Eh. All the soaps and networks are pretty much liars now. Look at OLTL. They said the show was going to do a Hugh/Kelly/Kevin triangle this fall but the next thing you knew HT, DG, and JC were getting fired when ABC was able to re-sign ME.

Why does Days need to communicate in big boldassed letters where their characters are going? Watch the freakin' show and see how and where they progress like they did before the internet and its over-spoiling of EVERYTHING. What is the point of even watching if we just went to those, again, unreasonable people and said "by years end, Bo and Hope will renew their vows, learn the baby is theirs, and Hope will love Chelsea as if she was Zack, they're then going to buy a bigger house - move all their families in with them, make some tea, then go shopping for a bit at Salem Place, then Hope will decide she wants to be a model again, then Patrick will kill her, then Billie will [!@#$%^&*] Bo, then Bo and Billie will get married, bla bla bla bla ..." I might as well be reading the cliffnotes to a book and not bother with the show!

A good drama, and especially a good soap, is supposed to keep you slightly in the dark and pull you along with the story as our characters experience it on screen. Just tune to Passions for the perfect example of what giving the audience all the cards is like - boring, repetitive, and infuriating watching such stupid people not grasp such simple things.

Well, shortly after Langan left and B&C came on board, someone from the show provided detailed spoilers of what was going to happen on one of the message boards. I was thinking that TPTB could do something like that again. Where's Sapphire_Rose16 when you need her?

READ THIS TO FIND OUT WHAT WILL HAPPEN ON DAYS!!!

Posted by sapphire_rose16 on 23:31 2/14/2002:

I know what will happen on Days and if you don't believe me, just keep watching the show to find out if I'm right or wrong...

*Predictions*

1)Baby Switch-- as you know, Issac and J.T. were switched at birth. Well, if you watched today's episode, you would know that John isn't the daddy. But I know who is. It's.....Bo. Yes! The beloved Bo IS the father and I have an explination to this madness. Ok, if you know as much about days as I do, you would know that Stephano, while trying to prove to Hope how powerful his mind control really was, turned Bo into a mime. Well, since Bo and Hope have a sorta "connection" through their love, they were able to find each other and, yes, make love. Now, to prove my theory, Hope will start by seeing flashes of white every now and then, which will be the start. As for the babys, well, unfortunatly, Glen will get full custody of J.T. but will be nice enough to let Hope visit him every so often. And what will happen to Issac? He will be taken from the "evil" Lexie and Hope will get custody. Now, Lexie will have tried to run off with Issac, but will be found. Also, because Lexie lied, Abe is going to leave her.(Yay!)

2)The Jan/Shawn/Belle story

This one is a little longer so I'll try just to give you the main points. Shawn tells everyone that he is the father of Jan's baby. The heartbroken Belle leaves him, and once Jan's mother finds out that Jan is pregnent, she will kick Jan out of the house and Jan will move in with Hope, Bo, and Shawn. Now, when Jason finds out that Shawn "got Jan pregnent" he will go to beat him up while Belle is at Sami's wedding.Brady saves him though, but then starts yelling at Shawn for hurting his sister like that. When Belle comes back, she goes to make sure that Shawn is okay after finding out about the fight. When she gets there, Jan answers the door and tells Belle about her moving in. Belle tries to leave but Jan and her get into a fight resulting in Jan falling. She's fine, but forces Belle to leave. Later, after taking a shower and changing her clothes, she goes to go downstairs, but falls down them. Bo finds Jan at the bottom of the staircase and takes her to the emrgency room where we find out that Jan has lost the baby. When Shawn gets there, she tells him that she got into a fight with Belle and says that Belle is the reason why she lost the baby. Shawn finds Belle fights with her about the baby and blames her,(which she believes since she did see Jan fall) and then leaves. Now comes the cool part. Mimi and Chloe will team up to find out the truth. They will find out that when Belle got into the fight with Jan, not only were they downstais, but she was dry and wearing a different set of clothing, whereas when Bo found her, she was a little wet, and was wearing new clothes. In the end, they tell Shawn the truth and at the Last Blast dance, he will try to make amends with Belle, who WILL forgive him.(*note: Shawn goes with Chloe to the dance and Belle goes with Phillip, but they all know that they had gone with the wrong person and end up dancing with the right one at the end.) As for Jan, she is going to Europe with her mother after her mom finds out about the rape and realizes what an awful mother she must be if her own child can't tell her stuff like that.

