THE AMERICAN BROADCASTING COMPANY CANCELS 2 SOAP OPERAS
SHOCKING NEWS FROM ABC TELEVISION CENTRAL WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT TWO OF THEIR THREE SOAP OPERAS HAVE BEEN CANCELED. "ALL MY CHILDREN" HAS AN EXPIRATION DATE IN SEPTEMBER '11 WHICH WILL PUT IT OVER THE 41 YEAR MARK FOR EXISTENCE. THERE HAD BEEN TALK OF ABC MOVING AWAY FROM THE SOAP OPERA GENRE WHICH BEGAN LAST MONTH. ACCORDING TO HUFFPOST MEDIA DEADLINE.COM'S NELLIE ANDREEVA REPORTED THAT ABC WAS CONSIDERING MOVING INTO A TALK SHOW BASED AFTERNOON. "ONE LIFE TO LIVE" IS CASUALTY NUMBER TWO WITH AN EXPIRATION DATE IN JANUARY '12. THIS WILL LEAVE "GENERAL HOSPITAL" AS THE SOLE SURVIVOR OF THE ABC SOAP OPERA GENRE.
THE GENRE OF SOAP OPERA'S DRAFTS IMMENSE PAGES OF DIALOGUE THE REQUIRE LONG DAYS OF REHEARSALS AND SHOOTING. ACTORS WHO GET THEIR CHANCE TO BECOME A CAST MEMBER CAN BE GUARANTEED THE SCHOOLING OF A LIFETIME. MANY WELL KNOWN ACTORS HAVE BEEN SCHOOLED THROUGH THE SOAP OPERA CLASSROOM WHERE SOME HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO CUT THE MUSTARD. OTHERS HAVE USED THEIR TIME WISELY BY ABSORBING THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS AROUND THEM TO GO ON TO BE GREAT IN NIGHTTIME TELEVISION AND FEATURE FILM'S. MEG RYAN (AS THE WORLD TURNS), DEMI MOORE (GENERAL HOSPITAL), SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR (ALL MY CHILDREN), DAVID HASSELHOFF (YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS), JOHN STAMOS (GENERAL HOSPITAL), CALISTA FLOCKHART (GUIDING LIGHT), BRAD PITT (ANOTHER WORLD), JULIANNE MOORE (AS THE WORLD TURNS), RYAN PHILLIPPE (ONE LIFE TO LIVE), AMBER TAMBLYN (GENERAL HOSPITAL), MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG (ALL MY CHILDREN), TOMMY LEE JONES (ONE LIFE TO LIVE), KELLY RIPA (ALL MY CHILDREN), JOSH DUHAMEL (ALL MY CHILDREN), TOM SELLECK (YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS), RICKY MARTIN (GENERAL HOSPITAL), TAMARA TUNIE (AS THE WORLD TURNS), LISA RINNA (DAYS OF OUR LIVES), KELSEY GRAMMER (ANOTHER WORLD), DANA DELANY (RYAN'S HOPE) AND EVA LONGORIA (YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, GENERAL HOSPITAL) THE LIST COULD GO ON AND ON AND AS WE DO MORE RESEARCH AND FIND MORE WE WILL ADD THEM.
"THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL" WON THIS YEAR FOR BEST SOAP OPERA AND THAT WAS THE TELL TALE SIGN THAT THINGS WERE ON THE DOWN SLIDE FOR SOAP OPERA'S. RYAN'S HOPE, THE EDGE OF NIGHT, DARK SHADOWS, SEARCH FOR TOMORROW AND THE DOCTORS WERE THE HALF HOUR SOAP OPERA'S THAT LED INTO THE ONE HOUR DAYTIME SERIALS FIVE DAYS A WEEK. EACH SHOW WENT OFF THE AIR DURING THE FINAL YEARS OF THE 1980'S WITH THE EXCEPTION OF DARK SHADOWS. THE TIE IN FOR "THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL" TO "THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS" WITH WRITERS ABLE TO BOUNCE CHARACTERS BACK AND FORTH HAS DEFINITELY ALLOWED THE SERIAL TO HANG ON THROUGH SOME VERY ROUGH FINANCIAL TIMES.
THE WORDS OF BOB DYLAN COME TO MIND EACH TIME ANOTHER STAPLE OF AN INDUSTRY BEGINS TO WITHER AND CRUMBLE "THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN." SO MANY THINGS WERE HAPPENING WHEN THIS SONG WAS RELEASED: CIVIL RIGHTS, MUSIC, DRUGS, WAR AND TELEVISION AND NOW THE FEELING IS THE SAME BUT SOME OF THE CATEGORIES HAVE CHANGED. THE WORLD OF SOAP OPERA'S IS A FAR CRY FROM THE EVENTS THAT NOW INVADE OUR DAILY NEWS BUT AS THESE LONG STANDING HOUSEHOLD STAPLES DRIFT AND DIE WE CAN ONLY HOPE THE TIMES ARE CHANGIN 'FOR THE BETTER.
RUSTY
4/14/11