With the recent announcement of "One Life to Live" & "All My Children" being cancelled, we thought we'd pay tribute to a staple in our culture. Check out the fun facts, games and videos we've compiled for your enjoyment. Make sure you comment and click "like" so your facebook friends can see our tribute to the "Stories."
· The Young and the Restless was originally broadcast as half-hour episodes, five times a week, before it was expanded to one-hour episodes on February 4, 1980. The show can also be seen on SOAPnet and is syndicated internationally.
· The feud between Jill Foster Abbott and Katherine Chancellor is the longest running rivalry in daytime history.
· Y&R became the first soap to broadcast in high-definition.
· Y&R has held the top spot for soaps in the Nielsen ratings since 1988.
· “Nadia’s Theme” has been Y&R’s theme song since its premiere. The song was originally titled “Cotton’s Dream” and functioned as incidental music for the 1971 film Bless the Beasts and Children. The tune was later renamed "Nadia's Theme" after ABC lent out the music for Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci's 1976 Summer Olympics performance.
· Including both individual actor awards and show awards, Y&R has racked up over 100 Daytime Emmys over the years.
See if you can answer these trivia questions, and then click to "Show Answer" to see if you were correct!
Before beaming aboard the 'U.S.S. Enterprise,' which 'Star Trek' officer played a shady dude known as Bernie the Pill Pusher on 'General Hospital?'
Leonard Nimoy. Although Jonathan Frakes did time on daytime soaps such as 'The Doctors' and 'Ryan's Hope'--and is married to 'General Hospital's' Laura, Genie Francis--it was Leonard Nimoy who made door-to-door drug deliveries in 1963, just a few short years before beginning his Spock stint. What would Captain Kirk say?!
Which Oscar-winning tough guy was 'executed' by a jealous wife who mistook him for her husband on 'One Life to Live'?
Tommy Lee Jones. Tommy Lee Jones played blackmailing adulterer Dr. Mark Toland from 1971 to 1975. Toland wore a white coat, but inside he was a man in black. When his frigid wife proved to be a bust in bed, he started playing doctor with a colleague. But pleasure interfered with business, and they ended up killing one of their patients.
Don't you hate the terrible twos? On soaps, they strike way too often, thanks to the notorious long-lost-twin storyline. Which famous film actress won a Daytime Emmy for playing twin sisters on 'Another World?'
Anne Heche. Anne Heche's real-life romantic escapades may have grabbed headlines, but they pale in comparison to those she had as Vicky and Marley Hudson from 1987 to 1991. The twins had a knack for getting involved with the same guys. One, Marley's estranged husband, even raped her. But much is forgiven in the world of soaps. Years later, Vicky (then played by another actress) married the erstwhile rapist.
From 1981 to 1984, Philly star Kim Delaney played 'All My Children's' lovelorn Jenny Gardner, that rare soap character who has yet to come back from the dead. How did young Jenny meet her untimely demise?
Killed in an explosion. Jenny's jealous ex-fiance, Tony, tried to blow his competition out of the water--literally. When newlyweds Greg and Jenny were honeymooning, Tony wired the groom's Jet Ski with an explosive device. He ended up killing the woman he loved when Jenny got on instead.
In 1982, 'Strong Medicine's' Janine Turner joined the cast of 'General Hospital' as Laura Templeton, a woman who disappeared at exactly the same time as Laura Spencer (of 'Luke and Laura' fame). Which movie actress played Templeton's sister?
Demi Moore. When she was just 19, Demi Moore beat out a thousand other actresses for the part of Jackie Templeton, an investigative journalist who teamed up with (and comforted) the Laura-less Luke to locate the missing women.
Before he shook his bon-bon, Ricky Martin played an aspiring singer 'Living La Vida Loca' on what daytime drama?
'General Hospital'. Though he's passionate, young, restless, bold and beautiful, the former Menudoan was introduced to daytime audiences in 1994 as 'General Hospital's' Miguel Morez, an aspiring singer who was almost silenced permanently for falling in love with the daughter of a Puerto Rican crime boss.
Don't expect 'All My Children's' Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) to fondly reminisce about daughter Kendall, who was as deceitful and conniving as Mom. Which young TV star played Erica's offspring, earning a 'Daytime Emmy'--and Lucci's wrath?
