By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passlacqua Hayman 1. Isn’t it a shame that CBS Daytime (The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful) is going retro just for ratings? Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) and NeIl (Kristoff St. John) running over pregnant Christine (Lauralee Bell) on Y&R? She sadly had a miscarriage. Running over a … [Read more...]
Divine Suspense Plots on General Hospital, Currently Must See TV — Part 2
February 5, 2015 by 6 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman I’ve said some negative things about General Hospital headwriter Ron Carlivati (particularly when he was writing One Life to Live) but in the last few months he has proven he knows well how to write soap opera. As discussed last week in my rave over the “Fluke” storyline, he knows how … [Read more...]
General Hospital: Where is the Love?
November 1, 2014 by 7 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman “Where is the love?” This is a famous soap world quote from the late beloved headwriter Doug Marland (As the World Turns, etc.) spoken when he used to look at other soaps and find anything but. This question can now be most fairly asked of General Hospital, once a good soap opera but now … [Read more...]
Character Actors Add Much Needed Character To Soaps
July 13, 2014 by 9 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman Soap stories, most of which are about romance and love triangles, do tend to get repetitive. Adding variety and spice to this formula are character roles, which do a lot to make soaps more interesting. These characters often provide comic relief and serve as “talk tos” for the main … [Read more...]
Daytime’s Most Famous “Love to Hate” Characters
July 6, 2014 by 19 Comments
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...]
General Hospital: The Emergence of Ava Jerome, One Intriguing Woman
August 3, 2013 by 17 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman They showed her from her legs up, clad in a drop dead red halter dress. This week on General Hospital, Ava Jerome was revealed to be the sister of the new power broker in town -- Derek Wells. As played by soap veteran William deVry, Derek has a shady past: he really is one of GH’s old mob … [Read more...]
As the World Turns Stops: Sobs! All Those Afternoons!
September 8, 2010 by 16 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix When I was in high school I was noted for spending my afternoons watching soap operas and eating cole slaw. Decades later, I am sobbing ... and I mean real big salty tears ... into my slaw as As the World Turns is drawing to a close, heading to With the end of As the World Turns, let’s celebrate soaps. Our memories of … [Read more...]
Watching Sadism For Thrills: Soaps Are Not Snuff Films!
February 18, 2010 by 41 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix Recently I was asked by a fan why I am not posting much anymore. Here's why: Today on One Life to Live I watched a woman who had just delivered a baby graphically fall through ice and drown. Not three months ago I had watched a Does any TPTB on soaps, so desperate for ratings, actually have any moral sense at all, or even … [Read more...]
