Soap Opera Uncensored: Issue 29

by Nelson Branco

SOAP OPERA UNCENSORED

  Volume 02, Issue 19 (No. 29)

  BY NELSON BRANCO

  Copyright 2012 Nelson Branco

  INSIDE — Exclusive Interview: Part Two With GH’s Finola Hughes! Find Out If Robin Could Have a Twin; Whether Or Not Duke or Robert is the True Love of Anna’s Life; If She’s a Part of the Soap Mafia; Will AMC’s Alex Visit Port Llanview; And If Kelly Ripa Really Watches GH! On-Set Drama: Is Maria Arena Bell Out at Y&R? YoHarmony and Sarge Hooking Up! Is Tucker Cane’s Dad? Answer Inside! Also: Is Y&R Plotting a Cane and Ashley Romance? Find Out! Did Eric Braeden Push For Shictor? Plus: Are Sharon and Victor Here To Stay? Is B&B’s Jacob Young a Cross-dresser? ONE LIFE’s Roger Howarth and Florencia Lozano Hit Port Chuck! Plus: The Daytime Emmy Awards to Air On TV? Why Peter Reckell May Leave DAYS! Will He Join GH? Another GH Actor Fired! 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 soapuncensored@yahoo.com

  1 Year: $24.99 (*normally $129.48)

  *Based on $2.49 issue price

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

  Hi, loyal soaper!

  UNCENSORED QUOTES OF THE WEEK:

  “Marc Cherry is very funny and an intriguing storyteller. The characters are just delicious.”

  —Susan Lucci in THE NEW YORK POST regarding her new ABC pilot, DEVIOUS MAIDS

  Translation: Unlike that devious hack, Chuck Pratt.

  “Yes, I blame [Brian Frons] for ending ALL MY CHILDREN and the viewers do, too.”

  —Lucci continues in the same interview

  Translation: This statement bears repeating and repeating… In fact, it’ll be on my tombstone (with my Emmy, natch).

  “The story between Hope, Bo and Billie was one of the better triangles I was involved with. Lisa [Rinna, Billie] also made it so easy because she was a good actress.”

  —DAYS’s Peter Reckell in a feature interview with SOAP DIGEST two weeks ago

  Translation: Was.

  “When Kristian [Alfonso] and I were told Crystal [Chappell] was coming back, we both thought, ‘Wow, that’s a great idea!’ Who knows why it fell apart? But things deteriorated very quickly.”

  —Reckell makes one of the biggest understatements of the year

  Translation: That’s my story — and I’m sticking to it!

  “When the show needs to be the strongest that it can be, am I really one of the people who will be a part of it? Who knows? I talk to people who say, ‘Oh, you don’t have anything to worry about.’ But between NBC, Sony, and Corday Productions, there are so many people who have a say.”

  —A prophetic Reckell regarding DAYS’s umpteenth backstage shake-up

  Translation: Pay up, Sony!

  “May will be about history and old patterns.”

  —Y&R’s Scott Hamner in SOAP DIGEST’s May Sweeps Preview

  Translation: We’ll continue to drive viewers away with our hack writing

  “Sharon doesn’t do alone. It is so authentically Sharon for her to leap at a man who may not be the best choice, but it is what she does.”

  —Hamner in the same preview

  Translation: It is so authentically us to destroy one of our legacy heroines with plot-driven crap on a show we do not understand or respect.

  AWARDS SHOW CENTRAL

  EMMY NOMINATIONS DELAYED!

  Like any good soap cliffhanger, it looks like an unlikely hero at the last minute has saved the upcoming 39th ANNUAL DAYTIME EMMY AWARDS from impending doom. The saviours? Acronym networks: HLN and AOL.

  Nominations for this year’s kudofest were to be announced this past Friday, but word leaked mid-week that NATAS was postponing the announcement without any explanation.

  Luckily, the industry breathed a sigh of relief when BROADCAST & CABLE magazine explained that the reason for the delay was because NATAS was finalizing telecast deals with HLN and AOL.

  While I was hoping the embattled awards show would stream online so dignity could be restored to the ceremony, which had been raped repeatedly beyond recognition over the past few years, I’m happy the show may air for the fans and friends and families of nominees.

  Repeat after me: No more advertorials.

  If desperate NATAS is finally thinking outside the box, why couldn’t the Emmys have aired on The Playboy Channel?

  “I would so be there,” Tristan Rogers jokes to UNCENSORED.

  LOVE 411

  I HARTLEY NO MORE

  No more passionate days for one of my favourite — and most beautiful — real-life couples: According to TMZ, Lindsay Hartley has filed for divorce from husband Justin Hartley.

  The duo, who met while starring as Theresa and Fox on PASSIONS, wed in 2004 and have a daughter, Isabella, 7. Citing "irreconcilable differences,” Lindsay is seeking joint physical custody and legal custody.

  Have to admit, I’m stunned. I’ve spent some personal time with the couple in Las Vegas (and in their hotel room, too!) and I always thought they were cray-cray in love. They also boasted one of the best senses of humour I’ve encountered.

