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

By Michael Fairman

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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!

 

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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.

All My Children

‘All My Children’ Revival Updates: Lifetime EVP Speaks on Why Proposed Movies are Great Fit, Mark Consuelos Wants To ‘Give Back’ to Fans

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The All My Children revival via movies at Lifetime is still in the works from former series stars and marrieds, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, through their production company, Milojo.

The co-hosts of Live with Kelly and Mark were featured this week in a Los Angeles Times article which detailed their efforts to bring some of the citizens of Pine Valley back to your screens.

As previously reported, and reaffirmed by the L.A. Times, the All My Children movies will be set in the present day and focus on what beloved characters such as Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) and Maria Santos Gray (Eva LaRue) are doing now. In addition, Kelly Ripa confirmed that she and Mark Consuelos will also appear on screen briefly most likely appearing in their signature soap roles as Hayley and Mateo Santos.

Mark Consuelos, Kelly Ripa, All My Children

Photo: ABC

ALL MY CHILDREN MOVIES BRING NOSTALGIA THAT CAN BE MADE TO FEEL NEW AGAIN

Elaine Frontain Bryant, executive vice president and head of programming for A&E, Lifetime, and Lifetime Movie Network said of the All My Children reboot, “Lifetime is always interested in shows that kind of tap into a powerful nostalgia that can be made fresh for today’s audience. There’s a whole generation of women that have missed these stories and these characters.”

As for working with Kelly and Mark on the Lifetime movie versions of the soap, “They’re exactly the kind of partners you want at a brand,” expressed Bryant. “They’re trusted voices because every day they’re talking to their audience, which, a lot of times, is our audience. They bring a real credibility and have an authentic point of view. You meet Kelly and Mark and kind of what you see is what you get, and I think they bring that same authenticity to their development standards.”

Albert Bianchini, executive producer for Milojo, says he knows All My Children is so wildly popular with the fans of daytime. That was punctuated when seeing it in person, and how the energy was off the charts back in January of 2025 when Kelly participated along with Susan Lucci, former head writer, Lorraine Broderick and casting director, Judy Blye Wilson in a conversation with Andy Cohen at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.

Susan Lucci, Kelly Ripa, Andy Cohen

© Steven Bergman/AFF-USA.COM Credit: AFF/Alamy Live News

“I’ve never seen a crowd like that in my life. People were lined up around the block, recalled the Bianchini.  “Everyone wanted to know, ‘When is (All My Children) coming back? We want more.’  We got to see that in real life and Kelly got to feel it in real life, and it made so much sense. I just know that the minute it gets out in the world, people will want more and more and more. There’s just a love there.”

Kelly Ripa added that they are, “working closely with the estate of Agnes Nixon (the legendary creator of All My Children). She recalled, “She (Agnes) was so far ahead of her time. She covered topics that weren’t being covered. It was extraordinary the audiences that the show drew, and she served them real stories that were affecting Americans across the country but weren’t necessarily being represented anywhere.”

“It’d be wonderful to give the fans something that they’ve been yearning for so many years,” shared Mark Consuelos. “All My Children gave me my family. I met my wife there. It gave me my start in the business. It gave us so much. It would be a dream to be able to give back.”

THE CANCELLATION AND STOPS AND STARTS OF ALL MY CHILDREN REBOOTS

All My Children aired on ABC from 1970 to 2011. It got a second chance at life when Prospect Park resurrected the show and brought it to The OnLine Network and Hulu for one season in 2013.

Recently, the series made a return through the estate of Agnes Nixon and is streaming internationally on BEONDTV and through their partnership with PlutoTV Canada with episodes starting in 1995. Fans hope original episodes will some day soon be available in the U.S. as well, but that could prove more difficult since ABC owns the rights to the episodes stateside.

Now 13 years later, while there is no word yet on a definitive production start date to the two movies at Lifetime, all the people involved seemed determined to make it come to life.

So, what do you think of the executive vice-president of Lifetime and LMN being enthusiastic about Kelly and Mark’s All My Children movie revivals? Are you wanting to see this come to fruition? Kelly and Mark seem to have made this a very high priority.  Do you hope that by 2027 we might be able to get this to the finish the line and into production? Weigh-in via the comment section.

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‘The Young and the Restless’ Alum Brenda Dickson Accused of Hitting Young Girl in the Face

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Brenda Dickson

The legal woes continue for Brenda Dickson, the OG Jill Foster Abbott of The Young and the Restless. As we previously reported, Dickson was arrested for battery assault back on July 8, but by July 9, she was released by the LAPD.

Next, Dickson shared her side of the story back on July 30, and insists this is all a part of an issue with where she resides and the tenants. In an updated item from TMZ on Monday, August 3, it now appears that the man who is accusing Dickson of the assault, claims that Brenda struck his young daughter in the face and is seeking a restraining order against her in the courts.

