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Disney/ABC Television Chief Anne Sweeney To Leave Her Position To Become A Director!

Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

Now this came as quite the shocker today, not necessarily because Anne Sweeney would be leaving her post at some point, but because of the reason that was cited!

Today, Variety learned that ABC Television Chief Anne Sweeney will be exiting her position come January to pursue her new career path as a director!  Some speculate the move allows for a graceful exit for the executive, who has been with Disney since 1996, rising through the ranks from running Disney Channel to TV chief in 2004.

According to Variety also, it’s understood within Disney that “Sweeney was not seen as a contender to replace Bob Iger as Disney CEO when his contract ends in 2016. With no more room to advance, Sweeney has clearly opted to take a left-turn career-wise.  In a lengthy statement, Sweeney asserted that Iger had offered her a long-term contract but she declined. There have been persistent rumors that the two have had chilly relations in recent years.”

Sweeney currently oversees all Disney TV (other than ESPN), so just how things will shake out with her departure will be interesting to follow.  She is currently co-chair of Disney Media Networks and president of Disney/ABC Television Group, in charge of ABC, ABC Family, Disney Channel, Disney Junior and ABC News.   And as soap fans know, Brian Frons reported to Anne Sweeney when he was in charge of ABC Daytime!

Here is Anne Sweeney’s statement:  “The past 18 years at Disney have been the highlight of my executive career. I’ve been a part of an amazing evolution in our business and our industry, and have achieved far more than I ever thought possible. But as wonderful as the experience has been, there has always been a nagging voice in the back of my head pushing me to step out of the comfort zone of the executive ranks and more directly into the creative arena that enticed me to TV in the first place. I finally listened to that voice and thought, ‘if not now, when?’ I know my decision to step back from all of this to learn the art of directing may seem surprising, but to me it’s a long realized dream. I am so thankful to Bob Iger for his leadership, guidance and his friendship over the years, and am grateful not only for his offer to remain with the company for many years to come, but his understanding and support of my decision to make this change. I’m excited to spend the remainder of this year positioning the TV Group for even greater success.”

So, what do you think about Anne leaving Disney/ABC to pursue a career in directing?  Weigh-in below!

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Laurel Twist
Guest
Laurel Twist

It’s always good to go pursue a dream! Good for her!

louisa
Guest
louisa

Not sure how I feel about this. She was in charge of Frons–but she also fired him.

I hope her replacement brings back OLTL and AMC and makes ABC the dominate soap channel once again!

su0000
Guest
su0000

Good riddance ,,

If Anne Sweeney and Brian Frons had left years ago we’d most likely still have AMC and OLTL, or at the least one of them..
It was Her and Frons who killed them ..

Helen
Guest
Helen

I also got my wish, thank god one life to live and all my children got cancelled. cbs soaps and general are the best soaps right now. days of our lives is great too.

Christine
Guest
Christine

I am in total agreement with you. Another beast bites the dust!

Christine
Guest
Christine

I am very sorry that AMC and OLTL were cancelled. They were my favorites but the others on CBS and NBC are good as well. I just wish they would bring the shows back with the original characters but I doubt that will ever happen. I have boycotted ABC programming since the cancellations with the exception of GH.

Tammy Kreiss
Guest
Tammy Kreiss

Ok The Witch & the Warlock gone, but wish it had been before they disregarded what their fans wanted.

DAVID
Guest
DAVID

Abc will cancel general hospital next year, I still don’t trust abc. They will replace gh, with a new talk show. Abc wants out of the soap business.

Beth CP
Guest
Beth CP

This woman was a wrecking ball to the soap genre and gave Frons the original order to axe GH, AMC, and OLTL. And we all know what has happened since then. I echo su0000 in saying “Good riddance”. When she exits out of her comfy, cozy executive office I hope the door smacks her in the a** on the way out.

JustSaying
Guest
JustSaying

What’s there to direct – reality tv?
“Creative arena” doesn’t exist anymore.

