BRING RICK SPRINGFIELD HOME WITH YOU (FOR THE HOLIDAYS AND BEYOND)!

Edited to add: An Affair of the Heart is now available on iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, Google Play, XBox and Playstation for rental or purchase.

Originally posted on 12/23/13

When I worked for ABC Daytime, As the World Turns and Guiding Light, All My Children and One

Life to Live, or the Daytime Emmy Awards, my favorite part of the job was always those occasions when I could watch the fans interact with the actors.

The thing about making a soap is that you do it pretty much in isolation. No studio audience, no curtain call.  The process is so time-consuming and all-encompassing, that it's easy to forget there are actual people out there watching it.  You're too busy focusing on just getting the product out there on time.

That's why fan club events, award shows or even random encounters on the street were such a thrill.  They reminded me why we were working so hard.  It was to make the fans happy.

That feeling of joy that fans get from interacting with their favorite stars permeates the documentary, An Affair of the Heart, "an up close look at the man, his music, and the fans he inspires."  That man being Rick Springfield.

Like any longtime General Hospital viewer, I was, of course, familliar with his work as Noah Drake.  And like anyone who was alive with ears in the 1980s, I had heard "Jessie's Girl."

But, that was the extent of my knowledge about him.  I had no idea that Rick had such a devoted fan following, with people traveling all over the country to see him live as often as once a month.  I didn't know about the Rick Springfield cruises, and I was only vaguely aware that he'd written a New York Times best-selling memoir.

While I found all the above interesting during my viewing of An Affair of the Heart, what moved me the most were the fans' stories.  The woman who found strength while recovering from heart surgery due to Rick's music... and the one who used his album to help deal with her agonizing anger following a gang rape. I loved the stories of friendships formed from a love of Rick Springfield, and the boy who was invited up on stage as a toddler to sing along - and now plays guitar on some tour stops.

As a soap fan, I would have liked to see some classic GH scenes, but there is an interview with Rick's longtime friend, Doug Davidson (Paul; Y&R), as well as a sit-down with Jaclyn Zeman (Bobbie; GH) on the DVD extras.

All in all, An Affair of the Heart is a very pleasant surprise in the rock-doc genre, definitely worthwhile for fans of Rick, music in general and/or GH.

In fact, it's so good that I am raffling off a FREE copy.  To enter, just email AlinaAdams@gmail.com with the subject line: Rick Springfield.

Or, if you can't wait, buy your copy at the link below: