HEADLINE NEWS Clips B&B's Gun Toting Shane...

[bellcurve]

Am I the only one watching Headline News right now? Apparently the reporter made a note of the convocation at VT saying "Even the networks cut into their usual soap opera lineups to show it..." and they showed a clip of today's B&B with Shane holding a gun on Ridge.

First of all, they say that the soaps were pre-empted today as though the networks NEVER do that, which is far from the truth. I think this tragedy deserves every bit of press it is getting in the national and the cable news networks. It's a tragedy...but please don't act like interrupting the soaps is "unprecidented." They've been doing it since OJ.

Secondly, did they HAVE to show Today's clip of Shane holding a gun on Ridge? I mean, obviously this stuff was written and taped BEFORE the VT tragedy, it's almost as though that small clip showed that B&B has no social responsibility to its audience. I wished they would have picked a Lily/Ava scene.

Now, I must stress: I'm not dissing the networks for pre-empting the soaps today...I feel it was crucial to interrupt for the convocation. But Headline News is acting like this is an unprecidented act which is just SO not true and it was in really poor taste for them to show the Shane/Ridge clip. JMO.

[darraholic]

That's the Media for you.

[ZaraB]

Given B & B's usual material, guns are a rarity -- it is completely the wrong impression of that soap.

Actually, OLTL is the one that should be on the hot seat. They've actually planned and PR'd a high school violence storyline. THere is speculation the network might pull it.

[sheilaforever]

Yeah, although B&B touched this issue in not too shabby manner several years ago.

In 1995 (?) a very young Bridget was hit by a bullit when some madman fired several gun shots on a playground - B&B didn't show this scene but incorporated it very well into its show.

[ZaraB]

I can believe it was done fairly well. I was thinking in comparison to say GH, where mob shootouts are more common than family corporate takeovers.

[cal3]

OLTL has to pull that story. But, from the previews sounds like it is the springboard for all of sweeps much like the tornado was last May. If so that would mean gutting sweeps in a rather major way which is expensive.

Just another of ES's statements proving to be true -- Dena's stories are far more interesting to Dena than anyone else.

[bellcurve]

Is any of it on tape?!

I know PORT CHARLES and GENERAL HOSPITAL had to delete and heavily re-shoot scenes after 9-11 because both shows had a storyline around biological warfare and terrorism.

[cal3]

OLTL shoots 6 plus weeks in advance. It should all be on tape.

[bellcurve]

I don't see them pulling the story. They may take a creative approach to the editing, but I see Frons going all the way with this.

Man, am I that out of the loop? I had no idea this was gonna be OLTL's sweeps story.

[JamesF]

I don't know anything of the details surrounding OLTL's proposed story. But part of my initial reaction is that they should go ahead with the episodes to highlight the problems surrounding this kind of violence. People underestimate the media's power to make sense of certain events and I think weaving tragedies like this into a narrative with characters that the audience has come to know, can help people understand.

That said, there has to be a purpose to the story other than shoot-outs-for-sweeps and I sincerely doubt Dena Higley is capable of writing the story with any depth. Further to that, I doubt Brian Frons would want her to.

[bellcurve]

Whether or not the actual story is for shock value, I know that with OLTL, the actors are ALWAYS able to pull off good social issue stories.

Hillary B. Smith and the rest of the people in the Coulson is a gay murderer storyline did a great job. OLTL totally deserved to best the other ABC soaps on the lineup that week.

The big question is whether the mainstream media will let them get away with the story as planned. If the story has already been taped, OLTL is way too far ahead in production to rewrite the story.

[cal3]

It strikes me that there are different questions here. The first one is the appropriateness of challenging topics for the daytime genre. I'd submit that daytime is now and always has been the perfect place to do some of these stories. The caveat being that if a show accepts the challenge of the topic then they bear the responsibility of doing the story in an accurate way from beginning to end. OLTL and Dena have more than proved with the topics of rape, baby killing and Daniel's story that they aren't up to the task but rather see these topics as fodder for exploitation.

The timing is questionable due to the recent events. Daytime is supposed to be an escape and an alternative from all news all the time. Not to mention the very fresh wounds of the last few days that make this questionable.

Then there is the question of Dena's ability to write this story and OLTL's ability to do justice to it. There is nothing in her history at OLTL that indicates she has the capacity to write a story like this, in fact her history is proof that she doesn't. This is just another of Dena's events.

eta:

That is true but do they have that type of line up here? Marty, Cole, Langston, Markko, Brittany, Starr, Blair, Marcie, Columbine Henry and John? That is a vastly different line up from the likes of RSW, HBS, JLP, TDS, CH and even the actor who played Daniel.

[bellcurve]

But if OLTL tapes six weeks ahead, there's no way in hell they can just scrub this story.

I see heavy editing(similar to the way MELROSE PLACE edited their explosion in their infamous season finale) and constant PSAs and reminders that these shows were taped before the VT tragedy.