BREAKING NEWS
This just in — setside buzz is that Y&R's Clementine Ford and Thad Luckinbill have been let go. Will Mac and JT ride off into the sunset together and solve world hunger? Stay tuned for more on this developing story ...
SUDSIEST QUOTES OF THE WEEK
“The numbers will go up.”
—DAYS chief Ken Corday to Soap Opera Digest
Translation: When I fire head writer Dena Higley.
“When I said Brenda’s return to Port Charles will have far-reaching effects, I wasn’t kidding.”
—GH head writer Bob Guza to Soap Opera Digest
Translation: If and when she ever returns to Port Chuck!
“The first two weeks were rough!”
—AMC’s Alicia Minshew, who looks better than ever post-pregnancy, to Soap Opera Digest on her L.A. transition
Translation: And that was just the scripts!
All My Children, ABC — Seven Feet Under!
• A major character dies next week on AMC! Guess who?
• Susan Lucci’s star power has more pull in primetime than it does in daytime! The season finale of Hot in Cleveland, which co-starred La Lucci as herself, netted 3.4 million viewers, its biggest audience since the series opener in June!
• According to faux sources, ABC is considering changing AMC’s name to All My Botanical Gardens. Who is this show’s location scout — Ellen Wheeler? Surely, there has to be another outdoor location in all of California where AMC can film in, right? Having said that, Annie and Scott’s rushed wedding was gorgeous to look at, as was Annie’s spectacular wedding dress. Melissa Claire Egan has really morphed into one beautiful woman — and one fierce actress.
• This young punk playing Asher looks like one of Jessica Leccia’s missing onscreen sons on One Life! Does ABC have a cloning machine I’m not aware of?
• Christina Bennett Lind has definitely made Binks the perkiest lesbian on the planet! Also, who the heck does she remind me of? Every time I see Lind, she reminds me of another star … And no, I don’t mean Eden Riegel, either.
• It should be a law that Superman Thorsten Kaye always keeps his hair cut short. Just sayin’.
As the World Turns, CBS/Global — Heart to Heart!
• One of my fave character actors of all time, Mr. James Rebhorn, returns on Sept. 8 and 9 when he appears as Reid’s estranged Uncle Angus. Rebhorn played soap abusers Henry Lange on World Turns and Bradley Raines on GL. Wonder if Angus will be Reid’s homophobic relative?
• Speaking of Reid, it looks like the rumours are true — Dr. Reid Oliver will meet his maker after he drives to Bay City to pick up Chris’s new heart when his car stalls on the railroad tracks with a fast-moving train approaching! If Chris gets Reid’s heart, will Chris and Luke fall for each other? Oh, I kid. Expect Luke, who had just informed both Noah and Reid that his heart belongs to Dr. McSurly, to experience a serious case of heartbreak like never before. And the Emmy goes to …
• Next week, Nancy Hughes will sadly die onscreen as well. Helen Wagner passed away on May 1 — two months before World Turns filmed their finale. Good night, Nancy and Helen.
 |
• Here’s a sneak peek at Soap Opera Digest/Weekly’s special World Turns commemorative issue. Editorial director Lynn Leahey tells Suds it was a no-brainer when deciding to publish one last Oakdale memento for its fans.
She says, “We love the World Turns special issue and think fans will, too. It was so much fun digging into our photo files for pictures people haven’t seen in years, and having actors share behind-the-scenes stories. It was really a labour of love for the staff. The response to Guiding Light’s cancellation, with so many people attending the So Long Springfield events, made us realize how many people weren’t ready to say goodbye. For World Turns’s fans we’re publishing a keepsake, so fans will have a little piece of the show. The actors shared so much with us, specifically so they could reach their fans.”
Unfortunately, Leahey tells Suds that it’s too late to publish a GL keepsake. |
Meanwhile, in this week’s Soap Opera Digest, historian extraordinaire Mara Levinsky unveils Part 3 of her World Turns history lesson, which covers the 1980s — and Douglas Marland’s arrival. It’s another great read.
The Bay, thebaytheseries.com — Generalizing The Bay!
• Emmy winner Lesli Kay has been added to the upcoming web sudser as Belinda Madison, the money-hungry daughter of Mayor Jack Madison (Nicolas Coster). Joining her is Kay’s former GH co-star Jackie Zeman in a mysterious role in the show’s finale.
The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS/CTV — Ring his Bell!
