Bitchy Review: May's Birchbox

As I mentioned in my first Birchbox review, I was interested in trying out another month of this service to see if I could definitively recommend it to my friends and family. It was pretty cool because I got it the day after I received this month's ipsy box but I didn't do the review post because I needed some time to try most of the things out. Here's what I got from Birchbox this month:

This was a box of cute little travel and portable-sized products and I noticed that more functional? (I'm not sure if that's the right word, hence the question mark LOL) products were in there as opposed to just makeup. I've tried just about everything, so let's get started!


1. Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner

The 4-pack of liners like this is $21

I am in LOVE with this eyeliner. I swatched it on my hand before I applied it on my eyes and it was not only dark but very creamy and did not easily wipe off, something I worry about my eyeliner doing when I'm wearing it for a long period of time. It must be well made because it did not crumble, break off or look unsteady. It was extremely soft when I put it on and didn't tug on my eyelid or waterline, I did not have to repeatedly run it across my eyes to get the color I wanted because a couple of good swipes got the exact color and darkness that I wanted, and it stayed put all afternoon & evening. You can buy one full-length pencil from Birchbox for $11, but the link above will take you to a travel-size pack of 4 smaller pencils like the one in the photo since that was the one I received.

2. COOLA Classic SPF30 Cucumber Moisturizer

Full-size is $32

This is in a super-cute sample/travel size, so it already wins points with me for portability because I can toss it in pretty much any of my smaller purses and keep track of it. The smell is really clean and light, doesn't leave a greasy or oily sheen on my skin like a lot of other sunscreens, and best of all to me doesn't have that thick sunscreeny smell. I usually stay away from sunscreens because they have that really overwhelming scent and tend to just sit on top of my skin, but this one not only has neither of the above, but it moisturizes on top of that and will stay put underneath your makeup instead of giving your face an oily glow and causing everything to slide off your face. As a matter of fact, it served as a decent moisturizer for my face underneath my makeup when I used it yesterday. It goes on really light but had decent coverage; I was out in the sun for hours yesterday and my face didn't feel dry when I came home and I didn't have too much of a tan either. I absolutely love this and can't wait to buy it in the full size.

3. Marvis Toothpaste

The full-size is $10.50

I tried this toothpaste the day I got it mainly because I saw it was imported and I'd never tried imported toothpaste before. LOL. This Italian toothpaste is much different from its American counterparts, but in a good way. Unlike the frothy, thick strips that American toothpastes put out, this is a solid, white toothpaste that doesn't bring about visions of rabies while you're brushing. It literally looks like and has the consistency of a paste. The smell is an extremely strong mint at first, but surprisingly mellow once you brush. I actually got a metallic taste from it, I guess like what the inside of the tube tastes like, and this can take some getting used to. Despite this though, my mouth felt extremely clean and fresh after using it and didn't have that really strong aftertaste that interferes with what I eat or drink afterward. Loved it.

4. amika Obliphica Nourishing Hair Mask

The full-size is $40

This hair mask has Obliphica oil in it, which is said to help repair split ends, make your hair healthier and stronger and restore vibrancy and shine. I need all of the above properties added to my dome, so I was pretty excited to see what it does. It works as a deep conditioner would, leave it in for a few minutes then rinse it out. Firstly, it smells amazing. The lather is very thick and out of that small sample, I was able to get a full usage out of it with some to spare. That could have something to do with the fact that my hair is short but oh well. LOL I left it in for about 5 minutes and after washing it out, my hair was soft and light and I loved it. There are two different sizes of this hair mask available for full-size purchase and I will definitely be picking one of them up. Obviously, I could not see results yet but I can tell that it agrees with my hair, helps to soften it and make it more manageable and with consistent usage will probably do everything it says it will.

5. Runa Guayasa Tea

The full-size box has 16 bags for $7

This tea sampler comes in a box of 4 and is said to help give you the energy of coffee and twice the amount of antioxidants that green tea has. I received the traditional Guayasa, Mint Guayasa, Cinnamon Lemongrass Guayasa, and the Ginger-Citrus Guayasa tea samples. I'm not a big tea drinker and it's getting pretty hot where I live so I'm gravitating toward cooler drinks, but I'll try it tonight and update the post.








