questions for them? Tell us what sort of things you would like to know more about in our Comments section, below, and next time, we just might ask on your behalf!

PREVIEW: FX's Thursday Night Animated Serials ARCHER & UNSUPERVISED

2012-01-19T17:11:00.002-05:00

ARCHER returns on Thursday, January 19 at 10 p.m. ET on FX with its third season premiere, "The Man From Jupiter."

ARCHER is an animated, half-hour comedy serial that revolves around the International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS) and the lives of its employees. Although their work of espionage, reconnaissance missions, wiretapping and undercover surveillance is daunting and dangerous, every covert operation and global crisis is actually just another excuse for the ISIS staff to undermine, sabotage and betray each other for personal gain.

The series features the voices of H. Jon Benjamin as the highly skilled and incredibly vain master spy, `Sterling Archer’; Aisha Tyler as Archer’s fellow agent and ex-girlfriend, `Lana Kane’; Jessica Walter as Archer’s domineering mother and the director of ISIS, `Malory Archer’; Chris Parnell as the easily intimidated comptroller-turned-ISIS-agent, `Cyril Figgis’; Judy Greer as Malory’s loquacious secretary, `Cheryl Tunt’; Amber Nash as the discordant director of human resources for ISIS, `Pam Poovey’; Adam Reed as the gay voice of reason at ISIS, `Ray Gillette’; Lucky Yates as ISIS’s possibly mad scientist, `Krieger’; and George Coe as Archer’s elderly and always exploited butler, `Woodhouse.’

The premiere of UNSUPERVISED follows at 10:30 p.m. ET.

UNSUPERVISED is an animated, half-hour comedy about two eternally optimistic best friends “Gary” and “Joel,” who are navigating the harsh landscape of adolescence and trying to do what’s right despite having no parental guidance whatsoever. Gary’s father took off years ago and left him with his absentee stepmom, while Joel’s elderly parents remain unseen and uninvolved. And the adults that are actually present in Gary and Joel’s lives are anything but role models. At first glance, Gary and Joel’s world may be bleak but their worldview is bright as they guide themselves through life with each other to depend on.

UNSUPERVISED features the voices of Justin Long as “Gary,” David Hornsby as “Joel,” Kristen Bell as “Megan,” Rob Rosell as “Russ” and Romany Malco as “Darius.” Recurring voices include Kaitlin Olson as “Carol” and “Danielle,” Fred Armisen as “Martin,” Alexa Vega as “Christina,” and Sally Kellerman as “Principal Stark.” Guest voices include Dave Foley as “Darren,” Maggie Wheeler as “Pam” and Glenn Howerton in a variety of supporting roles.

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PREVIEW: ABC's Thursday Night Soaps GREY'S ANATOMY & PRIVATE PRACTICE

2012-01-19T16:55:00.001-05:00

The Year of the Soap continues when GREY'S ANATOMY airs an all-new episode, "Hope for the Hopeless," on Thursday, January 19 (9:00-10:02 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Richard performs his 10,000th surgery on a pair of bickering sisters (Nia Vardalos and Peri Gilpin) who come into the hospital for a liver transplant.

Derek and Lexie take on a neuroblastoma case that has been previously deemed inoperable.

Teddy and Cristina cross the line when they go against Owen’s orders and try to steal a case from Alex and Dr. McQueen.

Ellis Grey’s shadow looms as Meredith searches for a specialty.

Adele is brought into the hospital after she is found wandering the streets.

GREY'S ANATOMY stars Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey, Patrick Dempsey as Derek Shepherd, Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang, Justin Chambers as Alex Karev, Chandra Wilson as Miranda Bailey, James Pickens, Jr. as Richard Webber, Sara Ramirez as Callie Torres, Eric Dane as Mark Sloan, Chyler Leigh as Lexie Grey, Kevin McKidd as Owen Hunt, Jessica Capshaw as Arizona Robbins, Kim Raver as Teddy Altman, Jesse Williams as Jackson Avery and Sarah Drew as April Kepner.

"Hope for the Hopeless" was written by Peter Nowalk and directed by Mark Jackson.

Fans of the show will be able to submit questions and receive real-time responses from actress Jessica Capshaw (Arizona Robbins), who will be up on Twitter at @jessicacapshaw, during the West Coast broadcast from 9:00-10:01 p.m., PT.