• B&B chief Bradley Bell tells Suds Report that the most definitive Stephanie and Brooke event/storyline/moment will actually happen this fall! Talk about high expectations, I responded! “And we’re [going to deliver],” Bell promised. As for his 2011 Emmy submission — has it aired yet? “We haven’t aired it yet but we will towards the end of the year. Also, expect more social storylines this fall,” the four-time Emmy winner teased further. Tune into TVGuide.ca this Wednesday for a full-length interview with daytime’s most popular showrunner, where he talks about everything from extending B&B to an hour, why he fired Drew Tyler Bell and hired Ed Scott, what World Turns’s cancellation means to his soap, and his thoughts on the Bill Bell biography.
Coronation Street, CBC — What It Feels Like to Be a Boy!
• Degrassi, who? Julie Hesmondhalgh has praised her soap rival, Hollyoaks, for tackling gender identity disorder.
Hesmondhalgh, who plays transsexual Hayley Cropper in the Weatherfield drama, has revealed that she was pleased when she heard the U.K. soap was tackling the issue with aplomb.
Hollyoaks is introducing new character Jasmine Costello, who will be portrayed by Victoria Atkin. In the 23-year-old’s first appearance, viewers will see her secretly dressing up as a boy.
Hesmondhalgh told Holy Soap: “I saw that in the paper. I think it’s absolutely brilliant. I think they will handle it really well and will do it beautifully. They’ve got a reputation for being fluff, but when they deal with stuff, they do it properly. And the girl looked very convincing as well.”
Julia also discussed how Hayley’s transgender status will return to the forefront on Coronation Street as it draws closer her wedding day. “It’s not the first thing [people] mention anymore. What I like about this storyline is it has brought that to the fore again.”
|
Days of our Lives, NBC/Global — Sami plugs EJ! Ari dies!
• Izzy B lives! Well, sort of. Staci Greason is returning as Isabella for a dream sequence scheduled to air on Oct. 19. Can’t wait!
• James Scott may not have won an Emmy earlier this summer as Outstanding Lead Actor but he has something better! Scott earned his fourth consecutive win as Soaphunks.net’s Adonis 2010 competition. GH’s Dominic Zamprogna and World Turns’s Jake Silbermann finished second and third place, respectively. We couldn’t think of a hunkier or more talented winner.
• Speaking of the ever-elusive Scott, the sexy Brit literally sat down with Soap Opera Digest’s Bryan Beckley at a recent Boston special fan event to discuss his recent hair loss (a hairless Scott still manages to look sexier than ever), and how desperate he is to work with Crystal Chappell. |
 |
• Didn’t Alison Sweeney look like a young Grace Kelly in her gorgeous wedding gown this past week? After all of Sami’s myriad weddings and interrupted ceremonies, DAYS was wise to go off-white and buy a form-fitting classic dress for their biggest star. A Salem spokesperson tells Suds, “The DAYS wardrobe department found it in the Karen Millen store at the Beverly Center ... it’s a well-known designer.”
• In story 411, next week Sami shoots EJ in the head after learning of his betrayal (which explains James Scott’s hair removal). This storyline has more life than a stem cell! Also, Ari is killed, Jennifer returns to help Bo and Hope, and Brady has angry sex with himself!
Degrassi, MuchMusic/TeenNick — Risky Business!
Did Degrassi's big move pay off? Click here to see what my editor, Denette Wilford, has to say about Degrassi's summer season as a telenovela.
General Hospital, ABC/CTV — It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Super Mobster!
• Check out Maurice Benard’s super-cool new GH promo here. Director of On-Air Special Projects Scott Tucker, who created the promo, tells Suds, “Mo did a great job narrating the promo. He was so pumped about it. And the animation is outstanding.” Agreed. Hopefully, someone will hit this arrogant, moving target.
• In last week’s Hello! Canada, I interviewed James Franco for Eat Pray Love where he told me his soulmate is his mother. He’s totally gay, right? Franco will be in Toronto for the city’s annual International Film Festival early next month. Will Fronkey be his date?
• Matt Borlenghi may be eager for head writer Bob Guza to call him to start work on GH as Valentin Cassadine, but he’s not waiting by the phone, either. Borlenghi tells Suds he’s lined up another new gig on ABC Family’s Melissa & Joey. He says, “It’s a funny new sitcom on ABC Family; highest-rated show ever for the network. I play city attorney Duane Haldeman. Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence are incredibly talented in this genre, and it’s a great pleasure for me to work with both of them. Hope to bring my daytime fans to the M & J audience.”
• ABC Soaps in Depth reported earlier this week that Emmy-nominated vet Leslie Charleson has been taken off contract. Big surprise.
• 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.
• In story 411, Brook Lynn leans on Nikolas, Sonny travels to Rome, Carly is exposed, and Patrick wishes he kept his you-know-what in his pants.
 |
One Life To Live, ABC — The prodigal rapist returns?
