I was watching “Beyond the Gates” yesterday and I am horrified by what I saw. Sparkplug Leslie Thomas (Tricia Mann-Grant) came to visit the otherwise elegant Anita Dupree (Tamara Tunie) and the two got into a bitch-slap fight. Oh no! Bitch-slap fights, and the catfights they frequently degenerate into, have long been a feature of daytime soaps. … [Read more...]
“GH” Casting Director Mark Teschner: He Never Misses!
August 19, 2025 by 2 Comments
“General Hospital” is having its best summer in years. Sonny Corinthos has a clever and tireless enemy in Sidwell. Super stressed Willow, who left Drew standing at the altar, is having a nervous breakdown because her ex-husband Michael won’t let her see their kids. The action at the Metro Court pool is refreshingly seasonal and entertaining. On … [Read more...]
Tristan Rogers, 1946 – 2025
August 18, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Tristan Rogers, a star of “General Hospital” for 45 years, passed away Aug. 15 at 79. A spokesman said he suffered from lung cancer. What a loss. He was so beloved in our soap world. Rogers, who was from Australia, played charming and jovial superspy Robert Scorpio, the best friend of Anthony Geary’s Luke. According to what is now soap opera … [Read more...]
Everyone’s Still a Soap Critic
July 30, 2025 by 5 Comments
Today, soap journalism is largely a digital affair, replacing our cherished paper magazines of yore. Happily, for the soap world, the websites are booming and today’s scribes -– some newbies and others who’ve been around the track a time or two -- are no less zealous than ever. Everyone’s still a soap critic. Which inspired moi to take a fresh look … [Read more...]
Marlena’s Summer Soiree, Part Two: Daytime Emmys and More
July 22, 2025 by 4 Comments
Bonjour again, mes amies. Are you enjoying the Martimmys I made for you last week, for the first half of our celebration of a sizzling soap summer? Let’s move on to the second half of our look at what’s happening right now, in the middle of the season that is historically prime time for soaps. Normally, we would have had the Daytime Emmys in June. … [Read more...]
Marlena’s Summer Soiree, Part One
July 13, 2025 by 4 Comments
Bonjour, mes amies. It’s summer, primetime for soaps, when our favorite shows put out their best to catch the attention of the lucrative young demographic on school vacation. In the 80’s and early 90’s, it was the season for bare-chested hunks and hunkettes engaged in great love stories. Now, well, let’s have a look. To celebrate summer 2025, … [Read more...]
A Q&A with Soap Opera Expert John K. Read
July 4, 2025 by 14 Comments
Marlena says: Welcome to Marlena’s Soap Opera Hall of Fame, our new occasional series of profiles and Q&A interviews with celebrated soap opera professionals. Our first honoree is veteran soap reporter/critic John K. Read, a.k.a. John Kelly Genovese. In the glory years of soap opera magazines, his weekly insider reports and thoughtful … [Read more...]
“The View”: Present at the Creation
June 20, 2025 by 2 Comments
The name Barbara Walters is synonymous in public memory with Serious Big Time Television Journalism. She conducted a wealth of probing, thoughtful interviews with presidents and kings, world leaders, scientists, movie stars and their consorts. The Reputable and the Disreputable. It’s not an exaggeration to say she interviewed just about every major … [Read more...]
Meet Organist Lance Jackson, Conservator of Historic Soap Opera Theme Music
June 6, 2025 by 16 Comments
Marlena has always said that soap fans make the best and most fascinating friends. Recently, via my Facebook page “Marlena’s Current and Classic Soaps,” it was a pleasure to meet Lance Jackson, a longtime soap fan and church organist who collects vintage soap opera organ themes the way many of us collect classic magazine covers and other … [Read more...]
Gio and Nurses’ Ball 2025 Refresh “General Hospital”
May 29, 2025 by 4 Comments
I’ve become quite aggravated of late with my old favorite, “General Hospital.” Its writers have been overdoing violence: first with the murder of Sam (played by Kelly Monaco) during an organ transplant, then with the on-screen burning of Michael (played by Chad Duell) and finally with the shooting of murderer Cyrus (played by Jeff Kober) by young … [Read more...]
