OLTL Discussion: Week of April 9th

[psychofan]

OH YAY!!!!!!

[Scotty]

Thanks guys, it's nice to be missed.

I have felt the need to take a breather from here for awhile.......I will continue to do the OLTL news and previews, however I will be greatly reducing my posting on the boards for the time being.

I'll be back full force someday though.....

[Q Steph]

Take your time and do what feels right.

As for the show, I can't wait for Todd to beat Rex like he stole something. That's right- he did! Todd's son!

[anita30]

Well I guess my Tangeline dreams are done cause Renee did not re-sign. Her character will be going into a coma. ABC/Frons suck big time. I dont understand they give the men what they want but not the woman unless your name is Kelly Monaco I guess.

I cant watch Todd/Blair 5224835 cause as a Todd/TSJ ff that just sucks espically after the tender moments I got with Tangeline. It would be a let down.

[Juliajms]

^ Oh boy. Is she leaving for sure or is she in contract limbo? I can't believe this.

[anita30]

TV Guide

Exclusive Q&A: Renée Elise Goldsberry Leaves One Life to Live

Don't you just hate when great news is followed by bad news? Last month, the fabulous Renée Elise Goldsberry was Daytime Emmy nominated once again for outstanding supporting actress. A short while later, word got out that her One Life to Live contract won't be renewed. Lady lawyer Evangeline Williamson will soon leave the Llanview canvas by slipping into a coma! Sound familiar? Well, Goldsberry granted her first, exclusive exit interview to TVGuide.com via e-mail. Here's what she has to say....

TVGuide.com: Congrats on the Daytime Emmy nomination. Were you surprised?

Renée Elise Goldsberry: Thank you for asking about the nomination. The second nomination! In a row! That announcement made me happier than you can imagine. I literally did the happy dance for about an hour when I found out.

TVGuide.com: How is it to be up against such formidable competition in your category, including daytime icon Genie Francis?

Goldsberry: To me, the nomination is about being recognized by your peers. I don't spend any time thinking about beating out any other nominee. I feel more connected to them than competitive. We've been honored together in an amazing way.

TVGuide.com: Which OLTL material have you submitted for Emmy consideration?

Goldsberry: I submitted Evangeline's lowest and happiest moments — the episode when she lost love (finding out that John was dead), and the episode when she found new love (the evening Christian and Evangeline agree to make love for the first time). I am very proud of both of these episodes. I think they are just beautiful.

TVGuide.com: What do want to say about leaving OLTL?

Goldsberry: Yes, my contract expired on April 1. I have finished taping. I don't know when my last air date is, but I did work until the contract expired. And since we have not been able to come to terms on a new contract, Evangeline will go into a coma. And out of all that has been reported about this negotiation, that is the extent of what is true.

TVGuide.com: I've read a lot out there about why the contract negotiations fell through. Some suggest you want too much money, while others say OLTL denied you outs to do other projects. What's your response?

Goldsberry: It is hurtful when I hear of people reporting so erroneously about the negotiation. But I don't believe in discussing the details of contract negotiations publicly, even to prove them wrong, so I won't comment about that any further. I will say, however, that though we are at an impasse, there is no bad blood between ABC and me.

TVGuide.com: How interesting that Vangie will be comatose. Vangie's pal, Nora, also went into a coma when Hillary B. Smith's contract was up back in '05....

Goldsberry: Yes, Nora and Evangeline have a lot in common. They are both defense attorneys turned prosecutors. They were both blind. And Nora also suffered a coma that took her off of the canvas for quite some time. Hillary has often jokingly said that Evangeline is a big copycat. It seems she's right again.

TVGuide.com: How do you feel about leaving Llanview in this way?

Goldsberry: It is difficult to let a character that is so much a part of me just fall asleep. I'm sure it is difficult for all parties. It's been an awesome four years. I celebrate every day I had playing Evangeline. We created this groundbreaking character. And by "we" I mean everyone involved with her — the network, the writers, producers, directors, co-stars, and the fans. The opportunities she ran away with in Llanview and all of the opportunities that I've had at ABC are nothing short of miraculous. I believe they were truly divinely orchestrated. That's why I am confident that if it is meant to be, I will play Evangeline again — and if not, I will do something else that is also important, and the show that I have loved since I was a child will continue to be as wonderful as it has always been. I believe — even in the darkest hour — things really do work out for the best.

TVGuide.com: So what's next for you, Renée? Film work? A real, honest-to-goodness vacation?

