The event, which was sponsored in part by ABC Daytime, SoapNet and The Walt Disney Company, was hosted by Cameron Mathison and headlined by Susan Lucci, along with stars from the entire ABC Daytime lineup including: Amanda Baker, Rebecca Budig, Melissa Claire Egan, Bobbie Eakes, Colin Egglesfield, Billy Miller Sterling Sulieman, Chrishell Stause and Walt Willey from "All My Children," Justis Bolding, BethAnn Bonner, Kathy Brier, Kamar de los Reyes, Kassie DePaiva, Farah Fath, Catherine Hickland, Brian Kerwin, John-Paul Lavoisier, Hillary B. Smith, Tika Sumpter, Jason Tam and Bree Williamson from "One Life to Live" and Bradford Anderson, Sonya Eddy and Kimberly McCullough from "General Hospital." Special appearances were also made by Whoopi Goldberg of "The View" and Sierra Boggess and Sean Palmer from Disney's "The Little Mermaid."
The evening featured the ABC daytime stars singing and dancing in a variety of musical numbers. Additional funds were raised via online auctions awarding the highest bidders of three separate packages to act in comedy skits on stage with actors from the three daytime dramas. Cameron Mathison, a contestant last season on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars," also granted the opportunity for the highest bidder of a special lot to perform a dance with him on stage during the performance.
Think being a gainfully employed soap opera star in a front-burner storyline is always a bed of roses? Well, think again. Every now and then actors are faced with thorns – plots that make them see red, cringe with discomfort, or wince. Read on to find out which twists irked, irritated, and in a few cases, downright exasperated daytime’s finest.
Hillary B. Smith (Nora, ONE LIFE TO LIVE)
“The Cabana Debacle. (Nora and Sam made love in a cabana, so she could
conceive a child and pass it off as Bo’s.) It was so out-of-character. It
bore no resemblance to what my character would have ever done. It was a
plot twist that I have personally been paying for – and my character has
been paying for – ever since. If I had to do it again, I would have taken
a strong stand and said, ‘No, figure out another way!’”
I was thrilled when ABC broke the news that OLTL would be joining its sister soap, AMC, in the American Heart Association’s newly-founded “Go Red for Women” campaign. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death among women in the US and is grossly underreported, and a topic rarely given the attention it so richly deserves by health professionals and the mainstream media. Furthermore, many of us know someone who has been afflicted with heart disease, or will suffer its effects for ourselves. Heart disease runs on both sides of my family, so I was particularly elated that the network was joining its various sponsors in bringing this vital health issue to light. Unfortunately, the timing of the network’s attempt to participate in the “Go Red” campaign coincided with the ongoing WGA strike. In my humble opinion, the importance of this health issue and its impact on women was downplayed as OLTL labored to generate a satisfactory product minus its powerhouse scribe, Ron Carlivati. Therefore, the show’s attempt to “Go Red” and generate a strong public service announcement simply fizzled, which is truly unfortunate.
OLTL missed several opportunities to utilize its cast in an effective way to reach its viewing audience about the effects of heart disease on women. Hillary’s fans are well aware of her firsthand experience with heart disease in relation to her daughter Courtney, who suffers from ventricular tachycardia, as she has publicly spoken out about the issue to raise awareness. Further, Viki’s character possesses a history of heart disease and yet this was completely ignored within the schematic of the “Go Red” Ball and OLTL’s overall campaign. While heart disease afflicts women of all ages, OLTL’s female veterans represent an age group that is hard hit by cardiac-related illnesses. Unfortunately, the show failed to utilize Hillary and the remainder of OLTL’s female vets to send a strong message, which represented a grave oversight. So that aspect of the “Go Red” Ball was certainly disappointing. Another area where the show faltered pertained to that of romance, as it seems that everyone except for the viewers neglected to acknowledge Valentine’s Day in any substantive manner. While many of us would disagree as to which male suitor deserves Nora’s affections, we all would concur that she deserves to be wined, dined and romanced – especially in light of the Valentine’s Day she endured last year.
The reason I have dedicated so much time to discussing the shortcomings of the “Go Red” Ball and the Valentine’s Day episodes is as follows. First, these were glaring blunders that prevented OLTL from impacting viewers on both an educational and an entertainment level. Second, this exemplifies just how quickly a show that is on an uphill swing can stumble and lose ground. The viewing majority is well aware that Gary Tomlin, former OLTL Executive Producer, stepped in to temporarily assume Head Writing duties during Ron Carlivati’s absence. Allow me to say that I am a huge admirer of Gary Tomlin, and he is someone I respect greatly. As EP, he always had a knack for thinking outside the box and sought to pack as great an entertainment punch (i.e. “Live Week” and “Babes Behind Bars”) as possible. At times these stunts came across as “campy” or over-the-top, but in a way that was refreshing and gutsy. I also recall the amount of airtime Hillary enjoyed during Tomlin’s tenure as EP, and I am therefore grateful he has kept Nora on the front burner and that Hillary remains prominently featured throughout each week. Yet one thing is crystal clear. There is a richness and depth to Carlivati’s dialogue that has been sorely lacking during Tomlin’s short-term tenure. For example, I cannot imagine anyone other than Ron Carlivati, except for Griffith and Malone, who could’ve penned the intense scenes where Nora recently (and at long last) confronted Bo in relation to their past and his treatment of her. The emotion was so strong during those scenes – and perfectly executed by Hillary and Bob Woods - that you could have sliced through it with a knife. So while I am grateful that if anyone had to step in during the writers’ strike and fill Carlivati’s shoes, it was indeed Gary Tomlin, I truly miss the meaningful and powerful character interactions that Carlivati has carved out for Nora. Not only have they given Hillary a chance to strut her stuff, but they’ve enabled Nora’s character to progress in new directions, which is imperative if she is to remain on the canvas and secure a stronghold within the show’s future landscape.
