Monday, November 15, 2010

BEFORE THEY WERE SOAP STARS
By Alina Adams

Judith Chapman, who turns 65 years old today and is currently playing Gloria on Y&R, has a phenomenally impressive soap resume.

She started off on ATWT as Natalie, Tom Hughes' first legal client - and eventually his first wife. Then she was Charlotte on Ryan's Hope, a part of some overly complicated Irish vendetta against Frank that really had to do with his mother (I hated the character so much, that when she got stabbed and spent, I swear, it was literally a week, writhing on the floor, trying to get to a phone, I giggled through the whole thing).

She was Ginny on General Hospital, where she somehow got to enchant both Mark Goddard as Derek (those who remember my earlier confessed love of Lost in Space, will understand my confusion) and Chris Robinson as Rick Webber. At the time, I thought it was the worst story ever written for Rick. Little did I know of what havoc would be wreaked when he returned to the show years later, only to be killed off by Laura and his body dragged around town, nearly Weekend at Bernie's style, by his grandsons, Lucky and Nikolas.

Next, she played Anjelica on Days of Our Lives. In this case, I had loved Jane Elliot's take on the role, and never warmed up to her subsequent portrayers. The same thing happened with Y&R's Gloria.

But, the thing that utterly stunned me was when I recently found out that Judith Chapman had also appeared on the classic Galactica 1980 episode, The Return of Starbuck (as Dr. Z's mother), a show I adored as a child. (Don't tell me it was cheesy. I know it was cheesy. My love was able to overlook that. Or maybe, at 10, I just had no clue). Thankfully, to keep things consistent, I hated that character, too.

Check out the video clip below!


DAYTIME DISH-ER

As the World Turns writer Susan Dansby talks Carjack, Nuke, Lure, the last days of ATWT, the golden age of GL, the future of soaps and, most importantly how you can be a part of them, in her interview at Dayplayer Dish.

Listen to the complete show, here!
ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #80-1

GQ told Jen, "Get this: The Bauers filed an injunction forbidding me from suing for custody until the Assisted Suicide case is settled. They argue that, until I know whether or not I'm going to jail, I can't claim to be capable of providing Hudson with a stable home. So not only did Allie deprive me of my son in the first place, now she's the indirect reason I can't immediately fight for him, too."

"But, Gregory's case might not come on the docket for weeks, maybe even months."

"Sucks to be me," GQ agreed. "Let's not even get into the fact that every day Hudson spends with the Bauers is another day they can point to and claim he's too settled in with them to be moved."

"GQ..." Jen began tentatively; no longer because she was afraid of giving unsolicited advice, but because she really wasn't sure how she felt about the advice she was about to offer. "I — I assume, when this all first went down, that Chase Hamilton offered you the same deal he offered the rest of us."

It took GQ a moment to comprehend what she was saying. Once he did, though, he appeared even more scared of the words and their potential than Jen had been. "No... Jen... I — I couldn't..."

***

Grant takes drastic action to protect Marley, Alice makes an unpopular decision about her case, Jamie and Morgan are blindsided by an abrupt change in Lorna's condition, Matt offers Dean advice on fatherhood, and Jen offers GQ a tactic for winning Hudson - at a potentially devastating cost to Allie. Should GQ take her advice?

Read the latest episode and vote at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/aw_today.html

Friday, November 12, 2010

GUIDING LIGHT SYNOPSIS NOVEMBER 8-12, 2010

Via: http://twitter.com/melindasuelewis

Mindy met with GQ, who stressed to her that he was sorry to be hurting her, but he deserved to raise his child. And Hudson deserved to be raised as what he was - a Black man.

Mindy put her foot in her mouth when she pointed out that Hudson doesn't look Black, so wouldn't it be better for him to live a life with her and Rick that even GQ admitted would be simpler and less complicated?

GQ didn't see it that way. Mel filed papers declaring the adoption null and void and demanding that Mindy and Rick turn Hudson over to his biological father immediately.

Beth countered with the reminder that GQ was currently facing charges in Bay City in regards to Gregory's Assisted Suicide (http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2010/2010_67p1.html). Until that criminal issue was settled, GQ couldn't claim to be capable of providing Hudson with a stable home.

Mindy went crying to Billy about how she'd screwed up everything. Billy wondered, if GQ were sent to jail, that would make things easier for Billy's Princess, wouldn't it....

Don't like reading backwards? Go to: http://www.soapopera451.com/msl/ to read Mindy's latest Tweets in chronological order.

Want more details about what happened this week and how to follow along live starting Monday? Sign up to follow Mindy and offer her your advice at: http://twitter.com/melindasuelewis
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES: ANOTHER WORLD COUPLES PART #1
By Nicole Walker

Ryan and Frankie: Blasphemous, I’m sure, to the Cass/Frankie and Ryan/Vicky factions, but Ryan and Frankie were such tight BFFs, such fun partners with real chemistry, that I enjoyed the idea of them becoming more than friends and making the transition to lovers much more than each staying with their respective partners. The potential was always there and both Cass and Vicky knew it- and fretted about it- but Ryan and Frankie were true-blue to their significant others (you wouldn’t expect anything else with them being the stand-up heroes that they were) and Fryan never came to be. On one hand, I applaud TPTB for resisting the urge to take every male/female interaction down the torrid lovers path which seems to happen sooner or later to every male/female couple on every soap, but on the other…

All things said, while Cass and Felicia were the standard for a (mostly) platonic friendship between a men and a woman, Ryan and Frankie were in a class all their own. You just knew that when Frankie met her untimely (and brutal) death that Ryan was the first one waiting on the other side to welcome her and do his best to comfort her, support her and see her through, just like always...

Below, Vicky (Anne Heche) is jealous of Ryan and Frankie's closeness.

Donna and Grant: The snark! The wit! The sparks! This once and future dark power couple of Bay City could have been a force to be reckoned with by any who dared cross their paths. Between Grant’s ruthlessness and Donna’s high scheming and plotting IQ, there would be nothing these two couldn’t accomplish and no one they couldn’t crush. Or at least torture very, very painfully.

It would all start so innocently; Donna, in an effort to wedge Vicky and Grant apart, would take one for the team and set out to seduce Grant and draw his attention away from her daughter, only in the process she becomes charmed by the Senator, beguiled by his passion and ambition, and finds herself taking a liking to him even as she thoroughly believes he would be the biggest mistake Vicky could ever make. Grant would resist Donna’s attempts initially, still feeling a pull to the youthful Vicky, but he too would fall under the spell of the more confident, mature, fearless Donna, a woman who was intellectually stimulating, capable, experienced, and connected. A true partner in every way, the Lady to his MacBeth, in what would have most assuredly a torrid, tragic, mesmerizing car-crash of an affair.

