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Andy Cohen Says Of "Real Housewives" Franchise: "I Think It Has Replaced The Modern Soap Opera In A Weird Way For A Lot Of People"

Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

Bravo’s Andy Cohen, creator of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and all the rest of the “Housewives” series within the franchise, and the host of the late-night celebrity talker Watch What Happens Live, appeared on CBS Sunday Morning just a few days ago promoting his new book, “The Andy Cohen Diaries: A Deep Look at a Shallow Year.”

When discussing with the shows anchor including: Charlies Rose and Gayle King why the “Real Housewives” franchise has fascinated so many in the viewing audience, Cohen says, “I think “that the Housewives” have replaced the modern soap opera in a weird way for a lot of people.”

Noting of daytime dramas, Cohen related: “Scripted soap operas, there’s only a couple on the air now, and truth is stranger than fiction, which is part of the reason why I love my book actually, because things that happen to us in real life… you couldn’t write this stuff.  It certainly holds true with all the Beverly Hills housewives, and all the rest.”

Watch the interview with Cohen from CBS This Morning after the jump! Then let us know, do you agree that the reality series franchises are the soaps of our time?  Does Andy make a good point?  And remember, he is a big fan of Susan Lucci (Ex-Erica Kane AMC, Devious Maids)! So, comment below!

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He is a dreamboat !!

This I agree with, the RH franchise has the glamour that soaps can’t afford to show today.

ANDY IS AN IDIOT!!!!!! THERE ARE FOUR DAYTIME SOAPS LEFT ON THE AIR, NOT TWO!!!!!!

he said a couple…….not two specifically….ok……there are 2 couples…….for cryin out loud…….4 compared to 10 almost a decade ago is a couple……he should have said a few……shoot him…….crucify him……get a life

He’s a self deluded ass! HE has probably never worked on a soap, not likely even seen one. There is no comparison. Soaps are written by skilled writers, crafted by industry professionals, utilize many skills like set design, fashion and lighting, and have REAL actors who practice their craft and take it seriously. Many have gone on to have huge careers on TV, movies, and on Broadway. Reality TV, which it is NOT, is a bunch of narcissistic sociopaths winging it thinking they are important, when they should seek professional help. How come any moron can write a book now days? His comments are insulting to soap fans and we should be outraged. I am.

PS Put out the RIP sign. OLTL & AMC are never coming back.

Dream on Andy. I have no interest in Real Housewives but I love my daytime soaps. I’ve never watched Real Housewives and never will. I love Eileen Davidson but won’t watch for her either.

Exactly the way I feel about it, too…word for word.

Same here, Judy.

These junk housewives show appeal to gay men who love soaps but that doesn’t mean Cohen should try to take away those gay men who also love soaps.

I’m a gay man who loves the soaps and the housewives hold absolutely no appeal for me or my boyfriend.

gay man…….watch them both…..

Andy’s right…I watch them all!

me too

You may compare them to a primetime soap but those so called housewives you cant compare to daytime unless you air original episodes 5 days a week…then we will talk Andy!!!

Andy you are very annoying my friend, I love my daytime soaps. Real House wives are trashy has beens with plastic faces botox and fake boobs. These woman like the drama, and there 15 minutes of fame. If I want drama and romance I will watch GH and The YOUNG AND The Restless. Andy is cute, but not gorgeous. I am a gay man, smart good looking and a loving wonderful smart boyfriend.

Claudio,

A-M-E-N to what you’re saying!!!!! I don’t think that Andy has a C-L-U-E about soaps. At all. There are only 2 reality shows that I REALLY ENJOY watching…DWTS and Big Brother. The rest of ’em I cannot stand!!!!! Claudio…I’m sorry but I DO NOT find Andy cute…at all. And I think that Andy is BEYOND ANNOYING!!!!! Furthermore, as far as men go in general, Andy is SO NOT my type!!!!! I’ve ALWAYS PREFERRED older men!!!!! As in…men older than me…LOL!!!!! Bottom Line Here: Andy needs to STFU!!!!!

Claudio…Happy Holidays to you and your boyfriend. Peace.

If this guys ego was any more inflated he would float away.

Agree, totally. All of Andy’s shows are total trash. I used to sorta like Andy’s talk show, but now his massive ego has ruined the show.

These shows feature completely orchestrated scenes and events, not exactly what I call “reality”.

NONE of these women would even look at each other outside these “reality” shows.

Never watched those types of shows and probably never will. In my opinion watching the “supposed” lives of other people has nothing to do with engrossing yourself in a fictional town with fictional people. A key point would be a level of attachment…I would assume you can “like” or “side” with a reality show person…but you don’t form the attachment that you can develop for a character/characters when you’re a regular viewer of a scripted soap.

