Kristian Alfonso Celebrates 30 Years as Hope Brady on Days of our Lives!
She's been an amnesiac art thief, a sleeping-pill poppin' wacko and a kick-ass-and-take-names policewoman. Heck, Days of Our Lives' Hope Brady has even been dead! But Kristian Alfonso is still alive and well and playing the part, 30 years after she first set foot on Days. April 14 marks the big anniversary. TV Guide spoke with the beloved suds sensation about her stunning run in Salem.
TV Guide: What's your most magical Days memory?
Alfonso: It actually happened before I got Days. I arrived at Grand Central Station on my first trip to Manhattan and looked up and saw this gigantic lit-up billboard for that week's Time magazine — a cover story with Days' No. 1 couple Susan and Bill Hayes [Doug and Julie]. I was completely awestruck, and then got cast as their daughter! That was just crazy.
TV Guide: Toughest storyline?
Alfonso: When I did quadruple duty during the Princess Gina plot. I was playing both Hope and Gina and also playing Hope as Gina and Gina as Hope. The continuity was a nightmare! Every night I fell asleep with scripts on my chest, but I loved every second of it.
TV Guide: You and Peter Reckell [Bo] made one of the all-time great supercouples in soaps, maybe second only to Luke and Laura. How does it feel to hit this anniversary flying solo?
Alfonso: Pete is missed but what is there to do? It was his choice to leave. I hear he's extremely happy. I've heard there's a solo story coming for me. It would be great to see Hope trying to move on and what a struggle that would be for her. I'd like to see her build a relationship with another strong guy, whether it's on the job or maybe she meets someone through being a single mom. I've had so many stories without Pete. Princess Gina was almost a year without him. And he had many without me. But what people remember most is the two of us together. We were given a golden opportunity.
TV Guide: Do you think we can ever again be enraptured by a pair of love birds, the way we were with Bo and Hope? Or are we just too jaded now?
Alfonso: It was an age of innocence back then, don't you think? It was a time when the audience could sit back and dream about romance, and watch it build and blossom. Soaps were all about taking their sweet time and allowing the viewers to fall in love with the people who were falling in love on screen. NBC took a huge chance with me, an unknown actress. Because of my Boston accent, they even changed the script to have Hope return from a boarding school in Boston!
TV Guide: Ever worry about getting fired, especially after it happened to Deidre Hall [Marlena]?
Alfonso: Of course, because you hear so many rumors in the NBC hallways. Losing Deidre and Drake for a while there was shocking. We all know nothing is forever so, when I get that call asking me to stay another year, it still takes my breath away. Because I do worry and my mind goes a little bit crazy. They're making changes! Do they no longer love the character? Am I on the chopping block? When you take things for granted you settle, and I don't ever want to be that person. There's always someone younger, prettier and taller who could probably do the job better. That's why, 30 years later, I still come to work with pride, still ready to earn every cent.
Blake Hood is leaving THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS and the role of Kyle Abbott. According to Soap Opera Digest, the show is replacing Hood with Hartley Sawyer.
Hood was cast as the aged version of Jack's (Peter Bergman) son in April 2012.
Sawyer, a daytime newcomer, begins taping the week of March 18. Soap fans may have noticed him as Bozeman Peacham in GCB last year or for his appearance in JANE BY DESIGN. He guest-starred in NCIS: LOS ANGELES last month.
In celebration of GENERAL HOSPITAL's 50th anniversary, SOAPnet is airing an unprecedented 50-hour marathon of classic episodes from the beloved series, starting Friday, March 29th at 10 p.m. ET/PT and running through Monday, April 1 at 12:00am ET/PT (Sunday night/Monday morning). The marathon kicks off with the very first episode from 1963, and will include shows from every decade. The stunt leads up to the very special 50th anniversary episode of GENERAL HOSPITAL, airing on Monday, April 1 on ABC (2:00-3:00 p.m. ET//1:00 p.m. PT/CT) and SOAPnet (9:00PM ET/PT, encore at 12:00 a.m. ET/PT).
The marathon will cover favorite characters, couples and storylines with such themes as romance (Luke & Laura’s wedding, Frisco & Felicia’s wedding, Luke & Laura’s dance at Wyndham’s, Lucky & Liz’s first kiss), heartbreak (Stone dies, Sonny leaves Brenda at the altar, BJ dies/Maxie’s heart transplant), action-adventure (Ice Princess, the Hostage Crisis, the Hotel Fire,) and shocking bombshells (Elizabeth finds Carly in the panic room, AJ discovers he’s Michael’s father, Jason’s car accident) plus many more surprises and appearances by fan favorites (Elizabeth Taylor as Helena Cassadine, John Stamos as Blackie, Ricky Martin as Miguel, Rick Springfield as Noah). It is an extraordinary marathon, 50 years in the making.
