Friday, October 31, 2008


THE REAL VETS

The Sedona International Film Festival proudly presents the exclusive Arizona premiere of “Soldier’s Heart” in a special one-night-only engagement on Wednesday, Nov. 12, just following the national observance of Veteran’s Day....

In honor of Veteran’s Day and in appreciation of our armed forces, the film festival is proud to offer free admission to any veteran who served in any war.


“It is our way of saying thank you to the brave men and women who have served — and continue to serve — our country,” said Patrick Schweiss, festival director. “If you are a veteran — from any war — or you know a veteran, this is a must-see movie.”


The film’s writer/director (and also a veteran himself) Brian Delate and lead actor James Kiberd will be in Sedona to host the screenings and conduct Q&A discussions following both shows.


More on Kiberd (Hal-fill-in; ATWT), co-star Cady McClain (ex-Rosanna; ATWT), and the film, here.
HALLOWEEN: ATWT STYLE!

Alas, poor Janet (Julie Pinson). Is she destined to suffer the fate of Great Expectations' Miss Havishan?



In Charles Dickens' classic novel, the wealthy Miss Havisham fell in love with a man who did not truly love her back (rather, he was interested in her money). At twenty minutes to nine on her wedding day, as she was in the process of putting on her wedding gown and shoes, Miss Havisham received a note informing her that she'd been left at the altar.



Devastated, she had all of the clocks in her home stopped at precisely that moment, left their wedding feast, complete with cake, to rot on the table and continued to wear her white gown, with only one shoe, for over twenty years.

Miss Havisham went on to adopt a daughter, Estella. Initially, Miss Havisham meant only to protect the girl from suffering heartbreak as Miss Havisham had. Eventually, however, seeing how beautiful Estella turned out to be, Miss Havisham raised her to systematically toy with men and then to break their hearts -- Miss Havisham's revenge on the world and, by extension, on poor, besotted Pip.

But, Janet's in no danger of being left at the altar, is she? So Jack, Liberty and Parker have nothing to worry about. Right?



Happy Halloween!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

HAPPY (EARLY) HALLOWEEN!





From the citizens of Springfield!

Tune into Guiding Light tomorrow for all the thrills and chills!
SOAPS IN STRANGE PLACES

Your gratuitous P&G soap opera reference for the day...

If only someone had warned poor Rosemary Reilly when she got off the bus from Omaha in 1962. She would never have married frustrated “Another World” day player Guy Woodhouse, they would never have moved into the apartment next door to that kooky old couple and Guy would never have bartered Rosemary’s reproductive system to a coven of geriatric devil worshippers in return for his big break in showbiz.

More What I Learned from Rosemary's Baby, here.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: ALEXANDRA CHANDO (EX-MADDIE; ATWT)

Alexandra Patsavas and Josh Schwartz are developing "Rockville, CA," a music-centered series that will debut on TheWB.com in 2009. Each webisode will focus on a band performing at Rockville, a fictional music club, where the Schwartz-patented ("Gossip Girl," "The OC") teen angst unfolds around them. Among the bands slated to appear are Phantom Planet, Earlimart and the Kooks.... The show, which will have an initial run of 20 episodes, is being filmed at the Echo, located on Sunset Blvd. in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. Attached acting talent includes Andrew West from "Privileged" and Alexandra Chando from "As the World Turns."

More here.
GOING TO THE DOGS

The paws have been raised and the votes tallied. Six very talented dog and cat finalists from across the country have been handpicked to go nose-to-snout in the first annual pet talent search, StarPet 2008, organized by Bideawee, one of the nation's oldest humane organizations....



