Who is Marlena? Connie Passalacqua Hayman, a.k.a. Marlena De Lacroix

[Soapsuds]

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[Contessa Donatella]

https://marlenadelacroix.com/

"Soaps for the Thinking Fan"

 

[Soapsuds]

Marlena said how boring the soaps are right now. That the stories are bad.

The best thing to happen was CZ return to soaps.

Edited July 17, 2024 by Soapsuds

[soapfan770]

Thanks for sharing @Soapsuds!!

I miss the old columns and analysis that Marlena, Mimi Torchin, and that one person, PJ or something (I think it was PJ) did at SOW back in the late 90’s.

The next generation of soap columnists Jonathan Reineer, Daniel Coleridge, Nelson Branco and the folks at DC were insufferable to read and completely lackluster compared to their predecessors. 

[Soapsuds]

I did too. Besides the ratings that's why I would buy SOW.

Marlena said her column was very popular with buyers/subscribers.

She mentioned how a male EP In the 80s tried to get her fired from SOW. 

I wonder who it was. She didn't want to say who he was.

 

Edited July 18, 2024 by Soapsuds

[Contessa Donatella]

For ratings I loved Michael Kape's SOAP OPERA NOW. He was the only one who actually did ratings analysis. He & Don West & Joanna .... something (I'm blank.) were co-editors of that Digest sized mag out of Atlanta. 

I adore Mimi. Also at Weekly I loved Mark McGarry. 

I don't remember anyone named PJ. 

[wonderwoman1951]

iirc, it was ken corday @ days…

[soapfan770]

Was that when Corday declared war on SOW because they named the Gina and Submarine sex stuff as Worst Story of 1999 and was mad SOW kept pointing out the plummeting ratings?

 

I really wish I could remember what PJ’s last name was. For some reason I was thinking SOW but maybe it was another publication? 

Edited July 18, 2024 by soapfan770

[wonderwoman1951]

don’t remember the details — it’s been a while:) — but certainly could be. 

[soapfan770]

@Contessa Donatella @SoapsudsYou’re right, it wasn’t PJ at all. The columnist at SOW I was thinking of was P.K. Waddle

Edited July 18, 2024 by soapfan770

[Soapsuds]

Ah yes that sounds right. I remember that name in the magazine.

Edited July 18, 2024 by Soapsuds

[Contessa Donatella]

Oh, he's still around, a long-time online friend! I see him on occasion. He's on Facebook, not sure where else. 

[soapfan770]

I hate to dig deep into the memory bank and my archive for that I thought I was going crazy.

Poor SOW. While I was primarily a SOD subscriber SOW was still fun to pick up and read in the mid-late 90’s to the early 00’s. After that it was downhill following the mag getting gutted and dumbed down.

It was one thing for SOW to feature Desperate Housewives and Grey’s Anatomy on the covers, I get it to an extent; but to plaster American Idol on the cover and also declare on the cover “It’s like a soap!!!” in lieu of the actual soaps was absurd and incomprehensible. I knew the end was nigh for the mag.

 

[j swift]

Did anyone else find it funny that she still refuses to name names?

I guess she respects the ethics of journalism.  Because if it was Ken Corday, (or any existing producer), there's little that they could do to her now.  And it is certainly not libelous to suggest that there were people in the industry that wanted her to be fired due to her opinions.

Also, have to admire how hard she still defends Passions.  I don't agree, but I admire her willingness to commit to a hot take. 

Finally, I don't recall it being a mystery who wrote the Marlena columns?  I thought she had a byline on most of her writing.  But, I guess it was kept a secret at first.

Edited July 18, 2024 by j swift

[soapfan770]

I’m glad to hear that he’s well, I enjoyed his work and wasn’t sure whatever happened to him after disappearing from the pages of SOW.

If I recall from her own blog posts and her posts back in the day when she visited the SON boards that she had a very good rapport with and tremendous respect for Reilly himself. She just wanted Passions to succeed.