All My Children

Jeff Kwatinetz Takes Prospect Park and Investors To Court With Chief Complaint Over The Continuation of All My Children and One Life to Live!

December 3, 2013

Courtesy/N.Y. Times

Courtesy/N.Y. Times

There is always more to the story, and that would be true for those in front of the camera and behind the scenes who work in, perform in, or produce in soap operas! News broke today that Jeff Kwatinetz, who spearheaded the online revivals of the canceled ABC soaps, All My Children and One Life to Live is now suing the company he works for Prospect Park and its Boston-based investment group ABRY Investment Partnership, L.P., and ABRY Senior Equity Co-Investment Fund IV.

According to Deadline.com, “The catalyst of the complaint was a difference of opinion that Kwatinetz has with ABRY over the direction of the company, sources tell me. Specially, that disagreement has to do with the future of AMC and OLTL and whether they will continue or not. Kwatinetz was advocating the continuation of the two series. Having said that, the producer had his lawyer Michael Taitelman file the complaint not because he intends to leave Prospect Park, I’m told, but because he wants to explore his options in what is a very complicated and multi-tiered agreement. Otherwise, all parties seem to be in sync right now at the busy Prospect Park and Kwatinetz continues to work there.”

“Kwatinetz is seeking a declaratory judgment over non-compete clauses in a December 31, 2012 employment agreement he signed with Prospect Park when the Boston-based investors came on board late last year. Jeff Kwatinetz wants a judge to decide if the “unenforceable non-competition and non-solicitation provision” would actually prevented him from working for another company for 5 years and if Prospect and ABRY could get an injunction to force him to work for them for 5 years if he attempted to leave. “In addition, the Guarantee contains what is essentially a $5,000,000 liquidated damages penalty for a ‘breach’ of the unenforceable non-competition provision and employment term requirements in the Agreement,” the 10-claim complaint filed on November 21 in LA Superior Court adds (read it here).”

So, do you think based on this, Kwatinetz was angling for AMC and OLTL to return (pending that soaps court case with ABC) but his own company and investors wouldn’t back him on the soap projects anymore? What do you think about Jeff taking Prospect Park and ARBY to court? Weigh-in!

Related Topics:abc All My Children ARBY Investment Partnership Jeff Kwatinetz One Life To Live Prospect Park

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Guest

Marc

We the fans should spearhead a serious boycott against all prospect park programs (royal pains, Wlfred and others ) until they stop holding our soap operas hostage .

Guest

su0000

Don’t be so bitter..
PP is still fighting..
They have the investments in the soaps, all we needed to was watch, for free..
why would you be so heated malicious………………………….

(((PP is the only hope for the soaps ABC will never again air them and nobody but PP wants them..

Guest

clh

Why? They are the ones that tried to save them. It takes money and support to keep them on the air.

Guest

Llanviewer717

I agree. I have nothing but gratitude for PP’s attempt to keep our shows alive. The villains here are the dirty scum (the alphabet network and mouse company) who cancelled the television broadcasts.

Guest

peter

Yes, I agree I liked both soaps and I miss them… I furrious with ABC/DISNEY and PROSPECT PARK.. for doing this ABC for the crap that is on now during the day.. and PROSPECT PARK for screwing the soaps

Guest

Tom Welles

It seems to be all about the money…I’m annoyed, and disgusted. I want ALL MY CHILDREN to return, albeit Lord only knows what actors will be available when and if it finally does. Part of me wants the show to continue on-line but I am not crazy about what Prospect Park has done with the show, and certainly not happy with their severe lack of communication. If I had my choice, I’d vote for the show to return to ABC-TV but this time as a half hour program. Unfortunately, it seems doubtful that will happen, but one never knows. I… Read more »

Guest

rebecca1

Well of course it’a about the money! It’s a business; nobody air shows for humanitarian reasons. I don’t blame Kwatinetz…he’s onboard for the shows revival…but wants to ensure his own employment should the deals permanently fall apart. Why shouldn’t he protect his own legal rights just as any of us would.

