Soap Opera Uncensored: Issue 25

SOAP OPERA UNCENSORED

  Volume 02, Issue 15 (No. 25)

  BY NELSON BRANCO

  Copyright 2012 Nelson Branco

  INSIDE — Exclusive: Jack Wagner on Rumours He Doesn’t Want to Work Opposite Kristina Wagner on GH! Plus: Is He Returning? Special Y&R Issue! DEPTH BECOMES HIM: THE GREAT VICTOR NEWMAN IN 3-D! Exclusive Interview With Y&R and TITANIC Superstar Eric Braeden! Plus: Details On His Newest Grandchild! This Just In: Billy Miller’s Out At Y&R Again; His New TV Job! Plus: The Latest Update On Whether He’s Re-Signing Or Not! Exclusive: Phyllis Diller On Not Being Susan Lucci’s Mother — and her B&B Stint! Is Florencia Freakin’ Lozano Crossing Over To GH? Is Trevor St. John Next (Of Course, He Is!)? Source: Lexi Ainsworth In Talks With GH! Exclusive Interview With Incomparable Stacy Haiduk! “I Was Deeply Hurt,” She Says! Also: Will She Continue On Y&R? Find out! DAYS Head Writers Fired! Lorraine Broderick, Gary Tomlin and Chris Whitesell Back! Plus: Is There Another DAYS Bloodbath In The Works; Could Crystal Chappell and Louise Sorel Reclaim Their Roles? Exclusive Deidre Hall Interview: Was She Angry About Her Pre-Emmy Nom Snub? Spoiler: DAYS’s Ian and Kate Have Sex! Can The Web Handle a Tristan Rogers and Crystal Chappell Hookup? Yes, Please! Every Week: Fearless Predictions! Plus: Last Week's Reviews, Unbelievable Blind Items, and Next Week's Cheat Sheet!

  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]

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  PRE-ORDER BETWEEN HEAVEN & HELL: A ONE LIFE TO LIVE TRIBUTE

  Hi, loyal soaper!

  UNCENSORED QUOTES OF THE WEEK:

  “Soon. Without giving too much away, the episode between Kate and Connie is chilling. I call it my Gollum scenes from LORD OF THE RINGS, when he's having his moment on the log as Gollum and Smeagol. It's just so cool.”

  —Kelly Sullivan reveals that Connie and Kate will meet in an upcoming GH episode

  Translation: Just call me “precious.”

  “As for the GH casting news, thanks for waiting. I am so excited to announce the lovely Finola Hughes is now on contract!”

  —GH executive producer Frank Valentini on Twitter

  Translation: We’ll release our real news soon.

  "I applaud NATAS for trying to find a new way, but the results were disappointing. We had a lot of people who did great work last year, including Deidre Hall, James Scott and Alison Sweeney."

  —DAYS co-executive producer Greg Meng in VARIETY

  Translation: And the people we fired were all pre-nominated! Discuss!

  "No James Scott? He's a dynamic actor, and a lot of the people (who made the initial cut) aren't."

  —TV GUIDE critic Michael Logan in VARIETY in the same article

  Translation: I didn’t see the over-the-top reel he submitted.

  "I love the fans and I don't begrudge them. At least it gives us some evidence that there's a passionate base. But more often than not, decisions come down to the factors we use to size up any show. Do we think there's an upside in it, how is it doing financially, how is it creatively?"

  —A network executive weighs in on save-our-show fan campaigns in TV GUIDE

  Translation: I don’t work at ABC.

  AWARDS SHOW CENTRAL

  Trophies Wasted On The Young?

