SUDSIEST QUOTES OF THE WEEK:
“I think there is a secret that a lot of soap opera actors keep, and that is we watch each other’s work. I am interested in seeing the work of other actors in daytime, what the stories are, if the writing is good and what the production values are. I have tuned in several times to Y&R, and every time I have seen Jeanne Cooper on the show, she has been amazing.”
—Y&R’s Stephen Nichols to Michael Fairman’s On Air, On Soaps
Translation: Suck on this, Ken Corday!
“Maria Arena Bell and Paul Rauch [told me that] you bring so many complexities, strength, sexuality, and drama to this character.”
—On Air, On Soaps’ Michael Fairman informs Nichols in the same profile
Translation: So why didn’t Y&R hire you in the first place?
“I don’t have a head for business, but now I read the New York Times business section from cover to cover.”
—In the same interview, Nichols discusses his role as one of the world’s most brilliant and successful entrepreneurs
Translation: Tucker needs to run daytime!
“They’re both really good people to work with, which I think will fit in the team that we have put in place as a transition. I’m very, very pleased.”
—AMC EP Julie Hanan Carruthers in Soap Opera Digest regarding the appointments of co-head writers David Kreizman and Donna Swajeski
Translation: Who cares about talent — as long as they’re easy to get along with!
THE IDIOT RATINGS
Are the Nielsen Ratings finally smartening up?
Time will tell, but the trigger-happy nets should stop cancelling soaps until at least 2011. Why? The Nielsen Ratings have announced that they are finally including online viewership as well as broadcast views to each serial’s overall numbers. However, the audience must watch a version of the program that includes all the commercials from the television broadcast which excludes Hulu and other video services.
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SO LONG SPRINGFIELD
New events announced
Where’s Ellen Wheeler? Liz Keifer, Bradley Cole, Justin Deas, Grant Aleksander, Beth Chamberlin, Kim Zimmer, Marcy Rylan, Daniel Cosgrove, Robert Newman, Jerry ver Dorn, Jessica Leccia and Michael O’Leary will be appearing on March 7 at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. For tickets and more information surf over to www.celebrityeventsgroup.com or call 1-866-364-0330 to purchase tickets securely.
And if you still haven’t gotten your GL fix, Mike Gold announced that he’s also organized a cruise, So Long Springfield at Sea (sadly, there’s no stopover in San Cristobel). Fans will cruise aboard the Carnival Glory, departing July 31, 2010 through Aug. 4, 2010 from New York. With stops in St. John’s and Halifax, this is a fantastic end-of-summer treat. Mohegan Sun will be giving away one cabin for two to one lucky fan. |
CRUISING THE SOAPERS
Suds Report will be tweeting live during the “swim of shame!”
If you’re not following Suds Report on Twitter, you may want to. [Ed. Note: And don’t forget his ever-so-patient editor!] I’m currently on the soap cruise and will be tweeting throughout the voyage! And I may even tweet some pictures if someone shows me how! Where’s Nancy Lee Grahn when you need her?
Also, tune in to Entertainment Tonight Canada next week. Producer Natalie Dean and her crew, will be on the cruise as well and will be interviewing me on the future of soaps, tan lines, hangover cures, and other cheery stuff!
This just in: Cruise “host” Cameron Mathison, Jacob Young, Jeff Branson and James Scott could not make the watery adventure. Mathison and Young were held up because of their taping schedules, while Branson landed a gig on House.
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All My Children, ABC, A — Sparkling crap!
• James Mitchell’s longtime partner, accomplished and revered costume designer, Albert Wolsky, sports quite the impressive resumé. Despite his age, the two-time Oscar winner recently outfitted the cast of Revolutionary Road and Across The Universe. Along with adorning Meryl Streep in Sophie’s Choice, Wolsky won his Oscars for Bugsy and All That Jazz! Nice to see that age isn’t important in the film world — just talent. Suds offers our deepest condolences to Wolsky and Mitchell’s family.
