HAPPY NIGHT YEAR

The Edge of Night went off the air on December 28, 1985 (what is it about major holidays and soap cancellations?).

In September of 2010, actress Mariann Aalda, who played Didi on the show, began a blog ruminating on what your favorite characters were doing in the new millennium.

In case you missed it the first time, start with the introduction: http://eontoday.blogspot.com/2010/09/introduction.html and keep an Eye on Monticello....

As an added bonus, check out a short story by Guiding Light's Tina Sloan on what she thinks happened to Lillian after the lights went out in Springfield at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/specials/tinasloan.html

SOAP SEARCH

Veteran actress Maree Cheatham is the definition of a soap hopper, having played Marie on Days of Our Lives, Stephanie on Search for Tomorrow, Charlene on General Hospital, Mary on Knots Landing, Mona on Passions, Ceal on Desperate Housewives, and guest-starred on everything from Dexter to Cold Case to West Wing, in between feature film roles in Mr. & Mrs. Smith and The Wedding Singer.

The prolific actress let us in on a little acting secret she picked up from her years in daytime television:

In soaps, the favorite way to end a scene has always been on a close-up of the character driving the scene. Sometimes Stephanie was so evil, I imagined she had a pet snake in her pocket. When the scene ended with a close-up of me, I’d ask if they wanted me to “pet the snake.” It became shorthand for a withering look.

Read more from Maree and a host of other soap opera actors, writers, producers and experts in Soap Opera 451: A Time Capsule of Daytime Drama's Greatest Moments enhanced e-book, available on Amazon.com and BN.com!

ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #138-2

“I’m throwing a soiree,” Felicia informed in a tone that implied they really should have known that already. “At Tops. Right now. Come on, the champagne is on ice, and you don’t want it gone by the time you finally decide to make your fashionably late entrance.”

“When did this happen?” Cass wanted to know.

“I had a spontaneous impulse,” Felicia’s voice wrestled for dominance with the jangles of the bracelets she’d decked out on both arms. “Out with the old, in with the new! What better time to celebrate than the present?”

“What exactly are we celebrating?”

“Life!”

“Could you be more specific?” Cass requested.

“My life. My old life. The one Donna took away from me when she killed Jenna, and almost Lori Ann, as well. Well, I’m not about to let her have a minute more of it. What is it they say about living well being the best revenge?”

***

Felicia resolves to get her groove back - much to Cass and Frankie's concern, Jamie and Lorna find themselves cut off, Dean breaks through Jeanne's reserve, Charlie attempts to apply Zeno's advice to Kirkland - with potentially tragic results, Morgan takes the low road, and Grant hears from the last person he ever expected.

Ring in the New Year with your Bay City favorites at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2011/2011_138p2.html

GOOD READS BY GOOD READS!

As promised earlier, I am offering free copies of either The Man From Oakdale, Jonathan's Story, or Another World 35th Anniversary for anyone who posts a review of my latest soap book, Soap Opera 451: A Time Capsule of Daytime Drama's Greatest Moments (shipping within the continental US only; while supplies last).

Here is an example of a review from Good Reads:

It was a nice little tidbit and a nice way to remember the soaps. The enchanted e-book version is wonderous as it links you to the YouTube scenes of the moments they talk about in such a way that you can relive the magic as well.

More reviews at Amazon.com!

SOAPY E-READS!

Thank you to TulsaWorld.com (if you're a Guiding Light fan, you know why just the mention of Tulsa makes me smile) for running Cindy Elavsky's (@Celebrity_Extra) interview with me regarding my work with Another World Today, Mindy's Twitter, and Soap Opera 451: A Time Capsule of Daytime Drama's Greatest Moments Enhanced E-book.

DD: Tell me about your enhanced electronic book “Soap Opera 451.”

AA: I reached out to the fans on transmedia – Facebook, Twitter, fan clubs, soap sites – and I asked them to tell me their favorite, most memorable moment from the beginning of soaps until now. I received a wonderful avalanche of responses. Once I compiled those lists, I went to either the actor, writer or producer who was involved in the scene, and I got the story of how the scene came together.

For example, after Linda Dano tells you about what it was like to shoot the intervention scenes on “Another World,” there the scene is – you can click a button on your tablet and watch it. I developed the idea as a fan and as a consumer.