3)Chloe/Phillip/Brady story and who's Chloe's daddy story

As you've seen, Chloe has been getting sick with the bloody noses and the passing out and stuff. So after blood work is done, it turns out that Chloe has......lukemia. She won't tell anyone except Craig and Nancy and she even makes them promise not to tell anyone about it, but after the Last Blast, during the last dance, while dancing with Phillip, she will faint in his arms. She goes to the hospital and that's when everyone finds out. Well, she's going to need a blood transfusion and so in order to get that, she finds out that her real daddy is Craig. (Yay!!) Craig and Nancy then decide to have another child together because it's like the blood from the baby will match Chloe's better than Craig or Nancy's would or something like that. Anyway, they will have a girl, and after the transfusion, Chloe will get better. As for her, Brady and Phillip... I have VERY shocking news. Phillip is going to shock everyone by deciding to....

join the army. (I still can't believe it either.) As for Brady and Chloe, well he's going to rescue her from an obsesed music teacher at one point, but not all of the details have been worked out yet.

Other news: Sami is going to be left at the altar once Austin hears her talking about all of the evil things she has done.

Austin and Nicole kiss before he leaves.

Lucas comes back, for good, and even goes to the wedding.

Victor proposes to Nicole.

Greta finds out that Jack isn't gay while in Las Vegas and leaves...for good. (I mean she leaves the show.)

Jennifer kicks Jack out of the house

Jack moves in with Harold who ends up being the guy who Jack's trying to get a job from's (I can't remember his name) son.

Austin will eventually come back (but with a different actor playing him)

And as for very far off future news:

* Jennifer will marry Colin who will turn out to be one of Stephano's hench man and she will almost die.(Jack, who has been warning her about Colin and digging up info about him, will rescue her)

*Lexie, after losing Issac, will go into a depression and will end up sleeping with both Abe and Brandon, and will get pregnent

*We find out that Brandon is actually Abe's son!!

*Kate and Roman will start up a romantic relashionship

*Hattie will come back and will be under mind control and will start killing people and pretending she's Marlena.

*It will end up being that Stephano wants to pay back everyone who ever hurt Lexie and will even get Hattie to try to kill Hope! (dun dun dun!)

The End...for now, and I hope you enjoyed it!

http://www.w3pg.com/w3-cgi/getmsg.pl/7/7849.html

Obviously some of the storylines never went anywhere (Colin/Jennifer getting married; Hattie under mind control etc) but most of this stuff did happen. How could this poster know all of those details about upcoming storylines--even stuff that hadn't been revealed until a year later (Abe/Brandon storyline) unless someone at the top wanted that info released? I would think it would be wise if TPTB posted their projected storylines ONLINE at various message boards to get feedback from fanbases whether the proposed storyline is something that they would like (or not). If the fans on those message boards rave about the storyline, then Days PTB should pursue it. If not, they should reconsider or ask how the fans would like the story to be readjusted so that it would be acceptable for these fans.

I think the reason why there's this misunderstanding b/w what TPTB think fans want and what they really want along with high expectations of Hogie is due to the lack of communication especially from Days' PTB. B/c of past history of being burned in the past, the fans aren't willing to give Hogan Sheffer as much time as they gave other writers in the past to fix this mess. They were about to jump ship before, but they wanted to give Days a last chance with the new writer coming on board. Each week that they don't get what they want to see from Days is one week they come closer to dropping the show all together from their daily schedule.

Even though for the most part I like what I'm seeing and enjoy Hogie's writing and that of course I never believed for a second that he was lying about the future direction of storylines, I can't deny that the reaction to his tenure at Days has been mixed. Some people are willing to give him more time to make things at Days gel, but there is an increasing number of people who are really close to bailing if they don't see improvements/their expectations fulfilled sometime soon!! I wish that wasn't the case, but Ken Corday let fans' dissatisfaction with the show fester too long and this is the result.

