SOAP OPERA: UNCENSORED
Volume 02, Issue 01
BY NELSON BRANCO
Copyright 2012 Nelson Branco
SPECIAL ONE LIFE TO LIVE ISSUE — Surprise: Prospect Park in Talks With AFTRA Again! Exclusive Interview with Llanview’s Biggest “Rox” Star Ilene Kristen: Why PP's Rich Frank Dropped Out Of The Final Episode; Did Prospect Nix Cartini’s Appearance on ONE LIFE?; On Joining GH as Amy; What Made Her Burst Into Tears; What She Thinks Of Brian Frons; Her Favourite Story; Writing Her Memoirs; And Coveting That Darn, Elusive Emmy! Plus: Exclusive Chat With Former ONE LIFE Head Writer Josh Griffith On What Makes Llanview So Special! Plus: Was There A Conspiracy To Kill The ABC Soaps? Catching Up With WORLD TURNS Fave Eric Sheffer Stevens! Was a GH Superstar Fired? Pick Your Y&R Controversy: Darnell Williams Joins Debbi Morgan; Daisy Duke Hits Genoa City; and “Driving Miss Phyllis!” GH’s Kate and Sonny Make Love! Judith Light, James DePaiva Added To THE VIEW! Plus: Last Week's Reviews, Unbelievable Blind Items, and Next Week's Cheat Sheet!
UNCENSORED MASTHEAD:
FOUNDER/EDITOR: Nelson Branco
EDITOR AT LARGE: Denette Wilford
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UNCENSORED QUOTES OF THE WEEK:
“We were told the daytime audience doesn’t want entertainment anymore and that they just want information. Well, that’s the biggest load of bullshit. People always want entertainment.”
—ONE LIFE’s Erika Slezak on her soap’s cancellation in TV GUIDE
Translation: And I could always use a few more Emmy Awards!
“A nice big shockeroony. It’s always nice to come back in with a twist like that.”
—Y&R’s Melissa Claire Egan on Chelsea’s baby bump in SOAP OPERA DIGEST
Translation: Yep, I am so getting fired.
“I said, ‘Listen, I’ll play a tree, just to get on the show.’”
—Real-life Salem fan Jai Rodriguez on landing the gay role of Matteo on DAYS
Translation: If James E. Reilly was still writing, I probably would!
“I definitely think they’re going to spend a lot of time continuing their friendship, their love…”
—GH’s Kelly Sullivan on Sonny and Kate’s future in DIGEST
Translation: Right, Ron and Frank?
SOAP MEME:
PROSPECT-LESS PARK’S AT IT AGAIN!
Source: AFTRA and PP in talks uh-gain!
Show us the proof, Prospect Park! That’s what members of AFTRA are demanding after the most passive-aggressive company in the universe requested another meeting with the actors’ union after publicly giving up on traversing cancelled sudsers AMC and ONE LIFE to the web.
According to one source, PP is threatening AFTRA with casting non-union actors in the web versions if they don’t accept “this latest crappy deal.” But most union members are on to PP’s game. “We don’t want to negotiate until we know they have purchased the rights,” says one mole.
There’s a consensus amongst the industry that PP is coming up with every unattractive deal conceivable so the fledgling company can blame the union for not going through with the launch — especially after news broke in UNCENSORED that another deal is on the table to take these shows to cable and the web. That would explain why PP has done a 180 after stating it had given up but now is willing to see if there are any other options available, after stating emphatically that there was no way these shows could live on. Is Prospect Park really serious about saving AMC and ONE LIFE?
Yeah, and I have some swamp water in Pine Valley to sell, too.
ONE LIFE TRIBUTE:
FOREVER ROXY
As the best soap opera on air prepares to head off into the sunset, TV’s most fearless actress, Ilene Kristen, finally takes centre stage playing the role she was always meant to: the kooky heart and soul of Llanview! Plus: Why Rich Frank backed out of taping the final show of ONE LIFE!
