All My Children
Cady McClain's Latest Blog: Let's Talk About The Kids (Of All My Children)!
Photo Credit: Chapman Baehler
We did not think it was even possible to find Daytime Emmy winner, Cady McClain (Dixie Martin) more endearing than she already is … but in her latest blog on her website, Cady makes us love her even more with her honesty mixed with humor that cuts to the chase.
In her writings, McClain deals with the issue at-hand that has been of concern for long time viewers of All My Children. That is, that when AMC returns on April 29th there will be a host of new faces who have joined the series!
Cady reveals just how exciting the new additions to Pine Valley truly are including: Eric Nelsen (AJ), Ryan Bittle (JR), Sal Stowers (Cassandra), Robert Scott Wilson (Pete(, Jordan Lane Price (Celia), and Heather Roop (Jane) and Denyse Tontz (Miranda). She also reminds the viewers that All My Children had always been about exactly this at its core – the children of the residents of Pine Valley in some shape or form – and the veteran characters who are beloved staples of the iconic series.
Here now is an excerpt from Cady’s blog: “I want to talk about the new young people on All My Children, and why I think (and hope) the audience should give them a chance. I am not known for blowing smoke up anybodies hoo-ha, right? Let’s just start with that as a baseline for this conversation!
Before you totally freak on me, let me tell you that I TOTALLY understand what happened to AMC during the ‘oughts of 2000-2010. The show lost heart (in my opinion) and it’s way. Franz and company dominated and upended the show during that time, throwing old favorites into the fire and overwhelming the fans with too many new faces. I can totally get why someone might say, “Oh please, not again!” or “Stop ruining my show!”
Courtesy/CadyMcClain.com
Here is why I think, no scratch that, I KNOW that is NOT going to happen. First off: lets look at the COMPANY of actors on the list. On the classic side, there are: Julia Barr (Brooke), Jill Larson (Opal), David Canary (Adam), Ray MacDonnell (Joe Martin), Debbie Morgan (Angie), Darnell Williams (Jesse), me (Dixie), Eden Reigal (Bianca), Vincent Irrizary (David), Francesca James (Evelyn), Jordi Vilacuso (Griff), Lindsay Hartley (Cara), and Thorston Kaye (Zack)… that’s THIRTEEN veterans of the show in place from the START, and you can bet there are more to come.
On the newbie side there are: Eric Nelsen (AJ, son of JR), Ryan Bittle (JR), Jordan Lane Price (Celia, can’t tell you who she’s related to… YET!), Heather Roop (Jane), Sal Stowers (Cassandra, daughter of Angie and Jesse), Robert Scott Wilson (Pete Cortland, son of Opal and Palmer), and Denyse Tontz (Miranda, daughter of Bianca)… that’s only SEVEN and almost all of them are related to long standing, beloved core characters!
Then lets consider that Agnes Nixon was not allowed to give hardly ANY input when Franzie was running things. He REALLY threw her to the fire! NOW she is back in FULL FORCE and is totally and completely respected by the new bosses of the show. I have personally heard Jeff Kwatinetz talk about how blown away he is by her and her genius. Not only that, but Ginger Smith, who was an associate producer under every regime since I started, oh 25 years ago (lets not talk about that number, shall we?) is AT THE HELM. In all my years, I have never known ANYONE who LOVED and UNDERSTOOD All My Children at it’s CORE like Ginger. She is the MAIN reason I returned. I love and respect her so much.
Now let me tell you about my experiences with these young people. I don’t know if you’ve heard me talk about this yet, but you will. The short version is: when I came to the set the first day, I COULD NOT LEAVE IT. Even though I wasn’t shooting until the end of the day, I stayed on the set for HOURS. Guess who sat next to me all that time? Eric Nelsen who plays “AJ.”
Courtesy/IMDB
We sat and watched the monitor and I talked to him about the show, it’s history, how to work with cameras, everything that came into my mind on that very special day. He was a total doll, respectful, grateful and attentive. He studied at PCS, aka Professional Children’s School for Actors, and I could tell he is very passionate and committed to his work. As a child actor myself, we had an instant bond. Later, I got to watch him do his thing on set. He is totally committed, adorable, and incredibly talented. I can’t speak highly enough of this young man. I totally adore him.”
For more of Cady’s thoughts on the other new kids on the block, make sure to visit her blog here!
So what do you think of the point that Cady is making? Will you give the “newbies” a chance and kick back and enjoy the story and just let it play out before making any judgement? Which “New Kid” are you looking forward to seeing the most? Let us know your thoughts!