Bitchy Review: I didn't think it was possible for me to like this month's samples more than last month's, but Birchbox proved me wrong quite quickly. I like that there were different types of samples instead of just makeup, like the tea and the toothpaste. If you're going somewhere like on a weekend trip, this box of samples could fit in a small overnight bag and you won't need to take much else. I like that there were functional as well as cosmetic samples and of the three I have tried, I wasn't disappointed in the quality and the full-size prices weren't so shabby, either. I have absolutely no complaints about this month's box and can't wait for next month's box to come in.

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New Programming Schedule

How've you been enjoying the return of the soaps so far, Soapheads? I have a confession to make: I have yet to watch them. Don't throw tomatoes at me, I can explain! I just haven't been able to watch them on my computer; I'm having a really irritating issue with my laptop where the audio goes out after about 30 seconds and I have to either continuously keep it hooked up with an audio cord or keep muting and unmuting the laptop speakers for the sound to come back. I've tried everything I know how to do and I'm still having the problem, so I usually don't bother watching videos on my laptop anymore. My PS3 only has Hulu Plus and since the soaps are free, I don't see any reason to pay for an app just to watch a free show. The only other option would be to either use my computer tower and plug that into my TV, or plug the laptop into it instead and use the audio cord. Both of these are rather inconvenient to do just to watch the soaps when I've got other things to do on the Internet and so that's left me in a little pickle. But I'll get around to it.

That's not the reason I'm posting today, though. I have to be the bearer of bad news...again...although thankfully it is not as bad as the last time I had to post something negative on here. I'm sure many of you have enjoyed watching your soap the four days a week that it comes on, but Prospect Park has just released a statement announcing that the soaps will each be cut down to just twice a week. The problem came with the fact that people have returned in droves to watch the soaps, but many are only returning to watch one, not both. PP logged that the typical time for fans to watch the soap is usually sometime in the evening, and fans had to dedicate a lot of time to watch these online, so Prospect Park thought it was better to just switch the airing schedule.

The scheduling is now staggered, with AMC on Mondays and Wednesdays and OLTL on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the normal airing of the behind-the-scenes series More on Fridays. This goes into effect on Monday, which is May 20th. Even though PP says this move was prompted by viewer feedback, I do feel like it's an early "one step forward, two steps back" and this concerns me a little bit. If the episodes are already being cut back but the soaps haven't even been back on the air for a month yet, could this mean that despite the various reports, viewership is not as high as PP anticipated?

I'm hearing whisperings now that again, despite the various reports and damage control done by PP to assure us we would not have to pay for the soaps, that eventually both soaps will transition to Hulu Plus (the paid version of Hulu) and we'll have to pay to continue to watch them. What most set me off was that in PP's statement, they kinda sorta alluded to that fact by saying, "....because Hulu agrees with our findings, for the meantime they will keep all of our episodes on Hulu for free to give viewers the opportunity to find us and catch up." For the meantime. If these episodes were going to be free permanently, don't you think past episodes should remain free as well? I think where there's smoke, there may be fire on this one. I don't have Hulu Plus, barely use Hulu and am already paying for a tv subscription service with Netflix. I won't upgrade and have another paid service just to watch the soaps. I understand money has to be made and details like this can't be immediately released or put into effect because people will not be happy and you have to get the viewers back first, but PP specifically said we would not have to pay for our shows. Now they're releasing statements that allude to the very thing they said they would not do. So talk to me Soapheads, if PP ends up transitioning the soaps after a certain period of time to Hulu Plus and making you pay to view, will you upgrade to watch, or will you leave it alone?

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Bitchy Review: ipsy's Spring Fling (May) Bag

I'm in the process of narrowing down which beauty subscription services are the best, and since I ordered from Birchbox last month I ordered something from ipsy this month and just received my package today.

I took these out in my backyard. LOL

As with Birchbox, I received 5 sample-size products that I wanted to review below.

1. NuMe Finishing Serum

The full-size product is $29

I didn't try this immediately, but it smelled good when I opened the package. It's a protectant from physical and environmental damage to the hair, seals split ends, and tames flyaways and frizz. I have all of the above, so I'll probably be trying this out this coming weekend in combination with a couple of other hair products I've picked up over the last month or so. I like that it has a dropper applicator and only needs a few drops to work; this size container can be used on shorter locks like mine for awhile and I'll be able to see some consistent results so I can really see if it works or not. Even though the container looks small, 2-3 drops really is not a lot of product so it must go a long way. I'll update once I've used it for awhile and tell you how it goes.


2. Zoya Nail Polish in Piaf

This is a regular-sized bottle and costs $8.
If you want a more accurate photo of the
color, go to the link or the overall photo above.