Guest

clh

It is about money. Nobody is going to pay from their own pockets just to keep them on. It would be really stupid as a business to pay for things yourself with no money coming in. I want them back very badly, but it does have to be cost effective for it to be done.

Guest

Tom Welles

Of course, I realize it’s about money, it’s about turning a profit. But I hate to see the aesthetic value of a project superceded by greed. Part of me wishes that Prospect Park had not gotten involved, even though it was an interesting experiment to try. Since ABC-Daytime is currently not attracting the viewers it once had, surely some of the business execs there must realize that it was a mistake to axe the shows without at least considering experimenting with shortened versions.

Guest

Joshua

I didn’t like it either.

Who WERE all those sex crazed teenagers???

Guest

jenny

I really don’t care anymore. this is a big mess. amc and one life to live are not coming back. lets just enjoy our 4 soaps right now..

Guest

Ellen G.

Sadly, it would take a miracle to bring them back. I’m especially sad that of the remaining soaps, one I have tried seems to be very poorly done. I cringe when I compare it to the richly- written stories we had on AMC and OLTL. yet, it survives. Go figure.

Guest

Janet

If they were any doubt that AMC and OLTL are done permanently, this article pretty much removed all doubts. This guy is hungry for money and it shows. Clearly his lawsuit against ABC is not going as planned and he is now looking for other ways to get money. This new lawsuit will be a flop just like the one against Disney. And as usual, it’s the fans and the actors that are paying for all this charade. I’ve come to accept that AMC and OLTL won’t return. PP doesn’t have the money to keep them running and ABC is… Read more »

Guest

jimh(leave it to beaver)

Well said…i agree…lets move on and support the remaining four we know are still with us…im done with PPs ‘Money Hungery Games’…

Guest

David

I wonder who Kwatinetz will sue next?

Guest

clh

He’s not suing Prospect Park, he is going into court with them to determine what he can and cannot do as a partner with them. He wants the court to spell it out and rightly so. If your interests are not being served as a partner then you have to get legal rulings. He’s only asking for that to be done, not money.

Guest

helen

He will sue, richard simmons. lol.

Guest

su0000

It’s over agreements and obligations.
They will figure it out, it will be judged, and the PP will bring the extremely popular soaps to a cable network..

PP is not giving up on the 2 soaps, there are legal agreement matters to attended to and then the 2 soaps will rise again from the ashes 🙂

PP continues the fight!!!

Guest

Daisy

And Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny are real too!

Guest

clh

I have to agree with you on this. There is too much interest in this for it to just go away. I believe they will be back on cable tv in 2014.

Guest

Annie

Personally, I would be okay with them combining the two shows and make it an hour show. PV and Llanview are sister cities on opposite sides of the Llantano River. Why not?

Guest

Troy Parkins

Yes, they should combine the two shows since they are Agnes Nixon
characters and live in Pine Valley and Landview, PA – keep the strongest
characters from both. It would work.

Guest

SUSAN M.

I hope so that PP bring our soaps on cable network.. I was hoping they would have done that from the beginning. I am not getting my hopes up…

Guest

Nancy

Unfortunately I don’t think AMC and OLTL will be back. They have brought it to the point of no return after all this crap. People (actors) will only take so much and I believe it was pushed to that point.

Guest

Kate

For me, it is over. I miss the ABC version of AMC. I would have liked the PP version if there had been more David and Billy Clyde. Well, actually, more of the vets. We got too much of the newbies and now it is over once again. There really is not much to miss about AMC2 for me. As far as the newbies go, I liked Colby and Cassandra. Aging Miranda and AJ was too unbelievable. Nothing against the actors personally, they just didn’t fit. In my mind AMC is over and I am already moving on. If it… Read more »

Guest

will

I can see it now…AMC 3.0- starring the actors who played AJ, Miranda, and the soon to be cast Gabby. No other AMC alums in their right mind would sign on for a 3ed go round with this. Why do you think Debbie Morgan withdrew her name from the Daytime Emmy contest? I knew the show was done when Thorsten signed with another soap and said he had no contract with PP.