It just may be the scariest Friday the 13th ever: Next week, the unthinkable will happen. My favourite TV show ever will air its last episode. Having had the pleasure of enjoying this show since I was a preteen, I will have to forge through life for the first time without having this gem in my day to escape the world’s problems.
In honour of ONE LIFE’s last week, I chose to interview Ilene Kristen for my last interview. Who better to represent and personify this show? After all, Roxy is trying to save her beloved soap, FRATERNITY ROW, from cancellation, too, damn it! But she seems to be doing a better job than us!
For the larger part of four decades, Kristen has been one of the very few actors fans and critics can rely on to create original characters and deliver unforgettable performances.
Which is why it’s hard to believe Kristen has yet to win an Emmy award for her immeasurable contributions to the soap opera art form.
Heck, it seems unfathomable when one is reminded that Kristen only received her first Emmy nomination in 2004 as Roxy Balsom.
Born Ilene Schatz, Kristen re-invented herself when she left home at age 16 to pursue her myriad of dreams. Today, she’s realized all those dreams by capturing the imagination of the public through her singing, dancing and acting. In 1975, the Brooklyn native first shot to fame when she was cast as the hot mess, Delia Reid, on RYAN’S HOPE — a role she would play to critical and viewer acclaim until 1979.
In 1982, Kristen was cast on ONE LIFE as Georgina Whitman but was fired a year later when ABC felt she was “too overweight.”
Having returned to RYAN’S HOPE in 1986, Kristen remained as one of daytime’s most enduring vixens until the Emmy-winning series was cancelled.
After brief, memorable stints on ANOTHER WORLD and LOVING, Kristen brought the snap, crackle and pop to ONE LIFE fans by giving birth to one of Llanview’s most unique and entertaining characters, Roxy Balsom, the clueless, selfish yet lovable hairdresser with a heart of gold (and a penchant for raping the English language).
Having earned two consecutive Daytime Emmy nominations as best supporting actress, the theatre star and cabaret singer is considered one of the most talented actresses working in the business today.
With Llanview’s 43-year-old story coming to an end next week, UNCENSORED caught up with the woman who is trying to save both ONE LIFE and FRATERNITY ROW in order to usher this diamond in the rough out in style… and malapropisms not included.
How are you doing as we inch closer to the unthinkable: The end of our beloved Llanview?
It’s sad. It’s a sad couple of weeks… It’s beginning to sink in. After we wrapped shooting, it didn’t feel like the show was over, but now, after a couple of weeks, it’s begun to sunk in. It’s a shame this didn’t work out. If we had a better organization other than Prospect Park, maybe things would have been different. I know of other people who are interested, but they need the rights. If Prospect Park has the rights, anyone else who is interested is prohibited from saving this show.
Will you be in the final episode?
I believe I am. The final episode was supposed to have Rich Frank from Prospect Park in it with me, but that didn’t work out. Hopefully, they didn’t edit anything out. It’s a happy ending for Roxy. And we thought we were going to have a happy ending, so it’s bittersweet because it’s not our real-life ending. We didn’t get a happy ending.
After the show, you will no doubt think of what Roxy is up to. I’m sure you think of Delia from RYAN’S HOPE from ti
me to time. I mean, these characters must live inside of you, right?
Oh, absolutely. Roxy has a line with Natalie: “I feel like these characters on FRATERNITY ROW are now leading their lives in a back room… and I’m not important enough to get into that backroom to follow them.” Natalie says, “If the show goes off the air, they’re not going to be anywhere, Roxy. They’ll be nowhere.” Yes, these characters don’t go on, but most fans believe they do, but they’re not privy to it. And I feel that way, too. Heck, I’ve felt that way about Roxy if a few weeks or months had passed where I wasn’t working! “What is Roxy doing?” I’d think. The life of a character continues — even if no one is watching. It’s horrible. People feel like they’ve lost their best friend — and in a way, they have. It’s a tremendous loss. ONE LIFE is such a vibrant show. There are a lot of layers, diversity. It’s a very
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