Imagine! Dueling Power Couples Grant and Donna vs. Carl and Rachel! The battles these two dynamic duos could’ve had to determine who would reign supreme in Bay City!

Funnily enough we kind of DID get Donna and Grant together as a couple, only they were Greenlee Smythe’s parents (well, in Roger's case, presumed parent) on All My Children...

***

Nicole Walker is the Associate Producer of Another World Today.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #79-2: PRICE TO BE PAID

"I love Cass," Felicia asserted. "And I love Frankie. I think they have been amazing parents to Lori Ann, especially under the horrible circumstances. But, on the other hand, the very qualities that made Frankie capable of taking in her cousin's child and raising Lori Ann as her own, are also the ones that are now making me reconsider her fitness for the job. Frankie is a loving, good-hearted, open, forgiving person. Which is wonderful. Up to a point."

"And what might that be, may I ask?"


"The one where her forgiving nature extends to sympathy for the Devil. Or, in this case, Donna Love."


Carl's countenance shook with rage. "She what?"


"Apparently, Donna came up to her at Gregory's funeral. It was a horrible occasion; you know how close Frankie is to both Sharlene and John, and she adored Gregory. She was clearly vulnerable, obviously not thinking straight at all. Donna pleaded her case. She had the audacity to compare her own keeping Jenna from you to Frankie's protecting Charlie from Cecile, and the lengths that Cass went to — "


"That bitch!" Carl exploded.


"You know how Frankie is. She prides herself on seeing the good in anyone. I admire her for it. But, if it leads to her eventually coming around and allowing Donna any sort of standing in Lori Ann's life — "


"Unacceptable," Carl sputtered. "Never. It would be a perversion."


"Exactly," Felicia agreed. "Which is why, for a variety of reasons, I believe it would be best for everyone if Lori Ann were returned to her father...."


***

Lila inadvertently gives Grant an idea for protecting Marley, Alice refuses to let Spencer and Kevin plot out her future, Jamie and Morgan disagree over Lorna's course of treatment, while Felicia and Carl continue with their plot against Donna.

Read the latest at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2010/2010_79p2.html

We've really enjoyed reading your comments on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Another-World/307355595460?ref=search&sid=13800416.3728872026..1 and the SoapOpera451 Message Board: http://www.soapopera451.com/talk/mboard.php. Keep it up!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

DOPPELGANGER DWARFS
By Alina Adams

When we talk about diversity on daytime, it's easy to forget that even among the minimum representation of African-American, Hispanic, Asian, Jewish and gay characters, one group that's rarely ever seen is the differently-abled.

Sure, there are the periodic attacks of trauma-induced and/or hysterical blindness/deafness/muteness/paralysis. But, hardly anyone stays that way for long. (Unless they are played by a genuinely disabled actor, such as Tom Sullivan on Search for Tomorrow or Mitch Longley on Another World). Guiding Light hired a hearing-impaired actress, Amy Englund, to play Abby, but both the character and performer received a chochlear implant. (For more on that story and deafness on daytime in general, click here.) Even Lily's autism on All My Children seemed to come and go as the storyline called for it. (She's nonverbal! She's hyperverbal! She panics at the color red! No, today, she's fine...)

Brent Collins was an actor who suffered from dwarfism and, ironically, also Marfan's Syndrome, the same disease that killed Abraham Lincoln, Julius Caesar and vollyball star Flo Hyman.

He made his 1982 debut on As The World Turns in a role that was basically a (rather tasteless, IMHO) short joke, portraying Mr. Big (get it? It's funny, because he's a dwarf!), a mob kingpin who tortured Tom and Margo in his secluded European castle and then through Africa (in my ATWT tie-in novel, The Man From Oakdale, I pay tribute to the storyline and the start of the Hughes' romance; I was 12 when it aired. I thought it was awesome.)

As you can see for yourself in the classic clip below, the part consisted mostly of evil cackling:



But, just like Margo Hughes (not the one in the clip above; but we're soap viewers we know how to roll with these kinds of punches) turned out to have a doppelganger in Springfield (video evidence, here), so did Mr. Big have a (much nicer; for a change) twin in Bay City.

In 1984, Brent Collins assumed the role of Wallingford on AW, Felicia Gallant's confidant, business partner and occasional partner in crime.



And while the role was quite an improvement over Mr. Big (for one thing, there was a lot less cackling... and torture), the fact is, for the duration of his run, Wallingford was primarily used for comic relief, as a supportive shoulder and a "cuteness" factor, that proved soaps still have a long way to go when it comes to those who are different... in any way.

(This piece was in no way intended to be a comprehensive overview of disability portrayals on daytime. If you have a story that you think was handled particularly well over the years... or particularly badly, please let us know in the Comments!)
EDGE OF NIGHT TODAY

What have Sky and Raven Whitney been up to over the past twenty-five years? Find out in the latest installment of Mariann Aalda's (Didi) Eye on Monticello!

And please enjoy this classic EON opening sequence, featuring Didi, Calvin, Raven, Sky and whole lot more!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

PRE-PRIMETIME PRE-TEENS

Before they found prime-time success in Who's The Boss and Heroes, Danny Pintauro and Hayden Panettiere made a slapsh in daytime as three iconic, pint-sized dynamos from a trio of core families.

At age seven, Danny Pintauro stepped into the role of As The World Turns' Paul, son of Barbara and James. (For details of what a heavy storyline was laid on those second grade shoulders, click here.) Enjoy the clip below: Evidence that, once upon a time, James actually did love Paul - or, at least, loved him in a noticeably less twisted way.



Meanwhile, Hayden Panettiere made her mark as not one but two daytime tots!

There's Guiding Light's Lizzie...



And, even before that, Sarah on One Life to Live...

Monday, November 8, 2010

WHERE IN THE WORLD....

Perhaps no one has lived the life of a New York soap star with more panache and notoriety than Eileen Fulton. The woman credited with inventing the soap industry’s contractual “granny clause” in the late 1960s (no grandchildren for her character) is working with the cabaret coach and director Diana Basmajian to create the nightclub act she’ll unveil at the Greenwich Village piano bar Don’t Tell Mama on Dec. 17.

In an apartment on the Upper East Side whose walls are painted a dramatic shade of purple, Ms. Fulton recently quieted two Pekingese dogs — Ella Fitzgerald and Rosemary Clooney — as she practiced the showbiz yarns that might make it into her cabaret act. At 77, and waving off concern over the pneumonia that landed her in the hospital just as the final episodes of “As the World Turns” were broadcast, Ms. Fulton dismissed talk of retirement with a succinct “You die.”

