Johnny’s “death” is catalyst for Bo and Hope to recall their grief over their dead child, Zack. Nice work, DAYS!
• The 11/11/11 Report: In January, DAYS will dedicate an upcoming episode to vets dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. According to a release, Marlena will accompany Jack to a veterans’ hospital and visit with patients, played by real-life veterans. “With President Obama’s recent announcement that we will bring home our troops, we thought it was an important issue to address and let our family of viewers know we care about them,” said co-executive producer Greg Meng. Nice!
• Alum Report: Blake Berris — remember him? — recently filmed an appearance on The Big Bang Theory. No airdate was available. Congrats!
• Another Emmy winner is headed to Salem: Ian Buchanan has signed on to play Ian McAllister, a mega-rich businessman with a powerful and dangerous hold over cosmetics mogul Madison James. Buchanan’s episodes will begin airing Feb. 9. Frak — that’s how far they tape in advance now. Welcome back to soaps, Ian!
• Like actors don’t have enough to worry about in this new reality-crazed industry of ours! Joseph Cilibrasi, the former business manager of Law & Order: SVU and ex-As the World Turns star Tamara Tunie, has admitted to stealing over $1 million from the actress, according to The New York Post. Reportedly, the crime took place over the course of a decade. Cilibrasi will be sentenced on Jan. 4.
Dirty Soap, E! — Another man for Nadia? Oh, no, Fary!
• Sadly, this weekend is the Dirty Soap finale. Here’s the story from Digest.com: It’s camping, soap-style, when Galen and Jenna organize an outward-bound trip for the group. Tent building. Surfing. Tequila (and lots of it). Expect tears and drama. Meanwhile, Fary introduces Nadia to a hot, young Brazilian. What will Brandon think of that? Duh: He won’t be happy!
• Speaking of my Brandon Beemer, has his life changed at all since the debut of Dirty Nellie Soap? “The only way my life has changed so far is that I’m getting new fans who don’t watch soaps,” he says. “This show has something for everyone. Granted, some non-soap viewers may be hesitant to watch Dirty because it’s a show about soaps, but at the end of the day, this is a show about working actors with a lot of shit going on. And we’re opening up our doors to our fans. That’s what needs to be understood by everyone. We’re also getting a lot more attention we wouldn’t normally be getting. Like, In Touch Weekly did an at-home with us and that was awesome.”
Another perk? The fact that E! hasn’t edited out the cast’s naughty, funny and sassy sense of humour. “Like Nadia’s quip, ‘Beemer Guzzling.’ As you know, Nadia and I like to laugh but once you say something in real life, it’s gone forever… so we’re realizing our great one-liners because it’s on TV and now other people are saying our lines. Everything we say will never be forgotten… and yes, that can be a good or bad thing!”
How dare you!
Fans were surprised at how insecure the gorgeous actor was during the fashion runway gig he was asked to participate in. “Well, we all have our insecurities! Were you not pleased with my big package? Were you watching my junk? No, seriously, it’s hard to explain what I mean by my trepidations to work as a fashion runway model. When it comes to the runway world, I don’t enjoy it, though I don’t have a problem modeling clothes during a photo shoot. When it comes to a runway, do I enjoy it? I’m just not physically right for runway modelling. If I tried to make a career out of it, I wouldn’t be successful. I don’t have the height.”
And he’s hung like a horse. “Exactly,” laughs Beemer.
Has Dirty brought cameras to the set of B&B? After all, we’ve seen One Life, DAYS and GH. “No,” he answers. “I think CBS wants to get to know the show first, and better. I don’t think it will happen this season. Hopefully, next season it will happen.”
Given the show’s social network popularity, has Beemer noticed out-of-the-blue invitations in the hopes the E! cameras will tag along?
In a word, yep! “Not soap stars,” he clarifies. “But a lot of other people will call us and have some kind of project they want to promote. I always say, ‘We don’t have to bring the cameras,’ and they’ll respond, ‘No, please bring them!’ Of course, I’m like, ‘That’s why you’re inviting me!’”
For the most part, “all of our friends have been supportive. I have to say, the whole Dirty experience has been fun. Reality TV is such a big part of entertainment that I’m glad we’re a part of it. It’s a good direction for us to head into — even as actors. I just hope the show keeps growing and people tune in. One of the reasons why we said yes is because the E! brand is high quality. Their shows are classier than other shows. Characters are redeemed… sometimes….”
Translation: Fary! Speaking of the future mother-in-law, despite his issues with Nadia’s mom, Fary, Beemer is genuinely happy the mothers of the show are breakout stars. “Especially J-P’s mom, Bambi,” he says. “It’s awesome. I never met Bambi so it was interesting to see J-P and his relationship with his mom. It was fun to see where all of J-P’s quirks come from.”
While Beemer lost touch with his former DAYS co-star Farah Fath, he’s happy it’s made them all closer long after the finale. “We’re going to be longtime friends,” he states. “Especially now that we’ve shared this experience.”
• Look up “class act” in the dictionary and you’ll find Nadia Bjorlin’s beautiful face staring back at you. Despite being fired from DAYS, La Bjorlin is hoping Dirty Soap shows “non-soap fans how hard we work on soaps. We’re all talented and care about the genre. With shows being cancelled left and right, everyone always asks in the mainstream world: What do you guys think of the death of soaps? It’s so pessimistic. It feels so wrong! The death of soap opera? Soaps will never die. So I hope Dirty Soap changes that. I mean, there was a time Oscar-winning actresses would never do TV, and now they’re all flocking [to the tube]. I hope people see that soaps are just good TV.” Ironic since Bjorlin isn’t even on a soap now. What. A. Cheerleader.
