One Life to Live News & Gossip
News for the week of 16-Jun-2008
Head writer Ron Carlivati will honor OLTL’s 40th anniversary by honoring past stories revised and adapted for today for the July 21-22nd episodes. He’ll have Viki briefly pass on to the afterlife—just as she had in 1987—and meet a host of heavenly characters from Mel and *Megan to Asa and Ben, and even the show’s creator Agnes Nixon. He’ll have Carlo throw Sarah over a waterfall with Tina as a witness—as a throwback to the 1980s when Tina was thrown over the Iguazu Falls and presumed dead. Cord will be on hand for this storyline. Then, Carlivati will have Bo and Rex struck by lightning, knocked out and living out the year 1968 (similar to when the same thing happened to Clint, who found himself in the Wild Wild West). Bo will find he’s Asa and Rex is Bo. The scary thing is that this particular story will run on a few more weeks with a twist: If Bo and Rex can’t time-travel back to the present, Rex will have to fight in Vietnam.
Originally, OLTL lined up Jessica Tuck to reprise Megan, Viki’s late daughter. But at the last minute, Tuck had to renege because of a prior, conflicting engagement. Instead of panicking, head writer Carlivati decided to tuck Erin Torpey (ex-Jessica) in that story, as another Megan, Jessica’s unborn daughter who died in a 1999 miscarriage. They begin filming the 40th anniversary episodes … Monday, June 16. (For more, see Nipped Tuck: Tweaked OLTL Tale Adds "Original" Jess at TVGuide.com.)
Divas of Daytime – set for August 16, 6 p.m., in the Canal Room on 285 West Broadway, New York City – will feature singers/actresses Kassie DePaiva (Blair), Kathy Brier (Marcie) and Bobbie Eakes (Krystal, AMC) as they make audiences laugh, cry and rock along. Ticket info will be available at DePaiva’s official website as of June 20th.
Receiving an Outstanding Supporting Actor nomination for the Daytime Emmys took Brian Kerwin (Charlie) by surprise. He pointed to the great OLTL cast who’ve been turning in outstanding performances day in and day out for months and years, whereas he’s only started in October. He also hadn’t paid much attention to his own material since starting in October. He asked two women working at the OLTL offices to select the nominee reels for him, and they must’ve done a great job ‘cause he’s the only cast member in there.
If that’s not enough, he’s also on Broadway winning accolades in a starkly contrasting role as that of a sicko pervert, Steve. August: Osage County has received its own share of accolades, including a Pulitzer for drama and seven Tony Award nominations.
In taking on the soap role opposite multiple-Emmy-winner Erika Slezak (Viki), Kerwin had always hoped to go against the grain. In soaps, that means playing a character who never deceives others. “I wanted to play a guy who was totally honest, who never told a lie. Well, it worked for a few months, but this is a soap and [Charlie] had to become a little duplicitous.”
