When people meet me for the first time, they invariably ask me two questions: 1) You have an unusual last name. How do you pronounce it? (I say, “Pass-a-lac-qua. Yes, it’s Italian, and it means “over the water.”) 2) You do WHAT for a living??? Yes, I am proud I have been a soap opera journalist for … oh my, 40 years now. Like many of my … [Read more...]
Soaps Need Comic Relief Now More Than Ever
September 17, 2022 by 4 Comments
As I write this, I am feeling very gloomy. NBC’s Days of Our Lives — a soap I have watched since I was a teenager — has left network television and moved to Peacock, a streaming service. Of course, I and, I trust, all the show’s fans will follow it. And I’m hoping that Days will be just as engaging, maybe even more so, than it was at its old … [Read more...]
Soap Opera Legend #1: Genie Francis
September 7, 2022 by 6 Comments
Many years ago, Blackgama, an association of mink ranchers, started a print advertising campaign that became a cultural touchstone: “What becomes a legend most?” The answer: featuring a star like Lauren Bacall or Barbra Streisand modeling one of its coats. In our daytime soap world, there are numerous legendary performers — both alive and dead. I … [Read more...]
Marlena Says: “Save General Hospital”
August 30, 2022 by 4 Comments
Over the last four decades, Marlena has written many, many stories on “General Hospital” (which premiered in 1963). Now that NBC is moving “Days of Our Lives” to its streaming service, Peacock, as of next month an alarming question arises: Will ABC send its soap standard bearer “GH” to streaming as well? Marlena certainly hopes not! So perhaps … [Read more...]
Michael Malone: A Loss of Llanview’s Best
August 22, 2022 by 8 Comments
This past weekend came the tragic news that former One Life to Live and Another World headwriter Michael Malone passed away in Clinton, Conn. at age 80. He’s remembered lovingly for his Emmy-winning work on OLTL, recognized with the Best Writing award in 1994 and nominations in that category in 1992, 1995 and 1996. He was also a prolific … [Read more...]
Anne Heche: In Memorium
August 16, 2022 by 12 Comments
In my many years watching and writing about daytime soap operas, I can’t remember any time — other than Luke and Laura’s wedding on General Hospital in November 1981 — when the national media paid more attention to our daytime world than it did on Friday when Anne Heche (who played twins Vicky Hudson and Marley Love on Another World) passed away at … [Read more...]
Sob! The End of Broadcast Network “Days of Our Lives”
August 4, 2022 by 22 Comments
Wednesday night brought the alarming news that NBC is relocating Days of Our Lives from its familiar broadcast berth to the network’s streaming service Peacock on Sept 12. At first, it felt like our beloved Days, a soap mainstay since it premiered in 1965, was being cancelled. Horror of horrors! Well, no such thing, thank heaven. But this … [Read more...]
Marlena’s Personal Recollections of Soaps’ Greatest Headwriters, Part Two
July 29, 2022 by 7 Comments
Marlena is ecstatic about the warm reaction to the recent Part 1 of this column. I’m thrilled you liked what I wrote about three great headwriters: Agnes Nixon, William J. Bell and James E. Reilly. This week, I humbly present my recollections of three more: Claire Labine (1934-2016): Co-headwriter (with Paul Avila Mayer) of Where the Heart Is … [Read more...]
Marlena’s Personal Recollections of Soaps’ Greatest Headwriters, Part One
July 16, 2022 by 12 Comments
I got my start as a soap opera journalist in 1979. There were so many shows to watch and write about then — 13, such a feast! For me, the best part of the job was (and still is) meeting, interviewing and getting to know the people who make them: actors, producers, directors, daytime network executives, etc. As a writer, though, I always gravitated … [Read more...]
Daytime Emmys 2022: A Class Act
June 30, 2022 by 4 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman It seemed like old times. After two years of diminished Covid-mandated online ceremonies, the Daytime Emmys, our Daytime Day of Days, returned to network television. And what a class act it was! Kudos to NATAS (National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences) for staging such a … [Read more...]
