SUDSIEST QUOTES OF THE WEEK
“Never in my life will anybody have my name tattooed above their ass.”
—Emmy winner Billy Miller in Soap Opera Weekly discussing Billy and Victoria’s decision to get tattoos this week on Y&R
Translation: It’s too late, Billy.
“I would love to play a gay vampire on True Blood. I just love that show.
—World Turns’s Jake Silbermann to On Air, On Soaps on the possibility of playing gay again onscreen.
Translation: I want to be naked on Rolling Stone, too, damn it!
All My Children, ABC — Here comes the devil …
• In story 411, Annie marries nuvillain Scott. Yawn.
As the World Turns, CBS/Global — The end days are here!
• Everyone and their evil stepmother are putting in their two cents on next month’s end of the World. The Atlantic weighs in on the World no longer turning here. And here’s an excellent look at Irna Phillips’ unpublished autobiography from Red Room’s Lynn Liccardo.
Also, Part 2 of Mara Levinsky’s impressively succinct yet in-depth look at World Turn’s history is out in this week’s Soap Opera Digest.
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The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS/CTV — Don’t mess with Brad Bell!
• Leave it to Bradley Bell to provide the best news of the month. The Emmy winner has hired Ed Scott, former Y&R/DAYS showrunner, as one of its producers. Also, Bell actually had the balls to recast surprise Emmy winner Drew Tyler Bell with 90210 alum Adam Gregory. Nicely done.
• Are Y&R and GH casting B&B now? The latest primetime has-been to join soaps is The Brady Bunch’s Christopher Knight. The former Peter Brady will portray a pediatrician who tends to Bridget and Owen’s baby. Knight first airs on Sept. 15.
• Kyle Lowder is suing his business manager John Larkin and Larkin Business Management of fraudulent concealment, unjust enrichment, conversion and breach of faith, in Superior Court. Lowder says he was just 20 years old, and “a neophyte” in business affairs when he hired Larkin in 2000. Lowder seeks punitive damages. |
• The amazing Scott Clifton takes on Prop 8 in his politically inspired YouTube videos:
Coronation Street, CBC — Was it something he acted?
• This sucks: A man has admitted common assault after Corrie star Simon Gregson was punched in the face in a nightclub in Cumbria in the U.K. The actor, who plays Steve McDonald on the CBC soap, got into a row with Reece Barnes, over an empty seat in the Wheelhouse Club in Bowness on May 29. Magistrates were told that Barnes hit Gregson in the face. The 18-year-old pleaded guilty to common assault and was sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge.
Days of our Lives, NBC/Global — The doctor is Baked!
• John Callahan exits DAYS next week but the ex-AMC actor could be back down the line.
• Congratulations to ex-DAYS ingénue Taylor Spreitler whose new show, Melissa and Joey, debuted to big ratings on ABC Family. It’s also been well-reviewed by the critics.
Degrassi, MuchMusic/TeenNick — Midseason finale scoop!
• Here’s a sneak peek into Degrassi’s two-part midseason finale on Aug. 25 and 26: Holly J and Sav manage to convince Mr. Simpson to ignore the PTA ruling to cancel the Night in Vegas dance by promising to keep the event trouble-free. Drew is supposed to go with his girlfriend, Alli, but when Bianca steps in with a proposition he can’t refuse, his relationship with Alli is put to the test. Meanwhile, Fitz promises to end his fight with Eli on one condition — Clare must to go to the dance with him. But when Eli refuses to back down things get out of hand, putting the fate of Degrassi Community School in jeopardy.
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General Hospital, ABC/CTV —The original Stone Cold returns!
• Daytime Emmy-nominated actor Michael Sutton will reprise the role of Stone Cates, who died from AIDS complications in 1995, on Sept. 28 for a two-episode guest stint. Details are being kept under wraps at press time but Stone’s reappearance will help Robin and Emma through a challenging time. As for psycho Lisa, I have to admit I’m started to like this Fatal Attraction storyline — and Brianna Brown is growing on me now that she understands who her ill-conceived character is. But why would Lisa throw out Robin’s HIV meds? Robin’s a doctor — she can get more. What would have been truly evil is to replace her meds with placebos. However, next week, Lisa’s evildoing reaches new lows after Patrick admits his affair to Robin.
• GH's sexy mom-and-son duo Lisa LoCicero and Dominic Zamprogna are Toronto-bound during the Toronto International Film Festival as well (as previously reported, Y&R's Daniel Goddard and Sean Kanan will be in town as well) on Sept. 11 at a Children's Wish Fundraiser. Click here for more information.
