Soaps Superfans Blog

Did you catch "General Hospital" star James Franco on "Saturday Night Live" this weekend? This week's host got quite a few laughs out of his stint on daytime in his monologue (below), even showing a quick hit clip of his character Franco seducing Maxie.

I have to admit, I rarely find SNL very funny these days (yet I always seem to tune in!) and overall, this epi was not much better than what they've been turning out of late, but it had it's moments. Franco had a blast kissing most of the guys in the cast, the bizarre kids' show massacre was interesting and unlike many guests, Franco was in just about every sketch.

If you're interested in watching the show show, you can catch it here.

In the meantime, here's the monologue. Enjoy!

I got a chance to chat with "The Bold and the Beautiful" showrunner Brad Bell and he gave me tons of scoop on the new year – including some big casting news!

You heard it here first: "B&B" has signed Zack Conroy, a young hunk "Guiding Light" fans will definitely recognize. He played James Spaulding, who was right in the middle of Springfield's Ponzi scheme and was arrested for a DUI, but ultimately got it together to find love with Daisy and forgive his dying pops Phillip before the show ended.

Before that, Zack also caused trouble on "As the World Turns" as Leo, who tried to rape Liberty and was almost drowned for his crime; and then had a moment on "Gossip Girl" in 2008 as Ben, a rich boy who whisked Blaire away on a his private jet when Chuck left her hanging as the helipad (the scene is at the very end of this video, at 7:13!).

While Zack's past runs in daytime were as troubled bad boys, Bell previews that this new character Oliver Jones is a stand up guy, who comes to town on January 20, 2010, to take care of his sister, Agnes (aka Sandy Summers).

If you want more on that, however, you'll have to read the Q&A, which includes dish on him and just about everyone else in town. Be warned, however, the New Year on "B&B" sounds like it's going to get a bit rough for just about everyone.

First, however, fans can expect a happy holiday.

"This Christmas show is going to involve the Jackie M group," Bell told me. "Very often, we've been with the Forrester family at their house. The 'traditional' family. This is going to be a family of friends that have found each other, come together and are grateful for each other. It will be a different type of family: Not as traditional, but every bit as sweet."

In the spirit of the season, my holiday gift to you is up on the MSN TV Daytime home page: Go give Bell's "B&B" 2010 preview a read to see what's coming!

UPDATE: That sneaky Brad - he gave me all this scoop, but didn't fess up to his other new castmember, Justin Baldon! Find out more about Justin and his bad guy character Graham Darros at WeLoveSoaps.

TV Guide's Michael Logan has long been a leading voice in the biz. so I thought I'd share a link to his 2009 wrap up.

Here's the rundown:

Best Soap: "General Hospital"
Best Actor: Eric Braeden
Best Actress: Robin Strasser
Best Supporting Actor: Peter Bartlett
Best Supporting Actress: Lisa Lo Cicero
Star of the Year: Crystal Chappell
The Rest of the Best listing included shout outs to "The Bold and the Beautiful" and As the World Turns," as well as Louise Sorel, Scott Evans, Beth Maitlan and Robert Newman and Kim Zimmer.

You can catch the whole story on the TV Guide site, where he explains - or defends! - his picks.

As a newbie to "GH," I can say I've gotten sucked in... but I'm wondering how you folks feel about it's top spot. So take the poll and weigh in!

We've seen a few daytimers pass through HBO's "True Blood" already, including "The Bold and the Beautiful" star Ashley Jones and "Days of our Lives" crooner Molly Burnett, and now one of the Forrester models is heading to Bon Temps!

Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello is reporting that Natasha Alam, who's both a model and played one on "B&B," is joining the cast of "True Blood" as Yvette, a sexy dancer at Fangtasia who will be hot and heavy with sexy Eric. (Lucky girl!)

As a side note, last time I chatted with Ashley Jones, she was hoping to find a way back to Bon Temp, as well. As fans may recall, the season ended with Sam looking longingly out at a deer and if Sam could survive his own horrific murder, why not Daphne too?

There have been rumblings afoot that Sheila may return to "The Young & the Restless" or "The Bold and the Beautiful," not to mention speculation that Sean Kanan will bring Deacon back from Genoa City to La La Land now that Kimberly Matula has landed the "B&B" role of his daughter Hope (who contracts a case of SORAS and comes of age on January 11, 2010).

I can't tell you what "Y&R" has in the works, but after my chat with "B&B" head honcho Brad Bell, I can confirm that that neither Kimberlin Brown nor Sean Kanan is expected at B&B, any time soon.

"At the current time, I have no plans for Sheila's return and there's nothing in place for Deacon's return right now," Brad said. "Currently, I have the largest cast I've ever had on the show. We have 23 contract players, while I like to keep it around 18, so the thought of bringing in any new people right now is not going to happen… but there's no telling what will happen down the road."

Meanwhile, I'm currently sitting on some major casting news for the show… but you're going to have to wait till my Q&A with Brad hits the MSN TV daytime home at end of week for that one. Stay tuned to see who's coming!

And since we're talking "OLTL", I just heard Snoop Dogg is heading back to Llanview to hang out with Bo and the reunited fam! He'll be performing "I Wanna Rock” from his new album “Malice N Wonderland" and has actually already taped scenes that will air on February 24, 2010.

I was so wrapped up in deadlines this week that I missed the sad news that Jerry Birn, who's been part of the "The Young and the Restless" and "The Bold and the Beautiful" writing teams for ages, passed away December. 5 at the age of 86.

