LA Daily News
February 17, 2003
Do-It-Yourself Soap Operas

Who says wishes never come true?

In the soap opera world they certainly do - at least for the next two Wednesdays. It's what ABC is calling Fan February, when the network airs stand-alone fantasy episodes of "One Life to Live" ' and "General Hospital." ' (The fantasy episode of "All My Children" ' ran Feb. 12.)

"It's really fun to be able to give (viewers) what they want for a day,'' says Catherine Hickland, who plays Lindsay Rappaport on "One Life to Live." "We're stepping out of the stories we tell and giving them some pure entertainment.''

The idea came from ABC Daytime chief Brian Frons, who arrived at the network in August after stints that included daytime programming assignments at both CBS and NBC.

"When I showed up at ABC, a bunch of the soap magazines published my ABC e-mail address," he says. "I found myself totally inundated with letters, either praising shows, condemning shows or pitching ideas to make the shows better."

Making the pitches official, the network launched a contest asking viewers to submit story ideas. In all, 4,500 responses were received. Many of the entries revolved around a few popular characters. Among them: Erica Kane and Tad Martin on "All My Children," ' played by veterans Susan Lucci and Michael E. Knight. In the episode that aired Feb. 12, "Tad the Cad," called that because of his nefarious ways, plays the field, so to speak, just before joining Erica for her 11th trip down the aisle.

"People wanted to see him with a lot of different women on the show," ' Frons says. "He' s basically playing around the entire day of his wedding. It was played totally for laughs, and it's very funny.''

Clint Buchanan on "One Life to Live," ' played by Clint Ritchie. "The character is no longer on the show, but we' re bringing back the actor to have scenes with his two daughters to resolve some emotional issues,'' Frons says.

Also returning in the Feb. 19 episode is Susan Batten as Luna, or "L," ' to Max's 006 (James DePaiva).

Mobster Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and his right-hand man, Jason (Steve Burton), on "General Hospital." ' Airing Feb. 26, the two trade places and Jason gets to call the shots this time.

The "General Hospital" ' storyline should please contest winner Malissa Wong, a 19-year-old Cal State Sacramento student who suggested something for Jason and will visit the show's set after submitting an entry that was drawn out of the proverbial hat.

While many suggestions made for interesting reading, some were impossible to pull off. Those generally fell into two categories, Frons says. "Either they were very sexual and involved same-sex or multiple partner relationships and when I say 'multiple" you can put that in capital letters. Or they were replications of films we couldn't afford, like putting Jason and Courtney on the Titanic or in 'Star Wars' or whatever.''

Still, what made the final cut has the president of fan clubs for both "All My Children" ' and "One Life to Live" ' excited and making sure she has enough videotapes to record the special episodes.

"The promos they've been showing are just absolutely hysterical,'' says Carol Dickson, a New Jersey resident who operates the www.amcoltlfanclubs.com Website. "I am so looking forward to it. I think it's going to be such a kick. I really do.''

Besides viewers, Fan February also has been a kick for the actors.

"It' s been really fun to be able to do this stuff especially for me because I just murdered someone (in a recent episode),'' says Hickland. "To step out of that story line for a day was a real pleasure. A little comedy was a good thing for me."

Besides comedy, the "One Life to Live" ' episode gave Hickland a rare opportunity to work with her real-life husband, Knight, who is bringing his no-good Tad over from "All My Children," ' where he has starred for 21 years.

"The fans thought that would be a real cool thing to see us together," ' says Hickland, who has been on "One Life to Live" ' for five years after appearing in two old ABC daytime soaps ("Loving" ' and "The City" ').

"My (current) character is a perpetual loser, and this is the day that Lindsay gets to win everything. It's a nice little payoff for the audience and the character.''

Dickson believes Fan February will serve two purposes for the network, which boasts this season's top-ranked daytime drama lineup beating NBC by 3 percent and CBS by 17 percent, according to an ABC release.

"It' s a thank-you to the loyal fans, and there's the curiosity aspect for new viewers,'' she says. "I think it's a very smart move.'' In addition, it's the latest in a series of attention-getters for the soaps. Last year, "One Life to Live" ' went live for an entire week a big deal because scripted TV shows are generally taped and have been for the past several decades.

In the weeks ahead, two "All My Children" ' characters will enter the real world (the first stop is Panama City, Fla., during spring break) to search for the sexiest men in the country. Viewers will get to select the winner from among 25 finalists.

Says Frons: "I want to keep making ABC daytime an interesting, fun place to visit a place where you're never sure exactly what you're going to get, but you know you're going to have fun.''