Maria Arena Bell created. In case, Case deserves a major bonus from Sony. If I’m ever in a life and death situation, I would definitely want Case standing right next to me. Yes, someone clearly had it in for Case this past year but she did something unexpected: She triumphed by effortlessly turning shameful, lazy and politically-driven writing by turning the tables and making this her success story. When you look up “survivor” in the dictionary, you’ll see Sharon Case’s picture (burning down the Newman Ranch, hopefully!). Case also proved why she is one of the most talented pros in our business by miraculously flipping the script and turning each dreadful scene viewers had to literally cover their eyes to watch into an infectious and unforgettable comedic and dramatic performance that will never be forgotten. Don’t fuck with Case… or you’ll regret it. Just ask Eric Braeden and Maria Arena Bell.
5. JOANNA JOHNSON
The New Normal You can count on one hand how many soap stars have come out of the closet — even though countless major TV, film, music and rap stars have in droves recently. When Joanna Johnson returned once again to B&B this past year to reprise her ill-conceived character, Karen Spencer, the beautiful-star-turned-primetime-showrunner seemed different. She was free. Acting her little heart out for once. What changed? Johnson came out of the closet as a lesbian — as did her character on B&B — proving that being yourself in real life will always equal a more authentic performance in reel life. Brava! Let’s hope Johnson’s decision inspires others to do the same because you can’t have change without visibility in all aspects of life. Also, Johnson’s career only continued to thrive after coming out: she was named a producer on the CW’s EMILY OWENS, M.D. starring Meryl Streep’s daughter!
4. GREG RIKAART
The Voice While for most of 2012 Y&R’s Kevin Fisher may have become an annoying brat and a former shell of his edgy self, Greg Rikaart proved he was at the top of his humanity game. The majority of soap stars don’t tackle, court or address controversy but that didn’t stop the fearless actor from speaking his mind regarding Chick-Fil-A’s (A stands for asshole, BTW) public stance against same-sex marriage and anti-hate funding campaigns. When DAYS schlemiel Melissa Reeves supported the fast food chain’s efforts on Twitter, Rikaart challenged the misguided, hurtful and seemingly homophobic soap star, someone who has her own share of dirty laundry to sort through — especially when it comes to sanctity of marriage. It wasn’t a big surprise considering, when Rikaart was in college, the Emmy winner spent a semester as an intern for a congressman. The Y&R bad boy even wrote a piece for the HUFFINGTON POST in August about Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day, stating: "Whether grown up bullies like Dan Cathy and Melissa Reeves realize it or not, they are directly or indirectly telling these vulnerable kids that there is something wrong with them, or they are somehow less than. Nothing could be further from the truth. I'm certain of it." A few months later, Rikaart returned to his home in Staten Island, New York to help the crucial Hurricane Sandy efforts, a storm which devastated the region. To top off his epic year, Kevin finally returned to his entertaining yet self-sabotaging ways this past winter as Kevin dealt with a personal and professional crisis many of us could relate to. In addition, Rikaart’s perfectly sculpted cheekbones and jawline were on display more than ever on each red carpet they adorned. All is good in the Rikaart household.
4. ANGELICA MCDANIEL
Game Change The soap world finally welcomed a network executive who actually loves and respects the genre. Stop the presses, I know! After McDaniel’s wise and well timed appointment as CBS Daytime VP, the talented whippersnapper was instrumental in getting rid of the Y&R cancer known as Maria Arena Bell (a story UNCENSORED first brought you all the way back in early June); engaged fans on Twitter (who does that as a VP on any network?), spent personal time and hung out on set with the soap stars and crews she employs; didn’t interfere with storyline but constructively weighed in with her opinion regardless of the outcome; and genuinely took an interest in key issues involving our industry in general while communicating with the press on Twitter (sacrilege, I know!). Her greatest accomplishment may be the fact that she effortlessly and passionately cross-promotes CBS soaps on the increasingly successful and buzzworthy chat fest, THE TALK. In Angelica’s world, soap isn’t a four-letter word. Welcome to daytime, Angelica.
3. SUSAN FLANNERY
The Long Goodbye She’s threatened to quit B&B for years. She finally did it. And while Flannery’s expert performance destroyed us all as Stephanie finally succumbed to the one thing that could bring her down — lung cancer — it was Flannery’s decision to leave the show that gave daytime 2012’s best storyline. It was fascinating to watch an iconic character actually die onscreen and not be presumed dead or leave town. It was gloriously epic and heartbreaking all at the same time while signaling a new era for the youngest soap on the dial. We’ll miss you. Now head over to DAYS, Susan! (FYI: The Emmy winner will still direct episodes of VENICE and THE GROVE so she’s not retired at all.)
