Top 25 Soap moments!

Here is the complete listing of our picks for Daytime's top 25 moments. To hear our commentary on these moments, you can check out our show :http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dayplayerdish/2010/07/25/dayplayer-dish


Lee and Lauren's Top 25 Soap Moments...
1. Luke and Laura's Wedding ~General Hospital
2. Bo kidnaps Hope on her Wedding Day~Days of Our Lives
3. Karen Wolek's testimony~One Life To Live
4. Stone dies of Aids~General Hospital
5. Reva baptizes herself the slut of Springfield ~Guiding Light
6. Luke and Noah's finally kiss~As The World Turns
7. BJ's heart~General Hospital
8. Phillip and Olivia too hot for TV love scene that leads to daytime censorship~Guiding Light
9. Marlena's Possession ~Days Of Our Lives
10. Luke rapes Laura at the Campus Disco ~General Hospital
11. Cassie's death~Young and The Restless
12. Ann's death~Bold and The Beautiful
13.Maura West's debut on ATWT ~As The World Turns
14. Bianca comes out of the closet~ All My Children
15. Olivia professes her love for Natalia ~Guiding Light
16. Aids Quilt storyline~One Life to Live
17.P&G cancels AW, GL and ATWT
18. The climax to the Paris,Texas storyline ~One Life To Live
19. Todd Rapes Marty 1992~One Life To Live
20. Rapemance(Todd and Marty) 2008 ~One Life To Live
21. Maureen dies ~Guiding Light
22. Sonny and Brenda confrontation over the wiretap (*Click Boom also*) ~General Hospital
23. Mary Ryan dies ~Ryan's Hope
24. Carly's buried alive~One Life To Live
25. Susan Lucci finally wins her Emmy! ~All My Children

Saving Soaps: Why it's time to break the rules!

Don't put two new characters in a room together. Don't kill off any legacy characters. Don't go against the grain. Simple is better.

Out of those four statements, which do you agree with in terms of soap operas? A "purist" may say that all of them are relevant, which I believe is true. However, I'm going to be bold (and maybe a little Beautiful) and say that simplicity is always better, but sometimes it's necessary to put two new characters in the same scene, kill off a "legacy" character and go against the grain in order to grow and thrive. So many times I've read that putting unfamiliar characters together alienates the viewer, that killing off legacy characters drives away longtime fans, and that trying new things and experimenting always leads to disaster. I don't think that's true at all. Here's a few moments where soaps broke rules... successfully.

Don't put two new characters together: OLTL's Kyle and Fish

Kyle was an unlikable med student who seemed destined for a quick exit to the show when he blackmailed Natalie, Jared, and Roxy. Fish was a minor cop whose sole purpose was comic relief. Then, out of nowhere, we learned that Kyle and Fish had a past with each other and were very much in love. By connecting these two random characters, the show created the best love story of 2009. That they were written out in 2010 is not a testament to success but a poor decision by network executives convinced the reason for low ratings was not a mixture of murder, rape and mayhem but a gentle, timely story of identity, family of choice, and love.

Don't kill off any legacy characters: GH's BJ Jones

Killing off a legacy character always leads to controversy, but killing off a CHILD legacy character is even riskier. GH pulled this off to stunning effect when they made the shocking decision to kill innocent, young BJ Jones in a bus crash. Written with grace and tragic beauty by Claire Labine, BJ's death led to the eventual end of Tony and Bobbie's marriage, saved Maxie's life through a heart transplant and brought the community of Port Charles together. Tony never fully recovered from his daughter's death, and on his eventual deathbed Tony gasped with happiness and comfort as he saw his daughter before passing on. In this case, the character's death changed the show forever and brought GH much acclaim and success.

Don't go against the grain: ATWT hires Hogan Sheffer

Soaps continue to hire from within, and time after time it has failed. Look at the countless runs of Megan McTavish, Jean Passanante, Chuck Pratt, Leah Laiman and many more. They are all talented writers in their own right, but they have burned out over the years and haven't delivered. When ATWT hired Hogan Sheffer, he revived the show and redefined it for a new era. Soaps need to continue to use new blood, look at Jill Lorie Hurst and Ron Carlivati! Both revitalized their soaps (GL and OLTL) and brought much acclaim to each soap.

What do you guys think soaps should be doing differently? Sound off in our comments section, we really want to hear from you!

--Lee

Top 10: The First Half of 2010

The year sure is flying by, isn't it? We're halfway through 2010 and the year in soaps have been incredible so far! Here's my top ten moments from 2010 so far...

10. Kim leaves her boots at the lake, OLTL
One of the most understated moments this year, Kim's goodbye to Stacy was poignant, powerful and showed the strength of Amanda Setton's acting ability. Whereas Stacy's actual death was ridiculously melodramatic and silly, we got to see another side of Kim when she broke down at the lake and took off the boots Clint gave her. It was Amanda Setton's best moment on the show and one of the best moments of OLTL this year.

