Her spoilers aren't trustworthy but Carol Banks Weber of SZ is at least a regular soap viewer and knows ABCD. It shows in her commentary about the Zarf story where she jabs at McTravesty's motivations and assertions about the Zarf story and her interaction with Bianca.

Carol Banks Weber's AMC News and Gossip for Week of Dec 11 on SoapZone...

All My Children News & Gossip

News for the week of 11-Dec-2006

by Carol Banks Weber

Broadway star Jeffrey Carlson (Zarf-Zoe) educated the ladies of The View December 6th on his transgender story, the proper use of pronoun for a person born with male body parts but a female soul and the wonderfulness that is his new soap home, for however long it lasts (it’s a journey, not a through line, folks). Of course, former boss and current talk show co-host Rosie O’Donnell staked her claim on Carlson as a find from her (huge failure of a) Broadway show, Taboo, where he played Boy George’s Marilyn Monroe-looking gay transvestite pal. Carlson reiterated the plot line from off-screen, back-storied birth to growing discontent, to the runaway syndrome, to the New Age anomaly AMC fans see today. And co-host Elizabeth Hasselbeck tried to differentiate between the various gay PC terms, from transvestite and transsexual to transgender but not transgendered, born lesbian to born a man but really a woman who’s a lesbian. Serving as the PSA undercurrent throughout, an almost urgent message of hope in the face of countless sexually confused children struggling with life and death issues surrounding their gender identity. As O’Donnell brought up, when six-year-olds are killing themselves over this, it’s time to enlighten.

During the inter-View, Carlson went back to this past summer, shortly after doing a one-day cameo as flamboyant rock guest-star of Erica Kane’s fictional talk show. That’s when, he explained, TPTB came to him with the outline of the transgender story to lead with Eden Riegel’s Bianca. They were concerned that he may not want to tackle such a controversial, risky story, playing a man yearning to be a woman, and a lesbian to boot, but Carlson gladly, readily took to the new role and is now happily ensconced in AMC, a job he looks forward to every working day.

Head writer Megan McTavish defended her choice to use this controversial subject matter as the next big cover story to Diego Vasquez for his December 1st Media Life feature, “From Zarf into Zoe, soap’s transgender.”

Sounding quite defensive, McTavish downplayed the stunt and the gimmick aspects of the choice, playing up the meaning and the human value instead. “I and one of my colleagues were talking about ideas for stories, and the word transgender emerged, and it hit me that this was an aspect of human experience that hasn’t been told in daytime. The beauty of daytime is you tell it every day, you can go step by step by step, and this kind of transition is step by step by step.”

Asserting growing fan interest, McTavish then went on to take issue with the reporter’s specific use of the adjective “outrageous” to describe Zarf and Bianca’s love story. Not to her, to her, it’s more about the courage to continue on from a history-making gay lead – Bianca – into a moving, heart-felt rendition of a contemporary but still humane gay love story. “Maybe not everyone will understand or approve of the story, but we’re doing it and we’re going to do it as truly and as realistically as we can from the standpoint of who this character is,” McTavish said. Furthermore, the head writer would rather the audience focus less on perceived outrageous stunts and more on one of their favorite beloved female leads, “[A]s she makes her choice, I want the audience to understand this character, and understand her no matter what their political beliefs or whatever may be. We’re not in the business of preaching, we’re in the business of telling a story.”

San Francisco Chronicle’s Reyhan Harmanci stood out from the media pack by consulting with three local drag queens on Zarf’s naked introduction to AMC audiences [sFGate.com, “As the gender turns: New territory for TV, Soap 'All My Children’ breaks ground with character's male-to-female journey,” December 1, 2006]. For the most part, they weren’t impressed, citing Zarf’s transition into the mainstream was besieged with too many distracting, irritating hurdles – such as his hoity-toity British-sounding accent and his arrogant demeanor. One of the drag queens, Pollo DelMar, however, couldn’t dismiss Zarf altogether without at least crediting the effort made to use a venue that might better glimpse what it’s like to be a transgender character, a day-to-day soap as opposed to a two-hour special.

Harmanci also interviewed the movers and shakers of the daytime world, including Soap Opera Digest writer Mara Levinsky, and TVGuide.com senior editor and author Daniel R. Coleridge. Both agreed to the positives of such a casting and storyline decision. It stands out from the others, but then soaps do that anyway, act as trendsetters, Levinsky said. Coleridge applauded the deeper connection and attachments heralding the Bianca and Zarf connection, as different and better than soaps’ usual symbolic representation. “In the past, gay characters would come in, suffer and teach us a lesson. The way it used to work, the gay character would be a man without a country, without roots, a waiter or an assistant or something. It's hard to stick around if you are a character who's not married to anyone and not connected to a core family. Viewers have little reason to care.”

