Chatting With Jason Priestley

While my print article won't appear until July 20, I just had to share some of my interview with actor Jason Priestley (of 90210 fame, of course). I got off the phone with him literally an hour ago and am still so excited, I just had to share it with you all.

Jason is co-starring in a new dramedy from Lifetime Television called Side Order of Life. I saw the pilot episode last night, and I can tell you that this one is a winner. It was so good. It had everything: humor, pathos, drama, quirkiness -- everything you could ask for in a television show.

Plus, it has friggin' Brandon Walsh!

I asked him how he felt, with the renewed interest in Beverly Hills, 90210 since its DVD release, about the fact that some people will always see him as Brandon Walsh. Like, does he ever get tired of talking about 90210 and answering questions about it?

His response: "I guess a certain amount of people still see me as that. There is no way around that. It was one of those seminal television shows that people related to strongly. It was a big part of my career. So many of the good things in my career I owe to that show. You can't bite the hand that feeds you. You also have to be respectful of people. If someone loved the show, and loved watching you on that show, that is their opinion and you shouldn't take that away from them. 'You liked watching me on the show? Well, thank you!' You know?"

I was so impressed by his realistic and mature attitude about the show. So many actors try to forget what made them famous as they move on in their careers, and they forget where they came from. He knows that doesn't define him, and he came away with lifelong friends and great memories and experience.

Also, he was especially impressed with and happy about the fact that I had seen his movie, The Fourth Angel, where he stars alongside Jeremy Irons and Forest Whitaker. It was supposed to be released in the theatres shortly after 9/11, but because a plane gets hijacked in the beginning of the movie, of course, the studio didn't see it as appropriate to release. So, the movie kinda got swept under the rug. However, it is available on DVD. I rented it from Netflix. It really is an undiscovered gem, and ya'all should check it out. This is truly a departure from Brandon Walsh, that's for sure.

In the meantime, be sure to catch Side Order of Life on Lifetime Television. It premieres Sunday, July 15 at 8 p.m.

SPOILERS for B&B, Days, Passions and Y&R!

Tomorrow on The Bold and the Beautiful
Ridge confronts Rick about his "Other Woman" in front of Phoebe.

Next Week on Days of Our Lives
* Roman admits that he is attracted to Anna.
* Belle, Philip and Claire have a family day.
* Chelsea and Nick meet Jett's fiancée Danielle.
* An argument between Tony and EJ causes Stefano to collapse.
* Everyone gathers at Bo & Hope's to celebrate the 4th of July.

Next Week on Passions
Monday, July 2
* The Blackmailer promises to bring Pretty to town if Sheridan kills Theresa.
* Rebecca tracks a lead to J.T.'s USB stick.
* Ivy lets it slip that Fox is not really ill!

Tuesday, July 3
* The Blackmailer kisses Ethan.
* Kay is stunned when she discovers Fox has been lying to her.
* Theresa thinks she is being chased through the woods.

Wednesday, July 4
* The Blackmailer fantasizes about dancing with Ethan.
* Fox blames his parents for ruining his life.
* Chad vows to win Whitney back.

This Week on The Young and the Restless
* The election results are in – who will win? Jack or Nikki?
* An injured Nick returns to Genoa City.
* Victor arrives home to see his son. Will he forgive Nikki for her indiscretion with David?
* Colleen agrees to help Kevin in his dangerous quest to find Jana, causing a rift between her and Adrian.
* Gloria schemes to prevent William from revealing her secret as a determined Maggie and Paul come closer to discovering the truth.

The Young and the Restless Hits New Milestone

PRESS RELEASE:

CBS'S "THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS" CELEBRATES WINNING 100 DAYTIME EMMY AWARDS

The Number One-Rated Series Leads Daytime Dramas In Most Daytime Emmy Wins

CBS's The Young and the Restless celebrated winning their 100th Daytime Emmy at the 34th Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards(tm), which aired Friday, June 15th on the CBS Television Network. The series tied with Guiding Light to win Outstanding Drama Series, marking its seventh award in this category. Christian LeBlanc ("Michael Baldwin") received
his second Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor and Bryton McClure ("Devon Hamilton") won for Outstanding Younger Actor. The series also received an Emmy for Live & Direct to Tape Sound Mixing. The Young and the Restless has won more Daytime Emmys than any other daytime drama.

SPOILERS for AMC, B&B, Days, GH, OLTL, Passions and Y&R!

