Nickelodeon Picks Up New English Telenovela Reach for a Star

Great news soap fans Nickelodeon has picked up a new telenovela "Reach For A Star" to begin airing later this year.

Based off Alcanzar una Estrella a 100 episode Mexican Telenovela, "Reach for a Star" follows a smart, shy and independent high school senior, Loren, who has ambitions of being a songwriter and secretly sends her song lyrics to her celebrity crush, rock superstar Eddie Wild. Loren’s wildest dreams come true when she not only wins a songwriting competition sponsored by Eddie, but strikes up a friendship with her idol. Eddie sees beyond Loren’s potential as a songwriter and gives her a first break as a singer, and when the truth about his less-than-faithful girlfriend Chloe is revealed, Eddie and Loren’s friendship blossoms.

One Life to Live Finale - Wednesday 01/11/12

So how about the big news!? The Mannings and The McBain are heading over to General Hospital! Wow. If you want to read about it and check out the promo Click Here  Now on to the show...

This ep could be title Closure. We had a bunch of people being honest with each other, apologizing, setting the record straight, etc, etc... A few endings and a bunch of new beginnings. Overall, I thought the ep was pretty good.

Our Predictions for the 2011 Daytime Emmys!

Well it's that time again! The Daytime Emmys are set to air on June 19th! Check out our predictions, wishes and wtf reactions to the nominees.
(Judging done by Denial Island Academy of Soap Opera Arts and Sciences members: Brooke, SoapWikiJohn and Melanie/SoapOperaBabble)

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
ALL MY CHILDREN
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL
GENERAL HOSPITAL
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS

Brooke's comments: Are you kidding? Why is ABC nominated here, if it was outstanding, why is it being cancelled? I only watch B&B out of this list, but I'm picking Y&R.
Melanie's comments: Yeah, AMC stands out like a sore thumb here. I'd be curious to see what they submitted. Maybe scenes involving Palmer's death? If so, I think they've actually got a shot. Otherwise, I'll say B&B because Susan.Flannery.Rocks.
John's comments: General Hospital gets my vote! I agree with Brooke. The only thing outstanding about AMC is how awful it was, but they did hire Lindsay Hartley and gave me a little 'Cake' so I can't say it was all bad.

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES WRITING TEAM
AS THE WORLD TURNS
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL
DAYS OF OUR LIVES
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS

Brooke's comments: *falls dead* How did Days of Our Lives end up in this category? That has got to be the biggest joke of this year's nominations. Sorry DOOL writers, I know you work hard and I don't disparage that, but seriously? An Emmy? Um. No. I don't care who wins this, as long as it's not DOOL, otherwise I'd demand a recount!
Melanie's comments: My heart says ATWT. I believe they submitted the final episode and boy was that a tear jerker. Could anyone really resist Bob/Don Hasting's "Our Town"-ish narration? And while ATWT's last year on the air was rocky, the home stretch was terrifically written and acted.
John's comments: I like ATWT, I want them to win, but I cannot say they really deserve it because a lot of the show was such a mess. B&B was just dull (even if Brooke slept with her daughter's boyfriend...again) and even though this will make (our) Brooke's head explode I want Days of Our Lives to take it home.

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR
CHRISTIAN LEBLANC (MICHAEL, Y&R)
MICHAEL PARK (JACK, ATWT)
MAURICE BENARD (SONNY, GH)
RICKY PAULL GOLDIN (JAKE, AMC)
JAMES SCOTT (EJ, DAYS)

Brooke's comments: Well as a James Scott fanatic, I want James to win! Alas, DOOL never wins best anything (and often for good reason), so I'm going to say hope for James, but predict Michael Park.
Melanie's comments: James Scott is criminally under appreciated. I'd like to think the Academy can get over their prejudice against DAYS actors. The episode where EJ contemplates suicide was great, James knocked it out of the park. I think RPG submitted comedic stuff so we can cross him off the list. I don't know what CLB submitted, but he shouldn't be in the Lead category anyway. And MP won last year. That leaves James and Maurice. My heart says James, my head says Maurice. The Kristina/Keifer story pissed me off (because it served to pimp the men on the show) but Maurice/Sonny's speech by Kristina's bedside was good stuff.
John's comments: I really want James Scott to pull this one off, he has a lot of good material to pick, but it is all in the reel.

