Connect with us

News

9

B&B's Touching Christmas Episode With John McCook's Hankie-Worthy Performance!

By Michael Fairman

Published

on

Courtesy/CBS

Courtesy/CBS

Of all the Christmas episodes that aired over the last few days on your favorite soaps, this year to On-Air On-Soaps, one stood out among the rest.

The Bold and the Beautiful continued its throughline with the Forrester family moving on with life after the passing of the matriarch of the clan, Stephanie Forrester.   And in addition, for the actors on the series, this was to be the first Christmas episode without Susan Flannery …  well sort of.

The set-up of the episode had an MIA Eric (John McCook) who takes himself to a concert of Celtic Woman and sits in a very special box  section above the concert hall.   Alone, he fills Martini glasses for two, as if he is spending Christmas with his beloved Stephanie.  All the awhile, the Forrester family and friends have no idea where he is and our very concerned.  After they get Pam to spill the beans, by throwing her infamous Lemon Bars she made for Christmas at her … and the wall …  Pam reveals where Eric is and the group heads out to find him.

As Eric in tears watches Celtic Woman singing some of the most known Christmas tunes, he realizes he is not alone as the Forrester clan and friends meet up with him in his private box at the concert hall.  And from there, the touching moments with little dialogue said so much!  In addition, it was soap veteran John McCook, who was the one who brought the gravity of the situation and heartfelt emotions to all the viewers at home.

But B&B had one more little surprise! Susan Flannery was next seen with a bluebird on her shoulder,(Pam referred to a bluebird earlier in the episode, that meant that Stephanie would be watching over her) wishing everyone at home a “Merry Christmas” followed by a wink!

B&B’s Executive Producer and head writer, Brad Bell struck the right balance of a touching story and the Christmas spirit, while the understated and often under utilized John McCook made us reach for the Kleenex.  If you missed the episode, you can check it out on CBS.com here!

So soapers, what show had your favorite Christmas episode this year?  Do you agree with our choice for B&B?  Let us know!  And for more on how it is for John McCook moving on in-story on and off the screen, without Stephanie and Susan Flannery, read our recent interview with him here!

 

9 Comments

9 Comments
oldest
newest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Days had a Great christmas episode and Bold was great with all of the stephanie clips. (But I couldn’t help to wonder if this was merely an Informercial for Celtic Woman, in Leu of paying them to appear). BB has had too much product placement of Italy and aspen clips.

B&B was beautiful yesterday!!!!
Thumbs up for that episode 🙂

I think B&B nailed it with McCook showing his amazing skill…without having to say a word! Love him! And kudos Bell 🙂

It was touching, but B&B always overplays their hand. It seems Brad Bell and his team stumble across these moments, and they think “Wow that worked great, lets do it again, and again, and again. But of all the soap Christmas shows, this one was the most sentimental. I missed Y&R doing a show based on a Christmas movie, maybe that was one thing I like that MAB did. The show we got this year was okay- I would have rather seen a repeat of classic Christmas show- I often enjoy those.

I enjoyed the episode because I knew it would be the last I taped in a long time we are now headed back to Liam/Steffy/Hope and Caroline/Rick. It is sad for me Brad Bell has given the boot to some great actors for this silly bunch and it for me is like saying goodbye to an old friend.

we all watch to see our favorites as well as good storylines…i’m looking forward to Crystal Chappell returning to my screen on B&B…what a great way to ring in the New Year! ☮♡☺xo▽♀♀✩ツ♫

It has been said here in several ways but Brad Bell is just not adept at knowing when enough is enough. He beats dead horses. The Celtic Women, okay fine, have them on once, even though no one ever knew about stephanies heritage. At Christmas, why pay to have them on again…instead of bringing back missed characters or showing flashbacks? I get that Flannery was a beloved actress, but Stephanie was certainly not so as a character. She spent 25 years being a vindictive, spiteful. Jealous, violent, bordering on sociopathic character. Elevating her to some kind of sainthood in the end just seemed odd. The character was a hostile control freak who rarely showed any kindness or tenderness. Her and Eric spent more time bitter and battling than they ever did lovey and dovey. Compare this to the sendoff Jason got on GH…UNCEREMONIOUSLY shot and kicked into a harbour…very indicative of how the character was written and portrayed for 16 years. Burton was beloved…but the character as written was an unrepentant murderer for hire…if they had given him months long tributes with characters singing his praises, it would have rang false.

