Brooke's 2012 Soap Predictions!

I thought this was fitting for soaps....

You loved them last year, so they're back! That's right, in a 3-part special, each Denial Island Resident is going to share with you their extremely-accurate-and-not-biased-in-any-way 2012 Soap Predictions! No two predictions are exactly the same... we've all kind of taken a slightly different approach, ranging from the serious to the more snarky (guilty!). I'm starting off, so here is what I think will happen in the world of soaps in 2012...

SoapWikiJohn's 2011 Soap Prediction Results!

On January 1st 2011 I posted my predictions for the coming soap year, now its been a year let's see how I did!

Will a Soap be Canceled, if so which one?- AMC - Result - YES! AMC was AXED! But in a dramatic plot twist so was OLTL.... crap. So I guess I get full credit for this one.

Will there be another 'kish-o-trophic' casting shocker in 2011? - I don't really think there was anything that "shocking", the closest we came to was Kimberly McC and J.J. leaving GH, but I think my prediction was a little bit more broad than this, so I won't take any points for this one.

Roundup: Corrie Sex Abuse Scandal! Sons of Anarchy! JaSam Wedding! Bye-Bye AMC & OLTL!

Hey All, it's been awhile! Because of personal, professional and school commitments I haven't had much time for blogging, tweeting or even soap watching. But I'm Baaaaaack!!

So what's been going on?

The Happy:

JaSam Wedding

Finally! Jason and Sam are one of my all-time favorite Soap SuperCouples, so this marriage has been a dream come true for me (even if it was marred by more Franco Bullsh*t). But if JaSam has taught us one thing, it's that Love Always Triumphs. To me, JaSam is all about unconditional love *sigh*

Sons of Anarchy

Damn! This is the best soap I've seen in a long time! After hearing great things about the show, I decided to finally check it out. I was hesitant. Male dominated anti-hero shows can be popular but their a tough sell for me: most of the characters are unlikeable and a sexist perspective is sometimes present (Hello Sopranos!). But as it turns out this wild, testosterone-driven, violent biker show has a lot going for it. It's what Guza-era General Hospital so desperately tried to be. The action is intense, performances are terrific and it's got the soapy elements that I love: hyper-dramatic situations, crazy plot twists, cliffhangers, brilliant at it's best, contrived at it's worst. The thing I like the most? When you take away the Plot Points and the MacGuffins (those damn LETTERS) it's really all about the characters and their relationships with each other. It's their desires, needs, greed, narcissism, fears, betrayals, lovin' and hatin' that really drives the stories forward. Plus, I love the HOLY SH*T! OMG! ICan'tBelieveTheyJustDidThat! moments. I'm going to write more about SOA later, but for now I'll just say this show is Must Watch TV for me. Oh and...they better not kill Clay off!

The Sad:

Good-bye to AMC and the soon-to-be departed OLTL

I'm still kind of in denial about this. I've yet to watch the final few eps of AMC. They're just sitting on my DVR waiting to be watched. And I can't quite bring myself to watch what's left of OLTL. It's just too damn depressing. It's sad to see these beloved shows go and even sadder to know that this is signaling the end of the daytime soap genre as we know it. Saying good-bye to characters we've watched for years, sometimes decades, is like no other feeling. Only other daytime soap watchers really understand how heartbreaking it is for us.

The Shocking:

Coronation Street's Michael Le Vell Arrested For Sexual Assault

This has got to be the most shocking and upsetting soap-related story of the year. On Sept 30, Michael Le Vell (Kevin, Coronation Street) was arrested for rape of a 6-year-old girl (her age at the time of the alleged attack). The Corrie vet (he's been on the show for 28 years) denies the charges. He's currently out on bail until January while the charges are being investigated.

Boy, what do you even say about this? It's absolutely horrific. I'm just hoping that this is some terrible mistake, because the alternative is just too horrible to contemplate.

Ok all. Thanks for reading this rambling mess of a post, lol. I'm glad to be back and can't wait to dive right into the soap world again!