Hosted by Emmy Award winning talk show host Montel Williams, StarPet 2008 will also include a celebrity judge panel headlined by Supermodel Paulina Porizkova, Michael Musto from the Village Voice, Grammy Award Winner Roberta Flack, Jill Rappaport from the Today Show, Amanda Setton and Michelle Hurd from Gossip Girl, Jenna Morasca from Survivor, Mike Jerrick from the Morning Show with Mike and Juliet, and Celebrity Pet Trainer Bash Dibra. Special celebrity guests include Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Constantine Maroulis from American Idol and Dr. David Best. Elvis, Laurie and Andrew from the Greatest American Dog TV show will also be in attendance, and actress Eileen Fulton from As the World Turns will act as Honorary Chair.



For tickets and more information, click here!
EVANS-LUTION

In May of 1983, Guiding Light's Mindy Lewis felt that she wasn't getting enough attention from her boyfriend, Phillip Spaulding. (Considering how much attention Mindy's doting daddy, Billy, paid her, it was and is still unlikely that Mindy would ever find another man's ministrations adequate.) Mindy faked a fall from her horse and ended up in the hospital, where Phillip and best buddy Rick worked as orderlies. Mindy's roommate was a young woman named Beth Raines, played by then daytime newcomer Judi Evans.



Judi recalled of her first day in Springfield, "I was wheeled in on a gurney and I couldn't stop giggling. All bruised and bloodied and I kept giggling because it tickled. It was fun, like being on a ride. They're saying you can't giggle, you're unconscious."

Beth had been beaten up by her stepfather, Bradley, a pattern of abuse that began when Beth was a child and culminated with Bradley raping the vulnerable teen.

Judi won a 1984 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for Beth's chilling storyline.

"I'd been on the show nine months when I was nominated," Judi explained. "I was so young and so dumb, I didn't know what an Emmy was. But I was truly excited. It was thrilling. I was shocked. I couldn't speak. The presenter shook me and said you have to say something. And I was crying. I didn't know what to say. Afterward, I felt I had to grow up and prove I was an actress, that it wasn't just pure luck."



Judi played Beth until the character's presumed death in 1986. Later that year, she joined the cast of Days of Our Lives as Adrienne Johnson. Adrienne was very different from Beth. Instead of being raped by her stepfather, she was raped by her father. And instead of falling for a spoiled, wealthy but fundamentally good-hearted young man named Phillip who had a controlling father who didn't think she was good enough for him, Adrienne fell for a spoiled, wealthy but fundamentally good-hearted young man named Justin who had a controlling uncle who didn't think she was good enough for him.



Judi left DOOL in 1990 and presumably decided that this was the end of the road for her on-screen victim-hood. In 1991, she took over the role of Paulina Cantrell Cory on Another World. And Paulina rather quickly proved herself to be a woman very different from Beth and Adrienne.

When Jake McKinnon threatened her place in the Cory family, Paulina shot him. (Granted, Adrienne had shot and killed Duke after he raped her, but then she panicked and blocked out the memory. Paulina not only remembered shooting Jake, she wasn't particularly ashamed of it, either.) Jake blackmailed Paulina into marrying him, figuring if he couldn't have his true love, Marley, the Cory millions would make a nice consolation prize.

As Judi described it, "(Paulina) married him, divorced him, and fell in love -- in that order."

To watch the untraditional love story unfold, check out the episodes of Another World currently running on Hulu.com!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008


SOAP REFERENCES IN STRANGE PLACES

A totally bizarre, gratuitous reference, here.

America ends at the edges. Or maybe it doesn’t? Peaches is like Helen Wagner on As the World Turns…

If anyone understands what the author meant by that, please be so kind as to let me know....
ON THE RECORD

William Roache (Ken Barlow of) Coronation Street).... was on BBC Breakfast last week and mentioned a couple of things of note that the press is picking up.

One excerpt from that interview mentions his Guinness record of playing the longest continuous character on television. This isn't however, a world record, as he is well aware. That record belongs to an American actor called Don Hastings who has played Bob Hughes on the American soap, As The World Turns, since October 1960, two months longer than Bill has been playing Ken Barlow. There are two other actors that have played their characters longer but both women have not been continuous in their portrayal. Eileen Fulton, who has played the much married Lisa on the same soap since May 1960, has left the soap three times over the years. Helen Wagner beats them all, having played Nancy Hughes, "Bob's" mother, again on the same show, since April 1956 but was only on the show sporadically over a five year period in the 1980s.

