Sapounopera

18 hours ago, janea4old said:

Note the reply tweet from Eileen,
in which she comments on the response from the fans to her DID storyline.

 

Oh God. This is horrible. Days of Our Lives horrible.

1 hour ago, Avatar610 said:

Not Stacy- the actress doesn't look ANYTHING like her.  Think opposite,

However the actor was involved with a Stacey on another show, right?

What a stunning woman. I adored her and always wished that Y&R would keep her around for longer periods of time. RIP. 

3 hours ago, vetsoapfan said:

LOL! That's so true: there were an overabundance of irrelevant, disposable, and ultimately forgettable newbies in the mid-1980s.

If the entire series were magically available to stream somewhere, I could see myself watching up through 1984, while my old favorites were still featured, but I'd pass right over the "forgettable newbie" period, and pick up again when Holly and then Roger came back.

Being able to take a break from Reva for a few years was such a relief. At the beginning, I probably could have taken her in small doses, but when she ate the show, I grew to loathe her. The painfully stupid stories foisted upon her (Reva the Ghost! Reva the Amish Amnesiac! Reva the San Cristobelian Queen! Reva the Clone!) did the character no favors!

I think I have asked you before. Do you think that Kim Zimmer could have worked as a recast Hope in 1983? Josh was still a bad boy in 1983, right? Alan/Hope/Josh/Alex could be a little like Jason/Nola/Billy/Mona from THE DOCTORS.

On 4/25/2024 at 7:01 AM, vetsoapfan said:

Just out of curiosity, what year did you begin watching the show? In my personal experience (and of course this doesn't hold true for every single viewer; opinions always vary among soap fans), many folks who enjoyed the period of TGL before Gail Kobe took over as producer in 1983 had a strongly negative reaction to the sweeping structural and cast changes.

Did you continue to enjoy the show throughout the 1980s? Again, just curious. I know there are viewers who did.

I live in Greece and I got to watch 1980-82 episodes via satelite tv and German network RTL. I was obsessed. After a while a Greek network bought 1985-1987 and I was horrified. The show was unrecognizable. Bad recasts, tacky, trashy characters and a completely different vibe. I still believe that GL lost something valuable when TPTB decided to erase the Allen Potter years and tranform it into something different.
After that I only enjoyed the Robert Calhoun era but I never stop keeping up with GL until Wheeler went insane with the new production model. 

On 4/20/2024 at 2:52 AM, vetsoapfan said:

Out of morbid curiosity, I felt compelled to watch the newer, Ryan Murphy version...just to see how badly they might screw it up. (I find so many remakes to be pointless, poorly done and ultimately annoying.)

All of those adjectives describe RM's adaptation, IMHO. It was just...bland and inferior and lacked the raw power of the original.

Curiosity killed the cat, as they say.

Like most of todays's shows and films it felt... plastic to me. Nobody cares for atmosphere and artistic view, they just want to appeal to the Netflix crowd. Even Almodovar's three last films have a different vibe, because... platforms. 

1 hour ago, teplin said:

Salem seems to exist in a parallel universe where local newspapers are thriving and magazines fail because of incompetence, not because nobody's reading them anymore. 

Don't forget that the show takes place in 2025. Last year nobody could even dream of getting a new soap opera. 

2 hours ago, Aragorn said:

Who decided on the no Spencer recast? The writers or Frank Valentini? Did NAC piss someone off so much that they don't want to continue his character?

In my mind choosing not to recast a part means that they think that the original actor can't be replaced or that they want him back when he chooses to return.

3 hours ago, Contessa Donatella said:

While you're busy not believing all I said (perhaps believing the important part) I'll test you on this one. But, I think you'll believe this one. No Spencer recast. The only way Sprina will exist is her new guy is named Samuel Ward. But would that just yield Srina? S'Rina? Steven Ward! All fixed. 

Can it be Sean Ward? Can't we keep the Steven name for a Hardy or a Webber?

3 hours ago, Chris B said:

What do you mean about revenge agenda? I thought she came in wanting to reset the characters who were being written wildly out of character. She fixed Sharon, the wrote of dull characters like Chelsea, Chloe and Kevin who were overdue for exits, she gave Cane his best story ever and I liked how she wrote Hillary, Devon, Mariah and Nikki. I think she did a lot in her short time and nothing she did hurt the show. You can’t say that about any other HW on Y&R in recent years.
 

Exactly. 

17 minutes ago, Paul Raven said:

 

I do worry about the show being centered around wealthy characters-that can be limiting in terms of budget -I don't want to see rich characters living in tiny houses with no staff, and being wealthy takes away some story options as well.

I don't find rich people drama that fascinating in 2024. I hope the show centers on some regular folks as well. 

12 minutes ago, Althea Davis said:

What month of 1983 does this change happen? I am scared

Once Allen Potter is gone and Gail Cobe takes over GL begins to morphe into a brand new. By 1985 it is unrecognizable. 

5 hours ago, Althea Davis said:

I just find GL to be like a great novel. It has this different energy from most other soaps.

I had the same feeling.

2 minutes ago, AMCOLTLLover said:

Tbf i started GL with 1983 episodes and it hooked me straight away. I think what really hooked me was the picture with the mysterious women that looked like Annabelle! Tony Reardon + Annabelle‘s story involved all family’s of the show and I was so excited. Eli Simms that came after them was pretty dope

Nola and Quinton were so hilarious

and we had the introduction of Billy Lewis and Mindy and they were such great asset to the show for me. Billy and Vanessa‘s Lovestory and bickering was great.

We had Philip-Mindy-Beth-Rick‘s younger crowd with a high profile story and Bradley Raines. That was definitely an a-class story

Why did u hate the changes?