To the cynics (and conservatives) in the group, Zarf’s all-encompassing debut signals the end of soaps as we know it, and that ain’t necessarily a good thing. While the homophobes and the right-wingers question the sanity of delving into such an unseemly (to them) taboo topic – soaps may be lauded as the first to tackle new controversy, but they can also be saddled with old-fashioned mind-think in many of its diehard fans – some in the gay community question TPTB’s actual agenda.

With head writer Megan McTavish cheerleading her story to the press, insisting on its human measures over its ratings ploys, a few of us soap critics have to wonder if the woman doth protest too much. Especially considering the suspicion held by many that this could be a ratings ploy designed to make lesbian Bianca more palatable to the conservative right-wingers watching. Enter SoapTown USA’s “Llanview CRAZE” columnist Jeremy in Chicago.

Amidst his hilarious send-up of OLTL in “Hand Jobs, and other Llanview Delights,” Jeremy questioned the questionable means of representation while dismissing the star-crossed pairing of Bianca and Zarf as nothing more than, Barf – gay-lite.

“My first reaction was: Oh, they've figured out a way to put Eden Riegel with a man but still pretend her character is a lesbian,” fired Jeremy in the letters portion of his column. “And in a sense, I do still think that is what this is mostly about. On the other hand, I am titillated by the prospect of knowing that millions of viewers who may not even know what a transgender person is, will be getting a bit of an education. Granted, that education is not going to be perfectly accurate.”

Jeremy speaks for a lot of us when he questions the logic in giving a lesbian like Bianca someone like Zarf, who is presenting as a man (and a rock star male at that), no matter the appropriate lingo. “I don't think that's realistic at all, although I suppose anything is possible when it comes to love. What is it with this show? First they bring an abortion back to life, now they are putting the lesbian with a male actor who will essentially be a drag queen when all is said and done [TPTB acknowledged that the story’s journey may end before sex-change surgery].”

Furthermore, Jeremy contends that TPTB would more likely greenlight a Zarf/Bianca twist than a Zarf/Zach one, for example. Chalk it up to old-fashioned values and more than a little homophobia from the average straight white male in power and averse to seeing a gay any male threaten that unspoken patriarchal assertion, the columnist continued. “They see lesbianism as a pleasurable distraction or fantasy. I think having Bianca end up as Zarf's girlfriend - even if Zarf has his penis cut off and breasts implanted - sends a rather unrealistic and potentially homophobic message. A better story would be for Zarf to fall in love with a girl, then ‘come out’ as a transgender and see his STRAIGHT girlfriend deal with it. To have Bianca - the sole gay person in Pine Valley - be the one to automatically have to hook up with the only transgender on the show could definitely rile up some feathers.”

Hence the GLAAD name-dropping gay-speak: In that San Francisco Chronicle feature by Reyhan Harmanci, head writer Megan McTavish was quoted as saying, like a mantra lest we forget, “Zarf was sexually attracted to women when she was presenting as male, and as Zoe, she believes herself to be [a] woman who loves women, so she's a lesbian.” (Read: So, it’s okay all you lesbians, Bianca didn’t pull an Anne Heche.)

You guys should’ve watched The View, where all the parties essentially agreed that Zarf only liked chicks who liked other chicks, not chicks who only liked guys, to further legitimize the Bianca pairing and make her less of a trifling turncoat. Whatever.

Also, what R Sinclair said.

MMT's motives are as plain as day, anyone who thinks this story is going to be something groundbreaking I have one word for you: Josh

MMT's fetus resurection was going to be something groudbreaking, add great depth and layers to the original storyline. Provide drama and heart. But we all know and she ended up saying it after enough pressure was put on her: She just wanted a Kane-Martin

She doesn't have to say it this time, it's clear as day: She wants to have the show's lesbian, put her in a relationship with a man who believes himself to be a woman, and call it roses and sunshine. She wants her cake, and eat it too.

I can't wait for this storyline to bite her in the ass too. Maybe this will finall rid us of her.

I think it is her final attempt to keep her job. She thinks that it is a brilliant idea and that she is a freaking genius. I really hope that it tanks and she finally gets what she deserves. I am anxious to see what the ratings are for next week. I hate to wish bad on anyone or anything but the show needs to be fixed and that will never happen with McT writing the show.

“My first reaction was: Oh, they've figured out a way to put Eden Riegel with a man but still pretend her character is a lesbian,” fired Jeremy in the letters portion of his column. “And in a sense, I do still think that is what this is mostly about. On the other hand, I am titillated by the prospect of knowing that millions of viewers who may not even know what a transgender person is, will be getting a bit of an education. Granted, that education is not going to be perfectly accurate.”

Threefold Amen!

I can't believe this thread is still going!

