Soaps News

I'm liking the babe-geezer romance of Sabrina and Victor on The Young and the Restless, but why the snoozy setup? Outta nowhere, Victor has become an avid art collector (Sabrina's his consultant), leading to weeks of pretentious art talk, museum visits, even cameos by real-life artists. This isn't a plot! It's barely a pseudosituation, and the show has way too many of those lately. (Will Karen conquer her stage fright? Who will take an ad in "Restless Style" magazine?) What happened to all the emotionally epic, high-fever stories that made Y&R such a landmark? This soap has somehow lost its opera. — Michael Logan

The upcoming marriage of The Bold and the Beautiful's Eric and Donna (John McCook and Jennifer Gareis) has trouble written all over it — and not just because he's a hotshot megamogul and she's an inflatable bimbo doll. After the "I do's" on May 9, we will learn that the bride has a secret past she has not shared with her new hubby.

"When Donna was 16, she had a baby and gave it up for adoption," says B&B chief Brad Bell. "The identity of the dad, who is black, is going to remain a mystery for a while."

But the product of that union — now a strapping young man named Marcus — will soon arrive in L.A. in search of Donna. The role will be played by fright-flick fave Texas Battle (Final Destination 3, Wrong Turn 2: Dead End). Yep, Bell plans to play the race card—mildly anyway. When Marcus first shows up at Eric and Donna's mansion, she assumes that he's with the staff and sends him to the kitchen. — Michael Logan

From the Los Angeles Times:

"Beverlee McKinsey died May 2nd, 2008, in Los Angeles from complications due to a kidney transplant. She was 72 years old. Ms. McKinsey was an actor best known for roles in daytime television. She created the character Iris Carrington on NBC's Another World, and played the part from 1970-1979. She also created the role of Alexandra Spaulding on CBS' Guiding Light, and performed it from 1984-1992. In 1980, NBC developed the program Texas to capitalize on the popularity of her character, Iris Carrington; and Ms. McKinsey was the first and only performer in the history of daytime drama to receive star billing.

"In 1998, the editors of Soap Opera Magazine voted her the best actor in the history of daytime television. TV Guide's Michael Logan wrote of her in 1992, 'For my money, Beverlee McKinsey is the greatest actress ever to grace daytime drama.'"

GuidingLight.net will feature a vintage "Alexandra" clip in the coming weeks as a tribute to McKinsey.

Nominations for the 35th annual Daytime Emmy awards were announced Wednesday, and CBS' daytime lineup has the early lead with 51 total nods — or for comparison purposes 12.75 nominations per soap. ABC netted 27 noms for its three sudsers, while NBC's Days of Our Lives and Passions amassed 10 bids between 'em.

Among the noteworthy tallies, The Young and the Restless collected 11 acting nods, including at least one contender in every race, while Days made an atypically strong showing, scoring four acting nominees. Kudoscast host ABC, meanwhile, may want to instead broadcast a test pattern, as All My Children, General Hospital and One Life to Live netted just three acting nods combined. That said, both GH and OLTL are vying in both the outstanding drama series and writing contests.

The major races:

Lead Actress
Maura West (Carly, ATWT)
Crystal Chappell (Olivia, GL)
Nicole Forester (Cassie, GL)
Michelle Stafford (Phyllis, Y&R)
Jeanne Cooper (Katherine, Y&R)

Lead Actor
David Canary (Adam/Stuart, AMC)
Thaao Penghlis (Tony/Andre, Days)
Anthony Geary (just Luke, GH)
Peter Bergman (Jack, Y&R)
Christian Le Blanc (Michael, Y&R)

Supporting Actress
Kelley Menighan Hensley (Emily, ATWT)
Heather Tom (Kate, B&B)
Judi Evans (Bonnie/Adrienne, Days)
Gina Tognoni (Dinah, GL)
Tracey Bregman (Lauren, Y&R)

Supporting Actor
Trent Dawson (Henry, ATWT)
Daniel Cosgrove (Bill, GL)
Brian Kerwin (Charlie, OLTL)
Kristoff St. John (Neil, Y&R)
Greg Rikaart (Kevin, Y&R)

Younger Actress
Jennifer Landon (Gwen, ATWT)
Rachel Melvin (Chelsea, Days)
Vail Bloom (Heather, Y&R)
Emily O'Brien (Jana, Y&R)
Tammin Sursok (Colleen, Y&R)

Younger Actor
Van Hansis (Luke, ATWT)
Jesse Lee Soffer (Will, ATWT)
Darin Brooks (Max, Days)
Tom Pelphrey (Jonathan, GL)
Bryton McClure (Devon, Y&R)

Writing
B&B, GH, GL, OLTL, Y&R

Directing
AMC, B&B, GL, OLTL

Drama Series
GH, GL, OLTL, Y&R
(Vote for your pick to win here.)

Whose nods are you applauding, and which have you scratching your head silly?

Nominations for the 35th annual Daytime Emmys will be announced live on The View April 30, and I'm expecting some ghastly nods due to an expanded system that has allowed 143 actors on the ballot (a third more than last year).