What favor did Mr. Roache ask of Don? Read the rest of the story to find out!


ACTOR APPEARANCE: MARNIE SCHULENBURG (ALISON; ATWT)

Marnie Schulenburg will star in Angel Eaters from November 3 until November 21 at the Wings Theater, located at 154 Christopher Street in New York City.

Tickets available here.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: CHARLES KEATING (CARL; ANOTHER WORLD)

The Guthrie welcomes back beloved stage and screen actor Charles Keating, who returns to the Dowling Studio next month for two nights in his highly-lauded one-man show I and I: The Sense of Self on November 16th and 17th, 2008. Hailed by the Star Tribune as a “humorously transporting look at aging,” the 90-minute personal reflection borrows works from great minds like W.B. Yeats, Shakespeare, T.S. Eliot and Albert Einstein to create an evening of quintessential Keating. Tickets are priced at $18 and go on sale Tuesday, October 28 through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE and online at www.guthrietheater.org.

For more information on the show, click here.

And to watch Carl at his evil, mustache-twirling best (before love turned him into well, there's no way to put it kindly, a lap-dog), check out the 1991 episodes of Another World currently airing at Hulu.com!

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: JOHN WESLEY SHIPP (EX-DOUGLAS; ATWT & EX-KELLY; GL)

Two-time Daytime Emmy Award winner John Wesley Shipp, who played the lead character's father in American drama Dawson's Creek has signed on to join the cast of The Ninja, an action thriller set in a world of corruption.

More here.

To catch up with Kelly's first Morgan, Kristen Vigard (pictured above), check out her website, here.

Monday, October 27, 2008

LIES, DAMN LIES, AND STATISTICS

According to OnlineLayerSource.com: In most general terms, the causes of divorce (and arguably the cause of any relationship dissolution) involve a breakdown or lack of communication, compromise, and/or commitment. Family legal experts cite the following factors as major causes of divorce: poor communication, financial problems, lack of commitment, dramatic changes in priorities, and infidelity. Causes of divorce may also include physical, mental or emotional abuse, substance abuse, lack of conflict resolution skills, unmet needs, failed expectations, and significant discrepancies in parenting.

According to daytime television: The causes of divorce include a heretofore unmentioned spouse coming to town and bringing along a heretofore unmentioned child; a presumed dead spouse returning to town and bringing along a presumed dead and/or unknown child; one partner discovering the other naked under a blanket in a cabin during a snowstorm and snorting with derision at the excuse of "It was just to preserve body heat, I swear!"; most acts of nature - hurricanes, avalanches, floods; a drunken tryst no one seems to remember exactly but is staunchly eager to believe took place; a misunderstanding that could otherwise be resolved in six minutes if only the aggrieved party actually consulted with their spouse, rather than with everyone else in town.

Such disparate lists beg the question: Would you like to see soaps take a more realistic look at marriage?



For instance, would you enjoy seeing ATWT's Brad and Katie split up not over his ex and child, not over a scheming intern, not over her allegedly unresolved feelings for Mike (and Jack. And Simon) but over something more common, like Katie charging up a storm on her credit cards, or Brad buying them a house they can't afford to make payments on and then losing it?



Would you like to see GL's Rick and Mel arguing over something normal, like how hard to push their gifted daughter, Leah? Mel, who was always pushed to be a super-achiever by her parents could be urging her daughter to slow down and enjoy life while Rick, who has made a ton of mistakes, including becoming addicted to drugs, could be obsessed with setting Leah on the right path to success sooner rather than later.



Would Carly and Jack's umpteenth break-up be more believable if it was over her wanting to go back to work while Jack insisted the kids need her at home (and, this time, there was no homicidal puppet involved)? Should Margo and Tom face a fracture in their marriage not from Emily or Doc or a random psychopath but from Tom, following his heart attack, suddenly discovering religion -- and begging a reluctant, unbelieving Margo to join him?



