Beth Ehlers

Despite gloom and doom about the state of daytime in almost all of its aspects, fans have been treated to some good soap opera lately. The Young and the Restless is the Must See Soap right now. One Life to Live has regained it's glory and Guiding Light is steadily improving. Some of daytime's best actors are giving some of the performances of their lives. With that in mind, there are three performers new to their respective shows deserving of special mention who I think are doing a bang up job.

JR MARTINEZ (Brot Monroe, All My Children)

Introduced amid a publicity blitz, JR Martinez came aboard AMC with a fascinating, real life backstory: an Iraq War veteran seriously injured and disfigured by explosives, eventually becoming a noted inspirational speaker for and on behalf of veterans coping with their life altering injuries. His addition to AMC's canvas was purposeful and deliberate. The show wanted a real life injured vet to play Brot, former love of newcomer Taylor (Beth Ehlers).

AMC has received much justly deserved praise for casting Martinez, but make no mistake, this was as much a bit of stunt casting as it was groundbreaking decision. Continue Reading...

I know my fellow Liason lovers are probably dressed in sack cloth today, watching You Tube clips of our spectacular, amazing, soaptastic supercouple who are being viciously torn asunder due to ABC Daytime focus group foolishness, but until Brian Frons sees something that gets him excited againt at One Rapemance to Live or All Ryan Lavery's Thongs (Maybe Fronsie-Pie plans to bring Drake Hogestyn and Deidre Hall over as Beth Ehler's parents and order them to arrive during a CGI-Tsunami?) and our couple is given a fair shot, I figured I would post this to give us hope. Continue Reading...

As J. Bernard gave a heads up to earlier today, JR Martinez and Beth Ehlers dropped by The View to talk about their All My Children storyline and Martinez's recovery from injuries he suffered serving in Iraq. Check out more pictures after the jump. Continue Reading...

According to TV listings, JR Martinez (Brot) and Beth Ehlers (Taylor) from All My Children are scheduled to appear on The View today (airing right now as of this writing). Presumably they are going to discuss their storyline and Martinez's role as a real-life vet injured in combat tackling in his daytime debut.

Apologies for the late notice, but I literally found out just minutes ago.

At the risk of indulging an age-old cliché or perhaps inventing a new one, real life is the soap opera that interrupts our daytime dramas.

I've been away for the last couple of weeks caring for my partner who was seriously ill for a little while (all is better now); dealing with the challenges of running a business and maintaining my livelihood in a faltering economy; consoling friends over unexpected loss in their lives and reveling in the result of a Presidential election which has left me elated and joyous in an event that I, as a Black man, never thought I would see in my lifetime. This time has been filled with hospital vigils and prayers (all answered in the affirmative), nail biting suspense, and a dash of personal intrigue. In short, the last two weeks have been a period of belief and disbelief. Continue Reading...

Soap Opera Digest is reporting that McKenzie Westmore is joining the cast of All My Children as a psychiatrist for Annie and will also interact with Aidan and Ryan.

As previously reported, All My Children has cast real-life Iraqi War veteran JR Martinez in the role of Brot Monroe, the fellow soldier Lt. Taylor Thompson (Beth Ehlers), fell in love with while both were serving their country in the backstory for the fictional soap.

According to a press release from ABC Daytime, Brot's combat-related injuries, which caused him to allow Taylor to believe he was dead so not to burden her, were determined by Martinez's real life injuries.

In February of 2003, Mr. Martinez was deployed to Iraq and in April, 2003, while serving as a driver of a Humvee, the tire hit a landmine and he suffered severe burns to more than 40 percent of his body."

In addition to his new role on All My Children, Martinez, who spent 34 months in the hospital and underwent 32 surgeries, also serves as national spokesperson for the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes. No matter our respective political leanings tonight, I just want to take this time out to say thank you to Mr. Martinez and all the men and women who risk their lives to protect my opportunity to run my big mouth. And here's to hoping we elect a leader tonight who will utilize the tenets of diplomacy to the utmost before putting these brave men and women in harm's way.

On today's ABC episode of Daytime Confidential Luke, Tina and Jamey discuss Jason Cook without a beard and David Lago joining General Hospital.

Bianca and Reese and why Bianca's motives don't ring true to the character. Beth Ehlers and Ricky Paull Goldin can't escape filming in stairwells and Michael E. Knight rumors.

Blowing up safes for dummies, mustache twirling Tess and the Marty/Todd rapemance on One Life to Live. All this and much, much more including the disconnect between online and offline soap viewers.

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All My Children's tornado and The Bold and the Beautiful's Rick-Ridge feud have had crippling results in Pine Valley and L.A. for Taylor Thompson (Beth Ehlers) and Rick Forrester (Kyle Lowder) respectively.  Both have swelling of the spine.  How much will you bet that they are up to their usual soapy shenanigans in a matter of months (if not weeks)?  It reminds me of the time Paige Matheson was paralysed on Knots Landing, only to spend what seemed like a week crying, then a week in physical therapy.  After that, she was back working at the Sumner Corporation and playing naked croquet with Greg.   I have a feeling that's what's going to happen on B&B and AMC, just without the naked croquet.

A lack of direction, sinking ratings, storyline monopolization by a few select characters, fan uproar over the undoing of iconic storylines and viewer apathy plague All My Children. As Daytime Confidential's own Regan pointed out on a recent podcast "nothing should scare a show more than viewer indifference." Now Charles Pratt has the thankless job of trying to save a ship with cannonball sized holes in its bow. It isn't going to be the easiest of jobs.

Contract negotiations between ABC and Alicia Minshew haven't gone well. Rumors that Rebecca Budig is taking the out in her contract have picked up steam. Lightening hasn't struck twice between Ricky Paull Goldin and Beth Ehlers' characters, though separately both characters have potential. The "Fusion Girls" concept, once fresh with possibilities, is worn, tired and a glaring blight on the show, cannibalizing all unfortunate enough to fall in its path. The teen scene is schizophrenic at best. At least a half dozen pointless characters litter the show, while misdirected couplings abound.

So what can a new head writer do to save a sinking ship? Continue Reading...