When I first saw this color, I hated it. I love nail polish though, so I had to give it a go and see if maybe it would grow on me over time. It reminds me of Grey Poupon, but eventually it did indeed grow on me. I still don't love the color for myself as I think it gives my cuticles a dried-out appearance because my skin has a yellow undertone, but I'm okay with it. I'm still wearing it, and that says something. LOL It goes on really light at first, a really pale shimmery yellow, but after about 3 coats it darkens to a bit of a Grey Poupon-ish pale yellow or a sandy shade. It maintains a decent amount of shimmer regardless of the coats, so no complaints there. I've never tried Zoya polish before, so I can't say I'm wholly dissatisfied. I like it but I don't love it.


3. Yaby Concealer Flawless Refill in Buff

This doesn't come in a single container;
a refill swatch like this is $5.06 but the entire
Concealer Flawless Palette is $100

I almost didn't see this when I was going through the bag it was so small. The business portion of my mind computes that this is technically a sample size and you don't want to give out too much of it because this may hinder sales of the full-size product, but the consumer side is a little disappointed in the size. It feels like a cream-to-powder concealer, which I've been interested in trying, but the shade was off so it made my skin look ashen and dry. It feels rather dry at first as well, so to me you're not able to get a real application in because it dries pretty fast and most women I know apply more than what comes in the sample size. No bueno. I usually use liquid foundation as a concealer because of the coverage but I don't use it all over my face, so I've been looking for a concealer that I can use for my spots of hyperpigmentation. Maybe in another shade I would be okay with it, but this shade was too light so I couldn't get an accurate idea of how it works. What I don't like is that there is no full-size version of this product; you can either buy the entire palette of concealers or continue buying the refill swatches like this.


4. Juice Beauty Reflecting Lip Gloss in Fig

The full-size is $15

I've heard a lot of raving about Juice Beauty products, so I was excited to see that not only was this a full-size sample, but that it was Juice Beauty. I didn't like the scent at first but now that I've worn it a couple of times it reminds me a bit of fruits, I would say more orange rind. It comes off a little bitter at first. It has a high amount of sparkle, so I can't wear this gloss alone or as a topcoat because it makes my lips look a little white against the rest of my skin, but I like it. And it's organic too, so I know it's safe for my mouth, it hasn't dried out my lips so far and doesn't give me a thick goop-like covering like many lip glosses. The moisture remains on my lips for awhile after applying and I hate having to constantly reapply because my lips are dry when I'm out and about, so this is also a plus. I don't like that ipsy linked me to a gloss 4-pack for the full-size rather than an individual gloss because that seems like a bit much, so I had to look on Juice Beauty's website on my own to find the price for just one gloss.


5. St. Tropez All-Over Glow Body Lotion

Before 

After

This was the final product in this month's bag and is a temporary tanner by St. Tropez. I really don't need any help with tanning or looking darker but I wanted to try it out anyway. I didn't like how it made my skin feel at all. The color (to me) made my skin look more ashy than dewy, my hand felt chalky and my knuckles looked dark and bruised. I don't need anything with a tanning property anyway, but I thought that I would at least have a bit of a glow. It just looked darker and didn't feel too good, either. I'm sure that this probably looks great on lighter skintones, but on mine I just didn't like it. It washes off fairly easy though, so that's a plus. I included pictures of how it worked for me instead of the product picture since I thought that was more relevant and you could see the results beforehand.


6. Bonus Product: Makeup Bag/Clutch

As a bit of a bonus, ipsy included this adorable little clutch with this month's products. It's cute, summery, chevron-printed which I love, but can be used for everyday storage as well. It holds all of my necessities when I leave (iTouch, cell phone, id & debit card, pen and chapstick) so it's big enough to hold the small stuff when you want a no-fuss day and don't want to take a lot of things with you. No complaints here.



                       ________________________________________________

Bitchy Review: So what do I have to say about this bag overall? I liked it, but I didn't love it. I have realized that the problem with these subscription services isn't them or their products, it's me. My expectations were a bit too high and rather unrealistic; I guess the hype surrounding these things made me expect something different and when I didn't get it I was disappointed. But in reality, look at what I got for $10--hair serum that's probably going to last me for awhile, a full-sized nail polish that normally costs what I paid for the entire month's subscription, a full-sized organic lip gloss, and a cute bag to boot. I can do without the concealer and the tanning/glow lotion. Four out of six ain't bad. Most of the products had to grow on me, but again that was more due to my expectations being out of whack than the products not being good enough. A plus with ipsy is that discounts of the full-size products are offered if you go through your ipsy subscription to get them. Between Birchbox and ipsy, I've been able to try a lot of high-end products that I would not have had the opportunity to try otherwise and have been able to find things that I will definitely be buying when I have the money to do so. Like Birchbox, I'm willing to give this another go next month.

