Cover Story
MOST POWERFUL SOAPERS — 2013
Who Wields Their Power For Good or Evil?
Not a lot of soapers have much power these days. In fact, soap power is kind of an oxymoron these days due to the morons in charge who refuse to evolve the genre and who are obsessed with dismantling it; but UNCENSORED manage to find a gaggle of movers and shakers who are leading the charge in these exciting yet uncertain times in daytime TV. Power was calculated by level of autonomy, salary worth, reach of power, marketing/publicity prowess, future prospects and popularity.
EILEEN DAVIDSON, DAYS/Y&R
Everyone wants a piece of Eileen. They’re even dedicating songs to her on Twitter to convince her to (re)join their respective soaps. Ironic, since Y&R fired the star not once but twice (so did B&B). Since her triumphant return to DAYS, Davidson has single-handedly resurrected the show back to its former glory with a modern spin. While stars like Tony Geary and Steve Burton command daytime’s highest paycheques, it’s a sad day when someone of Davidson’s epic talent, eternal beauty and guaranteed ratings impact has to fight for scraps in this industry. Now “freelancing,” Davidson has turned the tables on daytime and is demanding they play by her rules. Nicely played, Eileen. Oh, and her fierce new haircut just proves how hip this chick is! For someone in her early 90s, it’s unbelievable she still looks 35. Now that’s power!
BRAD BELL, B&B
Ratings have hit a five-year high for the second most watched soap in America. It’s also the world’s most watched daily serial. Like his father, William Bell Senior, Bradley Bell marches to the beat of his own drummer. Because of this, B&B has not been raped and dismantled like its competition has over the decades. In fact, the once campy soap opera has never been better – creatively. Despite the losses of its iconic superstars, Susan Flannery and Ronn Moss, B&B only thrived after their shocking exits from the canvas. Much like Bill Bell did with Peter Bergman as nuJack (replacing Terry Lester), Brad is taking a bold risk by recasting Moss with Thorsten Kaye. Moreover, he rejuvenated his tiring younger love triangle by bringing in breakout star Darin Brooks as Wyatt after another popular star left the series, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood. He’s also produced a reality-TV series within a soap, ROOM 8, as well as launching it as its own separate entity online. Bell has also brought diversity to the whitest soap on air by writing in black and lesbian characters. Plus, he’s the only showrunner who produces a location shoot each month in one form or another. Yep, there’s no stopping Bell. Ring it, Brad, and they will come.
FRANK VALENTINI AND RON CARLIVATI, GH
Need a miracle? A soap savior? Or just a hot showrunner to look at? Call Frank Valentini, The Soap Avenger! The former ONE LIFE executive producer couldn’t save Llanview from cancelation (no one could despite it being the highest rated ABC sudser on air at the time of its axing because the net had already made its mind up due to it favouring GH) but he used his super powers to give GH a reprieve from cancel-happy ABC. Stars are happy, the budget is balanced, veterans are back on the front burner, the show looks better than ever, publicity has improved, nighttime talk shows are talking Port Chuck again, and he successfully integrated the Llanview 3 as new GH characters. Oh, and there are a lot of naked chest and torsos on daytime again. But, most importantly, the cast is not dictated by superstar egos and their salary demands. Take that, Steve Burton. The only liability Valentini has is a whopping $95+ million dollar lawsuit against ABC thanks to Prospect Park’s allegations of breach of trust and fraud. Valentini’s secret weapon? Head writer Ron Carlivati who writes one hell of an entertaining soap opera, fusing traditional, character-driven narratives with campy, adventure fun. It’s a winning formula and one not easily attainable, but Carlivati makes it all look so easy.
JILL FARREN PHELPS, Y&R
The most successful show killer of all time is helming daytime’s number-one soap opera and she’s doing what she does best: dismantling history, focusing on plot-driven stories instead of characters, killing off legacy players, infusing the narrative with cheesy music, lying to the press and fans, focusing on emasculated men and bad mothers, stunt casting, and building ugly outdoor sets. It’s not even been a year and she’s already copied two GH plots and garnered short-term ratings gains instead of shooting for long-term success. Why is she so powerful? Because no one is stopping or micromanaging her. And, this time around, she has a more money to play with and more ratings to destroy. Giving JFP Y&R to produce is akin to giving Toronto Mayor Rob Ford a Baking Soda plant and a hot spoon. Be very afraid, soapers. Because this hack uses her power for evil.
ANGELICA MCDANIEL, CBS
We prayed for an angel to come in and help save daytime TV. What we got was a sassy, straight talking, young-ish executive with bright new ideas and an appreciation for social media, fans and the press. The whippersnapper wisely leaves Brad Bell alone to do what he does best, and she’s brought THE TALK into the zeitgeist. I also have it on good authority that soap fans have McDaniel to thank for pushing CBS to realize there is a future for soaps on CBS when she joined the net. She’s also responsible for reviving THE PRICE IS RIGHT and LET’s MAKE A DEAL franchises with outside-the-box ideas. Her liabilities? While McDaniel has inspired her soaps to focus on diverse stories and characters, her appointment has yet to resolve Y&R’s creative issues. Or JFP for short.