Best Soap: One Life to LiveIt started the year utterly crappy thanks to head writer Dena Higley, but after Erika Slezak (our hero!) royally blasted Higley on the Web, ABC fired the scribe and promoted wonder boy Ron Carlivati. Like magic, the show instantly regained its heart, its thrills, its smarts. The cast is a dream, especially Slezak, whose Viki found heaven in a Texas diner, Catherine Hickland as crazy (or is she?) Lindsay and Tuc Watkins as that gold-digging man-whore David. Once again, we're loving Life!Best Actress: The Young and the Restless' Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki)As the distraught mama faced with divorce and a comatose daughter, she pulled out all the stops, then pulled out a few more we never knew existed. This was deep, blistering work. Plus the lady gets extra points for acting sans makeup on high-def TV!Best Actor: As the World Turns' Jon Hensley (Holden)His quiet, no-baloney performance was a relief in a year of so much male showboating. Whether playing Holden'...
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Risky business, indeed. The John from Cincinnati actress was arrested on Oct. 30 after being pulled over for a traffic violation and flunking several field sobriety tests, TMZ reports. In her defense, she's always preferred essay questions to multiple choice.In semi-related news, General Hospital starlet Kirsten Storms has pleaded no contest in her own DUI case. — Ben Katner
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And just like that, a starlet's career is "fast-tracked."Kirsten Storms, aka General Hospital's Maxie, was busted for DUI over the weekend when a California Highway Patrol officer spied a lit cigarette being thrown from her blue Mercedes traveling on the Los Angeles Freeway. Storms was pulled her over, at which point the CHiP "noticed the odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from the vehicle," TMZ reports. Following several sobriety tests, Storms was arrested for DUI, taken to a Van Nuys jail and ultimately released on $5,000 bail.But the most humiliating part? Having to face Uncle Mac afterwards.
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As previously reported by TVGuide.com, General Hospital's Lucas Jones — now played by Ben Hogestyn — is coming out. The closeted teen confided the truth about his sexual orientation to cousin Georgie (Lindze Letherman) on Tuesday, Oct. 11, which was National Coming Out Day.
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All My Children: Rumor has it Rebecca Budig — & aka Mrs. Bachelor Bob Guiney — will likely opt to leave her role as the baby-hungry Greenlee Smythe Lavery when her contract expires this summer. While Budig tries her luck in prime-time TV and films, she'll still have her hosting gig on the WE channel's Full Frontal Fashion to fall back on. Smart gal.
The Bold and the Beautiful: Last week, you read here that B&B had finally settled on a name for Antonio Sabato Jr.'s mysterious new Italian stallion character: Dante di Napoli. Well, "final" decisions were made to be changed, kids. He is now called Dante Damiano. (Much better. I enjoy the alliteration, don't you?) He first airs June 16. For more on Dante's inferno of passion, read Hunter Tylo's dish in the latest Soaps Q&A.
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