Well said…i watched one episode with Eileen D. to see what its like and thats about 1 hr of my life ill never get back!!!

jimh…lol…I guess curiosity got the best of ya!

GHs Helene will use mind control on a programmed Jason who will help Faison escape…Faison and Dr. Liesl will go on the run…Helene remains in PC disguised with a Dr.Liesl mask…sorry to go off topic but id thought youd like to know!!!…lol

did you read spoilers jimh or are you predicting…because as of today’s episode you’re right on point!

I dont read spoilers…i love suspense…reading spoilers ruin the fun…i like to predict…right or wrong its fun…ive done it for years…mostly wrong…lol…but its still fun…see ya later!!!

oh I know you don’t report spoilers…I’m used to your very often spot on predictions! I was joking by implying your prediction was soooo good this time you must have! But we’re still going to have to wait and see if your Helena/Dr. O (yet another mask…could it be??? lol) look into the future comes true. If Helena could pull off a German accent complete with oozing sarcasm and biting wit…the mask alone should win an emmy! 🙂

You couldn’t pay me to watch Real Housewives of (anywhere). Really, there is no comparison. I could not care less about those shows or the people on them.

NEVER will that CRAP replace a talented cast of actors and gifted writers!

that is so very much true,real housewives will never replace real acting

Totally agree!!!!

I agree…Lisa and Eileen are the closest that will ever come to a daytime soap. We need to hang onto the 4 on air!!!

“OH ! how INSULTing”

I won’t even read the article

“…in a weird way”

yep

Serial is the cornerstone of all of daytime

I don’t agree at all! Scripted soaps are way better than these vapid, trashy housewives shows!!

Merriam-Webster defines the word, “housewife” as a MARRIED a woman who stays at home, does cleaning, cooking, etc., and does not have another job outside the home or a MARRIED woman in charge of a household.

So I ask you, where does Brandi Glanville fit in? She is divorced, no?

These woman are a FAR CRY from a “housewife.” That being said, this whole “Real Housewives” franchise amounts to nothing more than the laziness of the world we now live in. Why is reality television so popular? Because people are not sophisticated enough to follow a good, scripted show and, if you need evidence of this, I present to you KEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS

Hallelujah for cable and network dramas!

Sorry, I hit the button before finishing my thought.

The Kardashian crap and this Honey Boo Boo crap and Dancing with the Stars crap is insulting and a slap in the face to real TV viewers. But just like all those that believed everything that Oprah said, like she was some kind of prophet, they cannot think for themselves. They are not mature enough to follow a scripted show. I bet the people that watch any of the above would be just as delighted to pull up a chair and watch a train wreck or a car on fire.

What has happened to the world we live in? Movie studios and networks recycle old intellectual properties and do not create anything new because of this world of instant gratification and shock and awe, not to mention the insane popularity of celebrity worship.

Totally agree! What a sad statement of what is actually watched…these are like train wrecks

I love Andy but his comments were ignorant about soaps. I am a fan of both RH and soaps but they are both scripted which is what Andy should have admitted. NeNe Leakes going to a coffee shop to have an arguement with Kenya Moore is no different then Mariah running into Abby at Crimson Lights on The Young & The Restless. Both shows have producers, editors and actors. One genre is more blatantly honest about what you’re getting yourself into when you tune in.

Um, I thought Housewives was scripted fiction.

When Housewives first started, I thought it was about a group of friends who were housewives (married women who didn’t have outside jobs).

I would rather watch OLTL or AMC.

Bravo’s Andy Cohen, creator of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and all the rest of the “Housewives” series within the franchise//

He needs a ”reality” check .. lol
He knows he is talk junk and he needs to say that , he’s just pushing his show and book.. And BRAVO is not a prime network..

The Real Housewives, is trash …… and is known as trash reality … lol

In a way, he is right. As much as people complain about these shows, they continue to grow and add other cities to their roster. And the fab, over the top parties are only what soaps dream of now. Add the catfighting, glamorous clothes, hunky husbands and exotic trips, and they ARE basically soap operas lol haters can hate, but Nene and Co are laughing all the way to the bank. And they keep it fresh by adding a new housewife here and there every season, so this is true lol

Lets see if this ‘overrated- with an ego bigger than her booty’ Nene has the longevity of a Susan Lucci or a Tony Geary…remember Jersey Shore…we are seeing not as much of those freaks and in a few years they will be long forgotten like most reality stars…wheres is Jon from Jon and Kate plus 8 for example!!! Reality shows have a few years and will fade in popularity just like the disco ball…lol

I agree with Andy, the housewife shows are way more entertaining than any trite soap opera. Soaps ran out of new ideas twenty plus years ago. Budget cuts also killed soaps for me, I am not interested in watching endless dreary hospital corridors or other dull sets. Andy wAs a huge soap fan. His first book discussed at length how he and his parents stopped watching soaps, then turned on the TV years later to be disappointed in his fave show, AMC.