In some ways, whoever the Days' writer is will be in an untenable position. I can't believe over the past few weeks or so, the nostalgia I've seen for B&C on various message boards. The same posters who are now complaining about Hogie and comparing his writing to B&C, were the same posters who were complaining about B&C if I recall correctly. Then there's the nostalgia for Sheri Anderson first coming from some J&M fans, now Bo and Hope fans. If only Corday had hired Sheri Anderson, they say, then X would have happened since Sheri Anderson knows the characters so well etc.

At times, I wonder whether these fans would be happy if Corday re-hired Sheri Anderson or any other of their favorite headwriters or if they have become so accustomed to feeling negatively towards the show, that it's become a habit that they can't stop. I also wonder if the internet had existed when Sheri Anderson or other 80's writers were headwriters, if they would have gone online to nitpick at every inconsistency. Oh, wait a minute, back then soap operas were perfect. All the characters acted "in character" back then. There were NO inconsistencies in the plot lines. Everything was hunky dory. The headwriters were infallible. Back then, these same fans who are complaining now, would have loved every single moment.

But as I said in a previous post, Days has the fans that it has, not the fans that it (or frankly I) wishes that it had. I think that HS has the ability to make some of these highly demanding fans at least somewhat happier than they are now. Completely satisfied with the show? Probably not, but somewhat satisfied so that at least they'll continue to watch the show? Hopefully....

If not, I have no doubt that Corday will fire Hogie sooner rather than later....

Ademption, I really don't think the show should be allowing message boards to dictate storyline. There are numerous problems with that. One is that internet fanbases represent only a small proporition of DAYS viewership as a whole and are not necessarily representative of the average viewer. The fact that a story is well-liked by internet forumites is no guarantee that it will please the average viewer or raise the ratings.

Moreover, it is very easy for some fanbases to manipulate the internet to create the impression that they are bigger than they actually are. That is why TPTB generally ignore internet petitions, polls and so forth.

Respecting the opinions of viewers is one thing but submitting actual storylines for approval on message boards is quite another. That basically defies the purpose of a headwriter. Each headwriter needs to have a clear and distinct vision of his/her own. That doesn't mean they should ignore how their stories are being received. But there is a difference between respecting viewer opinion and slavishly pandering to it.

Right HoganStays. Corday's the only one who can fire I believe, or at least Hogan can't.

I can't believe some Days fans are acting like this, because they should be thankful for Hogan, if he wasn't here the show would probably not have been renewed and would be canceled in 2007. He's also way better than JER.

I think Corday's the one behind this.

You hit my thoughts right on the head. Considering the alternative would have been JER as headwriter, I'm grateful for the chance the show is getting to blossom under Hogan. Ya, he's not hitting a homer every day, but the improvement in the show... God, the improvement is fantastic.

Ademption, I really don't think the show should be allowing message boards to dictate storyline. There are numerous problems with that. One is that internet fanbases represent only a small proporition of DAYS viewership as a whole and are not necessarily representative of the average viewer. The fact that a story is well-liked by internet forumites is no guarantee that it will please the average viewer or raise the ratings.

Moreover, it is very easy for some fanbases to manipulate the internet to create the impression that they are bigger than they actually are. That is why TPTB generally ignore internet petitions, polls and so forth.

Respecting the opinions of viewers is one thing but submitting actual storylines for approval on message boards is quite another. That basically defies the purpose of a headwriter. Each headwriter needs to have a clear and distinct vision of his/her own. That doesn't mean they should ignore how their stories are being received. But there is a difference between respecting viewer opinion and slavishly pandering to it.

But if fans are refusing to watch unless they see X, Y and Z and Days' ratings continue to fall, then what else can the show do but to slavishly pander to these fans if TPTB want the show to survive? For Days to continue as a soap on NBC's lineup, the show is going to have to become attractive to past viewers of the show and get those lapsed viewers to start watching the show again. I'm not sure there are enough new soap viewers out there to compensate for the loss of lapsed viewers. How else to get a read on what these lapsed viewers want then by asking message boards of intense partisans what they want to see and then getting feedback on future storylines?

One of the reasons why I want these fanbases to work with the show is so that they become stakeholders in the outcome of storylines. It's one thing to take potshots at the show when you're in the peanut gallery/on message boards. It would be another thing if these same whiners had to take responsibility if a storyline was crappy b/c they were the ones that contributed to the idea in the first place. Let them get ridiculed if one of their proposed storylines go bust and see how well they take it!! Just from a sense of schadenfreude, I would take great pleasure at seeing one of their storylines fail...