More on Eileen, as well as Jake Silbermann (Noah), Michael Park (Jack), Terri Columbino (Katie), Van Hansis (Luke), etc... at: The New York Times.

And for those who'd like a preview of Eileen's nightclub act, check out her cabaret reel, below:

And then buy Eileen's CD!



ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #79-1: COVER UP!

"You could have stepped up and helped those kids at any time," Rachel accused Alice.

"My coming forward would have hardly gotten all the charges dropped. Especially not where Allie was concerned."

"You could have tried. You were so sanctimonious about being the one Jamie turned to when he was sick years ago."

"That's your interpretation of my motives."

"You picked a hell of a time to quit butting into my family's business." Rachel zeroed in with her best shot. "Steven Frame. How could you look at that name in the paper, how could you look at that face; we both know who he looks like, don't we? It's unmistakable — and, understanding that you had the means, still refuse to lift a finger to help him?"

"I don't need to justify myself to you. Not today of all days."

"I knew it." Rachel's smiled mixed triumph with bitterness. "You were lashing out at me, using my children and grandchildren to do it."

"Would it be terribly rude," Alice inquired. "If I were to suggest you get over yourself, Rachel? And quickly. It's not attractive."

***

Grant steps in to protect Marley even as Jamie discovers Lorna at the hospital with Morgan, Lila warns Donna off turning to Matt, Carl pleads his case to Dean, and GQ meets with Hudson's adoptive parents.

Your votes are in! Who is the new Mayor of Bay City? Find out at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2010/2010_79p1.html

And as several lives hang in the balance, we want to hear your thoughts on what should happen next! Go to: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Another-World/307355595460?ref=search&sid=13800416.3728872026..1 and http://www.soapopera451.com/talk/mboard.php to voice your opinions on future storyline twists and turns, and become a part of keeping "Another World Today" spinning!

And for a refresher course on the reason behind Rachel and Alice's over 40 years of animosity, please enjoy this retrospective from the 1994 prime-time special, 50 Years of Soaps.

Friday, November 5, 2010

GUIDING LIGHT SYNOPSIS NOVEMBER 1-5, 2010

Via http://twitter.com/MelindaSueLewis:

While waiting for GQ and Beth to show up for their legal meeting, Mindy attempted to make small talk with Mel.

It didn't go well.

First, they clashed about Leah dating Kevin Marler. Mel thought her daughter deserved to have fun and not obsess about her schoolwork like Mel did when she was Leah's age. Mindy thought anyone with Thorpe chromosomes - especially a teen-age boy - was bound to be trouble.

Next, Mindy was furious to find out that GQ went on TV again, to talk about Hudson's custody. (http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2010/2010_78p1.html). But, she grew speechless when she heard GQ reading aloud some of the nasty, racist mail he'd received as a result.

Mindy swore to Mel that she had nothing to do with it (even as she and Beth privately wondered if Phillip might be involved... he did promise to protect them, Spaulding style).

Mel conceded that she knew that. But, also pointed out that the custody battle was bound to have a racial dimension. Did Mindy really want to put Hudson - not to mention herself and Rick... and Leah - through this?

What should Mindy do now? Tweet her your advice via: http://twitter.com/MelindaSueLewis.

And, to read more, go to: http://www.soapopera451.com/msl/, where all of Mindy's tweets appear in chronological order!

Plus, should soaps delve into issues of race? Please let us know your thoughts below!
TURNS ON A SMILE!

Some As The World Turns bloopers to start your weekend off with a chuckle!

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Missed Opportunity: Guiding Light Edition
Cassie Layne Winslow and Alan-Michael
Spaulding: A Bad Romance
By Nicole Walker

It never fails. Just like you know that when a woman sleeps with two different men on the same night that she’s going to end up pregnant or when an emotionally distraught girlfriend/wife/mother gets behind the wheel of a car you can set your watch by how many minutes she has before she crashes her car into oncoming traffic...

When news that an actor is leaving a soap and their character is being written out, THAT is when the character and their potential becomes 1000x more compelling than what they were before they were given the pink slip.

Now, many Guiding Light fans were skeptical when the beloved Alan-Michael Spaulding was brought back to the canvas in 2005, which was understandable since he wasn’t being played by Emmy award winned Rick Hearst. I mean, Alan-Michael IS Rick Hearst (sorry, Carl Tye Evans, we love you, too; it's just been a while) and Michael Dempsey (Alan-Michael’s new portrayer) was quite pretty to look at, but he wasn’t Rick Hearst.

And, as if the poor guy didn’t have enough against him, instead of playing with the big boys upon his return, Alan-Michael was thrown into not one but two head scratching romances with women nearly half his age - Marina and Ava - the former being the daughter of his ex-wife, Eleni, who at one time could have turned out to be Alan-Michael’s daughter!

::Sigh::

After nearly two years on canvas, Dempsey was given his pink-slip in 2007, and us viewers were left to watch and wait for his exit.

And then it happened.

One scene of Alan-Michael playing the Spaulding Family Defender against the emotionally volatile and grieving Cassie Layne Winslow and suddenly I could visualize a compelling, organic, character-consistent, emotionally engaging storyline for Alan-Michael and Cassie that could keep going and going for years.

Take Alan-Michael: Always at odds with Alan and being a Spaulding, he nevertheless takes up the mantle of gate-keeper and head of the Spaulding family because that’s what a son does. In taking this action, of course, there is the hope that he will finally earn Alan’s respect and love.

Take Cassie Layne Winslow: A grieving mother who is unraveling to an alarmingly unpredictable degree. She has a legitimate beef against Alan-Michael’s father, Alan, for his role in Cassie’s daughter’s death and aims to see Alan - and all the Spauldings, if necessary - pay and pay dearly and will do so by any means necessary.

The two battle; Cassie doing her damndest to upset Alan’s life and Alan-Michael doing his best to set it right, Cassie changing up her tactics and playing up her grief to sucker Alan-Michael in, Alan-Michael playing to Cassie, claiming that he does feel her pain and understand what she’s going through...

Only somewhere along the way, the sweet sensitive part of himself that Alan-Michael tries to protect does begin to feel Cassie’s pain and Cassie is shocked to realize that not all Spauldings are without a heart or compassion and the two realize, to their horror, that they are falling in love with the enemy.

But this wasn’t supposed to happen, each is using the other as a means to an end. So they retreat from each other back to their warring selves, only the more they try to fight it, the more they can’t resist each other, even when they give in to lust and temptation they tell themselves that it’s all part of the plan, that they’re in control of themselves, in control of the situation and that nothing will keep them from their ultimate goals.