I think it's a given that she's going to be gone when her contract is up, but the question is will AMC still be alive then or will it be beyond redemption?

I can't believe this thread is still going!

I think it's a given that she's going to be gone when her contract is up, but the question is will AMC still be alive then or will it be beyond redemption?

Well, the good thing about McTavish's horrendously plot driven/agenda motivated writing is that there are sooooo many loopholes that anyone with three braincells more than Megan can get out of the bulk of the sh!t she's written.

McTavish is just lazy and unskilled, which is why AMC is suffering. I think of her writing as very paint-by-number. It's all formulaic, every character is placed in a certain position, and when it's all aligned, there is a reasonable facsimile of a story. But it lacks the nuance and highlights and depth and range and hues of the work of a skilled artist who creates a masterpiece. So many undercurrents intentionally ignored and glossed over because examining those things would shed light on other aspects of character and story that don't fit McTavish's agenda.

Well, the good thing about McTavish's horrendously plot driven/agenda motivated writing is that there are sooooo many loopholes that anyone with three braincells more than Megan can get out of the bulk of the sh!t she's written.

McTavish is just lazy and unskilled, which is why AMC is suffering. I think of her writing as very paint-by-number. It's all formulaic, every character is placed in a certain position, and when it's all aligned, there is a reasonable facsimile of a story. But it lacks the nuance and highlights and depth and range and hues of the work of a skilled artist who creates a masterpiece. So many undercurrents intentionally ignored and glossed over because examining those things would shed light on other aspects of character and story that don't fit McTavish's agenda.

That's got to be the best description of McTrash's writing style that I've ever read!

Don't shoot me but I think the show has improved ALOT. The Babe propping is still gagworthy but as a whole the writing has improved. That makes me convinced she's probably on her way out

R Sinclair that description was so accurate I have no words. And you are right there is some hope there that someone with any type of writing skill above highschool level could salvage this show.

And yes she wants to be groundbreaking put the lesbian with a man but call him a woman. I've read a few boards where people like them together but I get the impression its because they like having Bianca with a man in general, and don't want her with any woman. Wait till Zarf starts wearing dresses and kissing Bianca. I think then they are really going to start hearing the complaints. Nothing too shocking yet has happened, beyond seeing Bianca let a man kiss her.

Edited December 13, 200619 yr by Canfan

On the rumors that Bianca would un-lesbian: "They should know I would never let that happen."

This is from a summary of an SOD interview with Eden in the current issue. The part in quotations is her remark. Don't have the full interview myself yet, but was posted by SON's own Angela over at the NB board.

It makes me feel better to see her say it again in print (she's been quoted this way in the past). Having been a Bianca fan in the McT era, I have trust issues with Ole McHack'n'Sack. She doesn't not what the hell she's writing about, is obsesseed with lesbians transcending the fact that they like to f.u.c.k. other women because it's all about the soul love (and that's not just from Zarf era), imo.

I won't feel totally comfortable with it all until we see how it shakes out on screen. And it's hard to say predict just how offensive (yes, and possibly if it gets offensive...but I try not to imagine how bad it can get outside of current circumstances because most often, McT out worst-case-scenarios me).

It does, however let off a considerable amount of steam for me.

So here's hoping Bianca's sexual identity, its integrity and ALL of AMC can survive, can find some way to hang in there for a little while longer without being totally obliterated by the preyerfully-requested, soon-to-be-canned EvilStupid!Genius of Megan McTRAVESTY.

*crosses fingers*

I really dont want tooffend anyone by putting this back on page one.

I will admit i have a problem, and that is I want more then anything that MMT gets away from what is left of my show.

So peace on earth to everyone.

Don't worry Theresa

WE all want Megan Gone and believe me the lastest news I heard this past weekend from a very reliable source that ABC will be announcing 2 new HW for 2 shows and one is a DONE DEAL from what I"m being told that's why on one ABC show there are being massive re-writes and the return of an actor who just left a couple of months ago is returning in Feb. for a short time.

Robert

Don't worry Theresa

WE all want Megan Gone and believe me the lastest news I heard this past weekend from a very reliable source that ABC will be announcing 2 new HW for 2 shows and one is a DONE DEAL from what I"m being told that's why on one ABC show there are being massive re-writes and the return of an actor who just left a couple of months ago is returning in Feb. for a short time.

Robert

So I assume OLTL gets a new writer first. Not that they don't deserve one, but AMC better as well (for I do not see Frons dumping his pet Guza anytime soon).

I am going to very upset if OLTL and GH make changes first like some of the rumors are suggesting. I do think OLTL needs help but GH is doing the best out of all the ABC soaps so they don't need as much help as AMC does. I am so tired of MCT and so ready for her to go. My patience with AMC is reaching it's limits.

I read the same news Robert and I can't wait!