Emmerdale Presents Brand New Opening Titles!

After much hype the highly anticipated and very controversial Emmerdale opening has finally been released, what are your thoughts on this new look for this brilliant show?

Stuart Damon on Aussie DOOL

Heehee! Aussie Days of our Lives viewers are currently being treated to a guest appearance by Stuart Damon (ex-Alan Quartermaine, General Hospital).  US viewers would have seen these scenes 14 months ago, but in Aussie land we're a bit further behind! For those who don't remember, Stuart plays Governor Ford, an old friend of Anna DiMera's, and the only person who can give Nicole DiMera a pardon from jail (where she's currently serving time for the Sydney kidnapping/swapping/etc).  He refuses, and Anna resorts to some hilarity blackmail tactics to get her way. She knows that if she doesn't, Nicole will finger her for her part in the Sydnapping.

Seeing Stuart is a treat for Aussie General Hospital fans who don't subscribe to cable tv provider Foxtel (who picked up the rights to broadcast episodes of General Hospital in Australia 12 months ago), but remember him when General Hospital was broadcast as part of the free-to-air daytime lineup (which also included Santa Barbara, might I add, so it was YEARS ago).

Good-Bye Jax: Ingo Rademacher Fired from General Hospital!

Sad to say: It's Official. General Hospital has let go of Ingo Rademacher, who has played Jasper Jacks (better known as Jax) for 15 years. This doesn't come as a total surprise. With the constant rumors these past few months of Jax being written off, Ingo's dwindling screen time (despite his onscreen family being given a front burner story) and Nelson Branco's tweet a few days ago about an upcoming soap mag cover story announcing the departure of Brenda and Jax, well...the writing was on the wall. Ingo gave a statement to Soaps In Depth ABC regarding his departure:

"It is with mixed emotions and regret that I write this note to you, my fans and colleagues. After 15 years on GH portraying Jax I must say goodbye. I'm fired."

To read the rest of his statement, click here.

Ingo's most recent leading lady, Laura Wright (Carly) tweeted her support:

"I am so sad about the news of Ingo leaving- I hate this and i think it is a huge mistake- I am a big fan of Jax and Carly"

Ingo/Jax through the years

No doubt many General Hospital viewers agree with Laura, I certainly do. I love Jax - he's always been a great counterbalance to Sonny and the mob element on the show. Indeed, I think one of the things fans like most about Jax (and what made the Jax/Brenda/Sonny triangle so popular back in the day) was that he is the antithesis of Sonny. If Sonny was darkness, Jax was lightness. Sonny was trouble, Jax was fun. Sonny was the pitbull, Jax was the puppy. Sonny was the thug, Jax was debonair. Sonny would throw barware and call women whores, while Jax was their Prince *sigh*

Sure, I admit I didn't like the writing for Jax at times. Guza had a habit of destroying characters who went up against Sonny and Jason (Tony, AJ, Ric, Alcazar, Claudia, Faith) - though Jax isn't being killed, he couldn't completely escape Guza's poison pen. Despite the sometimes crappy writing, Ingo was always fantastic. Able to do the light romantic stuff as well as dark drama, he's always been a pleasure to watch. Ironically, even on the backburner, he's delivered some fantastic performances. Jax's concern for his daughter, his breakup with Carly and his continued hatred for Sonny have given Ingo a chance to shine again (if briefly.)  Even in scenes with Vanessa Marcil Giovinazzo, Ingo has very subtly played the lingering feelings Jax has for Brenda. (Unfortunately, I have no idea what the h*ll VMG has been playing, but that's another story...) Ingo's gift (and perhaps his curse) is that he makes it look so easy, almost effortless. He's not flashy and doesn't chew up the scenery. He's just good, damn good. And he makes us believe everything Jax says and feels.

I'm pretty sure they'll give Jax a happy ending. Riding off into the sunset with Brenda most likely. I'm glad for Jax, and I know that Ingo will move on to bigger and better things. But for me, and many GH fans out there, Port Charles is going to be a darker place without Ingo and Jax.