Read the entire piece at: http://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/article.aspx?subjectid=275&articleid=20111225_275_TV35_Whiley353384&rss_lnk=4

Did you find a brand new iPad, Kindle Fire, Nook Color or other tablet under the tree? Want to read a book designed especially for what they can do?

Is there an Amazon or BN.com gift-card burning a hole in your pocket? Then make sure you check out Soap Opera 451: A Time Capsule of Daytime Drama's Greatest Moments Enhanced E-book at either Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Write a review of it, send me a link to your post at AlinaAdams@gmail.com, and I'll say thank you by mailing you a free copy of either The Man From Oakdale, Jonathan's Story, or Another World 35th Anniversary Scrapbook (offer good in the continental US only; while supplies last).

Finally, if you want a sneak peek at what an enhanced e-book is like, go to: http://www.fictionalcandy.com/2011/12/guest-post-alina-adams-murder-on-ice.html and enter to win a free copy of my mystery novel, Murder on Ice!

Happy Holidays to all!

ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #138-1

Marley paused for a long beat. And then she said, “Grant.”

“What about him?” Alice wondered.

“He lost Kirkland because of me. If Grant hadn’t been trying to help me, he never would have been placed in the position of being forced to trade away Kirkland.”

“No one forced Grant to do anything. He made his own decision.”

“A decision I drove him to.”

“A decision he made of his own free will. Granted, because of his feelings for you.”

“I couldn’t even look him in the eye afterwards. I can’t imagine how he must feel, how much he must hate me.”

“Is that why you banned him from visiting you here?”

“I couldn’t bear facing his disappointment, his contempt.”

“If he truly felt that way, would he have tried as hard as he has been doing to see you? Your rejection broke his heart, you may take my word on that.”

***

Marley makes a confession to Alice, Carl and Rachel plot to outsmart Chase, Steven needles Sarah about her mystery man, Matt comes to a decision about Donna, John deals with his final issue regarding Gregory's death, and Dean continues to be confused by Jeanne.

It's New Year's Eve in Bay City at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2011/2011_138p1.html

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

It's Christmas 2011 in Springfield, and Mindy has a whopper of a surprise for Phillip and Beth.

How does St. Nick fit in?

Watch the classic Guiding Light 1983 holiday clip below:



Then find out at: http://twitter.com/#!/MindyLewisBauer and help Guide the Light!

ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #137-2

"Why don’t we just do Christmas here?" Jasmine wondered plaintively. "Like always.”

“I don’t live here anymore, Jazz,” Matt reminded gently. “I explained all that to you.”

“Oh,” she said, nodding, doing her best not to sneak a peek Carl’s way, even as that’s precisely what Elizabeth and Cory did at Matt’s words, while Carl stared back defiantly at them all.

“I’ll drive her over as soon as we’re done,” Lila told Matt coolly. “I’ll give you a call when she’s ready.”

“I can wait for Jazz to get changed,” Matt said.

“We’re in the middle of something,” Lila hissed. “Show a bit of respect, Matt. If not for your mother, at least for your daughter.”

“It’s okay, Mama,” Jasmine hurried to appease. “I can get dressed super-duper-fast. Don’t worry. Don’t fight.”

“Your daddy and Jeanne can wait. And we aren’t fighting. Are we, Matt?”

He hesitated, taking in the squirming Jasmine, the nervous Cory and Elizabeth, the torn Rachel and… Carl. Did Carl actually appear to be enjoying this?

****

Rachel and her children deal with the consequences of their estrangement while Lucas fills Lorna in about her own family's disintegration, Sarah asks Grant for a surprising holiday gift, Felicia and Morgan compare war wounds, Zeno offers Charlie inspirational advice as Cass and Frankie celebrate a multitude of happy occasions.

It's Christmas in Bay City 2011 at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2011/2011_137p2.html

WIN A FREE ENHANCED E-BOOK!

For the past year, I've been talking about enhanced e-books and how I think they could be a cost-effective way to transition soap operas from television onto the Internet.

What's an enhanced e-book, you may ask?

Read all about it here, here, and here.

Or you could see for yourself.

Go to: http://www.fictionalcandy.com/2011/12/guest-post-alina-adams-murder-on-ice.html and enter for a chance to win a totally FREE copy of Murder on Ice: Enhanced Multimedia Edition.

