All My Soap Operas...

... are nearly gone. As I have mentioned from time to time, I am a tremendous fan of soap operas. Aside from comics, I feel that soap operas are the ultimate form of storytelling. Everything and the kitchen sink is added to a slew of story lines. You've got drama, comedy, suspense, science fiction, romance, and the kitchen sink. Folks can say what they want about soap operas, and many people have, like "soap actors have horrible acting skills." (I say watch Roger Howarth play Todd Manning. That is how it is done.) Or one of my favorites, "Soap story lines are so far fetched." Really? They make movies where grown men run around in spandex. People eat that stuff up.

Anyways. Yesterday marked a year since All My Children last aired. I loved and hated the final episode. Part of the problem is that the show never should have ended. Erica Kane should still be man eating and double slapping fools all day long. I think of this show daily and I am still writing in my soap opera fan fiction journal! AMC lives on in a Hello Kitty journal. Hot Mess.

Now let's be real, soap fans are not immune to collecting. And since I suffer from Collecting Everything Disorder, I have also come across soap opera items for the Archival Room. In honor of All My Children, I thought it would be fun to check out a fun relic from the '90s. All My Children trading cards! (Oh yes they did!)

Released by Star Pics in a pretty bubbly pink box in 1991, All My Children trading cards were just one part of the line up that Star Pics had. I even believe One Life to Live and General Hospital had sets as well. I just loved when trading cards were highly popular. Back in the day you could find trading cards to just about anything.

One really great card featured that infamous table with pictures from the opening credit scene from the '90s. The theme song needs to be released on iTunes. I sometimes jam out to the Dynasty theme song on my way home from work. Sad, but a reminder of how awesome theme songs are.

Who would have ever thought that there would be an Adam Chandler trading card? I love this! David Canary was brilliant as twins Adam and Stuart. His crazy schemes made Pine Valley all the more interesting. I still can't get over this, an Adam Chandler trading card! 

Check out Kelly Ripa from her early days on All My Children. I remember her debut like it was yesterday. She was wearing a black wig, and in an act of defiance (to stick it her dad Adam Chandler) she rips the wig off exposing a long stretch of blond hair. She was so feisty and cool, I just wanted to model myself after her as I became a teen too.

Having an evil twin has long been a soap staple. But none of them were as bad as Janet 'From Another Planet' Green. The ultimate in loony mayhem. You could always expect good story when Janet Green came to town doing her best to destroy twin sister Natalie's life. Janet and Natalie were both played by Kate Collins (and a couple other actresses as well.) But Kate's portrayal truly was the stuff of soap legend.

 

Of course talk of soap legend wouldn't be complete without Susan Lucci. La Lucci. The woman who taught me how to slap fools in my wake. I don't know where I'd be without Erica Kane. I like to think I get my confidence from such brave sirens like She-Ra or Storm, but the truth is I was watching Erica Kane long before I ever heard of most anyone else. There is just something phenomenal about Susan Lucci's Erica. Maybe it is because we are both Italian. Maybe it is because we've both rocked a lot of hair styles through the years. I'm not really sure, but her character just really spoke to me. Her confidence and ability to go after what she wants was always exciting. I couldn't wait to see where she'd go next, because I would be right there watching.  

 

I miss these characters and so much more. Hopefully ABC will realize the grave mistake they made by cancelling All My Children and One Life to Live. I'll take a movie, mini series, or regular show back on television 5 days a week. Soaps are an important part of many people's lives and as such, they should still be around to entertain and inspire us.

 

So for those who like these trading cards, check them out on eBay. I bought these a couple years ago for a steal and there were plenty more too! These trading cards are perfect for soap fans. Now I just need to get my hands on some OLTL and GH trading cards...

 

 

Happy 44th Birthday One Life to Live!

Or rather, it would have been a happy birthday if ABC hadn't canceled the beloved soap. But in my mind, OLTL is still turning 44 today. The show lives on in my heart and the hearts of many other fans. So let's celebrate One Life to Live!

Debuting on July 15th, 1968, One Life to Live was a special soap from the very beginning. Tackling many social issues, OLTL was the social conscious soap. (It was created by Agnes Nixon after all.) Race, class, and a whole slew of other issues were addressed that really got people talking and exploring multiple perspectives. Viewers grew to love the characters, which further helped with that exploration.

