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Rowell speaks out on latest escapades of Winters clan on Y&R!

Photo Credit: JPI Studios
Victoria Rowell (Ex-Dru, Y&R) had some choice words when speaking with TV Guide Canada’s Nelson Branco in his new Soapgeist column out today. The former Y&R star addressed the latest developments happening to the Winters clan on the top CBS soap. (See comments below!) In the meantime, Drucilla and Victoria fans are awaiting with anticipation for her first novel, Secrets of a Daytime Diva due out in May!
Rowell on Y&R’s Neil and Ashley’s out-of-the-blue interracial romance: “What is Y&R thinking? A desperate attempt to make music without an orchestra? The thought of Neil and Ashley hooking up brings to mind the unlikely combo of a harpsichord and didgeridoo. [Chemistry] is more than swapping spit, folks. It’s called timing, organic, character-driven storytelling, and tenure. Minimize it all you want, but Genoa City’s black history can’t be erased.”
Rowell on Malcolm recast Darius McCrary: “Why does Y&R continue to undervalue its fan base by recasting Malcolm with the highly questionable Darius McCrary? Although McCrary is a solid actor in his own right, it remains to be seen if the true blue fans will accept him as Malcolm. Talk about poetic licence! I can just hear the notes being tossed about in a writers’ meeting now: ‘We’ll blame the remarkable non-father/daughter resemblance on a recessive gene in the Barber/Winters tribal gene pool.’ Or is it because Y&R couldn’t afford Moore?”
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‘The Bold and the Beautiful’s’ Kimberlin Brown Previews What’s Ahead for Sheila Carter

Last week. the stars of The Bold and the Beautiful were in Monte-Carlo at their 65th annual TV Festival. With a full plate of: meeting the fans, attending the parties, talking with the press, and then shooting some remote scenes to air late this summer on the CBS soap, the cast had their dance cards full.
Kimberlin Brown (Sheila) sat down with the The Upcoming to give some insight into the life and times of Sheila Carter; acting on a soap for more than three decades, and a tease of what’s to come in the next few months for her character.
Brown previewed: “My producer last night shared some tidbits with me and there’s some really good stuff coming up for Sheila. It’s going to involve a little drama, a little bit of romance, and a lot of comedy.”

Photo: JPI
As B&B viewers know, Sheila wants Deacon (Sean Kanan) and Taylor (Rebecca Budig) to guarantee that she can be part of her son, Finn (Tanner Novlan) and her grandchild’s life in return for signing the divorce papers. Ultimately, will Sheila ever truly sign them? Stay tuned.
The popular star, who has made playing bad so good also added, “I mean where else can I do things that you should be in prison for? There are people at home going, ‘go, go get ’em.’ It is like they’re rooting for me, because I’m doing what maybe they want to do and would never get away with. So it’s an escape. Daytime is truly an escape.”
Speaking of the fun of playing all the plots she has involved with on daytime from her early years on The Young and the Restless to The Bold and the Beautiful, Brown noted “I think that the real joy to playing Sheila is I do things that nobody else does. And I was told when I got this part, don’t play it safe. There is no wrong. And as an actress to get a note like it just means that I can do things that nobody else can and smile about it and, you know, get away with it. Do I pay consequences? Yes, I do, but she always comes back. I’m the character that people love to hate and I’m the character that people sympathize with because all she wants is love.”
You can check out the full conversation with Kimberlin Brown below.
So, what do you hope Sheila does next? Do you think she will keep Deacon and Taylor apart? Will she get involved with someone else? Share your predictions via the comment section below.
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Christel Khalil Reveals She Almost Quit Acting After ‘That’s So Raven’ Audition, But Then Came ‘The Young and the Restless’

The Young and the Restless fan favorite, Christel Khalil (Lily Winters) is the special guest on this week’s edition of Soapy Hosted by Rebecca Budig and Greg Rikaart which dropped today on Tuesday, June 23rd.
During the interview with Rebecca and Greg, Khalil who had played Lily Winters on-screen since August of 2002, nearly 24 years with the CBS soap, shared how early on her teenage acting career, she was ready to call it quits in show business, after a heartbreaking audition for the lead of a new Disney Channel sitcom, which later turned out to be the hit seres, That’s So Raven, starring Raven-Symoné which ran for four seasons from 2003-2007.
Christel recalled what happened. “I was 14 and I had always auditioned for all these Disney projects. So I auditioned for That’s So Raven, it was between me and Raven-Symoné and it was called at the time Absolutely Psychic,” explained Khalil. “The character was this girl who had psychic ability, but then when Raven got the role, they named the title of the show after her.”

