page-turning moment for all of us. Ronn did his best and was successful in not falling into an emotional mess, but it affected Kelly very deeply at the time. As they exchange vows and say sweet things to each other, they were both very touched.”
Can’t wait. Maybe Ronn’s exit will equal an Emmy nod for my beloved.
By week’s end, Ridge and Brooke have a surprise announcement that will shock everyone.
When Ridge leaves town, Brad Bell will be refocusing on Rick Forrester as the show’s leading man.
Is this Bell's quiet revenge against Moss, asks Michael Logan of TV GUIDE? If so, the B&B Boss denies it. "This was always my plan for Rick," Bell says. "It just works so much better now, what with Ridge going off on an extended honeymoon doing God knows what. It gives Rick a legitimate reason to take control."
In other B&B news from the TV GUIDE interview: Katie, will discover how evil her hubby Bill truly is just as she's about to give birth to his son. "Katie's going to have big issues with the guy she's married to and will wonder whether or not she can share a child with him," Bell says. "She's going to have to really draw the line. Heather may have four Emmys already but this story is really going to test her."
What about those lesbians? Bell made big news last spring with his same-sex story involving Karen and Dani, but after an intriguing start the characters went straight to the back burner. Blame it on Johnson, who grabbed a producing gig at the new CW series EMILY OWENS, M.D., and hasn't been available to the soap.
"Joanna will definitely be back, if only for a day or two here and there," says Bell. "And once her schedule backs off a bit I want her back for something meaty. We may not see Karen for the time being but we'll play her as if she's still around and that she and Dani are still a happy couple. [Laughs] I'm not going to have Dani go off and seduce one of our guys."
Did you hear that Gary Tomlin?
DAYS OF OUR LIVES, NBC/GLOBAL — Salem Gets Romantic!
• In story 411, Adrienne isn’t happy to learn that Will and Sonny are attracted to each other. Sets up Judi Evans in this week’ DIGEST, “She doesn’t want to see Sonny get involve with someone whose family has so much baggage.” That’s the understatement of the year! Also, look for Nick to fall for Gabi! And EJami fans be warned: Rafe kisses Sami this week — and she likes it so much she cancels her date with EJ!
GENERAL HOSPITAL, CITYTV/ABC — General Timetable!
• Don’t forget GH fans: This week, the lone ABC soap is moving to its new time, ONE LIFE’s former 2 P.M. timeslot.
What can we expect this fall?
In an interview with Deana Barnett, executive producer Frank Valentini, the hardest workingman in daytime, gave MSN.COM a preview of the next few months of GH as it approaches its 50th anniversary in April.
Chief among the tidbits is that Valentini says he would hire Genie Francis when/if Y&R fires the Emmy winner. He’d also like to bring back Kin Shriner. Rejoice, ONE LIFE fans: Valentini also promises Kassie DePaiva will be back as Blair.
Will Melissa Archer join GH, too? According to the Emmy winner, perhaps. He says, “She's a giant fox! There's legal issues, in terms of the Prospect Park deal, which I can't talk about. All I'll say is Melissa Archer is a very good friend of mine and I adore her.”
Legal issues? Why isn’t there a legal issue with having Prospect Park signees DePaiva, Easton on board? * Scratches head * I don’t know how much I believe this intel.
Regardless, expect one ONE LIFE story to be resolved with or without Archer — and that’s Todd finding out Victor is alive.
As for KATIE, Valentini takes the diplomatic road by welcoming her to the airwaves.
He says, “I'm all about moving forward. Katie [Couric] is so talented and wonderful. She has supported our show and will continue to support our show. And we support her. It's a nice fit, now. There's more variety. Certainly, I would like to see ONE LIFE and AMC come back, but the reality is we're in a different economic environment now in the television business.”
So is GH finally off of life support? Yep.
“Absolutely,” he answers. “It's time to move forward. It's very exciting for people to talk about the end, so they can be the first one to predict it. Let's embrace these shows and enjoy them. Soap opera is an original American art form that has so much equity that needs to be explored, and I'm here to make sure it's exploited and explored.”