Over time there were other kinds of storylines as well. It was not uncommon to turn on OLTL in the '80s and watch a few sci-fi tales (an underground city, time travel, heaven on a spaceship...) However the running theme of this wonderful soap was family. Powerful families. Struggling families. A little bit of both... that was the big piece that held OLTL together. We all tuned in to see what was happening to the residents of Llanview.

I miss this show terribly. I think about it everyday and life truly hasn't been the same since its bow on January 13th 2012. I find little ways to carry the show on. As i have posted before, I go into this delusional state where i collect Barbie dolls that could pass for certain characters. I also write my OLTL fanfiction, taking the time to guess what everyone would be up to if the show was still on.

Where would they be? What would they be doing? Sure we could just watch General Hospital to get little snippets of folks and the goings on in Llanview, but i have a feeling that the storylines would be different had the show been allowed to stay on the air.

I like to think that Todd's wacky mother was still alive. Like maybe Todd thought he killed her, but she pulled some mind trick on him which led him to believe he shot her and his brother Victor. And somehow crazy Allison Perkins would somehow be involved (which would explain her holding Victor hostage.) So Allison and Irene would be plotting the downfall of several Llanview residents.

Todd would be on trial. His niece Jessica Buchanan would be working for her mother's newspaper doing some investigative work. It would all be helping her o get her mind off of the drama she had been put through. Jessica would somehow learn the truth about Irene and Allison but would end up held hostage with Victor.

Dorian would be back, working on her political campaign, where she would then be shot at a rally by Allison. That way Dorian could be rushed back to Llanview to mix it up with everyone else. Viki and Clint would be planning a double wedding with Natalie and John. Somehow there would be a problem. Maybe Allison would do something dastardly at the reception?

Blair would be Blair, torn between loving Todd with all his faults and Tomas for his seemingly chivalrous behavior. Tea would have a healthy baby. Destiny would find it difficult to raise her own baby, and thus fall into a crippling postpartum depression that would result in negligent care of the baby. Matthew would try to help, but Destiny would find herself shutting off from the rest of the world. This would then cause problems between the two families. Nora would try to get some form of custody because she'd think she would be doing the right thing.

Lindsay would be free from jail! She'd be working and trying to put herself back into Llanview society. She'd somehow be interacting with Bo who would be retired or trying to figure out the next phase of his life. Nora would not be pleased. it would all be funny and delicious.

There would be some story in London as Rex, Gigi, and Shane tried to navigate their way in the Buchanan family. The mansion wouldn't be big enough for the slight bitter feelings between Gigi and Kelly. And somehow Cutter and Kim would be working with their money hungry mama (Alex) to worm their way in the London Buchanan manse. It would be so exciting!

And Cole would end up going on a search for his parents. Marty and Patrick would return. It would somehow turn out later on that Irene had actually done something to Marty's mind and she hadn't really done all those awful crazy things. Starr and Cole would be happy with their daughter. (Even though I am liking Starr and Michael Corinthos on GH, right?)

I don't know, there was so much story that could have been told for OLTL. My only hope is that the show somehow returns in some form or another. OLTL was fantastic story telling and such an important part of television history. Happy Birthday One Life to Live!

If you happened to watch OLTL, be sure to leave your comments and memories of the fantastic soap!

Farewell One Life to Live

As I type this my eyes are doing their best to dry. I've been a sobbing hot mess for most of the day. Today was the last episode of One Life to Live, and what an amazing episode it was. Where should I even begin? The past two weeks have been building up for one of the best endings to a show that I have never wanted to see end. The final episode was full of romance. Characters got endings that were not completely final, one could see and imagine where the story may have gone had the cancellation been nothing but a dream. Of course good soap is only as good as the Friday Cliffhanger, and OLTL did not disappoint. I am truly at a loss. My life next week is not going to be the same.

Why is this so important to me? Essentially All My Children and One Life to Live were just television shows, right? What is the big deal? Everything ends at some point, nothing can truly last forever. I really thought it would though. The characters on these shows were like extended family to me. In fact I'm pretty sure I spent more time with the denizens of Pine Valley and Llanview than I did with some actual real life family members. These shows are so important to me, I can't help but feel a great loss.