Want to wish Ingo well and let him know how much you've enjoyed him on GH over the years? Tweet Him!

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

Billy Warlock Is Now On Twitter!!

WooHoo!! Billy Warlock, one of my all-time favorite actors is now on twitter!!

Follow him at http://twitter.com/BillyWarlock

As most of you know, Billy is a veteran TV actor who has appeared on iconic shows like Happy Days and Baywatch. But we Soapies love him for his memorable roles (and wonderful performances) as nice guy Frankie Brady on Days of Our Lives and the tragic, misunderstood, blacksheep AJ Quartermaine on General Hospital. Billy has also been on Young and the Restless, As the World Turns, and One Life to Live. And yes, I have watched him on all of these shows!

Fun Trivia: Billy and his goddess wife Julie Pinson have both appeared on Days, Y&R and ATWT (and both have "lived" in Port Charles - Billy on GH, Julie on PC), but they only shared scenes together on Days and ATWT. My wish? I would love for them to be reunited on Days. A Frankie/Billie pairing would make me swoon!

You can follow Julie on twitter at http://twitter.com/JuliePinsonCom

And for anyone interested. We Love Soaps recently asked Billy his opinion on the state of daytime soaps. His response was honest, funny and right on target! To watch the interview click here. Wouldn't it be great if We Love Soaps did a long, in depth interview with Billy?! And Julie!

Can you tell I'm a Billy Warlock fangirl??

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

Days of our Passions? An Analysis of the New Head Writers at Days of our Lives

As we all now know Days of our Lives has two new head writers: Marlene McPherson & Darrell Ray Thomas, Jr., and both come from the former NBC sudser Passions, but what does that really mean for the state of the Days? As the resident Passions guru (only second to our pal @peter_adams) I was given the task of analyzing this news.

So let's talk about the good first - Dena H is GONE!

These head writers have been a part of some amazing stories. Passions was really well known for it's big sweeping summer stories aka Vendetta, Red, Stalker, etc. All of them were big umbrella stories and had a lot of good going on within the show and made it must see tv while it was on.

The bad-
Where do I start? The supernatural aspect of the show was awesome in the early years when they were committed to it, but became an after thought at the end. The show did stupid things such as the revelation that the stalker was really Vincent who was a hermapherdite...ugh now I will say that the original story with it being 2 stalkers and one being Beth made a lot more sense but hey who cares.

Also in the end there was a lot of bad dialog and stories. I mean the whole Theresa hiding in disguise as some mob queen tried to kill her was just foolishness and awful. But I really believe that was more JER recycling stories than anything else.

So at the end I am really optimistic, there is a lot of potential here for good things (Stefano = Alister Crane?) and now they can bring Arianna back from the dead and keep my girl Lindsay Hartley employed!

What are your thoughts on this news? Are you dreading their arrival or are you at least a little bit more optimistic than before with Dena in control? Let me know in the comments below or on twitter @soapwikijohn

Breaking News- Dena H Out at Days!

It's official! Dena H's reign of awful terror at Days of our Lives has ended mere hours after Guza's over at General Hospital. Who will replace Dena? We will just have to wait and see, but my vote is for Sheri Anderson.

More on this story as it develops.

Robert Guza Jr Out at General Hospital! Garin Wolf Named New Head Writer!

According to TV by the Numbers, Bob Guza is OUT and Garin Wolf is IN as Head Writer of General Hospital. The change is effective immediately. To read the full story, and what Brian Frons, head of ABC Daytime, has to say about this shocking development, click here.

As most of you know, Guza's reign of terror has lasted nearly 15 years (there was a year and a half break from Dec 2000 - June 2002 according to Wiki). Okay, okay. Perhaps 'reign of terror' is harsh, but let's just say, I've had some issues with Guza's writing over the years. Garin Wolf has also been with GH for almost 15 years, predominantly as a Breakdown Writer. Though he did serve as Head Writer during the 2007-2008 strike (from Jan 2008 - March 2008).

