Connect with us

News

33

Y&R's Kristoff St. John and Shemar Moore Named Power Performances Of The Week!

By Michael Fairman

Published

on

Courtesy/CBS

Courtesy/CBS

This past Wednesday and Thursday, we already recapped in individual posts here and here the return of Shemar Moore to The Young and the Restless after almost a decade as Malcolm Winters.

We told you about the scenes that transpired between Malcolm and his elder brother, the now blind Neil Winters played by Kristoff St. John.  While some fans have written to us and shared that either  … they did not see the big deal of the scenes … or they thought the scenes were not all that, we strongly have to disagree this time!

During Shemar Moore’s highly anticipated two-day return to the CBS soap opera, the Criminal Minds star illustrated what a great actor he has become with a subtle, not over-the-top, and controlled performance that was filled with heart, love, and emotion,  Malcolm was to be the voice of reason and reality for his older brother, which showed in story that as time has moved on, the shoe is now on the other foot.  This time it’s Malcolm who is all grown up and being responsible.  When Shemar as Malcolm turned to leave as he exited for the last time for now, and said goodbye to his family, we reached for the hankies.

As for St. John, he couldn’t have been better, and just may have an Emmy reel with these scenes.  First, the Winters brothers took a stroll down memory lane complete with retro clips as Neil remembers the good times, and the bad times, with Malcolm and the women in their lives.  Later, Neil finally opens up and admits to Malcolm that he is scared that he may be permanently blind, and that he realizes he can’t go through this alone and needs to lean on his family, especially after Malcolm gave him a good talking to!

Watching these two actors work together showed a strong connection and bond that is still evident between them even almost a decade later.  And that through their work, they were able to make Shemar’s short visit to Genoa City emotional and memorable … and it reminded us of classic Y&R …  something that we always long for.  It is for these reasons that On-Air On-Soaps names Kristoff St. John and Shemar Moore this week’s Power Performances of the Week!

Do you agree with our picks? What did you think of the scenes after all was said and done? Weigh-in below!

33 Comments

33 Comments
oldest
newest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

I watched, it was fun..
It was not all that powerful, no way..
Shemar Moore was on screen around 20 mins time, total..

It was good, and really fun to see Shemar Moore’, but naww not all that powerful..
Think they got exciting confused with powerful .. but good 🙂

It was also GH’s Stavros Cassadine Return ..

Malcolm Winters return thread-
Shemar Moore’s (Malcolm Winters) on his return received 28 comments posts ,,

Stavros Cassadine Returns-
Stavros Cassadine (Robert Kelker-Kelly) on his return return received 157 comments posts..

Just saying :()

Both were an awesome return, but neither had a powerhouse return; well Stavros did, actually 🙂 ..:)

I agree, Starvos was great!

I liked Stavros better as a popsicle.

Here is the difference between Y&R and GH:

I choked up when Neil admitted that he was scared as a viewer I felt and identified with the emotion on screen.

As for Stavros it was so cheesy, and campy the acting so OTT that I don’t understand bhow the Cassadines are supposed to be scary.

I will take genuine emotion over camp any day.

As for thead counts Y&R viewers are too busy watching the show instead of posting on boards hence the show being number one and having 1.5 million (min) more viewers. 🙂

Nicole, nicely done. Of course I agree with you.
And Su000? You counted the amount of responses Stavros’s return garnered? I have two answers for that 1. Michael Fairman only wrote one blog for Stavros’s brief return while he wrote at least four blogs about Malcolm’s return. If you add up all the responses (which I will not do) I am sure the amount of responses might be more evenly matched.
And two, and most importantly, if you read the responses about Stavros’s return a majority of them are negative.
I don’t subscribe to the doctrine than any attention, even negative attention, is a good thing. That’s why I never throw tantrums.

As is usually the case between performances on GH and YR…YR is subtle and moving. Powerful.

GH is campy, and over the top. Cartoonish.

So yes, I agree with Michael’s comments.

Just a matter of taste for soap watchers.

Y&R is dull dull dull ..
It is always drama from someones near death or death ..
And then they keep the dead drama going by calibrate the death yearly off and on..
Neil had a moment and cried, well that is ordinary soap stuff no big feat..
It was very short scene of less than 2 minutes to be powerful lol no way..
The whole 2 day thing was a total of about 20 mins of Neil and Malcolm..

