It is with a myriad of emotions, all positive, that I greet you for the last time from the pages of Eye on Soaps.

We have expanded our scope in an effort to offer you more entertainment and fun things to read.

From this point forward, we will be posting at our [...]]]> Hello Friends,

It is with a myriad of emotions, all positive, that I greet you for the last time from the pages of Eye on Soaps.

We have expanded our scope in an effort to offer you more entertainment and fun things to read.

From this point forward, we will be posting at our new website called:

All My Writers <==click here, click here, click here

There are a LOT of surprises – all happy ones – coming your way with our new venture.  We will continue, as always, to provide the very best in ABC Daytime commentary, following all of our shows until the last episode of the last soap airs.  We welcome you to our new home and look forward to what the future brings there.  Please click on the above link to get to the new site where all of our material will now be posted.

Warmly,

I don’t think I have ever tried to hide my dislike of soap opera babies. They tend to be used as poorly driven plot devices and they also tend to multiply to the same people over and over again, usually with all different father’s and mother’s. General Hospital likes to further throw [...]]]> By Dianna

I don’t think I have ever tried to hide my dislike of soap opera babies. They tend to be used as poorly driven plot devices and they also tend to multiply to the same people over and over again, usually with all different father’s and mother’s. General Hospital likes to further throw a wrench in there as one of their favorite plot devices is sick babies, dying babies or damaged, coma ridden teens.

The death of Jake has lead to even more emphasis on babies. Jake’s death very quickly healed Jocelyn in what was the quickest kidney transplant and story line ever. Jocelyn was not meant to be the focus, only an insignificant blip to steamroll the plan that Jason needs a real baby.

I can’t deny that emotional Steve Burton does it to me all the time. Jason also knows he already has a son, and that is Michael. Jason is the only father that this kid has ever had and that has never been any clearer than now.

Jason is struggling. On one hand he gave up Jake to keep him safe and that plan failed. Jason has realized that there is no such thing as completely safe, yet I think this is blinding him to the fact that a child has a better chance outside of the life Jason leads. Even more so that Sonny as even though Sonny may be the “figurehead” nothing gets done without Jason. Than there is Michael and the pain that Michael’s choices are so obviously causing him.

I don’t think Sam and Jason should have a baby. I have a myriad of reasons which include my being tired of soap babies, my having no use for Sam and my feeling that doing so would go against everything that Jason has been for so many years. Jason may have evolved on so many levels, but in the end Jason has always understood that his life doesn’t leave room for fatherhood.

What do you think?

Welcome back to The Sandbox. As promised, I didn’t leave the playground, and I’m ready to give Part 2, a retrospective on OLTL. Just so you know, we are going on the fifth day of the news about the cancellations, and I still feel a profound sadness [...]]]> By Sandi Kelly Showalter

Welcome back to The Sandbox. As promised, I didn’t leave the playground, and I’m ready to give Part 2, a retrospective on OLTL. Just so you know, we are going on the fifth day of the news about the cancellations, and I still feel a profound sadness when I think about losing AMC and OLTL.

OLTL Memories

I honestly don’t remember why or exactly when I started watching One Life to Live.  I had been a fan of AMC for years, but since my grandmother didn’t watch anything besides that and Ryan’s Hope, I didn’t pick up the Llanview habit right away.  I do know the first story that hooked me was Tina Lord getting involved with Mitch Laurence. Actually, I think it may have been Roscoe Born that brought me over to Llanview, because I loved him as Joe Novak on Ryan’s Hope. (BTW- for you AMC fans, did you know that Walt Willey also played Joe Novak on Ryan’s Hope? He is just as handsome today as he was back then, IMO.) Soon after Tina’s involvement with Mitch, came her love story with Cord Roberts. That cemented my stay in Llanview, and quite honestly, OLTL is the only soap that I’ve never even taken a short break from. I was forced to take breaks from AMC, because I started watching while in elementary school before the days of the VCR. After that, I stopped watching in the fall of 1996 or 1997 when the paternity switch with Edmund and Dimitri was going on, because I couldn’t stomach it. But no matter how campy or downright bad OLTL got, I never stopped watching, and I could usually find something to enjoy.

With AMC there were a myriad of couples I loved and I can point to memorable storylines, but for some reason on OLTL, while I can definitely tell you my favorite and least favorite couples, the stories stand out more in my mind. Maybe because you can say one word like Eterna or 1888 and longtime OLTL fans instantly know what you are talking about.  We can recall in great detail the underground city or Miss Ginny in the Old West. Raise your hand old timers if you know exactly what I mean when I say Igauzu Falls or even Type G blood. How about the soap within a soap, Fraternity Row and the Daisy Awards? Or Mendorra? St. Blaize’s Island? Who else but OLTL would do Al/Michael, the Heaven Can Wait rip-off? All of these storylines prove that OLTL does better than any other soap out there of not taking itself too seriously. They are not afraid to poke fun at themselves or throw out a nod to the fans. They go out of their way to make mentions of things like Castle, with fan favorite Nathan Fillion, or put up in Bo’s office, the “Top Cop” award that Bob Wood’s received at a fan function. With a wink and a smile, they brought back James DePaiva with the same face after Max had apparently undergone surgery when JD left for a while. Kassie DePaiva had a flashback of Blair when she was played by Asian actress Mia Korf and looked very confused when she stared at herself in her compact mirror. OLTL excels at stand alone episodes, like Women Behind Bars or the Trading Places show where they switched roles. And even though I was very glad when the High School musical was done, I couldn’t get some of the damn songs out of my head for a few days.

