EricMontreal22

I see that my hated James Lipton wrote for a time on this show too. Wow, and people are shocked when current "soap killers" are rehired over and over again on other soaps--Lipton I think still must win the prize for most disastrous headwriting regimes. What confuses me is the comment about how the show seemed like this "dirty little show" next to the family soap One Life to Live against it, etc. Why that confuses me is Peyton Place, for all its controversy, has a strong sense of community... Maybe the daytime version was never able to do this?

I'm still only in the 70s--took a break to catch up with Dark Shadows (and well, with my life) but I'm eager to get back to it. I didn't read your spoilers, bu don't worry about spreading negativity--from what I did read, I can agree with you. That said, I find nearly every episode hypnotic (maybe I'll find some later episodes more of a chore to get through) and I am impressed with how good the dialogue, acting and directing is for a twice weekly drama that from everything I read was cranked out (yes an hour--later an hour and a half a week was less than the 30 minute saily soaps at the time, but filming them on film, not video, and everything involved apparently made the schedueal least as grueling as the usual soap. It sounds like you're into the last year, which I know many found hard going (the loss of so many familiar faces, the fact that suddenly the once controversial show was starting to feel old fashioned considering how quickly America came of age between 1964 and 68-69, etc). I believe they made some attempts to be more "relevant" but without spoiling anything for myself, it doesn't sound like they really worked... It's GREAT to see another fan on here, and one who's seen so much. I have the full series but I expect, like you, it will take some years to get through it--I seem to go through marathon spurts. But I look forward to it!

Nevermind, their publisher still has it apparently--I guess it's the full original bible from stuff we did see (though changes were made, Roger was meant to die) then past the stuff before changes. http://www.pompress.com/titles/dark/shadows.html

I'd love to read that--when I'm further in. I knew about the dream--Schemering said it came to Curtis when he was on a train from New England to New York and saw a young woman huddled next to the window looking nervous--and he then fell asleep. But most of the characters and other concepts were done when he gave that initial idea to Art Wallace. Dan Curtis loves to take credit for the show but it seems very little of it was actually his doing. I wonder if Agnes Nixon was a fan--she certainly was aware of the show and some of its stories from her comments in the 1987 Paley seminar when asked some questions and she brought it up (she also mentions how jealous she was that Dan Curtis saved ll isepisodes to video)--but thfact she also picked Gordon Russell to follow her on OLTL is curious. Edit: boo i see Shadows on the Wall goes for a huge amount http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=shadows+on+the+wall+art+wallace I was gonna order it. There was a major novel a fewyears back by a famous female author I believe that was meant to be a Dark Shadows novel but at the last minute, curiously all connections/names were changed. But for the life of me I can't reemmeber what it was...

Her dancing scene actually is like a really really badly done version of one of Betty's early dancing scenes at the teen hangout in Peyton! I can't help think they wanted to emulate it (and did so poorly). So far I have to admit I find Nancy/Carolyn kinda wasted, yet appealing. I'll give most of that credit to the actress. I'm still only at episode 10 though. I think Victoria is still on her second day at Collinswood, LOL.

I feel foolish, since in the episode I watched immediately after this post it was clear he was her blood uncle. Carl's right about the flirtation though--he gave her a morning kiss and she said "mm delicious" just this past episode. Amello, I have only seen some of the later episodes--about 30 of the Quentin Collins arc--I decided to start with the beginning. So far I don't really mind David but we've only gotten brief scenes with him. It's funny how much of it reminds of early peyton Place though in odd and less odd ways (well a far less finely filmed, directed, and acted Peyton Place anyway lol but it would be hard to have those superb production values on a 60s daytime soap). I wonder if any of that was deliberate. It's interesting that the headwriter of these episodes, Art Wallace, is credited by Agnes Nixon in All Her Children as being her story consultant on the first few years of AMC...

I recently started watching the "The Beginning" pre Barnabas episodes on DVD--and I have to say I love them, despite the reputation that they were boring and meandering. (I admit though I love all that Bronte Gothic romance stuff). One quick question--Carolyn basically proclaims how much she'd love to marry Roger in an early speech. Isn't Roger her uncle? Is he not her uncle by blood (maybe I'll find this out later)--or am I just reading too much into her speech and she just meant a man like her uncle? LOL

Awww we all need music in our lives, YRBB

Yeah i thought it was a good mix of uptempo tracks (produced by C+C Music Factory of course just before David Cole died of AIDS) and ballads. Love The Wind and Till The End of Time too.

You did. I'll try to find, ut you were surprised she was such a huge star thru the 90s and seemed to not realize why the Madonna comparisons--internationally few other women have sold even close. Sylph--I pay a lot of attention to your posts (that sounds kinda stalkerish lol) so trust me... I love Helene, I only know some of her singles though. Pausini I only know two songs--I like them. When it comes to franco ladies for me it does tend to be Mylene/Zazie centric.

I'm surprised cuz a while back you admitted you had no idea Kylie Minogue was a big star outside of the US, so I just kinda assumed these pop darlings called minor Kylie's wouldn't even make a blip on the Sylph screen You're spot on though. And one thing that sold her first album was her deadpan humour--how funny Won't Change You and Murder's videos were--with her new TINY label they can't afford that in videos. Still, her album reads like a brilliant mix of collaborators--if it was Kylie and 2001. But I'll no doubt love it. My all time fave Mariah ballad. Gorgeous.