Chris Robinson has been added to the list of GENERAL HOSPITAL actors returning for the soap's 50th anniversary, according to TV Guide Magazine.
Robinson's character, Rick Webber, will air April 1 in scenes with Rick's former love Monica (Leslie Charleson).
"I could never have predicted I'd be rejoining the group but I guess anything is possible on a soap, even when you've been dead 10 years!" says Robinson, whose GH character was killed off in 2002. "I looked pretty scruffy when I showed up at GH," he says. "I had long hair and a flavor saver on my chin because of the movie, so they tried to clean me up. They wanted me to look as much like Rick as possible, so they bring out this old photo they found in the files. It was me 35 years ago before I was cast on GH! I said, 'You want me to look like that?'"
GH head writer Ron Carlivati also felt the need for damage control. "I grew up loving Rick and Monica — to me, as a young fan, they were what GH was all about — and I really wanted to find a way to bring Rick back despite his death," Carlivati says. "I also couldn't imagine Rick would do some of the horrible things he did in his last appearance. That wasn't the Rick Webber I remembered!"
Robinson first joined GH in 1978, replacing Michael Gregory as Rick. His pairing with Denise Alexander's Lesley was so popular, the actors were reunited on ANOTHER WORLD in the late 1980s.
UPDATED:
As expected, Stuart Damon will also be appearing during GH's 50th anniversary celebration. Look for Alan to pop up on March 29.
Check out more photos from the recent AMC and OLTL cast photo shoot.
Top row (L-R): Heather Roop, Jordi Vilasuso, Darnell Williams, Eric Nelsen, Cady McClain, Vincent Irizarry, Denyse Tontz, Sal Stowers, Robert Scott Wilson, Jordan Lane Price
Middle row (L-R): Ray MacDonnell, Francesca James, Debbi Morgan, Jill Larson, David Canary, Ryan Bittle
Bottom row (L-R): Lindsay Hartley, Julia Barr, Eden Riegel
(L-R) Jerry verDorn, Kassie DePaiva, Melissa Archer, Robert S. Woods, Andrew Trischitta, Laura Harrier, Tuc Watkins, Erika Slezak, Josh Kelly, Florencia Lozano, Kelley Missal, Robert Gorrie
Billy Magnussen is one of the brightest new stars of the Broadway season, giving a breakthrough hilarious performance as the titular Spike, in Christopher Durang's Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at the Golden Theatre. The entire cast has transferred from the show's Lincoln Center run at the Mitzi E. Newhouse.
In the Chekhov-inspired comedy, Magnussen plays opposite Signourney Weaver. Weaver plays Masha, the star of Alien-like movies, whose hot, young boyfriend, Spike (Magnussen) also happens to be an aspiring actor.
You have a lot of television and film credits. How do you balance that out with doing theater?
I was doing The Ritz [on Broadway] first, and then I got a film, Blood Night. Then I got As the World Turns, the soap opera. That was honestly the best training I ever got. Doing the soaps, every day it's constant training. Dealing with camera angles, the other people — it's great training.
What's it like to work with theater legends like Christopher Durang and Sigourney Weaver?
Oh my god, they're all a bunch of assholes. They're horrible. (Laughs) No, I couldn't be more blessed. I don't know where I heard this quote. Someone asked someone, "What do you look for in a director or a writer?" They said, "You can't look, that's the wrong word to use." I can only hope to work with people like this. They're smart about their work.
What is like to make out with Sigourney Weaver?
She's lovely. She's wonderful… I had to teach her a few things. (Laughs)
It's a high-energy show, especially for you. How do you prepare for that?
I work out twice a day. I have to keep in shape, the character demands it. It also teaches me a lot of discipline.
You said you're calling from the recording studio. Can you tell me a little about your band?
We're called Reserved for Rondee. We're recording our first album right now and I could not be more excited. It sounds so awesome. It's exceeding my expectations. We're playing a gig this Friday at Arlene's Grocery. I'll go there after I do the show. We also have a gig at Mercury Lounge on April 6th.
Have you thought about what you would do if you weren't a performer?
I'm very fortunate to get paid for something I love doing. I was watching this thing the other day where they said, "that's why they pay you. They pay you to wait. The acting is free."
Christian LeBlanc (Michael) is once again hosting Dancing with the Stars on the Bayou, a charity event in Thibodaux, Louisiana, and this year he's bringing along two Y&R favorites! Jessica Collins (Avery) and Jeff Branson (Ronan) will be judges for the Saturday, April 13th, event, which benefits several charitable causes, including the Alice Marx LeBlanc scholarship in nursing which honors Christian's late mother.
The evening kicks off with a cash bar, followed by dinner, an auction, and the dancing competition featuring local celebrities. Cost for the event, to be held at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, is $50.
CONSENT will be released March 19 on digital platforms.
