December 8, 2008
I'm huge Scott Bryce fan, and thought Hunt Block's take on ATWT's Craig was terrific, too. So I was baffled by the announcement that Craig was coming back, but in the form of Jon Lindstrom — another actor whose work I've admired, but why the new face? Why take chances with a new actor in a role as complicated as tortured, charismatic, creepy Craig? Happily, Lindstrom hit the ground running, connecting immediately with his co-stars and telegraphing Craig's inherent creepiness without mimicking his predecessors. Time will tell is he measures up in the long run, but he's off to a good start.

November 14, 2008
I'm a long-time GL fan, going back to elementary school. Back then I didn't know what a soap opera was, I just hoped Holly would wise up enough to realize Ed Bauer was nicer than creepy Roger Thorpe. Now, I still count myself a GL fan, and what keeps me hooked these days is Kim Zimmer's Reva. She's got the same mischievous gleam she's always had, the same big heart and earthy bawdiness. But there's a world-weariness too, and an acceptance that life isn't a fairy tale (even if you were married to a prince) that I find refreshing. When other gotta-be-postmenopausal soap characters have gotten pregnant, the absurdity was glossed over — we were supposed to pretend it wasn't bizarre that someone old enough to be a card-carrying member of AARP was having morning sickness. But Zimmer is playing Reva's wonder at the marvel of her pregnancy as almost overshadowed by her amusement at its absurdity. Zimmer is arguably the most relatable actress on daytime, open and self-deprecating, and this story plays to her strengths. So will Reva's next chapter, which will be intense — stay tuned!

November 7, 2008
I was sorry to hear that none of the three networks that air soaps will be airing the Daytime Emmy Awards this year to honor them. But I wasn't surprised. Once upon a time, the Soap Opera Digest Awards aired in primetime on NBC, as a kind of rowdy People's Choice counterpart to the Emmys. But as ratings skidded, televising the Digest Awards didn't make economic sense. Ratings have declined further over the last six years and now the Emmys are in jeopardy, too. I'm not convinced someone won't scoop up the show in some form, but I don't see how the full-scale live productions we've come to expect will be viable. But please, don't let them go away altogether!

October 20, 2008
One of the complaints I have about soaps is they sometimes miss the small moments that would really resonate with viewers. That's not the case with Reva's pregnancy on GL. In a genre where characters gloss over the preposterousness of evil twins and loved ones coming back from the dead, Reva is by turns confused, annoyed and awed by the highly unlikely (but not impossible) situation she finds herself in: accidentally pregnant over fifty. A fellow patient in the obstetrician's waiting room assumed she was there for her daughter; a bartender laughed at the idea that she ordered water because she's expecting. "It's like I have at third eye or something...I feel like a freak," Reva told Buzz on today's episode. It's much easier to accept Reva's pregnancy if she's shaking her head along with the audience about the absurdness of it all.

October 6, 2008
I hadn't been at Digest for too long when I was given the assignment of going to a soap star week at a spa in California. I don't remember much about the place, but I remember the week very well. And I'm sure the fans in attendance do, too — when actors sign on for an event like that, they go in expecting to mingle. Sure enough, the stars were friendly and relaxed (and I am forever grateful to a soap producer who snuck me out for a big piece of chocolate cake, since the point of the week was to promote healthy eating). I've heard the good things about cruises with soap stars, too, which is one reason we're running a contest for a soap cruise. Click here for details.

October 3, 2008
I finished Eileen Davidson's new book, Death in Daytime, so I can officially recommend it (last time I suggested it I was only halfway through). And it's not because of the Digest call-out (but thanks, Eileen!). It really is a breezy read with a funny, relatable heroine, and is filled with the kind of behind-the-scenes details that make you wonder what's made up, and what's based on someone or something real. But what I really got a kick out of was the ending. I won't spoil the surprise but while the plot is resolved, there's a real soap opera-ish cliffhanger on the last page. That's a writer who knows her audience...

September 18, 2008
I've talked before about how strange it is to see magazine jobs portrayed on soaps. As doctors and lawyers surely noted for years, there's a whole lot of dramatic license being taken — brain surgeons who deliver babies and cure mystery viruses; D.A.'s who prosecute people they're closely connected to. I'm fine with dramatic license as long as it leads to more entertaining story, and that is usually the case. But today's episode of Y&R gave me pause, when ex-stripper Nikki was asked to be the interim editor-in-chief of Restless Style. Really? Exactly what are her qualifications? Phyllis pointed out Nikki's got a great fashion sense, but ... really? That qualifies an ex-stripper for a job that requires writing and editing skills? On the other hand, inserting Nikki into the Restless Style office dynamics — where she'll work side by side with the daughter-in-law she once despised — will make for interesting drama. And after all, Diablo Cody won an Academy Award as the screenwriter for the movie Juno ... And she's a stripper, too. Without nearly the fashion sense as Nikki.