Best and Worst Recast: Alicia Minshew and Antony Addabbo

The August 12th issue of Soap Opera Digest named Anthony Addabbo (ex-Dimitri Marick) as All My Children's biggest mis-cast. I think they had it all wrong, Addabbo was not only "pinch-hitting" for troubled actor Michael Nader, he had long term prospects. When it was clear Nader was never going to b rehired, I like many fans were behind keeping Addabbo. Frankly, I think he had more chemistry with on-screen wife Finola Hughes (ex-Dr. Alex Marick) than Nader ever did.

Addabbo was not relegated to the back burner. He was part of the most tragic storylines in Pine Valley, the untimely death of Gillian Andrassy (Esta Terblanche). Given what was arguably the best written material of the Jean Passanante era, Addabbo infused the role Dimitri with the a stoic warmth, a portrayal that would make even Nader proud.

The best recast named accordingly was Alicia Minshew (Kendall Slater), who took over the role of Erica Kane's (Susan Lucci) wayward daughter from Emmy Winner Sarah Michelle Gellar in 2002. Now six years into the role, Minshew has many people asking Sarah who?

Another Sick Reminder of What Should Have Been

Noah & Julia's 1996 Wedding Guest (L to R): Eileen Herlie, Michael Nader, Susan Lucci, Socorro Santiago, Raul Davila, Darlena Tejeiro and Catherine Gardner

This week's Soap Opera Digest featured a look back at some of Daytime's classic weddings. Representing the citizens of Pine Valley was Noah Keefer (Keith Hamilton Cobb) and Julia Santos' (Sydney Penny) 1996 nuptials at Wildwind.

Oh Esensten and Brown, you sure knew how to ruin a good thing. Wasting Penny's talent is just another thing on your long list of sins.

Let's Party Like its 1997!

SOD Online's feature this week is a quiz about All My Children in 1997. My favorite memory from that year has to be the feud at Wildwind between waring ladies of the manor Dr. Maria Grey (Eva LaRue then-Callahan) and Erica Kane-Marick (then and always-Susan Lucci).

It makes me sad to think Wildwind can become a thing of the past now that Sydney Penny (Julia Santos Keefer) is rumored to be on the chopping block. Those halls many memories of love, life and death.

Sidenote: Can the SOD Online editors be more lazy? Did anyone do the rearch and realize the picture they used in the feature of Lucci and Michael Nader (Dimtiri Marick) was actually from their remote shoot in Hungary in 1992. I am sure there are many lovely, and more timely photos in their vast photo collection.

I won't even begin to talk about the number of emails I have sent the online editor pointing errors in their stories.

Heck, if they're hiring, I'm looking.

Welcome Home Dixie

This week Soap Opera Digest has exclusive photos from Dixie Cooney's (Cady McClain) return to Pine Valley as Adam Chandler's (David Canary, pictured r. with McClain) ghostly vision. The man who once made her think she was going insane, gets a taste of his own medicine for keeping one of the Valley's biggest secrets.

Let's hope they make it clear Dixie is Adam's vision and not a ghost, like they did with Maria Grey in 1998 when Eva LaRue returned for a handful of episodes after Dimitri Marick (then Michael Nader) saved Edmund Grey (John Callahan) from the aqueduct. ABC may be trying to write their wrongs, but to this long time fan they are just digging a deeper hole.

McClain's first airdate is May 2.