This helping of Spoiler Zone is larger than usual, so I hope ya'all have brought your appetites!

All My Children
Wednesday: JR sees his master plan crumble before his eyes.
Thursday: Kendall and Greenlee work together to recreate the magic they once shared.
Friday: JR’s duplicity could end up costing Adam everything.

The Bold and the Beautiful
Wednesday: Brooke and Taylor work together for Rick's sake. Rick makes a surprise appearance during Ridge's trial.

Days of Our Lives
Next Week: Lucas is uncertain if he can handle EJ being the father of Sami's baby.
Stefano accuses EJ of lying about Anna's intentions.
Kate blackmails Nick into rigging the amnio.
Max wants out of his deal with Jeremy.
Stefano corners Hope after catching her snooping in the DiMera mansion.
Belle and Philip receive their divorce papers.

General Hospital
Wednesday: Spinelli shares some troubling news with Jason.
Thursday: Tracy seals her own fate, thanks to Alan’s haunting.
Friday: Jason takes desperate measures.

One Life to Live
Wednesday: Romance is in the air as Starr’s prom comes to a close.
Thursday: Kirk promises to take Tate’s secret to the grave.
Friday: John has Marty dead to rights when he catches her in a lie.

Passions
Next Week:
Monday, June 25
Theresa professes her deep love for Ethan.
Rebecca senses there is a new man in Gwen's life.
The Blackmailer wants Sheridan to kill Theresa.

Tuesday, June 26
Kay unwittingly unleashes a pack of evil demons on Harmony!
Ethan wants nothing more to do with Gwen.
Sheridan is possessed by a demon.

Wednesday, June 27
Spike escapes from jail.
Ethan tells Theresa he's washing his hands of her.
Sheridan rips off the Blackmailer's mask.

Thursday, June 28
Theresa is knocked unconscious by a possessed Jared!
Fox is possessed and is intent on killing Miguel!
Tabitha enrolls Endora in good witch school.

Friday, June 29
Jared and Ethan fight for Theresa.
Julian threatens to send Miguel back to prison.
Whitney discovers Miles is missing.

The Young and the Restless
Sharon and Phyllis join forces to expose Nikki’s secret.
As the election draws near, an explosive revelation has drastic effects for both Jack’s and Nikki’s campaigns.
Amber continues to deceive Cane, but will she trap herself in her own dangerous lies?
An unexpected death and a hidden fortune bring Amber, Kevin and Daniel together in a secret pact.
After learning of Brad’s duplicity regarding Clear Springs, a seething Victoria seeks revenge in their divorce settlement.

General Hospital Actor Collapses in Emmy-Night Heat

John Ingle, Edward Quartermaine of General Hospital and former Mickey Horton of Days of Our Lives, collapsed Friday night on the Red Carpet before entering the Kodak Theater for the Daytime Emmy Awards. The 79-year-old actor was overwhelmed by the sweltering heat and was immediately transported to an area hospital. He was released shortly thereafter and is reportedly "doing fine."

As a resident of the hot hot hot state of Florida, I can just imagine the stifling heat on that carpet, especially when you're all decked out in a heavy tuxedo. Best wishes to you, John, and we hope you are now feeling 100 percent.

Zach Roerig Comes to Llanview

Zach Roerig, who played Casey Hughes on As the World Turns up until this spring, has been cast as Hunter on One Life to Live. Details are few, but his character will be on throughout the summer, and he will have important information about Todd for Blair.

We'll give you more info as it is made available.

SPOILERS! Week of June 18, 2007

All My Children: Greenlee is overcome with emotion after holding Spike. JR’s plan backfires.
As the World Turns: Aaron returns to Oakdale looking for Alison. Faith is shot by a BB gun.
The Bold and the Beautiful: Shane has one last message. Ridge’s jury reaches a verdict.
Days of Our Lives: Stephanie suspects Jeremy of cheating. Anna DiMera returns.
General Hospital: Sam might go too far. Jason resorts to drastic measures.
Guiding Light: Billy finds a Father’s Day card addressed to Jonathan. Jeffrey accuses Reva of kidnapping.
One Life to Live: Kirk vows to keep Tate’s secret. Fate brings Starr and Cole together.
Passions: Gwen returns to Harmony. Kay conjures up a demon elf.
The Young and the Restless: A revelation rocks both Jack and Nikki’s campaigns. Victoria and Brad’s divorce turns ugly.

Emmy Stunner: Two Shows Win for Outstanding Drama!