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS
SUSAN FLANNERY (STEPHANIE, B&B)
MICHELLE STAFFORD (PHYLLIS, Y&R)
COLLEEN ZENK (BARBARA, ATWT)
ALICIA MINSHEW (KENDALL, AMC)
DEBBI MORGAN (ANGIE, AMC)
LAURA WRIGHT (CARLY, GH)

Brooke's comments: How is there no DOOL actress in this category? Surely Ali Sweeney or Ari Zucker should be nom'd? Remind me who the pre noms were again, Ali was there, right? Um, apparently this is the first year Laura Wright has been nominated in like 20 years, so she will probably end up winning.
Melanie's comments: Yeah, it's pretty amazing that this is the first nomination Laura's gotten! While I'd love it to be Susan or Colleen, I'm guessing it's going to come down to Laura or Debbi. I'll go with Debbi. She was saddled with the totally stupid Soap Blindness/I'm 55 and Pregnant story - but managed to make us care anyway. She certainly deserves an award for that!
John's comments: Susan Flannery had the major cancer battle storyline this year and while it is true it's Laura's first time, I don't think it's her year.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR
JONATHAN JACKSON (LUCKY, GH)
JASON THOMPSON (PATRICK, GH)
BRIAN KERWIN (CHARLIE, OLTL)
DOUG DAVIDSON (PAUL, Y&R)
BILLY MILLER (BILLY, Y&R)

Brooke's comments: Cos he's hawt I'd like to see Jason Thompson win this, but I think Jonathan Jackson probably will.
Melanie's comments: Let's just get this out of the way: Van Hansis (Luke, ATWT) should be on this list, but he didn't submit himself. While Brian Kerwin is a personal favorite of mine, he doesn't have a chance. Doug did some great work in the Patti story, but that won't be enough to win. JJ's scene where Lucky goes off on LikNiz and makes his eyes bleed was a showstopper. But boy, Jason T did some amazing work in 2010 (Patrick confessing to Robin was killer soap). Jonathan Jackson will get it, but Jason Thompson deserves it.
John's comments: Jonathan Jackson all the way! Yes, Jason T had some good scenes, but the heartbreaking 'you slept with my brother' scene was brilliant and it allowed him to go all out emotionally and help fans reconnect with his Lucky after the loss of Greg Vaughan.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS
MELISSA CLAIRE EGAN (ANNIE, AMC)
JULIE PINSON (JANET, ATWT)
HEATHER TOM (KATIE, B&B)
NANCY LEE GRAHN (ALEXIS, GH)
BREE WILLIAMSON (JESSICA, OLTL)
TRICIA CAST (NINA, Y&R)

Brooke's comments: I'd like to see Bree win this one.
Melanie's comments: WTF is Heather Tom doing on this list? The other nominees are great. I'm going with Nancy Lee Grahn.
John's comments: Heather 'I did nothing' Tom nominated herself? For what exactly??? MCE is my pick. I think they all did good stuff but Annie was amazing and I would like to see her win.

OUTSTANDING YOUNGER ACTOR
SCOTT CLIFTON (LIAM, B&B)
CHANDLER MASSEY (WILL, DAYS)
CHAD DUELL (MICHAEL, GH)

Brooke's comments: Chad Duell ftw!
Melanie's comments: *Yawn* Chad, I guess...
John's comments: Scott Clifton, only because he might have two soaps voting for him...

OUTSTANDING YOUNGER ACTRESS
BRITTANY ALLEN (MARISSA, AMC)
LEXI AINSWORTH (KRISTINA, GH)
EMILY O'BRIEN (JANA, Y&R)

Brooke's comments: Maybe Lexi. What's with only three noms for the younger actor/actress categories this year?
Melanie's comments: Brittany Allen?? Seriously?? Well, at least Molly Burnett isn't one of the nominees. Not sure what Emily submitted. I'll go with Lexi, who gave a great performance in the Kristina/Keifer abuse story.
John's comments: Emily??? Emily thinks she deserves the nod? What for? Making the world hate Jana even more than they already did? Go Lexi!

Well that's our take on the nominations! What about you guys? Who do you think is going to win? Who are you rooting for? Who's missing? Which nominations are undeserved? Let us know!

-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

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

Tom Casiello Leaving Young and the Restless!

Emmy winning writer Tom Casiello has announced he's leaving The Young and the Restless. After a long and successful career in soaps, he's decided to move on. Read his touching good-bye message here.

Casiello has been with Y&R since 2009 and held writing positions at ATWT, OLTL, and Days, as well as interning at Another World. He was also a contributor to Sam Ford's "The Survival of Soap Opera" (review coming soon!). During the 2008 writers strike, Casiello became a fan favorite in the soap community after starting a blog discussing soaps and his experiences as a writer and a fan.

That's when I discovered Casiello - his blog and subsequent interviews on various podcasts allowed fans to get a glimpse at what goes on behind the scenes at their favorite shows. No juicy gossip or snarky b*tching, just an explanation of things from the perspective of a soap industry insider. He humanized TPTB (shaming me into not calling them "TIIC" anymore), making it clear that everyone wants what's best for our shows. During one interview, Casiello explained a story decision that was made for Days' Hope (I've forgotten the exact story/plot), and while I still didn't like it, I finally understand why it was done and that TPTB weren't "dumb" for doing it but in fact had a good reason for going in that direction. While the details of that interview are vague, one thing has stayed with me - that I should try to see things from TPTB's perspective instead of demonizing them.

