WEEKEND SUDS FLASHES
Maria! Maria! Maria! Y&R hires Brady Bunch alum! Ashford back on soaps!
• EW.com’s Lynette Rice continues to break Y&R’s primetime casting coups. The latest? According to the website, The Brady Bunch’s Susan Olsen, a.k.a. Cindy Brady, “will make her first scripted TV appearance in more than 10 years by playing Mrs. Liza Morton, a preschool owner.” Liza will be involved with Delia and Reed’s education. Olsen airs on Sept. 1. |
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• Matthew Ashford will reunite with his former DAYS co-star Mary Beth Evans on the upcoming web serial, The Bay. Ashford was most recently headlining Mamma Mia! in Toronto.
HUMOUR
What if …
… ABC kept Kish on One Life? ABC could blame the BP oil spill on the gay super-couple!
… my editor, Denette Wilford and I met Matt and Britney from Big Brother in a dark alley?
… they hired Martha Madison to play Lisa on GH?
… Vanessa Marcil Giovinazzo kept her maiden name? Think of all the ink and paper we’d save!
… Brenda Barrett popped up in Llanview and Pine Valley first to help promote ABC’s entire lineup instead of endangering it by preempting One Life and AMC?
… daytime presidents Brian Frons and Barbara Bloom stopped hiring soap killers?
… Heather Tom and Victoria Rowell returned to boost Y&R’s ratings despite the egos determined to dismantle this show?
… soaps wrote women realistically?
… Sonny sought therapy via Kim Zimmer in a guest-starring stint on GH?
… DAYS refurbished their sets?
… Martha Byrne returned to World Turns for their last week proving Noelle Beck was just a nightmare?
… Stacy Haiduk stayed on Y&R?
… Y&R’s Lauralee Bell’s Christine and Christian LeBlanc’s Michael acted more like Glenn Close’s Patty Hewes on Damages?
… Greenlee had really died on AMC?
… Y&R updated their opening?
… Laura kidnapped baby Aiden on GH?
… Crystal Chappell was actually written well on DAYS?
… all the newbies on One Life all died in a tragic oil spill?
… David Vickers landed a role on Fraternity Row on One Life as a hair model?
... BP capped Brooke Logan Forrester's vajayjay for a vadayday?
… Adam Newman admitted he was bisexual just to piss off his father, Victor, on Y&R? And dated Philip Chancellor Sr., so Thom Bierdz could finally get a date?
… the daytime community actually nominated the most worthy actors, producers and writers at the 2011 Daytime Emmy Awards?
... One Life head writer Ron Carlivati was able to write the show his way?
... DAYS “head” writer Dena Higley stopped watching late-night infomercials without paper scraps nearby?
… ABC daytime was as interesting as their “What If” online series?
THE IDIOT RATINGS — July 12-16, 2010
Losers: DAYS and One Life continue their downward spiral!
Numbers are based on Live+Same Day ratings
Courtesy of SON (Compared to Last Week/Compared to Last Year)
Total Viewers
1. Y&R 4,956,000 (-126,000/+353,000)
2. B&B 3,195,000 (+48,000/+125,000)
3. AMC 2,485,000 (+37,000/+90,000)
4. GH 2,456,000 (-140,000/+54,000)
5. DAYS 2,395,000 (-209,000/-190,000)
6. ATWT 2,348,000 (+28,000/+139,000)
7. OLTL 2,264,000 (-199,000/-183,000)
Households
1. Y&R 3.4/11 (-.1/same)
2. B&B 2.2/7 (same/-.1)
3. DAYS 1.8/6 (same/same)
3. AMC 1.8/5 (same/same)
3. GH 1.8/5 (-.1/same)
6. OLTL 1.7/5 (-.1/-.1)
7. ATWT 1.6/5 (-.1/same)
Women 18-49 Viewers
1. Y&R 1,139,000 (+60,000/+113,000)
2. GH 768,000 (-84,000/-31,000)
3. B&B 724,000 (+65,000/+57,000)
4. OLTL 626,000 (-93,000/-101,000)
5. AMC 600,000 (-24,000/-87,000)
5. DAYS 600,000 (-64,000/-146,000)
7. ATWT 569,000 (+78,000/+19,000)
SUDS POLL
So far, who is delivering the best performance this summer? Click here to vote.
—James Franco, GH
—Michelle Stafford, Y&R
—Eric Sheffer Stevens, World Turns
—Tuc Watkins, One Life
—Debbi Morgan, AMC
—Florencia Lozano, One Life
—James Scott, DAYS
—Colleen Zenk, World Turns
—Steve Burton, GH
—Katherine Kelly Lang, B&B
Editor’s Note — Some readers are having trouble accessing our polls on Firefox, so use Safari instead
GUEST BLOG
James Romanovich sounds off on the Emmys and the future of soaps
Here’s an excerpt from ATI President’s James Romanovich’s Baseline Intelligence blog. It’s a good read.
The Daytime Emmy Awards has been a staple for soap opera fans in particular since they first aired on May 21, 1974. Nearly four decades later, many questions are being asked not just about this event but also about the daytime soap opera itself. In its heyday back in the 1980s, the revenue generated by the daytime soaps was in large part the driving force that financed a great deal of what we saw in primetime. That’s right. The Young and The Restless was indirectly financing Falcon Crest and Dallas! General Hospital was financing Dynasty! On GH, over 30 million people watched Luke and Laura’s wedding in November of 1981. Stars who began in the soaps, such as Meg Ryan, Demi Moore, and John Stamos were becoming superstars in other areas of entertainment. Being on a top-rated daytime soap was the place to be!