In an unprecedented occurrence at this year’s Daytime Emmy Awards, TWO shows won in the category of Outstanding Drama Series: Guiding Light and The Young and the Restless. The show was broadcast live from the Kodak Theater on June 15. The last time GL won the honor was in 1982 (with its only other win being in 1980), so this year’s win was a long time in coming. Y&R on the other hand has won for best drama five times previously, making this win its sixth time in the winner’s circle.

Other big winners of the night were: Outstanding Lead Actor, Christian LeBlanc (Michael Baldwin, Y&R); Outstanding Lead Actress, Maura West (Carly Tenney, ATWT); Outstanding Supporting Actor, Rick Hearst (Ric Lansing, GH); Outstanding Supporting Actress, Genie Francis (Laura Spencer, GH); Outstanding Younger Actor, Bryton McClure (Devon Hamilton, Y&R); Outstanding Younger Actress, Jennifer Landon (Gwen Norbeck, ATWT); Outstanding Writing Team, Guiding Light; Outstanding Directing Team, As the World Turns.

Another long-overdue win of the night was for fan favorite Genie Francis, who reprised her role of Laura Spencer during last year’s November Sweeps. She and longtime love Luke were remarried exactly 25 years after their first wedding, which was a lavish ceremony that was the most watched show in daytime television’s history. A visibly moved Francis stated that she was “overwhelmed” by her win, and was surprised that she had even made the ballot, considering she was on GH for only 4 weeks.

OLTL Goes Musical

As many fans already know, beginning today One Life to Live begins showing "Prom Night: The Musical," where all your fave Llanview teens experience that quintessential of all rite of passages: PROM! Many of us will remember our own proms with fondness, embarrassment, maybe a little of both.

But for the teens in Llanview, you can add a little musical theatre to the mix. Running through Wednesday, "Prom Night: The Musical " will feature songs like "You're the Freak," "The Cheerleader is Always the Bitch" and the already popular "Together."

As described on OLTL's Web site: Prom's supposed to be fun, but the only person excited for it is Britney--and she's a bitch. Cole's agreed to go with her, but all he can think about it how he'd rather be going with Starr. Starr's agreed to do the platonic date thing with Markko, and her best friend Langston is a bit too adamant about not caring. Over the course of four episodes, couples will split, others will come together and destiny takes over as the magic of prom night may just touch Starr and Cole. And, of course, Britney will be a bitch.

Starr Manning is the daughter of two of Llanview's most masterful manipulators, Todd and Blair, and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. She's met her match in alpha bitch cheerleader Britney Jennings. Britney wants Cole Thornhart, Starr's ex but Cole wants Starr back. Only problem is, their parents hate each other (dad tried to strangle Cole), so dating isn't exactly easy. Starr's best friend Langston Wilde knows Starr and Cole are the real deal, but remains a cynic about love herself. She thinks Markko Rivera is a egotistical jock wannabe, while he thinks she's trying a little too work the hipster/goth look. Their arguments are a little too passionate. Hey, they say enemies can make the best lovers.

I spoke with Kristen Alderson about these special episodes and here's a snippet of what she had to say:

When you first found out that OLTL was going to be filming musical episodes, "Prom Night: The Musical," what was your reaction? Since you come from a musical theatre background, it must have been exciting for you.
I was extremely excited, but I was curious as to how they were going to do it. I didn't know whether it would be the actual play that the students were rehearsing for, or whether it would be a fantasylike scenario. Either way, I couldn't wait to hear the music and to get started. Especially since it would be something completely different from the usual. I thought it was an amazing idea.

How was it to film the episodes? You all must have had a lot of fun.
It was incredible, and took a lot of time. We had a blast, especially since all of us teens are so close in real life. We worked every day with long hours, but because it was so much fun, it went by very quickly. The rehearsals and the recordings were really cool because we never really work outside of the studio, and this was a breath of fresh air and a great experience.

What can you tell me about Starr's journey throughout the course of the four-episode story arc, without giving too much away, of course?
Well, there are definitely extreme amounts of drama and problems. No one goes to prom with who they really want to except for Britney. Starr and viewers will have to tune in to see if Starr and Cole are really meant to be.

Possible Passions and Days Pre-emption

Due to NBC’s coverage of U.S. Open Championship Golf, Days of Our Lives and Passions might be airing at a special time in your area on Thursday, June 14 and Friday, June 15.

Please check your local listings for details.