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2009 Critics Choices Picks Announced! OLTL wins big!

By Michael Fairman

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Photo Credit: JPI Studios

one-life-to-live-logoAs we say goodbye to the decade and usher in a new year, On-Air On-Soaps wants to pay tribute to the men and women who daily and weekly have brought to soap fans and the daytime industry a place to gather their news, views, interviews, column, and blogs on the genre. Each has a unique voice and stamp that they bring to you, the online community. If we truly look at 2009, it was this online community of passionate and dedicated journalists and reporters who hoped for the best in daytime and called out it’s worst. So with that said, we asked the best of the best –TV Guide Canada’s, Nelson Branco, Daytime Confidential’s, Jamey Giddens and Luke Kerr, We Love Soaps, Roger Newcomb and Damon Jacobs, Fancast’s, Sara Bibel, AfterElton.com’s, Anthony Langford, On-Air On-Soaps, Michael Fairman and Soap Central’s, Dan Kroll, who were their picks for 2009 for Best Soap, Worst Soap, Best Performance Male and Female. Then we asked the pundits their thoughts on the Worst Mistake in Soaps, Most Disappointing, Most Shocking , and finally their Soap Wish for 2010.

In almost a sweep, One Life to Live was the choice for 2009’s Best Soap, while All My Children was almost a uninamous choice for Worst Soap. And in the Best Performance, Female- Crystal Chappell continued her amazing year end accolades by picking up the most votes from the panel. View the entire picks and year end comments, after the jump!

2009 ON-AIR ON-SOAPS CRITICS CHOICES CATEGORIES

         
  Best Male Best Female
Best Soap Worst Soap Performance Performance
Dan Kroll One Life All My Drew Garrett Crystal Chappell
Soap Central to Live Children GH GL & DAYS
         
Sara Bibel One Life All My David Canary Robin Strasser
Fancast To Live Children AMC OLTL
         
Nelson Branco One Life All My James Scott Crystal Chappell
TV Guide Canada to Live Children DAYS GL
         
Jamey Giddens One Life All My Billy Miller Crystal Chappell
Daytime to Live Children Y&R  
Confidential        
         
Luke Kerr One Life All My Billy Miller Stacy Haiduk
Daytime to Live Children Y&R Y&R
Confidential        
         
Damon Jacobs Days of All My Don Hastings Crystal Chappell
We Love Soaps our Lives Children ATWT (for all her roles)
         
Roger Newcomb One Life All My Grant Aleksander Crystal Chappell
We Love Soaps to Live Children GL GL
         
Anthony Langford One Life The Young & Brett Claywell Arianne Zuker
AfterElton.com To Live The Restless OLTL DAYS
         
MIchael Fairman One Life All My Justin Deas Crystal Chappell
On-Air On-Soaps to Live Children GL GL
         
         

Worst Mistakes in Soaps of 2009

Dan Kroll – Soap Central
Phillip Chancellor III was believed to have been dead for 20 years, but he returned to town to announce that he’d only faked his death because he didn’t want anyone to know that he was gay.  Speaking of gay, Adam Newman pretended to be gay in order to keep his dirty deeds a secret, dirty deeds that included injecting Botox into his eyes so that he could feign blindness.

Sara Bibel – Fancast
Cancelling As The World Turns.

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

Nelson Branco – TV Guide Canada
Canceling World Turns too early.

Jamey Giddens – Daytime Confidential
Not firing Chuck Pratt much earlier.

Luke Kerr – Daytime Confidential
Not firing Chuck Pratt much earlier.

Damon Jacobs – We Love Soaps
Phillip’s return on Y&R/Thom Biertz’s acting/the horrible writing for this story.  Everything to do with this fiasco on and off screen was WRONG.

Roger Newcomb – We Love Soaps
P&G not cashing in on the Otalia phenomenon by spinning them off into a P&G produced web series.

Anthony Langford – AfterElton.com
Young and The Restless’ offensive, insulting and homophobic handling of their ‘gay’ storylines.

Michael Fairman – On-Air On-Soaps
CBS canceling ATWT just as it was getting its groove back.

Most Disappointing in Soaps of 2009

Dan Kroll – Soap Central
CBS didn’t just cancel one soap in 2009 – it pulled the plug on two shows- ATWT & GL!

Sara Bibel – Fancast
(tie) the ultimate lack of consequences for so many characters that committed vile acts — from Todd’s kidnapping and raping Marty to Victor unleashing Patty on Jack and OLTL’s ratings woes.