There's a lot of speculating going on now. Some are saying Guza was fired, others are saying he refused to take a pay cut. Many are asking what this means for the cast/characters/stories. More importantly, we have to wonder if this is a sign that GH still has life in it, or are TPTB pulling a Lorraine Broderick/AMC and simply bringing Wolf on to write GH's swan song? Only time will tell.

We'd like to wish Guza good luck in his future endeavors and what the heck...a Thank You for the good stuff he wrote: I'll forever be grateful to him for creating my favorite GH character Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco) and giving me one of my all-time favorite couples: Jason and Sam (Viva La JaSam!)

And Congrats to Garin Wolf!! I really hope Wolf is able to go balls to the wall, Gloria Monty-style as Head Writer at GH. Monty saved the show from being cancelled back in the 70s, maybe Wolf can do the same for GH now!

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

Jack's Back! Matthew Ashford Returns to Days of Our Lives as Jack Devereaux!

Soaps In Depth is reporting that Matthew Ashford will be returning to Days of Our Lives as Jack Devereaux. According to SID:

"He will be bringing the character...back to Days of Our Lives later this month." 

I'm not entirely sure if they mean he'll begin filming in a month or we'll actually see him on air then.

To read SID's report, click here.

No doubt DAYS fans will be excited over this news. While Ashford is a soap vet, with stints at General Hospital, One Life to Live and Search For Tomorrow, his signature role is redeemed rapist/funny rapscallion Jack on DAYS - arguably one of the most popular characters in the shows long history.

What stories would you like to see for Jack? I'm sure he'll reconnect with his daughter Abby and the love of his life Jennifer. Certainly there's a Jack/Jennifer/Daniel love triangle coming. This might be an unpopular opinion, but I'd love for them to give Jack/Jennifer a break for awhile. While they were brilliant back in the day, I've felt that they've gotten a little tired in later years. It's the same dynamic over and over again: Jack's irresponsible and Jennifer nags him. I'd love to see Jack in a new relationship, with a different kind of woman. Your thoughts?

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

Hollyoaks Spoiler: Brendan's Seduction Plan!

Brendan: Up for a menage a trois, Stephen?

Quick! Your boyfriend's violent, psychotic, sociopath ex starts coming on to you. Do you:
A) Pepper Spray Him
B) RUN!!!!
C) Scream, Cry and Beg For Your Life
D) Make Out With Him

Luckily for Hollyoaks viewers, Noah chooses D!

According to Digital Spy, Brendan (Emmet J. Scanlan) plots to cause more trouble between his ex-lover/punching bag Ste (Kieron Richardson) and Ste's current boyfriend Noah (Law Thompson). Since recently bedding Ste and beating him up didn't do the trick, he goes for the obvious: seduce Noah...and make sure Ste catches them in the act! As you can see from the pic, looks like it works!

Holy Hollyoaks, what's a fella to do?! Personally, I think Ste should go have revenge sex with Foxy. I'm just wondering, is Noah dumb as rocks or is Brendan that irresistible? I guess we'll find out on May 26, when these scenes are set to air!

For more pics and spoilers (for Hollyoaks, Emmerdale, Coronation Street and EastEnders) from Digital Spy, click here.

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

Why We Love British Soaps: Brit Awards Promo Gives You a Taste

So some of you may have noticed that while we love (and sometimes love to hate) U.S. soaps, we just can't get enough of Brit and Aussie soaps. Luckily, the Soap Gods invented YouTube, so we can watch a lot of the shows that aren't normally available to us. For any of you that haven't watched Brit soaps but are considering checking them out, take a look at the British Soap Awards 2011 promo featuring clips from Coronation Street, Doctors, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks. It'll give you a little taste of what you're missing (and what we're loving).

Damn that's good soap!

To read my Newbie Babble about some of these shows, click here.

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

Congrats to the Winners of the 2011 British Soap Awards!

