Nelson Branco's Soap Opera Uncensored: Issue 45

SOAP OPERA UNCENSORED

  Volume 02, Issue 35 (No. 45)

  BY NELSON BRANCO

  Copyright 2012 Nelson Branco

  INSIDE — EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH Y&R’S SHARON CASE: THE PLOT TO SAVE SHARON NEWMAN PLUS: THE EMMY WINNER ADDRESSES ERIC BRAEDEN’S RECENT COMMENTS — Did Eric Braeden Call Me A Bastard? My Response to the Super Star Inside! Peter Porte Back On Y&R? Find Out Which Other Soap Legend Is Writing Her Memoirs! How B&B Boss Brad Bell Plans To Reinvent Soap Opera! Plus: His Reaction To Losing Moss and Flannery! Plus: Find Out If He’s Bringing Back Jack Wagner, Brandon Beemer and Lesley Anne-Down! Steve Burton Quits GH! Is Jess Walton Back on Y&R? Ian Buchanan Resurrects GH’s Duke! Jill Farren Phelps on The New Y&R! Finola Hughes’s New Project! Why A Soap Needs To Cast Lindsay Lohan, STAT! Last Week's Reviews, Unbelievable Blind Items!

  UNCENSORED MASTHEAD:

  FOUNDER/EDITOR: Nelson Branco

  EDITOR AT LARGE: Denette Wilford

  Follow Soap Opera Uncensored at: @nelliebranco or @SoapUncensored

  NOTE FROM EDITOR/FOUNDER:

  You asked — and it’s happening. For more information on subscribing to daytime’s first weekly e-zine SOAP OPERA UNCENSORED, email [email protected]

  1 Year: $24.99 (*normally $129.48)

  *Based on $2.49 issue price

  COMING SOON: VENICE — UNCENSORED

  To pre-order your upcoming book VENICE THE SERIES: UNCENSORED for a special price email: [email protected]. The Sapphic tome, which will be out this summer, chronicles the web soap’s meteoric rise, punctuates and analyzes its relevance in serial storytelling and its groundbreaking achievements in the online and soap opera medium. With every single Crystal Chappell interview I’ve ever conducted in one e-book — and those of her VENICE co-stars/directors — this is one must-buy keepsake in addition to episode synopses and reviews, top ten lists, fearless predictions, translated quotes, humour, and exclusive season four previews. Plus: Tributes to GUIDING LIGHT’s Otalia and new interviews! Order your copy now!

  Say What?

  UNCENSORED QUOTES OF THE WEEK:

  “I’m a great fan of Maria and her talent and her writing and I think she’s a very gifted woman, but I have said goodbye to other writers whose work I’ve really valued too. It’s part of my job.”

  — Y&R Peter Bergman in an interview with XFINITY’s Sara Bibel

  Translation: Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Maria.

  “It is good what I am doing in it … you bet.  As far as if Victor is key to the episode, you will find out.  We had cupcakes though on set to honor the 10,000 episode!”

  — Y&R’s Eric Braeden answers ON AIR, ON SOAPS’s Michael Fairman question on whether Victor will the focal point of the show’s 10 K episode

  Translation: It’s the last time Victor will eat the show alive.

  “It’s really uncomfortable for Nicole. She’s uncertain about Jennifer’s motives.”

  — DAYS’s Ari Zucker in DIGEST previewing Nicole moving in with Jennifer

  Translation: She may feed me to death with Chick-Fil-A sandwiches.

  “When I first got to the studio, everyone was so friggin’ nice to me that I thought, ‘Is this for real?’ They were so friendly and welcoming. It was kind of freaky at first.”

  —Sex God Marco Dapper on his first few days on Y&R in a DIGEST interview feature (pick it up, for the lead photo alone)

  Translation: I haven’t met Eric Braeden yet.

  Translation 2: Everyone wants to tap my ass.

  “I don’t ever want to get married.”

  — Dapper on his future romantic status

  Translation: Until Nelson Branco asks me.

  “Ratings. This trio has been a hit with the majority of the audience. Our demos and overalls are up from last year, while the other shows are mostly down."

  — Brad Bell in DIGEST on why he’s overdosing on the successful but critically despised Hope/Liam/Steffy triangle

  Translation: Thank you ALL MY CHILDREN/ONE LIFE TO LIVE fans for migrating to our show — and no one else’s!

