October 2007 News Archive (Page 2)

Bob Guza Jr. is a writer on General Hospital.

He recently spoke on the wonders of celebrity stunt casting, referring to the successes in casting Stephen Macht as Trevor Lansing and Bruce Weitz as Anthony Zacchara.

Simply put, what’s not to love, Guza asks?

“They love the context and the characters of the mob, and they’re cast against some of the best actors anywhere," Guza said.

"Stephen Macht came in and got to work with Maurice Benard, Steve Burton and Laura Wright. The same thing with Bruce Weitz. He and Maurice hit it off spectacularly.

Their scenes were incendiary. I watched the taping. I couldn’t stay away."

The latest issue of Soap Opera Digest focuses on November sweeps for our favorite soap operas. What kind of stories do they have in store?

According to James Harmon Brown, writer for All My Children, here's one hint into that show's future:

"The universe will change because of the actions that Kendall and Zach and Erica take to get to Greenlee. Everybody's lives will be tossed upside down."

Sounds intriguing to us. Here's other insight:

Hannah/Tad/Krystal/Adam: Hannah and Tad become "unlikely compatriots and maybe lovers," says Brown, "and Tad is seeing Krystal moving more and more back towards Adam, which terrifies him."

Meanwhile, Hannah is serving as Adam's spy, Barbara Esensten (another writer) adds. "The plan is set in motion and because he's holding [her past with Alexander] over her, she's going to have to go through with it."

Ryan/Annie: "He becomes obsessed with nailing Richie," Brown says. "Ryan (Camerson Mathison) will take this to an extreme that almost destroys them."

Babe/Wes: "She might be the key to his redemption," offers Brown, though Esensten warns, "What he actually came to town to do is truly diabolic."

Lily/Jonathan/Ava/JR/Amanda: "Eventually it's gonna catch up with both of them," says Brown of JR and Ava's efforts to fight their attraction. As for Amanda (Chrishell Strause), "She's telling herself that this is all she wants and she's only hanging out with JR for the money he owes her and the great sex, but it's going to start to not be enough."

Julia: According to Brown, she's slated for romance "with a very prominent character [that will] begin toward the end of November."

When famed opera singer Luciano Pavarotti passed away in September, few realized how it personally affected Joseph Mascolo.

The Days of Our Lives actor and world-famous artist were actually longtime friends. Below, Mascolo shared a few memories of his pal with Soap Opera Digest:

Soap Opera Digest: Condolences on the passing of your friend. Losing him must have difficult.
Joseph Mascolo: Oh, God. I spent a lot of time crying. He and I had a great time together. We worked together, which was a lot of fun. We also ate well and drank some good wine. It just hurts my heart that that voice is gone. I mean, there are a lot of great recordings of Luciano all over the place, but that voice is now gone.

And that's what kills me, because it is one of the most unique, beautiful voices of our century. A tenor like Pavarotti, all he had to do was sing three or four notes and you knew it was him.

Digest: How long were the two of you friends?
Mascolo: Since we made the movie Yes, Georgio (1982).

Digest: Did you hit it off immediately?
Mascolo: Oh, yeah. He was so funny. He looked at me the first time we met; my voice is a little deeper than most of the guys [who were around the set]. So he said, "Ah, you sing?" I said, "No, no, no. You sing. I'm the actor."

Digest: Can you share any stories about Pavarotti?
Mascolo: I'll tell you a funny anecdote that I told him. We laughed our heads off over it. The first time he sang in the United States was in Florida. Joan Sutherland was the star [of a Miami production of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor in 1965], and I was sitting in the pit. I used to be a classical musician, and I was playing solo clarinet in the pit. Well, the tenor got sick.

I don't remember exactly what happened, but they had to replace him. Joan, who was a good friend of Pavarotti when he was young and first starting out, suggested him. He came in and was magnificent. I told him, "I was in the pit the first time you sang in the United States. Now here we are 20 odd years later, making a movie together." So we laughed and cried and drank more wine.

Can't get enough of Robert Bogue on Guiding Light? Soon, you can enjoy even more of this actor.