Meanwhile, in other Mitchell news, according to Soap Opera Digest, “AMC is gearing up for a moving tribute to [the recently deceased actor and his character, Palmer] but a source says the memorial won’t air until the spring. The show wants to wait until newly anointed head writers Donna Swajeski and David Kreizman have started, and can do the actor and character justice.” That’s a joke, right? Justice? Does show-killer Kreizman even know who Palmer is? I can’t wait to see this … Let interim head writer Lorraine Broderick pen the tribute, or Agnes Nixon. You know — someone with talent. Knowing Kreizman, he’ll have Madison give the eulogy! |
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• Cameron Mathison is invading my territory — and I don’t like it one bit! No, seriously, I’m oh-so proud of Mathison’s Good Morning America interview with Mel Gibson earlier this week. The Canadian hunk had the balls to ask Gibson — who had the audacity to compare himself to Tiger Woods, whom the last time I checked didn’t scream out racist and sexist epithets — about his drunk-driving scandal a few years back. In fact, the profile was so revealing that Mathison’s interview was even plugged and discussed on various cable news shows! Good work, Cam!
• It’s not even February yet and a handful of my fearless predictions have come true! WTF? As previously stated, my intention in writing this annual feature is to never be right! I guess I have to try harder next year to be more fearless! In my 2010 predictions, I joked that California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger would join the show as a love interest for Erica Kane. Well, it’s not the Terminator, but it’s close. L.A. mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and L.A. City Council president Eric Garcetti will make an appearance on Feb. 17 and 16, respectively, opposite La Kane.
• The last of AMC’s New York-shot material will last air on Feb. 1. Make sure to tune in the next day to see the refurbished, HD-shot Pine Valley. “Everything is sparkling,” reports Julie Hanan Carruthers. Hopefully, the scripts will be, too.
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As The World Turns, Global/CBS — There’s another Sheffer in town — Dr. McBitch’s a hit!
• Raise your hand if you’re enjoying the acerbic Dr. Reid Oliver, who enjoys calling Oakdale, “Oakhell,” and is making quite the impact, along with his talented and hunky portrayer, Eric Sheffer Stevens. Dr. McBitch may just be the smartest and most fascinating character on soaps! Every time he complains about the town, the hospital, and insults everyone he comes into contact with, it’s as if he’s verbalizing all my thoughts!
• And the recycling continues … According to Soap Opera Digest, Kurt McKinney has been cast on the recently cancelled sudser for a short-term role. McKinney will portray Ellis, a devious business partner of Craig Montgomery, starting in late February.
• Poor Nut Meg-erella! Looks like Paolo Seganti is sticking around a bit longer despite Damian’s “presumed death” next week, reports Digest. The Italian stallion is expected to tape until February. |
The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS/CTV — Steffy The Heffer!
• Who else is furious when Hope calls Ridge, “Dad?” The only father Hope has ever known is Nick. Since she was a toddler, Hope and Nick had an untouchable and special connection. One could even say it even rivaled Brooke’s love for her daughter! I realize that B&B SORAS’d Hope and that she could have developed her own special bond with Ridge — you know, the man who raped her mother — but I’m livid that B&B is making Hope calling Ridge dad a story focal point. And memo to that stupid heffer, Steffy — you’re not a Forrester, you’re a Marone!
Days of our Lives, NBC/Global — Killing Melanie Softly With Viv's Kiss!
• And to think I was channel-surfing past The Bonnie Hunt Show the day Crystal Chappell appeared on the chat-fest — and missed her segment! Thankfully, welovesoaps.net’s Roger Newcomb posted it on his sudsy blog. Whew. Before La Chappell slips and slides down a fire pole, there’s a funny bit with Hunt playing a psycho soap fan (as Linda Dano used to say, “they’re out there, alright, they’re out there!”). When Chappell finally appeared, the Venice/DAYS fans were allowed to ask the most powerful woman on soaps anything she wanted. Surprisingly, no one asked for the Emmy winner’s phone number!