I can’t believe they allowed the characters of Ridge and Stephanie to leave so they can focus on that ridiculous triangle between boring Limey, Stuffi and Hopeless. What a waste.

I agree that Bold and the Beautiful had the most meaningful Christmas episode. I watched it and cried through most of it. I lost my husband to cancer two years ago around Christmas so I could really relate to how Eric was feeling.

News

‘The Bold and the Beautiful’s’ Kimberlin Brown Previews What’s Ahead for Sheila Carter

Published

on

By

Last week. the stars of The Bold and the Beautiful were in Monte-Carlo at their 65th annual TV Festival. With a full plate of: meeting the fans, attending the parties, talking with the press, and then shooting some remote scenes to air late this summer on the CBS soap, the cast had their dance cards full.

Kimberlin Brown (Sheila) sat down with the The Upcoming to give some insight into the life and times of Sheila Carter; acting on a soap for more than three decades, and a tease of what’s to come in the next few months for her character.

Brown previewed: “My producer last night shared some tidbits with me and there’s some really good stuff coming up for Sheila. It’s going to involve a little drama, a little bit of romance, and a lot of comedy.”

Photo: JPI

As B&B viewers know, Sheila wants Deacon (Sean Kanan) and Taylor (Rebecca Budig) to guarantee that she can be part of her son, Finn (Tanner Novlan) and her grandchild’s life in return for signing the divorce papers. Ultimately, will Sheila ever truly sign them? Stay tuned.

The popular star, who has made playing bad so good also added, “I mean where else can I do things that you should be in prison for? There are people at home going, ‘go, go get ’em.’ It is like they’re rooting for me, because I’m doing what maybe they want to do and would never get away with. So it’s an escape. Daytime is truly an escape.”

Speaking of the fun of playing all the plots she has involved with on daytime from her early years on The Young and the Restless to The Bold and the Beautiful, Brown noted “I think that the real joy to playing Sheila is I do things that nobody else does. And I was told when I got this part, don’t play it safe. There is no wrong. And as an actress to get a note like it just means that I can do things that nobody else can and smile about it and, you know, get away with it. Do I pay consequences? Yes, I do, but she always comes back. I’m the character that people love to hate and I’m the character that people sympathize with because all she wants is love.”

You can check out the full conversation with Kimberlin Brown below.

So, what do you hope Sheila does next? Do you think she will keep Deacon and Taylor apart? Will she get involved with someone else? Share your predictions via the comment section below.

Continue Reading

News

Christel Khalil Reveals She Almost Quit Acting After ‘That’s So Raven’ Audition, But Then Came ‘The Young and the Restless’

Published

on

By

The Young and the Restless fan favorite, Christel Khalil (Lily Winters) is the special guest on this week’s edition of Soapy Hosted by Rebecca Budig and Greg Rikaart which dropped today on Tuesday, June 23rd.

During the interview with Rebecca and Greg, Khalil who had played Lily Winters on-screen since August of 2002, nearly 24 years with the CBS soap, shared how early on her teenage acting career, she was ready to call it quits in show business, after a heartbreaking audition for the lead of a new Disney Channel sitcom, which later turned out to be the hit seres, That’s So Raven, starring Raven-Symoné which ran for four seasons from 2003-2007.

Christel recalled what happened. “I was 14 and I had always auditioned for all these Disney projects. So I auditioned for That’s So Raven, it was between me and Raven-Symoné and it was called at the time Absolutely Psychic,” explained Khalil. “The character was this girl who had psychic ability, but then when Raven got the role, they named the title of the show after her.”

Photo: CBS

HOW A BROTHERLY TALK CHANGED THE COURSE OF CHRISTEL’S CAREER

Reliving the disappointment to Greg and Rebecca, Christel explained, “I lost that part and I was just so devastated, because for the network call there were 20 people in the room watching me, and I just have always had such performance anxiety. I just completely bombed the audition and it was terrible. So, I was just devastated. I was actually going to quit acting and then I got the final call for The Young and The Restless and I wasn’t going to go.”