This Figure Skating Mystery was originally published by Berkley Prime Crime in 2003. The Enhanced E-Book Edition features all the text of the paperback original, plus skating videos courtesy of The Ice Theatre of New York embedded as an integral part of the story.

Check it out and let me know what you think of the book, the overall concept, and it's potential as the future of both publishing and television!

NEWMANS HEAD INTO A NEW YEAR...

A Young & Restless Christmas from 1998...

Cassie is tiny! Victor and Nikki are together (as are Victoria and Neil - much to Cole's cranky displeasure)! Nick has very, very fluffy hair! And Victor gets all morally superior!

GENERAL HOSPITAL CHRISTMAS 1979

There's Steve and Audrey and Anne and Jeremy and Tommy and Joe and Jeff and Alice...



And Lesley and Rick and Amy and Laura and Scotty (and more Alice)...



Watch... and remember....

ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #137-1

It's time for the Ghosts of Bay City Christmas Past!

Who will visit whom - and what lessons will they offer for the new year?

Find out at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2011/2011_137p1.html

SANTA (BARBARA), BABY!

Santa Claus has been arrested by smarmy DA Keith (Justin Deas)! (Where did all those toys come from, huh?) And it's Julia (Nancy Lee Grahn) and Mason (Lane Davies) to the rescue, in this Christmas-themed episode of Santa Barbara:



When I interviewed Lane for Soap Opera 451: A Time Capsule of Daytime Drama's Greatest Moments enhanced e-book, he told me: Mason’s top moment? I am sadly under-qualified to make a judgment like that. I'd put some of the early Santa Barbara episodes against the best of them, though.

A fan, however, did write: I loved the Mason and Julia love story, and I think Santa Barbara was so extraordinarily terrific with Santa Claus during the Christmas episode….

Enjoy!

TO LIFE!

Yesterday, as part of my mania to make a merry soap Christmas - no matter what the real world may have to say about it, I posted a classic AMC holiday clip of the Martins Making Merry.

Today, we have One Life to Live and Christmas 1989 with the Buchanans.

There's Bo with Sarah (#1 - before she went off to Another World - literally and soapily), the late Clint Ritchie as the original Clint, Cord, Viki, Renee, a pre-teen Kevin (before the recast roller-caster kicked in), teeny tiny Joey, Jessica (we can assume Natalie is hanging with Roxy and Rex, messing up Christmas Carol lyrics) and CJ, a Chuck (!) mention - and Asa promising to make amends.

Check it out below:

ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #136-2

“I beg your pardon,” Rachel sputtered upon accidentally walking in on Lila mid-lip lock with… the Mayor of Bay City?

The pair turned around in unison, shocked, guilty, stunned, embarrassed.

“I’m sorry,” Rachel repeated. “I didn’t mean…” Before the obvious question surfaced. “What are you two doing in here?” she indicated her husband’s study.

“I’m afraid it’s my fault, Mrs. Hutchins,” Chase stepped forward so smoothly, Rachel felt certain that, even if she hadn’t immediately recognized him, she’d have known a polished politician anywhere. “Lila and I were headed…” he made a vague gesture that could have been anyplace, but one that Rachel interpreted as the direction of Lila’s bedroom – exactly as Chase had intended. “When I decided to get… spontaneous. I’m very sorry. I should have known better. Is this your personal office?”

“My husband’s, actually…”

“Then, please, do pass my apologies on to him.”

“Or you could just not mention it altogether,” Lila regained her power of speech to suggest, following up with, “I’m mortified enough as it is.”

“Mr. Hamilton…”

“Call me Chase, please.” He offered Rachel his most dazzling, photo op smile.

She appeared anything but enchanted. “I must admit, I’m rather… surprised by this display.” She left it to him to discern precisely what had triggered her… surprise.

***

Jamie offers Lorna a different perspective on her family while Lucas stays the course with Felicia, Rachel disapproves of Lila's choices, Sarah twigs to Steven and Jen, Kirkland makes a confession to Charlie, Grant mourns what he's lost, and Matt and Dean face off over Donna.

All at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2011/2011_136p2.html

SOAPY HOLIDAY COUNTDOWN!

'Cause we need a little Christmas/Right this very minute/Candles in the window/Carols at the spinet....

It hasn't been the merriest of holiday seasons up to this point (i.e. The Grinch Who Stole Soaps), so I say we need a little daytime Christmas. NOW.

