Sydney Penny and Cameron Mathison Star Together!

Sydney Penny (ex-Julia) and Cameron Mathison (Ryan) will be starring together in a new Lifetime original movie, The Wife He met Online.  Via ABC Soaps In Depth, Cameron is excited to play a little bit of a departure from Ryan in this mystery thriller movie.  He says, "It's a cool character not that dissimilar to Ryan, but at the same time, I'm going to try to add some differences."  No airdate is available at this time.

A Tribute to Pine Valley in NYC!!!

 A new event was announced this week... A Tribute to Pine Valley, Celebrating 41 years of AMC!  The once in a lifetime event will take place over three nights, ok so it's thrice in a lifetime event.  On Tuesday, October 25, the Tribute takes place at Town Hall.   On Wednesday, October 26, the event will be at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, NJ.  And on Thursday, October 28 the event hits The Theatre in Westbury, Long Island NY.   Joining in on the festivities are Walt Willey (Jack), Julia Barr (Brooke), Vincent Irizarry (David), Cameron Mathison (Ryan), Jacob Young (JR) and Michael E. Knight (Tad).  More names will be added most likely so stay tuned!  To get all the info or to order tickets, check out the Tribute to Pine Valley WEBSITE.

CASTING NEWS: I've Been Waiting For This!

After Lorraine Broderick hinted in last weeks SOD that more surprise appearances were in store, I held my breath and waited.  Well I just exhaled!!!   SOD Online reports that Ray MacDonnell (Joe), Lee Meriweather (Ruth), David Canary (Adam) and Julia Barr (Brooke) will all be returning before AMC leaves the ABC airwaves on September 23!!!  (Actual airdates are not yet available).

Are the Big Returns in the Works?

It looks like they are!   With Cady McClain's (Dixie) return already confirmed, fans are wondering who else AMC plans to bring back before their swan song in September.  Although there is no official word yet, Thorsten Kaye (Zach) revealed on his official website yesterday that he is bringing Zach back to Pine Valley, alive and in the flesh this summer.  

And what about David Canary (Adam) and Julia Barr (Brooke)?  With Agnes Nixon and Lorraine Broderick back in the drivers seat at AMC, it seems there is a good chance we will see these two AMC icons before the end.  Storyline penned by Broderick and overseen by Nixon begins airing on May 27.

Julia Barr on Cancellation!!

 Soap Opera Digest spoke with Julia Barr (ex-Brooke) and she had this to say about the cancellation of AMC and OLTL:  "I have such wonderful memories of being a part of All My Children. And I feel so fortunate to have been able to share so many years of my professional life in the company of such wonderful people. It is sad for longtime viewers and loyal fans who have loved and supported the show... And sad for all of us... actors, staff and crew, who will be saying good-bye."

Happy Birthday Julia Barr!!!!

Happy Birthday wishes to Julia Barr!!!  Julia celebrates her 62nd birthday today!!  Hey, isn't it about time for Adam and Brooke to come back to Pine Valley for a visit? 

Walt and Julia Hit the Stage!!

Tonight is the night Ottawa, IL!  It's the first performance in a weekend long event starring Walt Willey (Jack) and Julia Barr (Brooke).   The two are joined by Howard Johnson in a WilleyWorld Production of the classic, Arsenic and Old Lace.  This evenings performance begins at 7:30 pm with a show tomorrow, July 24 at 7:30 pm and a Sunday July 25 matinee performance at 2:30 pm.  Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door.  Please call (815) 434-2737.

CASTING NEWS: Brooke Leaves Town....

...with Adam! OK, it's not really much of a shock. But this week when Adam makes his departure from Pine Valley, he will be having his own New Beginning... with Brooke! Julia Barr and David Canary leave Pine Valley on Friday, April 23.

Chandler Mansion's Main Maiden

The relationship between Adam Chandler (David Canary) and Mrs. #3 Brooke English (Julia Barr) has always been a fan favourite. What started out as a business arrangement (she wanted to be EIC of Tempo, he wanted to keep Mrs. #2 Erica out of the top seat), blossomed into what was Adam's first marriage of equals.

When the marriage hit the rocks, Brooke showed just how much of an equal she was. With a "little" help from new kid on the block Jackson Montgomery (Walt Willey), Brooke took half of Adam's fortune. I guess Ivana Trump was right, "Don't get mad, get even."

Enjoy a few of these snapshots of the once happy couple.
What is your favourite Brooke and Adam memory?

An English Homecoming

With Julia Barr making her triumphant return as Brooke English this week, the History Project would like to feature a clip from what is considered by many the performance of Julia Barr's career thus far:


To learn more about Brooke, read our QUICK GUIDE.

Happy Birthday Julia Barr!!!!

Happy Birthday wishes go out to Julia Barr (Brooke). She celebrates her 61st birthday today! Don't miss Brooke's AMC return on February 23!!!

Commentary: The Starting of a Brand New Day

It's a brand new day at AMC. The birds are singing. The sun is shining. Mr. Pratt and his almost complete annihilation of AMC is gone. Like the Six Million Dollar Man, we can rebuild it. Most of the steps taken to do that are steps in the right direction.