PRIVATE PRACTICE follows at 10:02 p.m. ET with "Losing Battles".

Just as Violet’s personal life takes a turn for the better with Scott, the paramedic, Joanna (the abused woman she met at the airport months earlier) arrives in need of urgent medical attention, being both pregnant and badly beaten.

Cooper, Charlotte and Amelia all counsel Erica on the toughest decision of her life.

Addison and Jake meet with potential surrogates.

PRIVATE PRACTICE stars Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery, Tim Daly as Dr. Pete Wilder, Benjamin Bratt as Dr. Jake Reilly, KaDee Strickland as Dr. Charlotte King, Paul Adelstein as Dr. Cooper Freedman, Brian Benben as Dr. Sheldon Wallace and Caterina Scorsone as Dr. Amelia Shepherd, with Taye Diggs as Dr. Sam Bennett and Amy Brenneman as Dr. Violet Turner.

"Losing Battles" was written by Gabriel Llanas and directed by Stephen Cragg.

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PREVIEW: CW's Thursday Night Soaps THE VAMPIRE DIARIES & THE SECRET CIRCLE

2012-01-19T16:49:00.004-05:00

The Year of the Soap continues when THE VAMPIRE DIARIES airs an all new episode, "The Ties That Bind," on Thursday, January 19 at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.

Bonnie believes her recurring dreams about Klaus’ coffins will tell her how he can be killed.

The dreams also lead Bonnie to a reunion with her mother, Abby (guest star Persia White), whom Bonnie hasn’t seen for 15 years.

At Abby’s remote farmhouse, Bonnie and Elena meet Jamie (guest star Robert Ri’chard), the young man Abby took in years earlier.

Bonnie’s sudden appearance catches Abby off-guard, but she does her best to explain the past.

Tyler turns to an unexpected ally in his quest to regain his free will. Damon is intrigued by Alaric’s new friend, Dr. Fell (guest star Torrey Devitto), and Klaus continues his bitter negotiations with Stefan over control of the coffins containing his family members.

John Dahl directed the episode written by Brian Young.

THE SECRET CIRCLE follows at 9 p.m. ET with “Witness”.

Jake returns to Chance Harbor to warn Cassie that unless they find out how her father was killed in the boat fire 16 years ago, she’ll meet with the same death.

He suggests an extremely dangerous method to finally uncover what happened on that fateful day, but Adam and Diana suspect he has ulterior motives.

In an effort to usurp the other, both Charles and Dawn try to get Ethan on board as an ally. Faye gets trapped in a dangerous situation when one of Lee’s friends, Callum (Michael Graziadei) stops by the shop.

Jessica Parker Kennedy also stars. Michael Graziadei from THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS guest stars. Eagle Egilsson directed the episode written by Dana Baratta.

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SURVEY RESULTS: Viewers Speak Out on ONE LIFE TO LIVE's Last Episode--Favorite Moment & Quote, Fans Mostly Satisfied

2012-01-19T16:05:00.004-05:00

After Friday's ONE LIFE TO LIVE finale, We Love Soaps asked our readers to weigh in on the last episode. What were the best moments or quotes? How satisfied were fans with the way the soap ended? And, knowing a web version was on the way at the time the finale was taped, would this ending had made them more likely to watch OLTL 2.0?

Check out the results of our survey below:

1. What was your favorite moment or scene from the finale?

We received a lot of various answers to this one including some moments that happened prior to Friday's episode. Fans saw the last several weeks as one big finale. In terms of the final episode itself, seeing Victor Jr. (Trevor St. John) at the very end was a favorite of many receiving the most votes. Other people loved the naming of baby Drew, Jessica learning she was Clint's biological daughter (and Natalie's sister), Clint's proposal, Bo and Nora's last scene together, and Todd and Blair making love.