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R.I.P.

Soapheads, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but this morning, Jeanne Cooper (Y&R's Katherine) passed away in her sleep. She was 84. If you've been keeping up with Soapcentral, then I'm sure you heard a little something about the mysterious ailment she had been dealing with over the past month. If you hadn't heard about it, she fell into a coma last month and was in the ICU for a couple of weeks, then released back on April 29th. Unfortunately, a few days later, on May 2nd, she was readmitted and this time would not be released.

Nobody knows yet exactly what illness she was dealing with as her family has chosen not to release those details, and I can respect that. I have watched Jeanne Cooper on Y&R practically from birth and this loss to her family, Y&R and the rest of the soap fans who loved her work hits hard. I am glad she is at peace now and no longer in any pain. I hope that her family finds the strength and the courage that I am sure she passed along to them during this time, and that they look to God for His guidance of their steps. My sincerest condolences are with Jeanne Cooper's family, the cast of Y&R and the lives of all that she touched throughout her career.

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Bitchy Review: April's Birchbox Review

Bitchy Review: April's Birchbox

I've been hearing about beauty subscription services for awhile now, but I never actually considered signing up for one until a couple of months ago. Many of the subscription companies I'd seen had good offerings, but they were out of my budget. Then I heard about Birchbox off of one of my YouTube subscriptions and kept running across it on other sites so I decided to check it out.  From what I understood, the boxes came with exclusive products and/or samples, were of good quality and only cost $10 a month. It couldn't have come at a better time for me, because I was on the verge of cancelling a subscription I had to a site that coincidentally was the same amount every month. Since I no longer frequent that site, I figured my $10 would be better utilized somewhere else, and again since I hadn't heard anything bad about the samples, the sizes or anything like that (had actually heard the opposite) I said what the hell and gave it a go. 

You have to apply for a subscription, which can take up to three weeks to be approved and then they send your box out immediately afterward; you'll receive it within the business week or at the beginning of the following week. I received mine earlier this week; here is what was in this month's box:

Full size is $26.55

This is Mirenesse's Glossy Kiss lip stain in 2. Flirty Kiss, and I absolutely LOVE this stain. I haven't had much experience with lip stains and had been on the hunt for a good, deep red lipcolor for months. I tried this the day I got it and fell in love immediately. It doesn't wear off within the hour, can last throughout a meal although it does fade slightly, and if you lick your lips the color revitalizes itself a little. I wore it today and didn't have to reapply once, which I loved. I took it with me just in case I did have to reapply, but the fact that I didn't have to definitely gave it some winning points. It's very soft, goes on smoothly, is very vivid and packs a color punch so apply it lightly if you just want a subtle red. If you want that dramatic, eye-popping red, though, this is the product to try. I can't wait to wear this again. 

Full size is $10.99

This here is Simple Skincare's Revitalizing Eye Roll-on, and I was kind of excited to see this in the box. It has a very clean scent to it, doesn't have a goopy texture, and has a cool sensation as you roll it on your eyes. I've been seeing various eye roll-ons being used in the different beauty blogs that I'm subscribed to on YouTube and I keep seeing commercials for them, but I'd never used one before. This one's supposed to help with puffiness, soothe the skin and revitalize tired eyes. I don't usually have puffiness, but I do have tired eyes quite frequently and I don't know if it shows, but the skin around my eyes feels tighter and firmer after I use this roll-on. I use it in the morning after applying my foundation and at night as the last step in my skincare treatments. I was exhausted when I woke up this morning for a technology training session due to lack of sleep, so I rolled this on my eyes and I felt the area perk up almost immediately. I love how quickly it works, how my eyes feel after I use this and it smells good to boot. 

The full size of this is $98!

This is Joie's Folle de Joie eau de parfum sample and OMFG I LOVE how this smells! It smells so clean and light yet so fragrant that I wish I could roll around in a tub of it naked every day. I hate that the sample size is so small and the regular size parfum is so expensive (check the caption on the photo if you want to know the price) but its a very high-quality smelling fragrance and money's gotta be made. This was the perfect size to entice but not so large that no money will be made back from purchases because the sample size was enough. Very smart.