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

Nelson Branco – TV Guide Canada
GL’s sloppy series finale!

Jamey Giddens – Daytime Confidential
Cancellation of Procter and Gamble soap operas.

Luke Kerr – Daytime Confidential
As the World Turns’ Cancellation

Damon Jacobs – We Love Soaps
Canceling GL and ATWT

Roger Newcomb – We Love Soaps
ATWT’s GH actor fixation instead of using a history (including veteran actors) deeper than any other soap.  I love Lynn Herring and Stuart Damon but Audrey and Ralph instead of Lisa and Tom?  If there is a soap God, ATWT will fix this problem before going off the air.

Anthony Langford –  AfterElton.com
that As The World Turns was canceled just as it was improving creatively.

MIchael Fairman – On-Air On-Soaps
Guiding Light’s boring finale!

Soap Moment that shocked you the most in 2009

Dan Kroll – Soap Central
ABC’s decision to move production of All My Children from New York to Los Angeles.

Sara Bibel – Fancast
(tie) Adam in drag on Y&R and Nash’s decomposing corpse’s reappearance on One Life To Live.

James Franco

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

Nelson Branco – TV Guide Canada
Phillip Chancellor is alive and Adam and Rafe have sex on Y&R.

Jamey Giddens – Daytime Confidential
Finding out it was true that James Franco was doing General Hospital.

Luke Kerr – Daytime Confidential
James Franco guesting on General Hospital.

Damon Jacobs – We Love Soaps
Crystal Chappell and Louise Sorel returning to DAYS.

Roger Newcomb – We Love Soaps
Phillip III’s return from the dead on Y&R.

Anthony Langford – AfterElton.com
That OLTL showed two men being intimate in bed as if it happened on every soap opera every day.

MIchael Fairman – On-Air On-Soaps
Adam and Rafe have sex.

Your Soap Wish for 2010

Dan Kroll – Soap Central
Quite simply, my wish is that no more fans have to endure the pain of losing their favorite soap. For so many viewers, the soaps have become part of their daily routine. I’d like to see the networks strive to ramp up storylines and get viewers back to their stories. Maybe then more advertisers will pour money into these shows and allow them to continue.

Sara Bibel – Fancast
That the genre will stop being so dark and mean spirited and rediscover love stories and family sagas focusing on flawed but rootable characters resulting in an improbable ratings resurgence insuring that soaps will still be on the air in 2050.

Nelson Branco – TV Guide Canada
One Life to Live escapes cancellation and increases in the ratings.

Jamey Giddens – Daytime Confidential
I wish the showrunners, head writers, network executives, etc. that work with each of the remaining soaps would take a long, hard look at the history of their respective soaps, and the genre as whole, to get a proper understanding of when soaps were on fire (ratings-wise and creatively) and why. Then, I wish they would take this information with them into their writing rooms as they attempt to create television that, first and foremost, rewards the diehard fans who have stuck with the soaps for generations, as well as aggressively attempts to bring back lapsed viewers.

Luke Kerr – Daytime Confidential
No soaps get cancelled in 2010.

Damon Jacobs – We Love Soaps
NO CANCELLATIONS. That all current shows look at DAYS as an example of how to make a product that is consistent, respectful of viewer’s intelligence, written to their actor’s strengths.

Roger Newcomb – We Love Soaps
One or more web soaps find huge sponsorships leading to a golden new era for the genre -online.

Anthony Langford – AfterElton.com
Besides OLTL not getting the axe, I wish that ATWT begin to write Luke and Noah as adult, sexually realized gay men and give their long suffering fans what they want and deserve before the show ends.

Michael Fairman – On-Air On-Soaps
One Life soars in the ratings and captivates new viewers, and does not get cancelled!

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James Franco was a surprise and not a particularly well-received one on General Hospital. But, at least, GH was given a nod because of Franco. I love General Hospital but I must be the only person. I can’t believe there was no recognition of actors such as Maurice Benard, Nancy Lee Grahn, Steve Burton, Tony Geary, Laura Wright, Jane Elliot, LisaLoCicero, Brandon Barash, Bradford Anderson, Rebecca Herbst and many of the recurring actors. I’ll continue to watch GH in 2010…even if I’m all alone.

I’d agree with all these selections and comments, though my choice for Best Female Performance would be Florencia Lozano, who has been hypnotic as Téa Delgado, even if she’s still involved with the dreaded Todd.

I’m a little disappointed that there weren’t more women among the critics–Melodie or Jillian from DC or Soap Opera Weekly’s Mala Bhattacharjee– or Dawn or Allison from Soap Central. Not sure it would’ve changed the overall results, but it would’ve been nice to have a more diverse set of voices.

Where is the diversity in the panel? The last time I checked most soap fans are women. Some of these men haven’t been watching soaps for very long either.

I’m very disappointed that AfterElton was selected as a legitimate representation. Last time I checked, most of the soap audience would not follow this publication for soap news. It’s a niche publication and not one that serves the general population. I’d much rather hear from Mala, Gabrielle Winkel from one of the main soap magazines.

There is only one actress to vote for, she is exceptional, brilliant, georgeous and her acting talent and range have no boundries…She makes everyone around her look better…CRYSTAL CHAPPELL!!!

I agree that Crystal Chappell’s performance of Olivia Spencer in love with Natalia Rivera was mesmerizing this year. CC was able to completely transform her character from a seemingly selfish woman to a wonderful, compassionate, and giving person. Her scenes at the grave yard in April where breathe taking and for that she deserves not one Emmy but several. Kudo’s to you Crystal Chappell you really stepped up your game this year and DOOL must be over the moon to have you!!!!!

The panel is correct, when the writers realize that soaps are “HISTORY” and quit re-writing it, GH learned this lesson the hard way “BUT” do they listen “NO”, they continue this travesty that will wind up with GH going down the tubes of cancellation. I began listening to soaps as a third grader with my aunt as the radio played Guilding Light, to this day I remember Dick & Kathy, a love story that still rings true, everytime I watch James Lipton on the Actors Studio he is still Dr Dick Grant. Mr Guza of GH has “NO” respect for history the backbone of soaps, first he destroys the Luke & Laura story, Now he is changing the Sonny & Kate story with the lude and non chemistry of Olivia & Sonny, the ratings since they broke them up has gone so far down, then he turns on the very people that kept GH up there by ignoring the Jason & Elizabeth s/l to bring back the Jasam story, I ‘am sorry to say that I as many others have left GH only checking in to see when Megan Ward is on a really good actress who brought out the best in Maurice Benard, daily GH get’s darker and darker, daily Anthony Geary becomes so sad to watch he needs to take Luke away to save the show, he need’s to bring back what made GH “FAMILY” and not “THE MOB”, James Franco has proved one thing you cannot bring in an actor that no one cares about, as for Marcell her time is over to, Mr Guza needs to front burner a woman that can “IGNORE” Sonny, instead of the “FOOLS” that go limp when he speaks the mob s/l needs to show redemtion instead of being made the hero’s, Give the viewers what made soaps indure, Strong, Intelligent, Sensative women, Kate, Aleis, Monica, Diane, Robin, and also give us the women we “LOVE” to hate, Carly, Tracy, Sam, when Mr Guza “FINALLY” admits he has been wrong, then there is “HOPE” for GH, if not the handwriting is on the wall for GH, also, OLTL has gone back to family, the return of Kevin, the “Intelligent Gay S/L”, the only thing missing is kill Mitch and “NEVER” let him come back, Tood & Blair great coupling and acting, John I could do without the actor is boring, Brody & Jessica a real soap couple, Gigi & Rex gettting boring, Scott Clifton getting loveable, OLTL knew what was wrong kudos to the wrinting staff for giving the viewrs what they want.

Why didnt any one put Tea Delgado as best of 2009. Tea had powerful performances in 2009 when she and Todd were in jail when and many other things. Maybe Victor Newman just alone when he made that video for hope it was good.

I noticed all the critics seem to be on a Gay fixation, while most of these shows don’t show minorities at all and the ones that do, show them every other Tuesday. OLTL has a bunch of African Americans but we see Layla and Cris every other week. Rachel is seen to prop up Bo and Nora, Destiny is there to prop up Matthew and Danielle. On Y & R (which is still the best because they have the higher ratings and apparently that is all that really matters, not a bunch of critics) the Winters family is hardly seen unless it is Lily and her Caucasian Husband. AMC probably has the strongest Black cast acting wise with Debbie Morgan and Co but you were right AMC is just tired. GH, you can’t find a minority if you wanted to especially a Black person. Days has Lexie and Abe yet they don’t do anything but support the White characters unless Lexie is cheating on Abe again (like Blacks folks don’t have other problems.) Are there any people of color on ATWT? I don’t know because you never see any. TBTB has one or two that we hardly ever see. So I am glad the see the critic are happy that Gay people are getting props on daytime. Minority groups especially Asians are not represented and while it is nice to see that White Gays are getting the respect that they deserve, how about you critics focus on the other minority groups not being represented. I am sure this will be deleted or not make it because I am speaking on things that I know mainstream wants to ignore.