Through his blog posts, interviews, tweets and facebook comments Casiello has proven himself to be not only a talented writer, but a thoughtful, kind and fair minded human being. Casiello has a love of the genre and a genuine affection and respect for the fans, and that was appreciated by all of us. While I'll be sad to see him leave the daytime soap world, I wish him much success in his future endeavors!

**Btw, one particularly awesome blog post of Casiello's was Soap-Opera Writing 101. If you want to write for soaps or are just curious about the process, I highly recommend you check this out. It's a step by step example of how it's done (using an aired Sami/EJ scene as a guide). Read it here.

Update: Since this was posted, it has been announced that Tom Casiello has been hired as part of the WWE writing team. Good Luck Tom!
-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

Are All My Children and One Life to Live Being Cancelled or Not??

I don't know about you guys, but my head is spinning. Rumors of All My Children's cancellation have been picking up steam for weeks and recently, much to the surprise of many fans, One Life to Live was thrown into the mix. Was it possible that two ABC soaps were on the chopping blog? Many in the soap and mainstream media seemed to think so. Even Agnes Nixon's son-in-law, David Hiltbrand, wrote a piece for philly.com that read like a Farewell Letter to AMC (read about it here). Not a good sign.

But maybe there's hope after all? Lorraine Broderick has just been hired as new headwriter at AMC (read SOD/SOW's announcement here). And check out these Soaps In Depth ABC's tweets:

• Great news kids: #AMC is NOT being canceled. Even better news: Lorraine Broderick is bring named headwriter. It's official.
• No word on #OLTL. But hey, one miracle a day. Lol
• Folks, when something's a rumor, I say so. Same when it's fact. #AMC being safe and Broderick being named headwriter? FACT.
• it's from an ABC spokesperson. Press release will go out Monday.

While this sounds good, I'm still hearing that AMC and OLTL are in serious danger and that breaks my soap lovin' heart.  One of my biggest regrets is that I didn't campaign to save Guiding Light or As the World Turns. For too long I was in complete denial about the possibility of their cancellation, and then it was too late. I'm hoping AMC and OLTL fans realize that they have to be proactive. Even if their shows are saved at the last minute, it will be a temporary reprieve.

In the next week or so I'm going to try and post info on Save AMC/OLTL campaigns and suggestions on what fans can do to save their shows.  For now, I recommend checking out The Pine Valley Exposer's "Help Save AMC Now" post - it's got all the info you need to get started.

We need to let TPTB know we love our soaps and want to keep them on the air! If we don't fight for our shows, no one else will!

Let me know what you think!
-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

5 Problems with the Jake Dies & Joss Lives Story on General Hospital

Jake, we hardly knew ye...

Well I just got done watching a week's worth of General Hospital episodes. My head hurts, my eyes are burning and I suddenly have the urge to get as plastered as Luke was when he 'allegedly' ran over Jake Webber/Spencer. I was struggling with whether or not I should write anything about the Jake/Joss story. There's already so much negativity surrounding this story, do I really want to kick a dog when it's down? The answer is, Yes...Yes, I do.

I should warn you guys: I'm not going to argue that they shouldn't have killed him. The truth is that if the story had been done well, I could accept it. I know all the arguments against Jake being the one who died, and while I understand them, I don't necessarily agree with them. I might address that at a later date, but for now, here are 5 Reasons why this story isn't working for me.

1. Lightening Speed Storytelling: In the blink of an eye: Joss got sick, Jake got hit by a car & was pronounced brain dead, Carly begged for Jake's organs, the transplant procedure was done, the Who Done It began and was "solved," Joss recovered & everyone in town confronted Luke. That's 6 months of storytelling told in a few weeks. I know Guza wants to make this Must See TV. Telling the story so quickly means fans will have to tune in every day, otherwise they might miss something important. I get it, but it sucks. One reason we love soaps is that they, unlike any other type of TV shows, can take their time with a story. They can play every beat of every story and almost tell it in real time. Emotionally, it's unsatisfying when everything is rushed. And let's face it, the faster stories like these are told, the sloppier the storytelling tends to be.

2. MIA Characters & Conversations: A big problem with Lightening Speed Storytelling is that we're not getting the characters & conversations that we should be getting. I'm echoing thousands of GH fans when I ask "Where the H*LL is Bobbie Spencer?" She's Joss's grandmother, Luke's sister, and Lucky's aunt (not to mention BJ's mom) - she should be All Over this story. Where are the Qs, Laura, Audrey? Oh and where is Jax?? You know, Joss's father. Why has Ingo Rademacher been relegated to making cameo appearances in a story that's about his daughter?? There are plenty of conversations I would have loved to have seen: between Jason/Monica, Jax/Elizabeth (remember: she miscarried his child years ago - and now she's responsible for giving him back Josslyn), Lucky/Sam, Bobbie & Everyone, etc...