9. Lulu and Dante finally hit the sheets, GH
It took long enough, but the-powers-that-be finally found a good love interest for Lulu. The slow burn, from their friendly banter to the romantic opera date really built rooting value for Lulu and Dante and when they finally made love this year it was sexy, romantic and a great payoff. That we've had one great love scene after another is icing on the cake for fans of this fun, dynamic and committed couple.

8. Adam leaves Pine Valley with Brooke, AMC
After a year of miserable, dark stories involving nothing but death and despair, All My Children remembered that soaps are about love in the afternoon and gave us an incredibly romantic reunion between Adam and newly returned Brooke. After his superficial romance with Annie and the accidental murder of Stuart, Adam found redemption in his former wife and the two left Pine Valley together to start a new life together. It was a great payoff and left the door open for either character to return somewhere down the line.

7. Luke and Reid kiss, ATWT
After years of running around with cardboard boyfriend Noah, Luke finally found passion in the icy Dr. Reid Oliver. Their kiss came out of nowhere to Luke, though not to fans who had been waiting for the moment for months. Bringing Reid in as a spoiler for "Nuke" proved to be controversial, but the kiss proved that for Luke, there could be life after Noah.

6. Kiefer beats Kristina and promptly becomes roadkill, GH
Though it had been building for months, we were stunned when Kiefer brutally beat Kristina - TWICE - until she passed out. It was not easy viewing, but the shocking twist made it all worth it when Alexis accidentally ran Kiefer down while rushing her daughter to the hospital. The ramifications of the event are still resonating today; Kristina has projected her anger and distrust onto Sonny, and Alexis has incurred the wrath of Kiefer's diabolical father, Warren.

5. Chance loses his virginity to Chloe, Y&R
It was a slow-burn love story with a twist - the male half of the couple, Chance, had never had sex. When they finally consummated their relationship, it wasn't filled with cheesy, romance novel paraphernalia, it was just fun and playful. There's not another couple like Chance and Chloe on soaps today, which is a shame, because they are just adorable and fun to watch.

4. Stacy gives birth to Sierra Rose, OLTL
The culmination of a year-long story arc involving most of the younger cast, OLTL wisely chose to redeem Stacy in her final moments on the show by having her reconcile with Gigi after giving birth to her and Oliver's baby girl. The story of the girls' dolls leading up to the naming of Sierra Rose was poignant and sad, which helped us feel sorry for Stacy after she drowned in the lake.

3. Markko learns of Langston and Ford's affair, OLTL
It had been months in the making when Markko finally walked in on Langston in the throes of passion with Ford. Devastated, Markko cried, "I would never do that to you!" as Langston wasn't sure whether to tell the truth or keep lying. In all his years on the show, Jason Tam was never given such powerful material and it was wonderful to see the talented actor show his stuff.

2. Michael is sentenced to five years in prison, GH
In a devastating turn of events, Michael was sentenced to jail after confession to killing Claudia to save Carly and Josslyn. The ruling devastated everyone involved and served as a sobering moment to both Sonny and Dante, both of whom were indirectly responsible for the ruling. The moment also wrapped up the trial, which was GH's best story all year.

1. Sonny shoots Dante, GH
"My God, Sonny! You just shot your own son!" Olivia cried as she fell to the ground in a desperate attempt to save Dante. Sonny's horrified and devastated reaction to the realization that Dante was his son was years in the making and Olivia's scream set to the church music as Josslyn was baptized made for riveting watching. It was another brutal story, but the writing was so sharp and the acting so raw that it was all worth it.

Tell us your top moments so far this year in the comments section!
--Lee

Upcoming Interviews

Hey everyone! Hope you guys like the fabulous new blog design! Here's a schedule of our upcoming interviews!

July 11: SOW's Mala Bhattacharjee
July 18: Writer Jim McCann

He said/She said... Brenda Returns to GH

He said...

After almost seven years, Vanessa Marcil is coming back to General Hospital as Brenda Barrett. We last saw Brenda leaving for Europe after a failed wedding to Jax and haven’t heard from her since (unless you count the mysterious burned girl from season one of Night Shift). This August, we’ll finally find out what the fabulous model’s been up to since she left Port Charles, and from what I’ve heard, it’s a doozy. I think that Brenda’s return is a great move for the show. Brenda’s got connections everywhere - she’s been married or involved with Jason, Sonny and Jax, she’s Robin’s best friend and Carly and Skye’s enemy. There’s a ton of potential with Brenda returning to Port Charles and I can’t wait.

Unlike my gal Lauren, I think Brenda’s last return was gangbusters (no pun intended... maybe). She came back to town in the midst of a mob war and found herself torn between Sonny and Luis Alcazar, the man who saved her when she was presumed dead. She unintentionally broke up the marriages of Sonny and Carly and Jax and Skye, was forced to marry Jason so they wouldn’t have to testify against each other in court and participated in one of my favorite scenes in GH history, the “Amazing Grace” montage.

Do I think the powers that be will capitalize on Vanessa Marcil’s immense talent and give her the meaty story she deserves? It depends. I have a feeling (a STRONG feeling) that her return will connect with James Franco’s story, but hopefully more will come after that.

She said...

