Soaplovers

57 minutes ago, j swift said:

I've been listening to the Passions podcast (iykyk) and was reminded of Gina Marie May, the one month Kay - that is some bad recasting

The weird thing about Kay was that from Taylor Anne Mountz to Deanna Wright and then to Heidi Mueller the character changed with the recast, which I consider a sign of a bad recasting.  Kay started as a sporty almost tom-boy who palled around with Miguel.  The initial point was that Miguel denied her attraction to him because he considered her to be one his childhood buddies.  Then, by the time Heidi Mueller (a failed reality star turned "actress') came along Kay became a va-va-voom girl who all the boys lusted after, and she looked like she could never dribble a basketball. 

Then, you have her sister Jessica who was off screen for so long between recasts that each time the character was reintroduced she had different traits.

I always thought she was a temp recast because the original Kay quit suddenly.

Deanna Wright was my fav Kay.  She had a town boy vibe, but was also girlish.  And scenes where she went off on Grace were well done.

Season 2 had the Donna modeling story..which had the unexpected Bill/Donna connection that sadly was abandoned in spring 1989...that briefly is revived in early 1991 when Bill turns to Donna when Margo is neglectful..even offering her a job at Spencer publications before she leaves the show (actress quits and the temp recast just isn't Donna).

9 hours ago, Broderick said:

Dark Shadows definitely gets the award for taking a chance.  Who on earth would've thought a vampire would become a successful leading man on a 1967 daytime soap?  lol.  

They took another huge risk, as well -- the 1795 storyline.  After about a year on the air, they completely ditched every character on the show (except Victoria Winters and Barnabas Collins), left them all sitting unseen around a séance table for months and months, and introduced the audience to an entirely new slate of characters from a different century.  And they went into it blazing, with no intention of showing the previous characters until the 1795 storyline was finished.  This move had the potential to alienate and confuse viewers and result in the show's cancellation.  Instead, it propelled them to higher ratings than they'd seen before.   

I think the reason the 1795 story worked was because the show wisely used Victoria as a guide.  The audience had an attachment to her since she was the introduction to the present day Collins family so it made sense she was the intro to the 1795 branch of the family.

That's the reason the introduction to Barnabas and later 1795 worked..because the show used the relatable outsider (Victoria) to usher it in.

19 hours ago, DramatistDreamer said:

Watching these early episodes, I have definitely see where the sense of foreshadowing comes into play. This is where the father really differs from the son. WJB hails from that old school, where storyline seeds are planted, take root, with the belief that it will play out in due time, rather than the fly-by the seat of the pants type writing that soap HWs have done over the last 15+ years (even further back for some shows) now. It makes a huge difference in how stories play out.

B&B is far from perfect and was never my favorite soap, but in the beginning, at least, the storytelling seemed far more thoughtful than it ended up being years later.

The episodes uploaded yesterday and today had Stephanie thinking Brooke was the other woman...and her disbelief.  And there was a scene between them..that I had a feeling made Bell go 'hmmmm'.

Bell would have long term plans, but left enough room for adjustment if something wasn't working and/or if he saw.something in taping (Lauren/Traci feud on Y & r came about due to this).

I think had AMC and OLTL continued, they were probably going to do 40 to 60 episode seasons.  2 episodes dropped once a week (which people could binge them easily.  My mom used to tape soaps and watch them all on the weekend).

And from what I could recall, the numbers were strong viewership wise.

I saw Nancy Addison as Deborah on Loving...the mother we were thankful never to have.  She had a comedic spin on the character.  So seeing her as Jillian was a treat...and sad no scenes exist of her as Kit.

With Charlotte...how was she as a character when played by Vicki Wyndham vs Melinda Fee?

Supply chain issues are occurring for a number of reasons.  Higher sudden demand, lack of workers, supply shortages due to natural weather issues etc.

Someone recently told me if all products were made locally vs the globalization route...supply chain issues wouldn't be as bad.  I pointed out even if these products were made in the USA, there are ample shortages of truck drivers to deliver the product, and some raw materials aren't available locally either but overseas.

There is a mask mandate where I am, but it's not strict at all...thankfully.  Plus, there is proof of vaccination needed..so that also is a big help.

Heather Tom should have been a recast Donna instead of Katie..imho.

4 hours ago, DramatistDreamer said:

I agree. I found myself giggling when Donna accused Rocco of being a "capitalist". That Donna would have been more relevant today. I wish they had kept some of those characteristics as time went by. At least this Donna seems like she had something going on in her brain, rather than being a blonde bimbo.

Nancy Sloane was affable enough but the writing wasn't there for Katie...at all. The actress did what she could, given the limitations of the role. As my mother would say "You cannot get blood from a stone".

Storm's romance with Alex actually made me think for a moment that there was some possibility for the character to have some possibility but there was no genuine development of the character beyond obvious plot point. The most interesting aspect of his relationship with that Alex character is that IRL, the actress who played her is a right-winger who was a part of the T*ump administration.

