Jeffrey Carlson joining All My Children

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 11/10/06 at 10:15pm

Just read this from SoapOperaNetwork.com. It appears to be a strong rumour at this point:

Surprise Addition To the Photo Album 'AMC'
Wednesday, November 8, 2006 11:11AM| By Angela Rosa

(SoapOperaNetwork.com) -- With the opening credits set to be updated, "All My Children" fans are set to get more than they bargained for in the album...

It's that time of the year again! Soap Opera Network has learned that "All My Children" recently shot footage of their new stars for the semi-annual updating of their opening credits. Newcomers Melissa Claire Egan [Annie McDermott], John James [Jeff Martin], Ambyr Childers [Colby Chandler], Taylor Gildersleeve [Sydney] and Brent Weber [Sean Montgomery] will not be the only new addition to the credits, replacing the likes of veterans such as Julia Barr [Brooke English] and Vincent Irizarry [David Hayward].

Sources close to AMC have told us that Jeffrey Carlson will also have a spot in the updated opening credits.

Just who is Jeffrey Carlson you ask? "AMC" fans may remember Carlson because has appeared on the program before. In late August, Carlson played the demanding British rocker that Josh and Babe successfully persuaded to participate in a new Fusion campaign. Carlson is infact reprising the role of Zarf in late November, where he'll be very busy mingling with the owners and patrons of this town's busy fictional businesses.

Carlson earned his B.A. in Dramtic Arts at the University of California at Davis, then continued his study of drama at the prestigious Julliard School. During this time, he was featured on a PBS special, "American Masters," that focused on one student from each division of study at Julliard, he of course represented the drama division. Carlson graduated from Julliard in 2001. Since then, Carlson has made numerous well received on-and-off-Broadway appearances, including "The Goat, or Who is Sylvia," and Rosie O'Donnell's "Taboo."

In what is most likely news related to this latest casting move, Soap Opera Digest is reporting that "AMC" is "set to build a story around a character to whom viewers have already briefly been introduced."

http://www.soapoperanetwork.com/content/view/4368/116/

Updated On: 11/27/06 at 10:15 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/10/06 at 10:23pm

I know, work is work, etc. But he is so much better than this.

[Allie]

Posted: 11/10/06 at 10:42pm

Zarf? *snickers*

[virgil blessing2]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 12:30am

Ohhhh, SOMEONE will be makin' that nice, fat soap paycheck. LOL. "Nice work if you can get it......"

[bdwaygirl]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 12:46am

He started taping this week, so I guess he should start showing up on screen in about a week and a half to two weeks, maybe? Hadn't heard how long a gig this was.

I'm looking forward to seeing him. When he appeared as Zarf a couple months ago, I was hoping they'd keep the character around for a bit. He was fun, and it was nice to see Jeff on t.v.

Updated On: 11/11/06 at 12:46 AM

[Jane2]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 1:47am

Any chance he'll be a singing character? ( j/k, I love his voice).

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 1:51am

and Kerry Butler was let go from
ONE LIFE TO LIVE
Soap Opera checks are great
and Performers get to do
other work

who is Zarf?

[bdwaygirl]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 10:27am

Zarf is a rock star. Two of the other AMC characters had a meeting with him to try to convince him to let them use a song of his in their ad campaign for Fusion cosmetics. He served a platter of jello shots.

Who knows? Maybe he will get to sing briefly at some point.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 10:27am

Hehe, then I'd watch.

[bdwaygirl]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 10:58am

You can get a brief peek. I'd post a link, but...

[mominthecty]

Posted: 11/12/06 at 10:11am

Yes Jeff did start filming this week.
He came straight from the AMC set on Monday to preform in the
Only Make Believe benefit. If you look at the pictures you can see the Zarf tattoo on his neck!!
He told me yesterday that he will be on thru April.

I think this is a great character for him to play. It balances all that serious Shakespeare he does !!

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 11/12/06 at 11:26am

were they those naked chest jello shots?

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 11/18/06 at 12:39pm

As an FYI, Jeffrey's first airdate is Nov 30.

Note to the wise. Keep the remote handy to FF any scenes he's not in. This once-great soap is currently a rotting corpse.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 11/27/06 at 8:47pm

New article from foxnews.com

'All My Children' to Feature Transgender Character

Sunday , November 26, 2006

NEW YORK — In a story unusual even for a soap opera and believed to be a television first, ABC's "All My Children" this week will introduce a transgender character who is beginning to make the transition from a man into a woman.

