Morgan Fairchild Leads All-Star Lineup for 'Mélange'

Morgan Fairchild has been tapped to play the vindictive Vivian King in the new serialized half hour drama, Mélange. Using NYC as its backdrop, the show will center round the fight of ownership for a historic gay bar, Mélange, after its proprietor has suddenly and mysteriously died. The series will emulate the grand storytelling flair of 80’s primetime decadent dramas that pitted good vs. evil but in a contemporary, fast-paced style; exploring modern themes of sexuality, immigration, addiction, power, and inclusion. The ensemble cast of 17, lead by Morgan Fairchild, includes a roster of talent from television, Broadway, reality, and social media. Shooting for Mélange kicked off August 4th in New York City.

Scott Evans (One Life to Live) stars as Ryann Parker, the strikingly handsome young man whose once Utopian workplace has become infested with betrayal, corruption, and revenge. He fights to keep Mélange out of the claws of Vivian and into the hands of the employees and patrons who genuinely love the historic bar.

Through flashbacks and archival footage, Robert Newman (Guiding Light, Santa Barbra, General Hospital) plays Syd Winchester, the deceased patriarch of Mélange who, in life, was a pioneer and hero of the gay rights movement. Rounding out the ensemble cast: Emmy winner Darnell Williams (All My Children, The Young and the Restless, Loving ), Emmy winner Kristen Alderson (One Life to Live, General Hospital,), Ilene Kristen (One Life to Live, Ryan’s Hope, General Hospital), David A. Gregory (One Life to Live), Jessica Leccia (Guiding Light, One Life to Live, Venice The Series), Diana DeGarmo (The Young and the Restless, American Idol) ), gossip blogger Perez Hilton (Bold and the Beautiful), Anne Ramsay (Mad About You,The L Word), Alex Newell (Glee, Broadway’s Once On This Island), Mark Indelicato (Ugly Betty, Dead of Summer ), Laith Ashley (Strut), Maya Days (Damages, Broadway’s Aida), Omar Sharif Jr., Pamela Winslow Kashani (Star Trek: The Next Generation).

Mélange was created and is being executive produced by multi-award winning theatrical producer and political activist Tom D’Angora. It is being directed by Emmy Award winner Gary Donatelli (One Life to Live) and Tony Award winning producer Tim Kashani.

Trailer Released for Crystal Chappell-Jessica Leccia Alzheimer's Film 'A Million Happy Nows'

Jessica Leccia (left) and Crystal Chappell star in A Million Happy Nows.

A trailer has been released for A Million Happy Nows, an upcoming film starring Guiding Light  alums Crystal Chappell and Jessica Leccia, and produced by Perfect Features and Open Book Productions.

A Million Happy Nows is the story of Lainey Allen (Chappell), a veteran actress tired of being sidelined for younger talent on the soap she has starred in for twenty years. Coupled with finding it harder to retain her lines, she decides not to renew her contract, and she and her publicist and partner, Eva Morales (Leccia), move to their weekend house overlooking the ocean on the Central California coast. The move highlights some small changes in Lainey's personality – mild depression that Eva puts down to leaving the show. But when Lainey starts to forget more than can be attributed to stress, Eva insists on a visit to the doctor.

The film chronicles Lainey and Eva’s changing relationship as they struggle to deal with the diagnosis of Lainey's Early Onset Alzheimer's, the prospect of an indomitable woman’s future of dependence and her single support system – the woman who was once in awe of her, became everything to her, and will now look after her.

Crystal Chappell and Jessica Leccia reunite for the first time in a feature, following their pairing as Olivia and Natalia in CBS-TV's Guiding Light and in Open Book Production's Venice the Series and The Grove.

Watch the trailer for A Million Happy Nows below:

Hillary B. Smith Representing 'A Million Happy Nows' in Harrisburg's Walk to End Alzheimer's

The annual Walk to End Alzheimer's will take place in Harrisburg on Saturday, September 20 on City Island. The event raises awareness and funds for Alzheimer's care, support and research.

Actress and producer Hillary B. Smith, who starred for over 20 years as Nora Buchanan on One Life to Live after a successful run as Margo Hughes in As the Worlds, will be in Harrisburg, serving as captain of team "A Million Happy Nows." The team is named for a film that she is acting in and producing with Crystal Chappell.

