Khan

Am I reading the data right? An episode of that godawful sitcom, "Baby Talk," did better than AW's primetime special?

And that is insane, because Ron Carlivati and his writing needed all the help they could get. By the way, @Vee, I want to apologize for one of my responses upthread: I don't think you're wrong to want Drew recast again. I just don't believe another recast/character reset would make any difference in the long run.

I would be done with him, too. I wouldn't. I would give Drew a Mitch Leery-like send-off and be done with him. Which is just bullshit, because whether a scene runs for 10 seconds or 10 minutes, viewers will tune out if it ain't written well, directed well or acted well, regardless of age.

Yes. They created Drew only because Steve Burton had returned (yet again!) and they didn't want to let go of Billy Miller just yet. Otherwise, he is a pointless character. (No offense?) Exactly. I agree. Well....? Then you definitely would need to recast!

Thanks, @dragonflies! This is fantastic news. NE made my Monday nights BITD. So off-beat, yet so warm and loving. Now, do the same for "Picket Fences," Amazon Prime, lol....

Not really. I just recall reading about it years ago, on one message board or another. Apparently, "Maggie's Farm," as I call it, was one of several DAYS-related spinoff ideas that NBCD was tossing around at that time, on account of DAYS burning up the ratings. Another idea that TPTB had had was to spin off Doug and Julie, but I don't know how much farther anyone went with any of those proposals beyond just the talking stage.

Hey, maybe Steve can go work on B&B. Deacon could use a little brother.

That's Christopher Goutman for you! [!@#$%^&*] with ATWT and its' generations of fans 'til the very, bitter end!

It's interesting how Susan Pratt has played three characters - GH's Anne, AMC's Barbara, GL's Claire - that audiences don't "love to hate" so much as they just plain hate, lol.

I agree on both counts, @carolineg. I think the only proposed DAYS spinoff, either real or rumored, that had any genuine, dramatic possibilities was the one that was supposed to take place wherever Maggie's family's old farm was located. A rural-based soap would have been very novel, especially in the '70's (or even today, lol).

Hopefully, nothing that has anything at all to do with acting.

I just hope it doesn't end with, "No, wait, THIS is who John Black REALLY is!". I've had enough of that [!@#$%^&*].

I'll never forget when SOD interviewed her as part of a "Where Are They Now?" special issue. First of all, I thought it was incredible that Julianne Moore even would agree to be interviewed by SOD. Even more special for me, however, was what she said about other soap alumni who invariably tell the press how they view their soap gigs as "stepping stones" toward other, more prestigious gigs in film, theatre and TV. I'm paraphrasing, but the gist of what she said was, "It isn't a stepping stone toward other jobs, it's a job." That's why it always pisses me off whenever I hear even current soap actors say working on soaps is a great "training ground" for young actors and such. I'm no actor, but even I know it's gotta be damn hard work to go on that set everyday and try and give the best performance you can, with scripts that can vary wildly in quality, and absolutely zero time for preparation and rehearsal. As Erika Slezak says in her Archive of American Television interview, there are actors who come to daytime from other arenas who think they can do it but realize pretty quickly that they can't. And if the rest of the cast and crew have a hard time working with actors who are "green," just imagine what it's like to be one of the folks at home everyday who's watching this [!@#$%^&*]. Like I always say: "Learn how to act on your own time, not on mine." Thank you, @DRW50, for posting that video. It's always thrilling for me whenever anyone gives a shout-out to my hero, Douglas Marland, lol. I agree. I remember reading, though, how someone (Goutman?) wanted to extend her visit, and thinking, "C'mon, we're lucky she came back at all," lol.

Sorry, @Franko. I couldn't remember which poster had said it before. Thanks for the reminder, though. I agree. On the other hand, I think "Manhattan Lives" had a much better chance of making it than that other spinoff featuring Tommy Horton in Hawaii ("Pacific Lives"?).

Once again, Douglas Marland surrounded himself with good writers. Thanks, @dc11786!

I tend to think those pairings tanked because MB tanked them himself.

Angela Shapiro (?) was foolish to think Megan McTavish would be a good fit for GH.

Frankly, you could put MB with almost anyone and it is bound to work on one level or another.

IMO, MW's best-ever work was during her first stint (1995-1996) on ATWT, when her performances were so raw and natural that Marlena DeLaCroix labelled her as "a young Carroll Baker." It was almost as if she did not know that she was working on a soap opera. Since then, MW has done good work - on WT, then on Y&R, now on GH - but her performances also have become soapier, if you know what I mean. Often, that is due to the writing, as soaps in general really don't develop characters like early Carly Tenney anymore; but other times, I feel it is due more to Maura's acting choices. And as for Gina Toblerone? This always reminds me of that moment in "Coming to America" when...well, just watch this clip and you will know what I am saying, lol.

I do not get it either, @carolineg, lol.

I am not disagreeing, but mother of God, lol!

Oh, I am so sick and tired of people dream-casting Gina Tognoni. Is she the ONLY actress available anymore?

Generally speaking, is Frank Valentini the sort of producer who allows his actors to dictate storylines, the way past EP's at GH have? Or will Steve Burton have to "play ball," so to speak, and actually do whatever the [!@#$%^&*] is written for him to do?

I agree. KL experienced very real "growing pains" during its' first 2-3 seasons, as it tried to figure out what kind of show it wanted to be. Much of what goes on during that period was ignored or forgotten once KNOTS became a full-fledged soap. Nevertheless, I would continue watching, if only to help you become further acquainted with the show's core characters. It can be a slog at times, but it will be worth it in the end.