Shemar Moore to be young & restless no more

Given that Shemar Moore's got a hit primetime series with CBS' Criminal Minds, no one was expecting a return to Y&R, but for some reason the actor has decided to make it official. From the 2/13 issue of Soap Opera Weekly:

Now that Shemar Moore is starring on a hit prime-time show, he wants Y&R to retire Malcolm's jersey. "My time is done on Y&R," declares the actor. "I did eight solid years as Malcolm." Moore brought Malcolm back from the dead in 2004, but Y&R was unable to secure his return for last year's dramatic revlation that Malcolm is Lily's biological father. "If I was to go back, it would be more of the same. This was my seventh pilot and my first hit show. I'm excited, because I'm not getting any younger and this is changing the conversation people are having about me. Finally, I'm not that guy who always takes his shirt off. It's given me credibility."

Let it be noted that Moore was able to win a Daytime Emmy during his no-shirt-no-credibility period. And if you'd like a reminder of his wardrobe-challenged days, check out the following clip I've uploaded. Undeniably hot and proves that Moore had NO PROBLEMS with skinning, despite the implications of the quote above.

I want my fudge brownie, indeed.

The Soaphunks.net telethon

I'm not one to beg, but it's time to pay the bills here at soaphunks.net and help keep the site free for everybody. This site has been 100% free for all of its almost nine years, and it always will be.

Still, there are bills to pay: my site renewal is due Feb. 17, and it's $299.40. I'm hoping this site's loyal fans will contribute some spare change and help me cover those costs. I'll pay whatever's left over out of my own pocket, but I'd appreciate any help I can get. You give a dollar or two and I'll continue adding to this site's 5,000+ pictures, 88 video clips, as well as running annual events like the Soaphunks.net Awards and, of course, Adonis!

Check out the running totals board at soaphunks.net to see us hopefully reach our goal. Want to donate? Just click the Paypal Donate button.

Thanks in advance to everyone who is helping to keep this site open!

Chad on the down low

Oy.

From the 2/5 issue of TV Guide:

Who knew there were any more envelopes for Passions to push? On Feb. 2, it'll be revealed that the show's very married heartthrob Chad (Charles Divins) has a male lover on the side. Viewers have known for months that he's been trysting with someone in a seedy motel. But not even Divins figured it was a dude. "I knew the revelation would be shocking, but I thought it would turn out to be Pilar," he says, referring to the soap's saintly Mexican matriarch. The plot mirrors one of Oprah's hot topics--how supposedly straight African-American men go on the "down low" and have secret gay sex.

What will this do to Chad, who has been a Passions hero since 1999? Won't the character's deceit and willingness to jeopardize the health of his wife, Whitney, pretty much ruin his popularity with the fans? "We'll have to see how it plays out," notes an oddly optomistic Divins. "Chad loves his wife, so in his heart this isn't a deception. He is not in love with this other guy. He's addicted to sex." The identity of Chad's bed buddy is revealed on Feb. 27. No date yet for the ultimate TiVo moment: the day Whitney finds out!

My friends and I have been guessing this for weeks, and our money was on Jared (James Stevenson). But since Jared's since caught Chad with this person, it can't be him. Whomever it is, let's just say I'm sure James Reilly can be counted on to handle this story with the utmost delicacy. Ha!