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Behind the Scenes of Billy and Sally’s Wedding on ‘The Young and the Restless’

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After all the hype, The Young and the Restless is set to bring you the two-part nuptials of Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson) to Sally Spectra (Courtney Hope) which kicks-off beginning with the Friday, October 16th episode and continues on Monday, October 19th.

Ahead of the “I do’s” and the glitz and glamor of the Gatsby-inspired roaring 20’s themed wedding, the Y&R Insider You Tube Channel released a behind the scenes vide of the making of Billy and Sally’s wedding, featuring many of the participants from the cast to costume director Mandi Line.

In addition to the video, Michael Fairman TV is sharing some behind the scenes photos from the wedding tape day! At the epicenter though, is Daytime Emmy winners, Jason Thompson and Courtney Hope, who spoke on how the meaning of the wedding is much more than just about reciting lines of dialog.

The Abbotts

Photo: JPI

Also previewing the big days are: Peter Bergman (Jack), Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea), Beth Maitland (Traci), Zuleyka Silver (Audra) and more. Here’s a few excerpts from the behind the scenes video.

Jason Thompson: “A day like this changes the show and changes your character and changes how you show up, because it’s just the relationships are all different instantly. To be trusted with these types of storylines, you know it’s a lot. This is so much bigger than just Sally and Billy. It’s a soap wedding. And these go on for generations and decades as people continue to watch.”

Peter Bergman: “Anytime we have all the Abbotts together, I’m a happy man. It’s a great thing. It really is. It’s rare that we have all the Abbotts in one room.  I’m particularly happy.”

Y&R

Photo: JPI

Courtney Hope: “It never happens that we’re all together, really, unless we have a big event on set, whatever that looks like. I love these days. These are my favorite days. I know they can be the most stressful days for everyone, but I truly love it. They just did an amazing job pulling it all together, designing it. I mean, they worked such long hours. I felt like I was really getting married. It was multiple fittings, making sure it was all constructed and put together. It was not uncomfortable at all. I just felt it was beautiful.”

Melissa Claire Egan: “Sally asking Chelsea to be in the wedding will come as a surprise to many, because last year Chelsea slept with her boyfriend, which usually don’t get asked to be a bridesmaid on the show. I wanna be clear, on the show. Not in real life! But Sally, let bygones be bygones, as one does, and was nice enough and gracious enough to ask Chelsea to be in the wedding because they really repaired their friendship over the past few months. ”

“It’s been really long days here, but I think the result will be worth it,” added Egan. “It’s gonna be a bunch of really amazing shows with some twists and turns, and the wedding is really, really beautiful.”

Y&R

Photo: JPI

Zuleyka Silver: “Audra being Sally’s maid of honor has just meant the world to her, and it’s actually made me a bit emotional because I have such a deep and great relationship with Courtney. She’s my girl, and we’ve gotten very, very close.  I think you can see that in our relationship as Audra and Sally. And from Audra’s perspective, she’s never really had anyone who really gets her and doesn’t judge her.”

“I think everyone sees Audra in Genoa City at a surface level,” explains Silver. “I think Sally has been able to see past that.I think because she can relate to her, and she used to have some of the same qualities, so I think she’s rooting for her, but they also have a lot in common.  I love that we get to see that friendship.”

Billy and Sally

Photo: JPI

Jason Thompson summed it up best, “For me to be able to have this moment on this show, it means the world to me. It really does. To be part of an epic wedding like this and to be the one standing up there, I’m just incredibly grateful for.”

You can check out Y&R’s official behind the scenes look at Billy and Sally’s wedding below.

Now let us know what are you most excited to see during and after the wedding? Do you think there will be a big bombshell at some point during the festivities, or everything will go off without a hitch? Weigh-in via the comment section.

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‘General Hospital’s’ Josh Swickard Stars in Faith-Based ‘The Space Between Us’ as The Man Who Has an Affair with a Married Woman

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Josh Swickard

While General Hospital’s Harrison Chase’s (Josh Swickard) marriage to Brook Lynn Quartermaine (Amanda Setton) has seemingly come to an end based on trust issues, and his unrelenting believe of the innocence of his ex-wife Willow Cain (Katelyn MacMullen) when she has committed heinous crimes, Josh Swickard is also being featured in another story on another platform in the new faith-based movie, The Space Between Us.