And then fate intervenes. Cassie ends up pregnant. Clichéd? Maybe. (Ed. Note: Tricky without a uterus, perhaps even more so.) But nothing steps up a storyline like a blood-feud baby!

Now the game goes to a whole new level.

For Cassie this child is a miracle, a salve for her broken heart or a weapon in her vendetta against the family obsessed Alan, even as it remains a vulnerability that the Spauldings can use to completely and utterly destroy her once and for all.

For Alan-Michael- this child marks the defining moment of his life. A family is now within reach, but will he cut ties from the Spauldings for his child and its mother and make a deliberate effort to protect his own child from Alan’s crushing influence? Or would he be swayed by Alan’s sudden interest in another heir to use his and Cassie’s child to finally cement himself in his father’s good graces?

Would Cassie and Alan-Michael ever trust each other enough to believe in their love? To let go of the past and look to a future as a normal happy family with their new bundle of joy?

Unfortunately, we’ll never know.

Cassie and Alan-Michael never engaged in full on crazy, sexy, hot, Spaulding-Layne warfare.

Alan-Michael went out with whimper instead of a bang, forced out of Springfield by Alan in a most humiliating manner in a supposed effort to ‘protect’ him.

Cassie would leave town a year later after finally hitting rock bottom, taking the one kid she had left, RJ, off for a new start in Hawaii.

Somewhat anti-climactic ends, I’d say.

But who knows, maybe those two, crazy, pretty kids still found each other after leaving Springfield; Cassie being the one to help Alan-Michael finally let go of his anger towards Alan, and Alan-Michael showing Cassie that not all Spauldings are irredeemably evil.

What do you all think? Click the Comments button and let us know!

***

Nicole Walker is the Associate Producer of Another World Today. She is rarely without an opinion.


AS MY SUBCONSCIOUS TURNS
By Alina Adams

I wonder what Dr. Freud would have made of the dream I had last night, wherein I travel back in time but, instead of buying Apple stock or warning people of the looming recession, I choose to spend my time... watching classic soap operas.

(General Hospital's Anna and Duke, to be precise, which is very odd, since, while I liked them well enough, they don't even make my Top 25 favorite soap couples list. It's also a bit anachronistic, as, in my time travels, I'm in New York City, where I only moved in 1994, and Anna and Duke were over by then. But, enough about me....)

Clearly, my subconscious is trying to tell me something. Am taking suggestions on what....
ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #78-2

"Amanda...."

"What, Mom?" She tuned around, hands on hips, bracing for a fight.

"Drop the tone, young lady," Rachel was in no mood for attitude. "No matter how tired you are, I am still not the enemy, here."

"Sorry," Amanda mumbled. "I just... It's been a long.... What were you going to say?"

"I was going to say that it would probably be best for you to hire a new attorney for Allie as soon as possible. Maybe you and Jamie would like to employ someone from the Cory corporate stable for both Allie and Steven. If not, perhaps Mike Bauer or — "

"Why would I get Allie a new attorney? Kevin hasn't said anything about quitting."

"His representing Alice is an obvious conflict of interest."

"How? They're all charged with the same crime."

"No, they aren't. Alice is a doctor, her indictment is much more severe than theirs. Not to mention the fact that Allie and Steven will need to testify against her."

"No way," Amanda said. "If they were going to turn on Alice, they could have done it weeks ago. Clearly, the kids aren't interested."

"Which is precisely why they need their own attorney, to explain to them why they should get interested, and quickly."

"I'm not going to let you do this, Mom."

"Do what? Protect my grandchildren?"

"At another person's expense."

"Alice is guilty. Even she isn't denying it. If anyone should be laying down the law here, it should be me forbidding you from sacrificing your daughter and your nephew to protect the grandmother of a man who certainly wouldn't do the same for you."

***

Marley's recollection of the past offers new perspective on her future and jeopardizes several people's future, Carl questions Rachel's role in Alice's arrest, Morgan makes a confession to Lorna, Steven confronts Sarah who blames GQ, Spencer vows to protect Alice at any cost, and you get to vote for the next mayor of Bay City!

All at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2010/2010_78p2.html

Thanks to everyone who let us know the link to the Discussion Board was broken. We've fixed it at: http://www.soapopera451.com/talk/mboard.php

And thank you for your continued support. We're getting new members for the mailing list and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Another-World/307355595460?ref=search&sid=13800416.3728872026..1) every day. We couldn't do this without you!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

EDGE OF NIGHT TODAY #6

Mariann Aalda (Didi) keeps a fresh Eye on Monticello at: http://eontoday.blogspot.com/2010/11/fine-dandy-and-just-super.html.

Click on the above link to find out what prompted her to write as a post-script: Rick James was actually one of Irving Allen Lee's (who played Calvin) favorite performers. And there were many mornings that he would show up on the set after a night of partying, singing this song!

Plus, check out a new interview with Mariann at: http://thesoapspiel.blogspot.com/, and please enjoy this final act from the last episode of Edge of Night!

WHERE ARE THEY NOW ROUND-UP


Alexandra Chando (Maddie; ATWT)

Larry Bryggman (John; ATWT)

Michael Park (Jack; ATWT)

Frank Runyon (Steve; ATWT)


Matt Bomer (Ben; GL)

Robert Newman (Josh; GL)


Sandra Robinson (Amanda; AW)

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

DOPPELGANGER DUOS: MARGO HUGHES/MAUREEN BAUER
By Alina Adams

The fact that Mike Bauer was able to temporarily relocate from Springfield to Bay City, Cass Winthrop practice law on AW, ATWT and GL, and Chris Hughes hope to get a heart from his neighboring burg, indicates that all three soap towns exist in the same universe.

Which must make it terribly confusing for their citizens when they spot allegedly non-related people who somehow look awfully familiar (like, say, Mark Evans, Brian McColl and Grant Harrison. Or Annie Dutton and Vicky Hudson).

This week, we take a look at another such example:

Springfield's Maureen Bauer...



And Oakdale's Margo Hughes...



Not only do the ladies look alike, but they share characteristics like feistiness, stubbornness, a firm belief in right and wrong (though never to the point of rigidity), and husbands whom they usually adore, who adore them back... but who also have been know to stray on occasion. And accidentally father an illegitimate child (GL's Michelle, ATWT's Daniel), whom Maureen and Margo nevertheless grew to love as their own.

With all that in common, if they ran into each other (I know, hard to do with Maureen being dead, but let's pretend this happened before that... and before the women stopped looking alike, too), do you think Maureen and Margo could have been friends?

