News
TV Guide: Was OLTL too gay for America? New statement from ABC!
Courtesy/ABC
TV Guide Magazine in this week’s issue spotlights and examines the ongoing controversy of the abrupt and shocking ending and exit of One Life to Live’s Kish storyline. As everyone knows by now actors, Brett Claywell, and Scott Evans last airdates are next week. Key journalists who were interviewed for the feature included, AfterElton’s, Michael Jensen and Daytime Confidential’s Jamey Giddens, as well as actor, Claywell, and ABC Daytime Rep, Jori Petersen. A main contention through the report is could the same-sex wedding-athon played into the public’s turn-off of the entire gay storyline, as just to much? Of note are some very telling excerpts from Petersen and Claywell that you can read below.
Jori Petersen on why ABC canned canned Kish: “The Kish story did not have the appeal we hoped it would. We are going to spend our time on stories that have a more favorable reaction from our audience. We are sunsetting the storyline but Kish will remain in Llanview. The door is open.”
Brett Claywell on if the same-sex marriage shows could have turned America on Kish: “From the beginning, Scott and I were uneasy about that big gay political wedding. We were telling a slow, subtle love story about two guys who just happened to be gay. We didn’t want to make it in-your-face, which is what the wedding was. It pulled us away from what we were trying to do. We wanted to exist separately from that. It was too much and, in a way, Scott and I became the sacrificial lambs.”
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Jonathan Bennett Previews His New Role as PCPD Officer Joe Fitzpatrick
Those expecting Jonathan Bennett’s new General Hospital character of Joe Fitzpatrick to be the latest doctor to arrive in Port Charles. Think again! When Joe arrives on the scene he will be an officer with the Port Charles Police Department (PCPD).
That might be good news for the police force, who has had a lot of trouble (pretty much always!) solving cases, and with Cassius Faison (Ryan Paevey) pretending to be cop, Nathan West, and Chase (Josh Swickard) working his back up the ranks, police commissioner, Dante Falconeri (Dominic Zamprogna) who could use a some helping hands, unless they are corrupt?
In the latest issue of TV Guide Magazine on newsstands now, Bennett shares a little more insight into what we can expect from Joe, when he first gets into the mix. You can circle next Monday, May 18 for the actor’s GH debut.
THE MYSTERY OF JOE
“Returning to daytime television was not on my bingo card for 2026.(However) I feel like I hit the jackpot when this opportunity came because the character is something that I really wanted to play.”
As soap fans know, Jonathan started his career on All My Children as JR Chandler from 2001-2002. Since that time Bennett went to fame with the motion picture Mean Girls, playing Aaron Samuels then continued on a path acting and producing and hosting where he had become a mainstay on the Hallmark Channel and Food Network. Bennett’s Hallmark reality-competition series, Finding Mr. Christmas was just nominated for three Critics Choice Real TV Awards.
Speaking on GH’s Joe and the PCPD, Bennett teased, “I’m feeling excited, and I’m also laughing because I can’t wait for the world to see what Joe Fitzpatrick is really all about.”
Could Joe Fitzpatrick be a closeted cop? An out cop? Neither? Will he be a good guy who might help crack the case of who shot Drew and help Willow get her comeuppance? Will he be investigating the shenanigans that might lead him into the path of Dr. Lucas Jones (Van Hansis)? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section below.
News
‘The Young and the Restless’ Tamara Braun Teases Sienna and Nick Relationship Turn, ‘There is Some Chemistry’
It looks like now may be the time that The Young and the Restless is building towards a change in the dynamic between Sienna Bacall (Tamara Braun) and Nick Newman (Joshua Morrow).
First, Nick is not himself these days since becoming addicted to painkillers and most importantly, fentanyl. Second, Sienna is seeing Audra (Zuleyka Silver) popping back into Lucas’ (Lucas Adams) life more than she wants to. Third, Sienna’s brother got into trouble with drugs so there is empathy there for what Nick is going through and potentially to help him pull through this.
Tamara Braun, who is celebrating her 25th anniversary on daytime soaps this month, spoke to Soaps.com about how the Y&R fans are noticing something between Sienna and Nick. Will they hit the sheets? Will they have an affair? A one-night stand? Or will it be platonic, and she could be the person to help Nick out in one of the darkest times in his life?
Photo: JPI
A NEW WOMAN IN NICK’S LIFE?
“I guess it would make for an interesting triangle,” said Braun about the possibility of being the woman between dad and son. “But people can have chemistry that isn’t romantic, and it can still become something really interesting. You know, like when you feel like you’ve met somebody before, or you meet somebody for the first time, and you’re instantly best friends, like, ‘How the heck are we grooving so well?’”
