The Suds Report - Jan15/10

SUDSIEST QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“We aren’t very close on the set, and anyone who tells you otherwise is spreading a myth. The nature of the beast is that you do your scenes and you go back to your dressing room. Some people you get along with better than others, but in the end, I don’t give a damn, and in the end it doesn’t make any difference. What’s important — the only thing I care about — is what comes across on screen.”
—Y&R’s Eric Braeden to TV Guide Magazine’s Michael Logan
Translation: Luckily, my name isn’t Victoria Rowell so I get to keep my job.

THE IDIOT RATINGS — Jan. 4-8, 2010
Winners — Y&R manages to hold on to half of last week’s viewer surge! DAYS/AMC up in viewers from year-to-date!
Losers — GH finally beats World Turns! One Life still scraping the bottom!
Numbers are based on Live+Same Day ratings
(Compared to Last Week/Compared to Last Year)

Total Viewers
1. Y&R 5,320,000 (-260,000/-10,000)
2. B&B 3,586,000 (+39,000/-118,000)
3. DAYS 3,282,000 (+88,000/+400,000)
4. AMC 2,978,000 (+23,000/+263,000)
5. GH 2,731,000 (+18,000/-25,000)
6. ATWT 2,692,000 (-21,000/-52,000)
7. OLTL 2,549,000 (-99,000/-105,000)

Households
1. Y&R 3.8/12 (-.1/same)
2. B&B 2.6/8 (+.1/-.1)
3. DAYS 2.3/7 (+.1/+.2)
4. AMC 2.2/7 (+.1/+.2)
5. ATWT 2.0/6 (+.1/same)
5. GH 2.0/6 (+.1/-.1)
7. OLTL 1.9/6 (same/-.1)

Women 18-49 Viewers
1. Y&R 1,237,000 (-53,000/-22,000)
2. DAYS 930,000 (+54,000/+8,000)
3. GH 894,000 (+40,000/-55,000)
4. B&B 804,000 (+38,000/-19,000)
5. AMC 744,000 (+68,000/-140,000)
6. OLTL 695,000 (+24,000/-151,000)
6. ATWT 695,000 (+59,000/-34,000)

AWARDS SHOW CENTRAL
Aren’t you GLAAD?
Proving awards shows are totally gay, the 21st annual Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Media (GLAAD) Award nominations were released this past week. Nominated for outstanding daily drama are a whopping four daytime serials! AMC, World Turns, GL and One Life will duke it out for rainbow supremacy on March 13 in New York City (two other ceremonies will be held in L.A. and San Francisco). For the past two years, World Turns has won this award.

All My Children, ABC/A — Show-killer Pine Valley-bound?
• The folks Down Under can suffer along with the rest of us. And you can blame Canada! An additional 20 countries have bought AMC, including Australia, thanks to a new licence deal secured by Toronto-based distributor The Fremantle Corporation. No word if Fremantle plans on selling daytime’s best soap, One Life, too (insert sarcastic comment here).

• My 2010 Fearless Preview didn’t even air a week before one of my predictions came true. Soap Opera Digest revealed that Emmy winner Cady McClain will return to the maligned series for a new story arc. McClain last appeared in Pine Valley as an angel. At press time, there is no word if McClain will be playing a new character, Dixie’s ghost, or a resurrected Cooney, nor how long she’ll be back for.

• Real or rumour? According to people.com, real-life super-couple, Rebecca Budig and Bob Guiney have called it quits after five years. The coy couple would only tell the magazine, “We love each other very much. We are best friends and don’t know what the future holds.” Regardless, Suds wishes one of the nicest couples in show business all the best in 2010! In the meantime, if you want to cruise with Guiney, buy a ticket on his annual suds cruise, Rock The Soap, here, which sets sail from April 9-12 from California to Mexico.

• Finally watched AMC’s anniversary episodes, and I have to give the two highly touted shows two big thumbs down. Poor Kelly Ripa looked like she’d rather have been trapped in Haiti than filming this lightweight, unimaginative, and contrived show special. Soap fans want their former favourites back on their screens, but as long as they are interacting with the rest of the town — not talking into a digital camera for some cheesy, contrived “Best American Town” TV report. The most infuriating part was AMC’s refusal to show Alexis Havins as Babe in favour of that hair model, Amanda Baker. “History is important in Pine Valley,” said Jake Martin. Um, since when?