I dont see any new ideas on these reality serials which are only partially real…those big splasy parties and beautiful party gowns are all rehash of daytime soaps…whats new to offer here: some botoxed boob enhanced lady desperate for 15 minutes of fame holds a party or dinner event Bravo pays for and invites all her costars…someone says someting that insults the other and argues…they talk about it for weeks…suddenly the bad girl is friends with the good girls bff…i checked each of these shows and its all the same thing on each show…the only difference is the title…by the way…HOUSEWIVES? Several arent even married…lmfao!!!

I do think that reality television has replaced the soap opera in many ways. It would be stupid to deny. I don’t like that it has though. I hate reality television. I think soaps still offer things that reality television can’t. These shows don’t have any attractive men for one thing.

That might be true, but-
reality TV is cheap, in more ways than one LOL ..
Reality TV is not story telling..
Reality TV is also scripted in many cases..
Reality is shock value..
Reality TV and a soap are two different thing..
– soaps have class and dignity–
– reality is mostly trash..
just the way I see it 🙂

I don’t see daytime soaps as classy vehicles. I see trashy trite storylines told over and over, baby switches., people sleeping with their inlaws, endless adultery. I am not a prude but these stories got old twenty years ago. Soap acting is mostly bad and dialogue is embarrassing.

It is a bit like saying a fast food hamburger is the same thing as steak served at a five star restaurant — sure they are both beef, but a good steak is something you savor, while a burger with its fat and grease is usually eaten quickly because it may taste great on the way down, but your stomach is unsettled for the rest of the day. Same with reality television, it is the junk food of the airwaves— what is next believing porno films should have a category at the Academy Awards?

I understand Andy is promoting his already successful book and “his” Housewives brand, but how egotistical and disrespectful, OK, unmindful. Oh, and if he means the Housewives brand is getting tired and thus is getting more and more scripted and contrived…

The daytime dramas have been carefully constructed with arcs and top writers for decades, the east coast actors are often stage/Broadway artists, the west coast actors have certainly been dedicated to the travails of the field and all take their portrayals seriously. I don’t think daytime soaps are obsolete, just going through a transition, as nothing can replace them. Lastly, how interesting that The Doctors on Retro TV is becoming so popular, those little half hour episodes now airing, circa ’68 are a real revelation.

Andy is delusional. Those tramps on housewives are either real or playing it up for their own reality shows. Soap operas are and art! Eileen should be ashamed to be attached to this garbage!

I find it that he would say that. Half of that mess is scripted. Andy please go sit down somewhere. Soaps are far better than Real Housewives! My mom likes real housewives of Atlanta but would never chose it over a soap. I don’t know why he would say that knowing that they don’t compete against soaps. Just because ED and LR are on the show you think it replaced soaps No. Real housewives to me is a bunch of high school drama. With grown folks acting a fool. Why say that when you are trying to capture the soap audience.

I have commented before that the Real Housewives are like Menudo to me. But I don’t even know where Menudo is anymore…please just end it all gracefully.

All My Children

Carol Burnett Talks About Being a Superfan of ‘All My Children’ on ‘Live with Kelly and Mark’

In a heartfelt reunion, of sorts, the one and only Carol Burnett appeared on Monday March 25th episode of Live with Kelly and Mark.

Burnett had first met Kelly Ripa (Hayley) and Mark Consuelos (ex-Mateo) back when they all appeared on All My Children together. Carol played Verla Grubbs first in 1983 and then again in the 90’s.

Host Kelly Ripa (ex-Hayley, AMC) noted to Burnett that “we go back a long time”. She also described Burnett’s character of Verla Grubbs, “extraordinary in every way.”

Carol’s love for All My Children is well-documented, hence legendary soap creator, Agnes Nixon, created the role of Verla for Burnett.

Photo: ABC

Speaking on how her passion for All My Children began, Carol told Kelly and Mark, “It started with my kids. They would watch at noon. I said, ‘What are you guys doing?’ I sat down and I started to watch and I got hooked!”

When Carol’s family decided to travel through Europe during one summer, the comedic legend recalled thinking, “How am I going to last if I don’t know what’s going on in Pine Valley?” She revealed she had a friend, “who sent me a telegram to the (different hotels) on Fridays to bring me up to date.”

