I went to the Daytime Emmys for the first time in 1981, when Douglas Watson (Mac, “Another World”) and Judith Light (Karen, “One Life to Live”) won Best Actor and Actress. How great it was, then and in many years after, to get all dressed up, and head to the Red Carpet, reporter’s notebook in hand. Meeting the stars! Being eyewitness to the … [Read more...]
On “GH”: How Dr. Britt Got Her Smile
October 25, 2026 by 2 Comments
Have you ever done a double take while watching a soap? Every once in a while a show does something that is so unusual you have to give yourself a while to read and think about it.That’s how I felt last week when I saw the “General Hospital” episodes in which Dr. Britt Westbourne (the always entertaining Kelly Thiebaud) went to a bar one … [Read more...]
Thank Goodness It’s Still “Bold and Beautiful”
October 19, 2026 by 2 Comments
Have you checked the soap sites on the Internet lately? They are filled with angry letters from longtime fans of “General Hospital,” the once great soap that has suddenly turned terribly disappointing. During the summer I wrote about this alarming downturn. (“When Plots and Characters Don’t Make Sense,” our headline advised, “It’s … [Read more...]
Tom Lisanti’s New Book Examines In Depth “Another World”‘s 90-Minute Version and Its Two Failed Spinoffs
October 11, 2026 by 13 Comments
A review: “Another World: The Drama Behind TV’s Only 90 Minute Soap” by Tom Lisanti, published by BearManor Media________________________________________________ I grew up on “Another World.” As a teenager I became addicted to daytime soaps because I found the Alice-Steve-Rachel love triangle to so appealing. Alice, a nurse (played by … [Read more...]
The Struggle to Overcome Interstitial Cystitis Needs Help
October 1, 2026 by 2 Comments
Marlena says: It's been my experience that those in the daytime industry--and its fans--have big hearts and are very charitable. Today I am departing from the usual Marlena format to reprint a story I recently wrote for the ICA Update magazine, published by the Interstitial Cystitis Association, about my forty years of experience with a very … [Read more...]
Bravo! “General Hospital” Repeats Tony Geary Tribute
September 6, 2026 by 6 Comments
Marlena says: Soaps are not designed to go into reruns. We viewers are so hungry for good entertainment, we want a new episode every day. However, this Monday, Labor Day, ABC offers a real treat: a repeat of the very fine memorial episode dedicated to Tony Geary (1945-2026), broadcast originally Feb. 21 of this year. Here is my review, published … [Read more...]
“General Hospital”‘s Strange Summer: When Plots and Characters Don’t Make Sense, It’s Not Viable Soap Opera
August 31, 2026 by 15 Comments
We all love “General Hospital.” I watch it every day in real time and I don’t accept phone calls or let anyone bother during that important hour. “GH” is a show that has delivered us wonderful entertainment over the years—for me personally, since Luke and Laura’s glorious and first romantic summers in the early Eighties. That’s why I’m so shocked … [Read more...]
In Memoriam, Lance Jackson: Conservator of Historic Soap Opera Theme Music
August 22, 2026 by 4 Comments
Marlena says: Today I am saddened to hear of the passing of my dear friend Lance Jackson. Close friends reported that he died in Atlanta of cancer at 67. I profiled Lance, a church organist and fervent soap fan, last year. Here is a reprint. His husband Richard passed a year ago, also a cancer victim. I was always grateful for Lance's support. … [Read more...]
“Young and Restless”‘ Joshua Morrow: State of the Art Soap Actor
August 18, 2026 by 2 Comments
In 80s and 90s, many debuting soap actors used their roles as steppingstones to primetime and further fame. Good examples include Alec Baldwin (Billy, “The Doctors”), who went on to “Knot’s Landing,” and John Stamos (Blackie, “General Hospital”), who went to “Full House.”At the same time, there was a cadre of talented actors who weren’t … [Read more...]
How Creator/Headwriter Michele Val Jean Brought Hope Back to Soap Operas with “Beyond the Gates”
August 6, 2026 by 11 Comments
Think of where daytime soaps were in 2023, when “Days of Our Lives” went to Peacock and the only three network soaps left were CBS’s “The Young and the Restless,” CBS’s “The Bold and the Beautiful,” and ABC’s “General Hospital.” No new soap operas had been created since “Passions” in 1999, and ABC had canceled “All My Children” in 2011 and “One … [Read more...]
