Soapbox1 by Michele Dargan » Dr. David Hayward

RyLee or GreeD? You Decide: AMC

Joshua — Fri, 21 May 2010 04:00:37 +0000

By Joshua

Ryan or David? Who should Greenlee choose?

One of the biggest front burner story lines on All My Children is the Ryan/Greenlee/David triangle, and there are a few reasons why I like it.

I’ll be the first to say that I don’t like Ryan (Cameron Mathison). I like the actor, but the character just doesn’t do it for me, anymore.

When I first started watching the show, I really liked Ryan, but recently he’s become too much. The only thing they could do to make him more of the Super Hero, I-Need-A-Damsal-In-Distress kind of guy that they are making him into, would be if they dressed him in a cape.

Then there’s David (Vincent Irizarry).

If you caught Monday’s episode, Greenlee mentioned that David has done some rather, ahem, bad things in the past. But now, they are married out of convenience, and David has fallen head over heels in love (which can be a dangerous thing).

Rebecca Budig (Greenlee) and Vincent Irizarry (David) Photo: Adam Larkey/ABC

They have history too – he was once her brother-in-law, while she was married to Leo (Josh Duhamel)

Now, David and Ryan are fighting to be the man that Greenlee (Rebecca Budig) comes home to every night.

And here is why it’s a good story.

There are two distinct camps. Those who like Ryan and Greenlee (dubbed Rylee by fans) and those who like David and Greenlee (dubbed GreeD by fans).

Rebecca Budig (Greenlee) and Cameron Mathison (Ryan). Photo: ABC/Carol Kaelson

Both of these groups have a big following, and I can’t help but compare it to 2008 when there was a split between the Rylee fans and the Ailee fans (Aidan and Greenlee). That story was done nicely.

Now, the downside to writing this well: If Greenlee ends up with Ryan, GreeD fans will be upset; and if Greenlee ends up with David, Rylee fans will be upset.

So where do you stand on the debate?

Do you enjoy the breath of fresh air that is GreeD, or do you believe the history between Ryan and Greenlee will pull them back together?

Who is the love of Greenlee’s life?

I made my stand on who I think Greenlee should be with on my All My Children post about new couples, but where do you stand?

New Couplings on All My Children

Joshua — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 20:54:13 +0000

By Joshua

The new writing at All My Children is evident now more than ever with the heating up of couples we never would have expected.

When Adam (David Canary) and Annie (Melissa Claire Egan) got married, we all knew she’d cheat on him. But we all thought it would be with his nephew, Scott (Adam Mayfield), not with Adam’s own son, JR (Jacob Young).

David Canary (Adam), Melissa Claire Egan (Annie) and Jacob Young (JR) Photo: ABC/Carol Kaelson

JR and Annie are, frankly put, hot.

J.R. isn’t as interesting when paired with boring Marissa (Brittany Allen). Not that Allen is a bad actess, but the writers didn’t need to make her Babe 2.0. She isn’t a very interesting character. And we know that they do have feelings for each other.

Then, we have David (Vincent Irizarry) and Greenlee (Rebecca Budig).

AMC is going back to basics in this marriage of convenience turned into a love story.

Hey, it worked for Zach and Kendall, why not for David and Greenlee.

I personally find David and Greenlee (dubbed GreeD by online fans) to be great. They’ve certainly mixed it up having Greenlee marry her former brother-in-law.

Rebecca Budig (Greenlee) and Vincent Irizarry (David) Photo: Adam Larkey/ABC

And even if the focus of this entry is about new couples, I’d like to give a final shout out to Alicia Minshew (Kendall) and Thorsten Kaye (Zach) on their brief return.

Finally, there’s one last person to mention.

Since the new writing regime, we’ve been seeing a lot more of Jackson (Walt Willey). And he has been sharing screentime with Erica (Susan Lucci), of course.

But with Krystal (Bobbie Eakes) going to work for him, will Erica find competition?

Jackson (Walt Willey) and Krystal (Bobbie Eakes) Photo: Michael Yarish/ABC

AMC is changing it up in many ways, but will these new (and possibly up and coming) couples, will it enter a new era of greatness?

