Soap Opera Uncensored: Issue 26

by Nelson Branco

SOAP OPERA UNCENSORED

  Volume 02, Issue 16 (No. 26)

  BY NELSON BRANCO

  Copyright 2012 Nelson Branco

  INSIDE — Exclusive Interview: Jack Wagner On Being “Hurt” After B&B Fired Him, Being Booted Off Dancing With the Stars, His Long-Lost Daughter, Being in AA, And His GH Prospects! Plus: Katherine Kelly Lang on Wagner, “Bricky” and B&B’s Latest Italian Sojourn! Eric Braeden Part Two: Soap Cancellations, The Economic Malfunction, Pay Disputes, Y&R! James Franco back on GH? DAYS Recasting Another Role; Is Eric Brady Finally Back? Woohoo: GH “Renewed!” New Kristina Cast on GH! Best Casting Ever: Crystal Chappell Joins B&B As a Lesbian! Plus: Creator of THE TEAM Responds To Rumoured Anti-Gay Agenda! DAYS “Shocker:” EJ Is Not Stefano’s Son! The Latest On The B&B Anniversary Book! HOLLYWOOD HEIGHTS: Another Ex-Soaper Joins Cast! Soap Star Dies! Every Week: Fearless Predictions! 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

  Follow Soap Opera Uncensored at: @nelliebranco or @SoapUncensored

  NOTE FROM EDITOR/FOUNDER:

  You asked — and it’s happening. For more information on subscribing to daytime’s first weekly e-zine SOAP OPERA UNCENSORED, email soapuncensored@yahoo.com

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  PRE-ORDER BETWEEN HEAVEN & HELL: A ONE LIFE TO LIVE TRIBUTE

  Hi, loyal soaper!

  UNCENSORED QUOTES OF THE WEEK:

  “I am so excited about this decision [to retire]. Every so often production at DAYS will go dark for a couple of weeks and I feel relieved. I feel free. I’m like, ‘Wow, there’s a whole other world out there!’”

  —Renee Jones about leaving DAYS in TV GUIDE

  Translation: See ya, wouldn’t wanna be ‘ya!

  “We spoke with the network and collectively felt we needed to take a pause, make a change with the writing and the style of the show for a while and see if that will redirect things. The ratings situation is very complex and difficult, and we have a tremendous challenge with that right now. Everybody on the DAYS team, and that includes NBC and Sony, our distributor, wants this show to succeed and we're doing everything we can to make it work. We all have different visions as to how to achieve that success but the good news is that we're all in synch on the future. No one wants cancellation. Even though we brought in Darrell [Thomas] and Marlene [McPherson] to reset Days last September, it was always our feeling that the show needed to constantly be nurtured with smaller resets. This isn't the end of the world. We're just resetting it again in an effort to get it right.”

  —DAYS co-executive producer Greg Meng on NBC’s decision to switch head-writing teams

  Translation: We’re so getting cancelled.

  “Our current deal has us on the air through to September 2013, so it's really important that we do as best as we can, ratings-wise, starting [this] September. That's our final stretch.”

  —Meng on the show’s future

  Translation: We’ll fire, rehire our stars and head writers at least 10 more times by then.

  “Lately I've had the luxury of getting to meet the best of the daytime writers. When in history have so many of them been available? I started formulating chemistry ideas. Who'd work well with Gary? [Chris] Whitesell was at Y&R doing outlines, I believe, and it seemed to us like he and Gary [Tomlin] would be great collaborators. They are not yes men. They really bring things to the table. Their energy together is great.”

  —Meng describes his “dream team”

  Translation: And this is who I came up with all the unemployed superstar talent out there? And besides, Dena Higley wouldn’t take our calls.

  “I don't know. I think it's a beautiful story and we are committed to it. But probably it's not the story that most women are going to tune in for every day, the one they don't want to miss. I think it's a story everybody likes, but the women want to see romance. Our goal is to get back lapsed viewers — our family of viewers who stopped watching all together or aren't watching us every day.”

