Our latest My Take/My Take, Too column appears in the July 22nd issue of Soap Opera Digest, on newsstands today. Our editors asked us to give our thoughts on the Daytime Emmy Awards and, remarkably, we were able to do so without swearing. We wonder what some Emmy voters were thinking, question the production values of the pre-show and ceremony and weep again over the fact that General Hospital was named Outstanding Daytime Drama.
In our most recent Soap Opera Digest column, we were all about the Daytime Emmys. After the jump, our thoughts about the nominations, our outrage over several snubs, our fervent hope that two certain shows don't walk away with the title of Outstanding Daytime Drama and a plan to make Kirsten Storms a faux Emmy to call her own.
Be sure to pick up a copy of the June 17th issue of Soap Opera Digest, on newsstands today. In this month's My Take/My Take, Too, Becca and Mallory take on the Daytime Emmy award nominations and share their thoughts on the biggest snubs, the most outrageous nods and their fervent hope for red carpet awesomeness. This marks the offical start of our second annual Serial Drama Daytime Emmys Live Blogging Extravaganza, so make sure to stop by over the coming days for Emmy posts, polls and predictions leading up to the show on Friday, June 20th.
In our most recent Soap Opera Digest column, we turned our ever-critical eyes to All My Children, Days of Our Lives and The Young and the Restless. After the jump, Mallory asks why long-lost twins and ghosts have become so trendy and practically begs the powers-that-be at AMC to bring Dixie back, while Becca learns the hard lesson that, when it comes to Days, first impressions aren't always right.
Our latest My Take/My Take, Too marks our one year anniversary of writing for Soap Opera Digest, and we could not be more thrilled about it. To be complete cheeseballs for a moment: we are extremely grateful to Stephanie Sloane and Lynn Leahey for giving us this column and allowing us to nitpick to our hearts' content.
The column is in the May 13th issue of Soap Opera Digest, which is on newsstands now and in it, Mallory wonders why All My Children and The Young and the Restless decided that long-lost twins and ghosts were the way to go: whatever happened to just bringing people back from the dead? Becca admits that she may have been too quick to judge the potential awesomeness of Dr. Jonas and the potential trainwreckishness of a non-dead John Black.
In our latest column, we pulled no punches when it came to All My Children and General Hospital. After the jump, Becca feels alone as she wonders what's so special about GH's special effects and why the powers-that-be have chosen sets as the one thing on the show they want to be realistic, while Mallory feels like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, trapped in a life of endlessly repeating AMC and GH storylines.
If you're so inclined, check out our column on pages 44 and 45 of the issue of Soap Opera Digest that's in your mailbox or on newsstands now. In it, Becca wonders whether she is the only soap fan/critic who thinks GH's special effects are garbage, and why anyone thinks it's important that soap sets be realistic. Mallory, meanwhile, provides compelling evidence that All My Children and General Hospital are just reusing storylines from a few years ago -- and not even ones that were good TV the first time around.
Also in the issue are lots of updates about Days, and more celebration of GH's 45th anniversary than the damned show did itself, plus a pretty interesting article about the financial realities for soaps.
In case you missed the March 4th issue of Soap Opera Digest (the reasoning behind missing out on a magazine prominently featuring Jason Thompson and Greg Vaughan on the cover and James Scott, shirtless, inside is foreign to both of us), our columns appear after the jump. Becca wonders why Days of Our Lives has become so Marlena-centric at the same time that General Hospital is attempting to give some airtime to non-mob people; it's making her whole world topsy turvy, literally and figuratively. Mallory praises the recent General Hospital writing (yes, you read that right) that gave us the newly heroic Lucky Spencer and criticizes the recent GH writing (ah, that's a familiar feeling) that took Lulu from, pardon the reference, a promising ingénue to Carly Part II.
Check your mailboxes or pop by a check-out stand near you, because our column is in the latest issue of Soap Opera Digest. Becca discusses her personal lack of balance in the literal sense, Days of Our Lives' lack of balance with respect to Marlena, and General Hospital's newfound attempts to balance out the mob storylines. (It's, like, a theme and stuff.) Mallory celebrates Lucky's progression out of dunce-ville (and continued residence in hotness-town) but laments his sister Lulu's downward spiral into Carly-burg.
Also: Photos of James Scott (shirtless! Don't our editors know us well?) and Greg Vaughn. Those right there are worth the price of admission, friends.
For those who didn't get a chance to pick up the 2/8 issue of Soap Opera Digest, fear not, you can check out our columns after the jump. Becca tells the GH writers to take off their well-worn Bad Idea Jeans, because the murders of Emily and Georgie were some seriously awful storytelling. Meanwhile, Mallory is willing -- nay, eager! -- to suspend disbelief when it comes to soaps, but thinks there has to be a line somewhere, and the line is a dot to AMC and Y&R lately. It's a tragic day in soapdom when GH looks ethically consistent by comparison.
