Monday, November 28, 2011

CYBER MONDAY: 12 Great Christmas Present Ideas for Soap Opera Fans (Shop Online & Save Time, Money)

Retail sales broke records during the Thanksgiving weekend, giving a needed boost to a long-suffering economy and raising retailers' hopes for the best holiday shopping season ever. Next up is Cyber Monday!

More than half the adult U.S. population — or about 123 million people — plan to shop from the safety of their office or home computer Monday, the National Retail Federation says. Cyber Monday was the biggest online shopping day last year and reached $1 billion, according to Web-tracking company ComScore.

There are so many benefits to shopping online. It's convenient, because you don't have to face the crowds at Walmart, Target, and the like. It's green, because purchases travel from the warehouse to your house directly.  And most of all, online shopping saves money.

It's been a good year for soap-related merchandise (books, DVDs, CDs, etc.) and we were able to cross tons of fellow soap fans off our (too big!) Christmas lists. So what are the soapiest super-deals this Cyber Monday? We proudly present our Top 12 Great Christmas Present Ideas for Soap Opera Fans:

1.  SoapClassics AS THE WORLD TURNS DVD Collections
SoapClassics released a 4-disc, 20-episode DVD collection of AS THE WORLD TURNS classic episodes in October. The collection sold so well, the company also developed a 5-episode, special Christmas DVD collection, which went on sale last week. You can order the DVDs separately at Amazon.com, or you can order them together as a "Value Pack" at SoapClassics.com. Order now to take advantage of free shipping!

* Both DVD Collections for $24.95 ("Value Pack") at SoapClassics.com
* 20-episode, 4-disc "ATWT Classics" Collection at Amazon.com
* 5-episode ATWT Christmas DVD at Amazon.com

2.  Kim Zimmer's Book "I'm Just Sayin'! Three Deaths, Seven Husbands, and a Clone: My Life as a Daytime Diva"
With the help of author Laura Malone, Kim Zimmer released her memoir to rave reviews in August. The book covers everything from her storied career and her marriage to a DUI arrest.  With loads of behind-the-scenes GUIDING LIGHT dish,  it's a must read.

You can watch Zimmer's appearance on WE LOVE SOAPS TV here where she talks about the book.  Or just go ahead and:

* Order at Amazon.com

3.  Susan Lucci's Book "All My Life: A Memoir"
Also with the help of Laura Malone, Susan Lucci released her memoir in March and WE LOVE SOAPS TV was there as the legendary actress held a book signing at Barnes & Noble in Manhattan. In September, the paperback version of the book was released including an intense and rivetting new chapter about the cancellation of ALL MY CHILDREN.

Watch our interview with Lucci here.

* Order at Amazon.com

4.  Deidre Hall's "How Does She Do It? A Beauty Book"
Along with co-author and longtime pal Lynne Bowman, Deidre Hall recently released a book in which she shares beauty secrets, personal stories and professional tips gleaned from decades in front of an "unforgiving camera lens."

Read our interview with Hall, where she discusses the book, here.

* Order at Amazon.com or directly from Deidre's Bookstore to get an autographed copy.

5.  Essay Collection Book "The Survival of Soap Opera: Transformations for a New Media Era"
From Sam Ford, Abigail De Kosnik and C. Lee Harrington, "Survival" contains contributions from established soap scholars such as Robert C. Allen, Louise Spence, Nancy Baym, and Horace Newcomb (no relation), along with essays and interviews by emerging scholars, fans and Web site moderators, and soap opera producers, writers, and actors.

We Love Soaps founder Roger Newcomb wrote an essay on the impact of the fans during the Luke and Noah storyline on AS THE WORLD TURNS.

* Order at Amazon.com.

6.  Port Chuck's "Port Chuck Volume 1" Album
The band Port Chuck is made up on GENERAL HOSPITAL stars Bradford Anderson, Steve Burton, Brandon Barash and Scott Reeves. They released their first album in April which included their vesion of classic hits such as "Devil Went Down To Georgia," "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" and "Feel Like Makin' Love."