Tell us in the Comments below!

Coming soon:
Felicia Gallant & Lena Kendall
Bill Lewis & Chris Hughes
Kelly Nelson & Doug Cummings
Tom Hughes & Buzz Cooper
Jamie Frame & Brian Wheatley
Craig Montgomery & Ben Warren
Edmund Winslow & Jordan Stark
& More!

(You can leave your suggestions for whom you would like to see, below, as well, and I'll try to dig up the clips.)

***

Alina Adams is the author of Oakdale Confidential, Jonathan's Story, The Man From Oakdale and the tongue-in-cheek self-help book:

Monday, November 1, 2010

A COUPLE OF DAYS LATE, STILL SWEET... AND HOT!

October 28 was National Chocolate Day. Alas, I just found out about it today.

To make up for my tardiness, please enjoy the following chocolate themed-scenes from As The World Turns, Guiding Light and Another World (we've got cake, pudding, ice-cream... plus chocolate as a metaphor. Mmmmm, metaphorical chocolate....)









ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #78-1: ELECTION DAY!

Materializing as if from a puff of smoke, Donna poked her head into the office. "Grant, darling, I need you desperately. Jeanne is ready for your interview." She informed Marley. "We'll be streaming the entire Election Day live from Grant's headquarters on the KBAY website! Isn't that exciting? Very cutting edge. Grant will be a pioneer!" She grabbed him by the arm, pulling Grant away before Marley could respond. Clearly, the question had been rhetorical.

"That's weird," Kirkland noted as his father and grandmother blew by him, a frowning Marley bringing up the rear. "All I ever heard was how much she hated him, and now, Grandmother's working harder than anybody to get Grant elected. What's up?"

"Politics make strange bedfellows," Marley figured it was never too early to introduce a growing boy to meaningless cliches. "Forget about Donna," she urged Kirkland, trying desperately to do the same. "The most important thing for Grant about this day is having you on-hand to share it with him. He's so happy you decided to come."

"Are you kidding? Where else would I be?"

"Well, it is Jamie's birthday, too, and I know you and Steven usually do the Frame men dinner followed by some live sporting event thing."

"Dad was cool about postponing. He saw I wanted to be here. Besides, there's Lorna now, and I figured they didn't need a third wheel around for the celebration, you know?"

"Yeah..." Visualizing that particular scenario somehow made even Donna cooing over Grant the preferable image. Marley refocused her attention towards her mother's camera crew, where Jeanne Ewing stood amidst the frenzy of campaign activity, interviewing a cool, collected, dapper Grant.

"Are you concerned, Senator, about the effect that Dr. Alice Frame's earlier arrest might have on your chances today?"

***

On Election Day, Grant slyly turns the tables on his opponent, Spencer, Kevin, and Amanda band together for Alice, Morgan guesses Lorna's secret, Kirkland gives GQ some more to think about, Marley balks at Donna's sycophantic overtures, and Frankie appeals for Sharlene to see reason.

Latest episode at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2010/2010_78p1.html

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It's fans like you, and your support of our advertisers, that keeps AWT and SoapOpera451 going!

Thank you!

Friday, October 29, 2010

BEFORE THEY WERE KATIE (OR BLONDE, FOR THAT MATTER)

When Terri Colombino (then Conn) auditioned for As The World Turns in 1998, it was for the role of Georgia, Sam's long-lost daughter and Lucinda's even longer-lost niece.

Jaime Dudney (daughter of country legend Barbara Mandrell) got the part, instead. (Where is Jaime now? Teaching acting back home in Nashville!)

But, the ATWT producers were so impressed with Terri that they created the role of teen-age troublemaker Katie especially for her. (Which was a neat trick, as Margo and Craig's baby sister was only born in 1989 and had, in fact, been played by Anne Sward's (Lyla) real life daughter, Cori Ann Hansen, for five - mostly unseen - years.)

The soap wasn't Terri's television debut, however. She'd already appeared on the television series, Breaker High, below:



And for a look back at Katie and Brad's classic, laugh out loud wedding...



Where is Terri now? About to debut as Aubrey on One Life to Live!

Click on the Comments section below and let us know: Do you prefer her as a blonde or a redhead?
GUIDING LIGHT SYNOPSIS FOR OCTOBER 25 - 29, 2010

Via http://twitter.com/MelindaSueLewis

Mel offered Mindy and Rick a chance to sit down with Hudson's biological father, GQ, to talk out their issues. Rick was stuck at the hospital, but warned Mindy not to go to the meeting without an attorney.

Unfortunately, Kevin Fowler was busy - his grandmother had been arrested on her wedding day (http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2010/2010_77p2.html). Mindy heeded her Twitter followers' advice and asked Beth to come along and represent her. Beth pointed out that she wasn't familiar with the case. Mindy replied that Beth was very familiar with knowing when Mindy was about to put her foot in her mouth.

Beth agreed.

Mindy dropped Hudson off at Billy and Vanessa's for babysitting. While there, she decided not to tell Vanessa about Dinah's role in Reva and Josh learning that Jeffrey was alive - and had kidnapped Colin with Marah's help.

Want to know how Reva feels about her daughter hooking up with her presumed dead husband? Read Mindy's tweets, now in chronological order at: http://www.soapopera451.com/msl/

Thursday, October 28, 2010

PINTER PLAY
By Alina Adams

Mark Pinter may be best known for his role as Grant Harrison on Another World (and more recently as Agent Rayner on General Hospital), but, before he came to Bay City, he appeared in two other P&G shows, Guiding Light and As The World Turns. (He was also on Love of Life, Loving and All My Children.)

On GL, Pinter had the misfortune of arriving shortly before a crippling writer's strike, so his Mark Evans went from a dashing foreign affairs expert who dated Vanessa before growing tired of her manipulative ways, to the cad who married Jennifer while seducing her daughter, Amanda, to abusive husband, to Amanda's potential killer, to a completely different guy named Samuel Pasquin who'd pushed a former love of Quint's, Mona, off a cliff years earlier. (She wasn't really dead, of course. She was living in a secret room in Quint's house. Pretending to be mute.)

Mark/Samuel eventually showed some remorse (i.e. the original writing team came back to work), genuinely fell in love with Amanda, but, alas, as these things are wont to happen, ended up taking a poetically apt dive off a cliff himself, along with Mona. This time, the fall stuck.



Jennifer ultimately gave birth to Mark's child, Matthew, but was so traumatized by the many personalities her husband had gone through, that she abandoned the boy into Amanda's care. Amanda grew deeply attached to her half-brother/dead lover's son and wanted to adopt him. When Jennifer returned to reclaim Matthew and move out of town, Amanda followed. (However, the enchantment obviously wore off quickly, because the next time she returned to Springfield, Amanda uttered nary a word about the chubby-cheeked little guy.)