In A Million Happy Nows, veteran actress Lainey Allen (Chappell) is tired of being sidelined for younger talent on the soap she has starred in for twenty years. Coupled with finding it harder to retain her lines, she decides not to renew her contract, and she and her publicist and partner, Eva Morales (Jessica Leccia), move to their weekend house overlooking the ocean on the Central California coast. The move highlights some small changes in Lainey’s personality – mild depression that Eva puts down to leaving the show. But when Lainey starts to forget more than can be attributed to stress, Eva insists on a visit to the doctor.

Jessica Leccia Stars in EPIX Web Series 'Big Movie Shorts'

One family navigates life through film in a brand new original web series on the EPIX YouTube channel. Big Movie Shorts answers life's important questions. Does the timeline in Cast Away make sense? What's the best film series ever made? What is an appropriate flick for a family movie night?

Former Guiding Light and One Life to Live star Jessica Leccia stars in the series. Watch Big Movie Shorts below:

BEACON Hill Set To Premiere March 5th, Will Use Subscription Model

Emmy Award winning actress and producer Crystal Chappell of Open Books Productions (VENICE, THE GROVE) and Linda and Jessica Hill of Bella Books and Bella Productions have teamed up to produce the much-anticipated web series BEACON HILL. Premiering March 5th, the series is a political drama that centers on two Boston families at opposite ends of the political spectrum. While politics pit the two family patriarchs squarely against each other, it's the relationships between the younger generations that create conflict and drama on BEACON HILL. Written by Linda and Jessica Hill, BEACON HILL is a story about family, relationships and politics.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Catching Up With Ellen Wheeler As She Begins A New Project With Old Friends (Part 2 of 2)

Michael O'Leary, Yvonna Wright and Ellen Wheeler.
Photo Credit: Sue Coflin/Max Photos

We Love Soaps spoke with former GUIDING LIGHT executive producer Ellen Wheeler, who recently reunited with a group of alums from the show's cast and crew on a fall Sunday for a day of taping, talking and pizza. Dubbed "A New Project With Old Friends," it was a chance for much of the old gang to get back together, shoot some scenes and catch up.

Read Part 1 of our exclusive interview here, and read Part 2 below.

WE LOVE SOAPS: When I visited the studio and Peapack in the final year of GUIDING LIGHT, the set had an really nice indie vibe to it, something you don't see much with a broadcast TV show.
ELLEN WHEELER: We were saying something like, "I want this to keep going because I understand it's important. GUIDING LIGHT has been chronicling American life since before World War 2, and I want to continue to chronicle American life. I want to show the stories of the people in American back to them so they have a place to talk from." It's not unlike pitching in when some hard or tragic moment kicks in. In the beginning people might have been thinking to themselves, "Oh my God, I might lose my job," but near the end it wasn't about it.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Catching Up With Ellen Wheeler As She Begins A New Project With Old Friends (Part 1 of 2)

Left to Right: Kurt McKinney, Frank Dicopoulos, Robert Newman,
Ellen Wheeler, Michael O'Leary and Jordan Clarke.
Photo Credit: Sue Coflin/Max Photos.

Former GUIDING LIGHT executive producer Ellen Wheeler began her career in Daytime as an actress. She landed the role of Marley Love on ANOTHER WORLD in 1984 and, a year later, she began playing Marley's twin, Victoria. Soon, she won an Emmy (for work in 1986).

She took on the role of Cindy Parker on ALL MY CHILDREN the next year, in what turned out to be one of the most moving HIV/AIDS stories ever told on television, and won another Emmy (for her work in 1988).

Primetime roles on DARK SHADOWS, HUNTER, STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE and ER followed. She guest-starred on THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL and returned to ANOTHER WORLD as Marley for its final year. That's when she first moved behind the camera and directed episodes of AS THE WORLD TURNS, earning three more Emmy nominations. Then, in 2004, Wheeler was named executive producer of GUIDING LIGHT.

Ranked last among the nine remaining daytime soap operas (at the time, in the key ratings demo) GUIDING LIGHT was only beating PASSIONS in total viewers. Forced to move to a new production model, with little time for the cast and crew to adjust (and no time at all for the audience), ratings dipped again in 2008, as the loss of fan favorites Beth Ehlers and Ricky Paul Goldin exacerbated the sense the show was, at times, physically jarring to watch.