First up, All My Children from 1991.

The Martins host a party, Brooke is pissed off, Dixie is missing a presumed dead Tad (but not so much that she hasn't hooked up with new sleaze-about-town Craig), Jamie's an innocent infant, JR's a sweet toddler - and brunette (and still called Junior), and Tom wears an ugly sweater. Enjoy!

LIKE SKATES THROUGH THE HOURGLASS... (AS THE DAYS SKATE?)

As soon as the weather starts to turn nippy, thoughts turn to Winter. Which means Winter Sports. Which means, specifically, figure skating.

This winter, skating is particularly uppermost in my mind as I am in the process of re-releasing my Figure Skating Mystery series, originally published by Berkley Prime Crime, as enhanced e-books, with skating videos embedded alongside the text as part of the story.

The first novel, Murder on Ice, is a (very) thinly disguised take on the 2002 Olympic judging scandal. Only in my version, the judge who cast the unpopular vote and gave the gold to Russia over the West turns up dead soon after.

Who done it? A skater? A coach? An official? A fan? (Hopefully, I did a good job of laying out the clues!)

Of course, as regular readers of this blog know, my first love is soap operas. Which is what led me to the absolutely, LOL, hysterical clip below.

Days of Our Lives' John and Marlena explain the judging scandal (complete with trademark flaring nostrils, negligees, and pregnant pauses)! You must watch this!



And afterward, check out Murder on Ice: Enhanced Multimedia Edition at: http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Ice-Enhanced-Multimedia-ebook/dp/B006LEH0L6/ref=sr_1_7?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1323788873&sr=1-7

NOW IT CAN BE TOLD...

Like any soap character worth their salt (who hopes to make it past the first thirteen week contract cycle), I too have a deep, dark secret in my past.

This particular one goes back to my days as a figure skating researcher.

Naturally, I have chosen to share it on the Internet, here.

ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #136-1

Sitting facing her grandmother’s gravestone, Lorna nevertheless heard Felicia come up behind her. She’d know the sound of that jewelry anywhere.

Her mother supplied by way of explanation, “I called Jamie. He said you needed time to think. I suspected I’d find you here.”

Lorna declined to respond. Or turn around.

“I must say, I’m happy the whole truth is finally out.”

Lorna smirked to herself ironically.

“It allows me the chance to explain.”

“You don’t have to.” Lorna pivoted where she sat, looking at Felicia for the first time. “I read the court transcript. I know everything now.”

Though surprised, Felicia pressed on. “You may know what I said. I assure you, you have no idea how I felt.”

“That’s rich,” Lorna snorted. “You claimed to know exactly how I would feel about the abortion Morgan proposed. I guess our Mother/Daughter ESP only flows one way.”

“What about your own daughter? You’re a mother yourself now, Lorna. Take a moment to imagine what you would have done in my position. If Devon was the one fighting for her life, and you had the means to save her, wouldn’t you take it? Wouldn’t you do anything you had to, no matter what the cost?”

****

Felicia attempts to explain herself to Lorna, Frankie - and Charlie - see a new side to Zeno, Sarah points out the obvious to Allie while Dean is anything but to Jeanne, Kevin refuses to let Amanda off the hook, and Lila grows suspicious about Chase's true motivations regarding Carl.

All at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2011/2011_136p1.html

What happens next for everyone? Tell us on our Message Board at: http://www.soapopera451.com/talk/mboard.php or on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Another-World/307355595460?ref=search&sid=13800416.3728872026..1

BABY SOAP

It sounds a little weird these days to say that you like kids, but I'm going to go ahead and admit that I've always loved child actors, especially on the soaps.

It's very rare when a child actor is allowed to age with a role, like General Hospital's Kimberly McCullough (Robin), or One Life to Live's Kristen and Eddie Alderson (Starr and Matthew). Usually, they're recast at several key junctures:

* When cute babies turn into cute toddlers who like to toddle off the set very cutely.

* When cute babies turn into such meek toddlers that they refuse to say a word on camera (ala Lily on Modern Family).

* When cute school-age kids suddenly sprout up and into teen-agers before the writers are ready for them to (I worked at ABC when Gina Gallagher was fired from her role as Bianca on All My Children because, according to one exec, "She got boobs.")

* When cute school-age kids fail to sprout up and look like teen-agers in time for the writers who want to pen them a more adult storyline.