As I look back, I think the story that stands out the most in my memory was the gang rape of Marty Saybrook, and the reverberations that went on from that for years, even to this day. That was an extremely powerful story and with it brought some powerhouse acting by Susan Haskell and Roger Howarth. RH came on as a day player, but ended up becoming one of the most memorable characters in OLTL history.  From his beginnings as a rapist, he evolved to a multi-faceted, fascinating character. The writers capitalized on RH’s talent and popularity and wove him further into the canvas by making him an unknown Lord heir and half-brother to town matriarch, Viki Buchanan. After the rape, the trial, which his defense attorney, Nora, threw because she found out that Todd, Zach and Powell were indeed guilty of the crime and his attempt at revenge on Nora and Marty, they went to work on redeeming his character and rebuilding Party Marty. When Todd saved Marty, CJ and Sarah, rather than doing the “Todd” thing and only thinking about his own escape from prison, he started down a path that revealed he was more than the monster he was made out to be. His remorse and guilt over what he did to Marty surfaced throughout the years, and at one point led him to take a bullet for Marty’s lover, Patrick Thornhart. Included in his redemption was a love story like no other (for me at least,) Todd and Blair. What started out as the Biggest Loser contest between he and Blair, ended in a romance with more twists and turns than a roller-coaster. RH left the role several times during his tenure as Todd, but TSJ brought him back. While I thought TSJ did a great job as Walker Laurence, at some point the writing for Todd changed. That is why I was (and still am) excited by RH coming back and the story to flesh out the “real” Todd Manning.

Just as no history of AMC is complete without Erica Kane, OLTL has its own Erika…Erika Slezak, the incomparable Victoria Lord Riley Burke Buchanan Buchanan Carpenter Davidson Banks. She was also married to Roger Gordon, off-screen when she was a teenager, but that was annulled. In addition to Viki being a wonderful, iconic character, ES has won SIX Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.  Although Erika is most associated with the role, Viki was actually first played by Gillian Spencer, who is better known for her role as Daisy Cortlandt on AMC. Viki appeared in the very first episode of OLTL on July 15, 1968 and has been involved in Llanview society for its entire 42 year run. Since almost the very beginning, Viki has been battling for control of her body. In the early years of OLTL, Viki developed an alternate personality, Nikki Smith. For two decades, the writers played with the reason behind Nikki Smith, first blaming it on Viki watching her pregnant mother fall down the stairs to witnessing her father in bed with her best friend, Irene Manning, which led to the birth of Tina Lord. In the 1990’s, the true reason for Viki’s DID finally came to light when it was revealed that her father had sexually molested her as a child. After that revelation, she splintered even further into six distinct personalities, including Tommy, Princess, Jean Randolph, Tori and Victor Lord, himself. Viki is so much more than just her jumble of personalities, though. She has loved each of her husband’s deeply and been widowed three times. She is a successful journalist and has served as Mayor of Llanview, donated part of her liver to her daughter, Megan, received a heart transplant from her husband, Ben, gone to Heaven, twice and given birth to TWO children she knew nothing about- Megan and Natalie. It is hard to say who is the “love of her life,” but in my opinion, I would have to go with Clint. I also have a hunch that at the end of the show’s run, we will have a Viki/Clint reunion.

Now, on to the couples. Ahh, yes the T&B’ers vs. the T&T’ers, the Jolies vs. the Jovans and for good measure, throw in the Jarlies. We soap fans love our combination names and our couple wars. It’s a part of the enjoyment we get out of our shows. We will defend or defame and love every minute of it. We are crestfallen when “our couple” is on the losing end of the story and elated when we finally get that kiss or the long awaited love scene. OLTL has had more than its fair share of awesome couples and here are a few of my own favorites: I definitely come down on the side of original recipe Todd and Blair, John and Natalie won me over early on and Joey and Kelly captured my heart back in the 90’s, so I think that may be why I still root for them, even though so many can’t stand them. It’s hard for me to say which is my all time favorite OLTL couple, because I have loved so many, but for a long time I put the title of favorite as Megan and Jake. I absolutely loved them and was heartbroken when she died. I remember telling myself to “stop crying, it’s only a soap,” for a few days after the scene where Jake carried Megan over to the window to see their Valentine tree. I’ve always believed that Cord and Tina belonged together (and my favorite Tina was Karen Witter) and there was no one else for Max Holden like Luna Moody. My vote for best super-villain couple would have to go to Alex and Carlo and best comic relief couple is David and Dorian’s, no doubt. I was also a huge KISH fan and hated to see them go.  Bo & Nora, Patrick & Marty, Marcie & Al, Asa & Renee, Cassie & Andrew, Dorian & Mel and Andy & Antonio are some of the great unions we have seen over the years.

I found another video featuring OLTL couples. Actually, I found several, but narrowed it down to one. This is from the 35^th Anniversary show and features a bit of dialogue between Natalie and Dorian, before it gets to the couples.

Now comes a task I never wanted to face. Figuring out what I would like to see for the end of OLTL. Instead of creating a scenario, that would probably run several thousand more words, I’ll just make a wish list. These are my wishes, so I don’t expect them to match exactly what anyone else wants.

John and Natalie reunite, are happy with their son and they finally have an uninterrupted, legal wedding.

Jessica integrated FULLY and reunited with Brody.

The “real” Todd story to play out through the summer, with RH finally being revealed as Todd and TSJ as the imposter. Then I want Todd and Blair to find their way back to each other and capture the golden balloon feeling. I think TSJ should be a clueless Walker Laurence that was brainwashed and he and Tea figure out that they really do love each other.

Instead of ruining Marty totally, put her back in St. Anne’s then have Patrick return and whisk her away.

Cutter and Aubrey behind bars.

Joey and Kelly reunited (love it if it could happen with NF in the role, but that is just a pipe dream, I know.)

Dorian leaves Llanview  to join David in LA to produce more movies (this would be at the end.)

Viki and Clint get married again.