Soaps have been campy, known for their campiness since day one.. that is why non soap watcher make fun of the soaps.. GH is dark drama with a ton of variety..

Y&R is a depressing soap.. Lack any humor or variety..
the same 12 people on screen for way too long in their year long dull stories ..

It was not a powerful performance, it was as a soap scene with emotions , mostly flashbacks, and Neil cried , a common thing in the soaps..
I have never seen one cry better than the other..
being Y&R has been total fail for a year anything different with a bit of oumph would seem as being great LOL ..

but- it was different, and good..

Harry,

nope, not even close–

GH Stavros Cassadine (Robert Kelker-Kelly)
return got 172 replies in ONE thread..

Y&R Shemar Moore (Malcolm) Return had 3 threads;
one got 7 replies
one got 23 replies
one got 11 replies.

🙂 🙂

Of course I agree. PatF..

@su0000 GH isn’t dark drama a dark drama is Breaking Bad or Fargo. GH has cah occasional dramatic scenes.

And soaps weren’t always campy they actually started out being slice of life stories. The campiness we see now started in the late 70’s.

Y&R also has humor it is just derived from characters and dialogue as opposed to OTT situations. I also have no problem with characters marking the death of a character, it is real it is what makes the characters relatable.

I don’t have a problem with some camp, my issue with GH is they seem to have forgotten about characters and writing something that is remotely grounded. The balance is off.

Su000:

Since you seem to enjoy counting, why not count the negative comments vs the positive ones on Mr. Fairman’s blog pertaining to Stavros’s return? Kidding, please don’t do it. I am sure you have better things to do with your time. The unfortunate truth of human nature is that we are more likely to comment about something what displeases us more than we are likely to comment about something which pleases us. The truth is most people did not like the over-the-top campy writing which was afforded to Stavros’s return nor did they like his odd and awkward acting. As I pointed out earlier, even TV Guide’s Michael Logan, GH’s biggest cheerleader (next to you) Tweeted about how bad it was.
And the reason Mr. Fairman and others have given Malcolm’s return so much attention is that the actor has made a name for himself outside of the soap opera genre. I am sorry to break it to you, no one outside of longtime soap viewers, really know who Robert Keller Kelly is anymore.. Another reason Malcolm’s return garnered so much positive publicity is that the actor is good, and the scenes given to both he and Neil were subtle, yet powerful, and a throwback to what got us hooked on soaps in the first place.

Omg best two days of Y & R seeing Shemar & Kristoff together was awesome . There acting was the best since the last time together. It made you feel like it was real life and not a soap. The ending with Malcom leaving brought tears to my eyes and I can only hope he does more guest appearances. Great job you two
Linda =^..^=

I tried, but just can not see the powerful of it lol
1st day was 8? minutes of flashbacks, mostly, not powerful
2nd day malcolm chided Neil, nothing over the moon, and it ended with Neil crying.. All of that took about 9 minutes, total ..

It was fun and excitingly different to have Shemar back, I liked it!! 🙂

That “crying” is called a breakthrough … Neil FINALLY admitted that he’s NOT strong enough to handle being blind for life, which he’s actually afraid he may be, but never wished to admit it, even to himself. Only to his brother could he finally, FINALLY admit that he was afraid. That he was scared to death that he’ll never see again.

It was an amazing, touching scene, and both men should be praised for their acting skills, NOT the amount of time they were “on screen.”
wolfy

Those were emmy winning scenes…

If only he could have cried as means of being defrosted after having been frozen for decades. Those would not be tears, that would be the ice melting!
See? That’s what Ron Carlivatti would have done.

Completely agree! And I agree with you Michael that Kristoff St. John should have himself a dandy of an Emmy reel come next Spring!

I cannot stand the Winters family including Cane and wasnt excited about Malcolm coming home but I take my hat off to Shemar. He was great, he made Neil great, and for TWO days, he made the Winters family relevant. Congrats to both!

I agree with you, Timmm. And how wonderful to see a character come back obviously changed and mature. Apparently you need to leave Genoa City to do that because those that stay are stuck living recycled stories that do not allow for growth or change (Victor? Nikki?). It could be very interesting to see that growth and change as it happens, but it was gratifying to see a character come back more mature and aware. I agree, for once, the Winters family seemed relevant.