He'll be starring in a pair of movies. Here are the details:

- Bogue portrays Ed Spade in The Dissection of Thanksgiving. The comedy also stars Jay O. Sanders, Kathleen Quinlan and Marisa Coughlan. It takes place in a Chinese restaurant, focusing on the unfolding of a family crisis through the eyes of its various neurotic individuals within said family.

- The actor also recently completed work on the film Jack Frost. It co-stars Jason Behr and Monet Mazur and follows a New York City playboy as he tries to resolve his mixed feelings about the engagement of his childhood sweetheart.

We're very excited to report the following news:

Despite rumors that Bree Williamson might be leaving One Life to Live in the near future, the beautiful actress has signed a new contract to remain on the show.

Details are not available at this time, but you can look forward to Williamson residing in Llanview for a nice, long while.

It wasn't the best performance of the season by Cameron Mathison on last night's Dancing with the Stars. But that actually shows how far he's come now and how high expectations have been raised.

The All My Children star was initially scared by the samba, asking Edyta: "What are they doing down in Brazil?"

To assist, his partner took him out to get a taste of the flavor of Brazil. it worked fairly well, as Mathison began to catch on. He's definitely a talented dancer.

What did you think of this dance? Let us know on our All My Children forum! 

Len said it was good in parts, but he didn't capture the spirit of the samba. Bruno agreed, not really understanding some of the choreography. Carrie Ann once again disagreed, calling the performance very tribal, and very passionate.

Overall? The duo earned a 25.

Cameron did say if it helps him make the finals, he'll dance in a thong. In other words, fans: GO VOTE FOR HIM!

Farah Fath can't wait to breathe life into her One Life to Live character, Gigi. But it wasn't always that way.

After walking away from her Days of Our Lives, the actress wasn't so sure about her future. She tried out for the role of Sarah on One Life to Live, but was passed over.

Fortunately, this gave Farah a chance to go home and relax before getting hired as Gigi.

"Everything happens for a reason and I didn’t get the part of Sarah [on One Live to Live] for a reason," the actress said. "So I could go home and spend time in Kentucky with my family. Now, I’m really, really ready.”

So are fans of the show.

The Soap Dispenser staff has posted its episode recaps of all eight exciting soap operas airing Monday, October 29. Here are the links to each below:

• All My Children
• One Life to Live
• Days of Our Lives
• As the World Turns
• The Bold and the Beautiful
• General Hospital
• Guiding Light
• The Young and the Restless

Thank you for choosing The Soap Dispenser for daily soap opera spoilers, news and recaps. From The Bold and the Beautiful to General Hospital, All My Children and much more, thanks for making The Dispenser the #1 daytime TV website around.

We've already provided a few As the World Turns spoilers for this week, but head writer Jean Passanante recently opened up to Soap Opera Digest about what fans can look forward to all month long.

"Watch for actions and their consequences: the dramatic lengths to which some women will go to hold onto the men they love. Surprising alliances. Returns and new arrivals," said Jean Passanante.

Lily/Holden: "Big stuff.... stay tuned. It will be a real Snyder Thanksgiving with some additions, subtractions, and definitely some fireworks. And of course the Hubbard squash."

Dusty/Emily/Chris: "After a couple of years of Sturm und Drang, Emily is happy to be in what she hopes is a more easygoing relationship."

Aaron/Alison/Will/Gwen/Cole/Sofie: "I'll just say that Aaron continues to try to help Sofie and to be on her side. Gwen and Will have their ups and downs but Will is determined to give Gwen what she wants. Stay tuned for an unholy alliance between Barbara and Iris."

Vincent Irizarry has starred on both Guiding Light and All My Children.

But he's really made his mark in his current role on The Young and the Restless. Here's a look at a few fun facts about the actor:

• He played Paul McCartney in the off-Broadway production Lennon

• Irizarry was waiting tables and sleeping in the back of New York's 13th Street Theater when he won the role of Brandon Luvanoczeck on Guiding Light.

• He turned down a screen test for Another World a year before going to Guiding Light because he was up for a lead role in Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders.

• He's one of six children.