Ironically, by the start of 2009 (CBS announced cancellation of the 72-year-old soap on April Fools Day) GUIDING LIGHT was back on solid footing. Some of the technical kinks had been worked out, Grant Aleksander returned as Phillip Spaulding and the Olivia and Natalia slow-burn love story garnered the show more buzz than it had received in years. Nevertheless, GUIDING LIGHT went off the air on September 18, 2009, with cast and crew moving on to other projects.

Wheeler and oher GL alums recently got together on a beautiful fall Sunday for a day of taping, talking and pizza. Dubbed "A New Project With Old Friends," it was a chance for much of the old gang to get back together, shoot some scenes and catch up. We Love Soaps recently spoke with Wheeler about this reunion, what she's been doing since GUIDING LIGHT and where it might go in the future.

Read Part 1 of our exclusive interview below.

READER POLL RESULTS: Indie Series of the Week (October 20-26, 2013); VENICE #1

VENICE was voted favorite indie series for the 11th time in 12 weeks.

The results are in from the We Love Soaps "Indie Series of the Week" poll for web series that aired October 20-26, 2013. VENICE returned to the top spot as favorite show for the third consecutive week. A new episode of CLOSE FRIENDS was second followed by TELEVISEAN, MY SUPER-OVERACTIVE IMAGINATION, and DUMPWATER DIVAS.

Check out the complete results below including the Favorite Actor, Actress and Couple of the Week:

RANK	SHOW	LAST WEEK	TOP 3
1	VENICE	1	41
2	CLOSE FRIENDS	12	1
3	TELEVISEAN	-	5
4	MY SUPER-OVERACTIVE IMAGINATION	17	0
5	DUMPWATER DIVAS	14	0
6	THE INN	6	12
7	SALVAGED: A LOVE STORY	15	0
8	THURSTON	-	6
9	STILL	-	0
10	POL	-	0
11	BROKEN AT LOVE	-	5
12	THE LYONS DEN	6	5
13	METHOD OR MADNESS	7	0
14	PRODUCING JULIET	-	0
15	DEVIL'S COURIERS	13	0
16	SILVER SPOON BLUES	9	0
17	FADE TO REALITY	18	0
18	SMOKE AND MIRRORS	-	0
19	HOW I SEIZE IT	19	0
20	THE GAUNTLET	11	0

See the rest of the poll results and watch last week's Top 3 Indie web series below:


(watch this episode with a subscription)

READER POLL RESULTS: Indie Series of the Week (August 18-24 2013); VENICE #1

VENICE was voted Indie Series of the Week for the third week in a row.

The results are in from the We Love Soaps Indie Series of the Week poll for web series that aired August 18-24, 2013. A new Season 4 episode inspired viewers to vote VENICE into the top spot as favorite show for the third week in a row.  A new episode of HE'S WITH ME was second followed by EDGE OF NORMAL, HUSBANDS and WHERE THE BEARS ARE.

Check out the complete results below including the Favorite Actor, Actress and Couple of the Week:

RANK	SHOW	LAST WEEK	TOP 3
1	VENICE	1	33
2	HE'S WITH ME	-	2
3	EDGE OF NORMAL	4	1
4	HUSBANDS	13	0
5	WHERE THE BEARS ARE	11	0
6	MY SYNTHESIZED LIFE	9	1
7	THE STAFFORD PROJECT	-	0
8	L.A. GIRLS	6	0
9	LIPS	18	0
10	HEADSHOTS	13	0
11	IN TRANSITION	21	0
12	REGULATORS	-	0
13	HOW I SEIZE IT	23	0
14	PARALLELS	26	0
15	THE COLD READ	-	0
16	SISTAS	22	0

See the rest of the poll results and watch last week's Top 3 Indie web series below:

VENICE (watch with subscription)

READER POLL RESULTS: Indie Series of the Week (August 4-10 2013); VENICE #1

VENICE stars Crystal Chappell & Robert Newman topped our actor
polls this week.

The results are in from the We Love Soaps Indie Series of the Week poll for web series that aired August 4-10, 2013. The Season 4 premiere of VENICE was voted favorite show of our readers. New episodes of BLOOMERS and HE'S WITH ME were next. The series premiere of L.A. GIRLS had a solid debut in fourth with the latest from TELEVISEAN coming in fifth.