Having received three Daytime Emmy Awards and a WGA Award for his work on Y&R, Birn's roles at "Y&R" and "B&B" included writer, associate head writer and storyline consultant, not to mention best man at the wedding of daytime legends Bill Bell and Lee Phillip Bell.

"He came out when we started 'Bold and Beautiful' in '87 and has been with us all this time," B&B headhoncho Brad Bell shared when I spoke with him today. "He was a great family friend and a wonderful contributor. It's too bad, but he was sick. He's in a better place. Patty Weaver Birn (Gina, "Y&R") took such great care of him in his final days. She's a wonderful, devoted wife."

My heart goes out to Patty, who lost her hubby on their 15th anniversary, his daughter Laura Bryan Birn (ex-Lynne Bassett, "Y&R") and the rest of Birn's family and friends. A memorial service is in the works for this January, 2010.

"He has been and always will be an important part of our lives, our shows, and our family," Brad wrote in a memo to cast and crew. "He had a zest for life and lived his gloriously. A true ad man and writer, Jerry loved everyone and everything at 'Y&R' and 'B&B,' and was very proud to be a beloved member of our shows. Jerry's quick-wit and vibrant sense of humor will continue to resonate in our hallways, on our stages, and in our hearts. He is already greatly missed."

It's official. After speculations, rumors and false starts, CBS has officially decided that "As the World Turns" will go off air this September.

“We are disappointed and saddened by the news that the show is not being renewed,” said ATWT exec producer Chris Goutman in a statement. ”It will certainly be a loss for all of us, and for the show’s loyal audience.”

While this is clearly a hit to fans of 54-year-old show (I think I hear my mom crying in the other room), it also does not bode well for daytime, in general. We're down to six shows now!

As with ATWT sister show GL and NBC's Passions, the newly canceled show is hoping to find a new home, but that's not likely to pan out, considering how Passions fumbled on Direct TV and GL couldn't manage to make it happen. Then again, one never knows…

No word yet on what CBS will put in its place come September, but one of my first thoughts (after consoling my mom) was about which castmember from this juicy crew of talent will get snapped up by other shows.

I am starting to wonder if maybe this decline will finally end, leaving us with 6 or so really raging soaps with spectacular casts. Wishful thinking? Perhaps, but I'm not against that…

UPDATES:
CBS CEO and President Les Moonves is not really showing ATWT and saddened fans any sympathy. In an interviwe with CNBC's David Faber, he says, "The days of the soap opera have changed very much. 'Guiding Light' left last year, 'As the World Turns' will leave this year. They've had long and distinguished runs and their days are over." You can catch the video and writeup on his statements at SoapOperaSource.

He's also quoted, along with the Proctor and Gamble folks, in this New York Times Article on the cancellation and the daytime scene.

Also. CBS has released an official statement. Figured I'd tack it on here too:

"It's extremely difficult to say good-bye to a long-running series that's been close to our hearts for so long. The almanacs will show AS THE WORLD TURNS as a pioneer of the format, a hallmark for quality with its numerous Emmy's, the launching pad for many television and film stars and a daytime ratings powerhouse for parts of three decades. But, the true legacy of AS THE WORLD TURNS will be the fictional characters and stories of a small Midwest town that resonated every day with millions of viewers over multiple generations, becoming a treasured daytime institution in the process. We thank our partners at Procter & Gamble for the privilege of hosting this beloved series...the actors, writers, producers and crew who worked so hard and shared their amazing talents to bring this series to life...and, of course, the viewers who shared the journey on our network for so many years." - Barbara Bloom, Senior Vice President, Daytime Programming

Did you catch the premiere of "Venice" the series on Friday? If not, you can still catch it here.

After you watch this first free epi, weigh in on the poll below: Are you all in for the season, which cost $9.99?

James Franco has published an editorial piece in The Wall Street Journal that investigates what exactly constitutes as performance art - and gives a few hints as to why he signed on to "General Hospital" and how long he'll be airing.

I've posted an excerpt below, but the full article is worth a read if your interested in the topic - or just Franco.

A Star, a Soap and the Meaning of Art Why an appearance on 'General Hospital' qualifies as performance art... I have been obsessed with performance art for over a decade—ever since the Mexican performance artist Guillermo Gómez-Peña came to visit my class at Cal Arts summer school. I finally took the plunge and experimented with the form myself when I signed on to appear on 20 episodes of "General Hospital" as the bad-boy artist "Franco, just Franco." I disrupted the audience's suspension of disbelief, because no matter how far I got into the character, I was going to be perceived as something that doesn't belong to the incredibly stylized world of soap operas. Everyone watching would see an actor they recognized, a real person in a made-up world. In performance art, the outcome is uncertain—and this was no exception. My hope was for people to ask themselves if soap operas are really that far from entertainment that is considered critically legitimate. Whether they did was out of my hands... ...The folks at "General Hospital" informed me that in three days of filming we backlogged enough material for 23 episodes. There will be one more step. After all of the Franco episodes are aired, my character's storyline will be advanced in a special episode filmed in a "legitimate" New York gallery. One more layer will be added to this already layer-heavy experiment. If all goes according to plan, it will definitely be weird. But is it art? These are just excerpts. Read the full article here!

If Franco's editorial just peaks your interest and you want more info on the "why" of Franco going to GH, you can also go check out this Q&A with his artistic partner, New York-based conceptual artist Carter. It seems the GH guest gig all leads to the making a movie, but that's about all I could get out of it...