Edge Of Night

Anyone else remember The Edge Of Night?
This classic Proctor & Gamble show was the first half-hour soap opera (previously, television soaps were 15 minute episodes), premiered in 1956, airing with sister-show As The World Turns. In 1975, the show moved from CBS to ABC, where it ran until 1984. I still remember the final episode!
The premise of the show was different from other daytime dramas, in that the story arcs revolved around mysteries and crime, and I thought it was a compelling premise.
My favorite characters were Sky (Larkin Malloy) & Raven (Sharon Gabet)- a pair of private detectives, he so suave and dashing, she a tiny tempest, like an Erica Kane. Other couples were the venerable pair of Mike (Forrest Compton) & Nancy (Ann Flood), and the young lovers Jody (played by Lori Laughlin in her pre-Full House days) & Gavin (Mark Arnold).
During the last few years of the show Daytime Emmy-nominee Lois Kibbee, who played town matriarch Geraldine Saxon, also co-wrote the show with longtime scribe Henry Slesar - someone I always admired. He goes into my "soap opera writer's hall of fame" in my head along with Agnes Nixon and Douglas Marland. Yes, when I was in high school, I wanted to be just like Henry Slesar and Douglas Marland when I grew up!

That's Ms. Marler to you!

Gina Tognoni looking HOT in red on the Red Carpet at the 35th Annual Daytime Emmy awards. Pictured with her on-screen mother, Maeve Kincaid (Vanessa).

Emmy Winner Gina Tognoni

(Dinah, Guiding Light)
for Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Congrats to Gina Tognoni for her win last night at the Daytime Emmys.
I was sad that Van Hansis didn't win in his category, but excited for Ms. Tognoni.

The Red Carpet Pre-Show on SoapNet suffered from way too many technical problems. Were summer interns running the show or what? With SoapNet being owned by ABC/Disney, frankly I expected better.
The actual broadcast of the 35th Annual Daytime Emmys on ABC went much smoother, but overall it was a fairly boring telecast. ABC cut the show from 3 hours to 2 hours after the Emmy nominations were announced (CBS led the pack with most nominations), to include a sneak preview of SoapNet's new summer show: MVP, the Canadian hockey take on Footballers Wives.
MVP seemed to be a pretty generic, if well-produced, soap. The preview wasn't enough to make me tune into its regular time slot of 11pm Thursdays on SoapNet, however.
General Hospital, an ABC soap, won for Best Daytime Drama beating out Guiding Light's 70th Anniversary nomination, so that must've made Brian Frons (ABC Daytime head honcho) happy at least.

Daytime Emmys Tonight

Several cast members from Guiding Light
at the Daytime Emmy Creative Craft Awards:
Bonnie Dennison (Daisy), Caitlin VanZandt (Ashlee),
Murray Bartlett (Cyrus) and Jessica Leccia (Natalia)

Tonight the 35th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards are on ABC, from 8-10pm, after the Red Carpet Pre-Show from 6-8pm on SoapNet.

Some of my favorites I hope get the Emmy:
Daniel Cosgrove (Bill, Guiding Light) for Supporting Actor.
Gina Tognoni (Dinah, Guiding Light) for Supporting Actress.
Jennifer Landon (ex-Gwen & Cleo, As The World Turns) for Younger Actress (hey she not only played a cheesy singer but that cheesy singer's psycho stalker).
Outstanding Drama Series: Guiding Light

And the one I'm really rooting for:
Van Hansis (Luke, As The World Turns) for Younger Actor.

Flavor of Bachelorette

Come on people, do you really think a music star is looking for love on a reality show? Yes? Can I sell you a bridge? Flavor of Love ended over a week ago with Flavor choosing Thing 2 to be his girl. Telling her she made his heart jump, right out of his chest and onto his latest baby-momma. That’s right. At the reunion he dumped Thing 2, who did not look at all shocked, and proposed to someone else. So much for Flavor of Love season four. At least the man shaved his head. He looked good. Seriously. Okay, he looked as good as Flavor Flav can look, when he’s not in his “hair straight up troll-doll mode.” That’s enough to give me nightmares.

Apparently reality didn’t work so much for Lindsey Lohan. Okay, it’s not reality, but stick with me here. In a Brit-Brit like attempt to make herself more marketable she went on Ugly Betty, and was underwhelming at best.

Hell’s Kitchen update. I can take these people, I swear it. I’ve never seen such a bunch of rubes in my life. They are also serving a difficult, but antiquated menu. Risotto is still done, but not like it used to be and any meat wrapped in pastry and cooked is not exactly heart healthy, cutting edge, or…lamb Wellington, are you kidding me? Still it’s fun to watch the clawing and scratching.

