News
Former Y&R Showrunner Maria Arena Bell Staging A Comeback!
Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins
While The Young and the Restless continues without Maria Arena Bell, who was let-go by the show in favor of Jill Farren Phelps and Josh Griffith as the CBS soaps executive producer and head writer, she is staging somewhat of a comeback with a new production company and shopping some projects around to hopefully get off the ground in the very near future, according to a piece on Bell in the fashion and style section of the New York Times!
Here is an excerpt from the N.Y. Times piece on Bell, who has a screenplay she hopes to sell: “She named her fledgling production company Vitameatavegamin, after the I Love Lucy health tonic. That screenplay, a time-travel comedy with a Disneyland element, has been written, and a marquee comedian is “circling” it, as they call tentative interest in Hollywood. She is talking to the cable network OWN about a show. And Ms. Bell has all kinds of ideas about online and mobile programming, like a Web soap about a woman trying to keep an old-line soap afloat.”
Bell told the N.Y. Times: “I’m out on the pitch brigade. I truly feel that there has never been a better time for a creative person to dive in and try and figure out these new platforms. How do you make a great show that’s a great cable-online hybrid? How do you successfully make a serial for a mobile platform? As everyone knows — especially the viewers, who are moving on — network shows have become more cautious and watered down. I miss the show (Y&R) enormously, but almost a year after leaving I am really so incredibly happy.”
The N.Y. Times piece also related what Y&R mainstay Eric Braeden (Victor Newman) said about Maria’s departure from Y&R a year ago, “I was very sad to see her go. Maria understood what makes the show tick.”
So what do you think about Maria’s projects? Especially, the one for the web about a woman trying to keep an old-line soap afloat? Intriguing? Or, not interested? Do you now miss Maria at the helm of Y&R, or prefer Josh and Jill’s Y&R? Comment below!
I am a strong believer in freedom of speech and creativity.
Network TV is censored.
However;
Books, Music, Movies,Games, cable, internet programing etc are free from censoring.
When writers have the freedom to express and create their visions then we get great media..
It is the baby boomers who mainly watch Network TV.
Most younger, the now gen people, are use to upper cable, and internet programing of uncensored viewing.
I see in the future network tv going pay/cable for their survival.
The Boomers are the ones keeping network tv alive and grew up with their media being censored, but the younger grew up with cable, internet, video games, music all uncensored.
And censoring of daytime soaps is a killer for new viewers..
The soaps need new viewers and them being daytime and censored, they will never get new viewers, the younger viewers, the count of viewers usually stay in the same numbers, no surge of new viewers.
PP had the chance to actually save the soaps being uncensored on the internet to bring in new viewers and the Boomers complained over the change and killed it and kept the soaps 1980’s era . They will not flourish if they do not evolve.
I think Bell realizes that and I wish her the best!!
I hope it goes well for her!!
She just wasn’t good with Y&R eventhough she kind of knows the history of it but her writing and showrunner sucks as HELL…………….
I miss MAB’s writing and characters at Y&fR. Best of luck to her!
Same here. Granted, she could be awful at times … she wasn’t 1/10 as horrific as the Jill Farren Phelps/Josh Griffin team. And it’s only going to get much worse in the next couple of years.
I wasn’t a fan of her work on Y&R, but I wish her well in her new endeavors.
It was time for Ms. Bell to go. She went. And now we are seeing brighter sets and more current type writing and often on the edge of our seats. My Grandma would not be happy but at 53, it was a great move.
It may have been time for MAB to go, but what we have now is a well-documented show wrecker. JFP will have this show near cancellation before she’s kicked off.
GET BACK TO Y&R NOW Before Jill Farren Phelps Puts It Into It’s Grave!!!!!!!!!!!!
It looks like the current run of Lucas Adams (Noah) and Tamara Braun (Sienna) on The Young and the Restless is coming to an end, after the Monday, August 3 edition of the CBS daytime drama revealed that Noah and Sienna are leaving Genoa City and heading back to Los Angeles.
In the storyline, Noah informed his mother, Sharon (Sharon Case) and half-sister Mariah (Camryn Grimes) that he and Sienna made the decision to move back to the West Coast to put distance between themselves and Matt Clark (Roger Howarth). Although Noah did not say it was a permanent move, he did assure his mom that once Matt is hopefully gone from Genoa City they could return.
However, as previewed already on the video teaser for this week’s episodes of Y&R (see below), it appears Noah left Genoa City’s The Shadow Room to be run by a returning Danny Romalotti (Michael Damian). So with that, coupled with today’s episode, it would appear the move could wind up being more permanent.
Photo: JPI
COMINGS AND GOINGS
Adams made his Y&R debut on November 4, 2025 as the successor to Rory Gibson who last played Noah on-screen in April of 2023. Earlier in 2025, Gibson took over the role of Michael Corinthos on Genera Hospital replacing Chad Duell, who stepped away from the part after 15 years.