  Oh, well: At least we still have Brandon Beemer and Nadia Bjorlin. Whew.

  COVER STORY

  THE AVENGER

  The Adventures of Fashionista Finola Continues In Part Two of UNCENSORED’s Exclusive Interview

  “We live not according to reason, but according to fashion.”

  —Seneca

  It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s soap’s sexiest and most fashionable super-spy, Finola Hughes!

  Faster than a speeding Brian Frons’ cancellation bullet, more powerful than Anna Wintour, and able to leap fashion trends in a single bound, Hughes’s only weakness, her kryptonite, is John J. York’s ugly-ass golf pants!

  Last week, Hughes spoke to moi about her successful daytime comeback; reinventing Anna Devane; Robin’s “death;” Cartini’s GH resurrection; the soap’s renewal; and her partner-in-crime, Tristan Rogers.

  What’s left to dish about? A lot. Like, totally.

  For instance, does La Hughes miss playing Anna Devane’s twin, Alex (which she originated on the now-defunct ALL MY CHILDREN)? Wait — whatever happened to Alex? “She went to Budapest with Dimitri,” she notes. Oh, right.

  The Emmy winner says she loved working opposite controversial actor Michael Nader. “He’s a really dark character,” she says. “We bounced off each other very well.”

  She literally wanted to bounce when AMC paired her beautiful, rich and flowing locks with John Callahan’s sexy chest hair. “I liked the couple in the beginning, but then Alex and Edmund got too lovey-dovey, which I didn’t like, because that’s never interesting for me to play.”

  The London, England native was surprised that she’s not only created one but also two breakout Devane characters. “When I started, it was up in the air whether I was Anna or Alex,” she reminds me. “I went into AMC thinking perhaps Anna was in hiding pretending to be Alex but there’s no way Anna could have been a neurologist!”

  Hey, stranger things have happened on the daytime dial.

  When she played the lovely twins, “I didn’t love it,” she confesses. “I couldn’t sustain it because I was crap at it.”

  NATAS didn’t think so: Hughes was nominated for a Lead Actress Daytime Emmy Award for her efforts.

  “Thankfully and mercifully they sent Al
ex away,” she continues.

  Which got me to thinking: does Robin have a twin out there? After all, twins are hereditary.

  “Oh, God!” laughs Hughes. Next subject.

  Another co-star Hughes loved acting opposite was Emmy winner Vincent Irizarry. “Yes, he was fun,” she recalls.

  Many fans are hoping AMC’s David Hayward pops up in Port Charles to hopefully explain why Robin’s alive (and possibly resurrect dead characters like Alan Quartermaine back to the mob-torn canvas thanks to his miracle medical prowess).

  “That’s up to the writers,” she says diplomatically. “It’s all about the kind of stories [head writer] Ron Carlivati wants to tell and if you have the actors available.”

  So far, she’s been impressed by the influx of ONE LIFE characters to Port Charles — and wouldn’t mind seeing more from ONE LIFE or AMC dodge bullets and rapemances alongside Anna Banana.

  “I love the ONE LIFE characters. I think they’re amazing,” she enthuses. “And I like how they weaved those characters into existing storylines on GH. Hey, it’s all about story, right?”

  Damn right, sistah friend! And she should know: Hughes has never been short of story — especially love stories.

  Years ago, I asked Tristan Rogers who the true love of Robert’s life was and he controversially answered Holly, which didn’t make a lot of fans happy.

  Finola’s turn: Who is the love of Anna’s life? Should you duck for cover? Read on:

  “I don’t know if a person is limited to just one love of his or her life,” reasons Hughes. “I would probably say Robin is the love of Anna’s life. That’s accurate. Robin, in a way, has shaped Anna more than anyone or anything. When it comes to men, I would say, for different reasons, Duke and Anna had this huge connection. It was a massive story. As for Robert, I think he’s the one she turns to now, but he’s not around, so she’s leaning on Luke. A lot of the Robert and Anna story played out on NIGHT SHIFT, so that doesn’t really play on GH. At the end of the NIGHT SHIFT story, there was this moment when they said to each other: ‘When the last game is played, we’ll end up on an island drinking mai tais.”

  Reminds me of that line from one of my favourite films ever, THELMA & LOUISE: “We’ll be drinking margaritas by the sea, mamacita.”

  Burp.

  Regardless, today, Anna’s the object of everyone’s affections from Luke, John, Patrick, Robert and shady soap columnists.

 

  Hughes admits she loves the attention — even if it was abrupt.

  “It’s funny because when the Luke thing started to unfold, I [as an actress] could barely make the connection because Robin had just died. It was like whiplash for me,” she recounts. “It was a very fast game-changer. But I very slowly stepped into the more fun stuff. I love working with Tony Geary. I’ve wanted to work with Tony forever. He’s awesome. He’s a fantastic straight man and so funny to work with. It’s funny you saw flirting, because I was thinking of so many other things as Anna — but not flirting.”

  Not even with dreamy Michael Easton?

  “John McBain? No,” the goddess answers. “I’m not flirting with Michael Easton because Anna is just John’s mentor.”