It was Khalil’s brother, who actually got her to reconsider, and if he hadn’t, we would not have our Lily Winters in Genoa City! Christel recounted, “I was like, ‘You know what? I’m done. I don’t want to do this anymore. I’m just going to hang out with my friends.’ I was just devastated. My brother, who is seven years older than me, and he had quit acting at the same age that I was at that time. He said to me, ‘I promise you, I actually really regret quitting. Just go on this audition and if you don’t get it, you can quit.'”

Christel’s screen-test for the role of Lily was actually with the late, great, Kristoff St. John who would play her father Neil (Later it was revealed to Lily, that Neil’s brother, Malcolm Winters was her bio-dad).

Photo: CBS

ACTING WAS EASY WITH THE LATE KRISTOFF ST. JOHN

“So, I went (to test for Lily) and I remember the screen-test was with Kristoff St. John. It was just so easy to act with him because he’s just so there. I remember just being on set, and that was my first time there for a screen-test where you were actually on set. I had never experienced that before. It was my first time being with an actor and  having makeup done, which just helps you really be able to do your best work.”

Recalling the screen-test with the St. John, Khalil, “It was where I had to be emotional ( in the scene) and I always had issues being emotional at auditions. But I was there with him, it just came, and it happened. It was natural and I felt so good and it was amazing. It stands out in my mind a lot.”

You can check out the full Soapy conversation with Christel Khalil where she also discusses juggling motherhood, marital life, and the demands of soap operas.

Fan can listen to weekly episodes of Soapy on Audacy or wherever podcasts are available, and can watch full video episodes weekly on the CBS =Brand YouTube Channel. Whether a lifelong fan or discovering the genre for the first time, SOAPY offers a fresh, fun behind-the-scenes look at the stories – and storytellers – that define daytime drama.

Now let us know, over the years what had been your favorite Lily Winters story on Y&R as played by Christel Khalil? What did you think of of Christell’s recollection where she was up for the lead of “That’s So Raven” as a teenager, before it was even titled that? Let us know via the comment section.

Continue Reading

News

‘WWE: Unreal’ Season 3 Premiere Date, Cast of Superstars, Announced by Netflix

Published

on

By

This summer beginning on July 21, Netflix streams the return of WWE: Unreal for its third season. The behind the scenes docudrama series gives fans a glimpse of life in WWE and inside the writers room, as injuries, last-minute pivots, and career-defining decisions reshape WWE’s biggest event of the year, WrestleMania 42.

WWE Unreal is taking fans deeper than ever inside World Wrestling Entertainment’s creative process, The hit docuseries will once again pull back the curtain on some of the biggest moments, boldest decisions, and unforgettable storytelling with some of the WWE’s greatest legends who’ve shaped the industry and new stars who are emerging as prominent parts of the future.

In the new season of ‘Unreal’ which consists of 5 episodes at 50 minutes each: John Cena says goodbye, a fan favorite returns, and the next generation of Superstars rise to the occasion.

Photo: WWE

The cast and WWE superstars featured include: the aforementioned Cena, plus Cody Rhodes, Liv Morgan, CM Punk, AJ Lee, Trick Williams, Lash Legend, Stephanie Vaquer, Oba Femi, Bron Breakker, Chelsea Green, Matt Cardona, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch.

As previously reported AJ Lee revealed on General Hospital star Maurice Benard’s (Sonny Corinthos) mental health series, State of Mind, that she was part of the cast of WWE: Unreal.

WWE: Unreal production credits include: Directors/Showrunners: Chris Weaver and Erik Powers Executive Producers: Peyton Manning, Jamie Horowitz, Ross Ketover, Keith Cossrow, Ken Rodgers, Jessica Boddy, Lee Fitting, Ben Houser, Marc Pomarico Sr. Producers: Harley Glantz, Brian Decker, Michael Flynn Producers: John Galiani, Dan Gati, Jeremy Lundblad Production Companies: Omaha Productions, NFL Films, Skydance Sports, WWE.

So, what do you think of the loglines for the new season of WWE: Unreal? Who are you most excited to see featured in the behind the scenes drama from the list of WWE superstars and the twists and turns leading into this past April’s WrestleMania 42? Let us know via the comment section below.

Continue Reading

Video Du Jour

Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

Recent Comments

Power Performance

Finn Carr & Dominic Zamprogna as Rocco & Dante

General Hospital

Airdate: 5-14-2026

Popular

9
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x