Llanviewer717
Guest
Llanviewer717

What a wonderful piece of news!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! First that hateful scum BF and now her. I sincerely hope the local affiliates and stockholders keep raising hell about the loss of revenue until all the top brass of the alphabet network and the mouse company are gone. They have shown no respect for their loyal viewers and no respect for their employees. Why is she sticking around until January? She can go now. Good riddance!!!!!!!!!!

brian
Guest
brian

Bye Bye

jimh(leave it to beaver)
Guest
jimh(leave it to beaver)

Hope her exit is worse than Robins…Its her free choice to leave and direct…maybe she can come back 5 to 6 months a year when time permits…but i doubt she’s smart enough to find a cure for those two who are most likely truely sincerely dead: AMC and OLTL…lmao!!! (hope you get my joking here!!!)

Lisa Z.
Guest
Lisa Z.

Unfortunately, her departure is several years too late for OLTL and AMC fans. She championed their cancellation and welcomed the ultra-expensive Katie talk show! We all know how well that went. Maybe this is part of the fallout from that huge blunder – only insiders know the real reason for her departure.

Mary SF
Guest
Mary SF

It would be the height of irony if the only show willing to teach her the ropes about directing was a soap. LOL. But seriously, as a woman in corporate America there is still a glass ceiling that many cannot crack. If a man had been in her position he would have been offered the CEO job in a heartbeat. I don’t blame her for leaving after an insult like that, if she wants to spin it as a chance to pursue her “dream” well I don’t begrudge her that, but in reality I bet her decision to move on… Read more »

Pat
Guest
Pat

I wish we were saying good bye to her and all of abc/disney and any other of there projects out there and there are many..

I still boycott the station for having no consideration for the viewers of 40+ yrs watching OLTL/AMC….
what do they have now that is not a soap and over 40 yr. going strong?
I do not wish her or them well.

janet
Guest
janet

Hey don’t let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya.. Sounds like sour grapes to me. But what do I know I watch soaps.

boes
Guest
boes

With any luck, the only directing she’ll be doing is telling Brian Frons what to do in their joint baked potato stand on the Santa Monica Pier.

KateA
Guest
KateA

Doesn’t matter. The destruction has been done. I will always boycott ABC.

Michael
Guest
Michael

Wish she left before she killed ago One Life and All My Kids. G’ riddance soap killer.

Jared
Guest
Jared

Bu-bye! Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

mgb357
Guest
mgb357

could it be that abc is cleaning house so that they can start producing shows again that people are willing to watch?

hint – continuous stories that appeal to viewers!!!

or just repeat cancelled soaps – it would be a ratings boon!

Dina Vargia
Guest
Dina Vargia

No tears for her leaving. She was never a friend of the soap genre, and just like Frons, she did a lot of damage to ABC daytime, and then leaves. Even with these 2 gone, I doubt ABC will ever bring our soaps back. ABC daytime has never recovered it`s ratings after canceling OLTL & AMC.

All My Children

Pride Month Celebrating LGBTQ+ Soap Supercouples: Nuke, Kish, Otalia & WilSon … Which Stands the Test of Time?

June is Pride Month, the time when across the U.S and the world there are celebrations and commemorations to recognize all who identify as LGBTQ and their allies.

Daytime soap operas have had a rocky road when it comes to the representation of same-sex couples.  The soaps have been at one time leaders in portraying key social issues of our time, as well as treading lightly on other subjects, as to its concerns to ‘turn-off’ its core audiences.

When you look back at the groundbreaking first same-sex weddings, and the first gay kiss, the soaps have come far in some ways in their representations of gay characters, but there is always work to be done to serve and to shed light on the under-represented.

As we reflect back to the then and the now, which LGBTQ soap supercouple remains your favorite and had made a lasting impact? Let’s take a look at four duos who captivated many viewers.

Nuke  – Luke Snyder and Noah Mayer – As the World Turns

Van Hansis (Luke) and Jake Silbermann (Noah) were a key part of the evolution of, and representation of LGBTQ character on the soaps.  ‘Nuke’, as they were known as, became the first gay male soap couple to share an on-screen kiss back in 2007.  ATWT also became known as the first soap to depict a fully realized romantic male couple as an integral part of the show.  There was plenty of backlash along the way for the long-awaited kiss to happen, but when it did, the show moved forward to tell their love story.