Guest

Troy Parkins

Well IF it comes back, and brother that’s a big IF – fans would have to accept new faces and new characters. Some actors would return (but I don’t think Debbi Morgan would be one of them) and some wouldn’t be available. Actors have to work just like anyone else, but I don’t know how many would board this train again called Prospect Park. If that sounds like I am being harsh and not sensitive to some of the obstacles that PP had to face, I don’t mean it that way. I would love to see ALL MY CHILDREN return,… Read more »

Guest

jimh(leave it to beaver)

Some of AMCs and OLTLs actors have moved on…im doing the same! Also im tired of the ABC boycott by fans…they complan about ABC putting 100s out of work and then turn around and try to do the same by boycotting abc primetime shows? I simply just wont watch the talk shows that replaced the soaps and thats all…besides why not boycott NBC and CBS too for cancelling soaps, especialy CBS who cancelled two:ATWTs,GL, before ABC even cancelled theirs!

Guest

Mary SF

When NBC cancelled Another World over ten years ago many said they were going to boycott NBC, I wonder out of all those people how many are still doing it? Networks are not threaten or concerned about boycotts and soap fans are not that large of group to effect their bottom line in the long term, even if everyone single one of them boycotted, which they all won’t. Networks are more concern about internet replacing television are the means of distributing content to the masses. I agree with what you said earlier, lets focus our support for the four soaps… Read more »

Guest

jimh(leave it to beaver)

I agree with what you said…networks are more concern about the internet than a boycott…by the way i hated how AW ended…ithought that was so corny about a gorilla in love with Cass…my favorite memories of AW in its early years was the Steve, Rachel, Alice love triangle, Iris who was the villian you love to hate and the Mathews family. In its later years i enjoyed Jake and Vicki, Frankie and Cass, and Mathew and Donna!

Guest

jimh(leave it to beaver)

Forgot to say…i only got mad at NBC when they killed of Frankie(but was somewhat happy when the actress returned as her lookalike)…i recently seen the actress who played the part in a commericial…she still looks the same.

Guest

Kate

CBS and NBC did not cancel AMC. I boycott all talk shows because I am supporting the soaps. I boycott ABC because they canceled AMC!

Guest

jimh(leave it to beaver)

I know abc cancelled amc i was just trying to say that a lot of people act as if abc was the only one to cancel a soap! Now i agree with you…boycott the talk shows in daytime that replace the soaps…but support the primetime shows that have nothing to do with it…

Guest

jimh(leave it to beaver)

I know abc cancelled amc, i was just pointing out the other two networks did the same… i agree just boycott daytime talk shows but not primetime series that have nothing to do with it…

Guest

Rapids

The prospect Park soap opera is becoming more and more repulsive. Investors do not want to put another dollar into the soaps, what more can die hard soap fans spin about these failed online shows? No wonder Debbie Morgan distanced herself. This guy also dissed Susan Lucci a couple years ago blaming her for the failure to launch the online version. No wonder Michael E Knight passed on the show. I just hope any remaining die hard fans stop the spin.

Guest

Iakovos

I hate to say it but it looks like AMC and OLTL are done. Even in a Version 3.0, the whole mess leaves me cold and happy enough to remember and embrace the 40+ years we had with these legacy programs. A real shame. Neithe rprogram was ready for pasture, evidenced by the amount of litigation. Wish ABC had just thought to pare back its programs to 30 ,mintues each again, or had them share a time slot — as Prospect Park did for most of the reboots’ runs — instead of cancelling them without much mercy. I know entertainment… Read more »

Guest

Troy Parkins

I too wish that ABC-TV had simply trimmed down ALL MY CHILDREN to a half hour, and trimmed down the budget. I feel they didn’t do anything to salvage either AMC or OLTL by experimenting with different models. As for Prospect Park, well, I don’t know what to say at this point. If they manage to bring back AMC, which seems doubtful, how many of the seasoned, more mature actors would be willing to come aboard?

Guest

Michael (not Fairman)

Unfortunately I’d have to say that only one of the four remaining programs is currently worth championing. I realize that there is a lot of pressure, but I get tired of the same mistakes being made over and over–they never seem to learn from them. There will be no soap renaissance unless the surviving ones start telling stories worth watching.

Guest

brigid

i think this whole thing was a scam

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Stause who is also a real estate agent at the firm, made her relationship with Jason Oppenheim Instagram official when she posted a pic of the two of them while the cast of Selling Sunset were in Italy.

Oppenheim told PEOPLE: “Chrishell and I became close friends and it has developed into an amazing relationship. I care about her deeply and we are very happy together.”

Previously Stause was married to This is Us star, Justin Hartley and following their divorce, was briefly dating Dancing with the Stars pro dancer, Keo Motsepe.

So, what do you think of the love connection between Chrishell and Jason? Comment below.

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Kelly Ripa’s First Book On the Way in 2022

July 21, 2021

Former All My Children star, now co-host of Live with Kelly and Ryan and a successful executive producer in her own right, Kelly Ripa, will add writer to her list of credits.

New this week is that Ripa is sharing a look at her real-life in a book, that will be released next spring in April of 2022.

According to the intel, the book entitled Live Wire will feature sharp, funny, and honest collection of real-life stories from Ripa, showing the many dimensions and crackling wit of the beloved daytime talk show host.

As soap fans know, Ripa has been married to Mark Consuelos (Ex-Mateo, AMC) and the two share three children together.

The loglines for the release share: “In Live Wire, Kelly shows what really makes her tick. As a professional, as a wife, as a daughter and as a mother, she brings a hard-earned wisdom and an eye for the absurdity of life to every minute of every day. It is her relatability in all of these roles that has earned her fans worldwide and millions of followers on social media. Whether recounting how she and Mark really met, the level of chauvinism she experienced on set, how Jersey Pride follows her wherever she goes, and many, many moments of utter mortification (whence she proves that you cannot, in fact, die of embarrassment) Kelly always tells it like it is. Ms. Ripa takes no prisoners.
Surprising, at times savage, a little shameless and always with humor… Live Wire shows Kelly as she really is offscreen—a very wise woman who has something to say.”

So intrigued to read Kelly’s book when it is released next year? Comment below.

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All My Children Stars and Eileen Davidson On New Episode of Virtual Game Show “Soap Opera Know-It-All”

July 16, 2021

Imagine being in the hot seat and having some of your soap opera favorites trying to stump you with trivia, while trying to best your competition. Well, that’s what four contestants faced as they battled it out in the ultimate soap trivia game, Soap Opera Know-It-All.

The Michael Fairman Channel just released its fifth episode of its season, where in round one of the game play, stars from the beloved All My Children served up the questions including: Cady McClain (Ex-Dixie), Jill Larson (Ex-Opal), Lindsay Korman-Hartley (Ex-Cara), Vincent Irizarry (Ex-David) and Jacob Young (Ex-Y&R). In addition, the former cast members from Pine Valley also try to stump viewers at home with some additional character-related questions.

Later in the episode, there is a very special appearance by Eileen Davidson (Y&R, Ex-Days, Santa Barbara and B&B). It is Eileen who reveals and asks the final question of the game to determine the eventual winner.

For this edition, host Michael Fairman welcomed longtime soap fans: Michael Cochran, Sean McKinley, and Robert Davis along with returning champion, David Bursky for this soap deep-dive competition.

Photo: MFTV, Inc.

Trivia questions from the following daytime and primetime soaps were put to the players during the game: All My Children, As the World Turns, Dark Shadows, General Hospital, Knots Landing, Sunset Beach, Days of our Lives, Dynasty, Edge of Night, One Life to Live, Port Charles and The Young and the Restless.

As the series moves through its now back-half of the season, the winning contestant must defeat the competition for the right to move on to the next episode to face three more challengers all in pursuit of the “Know-It-All” title with special soap-related prizes along the way.

Watch the episode below and make sure to subscribe to the Michael Fairman Channel for more interviews, music and more.

Now let us know, did you get most of the answers correct? Which question stumped you all the way? Comment below.