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...]

Beverlee McKinsey: Singularly Magnificent

By Marlena De Lacroix I feel sorry for younger soap fans who never got to see Beverlee McKinsey on soaps prior to her retirement from major roles in daytime in 1992. McKinsey, who died last week in California at 72 of complications from a kidney transplant, was singularly  magnificent! When she came to Another World in 1972 as rich, rich Iris … [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...]

Marlena Is Back

Hi Everyone. Thanks so much for your patience these past three weeks. My father, Cosmo Passalacqua, who was 85, passed away April 18 after a two week hospitalization for a heart attack.  My dad was a career  transportation executive for the Department of the Army.  He was very, very intelligent and funny and had a persona that was bigger than … [Read more...]

A Note from Moose

Hi Everyone, Just a note to let you know that our dear Marlena hasn't posted to this site lately because she's dealing with an immediate and very urgent family emergency.  Rest assured she'll be back very soon. Best regards, Moose  … [Read more...]

Who Created All My Children’s Erica and Sugar on the Run?

By Marlena De Lacroix You ever think you're going to hate something and you wind up liking it?  I certainly chortled when I heard jail-bound Erica Kane on All My Children was going to escape  from the cops during a  police van crash and go on the run handcuffed to a  bank robber named ... Sugar. Some AMC writer has to be an old movie fan, I … [Read more...]

General Hospital’s Stephen Macht: Can Character Actors Save Soaps?

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...]

As the World Turns: Good-bye to Martha Byrne, The Real Thing

By Marlena De Lacroix It's hard to watch daytime soaps chip away piece by piece, and of course no one actor is daytime TV.  But watching Martha Byrne leave As the World Turns (because of a contract disagreement  with P&G) is really painful.  If ATWT can be looked at as a truly American, heartland soap (as do my friend Sam Ford and his … [Read more...]

Marlena to One Life to Live: “I Hate Todd”

By Marlena De Lacroix I never liked the character of Todd Manning on One Life to Live.  I never understood him.   After he was introduced in 1992 as one of three gang rapists of college coed Marty Saybrooke, the character skyrocketed to become one of most popular characters on OLTL, if not all of soaps, and has stayed that way until … [Read more...]

Douglas Marland: A Personal Remembrance

Douglas Marland:  May 5, 1935 - March 6, 1993 By Marlena De Lacroix In 1981 I was the editor of a soap magazine which had a great reputation and no budget.  Every year we gave out awards, but we had to do it in small ceremonies on the set.  My head was whirling from the first one on the set of All My Children.  An actor I had admired who … [Read more...]