Otalia – Olivia Spencer and Natalia Rivera Aitoro – Guiding Light

When Crystal Chappell (Olivia) and Jessica Leccia (Natalia) began to play the love story of Otalia, they had to show their affection by a kiss on the head, or holding hands.  It took quite some time for GL to move forward to have two women, two moms, no less, share a lip lock. The complicated love story featured Natalia being conflicted to face her true romantic feelings for Olivia, because of her value system and religions upbringing, and that made this all the more riveting and frustrating at the same time.  In the end, the rabid fan base for this duo was so great that Chappell wound up creating her own series, Venice, to honor and serve them, remaining one of the LGBTQ communities greatest allies.

Kish – Kyle Lewis and Oliver Fish – One Life to Live

In 2009, One Life to Live’s Kyle Lewis (Brett Claywell) was an out lab tech in Llanview, who back in college had a relationship with Officer Oliver Fish (Scott Evans).  It imploded when Oliver denied he was gay.  For years, Oliver remained in the closet, before finally coming out to himself and Kyle.

Kish had been a big success with the media and One Life’s gay audience. LGBTQ-advocacy groups honored the couple and the story.  However, Kish was cut short when the network felt that the data showed that the storyline was not resonating with the show’s core audience.

WilSon – Will Horton and Sonny Kiriakis – Days of our Lives

Days of our Lives delivered daytime’s first-ever gay male wedding in 2014, between Will (then played by Guy Wilson) and Sonny (then played by Freddie Smith).

In an interview with EW, Days of our Lives executive producer, Ken Corday shared on the union, “Will and Sonny have been together for a while and it was the natural progression of their love story. We didn’t feel like there was anything we could or couldn’t do, we treated them like any other couple on the canvas and continued to grow their romance as such.”

In addition, the coming out story of Will Horton was critically praised and noteworthy for the performances of Chandler Massey, who won three Daytime Emmys for his work in the Outstanding Younger Actor category 2012, 2013 and 2014.  Freddie Smith also won in the same category in 2015.  Will has been played over the years by Chandler Massey and Guy Wilson, while Sonny has been portrayed by Freddie Smith and Zach Tinker.

There have been several other key LGBTQ couples throughout the course of daytime history including All My Children’s Bianca (Eden Riegel) and Reese (Tamara Braun). These two characters were involved in the first same-sex lesbian wedding on daytime. Problem was … Reese kissed Zach (Thorsten Kaye) before the wedding, making this infuriating for viewers at home.

Other notable LGBTQ couples through the years have included: Bianca and Maggie on All My Children, Mariah and Tessa of The Young and the Restless played bv Camryn Grimes and Cait Fairbanks, Maya and Rick on The Bold and the Beautiful, Lucas and Brad on General Hospital and others.

Which couple do you think has had the most lasting impact on the history of LGBTQ representation on daytime soap operas? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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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

Mark Consuelos Debut Week on ‘Live with Kelly and Mark’ Scores Highest Rating for Show Since Mid-January

They are off to a good start! Former All My Children stars, real-life husband and wife, and now co-hosts of Live with Kelly and Mark, fared well in Mark Consuelos’ (ex-Mateo) debut week.

Consuelos took over from Ryan Seacrest in the co-host chair opposite Ripa (ex-Hayley) on April 17th.  The couple’s debut-week landed them solid ratings, plus the syndicated morning series largest audience in three months.

According to Nielsen’s live+same-day data, Live with Kelly and Mark scored 2.4M viewers and a 1.7 Household rating.

Those stats make it the highest for both since the week of January 16.  The pairing also scored well on Live’s year-over-year averages in both total viewers and in the key demo. Live with Kelly and Mark was up 6% in ratings and 8% in total viewers.

In addition, Kelly and Mark were shown the love in the New York City market. The premiere week brought with it Live‘s most-watched week in nearly three years. Formerly, May of 2020 was the biggest numbers for a NY state of mind audience.

So, how do you like Kelly and Mark together as co-hosts thus far on ‘Live’? Let us know in the comment section below.

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