DramatistDreamer

Which is truly strange, given the fact that network television often spearheaded innovation at one time. Like I said, the transition from radio to television, the transition from live television to taped shows (with or without a studio audience). Three camera filming technique, which Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball pioneered took place on television, which daytime soap opera would eventually utilize. The transition away from organ music, which came decades after Irna Phillips had wanted to get rid of it. From what I have read, it appears that the advertisers have had too much control over the direction of these shows. Even Phillips complained about it in her day, and it's only gotten worse, clearly. I think this has stifled innovation in daytime, to a certain extent. I think when I speak of innovation, I speak mostly of the technical and programming issues, rather than basic content and subject.

Anyone who is interested in reading the article that I am talking about, I found a link that should (I think) bypass the dreaded paywall.

Maybe it's just me but it seems like this dude's trial doesn't belong in the BLM thread. He shot 3 people, right? Maybe try the Mass Shooter's thread.

I don't even subscribe to cable anymore. I do have access to an account though, lol. Gotta plan.

Sorry, I missed your post. One basic idea that I think of is the aspect of the switch from 15 minutes to 30 minutes to 60 minutes. All major innovations, as was the change from radio to television. It was obvious since the 90s (even before another world was cancelled) that the one hour format was doing a disserve to many of the remaining serials, but there was this stubborn persistence that it could only be one hour for any soap that was already one hour, even if scaling back could be a better use of resources, better storytelling. Others have mentioned incorporating 13 week arc, similar to a telenovela type of storytelling. I am of the frame of mind that you need a more nuanced form of this, since most daytime serials have storyline arcs within the concept of continuing stories, so an abrupt end won't necessarily work, but you can cycle in various groups of characters and storylines and rotate and interweave these, so that you're not committing that atrocious mistake that so many daytime soaps do, which is overusing some characters, while practically ignoring others. Ancillary shows like Days are now just beginning to experiment with online streaming and good for them. Soaps have been unbelievably poor at embracing technology, which is sad, considering Irna Phillips brought Guiding Light to television pretty much at the dawn of television. That's a thumbnail sketch of the type of innovation of which I speak. I have other ideas but this post is already lengthy. On last thing, I was reading an Op-ed article by a technology writer, Farhad Manjoo, who stated in his article that the tech business hasn't had a significant breakthrough in innovation in years... that's right...in years! I thought about it and wondered how this was possible, until he explained what the likes of Facebook, Google and the like had been up to in the last several years and you know what? I had to agree with him. True innovation is not just superficial tinkering around the margins. True innovation is great change which is sometimes even disruptive. If the tech industry hasn't been doing this, I know for sure the daytime industry hasn't been doing this either.

If I can remember, I may check it out.

Diminishing the importance of money in political campaigns is one of the truest way to change things (yeah, right, I know). Another is to raise the horribly low voter turnout during municipal and state elections. Perhaps the latter is more achievable than the former, at this point but ignoring this aspect of elections has been a missed opportunity and a detriment to the Democrats, liberal and so-called progressive alike. If the U.S. doesn't make it easier for people to vote (early voting, no-excuse voting by absentee ballot, curbside voting), guess what? Many won't vote! This may require a state by state strategy, but even if reliably Democratic states implement these options, it would make a noticeable difference. I live in a reliably "blue" state and we don't even have half these options. I voted absentee ballot this year only because I was able to check off wanting protection against COVID-19 as an "excuse". And believe you me, Democrats may not believe that a state by state strategy can be effective but you know who does? Republicans.

May Mr. Douglas R.I.P. John Abbott was such a staple in the Genoa City landscape of my childhood, that when he was killed off, it seemed as if a very important part of that show went with him.

When Tad became such an openly venal character, we knew he was not long for this soap world. I think the explanation that was used for Iva was rock-bottom self-esteem because of the rape as well as naiveté and desperation (remember, this was a character who also posed for nude photos to make ends meet). Also there are different types of intelligence. Iva, perhaps was intelligent in her job but lacked emotional intelligence. As a child, I would not have gotten these references but as an adult revisiting these episodes over the last few years, I got it right away! Reading the news articles in regards to shady tax dealings and his unsavory history as well as the rape allegations and accounts of his predatory behavior, it's clear that he was notorious in the NYC scene. Every adult in a certain milieu of 1980s NYC would have known about him. Marland must have reviled Trump to style Pine's character so similarly. No surprise that the character became so reviled on his way out. It also bears out the reason for the identity of the "Who Done It?" without giving too much away.

Right, many directions, many possibilities but for whatever reason, the original actor left and Pine came in and the characterization truly became Trumpian (nobody can convince me otherwise, if anyone sees that scene where Pine is standing by a moonlit window and only is silhouette is shown with sinister background music. The silhouette, sharp shouldered suit, it looks so much like...look at video from the 1980s and you'll see what I mean. The resemblance is unsettling.

I appreciated that too. It's just unfortunate that the episodes that showed the inciting incidents that led Margo to do this are not up on YouTube.

That's something to think about, which I never had before, tbh. There were a number of directions in which they could have gone had the first Tad remained. One that immediately came to mind was a reprisal of his and Iva's love affair, as it highly unlikely that Craig and Iva's relationship would last. Unless we get a conversation with someone on the writing staff back then, I guess we'll never truly know for certain.