2. RON CARLIVATI AND FRANK VALENTINI
The Dark Knights Rise Write it and they will come. Once again, ONE LIFE’s super showrunners Ron and Frank, affectionately known as squish name “Cartini,” an honour which is usually reserved for super couples, proved this adage true… but this time, their latest collective venture, GH, wasn’t cancelled like ONE LIFE was. And GH looks like it is in the clear — as does ONE LIFE in many ways. The dynamic duo kicked off 2012 with the best-written soap of the year, ONE LIFE, and ended it with the best-written soap of the year, GH. Together they proved that you can still get a soap opera to trend on Twitter daily; turn around sinking ship in just a few short months with a decreased budget while still luring in big names from the past; attract and secure mainstream publicity without doing a damn thing other than your job; that if you have talent, you can write and produce anything as long as you respect the audience, pay homage to history, invest in the future, write dramedy and take soap production to new heights; and that you can beat the shit out of THE CHEW, THE REVOLUTION and KATIE’s asses in the ratings. Together, they are the new Gloria Monty but with substance. Maybe Cartini can find a cure for cancer during those rare off hours on the weekend.
1. FINOLA HUGHES
This is 50 As THE NEW YORK POST recently stated when it dubbed GH one of the best shows on TV to watch in the New Year: “We saw the return of Finola Hughes’ former super-spy Anna Devane, proving that women over 40 are still leading lady material and re-affirming that the ridiculous plots that made soaps fun in the ’80s can still make daytime drama worthwhile.” While it was a tough decision to name either Cartini or Hughes as this year’s most fascinating couple or person, respectively, UNCENSORED couldn’t deny that every time Hughes graced us with her presence with her epic beauty and incomparable talent, she riveted us in whatever she was given… even in the face of some cliché writing by Ron Carlivati for most of 2012. (I didn’t start digging GH until October but that’s no fault of Cartini who had a Herculean task of cleaning up the shit former scribe Bob Guza and company left behind.)
But it was her flawless, tour-de-force performance when Anna learned Patrick had cheated on her dearly departed daughter Robin Scorpio that will be forever be imprinted in our minds, hearts and souls. It’s the scene you show soap-hating people when they slam daytime TV to prove how magical and unique this industry is.
Without Hughes, GH could have never pulled off its biggest story: Robin’s return from the dead, Robert and Duke’s comeback, the breakout romance between Luke and Anna, the sizzling chemistry between her and Michael Easton; and the revitalized Port Charles Police Department. Hughes is Cartini’s secret weapon and without her, Cartini would have been lost. (She also helped GH gain its first mainstream shout out thanks to her friendship with Kelly Ripa on LIVE! WITH KELLY.) In addition, Hughes directed her first film this year. She’s also a rabid defender of human rights and a respected pundit of fashion.
Moreover, Hughes’ biggest contribution to the art world is proving that you o
nly get better with age. Yep, this is 50, bitches! Hughes has never looked or acted better, which is saying a lot, and it’s no wonder why every male and female character and actor on GH is dying to not only work with the Emmy winner but also seduce her. Including the gays watching the show.
The only problem with Hughes? She’s not airing every day.
Long live Queen Hughes!
Sudsy Library
CRYSTAL CHAPPELL’S LIFE SO FAR
Emmy winner releases memoir, THE PERFECT ART OF IMPERFECTION
I’ve been called many names like perfectionist, difficult and obsessive. I think it takes obsession, takes searching for details for any artist to be good. Do I believe in perfection? No, it doesn’t exist; imperfection is what makes us so uniquely human — but the pursuit of perfection is a worthy one nonetheless.
—Barbra Streisand on PIERS MORGAN LIVE
News Flash: Crystal Chappell is not perfect — but her brilliant, enveloping, thoughtful, respectful, cathartic, and bravely candid memoir is one of the most perfect must-read books of the New Year.
Once again, Chappell effortlessly shuttles us through an orgasmic yet turbulent rocket ride which also surprisingly entertains, enlightens and educates us all at once— ugly warts, fierce talent, unfortunate off-screen feuds, and big, luscious boobies all included. Chappell’s greatest talent may be the fact that she always consistently manages to inevitably mirror our own imperfect trip down a perfect thing called Life. Together, we just may be perfect, she argues. And she may be right.
For decades, the soap superstar and auteur has brought much joy to fans — so it’s no surprise she married a man with the surname “Fanjoy” in 1985. She begins her tome with her challenging childhood, absent parents, her first marriage and passion for journalism.
The straight-shooting memoir, which was released on Dec. 31, is a fantastic addition to our increasingly growing soap opera library.
“Oh, great, they hired a model.”
—Peter Reckell to Crystal Chappell when she was cast as his new love interest on DAYS
And we can thank Crystal Chappell’s fat knees for her inspiring, Emmy Award-winning career in daytime which is the reason the star gave her DAYS co-star as to why modeling never worked out for her!
From her memorable time on ONE LIFE TO LIVE and GUIDING LIGHT to the birth of Otalia, VENICE, and THE GROVE, Chappell intimately shares us the ups and downs throughout her career and profession — including two cases of sexual abuse, a penchant for self mutilation, and excessive drinking.
