SOAP OPERA UNCENSORED: ISSUE 9
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thought the wedding came off perfectly. It was very sweet and romantic.
I liked how the show juxtaposed Tina’s infamous wedding to Max (“I take thee, Cord”) with Natalie’s upcoming nuptials with Brody.
They really didn’t miss a beat! They did a good job at bringing the old and new stories together. That’s what fans want to see.
Talk about a full-circle moment: Not a lot of new fans got this, but it was amazing to see Tina interrupt another wedding (Brody and Nat’s) with a baby in her arms, though this time it was Little David Vickers!
Oh, I totally got it – and I thought it was great! It was a great nod to our history. There have been so many great nods to former storylines of late. Tina’s such a great character: she’s glamorous and fun. Like you said, she’s this child woman.
Do you wish Jim DePaiva returned?
Yes. Oh, and Roscoe Born and even Chris Cousins would have been great for Tina. But, the most important character for Tina was Cord.
And you and Cord finally had contact with your children, CJ and Sarah! It’s amazing what a little phone call can explain when relatives aren’t on the canvas for important milestones.
I wholeheartedly loved that. That was important, even though they weren’t physically at the wedding.
After Tina married Cord — which was such a memorable wedding — you guys left the canvas. Can we expect more Tina in the future? There wasn’t a big goodbye. You don’t have to spoil anything…
Stay tuned!
A lot of young, newer viewers rooted for Tina and Cord despite never seeing them on One Life before. Did you get a kick out of that? Madison Avenue, be damned!
I totally got a kick out of that! That was really nice. The whole soap community loved the whole return. I was at Adrienne Frantz’s wedding and she told me she loved it. Also, Brad Bell told he loved the story and how proud he was of all of us.
I love that Brad watches other soaps! I love him…
I love him, too! He is someone who knows and loves this medium. He can do no wrong in my book. He pays attention to the other shows. He’s not just there to take a paycheque.
[Joking] Is Tallulah asking for more money to return? That diva…
[Laughs] No, he’s very sweet. I took my family out to New York for our wrap party and the one thing my daughter, Kylie Lynn, really wanted to do was meet Little David Vickers. I set up a meeting between them — and they had the best time.
Was it emotional to tape your final scene — even though you thought the show was moving online?
Yes, it was emotional for me. But thinking it was moving to Prospect did take some of the edge off on that final day. Now, it’s a weird idea that One Life will no longer be. It’s like someone bombed my high school. Very few actors have gotten this kind of opportunity to play this kind of character; I’m very blessed. One Life has allowed me to have a wonderful career for decades and hopefully fans will follow me wherever I go.
One thing I admire about you is that you aren’t a diva and you play nice with your female co-stars.
No, I love women and men! I love a good actor. There is no ego in that. A good actor will only make you look better.
How was the wrap party? Was it emotional? Did your life flash before your eyes?
I thought it was going to be emotional. In fact, my husband, Steve — who was my date and Renatta’s — and I packed a lot of Kleenex because we thought there would be a lot of tears, but we ended up having the best time. We danced the night away. One Life went out in style.
One Life has defied the odds. No other soap has been cancelled at the top of the ratings, in fierce creative shape, under budget, and a critical/fan darling. Have you been watching? Were you shocked ABC cancelled the soap?
I think that’s why it was such a surprise in the first place. AMC wasn’t doing so well, but One Life was and continues to do so! Yes, I feel the show is hitting a homerun.
I think it may take over B&B’s spot as the second highest-rated soap before One Life airs its final show! Brad may not be too happy about that!
I can’t root for that because I’m also on B&B! [Laughs]
What are your thoughts about Prospect Park suspending its plans to move the show online?
Broken hearted all over again. I never wanted to think One Life would go away for good, but I’m happy that Ron and Frank are moving to GH. They make a really great team. I’m curious to see what they do over there. I’m happy for them, but I’m sad for everyone I’ve worked with over the years.
Would you have joined Prospect Park’s One Life in a recurring capacity?