Melanie/daisyclover/SoapOperaBabble

Oprah Winfrey Says Soaps Are Over in YouTube Message

As most of you know, many soap fans have been asking Oprah to help save All My Children and One Life to Live by possibly moving those shows to her newly created network OWN (humbly titled Oprah Winfrey Network.) In a YouTube video she's just released, not only does Winfrey say No, but she essentially tells fans soap operas are dead calling them "an institution that for all intent and all purpose indicates that that time has come for it to be over."

Watch the full video:

DISLIKE! I find it interesting that Winfrey could have just said she wouldn't be able to help, but she decided instead to tell fans that there was no hope for the soap genre. A little strange, no? I've heard people say that OWN is funded in part by Disney, but I'm not sure of that (if someone has a link to that info, please post it in the comments!) But I do know this - Oprah has had a long and profitable relationship with ABC/Disney - they helped make her rich and famous, so with that in mind, this script - oops, I mean message - isn't such a surprise.

I'm certainly not going to let the Big 0 discourage me. She's not right about everything (remember "Beloved"?) Good luck to her and OWN - I hear they have tons of reality shows - oh boy, just what we need more of! I won't be watching...

What do you guys think? Was Winfrey just telling it like it is? Did she go too far in declaring the genre to be over? Do you think Anne Sweeney or Brian Frons wrote that script for her? (I'm only half-joking on that one)

Keep the Faith Soapies!

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

Will General Hospital Be Cancelled Too?

Ever since ABC announced they were cancelling All My Children and One Life to Live soap fans have been writing, calling, emailing, tweeting, blogging and facebook-ing in protest. Though it's now a cliche to paraphrase Network's Howard Beale, it's still fitting: soap fans are mad as hell and we aren't going to take it anymore! The results have been astounding: Hoover is dropping their ads on ABC in protest (will Hershey soon follow?), the mainstream media has taken notice of our little revolution and even ABC has been forced to acknowledge the uproar (in a condescending and patronizing way, of course.) But amidst all the campaigning, many of us have been asking repeatedly, what about the other soaps? And specifically, what about the last ABC soap standing: General Hospital? I think most will agree, it doesn't look good. Many have theorized (and I agree) that the only reason GH hasn't been cancelled yet is because completely changing that 3 hour block would have been too drastic. The compromise was to cancel AMC and OLTL in two stages, with GH to go later.

Word On The Street:
We don't do much spoiling/rumors/gossip here. We've got some great friends in the know, but for the most part we keep things to ourselves (we don't want to get our friends in trouble!) But I will say this, a friend who is usually right on the money has told us: General Hospital: Sept 2012 - possibly earlier. The decision is not final, some of it depends on how well the replacement shows do. But we can expect a decision/announcement early 2012.

I'm not telling you this to discourage you or to offer a 'scoop' or whatever (like I said, that's not our thing here at Denial Island.) I'm saying it because 1. I believe it to be true and 2. Because we should use this information as Motivation. It really is do or die time and as hard as we've fought so far, we need to fight even harder. My friend says to keep going after the sponsors and to target advertisers that run ads "across the Disney spectrum" - she specifically names Novartis as a good target because they advertise on all Disney networks.

Spoiler Diva Ravenbeauty recently wrote in her column:
Disney needs to feel it the most or it means very little. This means addressing Disney's sponsors as well as ABC's. This means focusing a little more on Disney themselves, and their products. We need to contact the heads at Disney, and tell them that we will no longer take our families to Disneyland or Disneyworld, and will not buy their products or services any longer and why (which is our right). We have been doing some very good work here (and have made progress), but we are only giving them flesh wounds when we need to be aiming for the heart. From what I was told, Disney finds this all very amusing, even though ABC does not. If we get to Disney, it will trickle down to ABC with some real force.

Let's Keep Fighting!
So I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to keep fighting! I will continue to make calls, write letters and emails to the networks, their sponsors and also to soap and mainstream media. If you notice, towards the top of the page on our blog, we've got links for each soap. Click on those links to get their contact info (if you see any incorrect info or have contact info to add, please let us know!) I will also continue to boycott all ABC shows (except for the daytime soaps.)

ABC hurt us by cancelling our shows, so let's hurt them back! Maybe now they'll think twice about messing with soaps and their fans! This may truly be General Hospital's last chance.