Never mind that most of 'em shouldn't be permitted anywhere near an Emmy, that's give or take two dozen in each of the acting categories! Several judges tell me they couldn't view that much footage (each actor submits two episodes) and voted without seeing all the work. Some chose not to vote at all.

Plus, there's the usual nonsense: Several lead players, most egregiously All My Children's Alicia Minshew (Kendall), are hogging spots on the supporting list. And some of the best work isn't on the ballot. Where's General Hospital's Kelly Monaco (Sam)? Guiding Light's Beth Ehlers (Harley)? Without them, it's not a fair fight.

And get this — the TV academy has decided to drop the follow-up round of voting after the nominees are announced. The winners will already be known based on this screwy preliminary vote and kept quiet until the award are passed out June 20. What will happen? Let's hope for the best but prepare for the worst. — Michael Logan

The wedding will be big. The food will be awesome. The music will be spectacular.

When Angie and Jesse get married on All My Children (Weekdays, 1 pm/ET, ABC) next month, Ne-Yo will perform his hit songs "Closer" and "Stop This World."

This is the AMC supercouple's second wedding. Angie and Jesse were first married in the 1980s, before Jesse disappeared and was presumed dead. He recently re-appeared in Pine Valley. — J.R. Whalen

Effective May 8, Noelle Beck is the new Lily Snyder on As the World Turns. The actress — most recently of Cashmere Mafia — will replace fan icon Martha Byrne, whose last episode airs April 22. Byrne quit the soap in a volcanic contract dispute, but she's handling the transition like a pro.

"I received an incredible bouquet of flowers from Martha on my first day of work," Beck tells me. "To have her support makes me feel great. She's one very classy lady." Beck is no stranger to daytime suds — she spent nine years as Trisha on Loving — but the mother of three has lately stuck to recurring roles (the conniving Cilla on Cashmere, Tommy's almost-lover, almost-sister Mariel on Rescue Me).

"We had to take a family vote about the ATWT offer," says Beck, who is married to hotshot New York restaurateur Eric Petterson. "Everybody said, ‘Go back to work!' I thought they were going to say, ‘Please, don't work full-time!' I'm such a crazy soccer mom; I think they want me off the field." As for Byrne's controversial exit, Beck says, "I can't get involved with the politics. Hopefully, the audience will be patient and supportive of the change. If not," she adds with a laugh, "I'm back on the soccer field!" — Michael Logan

Days of Our Lives and All My Children are in hot water with the Writers Guild for barring certain scribes from returning to work after the strike and keeping their scab replacements. Not OK, says the union. But let's not get hasty here! Days went from tedious to terrific when the strike material started airing, and AMC has been slowly, surely recapturing its glory days. (Love that Sugar and Erica!) The dumped writers should of course be paid off per their contracts. But rehired after doing a crap job? No way! — Michael Logan

One All My Children character is coming back from hell, another from heaven. On April 30, daytime megastar Ricky Paull Goldin — who just exited Guiding Light — will join AMC as the new Jake Martin. Viewers will learn that Jake, who left town in 2003 to join Doctors Without Borders in Africa, is currently held captive in Darfur, where he is being forced to treat wounded soldiers in one of the illegal armies. Two episodes later, Emmy-winner Cady McClain will rejoin the show as Dixie Martin — in angel form. Fans were furious when the beloved character was killed last year with a batch of poisoned pancakes.

Weirdly, the two returns are connected. AMC exec producer Julie Carruthers, who offered Goldin the gig when she heard he was quitting GL, tells me that Jake will be rescued by Aidan and brought back to America against his will. "Jake comes back emotionally scarred and with a very big secret," Carruthers notes. "He does not want to see his family. He wants to get back to the land he's grown to love."

Though Dixie's primary purpose is to unite her ex-husband Tad with their long-missing daughter, she will be instrumental in helping Jake decide to stay in Pine Valley. "The audience felt gypped with the way Dixie went out," Carruthers admits. "There's a lot of unfinished business with the character — a lot of work she must do before her spirit can be free." — Michael Logan

Related:
• Cady McClain Floats Back to All My Children
• Ricky Paull Goldin Scrubs In as AMC's Jake Martin

CBS has renewed Guiding Light for one more year, which keeps it on the air through 2009. But that doesn't mean we're stuck with the show's new artsy-fartsy, überjumpy format. "I'm very pleased with some of it, and some of it needs to evolve," says CBS Daytime boss Barbara Bloom. "I agree that some of the camera work is shaky and frenetic and some of the close-ups are too tight — and that maybe we've broken rules that didn't need to be broken — but this is a work in progress. We're just a few weeks into this new production model. I think everybody who's complaining needs to lighten up." Oh, snap! — Michael Logan

Related:
• Inside Guiding Light's Extreme Makeover

One Life to Live will welcome back to its canvas a most special guest as the ABC serial prepares to mark its 40th anniversary: Come June, Andrea Evans will return as Tina Lord Roberts, the role for which she received a Daytime Emmy nod in 1990. Tina's arrival not only will bring with it the trouble that typically follows Viki's half sis, but also will open the door for another fan favorite to resurface. Hmmm....

