Eric Braeden by Robert Voets/CBS
Barring an act of God, The Young and the Restless will hit a staggering milestone on Feb. 29: 1,000 consecutive weeks as daytime’s top-rated show. All involved in this super-streak deserve kudos, but I just gotta give a special shout-out to Eric Braeden as ruthless kingpin Victor Newman.After an unfortunate rough patch where the writers turned his character into a passive, puppy-hugging wuss, Braeden is back on fire these days — truly terrifying during Victor’s brutal divorce from Nikki, tender and heart-shattering during his death vigil for Hope. Who else has such range? We could easily watch this fearless, flawless actor for a thousand more weeks. — Michael Logan
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Signy Coleman by John Heller/WireImage.com
Say it ain't so! On Feb. 11, The Young and the Restless will bring back the marvelous Signy Coleman as blind heroine Hope Adams. But, after just a week, the character — a major fan favorite from the '90s — is going to die on screen from pancreatic cancer."It's welcome back, now get the hell out of here!" says Coleman, who got the call to return while shopping in a New Jersey mall. "I was thrilled they want me to play Hope again, but so heartbroken they're killing her off that I just stood there crying in the middle of Barnes & Noble. She's the best character ever. But I'm also very grateful. They allowed me to bring her in, and they're allowing me to take her out." And there's a big upside to this sad event. Hope's son, Vic, to be played by Chris Engen (Felicity), doesn't know he's the spawn of Genoa City megalomaniac Victor Newman (Eric Braeden). "Hope's last wish is that her son connect with his father," Coleman says. "It's going to be dynamite." Y&R's younger se...
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Brandon Beemer, Martha Madison, Jay Johnson, Nadia Bjorlin by Paul Drinkwater/NBC
Days of our LivesFour top characters — Philip, Shawn, Chloe and Belle — will hop a private jet to Ireland to find Belle's kidnapped daughter. And go figure: Philip adds to the stress onboard by demanding Belle choose once and for all between Shawn and him. "Could there be worse timing?" Martha Madison says with a laugh. The actress, who plays the freaked-out mom, promises a "huge reveal in Ireland that will tie up over 20 years of story and explain why the DiMeras have such a vendetta against the Bradys." And we finally learn the true identity of Belle's father, John Black (Drake Hogestyn). "It'll change everything in a big way," Madison promises. "Belle's gonna be a DiMera! Who'da thought?"All My ChildrenIt's no secret All My Children's Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) likes men — witness her 11 marriages and countless trysts — but she's never enjoyed an interracial romance. Until now. Actor Mario Van Peebles joins the show this week as Erica's new love interest, Samuel...
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Drake Hogestyn by Chris Haston/NBC
I knew we were in for a bumpy ride when All My Children started the year by murdering Dixie — the show's heart and soul — with a plate of poisoned pancakes. But hey, that meant more airtime for Zarf, a rude, suffocatingly hammy, penis-flashing transgender rock star who fell in love with Pine Valley's saintly lesbian Bianca. Appropriately, fans on the Internet named the couple "Barf." In a pathetic attempt to boost ratings, Days of our Lives pretended to kill its most popular male character, John, played by Drake Hogestyn. Even the cast was fooled. But with the Nielsens staying flat, Hogestyn is now back at work and we're left to wonder: How the hell can we ever invest in Days again?General Hospital viewers had a fit and threatened to stop watching when heartthrob Jax was held hostage and forced into sex by a loony Russian chick. Meanwhile, they didn't seem to mind when a Port Charles strangler killed three women.Things that made me cringe: Constantine Maroulis on The Bold ...
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Lynn Latham by Cliff Lipson/CBS
Could the writers' strike be good for The Young and the Restless? Word is, executive producer/head writer Lynn Marie Latham — who has nearly ruined the once-glorious soap — will not return, no matter when and how the walkout ends. When contacted, a rep for the CBS-Sony show hemmed and hawed but did not deny Latham's ousting or reports that Sony programming VP Steve Kent has now taken command. He's not just some suit. Kent was supervising producer of Santa Barbara, arguably the best daytime soap ever. — Reporting by Michael Logan
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Melody Thomas Scott and Eric Braeden by Monty Brinton/CBS
CBS Daytime's premier supercouple, Victor and Nikki on The Young and the Restless, will decide to get a divorce on Oct. 5 — and there's nothing civil about it. "We start out trying to be decent to each other, but things don't turn out that way. It's really pretty brutal," says actress Melody Thomas Scott, now in her 28th year as Nikki. "At one point Eric Braeden [Victor] and I just threw out the script and went for it. We're both Aries, and when we get going in fight scenes, we'll kill each other unless someone yells 'Cut.'"The marriage started heading south a few months back when ex-stripper Nikki made an unsuccessful run for the Wisconsin state senate. She then slept with her campaign manager, which sent control-freak Victor over the edge. But this isn't their first divorce, and it probably won't be the last. "Let's face it, they're addicted to each other," Thomas Scott says. "Nikki is the only woman who can make Victor this angry." — Reporting by Michael Logan
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Edward Scott by Mike Guastella/WireImage.com
Days of Our Lives has announced that Edward Scott — who during his longtime run with The Young and the Restless was credited for 15 Daytime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Drama Series, among them five wins — has joined the NBC sudser as co-executive producer. "I am very enthusiastic about the important changes that Edward Scott will bring," Ken Corday, executive producer, Corday Productions, Inc., says in a statement. "Ed comes with more than 20 years experience with The Young and the Restless and brings a new, vibrant, creative energy and strength to this all-important position of leadership. Days will benefit greatly from Ed's direction. The viewers will also be thrilled with the exciting changes in the days to come."Salem is also welcoming another Genoa City transplant — Y&R's Marnie Saitta is coming on board as casting director.
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Tony Parker, aka this year's NBA Championship MVP and Desperate housewife Eva Longoria's own (ahem) "MVP"/hubby-to-be talks about leading the Spurs to their fourth title in nine years when he visits the Late Show with David Letterman on Monday, June 25 — his first talk-show drop-by since San Antonio's big win.... Milwaukee Brewers hurlers Chris Capuano and Jeff Suppan, outfielder Bill Hall and shortstop J.J. Hardy will play themselves when they make their "acting" debut on The Young and the Restless June 20.
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Chandra Wilson cohosts SOAPnet... Live from the Daytime Emmys.
She's not just blowing smoke. Unlike certain self-proclaimed soap nuts who don't really watch soaps (hi, Rosie), Grey's Anatomy star Chandra Wilson takes in four hours a day: All My Children, One Life to Live, General Hospital and The Young and the Restless. And she's taking that passion to the red carpet. Wilson and former OLTL stud Ty Treadway will cohost the two-hour
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Welcome to my first blog. I have been sitting in front of my computer thinking of what to say that will make me sound profound, intelligent, funny and interesting. I have reached the conclusion that I am neither intelligent, profound, funny nor interesting. Oh well, instead, I'll just tell you a little bit about my week. I spent a lot of time at CBS Television City, where The Young and the Restless is filmed. I am immersed in a really fun storyline for the summer. Tune in, it will be a hoot. I will tease you with this: Kevin inadvertently gets embroiled in some misdeeds that may land him in some hot water. I had a lot of fun this past week working with Michael Graziadei (Daniel) and Adrienne Frantz (Amber). The Grove is right next door to the studio, so I'd walk over for lunch to feed my ever growing green tea addiction. Here's an inside tip to any fans of the show visiting Los Angeles: Go to The Grove between the hours of 1 and 3 pm and you are bound to run into a gaggle of Y...
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