Photo: ABC

In a hilarious moment from the segment, Carol recalled receiving a late night telegram while in Lake Cuomo when there was a knock at her hotel room door from the hotel manager who was shaking.

Carol related what it said, “Erica is still in a coma. Mark slipped again and ran away from rehab.” As Kelly and Mark broke into laughter, Burnett continued, “Chuck has learned that Donna is carrying his baby, who was once a hooker.”

Check out Carol explaining how she became an AMC Superfan below.

Now, let us know, did you enjoy Carol as Verla Grubbs? What show do you consider yourself a Superfan of? Tell us in the comment section.

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All My Children

Malachy McCourt, ‘Ryan’s Hope’ and ‘All My Children’ Actor, Dead at 92

If you watched Ryan’s Hope through its 14-year-run, you know that Kevin the bartender became a beloved “member’ of the Ryan clan on the defunct ABC daytime drama series. The character of Kevin MacGuiness became so loved by the fans because of the actor who portrayed him, Malachy McCourt.

Sadly, according to his wife Diana McCourt to The New York Times, Malachy passed away on Monday from a heart condition and battling cancer. The actor was 92-years-old.

Playing Kevin on Ryan’s Hope was not much of a stretch for McCourt, because in his lifetime, he was the owner of 1950s Irish pub Malachy’s on Third Avenue in Manhattan. Known as one of the city’s great story-tellers, patrons from longshoremen to the actor Richard Harris would stop in and talk all things Irish with . On Ryan’s Hope, Kevin was best friends to “Ryan’s Bar” owner, Johnny Ryan (Bernie Barrow) and he tried to keep Delia (Ilene Kristen) on the straight and narrow.

Photo: ABC

In his soap opera career, McCourt also was widely-known for his role of Father Clarence McCourt on All My Children especially come Christmastime. Was Clarence, actually St. Nick? That was always the proverbial question. McCourt also appeared on the New York soaps: One Life To Live, Search For Tomorrow and Another World. Other roles included: Devil’s Own, Brewster’s Millions, The Molly Maguires, and Starman, to name 

Later in 2006, Malachy ran for governor of the state of New York as a Green Party candidate. He tackled social issues of the time including being an advocate for gay and lesbian groups to march in the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Photo: ABC

McCourt’s childhood was recounted within his brother Frank McCourt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir Angela’s Ashes, which detailed their mother’s attempt to raise the four of their surviving seven children in poverty in Limerick, Ireland. Later, Malachy wrote his own memoirs: 1998’s Monk Swimming, and 2000’s Singing My Him Song.

Malachy is survived by his aforementioned wife, Diana, daughter Siobhan McCourt; sons Malachy Jr., Conor and Cormac; stepdaughter Nina Galin; nine grandchildren; and one great-grandson.

Share you remembrances and condolences for Malachy McCourt via the comment section, but first check out this scene from a 1983 episode of “Ryan’s Hope” featuring the late actor with Ilene Kristen.

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All My Children

‘Live with Kelly and Mark’s’ Annual ‘After the Oscars’ Show Brings Backstage Interviews, Fashion Review and Red Carpet Arrivals from Movie’s Biggest Night

Monday morning, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos took to the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood for the talk show’s annual Oscar post show.

However, this time it would be Consuelos’ first time as the co-host of ‘Live’ for an Oscars episode. Mark took over the gig from Ryan Seacrest to team with his wife back in April of 2023 and since then the show has seen a ratings spike hitting several all-time highs.

The After the Oscars show opened with a tribute to the movies were the former All My Children stars took on iconic roles from: Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct to Barbie and Ken in Barbie, to the Cameron Diaz and Ben Stiller role’s in the romantic comedy Something About Mary and more.

Courtesy/DisneyABC

During After the Oscars, Kelly and Mark were shown in clips backstage as the first stop for the newly-anointed Academy Award winners including: Finneas and Billie Eilish and Da’Vine Joy Randolph. The Bachelor host, Jesse Palmer was the talk show’s guest correspondent who spoke to the nominees, and celebrities as they were entering the Dolby Theatre on Sunday night.

Singer Andy Grammar took to the stage and performed on Live’s  After the Oscars show as well, and Project Runaway’s Elaine Welteroth shared her thoughts on the night’s Oscar fashion.

You can watch the full ‘Live with Kelly and Mark After the Oscars’ show below, plus the full movie parody below that. Now let us know, what do you think of Kelly and Mark’s first post-Oscar show together on ‘Live’? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

 

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