News

Maria Arena Bell & Hogan Sheffer fess up to the reason behind Y&R's doppelgangers!

May 7, 2010

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

Genoa City citizens, and fans of the number one soap, The Young and the Restless have had several bouts of seeing double recently, with both the Lauren/Sarah Doppelganger story, and the Emily/Patty Doppelganger story. But in a new and revealing interview with TV Guide Canada’s, Nelson Branco, Y&R’s head scribes, Maria Arena Bell and Hogan Sheffer sat down for a joint interview about all the on-screen happenings and recent backstage casting. Here is an excerpt about the some of the online flack the duo have taken for to much duality at one time!

Maria Arena Bell on why so many doppelgangers: “Let me tell you what’s funny about that. Someone in the soap press [Soap Opera Digest’s Carolyn Hinsey] recently wrote, “Did you guys realize that you have two doppelgangers airing at once?” Yeah, we did [laughs]! It was intentional. The two stories are intertwined. The Sarah and Patty storylines will be a rapid-fire denouement. It gave us an opportunity to tell a fun, clever and interesting culmination of Patty’s story and the pseudo reemergence of Sheila. It gave Tracey Bregman an opportunity to stretch herself as an actress and show a different side, a darker side, in this dual role. It’s a very short arc. But what it gives the audience is a tour-de-force performance from Tracey. You’ll see a very fun explosion this week. Tracey shouldn’t just win an Emmy Award for this portrayal, she should win an Oscar! You’ll see! As for viewer dissatisfaction, I want to say I do visit the message boards. I do listen to our fans and critics. Sometimes when you’re watching a storyline unfold, you don’t know where it’s going and you get understandably frustrated. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It means people are watching and talking about our show. I’d be more concerned if fans weren’t talking about our show! A perfect example of that is the Adam Newman storyline. Everyone complained about Adam getting away with all his evildoings, yet [we surged almost 300,000 viewers in the ratings the week he was murdered — which proved at the end of the day that the audience really loved the story]. We always ensure there is a great payoff in all of our stories. Just trust us.”

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Guest

bottomchef

Sheffer, MAB and Nelson Branco have been vilified online for this interview.

It’s on the goldderby forums and daytime confidential boards.

My critiques are there, but to Sheffer’s credit, his Y&R is pushing the envelope and not doing customry things soaps do, like on boring B&B.

Guest

Rob

I have to agree with MANY of the derogatory comments on other boards in regard to this interview. These writers are so out of touch with what the viewers want. While the Patty/Emily required MAJOR suspension of disbelief, the Lauren/Sara story was just plain dumb. Tracy Bregman made gold out of the crap she was handed, as well as the rest of the cast involved in this beyond ludicrous storyline. My gripe is that what people want are the character driven storylines that made soaps so great. Now it seems its just one crazy plot device after another. Bold and… Read more »

Guest

bottomchef

B&B never taps into its history. It completely ignores it when the show’s history could be mined for good storylines. Instead it’s 1 rewrite after the next. Bridget lost Nicole, had a freaking surrogate that lost her baby, and now that Bridget’s older, she’s pregnant! Can you imagine the lengths Nelson Branco is going to promote this storyline? He just named Jackie Marone one of the best mothers on soaps! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Jackie lied to Nick abt Ridge Junior being his child. Jackie lied to Nick abt her prostitution and had her “johns” over at their house while Nick, a child… Read more »

Guest

Trish

The reason MAB gave for all of the doubles on Y&R still did not satisfy me. Makes for very dull and boring and brings nothing to the table. I have been with the show much too long to just accept anything. I am sure I do not share these feelings by myself. We . tje voewers. want more than we have been getting lately. I want the edge-of-your- seat storylines back and the wonderful Friday cliffhangers. After you get used to the best of the best –that is all you will ever want. I speak for a lot of viewers… Read more »

Guest

If MAB really reads the message boards then she should know how much we want Victoria R. back!!!!

Guest

DivaBleu

and on B&B, I wanna know how Brooke’s blond haired, blue eyed sister gave birth 2 a darkskinned man!!! and his “dad” just comes OUT OF NOWHERE! no one even remembers you dating a Black man, much less being PREGNANT by one and now let’s just pop this unimaginable storyline in… i was insulted, not only as a Black viewer at the fact that adding Black characters to the plot was so thoughtless and haphazard, but that the writers think the viewers are that damn dumb… as for the doppleganger stories, DUMB!!! you REALLY need to listen to the fans!… Read more »

Guest

Bob "Ziggy" Anderson

Dear Maria, Eric Roberts is one of the most interesting characters on Y& R. I think his charcter could evolve into a permanent role. He’s always been one of my favorite ‘macho actors. Thanks for giving him a leave of absence from the show so he could straighten himself out. I went through rehab a few times myself so I know the painful drill. Well take care and HSPPY NEW YEAR. Bob “Ziggy” Anderson

Guest

Jennifer

We Need to have Nick & Phyllis back to together because they have a lot of chemistry and a lot of people will watch the show more like people like my age like 18-29.

Go phick forever

As The World Turns

‘Santa Barbara’ & GH Favorite Judith McConnell Virtual Interview On Tap

October 15, 2021

You loved her as Sophia Capwell on Santa Barbara, and the troublemaking Augusta McLeod on General Hospital, plus several other soap roles, and now fan favorite Judith McConnell is set for a virtual interview in The Locher Room.

Look for Judith to chat it up with host, Alan Locher on the upcoming Friday, October 23rd edition of the You Tube series beginning at at 3 p.m. EST / 12 p.m. PST.

As well as being known for her soap roles on SB and GH, Judith also played Valerie Conway on As the World Turns, Miranda Bishop on Another World and Eva Vasquez on and One Life to Live.

In primetime, McConnell has appeared on Star Trek, Dragnet, Beverly Hillbillies, Mayberry RFD, Green Acres, Mannix and more.

To watch the livestream click here.

So, what has been your favorite Judith McConnell role in her illustrious daytime career? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

General Hospital

Sarah Joy Brown Directs Haley Pullos, Carolyn Hennesy, Eric Martsolf in New ‘Red Riding Hoods’ Podcast

October 14, 2021

What happens when a team of “Final Girls” (sole survivors of horrific mass murders) join forces to hunt malevolent entities while uncovering the apocalyptic conspiracy uniting them? Well, you have to listen to the brand new Horror Podcast Network’s latest offering Red Riding Hoods to find out. But here’s the twist! There are some daytime notables involved in the series.

Chief among them is three-time Daytime Emmy winner, Sarah Joy Brown (Ex-Carly and Claudia, GH) who directs the podcast series, a first for her career.

Along for the ride with Sarah are none other than General Hospital’s Haley Pullos (Molly) and Carolyn Hennesy (Diane), as well as Brown’s former DAYS co-star, Eric Martsolf (Brady) who all have roles within the story.

New episodes of the series began to roll out this past Monday on October 11th and there will be another installment every Monday thereafter.

Red Riding Hoods is available on all major podcast streaming platforms including: Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. You can also listen to the podcast via the Violet Hour Media website here.

So, let us know if you check out Red Riding Hoods via the comment section below or are intrigued to hear the show!

News

B&B’s Annika Noelle Shares Her Heartache on Pregnancy Loss

October 13, 2021

In a very well-written and touching essay written by The Bold and the Beautiful’s Annika Noelle (Hope), herself, the actress shares with the readers details of two miscarriages that she had not publicly revealed until this time.

In her story for Glamour entitled, “Losing a Child in the Limelight”, Noelle shares the heartache and pain of losing a child while filming the demands of a soap opera, and especially Hope’s storyline which for months featured so much emotion and so many tears after the baby loss storyline on-air she was the vehicle in which to tell the tale.

However in real life, Noelle was going through something as well. Annika reveals how she and her fiancé found out she was pregnant, and then 10 weeks later she lost the baby. When they tried again, she lost the baby at 8 weeks.

In an excerpt, Annika expressed about keeping her pain private while working on the soap: “Fans and news articles speculated whether I was pregnant or just gained weight during quarantine. And once again the storyline called for ceaseless tears when I felt like I had no more to give. I guess looking back at it now, I was scared to jinx anything. I didn’t want people to know and have things not work out. And yet I wish I had because I would have given anything to have the understanding and support of the cast and crew. I felt so alone. The secret was isolating, yet the shame was debilitating. I felt like I had failed at something that should be easy. But as time marched on, I was surprised by a new feeling bubbling underneath the sorrow: an ancestral rage toward the burden of womanhood. And as I slowly began to open up about my loss to a select few, I was shocked by how many people had experienced it as well.”

In the end, Annika shares: “Anyone who follows me on social media can tell you I’m a deeply private person. But if there is one thing I’ve gained from my loss, it is a voice I’m no longer afraid to use.”

Make sure to read Annika’s moving article in full, then let us know in the comment section what you thought of it.