The WGA announced their 2018 Writers Guild Award nominations on Thursday in the fields of television, new media, news radio/audio and promotional writing, and it was two soaps who got the nod in the Daytime Drama category.
Those receiving nominations were Days of our Lives lead by head writer, Ron Carlivati, and General Hospital lead by Shelly Altman, and former co-head writer, Jean Passanante.
In an ironic twist, Carlivati last won the WGA Award for writing General Hospital, and now he is up against his former co-horts.
Here are this year’s WGA Daytime Drama nominated writing teams:
General Hospital, Head Writers: Shelly Altman, Jean Passanante; Writers: Anna Theresa Cascio, Suzanne Flynn, Charlotte Gibson, Lucky Gold, Kate Hall, Elizabeth Korte, Daniel James O’Connor, Dave Rupel, Katherine Schock, Scott Sickles, Christopher Van Etten, Christopher Whitesell; ABC
Days of Our Lives, Writers: Ron Carlivati, Sheri Anderson, Lorraine Broderick, David Cherrill, Lisa Connor, Carolyn Culliton, Richard Culliton, Rick Draughon, Cydney Kelley, David Kreizman, David A. Levinson, Rebecca McCarty, Ryan Quan, Dave Ryan, Elizabeth Snyder, Tyler Topits; NBC
Congratulations to all! To view a complete list of nominees in all categories click here.
Now, what do you think of this year’s writing team nominations, and who will you be rooting for? The awards will be handed out in concurrent ceremonies in New York City and Los Angeles on February 11, 2018. Comment below!
DAYS deserves this award more than GH, in my opinion. The show has been on fire ever since Ron C took over, whereas GH has really only livened up since October, with the Tale of Two Jason’s story. GH as a whole was not as exciting as DAYS has been this year, especially while Jean P was still there. Now with Chris Van Etten as co-head writer, things have started to improve, but it will take a little while longer for those changes to be in full effect.
Going to have to go with GH at this point. It’s definitely the more improved of the two in terms of writing… ironically much of it due to cleaning up the mess that Ron made when he was there.
Days is a mixed bag…. Will being back is good. Not having memory is overdone cliche. The dopplegangers were complete dragonshit. Hoping the return of Vivian Alamain was worth the wait. Maybe she can bury FauxEve alive this time…. and forget where the coffin is.
Ron Carlivati was let go from GH 2 years ago.I’m not saying he didn’t make mistakes while at GH but i don’t think it would have taken GH 2 years to fix any mess he left behind.However i think everything worked out okay because GH is doing good and i’m sure Ron Carlivati is happy writing for Days.
On the contrary Andrew! Ron completely gutted that show! He left it an empty shell, a void blank canvas full of newbies, murderers, and all around unlikeable people. He destroyed
Legendary couples and characters with arrogant nonchalance and no regard for the fans. I feel finally, just now, the show is out from under the stain of his writing and has embarked on a very good course! And yes, it HAS taken two full years to accomplish that! Any writer coming in after what he did on GH faced a monumental, Herculean battle to repair the damage! I suspect Nean and Shelly could have done it sooner had they had carte Blanche to write out some Carlivati creations that were just not working…..and that was about half the cast at the time. But Frank and Ron shared a vision….and Frank was still around, obviously insisting that they write material for his new pets. I watched an episode the other day, where Maxie and Lulu were
In their hazmat suits, and it was CLASSIC GH!! It was campy, fun, and characters were used to advance the plot. Some of the one liners and zingers had me literally laughing out loud! It has been a LONG time since GH has been must see for me, but it has been for the past 2 months. To have such a large unwieldy cast and to be able to weave so many characters and plot points into the umbrella story of the Two Jason’s has been extremely impressive indeed! I like Nelle! I like her with Michael, and I don’t want her to be too nuts! The actress makes unusual choices that completely throw you off balance…either making you want to shake some sense into her or give her a big hug! I have heard rumours and seen the beginnings of a potential baby switch or baby theft storyline between Nelle and Maxie. That doesn’t please me. Can’t a couple just have a baby? I think Nelle should be the child that Nina had while in the coma and that resulted in some sort of brain trauma for Nelle. Not that I care for Nina (she is an unconnected Carlivati creation who continues to be employed solely because she is Michelle Stafford), or want her role on the show expanded, but they seem to be trying to shoehorn her onto the canvasback by any means possible. They are similar physically, they have worked togrther, and it would explain a lot.