  Awards season is underway for the TV community! The nominees for the 33rd ANNUAL YOUNG ARTIST AWARDS have been announced, and here are the nominees:

  Best Performance In A Daytime TV Series: Young Actor

  Aramis Knight (Young Sonny, GH)

  Garrett Ryan (ex-Kyle, Y&R)

  Aaron Sanders (ex-Morgan, GH)

  Andrew Trischitta (Jack, ONE LIFE)

  Austin Williams (Shane, ONE LIFE)

  Who should win: Williams

  Who will win: Williams

  Best Performance In A Daytime TV Series: Young Actor 12 and Under

  Tate Berney (AJ, AMC)

  Robbie Tucker (Fenmore, Y&R)

  Jake Vaughn (Spike, AMC)

  Who should win: Berney

  Who will win: Vaughn

  Best Performance In A Daytime TV Series: Young Actress

  Lexi Ainsworth (ex-Kristina, GH)

  Haley Pullos (Molly, GH)

  Ellery Sprayberry (ex-Piper, Y&R)

  Who should win: Ainsworth

  Who will win: Pullos

  Best Performance In A Daytime Series: Young Actress 10 and Under

  Mackenzie Aladjem (Miranda, AMC)

  Laura Boles (Ciara, DAYS)

  Dannika Liddell (Kathy, AMC)

  Danielle Parker (Emma, AMC)

  Who should win: Parker

  Who will win: Boles

  Daytime actors represented in other categories: Williams is nominated for A GIFTED MAN, Pullos for HOUSE M.D. and Erin Sanders (ex-Eden, Y&R) and Parker for episodes of CSI: MIAMI. In recurring roles, Sanders is nominated for BIG TIME RUSH, Aladjem for NURSE JACKIE, and Emily Alyn Lind (Emma, AMC) for REVENGE.

  The youth-centric award show ceremony will be held on Sunday, May 6!

  THIS JUST IN

  JACK WAGNER ADDRESSES GH RUMOURS!

  • He may not have won DANCING WITH THE STARS but Jack Wagner feels like a major winner. In my candid interview with the former B&B leading man in this week’s HELLO! CANADA (out this Thursday), Wagner discusses his alcoholism for the first time; finding his long-lost daughter, Kerry; at one of his rock concerts in Florida; his dating life; and being hurt over being let go from B&B.

  But what everyone wants to know is whether or not he’s reprising his breakout role as Frisco Jones on GH now that his dancing career is over!

  “I got a call from ABC two months ago when they were bringing back everyone,” he tells me. “But I haven’t heard anything back from them since.”

  And don’t believe rumours that he refused to return because he didn’t want to act opposite his ex-wife Kristina Wagner.

  “Nelson, we talked about how close Kristina and I are when I visited you in Toronto last year. I would love to work with Kristina on the show again. I never heard that rumour and don’t know where it came from but it’s not true.”

  As for his future, all he would tease is: “Something is in the works and you’ll find out about it at the end of this week or next week. It’s been in the works for some time.”

  If that deal involves Port Charles, Wagner admits it would be surreal to put on Frisco’s tight jeans again after all this time. He says, “The last time I was back on GH was over 20 years ago. I have no idea what it would be like. All I know is the future is ahead of me and I’m looking forward to life more than ever.”

  So are we, Jack.

  UNCENSORED will have more on Wagner in next week’s issue.

  COVER STORY

  DEPTH BECOMES HIM

  Y&R Superstar Eric Braeden returns to the big screen in TITANIC 3-D

  What’s better than having Eric Braeden on our small screen each weekday on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS? How about seeing the Emmy winner in 3D on the big screen? Yep, The Moustache’s heart will go on.

  To mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, director James Cameron re-released his Oscar-winning film, TITANIC, in 3D — which means Eric Braeden’s ‘stache has more depth than it ever had before!

  As most people over the age of 20 remember, Braeden played mill
ionaire John Jacob Astor in the 1997 film that would go on and inspire the world with its record-breaking box office receipts and the epic love story brought to life by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

  This past week, UNCENSORED spoke with Braeden from his dressing room to discuss the box office phenomenon’s return to the cinema, the AFTRA/SAG merger, his newest grandchild, Y&R’s opening credits, and working opposite another daytime legend, Genie Francis.

  Congratulations on the new grandchild!

  Yes, yes, yes! Thank you. It’s a seven-month-old girl. Her name is Oksana.

  With that name, she’ll probably become a figure skater!

  Who the hell knows?! Exactly! She can be whatever she wants…

  You’re returning to the big screen in TITANIC 3-D. What the hell does Eric Braeden look like in 3D? [Laughs]

  I have no clue! It might be scary!

