We’ve been getting a lot of e-mail answers to our 20 Most Fascinating Couples poll, which is really cool! I love it when people are motivated to tell us what they like and don’t like. (Hi, GH’s Liason fans: you can stop now. LOL!) But one thing I’ve noticed is some criticism that we didn’t include Bo and Hope from DAYS OF OUR LIVES or GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Luke and Laura on the list, as well as couples like AW’s Mac and Rachel. To this concern, I would like to remind readers that our parameters were couples created between 1989 and 2009: the years Weekly has been “alive.” 

If we were doing our most fascinating soap couples ever, of course the likes of Bo/Hope and Luke/Laura would make it! Are ya kiddin’ me? Leaving them out of that kind of comprehensive list would be a massive oversight. 

There were some couples that fit our criteria who were thisclose to making the list. I gotta tell you, narrowing down to 20 and trying to cover as many soaps as possible ishard. Amongst the “almosts” were ATWT’s Simon and Katie, OLTL’s Bo and Nora, GH’s Robin and Patrick, and AMC’s Zach and Kendall. Believe me, we could’ve spent twenty pages on our favorite couples throughout our 20-year history. We had to rein ourselves in! 

And now a totally unrelated note about yesterday’s GL: Buzz and Daisy’s use of the word “glockenspiel!” Joe, Michael and I have been looking for a chance to work it into the magazine because it’s just such a great word (and everyone needs a purpose in life). In fact, I fondly recall one morning where we were brainstorming how to get an actor to say it (sort of like Mary McDonnell’s “passport” scene with Stephen Tobolowsky in Sneakers) and I laughed so hard I fell out of my chair. So, suffice it to say, Buzz and Daisy made our day!

originally posted on soapoperaweekly.com

I don’t know what’s worse, being unable to get Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” out of my head (thank you, FOX’s GLEE!) or racking my brain trying to figure out who Eileen Davidson’s characters in Dial Emmy For Murder might be based on. Now, the talented Y&R star says she hasn’t modeled them after anyone she knows, so that could be my problem. But still! What’s the fun in believing that? Much of my enjoyment of both her debut novel and its spankin’ new sequel comes from the hilarious soap opera in-jokes and that sense that you know this world that her savvy and often in-over-her-head heroine, Alexis is navigating. Davidson also has great comic timing and there are a lot of lines that made me giggle-snort whilst on the subway. 

In Dial Emmy For Murder diva (but DON’T call her that!) Alexis is dropped right back in the middle of murder and intrigue when a corpse literally drops in on her during a live telecast of the Daytime Emmys. Before you know it, the actress is putting her detective hat on, trying to figure out who offed her THE BARE AND THE BRAZEN co-star, Jackson Masters. Plus, there’s romance, too: because the case puts her back in the orbit of handsome and determined detective Frank Jakes. 

Dial Emmy For Murder hits bookstore shelves on June 2 and if, like me, you’re a sucker for the behind-the-scenes scoop, it’s a fun, breezy read!

originally posted on soapoperaweekly.com

I am having random soap thoughts and don’t know where to put them. Thank goodness I have a blog for this sort of thing! 

•We had a Mr. Pants and now a Mr. Quick. What’s with the random nouns and adjectives as surnames, ATWT? Hath the naming well truly gone dry? What’s next? Mr. Adverb? Mr. Dangling Participle? 

•GH’s Ethan and Lulu fans: Thanks for writing in and all, but for all intents and purposes they are SIBLINGS. I was okay with half-cousins Jon and Tammy on GL, but this is a bit too much for me. This is a soap, not a Greek tragedy. Kthanxbye. 

•Y&R’s Cane and Phillip: WTH? No, seriously, what the hell? THAT, my friends, is an old-fashioned cliffhanger Friday like we haven’t seen in a long time. Or, at least, it would’ve been had the episode not aired on Thursday in Canada and then gotten spoiled on the Internet.

•On a tangential note, are we supposed to believe Cane — adorably doofy, earnest Cane — has been running a long con this whole time? If he’s THAT savvy and capable of deception, how the heck did Amber and Chloe both pull one over on him?

•I did not see the GREY’S ANATOMY season finale cliffhanger coming. I mean, the Izzie part, yes…but not the other part. 

•The Fox fall season announcement is today and word has it that TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES isn’t being picked up. If so, Fox, we are DONE professionally. 

•Is there anything cuter than Eliza dangling off Paul’s arm on ATWT? Sure, it may look a bit precarious, but I have no doubt that Roger Howarth had a good grip on the baby and that she absolutely loves “hanging around” with him.

originally posted on soapoperaweekly.com

I’m saving up my Emmy nomination thoughts for our June 9 issue, but I will share some of the fun of going to the post-announcement reception last night. (I briefly debating Twittering from it, but knew it was an exercise in futility. I just cannot text message fast enough!) I began the evening by wandering around trying to find the massive Hearst building’s entrance … and running into Younger Actress nominee Meredith Hagner (Liberty, ATWT) trying to do the exact same thing! Luckily, we figured out where we were going … and as we walked in, two fans clustered by the door looked at Meredith and went, “Chrishell?!” Yes, they thought she was Chrishell Stause (Amanda) from AMC. Context: Apparently Chrishell tweeted on Twitter (that I’m even typing that is LOL-tastic) that she was heading to an Emmy nominee reception, so people expected to see her there! Suffice it to say, now that Meredith has an Emmy nomination under her belt, cases of mistaken identity will be far and few between! 

Meredith headed to the event’s red carpet to do what nominees do while my colleague Gabby and I headed up to the 44th floor for the reception. I immediately spotted GL’s Grant Aleksander (Phillip), as well as AMC’s Jacob Young (JR), nominated this year for Supporting Actor, and then a table full of my “usual suspects” from ATWT. After catching up with Davida Williams (Jade), Billy Magnussen (Casey), Alex Cole (Hunter), and Benton Greene (Derek) and his stunning girlfriend, I couldn’t help but think, “You know, I see Derek and Jade together more at events than I do onscreen.” I also talked to the fabulous Colleen Zenk Pinter (Barbara), who dished her new grandson (he looks like papa Carson Daly!) and hubby Mark’s ongoing gig at GH. After some mingling and mixing, it was time for speeches and the formal nomination announcement. Robert Newman and Kim Zimmer (Josh and Reva, GL) read off the first batch of nominations, with their trademark banter. And can I just tell you that Bindi Irwin is the cutest thing ever? She and Ben Bailey, the host of Cash Cab read the soap nominations and I’d venture to say the pint-sized Aussie star did a better job with the names than her adult counterpart! While that was going on, I traded a quick “hi!” with nominee Bree Williamson (Jessica, OLTL), whom I haven’t seen since Super Soap. 
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