After GL, Pinter moved to ATWT, where he got to play one consistent character for his entire 1984-87 run. Albeit a pretty consistently boring one. Lisa's stepson, Brian, gave up the political career his father had planned for him (don't worry, he'd still get to have it on AW, pushy father and all; guess something about the man screams whipped Daddy's boy) to chase Russian spies with his girlfriend (actress Tracy Kolis might be best known as the Seinfeld girlfriend with the Southern accent who couldn't stop talking).

Once that was thankfully over, Brian moved on to the newly widowed Barbara.



Paul hated him. A lot. On one occasion, Paul proceeded to taunt and punch his mother's boyfriend, making it look like Brian was about to hit him just as Barbara came in (apple doesn't fall far off that Stenbeck tree, does it?). Brian and Barbara broke up. Over the manipulations of a ten year old.

Barbara attempted to win Brian back, but caught him in bed with Shannon. That was the turning point for Good Barbara turning into Hell on Wheels Babs.

Earlier this year, actress Colleen Zenk told WeLoveSoaps.com about that: The hard part for me as an actor was that it happened overnight. I mean literally overnight. Barbara and Brian (Mark Pinter) were supposed to get married. Paul (Christopher Daniel Barnes) really objected to it. She listened to Paul and told Brian she couldn’t marry him. The next thing she knew Brian was shacking up with Shannon O’Hara (Margaret Reed). Barbara went over to see Brian to tell him she changed her mind. He opens the door, and there’s Shannon in Brian’s robe. So she went home, slept on it, Lisa (Eileen Fulton) showed up the next day, and Barbara opened the door and was a new woman. Literally. She said, “Hello Lisa,” and it was a whole new attitude. It was really difficult for me as an actor.

Brian's relationship with Shannon brought him into her ex, Duncan's, orbit, and that of Duncan's "sister," Beatrice. Though engaged to Shannon, Brian tried to help out the deeply disturbed Beatrice by pretending to be her dead fiancee (a sane relationship, this was not). Shannon saw that Brian was falling for Beatrice, called off her engagement and, with the reveal that Beatrice was actually Duncan's daughter, Brian went from almost being Shannon's husband to her stepson-in-law. (Like I said, not a sane relationship.) Brian and Beatrice moved to Scotland, had a daughter (breaking an old family curse along the way) and were never heard from again.

***

Alina Adams is the author of Oakdale Confidential, Jonathan's Story and The Man From Oakdale.

Read the Another World Today interviews with Mark here, here, here, here and here.
ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #77-2: WHAT'S A SOAP WEDDING WITHOUT A....

Marley returned to her and Grant's table, where he'd struck up conversation with Kevin.

"You can call me Uncle Grant, if you like," Grant teased his former attorney fraternally.


"My last uncle was suffocated with a pillow. By my father."


"Duly noted," Grant paled a little himself and chomped down on an unlit cigar.


Kevin smiled and stood, "Good to see you again, Marley," walking away to refresh his drink.


Grant was about to signal for a wandering waiter to do the same, when he caught the odd expression on Marley's face, and lowered his arm. "What's wrong?"

"Lorna is pregnant," Marley said, her mind swirling with so many emotions that her voice managed to come out utterly neutral.

"What makes you think that?"


"I just saw her in the bathroom, turning about seven distinct shades of green."


"Maybe she just has the flu."


"People with the flu, stay home. People trying to hide a pregnancy, discretely upchuck in the bathroom."


"Well, well, well...." Grant leaned back in his chair. "I'm amazed Jamie isn't shouting the big news from the rooftops. And even if they are keeping it quiet from the general public for now, I'd assume Kirkland would have told me..."


"Kirkland doesn't know. Neither does Jamie."


***

Marley struggles to reconcile her past with Jamie to her present with Grant, GQ drops a bombshell on Steven, Alice's family gangs up on Spencer, Lila calls Matt out on his behavior, Lorna is forced to continue her lie, and the Harrison wedding comes to a most soapy end.

All at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2010/2010_77p2.html

No poll this week. We want to hear your thoughts in your words. Tell us what should happen next either on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Another-World/307355595460?ref=search&sid=13800416.3728872026..1 or at the SoapOpera451 Message Board: http://www.soapopera451.com/talk/mboard.php

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

EDGE OF NIGHT TODAY

This week on Eye on Monticello by Mariann Aalda (Didi): Nourishment for the stomach... and the soul!

Check out our latest installment at: http://eontoday.blogspot.com/2010/10/food-for-thought.html
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES: ATWT'S HOPE DIXON
By Nicole Walker

When little Faith Snyder was SORASED to a pre-teen in 2006 to tackle storylines that included having a crush on her (second cousin by adoption) Parker Munson, dealing with her parents’ continually imploding marriage and battling an eating disorder, I couldn’t help but remember and wonder about another little girl who was Faith’s age, a little girl who had been a Snyder and almost Faith’s sister.

A little girl named Hope.

Flashback to 1998: David Stenbeck, the long-lost son of career criminal James Stenbeck, was corrupted from a merely ambitious lawyer to the rotten apple of his father’s eye after learning of his true parentage. In a long, twisted tale that involved a pregnant Lily giving birth while being held hostage, David deciding, after playing midwife, that he wanted to be a daddy, Andy Dixon having a one night stand with exotic dancer Denise Maynard in Chicago and unknowingly getting her pregnant, a little baby selling and a little baby switching, Lily and Holden ended up raising Andy and Denise’s daughter, Hope, for nearly a year while their daughter was practically being raised right under their nose by the mysterious Reid Hamilton (David Stenbeck in disguise) who moved to Oakdale months after David’s ‘death.'

The switch was discovered when little Hope developed an illness and it was revealed that neither Lily nor Holden could be Hope’s biological parents. A little detective work led Lily and Holden to Denise Maynard, who had arrived in Oakdale to track down the baby girl she had regrettably sold, and together the parents figured out the truth, each getting back their respective baby girls (although, for a while there, Lily and Holden were all to happy to keep Hope as well; but they relented when they realized how much Denise loved her daughter and wanted her back). Reid’s ‘daughter’, Melinda Hamilton, was renamed Faith Snyder and Hope Snyder became Hope Dixon. Denise finally enlightened Andy Dixon about his daddy status, and while initially overwhelmed at the thought of being a dad, Andy embraced creating a family with Hope and Denise, to the point of faking paralysis to keep Denise tied to him since she was in love with another man. Soon his lies were exposed, Denise left him, Andy left town to get his head straight, and shortly after that Denise and little Hope left Oakdale for Chicago to start their lives anew.