The two-time Daytime Emmy winning actress added that maybe that is what the audience is sensing with Nick and Sienna, but Braun does confirm,”There is some chemistry.”
TOUGH LOVE
With Nick’s addiction spiraling out of control and especially by week’s end on all-new episodes of the CBS soap opera, Tamara says Sienna’s experience with her brother and drugs, could lead to more key time with Nic:, “Whether it’s romantic, (it could be just a case of) ‘I want to try and get it right when I wasn’t able to before.”‘
So would be down for Sienna and Nick to have some sort of romantic encounter or relationship? Would you be more enthused if they remain friendly and she helps him try to deal with his addiction, or would you want them in each others orbits as friends and lovers? Let us know via the comment section.
Breaking News
Jennifer Harmon, ‘One Life to Live’s’ Cathy Craig, and ‘How to Survive a Marriage’ Star, Dead at 82
Sad news to report for the One Life to Live family. Actress Jennifer Harmon who was the last actress to play the emotionally troubled Cathy Craig has passed away. Harmon, who also starred on the defunct NBC soap opera, How to Survive a Marriage, died in New York on May 9 at the age of 82. Harmon’s family made the announcement.
Jennifer was the fifth actress to play One Life to Live’s Cathy, following Catherine Burns, Amy Levitt, Jane Alice Brandon and Dorrie Kavanaugh. During her two year tenure with the soap, from 1976 through 1978, she received a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama Series at the 5th annual Daytime Emmy Awards in 1978. The award that year went to Another World’s Laurie Heineman (ex-Sharlene Frame).
In her soap career, not only did Harmon have major success as Cathy on One Life to Live, but she starred on NBC’s new soap opera, How to Survive a Marriage as Chris Kirby and stayed with the series through its entire run which lasted just over a year from 1974-1975.
Photo: NBC
How to Survive a Marriage told the story of divorced couple as they battle for custody of their daughter, and as the mom enters the workforce. In the span of a year, Chris got divorced, remarried and battled alcoholism. Rosemary Prinz was the featured name in the cast.
On One Life to Live, Cathy was the nemesis of Victoria Lord (Erika Slezak). Cathy blamed the wealthy Viki for the accident that killed her child Megan Craig Riley (even though the baby has a congenital heart defect and her life expectancy was short). So, she set out to make Viki’s life hell by kidnapping Viki and Joe’s child, Kevin.
Later, Jennifer would return to One Life to Live in the 90s to play Viki’s attorney in a new role, went on to play Jean Weatherill on Guiding Light in 1991 and Lucretia Jones on Loving in 1995. Her primetime TV credits included: Barnaby Jones, Dallas, The White Shadow, St. Elsewhere, Homicide: Life on the Street, Oz, Rescue Me and The Good Wife.
Harmon was also known as one of the most accomplished stage actresses on Broadway having appeared over 21 times in different productions spanning nearly 50 years including in plays of the works of legendary playwrights: Noël Coward, Wendy Wasserstein, Lillian Hellman, Neil Simon, Tennessee Williams, Edward Albee and Jon Robin Baitz. Throughout her theatre career she was was known as a reliable actress, and at times was an understudy for the likes of: Stockard Channing, Judi Dench, Jessica Lange, Blythe Danner and Jessica Lange.
Share your remembrances of Jennifer Harmon on One Life to Live, How to Survive a Marriage, and more, in the comment section below.
AMERICAN IDOL: Who Won Season 24? Did Your Favorite Take Home the Title?
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Nina is Frantic, Sonny is Mistrustful, Chase and Willow are Being Framed
‘General Hospital’s’ Jonathan Bennett Previews His New Role as PCPD Officer Joe Fitzpatrick
‘The Young and the Restless’ Tamara Braun Teases Sienna and Nick Relationship Turn, ‘There is Some Chemistry’
Jennifer Harmon, ‘One Life to Live’s’ Cathy Craig, and ‘How to Survive a Marriage’ Star, Dead at 82
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Y&R’s Joshua Morrow Delivers the ‘Power Performance of the Week’: His Co-Stars Couldn’t Agree More (Exclusive)
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Claywell speaks like he has a messiahnic complex. That’s annoying, and he’s not a “sacrificial lamb”. Claywell is now comparing himself to Jesus Christ? Wow, how delusional can he get? But at least this kish melodrama w/in the melodrama is finally fizzing out.
They kish fans are kishinitas? LOL! That’s pretty bad. So are the Nuke fans Nukettes? With all this publicity and his far better acting over Evans, Claywell should be able to secure a nom. They’re voting now right? Good timing is everything.