Check out the complete results below including the Favorite Actor, Actress and Couple of the Week:

RANK	SHOW	LAST WEEK	TOP 3
1	VENICE	-	32
2	BLOOMERS	2	4
3	HE'S WITH ME	-	1
4	L.A. GIRLS	-	0
5	TELEVISEAN	-	2
6	MY SYNTHESIZED LIFE	4	1
7	REGULATORS	-	0
8	THE STAFFORD PROJECT	-	0
9	LIPS	9	0
10	WHERE THE BEARS ARE	17	0
11	HEADSHOTS	8	0
12	IF I WAS YOUR GIRL	-	0
13	IN TRANSITION	15	0
14	SISTAS	16	0
15	VALERIE VERSUS VALERIE	-	0
16	SMOKE & MIRRORS	-	0
17	HOW I SEIZE IT	-	0
18	CREAM	18	0

See the rest of the poll results and watch last week's Top 3 Indie web series below:

WATCH: VENICE Season 4 Premiere

The fourth season premiere of Crystal Chappell's VENICE has arrived. Watch it below:

NEWS: Jo Joyner Exits EASTENDERS; VENICE In Curve; Sarah Brown Joins BEACON HILL; Jake Silbermann Covers Times Square Magazine

Tanya Branning is leaving EASTENDERS tonight, and she's taking Lauren, Abi and Oscar with her
The only way to leave Albert Square is quickly.

Tanya's Top 10 Greatest Moments
As Jo Joyner bows out of the BBC1 soap, David Brown looks back at Tanya's knack for bust-ups, burials and getting banged up.

1) Tanya arrives (2006)
2) Oscar is born (2007)
3) Max and Stacey DVD reveal (2007)

Pedro Pascal joins GAME OF THRONES
He will play Prince Oberyn Martell.

Brian Austin Green On ANGER MANAGEMENT As New Regular, Nemesis To Charlie Sheen
Green has been made a regular after a memorable guest stint as Charlie Goodson’s (Sheen) foil Sean.

VENICE stars Nadia Bjorlin, Crystal Chappell and Jessica Leccia cover Curve magazine
You can also enter the Curve contest to win a trip to LA to meet the cast of VENICE and singer Jen Foster.

Sarah Brown joins BEACON HILL
Three-time Emmy-winning actress Sarah Brown has joined the cast of web series BEACON HILL as Katherine Wesley.

LOST's Rebecca Mader Stirs WAREHOUSE 13 Mystery
Syfy is not divulging any details on Mader’s one-episode role.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN WONDERLAND getting more episodes
WONDERLAND is going to be more than 13 episodes. In fact, it’s not really a limited series at all.

Let "Max" Be Your Netflix Guide On PS3
Today Netflix started rolling out Max, a new experience on PlayStation 3 that helps you find something great to watch in a fun, conversational way. You'll find Max on the third or fourth row of the main Netflix screen on your PS3, where Max beckons you to enter his world with one of his many funny call outs. Click on the row and you’ll engage Max's services.

RESULTS: Indie Soap Best of the Week Poll (December 30, 2012-January 5, 2013); THE GROVE No. 1

The results are in from the We Love Soaps Indie Soap Best of the Week poll for web series that aired December 30, 2012-January 5, 2013. The series premiere of THE GROVE was voted as the favorite of our readers this week, followed by the latest episodes of LEAVING EDEN, FUMBLING THRU THE PIECES and LENOX AVENUE.

Check out the complete results below including the Favorite Actor, Actress and Couple of the Week:

WATCH: THE GROVE Series Premiere

Crystal Chappell's brand new web series, THE GROVE, has premiered! THE GROVE tells the story of two families "living, loving, and fighting in a small central California town." Chappell stars along with Robert S. Woods, Jordan Clarke, Jessica Leccia, Beth Maitland, Bobbie Eakes, Michelle Stafford, Lindsey Godfrey, Harrison White, Patrick Kilian, Nadia Bjorlin, Christian LeBlanc, Peter Reckell, Judi Evans and Mark Hapka.

Check out the pilot episode of THE GROVE below (one hour, nine minutes) and let us know what you think.