• In story 411, Amanda and Jake learn Trevor is a Martin not a Hayward! I thought this paternity bombshell was already revealed weeks ago. See what happens when you fast-forward through an entire show …

• It’s official — exiting head hack, Chuck Pratt is a total bastard! Remember when Rebecca Budig told Soap Opera Digest that she wanted Greenlee to get her legs back when she returns to the series? As viewers know, Greenlee woke up from her coma paralyzed from the waist down! That’s Eden Riegel you hear saying, “It’s your turn to suffer the Pratt wrath, Becky …”

As The World Turns, Global/CBS — The Time-Travelling Villain
• In story 411, Molly learns of Damian’s deceit but the Italian stallion convinces her to keep her mouth shut or risk losing Holden to Lily. Lesli Kay and Jon Hensley crack, pop, and sizzle so I hope Molly and Holden aren’t headed for Splitsville before their delicious romance even begins. I’d watch a Molly-Holden sex tape any day!

As for Meg’s descent into madness, the funniest part of this storyline is how quickly the Snyder heroine lost her marbles after sleeping with Damian a handful of times. Throughout the years, Meg has survived much worse and managed to keep her sanity and sweet demeanor, but clearly Damian’s packing some major heat between his legs.

• Loving Tom Pelphrey as nuJames, and his chemistry opposite Colleen Zenk Pinter, but this Fountain of Youth storyline has failed to break out for one reason and one reason only — the involvement of that twit, Alison.

The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS/CTV — Hope for B&B! • Whew! B&B’s casting department did a nice job recasting Hope with promising newcomer Kim Matula. I love Hope’s sense of humour (and considering her conception and childhood, that’s a wise move on the writers’ part). Next week, Zack Conroy makes his splashy debut as Sandy’s brother, Oliver. Can’t wait to see Conroy on an expertly produced soap. • Bam! Now that’s what I’m talking about, B&B! Last week, Heather Tom and Don Diamont murdered their scenes in which the newlywed Spencers learned of the Logan/Forrester deceit with the Dare fashion line. It’s clear Diamont has been studying Susan Flannery on how to tell the Logans off because he matched the Emmy winner insult to insult. More importantly, Diamont and Tom proved B&B’s gain is Y&R’s loss — and for the first time since they joined B&B, I forgot they used to be Victoria and Brad on Y&R and bought their L.A. reincarnations.

Buppies, BET.com — Holland reaches out to Haiti!
• Web soap stars care, too! Ashlee R. Holland has organized a Basic Needs drive for the devastated city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, which suffered a catastrophic earthquake earlier this week. This Saturday, Jan. 16 at the Michael Jackson Auditorium at the Gardner Elementary School in Los Angeles, Ashlee and others will be collecting shoes, socks, hiking boots, clothing, boxed food, and more to send to Haiti.

Days of our Lives, NBC/Global —  Salem Mountain State!
• Despite his prime-time success, 2009 Emmy winner Darin Brooks hasn’t forgotten his roots.  According to Soap Opera Digest, Brooks, who is starring in Spike TV’s Blue Mountain State, will return for a few episodes in March.

• Please don’t tell me Daniel is the father of Carly’s daughter, Melanie …

• In story 411, Bo takes off his wedding ring and moves in with Carly next week! Isn’t this entertaining, sweeping love triangle developing nicely?

Empire, empiretheseries.com — Empire waste — not!
• According to welovesoaps.net, Indie Soap Award nominee Empire has added Tina Sloan and Orlagh Cassidy to sit on its throne in its second season. Isn’t it inspiring to see Sloan, who is also co-starring on Venice, working more now than ever?