Of course. Brad’s been very nice about making me know that I’m a part of the B&B family. As long as One Life wouldn’t interfere with anything on B&B, he was fine with me coming back to the show in the future, absolutely. Listen, some shows would have said, “No, I don’t want you doing this,” but he didn’t. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about Brad. He’s a really nice guy.
Do you think the Save Our Soaps movement is important? Some think we are wasting our time despite the fact that Hoover pulled its advertising from ABC and Prospect “licensed” the rights to AMC and One Life.
No, I don’t think it was a waste of time. Not at all. As a performer on this show, I’m truly honoured that the fans have taken on such a strong stance against these shows being cancelled.
One Life has never had a vocal fan base like DAYS or GH, but it’s funny, when it came down to it, they showed up. That’s why I wanted One Life to traverse online because it would’ve been poetic justice that the socially relevant child, albeit ABC’s ugly stepchild, paved the way in a groundbreaking manner.
I agree. I’m proud of the way the show is going out in all respects. It’s important for us and it’s important for the fans.
Have you ever met Agnes Nixon?
No, we had never met. Our paths crossed at One Life’s 40th anniversary party on set, but because I had my daughter with me, who was really young at the time, we never had chance to connect. But we did this time around! I was so honoured to meet her. Between Agnes and Bill Bell Sr., I feel like I’ve known two of the real creators of the genre.
I find that odd that you never met Agnes before because Tina was always One Life’s Erica Kane!
I was thrilled to finally meet her.
Favourite all-time storyline?
Ever? Omigosh. Definitely when Tina came back in the 1980s and found out that Viki was her sister and Victor was her father because it was one of the defining moments for the character. Again, this last storyline is very comparable because Tina’s catharsis was also a defining moment for the character. I’d have to say those two stories. To me, as an actor those two stories are important and most interesting.
Let’s talk about the future: You’re returning to B&B, right? Have you taped yet?
I am! I don’t know the time frame yet but I will be going back. I look forward to working with Jacob Young again because he’s a wonderful actor and we’ve both had these great, life-changing experiences on these cancelled ABC shows, so I’m sure we’ll have a lot to talk about. But I’ve also been keeping busy: My film, Hit List, just came out on DVD. I also shot another film called 180, and I just narrated a doc, so everything is good!
Finally, were you surprised that ABC Daytime President Brian Frons “stepped down?”
I don’t think it was a surprise to anybody… but I could never wish any human being bad or good. I’ve always gotten along well with Brian despite the rumours out there. We got along fine. I don’t agree with some of the choices he’s made, but beyond that, I can’t say I wish him anything but the best.
2011 REWIND:
ENTERTAINERS OF THE YEAR
The movers and shakers behind the most depressing yet inspiring year on record!
What a difference 365 days makes! Earlier this year, on one dark and bloody Thursday, two of our beloved soaps were cancelled with one single bullet (in case you were in a coma all year: AMC and One Life); a vali
ant actor led the charge to change the face of the shady Daytime Emmy Awards; soap fans finally fought back demanding they be heard — and they were; two superstars released must-read memoirs, which finally detailed the cold, soapy truth; a gay legacy character promised to right the wrongs of the past; a beloved soap heroine was fired and re-hired after fans saved her job; and the plight of the soap fan was finally told on the best soap opera in over a decade: One Life. 2011 may have been arduous 12 months to survive, but 2012 is almost upon us… and this is our year!
1. RON CARLIVATI AND FRANK VALENTINI, ONE LIFE TO LIVE
You know you’ve arrived when you’re given a squish name: In a first for behind-the-scenes impresarios, fans have dubbed Llanview’s dynamic duo, “Cartini!” After being cancelled this past April, Cartini didn’t rest on its laurels and allow its sadness and anger to dictate the next nine months of One Life. Nope, instead Carlivati and Valentini opted to defy their oppressors by writing and producing, respectively, the finest soap opera in the past few decades.
The good news: Without ABC’s interference, ratings skyrocketed; critical and fan praise dominated articles, flooded blogs and clogged message boards; and upstart studio Prospect Park seemingly planned to save the show by bringing it online (though that deal has been “temporarily suspended”). For the first time