2. What was your favorite line from the finale?
"I love you, Red!" the line Bo said to Nora near the end of Friday's episode was the favorite line of our readers. Other lines receiving a number of votes were:

"Things are rarely what they appear." - Allison
"Blair, I do stupid things every day." - Todd (to Blair)
"It's always been you and me, Blair." - Todd (to Blair)
"Whatever the test results say, you were and always will be my daughter. But it's awfully nice to know that its official." - Clint (to Jessica)

3. How would this ending have influenced your likelihood of watching the new suspended web version of ONE LIFE TO LIVE?

When the finale was shot, ONE LIFE TO LIVE was expected to move onto the web and continue on Prospect Park's The Online Network. 52% of our readers said they were more likely to watch the web version as a result of the how the daytime version ended. 42.8% said they had already decided one way or another to watch or not watch. Only 1.7% said they would have been less likely to watch. 3.5% said they did not realize there was even going to be a web version.

4. How satisfied are you, overall, with the final episode of ONE LIFE TO LIVE?

Over 70% of ONE LIFE TO LIVE fans said were at least not dissatisfied with the finale. This number was at 54% for ALL MY CHILDREN fans in September. Over 55% said that were satisfied or very satisfied. 28.9% were dissatisfied in some way by the finale (37.6% for ALL MY CHILDREN).

Thanks for taking the survey!

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NOMINATIONS: 43rd Annual NAACP Image Awards

2012-01-19T13:25:00.003-05:00

The nominees for THE 43RD NAACP IMAGE AWARDS were announced today during a live press conference from the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, CA. Vanessa Williams, Tracee Ellis Ross and Craig Robinson announced the categories and nominees. GREY'S ANATOMY and THE GAME picked up six nominations each in the TV categories. The film The Help garnered the most noms overall with eight. THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS received five.

Below are the soap-related categories:

Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series
Aaron D. Spears, The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS
Bryton James, The Young and the Restless, CBS
Emerson Brooks, All My Children, ABC
James Reynolds, Days of Our Lives, NBC
Texas Battle, The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS

Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
Christel Khalil, The Young and the Restless, CBS
Julia Pace Mitchell, The Young and the Restless, CBS
Tatyana Ali, The Young and the Restless, CBS
Tonya Lee Williams, The Young and the Restless, CBS
Yvette Freeman, The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS

Outstanding Comedy Series
Love That Girl!, TV One
Modern Family, ABC
Reed Between the Lines, BET
The Game, BET
Tyler Perry's House of Payne, TBS

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Dulé Hill, Psych, USA Network
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Reed Between the Lines, BET
Phil Morris, Love That Girl!, TV One
Pooch Hall, The Game, BET
Terry Crews, Are We There Yet?, TBS

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
Tatyana Ali, Love That Girl!, TV One
Tia Mowry-Hardrict, The Game, BET
Tracee Ellis Ross, Reed Between the Lines, BET
Vanessa Williams, Desperate Housewives, ABC
Wendy Raquel Robinson, The Game, BET

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Craig Robinson, The Office, NBC
Damon Wayans, Jr., Happy Endings, ABC
J.B. Smoove, Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO
Nick Cannon, Up All Night, NBC
Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock, NBC

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Amber Riley, Glee, FOX
Gabourey Sidibe, The Big C, Showtime
Keshia Knight Pulliam, Tyler Perry's House of Payne, TBS
Maya Rudolph, Up All Night, NBC
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family, ABC

Outstanding Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire, HBO
Grey's Anatomy, ABC
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NBC
The Good Wife, CBS
Treme, HBO

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
Andre Braugher, Men of a Certain Age, TNT
Hill Harper, CSI: NY, CBS
L.L. Cool J, NCIS: Los Angeles, CBS
Taye Diggs, Private Practice, ABC
Wendell Pierce, Treme, HBO

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy, ABC
Khandi Alexander, Treme, HBO
Regina King, SouthLAnd, TNT
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy, ABC
Taraji P. Henson, Person of Interest, CBS

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Corey Reynolds, The Closer, TNT
Ice T, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NBC
James Pickens, Jr., Grey's Anatomy, ABC
Nelsan Ellis, True Blood, HBO
Omar Epps, House M.D., FOX

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Alfre Woodard, Memphis Beat, TNT
Anika Noni Rose, Law & Order Special Victims Unit, NBC
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife, CBS
Diahann Carroll, White Collar, USA Network
Loretta Devine, Grey's Anatomy, ABC

Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
Five, Lifetime Movie Network
Hallmark Hall of Fame, Mitch Albom's Have a Little Faith, ABC
Luther, BBC America
The Least Among You, Showtime
Thurgood, HBO

Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
Esai Morales, We Have Your Husband, Lifetime
Idris Elba, Luther, BBC America
Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood, HBO
Louis Gossett, Jr., The Least Among You, Showtime
Samuel L. Jackson, The Sunset Limited, HBO

Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
Anika Noni Rose, Hallmark Hall of Fame, Mitch Albom's Have a Little Faith, ABC
Jenifer Lewis, Five, Lifetime Movie Network
Rosario Dawson, Five, Lifetime Movie Network
Taraji P. Henson, Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story, Lifetime
Tracee Ellis Ross, Five, Lifetime Movie Network

The NAACP Image Awards celebrates the accomplishments of people of color in the
fields of television, music, literature and film and also honors individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors. Winners will be announced during the two-‐hour star-‐studded event, which will air live on Friday, February 17 (8:00-‐10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-‐delayed) on NBC.

NOMINATIONS: 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards - ALL MY CHILDREN, DAYS OF OUR LIVES, GLEE, GREY'S, TORCHWOOD, PLL

2012-01-19T12:15:00.005-05:00

Today, GLAAD announced the nominees of the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards. By recognizing and honoring media for outstanding images of the LGBT community, the GLAAD Media Awards "serve as a benchmark for the media industry and complement GLAAD's work to bring LGBT images and stories to Americans."

Below are the nominees in the soap-related categories:

Outstanding Drama Series
DEGRASSI, TeenNick
GREY'S ANATOMY, ABC
PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, ABC Family
SHAMELESS, Showtime
TORCHWOOD: MIRACLE DAY, Starz

Outstanding Comedy Series
EXES AND OHS, Logo
GLEE, Fox
HAPPY ENDINGS, ABC
MODERN FAMILY, ABC
THE BIG C, Showtime

Outstanding Daily Drama
ALL MY CHILDREN, ABC
DAYS OF OUR LIVES, NBC

Outstanding Novela
EL ULTIMO MATRIMONIO FELIZ, Telefutura
LAS APARICIO, Mun2
LOS EXITOSOS GOME$, Telemundo

Wednesday Nielsen Ratings: REVENGE Matches 9-Week A18-49 High

2012-01-19T10:06:00.000-05:00

Below are the primetime soap ratings for Wednesday:

From 10:00-11:00 p.m., ABC primetime soap hit REVENGE ran a strong second in its hour among Adults 18-49 (2.5/6), while finishing No. 1 with Adults 18-34, Women 18-34 and Women 18-49.

* Up over the prior week in Adults 18-49 (+4%), ABC's REVENGE matched a 9-week high - since 11/16/11. Posting its 2nd straight week of growth with Adults 18-34, the show marked its best performance in nearly 3 months - since 11/2/11.

* REVENGE delivered substantial year-over-year improvement for ABC in Wednesday's 10 o'clock hour with Total Viewers (+31% - 7.6 million vs. 5.8 million) and Adults 18-49 (+19% - 2.5/6 vs. 2.1/6), topping first-run programming on the year-ago evening (OFF THE MAP).

WHAT TO WATCH: Thursday, January 19, 2012 (New Episodes)

2012-01-19T00:34:00.004-05:00

What's new in the world of soaps? Serialized scripted content is everywhere in 2012, The Year of the Soap, and we have your guide to the new episodes airing on Thursday, January 19, 2012. Daytime TV, primetime, broadcast, cable, web series, we've got it all.

NOTE: Daytime soap times may vary in some local markets.

(All times are ET)

12:30 p.m.		THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (CBS)

1 p.m.		DAYS OF OUR LIVES (NBC)

1:30 p.m.		THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (CBS)

3 p.m.		GENERAL HOSPITAL (ABC)

8 p.m.		THE VAMPIRE DIARIES (CW)

		UNA MAID EN MANHATTAN (Telemundo)

9 p.m.		GREY'S ANATOMY (ABC)

		DEVANITY (SFN)

		THE SECRET CIRCLE (CW)

		FLOR SALVAJE (Telemundo)

10 p.m.		PRIVATE PRACTICE (ABC)

		ARCHER (FX)
		(Season 3 Premiere)

		THE FIRM (NBC)

		LA CASA DE AL LADO (Telemundo)

10:30 p.m.		UNSUPERVISED (FX)
		(Series Premiere)

Today in Soap Opera History (January 19)

2012-01-19T00:08:00.002-05:00

On this date in...

