WEEKEND SUDS FLASHES
MTS’s new role! Riegel’s blessing in disguise!
• Is this a back-up plan? Following in the footsteps of Crystal Chappell, Tristan Rogers, and Martha Byrne, Melody Thomas Scott is the latest soaper to moonlight in her very own Internet series. The Y&R superstar is set to star in The Republic, a story about the trials and tribulations of the Alden Family as the country collapses around them. Sounds autobiographical to me! Or Loving.
• James Franco, watch your back! EW.com is reporting former supermodel Paulina Porizkova has signed on for a role on World Turns. I guess the beauty lost a bet or something! According to the soap-friendly website, Porizkova will play Clarrisa, who has ties to Simon, beginning Jan. 5. If the show is still airing then, that is.
• Did Chuck Pratt strike again? Emmy winner Eden Riegel won't be returning to AMC after it moves to L.A. “I’m very sad,” conveyed Mrs. Miller on Twitter. Pratt probably blamed Riegel for the death panels and the balloon boy. No worries — if you ask me, it’s a blessing in disguise. You deserve better, Eden — after all, you are married to an imaginary American.
• As previously reported, DAYS's Peter Reckell and Kristian Alfonso will be appearing on 30 Rock. So who are they playing? According to Reckell, the Daytime Emmy nominated-actor and his co-star will be traversing their characters to prime time. I’m sure non-head writer Dena Higley will love that. Well, if she actually owned a TV set. Or a pen.
PICTURE OF THE WEEK
Crystal Chappell and Jessica Leccia — Coming soon to a website near you! |
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WEBSITE OF THE MONTH
AfterElton.com is so gay!
Is this Chris Engen’s favourite website? For all your pink soap dish, head over to my new addiction, AfterElton.com. The impressively entertaining gay hub — and writer Brent Hartinger — always delivers the best Gayview dish in the business. And with a side of high heels, to boot! |
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REMOTE CONTROL: RATING THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY
<< REW:
As The WORD Turns — The mourning after
[Wiping away tears] Terri Colombino and Michael Park have all but secured their Emmy reels for the 2010 Emmy race after this week’s heart-wrenching episodes in which their characters grappled with Brad’s shocking death. If they win Emmys out of this storyline, let’s hope they credit whomever had an affair with Austin Peck! Killing off Brad was a wise decision, Michael. Also, so far, head writer David Kreizman is knocking it out of the, um, park. But let’s remember the Emmy winner impressed us critics when he first joined GL, so the jury is still out for at least a year on my end. All in all, I’m totally invested in Oakdale these days. Even if CBS can’t spell the soap’s name.
> PLAY:
Days of our Lives — Is Bill Bell watching over DAYS?
A few random notes: Whomever cut Peter Reckell’s hair, I bow down to you! Thank you. And isn’t Erick Avari simply spellbinding as Omar? Marnie Saitta, DAYS’s casting director, rocks. Can we please keep Avari? He personifies character actor in every sense of the word. Perhaps Maggie can find herself making a human leg necklace for Omar. As an aside, Casey Deidrick is a promising new find, but while it’s obvious that the newcomer, a.k.a. Mr. Molly Burnett, is working really hard at delivering his best performance at all times, the dude overestimated his talent when he tried to steal a scene from Arianne Zucker. That’s not going to happen anytime soon, dude. Finally, I officially forgive DAYS for ruining every single superstar return thanks to the brilliant re-introduction of the mighty Crystal Chappell. At the end of a hard day, DAYS is the first soap I tune into — and I never thought I would ever say that again. Miracles do happen in daytime.
> PLAY:
General Hospital — Pot of Lucky
Confession time: I woke up from a really horrible nightmare. Like, really horrible. For the past three years, I dreamt that a relentlessly miserable GH was written by an Emmy-winning hack. Luckily, I finally arose from the imaginary torment to find the GH I always loved. Whew! This past week, I was welcomed from my tortuous coma with a heart-stopping week of Port Chuck! Where to begin? From Maurice Benard’s Emmy-worthy performance as Sonny called Claudia every bad word under the sun (that’s how I feel about Brian Frons, by the way), to Jonathan Jackson’s triumphant return, to Alexis’s fierce — and slightly insane — daughters, to Jane Elliot’s fierce coug-tastic style, to a heart-pounding score, to razor-sharp dialogue, to Sarah Brown’s incomparable talent, I devoured life in Port Charles like an unapologetic minx. Written by Dave Goldschmid and Nathan Fissell, GH delivered their second Emmy-worthy script this year (the first being Karen Harris’s oh-so-romantic Spixie non-nuptials). Bravo to everyone involved! I’m never falling asleep again! If you missed the talking-to heard around the world, tune in here to see Maurice Benard’s Emmy reel. Simply unforgettable.
>> FF:
The Young and the Restless — Is Lynn Marie Latham back?