After the show is over, what happens to the citizens of Llanview is left to the fan’s imagination, so maybe OLTL could do something different. For the last week before the show goes off the air, they could play it as a big flashback as viewed from a SORASED Ryder and Liam. They could be getting married to their brides in a double wedding in January, 2037 and then reminisce over what has happened in the last 25 years. This way not only do we get the current stories wrapped up, we would have a glimpse into a future that might have been. What would be even more awesome is to have one of the boys marrying Ryan and Madison’s daughter from AMC, then they could weave a bit of Pine Valley’s future into the mix too.

Odds and Ends

Loved the scene where Natalie rips up the sonogram picture. It showed so clearly John’s true feelings for Liam. Blair has been great these past two weeks. She is really coming to terms with her lack of parenting for Jack and his possible sociopathic ways. Mathew, Bo & Nora are just making my heart ache. Since when is giving a ride to someone to meet their spouse in jail gossip? If that is gossip, then no female can ever accept a ride anywhere from any unrelated male without it being construed as an affair or something sexual going on. Give me a break!

Well, there you have it. Two columns of my memories from All My Children and One Life to Live. It is getting easier to deal with, but I still find myself tearing up at times. I think since we get to visit our towns daily for now and September and January still feel quite a ways off, the finality of it all isn’t apparent yet. I know many of you out there are fighting the good fight to keep our shows alive. I support you in all you do. I would like to give a standing ovation to Hoover for pulling their ads from ABC starting April 22. It may not do any good, but I know the next time I’m in the market for a vacuum cleaner, the only name on my list will be Hoover. Their lack of advertising may buy them more customers than any paid ad they could have ever put out there.

That’s it for me this time, kiddo’s! It is now time to shake the sand out of our shorts until next week. Have a great week everyone.

Sandi

For the week of April 18th…

I hate posting late but this is my third run at this week’s column.

I don’t want to write this column. It’s that simple.  I want to get [...]]]> By Kate Brown

For the week of April 18^th…

I hate posting late but this is my third run at this week’s column.

I don’t want to write this column. It’s that simple.  I want to get under the covers and find my solace in chocolate. Only there’s not enough chocolate in the world for this situation. (That’s not a joke. Really.)

Last week was a crappy one. A heart-breaking one.  A heart-breaking crappy week. It was a week to be shocked. It was a week to feel betrayed. It was a week to be royally pissed off.

This week is shaping up to be the same way.  As it should be.

Being funny (or at least trying to) feels disrespectful to the show. It feels disrespectful to us, the faithful viewers.

I have loved AMC since its first episode. Trust me, I would never spend 11 years writing about something I didn’t love.

The whole situation makes me sick.

 That said, I intend to revel in All My Children until its last episode.  That is why I am forging ahead with week’s column. Well, at least the “What else. What else.” section.

And, so, here it goes –

Did anyone feel slightly ill during the Erica/Caleb kiss? Thought so.

“Don’t be cute.”  Don’t worry, Jack., Caleb couldn’t be cute if he tried.  Even putting on Amanda’s bunny ears wouldn’t make him cute.

I don’t hate Caleb, per se; it’s just that he serves no purpose whatsoever. Except as spoiler to Jack and Erica’s relationship. And there have been enough of those to last me a lifetime.

Everyone now knows that Griffin stole drugs from PVH. I cannot wait to see his, admittedly fine, ass in prison. Watching his medical license revoked will be even more enjoyable. Of course, that will never happen. Why not? Because his sister married a Martin.

Damn, Jack is looking mighty fine these days. Seeing him in the light grey suite with a medium pool tie made me swoon.

Greenlee looks depressed and lackluster these days.  Clarification: Greenlee has looked depressed and lackluster since she married Ryan.

Will someone please explain to me how Jack got back to Pine Valley before Greenlee finished packing? Never mind. Trying to find logic in PV only causes massive headaches.

Why doesn’t anyone, save Griff, notice that Rev. Ricky smiles with his mouth but not his eyes?

The room mess-up confused me. If there were truly no rooms at the inn, how did Marissa get one?

Ah, Maya Mercado. You’re sweet and you are Lucy’s birth mother but still it’s time for you to go. And take the rest of the “filler” characters with you.

I love Scott and Madison together.  I don’t love that Ryan is the baby’s father. Ahh, well, I can’t get everything.

“I gotta go with the facts.”  Thank you, Jesse. Thank you for making me laugh during a dreadful week.

Who knew that getting emergency medical attention was such a bitch in PV?  Jake had to pack up a picnic, wrangle Trevor into the car, and yet he got to the jail before the ambulance arrived.

I thought Cara was a doctor who could handle any situation. Why, then, did she need Jake to save Griff?  True, she didn’t trust anyone at the PVPD but still…

Why hasn’t anyone at PVH notice that Lucy is a few weeks old and not a few hours old? Just asking.

“You’re the finest police chief this town has ever seen.”  On behalf of Derek Frye, I protest!  Angie not just blind-she’s delusional.

Maya did a fine job falling on JR. Nonetheless, my falling on my mother-in-law showed better technique.

Emma. Emma. My dear, sweet “Bad Seed” Emma. I haven’t loved a child this much since Kathy tried to push Krystal off the ladder.

And now to this week’s spoilers. I’m trying to keep in mind that Lorraine Broderick’s work will soon show up on our screens.

Ricky’s place in Kendall’s life is not as secure as he thinks.

I having a feeling Ricky’s better at playing a fake minister than he is at handling insecurity. I realize no one in PV attends church except for weddings and funerals, but it bothers me that no one has checked out Ricky’s church. That would be the neighborly thing to do.

Ricky has fantasies about a life with Kendall and boys.  A life lived somewhere other than Pine Valley.

