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Crystal Chappell: The Guiding Light Exit Interview
Written by Scott Katz   
Wednesday, 09 September 2009 00:29

Crystal Chappell - detail from GL 2005-6 opening sequence, © Procter & GambleFor the last ten years, popular actress Crystal Chappell has amassed a loyal fan following in her Emmy-winning role as the feisty anti-heroine Olivia Spencer on the daytime drama, Guiding Light.  Earlier this year, her popularity shot to new heights as Olivia became one half of the same-sex soap couple that fans have referred to as "Otalia," the portmanteau name for the characters of Olivia and Natalia (played by actress Jessica Leccia). 

However, earlier this year, CBS announced that it would be canceling Guiding Light due to low ratings, ending this long-running drama after 72 years on the air in both radio and television.  A few months after the April 1 announcement by CBS, Ms. Chappell released word that she would be moving to the west coast to reprise her first breakout role, that of Carly Manning (aka Katerina von Leuschner) on the serial Days of Our Lives, beginning in early October.

2009 has definitely been a year of changes and transitions for Ms. Chappell: an old job ending, a new job beginning, a new home, and a new venture.  In addition to returning to Days of Our Lives, Crystal has teamed up with her friends/production partners to create Venice: The Series, a new online serial drama  that is currently in its formative stages, but which has already attracted mainstream notice and press ranging from The New York Times to, well, us.

Last week, we spoke with Crystal Chappell about all of the above and more.  In this first chapter of our special serialized interview, we discuss her time on Guiding Light and her role as the multi-faceted Olivia Spencer.  In future installments of this interview series, we'll talk about her feelings about being back on Days of Our Lives and working once again with her real-life husband, Michael Sabatino.  We'll also go in-depth to bring you all the scoop on her upcoming buzzworthy project, Venice: The Series.

Our thanks to Crystal Chappell for speaking with us and to Cathie and the gang over at ccandfriends.com, and Crystal's publicist, Leslie Penny, for making this all happen.

 

US Townhall:  As an actress, what types of roles do you find yourself attracted to?  By the same token, what types of roles or stories do you NOT like to play?

CRYSTAL CHAPPELL:  I try to find characters that challenge me -- that force me to go to unfamiliar places.  Playing characters that are safe are not very interesting to me.

 

USTH:  Which actors and directors in primetime or film are on your wish list to work with in the future?  Put it out there in the Universe, and it may just come to pass.

CC:  I love Deniro and Streep, and I would love to work with Martin Scorcese.

 

USTH:  Describe the audition process for Olivia on Guiding Light (GL).  What were you told about the role, and how long was the role supposed to last?  Which actors did you read with?

CC:  I auditioned for [Guiding Light Executive Producer] Paul Rauch and [Procter & Gamble Executive in Charge of Production] Mary Alice ("Mickey") Dwyer-Dobbin and never read with any actors. The role was supposed to be for 3 months and the character was supposed to be killed off.  Fortunately for me, she lived.

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PALEY CENTER, 2009: Farewell to GUIDING LIGHT
Written by Scott Katz   
Wednesday, 19 August 2009 22:52

Kim ZimmerAnd so, the ending begins.  Tonight in New York City, at the Paley Center for Media in midtown Manhattan, was one of the first big "goodbye" events that the Guiding Light cast will be hosting for its fans.  Coming up next, the cast will appear at the Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony on Sunday August 30, at which there is said to be a special tribute to the show.

 

The Paley Center's three-plus hour event entitled Good-bye to Guiding Light, 72 Years Young, was moderated by Paley's Curator, Ron Simon.  In attendance from GL tonight were: Ellen Wheeler (Executive Producer), Jill Lorie Hurst (Head Writer), and actors Grant Aleksander, Bradley Cole, Elizabeth Keifer, Michael O'Leary, and Kim Zimmer.

However, sitting in the audience were several other Guiding Light actors including: Kurt McKinney, Maeve Kinkead, Tina Sloan, Gina Tognoni, Orlagh Cassidy, Frank Dicopoulos, and Ellen Dolan who is now Margo on As the World Turns, but was the original Maureen on GL.

 

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Guiding Light: The Longest Story Ever Told, Part 3
Written by Scott Katz   
Saturday, 08 August 2009 02:38

The Radio Years (1937-1956) continued: Introducing the Bauers

The Guiding Light's revamped storyline, now centered in Selby Flats, concerned itself with the troubled marriage of Ray and Charlotte Brandon and their desire to adopt a child.  They eventually did so -- a boy named Chuckie.  It was within this storyline that the Bauer family was slowly introduced.