* Order at CDBaby.com.

7.  Coffee Table Book "Days of our Lives 45 Years: A Celebration in Photos"
DAYS OF OUR LIVES celebrated 45 years on the air last November with the release of a coffee table book featuring an unprecedented photographic journey behind the scenes of the longest-running scripted program in NBC's history. From Greg Meng and Eddie Campbell, this is a great gift for any DAYS fan on your holiday list.

* Order at Amazon.com.

8.  THE BAY's "Far From The Bay" Limited Edition DVD
THE BAY's confused young amnesiac, Pete Garrett (Kristos Andrews), traveled to New York City this summer and encountered a number of people in his life played by familiar faces to daytime soap opera fans (Ilene Kristen, Tonja Walker, Agim Kaba, Anna Holbrook and more). You can buy this summer prequel series on a limited edition DVD.

* Order at thebaytheseries.com.

A portion of the proceeds will go to "Operation Healthy Africa." Mary Beth Evans explains in a video message here.

9.  VENICE Season 2 DVD
VENICE The Series won the Daytime Emmy this year in the new Short Form category. You can relive Season 2 by purchasing the show on DVD. The show stars Crystal Chappell, Jessica Lecci, Nadia Bjorlin, and Indie Soap Award winners Hillary B. Smith and Jordan Clarke.

* Order at venicetheseries.com (VShop).


10.  Carolyn Hinsey's Book "Afternoon Delight: Why Soaps Still Matter"
Released in June, veteran soap opera columnist Carolyn Hinsey shares her insider knowledge of daytime dramas. She shares "all the dirt, dish, and drama that make soaps great from what happens on-set to what makes it on-air, from backstage drama to backroom dealings, and all the sensational soapy scandal from the daytime bedroom to the network boardroom." Soaps still matter, indeed!

* Order at Amazon.com.

11.  Alina Adams' Book "Soap Opera 451: A Time Capsule of Daytime Drama's Greatest Moments"
This enhanced e-book features actor interviews, insider information, fans and fan favorites looking back on 45 of the most memorable moments in daytime television history. It includes interviews with Eden Riegel, Michael Malone, Kathryn Leigh Scott and many more.

* Order at Amazon.com.

12.  SWITCHED AT BIRTH Season 1 DVD
Starring Katie Leclerc and Vanessa Marano, SWITCH AT BIRTH was one of our favorite new primetime soaps of 2011. The first season DVD is officially released on December 13, but you can reserve your copy now.

* Pre-order at Amazon.com.

Do you have a past or present soap item that you would like to recommend to fans? Weigh in below in our Comments section. Be sure to include a link!

And finally...  from all of us at We Love Soaps:  Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays!

3 comments:

  1. A great gift for the woman in your life is Tina Sloan's "Changing Shoes: Getting Older--Not Old--with Style, Humor, and Grace" I loved it and then bought one for all of my girlfriends! http://www.amazon.com/Changing-Shoes-Getting-Older--Not-Old--/dp/B004J8HYBC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322523343&sr=8-1

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  2. Coronation Street 1990s and 2000s DVD sets have just been released. 80 episodes (8 for each year in the decade) in each set. (This is in addition to the 60's, 70's and 80's sets released in previous years). Just think -- that's 400 episodes released in this series. Wouldn't it be GREAT if we had this many episodes of any of the long running soaps, reaching back that far, available to us? Now, that would be a fantastic Christmas.

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  3. Great choice, GL. Tina's book (and one-woman show are amazing).

    Rob, I wish we had 60s and 70s episodes for the P&G collections I'm working on. Not sure why Y&R doesn't release a 1970s set.

    FYI...Wisner Wisham's "The Cloning" novel is now available in paperback. Buy on Amazon

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