Photo: CBS
HOW A BROTHERLY TALK CHANGED THE COURSE OF CHRISTEL’S CAREER
Reliving the disappointment to Greg and Rebecca, Christel explained, “I lost that part and I was just so devastated, because for the network call there were 20 people in the room watching me, and I just have always had such performance anxiety. I just completely bombed the audition and it was terrible. So, I was just devastated. I was actually going to quit acting and then I got the final call for The Young and The Restless and I wasn’t going to go.”
It was Khalil’s brother, who actually got her to reconsider, and if he hadn’t, we would not have our Lily Winters in Genoa City! Christel recounted, “I was like, ‘You know what? I’m done. I don’t want to do this anymore. I’m just going to hang out with my friends.’ I was just devastated. My brother, who is seven years older than me, and he had quit acting at the same age that I was at that time. He said to me, ‘I promise you, I actually really regret quitting. Just go on this audition and if you don’t get it, you can quit.'”
Christel’s screen-test for the role of Lily was actually with the late, great, Kristoff St. John who would play her father Neil (Later it was revealed to Lily, that Neil’s brother, Malcolm Winters was her bio-dad).

Photo: CBS
ACTING WAS EASY WITH THE LATE KRISTOFF ST. JOHN
“So, I went (to test for Lily) and I remember the screen-test was with Kristoff St. John. It was just so easy to act with him because he’s just so there. I remember just being on set, and that was my first time there for a screen-test where you were actually on set. I had never experienced that before. It was my first time being with an actor and having makeup done, which just helps you really be able to do your best work.”
Recalling the screen-test with the St. John, Khalil, “It was where I had to be emotional ( in the scene) and I always had issues being emotional at auditions. But I was there with him, it just came, and it happened. It was natural and I felt so good and it was amazing. It stands out in my mind a lot.”
You can check out the full Soapy conversation with Christel Khalil where she also discusses juggling motherhood, marital life, and the demands of soap operas.
Fan can listen to weekly episodes of Soapy on Audacy or wherever podcasts are available, and can watch full video episodes weekly on the CBS =Brand YouTube Channel. Whether a lifelong fan or discovering the genre for the first time, SOAPY offers a fresh, fun behind-the-scenes look at the stories – and storytellers – that define daytime drama.
Now let us know, over the years what had been your favorite Lily Winters story on Y&R as played by Christel Khalil? What did you think of of Christell’s recollection where she was up for the lead of “That’s So Raven” as a teenager, before it was even titled that? Let us know via the comment section.
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‘WWE: Unreal’ Season 3 Premiere Date, Cast of Superstars, Announced by Netflix

This summer beginning on July 21, Netflix streams the return of WWE: Unreal for its third season. The behind the scenes docudrama series gives fans a glimpse of life in WWE and inside the writers room, as injuries, last-minute pivots, and career-defining decisions reshape WWE’s biggest event of the year, WrestleMania 42.
WWE Unreal is taking fans deeper than ever inside World Wrestling Entertainment’s creative process, The hit docuseries will once again pull back the curtain on some of the biggest moments, boldest decisions, and unforgettable storytelling with some of the WWE’s greatest legends who’ve shaped the industry and new stars who are emerging as prominent parts of the future.
In the new season of ‘Unreal’ which consists of 5 episodes at 50 minutes each: John Cena says goodbye, a fan favorite returns, and the next generation of Superstars rise to the occasion.