Things get super juicy when Chappell addresses her feud with former DAYS co-star Kristian Alfonso, which is a must-read for any soap fan. And it’s pretty detailed right down to one amazing shouting match onscreen! She even includes a You Tube link to prove the rivalry bled into the show when Carly and Hope fought over the fact that Carly had sex with Hope’s hubby, Bo.
But it’s her revelation at the end of the book that provided this reader with a jaw-dropping moment: Chappell admits that DAYS asked her to return to the show recently for a third time.
She declined.
"How refreshing to read a memoir filled with honesty, responsibility and accountability, with life lessons in it for all of us. I'm an even bigger fan of Crystal's than I was before,” says Chappell’s co-author Lynne Harrison, who also helped pen Jeanne Cooper’s memoir.
UNCENSORED has two exclusive excerpts from the book available for our readers; enjoy!
On being molested as a young teen:
I was thirteen. We were living in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and I’d been
hired as a baby-sitter by a family who lived in the same rectangular condo complex we
did. The father, a fifty-year-old man, would drive me home, and before long he began
groping and molesting me. There were even nights when he would take me to a club to
show me off – I looked much older than I was – and I believe that in his perverted mind I
briefly became his teen-age girlfriend.
On her former DAYS co-star Robert Kelker-Kelly:
For all I know, there could be any number of people who’ve had wonderful
experiences working with Robert. Unfortunately, I wasn’t one of them. I have no idea
what the problem was, and I didn’t much care. All I knew was that from the minute he
walked onto the set, I found him to be an aggressive, mean-spirited bully – and again, I’m not speaking for anyone but myself. During love scenes, he would literally and
deliberately hold me so tightly that I couldn’t breathe, or choke me to the point where he
was cutting off my oxygen before letting go. I was afraid of him, and I complained to a
couple of people in charge about it when it became obvious that he had no intention of stopping. “I know I’m difficult,” I pointed out, “but I’m not dangerous.” But no one did a thing about it.
To purchase your copy, click here: https://www.thegrovetheseries.com/g-spot-store.htm#!/~/product/category=2534894&id=18633747
Inside Prospect Park
LATEST ON AMC AND ONE LIFE’S REBOOTS!
Vincent Irizarry is joining AMC’s reboot so is Lindsay Harltey, as previously reported!
Prospect Park is allegedly in contact with three other AMC stars, as well as some “big names” from ONE LIFE, reports DAYTIME CONFIDENTIAL. But the real story is who Prospect Park hasn’t contacted — and they are big names!
Regardless, on Social Media, Irizarry enthused, “Happy to share that I just signed on with Prospect Park for the AMC reboot! Excited to bring dastardly Dr. David back to life, as he did for so many others, and to see my dear friends in Pine Valley once again. A great, big thank you to all the fans for your tenacity in keeping the hope alive. You’re awesome!!! Let’s all keep our fingers crossed together that it becomes a reality.”
More news: According to SOAP OPERA DIGEST, production company Prospect Park has recruited Jennifer Pepperman to be the potential new executive producer of the online version of ONE LIFE.
Pepperman was formerly a coordinating producer on the show, which means she was responsible for the administrative, financial and logistical aspects of the show’s production. She also has hands-on experience having worked as a director for both ONE LIFE and AS THE WORLD TURNS.
Not to be outdone, SOAP OPERA DIGEST revealed former AMC producer Ginger Smith, the person UNCENSORED hinted at last week as the person most likely to helm Pine Nuts, has been named executive producer of AMC.
According to multiple sources, DAYTIME CONFIDENTIAL reveals that Prospect Park has entered preliminary talks with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) concerning their planned continuations of the iconic sudsers.
"I wouldn't call them negotiations yet, but overtures were made," says one insider. "They [Prospect Park] are anxious to make a deal soon."
DC continued: “As previously reported, Disney-ABC extended the production company's deadline to relaunch AMC and OLTL. They now have until the end of February 2013 to finalize their plans.”
"Once Prospect Park began to survey the pool of financial core writers available to them, they realized there were slim pickings," explains a source close to the situation.
In addition to last week’s leaked Prospect Park Investment Summary, bios and game plan, UNCENSORED is ready to reveal some more general information PP acquired which may be of interest to the general soap fan and/or pundit:
Overview of Prospect Park
Television Division
–Produces drama Royal Pains (USA; renewed for season 5) and comedy Wilfred (FX; renewed for season 3)
–Royal Pains is the #1 show on USA and in its time slot (Wednesday 9pm)
–Wilfred 6/11/2011 premiere episode was the highest rated comedy debut ever for FX
–>30 projects in development at virtually every TV network and studio
Film Division
–Produced Unstoppable starring Denzel Washington and directed by Tony
Scott
–>10 films in active development, including A Night In Old Mexico with Robert Duvall currently in production
Music Division
–Selected talent management clients: Backstreet Boys, Smashing Pumpkins, Jane’s Addiction, Ice Cube, Korn, Flyleaf
–Record label, including Five Finger Death Punch