The character, a flamboyant rock star known as Zarf, kisses the lesbian character Bianca and much drama ensues. The storyline begins with Thursday's episode of the daytime drama.

There have been a handful of post-surgical transgender characters in television shows, including a college professor in the 2001 prime-time CBS series "The Education of Max Bickford" and a model in the short-lived ABC soap opera "The City" in 1996, according to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Showtime's "The L Word" currently features a character changing from a woman into a man.

"All My Children" was looking for something new, and knows its audience is always interested in anything to do with sexuality, said Julie Hanan Carruthers, the show's executive producer.

"After 36 years, you start rehashing," she said. "It's inevitable. We didn't want to fall back on the baby-switch story again."

The show was not interested in doing something just to be sensational, she said. GLAAD and some transgenders were brought in as consultants in shaping the character, teaching the producers when it is appropriate to call a character "she" even before surgery, she said.

Damon Romine, a spokesman for GLAAD, said he has not seen the show yet but feels people involved were genuinely interested in telling the story with dignity. Emotions are so close to the surface in soap operas, and this story can serve a purpose by showing what transgenders go through, he said.

"I think it's groundbreaking and breakthrough television for daytime to put a spotlight on transgender people and tell their story," he said.

"All My Children" could use some attention. Mirroring the decline of daytime dramas in general, its average audience has slipped from 8.2 million in 1991-92 to 3.1 million last year, according to Nielsen Media Research. Particularly last summer, "All My Children" has tried several new characters, said Carolyn Hinsey, editor of Soap Opera Weekly.

"They're trying really hard and they're throwing a whole lot of desperate stuff against the wall to see what sticks," she said.

Actor Jeffrey Carlson portrays Zarf, an American who nonetheless speaks in an exaggerated British accent. He was on the show for one day last summer and was surprised to get a call pitching him the new story.

Carlson said it can be intimidating feeling that he is representing the entire transgender community.

"I worry about missing something, but I guess that would be the same with any character," he said. "I want the `All My Children' audience to go along. It's not for shock value. It's just another person who's story is being told in Pine Valley."

After Zarf establishes a bond with Bianca that leads to the kiss, an angry Bianca tells him she is a lesbian. It triggers something within Zarf about why it made such sense to be falling in love with a lesbian.

It is not clear, Carruthers said, whether "All My Children" will stick with the Zarf character through any surgery; one suspects the reaction of the soap's audience to the story will have a lot to do with it.

"She talks about peace so much," Carlson said of his character. "I hope that she finds some peace."

© Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Article and picture:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,232018,00.html

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 11/27/06 at 8:55pm

"But he is so much better than this. "

Than what? A meaty, ground-breaking role where more people in a day will see him than saw him during the entire run of TABOO? A role that could make enough of an impression that he could have his pick of Broadway roles?

By the way, actors do not appreciate when fans put down their roles - they feel insulted, even if the intention is good. I've heard this from actors in this situation.

Updated On: 11/27/06 at 08:55 PM

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 11/29/06 at 9:53pm

Cutie Daniel Coleridge of TVGuide has a nice interview with Jeffrey (who I believe his first airdate was today!):

Sassy Q&A with All My Children's New Gender-Bending Rock StarHey, suds fans! Have you heard that All My Children is introducing a transgender character on Wednesday, Nov. 29?

Actually, regular viewers of the ABC soap opera have already met this person: It's Zarf, the eccentric rock star Babe and Josh met in one episode back in August. They featured him in an advertisement for their fictional cosmetics company, Fusion.

Well, it turns out, he's a she.

Stay with me here. Although the rocker is biologically male, Zarf identifies as a female. AMC watchers will follow this character as she "comes out" to herself and others about this personal truth, and begins to move toward living life as a woman. It promises to be pretty groundbreaking stuff and fits in well with AMC's rich history of issue-based storytelling. I'm really looking forward to it, so much so that I had to get actor Jeffrey Carlson, who plays Zarf, on the phone.