1944: Future soap opera star Anthony Herrera was born. He passed away June 21, 2011 at age 67.

1981: On THE EDGE OF NIGHT, Molly fell to her death down a flight of stairs while attempting to kill April.

1989: The final EDGE OF NIGHT rerun aired on USA Network.

1995: On GUIDING LIGHT, Alan-Michael became president of Spaulding Enterprises.

2007: Austin Peck debuted as Brad Snyder on AS THE WORLD TURNS.

2009: On GUIDING LIGHT, Emma gave a speech about her two mommies. Later, Olivia pulled Natalia into a kiss.

2010: Eric Sheffer Stevens debuted as Reid Oliver on AS THE WORLD TURNS.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
Tippi Hedren (ex-Helen, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL; ex-Doris, FASHION HOUSE) - 82
Karen Lewis (Former daytime writers, AS THE WORLD TURNS; ALL MY CHILDREN) - 59
Katey Sagal (ex-Helen, LOST) - 58
Wendy Moniz (ex-Kathleen, ONE LIFE TO LIVE; ex-Dinah, GUIDING LIGHT) - 43
Drea de Matteo (ex-Angie, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES) - 40
Erin Sanders (ex-Eden, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS) - 21
Logan Lerman (ex-Bobby, JACK & BOBBY) - 20

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a piece of soap opera history for this daily column, please email it to editor@welovesoaps.com.

RELATED:
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 1)
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 2): DARK SHADOWS, RAGGED ISLE, DALLAS, Univision Telenovelas and More
- Most Fascinating People of 2011

NEWS ROUNDUP: Beemer & Conroy Off Contract, Locklear Revelation, Bogue & Bruno Baby

2012-01-18T22:25:00.002-05:00

Brandon Beemer and Zack Conroy taken off contract at THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL
A rep for the soap says that while both actors have been dropped down to recurring status, they are still a part of the B&B family... which means that they will continue to drop by on-screen from time to time.

THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL's Gina Rodriguez signs ABC talent deal
Rodriguez has signed a talent holding deal with ABC and ABC Studios to star in a pilot targeted for next season.

Heather Locklear's Violent Showdown With Former Fiancé Jack Wagner
Just days before being rushed to the hospital on January 12, the 50-year-old beauty had a blowout altercation with ex-fiancé, Jack Wagner, after he drove to her Sherman Oaks, California home to return some belongings.

"A huge argument erupted as they insulted each other's families," a source told Star. "As Heather went to her car, Jack lunged at her, trying to grab or push her. Her reaction was to swing. She caught Jack with a right hook across his face, knocking him to the ground."

Is Chad Duell being replaced as GENERAL HOSPITAL's Michael?
"I'm not," the actor said on Twitter.

GL's Rob Bogue and Mandy Bruno welcome a son
The former GUIDING LIGHT co-stars welcomed son Flynn into the world a few days ago.

Philippines: BUDOY offers false hopes to families with special children‎
The top-rated ABS-CBN soap starring Gerald Anderson is being criticized by some sectors for peddling false hopes to families dealing with special children.

Is it Love — or Lunacy — For DAYS OF OUR LIVES' Chad and Gabi?
Deidrick: We're Salem's Next Top Models!
Banus: We've already shot scenes where people are coming up and recognizing us and saying how they love our photos.

EXCLUSIVE: GUIDING LIGHT Classics DVD Episode List!

2012-01-18T15:59:00.023-05:00

The Year of the Soap continues with good news for GUIDING LIGHT fans. The much-anticipated collection of 20 classic episodes on a new GUIDING LIGHT Classics DVD is finally here. You can order it now at SoapClassics.com or click the banner at the top of the page.

Many of GUIDING LIGHT's all-time favorite actors are included like Charita Bauer, Michael Zaslow, Christopher Bernau, Mart Hulswit, Lisa Brown, Beverlee McKinsey, Jane Elliot, Peter Simon, Robert Newman, Grant Aleksander, Beth Ehlers, Cynthia Watros and Kim Zimmer. Those names just scratch the surface of the beloved actors and characters that appear on these 20 episodes.

Not only is the collection great viewing, it makes a great gift. Demand for this first release will heavily influence whether or not more episodes of GUIDING LIGHT will become available on DVD, and also improve prospects`for other P&G classics.