The full size is $20.99

This vial of Nexxus Youth Renewal Rejuvenating Elixir is supposed to help your hair look and feel younger by combating any of the 8 aging signs. I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but I like the concept. I really didn't know about hair and the aging process other than it turning gray, then white LOL, so this was interesting to see. Reading the back, this is the first attempt by Nexxus to restore youth to the hair through a line of haircare products. I'll update this post when I try it and let you know how it makes my hair feel. Now logically speaking, there's not enough in this vial to make a substantial difference in the condition of my hair, but I'll at least be able to see if I like how my hair feels and looks with it. 

Full size is $48

This is another product I haven't gotten to use yet and I really like how it smells. This is LaFace's PUR Purifying Facial Wash and the container is so small I'm afraid to use it all in one sitting. I guess I'm a cheapette when it comes to samples especially if the product is good; I want to stretch it out for as long as possible. So I haven't used this on my face yet but I touched it when I got it and it was very soft, it kind of reminded me of hotel soap at first. LOL 







Bitchy Review: For my first month of products from Birchbox, I was surprised yet a little disappointed at the same time. For the wait time and the size of the box I was sent, I thought there should have at least been one more product in the package this month. I understand why the samples were so small, but for my first month using this subscription service and all the hype surrounding Birchbox especially, I felt a little underwhelmed when I opened the box. With that said, however, I was exposed to some really great quality products that I would love to purchase full sizes of when I have the money. I'm willing to give this another go next month. 

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AMC & OLTL Season Previews!

I got my mitts on the first trailer for AMC, which will be premiering on the 29th of this month. Feast your eyes!

Keep in mind that the show has jumped 5 years in the future, so we won't be seeing the immediate aftermath of what happened on the final ABC episode. If you want a recap of the show, check out Soapcentral's recaps page.

And here is OLTL's trailer. As far as I know the show hasn't been SORAS'd but I don't know what point they picked up the show from.

By the way, if you live in Canada you'll be able to watch both soaps on the FX Canada channel. As was the case on ABC, AMC will be on at 12p EST/2:00p PST followed by OLTL at 12:30p EST/2:30p PST.

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New Developments

Remember a couple of days ago when I said I was going to make a new post for all soap-related information either at the beginning of the month or when I got enough information? Well this weekend has brought it in spades so let's get started, shall we? Finally some news from the AMC aisle, and we've got some developments.

--Firstly, after news broke earlier this month that Susan Lucci was going to reprise her role as Erica for at least one episode, we got a slight backtrack of it today in which she mentioned that it was actually up in the air due to scheduling conflicts, which we were pretty aware of before.

--Last month, Alicia Minshew (Kendall Slater) told TVLine that while nothing has been confirmed yet due to--you guessed it--scheduling conflicts, the lines of communication between her camp and PP have been left open hopefully for her to join later. So we can still hold out hope for that Zendall reunion! **update 3/8:** Alicia will be back for a one-day cameo! It's beginning to look up for a long-term return by the summer due to the other projects, but we do have confirmation that she'll be back. Yay!

--Another core character is returning to the canvas with the show for this spring's reboot; Ray MacDonnell (Joe Martin), who actually retired before the show ended in 2011, confirmed that he will be bringing the Martin patriarch back to our screens. It hasn't been released for how long he'll be there, but he will be there hopefully for the first episode.

--We finally have our new face to place with JR's name--PP released the info that Ryan Bittle (ex-Logan, AMC coincidentally lol) will be taking over the part of Adam's long-troubled son. I'm trying to remember who Logan was on the show, but I'm drawing a blank. Guess this works in my favor; I won't be trying to separate him from the character he played before because I don't remember him! LOL

--I told you all earlier this month that Cassandra Foster, Angie's daughter, would be returning to Pine Valley when the show reboots later, and now we have a face to place with her. Another Top Model alum will be taking over the role; if you're familiar with ANTM then Saleisha Stowers' face should also be familiar when you see it!

--Petey Cortlandt has a new face too! Last time we saw the character he was being portrayed by Daniel Kennedy, but boy has Petey grown up since 2009 LOL, Scott Wilson (Price is Right fans should remember this one), the first male model to be featured on Price is Right, will be joining the cast. I gotta admit, I kinda liked Petey the nerd. Petey the hunk is going to be something to get used to....but I'm not complaining---Scott Wilson's abs are marvelous. I hope he takes his shirt off. Often. Anyway....