Our latest My Take/My Take, Too column is featured in the February 5th issue of Soap Opera Digest, arriving in subscribers' mailboxes now and available on newsstands today. Becca laments the Bad Idea Jeans the powers-that-be of General Hospital are wearing these days, and Mallory complains about the baffling inconsistencies of law and ethics on All My Children and The Young and the Restless.
We hope that you all managed to read the 1/8 Issue of Soap Opera Digest. We were asked what we'd like to see on our shows in the 2008 and we had no trouble coming up with suggestions for the powers-that-be (shocking, isn't it?). Becca describes what she'd like to see this year on Days of Our Lives and General Hospital and Mallory shares her thoughts on what she hopes will happen on All My Children and General Hospital.
For our first column of 2008, our editors asked us what we'd like to see in the New Year. Aside from our obvious hopes and dreams (unlimited amounts of NARS Blush and Jason Thompson's phone number, for instance), we do have a few wishes for what we'd like to see on All My Children, Days of Our Lives and General Hospital this year. Be sure to check out the January 8th issue, on newsstands now!
Hopefully you've managed to read a copy of the 12/11 issue of Soap Opera Digest featuring their picks for the Best and Worst of 2007, and Peter Bergman on the cover. How could you go wrong with that?! Because we love all things list-and-bitchery related, we were happy to share own thoughts on the ups and downs our soaps went through in the past year. Mallory remembered the year that was on All My Children and The Young and the Restless, while Becca reminisced about the highs and lows of the past twelve months on Days of Our Lives and General Hospital.
You'll find our thoughts after the jump, but we'd first like to take a brief moment to be completely sappy and thank the folks at Soap Opera Digest for giving us the chance to bring our criticism and occasional excited squealing to the masses. We're incredibly grateful for the opportunity we received this year and the freedom that they've given us to be as blunt and nitckpick-y as we need to be. Which, you know, is very.
Our editors asked us to weigh in on the Best and Worst of 2007 in soap operas and, to the surprise of absolutely no one, we relished the task of listing the highs and lows that our soaps went through this year. The special, year-end "My Take/My Take, Too" column is in the December 11th issue of Soap Opera Digest, on newsstands now. Mallory tackles the best and worsts of All My Children and The Young and the Restless, while Becca looks back at the year that was on Days of Our Lives and General Hospital.
BONUS: As though giving us a monthly column wasn't enough to earn our undying devotion, Soap Opera Digest made us love them even more with their pick for 2007's Worst Hero. Be sure to check it out and revel in the hilarity.
We hope that all of you managed to get your hands on the 11/6 issue of Soap Opera Digest which featured a preview of the upcoming sweeps storylines and Halloween inspired interviews with the soap stars who made horror movies, which confirmed our theory that Megan Ward is, in fact, made of adorable. It also featured our October My Take/My Take, Too column we critique the happenings of Genoa City, Port Charles and Salem.
Mallory has a brief moment of doubt and wonders if she's too critical about The Young and the Restless but, in a coup for the cynical and mean-spirited everywhere, realizes that she's not, while Becca ponders the sorry state of young love on Days of Our Lives and General Hospital (and manages to make one final insult about her nemesis, Jeremy "Horton").
Be sure to check out the November 6th issue of Soap Opera Digest, which should be landing in subscribers' mailboxes around now and will be available on newsstands Tuesday. In this month's My Take/My Take Too (pp. 66-67), Mallory wonders if she's being to hard on The Young and the Restless (answer: no), and Becca laments the pitiful state of young romance on Days of Our Lives and General Hospital.
Bonus: On page 47, we get a Waglear update and Becky Herbst makes a crack about Steve Burton's hilariously awful hair! We will restrain ourselves and not point out that elsewhere in this issue, Night Shift inexplicably gets the Editors' Choice nod. On second thought, we're not especially good at restraint. At least we didn't use expletives (effing Night Shift?!).
We hope that you were all able to check out the 9/18 issue of Soap Opera Digest. The cover had everything you could possibly hope for: shirtless James Scott! Pretty Megan Ward! Steve Burton looking like someone just asked him the square root of 49! For our September My Take/My Take, Too column, we turned our hypercritical eyes to two of the most disappointing soaps: General Hospital: Night Shift and All My Children.
Becca discusses the tragic trajectory of NS and wonders how the powers-that-be managed to screw up a full hour of television centered around Patrick and Robin, let alone why they decided to waste Billy Dee Williams the way they have. Mallory was in mourning, trying to cope with pain of Greenlee losing her charm, Spike and Ian in peril, and Jonathan Lavery's continued presence in Pine Valley.
Pick up the latest issue of Soap Opera Digest, currently on newsstands, for our latest "My Take/My Take, Too" column. Becca expresses her disappointment with General Hospital: Night Shift, including the rut Patrick and Robin seem to be stuck in, as well as the silliness of the alternate reality concept. Mallory talks about being all cried out over All My Children and worries about Sabine Singh.