What if Beth became a physically abusive wife to Alan (with her background, its certainly conceivable)? What if Jeffrey and Reva ended up with a seriously disabled child -- and couldn't agree on a course of treatment?

In other words, would you like your soap marriages and inevitable break-ups more statistically realistic, or is the back from the dead spouse why you watch soaps in the first place?

Let us know in the Comments section below!

Friday, October 24, 2008

GOODBYE AND GOOD LUCK!

Guiding Light's cast and crew gathered to say farewell to Nicole Forester (Cassie).



Here is Nicole with:



Executive Producer Ellen Wheeler.



Co-star Caitlin van Zandt (Ashlee).



Casting Director Rob Decina.



Producer David Brandon (GL's Emmy guru).



Nicole is leaving Guiding Light to get married and have her first child.



Miles Williams, who plays Cassie's son RJ is going as well.
THE POINT ISN'T REALLY THE POINT

One of the best things about soaps is how, thanks to the multitude of connections built up over the years by the characters, every scene is about two things: What the scene is presumed to be about, and what the scene is really about.

Exhibit A: The Edge of Night

In the episodes currently airing on the AOL/PGP Classic Soap Channel, the alleged topic at hand is the custody of little Jamey Swift. His mother, Raven, wants him. His father, Logan, wants him.

Clear and simple, right?

Not exactly.

On the stand now is April, the woman who once tried to adopt Jamey when Raven got bored with the whole Mommy thing and went traipsing off to Europe. April is married to Draper. Except that while Draper was presumed dead for half a year, April started developing feelings for Logan, Jamey's father -- and Draper's best friend.

When Draper returned, Logan backed off. But he still kind of, sort of wants April. And when Logan says that if he loses custody of Jamey he'll leave town, April isn't exactly an uninterested party in the matter.

Draper, meanwhile, was once engaged to Raven. He broke it off when he learned that Raven was having an affair with Draper's father, Ansel -- who also happened to be married to Raven's mother, Nadine.

Speaking of Nadine... Her money is the reason Raven is suddenly so interested in getting custody of Jamey. Jamey is Nadine's heir. For this reason, Deborah suspects Raven of having killed her mother.

Nadine's best friend, Geraldine, doesn't agree. But Geraldine has her own ax to grind with Raven. Raven was married to Geraldine's nephew, Kevin. Raven cheated on Kevin and became pregnant with Jamey. When Kevin found out, his behavior became so erratic that it led to Kevin's death.

So what happens when all of these different people and their conflicting agendas get together in one courtroom?

Tune into The Edge of Night right here and find out!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

BRING YOUR DAUGHTERS TO WORK DAY!

Springfield's newest generation returns next week in the form of Maureen Reardon (played by actor Frank Dicopoulos' daughter, Olivia) and Clarissa Marler (Naelee Rae).



Clarissa is the daughter of Blake and Ross, the granddaughter of Holly and Roger, the cousin of Phillip, Samantha and RJ and the second generation Thorpe to be born in Springfield. (Mom Blake, then known as Christina Bauer because she was believed to be the daughter of Ed Bauer, was born on-screen July of 1975.)



Maureen is the daughter of Vanessa and Matt, granddaughter of Henry and Bea, great-niece and namesake of the late Maureen Reardon Bauer and (on both sides) of Quint and Nola, as Quint is her mother's brother and Nola is her father's aunt, and niece of Dinah, Bill and Bridget.

That's a lot of Guiding Light history contained in a pair of little girls!
PHOTO PREVIEW: ATWT

Jack gives Janet a ring.



And now.... Carly's got her clothes off.



I am never going to understand men.

See if you can do any better.

Only this week, only on As the World Turns.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW: ROBBY BENSON (BRUCE; SEARCH FOR TOMORROW)

We made brief mention yesterday of Robby Benson's childhood gig on Search for Tomorrow. Now, the 52 year old former child actor/teen idol/director/writer/college professor and, of course (if you've got kids in the house), voice of Beast, is directing a movie about evangelist Billy Graham -- and finally dealing with show business on his own terms.