If his fantasies involve moving his new family to Llanview, he better hurry because that town is about to disappear from the map, too.  Moving to Port Charles seems like an iffy move, too.  (Damn, how could they cancel AMC and OLTL at the same time? Heartless, ignorant bastards.)

Ricky invites his new family to go on a picnic.

Is it too much to hope that Ricky wears Amanda’s bunny ears? Probably.

Ricky appears to know a lot about the Slaters’ marriage. Kendall pretends she doesn’t notice, but inside she’s freaking out.

Oh, Kendall, you are not alone. We’ve all been freaking out since last week.

While cleaning the yacht, Kendall finds the missing page from Zach’s letter.

 Of course, she isn’t really cleaning the yacht. We know the Chandlers have a staff and Erica has a housekeeper, but who in the hell is cleaning everyone else’s homes, offices, yachts and secret rooms?

Kendall tells Ryan she is getting a little suspicious about Ricky. She wonders if Ricky had something to do with Zach’s plane crash.

Or, is he merely a fake minister who wanders from town to town stalking women?

Ryan tells Kendall that he will protect her.

Hope it’s not the same way he “protected” Gillian.

Kendall returns to Casa Slater. She opens the door to find Ricky playing with Spike and Ian.

I wonder if she finds them playing a game of Clue.

Ricky tells Liza that Griff’s  gang is planning to break him out jail.

And that bitch Liza Colby will likely decide to do her job and return Griff to the PVPD.  You would think that she’s lived in Pine Valley long enough to notice no one does their job. So, why is she so hell bent on doing her’s?

Griff’s gang decides they need to expedite carrying out their plan.

Their plan might succeed. After all, JR didn’t plan it.

The plan begins. Cara needs to create a diversion so she sets off the fire alarm.

They’re lucky David didn’t have the alarms removed. After all, he cut the “glove” budget, didn’t he?  It makes sense that the alarms would be the next to go.

The plan succeeds!  At long last Griffin is freed from the shackles of justice!

Just as well. Griff lacks the panache to wear shackles. On the other hand, there’s David…

Kendall wants Griff to leave the country.

Why? Is someone else occupying her secret room?

Tad lies to protect Cara. In addition, he tells Jake to stay away from Cara.

Much to my surprise, Tad is turning out to be a mighty fine husband.

Last week Erica found herself locked in a faux bedroom. Things do not improve this week. The mystery voice insists that she call Jackson and tell him the wedding is off.

Question is, will Jack believe her or think Erica was forced to make the call? Erica has ruined their relationship countless times, so a real call is plausible even though not true. Has Erica called “relationship off” too many times for the call to surprise everyone?

Opal has a plan to stop Krystal from “comforting” Jack. She asks Caleb to fake pursue Krystal. Caleb refuses.

I understand his reasoning but this still makes him an ass. Opal shows that once again she is a better friend than anyone in PV deserves.

Scott offers to work with JR at CE. Turns out, he was passed over for a promotion at PVH.

This confuses me. Greenlee owns PVH. Why wouldn’t she make the promotion happen? Isn’t he still doing his best to keep Madison and Ryan apart?

Jesse cannot relate to “his” new daughter.

Of all the times for Jesse to develop a conscience.

Angie surprises herself when she wants to hear more about David’s ideas to restore her sight.

This surprises me, too. After all, isn’t David a monster of epic proportion?

Frankie thinks David has an ulterior motive for helping his mother.

Well, of course he does. He wants his license back. And wouldn’t he need that restored to operate on Angie? What everyone overlooks is that despite his flaws, his patients and their care are important to him. 

Much to Jesse’s chagrin, Angie decides to take David up on his offer.

It’s fairly safe guess that this is what happens:

1. Everyone treats David like a pariah.
2. David restores Angie’s sight.  Everyone is overcome with joy.
3.  Everyone goes back to treating David like a pariah.

For the week of April 18th…

Jason and Sam decide to try and have a baby together.

Yep, having a baby together works much better than having a baby on her/his own, otherwise, strange utensils come into play like turkey basters and fake vaginas.

Michael tells [...]]]> By Kathy Hardeman

For the week of April 18th…

Jason and Sam decide to try and have a baby together.

Yep, having a baby together works much better than having a baby on her/his own, otherwise, strange utensils come into play like turkey basters and fake vaginas.

Michael tells Jason that he believes that he would make a great father.

Michael grew up in spite of his parents, not because of them.  He’s at that arrogant stage (and I can recognize it having once been there myself) where his idea of parenting probably consists of all the things he would never do.  It makes me laugh when I hear parents declaring what they would never do or what they won’t tolerate their child doing because sure as shootin’ that will be the ONE thing said child is sure to do.  As for the parents, they might never do the things they feel strongly to be wrong; however, they will do other things and their children as young parents will, in turn, declare they will never do whatever their parents did to traumatize them.  Umm, OK, soapbox off, back to GH…

Jason tells Carly that Johnny may be trying to bring Michael into the Zacchara business.

Maybe Michael is so clever that he’s playing the the-enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend game.  Or maybe he’s so naïve and green that he doesn’t see that going to work for a rival family will push all of Sonny’s betrayal buttons.  I’d bet on naïve.

Carly finds Sam crying after her OB/GYN visit.

Uh oh, Sam’s odds must have slid under the 50% chance of conceiving a child.  Well, luckily, there’s Carly’s womb just waiting around all warm, comfy and empty ready to carry Sam and Jason’s baby.  Think GH will take on a surrogate parent storyline?  What have they got to lose?  At this point, the more prime time-like they can write it, the better TPTB might like it.

Jason is stunned hear that Michael considers him to be his role model.

Really?  Stunned?  Who did he think was setting the example for Michael?  Jason is as much, if not more involved in Michael’s life, than Sonny.

