All My Children
AMC's Michael E. Knight talks Dixie's return, and the past, present & future of soaps!
Courtesy/ABC
All My Children’s Michael E. Knight (Tad Martin) gave a terrific interview to Smashing Interviews Magazine’s, Melissa Parker on his thoughts on the ending of AMC, the return of Cady McClain as Dixie to wrap up their story, and offered his thoughts on what went wrong and what could be done with the soap genre, and some missteps AMC had along the way. Here are a few excerpts:
Knight on the return of Cady McClain as Dixie: “ I was lucky and the positioning was such that Cady could come back and reprise the role of Dixie. I certainly love working with her. She’s been a dear friend for a long time and is a wonderful actress. They’re supposedly bringing her back from the dead (and we’re no stranger to that), but they’re bringing her back to have Tad and Dixie walk off in the proverbial sunset. I think that’s the way they’re looking at it. I always had such wonderful chemistry working with Cady. It will be nice to get a chance to do that. Other than that, I think they’re kind of struggling to give the audience some semblance of closure, bringing down the curtain as it were, but I think they’ll leave it open ended in case the show gets picked up somewhere else.”
Knight on how AMC had changed over the years where they used to give characters a longer development period : “In the old days, 20 years ago, there was a longer period of character development. They would bring characters along very slowly. As we went along there was less and less time for that. I noticed they would bring on major characters very quickly and characters that had only been on the canvas a short period of time would be handed major storylines very quickly. Sometimes the characters worked and sometimes they didn’t. The character would come on, work a lot, and then sort of disappear. Some of the fondest things I remember are some of the character actors I thought were so wonderful; first and foremost being Jill Larson who plays Opal. I have a glowing respect for her. I go back to people like Billy Clyde Tuggle, Phoebe, Myrtle, and Langley. There was sort of a more rounded ensemble. That was when the budgets were bigger and you had room for character actors. As things have become leaner and meaner over the years basically there has been a stripping away of characters that drive story.”
All My Children
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All My Children
Kelly Ripa Talks On Her New Memoir ‘Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories’
Talk show host and All My Children alum, Kelly Ripa (ex-Hayley) is opening up about her life and times in her highly-anticipated memoir available now, Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories.
Ripa chatted exclusively with PEOPLE who got some of intel and dish on what’s included in the book.
Kelly told PEOPLE, when she landed the gig as the new co-host of Live with Regis and Kelly, with the late Regis Philbin back in 2001, she felt like she was “getting shot out of a cannon.” Ripa was also appearing on All My Children at the same time.
She tells the story of when her agent called with the offer, Ripa was told: “They want you to know who your boss is. It was very ominous, and it did not feel good.” Her agent also said the show didn’t want her, “bringing an entourage.” She brought two people. “I came with hair and makeup,” Kelly says. “It was not an unusual thing for people on a television show to show up with.”
She added that Regis greeted her with executive producer, Michael Gelman, saying: “Uh-oh, Gelman, it’s got an entourage.” It?! Kelly expressed that she “felt horrible. He was probably trying to be funny, but at the same time it felt like a pile-on.”
As for Philbin’s attitude at the time, Kelly shared, “I understand that probably he didn’t want a co-host, but the network wanted me to be the co-host and I didn’t think I should pass up that opportunity. I don’t think it was fair to him. But it was also not fair to me.”
Photo: JPI
The actress-talk show host-producer also talked on her marriage to Mark Consuelos (ex-Mateo), whom she met while both were on All My Children, sharing that they were, “too young to get married! On paper it should not have worked and when it didn’t work, we really worked at it. We fought for our marriage when it would have been easier to quit and throw in the towel.”
According to the book publisher, HarperCollins: “In ‘Live Wire’, her first book, Kelly shows what really makes her tick. Whether recounting how she and Mark (Consuelos) really met, the level of chauvinism she experienced on set, how Jersey Pride follows her wherever she goes, and many, many moments of utter mortification (whence she proves that you cannot, in fact, die of embarrassment) Kelly always tells it like it is. Ms. Ripa takes no prisoners.”
So, will you be ordering your copy of Kelly’s memoir? Let us know in the comment section below.
All My Children
Eva LaRue’s Stalker Sentenced to 40 Months in Prison
In a harrowing situation spanning 12 years, a man who threatened former All My Children, Santa Barbara, and Y&R favorite, Eva LaRue (ex-Maria, ex- Margot, ex-Celeste) and her daughter, Kaya was sentenced to 40 months in prison.
James David Rogers, 58, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Kronstadt for over a decade of threatening letters and phone calls about torture, rape and death to LaRue and her daughter.
Rogers had pleaded guilty in April to two counts of mailing threatening communications, one count of threats by interstate communications and two counts of stalking. According to court documents, all of this began in March 2007 until Rogers eventually was arrested in November 2019. At the beginning of his stalking spree, LaRue’s daughter, Kaya was only five-years-old.
According to Deadline, Eva gave a “tearful victim impact statement, telling the judge in L.A. federal court that she has undergone therapy since the harassment began in order to deal with feelings of fear and paranoia.” She added, “We didn’t know if he would show up on our doorstep. We will think about him for a lifetime. The fear is with me forever.”
Photo: JPI
The judge has ordered Rogers to self surrender on October 12th to begin his sentence at a federal prison in Ohio.
Eva won a Daytime Emmy back in 2020 for her guest star turn on The Young and the Restless, and is best-known to primetime viewers for her role in CSI: Miami.
Share your thoughts on Eva and Kaya’s heartbreaking real-life experience via the comment section below.