Read his eye-opening interview, here.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: MATTHEW BOMER (EX-BEN; GUIDING LIGHT)

USA Network said Tuesday it has green-lit the pilot "White Collar," starring Matthew Bomer and Tim DeKay.

The network describes the pilot for the possible series as being "about the unlikely partnership of a con artist and an FBI agent who have been playing cat and mouse for years."


More here.
ANSWER KEY

The answer to our trivia question yesterday: Which classic PGP soap was the launching pad for future sitcom stars Robert Mandan, Nita Talbot and Joel Higgins is...

Search for Tomorrow!



Robert Mandan, probably best known as the philandering Chester Tate on Soap, from 1965 to 1970, was Jo's (Mary Stuart) third husband, Sam Reynolds. Sam charmed Jo by saving her daughter from a knife-wielding drug addict. He managed to avoid seduction by Jo's sister, Eunice, and was exonerated in the murder of his ex-wife, but then fell off a river boat in Africa and was presumed dead. While he was gone, Jo fell in love with another man. (A similar situation happed to Chester, who returned from a presumed-dead bout with amnesia to find wife Jessica involved with the detective hired to find him. Jessica very reasonably explained to him, "We thought you were dead, Chester. And, of course, with you being dead, we did things which we wouldn't usually do when you were here because being dead you are not." I wish more soap characters were so reasonable.) A devoted Jo returned to Sam. Unfortunately, he was suffering from an African brain fever and went insane. Jo eventually ended us falsely accused of his murder. Mandan also appeared in the sitcoms Three's a Crowd, Private Benjamin and as the man who taught Mrs. Garrett The Facts of Life.



Nita Talbot played Rose on SFT from 1954 to 1955. Rose worked for Jo and her business partners, Stu and Marge Bergman, at the Motor Haven Inn. She deliberately poisoned a bowl of the inn's soup so that Jo's reputation would be ruined and the local mob could take over and use the business as a front. ABC Daytime audience might recognize Nita Talbot as Delfina, Luke and Laura's flamboyant wedding gown designer, but she is probably best known for her Emmy-nominated role as Russian spy Marya on Hogans' Heroes. In addition, the actress has guest-starred on everything from Perry Mason to Peter Gunn, Gomer Pyle to All in the Family, and Remington Steele to Ellen.



Joel Higgins played Bruce Carlson on SFT from 1975 to 1978 (the role was originated by a fourteen year old Robby Benson, and later played by Gary Tomlin, currently the Co-Executive Producer of DOOL). Bruce was a Jo's ward and a friend of Henderson's younger generation, Stu's grandchildren Gary and Liza. His love interest for a time was Jennifer, played by Morgan Fairchild. The actor went on to star in the sitcom Best of the West, and later Silver Spoons. Most recently, he wrote lyrics and music for Johnny Guitar (read all about it, here).

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

SOAP STARTS

Which PGP classic soap was the springboard for the career of the following sitcom stars:



Robert Mandan of Soap fame.



Nita Talbot of Hogan's Heroes.



Joel Higgins of Silver Spoons.

Find out tomorrow (complete with classic pix)!

But in the meantime, post your best guess in the Comments below!
PHOTO PREVIEW: GL

Heartbreak of the non-traditional soap kind.







Only this week, only on Guiding Light!

Heart transplant statistics:

* The first human heart transplant was completed in 1967. The patient lived 18 days.

* The first successful U.S. transplant took place in 1968. The patient lived 8 months.

* Current survival rates are as follows:
  • 1 year: 86.1% (males), 83.9% (females)
  • 3 years: 78.3% (males), 74.9% (females)
  • 5 years: 71.2% (males), 66.9% (females)
* The world's longest lived heart transplant recipient has survived for 30 years.

Good luck, Olivia.

And Rick.