Starring Troian Bellisario, star of ABC Family’s PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, and Peter Vack (AS THE WORLD TURNS alum), CONSENT tells the story of a wealthy Manhattan family’s inability to cope with the suicide of their eldest daughter, resulting in a downward spiral of drugs, alcohol and sexual taboos that threatens to destroy them.
Directed by Ron Farrar Brown and produced by his wife, Jane Brown, the film received three top awards at Visionfest , including the Jack Nance Breakthrough performance Award, the female lead acting award and the “Filmmaker of the Year” Domani Vision Award.
Check out the trailer below:
The Univision Network, one of the top five networks in the U.S. regardless of language, announced today that the Friday, March 8 finale of the hit novela POR ELLA SOY EVA (For Her, I’m Eva) positioned Univision as the No. 1 broadcast network, outperforming ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC among Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34 during the two-hour airing and for the entire night.
This marks the ninth consecutive Friday night that Univision ranks as the No. 1 broadcast network among Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34. Season-to-date, the network continues to hold the No. 1 position on Friday night with both demographics.
There's no such thing as a free lunch ... at least not in the soap opera world, a lesson Tony Todd recently learned the hard way.
Todd -- a notorious character actor from movies like "Candyman" and a few "Final Destination" movies -- just began a run on the popular soap opera, "The Young and The Restless."
"I've done 10 so far," Todd said, about the number of episodes he's completed. "There's going to be at least 25."
His one complaint? You have to go to the commissary to get your food.
"There is no food in the soap opera world," Todd said as he laughed. "Can you believe that? I'm working on it. It's part of my renegotiation."
GH's Teresa Castillo tweeted a photo from a Nurse's Ball dance rehearsal.
A new cast photo to mark Y&R’s 40th anniversary was cause for reflection, celebration, and balloons.
Since taking over as executive producer of THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS, Jill Farren Phelps has pinched more than a couple actors from her previous shows, GENERAL HOSPITAL and HOLLYWOOD HEIGHTS. And now comes word that Bruce Weitz, who had a memorable turn as GH villain Anthony Zacchara, will be appearing as Barry on Y&R beginning Wednesday, April 17.
However, this will a much shorter stint than his time on GH. Weitz is only scheduled to appear in three episodes.
Q: Who has been married the most times on The Young and the Restless? —Sherry L., Whitehall, Pa.
A: With 14 “I dos” under his belt, Genoa City’s resident Casanova, Victor Newman (played by Eric Braeden), takes the prize. And Victor’s about to tie the knot once more—with on-again, off-again love Nikki—on March 18. “I would love for them to be together forever, but things can’t go right for very long or the fans get bored!” says Melody Thomas Scott, 56, who plays Nikki.
Kate Linder has been portraying Esther Valentine on CBS' top-rated soap THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS for almost 31 years and on weekends, she is also a United Airlines flight attendant.
You can join Kate in signing this petition to keep knives off of our planes and make our skies safe for everyone.
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/keep-knives-plane-block-transportation-security-administration-policy-decision-accept-pre-911/SSzf8wmd
When Eileen Davidson left “The Young and the Restless” last year, “Days of Our Lives” fans wondered if – and hoped that – Eileen would reprise her role of the scheming and manipulative Kristen Blake DiMera.
This past fall, Eileen did indeed return to Salem; Elieen was greeted with open arms by “Days” fans, but Kristen returned to apprehension and cynicism from her fellow Salemites. And with good reason – Kristen isn’t exactly in the running for Miss Congeniality, and for that, “Days” viewers are glad. Since she’s been back, she’s turned quite a few people’s lives upside down. I spoke with Eileen recently, and she told me all about her return.
Daytime Dial: I, like a lot of your fans, am so happy to see you back on “Days.” Kristen is always so much fun to watch. What do you like best about playing this role?
Eileen Davidson: I think it’s probably that there are no limits. I can pretty much do whatever I want all the time because I can pretty much justify anything she does.
She’s very much a free spirit. She is a little nuts and a passionate person, so everything she does, she does it in kind of a big way.
She is diabolical but she is also very vulnerable, so I get to run the whole gamut emotionally. She’s not just a one-dimensional villainess.
She has very real feelings. She’s been very injured in her life, and she wears her feelings on her sleeves.
DD: Now that Kristen is back, she’s kind of stealing Nicole’s thunder in the troublemaking department. How’s Nicole going to handle that?
ED: We haven’t really had too much of a story together so far. We’ve just had a few scenes. I think that might start heating up soon, but as far as right now ... I did just have a couple of scenes where Kristen has kind of put Nicole in her place.
Arianne (Zucker, who plays Nicole) was one of the first people I bonded with when I came over here. I didn’t really know her before. And I just love her to death.
She’s fun to work with and she’s such a doll. And I’m hoping we’re going to have a big story in the future together.
DD: Kristen didn’t waste any time in getting revenge on John and Marlena by getting with Brady ...
