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On Wednesday, "Days of Our Lives" announced that it was firing two of the soap's biggest stars: Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn. I was shocked and saddened by the news. Can you imagine the town of Salem without Marlena (aka "Doc") and John?
Thanks to budget cuts "Days" execs reportedly had to let go of the highly-paid actors in order to keep their show on NBC for another 18 months, but with a bloated cast of 31, couldn't they have axed some of the newbies instead of these beloved vets?
When I asked my friend -- who works in the soap industry -- for his initial reaction to the news and what it means for the future of daytime, he responded, "You might as well sound the death knell."
That's what I was afraid of. I used to write for a soap magazine many years ago, so daytime holds a special place in my heart. I'm also fiercely protective of the genre, which people love to knock. "The acting's horrible" and "the storylines are ridiculous" are two common criticisms. Yes, at times they are, but let me remind everyone that Kevin Bacon, James Earl Jones, Tommy Lee Jones, Demi Moore, Julianne Moore, Hayden Panettiere, Ryan Phillippe, Meg Ryan, and Marisa Tomei are just a few of the Hollywood stars who got their starts in daytime. And since "Guiding Light," which is the longest-running drama in TV history, hit the radio airwaves in 1937, soaps' silly stories have provided fans with a daily form of escapism. Of course, it's been hard to keep these tales fresh over the years, which is why some writers have resorted to penning the absurd, supernatural plots that have turned many a soap fan off.
With that said, daytime ratings continue to dip, and it's really no surprise. Although there are plenty of male fans out there, soap operas were originally aimed at housewives. As we all know, there aren't as many stay-at-home moms as there used to be, and if someone does happen to be watching TV during the afternoon, they have hundreds of cable channels and programs to choose from. Plus, with everyone's busy schedules, people simply don't have the time to devote to a daytime serial anymore.
I'm not making any great revelations here. Everyone in the soap industry is fully aware of its problems, but they don't seem to know how to solve them. In an attempt to boost ratings, the network suits have decided that what they need to do is attract young, new viewers, which, let's face it, ain't happening.
According to my soap insider friend, instead of firing vets like Hall and Hogestyn, who longtime fans adore, the soaps should work on preserving what they have. “I don't really think you're ever going to get new viewers," he continued. "The days of moms and grandmas turning their kids on to their stories are long gone. The next best hope is to attract lapsed viewers -- fans who left for a reason, who were disappointed in how their stories were being written and how their favorites were being fired."
As much as I hate to say it, I’m not sure if the soaps can be saved, but in staying true to the genre's form, a dramatic death is inevitable.
Courtesy
Rebecca Detken
LOS ANGELES (Reuters Life!) – Lingerie model Karolina Kurkova has been voted the world's sexiest woman by E! entertainment television, beating sultry actresses Angelina Jolie and Scarlett Johansson for the honor.
Czech Kurkova, ranked by Forbes magazine as one of the world's highest paid models, was dubbed by E! as "she of the mysterious belly button" due to media speculation about what appears to be an unusually smooth navel.
Second place also went to a supermodel, Israeli Bar Rafaeli, who has been linked to actor Leonardo DiCaprio, while Jolie, who recently gave birth to twins, was in third place.
"Far from being a US-centric list, you'll find a face, and body, from six continents," E! said in a statement.
Following are the top 10 sexiest women, as ranked by E!:
1. Karolina Kurkova
2. Bar Rafaeli
3. Angelina Jolie
4. Gisele Bundchen
5. Scarlett Johansson
6. Adriana Lima
7. Heidi Klum
8. Penelope Cruz
9. Manuela Arcuri
10. Shakira
Courtesy Miral Fahmy, editing by Belinda Goldsmith)
As the credits came up at a recent screening of "Twilight," I heard a deep sigh to my right. It was my 15-year-old date, Libby. "I had such high expectations," she mumbled.
And that's a problem director Catherine Hardwicke is likely to encounter with girls all over America (and beyond): Stephenie Meyer's young adult novel is so beloved, it's much easier to see what went wrong with Hardwicke's adaptation than what she got right.
