Contessa Donatella
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Posts posted by Contessa Donatella
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10 minutes ago, Antoyne said:
Omg I’m going to be so upset if with the writing change we don’t get Nina/Drew/Willow triangle anymore.
Digest said PM/Korte will continue into midsummer.
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2 hours ago, GymnastGuy said:
Haha, you're funny
Oh, no! Don't encourage him!!!
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1 hour ago, Toups said:
I also like how Holly is such a mess. She's way more interesting than Tate. I'm sort of glad TV teens don't talk like real teens - none of us, or at least anyone over 30, would understand all that slang. LOL
I agree! I'm completely with you on this! I don't think I need authenticity in 14 year olds!
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36 minutes ago, Khan said:
So, it's not just Elizabeth Korte who props those two (although, she's probably the most flagrant offender).
Thanks, @Liberty City!
The way I describe Korte is priorities: 1-Jason, 2-angst, 3-Carly, 4-whatever Frank says. I believe it to be a sound analysis.
1 hour ago, Khan said:Were Chris and Dan pro-Carly/Sonny as well, or did they have a more balanced view of those characters?
It's really hard to say about things like that with them. When they got back from the strike, they wandered around talking to everyone, because they had no idea at all what they wanted to do with anyone, at all. Just totally blank. They decided, hey why not, by default, let's have Chase propose to Brook Lynn. This is an actual example of the way they think, or don't think, as the case may be.
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Now that is totally backwards. Carly was clear that she did it, that both Michael & Drew told her not to, that it was entirely her own fault. She said it in the beginning. She said it again recently. And, she said it in between. It's Nina who is always blaming Carly, not the other way around. Or at least it was Nina. That has now changed & I like it. And furthermore Carly told Drew not to turn himself in!!! I mean, there's facts, what actually happened onscreen.
BITD Nina was like the Carly haters on TWiX. Why are they angry at Carly today? Because it is a day that ends with a Y. Last week Carly was not on the show, except for 3 seconds on Friday's "NEXT ... on General Hospital!" But, did that stop the haters? No, it did not. They bitched about Carly every single day.
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Drew & Nina are not lovers. They are fuque buddies.
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17 minutes ago, te. said:
Sami was obviously justified in everything she did and was always the wronged party.
True enough, but she still was a hellacious teen!!!
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28 minutes ago, Reverend Ruthledge said:
I do remember him fumbling his lines quite often although it wasn't so much him fumbling his lines as him always pausing too long before delivering his lines. I've noticed other actors doing this. Eileen Fulton did it. So did Helen Wagner. You can tell the pause is them trying to remember the lines. He would mix things up too from time to time but he was good at saving it. As was Fulton. I would imagine they edited out the big fumbles. I can't imagine how any of them memorize all those lines. I, personally, couldn't do it.
And besides having to learn so many. They also have to *forget* yesterday or it gets in the way of today.
11 hours ago, Paul Raven said:From his memoir' Include Me Out', Farley Granger discusses his stint on ATWT
Dating this time, Bob had progressed from director and line producer on two
NBC daytime shows to executive producer at CBS on his fourth soap, As the
World Turns. It took him nine grueling months, but he finally met the head
writer with whom he could transform the eighth-ranked show into a winner.
Within six months, he and Doug Marland had moved the show into first place,
and it went on to win a Best Show Emmy Award for the first time in its thirtyfive-
year history.Against Bob's instincts and, even though I was tempted to take on the challenge
of mastering a technique which had up to this time eluded me, against
mine, Doug persuaded him to persuade me into signing me for the show. Immediately
after signing a three-year contract with mutual out clauses for As the
World Turns,Eileen Fulton, whose singing still continues to charm supper club patrons in
Manhattan, has played Lisa, the resident vixen on As the World Turns, since
shortly after the show went on the air. She was chosen to be my love interest on
the show. Eileen was helpful, caring, a consummate professional, and in general
a delight to work with. Lisa also happened to own the one restaurant/club in
Oakdale, the fictitious Midwestern city somewhere near Chicago in which the
show took place. Doug Marland was a master at writing scenes at this restaurant/
club, the Mona Lisa, where a large number of the show's leading characters
supped, drank, plotted, and crossed paths. In this way, he was able to
spread information quickly, and dramatically illustrate tts effect on the various
people involved. The technique worked wonderfully, but these scenes were the
most difficult and time-consuming to stage, rehearse, and tape. Whenever the
cast saw a heavy day scheduled in the Mona Lisa, we knew that we would be
lucky to finish before midnight.