I just think it's totally ridiculous that fans are already complaining (which of course is their right) about the show under Hogan like it's been two years, rather than only two months. For God's sake, the combined ghosts of Douglas Marland, William J. Bell, and Irna Phillips couldn't magically fix DAYS overnight, so Sheffer sure as hell can't. And I'm beginning to agree that some fans are just never going to be happy at this point.

Well, shortly after Langan left and B&C came on board, someone from the show provided detailed spoilers of what was going to happen on one of the message boards. I was thinking that TPTB could do something like that again. Where's Sapphire_Rose16 when you need her?

READ THIS TO FIND OUT WHAT WILL HAPPEN ON DAYS!!!

Posted by sapphire_rose16 on 23:31 2/14/2002:

http://www.w3pg.com/w3-cgi/getmsg.pl/7/7849.html

Obviously some of the storylines never went anywhere (Colin/Jennifer getting married; Hattie under mind control etc) but most of this stuff did happen. How could this poster know all of those details about upcoming storylines--even stuff that hadn't been revealed until a year later (Abe/Brandon storyline) unless someone at the top wanted that info released? I would think it would be wise if TPTB posted their projected storylines ONLINE at various message boards to get feedback from fanbases whether the proposed storyline is something that they would like (or not). If the fans on those message boards rave about the storyline, then Days PTB should pursue it. If not, they should reconsider or ask how the fans would like the story to be readjusted so that it would be acceptable for these fans.

I think the reason why there's this misunderstanding b/w what TPTB think fans want and what they really want along with high expectations of Hogie is due to the lack of communication especially from Days' PTB. B/c of past history of being burned in the past, the fans aren't willing to give Hogan Sheffer as much time as they gave other writers in the past to fix this mess. They were about to jump ship before, but they wanted to give Days a last chance with the new writer coming on board. Each week that they don't get what they want to see from Days is one week they come closer to dropping the show all together from their daily schedule.

Even though for the most part I like what I'm seeing and enjoy Hogie's writing and that of course I never believed for a second that he was lying about the future direction of storylines, I can't deny that the reaction to his tenure at Days has been mixed. Some people are willing to give him more time to make things at Days gel, but there is an increasing number of people who are really close to bailing if they don't see improvements/their expectations fulfilled sometime soon!! I wish that wasn't the case, but Ken Corday let fans' dissatisfaction with the show fester too long and this is the result.

In some ways, whoever the Days' writer is will be in an untenable position. I can't believe over the past few weeks or so, the nostalgia I've seen for B&C on various message boards. The same posters who are now complaining about Hogie and comparing his writing to B&C, were the same posters who were complaining about B&C if I recall correctly. Then there's the nostalgia for Sheri Anderson first coming from some J&M fans, now Bo and Hope fans. If only Corday had hired Sheri Anderson, they say, then X would have happened since Sheri Anderson knows the characters so well etc.

At times, I wonder whether these fans would be happy if Corday re-hired Sheri Anderson or any other of their favorite headwriters or if they have become so accustomed to feeling negatively towards the show, that it's become a habit that they can't stop. I also wonder if the internet had existed when Sheri Anderson or other 80's writers were headwriters, if they would have gone online to nitpick at every inconsistency. Oh, wait a minute, back then soap operas were perfect. All the characters acted "in character" back then. There were NO inconsistencies in the plot lines. Everything was hunky dory. The headwriters were infallible. Back then, these same fans who are complaining now, would have loved every single moment.

But as I said in a previous post, Days has the fans that it has, not the fans that it (or frankly I) wishes that it had. I think that HS has the ability to make some of these highly demanding fans at least somewhat happier than they are now. Completely satisfied with the show? Probably not, but somewhat satisfied so that at least they'll continue to watch the show? Hopefully....

If not, I have no doubt that Corday will fire Hogie sooner rather than later....

Well, if he's smart he won't, but Corday is often upset if things don't go his way, and fires the person who is responsible.

I am totally with Hoganstays!!! I have seen fans that just never get happy, this is the only board that agrees with most of my opinions.

I honestly think if you are never gonna be happy with what Days does, you are not really a fan of Days, I mean, who is a fan of the show but hates everything on it?