50 Greatest Soap Couples: #43 Olivia & Natalia From GUIDING LIGHT

COUPLE: Olivia Spencer & Natalia Rivera Aitoro
SHOW: GUIDING LIGHT
RANK: 43
PLAYED BY:
Olivia: Crystal Chappell
Natalia: Jessica Leccia
YEARS: 2007-2009

STORY:
Olivia was suffering from a heart condition and needed a new heart.  After the death of Natalia's husband, Gus, Olivia received his heart and a new lease on life.  Olivia moved into Natalia's farmhouse where she recuperated with Natalia becoming her assistant and helping to take care of Olivia's daughter, Emma (fathered by Phillip Spaulding).  The two women slowly grew closer.  It was Emma's "My Two Mommies" report for school that finally made them realize how others were perceiving them and how much they had grown to love each other.

CLASSIC CLIP: Olivia Kisses Natalia On GUIDING LIGHT 2009

After GUIDING LIGHT's Olivia and Natalia heard Emma's "My Two Mommies" report they went home and Olivia tried to explain to Natalia how people were looking at them at the school. Natalia's wasn't getting it so Olivia kissed her. Watch it unfold below:

VENICE Featured on GO! Magazine

VENICE writer Kim Turrisi, producer/star Crystal Chappell and much of the cast are part of a great feature story in the December/January 2010 issue of GO! Magazine. You can also check out the print version here.

As veteran TV insiders Chappell and Turrisi were attracted to what they saw as the Web’s unrealized potential to deliver innovative material to audiences while generating a profit. They were also drawn to the medium through their united and determined struggle to overcome the restrictions daytime network television places on the realistic portrayal of gay couples. In the Web, each of them saw a landscape offering an opportunity for artistic freedom similar to that of cable’s early days. The permissive and inclusive globescape that is the Web is the ideal venue for a lesbian-centric soap opera.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This paragraph made me think of Douglas Marland's Showtime soap A NEW DAY IN EDEN in the early days of cable that was set to push the envelop and have more creative freedom. It didn't last, probably because it was a show ahead of its time.

GUIDING LIGHT Baby Boom

Jessica Leccia (Natalia, GUIDING LIGHT), Brian Malloy, Don Money (ex-Brian, SCRIPTS & SCRUPLES) and Marcy Rylan (Lizzie, GUIDING LIGHT) shopped at Buy Buy Baby on Monday in New York City. Leccia is expecting her first child in June, while Rylan is expecting her first this fall.

Olivia Confesses Her True Feelings

Olivia confessed her feelings at Gus's grave on GUIDING LIGHT, then revealed all to Natalia. Watch it below:

GUEST COLUMN: On Otalia

Destini at the Otalia website, Big Purple Dreams, has written an excellent piece about GUIDING LIGHT's Olivia and Natalia. As a new feature to the site, I will be adding guest columns from fans, actors, behind the scenes folks and others in the coming months to bring new perspectives on the soap stories we love. I can't think of a better column to start with than this.


On Otalia
By Destini

I must make a confession. I am a soap opera junkie and a fandom pusher. There, I’ve said it and it feels good. CBS soaps are the ones I grew up with, sitting with my mother and grandmother in grand soap opera tradition. ABC soaps became an addiction later, when working as a bartender gave me my days free to watch mindless television. At various times in my life I’ve watched and been a fan of ATWT, AMC, OLTL, GH and GUIDING LIGHT.

I’ve shipped them all from Nuke (Noah and Luke on ATWT) to Kenlee (Kendall and Greenlle on AMC), but especially Bianca, of AMC the only out lesbian main character on daytime TV, and daughter of the infamous Erica Kane. I loved Bianca and Maggie, learned to like Bianca and Lena and looked forward to Bianca and Reese with no small amount of trepidation. Each time I came away from the experience more jaded than before, wondering if any soap would ever get it right.

So imagine my surprise (as Holly Near would say), while watching my favorite daytime character Olivia Spencer on GL. As she navigated her way through receiving the transplanted heart of the married man she’d pined for I was struck mute by the intensity of the scenes she shared with the man’s widow, Jessica Leccia’s Natalia.

Now I’m always up for a good soapy catfight but this was different. Just like Scooby-doo my ears pricked up. I blew the feeling off but kept watching, their emotional connection drawing me in hook, line and sinker. This was good stuff. Classic soap stuff.