ED: Well, I think he’s such a great guy. Obviously what they have is a real chemistry but she’s hellbent on revenge, and at the same time, she has very strong emotions for him.
He’s a dream come true for her.
Now, all of a sudden, I think he’s representing everything that she thought she could never have.
DD: When you first returned to the set this past fall, how was the reception you got from everyone after being absent all those years?
ED: It was just really, really heartwarming.
Everybody was so warm and very embracing of me. I love everybody over at “Y& R” but I had felt like I was ripped from my mother’s arms when I left that show. I came into another really warm and wonderful relationship over here with everybody at “Days.” Everyone has been incredible. Deidre (Hall) has been nothing but amazing.
Everybody was happy to have me here, and they were not shy about expressing it. It was just a lovefest.
It made me feel so welcome and appreciated right out of the gate.
I’ve had a lot of the actors come up to me and just be really complimentary, and hoping Kristen would shake things up.
Austin Peck has joined the cast of the NYC Brand Productions series TAINTED DREAMS. He will play Max, a sexy, self-absorbed, womanizing soap star in the show, which is a scripted “soap within a soap” set to blow the lid off the behind-the-scenes shenanigans of producing a daily drama.
Peck is best known for his roles as Austin Reed in DAYS OF OUR LIVES and Brad Snyder in AS THE WORLD TURNS. He also played porn producer Rick Powers in ONE LIFE TO LIVE.
He joins a TAINTED DREAMS cast which includes include Dina Manzo (REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW JERSEY) Alicia Minshew (ALL MY CHILDREN), Kelley Menighan Hensley (AS THE WORLD TURNS), Walt Willey (ALL MY CHILDREN), Marnie Schulenburg (AS THE WORLD TURNS), Michael Lowry (“All My Children”) and Anthony Wilkinson (“My Big Gay Italian Wedding”).
TAINTED DREAMS is the brain-child of two-time Emmy-winning producer/director Sonia Blangiardo who is currently serving as Supervising Producer of Prospect Park’s reboot of Agnes Nixon’s iconic soap ALL MY CHILDREN. Blangiardo worked with Peck at both AS THE WORLD TURNS and ONE LIFE TO LIVE.
For more on TAINTED DREAMS, visit nycbrandproductions.com
Life was going pretty great for All My Children‘s Brooke, before the big bang.
She’d rescued her main squeeze’s beloved home. She’d been proposed to in grand style, with most of the town looking on. Finally, after decades of playing runner-up to the glamorous Erica Kane, Ms. English was having her moment.
But then JR stuck his gun out of a secret-in-name-only passageway, and everything went dark – for almost a year-and-a-half.
But now Brooke – and portrayer Julia Barr – are back in an online revival of the beloved daytime drama scheduled to launch this spring. TVLine caught up with the soap vet during her first week back at work; here, she gives you the scoop on bringing Pine Valley back to life.
TVLINE | Last we saw Brooke, everything seemed to be going pretty well for her… and then a shot rang out.
That’s right. And it knocked a big old vase off the mantelpiece. [Laughs] I’m kidding. I’m sorry, I’m not at liberty to discuss what happened but it’s actually a great opening script that lets you know a certain amount of things that happened and who they happened to. It’s really good. It’s approximately five years in the future as far as [the show] wanting to age some of the kids. Of course, the adults did not age, and I’m so glad. [Laughs]
TVLINE | How have your first days gone?
Actually, not bad… But I have to tell you, [former AMC producer] Ginger Smith, who’s our executive producer… has pulled together a fantastic group of people… There’ll be some surprises. I was even surprised yesterday to hear about somebody that I’ll be working with on Thursday. She’s pulled together this group of not only directors we all know but camera people, production people… It’s really great. To step into something that is familiar and yet completely unfamiliar in a way, it’s great to have this going forward as a group… Adam and Brooke are engaged and still very much in love, so we’ll see what happens. And there’s a lot of intrigue about what actually happened at Adam and Brooke’s engagement party five years ago!
TVLINE | With whom have you worked so far?
I’ve worked with a lot of the new cast – the new Pete Courtland [Robert Scott Wilson], and the new Miranda [Denyse Tontz] and a new character Celia [Jordan Lane Price]. They’re all terrific and so sweet. It’s very nice to have a mix of vets and newbies – great energy.
TVLINE | Whose dressing room is near yours in the new Stamford, Conn., studio?
They’re in blocks. You go down one hallway and you enter a room that’s like a big area that’s central, and off those are like 10 dressing rooms. I’m in the room [with] Jill [Larson], Thorsten [Kaye], Jordi [Vilasuso], Lindsay [Hartley]… oh, and Vincent [Irizarry]… It’s a very nice set-up. The actual studio itself, the stage is huge. They have some sets up, and they’ve done a great job of bringing so much of what the sets looked like prior to the show going off the air to now. It’s very impressive.
