"Past Sins" (NOTE THE TIME CHANGE THIS WEEK – THIS MOVIE WILL AIR AT 12:05!)

Well Landfill fans, the Phantom has a special treat for you: a guest post from the Phantomess! She agreed to write about Sunday’s movie, “Past Sins.” It’s another of those movies that premier on Lifetime in the US but have a video release in the rest of the world (sometimes under a different title), and are usually filmed in Canada and loaded with Canadian TV actors. Like all Lifetime movies of recent vintage, it as that over-the-top, “zero-to-sixty heightened escalation factor” the Phantom oh-so-loves to poke gentle fun at.

NOTE: Like last weekend, the NBA playoffs
are still going on, so this movie will start at 12:05 AM instead of the usual 11:35 (and that makes it Monday, not Sunday).

Without further ado, here’s the Phantomess:

While preparing this week's entry, my husband the Phantom, master of puns (I call it “pun”-ishment), mentioned that he didn't recognize anyone in the cast. I said I knew who Lauralee Bell was, but that was about it. A longtime fan of fellow CBS soap (daytime drama if you prefer) “As the World Turns,” I've caught bits and pieces of her work as Christine "Cricket" Blair on "The Young and the Restless."

Though Christine/Cricket somehow managed to get kidnapped many times more than the average person over the years, Bell's talent blossomed as teen model Cricket matured into plucky, compassionate and accomplished attorney, Christine.

And Christine was married, at varying times of course, to two of daytime's hottest hunks, Michael “Rock On” Damian (singer Danny Romalotti) and Doug Davidson, who has portrayed private eye Paul Williams for 30 years.

Here she battles with a pre-"Desperate Housewive's" Eva Longoria in 2003.

Bell holds the unfortunate distinction of being known as the ”Tori Spelling” of daytime soap operas. Part of the Bell dynasty--her parents, William and Lee Phillip Bell, co-created Y&R and sister show, ”The Bold & the Beautiful,” she started on the show while still in her teens. She bore the brunt when the late Terry Lester, who played the popular Jack Abbot, left the show in 1989. During interviews he said he felt his role on the show was steadily declining and singled her out, saying the powers that be had a little nepotism issue.

Bell, now a mother of two, focuses her time on an upscale boutique and makes guest appearances.

Of course, none of this says anything about the “Past Sins” film and honestly, I've never heard of it. I much prefer old-time Lifetime fare such as the two Betty Broderick movies starring Meredith Baxter. My ideal time would be a rainy day watching a double bill of "A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story" and "Her Final Fury: Betty Broderick, The Last Chapter" followed by the ultimate true-crime miniseries "Fatal Vision," which originally aired on NBC in 1984 but was a Lifetime staple back in the network's infancy. Now those are great movies.

So there you have it, Landfill phans – the Phantomess has spoken! The Phantom abides.

Now, upfront I mentioned the time change for this Sunday’s movie. Just a reminder – the NBA basketball playoffs are on again this weekend, so the late news will once again start later and make The Late Movie into the late Late movie). “Past Sins” will start at 12:05 instead of the usual 11:35.

View the trailer here:



Or watch the entire movie on WABC-TV Channel 7 on Sunday, June 15th (wait, make that MONDAY MORNING, June 16th) at 12:05 AM... if you dare!