Of course it is not the same kind of loss from losing someone to death, or bad fashion choices, but still a big loss. The kind of loss that really only other soap fans can truly understand. Soap fans are a rare and special breed. We have our fingers on the pulse, of what I do not know, but we have them on the pulse. No matter the age or background, we all share a kindred existence. We even get the chance to see certain talent before it becomes hugely popular to everyone else. But more importantly we get to experience family.

Viki (Erika Slezak) summed it up really nicely on Thursday's episode. She gave this voice over that was an excellent social commentary on soaps and why people love them so. I wish these shows were still going to continue. I do not understand why a network would just squash two shows that have such a rabid and dedicated fanbase. I have always been ready to follow AMC and OLTL to the ends of the Earth.

My heart goes out to the actors, writers, camera crew, makeup artists, costume designers and everyone else who made these shows possible day in and day out. There was so much work that went into making these fabulous shows and now sadly so many people are out of work. I hope that everyone can find new work and won't fade away. I just want to throw a party and do my best to cook a nice feast for everyone. Thankfully this will never occur because my cooking would probably make everyone sick. I can see it now, "Obsessed dorkette poisons entire soap cast with icky food."

Hopefully some video company will come in and at least put some great episodes on dvd. I've read that a company is doing that with the defunct As the World Turns and Guiding Light. I am ready for it. Bring on the dvd sets. I will gladly march into any store and buy them up. I read recently that the original episodes and storylines of OLTL were erased, something like the first 10 years are no longer on tape. That is just such a travesty.

This show has a rich history and I hate that part of it is just gone never to be seen again. That is crazy! Martin Scorsese makes such a big deal about movie preservation, well what about soap preservation? I think someone needs to get on the ball with that and get it together real quick, ok?

Spoiler Alert! Do not read this paragraph if you have not seen the final episode of OLTL! Ok here is the dirt on the final episode. Destiny gave birth to a baby boy. Matthew finally showed up ready to be a part of the experience. Unsure of what to name the lil bundle of joy Matthew eventually decided on the name Drew, after his brother who was Bo's son that died way back when. It was a regular episode of Maury when Viki found out that Clint was indeed Jessica's biological father thankfully correcting a storyline that has long been sore with many fans. Clint also proposed to Viki. Happy moments all around! I especially liked the brief scene with Jessica and Brody (it would seem that the two former lovers would one day rekindle something in the future.) Starr relocated to Los Angeles and was temporarily sharing space with Langston and Markko. Starr also got the surprise of a lifetime when her father sent a body guard to protect her, and by body guard I mean her true love Cole. Blair and Todd finally tore the sheets up only to have John McBain bust in during the after glow announcing Todd's arrest for the murder of Victor Lord Jr. And the big cliffhanger was that Victor Lord Jr. was very much alive and tied to a bed no less by cray-cray Allison Perkins (or so it would seem, I actually have no clue how Victor ended up tied to a bed.)

So what happens next? I will still hold out hope for a cable company or some knight in soapy armor to ride in and find a way to continue these great shows. Until then there is always my little journal of my soap fan fiction, because I have no life. My dorkette behavior has also equipped me to see my favorite soap opera characters in certain Barbie dolls. It is like when people see Jesus in a bowl of soup, except more like, "OMG! That red haired Barbie looks like a great Natalie Buchanan!" (Best believe there will be pictures soon! Exciting, I know!)

Of course there is some really exciting news, certain OLTL characters will be moving to General Hospital, the only ABC soap left. Blair Kramer (Kassie DePaiva) Todd Manning (Roger Howarth) Starr Manning (Kristen Alderson) and John McBain (Michael Easton) will be bringing the drama to Port Charles. So that will be very interesting indeed and looks like I will probably be watching another soap. (Let's hope all that mob mess gets mopped up real quick)  Here's hoping that a few other Llanview faces decide to relocate as well!

And with that, I say farewell One Life to Live. I have a life time of memories and thankfully some memorabilia too. (As if I wouldn't? After all, I am a dorkette!)

All My Children turns 42!

Hello dear readers! I thought I would take this time to celebrate what would have been All My Children's 42nd Anniversary had the show not been canceled. On January 5th, 1970 AMC debuted and the world got hit upside the head by Susan Lucci playing Erica Kane. Now I wasn't around in the beginning of AMC as I was not even alive yet, but I did watch with my mom in the mid to late '80s and did my best to keep up ever since. I was a steady every day recording watcher from '98. That is longer than most of my relationships.