In the streaming feature now on the Angel platform, Swickard is playing Levi Boone, a handsome young solider, who finds himself attracted to a married woman played by Jennifer Taylor. The two have an affair. The movie made it’s debut last week on October 8.

According to the loglines, “The Space Between Us dives deep into modern relationships, following marriages straining under the heavy weight of busyness, unmet expectations, and spiritual disconnection. Described as a story of grace in the mess, the film takes a grounded, deeply relatable look at how even the best intentions can fall apart—and how faith, strong community, and honest vulnerability can bring true healing.”

Josh Swickard

Photo: Angel

In a cast interview, which features Swickard, Taylor and Kristoffer Poloha, the trio discussed their thoughts on betrayal in marriage, and who’s right and who’s wrong and more.

Josh Swickard explains, “The audience can get it from a lot of sides too where we can show it, and if you have crossed that line in your marriage. it doesn’t have to be over. And when two people are willing to work, anything’s possible. Not giving the end away. I’m just saying. It could happen. It could happen. People can end up together.”

Meanwhile, Kristoffer Poloha added, “Like, wait a minute, but this other guy steps in and I think passion takes over. I think what you see is how easy it is to stumble. Whether it’s adultery or whether it’s another type of sin, you can basically burn your house down in many different ways and how quickly it is to light that fire.”

The Space Between Us is from Canyon Productions. The company delivers faiith-based media designed to encourage, inspire, and uplift viewers along their spiritual journeys. By showcasing the genuine struggles and eventual triumphs of relatable characters facing tough real-world challenges, Canyon aims to create projects that point audiences directly toward hope and perseverance.

You can check out the discussion between Josh, Kristoffer snd Jennifer Taylor on what happens with their characters in the film below, followed by the scene where Swickard’s Levi meets Taylor’s Mona  … and her husband!

So, will you be checking out Josh Swickard in The Space Between Us? What do you think about GH’s Chase, portraying the man that ignites passion in a woman who previously had been faithful to her marriage? Let us know via the comment section.

 

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Y&R’s Jason Thompson and Courtney Hope to Chat Live on the Michael Fairman Channel

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Jason and Courtney

It’s the soap opera wedding of the season, and now The Young and the Restless Daytime Emmy-winning stars, Jason Thompson (Billy Abbott) and Courtney Hope (Sally Spectra), will visit the Michael Fairman Channel during Billy and Sally’s wedding week to discuss the nuptials and its aftermath.

Be with us live on Tuesday, October 20th at a special time at 3:30pm ET/12:30pm PT when Jason and Courtney give us the inside dish and behind the scenes of the taping of Billy and Sally’s wedding, talk the unexpected twists that viewers will see, and what’s next!

Going into the wedding, Sally is pregnant with Billy’s child and any undo stress could trigger the baby to come early. Meanwhile, the long-history of Billy, Sally, Adam (Mark Grossman) and Chelsea (Melissa Claire Egan) is sure to play into the proceedings. Y&R has gone all out for this Great Gatsby-themed celebration which features the Abbotts, the Spectras and their friends and special guests.

Y&R Men

Photo: JPI

WITH THIS RING, I THEE WED …

Speaking with TV Insider ahead of the wedding episodes, which kick-off tomorrow on the Friday, October 16 episode of the top-rated soap opera and continue on to next week on the Monday, October 19 episode, Jason Thompson teased, “Our wedding really is a really beautiful accumulation of all the things that we love about this job and that the audience loves about soaps.”

Thompson also added what fans of the soap are about to see, “Being in the business long enough, those are things you’re like, ‘Oh, damn!’ It’s not a one-day event. This continues on, and it changes story.”

Courtney Hope explained, “Standing at the altar came with its own set of emotions. I was nervous because I’ve been to a lot of weddings over the years and seen so many people get up there and say their vows. I knew it would be great, but I wanted to do it justice. I wanted to make Sally’s history proud.”

Sally

Photo: JPI

HAVE A QUESTION FOR JASON AND COURTNEY?

In true soapy fashion, just because the couple may makes it past the “I do’s,” does not mean trouble is not right in front of them! “There’s a lot of tension. There are a lot of tinderbox moments,” shared Thompson. “There’s something that goes down pretty serious with Jill, and it throws everything into the blender in that moment.”

If you have a question for Jason and Courtneym but can’t be with us in the live chat, you can drop it in the comment section below and we just might ask it during the broadcast!

So, excited for Billy and Sally’s wedding? What surprises do you think will go down? Will the couple live happily ever after? Will their baby be on the way  sooner than expected? Weigh-in!

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