Sorry I kind of rambled! Lol. My original point was…yes…the new GH writers had a LOt of clean up and damage control to do after Carlivati decimated and devastated the show. And they are doing wonderfully now!!
@Jovin….Excellent post! I agree with just about everything you have so well-stated…with a special amen to the notions on Nina! (Not that I’d ever want to see that psycho get a child, even a grown one as bad a seed as Nelle!) Which leads me to wonder if “Auntie Nina” shall be obsessing on Maxie and Nathan’s bundle of joy in the upcoming months, since I don’t think she has turned over a new leaf at all! She’s still totally nuts and just waiting to be triggered all over again…and speaking of such things, am I the only one who senses some spooky vibes from the sneaky Nurse Amy on this same subject? She looked both totally crestfallen and utterly infuriated to learn of the West family’s prospective new arrival….
it filmed
If Amy does go off the tracks.. THIS could be good one to marquee the Team
sure
seeing Nathan and Dr. O is another big deal
thank you
the pressure is not on to keep Nathan and Maxie “alone” solitude your mine
GH is spreading the wealth.. and it’s going their
JUST GIVE : Michelle Stafford a “role”
a role worth giving.. she’s so tantamount
this is not a die hard role.. it’s sharing with the Corinthos’
I WILL compare to that
Nina : deserves
a role of imagination and what you want
she was an easy go getter who understood and wetted the senses
of course she did
for years
has nothing to do with Valentin and Charlotte
that’s magic
I love her
savvy curves LOVE flirtations gummy bear upped and out .. tease
Andrew Hass
6 years ago
Congrats to the nominees and i hope the best one wins
Jovin
6 years ago
I love Cheeky Chandler playing Douche Bag Will!!! Did you catch him leering at naked Paul???? Lmao!!! When he asked him if the sex was good I almost fell off my chair!!!!!! I love it!!!!!
It
‘Daytime Stands Up: A Benefit For Stand Up To Cancer’ Live Virtual Event Announced; Featuring Soap Opera Notables and Moving Tributes
May 2, 2024
Stand Up to Cancer in collaboration with Alan Locher and Michael Fairman, will come together for a a three-hour livestream benefit, Daytime Stands Up: A Benefit for Stand Up To Cancer … We All Have a Story.
Several stars from from daytime drama television past and present are scheduled to participate for an evening of stories of emotional on- and off-screen experiences with cancer, and moving tributes to beloved daytime favorites who lost their battle plus musical performances.
Daytime Stands Up: A Benefit for Stand Up To Cancer … We All Have a Story, streams live on Thursday, May 16, from 8 to 11 p.m. ET/5 to 8 pm PT simultaneously on StandUpToCancer.org and YouTube channels The Locher Room and Michael Fairman Channel.
Photos: CBS and JPI
Tune-in for cancer survivorship stories with General Hospital’s Cameron Mathison and The Young and the Restless’ Colleen Zenk, who will reflect on the impact of publicly sharing their diagnoses; 2024 Daytime Emmy nominee Eric Braeden, who shares his cancer journey as well his memories of beloved The Young and the Restless co-star Meg Bennett, who passed from cancer April 11; and more.
Moving tributes to soap stars who’ve lost their cancer battles, including: Daytime icon Jackie Zeman, who played nurse Bobbie Spencer on General Hospital for 45 years, shared by daughters Cassidy MacLeod and Lacey Gorden, a tribute to Elizabeth Hubbard who played the iconic Lucinda Walsh on As the World Turns and Dr. Althea Davis on The Doctors, as shared by her on-screen daughter Martha Byrne and real-life son Jeremy Bennett, two-time Emmy Award-winner Jerry verDorn (Guiding Light  One Life to Live), shared by widow Beth verDorn and his on-screen wife on Guiding Light, friend and co-star Liz Keife, the iconic Andrea Evans, who played Tina Lord Roberts on One Life to Live, shared by her husband Stephen G. Rodriguez and daughter Kylie Rodriguez and Kamar de los Reyes shared by his One Life to Live co-stars Michael Easton(General Hospital)Trevor St. John (The Young and the Restless).