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Mr. Knight got it right, Pine Valley was a place of great character with great characters, it hasn’t been that place for quite a long time.
can’t wait for tad and dixie to finally reunite
Michael,
I just wanted to say that i have loved your character Tad on AMC since you were just a cad! I hope you will continue with AMC when it goes to PP.
Can not wait for the tad & dixie reunion 🙂
I have come to love many characters and find it unfornuate that abc has used financial bogus to say that they are unable to run these shows. I think it has to do a lot with upper management. But thanks for writing and sharing this article. Your by far one of the greatest humorours characters. Your one of my fams favorites 🙂
I hope now that the show will continue online that both Michael and Cady continue on- such great chemistry!
Much Love to Michael and Cady!!!
I can’t wait Dixie in Reunion. I love AMC…. I love couple Dixie and Tad…..
Ever since you joined AMC I hated when you left and when you came back.. OMG true bliss. You are second only to Susan Lucci on AMC. Loved Tad the Cad. While not so much the Cad these days, the sense of humor is what we need to escape this world. I am not in the best job position of my career, but I will do what it takes to still watch “All My Children”. It is my legacy, not pop culture.
Clearly this interview was done prior to Prospect Park picking up All My Children. Michael was gracious as always. I hope with all my heart he will continue in the role of Tad Martin when AMC moves to Prospect Park. I can’t imagine Pine Valley without him.
Hi Michael,
I have been watching AMC for almost 9 years now and you were the person that got me clued to that TV the moment I turned it on!! You are not only cute (don’t tell my husband) but you are the funniest character on AMC!! I am so happy that AMC has been saved and is going to PP and I truly hope that you will continue as Tad! It just wouldn’t be the same without you 🙂
I meant glued not clued! LOL Oops 🙂
GREAT to see Michael talk so openly! Especially about his hope for someone to pick it up!! I have got to say, the last few days between Jr and Tad going at it with their lines and banter and the whole thing at Oak Haven, I havent laughed so hard in a LONG TIME!!!! THIS is what AMC has needed for a LONG time. Character interaction!!! Great writing again!!!!
I’ve been watching All My Children since the show began. I remember when Ruth found Tad. Oh, the storylines that have developed over the years!! Tad & Dixie, a great love story….right up there with Luke & Laura! Thanks for all your great work. I hope to see more of AMC through Prescott Park…..and hopefully, on TV!
I’ve always had affection for Tad. The storyline that ended with Greg in a wheelchair was wrenching, with Tad anguished over his role in causing hurt to his sister Jenny. And that quirky sense of humor! Hard to believe that kid is now one of the few links to Pine Valley’s past. But here you are… I fervently hope you help usher AMC into this new era ,with a chance to bring our favorite American town back to its character rich splendor!
Tad the Cad is one fun person, even when he was a jerk! I hope he remains when they go to the online version. I would love to see them bring in Billy Clyde Tuggle again! Verla Grubbs with Opal too bad Myrtle is not there along with Phoebe.
We want to add more and more memories to our AMC “albums” that reside in our hearts. These soaps have gotten so many of us thru hard times in our own lives.
Keep the faith soap fans, MEK and all our actors and actresses!
I have loved you, Michael, since you first began your character Tad on AMC. I cried with you when you had such a despicable father, and laughed with you when you were with Liza and her mother, Marion Colby, at the same time. You were a great detective for your friends whenever one was needed – you always solved the case most efficiently I might add. I think the best times were when you were the great lover with oh so many Pine Valley Gals – especially Dixie – who is the love of your life. I hope you and… Read more »
It is my sincerest hope, that PP works out the best possible deal for the actors – even if that means flexibility to pursue other projects. I’d rather share MEK than lose him. 🙂
Please stay on AMC it goes online,you are a very important part of pine valley!!
I am going to miss All My Children. I will not watch ABC daytime television anymore. I am sick and tired of reality television. I am going to cable stations more and more. That is where I can find more dramatic shows, and interesting movies. The networks are getting more and more unwatchable. I hope AMC will get picked up somewhere else.
Thanks for being Tad the cad, Ted and now Tad the man! If you don’t stick with AMC & go to PP with the show, I will be VERY disappointed. Love your sense of humor … I’m sure it’s not all scripted! I have been a fan of the show since 1972 & a fan of yours since day one on the show.
I left a comment on the news feed posting about this interview. I hope he reads it.. He is a wonderful actor with comedic talent that is off the charts. I’ve been watching him since he first started on the show. He has only gotten better with age. Please read the other comment. My respect and love for him is properly expressed there. I will close with saying “Thank you for all your years of devotion and talent for a show I love and have been watching since 1976-1977”. Much love MEK!
I know it hasn’t been easy these past few years but believe me, MEK, we appreciate everything you do on the show. In my mind, you are AMC. It just won’t be the same if you leave. I really hope that tbtb offer you a fair deal and you decide to take it.
Either way, thank you for the countless hours of great television. Much love and respect.
Liz Arnold
I hope to see the legacy of Tad and Dixie’s love affair continue onto Prospect Park with thew same actors. Tad & Dixie forever!
I’ve been watching AMC for over 40 years! I consider this a kind of entertainment “guilty pleasure”. My children watched with me and my daughter (and her husband) became loyal fans. Tad and Dixie are two of our favorite characters with “fun” and entertaining storylines throughout. We were shocked to hear that ABC and Disney decided to “axe” this show–after forty+ years!! Apparently, longevity means NOTHING! More talk shows and reality shows–boring. I will not be watching daytime television after we say good-bye to our Pine Valley “family”.