Now, given even that brief, torrid history of Hope and Faith, is there not just oodles (yes, I typed oodles) of story to be told not just with Hope, but with Hope returning to Oakdale and coming face-to-face with her onetime family and the girl whose life she almost had?

What if Denise and Hope didn’t find their happily ever after in Chicago? What if Hope’s health became an issue again, prompting her, Denise, and Andy (finally!) to come back to Oakdale to be treated by her grandfather, Dr. John Dixon, and/or step-grandfather, Dr. Bob Hughes? Would Lily and Holden, upon hearing about Hope’s health issues, gravitate back to this little girl they had called their own? Would Faith be curious about the girl Lily and Holden once believed to be theri daughter? Would Hope look at the Snyders, the family that was once hers and feels loss, anger, resentment? Might she befriend her ‘sister’ Faith while insinuating herself back into the Snyder fold in order to get back the family she lost?

Or might Hope and Faith have forged a friendship and bond because of their shared history and Hope become another legacy character interwoven into the fabric of Oakdale? One who allowed the show a unique opportunity to explore the journey of a bi-racial city kid from Chicago having to learn a whole new world as she strived to live in the less colorful Midwest with her father’s family, family that she barely knew, that she wasn’t sure she was a part of but was curious about nonetheless?

A lot of story was waiting to be tapped with this character. The Hope Dixon/Parker Munson/Faith Snyder/JJ Snyder teen quadrangle romance alone would’ve been gold, for Pete’s sake!

But alas, Hope was left in Chicago, living her presumed happily ever after.

Which, given just how quickly one’s life can take a turn when they hit the city limits of Oakdale (or any soap town for that matter), maybe was for the best.

Check out Denise, Andy, and Baby Hope in the below ATWT clip from Thanksgiving 1999 below (at around the 2:30 mark)!


What other opportunities do you think were missed on As The World Turns? The return of John Dixon and Iva Snyder’s son, Matthew John ‘MJ’ Snyder? Jennifer Munson’s possible doppleganger half-sister, Carolyn Crawford? Kirk Anderson returns to finally tell us what he’s been up to all these years? Something or someone else? Leave your ideas in the Comments below!

***

Nicole Walker is the Associate Producer of Another World Today. She holds an MFA in Screenwriting from Columbia University.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

I (HEART) OLD PEOPLE
By Alina Adams

I love old people. Primarily on TV, but, still....

Old actors can be very interesting to talk to. The late Helen Wagner (Nancy; ATWT) and I once had an awesome, bonding chat about how young people don't know how to use proper grammar anymore. And about why Alison and Chris shouldn't live together before marriage. "If you love him," we agreed. "Marry him. If you don't, they why are you together?"


Marj Dusay (Alex; GL) is always hilarious. As is Don Hastings (Bob; ATWT). Unlike many of the young actors just starting out, they can speak in complete sentences and actually express coherent thoughts that might be of interest to someone other than themselves. And when I interviewed Mark Pinter (Grant; AW) last year, he told me, "When I first started in daytime, it was 1979 on a show called Love of Life. I’ve done a lot of daytime, and I always found myself getting close to older actors: Shepherd Strudwick (Professor McCauley on LOL; James Matthews on AW), Ron Tomme (Bruce; LOL), Bill Roerick (Henry; GL), Larry Bryggman (John; ATWT). I would watch them work on the set and just steal everything I could from them. Because if you admire actors, you steal from them. It’s a wonderful thing."

But, I have to confess, the old people I really like are the imaginary ones.

When I kicked off my soap watching career in 1980 with General Hospital, yes, Luke and Laura were what first got my attention. But, by the end of the summer, the story I was really interested in was Lesley/Rick/Monica. And, since I was only ten years old at the time, they seemed really old. But, they were also a lot more interesting.

While ATWT tried to reel me in with the story of Lily and Holden (Martha Byrne and I are almost exactly the same age), I wanted to see John and Lucinda (and, earlier, when they were still Justin Deas and Margaret Colin, Tom and Margo).


On GL, sure, The Four Musketeers were okay, in their teeny-bopper-ish way, but Alan was who really held my attention, and later, when I was in college, the one and only Roger Thorpe.

These days, however, my favorite old people are the ones featured in Another World Today. Here's a trade secret: Old people are the easiest to write for.

Why?

Because they have so much history with everyone else on the canvas, the scenes more or less write themselves. You don't have to manufacture conflict or drama, it's already there. You don't have to come up with outlandish plot twists to force things to happen.

On AWT, I will use any excuse to get Rachel and Alice in a room together. Then stand back and just watch the fireworks (oh, and take notes).

This week, we are featuring the wedding of Spencer and Alice, two characters so far outside the traditionally desired youthful demographic that, on most shows, they are usually only trotted out for weddings and major holidays.


I realize that unlike a producer who works with actors, I don't have to worry about availability, contracts or budgets, so the comparison is somewhat unfair.

But, from a creative standpoint, give me old people over young people any day.

Young people are... how to put this nicely... dull. They haven't lived long enough to earn their angst. They haven't really suffered, they just think they have. (To be fair, GL's Beth had certainly experienced her share of real suffering before she was even old enough to drink, and so had Phillip, to some extent. But, that's what lifted their tale above standard-issue teeny-bopper fare. Lily Walsh, on the other hand, was just spoiled. Her biggest problem was having too many parents who loved her and were willing to sacrifice anything for her happiness.)

But, as always, this could be just me. For those who started watching soaps as teens, which stories did you find more compelling: The ones featuring your age group....


Or the ones with, you know, grown ups....


Tell us in the Comments section, below!

Monday, October 25, 2010

GUIDING LIGHT MEMORIES: 'SIMMS' CITY
By Susan Dansby

When I started working at GUIDING LIGHT in 1984, I was 29 years old, and my goal was to be a television director. I was told that the only way to the director's chair was to start in the office; so, that's what I did. And I sloooooowly began working my way up: first as back-up production assistant, then full-time production assistant, then associate director. Five and a half years later, I still hadn't directed.

But a good friend was dying of AIDS. This friend also happened to be someone who so believed in my directing talent that he had commissioned me to direct his original play. What was I afraid of?

I decided one Sunday that I was going to go into that studio on Monday and demand that my boss give me a directing shot! I marched into work, filled with determination and spunk, and was told my boss had been fired. Fired?!

Who was going to replace him? Nobody knew.