Stop talking about Knots I really wanna see seasons 3+ I think, reading about Dallas, a lot of the quality of the show is due to David Jacobs.

Right. (Among Donna Summer fans that's a hot issue--Donna would be near tied with Strisand as top selling female vocalist of the 70s, but we don't know Diana's sales and I'm sure she sold more. Donna was, until Madonna, the only female to have four double albums go gold though.). But yeah sales peaked in general in the late 80s, early 90s. I can agree there, though many of her musical influences were from that genre. (She did come right at the right time, as Sasha Frere Johns from New Yorker pointed out even rap music now is stealing from dance music--which suits me fine.)

Are you a fan? I had no idea. I kinda agree--I guess that's oddly one reason I like it though--it reminds me of the music I liked when I started going clubbing ten years back. I do love the modulation between verse and chorus though which is classic Biffco. Still the best single release she's had in some time.

Which I'd argue... As mixed as obviously the Shapiros were credibility wise, they wrote so many top tv movies, etc, in the mid and late 70s, and seem so willing to give credit where due (even to the Pollocks' re Dynasty--Esther gives them full credit for the switch in tone even to naming Alexis) I doubt they even folowed the daytime shows much at all--enough to see and crib from relationships, etc.

That's my all time fave Police song (though Tea in the Sahara from the same album comes close) When I had my 30th bday bash the other week a bunch of people I didn't know ended up at the party--who weren't really feeling the Kylie, etc lol Anyway someone put on a bunch of my Police CDs on shuffle--and they went over way better than I'd expect. I have 6000+ cds and about 500 vinyls, and they're not all cheezy synth based dance or disco. Glad I'm not alone--I never get why people are so stagnant with musical taste. no one would be surprised to see a movie obsessed person have a section for horror, for arthouse, dramas, weepies, etc. But with music, you're always meant to liek the same genre no matter the mood or purpose...

Well a lot of that is cuz Madonna broke into New York as a dancer--that's what brought hero the city. Gaga broke into clubs as a singer/songwriter. It's a very different foundation really I agree about her message, etc, though I think it was never quite as clear as some fans (and don't get me wrong--I'm a fan--I have like 80 cds lol) claim. I know Madonna was one of the first mega selling chicas, but not the first--I mean Diana Ross' sales in the 70s were through the roof, Donna Summer's bad Girls double LP sold over 2.5 mill, etc.

Well yeah but to be fair to the lady (and I admit all this press comparing her to Madonna hasn't helped) Madonna certainly didn't stand for anything much till at least mid way thru her third album, the True Blue era, and didn't radically change her image or anything between her first three either--certainly not between her first two. Everything now of course happens MUCH faster, it's the nature of the age we live in and people have to make an impression faster. I do agree with many of your points, but... I mean before Gaga, people used to think Britney was the new Madonna (people=the media). Gaga at least is a better fit there...

Yes I just checked my dvds--I think I need to go to bed. It's three hours... lol

What I don't get is they go on about how the pilot was 3 hours, un heard of... But on the DVD it's in 2 48 minute segments...

It's funny, when we had that actor who had graded from my school return for an acting workshop, Roark Critchlow who had just stopped playing Mike Brady on DAYS I think he basically said the same thing--he said that unlike other soaps he knew about, they were instructed to do very static acting which he found almost unbearable to do. It sounds like the Shapiros never should have had so much power--even their much regarded 70s tv ovie work they point out they didn't get to be producers or anything on. Funny in th einterview I just got Esther Shapiro mentioning that Peppard "hit on young girls", and then she waves to the camera "we'll cut this part out". I guess they forgot.

What all did they do? I saw that tv movie but really didn't know Dynasty at the time and didn't pay much attention. They seem like such nice, smart people in this interview. SFK about her happily changing form I Claudius to fantasy--I guess she realized what works, and the ratings just simply weren't there before Collins and the Pollocks came in. Chgris having recently watched, and enjoyed seasons 1 and 2 back to back (and about to order Season 3 actually), I'd agree. I had always heard, and parotted back that Dynasty Season 1 was dull, bla bla, but actually I think it's really good at the social stuff, and in general--some very strong stuff and in its way IMHO better than early Dallas (but I've yet to really fall for Dallas, so...)

And Dynasty was named via a contest! I wonder why they hated George Pepard (sp?) I always was a fan.. Hrmm

I always tend to agree with Schemering--that Dynasty didn't really take off till the Pollocks took over in season 2 as main story editors and turned the show into almost a high speed satire of daytime soaps, but listening to their interview they've done a lot of well regarded stuff--and have very thoughtful things to say. I love hearing them talk about writing for daytime and Love of Life and what they gained form it, and I had heard of the very famous and well regarded tv movie The Minstral Show before but didn't know it was their concept and creation--same with the famous Sally Struthers spousal abuse tv movie Intimate Strangers. It's funny, I've read some reviews of that TV East of Eden and it was hated by critics--who saw it as a Dallas take on the Steiknbeck novel. Yet the Shapiros say it won a bunch of Writers Guild Awards etc (though they mention they were disappointed on how the script was produced on screen). Had never even heard of The Colony again... Isn't it funny how they say they created Dynasty, wanting to put on tv everything you weren't meant to see on Dynasty. Aside for their use of "older women" as they say--much of it like the wealthy, opulence, etc, seem like TV cliches now...

I had no idea they wrote for Love of Life