AMC: Message from fan at a Walt Willey fan event...

[KLN]

I'm not sure if I should post the link here, since the message board is that of an adult nature that I post on (ahem).

But anyway, there's an AMC thread there, and one of the regular members has posted this. I thought it was interesting.

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I went to go see Walt Willey's comedy act for the second time last weekend, and for a small increase in the ticket fee you get about an extra hour-hour and fifteen minutes before the show as a VIP guest kind of thing. There are about 50-75 people there and everyone gets to talk, ask questions, etc. while he's on stage. He was talking about how the character of Reggie just sort of went away without much of a story and it's just mentioned that he "went to basketball camp" or "went to college."

So anyway, after he expressed that he didn't like much when they just sort of send characters off that way, I decided to ask him what happened to Brooke. He seemed to have strong feelings about that, without coming right out to bash ABC or AMC, since he's obviously employed there. He explained that for some reason, the mentality is that if a big deal is made out of a character's exit then ABC gets bombarded with letters from people saying "Please don't get rid of that character", etc. So occasionally, they decide to just sort of slip somebody out the backdoor like that and actually hope people don't notice or if they do notice then it's already too late because the person is gone.

He said he didn't agree with that mentality though, and certainly not for Julia Barr and the character of Brooke, somebody who has been involved with the show for 30 years and that he wished they had given her more than that.

[DruRocks]

Well if we start seeing less of Walt, then we know why...

[R Sinclair]

Why do you think they recast him with John James -- I mean, um, brought on Jeff Martin?

[Scotty]

He's gonna get it for that, seems NO one who speaks out against ABC stays employed there for much longer. It's been nice knowin' ya Walt...

ABC treats their employees very badly....reminds me of when I used to work at Wal-Mart!

[Kylie]

LMFAO, that's so true. I keep telling ya'll that J&E are toast, no one listens. Walt seems to be cemented Jack's future when J&E end though. Either out of PV with Lily, or in a Pine box.

[Tzelkos]

Mark my words Jackson Montgomery will be no more by the end of August (at the latest).

Actually these comments are pretty tame for him. He slit his own throat a while back: "Sometimes I want to go up to Frons and tell him to stop this s*it".

Thankfully I think Walt will be more than happy when they can him.

[Kylie]

August is being generous.LOL But yes, I agree with you. I just hope Walt and Jack are free before MMT has the poor man giving Erica and Jeff and Erica his blessing.

[Tzelkos]

Well my speculation is they just won't exercise their option for the final year of his contract in July. Because in their minds that isn't really "firing" someone. But yeah maybe August is being generous and overly hopeful.

[R Sinclair]

Damn, Kylie! That woman needs to be blessed twice?!?

[Kylie]

LMAO, if she's stuck with that Bastard, yes she does. I'm already planning an exorcism.

[Adam]

The Jack and Erica fanbase has always been rather vocal here, in the mags and elsewhere. It just amazes me TPTB continue to play with fire like this.

[Kylie]

Obviously AMC doesn't give a damn about fans and what fanbases want. Nothing, no one is scarred.

[Adam]

Edmund/Maria, Tad/Dixie, Adam/Liza, Jack/Erica, the list goes of of hugely popular couples this show has ruined in the last 3-4 years.... and the list keeps growing.

If Thorsten bolts, I am sure we can add Zendall to that list too

[Darcy]

I find it so disappointing that AMC can not consistently write a good story for their popular couples. You can add Ryan/Gillian to the list too although that goes a bit further back. The writers give them God Awful stories turning the characters into pods until they end up firing one of the actors (Esta Terblanche, John Callahan, Cady McClain, Marcy Walker, and now rumored Walt Willey) whose character ends up dying (Gillian, Edmund, Dixie) or going on the lam (Liza). I loved many of these couples and it's one of the things I like least about the show. Nina and Cliff were my favorite couple in the 80's and it was nice that they got to leave town together happily married (even if it was for the fourth time - LOL!) These other destructions of characters and couples just leave me with a very bad and disheartened feeling.