Sarah Michelle Gellar. In 1993, before she was a slayer, Sarah Michelle Gellar joined 'AMC' as Erica's long-lost daughter. (Erica had been raped and put the baby up for adoption.) Among other onscreen crimes, Kendall claimed Erica's husband raped her--and then testified against her mother after Erica almost committed murder to avenge the 'rape.' Offscreen, Gellar won a 'Daytime Emmy' in 1995--when the oft-nominated Lucci was still awardless.
In the early 1980s, he was on 'Guiding Light,' and she was on 'Another World.' Today, they have one of show biz's more stable marriages. Who are they?
Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick. Married since 1988, Kyra and Kevin have been luckier in love than their daytime counterparts were. From 1980 to 1981, Bacon played T.J. Werner, who turned to booze after his girlfriend dumped him for his best friend. From 1982 to 1983, Sedgwick's character, Julia Shearer, unsuccessfully pursued the man her mother was dating.
Just three years before his big movie break, this actor played a young whippersnapper who turned his life around on 'One Life to Live'?
Laurence Fishburne. When he was just 12, Laurence Fishburne created the role of Joshua West. He played the part from 1973 to 1976, just three years before his breakthrough role in 'Apocalypse Now.'
What were the names of the look-alike half sisters Julianne Moore played on 'As the World Turns' from 1985 to 1988?
Frannie and Sabrina. Frannie and Sabrina didn't develop much of a sisterly bond. Frannie's fiance once mistook Sabrina for his betrothed and didn't realize his mistake until after they had made love. Oops! Moore was so effective in both roles she earned a 'Daytime Emmy.'
See if you know the answers to these "Back from the Dead" Soap Opera characters. Have fun!
1. Which "GL" wife and mom drove her car off a bridge in Florida and was presumed dead when her body was not found?
Reva Shayne. Shortly after giving birth to Shayne, Reva was deep in depression. She drove her car off a bridge. Her son Dylan and his girlfriend Samantha Marler were in the car. Dylan and Sam escaped but Reva's body was not found. She ended up in San Cristobel, where she became known as Princess Catherine. Kim Zimmer, who plays Reva, was off the show during this time. A few years after her return, the show explained her absence with the San Cristobel storyline.
2. On "B&B", which wife of a Forrester lived the life of a princess in Saudi Arabia, while the Forrester family was mourning her death after her plane crashed?
Taylor Hayes. Taylor was living in Saudi Arabia with Prince Omar. He was eventually holding her prisoner and convinced her that Ridge, her husband, had moved on with his life.
3. On "DOOL", which Horton family member was presumed dead after a firey explosion? When she returned, her husband had moved on with another woman.
Hope Williams. When Kristian Alfonse, who plays Hope Williams Brady, returned to the show, Bo had moved on with Billie Reed. Hope returned as Gina, not remembering her life with Bo.
4. While the residents of Genoa City ("Y&R") mourned his death, this man was in Kansas, meeting the woman who would become his wife. Who returned to Genoa City after everyone thought he was dead?
Victor Newman. Victor met Hope Adams when he ended up on her farm in Kansas. He had been car-jacked. He had escaped but the person who stole his car was in an explosion in his car, leading everyone to think he Victor was dead.
5. On "AW", Cass Winthrop "lost" his his first wife. Frankie Frame, his second wife, discovered that the first wife was still alive after all. What was the name of Cass' first wife?
Kathleen McKinnon. When Frankie discovered that Kathleen McKinnon was still alive, she made Cass choose between them. He chose Kathleen. Eventually, he and Frankie ended up back together, until Frankie was killed by the Bay City Stalker. Kathleen was Jake McKinnon's cousin.
6. Before "AW" went off the air, this villain "died" yet another time and then returned to his wife and their twins. Which Bay City villain came back from the dead on a number of occasions?
Carl Hutchins. Towards the end of the show, Carl Hutchins "died" in a plan crash. In May of 1998, he returned to his wife and their twins, Elizabeth and Cory.
7. It seems that the bad guys fake their own deaths and the good guys "die" and get amnesia or are held hostage somewhere before they can return. On "GL", which bad guy fathered Blake, Hart, and Sebastian, and has come back from the dead on at least a couple of occasions?
Roger Thorpe. In the fall of 2004, "GL" embarked on a storyline to pay tribute to Michael Zaslow, the actor who played Roger Thorpe for years. The actor died of ALS in the late 1990's and the show has reportedly struggled with how to wrap up Roger's story in a way that would pay tribute to Zaslow.
8. Not all the good guys get amnesia or are held against their will though. On "B&B", which songbird "died" in an explosion and ended up in Italy with her father?