Kerwin’s presence has also been noticed by many in the cast, especially Slezak who is quick to laud his every man attributes. “Brian has a special sensitivity and a simplicity that you haven't seen in any of the male characters on the show. He is not afraid of playing emotions. Some men on our show won't play weak, but Brian isn't ashamed to show that men have feelings and hurt and cry.” –TheaterMania, “Double Exposure” by Connie Passalacqua Hayman (otherwise known as Marlena De Lacroix), June 9, 2008
Kerwin and his wife don’t fool around when it comes to giving their three children (Finn, 17, Matilda, 15, Brennan, 13) names that stand out from the crowd but don’t sound too goofy. He said naming them was a purposeful event, even though, at times, he and his wife disagreed on some of the brainstormed names, like Francis and Troy. Their eldest Finn didn’t even have a name for the longest time—two weeks—because Kerwin and his wife couldn’t reach a consensus. Their daughter’s name happened when someone else kiddingly suggested Matilda and the actor began singing that “Waltzing Matilda” song from Down Under. Like most dads-to-be, Kerwin couldn’t help but amp out a little bit before the delivery, being a little too loquacious and man, his coffee breath—his wife wasn’t digging any of that. Growing up, Kerwin would enjoy and still enjoys preparing meals with his kids helping out. And if any of them ever wanted to talk about touchy subjects, like sex, he’s ready to… well… be loquacious about it, much to their embarrassment. “When I first talked to my oldest boy about sex and drugs, he was bored within minutes, but I said, ‘Before you go into something like this, ask yourself three questions: Is there any possibility that you’re really going to get hurt? And then ask yourself if you’re going to hurt somebody else. And even if you’re not going to hurt yourself or somebody else, are you going to get in trouble or get arrested?’” –Soap Opera Digest, “Father Time,” June 17, 2008
For Susan Haskell to reprise her Emmy-award-winning role as Marty, timing was everything. The role was due for a comeback a few years before but Haskell couldn’t accommodate the hectic schedule because she was expecting her second child with significant other Thorsten Kaye (Zach, AMC). (They raise two daughters, McKenna, 5, and Marlowe, 16 months.) So Christina Chambers stepped in as a recast until Marty was presumably killed off a few months ago. Enter, Haskell. She and executive producer Frank Valentini discussed the possibility of a comeback for awhile, and he always understood her conditions—which centered around availability after her daughters’ needs were taken care of. Everything fell into place to allow her to make her reappearance, from the shorter filming schedules to the reason Marty comes back (she has forgotten everything so Haskell doesn’t have to bone up on history!), to solid, capable powers that be familiar with the character of Marty, people like Valentini and head writer Ron Carlivati, and outstanding actors in co-stars Michael Easton (John)—he’s good friends with her and Kaye—and Trevor St. John (Todd), to her own team at home helping her take care of the children, from a nanny to Kaye’s mother. Yet coming back to OLTL (the deal is open-ended with a time line), however home-like and welcoming, did give Haskell a case of the nerves at first. Having to memorize her lines turned out to be one of the most trickiest things, she admitted. “That was where I was the most out of practice. Gotta get that muscle going again.” A side note to Ms. West, the reporter: Todd doesn’t know that Cole and Starr are having a baby; at least, not yet. And, as far as I’m aware, Haskell and Kaye aren’t married in the legal sense. –Entertainment Weekly, “Haskell comes Home to Llanview” by Abby West
Andrea Evans (Tina) can rest easy knowing she’s back on OLTL without worry about that stalker problem. Her return couldn’t be lauded enough. She was happy about the perfect timing of her return on OLTL’s 40th anniversary and the integrity of that return. Her co-stars, notably Sarah’s Justis Bolding, are another perk. Evans – who commutes from the West Coast for the short-term gig – sees the resemblance and called Bolding a nice and professional actress.
Every time John-Paul Lavoisier (Rex) and Farah Fath (Gigi) catch themselves in those flashback scenes, where they’re supposed to be back in high school with the overalls and the spiky hair, they cringe with embarrassment. They also refuse to even look at themselves that way, Fath said.
As far as we know, John Brotherton (Jared) and Alison Raimondi wed this past June 7th in a small, intimate and casual affair, before heading to Aruba for a honeymoon.
Gossip for the week of 16-Jun-2008
A little birdie told me that Justis Bolding (Sarah) has been given her walking papers. She may or may not be the unpopular actress with the attitude problem that Ravenbeauty mentioned last week.
John-Paul Lavoisier (Rex) has improved in his dramatic acting by leaps and bounds. Last week, as he tore into Charlie and Roxy, I actually saw real emotion fighting to surface on his face as it contorted helplessly into tears and shame, especially when Rex asked how it felt to hear his deepest hopes and dreams knowing he wasn’t Charlie’s son. Usually, Lavoisier will make a sad face and then we hope the tears will come. But this time was different. This was damned good acting.
One Life to Live News & Gossip, Copyright © 2008 Carol Banks Weber. Published by SoapZone.com / Jeff Jungblut. No part of this page may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. Opinions expressed on this page are those of the author and may not be representative of SoapZone.com or its advertisers. Don't steal scoops.