I wish AMC had not been canceled. For me though the show does live on (in my heart and fan fiction journal, don't judge me!) so I think the perfect way to celebrate AMC's 42nd Anniversary is to take a brief trip down memory lane, courtesy of Mattel.

It is crazy to think that just a little over ten years ago soaps were still popular enough to warrant a Barbie Collector series of dolls called, "The Daytime Drama Collection." Soaps were still so popular, I can't understand what went wrong. The daytime landscape looks like a barren wasteland today. Either way it only seemed appropriate that Erica Kane would mark the first doll in the Daytime Drama series. Actually aside from a second Erica kane doll (a nod to one of her weddings) the only other doll in the series was Days of Our Live's Marlena.

Here is the first Erica Kane Barbie doll. The whole design paid tribute to Erica's reintroduction into society life at the Crystal Ball. (That is a long story best saved for another day.) 

The Crystal Ball was always a fun event in Pine Valley. First of all, any soap watcher worth their weight in soap knows full well that a ball is never without scandal or drama. In fact if you ever find yourself in a soap be sure to prepare yourself for any shocking revelations at balls, weddings, and grand openings. Also never get into a car. Whatever you do never ride or drive a car. You will more than likely end up in a really awful wreck.

If we look at the Erica Kane Barbie doll we can really see the dedication to making her face look very close to the real Erica. Her gown was also a really great representation of what she wore on the show. 

Here is the back of the box. There is a really great picture of her and it has her signature at the bottom in true red along with a brief bio. Oh how I wish they had made more of these dolls in this series!

This picture shows more of the wording and bio in a larger print. The top quote is just the best. Actually the various writers of AMC have always written the best lines for Erica. I can't even begin to explain all of the great things that she has said. Maybe one day I will post some of my favorites.

Anyways, Happy 42nd Anniversary All My Children!

Fraternity Row is canceled!

I saw such a great episode of One Life to Live today. I don't know what I am going to do when this show ends. Life just isn't going to be the same. So the soap is having this meta moment where the characters of Llanview are distraught that their favorite soap (you guessed it) Fraternity Row is getting canceled. Roxanne Balsom is the biggest soap fan ever and decides she is going to do her best to save Fraternity Row.

What happened today was one of the best hours of television. Roxanne and David Vickers visit the set of Fraternity Row (which is actually the real set of One Life to Live) to try and save it. Roxanne then passes out when she finds out that Fraternity Row taped its last show and sadly there will be no more new episodes.

After coming to, Roxanne wakes up and finds herself in her favorite soap Fraternity Row! She also finds out that she is now very, very rich. What an amazing treat! Most of the OLTL heavy hitters played against type and got to just have flat out mayhem and fun. Viki and Clint played the hired help. Gutsy attorney Téa Delgado played a clueless cop against Blair's vixen detective. Soulmates John and Natalie played lovers who may or may not be siblings. The Buchanan butler Nigel played Nigella. I mean this is just the tip of the iceberg folks.

It was a blending of the real soap inside a fake soap telling the tale of what we soap fans are all going through. Roxanne eventually wakes up, back in Llanview, and realizes that it was all a dream thanks to David. He tells her that the soap is over. Reaching behind her ear, foxy Roxy pulls out one of the jewels she was wearing in the dream. A part of her is like, "It had to be real." They both end up walking off the set, and I just don't know what I will do when this show goes off the air.

That was just a brief description of how awesome the episode was today. If you have ever watched this show or were always interested in watching a soap (and honestly, how could you not) than you must start watching One Life to Live. For those who have been keeping up, amazing right? This show is an important piece of television history and just like that it is going to be gone. January 13th, 2012 will be the final episode. Everyone better go out and watch this show right now!

And be ready folks! Tomorrow's Toy Chest Tuesday is going to be one for the books!

Thanksgiving blues

Oh readers, what can I say? Thanksgiving was on Thursday and I believe I have practically been breathing in calories the entire week. What has the world been coming to? I just have to say I really dislike all the good food in this world being unhealthy. It just isn't right! If only there was some way that apple pie and butter could actually be healthy...