• Don’t miss Soap Opera Digest’s Valentine’s Day issue when the journal interviews Alison Sweeney and Galen Gering in a very “safe” environment. In story 411, Rafe inches closer to learning Sami and EJ’s secret when he catches Anna leaving a note for his girlfriend.
• Doesn’t Julie Pinson looks like a younger Suzanne Rogers? If you disagree, pick up the current issue of Soap Opera Weekly where Pinson is on the cover.
• Is Kyle Lowder playing Mr. Mom? Future Emmy nominee Arianne Zucker is back from her maternity leave! Zucker — and on-screen mom, Valerie Wildman — began taping Jan. 25 and will re-appear in March.
• Kids Gone Psycho! In story 411, future mad woman Ciara goes crazy after witnessing Bo and Carly slobbering all over each other. Furious, the dysfunctional tyke grabs the nearest scissors and tears up Katerina’s clothing! Hey, DAYS, please turn Ciara into the next Sami Brady! Come to think of it — isn’t this how Sami turned into a bad girl, after witnessing John and Marlena’s passionate sex romp?
• Hey, DAYS — can we please inject Carly with a sense of humour. Yikes. If you’ve seen Chappell on GL, you know she can play the funny. But for now, we’ll have to deal with CC as the “straight” woman to Louise Sorel’s LOL-diva.
• Speaking of Vivian, if the villainess is having second thoughts about killing Melanie because of a growing fondness for Carly’s daughter, I’ll do it for you, Viv-star! Free of charge!
General Hospital, CTV/A — Reva Shayne who?
• And the Emmy goes to … While Soapgeist raved about Jonathan Jackson’s tour-de-force performance on Friday’s episode in this week’s Soapgeist, it was Monday that the three-time Emmy winner usurped his end-of-last-week revelation with an iconic, historic delivery that will be remembered for decades to come. Critics are already comparing his work that day to Judith Light’s Emmy-winning courtroom scenes, and Kim Zimmer’s award-winning water fountain episode. Yep, Jackson murdered it, Nazi-style. Everyone in the industry is raving about Jackson’s unbelievable performance. Even La Zimmer. “He’s been amazing to watch,” the diva tells Suds. “In this day and age, it’s amazing to see something so inspiring.”
I sent Jackson’s clip to a handful of impressed soap actors — and all them said, “He has my vote for the Emmy.” Even actors who would normally compete in the same category as Jackson! Now that’s saying something!
As for Lucky's “misogynistic, sexist” comments against Liz (calling her a whore, etc.), I think it was warranted and authentic. Yes, GH is a misogynistic show, but when you are that hurt — and high/drunk to boot — those kinds of comments will come out of a cuckolded man’s mouth in that hurt, reactionary situation.
Aside from Jackson, kudos are in order for breakdown/script writer Karen Harris, who penned the legendary episode. The most brilliant beat in the perfect episode was when Luke poured his alcoholic son, a drink! Wow. But Luke’s never confronted his addiction to booze either, so it made perfect sense. Bravo, Karen!
Too bad daytime doesn’t follow film’s lead by sending out DVD screeners to NATAS members to illicit buzz and votes. Because Jackson deserves it.
As for Becky Herbst and Tyler Christopher — it’s time for you guys to enrol in an acting class again, kids. Phone it in, much?
In fact, all the GH actors should take a refresher course in acting. If I was a GH cast member, I would hightail my behind to Meryl’s Streep’s acting coach because Jackson is making everyone look like hair models — including Tony Geary.
• My queen, TVGuide.ca associate editor Denette Wilford, is a diehard Castle fan so she was excited to see Sarah Brown on the prime-time hit. She reports, “I was looking forward to seeing Brown on Castle last night, and when I saw that her name was second billing in the guest cast, I was giddy. Unfortunately, she made her first appearance with about 12 minutes left in the show and she was merely a prop to showcase how great Castle and Beckett are together. Booooo!”