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

OLTL's Catherine Hickland Rips Brian Frons a New One!

Brian Frons should know better than to mess with a Daytime Diva! Catherine Hickland (OLTL, Loving/The City) has been very vocal about the cancellation of OLTL and AMC on twitter, and now she's written a very revealing (and passionate) piece on her blog about it. It's called "No More Love in the Afternoon" and boy has she ripped Brian Frons a new one!

Here's just a little taste of it:

“The ratings kept declining” he will spin. And I say

“Yes, well that was the plan, wasn’t it?” Isn’t that what you have been doing with all of your character assassinating and lame story telling? Isn’t that what you’ve been doing micromanaging your producers, writers, and staff to insanity? Business 101 teaches that you hire super competent people and let them do their job. Control freaks find this nearly impossible, which is why they ultimately fail. Its pure arrogance to think that you know what the audience will accept on shows that they knew far, far better than you. They didn’t accept mediocrity, and for that, the viewers were punished? What’s wrong with this picture?

To be fair, she never mentions Brian Frons by name (why bother?), but it'll be clear to everyone who she's talking about. She also goes on to say, "In 30 years as an entertainer, I can not recall a more reviled executive." Wow.

While her comments about Frons are what are going to make headlines, there's so much more here. She perfectly voices our anger and sorrow over the loss of our shows and her treatment by HIM mirrors the way fans have felt they've been treated all these years. It's clear that Miss Hickland respects the genre, the people that work in the industry and the fans. She loves soap fans and I love her for that. She's talented, intelligent and has a kind and caring heart! My only regret? That this means we're probably not going to see Lindsay returning to One Life To Live before the finale (full disclosure: I'm a huge fan of the Nora vs. Lindsay rivalry - I love them both!)

Here's a link to the blog
Here's a link to Catherine's twitter
To visit Catherine's site, click here

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

Hoover Pulls Ads from ABC in Support of Soap Opera Fans!

Big Score for Soap Fans!!! After being flooded wth letters and emails from soap fans, Hoover has decided to pull their ads from ABC. Here's what Hoover's VP of Marketing wrote on their facebook page:

To all the loyal ABC soap fans,

I want you to know from me personally that we hear you loud and clear. My wife and mother are both passionate viewers of All My Children and One Life to Live, as are many of my colleagues here at Hoover. We were and are as disappointed with this news as you are.

In fact, we will discontinue our advertising with ABC this Friday, 4/22. We're making every attempt to pull our spots from these programs sooner.

Because we feel that’s not enough, we also want to help get your voice heard with ABC. So, we’ve set up a special email address, SaveTheSoaps@Hoover.com, to help pull together the mass emotional outpouring of support for our beloved ABC soaps and get it to our contacts at ABC. Please, send your emails to us at SaveTheSoaps@Hoover.com, and we’ll get every, single last one of them to ABC.

We’re 150% committed to doing what matters most to you – so if there’s anything else we can do to help or you have any ideas, please email this address, and we will respond to you personally.

Thank you for standing up for what matters to you! We need more of that in this world.

Brian Kirkendall
Vice President of Marketing
Hoover.

Bravo Hoover!!! Since making the announcement Hoover's followers on twitter and facebook have skyrocketed! Please take a few minutes to email them, tweet them and leave a message on facebook thanking them for their support! Unlike ABC, Hoover listens to and appreciates soap fans!

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

Chelsea Handler Disses OLTL's Robin Strasser II: Robin Strikes Back!

Hey guys! Sorry I'm posting this so late. I wasn't feeling too well this weekend (I blame ABC!)

As most of you know, Chelsea Handler dissed One Life to Live Diva Robin Strasser a couple of weeks ago on her show Chelsea Lately (to watch a clip and read our initial blog on it, click HERE).

After it was announced that ABC was cancelling OLTL and AMC, I called Robin's hotline to listen to her reaction, and Surprise Surprise, towards the end of the call Robin brought up Chelsea! Robin laughed, called Chelsea a b*tch and then joked that she'd gotten more airtime on Chelsea Lately than she had on OLTL that week! Robin obviously has a terrific sense of humor!