Photo: WWE
The cast and WWE superstars featured include: the aforementioned Cena, plus Cody Rhodes, Liv Morgan, CM Punk, AJ Lee, Trick Williams, Lash Legend, Stephanie Vaquer, Oba Femi, Bron Breakker, Chelsea Green, Matt Cardona, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch.
As previously reported AJ Lee revealed on General Hospital star Maurice Benard’s (Sonny Corinthos) mental health series, State of Mind, that she was part of the cast of WWE: Unreal.
WWE: Unreal production credits include: Directors/Showrunners: Chris Weaver and Erik Powers Executive Producers: Peyton Manning, Jamie Horowitz, Ross Ketover, Keith Cossrow, Ken Rodgers, Jessica Boddy, Lee Fitting, Ben Houser, Marc Pomarico Sr. Producers: Harley Glantz, Brian Decker, Michael Flynn Producers: John Galiani, Dan Gati, Jeremy Lundblad Production Companies: Omaha Productions, NFL Films, Skydance Sports, WWE.
So, what do you think of the loglines for the new season of WWE: Unreal? Who are you most excited to see featured in the behind the scenes drama from the list of WWE superstars and the twists and turns leading into this past April’s WrestleMania 42? Let us know via the comment section below.
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VR seems like she’s full of sour grapes. She left Y&R, she didn’t get fired, she needs to get over it and move on
Sour Grapes
Onca again, VR has taken to badmouthing Y&R; my question to her would be, if you think the show is so dang bad, with its writing, pairing, casting & actors with less than top notch abilities, why would you ever want to return to work for such a show?
I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again, as VR has proved my point, yet again: Whatever happened between VR & TPTB, CBS, Sony & the Y&R cast, it’s between them, the viewers don’t care & she’s using her fans to get back on the show, hoping that what she says will get the fans irate enough to overwhelm the show with letters requesting her return or boycott the show on her behalf, how sad is that?
What is wrong with pairing Neil & Ashley? They’ve been great friends for years, they’ve recently started exploring the possibility of something deeper, which so far has amounted to a couple visits, a date or two, a few kisses & him supporting her, as any good friend would. So far, nothing has happened between the two to warrant such a negative opinion of the pairing. She’d rather us be of the opinion that the only one for Neil is Dru & the only Dru must be played by herself, anything else results in negative response from the fans.
Can’t afford Shemar Moore? Who says money is even a consideration? SM playing Derrek Morgan on Criminal Minds is a great character on an even greater show, who’s to say he’d even consider leaving that show to return to Y&R & daytime? Maybe, just maybe, he’s happy where he is & wouldn’t consider leaving for any amount of money; maybe he has no desire to return to daytime; maybe in primetime he’s found his niche in life, no one knows for sure except SM & to speculate the money is the reason he’s not returning to Y&R is foolish at best.
Her comments of DM are horrible, IMO. Who & what gives her the right to be judge & jury about his acting abilities or him being cast as Malcolm? They guy has been on the show for what, a month maybe & in that time we’ve see him in only a few scenes, giving the fans little to base such a decision regarding the actor, yet, she’s somehow seen enough to publicly state that he can’t be the next Malcolm, even tho he’s “a solid actor in his own right”
This is nothing more than bitterness & sour grapes. Playing on the sympathies of the fans to get their help in getting her back on Y&R; a show she most obviously has very little regard for, let alone its cast. I personally never cared for “Dru” & don’t want her back, just my opinion; but, I sure wouldn’t want her back with VR knowing that during the past year or more, she’s done nothing but badmouth every aspect of the show including the actors, blaming everyone involved for her not being recast. Maybe it’s time she was honest with herself & her fans, looked in the mirror & found the real reason she hasn’t been recast, could it be that her many comments have only proved that she’s not a team player? Would they really want her as part of the show when she has such little respect for every aspect of it?
let’s face it–it’s book promo time!!
While Victoria has some valid observations, it sounds like a lot of sour grapes. Couldn’t she have given one positive comment?……
Although a kind word is always a good thing; much of what she says has been said by fans and the common viewer. She speaks her mind ‘nd her heart. She’s just, “keeping it real!”
I’ll buy the book! 😉 no doubt it is a good read-like her or not!
I loved “Dru” and VR. I miss her on the show but all the negativity that VR puts out
I don’t understand why she just doesn’t move on and let that part of her life be over. She has so much talent as an actress and an author but she lets her “Y&R” emotions over shadow her.
Shemar Moore was willing to come back for a short contract while still doing Criminal minds, but Y&R wanted long term and he wasn’t able. Y&R choose to recast. That’s life on a soap. So many changes going on in the soap world makes one wonder how much longer any of the shows will be on the air in the next five years. It’s been very sad with the loss of many shows the last few years.
Victoria Rowell is keeping it real and she does not have to be polite about the lack of AA s/ls for the AA actors on the show. Neil and Ashley don’t make sense and Darius is not Malcolm to me. So she has a point and the s/ls is terrible on Y&R.
Victoria is coming across as a bitter bitch with each new interview she does. Y and R producers will never have her back on the show because of her bitter attitude. I’m really starting to believe the negative rumors about her were true. Victoria has a beautiful daughter, i hope she doesn’t read and notice how bitter and bitchy mommy can come across in interviews. Victoria needs to be a better kinder role model for her daughter. Victoria is a beautiful woman, but her soul seems bitter and needs to release some hostility.
All soaps seem to force interracial relationships at some point and a large part of the trend is to prove that the soap industry has evolved in regards to race relations. But the truth is diversity on television as a whole needs to be improved. More asian, hispanic, indian, and native indian actors/actresses need to be represented more on all soap operas, night time dramas, comedies and reality shows. Most likely the neil/ashley relationship won’t last long because when ashley finds out the truth about faith she will literally go insane.
Seems like sour garpes to me . Why would you want to be a part of show that you constantly criticize? Certainly not a team player. Maybe she should start her own Soap Opera and cast the type of actors she likes.