3. We Weren't That Invested In Jake & As It Turns Out, Most of the Characters Weren't Either: Okay, Liason fans were invested in him, but it occurred to me that unless he was in a story where he was in danger, we really didn't see him very much. It's weird to hear characters talk about Jake: Lucky: "Remember that time when Jake did this...and did that?"  Well no, actually I don't. Lucky: "Jake was so adventurous, he was Fearless!" He was? Really? Nice to know.  Lulu: "He was So Special!" Wait...did Lulu know Jake? Did Luke know Jake? Maxie: "I remember seeing him at Emma's party. He was amazing!" Huh?? It's like suddenly all these people just loved him so much, yet over the years I don't think we actually saw them with Jake. And then there was the memorial service that many of the characters couldn't be bothered to attend. In all honestly, were you all that invested in Jake? What do you think of the pic I used for this blog? Be honest, you thought it was Jake right? HA! It's actually Justin Henry (of Kramer vs. Kramer fame)! You didn't notice right? See...that's how much you weren't invested in Jake! Okay, I'm kidding. I'm sure you all knew it wasn't Jake, but I think you get what I mean. We hardly knew him and neither did most of the characters.

4. Weirdness: There are some things that are just plain weird. Like Lucky saying he always imagined Jake becoming Captain of a Spaceship (wha?) Or how about when Lucky and Luke were screaming at each other, their heads about to explode, Luke wails in agony, cut to commercial break, and when we come back they're suddenly completely calm (wtf??) And again, there's the Phantom Memorial Service that half the town didn't go to. Jason, Luke, Brenda and Sonny didn't even want to go. Shoot, Brenda seemed to think it was funny that they weren't going (seriously, was it me or did Brenda and Sonny seem incredibly callous about the whole thing?) Were the Qs even invited?? I get that Guza wants to save $$ and time (there's that Lightening Speed Storytelling again) but not showing the service and especially not having so many people in town attend it was just plain weird - and it took me completely out of the story.

5. Unfortunate Comparisons: This might be the worst thing of all - I just can't help comparing this story to other stories: GH's BJ/Maxie, DAYS' Zack's Death (Bo and Hope's little boy, hit by a car driven by his half-sister), Y&R's Cassie's Death, ATWT's Reid/Chris, RH's Baby Edmund's Death. While those stories had their flaws, they were all told better than this story, imo.

So far, I'm giving the Jake/Joss story a C. Terrific performances. Sloppy Storytelling.

What do you guys think??
-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

He Said/She Said: As the World Turns

Almost two weeks ago (yikes!), our SoapWikiJohn blogged about the final week of ATWT in the latest installment of our He Said/She Said: ATWT Finale series. He loved Jack and Carly’s wedding, Parker’s decision to become a cop and Katie getting a happy ending with Chris. He was also highly critical of the final week, his major complaints being: No enough returns, useless recasts of Liberty and Hope, lack of Martha Byrne, no happy ending for Luke or Nuke and too much Janet. Judging from what I read on the blogosphere, twitter and in the mainstream soap press, J’s thoughts mirrored what many fans felt about the finale. For the most part, I agree with a lot of what’s been said, though I do seem to hold some unpopular opinions (be prepared for a defense of Janet!) It’s been awhile since the final week of ATWT aired, so forgive me if some of the things I mentioned were aired before the final week. So here’s my roundup, Good/Bad/Ugly Remix style!

He Said/ She Said - As The World Turns Final Week - Part 1

There is no denying that there was a lot of good within As The World Turns final week, but even so there were a lot of issues that could have easily been rectified. So grab your hat, and get ready because we are about to dive right back in to Denial Island's "He said / She said debate!"

To read my thoughts on the final episode click here, and to read Melanie*SoapOperaBabble*daisyclover1938 (.... She could not possibly pick a longer username could she?) click here.

Let's tackle the good first shall we?

Jack and Carly Got Married!

So within the final days of world turns, the fan favorite coupling of Jack and Carly reunited and got married one final time. The wedding was nice, simple, and brought closure to the CarJack coupling's story.

The wedding also brought the character of Parker full circle as he announced (with the help of Margo) that he was going to join the academy and follow in his father / stepfathers footsteps.

Another good storyline for the week was Katie and Chris's relationship, it was nice to see the two of them happy and for Katie to get her happily ever after that she has always deserved.

See Mel, I can do nice! I can, really! But um now let's get onto the bad.

No returns!

Okay let's see, we have a 54 year old show, with hundreds of people going through the doors to Oakdale, and you are telling me we cannot have ANY returns within the final week? Not even for CarJack's wedding? I mean even at the end of Guiding Light they recast Payton and brought her on, but we cannot get a recast J.J?

There were so many little characters and little moments that could have brought up so much history and tied things together so much nicer. Why didn’t Daniel return and have the past between Emily and Tom winked at while Emily is getting ready to marry Paul. Or we could have had a recast Liza, or seen Johnny, or any of the little kids in Oakdale for that matter.