There were so many calls to Robin's line that the system crashed! Unfortunately, it looks like the line will be down for a little while. Last I heard, Robin said the tech people were going to try and salvage the message (sorry, can't remember where I read that, otherwise I would link to the article.)

It's hard to believe that Chelsea Handler has her own show, but our beloved Robin (along with so many other talented people) will soon be unemployed. :(

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

Are Twitter and Facebook Replacing Traditional Soap Website Campaigns?

We at Denial Island Blog are curious. Where are the big online Save our Soap campaigns?

With all the rumours flying around about the potential cancellation of either One Life to Live or All My Children (or both), it's interesting that even though many bemoan the fate of soaps, not many in the soap media website world seem to be doing anything aggressively proactive about it. Who's marshaling the troops? Soap fans are the most passionate and supportive people out there!

After much research, we're left scratching our heads. Are none of our favourite soap media websites, who only exist because soaps do, taking up the challenge to the soap PTB with a Save Our Soaps campaign? They're encouraging fans to write in, but why haven't they been the ones organizing a structured, balls to the walls offensive? They have a huge number of soap fan readers/listeners that they can mobilize, and the contacts/sources to design really effective operations. They should be Campaign Central, spearheading the fight!

Instead, it appears the mantle is being taken up by more entrepreneurial soap fans, who set up numerous twitter and facebook accounts everyday in order to tap into and garner support for their fave soap, fired actor or most hated head writer. On that note, here are a few of our faves:

Twitter:
@BringBackCane - a twitter account set up when the US soap Young & the Restless favorite Daniel Goddard (Cane Ashby, Y&R) was rumored fired in January 2011. Outcome? SUCCESSFUL

@FireFrons - pretty self explanatory, but for our non-US soapers, Brian Frons is the President of ABC Daytime and is notorious for meddling in the ABC soaps and not in a good way. Outcome? IN PROGRESS

@Shit_Ken_C_Says - Days of our Lives Executive Producer Ken Corday routinely gives interviews about DOOL spoilers (usually around sweeps time) seemingly without giving any thought to what he's saying and who it might offend; which it usually does. Outcome? JUST PLAIN FUNNY

@Save_ATWT - created in response to the now cancelled US soap As The World Turns. Outcome? :(

@FireDenaHigley - after killing two soaps to the point of difficult (yet not impossible) return, and now on her third, this twitter account about the current Head Writer of DOOL speaks for itself. Outcome? IN PROGRESS (but looking bleak)

@savejackandjenn - created to bring actor Matthew Ashford (ex-Jack, DOOL) back to DOOL after Melissa Reeves (Jennifer, DOOL) signed to return mid-2010. Outcome? IN PROGRESS

Facebook: click the links to learn more about each group.

• Save ABC's Soaps
• Soap Savers Inc
• Save One Life to Live and All My Children 
• Save One Life to Live from being cancelled

From what we’ve heard, fans’ efforts have been working! They’ve overwhelmed ABC with support for their shows with emails, phone calls and letters! Could you imagine what would have happened if the soap media organizations had not only encouraged fans to mobilize, but actually designed campaigns themselves?

Maybe what it really is, is websites are being usurped - it takes seconds to write a tweet or update a facebook status or start a facebook page to rally troops. Heck, it was probably faster to write this blog post (and that's taken 3 days). Maybe the soap sites think someone else will do it? Or maybe, soap websites just can't be bothered? Or maybe they don't think the status of soaps situation is serious enough to warrant such a big campaign? Denial Island Bloggers don't believe that for a second - anyone who takes any interest in the soapworld knows that the future of daytime soaps is not looking rosy.

So we want to know: do you guys think soap media sites/pods should be doing more to spearhead the Save Our Soaps campaigns? Or do you think keeping us up-to-date on the gossip and encouraging us to mobilize is more than enough?

NB: To the soap websites, we're not trying to have a go at you, honest. Ok, maybe just a little bit :P but really, it's just to spur you into action!

P.S. If anyone wants to let us know about or advertise any Soap Saving campaigns, please leave the info in the comment box!