Some child actors continue on in their profession, others choose to have a more normal life and pick alternative careers.

Below are some "Where Are They Now" interviews I've conducted personally with former pint-sized soap stars, as well as news links to other stories.

Ashley Peldon (Marah; Guiding Light)

Damion Scheller (Gregory; Texas, Jonathan; Guiding Light, Josh; Search for Tomorrow, Paul; As The World Turns)

Danielle Burns (Nancy; Another World)

Bryan Buffinton (Bill; Guiding Light)

Jadrian Steele (Little John; Ryan's Hope)

ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #135-2

“Your mother is deeply distraught these days,” Carl managed to make the innocent status update sound both sinister and threatening.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Amanda said. “That wasn’t my intention.”

“Bollocks. That may not have been Jamie’s intention, or Matthew’s intention, but it most certainly and definitively was yours. You have been lying in wait for, I daresay, years, looking for any adequate excuse with which to attempt battering your mother into submission. As if you give a fig regarding Spencer Harrison, or even Kirkland.”

“Kirkland is my nephew! I love him! And Spencer Harrison was the husband of a dear friends of mine, not to mention a father-in-law I actually liked.”

“Nonetheless, in this particular instance, both were nothing more than tools to further an insidious agenda, which is to make your mother pay for the perceived sin of stepping out on the sainted Mac Cory – death be damned – with another man.”

“A man who stalked me, a man who was planning to kidnap me!”

“During a time period when young Alexandra was still in diapers. And now here she is, a mother herself – inconvenient and unpalatable as you may find that fact to be, Grandma – and yet you insist on holding petty grudges. How childish!”

“The child of a father you tried to destroy, and a mother you actually succeeded in kidnapping, then shooting. And what was it you said to the police afterward? I remember: Rachel shouldn’t have gotten in the way. Charming. Very romantic. Do you whisper those words to my mother in bed at night? Does she get turned on by that?”

****

Amanda and Carl prepare to duel to the death, Jen at long last explains herself to Steven, Lorna goes for the jugular with Morgan, Gregory helps Allie through her latest crisis, while Matt and Donna exchange expectations.

Is this the end, or a new beginning? Vote at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2011/2011_135p2.html

BEWARE OF SOAP ENTITIES BEARING GENERALITIES....

After my foray into figure skating, I returned to daytime television in 2001, working for a company called SoapCity.com. They were owned by Sony, and hosted the official websites for The Young & the Restless, The Bold & the Beautiful, and Days of Our Lives. I was hired to produce the official As the World Turns and Guiding Light sites, under their overall umbrella.

From the beginning, SoapCity was very big on grand plans... and very vague on specific details. The buzz words flew fast and furious, the results... not so much. More often than not, when I'd request a particular feature for the ATWT and GL sites, I'd hear, "That's impossible."

My husband, a long-time web developer, translated for me, "That means it's a little bit hard."

Eventually, SoapCity folded, and I stayed on with P&G, ATWT and GL.

This past summer, when news of Prospect Park's licensing All My Children and One Life to Live broke, I contacted them, offering my expertise in the field of continuing television properties on-line the way I had with Another World Today and Mindy's Twitter. Initial response was swift and enthusiastic. We had a couple of back and forths... and then they fell off the face of the Earth. (It's actually kind of reassuring that I was treated exactly the same way as Susan Lucci. I'm honored.)

Once again, big picture plans were high, specifics mostly absent.

Now comes the announcement from Broadway Video via We Love Soaps that:

In addition to ordering online through the company’s website or Amazon.com, fans will soon be able to buy episodes right off store shelves. Classic episodes of AS THE WORLD TURNS and GUIDING LIGHT will hit store shelves next year. “We’ve been talking to re-sale partners who can have these releases and others on store shelves next year,” the company’s president, Mark Yates, told World Turns TV. “We’re working toward an aggressive release schedule.

I want to be enthusiastic, I really do. Same way I really, really, really wanted the Prospect Park deal to work out.

But, see how the first sentence announces the ability to buy episodes right off store shelves as a definite... then backtracks in the second paragraph to say that they're "talking to" and "working towards?"

One is a statement of fact. The other is a possibility.

