Defunt soap mags and syndicated columns

[SFK]

ABC had one of those soap scoop hotlines, there used to be ads for it in Episodes as a matter of fact and they'd always run an ad during the final commercial break of all their soaps. I don't know when that ended. The early '90s was a bright, fun time to be a soap fan, seeing that cover with Julia Barr, Kate Collins, and Genie Francis almost brings a tear to my eye. I wish I had a stack of all of those Episodes right here right now. Does anyone remember those Psychic Friends Network commercials that starred nothing but soap stars? ("Hi, I'm Ricky Paull Goldin./And I'm Yasmeen Bleeth. Our Psychic Friends blah blah blah...")

In the late '90s/early'00s, The Washington Post had a hotline called "Post Haste" and you could call up (for free) and get updates on all your favorite soaps (For: All My Children, press 1, for As the World Turns, press 2...) I used to call it all the time when I was bored at work.

[DRW50]

I remember those psychic phone commercials. I seem to remember one with Steve Burton (I guess he's been peddling stuff for a while now), and one with a very emotional Tony Geary.

Those Psychic Friends Network infomercials were pitch perfect. Dionne Warwick was completely believable in the role of the non-gifted friend who wants to help tell people about what helped her, and Linda Georgian had this weird energy which carried the show along. She was very zealous.

I remember a few years after that network wound down, one of the tabloids had an interview with two college guys claiming she'd taken them back to her house and had a threeway with them

Anyway, ABC made such efforts to promote their soaps back then. The videos they did for the big three ABC soaps and weddings; the AMC trading cards, etc.

[SFK]

OMG, I totally forgot about those cards! I wanted them. And weren't there board games too?

And I remember that about Tony Geary! I also remember, "Hello, I'm Elaine Princi..." You have to go "Hmmm" though, I mean, what are they trying to say, that soap fans are particularly gullible and more apt to make Psychic Friends? Maybe you shouldn't answer that. Oh, and that thing about Linda Georgian is just too hilarious. But I guess better Linda than:

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[DRW50]

I think there may have been a board game. I don't know. Someone gave me the cards as a gift a long time ago. The one I remember most is the one Walt Willey used to complain about -- Jackson and Brooke bleeding and unconscious in their car, with the back of the card talking about drunk driving. Since he was in the drivers seat it made it look like he was the drunk driver (they'd been hit by a drunk Arlene).

Poor Esther. Like one of the comments said, "EASY CREDIT RIP OFFS!!"

I don't know why I said Tony Geary. I meant Brad Maule, who played Tony. Maybe Tony was on one too...

I wish they still aired those. I didn't know as many of the soap actors back then so I wouldn't recognize people.

Was Sharon Farrell (Flo, Y&R) on one?

I think Kenny Kingston just had poor Denise Nicholas.

[SFK]

I seem to remember Tony in one with his Bill Eckhart hair, but oh God, was the Brad Maule one with him crying about his brother who had passed away or something? My memory is on overdrive right now, I hope I'm not making [!@#$%^&*] up!

I also remember Patrick Muldoon and Karen Witter, I don't seem to remember AMC people at all and that at the time was the only show I was really into, hmmm...

[You're Soaking in it]

We're still talking the psychic commercials / informercials, right?

I actually don't recall Karen Witter appearing on those... but I DO recall her OLTL replacement, Krista Tesreau on quite a few.

They were probably taped on the west coast, which would explain the lack of AMC stars vs. the abundance of Days / GH.

[ClassicsSoapFan]

I liked anything that Jon-Michael Reed and John Kelly Genovese wrote.

Reed was an editor of Afternoon TV and Genoveses wrote for it and Soap Opera Digest.

I believe Reed is dead now.

The first AFTv I bought had Dark Shadows on the cover.

I loved the Top Ten Polls thatwere in Daytime TV.

[SFK]

Hmmm, well I do seem to remember a blonde from OLTL, but the era I remember these commercials from would have been too early for KT, then again, wasn't she on an L.A.-based soap around that time?

Duh,it just dawned on me to check out YouTube, and sure enough there's the Yasmeen and RPG clip I remember, as well as a flash of Elaine Princi, and Lisa Peluso who I totally did not remember:

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I believe Jon-Michael Reed was a friend of Marlena's, I think she's written about him on her blog.

[cityfan01]

My grandma still has every single Episodes magazine. They're mine when she dies. I read them every time I go to her place.

[sands]

And he (Jon-Michael Reed) is listed as Editor-in Chief in a few 1977 issues of the monthly Daily TV Serials I have.

[You're Soaking in it]

Yes, she was on Santa Barbara up until around 1993. But these commercials spanned a number of years, and I specifically recall that Tesreau appeared on them during and after her OLTL stint... Okay, I just googled it, and Tesreau credits herself on her own website resume as a "co-host" of the Psychic Friends Network. Doesn't say when, but at least we know she was on it at some point!

By the way, how did we get to this subject?

[Gray Bunny]

There was a soap publication that came out in early 2004 and only last a year or so, I think it was called Soap Opera Previews or something. It was the same size as a Digest or In Depth. It only came out once a month and usually featured DAYS or GH as its cover. It was during the time of DAYS' Serial Killer/Captive Island crapola.

I thought it was strange someone would even attempt a once-a-month soap opera magazine in the year 2004 when information would become outdated so quickly, plus the whole aspect of soaps already on a huge decline by '04.

[JackPeyton]

NBC Soaps In Depth was my fave. It folded after NBC only had two soaps. I wonder what will happen to CBS Soaps? It only covers Y&R anyways.

[Gray Bunny]

Haha, irony! I just posted in another thread how soap mags would often hint at a possible return of Melissa Reeves back in the late 90's after her abrupt exit in Dec. '95.

[JackPeyton]

melissa reeves in the late 90's = vanessa marcil in the 00's