Random Thoughts 04/11: General Hospital, All My Children, One Life to Live

GENERAL HOSPITAL
Lucky (inexplicably baring his soul to Jason):
"I can't escape the irony that Jake was conceived because of my addiction and he died because of my father's."
-Also Ironic: Elizabeth and Jason were drunk when Jake was conceived!
-Irony thy name is Jake: Jake was named after a bar!

Today Nik dumped the hottest chick in town so that he can have more time to brood over the misery that is his family's life. I have to say that I am really sad to see Brook Lynn (the talented and lovely Adrianne Leon) leave. I think she was a great addition to the cast and she was a good contrast to Maxie and Lulu. Plus, I would have loved a Brook Lynn/Matt hook up!

While I love it when Sam and Carly get along, the conversation between them today creeped me out. I get that Carly thinks a JaSam baby will heal Jason's wounds, but offering to carry the baby for Sam?? And did you see the little twinkle in Carly's eyes when she made that suggestion? I'm tired of Carly's obsession with Jason! Carly clearly wants to give Jason a child and all I have to say is: Back off B*tch - he's Sam's!!!

ALL MY CHILDREN
I have to admit, I thought this was pretty cute:
"We're just friends. We're friends...sometimes" - Colby explaining her relationship with Asher

Was it me, or did Jesse look like he had a massive headache when everyone was yammering away at the police station? I know the feeling.

I want a Ham-Off between Darnell Williams, Lindsay Hartley and Michael E. Knight! Whoever can chew the most scenery in an hour wins!

What's with Erica acting all coy and not wanting to jinx the wedding?? Honey, you are gorgeous, but you are also 65 years old and have been married 500 times. Cut the cutesy crap.

ONE LIFE TO LIVE
Natalie to John: "Our baby! Your son! Our baby! Your son!"
Me to Natalie: "Shut up"

Uhm...lots of square jawed guys fighting each other over that skank Tessica. Am I the only one that doesn't find Tess's antics funny or amusing? It's all rather pathetic and sleazy now. I honestly thought for a second she was gonna bang both those shirtless guys in the steam room.

Cuteness: Dorian/David (Chelsea Handler be damned!), Langston/Markko, Rama.

Here's the thing guys, I'm not a huge fan of Carlivati's OLTL. I think he's a talented writer, but I find the show uneven and difficult to watch at times. However, since Roger Howarth is coming back I've decided to start watching OLTL regularly again.

Did you guys like what you saw today? What did you love, what did you hate?

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

Still No Answers About All My Children & One Life To Live Cancellation Rumors

Hey guys, just a quick note. While ABC confirmed that Lorraine Broderick has been hired as AMC's new headwriter, they're not confirming or denying anything else. Some of us felt this move was a good sign for AMC, but TV Guide's Michael Logan pointed out that the current headwriters Dave Kreizman and Donna Swajeski are at the end of their contracts anyway and it's possible Broderick has simply been hired to wrap up the show. (Read Logan's latest here.)

Soaps In Depth ABC posted hopeful tweets over the weekend, assuring fans AMC was not going to be cancelled and that a press release would come out today. (Read my summary of their tweets here.) Unfortunately, they seem to be backtracking a bit today.  Here are their most tweets:

• Yes, I'm aware of every rumor floating around out there. No, I don't know which ones are true & which aren't. The MINUTE I know, you will.
• Don't expect that this is necessarily a situation we'll have full answers to today, tomorrow or next week. I suspect it'll unfold slowly
• While Lorraine Broderick is new headwriter of #AMC, there's much speculation that she'll be writing the end of the show. Rumors galore.
• Folks, absolutely NOBODY (except folks in charge) KNOW what's going on. We're all hearing LOTS of rumors, many of which conflict.
• The general concensus: It ain't good. But when I know anything — KNOW, not hear rumors — I'll pass it along, promise.

Seems they're not so sure anymore about All My Children not being cancelled. There's even less information out there about One Life to Live. I think at this point everyone is on the same page. It's do or die and this is the time for fans to write and call ABC and let them know you want your soaps to stay on the air.  I haven't seen this anywhere, this is just my own thought, but I'm wondering if an increase in online views (of AMC and OLTL episodes) at ABC's official site might help too??