Photo: MEastonFacebook
Poignant reflections from actors who have portrayed breast cancer survivors, including Sharon Case and Eileen Davidson from The Young and the Restless; Erika Slezak from One Life to Live; Tina Sloan and Kim Zimmer from Guiding Light and more.
Additional talent slated to participate in the virtual benefit include (*subject to change): Eddie and Kristen Alderson (One Life to Live); Elia Cantu (Days of Our Lives); The Day Players, Featuring Days of OurLives castmates Carson Boatman, Brandon Barash, Wally Kurth (2024 Daytime Emmy nominee), Eric Martsolf (2024 Daytime Emmy nominee); Kassie DePaiva (One Life to Live); Don Diamont (The Bold and the Beautiful); Linsey Godfrey (2024 Daytime Emmy nominee, Days of Our Lives); Leo Howard (Days of Our Lives); LesliKay (The Bold and the Beautiful); Eden McCoy (General Hospital); Kin Shriner (GeneralHospital); Michelle Stafford (2024 Daytime Emmy nominee, The Young and the Restless).
Courtesy/LaceyGorden
“Daytime television invites viewers into the private lives of characters, often bringing important issues like cancer screenings into living rooms and around water coolers. Soaps debuted the first cancer storyline in 1962 – years before the topic was discussed in the mainstream, and it left an indelible impact: a whole generation of women who scheduled a potentially life-saving Pap smear for the first time,” said Daytime Stands Up host Alan Locher. “For so many viewers, this brought the issue front and center,” added co-host Michael Fairman. “Today, it’s become almost impossible to avoid; but there is hope with cancer research, thanks to organizations like Stand Up To Cancer.”
SU2C Co-Founder Sue Schwartz, SU2C President and CEO Julian Adams, Ph.D., and SU2C Health Equity Committee Member Elizabeth Jaffee, M.D., will also participate to speak to the importance of early detection, exciting scientific breakthroughs, and the ongoing work yet to be done to make screenings and treatment equitable for all.
“This year, an estimated 2 million people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer, presenting an opportunity for the public to stand with us and rise to the occasion,” said Adams. “We’re thankful to Alan Locher, Michael Fairman and our friends from the daytime television community, who will raise critical funding to honor those we’ve lost – and to propel new scientific breakthroughs for current and future patients. Everyone has a story, and we’re grateful to all of you for sharing yours.”
For over 15 years, SU2C has leveraged its relationship with the entertainment community – which includes more than 1,100 celebrity ambassadors – to generate public donations, increase awareness and fund cutting-edge cancer research. SU2C research has contributed to the development of more than 10 scientific breakthroughs that have significantly impacted the field and provided new treatment options for breast, colorectal, lung, melanoma, pancreatic, pediatric and prostate cancers.
Photo: SUTC
In support of the event, SU2C will also be launching a 10-day eBay silent auction, from May 16 through 26, for fans to bid on items, including a meet-and-greet experience with the cast of NBC’s Days of Our Lives; an autographed script from the cast of Young and Restless and signed merchandise from the Bold and Beautiful cast; a 1:1 video call with General Hospital’s Cynthia Watros, Maura West and Laura Wright, and with daytime legends Robert Newman, Vincent Irizarry, Colleen Zenk, and more. Full details will be shared the evening of May 16, on Stand Up To Cancer’s website.
Are you looking forward to this very special one-night only virtual event to help benefit cancer research and shed light on the stories, performances and lives of the people we love and have loved in daytime TV? Comment below.
Deidre Hall to Guest Star on Season 3 of Comedy Series ‘Hacks’
May 1, 2024
Days of our Lives star Deidre Hall (Marlena) is set to play a version of herself on third season of Hacks. Look for Hall this month in an episode titled “The Deborah Vance Christmas Spectacular,” to air on May 23 on Max.
Not only will Hall appear in the episode, but so too, will Back to the Future and Taxi star, Christopher Lloyd.
According to EW.com, Deidre will play “a fictional version of herself, who just so happens to be the mom of Paul W. Downs’ Jimmy.”
