EricMontreal22

Oh we so do not agree. In theory I feel that way about some of the best soap scenes--classic length ones they rarely do now. But these are just DRAWN out. They say things in 5 mins which should be said in 2. "So I heard you were with that slut." "You heard I was with that slut?" "Yes, I heard you were with that slut." *pause* "Oh." "Well were you!" Add rinse repeat. Add the slow direction.... IMHO the way the scenes are stretched out is the definition of filler.

Yes that would make sense withthe writer and EP listed--and they had a brief run (with that stylized opening.)

Gray Bunny, while I love Loving, that fan written piece kinda makes me laugh. That would have been early 92 I believe when Fran Sears very briefly revamped the show. The show did have a ton of recasts of core characters like the Aldens (some including original actors coming back for the end of their character's run like Curtis, I believe.) So it's true she was the original cast member left (till the Murders where they killed her partly to show anyone could die) but a number of *characters* were there. That said the show was largely retooled--first as early as after Marland left a year in (which is around when Ava came on.) Noelle Beck as Trish would leave shortly after he article but had been there a long time, etc. Carl, another thought about Levinson as HW after Marland--Wiki of course doesn't mention him, but he does seem to be one of the few people from Marland's original writing team (as shown in the Feb 1984 episode online) who remained. If Agnes Nixon did step in largely as HW as most assume she did (myself included) maybe they didn't want to credit her and promoted him up.

I've never heard of Levinson (the first writer listed in the credits.) I dunno, sometimes I feel like these episodes didn't list the HW, or at least when Nixon apparently was writing, but?

I found this kinda interesting -- an interview with Gary Tomlin a few months into his run as EP.

Thank you for the link! Dunno why it was not coming up--I have watched it before, and yeah, I suspect they are close together.

Thanks so much for that! I don't think I've seen the other 1986 episode and can't find it--do you have a link? know of the two episodes from 1987...

LOL Tyler Perry really does look like he genuinely believes he's selling the Greatest/Most Socially Important TV Show Ever.

Finally!

LOL Fair enough. But having Higley come in after sure made me appreciate it more (which is a huge backhanded complement.)

Griffith talked about leaving due to Frons being too controlling, but it was a vague comment and that's all I've heard about the run. What I meant about day to day writing is I never felt like just fast forwarding (OK, some of the Heaven Can Wait stuff) or like it was a huge chore to sit through an episode myself the way I did for huge chunks of Higley's run.

I admit I kinda enjoyed all that mess in an "WTF" way. At least the day to day writing worked a lot better for me than JER's whacked up day to day writing did. That said it was a [!@#$%^&*] mess undeniably. I forgot about the Indiana Jones room! And of course this kinda led into Victor's crazy Lion Heart Manor or whatever in the haunted woods outside town--again or whatever. Michael Malone gave a pretty candid interview about his first time at OLTL including what didn't work and what stories he couldn't tell. I wish someone would get him to talk about why he decided he wanted to go all gothic borderline supernatural when he returned to OLTL. Were these left over story ideas from 13 Bourbon Street (as apparently his glowing eye fertility statue on AW was...)?

Thanks Carl for that article--how long was he on OLTL? I had no idea he was... Kilderry is most famous to me for being on the cast album of that 1960s South Pacific (gorgeous voice) and for having an on and off again affair (allegedly) with Leonard Bernstein--and the flop musical Breakfast at Tiffany's

We've had 13 hour episodes and... how much story? I mean even the 30 min PP soaps which must be on a similar budget had a TON more story by episode 26.

Did GH ever do those "Beauty Shots" endings? (I think I got the term wrong--something like that...) I know by the Monty era they just had a still for the closing credits, and I'm not sure about Ryan's Hope, but AMC kept them basically until 1989 or so, as did Loving, while OLTL kept them until Rauch came in.