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This is fantastic to hear especially coming for a seasoned veteran like Cady. It is wonderful to know that the powers that be respect the history and core of our shows and value the vision and talent of Agnes Nixon. It is clear the alphabet network and their hatch man had no respect for or interest in AMC or OLTL or their audience. Everything we’ve heard about Prospect Park, including these comments from Cady, seem to indicate that narrow minded attitude is history. Good riddance. Thank you Cady.
Great post I completely agree!
Love Cady!!! Love her writing and acting and can’t wait to embrace the show once again!!!
Looks like Prospect Park is giving the soaps their all and are giving Agnes great respect and letting her do her thing/magic.. Some people were terrible and cruel when PP could not make this happen last year, but the investors were not on-board and then unions could not be won over for them.. Now, seeing how much time and effort has gone into launching the 2 soaps there was no way back then that PP could have done this in 3 months, no matter how much they wanted to.. PP did say they would keep trying and they did, and… Read more »
But PP did crush a lot of hopes when in Nov. 2011 it did announce it wasnt able to relaunch both shows so i for one can understand the fans anger. PP shouldnt have said anything unless it was a guarantee go. Even many actors thought it was the end and moved on. So i dont feeling any fan should feel ashame at all. Besides many of us didnt feel these shows were coming back until almost a year later so it was easy to give up on PP which hadnt really been established yet. No, they shouldnt feel ashamed… Read more »
Sorry, there is absolutely no excuse for the terrible behavior of some of the fans.. They were grownups acting outrageously towards PP who promised them nothing nor owed them nothing. They were so out of control that through this past year while PP was still working to launch the soaps it was done in complete secrecy so not to have to deal with the terrible actions of out of control fans who caused them problems/damage with their tentative investors the first time around from their boycotting and whatever other threats to PP .. Everyone one them should be ashamed for… Read more »
Hey Jim, Yea some hopes got crushed however they did say that they were not giving up on bringing them back and most fans stayed behind them doing all we could to try to help………
Su0000 you really need to quit, you were all over the Micheal Easton thread bashing PP up down and side ways, so you should be ashamed for your “neurotic” behavior!
I feel ill split it down the middle…50% 4 PP for not letting the fans know at first they were still working on bringing them back which could have avoided their childish reaction and the other 50% for the fans 4 being childish. Dang, i hate my honesty because i was one of them, and i cant lie about it. lol. But now its time for all those fans to put the anger behind them and move forward with happy thoughts that their favorite shows are returning.
Joliefan Forever, that was not me bashing in any ME thread, I’m not a basher, not mtything..
I am all time total supporter of PP , never said a bad word about them/PP..
Hey Jim, The day they announced that because of Financial Backing out due to no fault of their own, they could not put the shows on at that time they did say that they were not giving up on bringing them back, and it didn’t deter SOME fans from acting like little kids then and now…..See I wasn’t, me and a group of AMC and OLTL fans dedicated pages and sites to bringing back them shows and promoting PP etc, ya know the phone calls and what not LOL…..I agree all the fans should be happy that the shows are… Read more »
I am happy these shows are back and I WILL support both!
I just hope the teens on New AMC are not isolated amongst themselves and have storylines with the veterans. I also hope the teenagers will have psychological depth and not be vacuous and materialistic.
The vets and newbies work for us fans of Dallas and i see no reason why it shouldnt work here. There is enough vets to satisfy long time fans and the newbies are playing characters with connections to the vets just like Dallas has successfully done. Its starting to feel more like the AMC i remember than that last year it was on ABC so i dont see any reason fans should complain. Besides if one of your missing favorites isnt there when the show starts, it doesnt mean they cant come back later. Im sure PP will always leave… Read more »
Great post! I’m looking forward to the new and improved AMC.
The soaps now are around 30 minutes actual run time..
So, having them on the internet now at 30 mins is near the same..
When watching the soaps on-line they around 36 minutes including the commercials.
So, there is really no difference in run time of the actual soap..
The soaps run an hour on network TV because of all the commercials ..
Hey Jim, They did say that the shows could go to one hour each, But like I said before on another thread even tho GH Is on for an hour the show is actually about 35 minutes long because of the commercials, and AMC and OLTL are supposed to have very little to No commercials. I don’t think the writers will have any problem blending in the newbies as they are only newbie actors not newbie characters they just aged the kids that are already apart of the show. And they have the Queen of Daytime and all her experience… Read more »
Out of all the returns mentioned, Agnes Nixon was the best one of them all! Long live the queen!
Jim Long Live the Queen LOVE IT!!!!
I dont feel i was really mad at PP like some of those others were, i was kinda depressed more and i didnt see anything on line about PP park because of lenghty health issues but now im feeling better about what im hearing about PP and feeling somewhat better healthwise as well. I couldnt respond to your last reply so i did here. Thanks 4 reply.
