Browsing: All My Children

Although the likelihood was expected thanks to the loss of long-time soaps “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” in 2011 and 2012, which were preceded by the departures of “Guiding Light” and “As The World Turns” in 2009 and 2010, news broke on Thursday, March 22 that after 22 years in publication Soap Opera Weekly would end its successful run as one of the premier soap opera magazines. The final decision to end the mag was just one of many blows the soap opera industry has felt in as many years. Soap Opera Network takes a by the numbers look at Weekly and how its readership levels helped lead to its ultimate demise.

On June 6, 2011, ABC finally announced (after months of rumors) that it had signed a deal with former “CBS Evening News” anchor Katie Couric to host a new daily syndicated talk show, and that said show would replace veteran soap opera “General Hospital” in the 3:00 PM ET/2:00 PM PT/CT timeslot. While initially the decision brought fear to soap opera fans, who only two months prior learned that ABC Daytime’s two other veteran soaps (“All My Children” and “One Life to Live”) would be replaced by two new food and lifestyle centered talk shows (“The Chew” and “The Revolution”). Now nearly a year since the announcement, it looks like Katie Couric may just be the lifesaver “General Hospital” desperately needs.

Viewers of “All My Children” remember Michael B. Jordan as the memorable Reggie Montgomery, the adopted son of Jackson Montgomery (Walt Willey), who first made waves in Pine Valley in early 2003. This weekend, the 24-year old actor added an impressive notch to his professional belt. On February 3, Jordan landed on the big-screen in his first leading role in a motion picture (alongside Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell and Michael Kelly). That motion picture, the science-fiction thriller “Chronicle,” topped the United States Box Office for the weekend. Although the race is very close, early estimates have “Chronicle” just topping “Woman in Black,” which stars Daniel Radcliffe, with an estimated 22 million dollar total. The film exceeded expectations of it grossing anywhere from 8 to 15 million dollars in its first weekend in theaters.

As previously reported, Thorsten Kaye has landed a recurring role on NBC’s highly-anticipated new musical drama, “Smash.” In case you have lost all contact with American media during the past three months of promotions for “Smash,” the series that heralds Steven Spielberg as an Executive Producer debuts “the Monday after the Superbowl” (February 6). Kaye will be playing the love interest of producer Eileen Rand, played by Academy Award winner Angelica Huston. This afternoon, a reliable source close to the actor revealed a few new details about the role.

Noting the nations thirst for New Jersey based reality entertainment, in the summer of 2010, the cable network Oxygen jumped into the fray with “Jersey Couture.” Except for being based in New Jersey, viewers will not see much similarities between this series and the eccentricities of Bravo’s “Real Housewives of New Jersey” and MTV’s “Jersey Shore.” “Jersey Couture” rather takes a page from TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress.” Both programs share the same producers. This reality series follows the fun and drama surrounding the Scali family (and their customers) as they run Diane & Co., one of New Jersey’s premiere dress boutiques.

Ratings Report for the Week of January 9-13, 2012

Here is a comparison of the last five cancelled soap operas.

It was recently announced that Darnell Williams would be joining the cast of “The Young and the Restless” in 2012. The two-time Daytime Emmy Award winner becomes the forth “All My Children” actor to land on the high rated CBS daytime dramas since the 41-year old ABC soap went off the air in September 2011. He joins Jacob Young who returned to “The Bold and the Beautiful” last September, and past and future co-stars Debbi Morgan and Melissa Claire Egan.

While she holds out great hope for the future of daytime television, the former first lady of the genre, Susan Lucci, is currently busy adding another notch to her full resume. Beginning this fall, fans can see the legend and former star of “All My Children” hosting and narrating a new series, titled “Deadly Affairs,” for the cable network Investigation Discovery.

Former “All My Children” leading men Cameron Mathison and Thorsten Kaye are scheduled to help heat up the primetime schedule later this winter. Mathison is scheduled to hit the sheets with one of televisions original housewives on the last season of ABC’s “Desperate Housewives.” Meanwhile, Kaye will show up on NBC’s highly anticipated mid-season replacement, the musical drama “Smash,” where his character will turn the temperature up for a determined Broadway producer going through some rough personal and professional times.

After a successful three-city tour on the east coast, “A Tribute to Pine Valley,” produced and presented by Celebrity Events Group, Soap Opera Digest and Visit Myrtle Beach: South Carolina, is taking the show to the midwest. Beginning today, January 13, the tribute will hit three venues in Wisconsin and Illinois. The tour boasts a cast of some of “All My Children’s” most popular and sustaining actors for a question and answer session as well as an autograph and photo session where you can meet your favorite stars up-close and personal.

On Monday, it was revealed that “All My Children” alumna Denise Vasi is set to fill the void that the departure of Stacey Dash is due to leave on the second season of VH1’s “Single Ladies.” Dash, who remains breathtaking at 45 years-old and who is best known for her role in the 1995 hit-film “Clueless” opposite Alicia Silverstone and Brittany Murphy, recently cited her family being based on the opposite coast of where the series films as the reason for her early departure. The rumor mill has cited there’s more to the story and notes unconfirmed friction between the actress and the show producers which includes most notably Queen Latifah. Pertaining to the casting of Vasi, Latifah notes that the actress “is the perfect addition to the cast … She is bringing a fun, new element to the show.”

“All My Children” alumna Chrishell Stause recently chatted with TV Line about a multitude of topics including her guest-role on ABC’s “Body of Proof” slated to air tonight. The bodacious actress also discussed some past regrets and her future plans.

Ratings Report for the Week of November 21-25, 2011

“One Life to Live” gets ‘canceled’ for the second time in seven months as Prospect Park breaks the hearts of the show’s loyal fanbase.

A compilation of Twitter and Facebook posts from the cast of “One Life to Live” following word that Prospect Park was dropping plans to resurrect the show online only five days after the soap wrapped production on its ABC run.

Hillary B. Smith (Nora) opens up to Entertainment Weekly about the decision by Prospect Park not to proceed with previous plans to relaunch “One Life to Live” online after it ends its ABC Daytime run on January 13, 2012, and what the future would have held for alter ego.

On the heels of today’s announcement by Prospect Park that the upstart production company was shelving plans to relaunch canceled ABC soaps “All My Children” and “One Life to Live,” the cast and crew of the sudsers are beginning to speak out. Kassie DePaiva (Blair), who became one of the first “OLTL” stars to sign on back in September to help the show make the transition, has issued a statement on her website regarding the turn of events.

After rumblings for the last two weeks and a shocking report by Deadline Hollywood earlier today, Prospect Park officially pulled the plug on plans for producing online versions of ABC’s “All My Children” and “One Life to Live.” Of the key issues, Prospect Park cited its inability to come to terms with the unions including those representing the actors (AFTRA) and the writers (WGA). Shortly afterward, the various unions began issuing statements in response to the production companies decision.

After five months of negotiations with various guilds, hundreds of presentations to potential financial and technology partners, and a hope that we could pioneer a new network for the future, it is with great disappointment that we are suspending our aspirations to revive “One Life to Live” and “All My Children” via online distribution. It is now becoming clear that mounting issues make our ability to meet our deadlines to get OLTL on the air in a reasonable time period following its January 13, 2012 ABC finale impossible.