10 Merry Mid-Month of May Questions

By Marlena De Lacroix and Patrick Erwin 1.  When you saw John-Paul Lavoisier as Rex in his recent pre-wedding scenes on One Life to Live, wandering around a bar drunk, shirtless, and disheveled with a wild head of hair, didn't he remind you just a little of Bamm-Bamm from The Flintstones? 2.  Have you been lost in the maze of brunettes on As … [Read more...]

Daytime Emmy Noms 2008: The More Things Change, the More They Remain the Same

By Marlena De Lacroix I first attended and wrote about the Daytime Emmys in 1980 and I should be over them by now.  But I continue, year after year, to be exasperated by the fact that two things never change.  1) No matter how many times they have been revised or have been updated over the years, the nomination and award processes are still … [Read more...]

Patrick’s Postcards from Oakdale, Salem and Springfield

By Patrick Erwin Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't been around as much lately.  I've been dealing with the plot twists and turns of my own storyline, including a move to another city -- not just any city, but the Windy City of Chicago. Chicago is, of course, the cradle of soaps, where Irna Phillips started it all and where Bill Bell began. … [Read more...]

Days of Our Lives’ Glorious Sweeps Event

By Marlena De Lacroix My readers know what disdain I usually have for stagey sweeps stunts, so imagine my shock at being sucked into the very beginning of last Friday's episode of Days of Our Lives and then spit out an hour later thoroughly entertained ... and even thrilled! The plane carrying various members of the Brady family returning … [Read more...]

10 Sweet and Soapy Valentine’s Day Questions

By Marlena De Lacroix 1.  Is it my imagination or did bravura actress Sarah Brown return to General Hospital (as Claudia Zacchara) with a little something extra under the signature slutty red wrap dress?  And isn't fierce mob princess Claudia very similar to Maerose Prizzi (Oscar winner Anjelica Huston) the fierce mob princess who wants to take … [Read more...]

Rape Stories: Days of Our Lives Shows That “No” Really Means “No” This Time

By Patrick Erwin For all its onscreen and offscreen turmoil, Days of Our Lives seems to have a few stories working for it right now. One of them is Chelsea and Stephanie and the sorority girls dealing with the aftermath of the campus rapist, Ford, who raped Stephanie and Cordy and threatened Chelsea. Initially, the story didn't seem too … [Read more...]

Back to the Future: Soaps Try to Revive 80s Glory

By Patrick Erwin The death of the soap opera may have been widely exaggerated -- they're still alive and kicking.  But it's no secret that the patient is ailing.  Ratings for many of the shows are anemic, and they've continued to shrink. … [Read more...]

Marlena’s “Only the Bests” List 2007

By Marlena De Lacroix I no longer do "Best" and "Worst" lists for soaps.  After all, there have been so many "worsts" this year, why would I want to re-inflict the pain on you again?  Moi loves mon readers.  So, only the "bests" for you, darlings. … [Read more...]

Days of Our Lives: A Soap in a Vacuum

By Patrick Erwin Days of Our Lives can be called many things, but "boring" is seldom one of them.  The show's twists, turns, and red herrings sometimes make The daVinci Code look like Dr. Seuss in comparison! … [Read more...]