One Life To Live, ABC — Quest for Destiny!
• You know what I love most about Destiny? Doesn’t it feel like we’re watching the beginnings of an iconic character like Erica Kane? The Danielle/Matthew/Destiny setup will no doubt impact the future of the show. If it has one.
• Speaking of which, Entertainment Tonight Canada will be shooting Bree Williamson today in Key West during a stopover on Mike Gold’s soap cruise. An ET Canada source tells Suds, “We do all her publicity through her husband. ABC Daytime never pitches us. They’re not very helpful. Uncooperative, really.” And that’s news? No wonder the show may be cancelled. It’s easier to get Eric Braeden on the phone than a One Lifer. Do the math.
• Buzz is a Cramer will soon die. So who is the corpse? Most are assuming it will be Cassie because Robert Krimmer is returning to the series for a few episodes.
• Scott Clifton tweeted yesterday that Canadian hockey superstar and self-admitted soap fan Wayne Gretzky visited the set the other day. Hmmm …
The Young and the Restless, CBS/Global — Nichols proves he’s a three-hit master!
• Stephen Nichols has created not one but three memorable roles on daytime. That’s almost unheard of. But it’s no surprise. Daniel Goddard tells Suds, “He’s rejuvenated the set. It’s a pleasure to work with him. There’s a lot of great stuff coming up.” As expected, the former DAYS and GH superstar became Tucker about three seconds into his role late this week which is no surprise. For me, Nichols made Tucker his own when I heard of his casting. For once, Barbara Bloom did something right.
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On Air, On Soaps’ Michael Fairman interviewed the Daytime Emmy Award-nominated actor about working with executive producer Paul Rauch again. Here’s what “Patch” said: “I worked with Paul on Santa Barbara. I was on the soap for the last three months of its run. We had a good time. Everybody had a good time. First of all, it was a great show with great actors, and really the highest production values of any soap ever on the air, because New World had a hell of a lot of money. We all knew at that point we were going off the air, so everyone was having a good ol’ time. Paul was a lot of fun, and here at Y&R, so far, we have a really good relationship. The thing about Paul is he has really good taste. You can tell by the way he dresses … the man’s got taste. When he gives a note, he knows exactly what he is saying. Paul is very specific and he does not do it very often, and that is a sign of a good producer. He really allows people to breathe and to be creative and to let things happen. If it is not quite right, he will get out there and say, ‘This is the note.’ I mean, I have only been here at Y&R a short time, but the notes to me have made perfect sense. He is hands-on, and his eyes are always watching what is going on.” Hopefully, Rauch will give Amelia Heinle a note that says, “You’re fired.” |
As for the writing on the show, Nichols relays, “These writers are very good. The thing I love about the scripts here is, there is always extra stuff between the lines about character motivation, and you don’t see that very often. I saw it the first year and half I was at GH. The ones who wrote really good dialogue, like Patrick Mulcahey, that is always very helpful. So I am not in the dark. I don’t have to call up and say, ‘What do you mean by this or that?’”
• Along with Trevor St. John, one Y&R actress is not submitting herself for this year’s Emmy race. “I’m over it, too,” she tells Suds. “I was a long time ago.” Too bad because she has the material to win some gold this year.
• Psychic Sylvia Browne will be playing herself for the second time on Y&R soon. Maybe she’ll foresee a new Victoria in her visions.
• What role did Y&R want Kim Zimmer for? Katherine’s faux daughter! Yikes.
• This guy needs to stop giving interviews! Once again, co-head writer Scott Hamner tells Soap Opera Weekly that fans will never guess an upcoming plot twist. Um, don’t you realize we’re smarter than you give us credit for? My dead grandmother guessed Tucker was Katherine’s daughter, er, son.
• Y&R’s casting director needs to receive an unemployment cheque fast. This Daisy girl is just another casting disaster. Someone wake her up! Just because she looks like a mini-Michelle Stafford doesn’t mean she can act, people!
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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. |