Daytime TV’s “crown jewel” is simply unwatchable. Period. Everyone associated with this disaster should be ashamed of themselves. Well, with the exception of Billy Miller. It’s a sad day in the soap universe when GH and DAYS are considered more thrilling entertainment than Y&R. I had to point a gun at my head just to get through the prologue the other day. What the hell happened, Maria? Are the inmates running the asylum? Restore control, honey! I’m giving you a few more weeks before I go all Mel Gibson on your ass.
THE NELSON RATINGS
Can’t watch all the soaps this week? No worries — here’s a cheat sheet!
Top 4 — Count ‘em, 4 — Soaps to Watch:
1. Days of our Lives, NBC/Global
—tie — One Life To Live, ABC
3. General Hospital, ABC/CTV
4. As The World Turns, CBS
Top Show to Boycott:
1. All My Children, ABC/A
Top 3 Storylines to Watch:
1. An Officer and a Lab Tech, One Life
2. Vivian’s Law & Order, DAYS
3. Jack’s Odyssey, World Turns
Top 5 Actresses to Watch:
1. Crystal Chappell (Carly, DAYS)
2. Louise Sorel (Vivian, DAYS)
3. Sarah Brown (Sandy, B&B)
4. Maura West (Carly, World Turns)
5. Terri Colombino (Katie, World Turns)
Top 5 Actors to Watch:
1. Jonathan Jackson (Lucky, GH)
2. Billy Miller (Billy, Y&R)
3. Michael Park (Jack, World Turns)
4. Maurice Benard (Sonny, GH)
5. Roscoe Born (Mitch, One Life)
Top 3 Most Entertaining Performers:
1. Robin Strasser (Dorian, One Life)
—tie —Tuc Watkins (David, One Life)
3. Amanda Setton (Kim, One Life)
Top 3 Duos to Watch:
1. Carly and Bo, DAYS
2. Billy and Chloe, Y&R
3. Bill and Katie, B&B
Top 3 Rivals:
1. Carly and Vivian, DAYS
2. Viki and Dorian, One Life
3. Carly and Hope, DAYS
Top 3 Triangles to Watch:
1. Carly/Bo/Hope, DAYS
2. Fish/Kyle/Nick, One Life
3. Holden/Lily/Damian, World Turns
Top 3 Guilty Pleasures:
1. Vivian’s insults on DAYS
2. Kim Wants To Marry A Millionaire, One Life
3. Bill’s bad fashion sense/Katie’s scar, B&B
Top 3 Families To Watch:
1. The Snyders, World Turns
2. The DiMeras, DAYS
3. The Corinthos Familia, GH
Top 3 New-ish Duos To Watch:
1. Fish and Kyle, One Life
2. Layla and Cristian, One Life
3. Gigi and Schuyler, One Life
Top 3 Cougars:
1. Barbara Ryan, World Turns
2. Jackie Marone, B&B
3. Dorian Lord, One Life
Top 3 Duos To Avoid Like the Plague:
1. Steffy and Bill, B&B
2. Greg and Rachel, One Life
3. Bo and Nora, One Life
Top 3 Recasts To Watch:
1. Jonathan Jackson (Lucky, GH)
2. Michael Lowry (Ross, One Life)
3. Lindsay Hartley (Ari, DAYS)
Top 3 Young Actors:
1. Drew Garrett (Michael, GH)
2. Lexi Ainsworth (Kristina, GH)
3. Eddie Alderson (Matthew, One Life)
Top 3 Biggest Wastes of Talent:
1. Carolyn Hennesy (Diane, GH)
2. Greg Rikaart (Kevin, Y&R)
3. Christian LeBlanc (Michael, Y&R)
Top 4 Hair Models:
1. Denise Vasi (Randi, AMC)
2. Jackie MacInnes Wood (Steffy, B&B)
3. Stephanie Gatschet (Madison, AMC)
4. Ingo Rademacher (Jax, GH)
Top 3 Soap Magazine Covers (based on art direction):
1. Soaps In Depth — GH’s Carly/Sonny/Michael
2. Soap Opera Weekly — DAYS’s Sami/GH’s Claudia
3. Soap Opera Digest — Rex’s Daddy Reveal, One Life
Top 3 Best Reads/Buys at the Newsstand:
1. Soap Opera Digest
2. Soap Opera Weekly
3. ABC Soaps In Depth
Top 3 Soap Moments To Watch:
1. Thursday: Luke isn’t happy when he finally sees Noah’s film on World Turns. “Who directed this crap? Ellen Wheeler?” asks Luke.
2. Thursday: Carly is arrested on DAYS! “Wow — those lesbians in jail are sure going to be happy to see you,” smirks one of the officers. “No one watched GL, fool,” Carly snarks.
3. Wednesday: Y&R’s Jill hires Paul. “I need you to find out who exactly is driving our show into the ground,” Jill orders.
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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.