One of the reasons why I want these fanbases to work with the show is so that they become stakeholders in the outcome of storylines. It's one thing to take potshots at the show when you're in the peanut gallery/on message boards. It would be another thing if these same whiners had to take responsibility if a storyline was crappy b/c they were the ones that contributed to the idea in the first place. Let them get ridiculed if one of their proposed storylines go bust and see how well they take it!! Just from a sense of schadenfreude, I would take great pleasure at seeing one of their storylines fail...

I see your point but I don't think this is necessary. If Hogan writes good stories for the couples, the fanbases will respond. The vast majority of the LUMI fanbase has responded positively to Hogan because he's given the couple a strong, character-driven story and repaired alot of the damage done by JER. B&H fans aren't responding because he's given that couple alot of the same plot driven nonsense they suffered through under JER.

Yes, there are some fans who aren't happy unless their couple face NO conflict and appear in every episode.

But I don't believe they constitute more than a small minority of couple fans. Most couple fans just want character-driven stories that are respectful of history and stay true to the characters. Hogan should be aiming to please the vast majority, not pander to obnoxious internet posters.

I agree with the general notion that fanbases (and I include myself among some) need to understand that writing isn't as easy as it seems. And I totally agree that things like the rise of the internet and fan culture makes it a lot easier to nitpick; if Sheri Anderson had been writing now her near-deified status might be in jeopardy (and I say that as a sizeable fan of her work).

However, I think there is a strict relationship that needs to be maintained: fans watch what the writers think up and put out, or they stop watching. End of story. They don't get to write the show. There is nothing wrong with this set-up. The issue with Days is that what the writers have been putting out lately just absolutely and horrifically stinks, hence faith in their abilities has been lost (similar arguments can be made for the EP etc). Therefore the solution ought to be better writing from better writers. I agree with Ponz that giving fan(base)s too much of an explicit say in the matter is just dangerous territory.

The thing is, technically, we all have a brain. Writers have a brain, fans have a brain, and more or less both species ought to be able to recognize good entertainment. When TPTB start putting out really solid entertainment the show will find its audience. Anyone who's still displeased, they'll have to be displeased. I do agree that the fanbases ought to be a part of the show's future if they are looking for the fastest way to improve ratings (along with respecting the show's history and the more salient features of the well-loved characters' personalities, etc), but the goal ought to be to get back to the relationship where the writers put out and the fans take in -- and when fans are at ease with this relationship, then we're good. Getting there is going to take some compromises, yes.

Exactly, BJ.

I just want to add that some of the shows must successful stories came about because headwriters had the nerve to defy (short-term) majority opinion. If majority opinion had held sway in 88, Jack Deveraux would have been killed off/written out. Instead, he became one half of a major supercouple and one of the most popular characters in the shows history. Back in the mid 90's, Sami was widely hated and had the axe constantly hanging over her head. Now it's hard to imagine the show without her.

It's important for a headwriter to be prepared to admit his/her mistakes and correct them. But there's also nothing wrong with taking the odd risk and staying true to a vision that might not be met with immediate approval by the viewers.

Exactly, BJ.

I just want to add that some of the shows must successful stories came about because headwriters had the nerve to defy (short-term) majority opinion. If majority opinion had held sway in 88, Jack Deveraux would have been killed off/written out. Instead, he became one half of a major supercouple and one of the most popular characters in the shows history. Back in the mid 90's, Sami was widely hated and had the axe constantly hanging over her head. Now it's hard to imagine the show without her.

It's important for a headwriter to be prepared to admit his/her mistakes and correct them. But there's also nothing wrong with taking the odd risk and staying true to a vision that might not be met with immediate approval by the viewers.

WELL SAID, Ponz! Hopefully, most "Days" fans will see the light; Willow is a legend in the making!

Exactly, BJ.

I just want to add that some of the shows must successful stories came about because headwriters had the nerve to defy (short-term) majority opinion. If majority opinion had held sway in 88, Jack Deveraux would have been killed off/written out. Instead, he became one half of a major supercouple and one of the most popular characters in the shows history. Back in the mid 90's, Sami was widely hated and had the axe constantly hanging over her head. Now it's hard to imagine the show without her.