Flash forward to January 2009 and the news was that the Daytime Emmys were dead. Not mostly dead. But DEAD dead. When our company, Associated Television International (ATI), entered the scene shortly thereafter, it was in true soap opera form. The viewers were at the Daytime Emmys wake when all of a sudden the body popped up out of the coffin just like a great Friday cliffhanger on The Bold and the Beautiful would do. Yes, the Daytime Emmys drew new breath and it not only seemed alive, but also vibrant. We saved the Daytime Emmys and made sure it was seen on network television at least one more time last Aug. 29, 2009 on the CW. Did we kick-start something new? Or did we just prolong its decline? To answer that, we have to go back 20 years to see all that led up to January 2009.
| REMOTE CONTROL — The triumphs! The malfunctions! And the crimes against soap humanity!
<< REW:
The Young and the Restless — BAM! BAM! BAM!
Just as TVGuide.ca was about to file a missing person’s report for our dearly beloved bitch, Chloe Mitchell, Y&R resurrected Elizabeth Hendrickson after the fashionista learned of Chance’s affair with her rival Heather. As one of the most underrated actors in the business, Hendrickson did not disappoint when she lambasted Chancelot and Heather for their hypocrisy and betrayal. What’s most impressive is how Hendrickson and Eden Riegel do not remind me of their previous roles, as super-couple, Maggie and Bianca on AMC. Also, while I never believed Chloe was in love with that boring mess named Chance, Hendrickson’s performance on today’s American episode did make me at least reconsider. Let’s hope this breakup marks a new chapter in Chloe’s life (read: Billy). Yes, it looks like Y&R is flirting with romantically pairing up new BFFs Chloe and Kevin, but I prefer them as friends not lovers. And remember Y&R, pre-nominate Hendrickson for 2011 Emmy consideration! That’s an order. |
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THE NELSON RATINGS
Can’t watch all the soaps this week? No worries — here’s a cheat sheet!
Top 3 Soaps to Watch:
1. General Hospital, ABC
2. The Young and the Restless, CBS/Global
3. Bold and the Beautiful, CBS/CTV
Top 3 Storylines to Watch:
1. Goodbye Patty, Y&R
2. EJ Proposes to Sami, DAYS
3. Abby throws Ashley out, Y&R
Top 5 Actresses to Watch:
1. Stacy Haiduk (Patty/Emily, Y&R)
2. Debbi Morgan (Angie, AMC)
3. Florencia Lozano (Téa, One Life)
4. Colleen Zenk (Babs, World Turns)
5. Elizabeth Hendrickson (Chloe, Y&R)
Top 6 Actors to Watch:
1. Tuc Watkins (David, One Life)
2. James Scott (EJ, DAYS)
3. Michael Muhney (Adam, Y&R)
4. Trevor St. John (Todd, One Life)
5. Eric Roberts (Vance, Y&R)
—tie— Jason Castro (as himself, B&B)
Top 3 Duos to Watch:
1. EJ and Sami, DAYS
2. Todd and Téa, One Life
3. Patrick and Robin, GH
Top 3 Couples to Fast-Forward Through:
1. Lisa and Patrick, GH
2. Nick and Aggie, B&B
3. Sonny and Claire, GH
Top 3 Partners-In-Crime:
1. Jason and Dante, GH
2. Téa and Blair, One Life
3. Adam and Patty, Y&R
Top 3 New Duos to Watch:
1. Tucker and Ash, Y&R
2. Sophia and Neil, Y&R
3. Brook and Johnny, GH
Top 3 Rivals:
1. Lily vs. Molly, World Turns
2. Lisa vs. Robin, GH
3. Abby vs. The World, Y&R
Top 3 Love Triangles to Watch:
1. EJ/Sami/Rafe, DAYS
2. Reid/Luke/Noah, World Turns
3. Molly/Holden/Lily, World Turns
Top 3 Soap Magazine Covers (based on art direction):
1. ABC Soaps In Depth: GH’s Franco/Sam/Jason
2. Soap Opera Digest: B&B’s Bo Learns The Truth!
3. Soap Opera Weekly: Tragic Choices on GH/AMC/World Turns!
Top 3 Best Reads/Buys at the Newsstand:
1. Soap Opera Weekly
2. Soap Opera Digest
3. ABC Soaps In Depth
Top 3 Soap Moments To Watch:
1. Friday: B&B’s Taylor makes a surprising decision that will forever change life in Los Angeles. “I’m not getting any more plastic surgery,” she vows.
2. Wednesday: Babs summons James’s spirit into her compromised mind on World Turns but fails to get Tom Pelphrey to appear instead of Anthony Herrera.
3. Tuesday: Claire asks Sonny to get her pregnant on GH! “Hurry up before Vanessa Marcil what’s-her-new-last-name comes back and I’m fired,” demands Claire.
Want to dish the soaps with Nelson Branco? Join The Suds Report discussion group today on Facebook.
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Nelson Branco is a Toronto freelance entertainment journalist, who regularly contributes to Hello! Canada, The National Post, The Los Angeles Times' theenvelope.com, TV Guide USA, tvguide.com, Inside Entertainment, OUT, and fab magazine, along with spearheading the soap coverage for TVGuide.ca's popular daytime TV hub. After graduating from Ryerson University in 1997, he moved from Toronto to New York in 1998 to take on the roles as senior news editor at Soap Opera Update. Branco first freelanced for Soap Opera Weekly as an intern in 1994, and after leaving Soap Update to help create and launch Bauer Publishing's In Touch Weekly in 2003, Branco continued to freelance occasionally for its sister publication, Soaps In Depth. Most recently, he helped create and launch Canada's first celebrity magazine, Weekly Scoop in 2005 as its news and entertainment director. Branco is also a contributor to a new TV show titled Planet Soap to air in Canada and America. |
