TELEVISION: Crystal Chappell to Star in Venice

Crystal Chappell is on fire these days. Yes, its true that her role of Olivia Spencer is coming to and end when the beloved soap Guiding Light concludes in September. But that’s not the end for one Ms. Crystal Chappell. Touted as the most talented actress in daytime, a title I happen to agree with, is also one of the busiest. In the last week she reprised her role on NBC’s Days of Our Lives as Dr. Carly Manning and from what Chappell has tweeted herself, filming is going really well. She says, “Really loving this Carly. She’s got some fire!” Along with husband Michael Sabatino and Louise Sorel who also return to Salem, this trio’s reunion should make for some highly entertaining soap drama. Personally, I’m foaming at the mouth with anticipation!

But wait, there’s more! Reprising the role that made her famous is just the beginning. Chappell has also taken on a new role, several new roles actually. This is a woman wearing many hats these days (luckily she looks good wearing a hat) with her new highly anticipated project Venice, a web series that she and writing partner Kim Turrisi and producer Hope Royaltey have created which is scheduled to debut later this year.

Not only is Crystal producing Venice but as of yesterday’s big announcement, she is now starring in it as well. Taking on the role of lesbian designer Gina, Chappell leads an impressive cast of characters. She’s recruited several of her soap star buddies including her current on screen partner in crime Jessica Leccia as Ani, a potential love interest for Gina; long time friend and One Life to Life alum Hillary B. Smith as Gina’s eccentric aunt Goya and throw in a couple Billy Lewis’ err I mean Jordan Clarke and Daniel Cosgrove (GL’s Billy and Bill Lewis) as Gina’s dad and brother and you’ve got an all-star line up of actors to launch a series. That’s not all! Also recently announced is the addition of former L Word bad girl Elizabeth Keener as Lara. Yes, I said Elizabeth Keener! Loved you as Dawn Denbo…just sayin’.

Venice isn’t set to launch until later in the year but currently you can follow along on Twitter @VeniceTheSeries or the web site www.venicetheseries.com and take a stab at the ridiculously difficult clues Hope is notorious for creating when debuting a new feature to the site. They recently had a logo contest asking fans to submit their design ideas for the sites logo and are currently taking music submissions for original music to be featured in the show. This is a highly interactive project. It’s also the beginning of how we are going to see more and more entertainment projects produced. It’s less expensive, it’s highly accessible to audiences and you come away with a more well-rounded experience. When it’s all said and done, Crystal Chappell just may go down not only as a key player in one of the most beloved couples in daytime, breaking new ground for same sex couples by bringing grace and love and respect to a community that is so lacking but also as a leader in new media, someone with the vision and quite frankly the balls to take that leap of faith with this ever evolving technology.