TVGuide.com: You're best known for your work on the Broadway stage, yes?
Jeffrey Carlson: [Boy George's show] Taboo was the last Broadway show that I did two years ago. I played Marilyn, who was in real life one of Boy George's best friends. He was a pop star in the '80s and quite the character. Marilyn used to dress up as Marilyn Monroe; that's how he got his nickname. Taboo was such a fun show and the score is just gorgeous, so you should run out and get the CD.

TVGuide.com: Thanks for the tip! So it sounds like you're already well-versed in playing pop stars with gender issues.
Carlson: Yes, Marilyn could be a stepping stone towards Zarf!

TVGuide.com: Are you excited that your one-episode gig has turned into a contract role?
Carlson: [Chuckles] I'm sorry, I just get giddy thinking about it! When I was little, All My Children was always on in my house. It turns out that I was named after the character of Dr. Jeff Martin. Isn't that hilarious? My mom just told me that. I never realized it. She had such a crush on the actor who was playing Dr. Jeff Martin when I was born. [Editor's Note: Charles Frank was playing Jeff at that time; John James now has the role.]

TVGuide.com: Love it. Speaking of names, does Zarf have a real name?
Carlson: He was born in Indiana with the name Freddie Luper. Zarf's knowledge of her transgender identity began when she was very little. Zarf's parents also knew there was something different about their biological little boy. That's why he ran away... I'm sorry, that's why she ran away as a teen.

TVGuide.com: It's OK, the pronouns are tricky here. You were saying...
Carlson: I think that's partly why she became a rock star. She has a strong personality and was a multimillionaire by 19. She had power and celebrity and that's how she was in control. Zarf was haunted about what she considered an affliction at that time. Lots of people can relate to having a part of oneself that you want to push away, that you just can't get rid of.

TVGuide.com: Zarf will have a close connection to Bianca (Eden Riegel). Tell us more.
Carlson: Zarf instantly falls in love with her.

TVGuide.com: Wow! This will mess with many people's preconceptions. A lot of folks usually assume that a male-to-female transgender person wants to become a straight woman and pursue men romantically.
Carlson: Zarf is someone who is biologically a man that views herself as a lesbian. Plus, Bianca is a lesbian who is having feelings for someone who is biologically a man! Bianca doesn't know for a period of time that Zarf is a woman inside, so Bianca has feelings that she doesn't understand. They share an attraction. They share a kiss!

TVGuide.com: This is very complicated!
Carlson: I know! Some viewers might think, "Don't you dare turn Bianca straight!"

TVGuide.com: That's why it's a good thing we're filling in the soap fans about Zarf ahead of time. We don't want anyone to think Bianca has lost Maggie and she's suddenly going after men now!
Carlson: Right. We discuss Maggie and so, in a way, Maggie still is in the picture, whether Bianca knows what's happening with that or not. By the way, I'm obsessed with Eden Riegel. I love her so much! She has held my hand as I get used to working on daytime TV. I just knocked over a giant street lamp that I thought was real. It was only a prop! [Laughs] Ah, the trials and tribulations of being a newbie.

TVGuide.com: How do you think viewers will receive Zarf's story? It's risky material.
Carlson: I give a lot of credit to the daytime audience, but some people haven't been exposed to stories of the transgender community. As the knowledge goes over the airwaves, you hope that the world will embrace Zarf. I hope that I do my best to please the transgender community. Their stories are being told more often now in movies like TransAmerica and Normal.

TVGuide.com: And on TV shows like The L Word, etc. So will we see Zarf dress as a woman and undergo sexual reassignment surgery?
Carlson: You will definitely see Zarf dressed as a woman. Surgery is an option for a transgender person, but nothing's been finalized on that yet. We're not jumping to an end result. It's a journey.

TVGuide.com: You're very pretty, Jeffrey, but you also have very masculine features. I guess that means Pine Valley residents will be able to "clock" Zarf as someone who was born in a male body, even when she's dressed as a woman. Will that be challenging?
Carlson: When a transgender person walks down the street, people are sometimes afraid to say, "What are you? A man or a woman?" They want to identify things. Our wonderful hair and makeup department will experiment with how they're going to soften me up because I do have strong features. I won't have a drag-queen look at all when I'm dressed as a woman. It's going to be as real as it can be, given that I am biologically male and so is Zarf. I guess Zarf could have cosmetic surgery to change the masculine jawline, but that's not on the plate for me! [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: I can't wait to see you out diva Erica Kane.
Carlson: I could never out diva Susan Lucci.