  Programming Note

  WHICH SOAPS WILL AIR ON LABOUR DAY?

  This sucks: GH is the only soap airing on Labour Day — and it’s a freakin’ repeat! While a classic episode would be better, fans can relive the magic that was Port Chuck on July 23. I guess we’ll have to go outside now and, like, do stuff. That’s. Just. Great!

  Suds Cinema

  GOT SOAP LIFE?

  SOAP LIFE is a new documentary about the changes taking place in the world of daytime drama. As more and more classic soap operas are cancelled or forced to move to exclusively new media distribution, the landscape of American television is going through unprecedented changes. Heather DiPietro, the screenwriter and producer, spoke with executives, fans, and a number of current and former daytime stars to get their perspective on what it all means and what lies ahead.

  If you’d like to meet DiPietro, attend the New York City premiere of SOAP LIFE which will be held Sept. 4th at 8PM in the Sunshine Cinema Theatre. Expected to attend are: Sean Ringgold, Shenell Edmonds, Eileen Fulton, Lexi Ainsworth, Rebecca Mader, and Mimi Torchin, among others.

  DiPietro tells UNCENSORED, “We are running a contest for fans to win tickets to the premiere, too. Basically fans send me an email with a 200-300 word response about why they are the biggest soap fan.”

  Suds Publishing

  AGNES NIXON PENNING HER MEMOIRS

  Who misses Erica Kane? I do! Susan Lucci gives DIGEST (is there an echo in here?) an interview this week — and she offers some interesting information, most notably that soap creator and legend Agnes Nixon is currently penning her memoirs! Can’t wait. The Emmy winner says, “You know, it’s very funny; my son is the one who convinced me to [write my autobiography] and her son is the one who convinced her to do it, [too].” There’s also a very sweet story about how Bravo’s Andy Cohen wrote Susan a fan letter decades ago, which culminated in an interview while he was in college. Of course, Cohen and Lucci have since reunited on his WHAT HAPPENS NEXT show and have become fast friends. For the rest of the story, pick up the pint-sized-yet-mighty soap magazine.

  Cover Story

  REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

  Sharon Case Discusses The Plot To Save Sharon Newman — And Eric Braeden’s Comments

  Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the craziest bitch on daytime?

  Case closed: If you’ve been watching Sharon Case’s brilliant, hilariously campy portrayal of a woman unhinged with power, then you know it’s Y&R’s Sharon Newman.

  For the past three years, the beloved heroine has been dismantled, earning her the distinction of being one of the most ruined characters in soaps. But despite the hackneyed writing, viewers are still surprisingly rooting for an unrecognizable Sharon thanks to a skilled, award-worthy performance by Case.

  UNCENSORED spoke with the Emmy winner about the upcoming plot to save the lost character thanks to incoming new showrunners Josh Griffith and Jill Farren Phelps; Eric Braeden’s recent, ambiguous comments about the actress in an interview; and how fans have shockingly embraced cray-cray Sharon Newman!

  Y&R is dark this week. Is that because Josh and Jill didn’t want to get too far ahead in taping Maria’s scripts?

  Yeah, I think so. I think if they need the time to also organize what they want to do and get more scripts out, then it’s a great idea. Everyone’s so excited about what they’re planning to do. I have no idea what’s coming up. Fans are tweeting that they love crazy Sharon. And I do, too! I kind of want her to stick around. I don’t know if everyone wants her to be crazy forever but it’s
fun to see her go on a crazy jag. We can tell a different story later on after this crazy Sharon loses steam.

  Congratulations on turning shit into gold, A.K.A. The Kim Zimmer Award. I’m surprisingly in love with this story solely based on your performance and not necessarily the dodgy long-term writing. To be fair, the dialogue has been good, but that’s usually the case on Y&R. It’s refreshing to see Sharon stick up for herself for once. I’m totally rooting for her as she sticks it to all the Genoa City hypocrites. What was your reaction when you heard about the Shictor Marriage story? And what was your game plan from a performance point-of-view?

  When I read the story, I came up with a plan. I quickly realized what I could do with it. I knew I could take the character and deliver these wild performances. I knew with Sharon losing it that I could have fun with the performances — if I could pull it off and make it work. That was my approach. Without the performance at that level, watching Sharon