The change shocked me.  I cared for the previous characters and loved the show's style during the Allen Potter years I got to watch. 
GL didn't need an identity change. Perhaps a soap in trouble like SEARCH FOR TOMORROW or perhaps ANOTHER WORLD would have benefited more from the Long-Cobe regime.
 

19 hours ago, Liberty City said:

It's all budgetary.

I think it has to do with aesthetics. That scene could have been directed in a more atmospheric way. 

Just now, Althea Davis said:

For better or for... worse? 

It depends how you see it. Many viewers believe that "their" GL started in 1983.

I hated the changes lol.  

44 minutes ago, Althea Davis said:

I am loving 1982 and can't wait for Alex's arrival in the next seasons. 

Prepare yourself for some big changes in the next seasons.

On 4/7/2024 at 5:59 PM, Soapsuds said:

Andy looks so much like an Abbott. 

For some reason I never managed to forget Farren's blouse in all these years. 

9 hours ago, soapfan770 said:

Abbott drama > Newman drama

Always. 

On 4/10/2024 at 1:18 AM, soapfan770 said:

Victor: Nikki 1984-88, Leanna 1988-89, Ashley 1990-92, Hope 1994-1995/96ish, Diane 1997-98, Nikki 1998, Nikki 2002-08, Sabrina 2008, Ashley 2009, Diane 2011, Sharon x2 in 2012, and Nikki 2013-present

Victor married Sharon TWICE in 2012? These characters are beyond ruined. 

11 hours ago, 1974mdp said:

Now would be a great time for the show to age Katie and have her show up. She could be jealous and envious of Claire, stir up trouble, and also start a new teen scene with Lucy.

But we already have a teen scene with Nick and Adam.

9 hours ago, soapfan770 said:

Despite the campiness of the three Ashleys ED continues to kill it along with the rest of the cast with the intervention of Ashley.

The three beds scene screamed PASSIONS to me. What is Josh Griffith's problem?

8 hours ago, BoldRestless said:

They just completely destroyed any edge that Claire could have which would be the only thing that would make her interesting and the only silver lining in this storyline. It's a shame, because she really did a great job with that light switch moment when she realized Jordan lied about everything, and we should be seeing more of that, Claire struggling with switching back and forth between good and evil and trying to fight her demons.

With her aunt staying in town and constantly playing with her mind. Not acting like a clown or being called Jordan of course.

9 hours ago, dc11786 said:

 

@Sapounopera What did you think of the character voiceovers in the early episodes? I didn't really like that device being used as often as it was.

I thought the opening was reflective of the show's concept of generations, which is also why you needed the McCallum branch. The show had two families that were made up of three generations. 

I was shocked with Rebecca's voiceover. I remember thinking, wow, I didn't know soaps could do this, lol. Perhaps one voiceover from the show's most important character, introducing us to the most dramatic story would be enough. 

I really cannot see Dorothy Lyman as Rebecca. Such a weird casting choice.

Rebecca should have been the mother of (a younger) Laura, JD, Sam, Monique and Corey. The McCallums made things more complicated for no reason. 

I liked the original Y&R (CBS) style better than the NBC style that followed. However the show needed stronger storylines and scenes from the beginning. A co-headwriter, perhaps someone like Pat Falken-Smith?

A trendier intro might have helped.

4 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

80-82, when I try to watch that era, often seems incredibly dull to me - just lifeless, with an influx of dull new characters or iffy recasts. I can see where Swajeski's is worse, and certainly lacks many of the best of the early '80s, but the overall ensemble, at least up to mid 91 (I haven't watched a lot past that point), helps keep me more entertained, especially the spark plugs like Carmen Duncan, Anna Stuart, or Anne Heche.

I agree about the three actresses.
The early 80s era feels indeed kind of lifeless. By that time most soaps were more vibrant. The stories were not that horrible, but the directing style was stuck in the 70s. Perhaps that's a reason I have a soft spot for those years. I love the sophisticated Cory Publishing crowd and at the same time we have Larry, Clarice, Ada. Too many peripheral characters with no real purpose, but still better than the Swajeski years in my eyes.

On 3/26/2024 at 1:10 AM, chrisml said:

I know there were times that AW was said to be going through rough patches storyline/quality wise, but are there regimes you think are underrated and some that are overrated? 

 

I really don't hate 1980-82 that much. That's three writing regimes right? The show is all over the place, but at least it still has glimpses of its old classy self. 

Donna Swajeski's years don't look that great to time. First of all the era has aged horribly. I don't really care for the characters and the show has become way too generic for my taste. 

6 hours ago, Beachstorm said:

I remember when people were fired for not performing to the best of their duties. Happens all the time in sports. Businesses take a different direction to better succeed all the time. What's the problem here? I don't have the inside track that all of you seem to have. People can be fired for not living up to expectations in every day life. 

Exactly. I was shocked with a soap site' BREAKING NEWS article. 

14 hours ago, Toups said:

Donna, you've been posting about soaps since at last the 90's on those old newsgroups and you have not ever been considered an "insider" anywhere, so please chill with the "what I heard stuff" because you don't have any credibility when it comes to insider info. 

As a matter of fact Contessa knew about several GH happenings prior to the press. At least two. The last Molly recast somes to mind. And the usual suspects were mocking her. As usual. 

23 hours ago, Contessa Donatella said:

Broke the mold! 

Amazing photo Contessa. Thanks for sharing.

10 hours ago, Contessa Donatella said:

What or who is a Chuck Bass? 

My only thing is that he can't just have sex & get his hair done. There must be more to a character than that. 

A Gossip Girl character Contessa. A bitchy rich boy.