Investigative Report: The Secrets of Y&R Magic Revealed

Where does Head Writer Maria Arena Bell get her ideas for plots and for the new characters for what she called an already "bloated cast." How does the magic at Y&R happen?

Maria Bell watched Oprah, saw Genie Francis and got the big idea to hire her as a new character on Y&R. Fans were told that something exciting was going to happen with the Atkinson/Ashby clan. Hopes were high that they would give the Newmans and Abbotts a refreshing new rival. So we connect Oprah to Genevieve's arrival in Genoa City.

Then, according to her latest interview, Maria went to a performance of Hairspray, saw Diana DeGarmo, and voila, Y&R got another new character... for an already “bloated cast.”

Ahhh, so our collective lightbulbs turn on and we begin to understand the workings of the Bell brain. She goes out on the town and POOF ideas just come running. We recently had an investigative reporter shadow Bell's evening activities so we could get figure out what new characters are on the Y&R horizon.

Bell attended a Comic-Con event and came up with a side kick for Super Cane. She met up-and-coming Luke Skywalker imitator Frank Nardo who will be joining Y&R as an Aussie Platypus wrangler named Bruce. Bruce spends all his time saying things like, “Wow Cane you ARE a hero” only pausing in the constant the hero worship to iron Cane's cape.

Attempting to replace the Aussie accent of Tristan Rogers, Bell was inspired by a Geico commercial and hired the Cockney Mr. Gecko. Mr. Gecko announced that he has now saved Y&R 15% by hiring him, and she confided to him that no one will notice the change in accent.  "They're all the same... right?” she stated confidently.

Bell then announced that Judge Joe Brown had been added to the cast after watching him bang a gavel and roll his eyes. She hired the judge to act and to help her research the intricacies of what happens during a trial. “Research is so important” she said. “The trial thing of Diane's murderer is going to be fantastic. It will last about a year because there's laws and stuff like that. The interpols send a new detective, played by THE Inspector Gadget- I watch his show faithfully” she confided. “They use the google from the internets to do really investigative things” she quipped. “I hope I'm not to technical for you” she explained.

After she stopped at Jack-in-the-Box for a quick bite to eat, she signed Jack-in-the-box spokesman, Jack, on the spot to do a 12 week stint as Jack Abbott's twin brother Jack. She told a puzzled bystander, “He'll have a major storyline in which he accidentally chokes the other Jack with a Jumbo Jack or a Sourdough Jack, with cheese, lots of swiss cheese, the kind with great big holes in it. Maybe some fries. I like fries, so I'll use lots of that, and maybe Swiss cheese fries too... What was the question?”

At this point our investigator in the shadows reported that Bell started playing with the Jack-in-the-Box head that she purchased with the meal. She tossed it up a few times, then... yes, she dropped the ball- which then rolled out of her window, onto the street, only to be crushed by a big yellow bus.

So, cheers to Maria Arena Bell. Where does she get these great ideas and how will she use her next set of great ideas? Only time will tell... if we HAVE time that is.