How many times have you seen a soap villainess or villain -- or even a soap hero or heroine -- do something that is so wrong and so bizarre that you've jumped up from your armchair and screamed: "WHAT IS WRONG with her/him?" In the vast, messy world of today's soap opera -- where cheap thrills usually trump character development, history is all … [Read more...]
On the Soap Shrink’s Couch: General Hospital’s Carly Corinthos Jacks
June 12, 2008 by 11 Comments
By Damon L. Jacobs Hello and welcome to my cyber office. These sessions will be an opportunity for us to examine the psychological profiles of some of our favorite soap characters, explore their symptoms, and get a better grasp of why they do the things they do. My hope is that we will have a dialogue about each person, and this will lead to a … [Read more...]
General Hospital’s Monstrous Lies, All My Children’s Truthful Memories
May 22, 2008 by 45 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix Yesterday, I was trying to write my long promised column against the most perversely inhuman, possibly most disturbing soap storyline of all time, but the words just would not come out. I'm talking about the General Hospital storyline written by Bob Guza that began with 12-year-old Michael getting shot in the head and … [Read more...]
10 Merry Mid-Month of May Questions
May 14, 2008 by 13 Comments
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
May 1, 2008 by 20 Comments
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...]
More Emmy Noms 2008: How ‘bout a Little Self-Respect?
April 30, 2008 by 5 Comments
By Patrick Erwin Basketball may have its March Madness, but the soap world has its own spring madness ritual -- the Daytime Emmy nominations. The discussions about this year's nominations have come fast and furious since they were announced yesterday. Marlena gave her take on the whole process, and I had a few thoughts of my own I thought I'd … [Read more...]
General Hospital: Looking Back on 45 Years
April 1, 2008 by 23 Comments
(A note from Marlena: It's General Hospital's 45th anniversary! Here's a celebration of the event by my good friend and journalistic colleague Ed Martin. Ed and I have been happily debating General Hospital over coffee now for almost ten years -- and believe moi, we're not always happy about the current state of the show. Still, Ed is clearly … [Read more...]
General Hospital’s Stephen Macht: Can Character Actors Save Soaps?
March 26, 2008 by 14 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix Every week for months, there have been rumors that Stephen Macht's tough mob lawyer character, Trevor Lansing, is about to be whacked on General Hospital. So, while there's still time, I'd like to say that I'm really enjoying Macht's performances in the role this season. Yes, Macht, the 60ish actor with the pock markets, … [Read more...]
A Tribute to General Hospital’s Shell Kepler
February 12, 2008 by 5 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix Nurse Amy Vining was a supporting character on General Hospital, but she was omnipresent throughout the fabled Luke and Laura/Gloria Monty years. After all, she was Laura's sister! As Amy, Shell Kepler, who died last week in Oregon, always had a quick quip or a giggle for anyone who hung around the nurse's station. My … [Read more...]