Sam tells Jason she is able to have a baby after all.

Maybe she was crying tears of happiness.  It could happen.

Michael defends Carly’s parenting choices to Brenda.

Brenda better learn the step parenting rule of never criticizing the former wife.  Smacking down Carly isn’t going to fly with Michael.  Carly makes mistakes but she loves her children fiercely and they know it.  In fact, at least one of them would kill for her.

Elizabeth sees how close Nikolas and Lucky have become and believes it would tear them apart to reveal the truth.

Cowardly girl.  Dealing with the pain of switching daddyhood might be difficult bit it’s real and not blamable unless Helena shows up again.  Sleeping with her fiance’s brother, now that’s a tear apartable offense.

Ethan declines Kristina’s request that he be her date to the prom.

Yeah, I can see prom being awkward for Ethan since a) he is way past high school (isn’t there a prom date age limit?) and b) he’s married.  I don’t think times have changed so much that bringing a married man as a prom date is acceptable.

Matt tells Maxie she would do well to keep quiet about the paternity test results.

Matt may be Maxie’s current crush but I don’t think he outranks Lucky yet.  If Maxie thinks Lucky needs to know, Matt’s opinion will sound like a gnat buzzing while she plots her course of action.

Johnny visits Anthony in prison to get information about Brandon’s murder.

Pretty amazing that Anthony is orchestrating murder on the outside while incarcerated.  Makes me wonder if he runs a tab with a hitman or if he calls, makes his order and tells them Johnny is good for it.

Anthony knows more than he is telling about Brandon.

Of course, he does.  Even from prison Anthony knows more than the average insane murdering family patriarch.

Robin worries about her future with Patrick.

Oh goodness, she’s done inching back to Patrick and on to better pursuits like worrying about their relationship.

Lisa slips narcotics to an oblivious Kristina.

Poor Kristina has become Lisa’s unsuspecting target, potential roadkill on Lisa’s way to either possess or destroy Patrick.  I bet Ethan figures it out and steps in to protect Kristina.

Anthony pushes Johnny to take Michael into the fold.

I wish I could say that Michael isn’t stupid enough to think he can work for the Zacchara’s without ulterior motives on both sides.  I would also like to think Johnny’s conscience would not allow Michael to trash his life on a whim in his quest for maturity.  Sadly, I think I’m wrong on both counts.

Lulu asks Johnny to keep Michael out of the mob.

Hard to decide who has the most influence with Johnny, Lulu or Anthony.  Johnny’s issues and quirks are many but at least he’s a leader not a follower so perhaps he will think it through before hiring Michael…unless a need to spite Sonny overcomes him.

Cell phone footage creates a bad situation for Michael in the murder case.

Gotta watch that cell phone footage.  It can pop up anywhere a body is lurking.

Ronnie urges Michael to confess or Dante could lose his badge.

Nothing like emotional blackmail served with a side of pressure on his girlfriend.  Comments about Ronnie are a waste because he’s a waste of a cop.

Jax confronts Brenda about raising a child in Sonny’s mob life.

Jeez, she’s had the kid for what, 5 minutes or so?  Maybe Jax should wait a day or so for her to find her balance before applying the guilt, you-are-a-bad-mother-if, screws.  Anyone else think it’s ridiculous and odd that Brenda doesn’t seem interested in DNA testing for Lucian?

Ronnie shows up to arrest Abby.

In front of Michael no doubt for maximum impact and drama.

Sonny and Brenda argue over Jax’s words.

Jax would be pleased.  He stirred the post and created strife.  Job well done.

Jax offers Shawn 10 million dollars to leave town.

I must be living wrong.  No one ever offers me money to leave town.

A family gathering goes south when Molly’s innocent words set off another battle between Brenda and Carly.

My mind can’t process a family gathering that includes all the kids, Corinthos and almost Corinthos, and their mothers in one room.  That would be a tougher crowd than every Quartermaine, past, present and wannabe, at Thanksgiving dinner.

Sonny goes to visit Anthony and has strong words with him.

IMO Sonny is losing his mob boss touch.  He threatens, he postures, he uses the death stare and no one seems to be quaking.  There used to be quaking.

Johnny comes home to find his father has been released from prison.

Happy reunion.  Not.  Maybe Johnny can buy some roses planted in pretty pots for the patio and Anthony can live out there.

Thanks go out to the GH Fan Club website for the use of their spoilers.

For the week of April 18th …

It is with a very heavy heart that I process the news of One Life to Live’s cancellation.  The show has been at its prime, of late, only promising more exciting storylines to come.  I will be here with you guys to the bitter end [...]]]> By Dianna

For the week of April 18th …

It is with a very heavy heart that I process the news of One Life to Live’s cancellation.  The show has been at its prime, of late, only promising more exciting storylines to come.  I will be here with you guys to the bitter end and hope you join me, and EOS as we continue toward the end of a television era.

Tess suggests tells Viki give up her fight for custody.

Tess’s suggestions always come out as threats complete with an annoying little smirk across her overly done face.

John is confronted by Tomas who is none too happy with John’s questioning of Tea.

A person who fears questioning can be one of two things; an extremely private person who hates prying on principal, or a man with something to hide.  Guess which one I am leaning towards.

Marty threatens Kelly.

She can’t steal her baby so what exactly is she running with?  I can’t help but feel Marty isn’t quite as “cured” as she would like us to believe.

Niki Smith is about to visit.

I never met a full blown Niki Smith and although the alters are running a bit rampant I am excited to see this played out.  By played out I mean seeing Erika Slezak get some juicy material for a change.

Tess and Niki bond.

Do two alters make a whole person?

Gigi and Rex plan to wed.

::yawn::

Dorian refuses to cave to Clint’s needs.

