Sapounopera
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Posts posted by Sapounopera
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.0 -
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.
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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.
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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.
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23 hours ago, Contessa Donatella said:
Broke the mold!
Amazing photo Contessa. Thanks for sharing.
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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.
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I don't really mind the Dex actor, my problem is that I don't buy him as a hitman. He would be ok as a Chuck Bass type though.
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I think that Alexis will return to being a lawyer, because PM wants to write for (Santa Barbara's) Julia again.
Love seeing Laura as the mayor, she is involved in all this drama thanks to that. Perhaps recasting Kevin and giving the couple a more vibrant relationship is the answer? Although I hate it when soaps feel to pair their older veterans in a random way, just in order to give them something.
BTW the name Laura Collins really annoys me, it sounds so wrong.0 -
On 3/13/2024 at 5:14 PM, Khan said:
Frankly, I'm not convinced that "The Gates" isn't just a working title.
On 3/13/2024 at 5:16 PM, BetterForgotten said:Agreed, I feel like it was just an easy working title to feed to the press when this news broke, and it tied into the supposed premise of the show being about a gated community of sorts.
Perhaps the family will be called Gates as well.
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3 hours ago, Bright Eyes said:
As a lapsed, but returned viewer, I have to take a moment to [!@#$%^&*] on the current opening. Embarrassing, cheap, lame!
Bring back the ambulance. A (night?) version of the iconic intro would be great. I see no need for cast images.
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19 hours ago, dc11786 said:On 3/10/2024 at 10:57 PM, dc11786 said:
The first three (of ten) sections of the Bible cover Rebecca Simpson Whitmore's history, Henry Marshall & Ruth Potter Marshall's history, and the story between the two at the start. I will give a little bit of info from each section and then breaking the story down into three threads: 1) Rebecca's quest for partnership involving her romantic involvement with British attorney Lloyd Bradfield, 2) the business machinations involving the nationalization of Marshall's ice cream and 3) the purchase of the Whitmore estate.
Rebecca's biography recounts the story of her parents' generation in slim detail, enough to explain why the dynamics in the Peter and Rebecca marriage led to where it was. Thomas and Nora Simpson had two children, Thomas Jr. and Rebecca. Thomas served in World War II and died leaving the Senior without a male heir. When Rebecca married Peter after a brief courtship, Thomas immediately groomed Peter as his successor, but Peter wasn't built for business (despite his desire). When Thomas dies, Peter makes many bad deals in the Simpson construction and development business, he makes bad investments in the market, and also gambles too much.
By the point things have gotten back, Peter has two nearly grown children. Peter is appearing more and more aloof. Rebecca is fairly desperate to revive her marriage and seduces her husband which is how she ends up pregnant with the much younger Stephanie, who J.D. later nicknames Sam. The baby seems to keep a coolness to the Whitmore marriage, but the farther Peter declines in his fortune (including mortgaging the house), the more things fall apart. Peter just disappears one day during a snowstorm never to return.
Rebecca picks up the pieces and sells the house because they could either keep their home or nothing else. Rebecca decides to move to a less posh neighborhood and work her way back up by becoming an attorney. Rebecca hasn't been romantically involved with any other man since Peter.
Meanwhile, Henry Marshall grew up the son of Preston and Etta Marshall who had moved North from the South for better economic opportunities. Etta found work immediately and Preston eventually was able to obtain work at a factory. Henry was a baseball star in high school who's dreams were eventually disrupted when his friends roped him into a situation selling stolen goods. Henry spent time in jail for a crime he had been unaware he was committing. After a brief stint in jail, he got out and wandered a bit before meeting Ruth Potter.
Ruth's mother Vivian Potter had divorced her daughters' father and went to work for Nora Simpson as live-in help after having worked for many years as a servant in many different North Shore homes. Nora was known as a terse boss who would often terminate her servants employment at will. Vivian managed to stay on and Nora got sick and died leaving Vivian to work for Rebecca, who elected to keep her on. Ruth and her sister had been raised by Vivian's sister after the divorce while Vivian had spent time raising Rebecca's children until Nora died and Rebecca allowed Vivian to bring her daughters' to live with her in the Simpson/Whitmore home.
Ruth grew up envious of Laura Whitmore, who was two years her junior. Ruth wanted to live the good life and the Bible even states that Ruth wanted to be white. Ruth became involved with Henry and became pregnant before marriage with Chantal. Ruth considered an abortion, but Vivian demanded the two marry. Ruth and Henry went off to live before Ruth moved back to the Whitmore home with Chantal where she finished high school with Laura. There was a brief romantic interest in Greg Cooper, a lower income white classmate who loved and was spurned (only because she didn't know) by Laura.
Ruth helped Henry build the business which included three to four locations by the start of the series including a North Shore location catering to the white clientele. Ruth was very much about moving up and gaining social status. Henry strived to eventually own his own baseball team.
This covers the bigger points of the characters' histories. Chantal was always the oldest, but was Henry's child. Sam's age gap was due to Rebecca's desire to save her marriage. The Ruth/Greg attraction was clearly appropriated later on for the Peter/Ruth affair which is a bit juicier but also makes Peter look like a creep. The dynamic with Vivian raising Rebecca's children and not her own really puts Ruth's resentment in a different light for me. I don't know if that made it to air, but it makes Ruth's emotional state much more sympathetic.