AMC Fan Event: Photos and Recap

LuAnne — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 04:18:14 +0000

[My friend, LuAnne Cobb, spent a weekend, going to the AMC & OLTL studios in New York City (Nov. 20) as well as attending a fan event in Staten Island (Nov. 21). Here's her recap and photos.]

By LuAnne

My friend Linda, who I met at Super Soap Weekend a few years ago, picked me up at Newark Airport. We immediately hopped on a train into NYC and then took a cab over to the All My Children studios in hopes of seeing a few soap stars.

We saw Melissa Claire Egan (Annie) and David Canary (Adam) from a distance. After David went in, one of my favorite veterans came out with a beautiful bouquet of roses – it was Julia Barr, who played Brooke English for many years. Julia told us she was there to film scenes for the AMC 40th Anniversary Special. She graciously stopped for a quick picture, and then went on her way.

Next we saw both Chrishell Stause (Amanda) and Ricky Paull Goldin (Jake). They stopped briefly to talk to us and signed some pictures. Chrishell was absolutely beautiful, and Ricky was looking pretty good too!

Linda and I then decided to walk over to the One Life To Live studios. We stayed for awhile, and finally were rewarded when down the street came Brian Kerwin, who plays Charlie. Brian stayed to talk and take pictures for about 10 minutes. He was so pleasant, and seemed genuinely happy to talk to us. It was a good day in NYC!

The next day, Linda drove us to the Uncle Vinnie’s Comedy Club in Staten Island for an AMC Fan Event.

Four of the nicest and most attractive men from AMC then walked on stage: Vincent Irizarry (Dr. David), Michael E. Knight (Tad) , Darnell Williams (Jesse) and Ricky Paull Goldin (Jake) were welcomed with thunderous applause, screams and whistles. It was awesome to see them 10 feet away!

The first part of the event was a question and answer session. The fans asked about many things, including the upcoming move to Los Angeles.

Vincent said that he would be commuting, at least for the rest of the school year so that his children can stay in their current schools. Michael and Ricky said they were moving to L.A. and Darnell said he was going, but he’s lived in NYC all his life and it would be hard to leave the city.

We found out that Jill Larson (Opal), who is a recurring player, was also moving. The fans were in agreement that the cast should come back to NYC for fan events. The guys answered questions for over an hour, then took a short break before meeting with the VIP fans.

All four of the actors took seats at long tables, and we were able to speak to each of them for a few minutes and get our pictures taken with them. Michael took the most time with the fans, even though he was sick. But they all seemed happy to be there and gave the fans what we came for – a great time!

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Recap and Photos of Soap Stars in Largo, FL

soapbox1 — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:09:29 +0000

By Michele Dargan

I’m finally getting around to posting the photos from a fantastic event featuring some of “Daytimes Hottest Stars” in Largo, FL on Nov. 7.

It was so much fun meeting and interacting with Walt Willey (Jackson Montgomery/AMC,) Vincent Irizarry (Dr. David Hayward/AMC) and Forbes March (former Nash Brennan/OLTL and Mason Jarvis/ATWT).

Bobbie Eakes (Krystal Carey/AMC) was scheduled to attend. She was booked on a flight out of NYC on Friday, which was supposed to be her day off. But Eakes was called into the studio to work and missed her flight and was unable to get to Largo in time for the event.

The event, hosted by sisters Barbie Tsagaris and Patti Werynski, raised money to benefit of OurMilitaryKids.org

I’ve been to quite a few soap events in the past couple of years, but I have to say this is one of the top events on my list!

First of all, all the money went to a great charity.

Secondly, it wasn’t one of those events where the stars were all up on a stage and the fans get only a minute to get a photo signed. There was a lot of quality time with the stars.

One thing I came away with: Walt is an incredibly funny guy!

He has his own stand-up comedy show that he performs at comedy clubs around the country.

He is also a GREAT emcee and auctioneer and upped the ante on the live auctions for the benefit of the charity.

Something that you may not know is that Walt is a huge believer in charity fundraising. He raises money for various children’s charities through his own “Willey World Endowment.”

On a sad note, his stint with All My Children is pretty much over, unless he gets some guest appearances. If you ever get the chance to see his comedy show – jump at the chance!

Forbes is also really funny and super nice! He spent so much time with every fan. One woman asked him to sign her arm – and he did!

