Contessa Donatella

Broadcasting & Cable mag 6-8-1998 p.5 Broadcasting & Cable mag 5-18-1998 p33 For soap operas, the exclusivity period is So, I get it. The affiliates were against a soap channel because they didn't want to lose the fans to a rebroadcast. They wanted those eyeballs fixed on their channel getting them that ad revenue. Totally makes sense from their POV.

Broadcasting & Cable mag, 8-10-1998, p. 18

Jacqueline Grace Lopez, long interview on YouTube. At about 21:00 she tells the audition for Blaze. Said pop star, flirtatious, confident, included 2 scenes & sing 1 song. Sang a cappella "Rolling in the Deep". Said it would be either 10 episodes or 3 months but it became 7 months. Got a call back. In Frank's office with Mark, his asst. Lisa, Frank & 2 or 3 other people. They told her that day she was 1st choice but they had to confirm something with the writers. The next day they told her she was hired. Also later Mark called & said Frank wanted her back for this new part but it would mean playing queer & wanted to know if she'd be okay with that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Okc-W24N9wQ

Today I had one that came up from the bottom & then bordered on both the left & the right & then all of a sudden it also dropped down from the top!!!! Unfreakingbelievable!!!!

Well, to illustrate how dissatisfied I am right now with DAYS ... I completely forgot to watch one day last week! Geeze. But, I've always found Johnny & Chanel boring. I came to find Paulina & Abe boring. Holly has turned into a pretty simplistic brat if you ask me. I quite liked Original Recipe Tate but don't at all like NuTate! I don't dislike NuGabi but I also don't feel attached. Brady's plan to ship Tate off to a sports camp seems so somehow aggressive. Meanwhile Tate & Holly's plan for him to hide out in plain sight locally is totally nuts. I ought to be excited about the Baby Jude reveal and I'm just not. It's somehow ... flat. Maybe Nicole telling Eric Monday will turn the screw. I'm getting clips together to celebrate the Hayeses next week. I've got their first wedding, awful quality. Their second wedding, great & Brenda Benet is in it & she & Doug have this great fight before the ceremony. This is my favorite https://rumble.com/v55wqr1-days-12-12-91-guy-who-sang-davy-crockett-julie-and-chip.html

Oh, yeah, that's me. I fall for real people, places & things having to do with soaps every single time!!!

Frank's twiX account isn't Frank. Frank's twiX account can't be dm'd. A mystery person came up with the idea to put Jacqueline Grace Lopez's Blaze with Kate Mansi's Kristina to form Kraze & they did it during the strike & that's why they will remain mysterious. You have no idea how hilarious it is that you've tried to express this particular sentiment to Frank. Right now, despite the problems with the story, Blaze, Kristina & Kraze are all stronger than ever before. Recently JGL has spoken so eloquently about both gay people & about representation. https://michaelfairmantv.com/general-hospital-jacqueline-grace-lopez-reflects-on-how-representation-matters/2024/07/05/

Well, we know, because she talked to Kristina about it (arguably the ONLY person she had a pressing need to discuss it with) that she had some trepidation about it regarding her audience but before her relationship with Kristina she'd had no motivation to consider talking about it. This is so real & authentic! So many people come totally & completely out of any closet when they meet a special person & begin a relationship with them. Before that they had no reason. Now they have the best possible reason. She was very concerned about Kristina being more out & if her being less so would be a problem between the two of them. They talked about it. No problem. Life continued & we knew she was thinking about it because of her new-found romance with Kristina. Made perfect sense. BUT, then Natalia came onto the scene & from jump she was aggressive about Blaze being careful & circumspect & not holding hands in public in case someone might snap a pic, etc. & on & on. So we saw a duality. At a party together, obviously a couple & affectionate without being ridiculous about PDA. At any Deception meeting talk about codifying looking & seeming straight. Back. Forth. Kristina & friends. MomMgr opposed. Now, well, Lucy, of all people, pointed out the irony. The person keeping her in the closet outed her & once you're out, that's it. You cannot unout yourself. So, the issue for Deception isn't gay or not gay but honest or dishonest, IOW, the supposed scandal. The issue for her music label ... WHO KNOWS?!!!! Makes absolutely no sense. Was it also the scandal? The lack of full honesty? It positively screams This is all Natalia's fault! But, we have little man Corinthos saying it's all Ava's fault.

What you say is 100% dead on. There is something basic & fundamental about the way the story is being told that makes it clunky, inelegant (Is that a word?), awkward & full of troubling patches. Also - and I hate to say this but tough - dated, very dated. Like what year did Melissa Etheridge come out?!! Because if the world of hard rock could deal with a lesbian, then, NOW should be no questions asked!!! EDIT TO ADD: January 1993.

Well, this may just be "piling on" but what you describe here, about her taking it to court, is exactly the way I remember this.

So, this Thursday is Bill Hayes last day on the show. It is also Susan's birthday. In honor of both things, posters on twiX are calling for an old-style twitter blast. Essentially anyone who wishes to participate is asked to post clips, or good wishes, or memories, etc. In other words, express any way that you can your feelings about the Hayeses & their characters, Doug & Julie. Have fun! Amy (Shaughnessey) has already posted that she will share each & every post with Susan, who will be at the studio working that day.

You know the movie INSIDE OUT 2? This is it if it were me.

AW managed with this one, although there was one misstep in the middle.

If you don't have anything nice to say about those mean ole girls, come over here & sit by me!