Donna was pretty active the first 3 years before being made to be support for Brooke.  The actress even said that was the reason she didn't stay on.

During Donna's nude magazine story, Katie had a few meaty scenes...but I agree that the actress could only do so much.  I'd assumed when watching the 1st episodes that a possible story would have been Katie getting a 'ugly duckling' story where she blossomed over time...sadly didn't happen.

1 hour ago, vetsoapfan said:

We tried our own soaps, too, but only a few. They were awful, and came and went quickly, with little notice or fanfare among the audience. The two that lasted the longest (still, not that long) were High Hopes in 1978 (starring Bruce Gray, better known from his stint on The Edge of Night) and Strange Paradise in 1969 (a supernatural rip-off of Dark Shadows). Both these series ran for less than a year, if I recall correctly. There were at least two other soap attempts I am hazily remembering, which only survived for a couple of months, but I cannot recall their titles. One was something like Morning Glory (?), broadcast on our public broadcasting network, the CBC. Being a soap fan, I valiantly tried all these shows, but...no. Just no.

 

Strange Paradise is available on youtube. I can't find any other Canadian soap attempts anywhere.

I watched some made for tv movies from the 80s through now..and you could tell if it was filmed in Canada vs in the US based on the quality.

1st tv movie I saw made in Canada that had great quality was Anne of Green Gables.  Before that not as much.

Why was the quality lower pre 1980s in Canada vs the US @vetsoapfan?

Alan does better with one on one interviews, or interviews where the panelists have personalities and can tell stories 

I think Bell shifting away from the original recipe Logans after a year or two did hurt the show.  Shame the show couldn't have kept them..along with introducing the Spectras.

Yawn..another procedural 

7 hours ago, Liberty City said:

Recasting Katie Logan with Heather Tom was a win for the role, because it really opened up doors that I do not believe Nancy Sloan would've made available. However, Bradley Bell really did a 180° turn in the past five-to-ten years. As for Jennifer Gareis... huge miscast. Plus, having Brooke be the one to have an affair with Bill (when it should have been Donna) was a huge missed opportunity to revisit the Katie felt growing up by Donna & Rocco.

The role of Beth was watered down when Judith Baldwin was replaced by Nancy Burnett. Even in their opening shots, they were two different kinds of Beth. Baldwin was superior, but I feel like Burnett gave them more of a Brooke vs. Taylor contrast in terms of looks and attitudes.

My mom said with Baldwin..she couldn't imagine Eric looking Stephanie's way.  She was tall, busty and confident.  She was stern, yet loving to her kids...and she had a sad wistful look when thinking of the past.

Burnett had more of a gentle passive vibe, but was a warm person.  And you could buy her Beth being run over by everyone. 

Original Donna..not sure who she was like in the Bell domain.  

6 hours ago, DramatistDreamer said:

I know that when BB tried to make Brooke into B&B's Valley version of Reva Shayne (even having a sort of 'baptizing' of Brooke as the "Slut From The Valley" similar to Reva's literally baptism as the "Slut Of Springfield"), the show truly began to get further away from its origins.

The character that  once had some complexity morphed closer to caricature, imo.

Just seeing Brooke in these early episodes, you saw a hard working college student.  She loved her mom, brother and sisters...and helped out while dating a nice guy.

I always viewed Theresa on Passions to be like Brooke without the more complex writing of the early years 

Was Zane more of a fun character when with Felicia?  My mom liked them together in the 80s.

And when V. Tibbley was playing Alice..she was tested with Mitch and had chemistry.

Candiace is a walking meme especially with the tissue in hand.

The one thing I've noticed about these early episodes is that there is more depth in the scenes, more balance in airtime, and a good haves and have nots balance.

The Logans may lack wealth and glamour, but they seem close knit and warm toward one another.

The Forrester's may have wealth and glamour, but there is tension and competition in the family.

Both families are wealthy in different ways.

The Spectras also were a have not family later on, but it was in terms of respect..not money.  And it was a close knit crew with Sally, Saul, Darla and Macy.  Only thing I felt was missing was I think Sally should have also had a son (besides CJ) in the early episodes..and been competitive with Macy..and also given Ridge a run for his money with Brooke, etc.

7 hours ago, Taoboi said:

BH

 

Not as triggering as I thought. But STILL...if we are ALREADY going in on EricFake...this is going to be a loooooooooooooong three parts. And Andy was already coming across as playing soft ball with the questions already.

 

Part 1 of the reunion for me was just there for me. Good start. But not much. Uneven even. Because some of what was going on could have been dug into more. But here is Andy again moving on from the meat.

