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Soap opera stars to check out Country Fest
Jun 25, 2009 (The Leader-Telegram - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Soap opera star Bree Williamson, who plays Jessica Buchanan Brennan on "One Life to Live," is planning, like most, to have an exciting and entertaining time at Country Fest this weekend.
Williamson, 29, a native of Canada, said Wednesday in a telephone interview from a coffee shop in Manhattan that she has never been to Wisconsin and only knows that it's famous for cheese.
Williamson and other daytime soap opera stars will be on hand throughout the four-day festival, signing autographs, answering fans' questions, introducing musical acts and mingling with the fans.
Actors from OLTL, "General Hospital," and "All My Children" will be at Country Fest as part of ABC Daytime and SOAPnet's Soap Nation Tour, which is a festival sponsor.
"I think it's going to be super fun," Williamson said. "I think country music is really great and the fans are awesome."
Williamson said her first taste of country music was a Conway Twitty concert she attended with her grandfather at about age 7.
"I don't know much about Cadott, but it sounds like kind of a country and western Woodstock," she said, adding that she was eager to tour the camp grounds and visit with fans.
Williamson will arrive on Friday and is leaving Monday for work. Shows are taped about a month in advance.
"I think there is a connection between the (soap opera) fans and country music fans," she said. "I think there are a lot who listen to country music and watch us. It will be fun to chat with them, sign autographs and get feedback on how they think our shows are going."
Mitch Messinger, publicity director for ABC Daytime and SOAPnet, said some actors arrived in the Eau Claire area on Wednesday night.
"Basically, we've done a couple of other country music festivals around the country and noticed a lot of similarities between country music and daytime dramas," he said. "The fans seem to have the same passions for stories as they do for performers -- they definitely have a story to tell, including some of the same themes."
The intertwining of soap opera stars and country music performers should benefit both entities, Messinger said.
ABC Daytime and SOAPnet announced earlier this month that they are sponsoring country music star Sara Evans' national tour and that it will be integrating a variety of music stars into soap opera presentations.
Bradford Anderson, 29, who plays Damian Spinelli on "General Hospital" and has a small-town New Hampshire background, said in a telephone interview Tuesday from Los Angeles that he is eager to visit the Country Fest grounds.
"I'm kind of imagining thousands of people in a wide open space, with coolers, beer and lots of sunscreen," he said. "I'm excited to be there and the lineup is great."
Anderson said he will be on the Fest grounds today through Saturday, averaging a few autograph sessions a day, as well as introducing acts James Otto, Montgomery Gentry and Craig Morgan.
"I am a country music fan," he said, referencing a positive experience at a Country Music Association event last year. "I grew up in New England and did not have a lot of exposure to country music, but I love it now. I plan to have a great time in Cadott."
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