A traffic jam,
When you're already late,
A no smoking sign,
On your cigarette break.

"Ironic" —Alanis Morrissette

Congratulations to One Life to Live, which tonight took home the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Daily Drama Series, the same week the show's executive producer Frank Valentini decided to stop "advancing story" for the groundbreaking couple that helped them achieve the nomination in the first place. Sorry, still bitter. Kudos to OLTL's head writer Ron Carlvati, Scott Evans (Fish), Brett Claywell (Kyle), Nicholas Rodriguez (Nick), Robin Strasser (Dorian) and everyone else involved in this amazing, if not "mainstream", story.

This week in Daytime,

I called bullshit! One Life to Live's ratings decline was blamed on the gays because the storyline reportedly doesn't "resonate with the mainstream audience." Which loyal and core audience does ABC Daytime think helped make Grey's Anatomy the No. 1 show in all of primetime? Who do they think tunes into ABC's Sunday night scripted lineup of Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters? Who do they think made the Bravo network a smash success? Who do they think tuned in to Ugly Betty for four seasons? Fans of soapy storytelling and gays, that's who. The same "mainstream" audiences who enjoy the gay storylines at nighttime and on cable are the very ones who watch in the daytime.

The Kish storyline and its lead characters are far better than any gay storyline Desperate Housewives has given us. Kyle (Brett Claywell) and Fish's (Scott Evans) relationship has been more organic than anything the soaptastic Shonda Rhimes has penned for her lesbian characters on Grey's Anatomy. I would put Kyle and Fish up against Brothers & Sisters' Kevin (Matthew Rhys) and Scotty (Luke Macfarlane) any day. To ABC's rationale I say bullshit!

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Network television might not be the safest place for daily serialzed dramas—or their fans— anymore, but it looks like our dreams of cable stepping up to the plate to save our suds may finally be starting to come true. New York Daily News is reporting TeenNick will be trying out the telenovela format for the upcoming 10th season of Degrassi: The Next Generation.

The network will air half-hour versions of the teen drama 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday for six weeks, Nickelodeon President Cyma Zarghami told the Daily News Thursday.

"We're making additional episodes, a little more in the telenovela format, a little bit faster, cheaper and more efficient," Zarghami said. "It will be, I think, a big success."

One Life to Live's Jerry verDorn may not have been able to return for the Guiding Light finale to reunite Ross with Blake (Elizabeth Keifer), but GL fans who attended the "So Long Springfield" event at the Mohegan Sun Resort & Casino on March 7 were treated to just such a reunion. New mommy and soon-to-be The Young and the Restless star Marcy Rylan also participated in the event, along with Beth Chamberlin, Kim Zimmer, Robert Newman, Jessica Leccia, Bradley Cole, Grant Aleksander, Justin Deas and Michael O'Leary. See more photos from the "So Long Springfield" event after the jump.

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Outraged fans across the web are springing up to do whatever they can to prevent One Life to Live executive producer Frank Valentini from scrapping what many (including myself) feel has been the most authentic and successful gay love story daytime has ever told, that of Oliver Fish (Scott Evans) and Kyle Lewis (Brett Claywell). The best effort I've spied so far is the "Don't Put Kish In The Closet"  Post Card Campaign.

I haven't said much about all of this up until now, because my old J-School prof used to advise me to wait for 24 to 36 hours to write about something that really gets me fired up. Now if you read me here on this site, or follow me on Twitter, you know I rarely follow that advice, but for something this sensitive, this imperative, this game-changing for OLTL and, in my opinion, the entire industry, I decided to take a breather for a couple of days.

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What are your First Impression of Daniel Cosgrove as Chris Hughes on As the World Turns?