Oh but we did see the kids you say, we saw Recast Hope and Recast Liberty….And that brings me to my next point. WHY DID WE NEED THEM? I am sorry, I know that they didn’t really want to kill off the character of Liberty after having just killed off her father. But the death would have been so much more memorable and made so much more sense then recasting the character with someone we didn’t care about so to have a plot device and suck up more airtime that could have been devoted to other things. Then we have Nu-Hope……again what was the point? The character lusted after her cousin and made a fool out of herself while she was busy worrying about reuniting mom and dad….then at the end of the day she made no real contribution to the story what-so-ever.

But hey, at least we got to have Martha Byrne back for…oh wait we didn’t, we got to see Holden and Lily reunite a little but no real closure whatso ever. And that is just bull crap. I am sorry it is, they could have easily brought Rose either back from the dead, or as a ghost and helped wrap up the storylines while giving the fans one last good-bye to an actress that they loved.

There was NO HAPPY ending for 'Nuke'?

Okay are you serious P&G? Out of all the characters you gave unbelievable endings to, the only one you decided to happily forget is the one who happens to be a homosexual? Wow there is no horrible discrimination here at all is there? I didn’t need to see an ‘instant’ relationship, but why couldn’t Noah have called Luke and invited him to come down to LA for a bit, and their last scene been a reuniting kiss?

To Big of a focus on Janet -

I love Janet, I love the actress and all of her hard work, but I did not need for the entire final week of World turns to be about her and her baby! There was other things we could have focuses on had we simply wrapped up that storyline on Monday and moved on with things. But that was not going to happen, we instead got Janet and Dusty EVERY SINGLE DAY. While I understand that the storyline was a part of ATWT's history and needed to be wrapped up nicely, you could tell that the writers were trying to force the storyline, and that is why for me at least it fell flat.

Anyways that's my take on the final week, look for Mel's posting soon as we continue to discuss the ending to a fantastic show.

This is Coronation Street: The 1st 5 Episodes

For anyone out there who, like me, loves classic soaps and is curious about non-US shows, here's a tip for you: Netflix has a series of Coronation Street DVDs available to rent, including This is Coronation Street: First 5 episodes & The Anniversary Special, Coronation Street: Farewell to Mike, and Coronation Street Family Albums. I can't wait to watch these dvds and figured I'd blog my thoughts here for fellow Denial Islanders who might be interested in checking them out.

First up: This is Coronation Street: The First 5 Episodes

First, a warning: I am almost a complete newbie to Coronation Street. Besides watching this dvd, the Farewell to Mike dvd awhile ago and a couple of random eps on YouTube, I'm pretty clueless about the show. So please forgive the lack of knowledge I'll be displaying here, lol.

Here's what I do know: the show premiered on December 9, 1960, in B&W, airing two evenings a week. From what I could tell in the first 5 episodes, the show is set in a working class town and deals with the lives of the various people who live on Coronation Street. A nice surprise at the end of two episodes is the camera panning down the street, listing the actors credits in front of their characters' homes - a fun way of letting the audience know where the characters live in relation to one another.

I enjoyed these episodes tremendously and found myself disappointed that I could never watch the rest of the show. Within just a few episodes I began caring about these characters and wanting to know what ended up happening to them - though the dvd features 'Character Profiles' which answered some of my questions (it includes character bios, years they appeared on the show, and their various addresses during their time on the show.)

A special shout-out to my favorite character on the show: Ena Sharples (played by Violet Carson)

Separated at Birth?

Corrie's Violet Carson (Ena)

and

Character Actress Anne Ramsey

At first, I thought Ena would be a character I loved to hate, but I have to admit, I just loved her. A churchgoing, bar-dwelling, tough, judgmental, busybody who seems to always be getting into fights with people - this character is hardly original. Yet, Ms. Carson played her with such gusto, dignity and genuine pathos - I found myself caring for the curmudgeon in spite of myself. I just can't let this character go! I'll have to try and find some clips of her on YouTube.

As most of you may know, there is only one actor who has stayed with the show through its entire run: William Roache (as Ken Barlow). 50 years of playing the same character is not unheard of (Don Hastings was Dr. Bob Hughes continuously for 50 years on ATWT), but it's impressive nonetheless. From what I've read on wiki, the character is considered a bore, but I was intrigued by him. What I liked about these first 5 episodes is that it dealt with realistic problems: difficulty in marriages, a mother dealing with a son just out of prison, romantic woes, and most intriguing, University student Ken's conflicting feelings regarding his working class roots. While being close to his family, and not wanting to be ashamed of where he comes from, you can tell there's a desire to break free and pursue a more intellectual and prosperous life. How ironic then that out of everyone, it would be Ken who remained on Coronation Street for his entire life.