TVGuide.com: But it would be a hoot if Zarf and Erica show up at a party wearing the same dress. They could size each other up like, "Who looks better?"
Carlson: [Laughs] You will have to email the head writer Megan McTavish about that one!

TVGuide.com: Will Zarf be a catty soap diva?
Carlson: She's not catty. She's sharp as a tack, though, and has a very mystical, overpowering presence. She'll turn everyone upside down! She just believes that people should be honest and she doesn't take any crap.

http://community.tvguide.com/thread.jspa?threadID=700013238

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 11/29/06 at 10:17pm

Rath, when Emcee first posted her reaction, it wasn't yet known that it would be a "ground-breaking role." If you check the dates on the posts, it was 2 weeks previous to when the details of the character were announced.

I was wondering what impact this would have on the Hamlet production Jeffrey is supposed to do next summer. He said he's on through April, but soaps are fickle when it comes to storylines, so if this gets the kind of reaction AMC is probably hoping for with the "first transgendered character in daytime TV", who knows.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/30/06 at 8:17pm

Yes, I posted that before I knew very much about it, and more than anything else because I don't really like soap operas. Nothing deeper. But, I think it's great that he's been given the chance to do something groundbreaking which won't be a total waste of his talent.

Updated On: 11/30/06 at 08:17 PM

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 11:11pm

TMZ.com has commentary and a clip. Not exactly a rave, but it's against the storyline, not Jeffrey:

Soap Ropes Transsexual/Lesbian Plotline
Posted Dec 1st 2006 3:50PM by TMZ Staff
Filed under: TV, Wacky and Weird

This week, "All My Children" launched the first male-to-female transgendered storyline in daytime TV. Actor Jeffrey Carlson plays a British gender-switching rock star with the unlikely name of Zarf, who is having a flirtation with Erica's Kane's (Susan Lucci's) lesbian daughter, Bianca (Eden Riegel). Zarf bears a striking resemblance to "Project Runway" finalist, Austin Scarlett.

It had been hoped that the storyline would give "AMC" a lift from a serious ratings plunge. Rather than play it with any seriousness, producers have chosen to portray the character as a ridiculous, wild-eyed cartoon homosexual, who is snickered at by nearly everyone in the show. Tacky.

According to longtime pinevalleybulletin.com blogger Kathy Carano, "AMC needs a kick in the ass and they're hoping Zarf will do just that, but AMC's recent track record of ruining potentially great storylines weighs heavily on a lot of fans."

The soap's been struggling for plots to prop up ratings; they even undid Erica's groundbreaking 1973 abortion and ventured into the absurd by coming up with her long lost son, who'd been "transplanted into another woman at the time of the abortion."

Oh, the humanity.

http://www.tmz.com/2006/12/01/soap-ropes-transexual-lesbian-plotline/

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 11:13pm

Jeffrey's gonna be on The View on Wednesday.

[jimnysf]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 11:23pm

This once-great soap is currently a rotting corpse.

Sadly, I have to agree with you. AMC is a big bore these days. David is gone. Brooke is going. Simone, too. Dixie is back from the grave. Ryan came back from the grave. Both "died" in accidents when their car/motorcycle went over a cliff and they are back on the show recycling the same dull plots again and again. Erika had her abortion back in the early 1970's and now she has a son from said abortion who is a very young looking man. He should be in his mid-thirties. Erika's tenth marriage is in trouble and she is hanging out with her first husband, Jeff. He divorced her over 30 years ago due to the fact that he wanted a child and she had an abortion. Now they share this "son", Josh. The annoying Colby went from a four year old to a sixteen year old Paris Hilton clone in two years. She whines and pouts and needs to go back from whence she came.

[Jane2]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 11:32pm

Yes, and what a shame that they made Zarf such a cartoon. I'm mortified for Jeffrey Carlson. Not because he's on a soap-I was looking forward to it-but because it's so way over the top, it's laughable. If I weren't already a fan of the show, I wouldn't tune in again after seeing the Zarf story line so far.

[bdwaygirl]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 11:41pm

Em, I was wondering how soon Rosie would get him on The View.

[jimnysf]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 11:45pm

[bdwaygirl]

Posted: 12/3/06 at 10:51pm

Another Zarf article:

http://www.out.com/detail.asp?id=21148