On my first day of work, I had an early-morning call for some of the intimate scenes that introduced my character to Oakdale as well as an afternoon call to play a number of see-and-be-seen scenes at the Mona Lisa. The morning scenes were finished by around 11:00 a.m. I went back to my dressing room,where I sat until my next call at ten-thirty that evening. It was complete chaos in the studio, and everyone was tired. I could not remember one word.
I tried, oh, Lord, I tried. I had a recliner put in my dressing room, kept to
myself, and studied my ass off. By the time I was called to the set, I always
knew my lines perfectly. The moment I hit the studio, even for the simplest of
scenes, the normal noise and chaos of daytime television—sets being changed,
last-minute lighting adjustments, the cameras and boom microphone platforms
working out traffic problems—blew my concentration. I would tense up and
the words would desert me.There were not enough hours in most days to allow the actors a quiet run through
or two on the set. Whenever we were able to have one, I could remember
lines and come up with a performance. But those opportunities were
extremely rare. More often than not, the dress would be taped in hopes of getting
something good enough. The producers, the directors, the technical staff,
and almost all of the other actors could not have been more supportive and encouraging,but it wasn’t enough. I still couldn't master the technique of tuning
out the surroundings. I knew it and everyone else did, too. I was miserable. By
this time in my life, I knew I was a good actor, but that knowledge also made it
possible for me know how bad I was in this particular situation, I kept trying
for over a year, partially out of loyalty, partially out of stubbornness, but my
health began to suffer. I tried new diets, meditation, acupuncture, hypnosis,
and whatever else anyone recommended. Nothing helped. Things did not improve.
After a few more months, old reliable, my colon, started to act up for the
second time since my battle to get out of my contract with Sam Goldwyn.
I was diagnosed with spastic colitis brought on by stress. I asked what I
could do about it because it was obviously the soap and I had eighteen months
left on my contract. My doctor's answer was, “You have no time left. A perforated
colon is an extremely serious problem. It is also one you will be facing
soon, if you do not stop what is causing your colitis.”
I went to Bob the next day. He said that he knew how unhappy I had been,
but had no idea that it was making me sick.. He called Doug immediately, and
they discussed replacing me with another actor or writing me out of the show
in a way that would be dramatic and serve the plot.
Within two days, Doug Marland had figured out how to write me out of the
show, but he needed a month. He agreed to keep my performance schedule as
light as he could without damaging the story line. As soon as I heard that, |started to shed some of the tension that was making me ill. After several days,
people at the studio started complimenting me on how well the scenes were going.
Bob called me into his office and said, “Do you have any idea of how much
better you've gotten since we agreed to release you from your contract?” I said
that I hadn't, but I did acknowledge that the scenes seemed to be getting a little
easier to do. At that point he said, “Maybe you won't have to leave the show.’ As
I quickly turned to leave his office, he yelled after me, “Just kidding.”Anyone watching at the time- Did Farley fumble his lines?
I think he came back for brief appearances after his departure?
Here they are as a couple, Farley Granger & Robert Calhoun & the book they wrote together.
Granger was both famous & infamous. He was openly bisexual, always, saying he didn't come out, because he was never in. He was said to have performed over 7 decades, beginning in movies in the 40s, doing movies in other times, doing theatre, finally doing a soap. Notably he had an affair with Leonard Bernstein, the last affair before the "Maestro" married a woman. I can't recall the famous & gorgeous women he was with. That was all before he & Calhoun met & they were together from that point, on, until their deaths.
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39 minutes ago, j swift said:
I had never put it altogether until now, but I enjoy the DAYS tradition of bratty teen girls through the years. We went from shoplifting Julie, to mouthy Hope, back talking Ciara, and now baby monster Holly. Each decade gets their own whippersnapper.
Uh, Sami would like a word with you about your list.
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26 minutes ago, carolineg said:
The abruptness of his departure makes me think PM quit. I have no idea if that's true, but I honestly don't even think he was HW long enough to get fired lol.
He wasn't. Friday was their Episode #46. M-F a month is 23 days, so in effect, they'd been on air, for 2 months. And, they were smack dab in the middle of May Sweeps. Traditionally, the rule of thumb is either 6 months or 2 Sweeps periods. As has been said by others here already, this is unprecedented if they fired him this quickly.
Clearly Friday was their first BIG DAY. We have learned from Steve & Harrington in a podcast last week that Cates & Jason have taped "action scenes." Also Finola said something which made it sound like Pikeman is about to heat up but maybe not conclude for 4-5 more weeks.