  —Meng on Will’s popular and critically acclaimed gay storyline

  Translation: We have no clue what women want.

  “TV watchers still talk about the wedding of Luke and Laura on GH in 1981. Who remembers a guacamole recipe from a week ago?”

  —THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS in a recent article about the state of ABC soaps

  Translation: Soap fans can do two things at once.

  “ABC keeps GH after finding that canceling soaps is no sure road to success.”

  —THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS’s headline

  Translation: Tomorrow, ABC realizes the sky is blue and that Lindsay Lohan is a mess.

  SOAP OBIT

  RIP LINDA COOK MANN

  One of my favourite character actresses, Linda Cook Mann (ex-Egypt, LOVING, ex-Ann/Lucy, ATWT et. al) passed away on April 12 in New York City, reports DIGEST. The bubbly performer was first seen on EDGE OF NIGHT in 1975 as Laurie Ann Karr before landing her most memorable gig on LOVING, as Egypt Jones Masters, where she played opposite Randy Mantooth. "It's hard for me to fathom that that bundle of energetic, always cheerful talent has been silenced," Mantooth told DIGEST. "And, sad that it takes the passing of a friend to remind us all of the wonderful souls we've all been blessed to have in our lives. Linda was a joy to work with, and to be around." A memorial service will take place on April 28.

 

  IDIOT RATINGS

  NIELSEN REFORM IN THE WORKS?

  Everyone and their stepmother knows the Nielsen Ratings are about as accurate as fan polls. But Sony Pictures has finally quantified how inaccurate they really are. In an interview with TV GUIDE, Salem co-executive producer Greg Meng told TV GUIDE progress is in the works.

  He said, “We have this big elephant in the room — the ratings. And we are not seeing any movement. The goal is to have a long life on NBC and we must do everything we can to get the ratings up. It's that simple. That said, Sony's research tells us that one out of four of our viewers is not being measured by Nielsen. That's a pretty big percentage and I don't think they're even counting the SoapNet replays in that information.”

  Yep, just imagine how many more people were watching ratings superstar ONE LIFE!

  COVER STORY

  ROCK OF AGES

  Jack Wagner reflects on a year that has already been full of upheaval and changes as he looks forward to a rosier 2012; Plus: His long-lost daughter!

  He may have been voted off early from DANCING WITH THE STARS but soap hunk Jack Wagner still feels like a winner.

  That’s because 2012 has already proven to be a year of major life changes for the 52-year-old hunk.

  He was recently taken off contract from the world’s most watched daily serial, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, where he played bad boy sailor Nick Marone since 2003.

  The Washington, Mo., native also ended his tumultuous five-year relationship with his former MELROSE PLACE leading lady fiancée Heather Locklear at the end of last year.

  And in a shocking revelation worthy of a juicy plot twist on any soap opera, Wagner found out he had a 23-year-old daughter, Kerry, whom he met at a concert in Florida last year.

  UNCENSORED caught up with the singer, actor, and champion celebrity golfer days after he was eliminated from the dance competition show to discuss embarking on the next chapter of his life; whether he’s dating or not; if he’s returning to his breakout role on GH; and why he’s decided to talk about being in Alcoholics Anonymous for the first time.

  Wer
e you surprised that you were voted off of DANCING WITH THE STARS so soon? Soap fans are so loyal….

  I’m surprised and disappointed. I know a lot of it has to do with social networking. To be honest with you, I have never done that. I’ve never had a website, a Twitter or a Facebook account. I just began tweeting about a month and a half ago. My competition is heavily involved in social networking. To be a part of this kind of competition and not being on there really hurt me.

  Why did you decide to join DANCING WITH THE STARS, Mr. Masculine Rock Star, you?

  I love dancing! I’ve been around DANCING my whole life and during my life in theatre. When you’re brought up with a theatre degree, which I was, you learn to