Thanks for reading my Coronation Street babbling! I highly recommend this dvd to Soapies with an interest in soap history. I'll be watching the other dvds as well. Next up will be This is Coronation Street: The Anniversary Special. (FYI: The Anniversary Special and The First 5 Episodes are actually part of a 2 disc collection under the name This is Coronation Street, however, Netflix has them listed separately.)
-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover1938

Latest Soap Ratings: Sept 13 - 17, 2010

As the World Turns reaches #4 again! *sniff* *sniff*

Credit Soap Opera Network

September 13 - September 17, 2010
(Compared to Last Week/Compared to Last Year)

Total Viewers
1. Y&R 5,048,000 (-69,000/+46,000)
2. B&B 3,193,000 (-58,000/-153,000)
3. GH 2,641,000 (-101,000/-61,000)
4. ATWT 2,593,000 (+18,000/+105,000)
5. DAYS 2,510,000 (+16,000/-360,000)
6. AMC 2,387,000 (-81,000/-211,000)
7. OLTL 2,327,000 (-130,000/-236,000)

HH
1. Y&R 3.5/13 (same/-.1)
2. B&B 2.3/8 (same/-.1)
3. GH 2.0/7 (same/same)
4. ATWT 1.9/7 (same/+.1)
5. DAYS 1.8/7 (same/-.3) <- ties low rating (11th straight week)
5. AMC 1.8/6 (-.1/-.1)
5. OLTL 1.8/6 (same/-.2)

For Demographic breakdowns, Day-To-Day and Seasonal numbers, visit Soap Opera Network

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover1938

He Said/She Said: As the World Turns

It's been a week and a day since the last episode of As the World Turns aired and I'm still in mourning. ATWT was never "my" show, but I watched it regularly since the 90s and while the show wasn't perfect (what show is?) I thought it had a lot of life left in it. When fellow Denial Island resident SoapWikiJohn suggested we do a series of He Said/She Said pieces about ATWT and it's finale, I thought it would be a nice way to keep the show alive for a little while longer. We're thinking about doing this in Parts - Initial Reactions, Final Week/Final Year, Characters, etc... I hope you enjoy the discussion, and we'd love for you to share your thoughts and memories of ATWT.

To read SoapWikiJohn's Initial Reaction to the ATWT finale, click here

I agree with some of John's observations: the happy endings did seem forced and rushed, and the Reid/Luke/Noah fans were cheated. But generally, I liked the last episode. I cried, I laughed, and I enjoyed all the performances. Not to mention the fact that I got what I'd been wanting desperately for years - John and Lucinda together again!!! I was also moved by Bob's narration (which seemed very Our Town-ish to me). Call me corny, but I liked the happy endings - it's what we fans wish for our favorites, and it's something we can only get when a show ends. Most of all, I liked that the show's finale was really about what soaps should always be about: Love, Family & Friends, and Community.

I didn't love everything though. I was shocked that Eileen Fulton was relegated to what was essentially a cameo appearance, it did seem rushed (as if TPTB just ran out of time and quickly slapped something together at the last minute), not enough interactions between the characters, too many of whom seemed to exist in their own little bubble (Paul and Emily, for instance), not enough returns, and I was hoping for lots of clips. Most of all, it was heartbreaking that Martha Byrne wasn't there. Noelle Beck is a fine actress, but not having Byrne resume her signature role as Lily was criminal and a real slap in the face to the actress and her fans.

All that said, I found the final episode to be satisfying. Sure, it could have been better but I'm hesitant in being too critical because 1) I don't know what kind of restrictions TPTB were working under and 2) It seems useless to pick on a show that's gone now, went out on a high note, and I found to be more entertaining than most of the other soaps still on the air.

So these are my initial reactions. Look for SoapWikiJohn and I to get into a more detailed discussion about ATWT in the upcoming weeks! I know I plan on discussing: my beloved Reid & LuRe, CarJack/Janet/Dusty, favorite stories/characters, and stuff I hated. And I'm sure SoapWikiJohn and I are going to do lots of arguing!!

Thanks for reading! We'd love to hear what you think!
-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover1938

The Great As The World Turns He Said - She Said Debate Part 1 - Initial Reactions- The He Said Version

Welcome one and all to a good ol' fashion "He Said" vs. "She Said" debate! Me and our Melanie will be tackling the end of As the World Turns, in which we will debating the finer points to the final months of this groundbreaking soap opera and how it's executive producers, writers, and cast decided to handle the daunting task of ending such a epic show.

Since our Mel isn't quite ready yet I am going to take it upon myself to start off the debate.

In part 1 of our debate we will simply be tackling our 'initial reactions' to the series finale.

Initial Reaction To The Finale-

After finishing the final episode of World Turns I could not help but grasp that the show was 'really' over. The final story thread of Bob Hughes, played by actor Don Hastings, retiring and narrating his final day was the most brilliant decision that TPTB made when planning the final episode. But unfortunately for me, I found the rest of the episode to be very bland.

When discussing the Guiding Light finale many fans speculated that there was a giant list created to which Ellen Wheeler simply checked off as the episode progressed. I kinda got the exact same feeling from the As The World Turns Finale. That someone had a mandated list of 'things that HAD to happen' and that is why everything was forced into nice little bubble.

