By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a Connie Passalacqua Hayman The Young and the Restless: Finally a soap does what I’ve long advocated for this era of desperation: perform a radical life-saving change to save itself. Y&R has sent in then Marines in the form of new executive producer Jill Farren Phelps and new headwriter Josh Griffith. And Marlena … [Read more...]
Sunday Reflections 3: The Young and the Restless, General Hospital, Days of Our Lives
July 28, 2012 by 12 Comments
Marlena Refreshed and General Hospital Done Right
July 20, 2012 by 4 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman Hi, darlings! How do you like the marlenadelacroix.com site’s new look? Marlena needed to be refreshed, so I went in for some work. If Jeanne Cooper can have her face lifted so publicly on screen as Katherine Chancellor so many years ago on The Young and the Restless, and the equally … [Read more...]
Introducing “Sunday Reflections”: General Hospital, The Young and the Restless, Days of Our Lives
July 15, 2012 by 11 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a Connie Passalacqua Hayman Sunday is a great time to reflect on what's happened during the week on soaps. So Marlena happily presents the first of a feature called "Sunday Reflections. General Hospital: Leave it to this regime at GH to bring in a GQ mobster, Joe Scully Jr., as played by the mighty fine looking … [Read more...]
Two Tone GHers
July 12, 2012 by 5 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix. a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman What's with the dip-dye hair on General Hospital? When I first saw that Finola Hughes' (heroine Anna Devane) usual dark hair was blond in the lowest regions when she first came back to the show, I thought it was unusual as a hairstyle But I chalked it up to the fact that … [Read more...]
Review: Day One of Good Afternoon America
July 9, 2012 by 3 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a Connie Passalacqua Hayman I watched the premiere of Good Afternoon America today with cold fear in my heart: Will this show be good enough to replace (and thus cancel) General Hospital if it really catches on this summer after this nine-week experiment? I got the heebee jeebees right away. Hosts Josh Elliot and … [Read more...]
B&B: Does One Show-Eating Storyline Work?
July 8, 2012 by 5 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman Bradley Bell has been trying a bold soap experiment the last three quarters of a year on The Bold and Beautiful, featuring one storyline, the Hope-Liam-Steffy triangle, almost to the exclusion of most others. And he's been succeeding -- the ratings are still comparatively healthy. So I ask … [Read more...]
The Mega-successful, Classy World of Bill Bell
July 5, 2012 by 2 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passlacqua Hayman When I was a girl soap reporter, I called him "Mr. Bell" during interviews because of Bill Bell's exalted status in the soap industry. And Bill Bell (1927-2005) would just laugh and go ahead to speak about what one always talked to him about: the work. He was the only person I ever … [Read more...]
The Young and the Restless: When a Good Cliffhanger is Far From Enough
June 29, 2012 by 6 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman I just finished watching Friday's episode of The Young and the Restless. Paul discovered Ricky holding Eden in his bathroom, his son's bloody knife held firmly to her throat. She had passed out due to hitting her head on the bathtub. When Ricky wouldn't drop the knife, a shocked P.I. … [Read more...]
Daytime Emmys 2012: Respect Was Surprisingly Shown
June 25, 2012 by 6 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a Connie Passalacqua Hayman Today I'm going to use a word I've never used in a decade of viewing the Daytime Emmys (but nearly always used when I attended the 22 years previously). I actually "enjoyed" Saturday night's Daytime Emmys on HLN.Don't freak out -- there are "excepts" which I'll get into later. You see, … [Read more...]
A Shout Out to Hollywood Heights
June 21, 2012 by 1 Comment
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman Although I am decades older than the target audience, I enjoyed the first four episodes of the new Hollywood Heights. It's the new teen soap on Nick at Nite, created, written, produced and acted by several daytime veterans. What I really admire about this show is that it has good soap … [Read more...]