The British Soap Awards were given out last night and we've got a list of the Winners in the Viewer Voted Categories! (courtesy of Digital Spy)

Best British Soap: EastEnders
Best Actress: Jessie Wallace (Kat, EastEnders)
Best Actor: Danny Miller (Aaron, Emmerdale)
Villain of the Year: Emmett J. Scanlan (Brendan, Hollyoaks)
Sexiest Female: Michelle Keegan (Tina, Coronation Street)
Sexiest Male: Scott Maslen (Jack, EastEnders)

For a complete list of the Winners and Nominees (including the Panel Voted Categories), click here

I'm pretty happy with the picks. I voted for EastEnders as Best Soap and Emmett as Villain of the Year (Brendan is scary!) But while I really like Scott Maslen, I voted for Chris Fountain as Sexiest (he'll get it next year!)  And even though I voted for Alison King (Carla, Coronation Street) as Sexiest Female, Michelle K was my second choice.

Congrats to all the Winners and Nominees!

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

Nominations for the 2011 Daytime Emmy Awards Announced!

Well the nominations for the Daytime Emmy Awards have been announced. Here's a quick list of the major categories (courtesy of We Love Soaps - for the full list of categories/nominees head over to their site.)

We'll be posting our comments on the nominations soon, but until then, have a look and let us know what you think!

Outstanding Drama Series
ALL MY CHILDREN (ABC)
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (CBS)
GENERAL HOSPITAL (ABC)
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (CBS)

Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (CBS)
GENERAL HOSPITAL (ABC)
ONE LIFE TO LIVE (ABC)
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (CBS)

Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team
AS THE WORLD TURNS (CBS)
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (CBS)
DAYS OF OUR LIVES (NBC)
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (CBS)

Outstanding Lead Actor
Christian LeBlanc, as Michael Baldwin THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (CBS)
Michael Park, as Jack Snyder AS THE WORLD TURNS (CBS)
Maurice Benard, as Sonny Corinthos GENERAL HOSPITAL (ABC)
Ricky Paull Goldin, as Jake Martin ALL MY CHILDREN (ABC)
James Scott, as EJ DiMera DAYS OF OUR LIVES (NBC)

Outstanding Lead Actress
Susan Flannery, as Stephanie Forrester THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (CBS)
Michelle Stafford, as Phyllis Summers THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (CBS)
Colleen Zenk, as Barbara Ryan As the World Turns" (CBS)
Alicia Minshew, as Kendall Slater ALL MY CHILDREN (ABC)
Debbi Morgan, as Angie Hubbard ALL MY CHILDREN (ABC)
Laura Wright, as Carly Corinthos Jacks GENERAL HOSPITAL (ABC)

Outstanding Supporting Actor
Jonathan Jackson, as Lucky Spencer GENERAL HOSPITAL (ABC)
Jason Thompson, as Patrick Drake GENERAL HOSPITAL (ABC)
Brian Kerwin, as Charlie Banks ONE LIFE TO LIVE (ABC)
Doug Davidson, as Paul Williams THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (CBS)
Billy Miller, as Billy Abbott THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (CBS)

Outstanding Supporting Actress
Melissa Claire Egan, as Annie Chandler ALL MY CHILDREN (ABC)
Julie Pinson, as Janet Ciconne AS THE WORLD TURNS (CBS)
Heather Tom, as Katie Logan Spencer THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (CBS)
Nancy Lee Grahn, as Alexis Davis GENERAL HOSPITAL (ABC)
Bree Williamson, as Jessica Brennan ONE LIFE TO LIVE (ABC)
Tricia Cast, as Nina Webster THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (CBS)

Outstanding Younger Actor
Scott Clifton, as Liam Cooper THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (CBS)
Chandler Massey, as Will Horton DAYS OF OUR LIVES (NBC)
Chad Duell, as Michael Corinthos GENERAL HOSPITAL (ABC)

Outstanding Younger Actress
Brittany Allen, as Marissa Chandler ALL MY CHILDREN (ABC)
Lexi Ainsworth, as Kristina Davis GENERAL HOSPITAL (ABC)
Emily O'Brien, as Jana Hawkes THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (CBS)

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

Helena Cassadine is Back! Constance Towers Returns to General Hospital!