This was great use of history, family, flashbacks and FIT into the story. YR has been dreadful on some except Shick & Winters.

It was ok not that great

It was good..
But- not powerful..
It was a total time of near 20 minutes which half was flashbacks..
People were excited to have Shemar back for a total of 20 minutes, and being that Y&R has been empty for awhile it seemed like a powerful thing just to have something different and worth watching..
Nothing worthy of an emmy, it was a good soap should be….
But- Y&R is getting a bit better 🙂

Agree………Was powerful!

Malcolm deserves recognition for his performances. I thought he would be loud and proud but he was more wisdom and class. He deserves the emmy.

Yes, those were emotionally charged scenes for sure. Not only is all the positive attention a testament to those two actors’ acting ability, it’s also a testament that soap opera viewers are hungry for character driven scenes which utilize the characters’ history and their relationship dynamics (all soap producers and writers need to take note).
Mark, I understand why you say it was not so great. If these scenes occurred 10 to 15 years ago it would not be such a big deal. The fact that scenes such as this one has become an exception to the rule is what makes it stand out as being kind of great.

lol
good grief Harry..
1st day it was mostly 8 minutes of flashbacks, no big deal..
the 2nd day it was a total of 9 minutes of scolding and crying..
Y&R gets a bit of a badly need boost by having Shemar Moore back for 20 minutes time..
and some it see it as powerful greatness .. lol

It was nothing out of the norm with the exception of Shemar Moore on screen..
🙂 🙂

It is not about quantity it is about quality. The scenes could have lasted 8 minutes altogether and it still would have been good.

People liked it and felt something why the need to try to discount our opinions.

You like GH great. It isn’t everybody’s cup of tea.

And once again someting psitive is posted……and everyone pisses all over it..YEEEESH

Not everyone!

true…not everyone….but many

I’m sorry, Chris. I liked it.

I wish the three day visit by Charles Shaughnessy and Patsy Pease as Shane and Kimberly to DAYS a few months back had the coverage they deserved!

Shane and Kim are legacy characters who came back to help their daughter, Theresa!!! Where was all the hoopla for them?

I’m sure the coverage for DAYS is not fair…until there is equal coverage for DAYS, Michael Fairman is actually Michael Man! Is that fair?

I hope the Y&R fans are happy with all this coverage…This DAYS fan is upset!

Having watched Shemar Moore through his origins on Y&R as Malcolm, and his growth as an actor on movies and Criminal Minds, I have to agree with Mr. Fairman that, this go-round, Moore was the voice of reason as Malcolm, the younger brother who has grown up and become the man who loves his brother, unconditionally, even though they have both hurt each other over the years over women and slights, and he’s there for him, only a phone call away, any time, day or night.

To be able to relay that kind of emotional power in such a short time on the show proves that Mr. Moore has had tremendous growth as an actor, and Mr. St. John played right into the scenes with his own greatness.

THIS felt so similar to the old Y&R days when Bill Bell was writing for the actors, and it felt like home.

Not since Christian J. Le Blanc and Greg Rikaart did their scenes as Michael and Kevin, after Kevin had been beaten nearly to death in jail and Michael was sitting by Kev’s hospital bedside, saying how much he cared and that he was sorry he’d not been there for Kevin when he was a child have I felt any closeness between characters as siblings.

Moore and St. John should be praised for their work, and yes, I hope both get an Emmy … St. John for Best Actor and Moore for Guest Starring role. Lord knows Mr. St. John hasn’t had a lot of good writing for himself before this in a long time….
wolfy

Yes, the usual suspects pissing on anything YR.

Why anyone comes onto a YR thread and tries to garner support for GH is beyond me.

The shows can’t be compared. And that’s fine. Just stick to what you like…or what you claim to defend.

News

‘WWE: Unreal’ Season 3 Premiere Date, Cast of Superstars, Announced by Netflix

Published

on

By

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.

Continue Reading

Days Of Our Lives

Deidre Hall Marks 50 Years as ‘Days of Our Lives’ Dr. Marlena Evans

Published

on

By

If you have ever tuned-in to the soap opera genre over the last 50 years, and witnessed some of the greatest romances, drama, classic and outlandish storylines of all-time, you would have seen Deidre Hall smack dab in the middle of it as longtime Salem heroine, Dr. Marlena Evans.

