The Young and the Restless and General Hospital: Unanswered Questions

By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman Soaps are often very logical, with storyline happenings and conclusions ironed out well in advance. Even so, for many veteran soap watchers it’s hard not to second guess the logic of soap writers. For example, we can see exactly why The Young and the Restless recently decided to make … [Read more...]

Why General Hospital Is So Unsatisfying to Watch Right Now

By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman    We had hope, didn’t we, in those heady days when General Hospital, the leading survivor among network daytime soaps, seemed to be in the ascendancy again. Alas, the good times have faded. These days, watching GH is a very frustrating experience.   Many of the storylines are unsatisfying. … [Read more...]

General Hospital: All Hail the Nurses Ball — and ABC Daytime!

By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman Aren‘t we just having the greatest time watching General Hospital ’s Nurses Ball, the first part of which aired Friday?   I’d like to congratulate all the performers, writers and the crew who participated, especially those two great showmen, executive producer Frank Valentini and headwriter … [Read more...]

General Hospital at 50: They’ve Only Just Begun …

Marlena says:  It's a special time at General Hospital.  The 50th anniversary is coming up April 1 and it's been just about a year since headwriter Ron Carlivati and executive producer executive producer Frank Valentini took over a dying show and made it must-watch TV.  Marlena's dear friend and veteran journalist Ed Martin, who first started … [Read more...]

Is General Hospital’s Vampire Story Too Much? Do The Bold and the Beautiful’s Taylor and Eric Deserve a Little Romance? Is Days of Our Lives Tops?

By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman General Hospital:  So what do you think of GH’s vampire story that features characters from that soap canceled a decade ago, Port Charles?  Because it’s not over yet, I'm not going to conclusively  judge the storyline that already involves one murder (Allison Barrington's)  and has “mad” … [Read more...]

General Hospital Update: Understanding Itself, Misunderstanding Viewers

By Ed Martin It's been two months since executive producer Frank Valentini and head writer Ron Carlivati took control of ABC's General Hospital - long enough by any measure for a creative team to make its mark on a soap opera and make clear what they intend to do with it. Now, I don't want to start right in with the complaints, because … [Read more...]

General Hospital Update: Is it Still on Life Support?

By Ed Martin  I'm not sure what to make of the big surprise on "General Hospital" this week - but then again, I haven't known what to make of GH in a very long time (years, actually). Robin Scorpio is alive - and looking very tanned and rested, I might add, even if she is being held hostage in something resembling a hospital room. Seeing … [Read more...]

Ten Happy Halloween Questions

By Marlena De Lacroix 1.  Isn't it most curious that two of the most intelligent women characters in daytime -- Dr. Marty Saybrooke on One Life to Live and fashion mogul Jackie M on The Bold and the Beautiful -- have gone from brunette to blonde in the last few months?  Fashion, or just another attempt by the networks/shows to "dumb down" smart … [Read more...]

All My Children’s Over-hyped Return of Rebecca Budig

By Marlena De Lacroix A member of our family has been ill, so it's been hard enough to post.  And so at the end of  tough days,  I turn to where I have always turned since I was a teen for a bit of relief, comfort and a sense of belonging:  to daytime soaps.  Right now -- late Saturday afternoon - what's going on is SoapNet's  "Welcome Back … [Read more...]