Photo: JPI
Hacks co-creator and Downs’ wife, Lucia Aniello shared on Hall’s casting, “It made sense to us that Jimmy’s late father, a big-time manager, would have been married to an actress. When the idea for Deidre Hall came up, it just felt right.”
As for Lloyd, he will portray, reclusive writer Larry Arbuckle, who is to have had a rather famous grandfather. In the episode, Hall and Lloyd’s character intersect, which leads to onscreen sparks.
Photo: AP
“We had written some things that were flirty, but the chemistry was palpable,” says co-creator and series star, Downs shared. Hacks stars Jean Smart as comedy legend Deborah Vance.
Photo: Max
Season 3 of Hacks debuts on Thursday night May 2nd on Max 9 pm ET/6 pm PT.
So, will you be watching Deidre Hall guest starring on Hacks? Comment below.
Peacock Raising Subscription Prices $2 Dollars a Month This Summer; Includes Days of our Lives
April 30, 2024
As the Paris Summer Olympics are a few months away, the Peacock streaming service has revealed its plan for a two dollar summer price hike on its subscription plans, beginning in July for its content which will include Days of our Lives.
According to Deadline, in July, look for the monthly price for Peacock Premium to increase to $7.99. Premium Plus, which offers limited advertising, download capability and live local programming, will now be $13.99, while  Annual plans will go up to $79.99 for Premium and $139.99 for Premium Plus.
This price hike will effect new customers starting on July 18th, while existing subscribers will notice the price change on their next billing date on or before August 17th.
Photo: JPI
This marks the second price change in two years for the streaming service, the previous one being in 2023, which was the first since the service launched back in 2020. The Summer Olympics in Paris which will be on NBC and Peacock run from July 26 to August 11.
The bright spot for Days of our Lives fans, is that unlike if the show was still on network television and NBC, the show would be preempted for two weeks, but with it being on Peacock it will continue with all-new episodes without interruption.
Photo: Peacock
At the recent Days of our Lives 15K episode celebration, Michael Sluchan the EVP, Current Scripted Programming & Limited Series for NBC/Peacock shared that the soap opera is doing extremely well for the streaming service, and they were very happy with its performance.
If you want to join Peacock now, there is still some time to get in on the current rates to watch DAYS and all of the programming and series it offers.
So, what do you think about the Peacock streaming service next price hike? Comment below.
DAYS deserves this award more than GH, in my opinion. The show has been on fire ever since Ron C took over, whereas GH has really only livened up since October, with the Tale of Two Jason’s story. GH as a whole was not as exciting as DAYS has been this year, especially while Jean P was still there. Now with Chris Van Etten as co-head writer, things have started to improve, but it will take a little while longer for those changes to be in full effect.
IF having 3 successful runs before running out of gas is real then i’d call in first
3 networks called
NBC is one of them
on high
i’d run with this
Ron Carlivati is spoken for his work
4 1/2 months is “beginning”
Great points as always, Friend!
Thanks for your thoughtful replies and backup in the Alec Baldwin thread.
LOVE to you as well, Patrick.
I hope that you and your loved ones have a wonderful holiday! Cheers! 🙂
having “posted” a number of years
this time is sky full of dreams
a lot of ideals run
i’m celebrating a turn not lost with me
D – A – N – C – E
nice
Hi Michael,
Can you give us any info on what they submitted?
Going to have to go with GH at this point. It’s definitely the more improved of the two in terms of writing… ironically much of it due to cleaning up the mess that Ron made when he was there.
Days is a mixed bag…. Will being back is good. Not having memory is overdone cliche. The dopplegangers were complete dragonshit. Hoping the return of Vivian Alamain was worth the wait. Maybe she can bury FauxEve alive this time…. and forget where the coffin is.
Ron Carlivati was let go from GH 2 years ago.I’m not saying he didn’t make mistakes while at GH but i don’t think it would have taken GH 2 years to fix any mess he left behind.However i think everything worked out okay because GH is doing good and i’m sure Ron Carlivati is happy writing for Days.