Yes, your point was dead-on. And, I saw the sense of it immediately. I also just happened to know the 4 people who owned AW for a few years, even though I am not sure of the spelling of names. I like it, when you follow me around & make my posts make sense!!! You & me, we is buddies. And, if anyone doesn't like it, they can lump it.

For a few years AW was owned by Irna Phillips, Bill Bell, Rose Cooperman (sp?) & Irna's brother Arlo Phillips (sp again?). Rose being Irna's long-time secretary. Could possibly be Arno.

The whole schtick about Ada's body going to Peoria. OY.

From Eddie Drueding, in regard to things posted here: @Paul Raven Marie Wallaces character on Dark Shadows had twins in 1968 (during the 1897 flashback) Twins Shula and Kenton Archer were born in August 1958 on the BBC Radio 4 soap “The Archers.” Looking at UK soaps twins Peter and Susan were born in 1965 on Coronation Street. In fact, it wasn’t until 1962 that one — A Brighter Day — signed an African-American actor to a contract role. Unfortunately, Rex Ingram didn’t have long to make an impact as minister Victor Graham: Two weeks later, CBS cancelled the soap. @Mona Kane Croft Delineating radio soap, television soap (or TV soap) he agrees & adds that delineating US rather than British soap, as well.

July 6, 1987, 37 years ago today, Anne Heche debuted on ANOTHER WORLD & nothing would ever be the same again!!!

So, we are well into Week 2 of July Sweeps & each day I am happy with the show! A large part of this is my #Kraze fandom. Kate Mansi's Kristina is solidly knocking it out of the park every single day. The writing for her has been stellar. There's no longer anyone uttering "But Lexi"! I completely agree with you that it is ONLY Sonny who is giving Natalia a pass & instead putting all of his energy, enmity & anger aimed directly at AVA. Everyone else is squarely focused, dead aim, at Natalia, the rude homophobic bigot! And, not only that but the woman is clueless at reading a room. If there is a possible wrong thing to say or do, we can count on Natalia to say it & to do it, too! I think she may just be the most inept character I've ever seen on any soap. I disagree. I don't think the writers are making any kind of effective case for Natalia being the way that she is, none at all. She is 100% negative character. There's nothing sympathetic in anything she shows us. One thing blew me away. Sonny said that she treats his daughter with respect & that's enough. NO, IT IS NOT. This is where Sonny & his various codes break down & he is on the wrong side. I made Maxie my Hero of the Week. (Last week was Spinelli.) Her main speech was amazing! I love the way she both nails Lucy & puts her down. I love that she's emerged as the top dog at Deception! I thought it odd that one day we had everyone BUT Brook Lynn also Tracy & the next day we only had Brook Lynn & Maxie. I enjoy that they let us see Maxie coming to the conclusions she reaches. So sorry that it is that way for you. Me, I'm having a big time! And, I am so very pleased to have watched "TinyWonderLopez" grow as she has in this role. She started out barely able & is now flying higher than high! Finally this week we got an ILY!!! Neither had said it before, Kristina said it to Ali on Wed. She said, "I don't care. You're worth it. And I love you." BINGO. Ladies & Gentlemen, if you had it that Krissy would say it first, you win! I was positive that it would be Blaze who would be the first to utter those 3 little words. Wrong. Not shocking, but this is one of those times when you & I see things quite differently. It's been awhile, so we were probably due! 😉

THE ROAD OF LIFE from 12-13-1954 to 7-1-1955. But this soap had been on radio & very popular from as far back as 1937. Then in 1954 P&G suggested to Irna Phillips that she develop this project for television & P&G would sponsor it. What I am wondering is if this by any chance happens to be the first example of a TV soap that was sponsor-owned? Do we know of one before 12-13-1954?

It better be!!!

This is July Sweeps. There were things they had to take care of during May Sweeps & in the ensuing months in between. They ticked them off, one by one. The ChaLynn wedding, before it & during. Gregory's death & aftermath. Finn, enough said there. Now, what is almost an umbrella story, including Ava, DeWHAT, Nina, Drew, Jordan, Natalia, Blaze, Kristina, Alexis, Sonny, Deception, Natalia again, and we should get back to Carly, Jason, maybe even Pikeman. Add in Jex & Trio. So, different kinds of storytelling. You have to have the in between times. It can't all be Sweeps. It is only fair to also appreciate the times that build to the BIG TIMES.

That is all a part of Drake not being on the show right now. I think that Ron has respect for 3 women - Marlena, Maggie & Julie. Said respect does not cover anyone else. I loved the trope of the fan turning on the TV to watch their show & it's not there because they didn't know but after 15+ years it's been canceled. Then, to me it's hilarious that within 2 hours Kate & Abe are going to be partners in a new venture - bringing back the canceled show!!!

I do not think anyone except Natalia herself, thinks for even one minute that she is a victim in this. When she tried to say as much in the Deception office, she was basically shouted down. And, even if Ava thought that Blaze was out, she knowingly humiliated her by having her mother speak such horrible things about her. It is very clear who did what. And, Ava spent a lot of time on this. She had to edit herself out of the whole recording. It was not illegal, but it was hateful, spiteful, hurtful & amazingly unnecessary. This IS Ava & it's totally true to her character to do something like this. Kate Mansi was on top of the world today. She said that Natalia was a bigot & it is her own choice that she is so. Kristina is absolutely right. However, Natalia persisted all along that she can't help the way she was brought up, thinking that gay people are confused but that they choose to be this way. Those 2 things do not make sense together.