Why is Frank Valentini a master? In an interview with ON AIR, ON SOAPS’ Michael Fairman, Jane Elliot explains:
“Frank and I have known each other for 18 years. I observed and shadowed him and two other line producers at ONE LIFE, before I went to produce LOVING. I spent a couple of months at ONE LIFE; five days a week morning till night shadowing him. We maintained a friendship all through these years and I adore him. I adored him then and I adored him the 18 years we communicated. So for me, it was like coming home. I know he is incredibly bright and incredibly smart. He has a really broad stroke and he takes in more information in 30 seconds than almost anybody I know. Frank sees what is going on behind him, next to him, in front of him, as well as having his own inner dialog going on about what is going on, what he wants to fix, and what he wants to change. I love people like that. People like that I find energizing. For me, it’s a thrill. I love working with an executive producer who comes in before everybody arrives and leaves after everybody leaves.”
One actor to watch this week is John Ingle, who brings back Edward Quartermaine after being on a sick leave. According to Valentini in this week’s DIGEST, Ingle’s comeback may rival the upcoming location shoot. He teases, “Wait until you see it. I challenge anybody to not cry during [these scenes between Edward, Tracy, Patrick and Emma] because we sure did. It’s pretty powerful stuff.” I’ll be the judge of that, Frank.
• James Franco, who was in town for the Toronto International Film Festival this past weekend, is everywhere these days — including a real-life courtroom. NYU professor José Angel Santana is suing the Oscar-nominated actor for defamation of character.
Said Santana in a NY POST article: “Whoever was in Clint Eastwood’s chair at the Republican National Convention was more present than Mr. Franco was in my classes. He adds that Franco is “a bully. He uses the bully pulpit of his celebrity to punish anyone who doesn’t do his bidding.”
Can we sue Franco for his over-the-top performance on GH?
• George Orwell once said, "In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."
Well, VANITY FAIR is going after Tom Cruise and his pack of lies. In a recent story, the magazine claims that Cruise auditioned wives before choosing Katie Holmes.
But everyone’s buzzing about one of the alleged hopefuls: former GH Nazanin Boniadi!
Cruise’s camp denies these claims. Meanwhile, Nazanin has Oscar winning screenwriter and director Paul Haggis, a former Scientologist, on her side.
Hey, GH: Time to bring Nazanin back on to help promote your show!
• Today, and wisely, THE TALK counterprogrammed against GH’s timeslot move by inviting CBS soapers like Katherine Kelly Lang and Melody Thomas Scott in a show full of divas with no make-up! Will it work?
• Antonio Sabato Jr. means business. The former GH hunk recently tweeted that he would return to the show for free! Someone needs to take Sabato up on his generous offer. Oh, and he likes to act shirtless, too. That should make Frank Valentini and Ron Carlivati take notice. With this 100 K followers on Twitter, Sabato could bring in a lot of new viewers, too. And he didn’t buy his followers.
• I wish GH had more of a nail-biting cliffhanger this past Friday in order to entice people to watch today’s timeslot change. Couldn’t they have saved Ian Buchanan’s return for today? Buchanan’s reveal single-handedly spiked GH’s ratings for the first time since Cartini took over the GH reins nine months ago. Regardless, I wish GH all the best when it comes to the time switch. Ironic that GH got ONE LIFE’s timeslot and showrunners considering Llanview’s rea
l estate was never valued as much as Pine Valley and Port Chuck.
ONE LIFE TO LIVE — Claywell in The T-Dot!
• Guess who I ran into at my magazine, Hello! Canada’s annual TIFF party at the Ritz Carlton? None other than Brett Claywell. He’s looking better than ever and smiling from ear-to-ear thanks to a new career! The popular actor is a partner of a new company, STIKS GAMING, which gives fans a chance to game with celebrities for charity! You can head over to www.stiksgaming.com for more information.
It was cool seeing Claywell again but surreal seeing him on the other side of the red carpet where he was interviewing the boldface.
“I haven’t acted since ONE LIFE,” says Claywell. “And I’m totally OK with that. I’m having a blast with this new career.”
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS — Is It Oct. 12 yet?
• Updated: Y&R is casting a new role! Here’s the breakdown casting notice that went out today:
[JAMIE] RECURRING ROLE. APPROX 2 MONTHS. Seeking a CAUCASIAN TEEN BOY 18 years old TO PLAY 15 OR 16. (AGAIN, WE NEED 18 TO PLAY 15-16 UNLESS EMANCIPATED AND LEGAL 18. ACTOR MUST BE LEGAL 18.) Jamie is a troubled young teen — NOT a hoodlum or a