  Have you seen the remastered film yet?

  No.

  Do you plan to?

  To be honest with you, I’m not sure yet. I had very little do in it, so beyond curiosity, I don’t know.

  You didn’t have a lot of screen time, but you definitely stood out. A lot of my non-soap friends still remember you from the film. “Hey, did you see Victor Newman drowning?”

  Well, that’s very kind of you. The whole experience was so short-lived for me because I had a contract with Y&R. I had to be back at CBS at a certain time so I couldn’t film everything they had written for me. There wasn’t a lot there from me. But I have enormous respect for James Cameron. I think he’s a brilliant man and director. He’s truly a genius, if I have ever met one. He’s very bright… and he has brass balls, I’ll tell you. He’s got guts.

  He’s Canadian, too.

  Good!

  When you were filming the movie, were you aware that TITANIC would become such a global, cultural phenomenon?

  I knew when I had finished my strip on it. I took my son and his girlfriend at the time to the set. James was kind enough to show us around and show us a few scenes. When I heard Celine Dion’s voice for the first time, I just got goose bumps, and said, “This is going to be a hit.” But I had said that all along. [VARIETY film critic] Army Archerd would always ask me: “You’re the only one who thinks this movie will be successful; why?” I said, “it’s a soap opera but it’s a very expensive soap opera and I know how popular soap operas are.”

  How were you cast in the project? Did you audition?

  The agents approached me but initially I said, “I’m not interested.” I didn’t like the casting director because she was late 10 minutes so I walked out of the audition. Four weeks later, they called me back because Cameron was a fan of mine since COLOSSUS, which I didn’t know. He asked for me to be on tape. I had time to read about John Jacob Astor in the parking lot before going into casting and I found the character very interesting. The rest is history.

  I remember seeing a sneak preview screening of TITANIC and being blown away by it. I read every book about the fateful disaster that showed the world -- in a time when humans thought they were invisible because of the industrial age -- that nature was King and not greed. Besides marking the 100th anniversary of Titanic’s sinking, I think the world could use another wake-up call considering technology and social media are making us feel invincible again.

  Yes, I agree. It obviously was at once an extraordinary accomplishment but at the same time with great accomplishment comes great tragedy. No matter how well you plan something, something always goes a-rye.

  You couldn’t make that story up. Do you think John Jacob Astor and Victor Newman would get along?

  I think so. John was from German immigrants and his great-grandfather made his vast fortune trading furs with Indians. He bought most of Manhattan with that money. The Astors were the largest property holders in Manhattan for centuries.

  While filming TITANIC, did you work with any green screens or CGI? James is always ahead of his time….

  He’s always been ahead of his time. He’s a technical genius. No, we didn’t. It was all real. The scene in which I drown was almost a little too real for me. It was the first time on a film set where my heart was pumping a little faster. In fact, a lot faster. During the scenes where I drown, all that water rushing in was [very intense and dangerous]. Previously, we had only done about four or five practice runs in dry rehearsal. James asked me if I would do the stunt myself and I agreed. All around me were camera guys in diving suits because there was water above their heads and cameras. When they called “action,” all this loose furniture began floating in the water with increasing speed. At a certain turn of my head, about 150 pounds of water came rushing towards me… and they didn’t expect that. They had a diver standing by in case something happened to me. It was a scary moment.

  Whew. [Y&R creator] Bill Bell was around at that time, right?

  Yes. Bill’s the reason I could only be in three or so scenes in TITANIC because he wanted me back on set at Y&R. I would drive back from Mexico to L.A. at one or two in the morning.

  Wow. I didn’t know that. You’ll probably get a younger fan base now that it’s re-released because the last time it was in theatres was 15 years ago.

  Maybe so.

  Speaking of movies, you’re a director as well. Anymore cinematic projects in the works?

