Tag Archives: soap operas

Jennifer Aniston And Sarah Michelle Gellar Both Heading To Soap Operas

Kate Torgovnick/Kate-Book.comAugust 15, 2011 //

It looks like James Franco sure started a trend when he appeared on “General Hospital.” Today, we hear reports that both Jennifer Aniston and Sarah Michelle Gellar are signing in for soap opera stints. Luckily, they aren’t doing it as performance art, though. Jennifer has a very practical reason for agreeing to guest star on “Days of Our Lives.” Her father John Aniston has been on the show for the last 24 years, and now NBC has said the series is on the chopping block due to low ratings. Keep reading »

I Was Once A Die-Hard Soap Opera Junkie

Amelia McDonell-ParryNovember 20, 2009 //

When I read an essay on Double X by Willa Paskin called “General Hospital Is The Most Violent Show On Television,” I got a little sad. “General Hospital” is my show! Or at least it was, until I stopped watching regularly a few years ago, after 15+ years of dedicated viewership. The news that James Franco, celebrated thespian, would be appearing as a thug on the show has made deep thinkers and film aficionados suddenly take notice of the long-running soap. But Paskin did a truly fabulous job of summing up the appeal of “General Hospital” — the reasons why a serious actor like Franco might want to appear on it — and I felt jealous that I hadn’t written it myself. Keep reading »

First Look At James Franco On “General Hospital”

Amelia McDonell-ParryNovember 10, 2009 //


OMG, my DVR is soooo ready to start recording “General Hospital” again! “GH” and I have been broken up for a while now — I just could not get behind Carly #3 or #4 — but with James Franco making his big daytime debut on the show next Friday, I’m ready to go back to Port Charles. By the looks of the preview, Franco is totally channeling “smell the fart acting” (a term coined by Joey Tribiani on “Friends”), testing out dramatic pauses and slightly over-the-top line delivery, all typical of great soap opera performances. However, are they giving him a love interest in Maxie Jones? Say it ain’t so!

As for why Franco wanted to be on the show in the first place? Apparently, my theory that he’d been watching the show with his grandma since he was a kid isn’t true. “General Hospital” executive producer Jill Farren Phelps said, “he had heard [soaps] are hard and thought it would be fun to try.” Plus, he liked “GH”‘s ongoing mob storyline. Ugh, James, it was SO much better in the late ’90s. But anyway. Will you be watching “General Hospital” for James Franco? Keep reading »

James Franco Is Checking Into “General Hospital”

Amelia McDonell-ParryOctober 1, 2009 //

Here’s some WTF news: James Franco has signed on for a role on “General Hospital,” which will have him hanging in Port Charles for two months. According to Soapnet, “He’ll be playing a mysterious character who will … make Jason’s life a living hell.” Jason is a mobster who was once a prepster who went bad after a head injury. I stopped watching “General Hospital” after Carly 2.0 left and the rest of the cool characters turned into pansies, but I might have to start DVRing this s**t, just to see Franco have deep conversations by the dock, make sweet SFW love under strategically draped sheets, and do that awesome delayed-look-into-the-camera acting technique. [DListed] Keep reading »

“Guiding Light” Axed After 72 Years: We Look Back at the Careers It Launched.

Kate Torgovnick/Kate-Book.comApril 3, 2009 //

“Guiding Light” is old. Like, as old as your grandparents. It started out as a radio serial in 1937 and made the jump to television in 1952. But after 72 years, CBS is axing the show because, well, no one’s watching anymore. After the jump, a look back at the celebs who got their big breaks on the “Light.” Keep reading »

Romantic Comedies Aren’t The Only Fiction That Will Ruin Your Life

Annika HarrisDecember 16, 2008 //

A recent study found that fans of romantic comedies have unrealistic expectations of their life and relationships and often have trouble communicating with their partners. Rom-com devotees have an unrealistic idea that fate determines love, that the love-of-their-life should know what they want without them having to say it, and that sex with the right person will always be spectacular. We’re not surprised by the findings of this study, but we’d like to add a couple other fiction genres that we think have similar effects on life. Keep reading »

The Daily Squeeze: Online Abortions, David Beckhams Fave Food, And An Online Soap Opera

Catherine StrawnJuly 11, 2008 //
  • In some countries where abortion is prohibited, women are going on line to buy medications to help them terminate the pregnancy. Almost 11 percent of the women needed a surgical procedure after taking the medication. [BBC]
  • David Beckham said the thing he misses most about England since moving to LA is the food. He might be the only person in the world who feels this way. [AHN]
  • A racy online soap opera called In The Moment, depicts gay LA and promotes safe sex. Over the last few months, tens of thousands of viewers have watched the show. [LA Times]

    • Keep reading »

    Slideshow: Glitter & Gold At The Daytime Emmys

    Amelia McDonell-ParryJune 23, 2008 //

    Dude, I love the Daytime Emmys. There is so much glitter and beading and cleavage, it’s not even funny. Soap stars have the most flamboyant style in Hollywood, like they don’t learn to tone it down until they land their first sitcom deal or movie role. After the jump, ten of the hottest ladies on the red carpet and picking up their awards. Forgive me if I resort to calling them by their character names. Keep reading »

    Soap Operas Turn Rapists Into Heartthrobs

    Amelia McDonell-ParryApril 17, 2008 //

    I’ve watched soap operas since I was a wee one — my first memory, practically, is of Luke & Laura’s wedding on General Hospital, which incidentally took place on November 16, 1981, my 2nd birthday. Over the course of my 28 years on earth, I have watched for long , devoted periods of time, All My Children (back when Janet threw her twin Natalie down the well), Days of Our Lives (I’ve been there through Sami’s many, many ups and downs), General Hospital, One Life to Live, and The Young and the Restless (remember when Victoria slept with the guy she thought was her brother?). Soap operas are magnificent at being both really visionary and forward thinking — Stone’s battle with AIDS on GH, Ryan Phillippe playing the first gay character on OLTL, and the transgender storyline on AMC — as well as totally backward and dangerous in the messages they send. There is no better example of this than a current storyline on DOOL. Keep reading »

    The Daily Squeeze: Meeting Guys In Bars, Brazil’s Fertility Rate, And Arroused Men

    Catherine StrawnApril 17, 2008 //
  • Nineteen percent of women in a survey of 1,034 people over 21 said they met the last guy they dated in a bar. Nearly one in four women said they’d be embarrassed to tell their families they’re dating a guy they met in a bar. “He bought me a shot of tequila” isn’t their idea of a fairy-tale beginning? [PRNewswire]

    • Keep reading »