Melroser

The second installment of my MILLIKEN MILLS novel series is now out. If interested, info here: https://bruceafleming.wixsite.com/bruceafleming?fbclid=IwAR2hpfUIUg3CfG7wpCYJAKQbnHtwRVwQWEleHshYviJoOJCZoHNHZWVIEEk

It is not at this time.

Okay...i'm going to be shameless and plug my novel... Chick Lit Cafe says, "Pressing Matters, by Bruce A. Fleming, is an exciting whodunit that will keep you guessing to the last pages." Pressing Matters is the first in my series set in the fictional Milliken Mills, Maine. It follows the powerful Nolan family and their newspaper publishing empire. They battle the changing times and each other. I started writing this around 2001 because I missed Melrose Place. I created it with MP and Dallas in mind. I often refer to the series as "my Dallas in a book." I initially self-published four volumes through Amazon's Createspace but then wasn't happy with the way things were going so I regrouped. I'm now relaunching through a different publishing venue in Maine. Pressing Matters is the first book. The second is slated for January. I have two others fully written, a fifth book half-done with an ending in mind, and a sixth book I have in my head as a "spinoff" to a different town for three of the characters. It's extremely soapy. I can't help it. I've grown up watching soaps and just love the genre. I hope maybe some of you will give it a try. https://maineauthorspublishing.com/pressing-matters/

I enjoyed that reunion. Have always liked Anna, Alicia, and Alice. Was surprised to see Christine there because I don't remember her being on for very long. Alicia reciting Charles Keating's advice to her about acting was hilarious! Made even better by the fact that she basically owned it. Haha. She was fire on AW and greatly missed after she left. It was interesting to hear her say that she recites the names of her AW co-workers sometimes at night when trying to relax. Sad and comforting at the same time. I'm curious too what would have happened story wise if Doug Watson hadn't passed when he did. It seems Francesca/Frankie may have been a whole different type of character. I enjoyed Donna and Michael together but I could leave Michael anytime that he was on his own or in that story with Stacey. Always found Michael to be a bit obnoxious.

Yes, I believe she has also stated she loved the initial concept of Brittany where the character was deaf. She was able to do a story that centered on a deaf person that used sign language and she found that interesting to play. I think the writers changed (as they often did on AW) and then she suddenly had her hearing back and went into that abusive marriage story that she hated.

Yes, thank you! My mind was going blank.

I wish he would/could do one with Alice Barrett, Stephen Schnetzer, and Julie Osburn. I loved the Frankie/Cass/Kathleen story. I'd like to hear what they thought. I know there aren't a lot of Jensen fans on here, but i'd like to see a Jensen Buchanan, Tom Eplin, and Judi Evans one too. That could definitely have some tea spilled about Jensen's contract demands. I wonder what Judi thought of storylines like Paulina's pill addiction, running into Spencer (was that Vicky's kid's name...i'm spacing out), her long-lost kid story, etc...

Caroline was also pulled into the Red Swan story with Lucas trying to acquire the piece through her art connections, I believe. This put her in more contact with Cass and Frankie (who was a P.I. investigating the piece/Lucas's background?)

I always enjoyed Cali Timmins as Paulina. I thought her and Tom Eplin worked well off of each other. It made no sense to me that she was gone but then I thought I had read something somewhere after that she was very unhappy at AW. The show knew she was not happy there and decided to let her go. If she had issues with Tom that might explain it. Didn't Tom have issues with alcohol for many years and finally got help later ('93/'94 was it?) when everyone thought Jake "died" and he was off the show a while?

I'm always here for Cecile! haha...

I think the Corys lost a lot of their identity when the show stopped focusing on Cory Publishing. Instead, it seemed to focus on Carl and how the family (Matt and Amanda) were against Rachel's relationship. I would rather have had the show focus on the internal battles for control of the company with maybe Carl as the outsider wanting to come in. Matt and Amanda could have competed for CEO much like Nick and VIctoria on Y&R. Cass as the company lawyer and Felicia resuming her career as a novelist could have pulled them into the middle of it all.

I cringed the whole first 20 minutes and had to stop. The recent Melrose Place one was done far better than this! I enjoyed that one a lot and they actually talked about the show.

