Soap Dish with One Life to Live Honcho Frank Valentini

[cal3]

Valentini's smug we made no mistakes attitude only serves to fuel the flames rather than accomplish his goal. The basic fact is the past two years have been filled with little more than mistakes and missteps. He would be better served to have some humility and acknowledge that all is not perfection. While he gushes about all that is good AMC who is neck and neck with OLTL in the numbers has their HW fired for her gross incompetence. If the numbers for AMC are sufficiently bad enough to warrant the trash being taken out then so are OLTL's.

The execution was emmy bait pure and simple. It's worked in the past for GH and that trick may work again for OLTL but it is little more than a trick. Drama should be about the story not an event.

Personally I've never seen TSJ's so called brillance as an actor. He misses as often as he hits it and at this point between the performances and the writing there is little recognizable about Todd. AFAIC the execution performances were a complete miss between the acting and the writing so it's no surprise that he was not nominated. While FV may have to plug the home team he comes off as clueless. IMPO neither ME nor TSJ belong in the same room with the performances given this year by someone like PB. Then again FV is the same person who thinks TT's Vincent is wonderful and IWBASS Mikey has talent. ES's comments about ME and TSJ's prenoms were insightful.

GT's not returning to OLTL and she's smart. The production values there don't value talent either in the acting or the writing department. At this point I'm not certain they would recognize it if it hit him over the head.

[David_Vickers]

I agree with you about Frank Valentini.

Trevor St. John is a very good actor. Trevor St. John is as good as, if not better an actor, than Roger Howarth, and I DO LIKE Howarth and did like Howarth's Todd as well. Michael Easton isn't, I agree with that.

I just saw the SOD info that states Gina Tognoni is staying on GL. I was hoping for a return for her as Kelly. Oh well, maybe Dan Gauthier could return solo as Kevin. More possiblities that way I guess. Or maybe OLTL could re-cast Kelly or bring back Heather Tom.

[Vee]

TSJ had my full support when it became clear he was the Todd recast. I thought he did an incredible, nuanced job in his first two years and often had a totally new and fresh, but not out of character, approach to Todd. I also have always been open to Todd with other women, if it is done properly and with due reverence to both A: just how damaged and destructive the character is, and fearful of intimacy with people he is not totally familiar with, as well as B: towards his previously all-consuming obsession with Blair, who has been one of perhaps two(?) women he was comfortable being with sexually after raping Marty. I was open to either Todd being paired with Evangeline when her character was first announced. Once she came on the show, I found the actress mediocre and the character sanctimonious and two faced. Once they began to be paired, I found it totally false and out of character for Todd. I still find their relationship incredibly unbelievable, and beyond out of character for Todd. I think TSJ has been off the rails since at least last May, and I think his performances have been largely abysmal since. I still support him as a Todd recast and want him to remain, but I don't support his contract struggle that much and I wish he would rediscover the truths of his character instead of trying to play what I feel is fast becoming a stock male soap lead.

[Jess]

I loved Evangeline when she was Mitch's attorney and when she was with RJ. I really wanted to see her character develop. She was a brass balled woman on a show that didn't have them anymore.

Now, she is holier than thou. Honestly, I will confess my sin: i started hating her when she was with John and involved in the triangle from hell and haven't liked her since. I thought she had such a great edge previously and now she is the OLTL woman.

[cal3]

I don't know why either Heather Tom or Dan Gauthier would give OLTL the time of day at this point. ES was clear in her Q&A that Dan had been treated badly and it doesn't take much imagination to see that HT wasn't treated all that well either. Here they had a 10 time emmy nominated actress playing a member of a core family and she couldn't buy airtime and when she did it the story was rancid. ES again was correct in that Dena's events appeal to few outside Dena.

[ZaraB]

OLTL really doesn't seem to value Emmy nominations/wins at all anymore -- if you believe the current contract spin. Apparently REG's contract expired this Monday, and there's been no official word she has renewed. This means that none of the three Emmy nominees for OLTL are on contract with the show. (I have little doubt REG will be renewed, and probably already has. I think this is just drama being played out to stir up her fans a bit more.) But what does it say when there was the whole Natalie in a pit debacle when Melissa Archer's contract was up, and now this for REG?

I'm wondering how much drama we'll see when Bree Williamson's contract comes up. At least KDP and JPL were renewed without this much drama.

I'm not a huge fan of the character Evangeline, but I could possibly like the character if they didn't hit me over the head with her saintdom. The obvious writing to make the character even more 'likeable' tends to backfire. Having Evangeline tell a brand new backstory about a racist incident in Chicago to Nora (a Jewish woman who was married to Hank Gannon raising biracial Rachel in Chicago at approximately the same time) just makes the writer look foolish, especially when the women characters involved have been best buddies for two years. It just shows how transparent the ageist agenda really is.

[Jess]

The latest from the mags is that TSJ reached a deal but has not re-signed because he doesn't like the fact that OLTL has not reached agreement with REG. It says in there that TSJ knows REG wants a lot of money and that he anticipates a contract coma.

After Dan and Heather got screwed by OLTL and TSJ made this grand statement about his disgust, it's a bit surprising that he now advocates paying another prima dona a "a lot" of money. Who will they lose next to meet REG's demands? I guess another actor will get dumped for what Carolyn Hinsley said was "economics."

It would make my day if they told TSJ and REG both they were casting the roles when they came on board and they will be casting the same positions when they leave. Neither one of them have been on this show long enough to make the demands they make. OLTL could shift the focus of this show off them tomorrow and by the end of the month it would be a better show.

KDP, RSW, and JPL all were very quiet and professional about their contracts. I believe ES has been quiet about her's. You know, I think Bree will leave if it is better for her marriage or if she lands something else, or she will be quiet in her negotiations. It doesn't seem like she gets too wrapped up in public self-promotion. JMO.

[OneCharmingBastard]

I know I'm in the minority, but OLTL is the only show other than Y&R to throw the over-40 crowd more than just a stray bone - and as the only ABC show I stayed somewhat loyal to through the years (been watching on and off since college back during the age of Rauch-cake), I welcome that - while it's far from perfect, it at least has enough of the familiar to keep this long time viewer engaged, and as long as ES & La Strasser are there, I am too.....

OCB

PS - Yeah, Frank is rather easy on the eyes, isn't he?

[SlezaksOLTL]

Erika Slezak's contract is up this year as well in Sept 2007. So they will dump her to pay for all this drama? Erika goes, I am gone, and will quit ABC for good.

[Jess]

I don't think they are that stupid, but who knows. I do wonder if she will get screwed though. I really do wish they would put there foot down on some of these other actors. I still believe that Dan was cut in part to make room for ME's new salary. If all the rumors are true, ME got a fat paycheck, he gets liberal time off and the adjust the show's filming schedule to accommodate that time off, he gets storyline approval and he gets to pick his leading lady. He's not worth that. If REG and TSJ are seeking even similar, and I mean even slightly similar accommodations, cut em.

[chrishntr]

Frank is an idiot.

And I don't think they'd be stupid enough to let ES go, because no matter what she IS One Life and always will be.

[SlezaksOLTL]

Oh, they would be that stupid, and then they would lose probably half of their audience overnight. If anything OL should be bending over backwards to keep Erika and I hope she stipulates she only stays if Viki gets story, love interest. I wish ES could get Hackly gone, but that is another matter.