It's important for a headwriter to be prepared to admit his/her mistakes and correct them. But there's also nothing wrong with taking the odd risk and staying true to a vision that might not be met with immediate approval by the viewers.

Very well said. I said when Hogan took over I hope he takes risks and doesn't let the fanbases dictate what he does. The fans should be heard but they souldn't control. That is where Days gets into trouble. They have backtracked so much in the past that the fanbases always think they will get what they want if they don't like something. That can't happen anymore. The fanbases have gained too much power and my hope is that Hogan will stick to his guns and hold to his vision even if it pisses off some of the fanbases. He should only deviate from his vision if it's something that totally derails.

Wow, I never would have guessed that Lexie could cause all this! I'm sad to see RJ lose her job and agree that she's a remarkable actress when given good material, but usually she bores me and her scenes are when I go to the kitchen for a Diet Coke. As far as HS and his writing, give the man a chance! DAYS was a complete mess, every character was basically destroyed, Salem was littered with triangles and near incest...did fans really expect all that garbage to be cleaned up overnight? I'm enjoying much of what is onscreen right now, especially the sense of family that is back again. DAYS being a family oriented soap and more character driven is why I've been watching for almost all of my life--and since I'm mid-fortyish that's been a very long time! I've watched many characters come and go, favorite couples split up and sometimes reunite, I've hated new characters that I've then grown to love and loved characters who I then grow to hate. But I love DAYS the show so I've stuck with it. And that's what I'm continuing to do. Sure, there are some plot points I'm not crazy about, but things will get resolved eventually. What I have quit is visiting a lot of DAYS sites and message boards, because I'm so tired of all the negativity and the craziness of some of the fanbases. Really, some of these fans will NEVER be happy unless their couple is on all day, every day. I enjoy these boards because the comments are almost always intelligent and well thought out.

So I'm giving Hogan time and refuse to blame him for things that are probably out of his control. He's the headwriter, not the producer, and his job is to write for the characters he's given. Hopefully, the pink slips will end soon--think how frustrating it must be for the writers who dream up great stories only to have the actors fired before the story can be told?

Wow, I never would have guessed that Lexie could cause all this! I'm sad to see RJ lose her job and agree that she's a remarkable actress when given good material, but usually she bores me and her scenes are when I go to the kitchen for a Diet Coke. As far as HS and his writing, give the man a chance! DAYS was a complete mess, every character was basically destroyed, Salem was littered with triangles and near incest...did fans really expect all that garbage to be cleaned up overnight? I'm enjoying much of what is onscreen right now, especially the sense of family that is back again. DAYS being a family oriented soap and more character driven is why I've been watching for almost all of my life--and since I'm mid-fortyish that's been a very long time! I've watched many characters come and go, favorite couples split up and sometimes reunite, I've hated new characters that I've then grown to love and loved characters who I then grow to hate. But I love DAYS the show so I've stuck with it. And that's what I'm continuing to do. Sure, there are some plot points I'm not crazy about, but things will get resolved eventually. What I have quit is visiting a lot of DAYS sites and message boards, because I'm so tired of all the negativity and the craziness of some of the fanbases. Really, some of these fans will NEVER be happy unless their couple is on all day, every day. I enjoy these boards because the comments are almost always intelligent and well thought out.

So I'm giving Hogan time and refuse to blame him for things that are probably out of his control. He's the headwriter, not the producer, and his job is to write for the characters he's given. Hopefully, the pink slips will end soon--think how frustrating it must be for the writers who dream up great stories only to have the actors fired before the story can be told?

This pretty much sums up my thoughts entirely. Very well said.

It still would have behoved Hogan to have written something that would make the fans sigh and feel good like a huge payoff instead of playing with our minds with the absolutely unoriginal amnesia story of Steve. Sure it started out as JER's plot, but Hogan could have averted that as someone around here mentioned. He has alienated many if not most fans and the disgruntlement is rising with fans everywhere. Even on this board I've read about how Beth Milstein should have stayed. It's noble to defend a writer. I defended JER until it seemed he simply had no interest in his work any more. Not to short change Hogan for what he has done, which is a lot, but be honest, he has missed the boat to gain the momentum needed to pull Days up. I wonder what the new ratings will be. Some say they think a bump up of 2 points. We'll see.