We hope that you all managed to check out the 8/21 issue of Soap Opera Digest via a subscription, or rifling through it in line at the grocery store, if only for the small picture of James Scott enjoying a vacation in Vietnam and Cambodia that appears on page 74. In our My Take/My Take, Too column appearing in that issue, we tackled some of our favorite targets: Days of Our Lives, General Hospital and The Young and the Restless.
Becca did the time warp again as she wondered why GH is so insistent upon living in the past and she praised Days for its mid-summer fabulosity. The rapid downturn of the show's quality coinciding with the publication of our column embarrassed her greatly and she's currently on the lam, living under an assumed name. Mallory imagined a nefarious plot between the GH and Y&R writing staffs to introduce and forget as many plot points as possible over the course of a year. She is also far, far too thrilled about the tiny Jason Gerhardt photo that appears on her page.
Our latest Soap Opera Digest column is on newsstands now (the August 21st Issue, Pages 68-69). Becca takes on the "everything old is new again" storytelling of General Hospital and Days of Our Lives* and Mallory wonders why The Young and the Restless and General Hospital are competing to see who can drop the most plot points. Bonus: a small photo of Jason Gerhardt! It's pretty enough to calm and distract you when the picture of Jeremy "Horton" (Trevor Donovan) right next to it threatens to send you into a fit of rage.
* Becca issues a mea culpa in advance for raving about how great Days is. We write these things more than a month in advance! Who knew the downslide from awesomeness would be so fast and steep? Fortunately GH's crappiness is more consistent.
Our editors asked us to weigh in on the Emmy results, and you know what they say, be careful what you wish for! Becca rants about Jill Farren Phelps' continuing dumb comments about why Genie Francis isn't back on General Hospital. Mallory discusses the evening's biggest surprises, and sticks with her opinion that The Young and the Restless shouldn't have been nominated, much less won, for Best Drama. And there are other highly educated and important opinions thrown in there too, of course, including about pretty dresses.
(For those who want more in-detail Emmy posts, see our red carpet arrivals live-blogging, our ceremony live-blogging, and our best and worst dressed awards.)
Pick up the July 17, 2007 issue of Soap Opera Digest (pages 80-81) for our latest column, about our impressions of the Daytime Emmys. Becca rants about the General Hospital execs refusing to bring Genie Francis back on board, and Mallory recaps the ceremony's biggest surprises, including Y&R's several big wins. Sadly the accompanying photo is not of Peter Bergman with multiple hearts drawn all over it, but please check it out anyway!
Hopefully you already saw this in the issue that arrived in your mailbox or that you picked up at the newsstand, but if not here's our column from the June 19, 2007 issue of Soap Opera Digest, about the Daytime Emmy nominations and our expectations for the show.
Our latest "My Take/My Take, Too" appears in the June 19th edition of Soap Opera Digest (subscribers should have just received it, and it will be on newsstands Tuesday). It's the one with the huge "Nick's Alive!" headline and the lamentably smaller "Outrage Over Emmy Snubs" one. Our column is about the upcoming Daytime Emmys, and by sheer coincidence we'll be doing a bunch of Emmy-related posts this week leading up to Friday's ceremony and our Serial Drama Daytime Emmys Live Blogging Extravaganza.
Hopefully you've already seen it in the issue that arrived in your mailbox or that you bought at the newsstand, but if not, here's our first Soap Opera Digest column! (text after the cut)
So, we promised you big news. Major news. Huge news. And unlike other people who promise BIG news or GROUNDBREAKING events or LASTING repercussions, we are fans of following through with promises we make!
Every month, you will be able to read our brand of bitterness and criticism in print. That's right; we are completely and overwhelmingly thrilled to let you know that we now have a monthly column in Soap Opera Digest!
Starting in the May 22nd edition (available on newsstands May 15th), we--Evil But Twinless (Becca) and Promising Ingénue (Mallory)--are the authors of "My Take" and "My Take, Too." So be on the lookout when you're doing your usual weekly perusal of the magazine. Or if you've been SOD-less up until now (if there isn't already a foundation dedicated to eradicating the scourge of SODlessness in America, we will start it) surf on over and subscribe or pick one up at the check-out counter.
We can only hope that SOD readers are as kind to us as our online ones have been. It's entirely possible, however, that some people don't want to hear from two chatty viewers about the declining quality of soap writing and fashion. They may frown upon hotly chronicling the every move of certain of daytime's leading men and ridiculing the superstar status of others. Seriously, it's possible! To these poor, misguided souls we say . . . Whatever! We're in Soap Opera Digest, bitches!
Edited to add: We're definitely keeping the blog, everyone! We're way too verbose to limit ourselves to 1000 words a month.
