Thinking Fans Comment Update Sept. 20: Christian in Boston loved Rauch's OLTL except for the lighting (bring sunglasses!) ... James expresses respect ... but Cherry Ames lists Rauch's soap sins, chapter and verse ... and more. See Comments below. ____________________ By Marlena De Lacroix Paul Rauch. That name may send you screaming … [Read more...]
From Bad to Good or Good To Bad: Seven Soap Characters Who Changed Before Our Eyes
Thinking Fans Comment Update Sept. 9: Sina nominates Maxie Jones ... Greg would include Vanessa Chamberlain ... Aaron misses Annie Dutton ... and more. See Comments below. ________________________ By Patrick Erwin It's been interesting to watch recent scenes with Melissa Claire Egan as Annie on All My Children. Once a good girl, Annie … [Read more...]
Soap Surprises: Five Holy @#%! Moments
Thinking Fans Holy @#%! Update Aug. 14: Melanie picks Wayne Northrup's return as Roman on Days ... B3 loved Gwyneth as the killer on Loving ... Carl recalls five faves from Santa Barbara ... and more. See Comments below. ________________ By Patrick Erwin Soap plots have many twists and turns in them, but we rarely get to see a complete … [Read more...]
Soap Shrink: Why Can’t Women Be Allowed to Age Naturally on Soaps?
Thinking Fans Comment Update August 5: Ryan offers kudos to the bigger but still sexy Kim ... esther wants to see more age appropriate attire ... Aaron says the issue isn't pounds, it's Reva's "white trash" look ... and more. See Comments below. ________________ By Damon L. Jacobs There has been a lot of discussion on the boards about … [Read more...]
Do You Love or Hate it When Soaps Repeat Their Histories?
Thinking Fans Comment Update July 31: How to repeat soap histories? Melanie counts the ways ... James cheers the Reva/Josh movie wedding ... while esther is generally unimpressed by retreads ... and more. See Comments below. ____________ By Patrick Erwin Each of the eight daytime soaps on American network TV these days has a … [Read more...]
Why Today’s One Life To Live Reminds Me of the Glory Days of Guiding Light
By Patrick Erwin I've been writing about soaps for a while, but I am a relatively new daily fan of One Life To Live. Yes, as Marlena has observed, some of us soap viewers are boarding the OLTL lifeboat, and I, for one, have bought my ticket! I watched OLTL a bit here and there (especially during the first Malone years), but I am really … [Read more...]
Say What? The 2008 Emmys Had No Class
By Marlena De Lacroix The star of the 2008 Emmys was a body part your mother blushingly called your "backside." Stars couldn't stop talking about derrieres, and wound up acting a lot like them. "Oh, oh, I love your butt, what a cute little butt, I'd take that cute little butt," All My Children's Rebecca Budig (Greenlee) squealed as she … [Read more...]
On the Soap Shrink’s Couch: Guiding Light’s Joshua Lewis
By Damon L. Jacobs Look into his eyes. Those deep blue eyes. There you may see a man who has great capacity for warmth, generosity and concern for his family and community. Look a little deeper, however, and you will also see anger, bitterness and an intense fear of being inferior to others. But let's back up a bit. Guiding Light's … [Read more...]
Marlena’s Emmy Picks in 2008’s Humpty Dumpty Soap World
By Marlena De Lacroix I'm not overly excited about this week's Daytime Emmys. I could be fluffy and say it's because they moved the ceremony to L.A. several years ago and I don't get to go and to buy a dress, and to me (I attended here in New York 23 years in a row) the Daytime Emmys was always about The Dress. But the truth is, daytime drama, … [Read more...]
Losing “The Natural” — An Appreciation of Beth Ehlers, Guiding Light’s Irreplaceable Harley
By Patrick Erwin Beth Ehlers is on her way to ABC and All My Children's Pine Valley, and they're all damn lucky to have her. But for the second time in just a few months, P&G and CBS have made the boneheaded move of allowing someone who was woven deeply into the tapestry of a show to walk away. P&G clearly hasn't learned from the loss … [Read more...]