As the World Turns' Terri Colombino and One Life to Live's Bree Williamson and David Gregory popped up at the 25th Annual Starlight Children's Foundation Gala on March 4 at the Marriott Marquis to help shed light on a worthy cause. Check out photos from the event. (Daytime Confidential)

In the spirit of ABC's "Rediscover" campaign, we've put together our own... Rediscover Hillary! With the reveal this week that Damon is actually the son of Hillary Wilson, one of Tad's former loves, this is the time to get to know her. Also the PVB is appealing to fans to get Carmen Thomas-Paris back in the role she created. (Pine Valley Bulletin)

The only thing in the world more pleasing to the ear than Olivia's righteously angry smackdown of Sonny would be the sentence "Breaking News: Bob Guza Fired!" But since we'll probably never get the hear the latter, the Serial Drama girls will just play (and re-play) the former when they need a pick-me-up. (Serial Drama)

If The Bold and the Beautiful's Steffy does just one thing right, she will convince the new owners to change the FC name from 'Forrester Creations' to 'Freakish Creations" or something because in my mind, that is the only way the buying public will ever be able to relate to these wretched retailers. (Soap Opera Examiner)

Wub Tub Sunday Surgery explores March General Hospital spoilers including the Keifer drama, newbies coming to Port Charles and some great tweets from your fave stars. (Wubs) READ MORE

Steamboat's Michael O'Leary visited with We Love Soaps' Damon Jacobs about his new web series in a two-part interview.  In the chat, O'Leary discusses fan's speculation about who Kim Zimmer's role as Steamboat's executive producer is based on.

We Love Soaps: Let’s talk about Kim Zimmer’s role as the Executive Producer on STEAMBOAT. Fans can’t help but speculate who this is based on. Is there anything you want to say about that?

Michael O' Leary: Of course I think of all the Executive Producers I’ve worked for. Originally I wanted the Exec to be a man. But Kim lives three blocks from me, and I thought, “Okay, I’ll make him a her.” Kim does not at all resemble Ellen Wheeler in any shape or form. There was Gail Kobe, who was my first Exec. There was Jill Farren-Phelps, Paul Rauch, and Michael Laibson. I can’t say of all these Execs that she resembles anyone in particular. All I wanted was a real top female who, as she says, has bigger balls than anyone else on the show. The men are a bit afraid of her.

Read Part 1 and Part 2 at We Love Soaps and watch the most recent episode of Steamboat after the jump.

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It's about that time soap opera fans. Victoria Rowell's long-awaited premiere novel, Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva will hit bookstores on May 4 (you can pre-order the tome at Amazon.com), that's less than two months away! Judging from the saucy synopsis of the book, featured on the official Simon and Schuster website, we're in for one soaptacular ride!

Calysta Jeffries is the hottest black actress in daytime and the diva of the soap opera world, known for her role as Ruby Stargazer on television’s most popular soap opera, "The Rich and the Ruthless."

After fifteen years, three returns from the dead, two failed pregnancies, one alien abduction, and overcoming retrograde amnesia, Calysta still hasn’t managed to snag the biggest award in daytime drama: the Sudsy. Now is supposed to be her moment. But Calysta’s onscreen/offscreen rival Emmy Abernathy wins the award for the fourth time. The drama begins when journalist Mitch Morelli asks Calysta for a quote after the award show and her true feelings for her costar slip out.

Ripped from the headlines of Soap Opera Digest and straight off of the television screen, Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva will give readers plenty to talk about as they try to guess where the real world ends and Rowell’s imagination begins.

I cannot wait! Check out the hilarious video below where the former The Young and the Restless star and her alter ego Calysta Jeffries aka Ruby Stargazer dish the life of a soap opera diva!

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Here’s the Scoop!

Let’s tackle these Bradford Anderson RUMORS that have been circulating the net these past few days. Before those of you who haven’t seen them get freaked out, let me SQUASH THEM. He isn't going anywhere. The RUMORS had him being the victim of some mob violence as a way for his character Spinielli to exit the canvas. Now, as I’ve already mentioned Spixie as a couple is getting a little stale in some fan’s eyes and we MAY see them go in another direction.This fake caper that lands Maxie in a hospital bed COULD be the start of it. As our friend Karen from Wubs.net pointed out on Twitter a few days back, the only place we know of Bradford going is a honeymoon as he is engaged to be married.

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