The article goes on to report:

Yates declined to say how many As The World Turns DVD box sets the company has sold since the initial offering in October. He did say sales were robust enough to attract ‘a number of online sales and online partners’ and to justify creating an aggressive release calendar for next year.... Response has been so overwhelming that the company will continue to produce the box sets, at least for World Turns and Guiding Light.

My husband left the corporate world of web development to return to his first love, teaching, a few years ago. He is a high-school math teacher now. And one thing he always tells his students (and our kids) is "lots is not a number." Neither is robust. Or overwhelming. Or a number, for that matter.

I have written before about 1000 True Fans and the absolutely mandatory requirement to tangibly demonstrate that soap products (DVDs, merchandising, books, etc...) can be profitable for their creators if we want to have any chance of getting our shows back in any form.

We need to go from robust and overwhelming to X number of units sold, X dollars of profit made. The industry decision makers demand specifics, not generalities.

And it's up to the fans to provide them.

I know you can do it!

SOAPS.... ON... ICE....! (You have to say it like: Pigs... In.... Space....!)

I have a confession to make.

From 1995 to 2000, I cheated on my first love, soap operas, with a brash young interloper: competitive figure skating.

I worked at ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBC as a writer/researcher/producer for their skating coverage, including the US Championships, the World Championships, the 1998 Olympics and several professional shows.

In 2001, I saw the error of my ways (primarily due to the fact that my constant traveling prompted my then 18 month old son to cease speaking to me, or even acknowledging my existence when I got home) and returned to soaps.

In 2002, I was offered the chance to author a series of Figure Skating Mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime. I accepted the offer, and then proceeded to turn my skating mysteries into soap operas. (I know, very sneaky of me.)

Although each of the five books in the series, Murder on Ice, On Thin Ice, Axel of Evil, Death Drop and Skate Crime are stand-alones in that the mystery raised in the beginning is solved at the end, the rest is pure soap opera. Characters' personal stories, especially their romantic entanglements and deep, dark secrets flow from one book into the next, and reading the preceding one definitely adds to your enjoyment of the subsequent story.

Now, I am making the books even more soapy with the addition of enhancements such as video, courtesy of The Ice Theatre of NY.

As I revealed to the Crime Writers Blog:

“Skate Crime” features a prominent subplot about an African-American woman skating pairs with a white man at a time when that just wasn’t considered acceptable. And, what do you know? Several Ice Theatre videos just happened to feature the exact same combination skating together! To see how I worked the videos into the text, check out my $.99 cent excerpt, “Skate Crime: Multimedia” at: http://tinyurl.com/SkateCrime on Amazon. (You’ll need a reading device with an Internet connection and the ability to play videos.)

With other cases, I was forced to massage the text just a little bit to make it match up with the available footage. Obviously, I couldn’t change a character’s race (that would be one too many cases of Search and Replace, and utterly out of the question in cases where race was a key part of the story). But, I’ll admit, a few imaginary people did receive a quick change of hair-color just to make the juxtaposition flow easier.

Read the entire thing at: http://crimewritersblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/meet-alina-adams-turning-visual-into.html

NICE TO BE PART OF SOME GOOD NEWS FOR A CHANGE!

From Lynda Hirsch's column this weekend:

Q: With all the sad news about soap operas, is there anything good? — Lauren in Walnut Creek Calif.

A: Well, there is one great new e-book on the world of soaps that came out in September. "Soap Opera 451: A Time Capsule of Daytime's Greatest Moments," written by Alina Adams, who is a soap insider and has had books on the New York Times bestseller list, loves soaps and wants to share her love of soaps with others...

Read the entire piece at: http://www.creators.com/lifestylefeatures/fashion-and-entertainment/lynda-hirsch-on-soaps/lynda-hirsch-on-soaps-q-and-a-11-12-03.html

ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #135-1

“I – I was just with Morgan," Amanda began.

“Really?” At least the declaration succeeded in capturing Lorna’s attention, even if she looked anything but pleased to hear it.

“He feels awful.”

“That’s impossible.”

“No, honestly, he does. Having you find out about what happened when you were in a coma – and the way you found out… He’s a wreck, a complete and total wreck.”

“Impossible,” Lorna repeated, slower in case Amanda was feeling unusually dim today. “If Morgan thinks he’s feeling awful now, he’s going to embrace a whole new appreciation for the true meaning of the word once I get through with him.”

“Seriously, Lorna, he’s suffering enough, and he’s going to keep on suffering for a long time. What good would you laying into him do?”