TVLINE | What did you think as you looked around and saw these familiar places you hadn’t visited in a while, like the Chandler Parlor?
It’s familiar and bizarre at the same time. [Laughs] You know, it’s like the old expression “It’s like riding a bike.” You haven’t been on one maybe in however many years, but you just get back on and it’s just like it was. That’s part of the comfort of all of this, too. With all of these people, I mean I was thinking about how I’ve known Cady McClain – she and I had a couple of scenes yesterday – since she was 17 years old… David Canary and Jill, we have this sort of unspoken bond from working and knowing each other for so many years. And it’s really lovely because it envelops you in this comfort level, because so much is new – and anxiety-producing, might I add… [Laughs] There’s a great deal of excitement about what this actually could be. And if it isn’t, whatever happens, we’re all just happy to be there for a while.
TVLINE | There is that sense of, “It’s actually happening?”
I think the last time, people just assumed it was an effort that wasn’t thought through… But [Prospect Park, the company behind the AMC and One Life to Live relaunches] had a plan all along. I think it’s exactly what media is going to do from now on. It will be multi-platform. It will reach viewers of all demographics, all ages, because you can view it whenever you want on whatever portable device because they’ve partnered with iTunes and Hulu and Hulu Plus.
TVLINE | What’s your schedule like?
[AMC] started first, but we’re only doing two weeks. After that, it’ll be five weeks on, five weeks off, and it’ll be the same for One Life… I tell you, it’s amazing. I’m so glad that Agnes [Nixon, creator of AMC and OLTL] is involved with it. I’m so glad that Prospect Park has her [as] a part of it.
Centenarian Arden Vie has been an ardent fan of the soap opera Days of Our Lives since the 1960s.
At age 101, the Pasco man still is watching the show. And because of that devotion, the show's producers recently invited him to the set.
Vie can't remember what attracted him to the soap all those years ago, but once he started, he was hooked.
"I started watching the show when I was principal at Mark Twain Elementary," Vie told the Herald via email. "I'd come home on my lunch break and watch it. The show was only 30 minutes then. Not sure why I started watching it. I guess I turned on the TV and there it was."
Vie took a trip to Los Angeles in January to visit his son Greg, and was surprised when he discovered his son had arranged for him to meet the cast.
Greg Vie had written a letter a year earlier to the show's executive producer, Ken Corday, but never heard back. Then he met Deidre Hall, one of the stars of the Days of Our Lives, at an autograph session, and gave her a copy of the letter he sent to Corday.
"In the letter I had included a photo of Dad reading the book Days of Our Lives 45 Years: A Celebration in Photos, which was co-authored by Greg Meng, a co-producer of the show," Greg Vie said. "Deidre immediately texted Greg telling him about Dad. Later that week, Greg called and wondered if he could get Dad to the set on his 100th birthday."
Unfortunately, the elder Vie already had had plans to spend his 100th with family in the Tri-Cities.
"Six months later, I met Greg at a Days of Our Lives event and reminded him of our conversation about Dad," Greg Vie said. That led to another invite to Arden Vie to the set of the soap opera to celebrate his 101st birthday.
"I thought it would be great to get Dad on the set while he was visiting here in L.A. in January," Greg Vie said. "We were picked up from my L.A. condo and driven in a town car to NBC studios in Burbank."
As for his dad, meeting the stars of the show he has been watching for a half-century was a great birthday gift.
"At my age, it's hard for me to get excited about anything," Arden Vie said. "But this was an unexpected treat. I enjoyed meeting the cast very much, especially Alison Sweeney, Suzanne Rogers, and Kristian Alfonso. I was disappointed, though, that I did not get to meet Deidre Hall, but she was not working that day."
Arden said what he liked about the show was that it had a good story line and interesting characters.
"The show also took my mind off the problems of the work day," he added.
His visit to the set and lifelong devotion to the show also will be featured in Soap Opera Digest magazine later this month, Greg Vie said.
"Dad was also featured (earlier this month) in a two-page article in Soaps in Depth," he added.
The elder Vie will return to Pasco next week with plenty of fond memories and stories to share with family and friends.
A very big honor for General Hospital and Kelly Monaco (Sam), who revealed via her Twitter account today that she will be on an upcoming edition of the ABC primetime news series, 20/20 in honor of General Hospital’s upcoming 50th anniversary on April 1st.
Monaco stated in her tweet: “Just finished a sit down interview with 20/20 for #gh 50 year anniversary. #blessed #proud #honored”
In addition, Monaco’s cast mate, Kirsten Storms (Maxie) tweeted her enthusiasm as this week the taping of GH Nurses’ Ball event got underway.
Storms related, “I love days at #GH when everyone is here. It’s gonna be a doozey!! #GH50 #NursesBall2013 Details”
Soap fans have been recently bringing up Trevor St. John’s name in the rumor mill as possibly returning to the online version of Prospect Park’s One Life to Live! With Roger Howarth’s (Todd) set to tape numerous episodes over a four week period next week and then heading back to General Hospital for now, could that mean a story is in place for the return of Victor Jr.?