Still, nothing is currently beating The Bachelorette. What a bunch of faked out, strange little men. They are as catty as the girls, but they pretend it’s a joke, as they butt slap one another and hide children. To me that’s something to come clean with right away. “OOOO one bastard got a rose two weeks in a row. He’s got such a leg up.” Who gives a crap? Do these people really think love happens on a reality show? Okay there’s Trista and Ryan. He loves her almost as much as she does, so you know that might work.

Keeping it semi-reality.

David, David, and Kristi

This week we’re going to talk about the power of good. Not all of you will agree with me, but you won’t vote like I do in November, so deal. Two reality shows had good outcomes and I’m kvelling.

One, Dancing with the Stars. Kristi won and no, she was not a ringer. Yes she did once have a male partner for a short time, but it was pairs skating. Which is about as different from dance as running is from swimming. Different movements. She also had to emote. When she was a skater she emoted, but it was one emotion, that look of longing. Which probably had more to do with wanting that medal than anything else. On Dancing with the Stars, she really stepped it up and was more than technical. I was thrilled.

Then two - oh joy! David Cook won on American Idol. Now, don’t get me wrong. I like the other David, but I was very bothered that his father seemed to be turning into Dina Lohan and that he was so young. When he matures he’s going to be Streisand, but he’s not ready. He’s looked both sad and relieved when he lost. David Cook is ready now and not only is he ready, I’m ready to buy his first album. He was amazing and deserved this win.

Don’t worry David A fans. He will be a famous singer. It’s really his destiny. If he survives that pushy father of his. Ugh.

An Ugly Season Finale

Tonight's Ugly Betty season finale is getting lots of press for its guest stars. But what interests me is the on-going triangle between Henry and Betty and Gio.
Is it just me, or is the post-Writer's Strike close-cropped hair Gio on fire?
Henry has his baby-mama, Betty, choose Gio!
In classic cliff-hanger form tonight, I'm sure we won't get any resolution to this storyline, but hopefully there will be a few juicy Gio scenes!

Desperate Finale

Tonight is the 2-hour season finale of Desperate Housewives.
I watched Season 1 on DVD and got hooked, but have only seen the post-writer's strike episodes of this season (post-tornado)... where did Lynette's evil step-daughter come from?
I watched the Halloween party on YouTube, so figured out that Bree is raising her daughter's baby as her own, but that teen monster in the Scavo household has me confused.
And despite rumors that the end of tonight's episode has the denizens of Wisteria Lane jumping 5 years into the future, I'm guessing that it's a dream sequence. But I'll be tuning in to find out!

TV Season Finales

Even though it seems like our favorite shows have just returned after the Writer's Strike,
it's May Sweeps Month, which means it's Season Finale time.
Here are the dates and times of some of this season's most popular shows:

Thursday 5/15
CSI (9pm CBS)
ER (10pm NBC)
Without A Trace (10pm CBS)

Sunday 5/18
The Simpsons (8pm FOX)
King Of The Hill (8:30pm FOX)
Desperate Housewives (9pm ABC)

Monday 5/19
Big Bang Theory (8pm CBS)
Bones (8pm FOX)
How I Met Your Mother (8:30pm CBS)
House (9pm FOX)
Two And A Half Men (9pm CBS)
Rules Of Engagement (9:30pm CBS)
CSI: Miami (10pm CBS)

Tuesday 5/20
NCIS (8pm CBS)

Wednesday 5/21
American Idol (8pm FOX)
Criminal Minds (9pm CBS)
Boston Legal (10pm ABC)
CSI:NY (10pm CBS)
Law & Order (10pm NBC)

Thursday 5/22
Ugly Betty (8pm ABC)
Grey's Anatomy (9pm ABC)

Thursday 5/29
Lost (9pm ABC)

The Sunglasses Of Justice Return Tonight!

That's right - Horatio Caine, his sunglasses,
and the CSI: Miami gang return tonight at 10pm on CBS.

Other shows returning with post-writer's-strike new episodes:
Criminal Minds April 2, 9pm CBS
CSI: New York, April 2, 10pm CBS
CSI April 3, 9pm CBS
Without A Trace April 3, 10pm CBS
Desperate Housewives April 13, 9pm ABC
Bones April 14, 8pm FOX
Brothers & Sisters April 20, 10pm ABC
Ugly Betty April 24, 8pm ABC
Grey's Anatomy April 24, 9pm ABC
Supernatural April 24, 9pm The CW
Moonlight April 25, 9pm CBS
House April 28, 9pm FOX

(All times listed are Eastern Standard Time)

So, which of these shows are you looking forward to returning?
For me: the 3 CSI's and Desperate Housewives.