Culltion and Carlivati should Head Write OLTL

[Dr. Jay S.W.]

You know what I was just thinking? OLTL has promoted Ron Carlivati to Co-HW. Ron has been a Script Writer and Ass. Head Writer for years. many are asking, What about Carolyn Culliton, who was HW before, on GL, AW, Co HW on PC, and ATWT. The only show she has been a Script Writer on besides OLTL, is Sunset Beach. If you ask me, I think that Carolyn Culliton WILL get that promotion, and she and Ron will Co- HW. Every Soap she has been on, she has been promoted to Associate HW, Co-HW, or HW. I don't see her being Script Writer for all of her tenure at OLTL. She has been HW before and she knows what she is doing. I have a feeling that this is how it will turn out. I am confident.

[psychofan]

LOL if she would bring back Margaret then I'd be all for it.

[jfung79]

I don't think Brian Frons would allow it, since he fired her husband at AMC.

[Scotty]

I don't know about making her Co-Head Writer with Ron Carlivati, however I do think they need to lure Gary Tomlin back to ABC and make him the Executive Producer of OLTL again.

He was great in that position.

[AMCHistory]

Tomlin really knew the show. Valentini does not. I don't want to be ageist, but he is too young for the genre. He doesn't appreciate the show's rich history and its long running cast members. The tone of the show has changed so much since he has come on in terms of who is focused on.

[Scotty]

Oh ITA....Valentini prefers the younger cast members more. IMO he really has no interest in the show's verterans.

Tomlin was much more intune with the history and vets.

He had so many great ideas......Babes Behind Bars, the Live Week, Trading Places......and you could tell that pretty much the entire cast enjoyed what they were doing. We really haven't seen that in recent years, however.

Tomlin brought back characters like Dorian and Gabrielle....and he helped OLTL win it's first Daytime Drama Emmy.

He really knew the show and was great at what he did. OLTL needs him back.

[ZaraB]

Not to defend Valentini, but I thought he'd had a number of years at the show working through the ranks, and it right now would be impossible to figure out which ideas are his and which were coming either from the writer or upper levels at ABC Daytime. Which makes the huge neglect of history almost unfathomable. Gabriel Medina killed with barely a nod to the history while a not-dead McBain got a two-week funeral?

I'd say the post of producer is all but vacant from what I've observed since he took over. Castmembers NOT told about upcoming storylines (HBS and the coma), characters learning their fate from scripts (David Tom, the actress who played Isabella Santi), cast coming in thinking to get a 'pat' on the back when he can be bothered to tell them their fate (Catherine Hickland, Ty Treadway). Perhaps the most telling is the loud contract negotiations playing out on screen: KDLR/Antonio and the bear trap, Robin Strasser's negotiations as per her hotline, RSW working without a contract for a few months, again HBS (approached by Frons on the last day), Melissa Archer/Natalie and the pit, and not least, the burn and swithc ME fiasco, the poor decision with the IWBASS, and then, don't forget the arrogant 'we made no mistakes last year' comment. Needless to say, I'd like to see Tomlin back as well.

[Scotty]

Great post ZaraB. I agree with everything you said. It's just sad when you stop and think about it.

OLTL was beginning to recapture some of its glory in 2001 and 2002 when they did the Babes Behind Bars and Trading Places episodes, and did the Live week. They brought back fan favorites and won the show's first Daytime Drama Emmy. Things were starting to really get turned around for One Life to Live...and now look where we are, not five years later. It sucks.

[jfung79]

The last time I was interested in channel-surfing to see what OLTL was up to, was when Gary Tomlin was EP, so from a non-fan perspective too I think you folks are on to something.

Tomlin's actually got a lot of soap writing background -- I wonder if he would consider being a writer again instead of producer.

[ZaraB]

With Tomlin, it seemed the cast really enjoyed what they were doing, and there seemed a genuine excitement about things. As a viewer, I felt like he was out to entertain, not infuriate, insult or ignore. If sometimes the story took a low road (as in how many ways to get Treadway shirtless), it was done with a sense of humor and a wink at the audience. Right now, I feel that is what they expect the audience to be after (as in all the stripteases, etc). I feel as if they despise the fans even as they play them - and they are NEVER out to please them.

One can only surmise what the morale behind the scenes is right now, but we caught a glimpse last November when Dan Gautier was let go. It's not unheard of for a performer to voice some disagreement, but having ES, KDP, KA, and TSJ all speak out against the firing, with implied HT and HBS support - even having Satterfield and Easton all but forced to make some meaningless comment?. I doubt it is a happy place.

[Brandeis]

Valentini has proven himself to be a horse's arse

[Scotty]

You are so right...watching some of the episodes on Youtube was when Tomlin was EP, you can tell that the cast seemed to really enjoy the show. It was just something in the air, but you could notice it. There were a lot of inside jokes and quirky things he did and they were great.

And you're right....he made the show entertaining and a lot of fun to watch.

A classic example is the Trading Places episode. It was great and classic Tomlin.

OLTL needs Tomlin back desperately.......and after all, as of September his job on Passions is over.

ABC should try to lure him back.

[Jess]

I think Frank has been a very very poor EP. It seems to me that he has a great deal of trouble getting past being buddies with people and being in charge of the show. The treatment of people on the show is horrible. The last Joey read he was being let go in a script, David Tom found out when his sister saw it in a scrpt, Dan G. was just burned because he commented on the abusudity of the storyline, ES has disappeared under his tenure, and it goes on and on and on. RJ is dumped and a younger man brought in. I don't know anything about the new co-writer, but it seems Frank promoted a friend of his.

Also, under Frank and through the tenure now of two different writing teams, the Lords and Buchanans have diminished. The Holdens are gone, as are the Gannons. Instead we get the McBains, the Williamsons and the Vegas.

Frank turned the show into some silly musical. I don't see how morale can be good on the show.

The soapstar debacle shows what his priorities are.

I think Tomlin would be good. Yes, I know he is EP at the bizarre Passions, but Passions was created to be exactly what it was. I don't think he had a history of doing that at OLTL. It would take Frons swallowing his pride to bring back Tomlin, however. He did fire replace him with Frank as one of his first gestures as President of Daytime.

[Adam]

I think Frank Valentini as EP of OLTL has been a colossal mistake but he is one of Frons' hires so he will never admit he was a mistake. He's probably one of if not the weakest EP currently working in daytime. The changes we are seeing at OLTL no doubt have anything to do with him.

[SlezaksOLTL]

I'll take Tomlin back in a millisecond, in fact, make him ABC daytime president and get rid of Frons, put anyone else as EP on OLTL, or bring back Linda Gottlieb for OL EP or ABCD president. Valentini is a joke, his favoritism is appalling and the show has been worse than ever. They should have Kay Alden be co-HW and EP all in one boot and dump Higley/Valentini completely.