ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: WHICH CHRISTMAS MOMENTS DID SOAP FANS VOTE BEST?

What’s better than one soap-opera fan? A quorum of soap-opera fans!

The end of the year always brings a flood of television experts and their Best Of/Worst Of lists. They’re fun to read, but in the end, the only opinions that really matter are those of the fans. (Just ask any TV show with a wheelbarrow of Emmys and low ratings; critical love will only save you from cancellation for so long.)

When I wrote my book, Soap Opera 451: A Time Capsule of Daytime Drama’s Greatest Moments, I turned to the fans, using Facebook, Twitter, blog posts, and email to crowd-source what viewers through were examples of daytime drama at the top of its game.

I’m doing the same thing this week. Instead of me listing what I think are some of soaps’ most memorable Christmases—and invoking familiar traditions like Days of Our Lives’ ceremonial hanging of ornaments with character names on them, or General Hospital’s children’s parade (often starring the actors’ real life children) and reading of the Christmas story—I’m going to let the fans speak up … in their own words.

To read memories of GH, DOOL, GL, OLTL, AMC and many, many more go to: http://community.ew.com/2014/12/23/fan-favorite-soap-opera-christmas/

Happy Holidays

THE FICTITIOUS MARQUIS: COVER THOUGHTS

The very first book I ever published, The Fictitious Marquis, a Regency Romance for AVON in 1994, is finally coming out as an e-book.

As with my previous titles, I can't use the original cover art, and so need a new image.

The designer I'm working with sent me to istock.com.

In The Fictitious Marquis, the hero has red hair, and the heroine black - both are actually a story-point. Which was why I couldn't resist a sketch I found of a red-headed man talking to a dark-haired woman, and both of them in period dress, to boot! (What are the odds?)

The designer did a basic, low-res mock-up of what the cover might look like. Take a look below and let me know what you think, as I have no visual sense whatsoever.

Thanks!

YOUR FAVORITE SOAP OPERA CHRISTMAS MEMORY WANTED

For my Entertainment Weekly post tomorrow, I would like to do a round up of your most memorable soap-opera Christmases.

Is it Phillip and Beth meeting St. Nick in New York on GL?

Michael's It's a Wonderful Life dream on Y&R, Steve Hardy reading the Christmas story on GH, DOOL's traditional ornament hanging or something else altogether?

Tell me your favorite soap-opera Christmas memory in the Comments or email me at AlinaAdams@gmail.com, and the most popular ones will me highlighted on Entertainment Weekly!

Thanks in advance and Happy Holidays!

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: 8 JEWISH SOAP CHARACHTERS FOR 8 NIGHTS OF HANUKKAH

Yesterday was the first night of Hanukkah—an admittedly minor Jewish festival blown all out of proportion due to its proximity to the major American holiday of Christmas.

Jews make up only 2.2 percent of the U.S. population, so it’s no surprise that they very rarely show up on that most Middle American of art forms, the daytime soap opera.

Nevertheless, in honor of the eight nights of Hanukkah, we now present: The 8 most prominent Jewish characters in soaps (and count our blessings that there aren’t 10 nights, because we’d have had a hard time filling out the list), including representatives from GH, DOOL, Y&R, GL, RH and more at: http://community.ew.com/2014/12/16/jewish-characters-in-soap-operas/

Happy Hanukkah, and make sure you leave a comment!

YOUR ONLINE VIRTUAL DREIDEL & MENORAH ARE HERE!

Don't have a little dreidel? (Or any clay, for that matter?)

Don't worry, my 5th grader has you covered!

Behold, the virtual dreidel!

Prevents cheating AND it won't roll off the table, under the couch and get lost forever!

Try it for yourselves!

 
    

And if you need help lighting your candles, rest assured, he's got a virtual version of that, too!

 
   

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: SOAP SUPERHEROES & VILLAINS

On The Young and the Restless, Adam Newman has a new face (which happens a lot). It is, however, one familiar to TV viewers. Actor Justin Hartley played Fox on the defunct soap opera Passions, as well as Oliver Queen, aka The Green Arrow, on Smallville. He was also Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman, on the unsold pilot of the same name. Aquaman became the first unsuccessful pilot ever released for viewing on iTunes (where it instantly shot up to No. 1 in the rankings).

But Hartley isn’t the only actor to ever make the switch from soap-opera hunk to superhero—and back again. Check out our three favorite good guys—and our three favorite bad guys— from GH, ATWT, OLTL, AW, GL, SB and more, who share a past in both soap operas and comic books at Entertainment Weekly, here.

PETER PAN & THE SOAP OPERA CONNECTION

Tonight on NBC it's Peter Pan - live!

You know the story (NeverNeverLand, Lost Boys, Captain Hook, clock swallowing alligator), but do you know the soap-opera connection?

Guiding Light! Dallas!

Find out where they intersect and more in my BlogHer piece, 10 Secrets You Didn't Know About Peter Pan!

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: SOAPS & INTERRACIAL ROMANCE

Last week on The Bold and the Beautiful, Rick broke off his relationship with Maya to try to repair his marriage to Caroline. And while fans debate which woman is the better match for the Forrester heir—Caroline, who kissed his bother, or Maya, who jumped into bed with a married man at first opportunity (not to mention the more pressing question of whether Rick is good enough for either of them)—one topic has yet to come up. Rick is white, Maya is black. Nobody cares.

It wasn’t always this simple in soap-opera land.

In 1962, the short-lived PGP soap opera A Brighter Day made history by hiring the first African-American series regular, actor Rex Ingram. The show was canceled that September due to low ratings.

In 1966, Guiding Light hired daytime’s first African-American contract players, Billy Dee Williams and Cecily Tyson. The roles were later recast with James Earl Jones and Ruby Dee. Jones also appeared that same year on As the World Turns.

But the African-American characters were kept peripheral to the main action, and there certainly was not even a hint of interracial romance. That took several decades to develop. Check out Entertainment Weekly's five most memorable soap-opera interracial loves stories (and three honorable mentions) from GH, Y&R, DOOL, OLTL, ATWT, Santa Barbara and more that brought soap operas to where they are today at this link!

RAISING BIRACIAL KIDS

I know what you're thinking: Why can I only incessantly read about what Alina is thinking? Why can't I also hear her talking at me incessantly?

Behold! My interview with Arise America on the subject of raising biracial kids, below: