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.”

Up Next

Brook Lynn to stir up trouble for Dante and Lulu says Zamprogna and Berman!

Don't Miss

BREAKING NEWS: Jessica Leccia on One Life to Live!

Click to comment

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

News

B&B’s Katherine Kelly Lang in Film ‘The Christmas Dance’ Premieres Friday

July 23, 2021

In another Christmas in July movie that is making its way to on-demand and theatres near you, comes one featuring The Bold and the Beautiful’s Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke Logan Forrester) as well as notable soap vet Scott Bailey (Ex-Sandy, Guiding Light), called The Christmas Dance.

According to the film loglines: Traumatized by her past Christmas is not at the top of Sarah’s list this time of year. However, waltzing through life’s unexpected emergencies, she is taught the Christmas dance. Briana White, Katherine Kelly Lang, Richard Karn, star in the feature.

Lang shared with SOD on the film working on film while continuing her role on B&B as the iconic Brooke, “It’s wonderful because as an actress, you always want to spread your wings and try new parts and new characters. It’s all a learning process, and all about growth, which is great!”

Check out a trailer for the pic below. The film drops tomorrow on July 23rd.

So, will you be checking out Katherine Kelly Lang in this Christmas-style film? Comment below.

News

Korean Dynasty Soapy Drama ‘American Seuol’ Headed to Hulu

July 23, 2021

Here’s a soapy drama on its way to a streaming service for fans to devour. Writer Lana Cho has secured a deal with Hulu for her soapy drama, American Seuol, which definitely has a ‘Dynasty’-vibe to it from what we can tell.

According to Deadline, the hour-long drama is about a young Korean-American adoptee who moves to Seoul for a job opportunity and discovers that she is the heir of a dynastic Korean family.

Cho will write and also be one of the executive producers on the project, which will also EP;d by Sebastian Lee and David Kim, who’s other notable shows right now are ABC’s The Good Doctor and Apple’s Pachinko.

After the announcement on Friday, Cho tweeted, “I’ve always wanted to write my own K-drama. Now I get to – but with Korean-American lead.”

It would appear that Cho is on a hot streak after she also sold her adaptation of her K-pop rom-com, Somewhere Only We Know to Netflix.

Previously, Lana wrote Hulu’s reboot of Four Weddings and a Funeral as well for the TV series Arrow and Timeless. She is serves as co-executive producer on Amazon I Know What You Did Last Summer.

So intrigued to see how American Seuol will ultimately do as some new soap opera fare? Comment below.

News

Eileen Davidson, Judith Chapman and Kim Waltrip Talk Plans & Launch Campaign To Make ‘Dial Emme For Murder’ into a Series

July 23, 2021

Two-time Daytime Emmy winner, and soap opera favorite Eileen Davidson (Ashley, Y&R and Ex-Kristen/Susan, Days) is bringing one of her soap opera mystery novels to life with a proposed six-part series for the soapy and hilarious mystery, Dial Emme For Murder.

Joining Eileen in the cast will be none other than Judith Chapman (Gloria, Y&R) , Knots Landing favorite, Donna Mills (Ex-Abby), and primetime TV and film actress, Nancy Valen. More cast members will be announced in the future.

Photo: JPI

In Dial Emme for Murder, Davidson plays actress Emmanuelle “Emme” Peterson, a successful soap star who finds herself smack dab in the middle of a whodunit.

Now, in conjunction with the Palm Springs Women in Film and Television (PSWIFT), and its president and director/producer, Kim Waltrip, Davidson is launching a fundraising campaign to get the series made.

Photo: EDavidson

In an exclusive interview on the Michael Fairman Channel, Eileen, Judith and Kim exclusive reveal key Intel on the project, campaign and working together. The proposed series has also launched its official website here.

About PSWIFT: PSWIFT (Palm Springs Women in Film & Television) is a non-profit organization, founded in 2001 dedicated to promoting our members, both men and women in the Entertainment, New Media Creative arts community. In 2020 Palm Springs Women in Film & Television created and launched a Filmmakers’ Lab to teach members how to make a film, by making a film, hands-on.

PSWIFT is currently seeking donations through their non-profit – which are 100% tax-deductible – to fund the Filmmakers’ Lab’s next venture Dial Emme for Murder. You can find out more on the different perks and packages if you donate to the project here.

Watch the interview with Michael, Eileen, Judith, and Kim below.

Then let us know, if you think Dial Emme for Murder featuring powerhouse actress, Eileen Davidson, Judith Chapman and Donna Mills, will be a must-see for you via the comment section.