This says to me that we are just now getting into the thick of it. It seems to me that they have thrown out not only the bathwater and the baby but the whole damn nursery.
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2 minutes ago, carolineg said:
I honestly think if Holly had a better reason to be angry at Nicole her reactions would be at least understandable. Obviously no one should speak to their mother like she did, but it makes it worse that Holly's hill to die on is going to prom. Comparing her pretty decent childhood to Nicole's physical and sexual abusive one is just absolutely clueless. I am glad the show is giving Holly some edge although at this point she is coming off bratty, vindictive, and petty. A few scenes with Marlena didn't help her much IMO. I don't find Holly very root able and I think Tate certainly deserves better.
I confess to not understanding what is going on with Holly. One minute with Nicole, she is monstrous. The very next minute, with Marlena she is all phooey I was a terrible person, guilty, seeing how monstrous she was, ... HUH? I honestly recall, as a teen girl, that moods were AWFUL. Is she just having teenage mood swings?
As for NuTate I am still getting used to the change. In the hall at school yesterday, he was fine, or maybe even slightly better than fine.
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From the Star Billing Blog:
On September 29, 1969 Bright Promise debuted on NBC. The scene opened outside with people walking & the words Bright Promise appear big & bold on this visual field & as Dana Andrews walks into the frame & the words are replaced with "Starring Dana Andrews".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVnhhGoDkEk
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On 4/26/2024 at 2:36 PM, Avatar610 said:
I checked that link and some shows are missing, most notably Dark Shadows, which is syndicated through CBS/Paramount!
It's frustrating that the show has yet to be syndicated, especially considering the great links between it and General Hospital! Both shows were created by Frank and Doris Hursley, and had Gloria Monty working behind the scenes (on BP she was a director). Also, actors in common included Tony Geary, Susan Brown, David Lewis, Anne Jeffeys, and Lesley Woods.
It's one of the mere handful of soaps to feature star billing.
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Nitpick: Albert Alarr not Alan.
It's awkward as hell. She was a total nepo hire. There's no reason to think she was qualified. The optics are so very bad. But none of that is a basis for firing her. It is a mess & not the soapy kind of mess we love so!
Did anyone but me think that Thursday Sarah didn't have enough dialog? I swear she spent half the day mugging! Meanwhile Xander had way too many words!!
The only other thing is why Steve is keeping Kayla on some kind of "need to know" basis.
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2 hours ago, Efulton said:
Thanks Donna. By the time I tried to place the order the orders were closed. I emailed Karen but never heard back. I am still interested though.
What I'm thinking about doing is having a zoom watch party!
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1 hour ago, P.J. said:
Is it just me, or is Larkin Malloy a graduate from The. William. Shatner. School of Act-ING ? I'm sure the stilted dialogue and talking endlessly to portraits doesn't help, but he just doesn't seem like a good fit for the show.
So what do you think about his being acting coach?!
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34 minutes ago, Vee said:
I do think the "Drew becomes Drew Quartermaine and goes into politics as a gladhanding tycoon" angle was all PM (and I've heard it was, but who knows). It reminds me of some of the classic Ross Marler stories, as I said. And it really suits what Cameron is good at. It's obvious Nina would've become either his scheming First Lady/wife or his secret scandalous lover BTS, or both. I was all for this stuff.
People were clowning the Drew Q thing because he's been in prison, but exactly how many felons, killers, bombers, etc. on soaps have gone on to high office? IIRC Scott became DA again after he robbed the entire town and left behind a videotape trolling them!
In any event, Mulcahey allegedly quit instead of being fired and good for him.
Where does the information that he quit come from?
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5 minutes ago, DRW50 said:
I'll just mention it and then give you credit.
Beautiful!
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May be of interest ...
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2 minutes ago, DRW50 said:
Thanks @Contessa Donatella for sharing those stories. You'd think people would be more respectful of an 80 year old woman than to run up to her like they're meeting the Beatles.
Very sad about David Forsyth.
You may want to add the Barbara Rodell info to the Temporary Replacement or They Almost Became threads. If you don't want to I will.
I'm not familiar with those threads. Tell me the right one's name & I'll be glad to pop it there, too.
And, yes, the more I think about it I'm getting angry at the very idea of rushing toward Linda!!!!
I am very sad about DavidF!!
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@Efulton and anyone else who ordered the Video/Photo pkg as a non-attendee:
AW60 Event: Just msgd with Karen & they are editing & hoping to add content & plan to distribute end of month.
So, I know 3 people, closely who attended. James posted about talking to different people & also msgd a bit.
