douglas marland | douglas marland
Apr.02.2012
For me, the pleasure of watching soaps lies in the quite conversations between characters during which absolutely nothing happens. So, I’ve always found the “shocking secret revealed...” school of soap opera promos over-the-top. However...
As part of its release of “The Story of Lily and Holden” on...
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Sep.14.2011
On Monday, We Love Soaps finished counting down The 25 Biggest Blunders in Daytime Soap Opera History. It’s a fascinating combination of decisions specific to an individual show and those that had a far-reaching impact on the genre. I was less interested in where each item was ranked than how they...
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Jul.06.2011
and a sad goodbye to one of soap opera’s most enduring villains...
As the late Michael Zaslow had with Roger Thorpe on Guiding Light, Anthony Herrera infused his portrayal of As the World Turns’ James Stenbeck with layer upon nuanced layer of emotional depth. When I heard that he died late last...
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Sep.14.2010
From the “Latin: Illegitimi non carborundum. In any language, easier said then done, especially when someone’s been at it a long time.
In all forms of serialized storytelling, be it daytime, primetime, or even comic books, there’s an inherent, and necessary, tension between those who create the...
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Sep.12.2010
One of the most powerful stories Douglas Marland ever wrote was in 1990, when Margo Hughes disconnected her step-father (and Katie’s father), Casey Peretti, from life-support. Margo was charged with murder, and while she was eventually cleared, the incident created a serious rift between her...
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Jul.18.2010
A few weeks ago, Kelly Wittmann, who posts regularly on MediaDomain as Mary Hatch – and a kindred spirit who describes herself as a “character-driven writer navigating her way in a plot-driven world” – posted her list of twelve reasons why soap operas are dying. When my good friend, Sam Ford,...
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May.05.2009
I had forgotten that today was Douglas Marland's birthday. But as I watched today's episode of As the World Turns, it occurred to me that perhaps the writers had not. There were actually parts (not all, but yes, plural) of today's episode that echoed the best of Marland - in fact, it may have been...
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May.05.2009
Today would have been Douglas Marland’s 74th birthday. In any case, it’s a great opportunity to celebrate his talent and his work. The newer generation of soap viewers may not know who he is, but he touched so many of the shows I know and love: Guiding Light, As The World Turns, Another World (...
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May.04.2008
Tomorrow is May 5th, Cinco de Mayo, and I’m thinking of one of my favorite writers. His name was Douglas Marland. Now you might be scratching your head, thinking “That’s odd, I never heard of him. What books did he write?” He didn’t write books. Let me tell you what he wrote.
Douglas...
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May.01.2008
Everyone loves to talk about the successful actors who got their start on soaps, especially the mainstream media. When they deign to write about soaps, this is often the first, and only positive thing they have to say. And just what does that say about actors who spend their entire career on soaps...
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