--In typical soap fashion, PP has SORAS'd the character of Miranda Montgomery and made her a teenager, bringing Denyse Tontz on board to play her. I guess the teen scene needs to be revamped; the teens that were there years ago have since grown up and are already doing other things anyway. But she won't be coming alone, because...

--Eden Riegel has released confirmation that she and Bianca will be returning to the show when it relaunches this spring. I don't know that she'll be returning permanently; they're calling it a "guest arc" perhaps to get the show off the ground with core characters on board, but I guess we'll see.

--Speaking of characters who are getting SORAS'd, Little A, or AJ Chandler, will also be given a boost into his teen years, with Eric Nelsen taking over the role. Geez, the only Chandler I'll recognize is Adam Sr.

--Now the reason why most of these younger characters have been so rapidly SORAS'd is because the show itself has been rapidly aged. It's been aged 5 years, to be exact. Soapcentral's Dan Kroll has some excellent insight into why this might actually be a good thing. Why it's been aged is simple enough; in the year and a half that has elapsed since the ending of the show, most of the performers have since signed on to other projects and are no longer available for the reboot. Jumping 5 years into the future is a perfect way to explain these absences, some of them notable and others that honestly can probably be overlooked. So I guess we won't get that drama-filled first episode right after the shot rang out. That gives me a case of the sads.

--update 3/11: The first airdates for both OLTL and AMC are being listed as April 29th. Check the link if you want more details, but in short each show has been cut down to 30 minutes, and will broadcast a new episode Monday through Thursday at noon EST on Hulu and iTunes. And I used to get mad at B&B for never moving up to an hour show. Smh.

--update 3/14: Former High School Musical star Corbin Bleu is joining the cast of OLTL in the newly-created role of Jeffrey King, a friend of Matthew and Destiny's who works for Viki as a Banner reporter.-

--update 3/19: Ricky Paull Goldin, AMC's Jake, is returning to daytime but......not with AMC. Goldin confirmed that despite taking an acting hiatus and has since gone on to host HGTV's Spontaneous Construction, he has also taken a role on B&B, the episodes of which begin airing later this spring. On the topic of Jake, what are your thoughts? Leave the character off-canvas or recast?

--update 3/28: So turns out that the 3 OLTL implants will be returning for the relaunch as they are under contract to Prospect Park and will return to GH, but in different roles. What does this mean for the current storylines that Starr, John & Todd are involved in, I can't say. But their portrayers will be returning to the show.

--update 4/4: You can catch AMC on Hulu here and take a gander at the cast, so save this link! The Hulu link for OLTL is here. iTunes will be broadcasting OLTL here and AMC's iTunes link is here.

--update 4/19: Well we have a character that won't be returning to AMC later on this month; Chrishell Stause just confirmed on Twitter that she has joined the cast of DAYS. She doesn't rule out a return in the future, but it won't be happening anytime soon. In bigger news, the fight over the OLTL characters on GH has turned into a war, with Prospect Park suing ABC for breach of contract!

Thoughts?

*As always, I'll update this post with more info as it becomes available.

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Confirmed Returns List!

Okay soapheads, for the past couple of weeks I've been updating a post I made to let you know of the performers who would be returning to OLTL and AMC when the shows return later this spring--btw, we've got an April airdate so far--and PP just released a list of who would be returning to both shows earlier today. Again, I'll be updating this post as I get wind of more return information. One Life has a notably larger list than All My Children at this point but I'm still holding out some hope.

AMC:
Debbi Morgan (Angie Hubbard)
Vincent Irizarry (David Hayward)
Lindsay Hartley (Cara Castillo)
Jordi Vilasuso (Griffin Castillo)
Thorsten Kaye (Zach Slater)    *<-be still my heart!!!!!
Jill Larson (Opal Cortlandt)
Darnell Williams (Jesse Hubbard)  *<-yay!!!!
Cady McClain (Dixie Martin) *this hasn't been formally confirmed by PP, but CMC says she's confident she'll be returning
Julia Barr (Brooke English)
David Canary (Adam Chandler, Sr.) *<-yesss!!

