ALL: Who are the best breakdown and dialogue writers?

[Poloma S]

I wish Amanda Beall would not write breakdowns anymore. She is a great script writer and I miss her dialogue.

I don't watch ATWT so I can't say anything about Bettina Bradbury's work in Oakdale - but her dialogue was lame, cheesy, sappy, and cliched in Pine Valley. She was the one responsible for "I don't need DNA, I have K-A-N-E." It was so bad it was good.

She also was way too fond of the "I'd rather gargle glass than __________" and "It will happen on the 12th of never" lines. Use it once, I can forgive and forget, but she used those lines all the time. Can we say cliched?

Actually, the script team under McTavish was relatively stable when she returned. The script writers when McTavish returned were Bettina Bradbury, Karen Lewis, Rebecca Taylor, John PiRoman, and David Levinson. Lewis and Taylor are still around; Bettina was fired in January '06. PiRoman and Levinson were fired in January '04 to make room for two Julie Carruthers hires: Amanda Beall and Karen Harris.

The breakdown team went thru changes when McTavish returned, and that's what you may be thinking about. Frederick Johnson and Janet Iacobuzio left and were replaced by Addie Walsh and Victor Miller in July '03.

[Adam]

I never saw much promise in Betinna Bradbury. Sure she was on AMC for a long time and she wasn't horrid but she had alot of cheesy dialouge and was very very sexually suggestive in her dialouge LOL.

She was a very pervy writer.

I was unaware she was at ATWT, I knew she was writing scripts for OLTL shortly after she left AMC... that's interesting.

ATWT has an awesome writing team, but like AMC their leader sucks!!!

[DavidsMuse]

I liked Amanda Beall simply because she wrote dialogue and occasionally breakdowns for the AMC David episodes I enjoyed the most over the past three years. IMO she "got" the character best. I wish she could continue writing for VI's new David on Y&R!

[DruRocks]

The phenomenal Nancy Lee Grahn...can't remember who wrote this but it ROCKED. Hell anytime Alexis goes on the warpath she always gets some of the most interesting dialogue.

I'm afraid that we haven't made our sonny very happy. But not to worry. No one ever has, but many have died trying. Do you think you're the only person who understands family? My family, the cassadines, was staging deadly vendettas while your ancestors were working our fields with the other peasants. I could, in the honor of my family tradition, declare revenge on you. I could place a curse on you. I could vow to make you pay. But that would be redundant, and it certainly wouldn't be necessary at all because you are already cursed. You bring death wherever you go. No, seriously. I almost lost my life twice simply because i was just standing too close to him. But I survived, unlike your mother. Or lily. Or her unborn child. Or brenda. Or your unborn child. Carly, when you lie down next to him at night, don't you ever wonder if you're going to wake up? Because one day you won'T. Or you. Or you. You will all fall dead with honor at the feet of sonny corinthos, but guess what.

He will never fall. That's his crowning achievement -- everybody dies around him yet he is the one that always lives! I mean, really! Isn't it amazing? Is it extraordinary? I mean, it's just unbelievable! It is so unbelievable that i feel compelled to give you a prize. So, here. Take it! You killed her, you've earned it. Put it on your mantel and remember what you've done and who's paid the price!

[heatherwebber]

Bettina Bradbury is excellent.

Keep in mind that not everything that makes it to air is actually written by one scriptwriter. Nor is everything in the script necessarily the only contribution of writers.

Various writers contribute to plots.

Scripts are written based on material handed to the scriptwriters which sometimes includes actual dialogue. Sometimes what they submit is heavily edited and/or rewritten.

Several of the best script writers aren't currently working which is a shame. 2 I can think of are Gillian Spencer and Louise Shaffer.

Another writer who was brilliant at whatever type of writing he did, and for soaps he wrote for several levels at different shows, is Sam Hall.

Some former head writers are also excellent script writers including Sheri Anderson and Thom Racina. Also Richard Culliton.

Anne Schoettle put out some really good scripts during her short recent Days stint. I was stunned to see her go.

Bettina Bradbury has an amazing ability to make something out of even the most awful material. Even at the worst level of AMC there, or of Santa Barbara where she came into a messed up show, she put out scripts that worked and always had that extra something added in. It shows more now she's at a show that's not horrible.

Just one example to catch her craft: try watching a scene in one of her ATWT scripts with Emma in it. She "gets" that character as precious few have over the past I don't know how many years.

[R Sinclair]

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!!!!!!!

Absolutely a-MAZ-ing!!

I can't remember. I have it on tape so I will check, but I'm thinking it was either Susan Wald or Shelly Moore. But don't quote me on that -- yet! LOL!

[heatherwebber]

Is Shelley Moore still working in daytime?

[R Sinclair]

Good question. I don't know, but I've noticed her absence from GH.

[R Sinclair]

WOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!!!! I found the tape!!

And I'm sooooo happy, too!!

This scene was in the episode credited as follows:

Written by

CHARLES PRATT, JR.

ROBERT GUZA, JR.

ELIZABETH KORTE

MICHAEL CONFORTI

GARIN WOLF

MICHELLE PATRICK

&

MARY SUE PRICE

So, it wasn't Moore or Wald (I told you not to quote me on that! LOL!). It was my girl, MSP!

[Cat]

Damn, DruRocks, I got chills just from reading that. I can almost hear NLG's voice saying that. Especially the way she whispered "you are already cursed. You bring death wherever you go."

Patrick Mulcahey will always be my number one scriptwriter. And GH, despite the way Guza, JFP and Frons have run it into the ground, probably still has the best overall team in terms of scripts and breakdown. Without them, GH would be hideous.

[Ponz]

The best dialogue writer by a country mile is Patrick Mulcahey.

I also love the work of Sofia Landon Geier.

[DruRocks]

LOL, thanks a bunch Sinclair. Very impressive scenes, coupled with brilliant acting. Pratt and Guza do have their moments too.

So true. GH hands down has the best script writers on ABC. Y&R has the best on CBS. And DAYS has the best on NBC.

And oh ya was NLG just awesome there. And after some searching on You Tube, look what I found! And lookie... there is Carmen!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

[EricaKane4life]

Patrick Mulcahey

Peter Brash

Michelle Patrick

Jeff Beldner

Carolyn Culliton

Kay Alden

Addie Walsh

[Cat]

Awww, Nikolas & Gia! Back in the days when JY and CS/SM/Whatevertheheck used to eye-f**k each other like crazy.

[RiffRaffGroupie]

No -- She quit GH a few years ago (end of 2003?) and is currently out of daytime altogether.