RELATED STORY: 'TWILIGHT' TICKETS SELLING OUT FASTFrankly, Libby's opinion matters a lot more than mine here; grownups aren't going to propel this movie to the top of the box-office charts. And her biggest disappointment was in the all-important casting.
As every female under the age of 20 already knows, Kristen Stewart was hired to play Bella Swan, an ugly-duckling teen who moves from sunny Arizona to rainy Washington State to live with her dad (Billy Burke).
PHOTOS: SEXY VAMPIRES ON FILMAlmost immediately, she connects with the school's gorgeous loner, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), who only hangs out with his equally beautiful, and odd, siblings. Before long, Bella learns Edward's big secret: He's a vampire, who simultaneously wants to kill her and kiss her. Which makes him, of course, the ultimate bad boy. And entirely irresistible to our smitten heroine.
PHOTOS: VAMPIRES THROUGH THE AGESUnfortunately, the actors don't seem to have nearly as much invested in the story as Hardwicke's target audience will.
Stewart does play up Bella's feistiness, but she feels much more mature and secure than the character we already know. As for Pattinson, Libby's critical assessment is as accurate as any: "He's really cute, but so not a good actor."
Echoing my thoughts exactly, she turned in frustration during one typically stilted attempt at smoldering sexiness, and whispered, "But why did they choose him?"
It's disappointing when a big-screen romance can't match up to the one in your imagination, at any age. But at least the story surrounding this one remains generally unshaken. Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg does a decent job adapting the first book in Meyer's series, and despite a tendency toward cheesy effects, Hardwicke keeps things moving swiftly.
Besides, Bella and Edward have survived far worse than lousy casting, and teenage girls can be remarkably forgiving under the right circumstances. Just ask Libby: She's already planning on seeing "Twilight" again, tonight.
Courtesy Daily News
LONDON – A judge will likely grant Madonna and Guy Ritchie an initial divorce decree on Friday, according to the schedule for London's High Court.
The court lists "Ciccone M L v Ritchie G S" as one of 17 cases for "matrimonial and civil partnership causes for pronouncement of decree." That means a judge is to grant the couple a preliminary divorce decree, or decree nisi.
After six weeks and a day, the couple will probably be granted a decree absolute and the divorce will become final.
It is unusual for the couple to attend court in such cases.
British media reported Thursday that the celebrity pair had reached a settlement which would see the pop superstar keep the majority of her estimated 300 million pound ($445 million) fortune and share custody of two of her children with her film-director husband.
A report in the Evening Standard newspaper said Ritchie had refused to take any of Madonna's assets, while the Times of London said Madonna would hold on to the bulk of her fortune.
The papers said the couple had also reached a deal regarding their two children: Rocco, 8, and David Banda, 3, who was adopted from Malawi in 2006.
The two boys would split their time between Britain and the United States, the papers said, while Lourdes — Madonna's 12-year-old daughter from a previous relationship with personal trainer Carlos Leon — will live with her mother in the United States.
Neither paper cited a named source for their reports and requests for comment from representatives for the couple were not immediately returned.
An agreement between the two would avoid an ugly, public and expensive courtroom battle like the one between former Beatle Paul McCartney and model Heather Mills. Mills has said the media coverage of the rancorous divorce had pushed her to the brink of suicide; McCartney compared the process to going through hell.
Madonna and Ritchie, director of "Snatch" and "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels," married in December 2000 at Skibo Castle in the Scottish Highlands.
In recent years, however, the relationship was dogged by rumors that the pair had fallen out over Madonna's plans to adopt a second child from Malawi. Media reports over the summer — denied by Madonna — linked the singer to the breakup of New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez's marriage to his ex-wife Cynthia.
Madonna and Ritchie announced last month they were divorcing after almost eight years of marriage. They own homes in London, Los Angeles and New York, and a 1,200-acre retreat in Wiltshire, England.
Courtesy Raphael G. Satter
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