The most shocking thing about the finale however was lack of closure for the 'gay' storyline. As I will get to in a moment, the Luke, Noah, Reid storyline was botched in what appeared to be an attempt to give the 'Nuke' fans a happy ending. Only that 'ending' did not appear on screen. While EVERYONE else in Oakdale seemed to be given a happy ending, Luke was left by his lonesome, mourning the death of his boyfriend Reid.

I have come to accept the loss of ATWT, but that does not in anyway negate the fact that the show had it's issues.

So there you have part 1 in our hopefully on-going debate about the end of World Turns! Look for the 'She Said' edition soon, followed by part 2 in which we tackle some of the more gritty details of the shows ending.

Latest Soap Ratings: Sept 6 - 10, 2010

Nice to see some weekly gains for all our shows! And I'm thrilled that ATWT hit #4 in Total Viewers!!

Credit Soap Opera Network

September 6 - September 10, 2010
(Compared to Last Week/Compared to Last Year)

Total Viewers
1. Y&R 5,117,000 (+144,000/+119,000)
2. B&B 3,251,000 (+107,000/+21,000)
3. GH 2,742,000 (+82,000/-45,000)
4. ATWT 2,575,000 (+207,000/+227,000)
5. DAYS 2,494,000 (+51,000/-226,000)
6. AMC 2,468,000 (+48,000/+7,000)
7. OLTL 2,457,000 (+82,000/-22,000)

HH
1. Y&R 3.5/12 (same/-.1)
2. B&B 2.3/8 (+.1/-.1)
3. GH 2.0/6 (+.1/-.1)
4. AMC 1.9/7 (+.1/same)
4. ATWT 1.9/6 (+.2/+.1)
6. OLTL 1.8/6 (+.1/-.1)
6. DAYS 1.8/6 (same/-.2) <- ties low rating (10th straight week)

Women 18-49 Viewers
1. Y&R 1,108,000 (+96,000/-15,000)
2. GH 966,000 (+85,000/+35,000)
3. OLTL 714,000 (+57,000/-34,000)
4. B&B 711,000 (+74,000/+12,000)
5. DAYS 706,000 (+28,000/-63,000)
6. ATWT 620,000 (+84,000/+64,000)
7. AMC 599,000 (+6,000/-58,000)

Women 18-49 Rating
1. Y&R 1.7/11 (+.2/same)
2. GH 1.5/9 (+.2/+.1)
3. DAYS 1.1/7 (+.1/-.1)
3. OLTL 1.1/7 (+.1/same)
3. B&B 1.1/7 (+.1/same)
6. ATWT 0.9/6 (+.1/+.1)
6. AMC 0.9/6 (same/-.1)

Girls 12-17 Viewers
1. GH 50,000 (+8,000/-2,000)
2. Y&R 48,000 (-1,000/+35,000)
3. OLTL 46,000 (+20,000/+14,000)
4. ATWT 36,000 (-1,000/+31,000)
5. AMC 27,000 (+13,000/+16,000)
6. B&B 24,000 (-9,000/+7,000)
7. DAYS 17,000 (+8,000/-2,000)

Women 18-34 Rating
1. Y&R 1.0/7 (+.1/-.2)
1. GH 1.0/6 (+.1/same)
3. DAYS 0.8/5 (same/-.1)
4. OLTL 0.7/5 (+.1/-.2)
4. B&B 0.7/4 (+.1/-.1)
6. ATWT 0.6/4 (+.1/same)
7. AMC 0.5/4 (same/-.3) <- ties low rating (3rd straight week)

Men 18+ Viewers
1. Y&R 1,185,000 (+62,000/-13,000)
2. B&B 719,000 (+46,000/+65,000)
3. DAYS 549,000 (-4,000/-10,000)
4. ATWT 522,000 (+62,000/+106,000)
5. AMC 499,000 (+28,000/+21,000)
6. GH 495,000 (-8,000/-7,000)
7. OLTL 444,000 (-4,000/+22,000)

For Day-To-Day and Seasonal numbers, go to Soap Opera Network

- Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover1938

(ATWT finale starts in a half an hour - *sniff* *sniff*)

ATWT Promo "In Love, But Out Of TIME!"

The end is here, with only a few episodes left here is the promo for ATWT.

So are you in love with ATWT? Do you think it deserves to live, or have you accepted it's death are are ready to say good-bye?

Martha Bryne "I Haven't Even Been Contacted"

Well isn't this just great. Actress Martha Bryne announced in a recent interview with
SOAP CENTRAL LIVE that As The World Turns has not contacted her for a return as either Rose of Lily for the finale. With that said the actress would be more then happy to return, even if it was for a day.

Now keep in mind that there is still some time left before the finale shoots, but it is not looking likely for a Martha Bryne return.

Are you dissapointed in this news? Would you have liked to see Martha return? Or are you happy that she isn't returning? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Latest Soap Ratings: April 12 - April 16

Yikes! Big losses for all the shows, with OLTL and ATWT hitting all-time lows.