It was 50 years on this date, June 21, 1976 that Hall first appeared on DAYS on NBC which was its home for 57 years before it moved to its current streaming platform on Peacock in September of 2022.

In Hall’s first episode she was introduced as a psychiatrist treating Mickey Horton (John Clarke) at Bayview Sanitarium after he suffered a complete mental breakdown. Mickey learned that his brother Bill Horton (Edward Mallory) was the biological son of Mike Horton (Wesley Eure) with his wife Laura (Susan Flannery) and that he had been lied to for years and years. From that moment on, the rest is television and soap opera history. Days of Our Lives put Hall front and center.

Photo: NBC

There were so many heartbreaking and shocking story twists involving the beloved Marlena. One of the first was the historic crib death of baby DJ (Don Jr.) in 1980, Marlena’s infant son with Don Craig (Jed Allan). The story had never been told on daytime television and Hall’s performances received accolades from TV critics to fans when Deidre received thousands of letters from grieving mothers who had gone through the same thing in their own lives.

DAYS also brought Deidre’s twin sister, Andrea Hall Lovell to the show as her on-screen sister Samantha, who had a grudge and even locked Marlena up in a sanitarium and took her place! Fast-forward and in 1982, DAYS launched the Salem Strangler story where everyone believed Marlena was his next victim, only it turned out to be Samatha. Jake Kositchek (played by Jack Coleman) was revealed to be the actual serial killer.

Later, Deidre would assume the role of Marlena’s look-alike, Hattie Adams in 2004, once played by her sister, Andrea. Over the years, Hattie has come back to Salem and caused trouble giving Hall a chance to play a different type of character, then the always upstanding Marlena.

Photo: JPI

THE LOVES OF MARLENA

Deidre Hall struck gold with all her leading men: from the late Jed Allan, to Wayne Northrop as Roman Brady, and of course, her enduring love story with the late John Black played by the iconic Drake Hogestyn. In fact, Marlena’s 1986 wedding to John (who was believed to be Roman at the time) remains a favorite of fans to this day.

TOP MARLENA STORYLINES OF ALL-TIME

While the list is long, here are several that were some of the memorable during Deidre’s five decades in Salem!

The Possession (1994- 1995)
Considered one of the most ambiguous, outlandish and unforgettable story arcs in soap opera history, then Days of Our Lives head writer, James Reilly went there! Marlena was possessed by the devil! That included; the demonic eyes, hissing at father John (Black) the priest, morphing into creatures, and the classic levitating in her bed! It became a cultural phenomenon and cemented Deidre Hall’s status as a daytime television legend. Just ask Ryan Gosling!

Photo:JPI

The Affair with John Black (1993)
John and Marlena’s forbidden love could not be denied and they had passionate affair, while she was still married to the real Roman. Problem was her daughter, Sami (Alison Sweeney) caught her mother having sex with John on a desk that changed Sami forever.

The Salem Stalker Mystery (2003-2004)
In a shocker, Marlena was revealed to be a serial killer who bumped off several Salem favorites residents who were all alive on the island of Melaswen (spelled “New Salem” backward). Turns out, she was manipulated and gaslighted by Andre DiMera (Thaao Penghlis) to do the “killings” and had no memory of her actions.

The Pier Scene (1991)
This remains Michael Fairman TV’s all-time favorite Deidre Hall moment, which featured some of the best acting in the storied careers of both Hall and Drake Hogestyn.

In the story, a presumed-dead Marlena returns after four years. One foggy night on the pier, John is alone, and Marlena steps out of the fog to reveal herself, and is reunited with the love of her life. You can watch it any year, any decade, and in any moment, and it will have you reaching for the hankies again and again. (best music score fo a soap scene of all-time too!)

Photo: NBC

Kristen’s Secret Room Reveal (1997)
Marlena was caught in Kristen Blake’s (Eileen Davidson) elaborate web of lies, when she was held hostage in a secret wine cellar/room until John managed to track her down, leading to an iconic on-screen reunion. The classic catfight between Hall and Eileen Davidson was one for the ages.