OLTL:
Erika Slezak (duh)
Robert S. Woods (Bo Buchanan)
Robin Strasser (Dorian Lord...duh)
Tuc Watkins  (David Vickers) *<-there is a light at the end of the tunnel lol
Kassie dePaiva (Blair Cramer)
Florencia Lozano (Tea Delgado)
Jerry ver Dorn (Clint Buchanan)
Melissa Archer (Natalie Buchanan Banks)
Hillary B. Smith (Nora Buchanan)
Josh Kelley (Cutter Wentworth)
Andrew Trischitta (Jack Manning)
Kelley Missal (Danielle Manning)
Sean Ringgold (Shaun Evans)
Shenaz Treasury (Rama Patel)
Nick Choksi (Vimal Patel)
Roger Howarth (Todd Manning)....for now lol

Per usual, I got my info from Soapcentral.com. Like I said at the top, I'll update this list again when we get more names released. So far I think this is a pretty steady start from both shows; I am rather intrigued how everything is going to play out on the OLTL end of things as far as the characters on GH are concerned and I'm really excited to see some more big names added on to both of these lists.

On some random notes:

*Who's watching that new show Deception on NBC? If you are, then you've already found out what Bree Williamson (ex-Jessica, OLTL) is up to--she's playing the part of a deceased socialite whose murder is the focal plot surrounding the main characters on the show. On one hand, its awesome to see familiar faces doing something new. The Jeffersons theme comes to mind when I later see soap stars in primetime or on movies. They're movin' on up. lol On another note though, because she is playing this part on NBC, its highly unlikely that she would be available to come back as Jessica for the OLTL reboot, so if TPTB decide to recast her character(or even bring back Erin Torpey) how would you feel about it?

*I didn't want to cover it, but Scott Evans (ex-Oliver Fish, OLTL) was busted by the po-po last week on cocaine charges! :( Read the full story here.

*Not entirely surprised to not see her name on here, but still no word from Susan Lucci's camp on whether she'll be back for the return. I heard a while ago that her show got picked up by ABC? I'm foggy on details but regardless I know she's busy. Will there be a riot if there's an Erica-less AMC? Actually now that I think about it, if we were to go on the cast that's signed up so far, we'd be looking at a Lavery, Martin, Chandler and Kane-less AMC. Fo shame!

*update 1/24: Late breaking news from PP--A very familiar AMC face is going to have a new one when he returns to the canvas! PP just released deets today that JR Chandler will indeed be recast when the show comes back on this spring. With the end storyline being "Who did JR shoot?" the first scenes are naturally going to be very intense from jump. Do you think anyone can come in and properly capture said intensity without having the history with the character that Jacob Young did? I don't know, but looks like we'll be finding out soon enough.

*update 1/28: JR Martinez (Brot) has confirmed via his Twitter that he will not be part of the online version of the show when it returns this spring due to scheduling conflicts. I liked Brot, but JR Martinez has seemed to hit his stride since exiting the show so I think I'm okay with this.

*update 2/1: PP & ABC are on the outs with each other over the dispute involving the OLTL characters of Starr, McBain & Todd, so they're being yanked off of GH in the coming weeks and forced to return to OLTL.
                      In AMC news, a casting call has been released for Cassandra Foster, who I'm sure you remember as Angie's daughter. She was played by ANTM's Yaya DaCosta but wasn't on the screen long before being written off the show.

*update 2/5: Hulu and iTunes will be broadcasting the new, half-hour(!) episodes of AMC & OLTL later this spring, with production on both shows beginning February 25th.

*update 2/11: We've got word from La Lucci!! Word was released this morning that both she and David Canary will indeed be appearing on the relaunch of AMC this spring, but while David Canary will be seen "on an ongoing basis," Susan Lucci is only confirmed for one episode.
                          But the news is bittersweet: Michael E. Knight has declined a return to the AMC reboot, at least for now, citing bad timing. He does give us some hope that Tad will make a return sometime, but it won't be for the show's relaunch.

*update 2/22: I didn't see this before, but Julia Barr (Brooke English) has signed on for the reboot of AMC. With Barr's character Brooke reunited with Adam the last time we saw her, its probably safe to say that they're still together.
                  We haven't heard too much else on the soaps other than the Prospect Park/ABC conflict, but it has been confirmed that Roger Howarth (Todd Manning) will be back for the OLTL reboot, then headed back over to GH, where he is still under contract to ABC. No word yet on the other two characters, but at least we won't have a recast or it won't make sense. I'm still kinda peeved they got rid of Trevor St. John though. :-(


I will start a new post with more updates next month or as I get a little more information; I've kept this post open for over a month now and need to get a new one going. I just haven't gotten many updates lately; PP has gone quiet for now, presumably because production starts on Monday. With the short list we've gotten from AMC's half though, I wonder how the show's going to take off without a bunch of new characters serving as placeholders. We're still low on foundation characters (other than Susan Lucci for at least one episode, we still have no Kanes, one Slater, no Laverys, no Careys--which should make some of you happy, I presume LOL--no Martins, one Cortlandt, and two Chandlers, one of whom is a familiar name with a new face) and even though I know it is not possible at this point I would really like them to pick up where ABC left off--was an excellent lead-in for Prospect Park. Anyway, I'll be making a new post so I can continue with soap updates on the 1st.