And BRAVO to tvg’s Michael Logan for actually having the balls to call out Carlivati’s bad storytelling as a major factor to the kish storyline dropping in ratings and the kish axings! If Wheeler’s regime had axed Otalia, or Goutman had extricated Nuke, many soap journalists would be carrying their pitchforks and torches demanding that Goutman or Wheeler to be sent to the guillotine. So bravo to Logan for that critique! No one has critiqued Carlivati for botching up Kish and the hate crime w/ Nick and Dorian’s race to the mayor’s office by fooling the lgbtq voters that she’s a lesbian.
And afterelton are self-satisfying hypocrites. Who the hell is Michael Jenson to speak for GAY people? Of course he makes this abt a homophobia issue.
Jensen and his partner host this 2 gay guys running commentary and of course show preference for out actors. They’ll complain abt Jodie Foster sharing her life as a mother and speaking abt her stalker to the media, so they’ll turn that around and say if Foster can speak abt that, why doesn’t she speak abt her being allegedly a lesbian? Who the hell are they to say how Jodie Foster should lead her life. Yes celebrities will be speculated on and even outed, but she does not have to come out or talk about her sexual orientation if she chooses not to.
And Jensen knows nothing abt soaps. They only follow soaps w/ gay characters, so his narrow perspective lends nothing to the article. At least Giddens knows his shit.
sorry, but if you don’t know what you’re talking about don’t talk.
I am glad to see that there is only one real and authoritative source on the OLTL Kish scenario. It has become clear that none of the rest of us knows what we are talking about.
This could have been a really good story for One Life to Live seems years ago they attempted this subject but shyed away from it. The only soap that comes to my mind that has had a gay male storyline for a long time has been As The World Turns so good for them for keeping a gay male couple pretty much a front burner story for a good while!!
ATWT had their moments w/ Nuke, GL had their moments w/ Otalia. And Claywell saved kish, but even Claywell admits in this interview that he had reservations abt the mass same sex marriages. Carlivati was making too political a statement w/ Dorian pretending to be a lesbian to win the lgbtq vote, Nick, a character no one cares abt being in a hate crime and then the mass same sex marriages. But none of these lgbtq arcs compare w/ AMC’s original coming out storyline for Bianca.
If Reigel submitted this ep instead of Bianca confronting Erica abt her planting the drugs on Frankie, then maybe reigel would have beaten Finnigan. And Lucci could have won her 2nd Emmy with this scene IMO.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkMfrNX7q6g
I think Lucci’s fantastic in this clip. It’s so Erica Kane to make it abt her, and all of Lucci’s acting choices here are excellent like when Bianca asks when it’s going to be ok for her to have a gf, and Erica shrugs her head. Reigel’s great too, no other lgbtq char compares to Bianca.
Dialogue is full of gems. Bianca says she wants a rel like straight people and Erica says “Bianca don’t be that way.” I LOL bec it was so realistic since many parents would actually say that! The hesitation, queasiness and “I don’t wanna hear it” attitude of Erica was so on point.
Reigel’s delivery of the lines “it’s never gonna be ok for me to have a sexual rel, a sexual rel w/ a woman,” and “get over this gay thing” were really great. Erica saying “You have your whole life ahead of you…..” and Bianca countering “…….to meet a woman” was great dialogue. Lucci saying “You think every disagreement we have is bec of your sexual orientation, and it isn’t.” SO GREAT! And everytime Bianca throws it in Erica’s face that she’s a lesbian, Erica says “Will you please stop saying that.” So true of so many parents.
The writing is so organic, so character driven unlike the preachy, political kish crap. Hendrickson was so great as Frankie also, w/c shows she can act when given the rt material, since her acting as Chloe is crappy on MAB’s version of Y&R. She even looks like Frances Mcdormand in some angles.
AMC got it right. They hired a newbie w/ tremendous acting chops who could hold her own w/ La Lucci. Agnes Nixon’s writing was excellent. And it wasn’t about making a political statement. It was plain old solid soap writing at its finest. The scene I put is one of daytime’s best, if not the best.
I really really HATE ABC for dumping Kyle and Oliver and will NEVER watch OLTL again ever.
Awwwww, got his feelings hurt. keep continue condemning yourself.
I don’t think that’s what he was trying to get at.
It doesn’t matter, OLTL hit new record lows with ratings after Kish and the BGW storyline, proving that Kish wasn’t actually the cause of their slope.
I agree with you Brad, I will never watch OLTL ever again just because of their stupidity for dumping Kish! Unless they put Kish back on the show! 😉
i agree for dumping scott evans and brett claywell and a’m still watching one life to live as soon next year come april 2011 they will bring scott evans and brett claywell as acotr of kyle leiws and oliver fish their daughter seirra rose to bring them back a’m still keep on watching oltl all way to next year to put scott evans and brett claywell on-screen and to return to the show oltl