The B*tch Is Back!! One of General Hospital's most popular villains (or heroines depending on your POV lol) is back. In an exclusive, TV Guide's Michael Logan is reporting that Helena Cassadine (played by the wonderful Constance Towers) is returning to GH the week of June 27th.

To read the full story, click here.

Of course, she'll be central in the Aiden paternity story, but I'm really hoping we see her mixing it up with everyone in Port Charles. And boy would I love to see her interact with the Davis-Cassadine women! Scenes with Helena, Alexis, Sam, Kristina and Molly? I'd be in heaven!

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

Benji McNair Returns to Neighbours as Mal Kennedy!

Holy Soap is reporting that Benji McNair is set to return as Malcolm Kennedy, a role he originated back in 1994. He starts filming next week for eps that will begin airing in mid-July. Holy Soap is describing the return as a "four-month guest stint." No doubt the character is being brought back, in part, to fill the void left from Kym Valentine's (Libby Kennedy) abrupt sick leave departure.

I'm a newbie to Neighbours, so I know absolutely nothing about the character, but I'm assuming that fans will be happy with his return. What I found most interesting was the reported reason for the character's return: apparently he'll be helping his parents, Karl and Susan, deal with some upcoming marital problems when Susan "becomes emotionally involved with another man" - Susan, you slut!! I'm hoping the other man is Kyle lol!

For the full story, click here.

So what do you guys think? Are you excited he's back? Should I be excited? Who do you think Susan is going to get "emotionally involved with"?

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

EastEnders: Heather B*tch Slaps Denise!

Pic swiped from Digital Spy

All Soapies love a good b*tch slap, and last week on EastEnders we got a great one! I try to stay away from International soap spoilers, so when I was catching up on my shows today, I had no idea this was coming! Poor Denise! Poor Heather! I can't decide who was more shocked by Heather's violent outburst - me, Denise or Heather herself lol (well done Diane Parish and Cheryl Fergison). Note to self: don't ever be dismissive of someone's fake Virtual Romeo and Juliet romance. Kudos to Denise for not smacking Heather back.

Dear Heather, can you please add these people to your B*tch Slap Hit List:
Michael Moon
Phil Mitchell
Janine's grandmother
Tanya's sister
The Dingle Dopes of Emmerdale

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

Neighbours: Mark and Jade Make Me Cringe

Oh my eyes! I'm still skeeved by Mark (Scott McGregor) and Jade (Gemma Pranita) hooking up on Neighbours last week. Booo. Why can't Kate (Ashleigh Brewer) ever get the right guy?? Granted Mark is a bit of a neat freak (and that's putting it nicely, he's borderline OCD with that labelling and tidiness), and Kate can be a bit of wet blanket sometimes, but the two of them together are/were sweet.

Enter newest gal pal Jade. Who admittedly, doesn't do the female BFF thing, and hey, you can now see why. Not to say if I was Jade I wouldn't have done the same thing, I mean, Mark is Hawt with a capital H. But still, he's your sort-of-besties sort-of-man, don't sleep with him!

Ok, rant over. Carry on.

Home and Away: Leah and Miles Finally Kiss

Friday's Home and Away episode in Australia had Leah (Ada Nicodemou) and Miles (Josh Quong Tart) finally lock lips! I imagined that after all this time, it would be quite like two friends kissing, but it is a bit like that to some degree, but there is some romantic quality to it at the same time.

Still, I'm not sure I'm behind Leah and Miles as a couple - I kinda like Leah with Elijah, but happy to be in the minority! What does everyone else think? Leah and Miles? Or Leah and Elijah?