So the industry is buzzing over the impending return of Vanessa Marcil's return to General Hospital Everyone should be happy, jumping for joy, after all, Bob Guza has been dreaming for her return to General Hospital forever! I don't count her botched return(in my opinion in 2003)as a "real return" So why am I so meh on her impending arrival?I always have this love/hate relationship with General Hospital. This is where I set the bar for General Hospital, and then, they come back and disappoint me over and over.. So with Vanessa's return, I will show you what I mean..

What Lauren wants: Brenda And Sonny circa 1993
What GH will give her: Brenda following Sonny around like a sick love puppy, complaining about the mob.

What Lauren wants: Brenda modeling for Crimson, interacting with Kate(after all their paths should have crossed since Kate was such a high profile person in the fashion industry, mentoring Maxie and Lulu, actually having storylines involved around the magazine.
What GH will give: Maxie and Lulu sabotaging Brenda's modeling career, and Kate still off screen.

What Lauren Wants: Brenda to engage into a younger affair with Johnny, thus having a great cougar triangle involving Olivia
What GH will give her: Brenda, Olivia and Johnny sitting around talking about how great Sonny is.

Do I think that Vanessa's return will be a booster? Yes.

Do I have faith that Bob Guza will give Marcil a meaty storyline to sink her teeth into?(think Brenda sitting up Sonny with the Wire tap) probably not.

The problem with these "BIG" returns such as Marcil's, is that a lot of the time the writers will try to recreate that storyline magic, or go back to the hype of years past. With the soap industry barely hanging on, nowadays it's hard to have a great build up storyline. It's usually either the viewer has grown accustomed to the fast pacing of the storylines, and thus will not wait around for the buildup, or the writer will give up easily, or make the storyline so tedious and ridiculous, that both the writer and the viewer eventually gives up.

While Lee loved Vanessa's previous return(in which she won a Emmy) I personally think it wasn't all that great. I guess, I fell into that category of trusting the writers to recreate the magic of Sonny and Brenda, Brenda's friendships throughout Port Charles, making her an umbrella storyline character.

Unfortunately for me, it fell flat and I was actually glad Brenda left town, yet once again. Don't get me wrong, I was a hugggge Brenda and Sonny shipper back in the day, but I feel the hype of Vanessa Marcil will be sadly placed on wishful thinking. I just don't trust the writers to give her a storyline that will give the character justice. I would love to be proven wrong<>span>

New Blog Design

Please excuse the mess while The Posh Box re-designs our blog.

Empire Season Two Review

For those of you that are bored with your daytime soaps, I strongly suggest checking out Empire: The Series (www.empiretheseries.com). The little web soap aired its second season finale tonight, and I thought I'd take a few moments to give my thoughts on the show's excellent run so far.

Season Two of Empire was like the second seasons of Dynasty and Knots Landing in that we had scheming interlopers connected to the rest of the canvas in dynamic ways (think Joan Collins and Donna Mills). In this case, we had Guiding Light stars Tina Sloan and Orlagh Cassidy join the cast as Theodora Grant Haven and Colleen Lively. Sloan's Theodora schemed her way into the family fortune while Cassidy's Colleen desperately tried to gain fame (or infamy) through exploiting her troubled teenage daughter Lucy (played by promising newcomer Afton Boggiano). Colleen and Lucy brought new depth to the show as Marin's (Kate Forsatz) mother and sister, adding a fun second family to the show.

Ryan Clardy (who we interviewed a few weeks back!) had more to do as Cane Haven, the gay black sheep of the Haven family, finding himself the unwitting guardian of last season's underage hooker Jake (Toby Levin). We also met Cane's boyfriend, Alex (Fabio Tallercio), a nice guy with a slightly insincere edge. Also expanded were the roles of Haven patriarch Cubbie (Richard Flight) and matriarch Sandra (Kathryn Neville Brown), as Sandra took desperate measures to hold on to the ideal life she wanted with her husband and kids. Cute, sweet maid Katherine Valentine (Annalisa Derr) also found herself thrust onto the front burner in a story too fun to spoil.

Not faring so well this season were last season's pivotal players, Marin, Thomas (Chris Douros) and Evan (Nick Lewis). Last season's central love triangle, this story absolutely fizzled this year with Thomas spending most of his time in jail and Marin and Evan's romance falling flat. Without having Thomas around to bother Evan and control Marin, the story felt forced, labored and an afterthought to the fun stories going on around them.

The highlight of the season, in my opinion, was the rivalry between Sandra and Katherine. Though Annalisa Derr often slips into camp, she and costar Kathryne Neville Brown had crackling chemistry in their scenes and perfectly summed up what Empire is - a fun, frothy, campy soap that aims to simply entertain. The season finale was fun, too, although the acting in the funeral scene (not saying who died! You'll need to watch for yourself) needed to be reeled in a bit. Make sure you watch past the credits for a fun final twist.

All in all, I give Empire: The Series' second season a B. It's still rough around the edges, with the acting occasionally ridiculous and the production values still at odds with the good storytelling, but this beats the hell out of any other web soap out there right now. I recommend you watch it now!