Caitlin Van Zandt

The first in a highly personal, non-objective series highlighting various aspects of the last episodes of Guiding Light, which will end its 72 year run on September 18th.

These final weeks of Guiding Light have been pure torture to watch. I don't mean "the new production model" (a phrase I never hope to hear again in my lifetime) or Bonnie Dennison's (Daisy) futile attempts to remember her lines. No, what has been extraordinarily difficult for me as a viewer — who vividly remembers when Roger (Michael Zaslow) kidnapped Holly (Maureen Garrett) in the Caribbean and Ed (then Mart Hulswit) threw him off a cliff — is watching the series' stories come to their inevitable conclusions. READ MORE

Is Jeffrey's (Bradley Cole) death a tragic byproduct of Edmund Winslow's (David Andrew MacDonald) murder? Ashlee (Caitlin Van Zandt) seems to think so. Personally I don't think it is a tragedy at all.

TV Guide Canada's Nelson Branco has released his list of Soap's Worst Actors. No surprise, The Bold and the Beautiful— or Passions 2009 as I like to call it— leads the pack with three folicle strutters making the cut.

 

I owe Beth Chamberlin an apology. A few weeks back in my Top 10 Last Ditch Stunts to Save Guiding Light post, I recommended the show toss the actress in favor of bringing back Beth Raines' originator Judi Evans. While I never saw Evans in the role, I heard from my aunts and mother who watched the show during the heyday of The Four Musketeers, that Evans was even more fantastic as Beth than she was as Days of Our Lives' Adrienne or Another World's Paulina, two of my favorite soap heroines, so for me it seemed like a no brainer to bring back Evans with the show in such a precarious state. Then this past week happened. READ MORE

Funny how the universe sometimes lines up and minds think alike, isn't it? Guiding Light is in the thoughts of a lot of people these days. Bloggers, soap journalists and industry watchers — not to mention the writers, cast and crew of GL — are all on pins and needles about this 72 year old institution. The writing has been on the wall among commentators on the Internet and in the soap press for some time regarding GL's maybe/probably/likely cancellation, which would essentially signal the final march along daytime's trail of tears as the end of the genre.

The signs are obvious and ominous: GL has been hovering at a 1.5 rating for the last few months, a situation exacerbated by a genre-crushing free fall in advertising revenues, which have in turn led to massive budget cuts by the networks for all the shows. If GL doesn't get its act together by the Ides of April, as our own Jamey Giddens so aptly put it, the oldest series on broadcast television will bite the dust. However, there is hope. As has been reported here, Guiding Light needs the minimum of a steady 1.8 rating to avoid getting the ax.

Back to minds thinking alike: Just as I was finalizing this list, Mr. Giddens posted his "Top 10 Last Ditch Stunts To Save Guiding Light," followed by Spauldingfield's awesome GL promo posted by Luke Kerr. Because of their excellent efforts I almost decided to not post these recommendations, but the situtation at Guiding Light is so important to those of us who love the show that I felt it was more important to contribute to the call to keep GL on the air and risk repetition than not do so. Therefore, consider these considerations an addition to their efforts. GL needs viewers not tomorrow, but today and here are ten reasons to tune in right now! READ MORE

 

If anyone thought all those high profile returns at Guiding Light didn't come with a price, they are sadly mistaken. Setside sources have revealed to Daytime Confidential the show will be cleaning house in the new year. Four actors will allegedly be vacating daytime's longest running drama in the early months of 2009.  John Driscoll, who portrays Henry Cooper "Coop" Bradshaw has already reportedly been let go. Rumor has it  the exit will be permanent for the character.  E.J. Bonilla (Rafe) is said to be next, with Bonnie Dennison (Daisy), Kane Manera (Grady), and Caitlin Van Zandt (Ashlee) also set to be axed.

Sources also reveal Guiding Light's writing team will be going through another shake up in the new year as well. Things are set to be scaled down.

Keep your eyes peeled to Daytime Confidential for all the latest scoop on Guiding Light.

 
 

Check out this picture of One Life to Live's Bree Williamson and Guiding Light's Caitlin Van Zandt and then take your best Caption This shot.

Okay you knew it was coming. Now that the Idiots In Charge of The-Soap-Opera-Formerly-Known-as-Days-of-Our-Lives have let the phenomenal Blake Berris go, I decided to start out doing a Wishful Casting about where Berris should end up, but it turned into more of an analysis of which soaps are managing to set things up for their next generation the right way, and which ones are getting it wrong, dead wrong.

Much of the daytime industry is experiencing a serious drought in terms of talented, young stars who can actually, you know, act. Save for The Young and the Restless, One Life to Live and General Hospital, the under 30 set at most soaps is pretty much comprised of rejects from the Pamela Anderson School of Acting and Pantomime.  I'll start with the soaps in most need of help and work my way up. READ MORE

Caitlin Van Zandt

John-Paul Lavoisier

Kirsten Alderson

Marcy Rylan

Van Hansis

Guiding LIght's Caitlin Van Zandt(Ashlee) recently conducted an interview with TVGuide.com discussing her recent weight loss procedure. She speaks about her reasons behind the procedure and how fans can relate to her situation. Here is a small excerpt of Caitlin speaking about telling her personal story on national television, but be sure to check out the entire interview.

TVGuide.com: You're OK playing out this very personal story on national TV?
Van Zandt: When I told [GL exec producer] Ellen Wheeler I was having the procedure she couldn't have been happier. There was crying, hugging, love was in the air. Then she said, "How would you feel about doing this on the show?" I said, "I'd really love it if Ashlee lost weight in a heroin-cokehead-bulimia plot. That might get me some attention. But I guess this Lap-Band thing would be OK, too." Four days after the procedure, I was back on the set doing a love scene with John Driscoll (Coop).