1st item of several: When Linda Dano arrived, the crowd kind of rushed up & at first prevented her from getting in & down the stairs & totally into the room where they were.
QuoteWhen I went to the AW thing, some did not let Linda get through the door. She was a bit overwhelmed but some fans did not read the room. That is why she left early.
So, Linda left early.
And, I would just add, GOOD GRIEF! Some people just do not engage their brains at times. How awful!
2. Susan Keith
Got to meet this darling women on Saturday. Susan Keith became famous playing Cecile de Poulignac on #anotherworld from 1979-1981. After a contract snafu that caused her to be fired, she joined the premier cast of #Loving as Shana Sloane Vocheck Burnell from 1983-1994. She meet her husband James Kibred and they married May 17, 1986, about month after their co-stars Susan Walter and Linden Ashby married.
We talked and I shared the story idea I felt could have boosted both #anotherworld and #texas.
When Eliot Carrington returns from Cambodia, of course Brava would want an interview with him. Cecile, of course would sabatoge Pat who wanted to interview him because of her familiarity with him. Cecile in the process of gathering background and interview Eliot, stumbles on the secret of Dennis’s parentage and partners with Vicki Bellmen. She uses it as payback against Iris, but finds another warrior in Paige Marshall.
For context, Susan was 20 when she began playing Cecile.
3. Anna Holbrook
Was thrilled to meet and talk with the brilliant Anna Holbrook who played #anotherworld Sharlene Frame Matthews Watts Hudson from 1988-1991, 1993-1997 and 1999.
Found out, much like Judith Light, she never really wanted to do soaps, but Anna felt Sharlene was a challanging character, and she understood how losing someone in war could change them (her dad died in Vietnam, just as Sharlene’s husband did).
She shared the sad news that David Forsyth who played John Hudson suffered a stroke seven years ago and was not doing well.
4. Ricky Paull Goldin
More of me and Ricky Paul Goldin. We had a nice conversation about him playing Jake on #AllMyChildren “How interesting can it be playing a doctor?” I said “Let’s as Vincent Irrizary!” Ricky: “Man! The bro is intense!” So we spoke about Vincent for a few minutes and my pleasure in meeting at #theyoungandtherestless fan event.
5. Larry Lau
More with The Laurence Lau! We had a goid conversation about his playing Brian Wheatly on #AsTheWorldTurns. He said he was proud of that work and I told him he nailed it. We discussed some friends I have who went through coming out later in life after being married, one who the choice came down to coming out or suicide. We discussed the conflict of wanting to be oneself, but needing to belong. From the research he told me he did, he really got it and it came through in his performance.
6. Barbara Rodell
This is what daytime soap royality looks like. Barbara Rodell began her soap opera career on the short lived A Flame in the Wind, playing Linda Skerba in 1965. She took over the role of Lee Randolph on #anotherworld in 1967 until her character was killed off in a car crash. She next became the popular Jill Claybourn on #TheSecretStorm for two years till that characterwas killed in a plane crash.
During a casting roundelay between #TheSecretStorm and #guidinglight Rodell took over the part of Leslie Jackson Bauer from 1971 to 1973 while Lynne Adams who had previously played the role took over the part of Amy Kincaid on #TheSecretStorm. Barbara, according to Daytime TV polls, became the most popular Leslie, but when Lynne Adams returned, Barbara was given the role of Joyce Coleman on #astheworldturns from 1974-1981.
For those who may remember as the world turns during this time, Joyce gave Lisa a good taste of her own medicine. I got the honor of talking with Ms. Rodell for a few minutes, explaining how much I enjoyed her as Joyce. She told me how much she loved working with James Douglas who played her ex-husband (and Lisa’s love interest), Grant Coleman. When Joyce had to shoot Grant, Barbara called James up and told him how upset she was that she had to do that and James Douglas said to her “That is why you play this part so beautifully. If they hired a real b$&ch to play this, it wouldn’t work. You bring your goodness and heart to her, and that’s why the audience keeps you here.”
I asked if she was approached in 1976 when Lynn Adams again wanted to leave the part of Leslie on guiding light if she wanted to go back there having such a success in that role. She said she was not approached about that.
When I said, I was sorry that she did not continue and soaps. After leaving the part of Joyce. She did tell me she was offered to be an actresses replacement during her pregnancy on #onelifetolive but that she turned that down. I am assuming that was for Erica Slazak and that the part then went to Christine Jones.
Ms. Roel told me that she is awaiting the publication of a book that she has written. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the name, but we can search Amazon under her name and hopefully that book will come up.
