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.”
Days of our Lives long-running cast member James Reynolds revealed on the November 10 edition of Entertainment Tonight that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and his character of Abe Carver will now be going through an on-screen Parkinson’s battle as well.
Speaking with ET’s Nischelle Turner, the 80-year-old actor and Daytime Emmy winner shared how he attempted to hide the warning signs dating back to 15-20 years ago when he would have, “What they call the hallucinations. My wife (Lissa) would say, ‘You were hitting me last night in bed,’ and I would say, ‘What?!’ I was having these really horrible dreams.” Reynolds also added that he realized falling out of bed was an early symptom of Parkinson’s too.
Discussing the on-going tremors that have become more noticeable over time especially in hands, James shared that when he finally told the Days of our Lives cast they were nothing but “extraordinarily helpful and supportive.”
Photo: ET
SCREEN LIFE TO MIRROR REAL LIFE
Now with DAYS about to launch into Abe’s Parkinson’s storyline, Reynolds hopes that he can turn his experience into something positive by encouraging others facing the disease to keep fighting. During the sit-down, Reynolds co-star Jackée Harry (Paulina Price) recalls her reaction to learning of Reynolds’ real-life diagnosis and how she has continued to search for new treatments to inform James about.
Although Parkinson’s disease currently has no cure, there are medications and treatments can help those manage symptoms and improve quality of life. The condition progresses at a different pace from individual to individual.
As discussed in his conversation with ET, Reynolds cited Michael J. Fox and Alan Alda as two high-profile celebrities who have brought awareness to the disease.
Photo: JPI
In story on DAYS, Abe in recent weeks had been experiencing tremors which led to seek help and a diagnosis Dr. Kayla Johnson (Mary Beth Evans). Soon Abe and others will find out of his battle with Parkinson’s. Although on the promo for this week’s DAYS, Abe is seen telling Kayla, that he will do something, “when the time is right.”
James Reynolds is one of the most prolific performers, being the longest-running Black Actor in a role on a television series, not to mention his aforementioned Lead Actor Daytime Emmy win in 2018, and being inducted in 2025 into the Daytime Emmy Gold and Silver Society of honorees.
You can check out James’ in-depth conversation on his Parkinson’s diagnosis below.
Share your thoughts for James after learning of his health battle, and what do you think of Days of our Lives incorporating the disease into Abe Carver’s Salem storyline? Let us know in the comment section.
News
Michael Easton Pays Homage to ‘One Life to Live’ Cast and Those From Llanview We Lost in Candid Photos
Michael Easton remains one of the soulful individuals we know. Not only is he an accomplished actor from his various roles on daytime soaps, primetime and films, but he is graphic novelist, a director, writer and a photographer.
In a surprise Instagram post on Tuesday, November 10, Easton took a trip back to Llanview and the beloved One Life to Live with a series of photographs that he himself took and showcased in a touching display.
It was on One Life to Live that Easton first portrayed John McBain, a role he played from 2003-2012, and then, he would play the role for another year after OLTL was canceled and he took the character over to General Hospital until 2013. With all the ABC/Prospect Park legal disputes going down at that time over who owned the rights to the characters, eventually Easton became Silas Clay on GH, and later Hamilton Finn.
Photos: Michael Easton
Now, Easton is sharing some fantastic snaps he took 21-years ago when the OLTL cast recorded a benefit album to help those affected by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
The photos include: the late Phil Carey (ex-Asa Buchanan), Renee Elise Goldsberry (ex-Evangeline Williamson), plus the late Kamar de los Reyes, who was Easton’s best friend and the former Antonio Vega of Llanview.
In addition, there are images of six-time Daytime Emmy winner, Erika Slezak (ex-Victoria Lord), Timothy D. Stickney (ex-RJ Gannon), Bree Williamson (ex-Jessica Buchanan), Tika Sumpter (ex-Layla Williamson), Robin Strasser (ex- Dorian Lord), the late Patricia Elliot (ex-Renee Buchanan), Melissa Archer (ex-Natalie Balsom) and Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr Manning), Kathy Brier (ex-Marcie Walsh), Ilene Kristen (ex-Roxy Balsom) and even Melissa Fumero (ex-Adriana Cramer), Trevor St. John (ex-Todd/Victor Lord Jr.), Robert S. Woods (ex-Bo Buchanan), Catherine Hickland (ex-Lindsay Rappaport), the late Nathaniel Marston (ex-Al Holden), Kassie DePaiva (ex-Blair Cramer), and Eddie Alderson (ex-Matthew Buchanan).
Photo: Michael Easton
In his post, Easton shared in full: “FOUND A MEMORY (part one) stored on an old Nikon camera. In 2005, the cast of One Life to Live recorded a benefit album with all the proceeds going to those affected by Hurricane Katrina. Not being nearly as talented as my fellow actors (looking back what a badass cast it was) my contribution was to take photographs of their amazing faces.”
