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...]

All Hail La Strasser: She’s the “Alexis of Daytime” — Again!

  By Marlena De Lacroix About 1984 or so, when the primetime world was at the height of Dynasty-mania, all the daytime soaps were hustling to introduce characters, all costumed in big-brimmed hats,  who were supposed to be the "Alexis of Daytime."  Elizabeth Hubbard, new as Lucinda on As the World Turns, was supposed to be the Alexis of … [Read more...]

I’ll Take Manhattan(ites)

By Marlena De Lacroix My friend Roger Newcomb, who is the editor of  We Love Soaps, invited Moose and me to attend a Tribeca screening of Manhattanites, the film he co-produced with Lyle Kaminer. We really enjoyed  it, and I think you'll like it too, especially if you are a soap fan. Manhattanites tells the story of a group of young people … [Read more...]

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...]

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...]

Guiding Light and All Soaps: Don’t Change the Quirky Characters We Love!

By Patrick Erwin Being a Guiding Light fan hasn't been an easy road over the last few years. But one consistent bright spot for me has been the mother-daughter duo of Doris and Ashlee Wolfe. Ashlee, in particular, is always a joy to watch. She's a full-figured ball of energy, quirky and often funny, even when she doesn't intend to be. I think my … [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...]

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...]

10 Sweet and Soapy Valentine’s Day Questions

By Marlena De Lacroix 1.  Is it my imagination or did bravura actress Sarah Brown return to General Hospital (as Claudia Zacchara) with a little something extra under the signature slutty red wrap dress?  And isn't fierce mob princess Claudia very similar to Maerose Prizzi (Oscar winner Anjelica Huston) the fierce mob princess who wants to take … [Read more...]

Marcie Surrenders Her Son on One Life to Live: A Rare Soap Opera Grand Slam

By Marlena De Lacroix While we were all bitching and moaning about Budig, I for one almost missed the soap opera story of the year.  This is the denouement of that Marcie-on-the-run story on One Life to Live, in which Marcie had fled Llanview with her "adopted" son (newly handed over by the court to Tommy's biological father, rapist Todd), … [Read more...]