So sorry to hear you were not well but glad to hear you are feeling better!!
You are right again Jim.
I like to think im always right. LOL! Thanks!!!
You are very welcome Jim
Beuaitful, beautiful writing by Ms. Cady McClain! She has such a beautiful way with her words. And let’s think about it: isn’t everyone a “newbie” anyway? Cady was, Julia was, Lindsay was. It’s how soaps grow. And that’s how AMC is going to grow. Without the new actors, how is the show expecting to grow and more forward with its history. These actors won’t be alive forever, so “newbies” will forever be coming in. I think it’s beautiful that the show is evolving and that they are being accepted and welcoming by the returning veterans of the series. It’s so… Read more »
I am so glad that Agnes Nixon is behind the scenes. I have the utmost faith and confidence in her and look forward to the first episode.
What story lines do people still remember from the first days of All My Children? Erica’s scheming to break up Tara and Phil (and Chuck woven in their as well). And consider some of the most beloved current vets: Angie and Jessie (started out as teen characters), Dixie (was pretty creepy that Adam hit on her when the actress herself was that young) and Tad (who will eventually make his way back), Brooke came on as a teen. Eden Riegel’s turn as Bianca was a teen subplot. Agnes Nixon knows how to plot teen stories that become life long favorite… Read more »
I agree with all you said, and I’d only add that I hope whatever is going on with Kendall and Zach is resolved so that the Slaters are back together where they belong. Like Cady, I have alot of confidence in Agnes Nixon’s storytelling and I’m looking forward to seeing the veteran actors interact with the newer ones. This should be good.
Cady is my favorite! She’s such a cheerleader for soaps and we need more like her. People like Cady, Jordi, Kassie and Jerry who promote their shows on websites and blogs are what help keep the fans excited.
I am excited to watch too. I am sure one or two of these SORAswill be a bit much (age wise. Bianca didn’t have Miranda as a teenager for example) but I can learn to overlook that (not like something like that hasn’t happened before). Still it’s going to be an interesting ride, and like was mentioned All My Children is about family. I can’t wait to watch next month.
Yes, the SOAR characters will be a bit different..
But, in order to keep the core families alive they needed to have older children..
Without the SRARed the stage would be a bit empty and the stories empty lol ..
I’m looking forward to the new adventures!!!
I feel the grownup children now young adults, will have a lot to offer, story wise, for sure.. exciting!
Miranda was born in 2004 that makes her 8 years old they are going ahead 5 years that makes her 13. I think what makes it so weird is that Bianca hasn’t aged……
Just hearing about the concept and how it will be just like the AMC of the 70’s and 80’s that told me that Agnes is in total control. She used to own the show at the beginning and is what CLASSIC AMC is all about. I knew that ABC wanted Agnes out, that is reason why both AMC and OLTL got the ax. For GH, The creators are dead, and ABC controls the show. Even Bridget Dobson, Frank and Doris’ Daughter has no control.
Aging soap kids is a lot like how quickly real life kids seem to age. 0ne day they are these sweet adorable little moppets your listening say their first words, taking them to see Santa, and watching them go off on their first day of school. Then b4 you know it they get older and our talking back at you, lieing cheating and stealing, and going off to jail for a crime they did commit. (Ok not all kids are bad! lol) Im just saying that childhood is very fleeting in soaps and in real life!
…meant to say 4 a crime they did or didnt commit. But im sure you get my point and the humor.
O.k., let me start by saying I love Cady and respect her as an actress. And I know how much the returning actors want this to work, so do I! But in her blog, she states ” its ONLY 7 new faces of aged rolls.” There are 20 actors in the new cast photo. Thats one third of the cadt that are newbies, unfamiliar and untried to fans. The show already has enough walls to climb, a new firmat to watch, web and not tv, 30 minutes each show and 4 days a week, and 1/3 new faces? Come on,… Read more »
Days, recast 7 actors all at once, u think that wouldnt be a huge problem?
Whats the big deal? Most of the vets were unfamilar newbies and untried to us fans when they first started on these shows. Most of the recasting is 4 the aging of the children because the show takes place 5 years later after it left ABC. Recasting adult characters cant be helped for a because their previous potrayers are committed to other things. This is called a reboot for a reason. We should be grateful the show is coming back in any form. Give it a chance first then decide if you like it or not. I did with Dallas… Read more »
I agree Jim Great Post!
Whats the big deal? Most of the vets were once newbies who were unfamiliar and untried to us fans when they first started on the show. Many of the newbies r for the aging of the children because the series takes place 5 years after its original run on ABC. The teens feel like a nod to the shows original beginings, and i mean that in a postive way. The recasting of any adult character cant be helped because their previous potrayers are mostly committed to other projects. They dont call these reboots for nothing. We should be grateful that… Read more »
Sorry if your seeing double…i thought one of my replies got cancelled when i pushed the wrong thing to edit!