Did they fire the first actor, or did he leave? If Colleen McDermott could hang on for several months, despite being truly lackluster, I don't see tptb willingly getting rid of the actor so soon, unless he wanted to go. I think Pine was likely available and had shown he could play a bad guy. His Tad Channing was gross and hopelessly ruthless, with no redeeming qualities. I'm guessing that with Pine, the writing had decisively leaned fully into D#nald T*ump by then. Amoral, disgusting real estate developer who was on the verge of wrecking the business that his father built, while being incapable of keeping his rape-y hands to himself.

No, Barbara's deception wasn't uncovered until August. There is an episode where Tom finally meets up with Jerry Halperin (a character I wished they had brought back in later years, perhaps develop a romantic relationship with Lisa, as the actors appeared to have a lovely onscreen chemistry, imo), they go out for drinks and Jerry offhandedly divulges how he put a drunken Tom to bed that infamous night, as Tom was out cold. Tom runs out of the restaurant, pretty much crashing into everybody on his way out. Later Tom is show running into a family barbeque, where he grabs Margo by the hand to confront Barbara. That episode is on YouTube. What is missing is how Lisa found out, as well Bob and Kim, although we hear on another episode that apparently, Barbara confessed what she had done to both Kim and Bob later in the year. Craig also found out (presumably via Margo), which had implications as Barbara became a major investor in Craig's company. We are pretty much robbed of seeing everyone's reaction, except for Tom and Margo's immediate reaction, and even there we didn't get to see them process all the months wasted in anger and guilt for no good reason.

Also, I can't remember the last time a daytime soap truly blazed a trail, rather than followed a trend. You could argue that Port Charles got out ahead of the vampire craze, although the Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Dark Shadows people would probably have a bone to pick with you there. There's a saying that "there is nothing new under the sun", which is an apt saying because it does bear a bit of truth. JMO but I really haven't seen daytime soaps (in the U.S.) have true innovation in a very long time.

We will have to agree to disagree. Those changes are around the edges, rather superficial. This is why I stipulated genuine. I am not talking about change for change's sake, or change due to budgetary restraints. Pretty much all of those changes were borne out of necessity, not in a genuine spirit of innovation.

Daytime soaps stopped any genuine moves toward innovation about twenty years ago.

Most of us knew Chance would eventually be recast, whether with Ordway's husband or someone else, but this is not a surprise. Even I knew and I rarely to ever watch this show anymore.

Without a doubt, an escalation, yet still, being reported without the hysterics that the U.S. media reports the migrant situation at the U.S. southern border, as I've noticed. I do have the same question about this as I have had about the surges to the U.S. southern border...who/what is behind this and why now? These migrants are reportedly coming from Iraq, not Afghanistan, the site of a lot of upheaval and chaos. In the Belarus/Poland border crisis, some are blaming Russia and Putin himself, of course, Putin denies responsibility, blaming the EU.

In watching these From The Beginning episodes, I am surprised at how early Brooke's personality as a vixen begins to show itself. There is an episode where Brooke describes the incident where she seemingly plays a prank on Ridge, going up to the Forrester mansion and leading Ridge to believe that she was a willing participant in a skinnydip, then leaving a nude Ridge, to catch a cab home. What's telling about the sequence and the scenes where Brooke relays the tale to her mother and brother and both ask her whether she were actually wanting to pursue the night's events, then elected to change her mind. It stood out as the two people who presumably know Brooke best thought that Brooke was not so much pulling a prank, as she was someone who was interested (despite being engaged to marry) and got cold feet at the last minute. In later years, it almost doesn't matter whether Brooke was a vixen or anti-heroine, she got shifted into the same role as Sharon Collins Newman, who clearly began as a heroine and ingenue. I can't even call either vixens, as vixens are more complex, they are written as more like a sort of sexpot, or as John Mayer once derisively referred to "sexual napalm".

The writing for Reckell seemed to be as much to blame as his acting, from the little that I've seen of him on ATWT. Jon Hensley was pretty darn green when he first appeared on WT but had the benefit of being surrounded by highly capable actresses that brought him up. With time and benefit of focused writing, Reckell may very well have improved while still on, then again, with the size of that cast, his character really wasn't needed anyway. Good for Peter for improving and trying another soap. Looks like it worked out for him.😉

Malala is married!

Hensley is Duncan's "solicitor" a.k.a. lawyer. And yes, he's creepy, which will play out later. It is annoying to have so many story gaps, particularly as it pertains to details that surround tying up storyline threads. It's something that makes me appreciate the Bold and Beautiful episodes (analog, though they be) being streamed right now, you actually get to see a storyline play out from the beginning to the end. That is something that can be achieved via streaming, not so much DVD collection sales.

If I were in charge of Y&R, I would try my darndest to get Fonseca on, for even a months-long story arc, and not as a ghost or a twin either. Try and get Thad for an overlapping arc as well. Josh is not up to the task but in the right hands, could be a good ole fashioned sweeps-worthy storyline. Do soaps still do sweeps?

Ms. Jackson has been trending all day long, from what I've seen. I haven't watched DWTS in several years, but I did see some clips on social media and there were some entertaining performances. Maybe that's what started the trend, she's not just trending for the show now.