With reality television becoming more and more popular, as production of scripted fare dries up, it's good these day to be a jack of all genres. That's exactly who Jonathan Reiner is. The veteran reality show producer (Starting Over, Big Brother), who got his start as an intern at Theater Week magazine, which led to him meeting the legendary Soap Opera Weekly editrix Mimi Torchin, and a career covering soaps, drops by Daytime Confidential to chat with Luke and Jamey about the differences and similarities between soaps and reality shows.

Reiner reflects on what it was like to work on daytime's first and only reality soap, Starting Over, co-created by the late Mary -Ellis Bunim, and offers a fresh perspective on why network television dramas seem to be struggling so much. He also ponders the question, why didn't Procter and Gamble seek out producers with reality television experience before embarking on their risky production model shift for the now-cancelled sudser Guiding Light? It's an interview you won't soon forget.

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Be sure to leave your comments on all the latest goings on in the world of soaps by calling the Daytime Confidential comment line by calling 917-677-9757.

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Esther's life hasn't been all about her daughter, or her precious new granddaughter Delia in 2009, however. Our favorite housekeeper also found time for a sweet romance of her very own earlier this year with con man Roger (David Leisure), that quickly turned sour, resulting in Kay and Esther finding themselves in mortal danger, once again kidnapped by Roger's partner-in-crime, the dastardly Clint Radison (James Michael Gregary), providing Linder and her costar Jeanne Cooper, their best material in years. READ MORE

Bennett, whose first big break came when All My Children tapped him to play a young adult Adam Chandler Jr., went on to make teen girls everywhere swoon opposite fellow soap alum Lindsay Lohan (ex-Ali, Another World) in the monster hit romantic comedy Mean Girls. However, it's raunchy roles like the titular Van Wilder, whom the actor played in the Direct-to-DVD prequel Van Wilder: Freshman Year—currently being shown in heavy rotation on Comedy Central—that Bennett admits he has much more fun playing. I caught up with Bennett as he was getting ready for his sketch comedy debut.

Daytime Confidential: So you're hosting ACME Saturday Night, how did that come about?

Jonathan Bennett: Well, Van Wilder: Freshman Year has been airing a lot on cable, so I think that's where the idea for me to host ACME came from.

DC: Sweet, now this is the third Van Wilder film, will there be another, and if so, will you be in it?

JB: That's the plan, to do another prequel. READ MORE

Filmed at the recent Creative Arts Daytime Emmy Awards, this episode of IB features all our faves, Catherine, Heather and Eden, along with Elizabeth Hendrickson, Connie Fletcher Staton, Brooke Nevin and Glee's Jessalyn Gilsig.The episode will also boast the viral television debut of the Batman and Robin of soap opera blogging, We Love Soaps' Roger Newcomb and Damon Jacobs, who play nasty, vicious, tabloid journalists in the episode. Talk about typecasting! I caught up with Eden, Andrew and the We Love Soaps boys to get a sneak peek at tonight's show. READ MORE

Sean Kanan has brought the sexually-charged swagger of bad boy Deacon Sharpe back to daytime, only this time Big D isn't taming Beverly Hills cougars on The Bold and the Beautiful. He's too busy sexing and scheming his way through Genoa City on B&B's sister sudser The Young and the Restless!

Daytime Confidential's Jamey finally met one of his favorite actors face-to-face on the red carpet at last weekend's 36th Annunal Daytime Emmy Awards and invited him on for today's episode of the podcast. Tune in to hear Kanan share his thoughts on this year's show, and what it's been like recreating his crazy, raunchy, dirty character on a second soap. You'll hear how Kanan was able to pick back up where he left off with B&B leading lady Adrienne Frantz (Amber) and how being paid to make out with his pal Thad Luckinbill's (JT) very pregnant wife Amelia Heinle (Victoria) makes him blush.

Kanan also praises his former boss Brad Bell, who last Sunday accepted B&B's historic first win for Outstanding Drama Series, and reveals how Bell's speech being cut out of the broadcast made him feel. Kanan also shares what it was like to finally meet his new boss, Brad's sister-in-law, Maria Arena Bell at the Daytime Emmys.

Kanan also weighs in on the recent tragic passing of DJ AM, and reveals to Jamey and Luke just how much his own sobriety and second chance in daytime, provided by uber producer Paul Rauch, means to him.

Visit Sean Kanan's Twitter Profile, Facebook Profile and Official Website.

Photo by PR Photos

Help support and improve the Daytime Confidential podcast: Take a few minutes to fill out the two Daytime Confidential listener surveys: Listener Survey A l

Be sure to leave your comments on all the latest goings on in the world of soaps by calling the Daytime Confidential comment line by calling 917-677-9757.

Listen to Daytime Confidential by clicking on the Daytime Confidential Player at the bottom of this post or Download us for FREE via iTunes. Vote for us on Podcast Alley. Add us as a Friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Daytime fans you are in for a treat. Mimi Torchin, Mother of Soap Opera Journalism, returns to Daytime Confidential!

On this very special edition of the DC podcast, the founding editor of Soap Opera Weekly, who recently clicked her laptop back on to cover Guiding Light's endgame for TV Guide Canada's "The Soapgeist," tells Luke and Jamey how she really feels about such hot soap opera topics as Guiding Light's cancellation and All My Children's upcoming move to Los Angeles. Does Torchin believe AMC's move is a good thing for the industry, or will it hasten the death of soaps?

It's no surprise to anyone who has been reading her GL coverage that Torchin spends a good bit of time on this episode discussing her current, fave soap couple Olivia and Natalia (She's not a fan of squish names!) on GL. Why does this couple have Torchin both fascinated and utterly frustrated? Torchin is hoping Venice, the new web series co-created by the woman she calls "the best actress in daytime", Crystal Chappell, and costarring the likes of Jessica Leccia, Hillary B. Smith and Jordan Clarke, will show daytime soaps how it should be done! Torchin also fills Luke and Jamey in on what she's been up to since the last time she visited DC, namely her breathtaking photography work featuring her two beloved islands—Manhattan and Martha's Vineyard—all chronicled at Mimi Torchin Photography.

Torchin weighs in on what soaps like The Young and the Restless and One Life to Live are doing right and what they are doing wrong, and shares a Cruz and Eden memory that is sure to bring back memories of fans of Soap Opera Weekly's groundbreaking early days and the iconic super soap Santa Barbara. All this and much more on this jam-packed edition of Daytime Confidential.

Help support and improve the Daytime Confidential podcast: Take a few minutes to fill out the two Daytime Confidential listener surveys: Listener Survey A l

Be sure to leave your comments on all the latest goings on in the world of soaps by calling the Daytime Confidential comment line by calling 917-677-9757.

Listen to Daytime Confidential by clicking on the Daytime Confidential Player at the bottom of this post or Download us for FREE via iTunes. Vote for us on Podcast Alley. Add us as a Friend on MySpace and Facebook.