It should be noted that Maison Blanche, Queen of the Night, Possession, Aremid and Lady in a Cage were all a part of classic DAYS storyline and all featured Hall at the epicenter of it from 1993-1996.

THE RECENT YEARS OF MARLENA

In recent years, DAYS brought back the possession 2.0 storyline under then head writer Ron Carlivati in 2021 where the devil leapt back in Marlena after taking advantage of a frail Doug Williams (the late Bill Hayes)

In 2025, viewers watched the end of the love story of John and Marlena, as John succumbed to injuries sustained in an explosion saving a vial of medication needed to bring Bo (Peter Reckell) back to life. Marlena has been a widow on-screen since June of 2025 as Hall as portrayed the good doctor struggling with her grief and to move on with her life since his death.

Photo: JPI

One story that never goes away is Stefano DiMera’s (the late Joe Mascolo) obsession with Marlena, his “Queen of the Night.” Even in death, Stefano is toying with her from the great beyond with the mysterious chess set and the missing “pawn,” that he had gifted John and Marlena in his will. The mystery is currently unfolding on all-new episodes of Days of Our Lives.

Tune-in to Days of our Lives on the Monday, June 22 episode as Marlena looks back at her 50 years in Salem.

Share your congratulations to Deidre Hall for this incredible 50-year milestone as Dr. Marlena Evans on Days of Our Lives in the comment section. Then let us know, what is your all-time favorite storyline or moment in the life of Marlena over the past 5 decades? And, just for kicks, and to celebrate this amazing milestone, here is Marlena levitating below circa Christmas Eve 1994.

Continue Reading

General Hospital

Maurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric

Published

on

By

With the highly-anticipated returns of Finola Hughes (Anna Devane) on this week’s June 24 episode of General Hospital, Steve Burton’s (Jason Morgan) upcoming return on July 13, which also serves as the ABC daytime drama’s 16,000 episode, things are about to fire on all cylinders in the story, as noted today by series star, Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos).

On Father’s Day, the three-time Daytime Emmy-winning actor and mental health activist took to his Instagram and expressed in a video that he has some unbelievable upcoming senes with the aforementioned Burton and Hughes. Add to that Nazneen Contractor (Justine Turner) and Rick Hearst (Ric Lansing), where Benard gave credit where credit is due to the GH writing team, which is led by co-head writers, Elizabeth Korte and Chris Van Etten..

In this video, Benard said, “I just want to get on here and say that I did some work with Steve Burton, Finola Hughes, Rick Hearst, Nazneen Contractor, and they’re all just fantastic. Truly fantastic. But, I want to say the writing was just exceptional. It truly was. It was exceptional. So, thankful for that kind of writing. I know writers don’t get the credit a lot, but I just want to say to the General Hospital writing team, keep rolling!”

GENERAL HOSPITAL PREVIEW

So now the question becomes, with a major tease like that, what is about to go down between Sonny, Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric? Will we finally get to the end of the line for Sidwell (Carlo Rota), as previously teased by the GH co-head writers? Will we learn what happened to Jason and Anna, fully? Will Justine and Sonny becomes closer or stop their liaisons? And what of Ric? Will he be true blue to his brother or double-cross him? There is a lot at stake as we move further into the summer and one that looks like it could be one of the more exciting ones in years!

FINOLA HUGHES CONFIRMED AMAZING SCENES WITH MAURICE BENARD

As a punctuation point to his video, Benard also shared this written message in the post: “I just did some wonderful scenes with Steve Burton, Rick Hearst, Finola Hughes and Nazneen Contractor and  and unbelievable writing, freaking amazing scenes that you will see in the near future on General Hospital.” In fact, Finola Hughes jumped in the post comment thread and responded, “I loved our scenes so much xxx”

Fans will most likely see all the scenes Benard referred to later in July, since GH tapes approximately six weeks ahead of air.

So, are you excited to see what Maurice is talking about? Are you hyped for what’s to come on GH? Any clue on what you think will go down between the main characters on the soap with the returns of Anna Devane and Jason Morgan to the mix? Weigh-in via the comment section below.

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Maurice Benard (@mauricebenard)

Continue Reading

Video Du Jour

Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

Recent Comments

Power Performance

Finn Carr & Dominic Zamprogna as Rocco & Dante

General Hospital

Airdate: 5-14-2026

Popular

33
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x