Did you know he was a candidate to be on this season’s “Dancing With The Stars?” He interviewed for the show and everything. The thing is….the ABC primetime people doing the interviewing thought he was still on ABC Daytime on OLTL.

Forbes said he explained that although his character was killed off, the character was still – a year later – involved in a front-burner storyline.
He didn’t get the DWTS gig, though.

So what is Forbes doing these days?

He’s involved in producing some independent films.

Vincent Irizarry is THE NICEST guy you could meet. He has this great caring spirit about him and seems to genuinely enjoy meeting the fans.

For instance, my friend, Sharon, took two photos of Vincent and me and the flash was not going off. Vincent wanted to make sure that I got a good photo. So he took the camera from Sharon and gave her a quick photography lesson, including how to use the zoom to get a closer pic of us two…..Super nice!

Also, when I introduced myself, he looked at me and said, “you posted on my Facebook page yesterday, didn’t you?” I had indeed!

He also remembered the phone interview that I did with him back in March, which I had posted on Soapbox. He said that I even included the fact that he was on the set while we were talking and I could hear the intercom calling the various actors to the set.

I find it incredible that he not only remembered the interview, but he remembered an actual detail that I wrote in the story. Click here to read the full interview.

In addition to a general luncheon ticket price, Barbie and Patti offered VIP premium seating (which included sitting at a star’s luncheon table and going to an earlier reception where you were free to mix and mingle among the stars).

They also had some really great raffle prizes, which included acting in a skit with one of the stars.

Sharon won a “Prada” lookalike handbag, which she was soooo happy to get! I couldn’t believe she won it, but I guess when you put all your raffle tickets in one bowl….(Note to self for next time.)

There also was a grand prize: a chance to have dinner that night with Walt and Forbes. (Vincent had to get fly back to NYC right after the event.)

Getting back to that grand prize – Sharon and I were among the six women who won and had a fabulous dinner that night with them.

I would HIGHLY recommend – if you’re a big soap opera fan – that you save up money to attend the next soap event that these two sisters host. And they’re already working on their next one!!

Check out the photos below and let me know what you think!

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Interview with Vincent Irizarry (Dr. David Hayward/AMC): You Can Meet Him In Person

soapbox1 — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 07:00:59 +0000

Vincent Irizarry plays (the sometimes evil) Dr. David Hayward on ABC’s All My Children.
He originated the role in 1997 and played Hayward for almost 10 years, before being let go by AMC. He then moved to The Young and the Restless as David Chow.
When David Chow was killed off Y&R in August, Vincent was tapped by AMC to reprise Hayward, who re-entered Pine Valley in October.
Although he plays a not-so-good doctor on TV, Vincent is doing a nice thing for a very worthy charity.
He’s doing a meet-and-greet from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 14 in Largo, FL for the benefit of the local Ronald McDonald House in St. Petersburg, FL. If you live in Florida or you can get there for the day, it’s definitely worth the trip.
“I’m very much looking forward to it because it gives me a chance to meet fans,” he said. “I work in a dark studio all day so it’s nice to see them and it gives me a chance to pick their brains about what they’re enjoying.”
Click here to read all the details of how you can meet Vincent in person.
You can see Vincent up close and personal, ask him questions, get his autograph and have your photo taken with him.

