Nelson Branco's Soap Opera Uncensored: Issue 43

by Nelson Branco

following passage, which sums up my feelings perfectly about these latest developments.

  "Honest words from Crystal. Wouldn't expect anything less from this classy lady. Melissa has always seemed genuine and loved by everyone in interviews and from the show. Unfortunately, I don't actually know her aside from her constant citing the Bible, which I'll admit as a gay person who's been persecuted by catholic extremists all of his life, makes me quicker to believe the worst in this current situation. Maybe she did just mess up as we all do at one time or another on the net. Maybe like the last time she messed up, resulting on her fleeing from Days and breaking her contract, someone close to her who shall remain nameless is again telling her not to comment and directing her how to deal (or not deal) with the mess. Unfortunately, for any struggling gay teen who might have been admiring her out there, those few words followed by her blocking everyone disagreeing with her on twitter, followed by her silence, can have serious consequences. For me, it just changes the way I look at her even as her character. It may not be fair, but it is how I am reacting nevertheless. Sorry."

  Later, when faithful soap fan and UNCENSORED subscriber @MarkHSoap asked Greg Rikaart to elaborate on why he called Reeves a bully, the Emmy winner tweeted: “A bully uses strength/power to intimidate those who are weaker.”

  What he said.

  Ed. For my thoughts on the issue, please purchase UNCENSORED Issue 42. My opinions haven’t changed and I’m not going to repeat myself.

  Fall Of The Mouse House

  ONE ABC AFFILIATE DOWN; HOW MANY MORE WILL FALL?

  BROADCASTING AND CABLE punctuated KATIE’s upcoming epic battle to survive in an overcrowded talk daypart this fall by revealing that ABC has spent $80 million to get GH’s timeslot replacement on the air! D’oh! To put that in perspective, new talker, THE JEFF PROBST SHOW cost $30 million. Or, in soap opera terms, former ONE LIFE executive producer Frank Valentini could have basically produced two years of the defunct soap opera with that kind of mad cash, garnered higher ratings than Katie Couric will probably get, and keep the key demos watching ABC Daytime — all without the masturbatory promotion the new talker is receiving from the alphabet network.

  Of the pricey gamble, CTD President John Nogawski said, "I think [Disney-AC cut a bad deal. They did get very large license fees, but the majority of those license fees are attributed to ABC's owned-and-operated stations. [KATIE] is going to have to do a very large number for them to make money."

  Which segues brilliantly into this piece of juicy news: Citing poor financial conditions, ABC affiliate WKDH, located in Houston, Mississippi and serving the Columbus, Tupelo, and West Point television markets, will cease operations at the end of this month due to the bleeding out of viewers after the untimely cancellations of hit soaps, AMC and ONE LIFE.

  Expect a lot more.

  Inside Profile

  BREAKING EMMY

  Y&R’s Elizabeth Hendrickson is happy to be finally recognized by the Academy

  It’s about freakin’ time: One of daytime’s most popular, beautiful and talented stars, Elizabeth Hendrickson, is still over the moon after being nominated for the first time for an Emmy Award as Outstanding Supporting Actress for her second breakout role as Y&R’s Chloe earlier this year.

  “I was finally invited to the par-tay,” Hendrickson laughed to UNCENSORED recently.

  Having toiled in daytime for “about ten years,” Hendrickson, who first rose to fame in the dual roles of Maggie and Frankie Stone on ALL MY CHILDREN opposite Emmy winner Eden Riegel, was hoping “this would be the year I’d be nominated because I really felt I had worthy tape. I worked so hard during Delia’s illness. I felt like I finally had a real supporting storyline. I’m really proud of myself. I’m really happy people got to see that I could carry a show. But you never know when it comes to the Emmys… but it finally happened! I’m never satisfied with what I do but I was during that storyline. I felt like I was on the right track, especially since I did all of that work in one take!”

  True that. As I was telling GH’s Finola Hughes recently, it’s amazing to me that the acting on daytime has never been better; yet there are no multiple takes like performers were afforded back in the 80s — and the acting was mostly campy back then!

  While Y&R has been snatching and grabbing orphaned AMC stars, actors like Hendrickson, Billy Miller and Peter Bergman joined the number-one sudser organically and successfully before the ABC sudser was cancelled over a year ago.

  Is she still surprised she found a life outside of daytime’s first gay super couple, Bianca and Maggie?

  “Yes, I am,” she says. “When I first watched myself on Y&R, I thought I stuck out like a sore thumb. I’m so thankful for Y&R. I am so happy working at Y&R because it really is home. I’m so grateful to AMC but Y&R is such a good fit for me.”

  However, having said that, AMC’s cancellation still hit Hendrickson pretty hard, she admits. “It’s so sad,” she sighs. “Judy Blye Wilson, [AMC’s former casting director; Y&R’s current one] gave me my first job and Susan Lucci was literally the first actress I ever worked with on daytime. My first day, I was lying down because Erica hit me with a car. I felt like screaming, ‘I know you! You stabbed your husband [Dimitri] with a letter opener!’ I was like a child back then. I have so many fond memories of AMC.”

  But back to Y&R: Does she miss bitchy Chloe?