I'm still looking for good AMC/OLTL campaigns to direct you to. There are tons of sites/blogs giving us info on who to contact, but I'm hoping to find a central campaign that's really organized.  Until then, I suggest going to Pine Valley Exposer or SoapOperaNetwork.

Also, if anyone is interested, Soaps In Depth ABC and Soap Central's Dan Kroll are doing a podcast "analyzing the AMC/OLTL situation." More info here.

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

Agnes Nixon's Son-In-Law Bids Farewell to AMC

David Hiltbrand, Agnes Nixon's son-in-law and former AMC writer, addressed the rumors of the show's seemingly imminent cancellation. While his piece for philly.com (read it here) asks "All My Children facing cancellation?" the tone of it leaves little doubt that the show's fate is sealed. Hiltbrand ends his article with:

Farewell, Brooke, Myrtle and Tad. Goodbye, Opal, Dixie and Palmer. Fare thee well Trevor, Bianca and Greenlee. We will not see your like again.

Doesn't sound good Soapies :(  Let Hiltbrand (who was also a writer for Guiding Light) know your thoughts by either leaving a comment on the article or by tweeting him at DaveOnDemand_TV

On a side note, there is something he wrote that I disagree with:

Maybe Susan Lucci, who plays the show’s scheming cynosure, Erica Kane, is jinxed. Remember the long string of years she was nominated for, but did not win, a Daytime Emmy? Now her show may be cancelled the week before her memoir comes out.

Ironically, I thinks this benefits her book. Her 19 year Emmy losing streak brought her national mainstream attention and made her a household name, even to people who never watched soaps. Likewise, the rumors of cancellation may very well bring Lucci and her memoir some mainstream media coverage that it might not have gotten otherwise. At least that's one positive thing to come from all this...

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

Memorable Soap Deaths 3

Hey All! Way back in March, fellow Denial Island resident SoapWikiJohn posted some of his Memorable Soap Deaths. I loved his post, and I followed it with Memorable Soap Deaths 2, where I posted some of my personal favorites.

Well...we're baaaaaaack! Here are some of our readers' picks!

1. Death By Plaster: Jeremy Hunter, Loving (formerly of All My Children)

Erica's Evil Twin cited the death of Jeremy Hunter (Jean LeClerc) as one of the most memorable, and silliest, soap deaths. In 1995, Loving was cancelled (spinned off as the ill-fated The City) and the final storyline featured a serial killer bumping off a good chunk of the cast (geez, I'm thankful the GL and ATWT finales were better than that!) One of the victims was former Pine Valley/AMC resident Jeremy Hunter, suffering a truly weird and surreal death! Campy and Hilarious or Just Plain Stupid? You be the judge!

(skip to 7:32 for Jeremy's death in all its slo-mo glory and make sure to watch until the end so you don't miss his 'body' being discovered!)




2. Too Young To Die: Cassie Newman, The Young and the Restless

Inbal, Imgoodbackup and Pam all cited the 2005 death of Cassie Newman (Camryn Grimes) on Y&R as a memorable soap death. I have to agree! Not only was this incredibly sad, but it was shocking! She was a Newman heir (though not biologically), a popular character played by a popular actress who we watched grow up onscreen, and she was soooo young! I still feel that killing her off was a mistake, but the emotional impact of her death is undeniable. I cried hysterically when this first aired, and it still hits me hard when I watch it now! Brilliantly acted, written and edited...get your tissues out:




3. Shot and Dropped From a Cliff, Roger Meets His Maker: Roger Thorpe, Guiding Light

Pam picked Roger's 1980 "death" in Santo Domingo as her most memorable soap death. I never saw it originally, but had a blast watching it on YouTube! Roger is dragging poor Holly through the jungle as Ed and Mike (who??) chase after them. One thing leads to another, and the dastardly Roger finally gets what's coming to him...or so viewers thought. I love the sparks between Maureen Garrett and Michael Zaslow - whether Holly and Roger were hating each other or loving each other - Maureen and Michael were always magic!
(RIP Michael Zaslow - one of the greats, he'll never be forgotten)




Any other Memorable Soap Deaths that broke your heart, shocked you, or just made you giggle? Let us know!

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover1938