Credit Soap Opera Network

April 12 - April 16, 2010
(Compared to Last Week/Compared to Last Year)

Total Viewers
1. Y&R 4,902,000 (-431,000/-378,000)
2. B&B 3,200,000 (-53,000/-274,000)
3. GH 2,580,000 (-188,000/-45,000)
4. DAYS 2,563,000 (-154,000/-249,000)
5. AMC 2,426,000 (same/-146,000)
6. ATWT 2,258,000 (-65,000/-272,000)
7. OLTL 2,253,000 (-227,000/-310,000) <---- new low (Previous low: 2,254,000 for December 21-25, 2009)

HH
1. Y&R 3.5/13 (-.3/-.3)
2. B&B 2.3/8 (same/-.3)
3. GH 1.9/6 (-.1/-.1)
3. DAYS 1.9/7 (-.1/-.2)
5. AMC 1.8/7 (same/-.2)
6. OLTL 1.7/6 (-.1/-.2) <---- ties low rating (Last time: March 22-26, 2010)
7. ATWT 1.6/6 (-.1/-.3) <---- ties low rating (Last time: August 3-7, 2009)

Day-To-Day Ratings - HH/Total Viewers
AMC
Monday: 1.9/2,600,000
Tuesday: 1.9/2,573,000
Wednesday: 1.8/2,382,000
Thursday: 1.7/2,267,000
Friday: 1.8/2,307,000

ATWT
Monday: 1.8/2,425,000
Tuesday: 1.7/2,343,000
Wednesday: 1.6/2,204,000
Thursday: 1.5/1,986,000
Friday: 1.7/2,323,000

B&B
Monday: 2.4/3,417,000
Tuesday: 2.3/3,417,000
Wednesday: 2.4/3,388,000
Thursday: 2.0/2,691,000
Friday: 2.2/3,085,000

DAYS
Monday: 2.0/2,675,000
Tuesday: 1.9/2,542,000
Wednesday: 1.9/2,578,000
Thursday: 1.9/2,487,000
Friday: 1.9/2,533,000

GH
Monday: 1.9/2,608,000
Tuesday: 1.8/2,557,000
Wednesday: 2.0/2,742,000
Thursday: 1.9/2,480,000
Friday: 1.8/2,515,000

OLTL
Monday: 1.7/2,267,000
Tuesday: 1.7/2,441,000
Wednesday: 1.7/2,281,000
Thursday: 1.6/2,090,000
Friday: 1.7/2,184,000

Y&R
Monday: 3.7/5,198,000
Tuesday: 3.6/5,147,000
Wednesday: 3.6/4,953,000
Thursday: 3.3/4,610,000
Friday: 3.4/4,604,000

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover1938

ATWT: Reid Kisses Luke!!

I just watched today's ep of ATWT and I am Flying High! Reid kissed Luke and I've officially gone Fan Girl Crazy for LuRe. Good actors, awesome chemistry and fab writing - that's what makes a Great Couple (gay or straight.) Luke and Reid are my favorite newbie couple (sorry Noah). I'm sure I'll write more about my LuRe Love at some point, but until then, here's The Kiss:



-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover1938
04/22/10

Why I Am Bored With US Soaps

Okay I know what you are thinking, another post by the crazy man about disliking programming that has been on longer then he's been around, correct? Well let's hold off the bashing until I finish talking...or rather typing I guess it is.

Recently I have been examining the soap opera industry trying to get back the passion and love that I had for the industry just a few years ago. But with the cancellation of the soap that got me into the industry (Passions) and my favorite soap of 2009 period (Guiding Light) I have been finding it harder and harder to enjoy these series.

Now As the World Turns is about to stop turning, and I cannot bring myself to tune into that dreadful series for fear that I will only hate myself more if I do.

The Industry as a whole has lost it's will to live. One Life To Live has never fully recovered from the 2007 writers strike, Bold and the Beautiful is banking on a few more years of Ridge/Brooke/Taylor triangle before they have to call that mess quits. Then we have the "NUMBER ONE!" rated soap having doppelgangers, fake deaths, baby switching, craziness along with horrendous acting.

With that said General Hospital and Days Of Our Lives have both been, arguably, good as of late. The problem is that both of those series have series issues. General Hospital completely blew (in the minds of a lot of fans and some crew) the whole Kristina / Keifer abuse storyline by essentially ending it to quickly and having no real long term conseqences come out of it except that Alexis ran someone else over. DAYS meanwhile just needs to continue to beef up its younger actors with um...more capable hands, and keep improving the day-to-day writing.

Now this post wasn't for me to say that I am "GIVING UP" on the industry, far from it! I truly want the industry to survive, but I am personally getting tired fo the same old crap being on my screen when I could spend that time watching another soap that is either still airing in another country, or I could be watching repeats of classic soaps (Like Dark Shadows, the Aussie soap Sons and Daughters, and many others). Will I give up on the current US line up? Not yet, but I might be tempted to cut back some of my US Soap Viewing if things continue the way they are.

Do you agree with the points I made? Or are you on the complete opposite end and think I am full of it? Let me hear your thoughts and lets debate it in the comments below.