Well according to the latest issue of Soap Opera Uncensored, Nelson Branco spoke to St. John who offered up his comment on if a return is in the works! Trevorelated, “No, no one has asked me back to One Life. I wish them the best of luck with the show, however, Jennifer Pepperman is a great director and will surely make a great EP.”
Now as One Lifers know, St John denied his return to One Life to Live for the ABC grand finale, when in fact, he was the show’s final and ultimate zinger of a cliffhanger!
Michael Baldwin and Lauren Fenmore have become upstanding citizens on "The Young and The Restless," but it wasn't always that way. The schemers found redemption and then each other, creating a Genoa City power family. Now, with their marriage falling apart, Lauren has fallen into bed with Carmine. Could this betrayal push Michael back to his old ways? The potential for disaster is enormous, and that's just how Marco Dapper (Carmine) likes it.
Some young actors would be scared to come between a beloved soap couple, let alone a couple with a nefarious past! But Marco Dapper was all smiles when MSN TV caught up with him during a visit to "The Young and the Restless."
MSN TV: How does it feel to be the man coming between Michael and Lauren?
Dapper: Awesome.
Are you aware of Michael's history?
I know his history and Lauren's too. A bullet's got to be coming my way. I was telling Christian [LeBlanc, Michael], "You're going to try and kill me. I can feel it coming!" I'm sure somebody'll kill me off at some point. (laughs) But here's the thing, as a friend to both the actors, it's so much fun. I get to tease them, off set. I go, "I'm doing your wife!" and Christian screams, "I'm going to get you!" They're so fun, and the story is juicy. I want more!
From what you've seen so far, could learning about Carmine push Michael back to his old game-playing ways?
I hope so! Because that sounds fun to me. I want to play games. People keep asking if I'm worried about my character, because something might happen. I implore it, because that means more fun to me. I'd rather get as crazy and creative as I can for 5 months and sell something really cool than do 10 years of boring nothing. That's why I'm in this business.
When I was on the show before, I wasn't used nearly as much. I felt more like a glorified extra. I was in the background bartending half the time, but now they've given me a juicy storyline. It's even juicier than when I was with Abby. With Abby, it was cute and kitchy, but no one cared. This is going to be a scandal.
Can viewers expect more juicy Carmine/Lauren scenes before that scandal breaks?
Absolutely. Of course. My dad watches the show now, so I gotta make him proud. "That's my boy!"
Good, because we need to see more of you with that shirt off and frankly, Tracey Bregman still looks great in lingerie!
She does. The woman never ages. Neither of them does. I think they're witches.
How does Christian feel about going up against a younger man?
He loves it. He has been my biggest supporter, probably. Everyone has, but he's always taking me aside and talking to me about scenes. He's been a lot of help. Like a big brother. I've got so much love for that guy. Really cool dude. When I was told I was being brought back for this storyline, I couldn't have been more excited. I love Christian and Tracey on the show.
Are you worried about fan backlash?
Oh, they're going to hate this. Lauren and Michael are the most favorite couple - the most boring couple if you ask me! When Christian, Tracey and I talked about this, they said, "We haven't had this much fun in a long time. We're getting to play all these emotions we haven't touched on for so long." They're actors. They want to do different things. When you're stuck in a relationship for 7 years on TV, that's a long time. This is a soap opera, right?
You clearly can't wait for this to blow up, but what are Carmine's intentions? Is he serious about Lauren or does he just think she's hot?
Both. It's complicated. You meet someone, you find them attractive and then you have something and it starts turning into more then you thought it was going to be. Carmine has a good heart and he's falling for her. But she's a taken woman, so what do you do about that?
Do you consider Carmine an honorable guy?
I don't think Carmine is dishonorable. He's a Jersey kid. He's up front. If he doesn't like you, he doesn't like you. That's it. If you notice, the rest of Genoa City is scheming. I feel like my character's the only one who doesn't scheme, but everyone hates him. They think he's the bad guy - but he's not! In this town he is, because they're all liars. If Genoa City was real, everyone would be dead. That's what's funny. Carmine's the wise guy coming in, the pariah, but he's just a straight shooter. It reminds them of how dishonest they are. That's why they don't like him.
Now the fans are going to hate you, too.
Absolutely, but I'm ready for it and I want them to hate me. Yay! I don't think I could ever compete with Lauren and Michael's history and I don't think it's designed to be about that. I need to give them a hiccup and show people how much they love each other. Let's be honest, affairs happen every day. We all hear about friends, family, moms, dads, uncles, aunts. It's all about how you get back up from that and what you do in that situation. How much do you love this person and when that love is tested, where do you go from there?