General Hospital, CTV/A — Oh, brother! Liz pregnant? • Here we go, kids! How much do you want to bet Liz finds her little-womb-that-could in a Who’s-the-Daddy? predicament again? ABC Soaps In Depth revealed that Rebecca Herbst and husband Michael Saucedo are expecting another baby. In story 411, as Suds predicted in our 2010 Preview, Lucky falls off the wagon next week. Can’t wait to see how the supremely talented Jonathan Jackson tackles this storyline. Jackson may just earn his fourth Emmy Award in 2011. Speaking of Jackson, he tells Soap Opera Digest that it’s not out of the realm of possibility that his wife, Lisa Vultaggio, could reprise her role as Hannah. “We’re open to it,” he says. Um, let’s not and say we did, Jonathan. GH doesn’t need a recycled BrendaBot.

• More proof ABC is planning to cancel One Life? TVNewsCheck.com is reporting that ABC is considering replacing The Oprah Winfrey Show with The View! Since Winfrey’s Emmy-winning chat show airs opposite GH in most markets, ABC will more than likely have to move GH to an earlier slot, quite possibly The View’s home slot. Or if the Alphabet network cancels One Life, as it’s rumoured, then GH can follow AMC.

One Life To Live, ABC — Slezak out in Llanview!
• The Huffington Post is also disappointed with the lack of publicity support One Life is receiving from ABC. Click here to read the on-point rant.

• Here’s an idea — why haven’t Brett Claywell and Scott Evans participated in the gay marriage, NoH8, photo campaign?

• See what happens when you have to carry around six Emmy Awards! Well wishes are in order for Erika Slezak who is having back surgery at the end of January. In Llanview, Viki will take a trip to London to cover the Emmy winner’s absence (like anyone will notice she’s gone). According to her website a few days ago, the surgery will correspond with the One Life’s studio move, and La Slezak hopes to return to the new studio within a month.

• Soap Opera Spirit Award winner Trevor St. John is daytime’s Rodney Dangerfield. While the majority of critics herald St. John as one of the best actors working in the medium today, the sexy actor tells a disappointed Suds Report that he will not be submitting his name for 2010 Emmy contention. “I’m not an Emmy guy,” he simply states. Last year, St. John did enter his name for Emmy consideration but One Life threw their pre-nomination support towards Michael Easton and Bob Woods despite the fact that one of soaps’ best all-time recasts delivered his best work during 2008-09. Predictably, One Life shot themselves in the foot because Easton and Woods’s lacklustre reels failed to make the final Emmy ballot. This isn’t the first time his cast and the business snubbed St. John — St. John failed to be recognized during Todd’s electrifying execution storyline a few years back. Don’t worry, Trevor — daytime’s best actress ever, Beverlee McKinsey, never won an Emmy either.

Reality Bytes, realitybytes.com — So You Think You Can Write?
• Who needs a writers’ development program? Producer-creator Tristan Rogers is offering fans an opportunity to write for his soap-within-a-soap, Beyond Reason. Visit tristanrogers.com for more information on his “So You Think You Can Write” contest. Maybe Chuck Pratt can learn a thing or two from Rogers.

The Young and the Restless, CBS/Global — Mother Tucker! • Former Y&R writer, and current fancast.com soap blogger, Sara Bibel attended the recently deceased Jerry Birn’s memorial lunch last weekend. Even Victoria Rowell was there, who tells Suds, “it was great to see everyone again — and remember the good old days.” • Did Kimberlin Brown pay Tracey Bregman a late-night visit, Tonya Harding-style? Bregman was sporting a cast and using crutches for six weeks because the Emmy winner broke her foot during Thanksgiving break. However, Bregman's not eager to share how the injury occurred. “The story I’m sticking to is that I was working out with the men of Cirque du Soleil and we had a little communication problem,” she tells Digest. “The story is stupid and unbelievable.” Acrobatics in the bedroom are dangerous, Tracey! You can’t fool me!

 • Y&R, fans — this is your chance to let CBS know how you feel about life in Genoa City. CBS.com has released a Nielsen ratings survey on their website to find out which characters and storylines are making the grade.
 
• Don’t forget to check out that sexy bastard, Michael Graziadei on CSI on Feb. 3. The procedural also features guest star Finola Hughes.

• In story 411, Kay learns that Tucker is her son! Well, duh! I’m dying for someone to call him a mother … Tucker!

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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.