Browsing: One Life to Live

Earlier today on Twitter, Strasser revealed that she recently asked Prospect Park Productions to pay out the balance of her one-year contract. According to Strasser, she only worked and was paid for eleven weeks before production was halted, despite signing on for a year. “#PPP sed w/ due respect: NO,” Strasser tweeted.

On Friday, January 24, NBC’s “Days of our Lives” put rumors to rest when it officially announced that former “One Life to Live” actress Kassie DePaiva (ex-Blair Cramer) would be joining its cast in the contract role of Eve Donovan, a role which was originated by actress Charlotte Ross, who congratulated DePaiva on signing onto “DAYS” on Twitter.

Last night marked the 66th annual Directors Guild of America Awards Dinner at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles, but none of today’s daytime drama directors received a nomination. Why? Because the “Daytime Serials” category was integrated into the “Dramatic Series” category following a June 22, 2013 DGA National Board meeting that voted on rule changes, which forces daytime and primetime dramas to compete against internet distributed dramas such as “House of Cards,” which essentially leaves daytime itself shut out from ever receiving a nomination as the dynamics of daytime is no where near the likes of 2013 nominees “Breaking Bad” (AMC), “Game of Thrones” (HBO), “Homeland” (Showtime), or even the aforementioned “House of Cards” (Netflix). “Bad” won the award for those wondering.

After fans began speculating on her possibly joining a soap following a January 8 posting on her website, which said, “Good things are ahead this year and I hope to have more to report very soon,” NBC’s “Days of our Lives” made it official: Soap veteran actress Kassie DePaiva is joining the series in the contract role of Eve Donovan (originated by Charlotte Ross).

“Days of our Lives” may be losing actress, Alison Sweeney (Sami Brady) later this year, but an equally powerhouse actress may be swooping into Salem: Former “One Life to Live” actress Kassie DePaiva (ex-Blair Cramer)!

Best known for his portrayal of Joey Buchanan on ABC’s “One Life to Live” in the 1990’s, actor Chris L. McKenna is heading to CBS’ “The Young and the Restless.” The actor first noted his joining the series in a tweet to his followers on Friday, January 17, which said, “It appears I’ll be making a bit of a return to soaps. At least for a few episodes.”

It seems like just yesterday that the world was ready to nail the lid on the coffin of daytime soap operas. Ratings were low across the board, and a slew of sudsers — “Guiding Light,” “As the World Turns,” “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” — were cancelled, leaving only “Days of our Lives,” “General Hospital,” “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “The Young and the Restless” on the air. But to the surprise of critics and many soap fans, 2013 saw a drastic turnaround: All four remaining soap operas saw a significant increase in ratings, and “The Young and the Restless” once again made a list of the top 10 most-searched television programs of the year, among popular series like “Breaking Bad” and “The Walking Dead.” So why the complete 180 in daytime soap popularity?

According to Deadline Hollywood, former “Days of our Lives” star Mark Hapka (ex-Nathan Horton) has joined the cast of the FOX Digital Studio original sci-fi series, “Parallels.”

As we previously reported, celebrity wedding and event planner David Tutera is headed to “The Young and the Restless,” where he’ll help Neil (Kristoff St. John) and Leslie (Angell Conwell) plan their upcoming wedding. And guess what? Soap Opera Network managed to snag an interview with the busy “My Fair Wedding” star to get the scoop on his visit to Genoa City!

Hot on the heels of her starring role in “Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas,” “The Haves and the Have Nots” and “One Life to Live” actress Tika Sumpter along with actors Kevin Hart and Ice Cube is set to take the weekend box office with their new film “Ride Along.”

As previously reported, HBO is providing its viewers with a new series detailing relationship woes, roommate drama, reaching a certain age and much more, when it premieres “Looking” tonight at 10:30 PM ET/9:30 PM CT. The series seeks to provide viewers with a different perspective on daily life for gay men in San Francisco.

While character and storyline details aren’t available at this time, actor Chris McKenna tweeted earlier this evening, “It appears I’ll be making a bit of a return to soaps. At least for a few episodes.” He tagged CBS’ “The Young and the Restless” in the tweet to his followers.

Back in November 2013, Prospect Park amended its lawsuit against ABC by demanding more than $95 million in damages following what it claims was the network’s scheme to create a “mega soap” after ABC utilized characters from “One Life to Live” on “General Hospital.”

A look back at “One Life to Live” two years after the show ended its run on ABC. How the show evolved and became one of the most popular daytime dramas of all time.

The banner fans pulled together $785 for in honor of their favorite actor, Michael Muhney, who was fired last month from “The Young and the Restless” amidst allegations he fondled the breasts of one of his co-stars, finally flew over the CBS Television City Studios on Thursday, January 9, which wasn’t the actual intended studio, reports TMZ.

According to Law360.com, Allison “Sam” Hall, a former co-head writer of ABC’s “One Life to Live,” is suing the network over what he claims are royalties owed since the soap transitioned to the web via Hulu and iTunes, and broadcast during summer 2013 on OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network), courtesy of Prospect Park – the company that licensed the rights to both programs from Disney/ABC in 2011. Hall reportedly filed his complaint against American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. (ABC) on Tuesday, January 7, in New York. Hall was named co-head writer of the soap in 1984, and remained with the series until 1985.

As we previously reported, season two of “Tyler Perry’s The Haves and the Have Nots” starring former “One Life to Live” actress Tika Sumpter (ex-Layla Williamson) premieres tonight — and it looks like it’s going to be hot, hot, hot!

Had ABC not canceled “All My Children” back in 2011, and Prospect Park didn’t decide to cancel it again in 2013, Agnes Nixon’s “All My Children” would have celebrated its 44th anniversary today. Susan Lucci, who portrayed matriarch Erica Kane on the soap, was the only original cast member from the first season of “AMC” that had remained with the show without interruption since its debut on January 5, 1970 through its final ABC broadcast on September 23, 2011.

After nearly 14 years on the air, SOAPnet ended its broadcast run at the stroke of midnight with the final 2013 episode of ABC’s “General Hospital” (originally aired on Monday, December 30) taking it out in style.

The wait is finally over for the launch of Sonia Blangiardo’s “Taint Dreams: The Series,” which features Alicia Minshew (“All My Children”), Terri Ivens (“AMC”), Grant Aleksander (“Guiding Light”), Kelley Menighan Hensley (“As the World Turns“), Walt Willey (“AMC”), Natalia Livingston (“GH“), Marnie Schulenburg (“ATWT”), Michael Lowry (“AMC,” “One Life to Live“), Nathan Purdee (“OLTL”), Austin Peck (“ATWT,” “Days of our Lives“, “OLTL”), Colleen Zenk (“ATWT”), Larkin Malloy (“The Edge of Knight,” “AMC”) Dina Manzo (“Dina’s Party” and “The Real Housewives of New Jersey”), Anthony Wilkinson (“My Big Gay Italian Wedding” and the new “My Big Gay Italian Funeral”), Lisa Marie Varon (“IMPACT WRESTLING”) and “Mr. PEC-Tacular” Jessie Godderz (“IMPACT WRESTLING” and “Big Brother”), Bobbie Eakes (“AMC,” “The Bold and the Beautiful“), Ilene Kristen (“OLTL,” “Ryan’s Hope”), James DePaiva ( “OLTL”) and Tonja Walker (“OLTL”), along with a host of newcomers, as viewers are treated to a behind the scenes look at the daytime soap “Painted Dreams.”