The events of the past several weeks have fostered a strong reminder that viewers who enjoy Ron’s writing and what he brings to the table need to continuously “step up” and write in support of him. A case in point is as follows. In January of 2007, Hillary was featured in one episode. In contrast, she was featured in thirteen episodes in January of 2008. What has changed? The answer is simple, and reflects the transition in Head Writers from Dena Higley to Ron Carlivati. This also reinforces that a Head Writer can make or break the fate of a daytime actor and his or her character. Having said that, and based upon my respect for Tomlin, I have enjoyed some amusing moments that emerged from his writing, as they mimicked the tone of his former tenure with the show. While I didn’t appreciate hearing Clint tell Nora and Lindsay to “shut up,” and thought much of the dialogue was trite and ill-conceived throughout the “Go Red” Ball, how fun was it to see these two archrivals roll around on the floor just like the good old days? As much as the confrontation between Nora and Lindsay at the “Go Red” Ball may have seemed immature, this was vintage Tomlin and soapy fare at its funniest. Lindsay always seeks to destroy the truth and remove herself from one conundrum after another, while Nora, in turn, consistently seeks to exploit the truth and catch Lindsay in her endless web of lies. So while the dialogue may not have been top rate, Hillary and Catherine Hickland never fail to amuse, and they enabled me to pluck the best from what Tomlin has thus far dished up to OLTL viewers while subbing as Head Writer.
Obviously, Tomlin has written within Carlivati’s framework, but it is difficult to determine how many modifications he has made via the writing process. I am impressed that we’re continuing to see the history involving Nora, Bo, Lindsay, Clint, Dorian and Viki explored and incorporated into the various offshoots of story, namely that of Nora and Clint’s budding relationship and Bo’s ousting from the Llanview Police Department. I actually believe this is one of the most significant and positive experiences that Bo’s character could endure, as he is long overdue for a complete overhaul. While I will never embrace any other character as Llanview’s Police Commissioner, and while this occurrence is perhaps only fleeting, I am genuinely thrilled for what lies ahead for Bo’s character as a result. In any case, his removal from the LPD and events that follow will only serve to “up” the stakes in what transpires between him, Nora, Clint and Lindsay, and if Ron Carlivati was indeed the psyche behind this event, kudos to him once again. So while not even the most talented scribe can please all of the fans all of the time, I’m simply delighted that Hillary has once again been reestablished as a force with which to be reckoned on OLTL’s canvas. Though I’m still chomping at the bit for her to serve as nucleus to her own front-burner storyline, I genuinely believe that Carlivati understands the concept of viewer payoff and that Hillary’s fans will not be short-changed this time around. Perhaps good things do indeed come to those who wait.
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~ SUPPORT HILLARY ~
"So many things have happened to Nora in the last year, I can't even remember all of them. It was been a really good year. I really like what's happened.
It started out in the warehouse with Bo. They were very interesting scenes between two people who genuinely care about each other, who have chemistry without trying. They have an understanding and a deep, deep affection for each other, even though things didn't work out. It is her wedding day and she's trapped with Bo. So, if you start with that, it's a journey, and you end up going through the realization of what Lindsay has done and how Lindsay has destroyed her life. Then she goes and becomes a vengeful person, which wasn't in her nature, but it was a fight for the truth to come out. Then it comes down to the train where she finally goes to Bo and says, 'I can't move on with my life. I'm trying. I can't move on with my life. I need you to forgive me for what I did to you. I just need that,' and he says, 'No!' And then there was the train wreck and those wonderful scenes in the train before she goes.
After that, it was about trying to piece together what happened to her. All she had when she couldn't use her body was her mind, which was always Nora's strongest point. That was kind of fun to re-explore. It's been re-exploring and reinventing Nora and bringing back who she was originally. Now, with no memory, what you have is the Nora who first came to Llanview who was fiesty, a bit itchy, with not a lot of patience and wanting answers real quick. That was the person who came to Llanview…and Bo is the one who tamed her. And then came the next step: She remembered Bo and you saw the tamed Nora come up. That's still not remembering Sam and not remembering the cabana, which I thank the writers for profusely.
Would I like to see her get her memory back? What's ahead for her? It would be great if she remembered what Lindsay did. That would be wonderful! There's no one Nora likes fighting with better than Lindsay. We'll see what happens. That little blonde bimbo is getting away with a lot."