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Bitchy TV Preview: Mistresses

One of the shows premiering on ABC this summer is Mistresses, which gets the additional buzz and promotion of being Alyssa Milano's return to television. Since we haven't seen her onscreen since the ending of Charmed almost if not over 5 years ago, this is big news. Charmed fans, myself included, have missed seeing her onscreen and this role is much more grown-up than ones we have seen her in before. Not quite Long Island Lolita, but a little bit more sexified than Phoebe or Sam. I don't know much about the show other than that it is based off of a now-cancelled British drama and will be premiering this summer, exact date not disclosed just yet. Here's a sneak peek of the trailer, courtesy of Entertainment Tonight:

ET describes Mistresses as "a complex show about four best friends and the controversial decisions that their hearts force them to confront." Rounding out the cast of ladies includes Rochelle Aytes (Madea fans will remember her as Lisa from Madea's Family Reunion), Yunjin Kim (Sun from Lost), and Jes Macallan (she's done a lot of guest-starring roles on shows like Justified and NCIS: LA).

Go nose around Mistresses' official page on ABC if you want a little more info about the show, but the trailer's interesting enough to me to give it a looksie when it premieres. What say you?

*Trailer is via Entertainment Tonight.

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Big Returns Announced!

Great news soapheads! We've already got two big names confirmed to return to the online revival of AMC! Debbi Morgan and Vincent Irizarry have already confirmed via Twitter that they will indeed be reprising their old AMC roles for the online revival of the show. I was hoping we'd see some familiar faces. No comment from either Susan Lucci or Erika Slezak as of yet, but Cameron Mathison expressed his desire to return if he can get things scheduled correctly. As of now, there's no formal confirmation for his return.

Many of the AMC and OLTL'ers are on Twitter, so I know they must be getting harassed like crazy by fans wanting to know if they'll be part of the new project. I'm dreading the first confirmed 'no' answers; I know there will be some, it's just a matter of who they'll be coming from. This is a little light in the dark for now, so I'll take it. I'll keep updating this post with more returns or denials. What do you guys think, do these early confirmations make you more excited to see the show again?

In other news, CBS confirmed that Steve Burton (ex-Jason Morgan, GH) will indeed be joining Y&R in the newly created role of Dylan McAvoy. There have been whisperings for awhile after his decision to leave GH that he'd probably be jumping ship to another network and I guess those whispers turned out to be true. I haven't watched GH in a long time but he's one of the reasons why I stayed as long as I did, and yes some of it was for shallow purposes. Idgaf what role he's in, dude is yummy. So I stayed to look and I have no shame admitting it either. Maybe it was time for a change, I don't know. Any opinion on Steve Burton jumping ship to Y&R? His first air date is the 29th of this month, will any of you be tuning in?

*update 1/9* Genie Francis is on her way back to GH for the 50th anniversary! The actress recently finished up her work on Y&R as Genevieve and is now free to return to the role many soapheads love her for, GH's Laura Spencer.

*All return info is via Huffington Post. All Steve Burton news is from Soapcentral.com, all Genie Francis news from Entertainment Tonight.

*update 1/13* Jordi Vilasuso (Griffin, AMC) has confirmed that he and Lindsay Hartley (Cara, AMC) will both be returning to AMC when production officially begins next month. The first OLTL return has been announced as well; Jerry verDorn has confirmed that he is headed back to Llanview, but we have yet to hear much else on that side of things.

*update 1/19* Erika Slezak (Viki, OLTL) and Robert S. Woods (Bo, OLTL) are close to signing on to return to PP's reboot of the show---awesome news! Robin Strasser (Dorian, OLTL) confirmed her return via Twitter this past week as well.

*update 1/21* Soapcentral just got news that Prospect Park has released its first few casting calls for OLTL and....they are for 2 recasts! Ready? Matthew and Destiny are the first two characters that we know for sure are going to have new faces once the soap reboots later this year. How do you feel about that, soapheads? We've had little Eddie Alderson in that role for years! Of course with both Eddie and Kristen out in LA now, that opens up an entirely new can of worms that I'll save for when we have more info. lol But for now, these are the first recasts the show has publicized. Keep you updated!

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