“Actors are actors,” she punctuates. “When Brandon did CSI: Miami recently, he remarked how everyone on that show was on a soap at one time or another.”
The reaction from the daytime world has been positive. She says,“You know what? I don’t really know yet. In general, people are liking it. They think it’s a good show… and funny. I’ve only heard good things. On Twitter, it seems everyone loves it. Kevin Williamson loved the show. And Chelsea Handler. Snooki does too, but I’m not sure if that’s a compliment!”
• A bitch by any other name…. Last weekend, Farah Fath called Deidre Hall “a bitch,” and fans immediately went after the actress on social networking sites. The next day, Fath issued this to Uncensored and her Facebook account:
My favourite people on Earth are strong, feisty women. DIVAS included. And EVERY diva has a little bitch in them. Robin Strasser would be the first one to admit that. I bet you even Deidre herself would cop to it. Being super-sweet and bubbly is not interesting to me. Obviously if I’m still talking about Deidre after all these years, she left an impression on me. Which is way more flattering than if I had forgotten her. She’s fantastic and she taught me so much over the years. But she was definitely bitchy to me at times. Although, I found it (and still do) totally amusing! I’ve been a fan of hers since I was eight years old but the situation is unique ‘cause I went from fan to knowing her personally. I was simply sharing an experience between Deidre and myself when I was a vulnerable 16-year-old girl, straight off the boat from Kentucky. It was actually the first time anyone on the DAYS set every snipped at me. So yes, I will never forget the time when Deidre Hall looked at me in disgust and made a snarky comment because the 16-year-old playing Mimi Lockhart had a lot of lipgloss on. It’s just a funny memory to me now and I happened to recall it due to the lip enhancer conversation between my friend and me.
All the people who are mad at me for the way I told the 10-second story can kiss off. I am not going to apologize for being me. I love Deidre and actually had a gr
eat time playing poker with her recently. I jokingly call my friends bitches all time. Anyone recall the first episode of Dirty Soap when I repeatedly called my friend Nadia Bjorlin a bitch? I mean, come on. I guess what I’m getting at is, get over it people. I know Deidre and I’m sure she could care less about the way I told my story, so neither should you.
In this business many actors are scared to speak out about their not-so-pleasant encounters with other actors or say what’s REALLY on their minds, or tell stories how they’d ACTUALLY tell them to a close friend because we’ve all been taught to be so politically correct. Well, let me just point out that if I had made the conscious decision to be PC on Dirty Soap then it would be boring as hell and I would be fired.”
What she said. I mean, who hasn’t called someone a bitch at one point in his or her life? Deserved or not? We’re all too sensitive these days… it’s just a TV show, people!
General Hospital, ABC — Serial Murder: Literally!
• It sounds like ABC Daytime is taking their penchant for murdering serials… literally! According to an interview on Larry Flick’s sassy Sirius Radio show, Daytime Confidential’s Jamey Giddens revealed that GH will only be getting darker… not lighter! Apparently, a popular character will become a serial killer in a sweeping murder storyline. Kill. Us. Now. It’d be easier. My guess? Spinelli.
• Soap Opera Digest stunned fans with its announcement that four-time Emmy winner Jonathan Jackson has quit the show. TV Guide Magazine cites a source explaining the actor has been emotionally exhausted with the harrowing Sturm und Drang chaos the soap keeps throwing the actor each week.
Meanwhile, Soaps In Depth is reporting ABC Daytime may be scrambling to convince Jackson to stay. I bet. I say, run Jonathan… you’re far too talented to be wasted on a soon-to-be-cancelled sudser, which doesn’t even have a timeslot next fall.
• Will fellow Emmy winner Kimberly McCullough join her child-to-actor peer, too? Sounds like it. In this week’s Soap Opera Digest, McCullough does not deny that she may not be long for daytime TV. A co-star sheds some light in the GH upheaval with Uncensored: “Kim is still reeling over us using Robin’s HIV blood as a weapon, and Lexi’s [Ainsworth] firing. She is also highly concerned and livid over the dark direction the soap is headed in. She — and Jonathan — sees the writing on the wall. Kim’s a director… she’s not as fooled as the rest of our cast is about ABC’s intentions and motives.” Nice to hear.
• Speaking of HIV, Jason Thompson gave a great interview to Larry Flick, stating that he and Kimberly had major issues with the plot device and initially refused to play it. You can listen here to the insider interview —plus hear about the fascinating new documentary the Canadian is working on!
https://daytimeconfidential.zap2it.com/2011/10/31/dc-647-jason-thompson-reacts-to-ghs-latest-hiv-storyline-twist-on-the-morning-jolt-with-l
• Rumours persist that head writer Garin Wolf is out and David Kreizman, along with Sheri Altman as co-head writer, is in but Uncensored cannot confirm the buzz.
• Is Ingo Rademacher returning to the mess that is GH? The Aussie actor, who landed a role on Hawaii Five-0, tweeted: “There is a chance that I’ll b back on GH for a guest. We r talking. :-) will keep u posted.”
• More love in the afternoon: In story 411, it looks like Jake may be