  Well, maybe it’s Hughes’s hair that’s flirting up a storm.

  Which brilliantly leads me to the superficial portion of this interview. Are you ready, Finster?

  “There is no such thing as superficial questions at all; period!” punctuates Hughes. “Bring it on!”

  A woman after my own heart — and loins.

  Hard-hitting question number one: Why did FinFin cut off her trademark locks? Her hair was so luscious and long she could have fed the people of India just on a few strands. What gives?

  “Ugh,” she sighs. “Everybody has their hair long these days, and you have to put in these barrel curls, so I was like, ‘Oh, God – I can’t do that now. I’m a hundred years old and I didn’t want to send the wrong message. I decided to get rid of the barrel curls. I’m constantly playing around with my hair. It hasn’t been the same colour in three months. So, my great hairdresser and I decided to cut it off.”

  It was the cut heard ‘round the world.

  Personally, I think Hughes’ new sleek, smart layered hair cut works very effectively in terms of story and style because Anna’s beginning a new chapter in her life and character-wise she’s been cutting off dead weight of late. And it looks moregeous! Best haircut ever.

  Does Hughes wish Anna was a fashionista like herself?

  “No,” she quickly responds, almost giving me whiplash. “When I was on AMC as police commissioner, I said to the show that I couldn’t wear labels because people in law enforcement don’t make very much money. The Pine Valley P.D. wasn’t SEX AND CITY. Anna wouldn’t have Manolo Blahniks in her closet. I wanted Anna to have three different suits interchanged with different tops, etc. AMC used to get so annoyed with me. The producers got really bored with my wardrobe but I said, ‘That’s the way it should be.’ She can be edgy in the same clothes. Guys get to be edgy in the same clothes. I really feel that Anna owns a [toiletry] bag, a little bit of makeup, and ready-to-go duffel bag. I mean, she doesn’t have anywhere to live. It’s funny because she’s such a different kind of heroine.”

  She’s the female Jason Bourne — not Jason Morgan.

  Speaking of Jason Morgan, it’s not lost on Hughes that she has always attracted a huge gay following.

  “I love it,” she squeals. “I don’t know why but a few of my friends have theories. One is that STAYING ALIVE was such a funny movie on a few levels and it starred John Travolta.”

  Here’s my theory: She’s fucking gorgeous, unbelievably talented, and has a sexy accent that could turn gays into straights. That’s really all it takes, Finola to become a gay icon.

  As a relatively new resident on Twitter, Mrs. Young is being introduced to a larger fan base with each tweet. Did the show push Hughes to join social media to help promote the show? Or did she realize it was the ultimate way to stalk me?

  She laughs, “None of the above! I didn’t realize how much I would like it. I’m Irish, so I love talking. I love words. And putting them together. I’m always fucking talking to anyone.”

  Oh, thanks. [Jumps off cliff!]

  In all actuality, Hughes’s GH co-stars, Kimberly McCullough and Jason Thompson, urged Hughes to re-join the Twitterverse.

  “They said, ‘Come on, get on Twitter and chat with us.’ I actually had a Twitter account, but I only used it for one Oscar night. I couldn’t really get a handle on it at the time, but then I found out who I could follow on Twitter — and then I got hooked. I love reading what a million different intelligent people have to say.”

  Like me. And Snooki.

  “My Twitter is very schizophrenic,” she describes. “I follow serious news to Martha Stewart to fashion blogs like Refinery 29. I look at my timeline and I get a little worried about myself, but I just like it. I love reading people’s words. I love when people put clever shit together. It’s really amazing. My timeline never ends because I also follow all these British people who are smart and funny. So when I get up in the morning, I have a lot of catching up to do. I have to stop because my son thinks it’s awful. I do try to take breaks.”

 

  Speaking of Twatter, Hughes’ former co-star and longtime BFF, Kelly Ripa recently wrote a pro-GH tweet. Was that because of Hughes’s arrival in Port Chuck? Is she really watching GH?

  “I think she’s probably behind now but I do know she was watching GH when I first came back on,” reports Hughes. “She’s the best. She’s awesome. She’s so amazing at what she does. She’s so funny. She’s a great person.”

  Since Ripa is looking for a co-host on LIVE! WITH KELLY, Hughes could be the perfect permanent addition to the talk show. After all, Hughes has hosted her share of chatfests.

  “Oh, God,” laughs Hughes. “We’d never make it through an episode!”

  Another Finola Hughes’ posse member is DAYS’s Ian Buch
anan who, like Hughes, is stealing the show he stars on.

  “He really is,” affirms Hughes. “I’m so excited. He’ll be the patriarch of DAYS in five minutes.”

  This reporter likes to joke that Hughes, Ripa, Buchanan and Susan Flannery are all a part of the soap opera mafia.

  “Yes, when we get together we kind of are,” jokes Hughes.

  Hopefully, there’s room for one more person.

  Where do I send in my application?

  Finally, Hughes is just happy to be happy. “Life is great,” she attests. “I have my friends, family, three amazing children, and my nutty, artistic husband [Russell Young] and a fantastic job that I really love going to every day.”

  And we’ve got her.