Macey Alexander. Thorne found Macey again when he and Forrester Creations travelled to Italy to compete against Spectra. Macey returned to L.A. and reunited with Thorne only briefly. She found out that he had slept with her best friend, Darla, and that Darla was pregnant.
9. And another "GL" question: a flash flood in Mexico "claimed the life" of this former princess. Who is she?
Beth Raines. Beth had gone to Mexico to get a divorce from Edmund. She was washed away in a flash flood. When she eventually returned to Springfield, she had Multiple Personality Disorder, had been married to Bill Lewis while away, and caused trouble for many residents of Springfield as Lorelei Hill.
10. On "DOOL", no one seems to believe it anymore when this villain "dies". No one is ever really surprised though when they learn he is the father of yet another child. Who is he?
Stefano DiMera. Stefano has fathered more children than any other man in Salem, either by adoption or biologically. He has died and come back to Salem, usually seeking revenge on someone, on numerous occasions.
The Associated Press reported in 1986 that sixty students at California State University, Fullerton of a group of 100 could recognize Erica Kane but not historical figures such as Alexander Hamilton, Geoffrey Chaucer and Desmond Tutu when asked by English instructor Judith Remy Leder.
Susan Lucci hosted the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live on October 6, 1990. In one sketch, Lucci played Kane as a contestant on the fictional game show "Game Breakers". She seduced fictional game show host Jack Morgan (portrayed by Phil Hartman), thus enabling her to soundly beat her opponent. Morgan came close to marrying Kane (in a ceremony presided over by Don Pardo), but the wedding was interrupted by real-life game show host (and "current husband") Gene Rayburn. The sketch ended with Kane being mauled by a panther owned by Siegfried and Roy (portrayed by Kevin Nealon and Dana Carvey).
The Erica Kane character provided inspiration for three songs, all of which were named after her. Alternative rock band Urge Overkill titled a song after the character on their album Saturation.
The late musical artist Aaliyah recorded a song about it called "Erica Kane" which was released posthumously on the album I Care 4 U. The band B5 also recorded a song about Erica Kane entitled "Erika Cain." The song talks about how they're in a relationship with a beautiful girl, but she is crazy. The group contacted All My Children's producers about doing a cameo on the show. They appeared in the April 25, 2008 episode as activists rallying for Erica's release from prison. During the appearance, the group performed "Erika Cain." They also taped a video for the song with Susan Lucci.
Rapper Lil' Kim at times refers to herself as "the black Erica Kane."
Mattel created two dolls based on Erica Kane as part of the company's Daytime Drama Collection. They released the first one in 1998. Mattel modeled that doll after the character's appearance during the Crystal Ball, an annual event in All My Children's storylines. After that doll met with success, they released the second in 1999 called the Champagne Lace Wedding Erica Kane Doll. This one was based on the character as she was during the 1993 wedding to Dimitri Marick.
Over the years, Susan Lucci became known for gaining Daytime Emmy nominations for her portrayal of Erica, but never winning. Almost every year from 1978 to 1998, Lucci received nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama series and never won. Her negative reactions to the losses, including pounding her fist on the table and leaving one ceremony in tears, were mentioned in tabloids.
Her losses also caused her fellow cast mate Ruth Warrick to speak out to the press. In 1983, when Lucci lost to All My Children newcomer Dorothy Lyman (Opal), Warrick said, "It seemed impossible that Susan wouldn't win this year. We are all very puzzled, amazed, and disgruntled." She later added, "It was a slap in the face to Susan that Dorothy should walk off with it after being on the show such a short time. And of course her role was so outrageous and so, well, it was a caricature. That's not in any way to put down what Dorothy did, but it really was a supporting role rather than a leading role."
The losing streak became a "long-running gag" in the entertainment community. Jary Leno on The Tonight Show used it as a joke as did Saturday Night Live. The author of The Emmy, Thomas O'Neil, attributed the losses to the material she submitted for consideration. "In the episodes she sent in last year, she was crying 75 percent of the time," he said. "She drowned her chances in a tsunami of tears. Lucci won the Emmy in 1999, receiving a two minute standing ovation at the win and again after the show in the press room.
A reporter in the press room questioned whether she would miss the attention she got for losing, to which Lucci responded, "Oh, not for a minute. Winning is definitely better." The entries Lucci submitted for the 1999 Emmys involved scenes from Erica's storyline where she helps Bianca deal with her anorexia.
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