Goldsberry: In the short term, my husband [attorney Alexis Johnson] gets a housewife for the first time in our marriage. (I wish I could say that dinner is always ready when he gets home, but it's only been a week. I'm not that good at this yet.) Long term, the sky is the limit. It's hard to say exactly what is next because God is surprising, and He always thinks bigger than I do. But what I ask for is peace about whatever comes. And I get a fresh dose everyday.

[Juliajms]

Thanks for that Anita. All I can say is I'm shocked. Somehow I never thought it would come to this. I'm really going to miss her.

[ZaraB]

I am not surprised. The show bent over and did backflips to keep Micheal Easton -- and there was a cost, as fans watched TW's, DG's, and HT's exits. Some chose to walk, but how much effort was made to keep HT or TW? Then we get news that they didn't even offer Phil Carey ANY type of contract. Now we have two of the shows favored stars reportedly asking for some huge concessions (either $$$$ or outs) AT THE SAME TIME. Given the timing and storyline, the two contracts obviously have affected each other, if not overtly.

Rumors of budget cuts aren't far-fetched given shrinking ABC ratings. They've cried poor for a long time, and I doubt they've used the budget well, but there IS only a limited amount a show can spend. It COULD quite possibly be down to either REG or TSJ, and Todd has far more ties to the canvas.

[Brandeis]

I agree with Zara B. This all traces back to ABC pulling out the stops to keep Easton.

[Jess]

I also think ME's big contract played a big part in it. Not only because he apparently got a sweet deal, but a lot of other people who think they are also the stars of the show think they deserve on too. You know, I give Kamar, Kassie dePavia, Robert S. Woods and several of the others who have re-signed in the last year a lot of credit. They seemed to cut their deals in a pretty low profile manner. Both Kamar and RSW sat out for a bit, but they were pretty low key about it and so was ABC.

That being said, I think ME did play a part in this.

However, I also think TSJ and REG will both re-sign and the coma won't last that long. It sounds like REG deal is a lot like what rumor had about MA. She wants to know that she has time for other things and she didn't want to sign a contract that lasts forever. Then again, the newspaper did say "sun and moon" so we will see.

Who knows what is going on with TSJ. Sounds like he has reached agreement a couple of times and then backed off.

[Juliajms]

One thing that surprised me is that REG sounded more like she wanted outs and not $$. I would have thought that in a time of budget crunches shows might make concessions on that front. Maybe they just don't want to set precedent or give other actors the idea that they are going to roll over. I don't know, but I'm sad about this. I had just started to appreciate REG over the last few months. With any luck it's not over and something will be worked out.

[ZaraB]

There is also some cynical speculation that this is meant to boost storyline suspense. It's not out of the realm of possibility. Last year, TPTB sent out that TSJ interview to make it seem the execution would really kill Todd. It's not a big stretch to imagine the May cliffhangers would involve Todd and/or Evangeline - and conveniently both have contract issues just beforehand?

There is a rumor ratings went pretty low last week - we won't know for a few more days. Lower ratings mean lower budget, but also means that stars considered a draw are more important to the show.

[cal3]

That cuts both ways. To be a draw you have to bring in ratings. There are many characters and actors standing around doing nothing with fans who would more than love to see them have some air time. Why presume that they can't bring in equal or better ratings? OLTL's mistake has been to center the show on a few select characters who'se claim to fame is more devisive than anything. ME certainly hasn't paid off in terms of higher ratings.

[Cat]

OK, time for OLTL to swing their cameras around 180 degrees and start filming all the backstage shenanigans! Because that is WAY more compelling than some of the onscreen stuff.

I thought REG was just holding out for more. Her interview sounds worryingly final, though. It would be a loss for somebody like myself who is loving the Tangeline interaction at the moment -- although I did think that Todd leaving BLAIR in Llanview to go look for TJ with Evangeline should not have happened. Anyhoo.

Who is the d!ck that valued Michael Easton's contribution at millions of $$$? Frons? When soaps are facing a budget crunch, how ON EARTH could he justify that kind of contract? It's not like ME has anything close to resembling Maurice Benard's sizeable offliner fanbase.

[ZaraB]

It certainly does. What they are doing is NOT working -- but if both TSJ/REG walk, there will be an initial ratings drop the show may be ill able to afford (which is what I suspect was the rationale behind Easton). Even 'Tangeline' is VERY devisive. Where some fans swoon at the Evangeline adoration, other are practically swearing (like myself) that both characters are being completely mangled to have even the possibility.

It MIGHT be somewhat softened if they signed Howarth back. There are differing views on RH's value to ATWT, but ATWT is in the same boat: Falling ratings, smaller budget, other departures . The STUNT of Howarth returning would bring in huge OLTL buzz and have some tuned out viewers checking back in for a short time. Most likely they will hate what they see and tune back out, but that hasn't stopped ABC before.