I can’t believe that people have the nerve to complain when they are lucky enough to be getting their show back. What I would do to get ATWT back – ugh! Be grateful, not hateful!
Atwt is missed by me too. I play that special Upstairs/Downstairs Christmas episode every Christmas season.
Im beginning to wonder if some of the complainers are related to Brian Frons and hope these reboots fail just to prove him right.
I wouldn’t put it past him! Frons already looks like the ASS that he is!!! This Reboot has got to be a MAJOR SLAP in the face to him and his “Knowledge” of the “Common Housewife ((FANS))” & what they want to watch on TV……Actually the SLAP is going to be felt By him, ABC and Disney! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
Agreed…i just wish Micheal could interview Brian and get his opinion on all this but i dont Brian would have the balls to do it!!! lol
meant doubt…
Hahahaha That would be awesome! But your right Brian ain’t got the balls to do it! 🙂
Are any of these complainers of the reboots related to or are friends of Brian Frons and are hoping the revivals fail just to prove BF right? I plan to tune in b4 i judge what i havent seen and then ill decide if i like what i see or not. Hopefully ill like them but if i dont( of course i might not like it at first and then i might later. Ive often gone back and forth liking and dislking my soaps) im still gratefull that the soaps may still be around for many generations to come.
Another one! I thought i cancelled the first to do a rewrite!
I can’t wait to see all my children sometimes fighting for what you want works because this was part of my family as for many more I know and can’t wait to see my friends again .Il’s like the unemployment everybody is fighting for what they want and it’s not easy hope everyone will get at lease some of what they want thank you for being there All my children
All My Children
Chrishell Stause and G Flip Tie the Knot
Selling Sunset star and soap alum, Chrishell Stause is married after one-year of dating to Australian-born musician, G Flip.
Stause, who formerly appeared on the soap operas; All My Children, Days of our Lives, and The Young and the Restless, took to her Instagram with a montage of photos sharing the news of her union with G Flip.
Photo: CStauseIG
The marriage was confirmed by Stause’s rep to PEOPLE. Chrishell’s post also was used to promote G Flip’s brand new single, “Be Your Man” with a look at their year together in photos. The single was written by G Flip about their relationship with Stause.
The real estate broker/reality star shared: “Love doesn’t always go as planned … Sometimes it’s immeasurably better. Be Your Man is out now & linked in stories. If you ever get the pleasure of meeting G, know that you are meeting one of the kindest, funniest & most talented hard working people out there. Please go stream! I love you so much @gflip ❤️🔥 #BeYourMan”
Previously, Chrishell was in a relationship for four years to Justin Hartley (ex-This Is Us, Y&R, Passions) before getting married. The two eventually tied the knot in 2017 and were divorced in 2019.
Share your congratulations, thoughts, or well-wishes for Stause and G Flip on their marriage in the comment section below.
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All My Children
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Carol Burnett On Her 90th Birthday Recalls Agnes Nixon Offering Her the Role of All My Children’s Verla Grubbs
Last night on her 90th birthday, comedy legend Carol Burnett was honored during the NBC TV special, Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love. Today, April 27th,the extended cut is available to stream on Peacock.
In an interview on her career with Vulture, Burnett discussed how she eventually wound up playing the role of Verla Grubbs on her favorite soap opera, All My Children.Burnett, first played the role in 1983.
Photo: ABC
As many know, Carol was a professed longtime fan of Pine Valley, and over the years, many wondered if she asked for a role on the show and thus reached out to its legendary creator, Agnes Nixon.
Burnett revealed: “I didn’t have to. She volunteered. When I did questions and answers at the top of my show, I often talked about All My Children with the audience. I’d say, ‘Oh, I didn’t see it today. What happened?’ Because my lunch hour was built around watching All My Children. Agnes knew that, and she called and said, ‘Would you like it if I wrote a character for you?’ I said, ‘Absolutely!’ So on my hiatus, I flew back to New York and they had a whole story line for me. I was on it for two weeks, and I got to know Susan Lucci. Oh, and Susan is on the 90th! She flew out and I was thrilled. But soap operas are the hardest work, because, oh my God, you get 19 pages at night, you have to study the lines, and then you go do it in the morning. I really admire soap-opera actors, how they pull it off.”
Photo: ABC
The character of Verla Grubbs (the daughter of Langley Wallingford) appeared on AMC several times in 1983, 1995, 2005 and 2011.
Check out Burnett as Verla below.
Now let us know if you admire Carol’s appreciation of the art form of the soaps, and if you loved her during her time on All My Children in the comment section below.
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