Breaking News
Australia’s ‘Neighbours’ First Soap Back In Production During COVID-19; Will Their Blueprint For Safety Be Used By Others To Follow?
The soap that is going back into production first, and actually the first show, period, amidst the coronavirus pandemic is none other than Australia’s Neighbours.
Production is scheduled to start later this week and then in full-swing next week. According to a statement from the series producers, Fremantle Media “(On Monday) we returned from a scheduled production break, originally two weeks that we extended to three weeks to give our production team time to refine our production model to meet the gov’t guidelines re. health & safety and social distancing. We will be filming with a small unit this Thursday and then full production resumes Monday,”
As to how the show will be filmed to protect the cast and crew during the continued COVID-19 pandemic, Fremantle offered up “Due to the style of our show and the vast size of our production studios and back lot, we realized we are in a position to resume filming in a way that protects everyone’s health and still delivers the Neighbours viewers know and love.”
Neighbours premiered back in 1985 and while over the years it has jumped to different broadcasters (it is currently on Peach formerly Eleven in Australia) it still has not deviated from its 22-minutes per episode, five episodes per week schedule. The soap is licensed in over 60 countries. . If Neighbours did not restart production it would have run out of episodes by June.
As to the filming guidelines that the series has set up to begin taping new episodes, here is what we know via Deadline: “The studio space has been divided into quadrants, with three production teams isolated from each other and only three actors allowed to cross between the groups. Because of that setup, if someone gets sick, only the group whose member is affected will be suspended and the shoot can continue with the other two groups. There will be a nurse on set, and everyone entering the site will have their temperatures checked; Male actors will have no make-up, female actors will not be touched up; There will be no physical contact between actors including kissing, holding hands or intimate scenes; Actors will also practice social distancing, with camera trickery used to make them look closer together; There will be be no outside extras, with crew members already on set doubling as background performers.”
Fremantle shared that no pressure has been put on cast and crew to return, if they are not comfortable. Special measures have been taken for older employees, and the company says it is willing to make further adjustments.
Commenting on the lack of kisses and hand-holding coming on newly-filmed episodes of the soap, Chris Oliver-Taylor, the chief executive at Fremantle Australia told ABC Australia.“It’s going to look a bit odd. But, Neighbours is a show that can get away with it. We employ hundreds of staff who want to work and feel they can. It’s important we continue to produce a show that reaches millions of people in he UK and a significant audience in Australia.”
So, what do you think of the safety precautions Neighbours is implementing to begin shooting new episodes of the soap? Id this the blueprint others might follow in the U.S. to start up our soaps and TV productions? Comment below.
I hope they are successful and their measures can be used or tweaked to help other people get back to work.
Foreign soaps do many outdoor scenes which ours do rarely…maybe ours could still do something like this…no people at the bars..no bedroom scenes…maybe on Days for example…at the Dimera Mansion Chad is on the phone with Abigail in split scenes while Gabi stands 6ft away in the doorway arguing with Chad and Abby who is on speaker-lol-this way you get all three in the scene!!!
All soaps have a lot of hugging and kissing
and phoney sex..
the characters are quite close, in all scenes..
ahaa imaging this;
making out wearing protective gear.
it could be scary for the actors, actually.
Wow. that’s very different. We’ll see if it can work.
The next couple of weeks will be scary. I’m sure a lot of eyes will be monitoring what goes on on that set to see if they succeed or not. I hope they all stay healthy. If that does happen, other shows in the US may follow.
My concern, first and foremost, is for the cast and crew. As a loyal soap fan all my life, I will watch my shows whenever they return. In the meantime, I’ll gladly remain vigilante for any news on them.
Breaking News
Jacob Martinez is ‘Days of Our Lives’ New Javi Hernandez Replacing Al Calderon in the Role
Finally! The casting has been revealed as to just who would be Al Calderon’s successor in the role of Days of our Lives, Javi Hernandez. On Friday, April 30, the long-running soap opera revealed Jacob Martinez is taking on the part and he will first be seen this coming June 30th and then on all-new episodes streaming on Peacock.
As previously reported, the popular Calderon exited the soap opera last year to join the cast of the NBC primetime medical drama, Brilliant Minds as nurse Nico Silva, who in May will air the remainder of their second season. The series has been on the bubble for renewal by the network. His last episodes as Javi will also air this May on DAYS.
Since DAYS tapes ten months ahead of streaming, Martinez has been secretly ensconced in all the drama in Salem for quite some time. When viewers see the new Javi in story, we should learn what will happen in Javi’s relationship with Leo Stark played by Emmy winner, Greg Rikaart, plus his continued relationship with his relatives in the Hernandez clan. Currently, when Javi returned to Salem after taking care of his ailing father, and after the bust-up of his marriage to Leo thanks to Dimitri (Peter Porte), he claimed he had moved on with someone else while he was away from Salem.
Photo: JPI
Like Calderon before him, Martinez is a multi-talented actor and singer. Jacob’s resume is impressive having appeared in the musical In Pieces: The Musical at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater and he was hand-picked by Joey Contreras to play the role of Grey. Other credits include: the short film, Memory Swim and the play Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage.
Martinez hails from Norfolk, Nebraska and appeared when he was very young at the Johnny Carson Theatre, and as DAYS fans know, Jacob is now working at the Days of our Lives studios, right where the “Tonight Show” is filled. In addition, Jacob Martinez is a graduate of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA).