  “Yes, I do,” she says. “But I feel like it’s kind of my fault. Maybe if Chloe got back into the fashion world then her snark would return. I hope that happens. I like that she’s a bit more refined because she has a child now and she’s married and older; but I wouldn’t mind more spark in her personality. I wouldn’t want her to be a mean girl again, but….”

  It’s no secret one of my favourite all-time modern Y&R couples was Chloe and Billy. Does she miss that underrated, underutilized pairing? “Yes,” she responds. “More than anything I just miss working closely with Billy Miller.”

  But no matter whom Hendrickson is paired with, no one will share the kind of explosive, timeless chemistry she shared with Riegel on AMC (and later on Y&R when Riegel joined the CBS soap unsuccessfully as nuHeather). Sorry, Greg Rikaart!

  “I really miss working with Eden a lot,” relays Hendrickson. “I know she’s doing amazing. She’s very happy with her life right now. We’ve known each other for so long so I’m really proud that we’ve remained family. We’ll always be friends.”

  Hendrickson concurs when I mention that while Bianca and Maggie’s relationship on AMC was different than Chloe and Heather’s rivalry on Y&R, there was still palpable “sexual tension between us! Whenever Eden and I are around each other, we have chemistry.”

  Which is why I say, bring back IMAGINARY BITCHES!

  News & Views

  SOAPILEAKS:

  This Week’s Hottest News, Gossip, and Reviews!

  THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, CBS/CTV — Is Ronn Moss Really Out At B&B?

  • Now this is the end of an era, Eric Braeden: For once, SOAPS IN DEPTH was actually prophetic. As the shocking, viral news spread around the daytime world this past weekend that original cast member Ronn Moss had decided to leave the iconic role f Ridge Forrester on B&B, the magazine’s lead news story this week was ironically: Will Ridge Hit The Road?

  In the issue, the actor hinted Ridge could be off the canvas in the near future because the actor is hitting the road on a European tour with his band; however, he had been planning on scheduling his gigs around B&B’s dark weeks.

  Well, now Moss has all the time in the world to rock n’ roll across the pond.

  The actor took to Facebook to say about his historic decision to leave the number-one watched daily serial in the world:

  I want to make sure, without any doubt, that you guys all know how much I love you. Your support during this time and hopefully beyond is everything. I can't say anything yet, but soon will explain. Hang in there with me, We have a wonderful new journey ahead of us. Try and not be sad, angry, disappointed..
It's been a great run and all good things end eventually. As this door closes, others are opening. I want you all to come with me through these new doors of opportunities and experience how cool it's going to be. Have faith, be strong, Know I'm eternally yours.

  Moss’s eternal leading lady Katherine Kelly Lang tells UNCENSORED that she “can’t say much right now; I’m still very upset about Ronn leaving. He was my ‘soul mate’ for 25 years.”

  On her Facebook page, KKL emotionally wrote:

  I so appreciate all of you for supporting the show and our characters, especially the four of us that you have so loyally loved. John [McCook], Susan [Flannery], Ronn, and me. We love you just as much. The show would not have had the success it has without you. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will miss you Ronn. You know I love you. But we will work together in the future on some very exciting projects. I just know it:)”

  But is Ronn really leaving? That is the question savvy insiders are asking.

  Many in the B&B family think he’ll be back, actually. One co-star tells UNCENSORED, “I think he’ll be back. They’ll reach an agreement. Ronn’s not going anywhere long term.”

  Especially after show chief Brad Bell gave a very telling interview to TV GUIDE’s Michael Logan. First, Bell assured fans that Moss wasn’t being asked to take an outrageous pay cut. In fact, Bell claimed B&B offered Moss a reasonable and more than fair new contract given the new realities of daytime and his lack of screen time.

  After reading the interview, it would appear Bell is playing hardball with Moss through the media, especially when he threatened to recast the iconic role if the actor doesn’t return in the near future.

  And to further prove his point, Bell teased he already has several other “younger actors” in mind already! Ouch. It’s kind of hot seeing Bradley, who is one of the nicest men in the business, play hardball.

  But more importantly, how will Ridge be written out?

  Unfortunately, not the way many pundits and fans had hoped.

  Bell teased, “Well, I did have a plan in place because when it's contract time you have to be prepared. It's always possible things won't work out but I did not think Ronn's departure was probable. There was a point in the negotiations where I was not hearing back from him, so just in case I went ahead and wrote a wedding for Ridge and Brooke — a real retrospective sort of wedding that honors the characters' 25-year relationship — and then I have them take off on a honeymoon. I've been in this business long enough to know I have to protect my show. The worst thing happened but at least I was prepared.”

  Tell that to Maria Arena Bell, Brad!

  Ridge’s departure, however sad, could be great for B&B, which desperately needs a creative reboot, especially when it comes to its once successful and definitive Brooke/Ridge/Taylor love triangle.

  Yep, it’s too bad Bell has decided not to kill off Ridge — even in a presumed-dead plot twist.

  The multiple Emmy winner reasons, “Right now I can only tell you this: Ridge will not be dead or presumed dead. He will just not be in the picture. I don't want to do a presumed death because I don't want the story that follows to be all about Ridge. This will be a Brooke story. Ridge is a pivotal part of the show and he will be back in a matter of time...and probably not all that much time. I will continue writing for the character. I'm looking at this in two phases, really. There will be a period of time without Ridge, which is where some new,