Daytime’s Most Famous “Love to Hate” Characters

By Marlena Delacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman For any soap opera, a “love to hate” character is money in the bank.  Fascinated by their endless power to manipulate other characters and instigate interesting plots, these diabolical characters are adored by audiences who avidly follow all that they do.  “Love to hate” characters … [Read more...]

On Soaps, We Believe What We Choose to Believe

By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman General Hospital: Soaps or biology -- which do you choose to believe? On General Hospital this week, surrogate mother Maxie had a miscarriage (of the week-old embryo that is Dante and Lulu’s child) and barely noticed it. The same evening, New Year’s Eve, a drunk and apparently rejected … [Read more...]

The Kardashians: A Soap

By Connie Passalacqua Hayman aka Marlena De Lacroix Soap starved, I have become obsessed with the Kardashians.  Every day, I can't wait to see what's happening with the three sisters whose IQs combined don't top mine.  But never mind that. Their lives are filled with romance, glamour, strum and drang, not to mention heavy make-up:  things … [Read more...]

What’s to Watch Now?

By Marlena De Lacroix As the World Turns was over on Friday and at least two dozen of my old soap pals all called or wrote. But what to watch now? If you are still around to watch afternoons, it's slim pickings. Days is way too juvenile even to contemplate. Young and Restless is very competent soap opera. But someone help! We're left with the … [Read more...]

All My Children: Daytime’s Brigadoon, But What Happens Next? Part 2

By Marlena De Lacroix In Part 1 of this column, I used that great 1947 Broadway musical in which a mythical ancient town full of joy and real human goodness reappears and vanishes once a decade as a metaphor for the brief return of Lorraine Broderick as headwriter of All My Children. Ms. Broderick's self-chosen short-lived return represented … [Read more...]

All My Children: Daytime’s Brigadoon (But What Happens Next?) Part 1

  By Marlena De Lacroix When I was a young girl my mother took me to City Center in Manhattan to see a revival of the 1947 Lerner and Loewe musical Brigadoon.  In it, two American men on a trip to Scotland stumble upon a strange town, the Brigadoon of the title, from a Can Agnes Nixon, who brought us this revival of Pine Valley as … [Read more...]

The Daytime Emmys: Happy At Last

For another view of the Daytime Emmys, read the post following this one by Marlena's longtime friend and colleague Ed Martin.  A veteran TV industry journalist and analyst, Ed is a columnist for JackMyers.com. By Marlena De Lacroix From out of a dying soap industry, from out of a cable network I never watch, last night arrived the most … [Read more...]

Depressions and Soaps Don’t Mix

Thinking Fans Comment Update: renee argues, "Soaps have tackled so many great social issues and done them well, but those in charge of soaps today are suspect and will not handle the topic (of  joblessness) with respect" ... DSO816 hopefully suggests, "I believe the dramas currently on air can craft timely stories of some characters' layoffs, but … [Read more...]

Dee-A-Palooza Day Three: Searching for the Real Deidre

Thinking Fans Comment Update: John says "Deidre's Marlena is imo the greatest soap heroine ever" ... though Alan Ryan prefers the Dr. Marlena Evans of the 70s and 80s ... and more.  See Comments below. _________________________  By Marlena De Lacroix In 1986 I was given an assignment by a major women's magazine to interview Deidre Hall, … [Read more...]

All My Children’s Eileen Herlie Dies; Her Myrtle Was a Beloved “Mom” to Us All

Thinking Fans mourn the passing of Ms. Herlie:  Pat loved her cosmpolitan gypsy flair ... Tess relished her confrontations with Langley ... Dale says she stole our hearts ... while Joey wishes for Myrtle's blueberry muffins and lemonade ... and more. See Comments below.  _________________________  By Marlena De Lacroix  I just heard that … [Read more...]