Cool Beans Episode 1

A few weeks ago, I posted a blog with a preview of Kaiya Jones's new youtube series Cool Beans. The full first episode was posted about a week ago, and here it is!

What do you think?

You can subscribe to Yellow Taiyer Productions here. 

Neighbours: Spoiler Preview 6156 - 6160

Oh Em Gee! The fan girl in me is squealing! Half of the actors from my favourite soap couple in my teen years turns up in Ramsay Street this week (May 9 - 13)! Yes, that's right, Dieter Brummer!! Soapie fans may remember him as Shane Parrish on Home and Away, one half of the teen supercouple Shane and Angel (played by Melissa George). I certainly do! Others may have seen Dieter more recently in the Underbelly franchise - something, I have to say, I didn't tune in for. But none the less, Dieter is back in soapiedom, and he's joining Neighbours as Callum's father, Troy (?).

The rest of the promo shows the return of Ramsay Street favourite Harold Bishop (Ian Smith) - good to see Harold back!

One Life to Live Sneak Peek: Roger Howarth Is Back as Scarface Todd Manning (or is he?)

As we all know, Roger Howarth is back at One Life to Live. Here's a sneak peek at him in action! Whether Roger will be playing the "Real" Todd Manning remains to be seen, but it looks like Todd's trademark scar is back!!

Reportedly, Roger's first airdate is May 13th. I know I'll be tuning in, how about you guys?

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

Martha Madison To Temporarily Replace Rebecca Herbst On General Hospital!

According to various sources, Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth, General Hospital) has fallen ill with viral meningitis. Martha Madison (ex-Belle, Days of Our Lives) will temporarily replace Herbst in the role. Madison's first airdate will be June 8th.

To read more, check out SID's post Here

Hope Becky gets well soon! And good luck to Martha! Wonder if we'll be seeing any Belle (Kirsten Storms), nuBelle (Martha) and Shawn (Jason Cook) interactions??

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

Will General Hospital Be Cancelled To Make Room For Katie Couric on ABC?

TMZ has just reported that Katie Couric is thisclose to signing a $20 million deal with ABC. Apparently, Katie would be doing nighttime specials for ABC News and 20/20 and would also get..."a 1-hour, 5-day-a-week syndicated talk show that would begin in September, 2012." Uh-Oh.

Could this be the end of General Hospital? The final nail in the coffin of ABC soaps? Not necessarily. As the folks at TMZ point out, "ABC is also realistic, believing that one of its new 2011 syndicated shows will fail, leaving room for K.C."

I feel sick.

To read the TMZ piece Click Here

Update: Just wanted to add that on April 22nd, we reported/speculated that GH would be off the air by September 2012. Read about it Here

Update2: To read a more detailed piece about Couric's possible deal with ABC from Deadline.com, Click Here (again in this piece it's pointed out that this may not necessarily mean the end of GH.)
*thanks to my twitter peeps OLTLfan4life and xxAnne8xx for letting me know about the Deadline article :)

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

KEEP CALLING HERSHEY'S!

Come on Soap fans we can do it! I just got off the phone with Hershey's and they are really considering pulling their advertising from ABC, but this is ONLY going to happen if they get more calls! The lady who answered the phone did not have specific numbers at the moment, but she said that the more calls they receive the better so come on, it only takes a few minutes and all you have to say is "Thank you for considering pulling your advertising from ABC!" and you're done. So come on, get to work and let's Save OUR SOAPS!

You can call Hershey's at:
1(800) 468-1714

EastEnders: Vanessa and Darren AXED!

Okay I KNOW I should not be happy about any actor losing their job in this day and age, but the characters of Darren (Charlie G. Hawkins) and Vanessa (Zoe Lucker) have not been my favorites, and if this means that Max and Tanya as well as Jay and Abby get to be together and have more air-time, then I am all for this move!

Longer EastEnders fans are a little upset with this news as Darren is the last of the Miller family to be exiting, but hey let's stop looking to the past and look forward to the future!

What are your thoughts on this axing?