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As any soap fan knows, it's often hard to tell when a character is really dead. As a longtime All My Children fan, I've seen characters who were shot and later appeared as angels miraculously show up a decade later to stir up trouble in their lover's new relationship (often while pretending to be deceased, these beloved characters also develop an entirely new look and personality and get 10 to 15 years younger). I don't know if fans will believe this, but All My Children and One Life To Live truly are canceled, and there's no chance they'll show up on your TV screen once again, begging you to give them a second chance. More »
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I was pretty devastated when I heard that ABC was canceling two of its soap operas — I've watched All My Children for years. But today, as I was channel-surfing through the hell that is daytime television, I came upon a dramatic One Life To Live scene that made me realize cancellation makes sense. See, a talking dog and a talking baby were arguing with each other. No, really. The dog, named David Vickers, was trying to convince the baby, Liam, to hand over paternity test results the child had hidden in his crib. Then Tina Lord Roberts discovered the document, ran over to a church and interrupted a wedding. More »
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Today we bid adieu to the town of Pine Valley, and as someone who grew up with and continued to watch the series in throughout adulthood, I must admit that I'm a little sad. At this time of this printing, the only two cast members to sign on to the tentatively planned online iteration of the soap are Cameron Mathison and Lindsay Hartley. So what about Erica Kane? Well, you can be the judge as to what may or may not happen in the future by watching the last four minutes of the show above. Spoilers ahead. More »
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Today All My Children will go off the air after 41 years. I haven't watched the show regularly in years, and when I tuned in this month I found one of my favorite characters is now played by a new actress, another suddenly realized she's a lesbian, and at least four characters I saw die are alive again. And yet everything still feels familiar and comforting. That's something you can only say about soaps, and why the show's cancellation feels like a such huge loss. More »
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Creepy weirdo artist named "Franco" returned to General Hospital this afternoon and he served up yet another odd clip for the internet to collectively groan over. The scene features James Franco taking photos of what might actually be a dead guy in his studio while words like "A.M.," "MURDER," and (no lie!) "Cereal" are flashed onto the screen. Then, just to kick the bizarre-o-meter level up, Franco picks up his favorite stuffed monkey and talks to him at length about his evil plans to ruin Jason Morgan's wedding day. More »
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All My Children goes off the air in less than two weeks, and in the meantime, the stars who made it big after their gig on the soap are making cameos — and Carol Burnett is no exception. She appeared on yesterday and today's editions of AMC as Verla Grubbs, a traveling gypsy who's been on the series since 1983. Verla has returned with the news that she's got herself a reality show, as well as plans to get back together with an old flame at Pine Valley's high school reunion. Unfortunately for her, the man in question is also being courted by Opal, Erica Kane's BFF. Yep, that's enough of a set-up for full-on soap opera cat-fight — in which Burnett brings her hilarious comedic timing to. Enjoy! More »
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Here's a kind-of gruesome photo of an upcoming scene from General Hospital that has James Franco back in the role of Robert "Franco" Frank. The scene: Franco on the ground with blood everywhere around him, Jason Morgan with a gun in his hand, serious faces. The gun may or may not have belonged to Jason. Last we heard, "Franco" had an obsessive crush on Jason, but have since stopped watching regularly as to invest all of my time to watching the last days of canceled All My Children and One Life To Live on cable to keep up. More »
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While other soaps are closing shop, Young & The Restless's onscreen company Jabot Cosmetics is expanding into a real brand. Jabot skincare, cosmetics, and fragrance products will be sold on HSN and in Ulta stores, and the company's unusually sexy day-to-day operations will continue to be featured on the show. Jabot isn't intended to be a novelty product, like the "Duff Beer" energy drink, but a high-quality line that attracts non-viewers as well. Even if a woman doesn't watch soaps, she still needs makeup to wear while carrying on affairs and objecting at friends' weddings. More »
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The final episodes of the ABC soaps will air in September 2011 and January 2012, respectively. Each has been on the air for around four decades. More »
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For those who've missed a few of the 5,500 episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful that aired since 1987, this video explains the ridiculous romantic exploits of Ridge, Brooke, and Thorn with drawing manikins and snarky narration. More »
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Oh Ridge. How many summer afternoons did your wooden delivery and waffling between Brooke and Taylor on The Bold And The Beautiful entertain me? But was all this more than a guilty pleasure? More »
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2:42 p.m., ABC. More »
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He'd have to be! More »
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You know what? James Franco's acting style is fascinating: He murmurs like he's drunk; slits his eyes like he's stoned. Or maybe he's not acting? Is he in character or is he not even trying? It's impossible to tell. More »
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We guess it had to happen. Today on Salon, The Awl's Choire Sicha writes the script to John and Elizabeth Edwards' appearance on Maury. A snippet: "Elizabeth: Where am I? Is this Thunderdome?" [Salon] More »
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2:06pm EST on ABC. More »
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Last night, Dodai and I discussed how, during the day, we'll have the TV on while we're working and suddenly catch some crazy dramatic moment on an early-afternoon soap opera. Taken out of context (we don't follow the stories), they are off-the-charts weird. I looked up at my TV today at 1:12pm. This is what I saw. More »
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