Brooke is back. An absolute no brainer. Brooke faded into the Martin attic back in 2006 when AMC decided not to renew Julia Barr's contract. At the time, the actress didn't want to stay on in a recurring capacity. Fans were in an uproar that such a classic as Brooke (and Julia) could be discarded the way she was. Quite honestly, the uproar never ceased. It got quieter now and then, but Brooke has always been missed, has always been one of the first mentioned when talk of characters returning happens. Many fans rejoiced when it was announced she would be on the anniversary show. And then popped the corks on the champagne when, shortly thereafter, it was announced she would be returning to AMC in February. Right now, the term of her return is short. But it's a step in the right direction. I hope she has sharpened her claws because I want to see some classic Erica/Brooke catfights! Meow!

Jack is back. Fans cried foul when Jackson Montgomery was basically forgotten about. His marriage to Erica fizzled. He had a brief affair with Erica's prison BFF. And then, nothing. He was gone. Liza was brought back as a lawyer so he wasn't even needed for lawyery stuff. Walt Willey has classically said on many occasions that he will leave Pine Valley when he leaves in a pine box. Well he didn't leave that way, but still he was gone. And while I'm one of the few who is really digging the Erica/Ryan May/December romance, I think she truly belongs with Jack at this point. The diversion of Ryan has been fun. And seriously, when I'm 63 I hope I can attract a smokin hot younger dude too! But it's time for Jack to return, remind Erica about their love and show her that Ryan was exactly what I said... a diversion until the real man of her dreams was back. Their history, their long long history pretty much makes their story simple. Two hearts that lost their way and need to find a way back to each other. Personally speaking, I think that Erica and Jack should never have gotten divorced. I can't even remember why it happened now (although I'm sure someone will remind me lol). It's time for Erica to settle down. It's time to make Jack and Erica the anchors.

Greenlee is back. Nice lead in huh? Jack is back and he needs to be back with Erica. That leaves Ryan alone. Or does it? Rebecca Budig has returned to the role of Greenlee. She clearly never lost her love of Ryan. How could she? She woke up a year later believing it was still her wedding day. She's just as much in love as the day she "died." And I definitely believe that Ryan never fell out of love with Greenlee either. Sure he grief sexed Kendall over and over and over again. And now he's trying to move on for good with Erica. Not going to happen. Greenlee will be back. And I'm sorry Ms. Kane, you don't stand a chance!

And alas, Dixie is back. I can't even pretend to be happy about this development, my Dixie hate is rather notorious. But I am happy for the fans who have wanted this. Death by poison pancakes has been the thorn in the side of many, Cady McClain included. And then, out of nowhere, it was revealed that the Satin Slayer did not poison the peanut butter that was put in the pancakes that were to be fed to Babe but that Dixie ate instead. So who wanted Babe dead? No one knows. The story was dropped. Should we assume that Alexander Cambias was lying? Is Dixie's return going to center around finding out what the real deal behind her death was? Is she a ghost? Has David been hiding her too? What's the deal!? We'll find out in March!

So how do you get back the fans you lost when you hired a hack who ruined your show? Well you bring back the characters people love. The tried, the true. You get back to honest storytelling from a character driven point of view. You stop changing characters personalities to accommodate idiotic plots. You get rid of characters no one cares about... like Bailey and Damon. Yeah OK, Bailey's going and Damon isn't. It's a head scratcher for sure. But he's a young guy and maybe something will develop between him and Colby.

The new writing team is said to be announced within the next few weeks. With my optimism in full swing, I have high hopes that this too will be a step in the right direction.

For the first time in several years, the future of AMC looks bright. I feel good. I have hope. I want to see what's going to happen. Yeah, a new day is dawning at AMC. It's no longer the winter of our discontent. It's springtime in the middle of January! Break out your shades and pass me a Margarita!

CASTING NEWS: She's BACK!!!!!

Who's back? BROOKE!!!!! Julia Barr will be reprising her role of Brooke English beginning February 23. Amazing news! Amazing actress! And another wrong righted. Go AMC!!!

When a Rose is Not a Rose

Opal's sense of style has always been, well, questionable. One of my favourite looks was Opal's cornucopia hat from Thanksgiving 2001:

Pictured (L to R): Cady McClain (ex-Dixie), Jill Larson (Opal), Eden Riegel (ex-Bianca) and Julia Barr (ex-Brooke)

In honour of Jill Larson's 20th Anniversary as Opal Sue Gardner Purdy Cortlandt, share your favourite Opal memory below.

Trivia: This episode also marked the premier of Jonathan Bennett as an all grown-up JR Chandler, who would "loose his virginity" to con-man Frankie Stone (played by Bennett's then real life girlfriend Elizabeth Hendrickson)

BIG Returns for AMC's 40th Anniversary!!!!

So we already know that Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos (Hayley and Mateo) will be returning to Pine Valley to celebrate AMC's 40th Anniversary in early January, but there's more! Hold on to your hats folks because the names are coming in! Among those set to return for the January 5 special episode are Leven Rambin (Lily), Eden Riegel (Bianca), Taylor Miller (Nina), Laurence Lau (Greg), Eva LaRue (Maria) and Julia Barr (Brooke)!!! A little birdie also whispered in my ear that we'll be seeing Walt Willey (Jack) around that time or a little before too!

Happy Birthday Julia Barr!!!

Happy birthday wishes to the much missed Julia Barr. She celebrates her 60th birthday today!!!