 

And the meat was the ganging up on Garcelle. And even that I was surprised by. Not at the gang up. I expected that. But it seem like people thought Garcelle was too weak with those heffas. I thought she carried herself extremely well. She kept it classy, but at the same time she kept it FIRM. With Dorit, she let that heffa run her mouth until she ran out of words. Then she clocked her. The fact Dorit kept coming for her was embrassing. With Ex Soap Opera Star...ah!!! That was the most meat. And I agree with @DynamiteKiddo.  With it might have started with how Ex Soap Opera Star threw Denise to the wolves...it felt like a study on what happens when two close friends fall soooooooooo out with each other, can they ever get it back? I thought they both gave good points. But the win is in Garcelle's direction because Ex Soap Opera Star has truly shown that she is no one's friend. And if she can't OWN IT that others OWN the fact she's a trifling heffa that has known her for decades, then that's on her. Heck, she cannot even own a comment she allegedly made. And again Garcelle showed how classy she was by not doing what Kim did and brought out the reciepts. But Ex Soap Opera Star suuurre changed her tune quick. 

 

KYLE. Hmmm. People have speculating that it was her that told Garcelle that Ex Soap Opera Star said that. I love that said people think it was at that brunch at the beginning of the season that where Garcelle confronted Kyle about last season's reunion. I...could see. Kyle would totally be trying to get brownie points with Garcelle to be on her side. That made all the looks she gave when Ex Soap Opera Star and Dorit started to go after Garcelle in the latter half of the season take on a whole other level. There were quite a few times when her silences were telling.

 

DORIT.

 

For her sake, she better hope Garcelle does not live up to her threat on WWHL. Cuz her search for a moment by yelling did not turn out well for her. One...Garcelle STILL held her accountable and stood firm against it. Two...she got dragged for it and RIGHTFULLY SO...TRICK. 

 

ERICFAKE.

Speaking of searching for a moment. Girl, go have a seat. Your turn is coming. Jesus.

 

EX SOAP OPERA STAR. Yeah I was not here for this trick's attempt to go Cujo on Garcelle. No, ma'am. Dorit was doing a good job of burying herself. She didn't need her own personal Robyn. Sorry. I loved that Garcelle gathered her together and then pulled a page from Kyle's own handbook and blindsided her trifling a&*. Sorry, not sorry. What made it so delicious is that no matter if it was a lie, Ex Soap Opera Star has done so much to so many people...whether it was right or wrong. Kim. Yolanda. Eden. LVP. Denise. It's not at all far fetched when you are playing that role on a show. How about being real? Or just...own that. Don't be made that people see right through you. Don't be so transparent.

 

CRYSTAL.

Nuff said.

 

SUTTON. Awwww...she got a montage. Oh, she has a new man. Oooooo look at those expansive heels. WATCH EricFake get green with envy at how much Sutton's wealth WHISPERS. And WATCH how bend out of shape EricFake gets. Well #staypressed. 

 

GARCELLE. At this point, I just think they all are mad at her because she plays the game so much better than any of them. Relatable. Beautiful. Not afraid to be vulnerable even in a pack of hyenas...I mean women. But also able to articulate herself to get her point across while cutting through bs. And that was what Couch Left was doing. A LOT OF BS. The fact it was a 3 on one and she still held them accountable and deflected their jabs with her own is why she is a BOSS. Even better a QUEEN. And now that she is appearing more and more around LVP in public, I suspect she will be moreso...

 

So...good start, but again...if we are already at EricFake spinning another narrative...I'm ready for a Shady Phae Phae style fall. 

 

 

Speaking of Kim...I actually think both of them would make a good tag team on Rinna.

Garcelle can call someone out, but Kim will go low...and let's not forget that Kim is the only one that has managed to push rinna's buttons.

I think on SFT, it seemed like Mary viewed it as her show...and she felt protective of it.

And I'd always figured LP used Vivian Leigh and Elizabeth Taylor as models when molding both Ava and Lila..so I was glad she confirmed it.

And I liked that both women had a lot to say so Alan didn't rail road them either with his pointless babbling.  It seems like SFT was not a show he knew much about...and that's a good thing.

And Maree's tale about Irna Phillips was funny.

Speaking of Knots Landing, I was a Val and Ben fan...and thought Val and Gary were too toxic with one another.

On Dallas, I preferred Bobby and Pam broken up.  He and Jenna were good together and I was hoping Pam would have finally gone toe to toe with Jr.

On Dynasty, both Krystle and Alexis were too good for Blake.

I remember the final.season jumped around and I was so confused as a kid.  My mom explained it was showing how all the characters coped with civilian life after the trauma of being in Vietnam

Gizelle is beautiful but doesn't know how to dress.

Since I'm in one of those previously infected and vaxxed camps...I'll probably not be getting the booster for awhile..if articles like this are true.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/healthcare/fully-vaccinated-and-had-covid-19-no-rush-for-a-booster-shot-experts-say

Originally Giselle was set for season 1 of the girls trip, but with covid...the producers went a different direction.

Giselle vs Kenya would have been hilarious..plus she doesn't like Ramona.   Sigh.

And Dina from NJ was smart to turn down season 2...best to keep her ready to go if there is a season 3