If you think “All My Children’s” Susan Lucci (Erica Kane) and “General Hospital‘s” Jack Wagner (Frisco Jones) have done it all, think again: The two are now joining forces — or rather facing off — on NBC’s hit reality competition program, “All-Star Celebrity Apprentice.”
The two will appear in the episode titled “I’m Being Punked By A Jackson,” in which the All-Stars must perform a soap opera scene for the beverage Crystal Light. Lucci and Wagner have each been assigned to a team as “coaches,” — but, as a show spokesperson tells us — it’s up to the teams’ project managers to decide how best to use each star’s soapy talent!
Catch the episode, which also stars Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump and Arsenio Hall, on Sunday, March 17, at 9:00 PM ET on NBC.
Prospect Park‘s The OnLine Network (aka TOLN) formally revealed its new re-designed logo. The logo is a step up from the original one Soap Opera Network first revealed back on February 18.
Styled in a manner in which viewers will always know that TOLN is online and ready for network quality viewing of its programming, the Prospect Park created network will make its mark when it premieres “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” on Monday, April 29 at 12:00 PM ET on Hulu, Hulu Plus and iTunes.
There are lots of questions surrounding the Monday, April 29 launch of All My Children, the main one being, What can we expect? Debbi Morgan (Angie Hubbard), Darnell Williams (Jesse Hubbard) and David Canary (Adam Chandler) took that question by storm during the show’s first official photo shoot in February, and while they couldn’t reveal storyline details, the three stars did open up about the high number of new and young faces on the show, how the shorter 30-minute time slot will affect their acting and how they feel about the women who hold Pine Valley’s future in their hands.
First thing’s first: Fans aren’t the only ones who have noticed that there are many brand new faces on the rebooted version of the show; the vets are quite aware that they’re sharing the pool with many daytime newbies.
“Television is usually geared to a younger audience nowadays, and it was certainly in the minds of the new production company to infuse [AMC] with a little more youth,” explains Williams of the shift, adding that rather than bringing in a ton of new characters, it made sense for the producers to age familiar ones that already existed. “It’s called All My Children, and that’s what it is turning out to be.”
But if you’re a fan who’s worried that the soap will more resemble a TeenNick show than the Pine Valley you’re used to, Williams says not to worry: “You have to have a sort of even balance, and if you’re going to run the show properly, you have to keep that balance.”
And if anyone can seamlessly integrate the youth-centric storylines with the classic stories soap fans love, Williams and Morgan say it’s their new executive producer, Ginger Smith, and the show’s creator, Agnes Nixon, who’s back to help with story direction. “It was a shame and a sin for [Agnes]… not to be able to have her participation and her input into the show [for such a long time while it was on ABC],” Morgan shares. “And now, to have her back with us, we really feel okay. We know we’re going to succeed.”
Adds Williams: “We’ve got our captain at the helm… Back to basics, back to her wonderful storytelling. And we’ve also got Ginger Smith executive producing… and she is so excited about this.”
But what about the show’s new 30-minute per day, four days a week format? It’ll be more manageable for fans to digest — and Morgan says it’ll be easier for Canary to digest, as well. “It [means] a lot less lines for him to memorize!” she says with a laugh, prompting Canary to pipe up and joke: “Maybe I could root for a 20-minute show.”
But in reality, the new format and shooting schedule has been a bit of an adjustment, especially for those who have been on the show for many years. “I’m loving this, but it’s hard work,” Canary admits. “And the older we get, the harder it gets.”
But that’s not necessarily a complaint, because Canary, Morgan and Williams are just happy that “AMC” is back — hectic shooting schedule and all. “I can’t tell you how unbelievable it is,” Morgan says. “It’s like the stars all in alignment.”
During an emotional therapy session, Bianca was able to release some of her anger and fears. Dimitri later told Erica that he still had feelings for her. Marian told Liza that she had slept with Adam, but Liza was able to figure out that Marian had actually slept with Stuart -- but she didn't tell her mother that. After landing on a window washer's platform and suffering a nasty bump on the head, the mystery woman revealed that her real name was Camille. She also revealed why she'd been hell-bent on driving Adam crazy - he had beaten her mother to death. Dimitri found evidence that virtually proved that Jim was the one who had brought down Flight 149. The shady character had been a suspect in an arson case in New Jersey where explosives matching those aboard Flight 149 had also been found.
Andy and Jack saved Matt and Nikki, then rescued Holden and Sam. David refused to go away with James, but did hold the gun on Lucinda so that James could get away. Holden got good news. Carly and Hal finished the wedding ceremony in the hospital chapel. It was "now or never" if Carly was going to get pregnant in time for the money.
