[Angela]

SID inititally reported that close sources were telling them that "Pratt is History..." Minutes later, it's official:

SOD ONLINE
Charles Pratt, Jr., whose controversial reign as head writer of ALL MY CHILDREN began in June 2008, has been released from the position. ABC confirms the ouster, but had no further comment. Stay tuned for more details of who will usher the citizens of Pine Valley through their cross-country move in January!

Discuss...

[EricMontreal22]

All My Shadows, on 01 December 2009 - 01:47 PM, said:

Aw, this is true. Poor 'Mone. The only man around when she died was Papa Cambias. Simone did NOT have to die. She and Kenny were cute circa 2003, and that could have worked.

I liked her with Kenny as well....

[EricMontreal22]

Vee, on 02 December 2009 - 02:28 AM, said:

Okay. I found it soulless and lacking identity because the show was so obviously written by corporate mandate, to push some head honcho's "big idea" regardless of whether it fit the program, and nothing else. Brian Frons came to ABC in fall 2002, and his big plan for AMC: Turn it into Sex and the City. Fusion, women together, regardless of whether they had any place together in stories before, hot sexy guys, the Sexiest Man contest, etc. And teens. And nothing else. And that's what we got: Boyd! Carlos! Michael! Aidan! Henry! Even Kenny, who I swear acted like he had Downs' Syndrome!

Agreed--though Aiden was introduced right at the end of Culliton's era I think...

[DeeeDee]

Vee, on 02 December 2009 - 02:28 AM, said:

Greenlee was all about Carlos, Kendall was all about balding Michael (pre-villain turn), Maria was all about Aidan, Maggie suddenly wanted Henry, Boyd floated around, and so on and so on.

The way The Fusion Girls shared men was nasty.

[R Sinclair]

Who did the Fusion Girls share? Greenlee was with Carlos, Mia was with Jake, Simone was flirting with any available penis carrier and Kendall was in a triangle with Michael and Boyd.

[Vee]

At one point most of those Frons's Sexiest Men dudes, particularly Boyd and Michael, were pretty much shareware.

And let's not forget that Simone initially came on as "dark, mysterious Latina spoiler for Hayley and Mateo, #12." IIRC she only became goofy, man-crazy Simone overnight when Frons took over and needed a "Samantha" for his SATC ripoff girls. I grew to like Simone, but I'm just saying. That character shift is one of the only things about that era that worked. I'm hard-pressed to name much else, save perhaps Reggie and Joni, which was dumb luck. Pretty sure Cascio and Rayfield brought Reggie on, and at the time he was so shoehorned, like, 'hey, I just watched a Diff'rent Strokes marathon, let's give the old white guy a black kid! What is the old guy's name again? Josh?' And then Ellen Bethea was storming around the sets with crazy hair glaring at Jack saying things like, "Reggie is a troubled young man."

This post has been edited by Vee: 02 December 2009 - 06:36 AM

[R Sinclair]

I guess I have no taste. I really don't see those 20 weeks as being as awesomely bad as you people are making it out to be.

[CarlD2]

At the time I was very annoyed at Trey leaving, and Reggie turning him in after he helped Reggie. Then he was just forgotten. There was no reason to be annoyed, I guess, since Trey had done a lot of bad things, but I couldn't help it.

Did they have any plans for the Bethea character?

I didn't think the show was extremely bad, just very amateurishly written. I think it was a very earnest effort to completely remake AMC, not too far off from Pratt, but not as ugly or nasty as his tenure, so you could see more of the good points. With more time they could have found their footing, but I can see why people say it wasn't like AMC. I wish they'd had a co-head writer who had history with AMC and some ability.

This post has been edited by CarlD2: 02 December 2009 - 07:27 AM

[DeeeDee]

R Sinclair, on 02 December 2009 - 06:26 AM, said:

Who did the Fusion Girls share?

Greenlee, Kendall, Mia, Liza & Annie had Ryan
Greenlee, Kendall, Mia, Di, Erin & Annie had Aidan
Greenlee, Mia, Amanda & Liza had Jake
Simone, Mia & Randi had Frankie
Kendall, Babe & Amanda had JR
Liza, Simone & Di had Tad
Dani, Babe & Greenlee had Josh
Kendall & Simone had Ethan
Kendall & Simone had Boyd
Kendall & Amanda had Jonathan
Babe & Amanda had Jamie

[EricMontreal22]

CarlD2, on 02 December 2009 - 07:26 AM, said:

At the time I was very annoyed at Trey leaving, and Reggie turning him in after he helped Reggie. Then he was just forgotten. There was no reason to be annoyed, I guess, since Trey had done a lot of bad things, but I couldn't help it.

Did they have any plans for the Bethea character?

I didn't think the show was extremely bad, just very amateurishly written. I think it was a very earnest effort to completely remake AMC, not too far off from Pratt, but not as ugly or nasty as his tenure, so you could see more of the good points. With more time they could have found their footing, but I can see why people say it wasn't like AMC. I wish they'd had a co-head writer who had history with AMC and some ability.

I didn't like how Trey disappeared either.

I think I pretty much agree with your assessment (i'm not sure why they thought AMC needed such a remake though--though it had been having some tough times). *sudden flashback to the awful Saved by the Bell type scene with Liza and Adam and JR and that girl with the alcoholic dad sitting by eachother in a tiny movie theatre* I don't see that much similarity though with the mess of Pratt--he largely has been using established characters and initially made some effort to center the families, etc.

I agree with Vee, one thing that did work was making Simone a flake (though I liked that McTavish centered her a bit even if she didn't know what else to do with her)--Culliton having her first be a sexy seductress spy or whatever, and then someone who was CONSTANTLY crying. Some of the humour under Rayfield did work.

[R Sinclair]

DeeeDee, on 02 December 2009 - 08:02 AM, said:

Greenlee, Kendall, Mia, Liza & Annie had Ryan
Greenlee, Kendall, Mia, Di, Erin & Annie had Aidan
Greenlee, Mia, Amanda & Liza had Jake
Simone, Mia & Randi had Frankie
Kendall, Babe & Amanda had JR
Liza, Simone & Di had Tad
Dani, Babe & Greenlee had Josh
Kendall & Simone had Ethan
Kendall & Simone had Boyd
Kendall & Amanda had Jonathan
Babe & Amanda had Jamie

Yeah...?

Erica, Liza, Krystal, Annie had Adam
Kendall, Annie, Greenlee, Erica had Ryan
Erica, Krystal, Amanda had David
Ryan, JR, Zach, Aidan had Kendall...

It's not a trend specific to the Fusion Girls.

[All My Shadows]

R Sinclair, on 02 December 2009 - 11:55 AM, said:

Yeah...?

Erica, Liza, Krystal, Annie had Adam
Kendall, Annie, Greenlee, Erica had Ryan
Erica, Krystal, Amanda had David
Ryan, JR, Zach, Aidan had Kendall...

It's not a trend specific to the Fusion Girls.

Erica, Krystal, and Amanda aren't exactly BFFs tho...