On the contrary Andrew! Ron completely gutted that show! He left it an empty shell, a void blank canvas full of newbies, murderers, and all around unlikeable people. He destroyed
Legendary couples and characters with arrogant nonchalance and no regard for the fans. I feel finally, just now, the show is out from under the stain of his writing and has embarked on a very good course! And yes, it HAS taken two full years to accomplish that! Any writer coming in after what he did on GH faced a monumental, Herculean battle to repair the damage! I suspect Nean and Shelly could have done it sooner had they had carte Blanche to write out some Carlivati creations that were just not working…..and that was about half the cast at the time. But Frank and Ron shared a vision….and Frank was still around, obviously insisting that they write material for his new pets. I watched an episode the other day, where Maxie and Lulu were
In their hazmat suits, and it was CLASSIC GH!! It was campy, fun, and characters were used to advance the plot. Some of the one liners and zingers had me literally laughing out loud! It has been a LONG time since GH has been must see for me, but it has been for the past 2 months. To have such a large unwieldy cast and to be able to weave so many characters and plot points into the umbrella story of the Two Jason’s has been extremely impressive indeed! I like Nelle! I like her with Michael, and I don’t want her to be too nuts! The actress makes unusual choices that completely throw you off balance…either making you want to shake some sense into her or give her a big hug! I have heard rumours and seen the beginnings of a potential baby switch or baby theft storyline between Nelle and Maxie. That doesn’t please me. Can’t a couple just have a baby? I think Nelle should be the child that Nina had while in the coma and that resulted in some sort of brain trauma for Nelle. Not that I care for Nina (she is an unconnected Carlivati creation who continues to be employed solely because she is Michelle Stafford), or want her role on the show expanded, but they seem to be trying to shoehorn her onto the canvasback by any means possible. They are similar physically, they have worked togrther, and it would explain a lot.
Sorry I kind of rambled! Lol. My original point was…yes…the new GH writers had a LOt of clean up and damage control to do after Carlivati decimated and devastated the show. And they are doing wonderfully now!!
@Jovin….Excellent post! I agree with just about everything you have so well-stated…with a special amen to the notions on Nina! (Not that I’d ever want to see that psycho get a child, even a grown one as bad a seed as Nelle!) Which leads me to wonder if “Auntie Nina” shall be obsessing on Maxie and Nathan’s bundle of joy in the upcoming months, since I don’t think she has turned over a new leaf at all! She’s still totally nuts and just waiting to be triggered all over again…and speaking of such things, am I the only one who senses some spooky vibes from the sneaky Nurse Amy on this same subject? She looked both totally crestfallen and utterly infuriated to learn of the West family’s prospective new arrival….
@jovin . two thoughts .. UP Up UP .. because I dont’ want to lose my train
1.. Dante and Lulu.. the required Dante stir
he’s the gas and bomb… you take care of his sexuality… he’s the bomb , plus oh yeah
2. NI IN A !!!!!! hand s up raised and fire
the Maxie and Lulu gas mask suit “caught” me
it filmed
If Amy does go off the tracks.. THIS could be good one to marquee the Team
sure
seeing Nathan and Dr. O is another big deal
thank you
the pressure is not on to keep Nathan and Maxie “alone” solitude your mine
GH is spreading the wealth.. and it’s going their
JUST GIVE : Michelle Stafford a “role”
a role worth giving.. she’s so tantamount
this is not a die hard role.. it’s sharing with the Corinthos’
I WILL compare to that
Nina : deserves
a role of imagination and what you want
she was an easy go getter who understood and wetted the senses
of course she did
for years
has nothing to do with Valentin and Charlotte
that’s magic
I love her
savvy curves LOVE flirtations gummy bear upped and out .. tease
Congrats to the nominees and i hope the best one wins
I love Cheeky Chandler playing Douche Bag Will!!! Did you catch him leering at naked Paul???? Lmao!!! When he asked him if the sex was good I almost fell off my chair!!!!!! I love it!!!!!
It
“…Did you catch him leering at naked Paul???? ”
^^^^ that threw me… did not see that sly my cup runneth over SMILE from Will
what’s this new Will doing ! catching up…
at least it was explained.. even with his “amnesia” he was hiding and backburnered HIS feelings , from Susan.
@Jovin – you now have a CLASSIC Line to marquee:
“…I love Cheeky Chandler playing Douche Bag Wil ”
LOL
happy dance