All My Children courtesy ABC
This just in from ABC:Brian Frons, president, Daytime, Disney-ABC Television Group announced today that Emmy Award-winning writer Charles Pratt, Jr. will serve as headwriter and consulting producer for All My Children. Mr. Pratt will begin on June 23, 2008."Charles Pratt, Jr. is a master storyteller. His talents in writing today’s biggest primetime hits in conjunction with his vast experience with daytime dramas will undoubtedly elevate All My Children stories in new and exciting directions," says Mr. Frons. "I am incredibly excited to welcome Chuck as headwriter of All My Children. I look forward to his contemporary storytelling sensibility, his warmth and sense of humor enriching the entire canvas of Pine Valley," says executive producer Julie Hanan Carruthers.Mr. Pratt served as co-headwriter of General Hospital from 2002-2006. His additional TV credits include Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty, in addition to Melrose Place, Titans, Manchester Prep, Sunset Beach, Pacific P...
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courtesy Caitlin Van Zandt
There's a lot less of Caitlin Van Zandt these days. The plus-size Guiding Light star recently underwent Lap-Band surgery and has already dropped more than 40 pounds. The GL writers had her character, teenager Ashlee Wolfe, undergo the same weight-loss procedure in a plot that was intended to be inspiring. But all this has some of Van Zandt's fans riled up. We asked her about it. — Michael LoganTVGuide.com: Lap-band surgery isn't controversial — it's minimally invasive, unlike gastric bypass, and considered safe — yet your choice to have it stirred up controversy! What's up with that? Caitlin Van Zandt: I don't know why it's such a taboo topic, but it is! I'm always reading articles where celebrities talk about everything from their drug rehab stints to the people they've slept with, yet I've gotten flack on the internet for doing the Lap-Band as if I'm somehow being a bad role model. A lot of the fans relate to me because I'm real looking — which I think is wo...
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SOAPnet has picked up General Hospital: Night Shift for a second season to launch in July, after the General Hospital spin-off scored record ratings for the cabler in its first year.As for changes, Season 2 will not only be shot in high definition, it will feature continuity between Night Shift and the ABC mothership. (Good news for those who remember how the first time around, Jason was imprisoned during the "day" yet roaming about/playing hero at "night.") Characters from Night Shift's first season will return, along with new players and "legacy characters" from ABC's long-running daytime drama.Even more siginificant than the series attracting record numbers of viewers to SOAPnet was its No. 5 ranking among women 18-49 in all of basic cable for its timeslot, given the network's limited distribution. — J.R. WhalenRelated:• Tristan Rogers Checks Back into GH• Antonio Sabato, Jr. Working the GH Night Shift
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Cameron Mathison by Jamie McCarthy/WireImage.com, Sherri Shepherd by Bennett Raglin/WireImage.com
All My Children's Cameron Mathison and The View's Sherri Shepherd have been named hosts of the 35th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.The ceremony airs Friday, June 20 on ABC (8 pm/ET).In addition to playing pretty-boy Ryan Lavery on AMC, Mathison finished in fifth place during the fifth season of Dancing With the Stars.Shepherd joined The View as a cohost in 2007. In addition to ABC's broadcast, SOAPnet offers two new features from 6-8 pm/ET. "Handicapping the Emmy" brings ESPN sports talent together to analyze the nominations and predictions ("gee, Mike, he oughta get the trophy for the way he broke down her defense and put seven points on the board.") Also, "Deconstructing the Emmy" will allow viewers to see preparations for the Kodak Theater ceremony and take a peek at stars getting ready for the big night. — J.R. WhalenRelated:• Daytime Emmys Aiming for Golden Globes Energy• Finola Hughes, Lawrence Zarian Bring Daytime Emmy Fans Backstage
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Heather Tom by Monty Brinton/CBS
While some folks take the shirt off their backs to help those in need, The Bold and the Beautiful's Heather Tom is taking it one step further. To celebrate her 12th Daytime Emmy nomination, Tom has asked Project Runway's Jack Mackenroth to design a one-of-a-kind gown that she'll auction off after donning it for the kudoscast (airing June 20, on ABC). The proceeds will benefit AIDS charities.The auction, hosted by the Clothes Off Our Back Foundation, kicks off June 27, aka National HIV Testing Day. — J.R. Whalen
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Heather Tom by Monty Brinton/CBS, William DeVry by Cliff Lipson/CBS
As a rule, soaps stay the hell away from suicide. But CBS' The Bold and the Beautiful went there on April 28, when Storm Logan (William deVry) blew his brains out so his heart could be donated to his dying sister, Katie (Heather Tom). "It was a hard decision, but the aftermath of Storm's death is some of the finest work we've ever done," says B&B exec producer Brad Bell. "It's a decision I don't regret."While Storm's other siblings consider his actions heroic, Katie doesn't. "She's furious that he sacrificed his life for her," Tom says. "They wrote an incredible fantasy scene [airing May 14] where Katie actually confronts Storm. Usually, when the living talk to the dead on soaps, it's touchy-feely. This is a big, horrible argument."One Life to Live dealt with suicide in 2003, when Keri (Sherri Saum) leapt from a high-rise, but this was only revealed in court well after her death. B&B hit it head-on, and this worried Tom. "It's dangerous to find any glory or honor in suicide,...