In a way I was relieved. There was nothing I could do about this, right? But I knew that was just my fear talking. So, I planned a next step. The Procter & Gamble executive for the show - a lovely man named Ed Trach - would be overseeing the executive producer duties (from Cincinnati!) until a replacement was found for my old boss.

So I called Ed, and - well, that's an embarrassing anecdote I recount in my book: How Did You Get That Job? My Dream Jobs and How They Came True.



The cleaned-up version? I harassed Ed into giving me a shot at directing an upcoming audition session. And that's how I came to direct the Melinda Sue Lewis and Hampton Speakes auditions at GUIDING LIGHT.

Kimberly Simms landed the role in that particular incarnation of Mindy Lewis. I don't remember much about her audition except that Kimberly was the actress who looked the most like Krista Tesreau (the original Mindy). I also remember that she didn't force a Southern accent (wisely), and that she had sincerity and vulnerability.

I remember more about the Hampton Speakes auditions (the role was won by the amazing Vince Williams). All the actors auditioned with Jordan Clarke (Billy Lewis). And though Jordan - always a pro - helped each auditionee give his best performance, Jordan seemed to have a real connection with Vince.

What got Vince the job? He had this moment where he had to recount his adventures as a football star. Instead of just "saying the words," Vince physically recreated the moment of running with the ball, scoring the touchdown, and hearing the cheers. I can still see him doing that.

After the taping was done, I added my two cents, and said Vince should get that role. Soaps are so fast, producers need actors creative enough to bring something to the table instead of being spoon-fed.


Vince Williams has since passed away; but I will be forever grateful to him, and to Kimberly Simms, for taking my direction and making me look good on that all-important first day.

***

Was there a ghost on the set the day Susan directed Kimberly and Vince's auditions? Find out, here!

Catch up with Kimberly Simms at Soap Opera Digest.

ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #77-1

Lorna took Jamie's free hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "Spencer will be good to her."

"How can you be sure?"

"He's old. It just wouldn't be smart of Spencer to go around treating people like crap so close to his looming Pearly Gates appointment. And a guy like Spencer, he always plays the odds. At this stage of the game, he's got to be in serious atonement mode. Though I can't imagine what he could ultimately do to make up for siring Grant."

"If you look at it from a Star Wars point of view, it's not the man but his progeny that's the true legacy. And Spencer and Grant couldn't ask for a better legacy than Kirkland."

"That's thanks to you, not them. Don't give either Spencer or Grant any undue credit."

"Work with me, Lorna. I'm doing my best to convince myself not to bust into the bridal suite and tell Alice that she's making a huge mistake marrying a man who once dated Iris, of all people, while simultaneously flirting with my mother."

"So, do it then. Alice would listen to you, you know she would."

"I've played the loud-mouthed, overbearing, inflexible, judgmental, his-heart-is-in-the-right-place-but-it's-really-none-of-his-business role before. It did not end well."

"Paulina and Jake?" Lorna hadn't really known Jamie all that well while the conflict was going on, but she'd been in town and picked up enough to recall how everything ended.

"I was relentless. No matter how many people told me to cut Jake some slack, I wouldn't back down."

"Well, given your history with him... Jake almost ended up being Steven's father. He raped Marley. "

"Yeah, well, as right as I felt I was not to let Jake or anyone else forget what he'd done — which, given my own insight since then, is grossly ironic — Jake was Paulina's mistake to make. It wasn't my place to so much as have an opinion, much less act on it. By forcing the issue, I drove her to choose."

"And she chose Jake."

***

On Spencer and Alice's wedding day, the three Harrison men share a bonding moment that prompts a heartfelt confession from Grant, Alice offers Jen advice on accepting another woman's child (she's so been there/done that), Amanda and Lila pull out their claws, Felicia extends an olive branch to Lorna while deliberately pushing Marley's buttons, and Jamie attempts to learn from past mistakes.

All at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2010/2010_77p1.html

We want to hear from you! Another World Today is committed to fan interaction and input. Let us know where you'd like to see the story go at the SoapOpera451 message board (http://www.soapopera451.com/talk/mboard.php) and the Official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Another-World/307355595460?ref=search&sid=13800416.3728872026..1)

Friday, October 22, 2010

TOP POSTS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED THIS WEEK....

ATWT: A Tale of Two Lilys

GL: Ron Raines (Alan) Sings!

EON: Where Are They Now: Jennifer Taylor (Chris)

AW: Cynthia Watros (ex-Annie; GL) Plays Vicky!

Commentary: ATWT's Craig, GL's Edmund and AW's Grant: Were They Really All That Bad?

Give us your thoughts in the Comments' section and let us know what sorts of features you'd like to see here in the future!

GUIDING LIGHT SYNOPSIS OCTOBER 18-22, 2010

Via http://twitter.com/MelindaSueLewis

GQ Todd, biological father of Mindy and Rick's adopted son, Hudson Lewis Bauer, held a press conference announcing his intention to seek full custody. (Read more about it at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2010/2010_76p1.html ).

Phillip offered to help Rick and Mindy keep Hudson - the Spaulding way. Mindy was leery but, much to her surprise, Rick told Phillip to do anything he had to. Even if it meant asking the question, "What Would Alan Do?"

When Mindy questioned Rick about his willingness to be ruthless, he exploded, "Look where being Mr. Nice Guy has gotten me: Mel's got Leah convinced I'm out to ruin her social life, Harley swept Jude off to Greece, and don't think I don't know what they call me at the hospital. Dr. Death. You want to know why I have the highest mortality rate? Because I take patients other doctors give up on. Nice Guy Rick, Good Guy Rick, just dump everything on him, he won't complain. Well, I'm sick of it. Hudson is our son. We did everything the way we were directed. And still we got screwed. I think it's about time we fought back. Phillip knows what he's doing. I say let him."

Later, Mindy confessed to Billy that the situation with Hudson had forced her to think more about her own biological mother, Rose, and how Rose didn't actually want to give Mindy up.

"What if we do win? And then, ten years from now, fifteen, twenty, forty, it doesn't matter, Hudson finds out what we did and how we did it? And that he had a father who wanted him all along. How is he going to feel?"

"I don't know," Billy asked, "How do you feel?"

"I don't know. Rick is convinced that fighting for Hudson is the right thing. We're the only parents he knows, we love him."

"You've got your doubts, though."

"Not about loving Hudson, not about being his mother. But, about keeping him.
I can't tell Rick. He says he's already lost enough family. I can't let him down."

"Even if it means letting Hudson down?"
Billy wondered.

What should Mindy do next? Tweet her your advice at: http://twitter.com/MelindaSueLewis

And to follow along daily in chronological order, go to: http://www.soapopera451.com/msl/