Taking to his Instagram on Thursday, April 30 once the news of his casting was revealed, Martinez, expressed, “Way too many people to thank in one post, so I’ll just say THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART to each and every person who continues to pour into me and encourage me to chase my dreams. I cannot even begin to express how grateful I am. I already feel beyond blessed, supported, and loved. See you all in Salem ⏳”
Jacob Martinez appeared on Friday on the Days of our Lives Instagram account announcing his casting. You can check it out below. Deadline was the first to report the casting switch.
So, excited to learn who is the new Javi Hernandez? Please welcome Jacob Martinez to the role and be on the lookout for his debut on June 30. Comment below.
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This week starts with heartbreaking news. Patrick Muldoon, best known for his roles as the original Austin Reed on Days of Our Lives and later as Richard Hart on Melrose Place, died on Sunday, April 19, at the age of 57. Reports indicate his death was sudden following a heart attack.
Muldoon’s sister, Shana Muldoon-Zappa, told TMZ on Monday more details on her brother’s death, “Patrick went to take a shower Sunday morning after drinking coffee with his girlfriend in their Beverly Hills home. His girlfriend decided to check on him after he was taking too long and found him unconscious on the bathroom floor?” Shana added that paramedics rushed over and tried to revive Patrick, but there was nothing anyone could do.
Soap fans first saw Muldoon as Kate’s (Lauren Koslow) son on DAYS back in 1992, where he quickly became a fan favorite during the on-screen love story between Austin and Carrie Brady (Christie Clarke). Patrick left the series in 1995. He later made comeback for appearances in 2011 and 2012.
Photo: JPI
On Melrose Place, he played bad buy Richard Hart from 1995-1996. Patrick launched his acting career while in college landing the role of Matt in the 1990 sitcom Who’s The Boss? alongside the likes of Judith Light (ex-Karen, OLTL) and Tony Danza. Following his graduation, Patrick nabbed a recurring role as Jeffrey Hunter in Saved By The Bell by 1991.
Throughout his decades long career, Muldoon also starred in several motion and TV series including his leading roile in Starship Troopers (1997). He also had parts in Deadlock (2021), Vanquish (2021), Dakota (2022), Marlowe (2022), and Murder At Hollow Creek (2023).
Photo: JPI
Not only was Patrick an actors, but a producer and a musician and singer. He often made appearances and put out music with his band, The Sleeping Masses. Muldoon was the band’s lead singer and guitar player. Patrick was also a producer of TV and film projects.
At the time of his death, Patrick was also an executive producer on a the movie “Kockroach,” which is currently in production.
Taking to his Instagram, just a few days before his death, Muldoon expressed,“So excited to be a part of this amazing project KOCKROACH directed by Matt Ross starring Chris Hemsworth, Taron Edgerton, Zazzie Beetz And Alec Baldwin. Filming now in Australia,” he captioned his post.
Sadly, on April 24, Muldoon can be seen in his 2025 film Dirty Hands also festuring Denise Richards (ex-B&B, RHOBH), which will be released on digital streaming platforms on VOD.
Muldoon is survived by his partner, Miriam Rothbart; parents, Deanna and Patrick Muldoon Sr.; his sister and brother-in-law, Shana and Ahmet Zappa; and their children, Muldoon’s beloved niece Halo and nephew Arrow Zappa.
Share your remembrances and condolences on the loss of Patrick Muldoon via the comment section, which is followed below by the trailer Dirty Hands due out later this week on digital platforms.
All My Children and Hallmark alum, Jonathan Bennett has been cast in the newly-created role on General Hospital as Joe Fitzpatrick.
Look for Bennett to make his debut on the ABC soap opera next month in May. Bennett is very familiar to daytime fans for his work as JR Chandler on All My Children from 2000-2001. Later, he landed the part of Aaron Samuels in the motion picture, Mean Girls in 2004 starring Lindsay Lohan, which would become his breakout role.
Jonathan would go on to star in seven Hallmark Channel movies and then hosting and producing the network’s reality competition show Finding Mr. Christmas, Bennett has also appeared as a contestant on Season 19 of Dancing with the Stars, plus Celebrity Big Brother in 2019, and he starred on Broadway in Spamalot.
Courtesy/ABC
Frank Valentini, the executive producer of General Hospital shared to Deadline who first reported the casting news, “We’re so excited to have Jonathan joining our cast. He’s a tremendous talent and will be a fantastic addition to ‘GH.’
After the news broke, Bennett took to his Instagram and shared, “There’s a new guy in town…” Meanwhile, the official General Hospital account shared a pic and expressed, “He’s already tired of us telling him his hair looks sexy pushed back. Welcome to the family, Jonathan Bennett.
Bennett is married to Jaymes Vaughan. Back in 2022, they became the first gay couple to appear on the cover of the wedding magazine, The Knot.
So, what do you think of the casting of Jonathan as Joe Fitzpatrick? Is he the new man for Lucas? Share your thoughts via the comment section.
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‘Brilliant Minds’ Officially Canceled After 2 Seasons at NBC; DAYS Alum Al Calderon, OLTL Alum Teddy Sears and Zachary Quinto Among the Cast
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