In July 1948, Meta was the first Bauer introduced.  Papa Bauer followed on August 31, 1948.  Papa Bauer's wife, cleverly named Mama Bauer, had taken ill and Papa visited the aforementioned Reverand Dr. Charles Matthews seeking medical, spiritual, and emotional help for her.  Aside from Meta, Papa Bauer had two other children, Trudy and Bill.  It would be Bill Bauer's branch of the family tree that the series would follow most closely over the ensuing decades.  As for Meta, it was eventually revealed that the boy that the Brandons had adopted, Chuckie, was in fact, Meta's biological son.  Years of angsty drama ensued.

In 1949, Reverand Matthews left Selby Flats, and the series, but before he did, he made a generous donation toward the building of a new hospital.  This facility, Cedars Hospital, opened its doors in the fall of 1949 and has remained a central part of the show ever since.  Also introduced in 1949 was the woman who would eventually become the heart and soul of the show, Bertha Miller -- nicknamed Bert.  She and Papa Bauer's son, Bill, were married on December 9, 1949 by Reverand Paul Keeler who took over as pastor of The Church of the Good Samaritan after the departure of Reverand Matthews.

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Guiding Light: The Longest Story Ever Told, Part 2
Written by Scott Katz   
Tuesday, 04 August 2009 00:28

The Radio Years (1937-1956)

By the mid-1940s, Irna Phillips reportedly commanded a salary of about $300,000 per year.  Quite an accomplishment for a woman in the workforce over 65 years ago!  In fact, based on the Consumer Price Index calculations of inflation, $300,000 in, say, 1945, would have the same purchasing power as $3.7 million dollars today.  This undoubtedly would have made Ms. Phillips one of the wealthiest self-made women of the era.

Still, Irna worked hard to achieve her success.  At the height of this success, she was writing about 2 million words per year, which would be equal to about 30 to 40 novels per year.  She had multiple soaps broadcast across the radio waves simultaneously.  In addition to the aforementioned Today's Children, there were: The Road of Life, Woman in White, The Right to Happiness (a spinoff of The Guiding Light), Young Dr. Malone, and The Brighter Day.  Radio soaps, like most radio programs, were typically 15 minutes in length.

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Guiding Light: The Longest Story Ever Told Writes Its Final Chapter
Written by Scott Katz   
Saturday, 25 July 2009 02:28

Guiding Light logoAn important chapter of New York City broadcasting history is about to end.  Daytime drama Guiding Light has been canceled by CBS and will air its last episode on Friday, September 18, 2008.  As a New York based media business ourselves, we at US Townhall wanted to do one of our longform articles to cover this event and pay tribute to the longest running series in broadcast history.

Check back often as we continually update our tribute to Guiding Light's 72 years of broadcasting with more clips and remembrances.  To whet your appetite, we start off with a selection of Guiding Light opening themes over the decades.

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MORE INTERVIEWS...

  

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THORE SCHÖLERMANN & JO WEIL of Verbotene Liebe Peabody & Emmy award winning journalist TOM BROKAW Emmy award winning actor TOM PELPHREY of Guiding Light actors from The Apothecary Theatre Company TORI SPELLING & DEAN McDERMOTT of sTORIbook Weddings

 

 

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Reviews & Previews:

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Die Drei Pintos

Romeo and Juliet in Brooklyn

MPI Home Video

Timless Media Group

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Hunter: The Complete Series

Polly and Her Pals

Icons: The DC Comics and Wildstorm Art of Jim Lee

Adrianne Palicki as Wonder Woman

Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern

Spider-Man musical delayed again

Frozen

Dead Space: Aftermath

Altitude

 

 

    

Events:

New York Comic Con

Apprentice 10 kickoff

Farewell to Guiding Light

Farewell to As the World Turns

The Broadway Directory

 

Award Show winners:

Academy Awards

Emmy Awards

Grammy Awards

Tony Awards

American Music Awards

Golden Globe Awards

Screen Actors Guild Awards

American Country Awards

 

    

Television blogs:

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American Idol 9

American Idol 8

Big Brother 12

Big Brother 11

ABC Cancels Both All My Children and One Life to Live

Guiding Light: A Look Back

 

Editorials & Issues:

Scam Alert: Have You Received This E-Mail Job Offer?

Meet the 112th Congress

Brooklyn politicians Kevin Peter Carroll vs. Ralph Perfetto

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Understanding New York State Government

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