Welcome to Tyler Perry-land! (I kinda hate saying that because sexual abuse has been a personal issue within my own family and an important subject but the way Perry deals with it is just so camp.) BTW here are the brief write ups for the final three episodes of this half season: Absolutely! Is "the Kids" an affectionate gay term I simply have never heard before--maybe around black American culture or.... umm something? I believe she ud that term a while back as well. I can see Tyler at his laptop so proud for knowing to use that term

Yeah, honestly I'm actually on the fence if that was just a clumsy re-write (or they forgot the original story) or if it was meant to be part of Wyatt's clever test. LOL The way this show is, it could be either... Why was Wyatt's girlfriend SOO nice to Jeffrey when he came over? Another truly stupid character? He's been a huge jerk to her and implied they were barely ever friends, yet she runs up to him and gives him a hug? All of this time I've doubted that Tyler Perry truly scripts all of these shows himself (I mean how busy is the man--quality of his work not withstanding) and had a team he just doesn't credit. But the dialogue for every character is so similar, maybe I was wrong. It's all written in the same "So how are you?" "How am I?" "Yes, how are you." "Oh, I thought that was what you said well how do you think I am?" "How should I know how you are?" style with a clever or funny (or half the time a tries too hard to be clever or funny but fails) quip or insult or metaphor thrown in every so often--honestly Wyatt's odd thing dialogue to Jeff about how he's using his words like pennies to fill a piggy bank or whatever was just "Huh?" to me. (I mean I get it but it was a clumsy metaphor at best.)

Just caught up with the last two episodes. Or Lordie. OK We've been told how incredibly smart Wyatt is and he has squandered that with the drugs... I don't know what made them think he was smart. He has no idea what a friendship bracelet is. *pause* "What's that?" He still needs "evidence" that Jeffrey is in love with him? (Oh and I thought Wyatt gave him that bracelet from before, but now we're told that Jeffrey fetched it out of the garbage...) But Jeffrey has the emotional intelligence of an 8 year old with a crush on her best friend's older brother, so... How he got a therapy degree is amazing--maybe he was raped by his prof too. Wyatt and how he delivers every line passive aggressively exactly the same--even the "nice" ones is hysterical. As is that detective who apparently now kinda has a heart.... OWN must be making a big profit on this--each episode looks cheaper than a PP online soap.

Agreed. Allmc--I love the videos, however did you not tap the end credits? I would just like to see who was credited on the writing staff. Fun article about a true AMC legend http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-09-22/the-daily-disney/os-disney-all-my-children-chef-20110922_1_disney-world-culinary-olympics-cbs-soap

Just got up to date, and... words fail me... Why does it seem like so many scenes are done in different locations with green screen--like in the hospital--one close up reaction and then another.

I suspect my interest in the show right now is partly due to only working part time this Summer--and not being really invested in any of the soaps except the online ones at the moment--which obviously I go through quickly (I'm holding out this week--or trying to.) I do admit I have little interest in Kat and Alfie and I think it's largely due to Kat's acting (and the writing.) They seem to be throwing in several new characters who have been pointless so far.

OK, I admit after my last post a while back, I've become hooked again on Eastenders. We're a few years behind, as I mentioned--today was Ronnie's final appearance (until this year?) where she finally is sentenced to 3 years--which from what I can tell is July 2011. (I looked that date up online, but what's funny is since I follow the UK pop charts so closely--or at least did until this year--I often have some idea of when the show must have aired by the pop songs playing in the background.) One question--I always find UK soap schedules very confusing, even when I spent a year there and only casually watched, I found it hard to keep up. EE airs five times a week here--is it currently at four or five episodes (for the most part) in the UK?

Ha read the comments--I don't think anyone thinks it's great. I can't stop watching, but personally think it's pretty awful in ever respect. I will say that if you wanna watch for the gay storyline you're gonna be bored with a majority of the show (it hasn't even come up in more than 3-4 episodes so far.)

I haven't watched yet, but I wouldn't call that hevay-handed in Tyler Perry-land...

Oh wow! VERY excited by that--and good casting even if it's not a huge role. How I wish Ryan Murphy wasn't involved in this... At least he can't change the script, I guess (Larry Kramer would have his head...)