I enjoyed this myself..though I found the hosts to be a bit annoying at times. Considering the limited setup to pull this off it was fun to watch. This group always seems to genuinely like each other which makes it more fun. Josie didn't look like she aged one bit. Seeing Heather participate was a great thing to see her doing better. Laura (Sydney) will always be my fave! Such a fun group. I could have watched them for hours!

I was just reading the MP Companion book that came out after S3 and in it one of the actors ( I forget which at the moment) stated that the producers didn't know what to do with Sandy. One minute they told her to use a thicker southern accent and then the next episode they'd tell her not to use one at all. Something like that. I know her character was always made fun of for that, but I guess it wasn't Amy Locane's fault. She was just taking direction for each ep. Marcia Cross was originally supposed to be one ep. Laura Leighton was a last minute addition as Sydney for a couple of episodes in S1 (after Jane had previously stated she was an only child). Heather Locklear was only supposed to be on for a short stint. All three ended up being written in as "regulars". Clearly, in the early days, they didn't really seem to know what they were doing and were just flying by the seat of their pants.

I remember as a kid watching that storyline and loving it. Okay, except for the part where Brette was inside the cave somewhere, wading through a pond to retrieve a "treasure" from a podium in the middle of it, and when she grabbed the treasure it released snakes from above covering her and the pond. Scared me sh*tless...haha.

Cecile is my fave character of all-time. I hated her last stint on the show because it didn't seem right (trying to pass Maggie off as Cass's ) even for her. Agreed that it was written very poorly. I too think Cecile would've had to grow up substantially before marrying Cass at the end. How to redeem her? She could have returned to her "true love" Cass and announce to him that she had cancer. He could have stepped in to "protect" her and stay by her side as she battled it. Felicia, Rachel, Donna, etc could have suspected it was just, yet again, some kind of scam to get Cass back and not believe she was truly sick until it was too late and they see the physical signs. She could have shown vulnerability with Cass and her feisty side with her skeptics. With AW going off the air when it did, Cass could have married Cecile in that last episode in order to be by her side without the audience having to actually watch her death onscreen. (Of course, if AW hadn't ended, they could have gone either way. Have Cecile pass away from illness or have (temporary) remission.)

Just listened to that podcast and found it prophetic that even in 1979 Harding Lemay could recognize that network interference was going to be a problem for daytime. I agree, they should give writers the opportunity to write. Then make a change if the stories don't work. Don't hire them to write the show and then tell them what to write. Backwards to me.

I miss this show so much. Laura Leighton's Sydney is a top-five character of mine of all-time. For the longest time I wanted her to cougar me and then I realized that she wasn't older enough to be a technical "cougar". I was so disappointed. LMAO. She's still hot to this day. It's too bad that Thomas wasn't there or Heather either. Those two are a big part of the series.

I don't remember SB ever beating AW. Damn....that disappoints me.

Oh, I do remember that and I loved Cecile! I guess I just wasn't thinking. For some reason I thought the departures were earlier.

Great to see AW have a couple of 6's. I wonder what was going on the week of 7/11/86 to cause a 6.3? Isn't '86 when Tom Eplin, Ellen Wheeler, Stephen Schnetzer, Julie Osburn, Anna Stuart, and Sharon Gabet all left. I remember being devastated at the time. I loved Cass and Kathleen!

I enjoyed the original Dynasty (tho i never watched a lot of the original run) and shows like Dallas and Melrose Place, but to put this show in that category is ridiculous. I've tried to get into this show. I just can't. The whole time I'm watching it through a filter as though it is a bad SNL sketch making fun of the original. In that sense, it's kind of a funny show. As a "drama" about a rich family, not so much.

I agree. Keep 'em coming! It amazes me how much shows vary from week to week and month to month back then. I know I used to follow ratings back then, but it must have been such a norm that I never really noticed. Man, I wish there were that many shows and that much competition still today! The quality would have to improve for sure. Now networks just don't care.

see...soap viewers are so knowledgeable! Far more so than the writers and producers on the show. Love that there was such a quick answer.

I loved Vicky and Ryan at the beginning and thought they had amazing chemistry. Didn't AH and PMV end up not getting along?