According to the documents obtained by TMZ, a man named Richard Chamberlin filed for a civil harassment restraining order against the Y&R alum for hitting his daughter, Isabella, in the face and chest. He also claims Dickson bumped Isabella with trash bags, made threats, and verbally harassed her and others during the July 8 incident before her arrest.

Brenda Dickson

Photo: CBS

TENANT SEEKS RESTRAINING ORDER AGAINST THE FORMER JILL FOSTER ABBOTT

Chamberlin also noted and claims that Dickson has been stalking and harassing himself and his daughter for the past two months. In his court request, he wants Brenda to stay at least five yards away from him, his daughter, the other renter, and his dog. TMZ also notes Chamberlin does property maintenance and is a renter in the building where Brenda resides.

However, the Los Angeles courts have denied his request for now. They shared that his papers didn’t sufficiently show that Brenda had been violent, threatened violence, or caused substantial emotional distress. There is a hearing scheduled for August 24.

Previously, Brenda took to her Instagram with a video message on the matter and expressed to her fans why she initially did not respond to TMZ’s request for comment, because she knew that Chamberlin was going to take this to the next level. “I knew this was going to happen,” explained Dickson. “I’m still heavily involved in my trial and trying to get my property (this is related to her other ongoing legal issue), and it’s not over with yet. That’s why I haven’t touched base with you. I just wanted to thank you all for helping me and standing behind me (because) I know a lot of you heard this rumor. One of my fans said, ‘Oh, good. I hope you gave him a good ‘Joan Crawford’ slap.’ I’ve never slapped anybody in my life. Love you all and I’ll be back with good news, I’m sure, about my case.”

BRENDA DICKSON WAS ONE OF THE BREAKOUT STARS IN THE EARLY YEARS OF Y&R

Soap fans first came to know Brenda when she made her mark on The Young and the Restless back in 1973 when the show debuted. In story, Jill and Katherine Chancellor (the late Jeanne Cooper) battled for the love of Katherine’s husband, Phillip Chancellor (Donnelly Rhodes) and his death took their long-running feud to new depths that lasted decades.

Dickson’s initial run as Y&R’s Jill lasted until 1980. Later, she returned for another run from 1983-1987. The part was recast with Deborah Adair, Bond Gideon and eventually, Jess Walton.

So, do you think the man accusing Brenda of hitting his daughter and claiming the former Jill of Genoa City was stalking him and other tenants for the past few months is embellishing the story? Or is this all some kind of tiff between everyone residing in the building? Let us know your thoughts on the matter via the comment section.

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Days Of Our Lives

‘Days of Our Lives’ Star Emily O’Brien Ties the Knot With Longtime Love Ken Barnett

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Congratulations are in order for Days of Our Lives schemer, Emily O’Brien (Gwen Rizchech). The actress said “I do,” over the weekend in a wedding ceremony on Saturday, August 1 at the CaliPaso Winery in Paso Robles, California.

Emily married her longtime boyfriend, Ken Burnett. The couple have been together for 12 years before the big day. Taking to her Instagram with some exquisite photos which includes a look at Emily’s spectacular wedding dress, O’Brien announced the couple’s union.

As it turns out, the dress was worn by Burnett’s grandmother in 1956! Making the whole feel of the nuptials so special. Emily expressed, “I married my best friend this weekend… Ken, this life is more colorful, more adventurous & so much more beautiful with you in it. You make every dream a reality. Wearing your grandmothers heirloom wedding dress from 1956 was just the cherry… Cheers to Pickles & Neens”

Emily O'Brien Wedding

Photo: EOBrienIG

DAYS AND Y&R STARS SHARE EXCITEMENT FOR EMILY

The comment thread quickly filled up with congratulations from many of Emily’s present Days of our Lives co-stars and those from her former soap, The Young and the Restless where she played Jana Hawkes.

Tamara Braun (ex-Ava, Days and ex-Sienna, Y&R) shared, “The day was everything you two embody. Absolutely beautiful.” Greg Rikaart, who played Emily’s on-screen husband, Kevin Fisher on Y&R, and is now her bff Leo on DAYS shared, “Spectacular and beautiful. Zero notes. Congrats you two!!”Al Calderon (ex-Javi, DAYS) chimed in with “perfection,” while current DAYS co-star Linsey Godfrey (Sarah) added, “Perfect perfect perfect. Both of you.” Abigail Klein (Stephanie, DAYS) shared, “Storybook!” Y&R’s Michelle Stafford (Phyllis) expressed, “Gorgeous!!!!!”

It was back in March of this year that Barnett made his own tribute to the love of his life via his Instagram with a series of photos of the couple adding, “12 years later and we’re still up to our same shenanigans 😜 joyeux anniversaire, ma chérie.”

Share your congratulations for Emily and Ken via the comment section below, and wish the newlyweds all the best on their union!

 

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A post shared by Emily O’Brien (@emroya)

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