• Look for a fun interview with the dark and harmless Brandon Barash this Wednesday in TVGuide.ca! |
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• The ratings are in and General Hospital actually lost — not gained — viewers during Brendapalooza week. Although GH did hit an impressive 2.0 on Marcil Giovinazzo Day, it slid back to a 1.8 for the rest of the week proving that head writer Bob Guza royally screwed up his muse Brenda’s comeback storyline — which has been a complete and utter snoozefest. Heck, Marcil Giovinazzo looks bored, too, evident from her lifeless performance. However, I will not underestimate the power of Brenda so things could rebound once the raven beauty actually hits Port Chuck. Also, GH is still No. 3 in the ratings, No. 2 in the demos and up from last year, so it's not like Marcil hurt anything, either (GH only lost 13,000 viewers but that could be because of the Brenda repeats). It's important to note that ABC may have lost some advertising dollars the day before with their Brenda reruns, but clearly the net can afford it (GH earned 1.5 during their classic episodes, which isn’t bad since that’s basically what World Turns and One Life earn with new episodes!).
One Life To Live, ABC — Kim Zimmer zooms back to One Life! Lozano out!
• Well, it’s official: after months of rumours Soap Opera Digest is confirming that Florencia Lozano is leaving One Life when Téa dies next week. I can think of about 10 other characters who should have died instead of one of the most talented and popular leading ladies working in the business today. And they’re all under the age of 30.
As for Lozano, perhaps she’ll land work on a show people actually watch and who value her immeasurable contributions to the TV medium. Why One Life is obsessed with destroying all of its popular love stories is mind-boggling and suspect. It began with Nash and Jess/Tess, Natalie and Jared, Marcie and Michael, Fish and Kyle, and now with Téa and Todd. Yes, One Life has never been known for its super-couples, but this is still a romantic medium, people. I know head writer Ron Carlivati is in a happy relationship, but it’s clear someone over at One Life needs to get some action — big time.
• One of my favourite people and actresses, Kim Zimmer, is rejoining my fave show! I was a fetus during her first two Llanview stints, so Zimmer’s appointment should get me excited about One Life again. Soap Opera Digest broke the news earlier this week. When Suds contacted Zimmer she said she was excited and informed me that Echo will be very different this time around. “I’m very excited to be working with Brian Kerwin, Jerry verDorn, and Erika Slezak,” she enthuses. Add in Robin Strasser, and I’ll need medical units standing by for all the delicious scene-chewing. Between Zimmer, Slezak, verDorn and Strasser, that’s 13 freakin’ Emmy awards between them!
Look for the Zimmster to hit Llanview on Oct. 1.
• Tuc Watkins will embark on his annual fall hiatus from One Life to re-join Desperate Househubbies.
Venice, theveniceseries.com — Gina and the gang are back!
• The highly anticipated second season trailer of Venice is here! Can’t wait. In the meantime, check out the much-improved production quality! Crystal Chappell really meant business when she said she was going to kick it up a notch in Season 2!
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The Young and the Restless, CBS/Global — Billy and Victor, sitting in a tree … ?
• This is hilarious! In story 411, future AA members, Billy and Victoria, decide to get tattoos of each other’s names on their bods. Victoria has Billy written above her butt, but before the artist can finish writing Victoria on Billy’s shoulder, he has a heart attack. What’s so funny — the artist got up to “Victor” before croaking. Not only does Billy have to deal with the ribbing afterwards, but so has Billy Miller. He tells Soap Weekly it’s been problematic in real life. “I’ll forget it’s there at the end of the day and go to the gym. I’ll be in Equinox working out and it will be time to take a shower. Then I’ll catch myself in the mirror and think, ‘Oh, shit! I can’t take a shower here.’ I had one guy looking at me going, ‘Hey! My name is Victor, too.” |
• Seems not everyone is happy with Maura West’s Y&R appointment as nuDiane. An insider complains to Digest, “I’ve heard someone refer to Genoa City as General City and it’s true. There are too many new actors on Y&R right now. I think it’s diluting the impact of the stories we have. The focus should be with the cast we have.”
• Emmy winner Eden Riegel booked a gig on Castle. Naturally, Imaginary Bitches’ Heather and Catherine are staging a coup.
• Nadia Bjorlin, who? Funnyman — and Emmy whore — Christian LeBlanc will be hosting ACME Saturday Night on Saturday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. at the ACME Comedy Theatre in Los Angeles. If you are not in Southern California, have no fear — you can watch the show on the theatre company’s website, where you can also go for studio audience tickets.
Want to dish the soaps with Nelson Branco? Join The Suds Report discussion group today on Facebook.com.
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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. |
