Villaraigosa and Garcetti get ready for their close-ups on ‘All My Children’
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Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has a little experience starring in soap operas. But this time around, the mayor will be appearing in a fictional one: ABC’s ‘All My Children.’
ABC said this afternoon that Villaraigosa and L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti each plan to stop by the show at its new production studio in Atwater Village.
First up -- he’s the mayor, after all -- will be Villaraigosa, who will shoot an episode Tuesday to celebrate the show’s relocation to Los Angeles after 40 years of shooting in New York. He’ll play himself crossing paths with Erica Kane, played by the legendary Susan Lucci, at a local hot spot called Confusion in the fictional city of Pine Valley. Kane will chitchat with Villaraigosa about meeting the year before at a charity event in Los Angeles.
But first, the show’s writers must come up with a reason why the mayor of Los Angeles is hanging out in Pine Valley, Pa.
The episode with Villaraigosa is scheduled to air Feb. 17.
Nearly three years ago, Villaraigosa was at the center of a real-life soap opera when it was revealed that he was having an extramarital affair with a Telemundo TV news anchor. The disclosure was followed by the break-up of his marriage and led to the departure of the anchor, Mirthala Salinas, from the Spanish-language station. Last year it was disclosed that the mayor was dating Lu Parker of KTLA Channel 5 (which is owned by Tribune Co., which also owns The Times).
‘All My Children’ began shooting at Andrita Media Center in Atwater Village last week.
Of course, the producers don’t want to leave out the councilman who represents their district.
Garcetti will film a scene Jan. 21 with the actor David Canary. This one, at least, the writers have figured out: Garcetti, who will also play himself, will be in Pine Valley to meet with Canary’s character, Adam Chandler, about initiatives to make the fictional Chandler Enterprises ‘more environmentally friendly,’ according to ABC. Garcetti’s episode is scheduled to air Feb. 16 -- a day before Villaraigosa’s.
-- Meg James