• Just when Soapgeist postulated that Emmy winner Roger Howarth should be back on his way to One Life this past Monday, Soap Opera Network reported this bold news story:
It was only a matter of time before speculation began about the possibility of Roger Howarth returning to his One Life roots soon after word broke late last year that World Turns would be ending its 54-year run on television. Now nine months later, Soap Opera Network has learned exclusively that Howarth will indeed be returning to the ABC soap in the near future.
“You thought the tease a couple weeks back with Téa proclaiming this isn’t Todd as she pointed to a picture of Roger Howarth was not the start of something bigger? Think again,” says a setside source.
Speaking of Téa, rumours have been running rampant that portrayer Florencia Lozano is out now that her character looks to be on death’s door. When pressed for comment, an ABC spokesperson would only say “tune in [today] for Téa’s fate.” |
A first airdate for Howarth has not been set, but we’ve been told to expect him onscreen as early as December or January. But what does news of Howarth’s return mean for Trevor St. John? It wouldn’t be much of a stretch for the actor to have been playing an impostor after all this time as he originally joined the cast in May 2003 in the role of Walker Laurence, only to be revealed as Todd Manning (albeit with plastic surgery) in August of that same year. We’ve been assured, however, that the actor’s job is not in any danger.
• My eyes! Clearly, One Life’s costume designer, Susan Gammie, is colour-blind. That’s the only explanation possible for why she would dress Dorian Lord as a piñata for her almost-wedding to David Vickers.
• Nicholas Robuck is actually growing on me. He’s not a bad actor — and I love his devilish charm. Actually, all the Ford brothers are decent actors. But couldn’t One Life have taken their time by introducing them slowly?
• According to DaytimeConfidential.com, Brandon Buddy has been given his walking papers. Savvy fans may remember that back in June, the Soap Opera Spirit award winner tweeted that he had decided not to renew his contract and would be exiting the soap, only to declare the next day that his Twitter account had been hacked. According to the soap blog, Buddy was “encouraged” to recant his post earlier this summer. Since then, Suds learned actors were gathered in a meeting this week to discuss what to say and not to say on Twitter and Facebook. Oh, and MyFace!
• From Soap Opera Weekly’s intense fall preview it looks like Rex and Kelly may be developing romantic feelings while Gigi may have the hots for Cristian when she enrolls in Llanview U. Let’s not, and say we did. How about pairing Kelly with John? You know … the only actor Gina Tognoni shares chemistry with!
• You know it’s a great week in Llanview when Robin Strasser and Erika Slezak face off onscreen. This past week, Slezak reached new heights as Viki comforted Dorrie when David ditched her at the altar. Head writer Ron Carlivati never screws up Tuc Watkins’s seasonal returns, but couldn’t we have at least seen David and Dorian happy for more than one week? David’s contrived imprisonment was Carlivati’s weakest exit for David yet.
• Dancing with the Soap Star — ABC Soaps In Depth revealed Jason Tam’s first airdate back in Llanview is Sept. 24.
• Want to relive the magic that was Jessica Leccia on GL? Check out this fun fan video starring La Leccia!
Venice, venicetheseries.com — See you in September!
• According to a show rep, expect the highly anticipated season to debut mid-to-late September — if all goes according to plan. It’s a good thing, too, because I want my fave lesbians back on my computer, damn it! Think of all the money it will save me on porn.
|
The Young and the Restless, CBS/Global — Over and out for Lauralee Bell?
• Despite rumours to the contrary, Lauralee Bell tells Suds exclusively that she has finished taping her short-term return as Cricket Blair. But that doesn’t mean she’s ruling out a return. Bell tells me that she was definitely bitten by the soap bug again, “and anything could happen. I should air until end of September/early October. It’s a really juicy storyline.” For more on La Bell, check out TVGuide.ca in two weeks for an in-depth interview on Lauralee growing up as Bill Bell’s daughter, kissing Joshua Morrow, working with her sister-in-law, Maria Arena Bell, surviving the tabloids, and whether or not she was in love with her gay co-star/friend Thom Bierdz.
• For more on Thom Bierdz’s Y&R return, click here for an interview by Canada’s gay mag, abOUT magazine.
• Y&R is airing a special tribute to its XX-characters, titled “The Women,” which will air on Aug. 31. |
 |
• Jerry Douglas is back on Sept. 2 as John’s ghost. Once again, why did LML kill off John Abbott?!
• And the Emmy goes to Emme? Did you know that everyone calls Marcy Rylan by her first given name, Emme? I think she should dump Marcy and use Emme professionally instead.
• In story 411, a major character dies, Kevin asks Jana for a divorce, and Nikki falls off the wagon!
Want to dish the soaps with Nelson Branco? Join The Suds Report discussion group today on Facebook.com.
 |
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. |