At Big Bear, Ridge contemplated his dilemma. Stephanie surmised where he had disappeared to and went to Big Bear. She defended Taylor's actions. Later, Brooke also went to Big Bear and asked Ridge for forgiveness. Ridge asked if she had lied about the pregnancy and miscarriage. Following Brooke's visit, Taylor drove to Big Bear and attempted to explain all her actions during her pregnancy. In the end, Ridge still needed more time. Johnny had a romantic evening with Lauren, which Rush witnessed from his perch on the balcony. He followed Johnny home, and there was a confrontation. Overhearing Macy make a reservation for John Quincy, a record producer, Rick made arrangements for Amber to sing.
Kristen's death was ruled to be a suicide, getting Susan off the hook, but unknown to anyone, Susan was actually Kristen in disguise. Kristen assumed Susan was the one who had died, but Susan was actually kidnapped as planned by the turban man and had been taken to a sultan's harem. Laura showed up t Kristen's funeral in bright red. Jack and Jenn were troubled by Laura's vengeful behavior. Hope decided to look into her past as a way to forget Bo. Franco decked Lucas for insulting Sami and continued to manipulate Sami's emotions. Carrie threw herself into the PR campaign for Mike, neglecting Austin. Celeste stayed at the convent, having horrible visions of Kristen, Susan, and Stefano. Roman and Abe focused on the investigation of Kristen's suicide, while John wrestled with feelings of guilt after hearing a desperate message Kristen had left on his machine. Jonesy turned out to be the best lover Vivian had ever had, but died in her arms on their honeymoon.
Lucky uncovered evidence that his father had raped his mother. Tony was revealed to be Michael's kidnapper. Amy discovered Alan's pill addiction.
Michael introduced Josh to the infant Reva. Rick and Abby spent their last night together before she was taken to prison. Cassie would not believe Josh's explanation about Reva's disappearance. Fletcher saw Roger and Holly kissing. Misunderstanding, he took Meg and left the United States. Reva washed up on the shore of a deserted island in the Florida Keys. Phillip sided with Beth when he heard about Harley's investigation of Carl. Holly was devastated to learn her family was gone.
Todd offered Téa a deal. Todd paid a parishioner to cause trouble for Andrew. Téa tried to provoke Todd, but it didn't work. Téa decided to leave town for a while. Claude sent R.J. a tape. Rachel's birthday party was held at Club Indigo. Dorian returned from her trip with an idea for a business investment. Mel's houseboat broke free.
Grace concocted an elaborate ruse to get Sharon out of the house so Grace could take Cassie. However, the authorities stopped Grace at the airport just as she was about to get on the plane to leave the country. Nikki barged into Victor's private birthday party and announced that she was having a baby with Josh. That night, unaware that Veronica was listening in, Nikki told Josh that she was ready to have his baby. Paul confronted Danny, which only confirmed Danny's suspicion that Christine was still in love with Danny. Neil continued to have problems in the bedroom. Dru was heartbroken, and she contemplated giving Neil his freedom. Sid called Dru with a job offer.
Monday ("John's Plan")
Marlena wants John to reveal his plan to her; Kristen tells Chloe to fight for Daniel; Cameron receives a mysterious call.
Tuesday ("Brady's Idea")
Brady pops the question; Daniel and Jennifer have a heated argument.
Wednesday ("Brady's News")
John begs his son to give him another chance; Nick drops a bombshell on Gabi.
Thursday ("Resolution")
Daniel reveals the truth to Jennifer about what she saw; Sami urges Will to enlist Stefano's help.
Friday ("Parker Inspires Chloe")
Nick and Sonny get violent with one another; Kristen tells Sami and EJ about her engagement to Brady.
Monday (Trusting Todd)
Carly worries about trusting Todd; Michael and Starr have sex; Lulu talks to Luke about Laura.
Tuesday (Immediate Marriage)
Scott invites Lulu to his wedding; Mac seeks answers from Felicia regarding Frisco.
Wednesday (Lulu Goes Missing)
Luke and Laura frantically look for Lulu; Mac tries to convince Duke not to give up on Anna.
Thursday (Proof)
Epiphany offers evidence that would indicate that Britt framed Sabrina; Sabrina and Felix prepare for graduation.
Friday (Pyschic Connection)
Dante urges Olivia to use her psychic powers to help locate Lulu; Anna and Dante learn about the shooting.
3/18, Brooke, Bill and Rick celebrate; Caroline tries to entice Rick with lingerie.
3/19, Taylor tries to get Katie to worry about Bill and Brooke; Maya tells Dayzee about her trip.
3/20, Rick throws accusations at Taylor; Katie finds Brooke and Bill together.
B&B will not air on March 21 or March 22 due to NCAA basketball coverage on CBS.
3/18, Friends and family attend Nikki and Victor's wedding
3/19, Ashley warns Phyllis; Sharon learns about Dylan's past.
3/20, Adam shows up to Nikki and Victor's wedding reception uninvited; Summer and Kyle are caught in a compromising position
Y&R is pre-empted on Thursday March 21 and Friday March 22 for NCAA basketball on CBS.