Michael continued, “In lieu of a proper photo studio, our friend Richie Hersch was kind enough to loan us his bar, Prohibition, on the upper west side for the afternoon to have an impromptu jam session. It was a beautiful time and I look back fondly on those moments, even when it takes finding a camera to awake the memory.”
With sorrow, Easton also shared, “It also brings up a little heartache as some of our friends are no longer with us and although they live in our hearts it’s nice to see them again and remember how perfect they were.”
This was followed by PART Two of FOUND A MEMORY with a carousel of images from Easton in a second post, which included: candid shots of Melissa Fumero, Dan Gauthier (ex-Kevin Buchanan) Paul Satterfield (ex-Dr. Spencer Truman) along with Trevor St. John, Nathaniel Marston, Kamar de los Reyes and many others.
Take a look at the One Life to Live cast images from Michael Easton below.
Then let us know, does it make you miss the beloved ABC soap opera even more? What did you think of Michael’s photos of the cast? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
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On Tuesday, November 10, Matt Cohen (Detective Burrow, The Young and the Restless, and formerly Dr. Griffin Munro, General Hospital) stars in a new holiday rom-com alongside soap alum Brittany Underwood (ex-Langston Wilde, One Life to Live) in Christmas at the Zoo.
The holiday movie streams beginning today on Tubi. In story, an entrepreneur brokering a sponsorship for a zoo’s new Humboldt penguin habitat finds herself caught between business and romance after falling for a compassionate zookeeper during the holidays.
Cohen visited ABC 7 Chicago’s Windy City Weekend and chatted with hosts, Josh McBride and Val Wilmer about his role in the story which was filmed in Chicago at the famed Brookfield Zoo.
Courtesy/Tubi
FALLING FOR THE PENGUINS
“There are not a lot of rom-coms that have been told like this, almost entirely about the Brookfield Zoo,” explained Cohen. “And if you know anything about Chicago, the Brookfield Zoo holds it down. This is a zoo that truly cares about the animals. The caretakers are amazing. And this movie’s going to make you cry. It’s going to make you laugh.”
Matt expressed he was touched by the animals during the filming, especially the penguins! “I’m in the mix of a lot of penguins and I knew them all by name,” the actor shared proudly. “I’ve got a real way with the penguins that would surprise you. I became like a real zookeeper during this thing. It was wild. I got passionate about it.”
Photo: Tubi
DOES THIS ZOOKEEPER FIND LOVE?
Explaining the epicenter of the story, Cohen shared, “The premise is very simple, It’s a man that works at the zoo. He care very much about these animals. The female lead comes in, wants to change things for the animals to make more money, make more profit. That hurts my heart. I can’t let that happen. I got to protect them during that process. Maybe we fall in love or maybe we don’t. I don’t want to spoil this Christmas movie. But, it feels good because the animals are the center of this thing. ”
At the end of the day, the rom-com is all about love for the animals, and if his character finds love! “It’s the center of this love story. It’s about helping them, not ourselves,” explained Cohen. “So, if were you an animal lover before this movie? I am a dog lover, a cat lover. I never knew I was a penguin man. I am a penguin man. I love giraffes. I love people. Go to the zoo. It feels good.”
You can catch Matt’s conversation on Windy City Weekend below and the trailer for Christmas at the Zoo.
Now let us know, will you be checking the movie out and would you like to see Matt have a more prominent role in Genoa City under the new head writing regime at Y&R, or if not, join another soap? Weigh-in via the comment section.
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‘The Young and the Restless’: New Co-Head Writers Talk Drama, Romance, and Intrigue Ahead in Genoa City on the Eve of Their Debut Script
‘Days of our Lives’ Veteran James Reynolds Reveals Parkinson’s Diagnosis
Michael Easton Pays Homage to ‘One Life to Live’ Cast and Those From Llanview We Lost in Candid Photos
Y&R’s Matt Cohen Talks Role as Compassionate Zookeeper in Rom-Com ‘Christmas at the Zoo’
Y&R’s New Head Writers Share Vision for Genoa City: Contemporary Homage to Bill Bell, Mixing Heightened Escapism and Grounded Reality
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‘Days of our Lives’ Celebrates 61st Anniversary: EP Ken Corday Teases New Character’s Arrival in Spring 2027
‘Days of our Lives’ Veteran James Reynolds Reveals Parkinson’s Diagnosis
Y&R’s Matt Cohen Talks Role as Compassionate Zookeeper in Rom-Com ‘Christmas at the Zoo’
Alice Halsey Returns to ‘Days of our Lives’ as Rachel Black – Find Out How Long!
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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