Whenever I see something referring to a man’s needs my head goes right to sex.

Joey and Dorian take Clint to the hospital.

I noticed him clutching on his chest a bit on Friday so I am thinking either a real or imagined heart attack

Starr has an offer for Deanna.

Train ticket and a wad of cash?  Not the worst offer ever.

James notices some changes in Ford … towards Tess.

Can’t anyone ever understand that Tess is not “real”?  Maybe she is real.  Maybe all these years Jess was the alter and now the dominant personality is shining through.  Now I am confused.

Jack gets what is coming to him.

Unless it is a stoning in Angel Square it is hardly enough.  Jack makes medieval punishments seem like a good idea.

Dani and Nate discover something interesting in Todd’s hospital room.

Is it a scar?

Tomas continues to be talked about by everyone except Access Llanview.  Our girl needs to get on the ball and get these secrets out there for the world to see.  Tea and Blair are discussing him, than Kelly and Blair.  I know.  Kelly?  I thought she was too busy boinking John and chasing Aubrey to get much else done.

Contrary to my need to see Jack, actually my real need is not to see Jack at all, but that is beside the point.  Jack find some thugs after him (this has Clint Buchanan written all over it – hospital be damned).  Unfortunately it is Tomas who rescues him, which is prime to put Blair in his debt and cloud her judgment.  Alternate scenario would be Blair is pissed that Jack wasn’t taught a lesson by the thugs that she actually hired.

Dorian is not very happy with Echo when she discovers that Echo stole Charlie right from under Viki’s nose.  Dorian is also the only person that pays real attention to Viki as she notices something is off with her friend.  Dorian is also busy scheming to bring Aubrey down.  Dorian is keeping quite busy while her hubby is hard at work.  What I need though is a more manipulative Dorian; the woman who can hatch a plan and bring all her victims to their knees.

Rama continues to run around trying to get a foothold on everyone’s life but her own, hijacking a ride on Aubrey’s back, while flirting it up with Cristian.  Really what is there to say?  Yet one more shallow woman to throw at Cris since he isn’t doing anyone else.

I would like to encourage all ABC soap fans who feel passionate about the cancellation of All My Children and One Life to Live to please read RavenBeauty’s latest column regarding the effects of boycotts.  I definitely could not have said it better myself, so I refer you directly to her:  [...]]]> By Katrina Rasbold

I would like to encourage all ABC soap fans who feel passionate about the cancellation of All My Children and One Life to Live to please read RavenBeauty’s latest column regarding the effects of boycotts.  I definitely could not have said it better myself, so I refer you directly to her:  http://www.voy.com/191220/7363.html

There are measures to take, but we must be careful to be smarter than the opponent.

Once upon a time there were two sleepy little towns in Pennsylvania, named Pine Valley and Llanview. In these towns you had love, secrets, lies, affairs, people coming back from the dead, wrong paternity tests galore, chimeras, un-abortions, trips back in time, trips to heaven, ghostly visits, billionaires, [...]]]> By Sandi Kelly Showalter

Once upon a time there were two sleepy little towns in Pennsylvania, named Pine Valley and Llanview. In these towns you had love, secrets, lies, affairs, people coming back from the dead, wrong paternity tests galore, chimeras, un-abortions, trips back in time, trips to heaven, ghostly visits, billionaires, celebrities and almost every story imaginable. Even though these sleepy little towns didn’t have vast populations of people, millions around the world knew about and loved to visit them on a daily basis. Unfortunately, one day a stealth cancer, Fronskemia, invaded these towns and slowly poisoned them from the inside out. Fronskemia is a very deadly, insidious form of cancer that attacks especially women and there is no known cure. After a valiant effort by the residents and the visitors to fight Fronskemia, on Thursday, April 14, 2011 these towns were handed their death sentences.

I stood with a co-worker in my bosses office, ready to walk out the door for the day, and I looked down at my phone to see what email messages I had received. I don’t have any cell reception in my own office, so I got about 30 messages at once. As I started scrolling through them, one jumped off the screen with a subject line that took my breath away: AMC and OLTL Canceled. I cannot tell you what was said in the next minute, because I felt like I had been punched in the gut, but had to stand straight and tall and show no emotion.  I got to my car and sat there dazed and read through the several messages I had received. I was praying that it was just another rumor, but no, it was all too real. I didn’t break down and cry, but I was so angry and numb at the same time, if that is even possible. One of the most frustrating things in all of this is that I don’t have anybody that I still watch soaps with to talk to or call on the phone. I did call my old college roommate and while she was sympathetic, she gave them up years ago. My husband and daughter were gracious in their condolences, but neither of them are invested in the shows. My soap “family” is online, but I feel very isolated. As the news sinks in and I am writing this column, I am fighting a losing battle with my tears, but how do I explain to the rest of the world that I am crying over two TV shows getting canceled? They won’t understand that these shows represent more than just television for me; they are over thirty years of memories, they are a comfort I could crawl into and forget about the rest of the world for a couple of hours, they are characters and places I know better than people I interact with every day, they are a connection to a group of people at EOS that truly appreciate the genre and the things I write.

