By Marlena Delacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman For any soap opera, a “love to hate” character is money in the bank. Fascinated by their endless power to manipulate other characters and instigate interesting plots, these diabolical characters are adored by audiences who avidly follow all that they do. “Love to hate” characters … [Read more...]
Should Children and Babies Be Killed off on Soap Operas?
June 15, 2014 by 8 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman Back in the day … way back, actually … it was unheard of to kill off children, especially babies, on soaps. The traditional audience was, after all, stay at home moms who watched or listened to their soaps while rolling out pie crust or ironing the family laundry. Today, the taboo has … [Read more...]
Ridge Forrester: Master of B&B’s Universe
April 13, 2014 by 3 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman Every soap opera needs a leading man. But perhaps because Ridge Forrester seems to have been at the center of most plots since The Bold and the Beautiful debuted more than 25 years ago, he seems more like a Master of the Universe than just a plain leading man. Born handsome and … [Read more...]
Happy New Year: Looking Ahead to 2014
December 29, 2013 by 7 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman The new year starts Wednesday, and I have many questions about what’s going to happen on our favorite shows next year. See if you might speculate on the answers, or pose some questions of your own: 1. How is The Young and the Restless going to fill the terrible holes left by the … [Read more...]
The Bold and the Beautiful’s Most Excellent Recast
October 20, 2013 by 14 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman Cheers to The Bold and the Beautiful for the most exciting soap recast of this or any other year: Soap superstar Thorsten Kaye has been signed to played Ridge Forrester, the show’s lead character, who was played from the show’s 1987 debut until last year by Ronn Moss. Kaye, of course, … [Read more...]
Appreciating Three Wise Decisions – In Soap Land, No Less
June 29, 2013 by 9 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman Soap critics never miss a chance to bash all they dislike. But credit should always be given where credit is due. So this week, Marlena would like to give kudos to three significant decisions: 1. OWN, the Oprah network, picked up the first 40 episodes of All My Children and One Life to … [Read more...]
All My Children and One Life to Live: A Triumphant Return!
April 29, 2013 by 16 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman I’d like to congratulate Prospect Park and all the writers, crew, actors and producers involved for sensational online premieres of All My Children and One Life to Live. Both came across as first class, with the sets, costumes and especially the actors looking just wonderful. … [Read more...]
Will a new era begin on Monday?
April 27, 2013 by 1 Comment
Monday’s the big day for the premieres of All My Children and One Life to Live on hulu.com. As a fan of both for over 40 years, I can’t tell you how excited I am. I’ll watch the new shows and report back that same night how I feel about them. I know all of you, my dear Thinking Fans, will be bursting with opinions, too. And I can't wait to hear … [Read more...]
General Hospital at 50: They’ve Only Just Begun …
March 2, 2013 by 13 Comments
Marlena says: It's a special time at General Hospital. The 50th anniversary is coming up April 1 and it's been just about a year since headwriter Ron Carlivati and executive producer executive producer Frank Valentini took over a dying show and made it must-watch TV. Marlena's dear friend and veteran journalist Ed Martin, who first started … [Read more...]