When I caught up with him by phone a few days ago, the Daytime Emmy Prenomination list had just come out and he had made the first cut toward a final-five nomination in the Supporting Actor category.
“It’s very nice considering that I just came back to the show and, certainly, it’s an honor,” he said.
Vincent explained the next step in the process: each actor chooses one episode to submit to the judges’ panel and the disc must include every scene the actor is in during that particular episode. From that, the Pre-nom list is whittled down to the top five in each category.
Vincent said he hasn’t decided which episode to submit yet, but is considering the show where Krystal walks in on David holding a gun in his hand and considering suicide.
“I have to look at it from an overall perspective of which shows really stand out,” he said.
I talked to Vincent while he was on the “All My Children” set (I could hear the intercom in the background calling actors to their scenes, which was pretty interesting in itself).
He took a lot of time answering each question and even offered to call me back if I needed additional info. How nice is that?
Michele: If you go on to the final five, what would it mean to you to win the Emmy?
Vincent: “I’ve been in this business more than 25 years and I’ve been nominated before and of course it would be an honor. I’m grateful for having been able to work in this business for as long as I have. To win would be exciting. But it really comes from a contribution from everyone who I have ever worked with and I feel like I would have to share a piece of it with everybody.”
Michele: What can you tell me about yourself that maybe your fans don’t know about you?
Vincent: “The majority of my free time I like to spend with my family. My 7-year-old son is a Cub Scout and we’ve been doing a lot of wonderful trips with the Cub Scouts. I slept on the Battleship New Jersey with my son and the Cub Scouts a couple of weeks ago.”
Michele: What is the best characteristic about David Hayward?
Vincent: “He’s loyal to a fault. Everything he does is because he’s loyal to those he loves – whether it’s for Babe, Krystal or Little Adam – he does it because he’s loyal to them, devoted to them. Sometimes he’s misguided and takes it too far and hurts other people out of loyalty to those he loves.
“Even now with Krystal, he’s not fully explaining everything to her right now….The reason he’s doing it is because he truly believes that what he’s doing is in her best interest and that she wouldn’t fully understand it at this moment. And that when the smoke is cleared, she will understand it and appreciate it. So the end justifys the means.
“I would say that’s David’s best quality is his loyalty to the people who he really loves and cares about, but he takes it too far where it becomes even dangerous.”
Michele: What parts of David Chow (Y&R) did you enjoy the most?
Vincent: “I particularly enjoyed playing him in the latter months on that show, because they finally found something for that character. In the earlier part, it looked like the character had some potential. But because they brought on the character for me to play so quickly, they really didn’t flesh him out yet and who he was really going to be.
“It was really different from when I came on (AMC) as David. The character was fleshed out immediately. They knew who he was. I knew what they wanted from him. I didn’t have to worry about the choices that I was making for him.
“Once (Y&R) gave David Chow the issue of having a gambling addiction, I loved playing him because I found him one of the more truly tragic figures on daytime at the time. Every choice that he was making, every aspect of his life was governed by that addiction…His relationships, his business, his financial life….
“The choices he was forced to make where he killed someone to pay off a debt…All of these choices came down to he couldn’t get control over this addiction. It was exciting to play that, because it was tragic to watch. I think he had genuine feelings for Nikki and he did want to have a good life with her, but because of these choices it was destroying him – and ultimately did destroy him.
Vincent: On Playing David Hayward
“Where David Hayward is concerned, he’s also, in his own way, a tragic figure. He can’t let go of the past. A lot of things that happen with David come from his early years as a young boy growing up with the mother that he had, Vanessa. And watching his father commit suicide before his very eyes bleeding out. And, as an 11-year-old boy, watching his mother encourage him to do it.
“This is a man who has been greatly damaged and that’s why it’s interesting that Krystal sees him as a much more complex person than other people give him credit for or are willing to tolerate. She’s sees something special in him and I think that’s great, because if it wasn’t for her, who would there be?
Vincent laughs as he describes David’s wedding to Krystal: “He’s such a pariah that nobody’s there except the pastor and his attorney, who I’m sure he had to pay to be there to witness. That’s pretty sad. He’s a loner, but he’s obviously in great need of love. That’s something that he, at least, has the potential of with Krystal if he doesn’t shoot himself in both feet while running to the finish line.
“Even with him giving Krystal the pills, once she called him on it, he didn’t deny it at all. He said, ‘Well, yeah. You needed it. You needed some ability to sleep.’”
Vincent: On Playing a Villain
“Even some of the most despicable people out there will justify what they do. Even if it’s some warped sense within them, that what they’re doing is the right thing to do for whatever reason. They don’t do it and think it’s a terrible thing. Even to the point of killing people, they do it and they feel justified while they’re doing it.
“As an actor, I have to buy into the reason that I’m doing it. I don’t do it because I think I’m being a villain. I do it because I have a purpose, something that I’m trying to accomplish. The way that I treat people in the process is not very nice at times, but it’s because of my background.
“I find them (villains) very draining. To be in that mindset on a regular basis sometimes can wear you down. I think they’re much more challenging than playing straight-laced people. On these shows, they write them pretty well. But as an actor it can wear you down on a day-to-day basis. It seems like those are the roles I get called in to play, so I guess I must be doing something right with them.”