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The Young and the Restless courtesy CBS
I'm liking the babe-geezer romance of Sabrina and Victor on The Young and the Restless, but why the snoozy setup? Outta nowhere, Victor has become an avid art collector (Sabrina's his consultant), leading to weeks of pretentious art talk, museum visits, even cameos by real-life artists. This isn't a plot! It's barely a pseudosituation, and the show has way too many of those lately. (Will Karen conquer her stage fright? Who will take an ad in "Restless Style" magazine?) What happened to all the emotionally epic, high-fever stories that made Y&R such a landmark? This soap has somehow lost its opera. — Michael Logan
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Jennifer Gareis and John McCook by Brian Lowe/jpistudios.com, Texas Battle by Ryan Born/WireImage.com
The upcoming marriage of The Bold and the Beautiful's Eric and Donna (John McCook and Jennifer Gareis) has trouble written all over it — and not just because he's a hotshot megamogul and she's an inflatable bimbo doll. After the "I do's" on May 9, we will learn that the bride has a secret past she has not shared with her new hubby. "When Donna was 16, she had a baby and gave it up for adoption," says B&B chief Brad Bell. "The identity of the dad, who is black, is going to remain a mystery for a while." But the product of that union — now a strapping young man named Marcus — will soon arrive in L.A. in search of Donna. The role will be played by fright-flick fave Texas Battle (Final Destination 3, Wrong Turn 2: Dead End). Yep, Bell plans to play the race card—mildly anyway. When Marcus first shows up at Eric and Donna's mansion, she assumes that he's with the staff and sends him to the kitchen. — Michael Logan
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From the Los Angeles Times:"Beverlee McKinsey died May 2nd, 2008, in Los Angeles from complications due to a kidney transplant. She was 72 years old. Ms. McKinsey was an actor best known for roles in daytime television. She created the character Iris Carrington on NBC's Another World, and played the part from 1970-1979. She also created the role of Alexandra Spaulding on CBS' Guiding Light, and performed it from 1984-1992. In 1980, NBC developed the program Texas to capitalize on the popularity of her character, Iris Carrington; and Ms. McKinsey was the first and only performer in the history of daytime drama to receive star billing. "In 1998, the editors of Soap Opera Magazine voted her the best actor in the history of daytime television. TV Guide's Michael Logan wrote of her in 1992, 'For my money, Beverlee McKinsey is the greatest actress ever to grace daytime drama.'"GuidingLight.net will feature a vintage "Alexandra" clip in the coming weeks as a tribute to McKinsey.
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Jeanne Cooper by Robert Voets, Peter Bergman by Robert Voets, Tracey Bregman by Tony Esparza/CBS
Nominations for the 35th annual Daytime Emmy awards were announced Wednesday, and CBS' daytime lineup has the early lead with 51 total nods — or for comparison purposes 12.75 nominations per soap. ABC netted 27 noms for its three sudsers, while NBC's Days of Our Lives and Passions amassed 10 bids between 'em.Among the noteworthy tallies, The Young and the Restless collected 11 acting nods, including at least one contender in every race, while Days made an atypically strong showing, scoring four acting nominees. Kudoscast host ABC, meanwhile, may want to instead broadcast a test pattern, as All My Children, General Hospital and One Life to Live netted just three acting nods combined. That said, both GH and OLTL are vying in both the outstanding drama series and writing contests.The major races:Lead ActressMaura West (Carly, ATWT)Crystal Chappell (Olivia, GL)Nicole Forester (Cassie, GL)Michelle Stafford (Phyllis, Y&R)Jeanne Cooper (Katherine, Y&R)Lead ActorDavid Canary (A...
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