"Even though Andrea has not appeared on OLTL since 1990, she has remained among the most requested characters to return to the show," says exec producer Frank Valentini. "I welcome her home to OLTL and to the role where she made an indelible mark on our audience."

Says Evans in her own statement, "For many years, both fans of mine and One Life to Live have wanted me to return. Now that the timing is right, I’m thrilled to be returning to the role of Tina, which I've always held near and dear to my heart."

Some teasers from the folks at ABC:

• "Tina has endured a life-altering experience and will have a mysterious connection to one of Llanview's most powerful citizens."

• "Upon her return, Tina will first cross paths with her sister Viki and her brother Todd. Her appearance in town will spark a major story that will take place throughout the summer."

What's your take? Were you beginning to think Evans would never return to One Life? Excited to see her interact with Trevor St. John's Todd? Who in Llanview do you think she has a "mysterious connection" to? — Matt Mitovich

You may best remember her as Port Charles' Eve, or maybe you didn't blink and caught her short turn as Days of our Lives' Billie. (And some of you may think of her as lucky-duck Billy Warlock's bride.) But Julie Pinson now has a truly "Juicy" role to grab onto. The voluptuous beauty is joining As the World Turns in the mystery role of Janet, a woman from Brad's past — and one who in high school boasted the nickname "Juicy." (Akin to how my college sweetheart apparently had been dubbed "PBT" during her own torrid teen years... but I digress.)

Pinson (presumably) puts the squeeze on Katie's romance with Brad starting May 8. — Matt Mitovich

The Young and the Restless vet Joshua Morrow has joined the lineup for Secret Talents of the Stars, a CBS reality competition launching Tuesday and pitting assorted interestingly abled celebs against each other. In the April 15 outing, Morrow will perform an "edgy rock-and-roll" act with extreme juggling pro Marcus Monroe. His competish for the night: Girl Next Door Bridget Marquardt (performing... um, on a trapeze), country crooner Jo Dee Messina (dancing hip-hop) and boxing champ Roy Jones Jr (rapping).

Viewer votes determine who moves on to the next round. Now help Joshua pull a Kelly Monaco and win this enchilada! — Matt Mitovich

Why won't As the World Turns let gay teens Noah (Jake Silbermann) and Luke (Van Hansis) kiss on screen, much less have sex? Are execs at the CBS Procter & Gamble soap homophobic? Are they running scared of antigay Christian groups? Or is this a brilliantly masterminded tease guaranteed to make salivating Nuke fans tune in tomorrow?

Whatever the case, this is the biggest controversy to hit soaps in years. Legions of pissed-off Nuke-anistas — a lot of them straight — have spammed the media with complaints about bias against the duo, and many are calling for a viewer boycott. Meanwhile, the right-wing American Family Association reportedly wants the teens dropped from the soap and has asked P&G to make it happen. P&G has banned ATWT executive producer Chris Goutman from speaking to the press about Nuke, so I contacted CBS daytime chief Barbara Bloom to get her POV.

"I can assure you there is no homophobia on the part of the network, nor are we pandering to any group," Bloom claims. "We have not censored ATWT or asked them to hold back in any way." And she's all for having the two boys go all the way — some day. "I really hope the show will continue to evolve the Luke and Noah story, and that they culminate their relationship the way all couples in love do."

But until then, why the almost puritanical lack of intimacy? At Christmas, the camera panned away as the boys were about to smooch, and focused instead on the mistletoe. On Valentine's Day, every ATWT couple shared a liplock except Nuke. And the roadblocks! Earlier this month Noah married Iraqi refugee Ameera (Tala Ashe) to keep her from getting deported.

"I understand why all this makes people scream," Bloom admits. "The only thing you're going to get out of me is that the pacing is slower with Luke and Noah than it is with other romances on ATWT. But that's good storytelling. We're in the business of getting people to watch more."

My take? I think the folks at ATWT are loving the scandal and milking it for all it's worth. How else to explain that recent scene where Luke — in a nod to the controversy — leaned into Noah and seductively whispered, "What is hotter than a forbidden romance?" — Michael Logan

They said they would recast, and they did. As the World Turns announced on Wednesday that Noelle Beck — whom daytime fans surely remember as the super-dewy Trisha (as in Trisha-and-Steve/chump and Trisha-and-Trucker) on ABC's Loving — will be succeeding Martha Byrne in the role of Lily Snyder beginning Thursday, May 8.

Me, I thought the beautiful Beck's post-daytime career was definitely going somewhere when she turned up in Fletch Lives. But then... not much happened. Most recently, she appeared in an episode of Cashmere Mafia. — Matt Webb Mitovich

Related:
• Martha Byrne on Exiting ATWT: "I Was True to Myself"
• Martha Byrne Exits As the World Turns