The collection contains the same four categories that were used on the original AS THE WORLD TURNS Classics DVD, with five episodes chosen for each:

"Great Weddings"
"Secrets and Scandals"
"Villains and Vixens"
"Springfield Through the Years"

Full details on the episodes below:

Disc 1: Great Weddings

Over the course of 72 years, Guiding Light featured almost every type of wedding imaginable. This disc contains five of the best, starring some of the most beloved couples in the history of the series.

Episode 1: August 18, 1981
Kelly Nelson Marries Morgan Richards

A beautiful ceremony at Laurel Falls is juxtaposed with a the non-wedding of Nola and Floyd.

Episode 2: June 24, 1983
Quinton Chamberlain Marries Nola Reardon

Nola arrives to the church on a fire truck. The Musketeers round out the action.

Episode 3: July 18, 1989
Title: Joshua Lewis Marries Reva Shayne

The Shayne and Lewis families return to Cross Creek for an outdoor ceremony.

Episode 4: August 19, 2005
Title: Gus Aitoro Marries Harley Cooper

After four years, Gus and Harley are married after Rick tells Harley he exhumed Phillip's body.

Episode 5: September 14, 2009
Billy Lewis Marries Vanessa Chamberlain / Buzz Cooper Marries Lillian Raines

A double wedding during the final week of the show features Lillian taking a trip to Maureen's grave and Nola blowing a goodbye kiss to Company.

Disc 2: Secrets and Scandals.

Episode 1: July 27, 1981
The Many Sins of Nola Reardon

Kelly lets Nola have it after finally learning the truth about her baby.

Episode 2: July 12, 1982
And Carrie Makes Three

Word spreads around Springfield that Jackie's plane crashed and she is dead. Sara worries about Carrie's mental state. Jane Elliot was wonderful as all the Carries.

Episode 3: August 29, 1983
The Truth About Phillip

At Mindy's 18th birthday party, Bradley reveals to Phillip he is a Marler. Phillip blasts Justin and Alan.

Episode 4: January 11, 1993
Husbands, Friends, and Lovers.

Ed finds Maureen at the cabin leading to an intense confrontation. Harley and Mallet are visiting the Vietnam Memorial in D.C.

Episode 5: October 18, 2002
The Springfield Ex-Wives Club

Joan Collins stars as Alexandra who reunites Phillip's ex-wives for a board meeting.

Disc 3: Springfield Through the Years

Episode 1: December 23, 1983
Christmas 1983

Beth and Phillip get help from Nick while on the run in New York, while Springfield celebrates Christmas back home.

Episode 2: July 3, 1987
The 50th Anniversary

In the fifth of five special 50th Anniversary episodes, the Bauer Barbecue continues after Alan-Michael parachutes in. Ed Bryce returns at the end to pay tribute to Charita Bauer (great flashbacks and a Kassie DePaiva song included).

Episode 3: November 3, 1992
Dreamgirls

Ross has a dream about the women in his life while awaiting election results.

Episode 4: September 7, 2006
The 15,000th Episode

Reva dreams of a "Bizarro Springfield".

Episode 5:January 25, 2007
The 70th Anniversary Show

Beth Ehlers is brilliant as Irna Phillips and the cast recreates the show's early decades.

Disc 4: Villains and Vixens

Episode 1: April 1, 1980
On the Trail of Roger Thorpe

It's the end of the line for Roger in Santo Domingo, while back in Springfield Bert prays for God to save her sons.

Episode 2: July 30, 1984
The Fountain of Truth

"The Slut of Springfield" scene is included while Beth and Alexandra worry about Lujack.

Episode 3: December 30, 1988
Sinister Sisters

Solita and Reva battle it out with each one getting the upper hand at times.

Episode 4: July 12, 1991
Payback is a Bitch

Alexandra humiliates Roger at the Country Club.

Episode 5:January 26, 1998
Annie’s Wedding From Hell

Annie and Alan's wedding is interrupted, thanks to Reva.

NOTE: If you have a question about which characters appear on an episode, let us know. For this first collection we were working with episodes from October 1979 to September 2009. I tried to include as many eras and characters as possible on this initial set.

You can watch a free episode online now at soapclassics.com from August 26, 1983. Bradley Raines unloads on Phillip, moments after Phillip and Beth finally declare their love. What an amazing Friday show that was! The following Monday appears on the new DVD set.

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- Classic Soap Opera GUIDING LIGHT Next to be Released on DVD; SEARCH FOR TOMORROW, ANOTHER WORLD, THE EDGE OF NIGHT & TEXAS May Follow
- Soap Classics Will Hit Store Shelves Soon (AS THE WORLD TURNS & GUIDING LIGHT)
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Brandon Beemer & Zack Conroy Off Contract At THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL

2012-01-18T12:47:00.000-05:00

CBS Soaps In Depth has reported that Brandon Beemer (Owen) and Zack Conroy (Oliver) have both been taken off contract. Both actors are now officially on recurring status, resulting in less screen time, which many viewers have already noticed. Beemer revealed on Twitter that he’s actually been on recurring for awhile. “‘B&B’ fans: I’ve been off contract for quite a few months now, but all is good…nothing to worry about. That can change any time. I’m working this week at ‘B&B’ on some really great stuff that I know you’ll enjoy! Thanks for the kind words & support!”

NEWS ROUNDUP: STOP SOPA; Betty White Encore; Did Rick Perry Save DALLAS?

2012-01-18T09:00:00.001-05:00

NBC to encore the Betty White birthday special
NBC will air a repeat of the special on Saturday, Jan. 21 from 8-9:30 p.m. The debut telecast on Monday averaged a dominant 13.9 million viewers – NBC’s biggest overall audience in the 8-9:30 p.m. time period, excluding the Olympics, since Feb. 18, 2008.

Did Texas Governor Rick Perry save the new DALLAS on TNT?
Some of the credit for the show's ability to shoot in the real city of Dallas may come from Cynthia Cidre's agent, Anne Blanchard, a Dallas native, and to (wait for it) Rick Perry. When Cidre originally started writing the pilot nearly two years agoo, she said, Blanchard told her, "Honey, if they ever start talking about doing this in another state, you let me know. It has to be in Dallas."

Cidre agreed. But her chance to make that possible didn't happen, she said, until the governor showed up at an L.A. convention center, pushing an event to bring businesses from California to Texas. Cidre said her agent, "fully accessorized," rushed down there and crashed the governor's party, introducing her client.

"How can you let this show be in New Orleans?" Blanchard demanded of the governor. Perry told her to have the head of the city's film commission call him. "Next thing we knew," Cidre said, "our tax credits had been approved."

NeNe Leakes's Acting Debut on GLEE -- How'd She Do?
The REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ATLANTA star's role wasn't too much of a stretch for her, as she played a synchronized swimming coach with a loud mouth and a short fuse.

GLEE PROJECT winner Samuel Larsen begins work on GLEE
Corey Monteith revealed that Larsen has a "very interesting role" which "ties into a lot of pre-existing storylines".

UK: EASTENDERS tops Tuesday night ratings with 8.9 million viewers
EASTENDERS pulled in 38.3% of the audience at 7.30 p.m. as DCI Marsden asked Ben for information about Stella's death. BBC Three's repeat screening secured 766,000 viewers (3.7%) at 10 p.m.. EMMERDALE attracted 7.37 million (32.9%) at 7 p.m. and 173,000 (0.7%) on +1 as Rodney found himself in trouble with the police. HOLLYOAKS mustered 996,000 (4.6%) at 6.30 p.m. for the George and Callum storyline, while E4's first look interested 560,000 (2.5%) at 7 p.m. On Channel 5, NEIGHBOURS appealed to 698,000 (9.1%) at 1.45 p.m. and 1.17 million (6.8%) at 5.30 p.m., while HOME AND AWAY delivered 784,000 (3.9%) at 6 p.m. and 449,000 (2.1%) for 5*'s first look at 6.30 p.m.

DOWNTON ABBEY Season 2 Will Hit DVD Before Season Finale
Season 2, already aired in the UK, will run each weekend on PBS until February 19, but if you are more impatient, fans will be able to nab DVD copies just a wee bit before the last few episodes air. PBS distribution will release "DOWNTON ABBEY Season 2" on Blu-Ray and DVD February 7.

Historian Simon Schama launches scathing attack on DOWNTON ABBEY as 'a steaming, silvered tureen of snobbery'
Writng in Newsweek, Schama said the U.S. audience had been "falling like grouse to the gun before the mighty edifice of DOWNTON ABBEY."

Tina Sloan to bring 'Changing Shoes’ play to Four Arts
Sloan will perform her one-woman show at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at The Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach, Florida. At Thursday’s performance, the Four Arts will collect gently worn shoes at the lecture for the Nashville-based charity Soles4Souls. The Gardens Mall will provide a voucher for a $20 mall gift certificate for every attendee who brings a pair of shoes.

Anger as BBC plans to axe Scottish jobs
Last October, when the scope of the cuts was revealed, it was said that more BBC Scotland programs would appear on the main UK network in the coming years, more than 8.6% by 2016/17, including the soap opera RIVER CITY. However, jobs will be lost in news, production, operations, radio, online and Gaelic, as well as at Radio Scotland and possibly in sport.

SOPA protests shut down Web sites
On Wednesday, a group of technology companies is planning to stage an unusual form of protest: The firms are shutting down their own popular Web sites for a day to show their unhappiness with two Internet-regulation bills grinding through Congress. They argue that the bills would impose huge regulatory costs and stifle innovation on the Web.
In Washington, however, the day has another significance. It culminates a surprising lobbying effort in which technology companies such as Twitter, Wikipedia and Google have used their massive reach into Americans’ daily lives as a political weapon, to whip up support from online users.

In this fight, they were pitted against traditional Washington heavyweights, such as Hollywood and the recording industry.

WHAT TO WATCH: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 (New Episodes)

2012-01-18T01:24:00.001-05:00

What's new in the world of soaps? Serialized scripted content is everywhere in 2012, The Year of the Soap, and we have your guide to the new episodes airing on Wednesday, January 18, 2012. Daytime TV, primetime, broadcast, cable, web series, we've got it all.

NOTE: Daytime soap times may vary in some local markets.

(All times are ET)

12:30 p.m.		THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (CBS)

1 p.m.		DAYS OF OUR LIVES (NBC)

1:30 p.m.		THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (CBS)

3 p.m.		GENERAL HOSPITAL (ABC)

		VENICE The Series (venicetheseries.com)

8 p.m.		UNA MAID EN MANHATTAN (Telemundo)

		ONE TREE HILL (CW)

9 p.m.		THE TUDORS (BBC America)

		FLOR SALVAJE (Telemundo)

10 p.m.		REVENGE (ABC)

		MISTRESSES (BBC America)
		(Season 3 Premiere)

		LA CASA DE AL LADO (Telemundo)

Today in Soap Opera History (January 18)

2012-01-18T01:16:00.001-05:00

On this date in...

1977: On ANOTHER WORLD, Marianne let it slip to Michael (who later told Sharlene) that she saw Russ at Liz's.

1984: On ONE LIFE TO LIVE, Carla (Ellen Holly) had a heart to heart talk with Sadie (Lillian Hayman).

2006: Adrianne Leon debuted in the role of Carleen Carlton on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS.

2008: Debbi Morgan returned to ALL MY CHILDREN as Angie Hubbard.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
Peter Looney (ex-Buster, GENERAL HOSPITAL) - 75
Mark Rylance (ex-Charlie, LOVING) - 52
Jim Davidson (ex-Alonzo, GUIDING LIGHT) - 49
David Lago (ex-Raul, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS) - 33

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a piece of soap opera history for this daily column, please email it to editor@welovesoaps.com.

RELATED:
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 1)
- Why 2012 Will Be "The Year Of The Soap" (Part 2): DARK SHADOWS, RAGGED ISLE, DALLAS, Univision Telenovelas and More
- Most Fascinating People of 2011

GENERAL HOSPITAL As A "Short-Run Primetime Series"?

2012-01-17T23:11:00.000-05:00

In the January 23 issue of TV Guide, the magazine reveals that one scenario being discussed for GENERAL HOSPITAL is having the drama continuing as a short-run prime-time summer series. It would be similar to Spanish-language networks' telenovelas, says an ABC insider. Those telenovelas, by the way, continue to show growth in the ratings.

Even if the cost of production doubled over the typical soap budget (around $200,000 per episode), a nighttime version of GH would still be inexpensive for an original scripted show.