7. Nadine Stenovitch
Nadine Stenovitch was the third and final actress to play Josie Watts Sinclair on #anotherworld from 1997-1999. Nadine has moved in to a career in horror films including the Fear Pharm series and Silent Night, Zombie Night.
8. Paul Michael Valley
Paul Michael Valley played #anotherworld Ryan Harrison from 1990 to 1995, another victim of Executive Producer Jill Farren Phelps. A gradute of Juilliard, Paul has an extensive theater background.
We had a great conversation about his working with Anne Heche. As he said, “I graduated from Juilliard, then became a student of “The Anne Heche School of Acting”. Because Paul did not have any camera experience and Anne had a couple of years, she did some upstaging. But Paul had very found memories of the show and Anne.
He was very gracious when I told him I had a heavy crush on him back in the day. #anotherworldreunion #anotherworldmemories
(Probably more tomorrow)
9. Anna Stuart
Got to meet this soap opera queen! Anna Stuart has been in daytime since 1971 when she began on
The Doctors daytime soap 1963-1982
, but her signature role was as #anotherworld Donna Love from 1983 to 1999.
I brought up how much I like her as Mary Smyth on #AllMyChildren. She said “I liked that role, but Susan Lucci wasn’t having it.”
I made her laugh by quoting a line from Valley of the Dolls, “There is only one star that comes out of a Helen Lawson show, and that’s Helen Lawson and thats ME, baby!”
She broke up and thanked me for making her laugh.
10. With Ariana Munker Chase (Marianne Randolph - 1975 - 1977) - her abortion story began my 24 year relationship with #anotherworld #anotherworldreunion #anotherworldmemories. She begqn on The Doctors in 1973 as Greta, then moved on to As the World Turns s Melinda (1978-1980), and Ryan’s Hope as Amanda Kirkland (1983). This photo was taken bybher lovely husband Jim Teitzell.
11. **CORRECTED PHOTO**
Marcia McCabe (Bunny Eberhardt - 1995). Marcia came to fame as Sunny Adamson on Search for Tomorrow (1978-1986), nd went on to feature parts on #OneLifetoLive, #AllMyChildren and #astheworldturns. She was married to former actor and #anotherworld executive producer Christopher Goutman (who was there, but I was not inclined to take a picture of him).
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I'm churning a month of max. Hacks which I totally love & I had no idea Jean Smart could sing. The Rock Hudson doc, which was totally disappointing. I didn't even learn anything new. The Kevin Spacey doc, which I found to be quite good. The Normal Heart, which I'd never seen for some unknown reason & I really enjoyed it. Now I'm watching Doctor Who, the female doctor. That was when I fell off of regularly staying up to date on the Whoverse. Enjoying it. If there were only another season of Julia I'd be on it.
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18 minutes ago, Errol said:
Possibly. However, One Life to Live would have been canceled sooner had ABC gotten the chance to acquire Days of our Lives on its lineup.
That said, I don't doubt ABC would have also forced Corday to sell the show to them at some point had they gotten the show. Besides NBC still giving a damn, I'm sure that's one of the reasons DAYS never went to ABC.
If they had acquired either AW or DAYS during that time period, you figure canning OLTL & giving its space to the NBC show would've been their go to? At the time there was considerable speculation that they were going to air 5 hours again like they did when EON was on. Of course speculation is not compelling. When do you think NBC stopped caring about DAYS & soaps in general?
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5 hours ago, janea4old said:
AI is a bad source for who was writing during the writers strike, for Days or for any show.
AI just surfs the web like we do and grabs whatever is out on the internet but has no way to verify anything.
Can we please not bring random stuff to this thread?AI is programmed with specific knowledge. It can't learn but there are things that it knows. I spend time with AI, trying to catch it in errors, yes, but also using some information that it provides that seems bonafide. I do not consider what I posted random.
4 hours ago, Toups said:If you have no confirmation, why post it? We don't need to know "what you've been told."
Hmm, that was just the beginning of the post. Necessary to get past it to get to the rest of post. The starting point, but not the point.
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GH: May 2024 Discussion Thread
in Discussion Thread Archive
Posted
Funny. LW & the GH Costume Designer are literally best friends. He dresses everyone with special love & attention but especially Laura. He dressed her for the Stephen A. Smith event 2 weeks ago. Me, I thought the wedding was very special with the florals & the pastels & a very pleasing palette. Just last week on TwiX Alan Locher invoked the memory of the wedding of Cassie to Prince Richard & I pulled a 50 second clip of just the "I Do's". LW totally looked like a princess right out of a fairy tale.