With 2004 behind us, Soapdom asked our contributors to reflect back on the year and note their picks for the most memorable moments in soaps for 2004. In a coming series of articles, they share their thoughts.
This week Soapdom features Sneak Peeks writer and feature contributor, Yolanda Lawrence, along with Special Contributor, Phyllis A. Tremblay. Here's what stood out in 2004 for them.. Do you agree? Comment on the Message Boards.
Yolanda Lawrence ~
Most Memorable Moments
Guiding Light
One of the cool things about being a soap fan is that almost every day you’re watching there are great moments that you love. So, narrowing down my list is kind of tough. But I’d have to say that for me, this entire year, Guiding Light, has been nothing but memorable moments. Some of the greatest were:
1) Harley on their wedding day that Gus chose the Spaulding family over her, just as he was about to confess. The scenes between Harley and Gus were gut wrenching. Truly, students of acting should view them and take notes. It doesn’t get much finer than that. Of course at the end of the day, it all comes down to the writing, and through dialogue the writers were able to convey loss, disappointment and heartache as effectively as I’ve ever witnessed. I found myself completely on Harley’s side and Gus’ as well. As a viewer I was torn between wanting Gus to pay for his sins but also, understanding why he did what he did. This is what soap operas are all about, capturing moments that are similar to real life -- where the choices we make are all about the shades of gray in our lives and not the more definitive black and white.
2) As much as I hated to see him go, the murder of Philip Spaulding was great. The character has been integral to the show for the last twenty years and his interactions affected so many people that are left behind in Springfield that the ramifications of his murder and his absence will be felt for years. And, we all know what that means, MORE GREAT STORIES.
3) Finding out that Sandy was an imposter was hard enough to swallow but then bringing in Reva’s true son, JB, and finding out that he’s basically a disturbed maniac was nothing short of brilliant. Every time this character interacts with ANYONE in Springfield you can almost feel the atmosphere come alive. Kudos to Guiding Light for creating a character that’s multi-layered and interesting to watch.
Phyllis A. Tremblay
Most Memorable Moments
One Life to Live's Full Monty
It’s embarrassing to admit, but this Soapdom contributor rarely watches the soaps. I make it a point to record One Life to Live every day but my schedule doesn’t always permit me to watch. I depend on the advance coverage that Soapdom reports every week to make sure that I don’t miss out on the Memorable Moments.
Therefore, I was glued to the set during the hot, hot days of August to watch the members of the Love House shake their groove thang and do the Full Monty. I even rewound and watched the final scenes a second time. These actors, most of them new to the OLTL audiences, had me howling. I had read that Matt Cavanaugh (Mark Solomon), had a background in theatre so I was eagerly waiting for his character to take charge. But it was Jay Wilkison (Riley Colson), who stole the show. His embarrassment came through loud and clear. And wouldn’t you know it, when I got the opportunity to speak with him at a fan event; he was equally embarrassed just to talk about it.
I found these scenes to be invaluable since they united the members of the Love Shack committee and also provided the audience with a glimpse of who these actors are. I mean, you had to love it when Erika Slezak, (Victoria Davidson), caught one of the skimpy undies! Thank you OLTL for making one very hot August weekend, the steamiest ever.
Passing of Former Days of Our Lives actor Richard Biggs - May 22, 2004
Richard Biggs, Rick to his friends, touched the lives of so many during his 44 years. I am so proud to have met him and to call him a friend, but the news of his passing on May 22nd hit me very hard. Actually, it is my personal belief that anyone who was lucky enough to have met Rick was touched by an angel.
It was common knowledge to Rick’s fans that he originally wanted to study medicine. Oddly enough, many of his roles in Daytime and Sci-Fi were doctors. Some of his most famous roles were Dr. Marcus Hunter on Days of Our Lives and Dr. Stephen Franklin on Babylon Five. Rick also had a recurring role on Strong Medicine as Dr. Eric Morton.
I was very fortunate to have spent time getting to know Rick during one of his weekend Sci-Fi conventions. This would not have been possible had it not been for our mutual friend, Carolyn. Carolyn was a very special fan to many of the Days of Our Lives cast members. Though in poor health, she constantly sent her home made cookies to the Days of Our Lives studio. During this Sci-Fi convention, Carolyn was in charge of selling Rick’s photos which Rick personally autographed. Thanks to her, I got to spend a weekend listening to Rick’s anecdotes.
I had read that Rick was hearing impaired but it was not detectable in his TV performances. He was totally deaf in one ear and partially in the other. He was so good at concealing his disability that it caught me off-guard when I called out to him while standing behind him. That was the only way you would know. Nothing would get Rick down, not even his impairment. Oddly enough, Rick and I had disk jockey duty at the Sci-Fi convention ball.
Rick used the money he made selling his photos at the conventions to support a school in Orange County for the hearing impaired.
It may sound cliché, but Rick was, in my opinion, a most caring and loved man. Knowing Rick, he is probably a doctor in his new found home of heaven. At the very least, Christmas has a new angel.
Seeing Stars in Honor of Richard Biggs
On Saturday, March 19, 2005 join DOOL's Matthew Ashford (Jack) and other friends of Richard Biggs at the Beverly Garland Hotel, 4222 Vineland Avenue, N. Hollywood, CA 91602. There's a buffet breakfast from 10 AM to Noon, an auction of Richard Biggs memorbilia and autograph signings from 1-4 PM. Along with DOOL's Matthew Ashford, stars scheduled to attend include: Bruce Boxlietner, Mira Furlan, and Jerry Doyle all of Babylon 5; Ricardo Antonio Chavira (Desperate Housewives); Melissa Gilbert (Little House on the Prairie); Lisa Howard (Earth Final Conflict) and Michael T. Weiss (The Pretender). All proceeds go to the family of Richard Biggs. For further information and ticket pricing, visit http://www.richardbiggs.com
More Memorable Moments
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