“How is my relationship with Morgan any of your business?”

“He’s a good guy, he doesn’t deserve – “

“Did your brother deserve to be dragged into court and forced to prove that my baby was his?”

“That was your doing, not Morgan’s. You’re the one who lied to Jamie about being married. Why don’t you just admit that all this righteous indignation at both Morgan and your mother should rightfully be pointed your own way? You’re the one who stuck them all between a rock and a hard place, and now you’re shrieking as loud as you can in the hope that no one comes to their senses and realizes what’s actually going on here!”

***

Lorna tangles with Amanda before moving on to confronting Morgan, while Amanda is stunned by Kevin's reaction to her confession. Donna find a surprising - if temporary - ally, Jen and Steven can't ignore each other any longer, GQ comes to Allie's defense - with tragic results, and Cass and Frankie face an inconvenient decision.

All at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2011/2011_135p1.html

ROUND UP

The best of November 2011 posts:

Could 1000 True Fans Save Soap Operas?

A Modest Proposal for Moving Soaps to the Internet - Cost-Effectively

How Soaps Benefit Society: A Roundtable Discussion

Love in the Time of Recession (Soaps and the Economy)

LARP the Soaps (Live Action Role Playing Game)

Turning Readers into Writers (Interactive Storytelling)

Soap Opera 451's mission is to remember the soaps that we love. But, it's also about exploring way to move them forward.

SOAPS CAN TEACH YOU CHEMISTRY! (THE REAL KIND, NOT JUST THE OOOOH, THOSE TWO BETTER GET TOGETHER SOON KIND)

Coming off this Monday's roundtable discussion about the benefits of soaps to society (listen to the entire thing here), I read the below story in MIT's Technology Review Magazine (yes, I have very diverse interests: Soaps, skating, musical theatre, education, economics, theoretical physics... Check out my earlier post on soap operas and Schrodinger's Cat, here):

For two years between college and graduate school, Mala Radhakrishnan, PhD '07, taught high-school chemistry in San Jose, California. To help her students grasp some of the trickier concepts, she used analogies based on a ­familiar medium: the soap opera.

Her descriptions of atoms and molecules that fall in love and cheat on each other helped her students learn chemistry and even inspired them to create a chemistry-themed mural, which they titled One Half-Life to Live.

Radhakrishnan, who had begun writing poetry the previous summer, took a cue from her students' mural and wrote her first chemistry-themed poem: "As the Magnetic Stir-Bar Turns."

Read the entire piece, here.

There's also a cool video tying both ideas together at: http://youtu.be/xhOtKurHayo

ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #134-2

“Go to Hell, Donna,” Lorna ordered, turning her back on the woman, heading back to Jamie and Devon… when the look on her husband’s face, not to mention Morgan and Felicia’s, forced Lorna to waver just a little. “What? What is she talking about? What’s going on?”

“Leave.” Lucas grabbed Donna by the elbow, pulling her towards the door. “Now.”

“I’ll leave when Lorna tells me to leave,” Donna insisted sweetly.

“The directions to Hell earlier weren’t clear enough?” Jamie seethed.

Lorna pivoted in her place, abruptly ordering, “Fine. Say your piece.”

“No!” Felicia interjected, warning Donna, “You don’t want to do this.”

“I do,” Donna corrected. “I honestly and genuinely do.”

“Then go ahead,” Lorna snapped. “Get it over with. Say whatever you came to say, then go back to your pathetic, miserable, friendless existence, and leave the rest of us to enjoy our celebration.”

“You heard the lady,” Donna advised Felicia, Lucas, Morgan and Jamie. “Lorna wants to hear what I’ve got to say.”

“Lorna,” Jamie said softly. “Don’t let her do this. Don’t give her this power over you.”

“I’m not,” Lorna insisted, putting up a much braver façade than she actually felt, but resolved to see this through to the end. “I’m actually doing the exact opposite. I’m showing Donna there is nothing she can do to hurt us. Let her do her worst, blow her wad; it’s the only way to be rid of her once and for all.”

***

Donna's bombshell sends shock-waves through Lorna and Jamie's, and Felicia and Lucas' - not to mention Frankie and Cass', and Amanda and Kevin's - relationships, while Lila wallows in guilt of her own, and Morgan takes desperate action.

Bay City boils over at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2011/2011_134p2.html