Braun who played Adam’s mother on Days of Our Lives when she was Ava Vitali and he was Tripp Dalton, first appeared on Y&R back on October 14, 2025, where we soon learned she had become Noah’s lover as the new character, Sienna Bacall. It should be noted, Adams was on contract with the number #1 soap, while Braun has been on recurring status.
With Josh Griffith now exited as head writer of The Young and the Restless, and the newly announced co-head writing team of Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor having taken his place and starting their new tenure this week, it will be interesting to see how the duo resets the show, and if a Noah and Sienna return is in the cards for the future or not.
So, what do you think about the seeming departures of Lucas Adams and Tamara Braun from The Young and the Restless? Weigh-in via the comment section. But first, check out our recent live chat with Tamara and Lucas on the Michael Fairman Channel.
Rosie O’Donnell revealed that she plans to head back to a seat at the table of ABC’s morning talk show The View.
The announcement came during Monday’s episode of The Tangle Podcast where she shared she will participate in “in whatever way they want” her or “just as a guest” for its upcoming 30th season.
The View’s season 30 will kick-off this fall in September. O’Donnell explained, “They’re bringing back all the hosts, I think. And, you know, I’m pretty proud of that show, what it’s become and how it really speaks to the people and to politics.”
Photo: ABC
ROSIE ON HER PREVIOUS GO-ROUNDS ON THE VIEW
As fans of The View know, O’Donnell famously had two different one-year stints on the talk show in 2007 and again in 2014- 2015. She often feuded with then co-host Elizabeth Hasselbeck.
However, during her discussion with host, Kyle Ridley on The Tangle Podcast, O’Donnell also noted she often had tense moments with longtime moderator and anchor, Whoopi Goldberg.
O’Donnell also expressed, “Many, many people got the short end of the stick there. It was, you know, it was a factory where people were being churned in and out and their tenuous security, nobody got to be calm. It also was a show at the time that was run by a man. A show created by a woman, for women, about women, and the man was deciding what we should talk about. And that didn’t sit right with me, you know.”
Back in 2023, Brooke Shields had asked Rosie on her podcast, Now What? with Brooke Shields, about how she felt on her two stints at The View and all the controversy that surrounded it. Rosie at that time, stated, “I know this, it’s not the best use of my talent to get in a show where I have to argue and defend basic principles of humanity and kindness. It was not something I’d ever do again.”
You can check out the clip with Rosie and Kyle Ridley discussing her return to The View in some form for its upcoming 30th season below.
Then weigh-in: Would you be excited to see Rosie, even for a one-day or a week guest stint on the upcoming celebratory season of The View, or not so much? Let us know via the comment section.
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General Hospital Fan Club Weekend brought out many of your favorites to the four day event; with the main cast gathering on Saturday, August 1. Fans near and far attended the weekend held this year at the Burbank Marriott Hotel. Whether it be the main cast event or the smaller more intimate events featuring two or three cast members a great time was had by all.
Some of the cast participating in the main cast event included: Cyrus Hobbi (Yuri), Gary James Fuller (James), Bradford Anderson (Spinelli), Viron Weaver (Wiley), Paige Herschell (Jacinda), Chris McKenna (Brennan), Josh Kelly (Cody), Kayden Brenna Tokarsi (Scout), Cassandra James (Terry), Laura Wright (Carly), Dominic Zamprogna (Dante), Carolyn Hennesy (Diane), Rick Hearst (Ric), Adrian Anchondo (ex-Marco), and Chloe Lanier (ex-Nelle).
In addition to, Van Hansis (Lucas), Cameron Mathison (Drew), Ryan Paevey (ex-Cassius), Easton Rocket Sweda (Leo), Maurice Benard (Sonny), Kristen Vaganos (Molly), Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis), Kate Mansi (ex-Kristina), Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth), Cynthia Watros (Nina), Kristina Wagner (Felicia) and more.
Take a look at some of the snaps from the main event arrivals below:
Photo: HutchinsPhoroi
GH’s Rick Hearst with on-screen daughter, Kristen Vaganos, plus Nancy Lee Grahn, and Kate Mansi.
Photo: HutchinsPhoto
GH’s Maurice Benard on-hand to meet the fans.
Photo: HutchinsPhoto.com
Jack Brennan in the house … Chris McKenna.
Photo: HutchinsPhoto
Adrian Anchondo, Van Hansis and Anchondo’s boyfriend, Days of Our Lives, Colton Little.
Photo: HutchinsPhoto
GH’s Josh Kelly and his gal, the former Nelle Benson of Port Charles, Chloe Lanier.
Photo: HutchinsPhoto
Who is James’ father? Not Cassius or Spinelli, actually. Actors Gary James Fuller, Ryan Paevey and Bradford Anderson!
Photo: HutchinsPhoto
One of General Hospital’s newest cast members, Kayden Brenna Tokarski attends her first GHFCW event.
Check out some more arrival images featuring: Laura Wright (Carly), Cassandra James (Terry), Carolyn Hennesy (Diane) and more in the gallery below.
Michael Fairman TV will be adding more images to this post in the day ahead.
So, were you glad to see so many of your GH favorites attending this year’s General Hospital Fan Club Weekend? Let us know via the comment section.
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