I am so angry that they decided to get rid of TWO shows. One show would have been bad enough, but this feels like we are getting told that not one, but two close friends are going to die. People may think that is overly dramatic, but honestly, besides my family, All My Children has been a constant part of my life longer than any friend or place. I joined team OLTL in the mid-80s, so it too has been a big part of the fabric of my life. I suppose it was better to get the announcement over with on one day, than hearing about AMC and thinking OLTL was safe, only to have the rug yanked out from under our feet a few months later. This was a done deal, and no matter how many letters, calls or emails viewers sent, no matter how much anguish this is causing fans, no matter what, the putrid walking bile from the bottom of a cockroaches belly (Frons) was bound and determined to cancel these shows. We have no recourse, nowhere to turn to, no relief to seek, no hope left for these shows. They will simply cease to exist. Pine Valley and Erica Kane will vanish from the face of the earth. Llanview and Viki Buchanan will disappear into a vast nothingness. While they will live on in our hearts and on YouTube clips, we will no longer be able follow the day-to-day happenings at Fusion, or enjoy a drink at Capricorn or root for Dr. Delicious to take down the hypocrites or even argue over who is the “Real” Todd. We cannot revel in the fact that Lorraine Broderick is back to help bring our show to an enjoyable state. Roger Howarth’s return is marred knowing that he is only being used to usher out the best soap on television right now.

I know there are campaigns being mounted to Save Our Soaps, but I am not holding out any hope that our shows will receive a last minute reprieve. Viewers are threatening to stop watching ABC altogether, but unless they are part of a Nielsen household, they will not affect the ratings even one iota. Letter writing campaigns and threats of boycotting advertisers may scare some of the affiliates, but it is an extreme long shot that the big cheese at the Mouse House will take any notice at all. They have no regard…not little regard, absolutely none…for soap opera viewers. While I understand that they have a business to run, it is the callous and cruel manner in which they handled this situation that is fueling much of the anger that is out there. Lie upon lie was spread. Actors were used and made to look like fools. Those speaking the truth, such as Michael Logan and Raven Beauty were thrown under the bus and spit upon. Hopes were raised with news of LB and RH’s returns. The actors of All My Children moved across country, left homes or bought ADDITIONAL homes for a show that was already a goner, according to the slimy bastard, Frons.

For the last three days, I have scoured the internet for news and reactions to the canceling. I have started following many of the actors on my Twitter account, TheSandboxEOS. The shock is slowly wearing off and the anger and sadness is settling in. While viewers are hoping for fan favorites to return to help bring the shows to a close, we are hearing there is no money left, so I’m not sure how many they will be able to get. A few may be willing to come back for scale for a day or two, but we already know that some current actors will not make it to the finale. The word on the ‘Net is that massive re-writes are happening at AMC, and Trent Garrett (Asher Pike) confirmed via his Twitter account that he is out as of June. (I have to say, that although I am not an Asher fan, Trent seems like a real class act!) I am sure that others will soon follow. I haven’t heard of anyone definitely out on OLTL yet, but a rumor that seems to be picking up steam is that TSJ will leave before OLTL ends.

As this is a special edition of The Sandbox, I am going to break it into two parts. In part one, I will focus on my memories of AMC and my wishes for the endings. I will also do a very short commentary on the last weeks show in the Odds and Ends sections.  I will write about my memories,  wishes for the end and commentary for last weeks show for OLTL in part 2 of the Sandbox which will come out later this week.

AMC

My first lasting memories of All My Children are of Nina, Cliff and Palmer. I thought that Taylor Miller looked like a princess and Peter Bergman was certainly Prince Charming.  As a child, I focused on the fairy-tale love story of these two and missed the almost inappropriate un-fatherly feelings that Palmer had for Nina. It wasn’t until years later that I was able to pick up the under currents and subtleties of the story. I loved when they brought on Nina’s mother, Daisy, aka Monique Jonvil, and then it turned out that the housekeeper, Myra, was Daisy’s mother.  Whenever I hear Words Get in the Way, by Gloria Estefan, I always think about Nina and Cliff. While they were the first soap couple I fell in love with, it was Jenny and Greg that won my heart totally, and to this day, remain my all-time favorite soap couple. They had an innocence and purity about them that captured me from the beginning and kept me riveted. I loved their romance, the angst and all the beautiful moments they shared. What’s more, is they intertwined them with another absolutely awesome couple, Jesse and Angie. These four people shared a friendship that I adored and envied, especially the bond between Jenny and Jesse. The summer that Jenny and Jesse ran away to New York together was probably some of the finest writing ever done for a soap. While many here love Tad and Dixie (I did too,) Tad’s romance with Hilary Wilson is another I loved. They also have a song, Almost Paradise¸ that makes me think of them every time I catch it on the radio.

With the introduction of Adam Chandler to Pine Valley, daytime television gained the finest actor in the business. I remember despising Adam when he first came on the show, but he ended up winning me over. The writing for Adam was superb, especially when acted in the hands of David Canary. Then they decided to bring on Stuart Chandler, Adam’s twin brother. DC made the changes between characters look effortless. It was very easy to forget that one man played both parts. The nuances in his performances were amazing. You could tell when it was Adam pretending to be Stuart or vice-versa. You could even tell when it was Adam pretending to be Stuart pretending to be Adam! What other actor on earth could pull that off successfully? As for the many (MANY) loves of Adam, my favorite was always Brooke and Adam. She brought out his humanity and his seldom revealed soft-side.  When it came to Stuart, I adored his relationships with both Cindy and Marian. He made me like Marian, which was something I didn’t think I could ever do after her being portrayed as a rich, bitch snob for so long.

As I continue my stroll down memory lane, I have to mention Hayley and Mateo, Edmund and Maria, Julia and Noah, Ryan and Gillian, Trevor and Natalie, Greenlee and Leo, Zach and Kendall(Far Away by Nickleback) and JR and Annie. I also must not forget my favorite David pairing, David and Anna. There is another one that brought out the humanity of a character that everyone else viewed as a villain. I found a wonderful video on YouTube that showcases many of the best couples and I want to thank agmsc222 for taking the time to make this.