  When I did THE MAN WHO CAME BACK, which was the greatest joy I’ve experienced in a very long time in this business, it all came crashing down when I handed the film over to distributors. I think distributors have a license to steal. They take over a project with arrogance and indifference, which is obnoxious. I think distributors are the bane of independent producers’ existence. When you hand over your film to them, it’s deeply disappointing. I think independent producers will eventually find another way to distribute movies. The current way is no good because you lose all control and they think they know what they are doing — and very often they do not. So, no, I have nothing but bad things to say about them.

  Nicely put. Are you having fun on the Y&R set these days? You’re working lots. I loved Victor and Adam’s brief catharsis when Adam took ownership over his actions after he was blinded and apologized to his father.

  Michael Muhney is a very good actor. To be honest with you, I’m just grateful to be working. We just do it. I look forward to Y&R every day. When you think of how many actors aren’t working, it’s almost shameful to say anything critical.

  I was pretty certain you wouldn’t have any chemistry with Genie Francis but I was wrong. I love how flirty and fun Victor and Gen are together. I like how you guys dance through your scenes. Thoughts?

  Genie is wonderful to work with. She’s a very nice person. I can’t say enough about her.

  A fan wanted me to ask you: Do you think it’s really over between Victor and Ashley?

  One never knows… I enjoy working with Eileen. I think she’s a beautiful woman. I never say never.

  I’m a diehard Victor and Ashley fan but I think it’s over. You’ve done very well in the super-couple department: Hope, Ashley, Nikki…

  I would say! I’ve been very grateful.

  You’re happy that Melody Thomas Scott is back.

  I’m very happy. I love working with Mel. You know that.

  Yes, I do. Is THE TALK’s Sheryl Underwood still stalking you? Do you have a restraining order against her?

  She is very funny. I was not here when she was working. She’s a character!

  Do you feel Y&R should update/change their dated opening credits?

  Yes, I do! I think the best opening credits for a long time were THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL. Those were great opening credits.

  I’ve been dying to know what you think of the SAG/AFTRA merger.

  I think it’s very good. I was for the merger years ago. The merger only makes the union stronger.

  Let’s talk soon; you got that?!

  Let us do so.

  INSIDE FEATURE

  MDNA: GODDESS OF THE OPERA

&n
bsp; Decades later, Deidre Hall Is Still The Greatest Beauty (And When She’s Playing Satan, The Beast, Too) On Soaps!

  What’s Up, Doc?

  If you haven’t heard Deidre Hall’s infectious, hearty laugh up close and personal, then you’re missing out. It’s too bad her iconic, long-suffering character Marlena Evans Black on DAYS doesn’t have more fun because the intelligent, savvy, and beautiful superstar is all about having a good time and living your best life.

  With Susan Lucci off daytime, UNCENSORED spoke with daytime’s lone female superstar last week about her successful DAYS comeback; working with her talented co-star Chandler Massey (likening the newcomer to James Dean); Salem’s return to a land of “firsts;” ABC’s soap killing; her dating life; Jarlena’s wild sex life; and going back to school (yep, you read that correctly)!

  Enjoy!

  I think your DAYS comeback has been a success! Would you agree?

  I think it’s wonderful! I’ve loved every minute of it.

  Were you surprised DAYS asked you back? I mean, you never know in this topsy-turvy business.

  It’s show business, so you never know. I didn’t have any thoughts about it. When I was taken off screen, I knew it was temporary for the character. As shocking as it was for the fans, it was a wonderful [hiatus] and time for me in my real life. My eldest was just about to go to college, so I was able to be there for him and travel with him to places like Brazil for Operation Smile … and see the man he would become.

  That’s sweet.

  We also went to the White House together. It was simply an amazing time for us as a family, especially before he headed off to college.

  I can always tell when an actor is happy and having fun onscreen and I can tell the material is inspiring you like never before, especially when Marlena is lending her support to Jack and Will. You and Chandler Massey are DAYS’s newest super couple!

  I was going to say: can you tell who I love working most?

  You can, Blanche; yes, you can!

  We’re having so much fun!

  You give good offspring. And they all look they could be your children. It’s the Deidre Hall DNA. Were you nervous about coming back to DAYS because most soaps screw up superstar comebacks — especially of late.

  Yeah, I see what you’re saying…. But luckily, no because I