In terms of story, Rebecca's attempt to rise at the law firm plays out pretty much the same way. Rebecca wants partnership, her boss pushes her to date Lloyd Bradfield to secure a contract with a large British law firm, and Rebecca ends up losing out on a partnership. A minor story change was that Rebecca's colleague at the firm was Chris Michaelson in the Bible. On air, his name was Chris Mendoza. Also, the tailend of the story sees Rebecca going with Lloyd on a vacation to London where she was going to be captured in the society pages and be spotted by Peter Whitmore, who was going to be vacationing with his Italian second wife Francesca. This clearly didn't happen.
The business story plays out significantly differently than what plays on air. Joel arranges the meeting between Martin and Henry, but Martin is suppose to be a part of a series of investors involved in the project (none named). Ruth was going to be consulted on all business matters as she had developed a real mind for business and a lonely Martin (in the midst from divorcing his plot point wife Doreen) would become attracted to her. Martin and Henry were to become professional and romantic rivals (unknown to Henry on both counts) as Martin continued to undermine Henry in order to be top dog in the business world.
Martin and Henry would still argue over the quality of ingredients and the first quarter figures would show that Henry was right. Later, Martin was going to arrange new facilities in order to ensure that Henry would default on the rent and have to sell Marshall Ice Cream to Martin.
A bigger moment in the story was going to be Martin's attempt to discredit Henry by bringing him to an Ivy League business dinner where Henry was suppose to be out of place, but people would be intrigued by the man's self-made success. Also, Martin would be upset when his role in Marshall's Ice Cream going national was ignored by a business magazine.
Rebecca was to hold the patent rights to the ice cream and was involved in handling some of the legal papers about the start up of the company.
In the meantime, Martin was going to romance Ruth, who was only going along with the meals in order to try to smooth over the rough edges in the relationship between Martin and Henry. Ruth doesn't appear to be romantically interested in Martin, but they would share a kiss.
On the actual show, I don't think the Martin-Ruth romance was attempted at all. There were some attempts at Martin-Chantal, but that didn't go anywhere. The dinner scene never happened. The factory space was an issue, but it played out very differently with Henry not wanting the factory to leave the south side because it would put people out of work. This issue was resolved in a pool game where Henry hustled Martin. I believe Martin went behind Henry's back and changed the ingredients in the ice cream which led to more issues.
In the final thread of the initial story, Ruth was going to be interested in the house, but it would be bought by Henry for Ruth probably to keep her from leaving him (in his mind) from Martin, who would also be interested in purchasing the Whitmore estate. A third party was also interested in the purchase, Mr. Hassan, who had been kicked out in the first episode. Ruth was going to plan a big housewarming party and Mr. Hassan seems set to destroy the event with many people present.
I'll share more as I continue to make my way through it.
Thank you so much. The Whitmore estate story reminds me of Lovers and Friends (also set in Chicago) and the Pat-Laura/Vivian-Ruth dynamic has an Imitation of Life vibe.
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On 3/13/2024 at 9:33 PM, Khan said:
Am I the only one who never really cared for "Hold on to Love"? I mean, the accompanying visuals were nice, but that song was just a little too John Williams for me.
I feel that it was better than the 80s theme. I couldn't stand the visuals (still, better than the 80s visuals) but I prefered Paul Rauch's shortened version. The late 70s theme was just fine.
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33 minutes ago, Mona Kane Croft said:
I enjoy humor on soaps, but not comedy. And the humor needs to come from characters, not situations.
ICAM
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8 hours ago, Paul Raven said:
The news that CBS is considering a new soap and consequent posts about bringing back beloved soaps in some sort of revamp got me to thinking about GL.
How about a reboot that went back to the original 1937 radio show.?
Set in a diverse inner urban area, with the lead character a minister of a non denominational church (Rev Ruthledge) his daughter (Mary) and Ned a young man with a blank past.
The Kranskys a migrant family with a daughter out to make a better life for herself. (maybe revamped as an Hispanic family with the parents illegal immigrants) Ellis Smith a mysterious artist with a nihilistic attitude.
All of this sounds as relevant or more so as any modern soap. Mix the inevitable social issues with traditional soapy love affairs and secrets.
Diverse casting-the Rev and Mary could be black. The Jacob Kransky character could be gay etc.
What do you think?
I love the idea and and I would also ad the Bauers to the mix. Papa Bauer, Bill and Bert with their young boys, as well as Meta and Trudy with their drama.
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4 hours ago, Contessa Donatella said:
No, I wasn't doubting that he did so. You said
And that is the part I was hoping was a bad joke.
Come on Contessa. People have fought other people on this board so that you can express your thoughts and your opinions. Leave @vetsoapfan alone, we can't afford to lose such valuable posters by driving them crazy all the time. I am sure you and I are old enough to get what he is saying. No need for drama.
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1 hour ago, Contessa Donatella said:
And, I know you're gonna kill me, but is Gina Tognoni the right age to be a Lulu recast?
Lulu is the modern day Sarah Webber/Sarah Horton/Jennifer Foster, right?
I'd choose Marci Miller as others have said before. She has this old-school-soap look and could be Laura's daughter.
What is Bree Williamson doing these days? Her GH role is long forgotten.
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Guiding Light discussion thread
in DTS: Cancelled Soaps
Posted
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.