No remembrance of All My Children is complete without the inclusion of the one and only Erica Kane. Even people that do not watch soaps have heard of this legacy character. She is easily the most recognizable name in the soap industry, and it is hard for me to believe that after September, Erica Kane Martin Brent Cudahy Chandler Montgomery Montgomery Chandler Marick Marick Montgomery will never grace our screens again in a new storyline or romance. She made history as the first woman to have an abortion on TV after the Roe v. Wade decision made it legal. She has modeled, acted, formed businesses and hosted TV shows. She has faced rape, addiction, prison and even stared down a bear. She lost her own child in a custody suit and years later kidnapped another child. Her every move is scrutinized, and her private issues are on display for the world to see. She has stabbed and been stabbed, slapped and been slapped, almost died and endured the death of many she has loved. She struggled for most of her life to gain the acceptance of an absentee father, while fighting off the bonds of her mother. It was in later years that she finally realized just how much her mother meant to her. As for her many loves, there are three that are my favorite: Mike Roy, Jeremy Hunter and Jackson Montgomery. I think Mike was her first genuine love. He didn’t put up with her drama and made her take a real look at herself for the first time. After Mike “died” Jeremy was there to pick up the pieces and their romance was beautiful. Then along came Jackson. Even though she was married to his brother, Travis, Jack captured her heart and has had it in some shape or form for over 25 years. Jackson and Erica were (and still are, IMO) HOT!

In one of The Great Debates, I wrote in the comments section what I wished the ending for AMC would be. This was written when Greenlee was still on trial for David’s “murder,” Annie was still on the show, Zach was alive and Cara and Griff were not on yet.  Basically it boils down to Caleb being an evil twin Calvin that had killed Caleb years ago and is Dixie’s real killer. Calvin then kills Bianca and Krystal, because they discover the secret and makes it look like the Satin Slayer is back. Anna comes back to town to help investigate and she and David resume their relationship. Ryan gets carted off to jail (because he really did try to kill David), Calvin is killed, Jack and Erica marry and we find out that Leo is alive and been imprisoned all this time. He escapes and makes his way back to Greenlee.  I would also add that Adam comes back to take over Chandler, because JR realizes that Annie is the love of his life and gets her out of Oak Haven and takes her away to get the help she needs and they marry. Zach is also discovered to be alive and comes back to Kendall.

Odds and Ends

For last weeks show, I must admit I am truly stumped as to who has kidnapped Erica. Please, do not let it be Dimitri as I saw suggested on another board. I may be the only one alive, but I could not stand Dimitri and Erica. Shallow note- I adored Erica’s purple dress.  I loved that Jesse realized that he was in no position to arrest Griffin since his own morality is compromised. That was some pretty bad acting on JV’s part when Griff got stabbed.

I know this Sandbox was VERY long and for those of you that stuck with me for the whole thing, thank you so much. I’m not quite ready to shake the sand out of my shorts yet, so be prepared for Part 2 where I cover OLTL in the next day or two.

Sandi

I love the cat fights between Brenda and Carly. Carly, of course, lives off drama, but I think Brenda finds the back and forth quite entertaining, in large part because she can barely believe someone would want to waste their breath on the issues that Carly does.

Brenda [...]]]> By Becca, the Gourmez

I love the cat fights between Brenda and Carly. Carly, of course, lives off drama, but I think Brenda finds the back and forth quite entertaining, in large part because she can barely believe someone would want to waste their breath on the issues that Carly does.

Brenda reacts to yet another one of Carly's barbs.

She always approaches Carly’s taunting with a “Really? You really want to start this?” look first, and then digs in once Carly’s obviously not going away. It’s hilarious. More hilarious was Carly hightailing it straight from telling Brenda she’ll be a horrible mother over to Sam to offer her womb up for babymaking. The woman does not know the definition of personal business, does she?

Why is Shawn still in Port Charles? Why does Jason still have no interest in Franco basically saying he bombed the limo at the wedding? Why did Brenda buy Suzanne’s story hook, line, and sinker? Why is Dante giving Sonny a head’s up about Johnny’s possible involvement in Brandon’s death? Such are the questions that plagued me watching GH this week. Do any of you have answers?

I’m bummed Nikolas and Brook Lynn didn’t get to have a proper romance, but at the same time, she did screw over his sister! Without that ever being mentioned, it was hard to completely accept the relationship, no matter how much ease the two characters hard together. The goodbye scene was awkward, though, and came out of nowhere. Nikolas’s reason of needing to be there for his family is not really a reason to kick Brook Lynn out of Windemere. And is she gone from Port Charles now? It’s not like Nik is her only connection in Port Charles.

Tracy after Luke fails to catch a ball.

Can’t forget Granny! Tracy was absolutely amazing in dealing with Luke. It’s bizarre that she hasn’t been around until now, but simply throwing something at him to test his deadened reflexes made a greater point than anything Lucky’s tried to say. Will she be the one that gets through to him and makes him realize he is not immune to alcohol’s effects?

Speaking of Jake’s death, Steve forcing Liz to take time off work is freaking annoying. It’s happened before and it was lame then, and it shouldn’t happen now, either. Forced leaves should require bad behavior, and Liz hasn’t made any mistakes yet, Big Brother Steve.

Loved Liz's reaction here.

Heck, she might be better at it because she’ll be so willing to escape her life for a while. How about letting Liz decide what she needs to move on from losing a son? It’s so sad that she thinks Lucky blames her and Lucky thinks she might blame him—both characters are not the types to cast blame for an accident like that. Note that I don’t view Lucky blaming Luke’s drinking in the same vein. Taking a drink, driving, and causing a car crash is a different sort of scenario than missing that your son slipped outside for 30 seconds.

Don’t forget to stop by for next week’s specials!

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Pictures courtesy of GH-Caps.

Our own Kate Brown will be interviewed today (Friday, April 15) at 12:07 EST time about the cancellations.  Click on the “Listen Live” link to hear.

Update:  Kate did a wonderful job.  The show’s host was a jerk, however.