Anyways Thanksgiving is an interesting holiday. It is one surrounded by food and I have been blessed with a family that knows how to cook. I always laugh when someone asks me if I will be the one cooking for Thanksgiving. Hardly. People want to enjoy a good meal, not fear that they may be poisoned. I am only good at a few things in this world: Shopping as a serious sport. Applying red lipstick. And knowing a decent number of She-Ra factoids. That's all folks.

I had a nice Thanksgiving this year. I enjoyed spending time with my family, though I must admit I missed my brother terribly. He was unable to be in town for the holiday, but he was there in spirit. I am also glad to announce that my knees did not swell one bit like the great Thanksgiving of '05! I was very thankful for that.

Another thing i was thankful for was that none of us went shopping on Thanksgiving, aka Black Friday Eve. I am so glad I was not mauled at the mall. Thoughts go out to those who were pepper sprayed, trampled, and hit hard over a plasma. (Spoiler alert, plasma televisions are sooo three years ago!) This Black Friday business is a mess. Once upon a time it was just Black Friday. Now it seems like it is Black Friday Week. What's next, the whole month of November will be dedicated to wielding weapons at each other in Wal-Mart?

The day before Thanksgiving was an eye opener for me. I decided to stop by Best Buy to look for some gift ideas for the holiday season. I figured that my life would be safe because it was only Wednesday, surely the manic shopping masses would be at home plotting their quest for shopping domination in the comfort of their pajamas. Right? Well low and behold I saw a line of people already camped out in front of the electronics mega store. Call me a sheltered mess but I had never seen anything like this in person. True there are those crazy news reporters that will visit a local store and interview some early bird Black Friday shoppers/campers, but I never expected to see this all on a Wednesday.

People had nice dining tables and lawn chairs lined up against the wall outside. Some even had tents set up. How is this legal? I'm sorry but if the local homeless guy under the bridge started living outside the Best Buy in a tent he'd be arrested. I am so confused about how a group of people can literally live outside of a store on cold concrete for three days. How do they shower or use the restroom? What do they do for food? How do they sleep outside all night next to a store? What about the parents I saw with their children? Is it normal to have your rugrats living outside of a store for three days? It boggles my mind. (And this is coming from someone who lives for shopping.)

Moving along. Aside from my family there is one other thing I love about Thanksgiving. My stories. Soaps have always held a long tradition of having great episodes dedicated to the joining of family and drama and capturing all of that in a nice hour. This year the tv schedule was a little lighter with All My Children off the air, but thank goodness I still have One Life to Live. This year's Thanksgiving episode was truly a magnificent show. I will never understand why more people aren't hooked on this soap, it is the best. Anyways I watched it with a heavy heart, more so because on Thanksgiving I also found out the shocking news that All My Children and One Life to Live would not be continuing online as previously discussed by Prospect Park.

That's right soap fans, Prospect Park, the company involved with bringing the soaps to a new online channel have ceased all talks and negotiations to continue these shows. Looks like this was the last Thanksgiving ever in Llanview. My heart is just broken. I keep waiting for Prospect Park to say, "Psych! We're just messin with ya soap fans! AMC and OLTL will be sticking around for a lot longer!" I mean these shows have been on for over 40 years each, there is clearly more story to tell!

What makes this story even worse is that AMC had to rewrite the original ending. Prospect Park asked for a new ending, so the AMC writers scrambled to write a huge cliffhanger series finale so that fans would want to continue watching the show online. Now with this latest development I am wishing they had stuck with the original ending. Now fans will never know who was shot. They'll never know the other person that David was still keeping alive. And we will never find out the fate of Erica and Jackson. All of this feels like the sting of an Erica Kane special. Right across the face, not once, but twice. And on both cheeks to boot.

I am really sad about this. I know it sounds silly, but if you have been reading this silly site of mine than you know how important my soaps are. Nothing is better than a good soap opera. Nothing. Not even Once Upon a Time.

On a good note, I am not going anywhere! For better or worse, this crazt dorkette is going to continue posting ramblings and other inner workings of the dork world. I've got some good stuff coming up. There is the long awaited continuation of the Jem Reunion. I need to tell you all about my Fear Street real life story. And I got a little something special in the mail the other day, so get ready for a nice little entry on the one and only, She-Ra! It's about to get even dorkier!