DAYS: Actors with Contracts Set to Expire in 2007

[PhoenixRising05]

I didn't say I was closing a thread. I warned that I may if this continues to go the way of a Hogan vs previous writers debate or ATWT/Days debate because that would be straying a bit off topic. Even Kev mentioned in his post this was straying off topic. That is all I was saying. Yes, I am frustrated mostly because I was offended. You apologized last night but yet another poster questioned my ability to judge and be critical. Just because I am more positive and optmistic then some doesn't mean I'm biased or some fanboy. I am sick of that being tossed at me and I have stayed quiet long enough.

That is what I am sick to death of. I am used to the negative opinions. God knows that is mostly all there has been since January and they tend to filter into almost every single thread. Hogan isn't great but I am seeing more complaining about him then I did from people during JER's second run and that is what irks the hell out of me.

I am sorry if you misunderstood or if anyone found my rant offensive but many on here know I am a very respectful poster and it takes alot for me to explode. Well, I finally did and I do apologize if anyone found my remarks insulting in anyway. I would just like to see a little optimism and positive thinking to balance the negative opinions. This place, like soaps, is a way to escape from life and enjoy each other's company and so much negativity can really ruin someone's day or even take away from one's entertainment and enjoyment of a show. It's ok to be critical and point out the negative but there has to be a silver lining or a positive somewhere to point it. Let's to make this place into a morgue or a bash arena. That is all I am saying. One of my hopes as a poster is that I bring optimism to the board and help raise people's spirits and so on. I would just like some to kind of balance their opinions or critiques out a bit. I think that is for the better of everyone .

Now, back to the topic at hand, which is the actor contracts.

[Ridge]

Ok I will make this short and try to go back "on topic".

Not once did I say I want JER styled writing. Go back, point it out to me, do whatever you want. But I hated JER's DAYS, I hated it for years, and I hated it with a passion from say 04 on. So NO I don't want JER's styled writing. You have been making excuses since October as to why DAYS has not been clicking and when people pointed out others, you quickly jumped to say they are anti-Hogan or pro-JER. That is your ASSUMPTION. That is not a FACT. And people can say "oh if Hogan is not writing who will?" all they want. That doesn't take away from the fact that things were wrong with Hogan's writing thus far. That is the bottom line, whatever the reasons were, they were, be them what they may be, the show suffered and fans had reasons not to like it.

Hogan has not done a single thing for this show from late January on. There was NO character development. Willow got more character development than ANYONE on this show. Phillip is still a screaming idiot who wants a child that is not biologically his. He was supposed to be following in his fathers foot step, but we don't see him. Sami is still a lying schemer made a victim. Kate is still meddling in her kids lives. Shawn and Belle are still two VERY immature people who have shown no growth despite having a fricken child on an island. Chelsea went from becoming mature to hitting on her uncle... again... Where is the 4 month character development??

Hogan did have a few good months and fans here were NOT complaining then. That is the DAYS people want back. No one wants Hogan's head, they want his Emmy worthy writing. That is all.

[Vee]

Here's what I think, and you'll pardon me for being as rude as I usually am:

People here gave Reilly a lot more latitude, or so I saw it, because for ages all I read was, oh, Jaaames has a brilliant plaaan, living as a recluse in God knows where like Brando, only knowing the actors as the characters, refusing to see them as people who have to speak realistic human dialogue, obsessed with his bizarre pulp comic Catholicism injected into his writing, and oh, Jaaaames wrote the show in 1995 and oh, Maison Blanche, the Devil, 'my misty childhood comic book soap memories, you can't take that away from me,' etc etc. It was, "James" can never be rewritten, he is God, this is his story bible, these deaths are all tasteful and full of character and layered nuance, the Melaswen twist is exactly as he planned it; no wait, it sucks, so therefore NBC took away James' brilliant idea and ruined it and now they just didn't let him express his creativity! Blah, blah, blah. The fact is he is a terrible writer but people are willing to give him two, three, twenty five chances because for a large majority of posters here he wrote the show when they were kids and, let's face it, didn't necessarily know better. God knows I didn't always know better either as a kid, I watched the show too, but after a point even when I liked the stories, I knew the dialogue at the very least was often just stupid and talking down to me.

But the thing is, for a lot of people, this guy was their childhood at Days, and you know what, that's fine, but I can look back at that part of my childhood and say, you know what, he is not a good writer and this is actually horrible. It doesn't invalidate my enjoyment then, it's just what it was. But I think for a lot of people, it's just, 'no, this is my childhood, if I condemn Reilly I am condemning my childhood memories, something has to be different, he can't just be bad!' But he is bad, he was bad, and that's why he was removed. And the worst thing about Reilly is, he gave the show cancer. As influential as he was he became a cancer on the show and the industry. The show stayed with his formula of bad writing, camp, bad acting, bad stories for over ten years, even after he left in '97, it's been like that for ages, it's now what people think of when they think Days. So when Hogan Sheffer or anybody does slower stories focused on character, people complain that it's "not Days." Oh, bullshit. It's more Days than Melaswen or [!@#$%^&*] Tony with Al Qaeda. And I think people come down on Hogan quicker because deep down, a lot of people still resent that Sheffer can write and Reilly can't write, and so their childhoods have been besmirched and they can't face the improvement without Great God Jim, so when there's a chance to take a shot at Hogan and try and bring him down to the level of what happened to Jaaames, they take it. This isn't everybody, this isn't anybody in particular. It's just what I feel I see sometimes. Go ahead. Hit me. Not the face, though.

Now I am not gonna say I give two shits about Shawn and Belle [!@#$%^&*] around in Thailand or wherever the hell it is they are with a man named [!@#$%^&*] "Duck". That is stupid and it was a bad idea and I am glad they are ending these stupid stories they have running and bringing the vets back. But overall I see massive improvement in many areas despite the problems, and a show that is on the way back after over a decade of either crushing mediocrity or vile childish crap. I choose to give Sheffer time after his few good months. After all, on the strength of people's childhoods they gave Reilly almost five whole new years to suck and bring the show down to cancellation level. If Sheffer has to take the show out, I'd rather it be him than Reilly, taking it out with some [!@#$%^&*] dignity instead of everybody falling all over themselves to find new ways to excuse why Reilly doesn't interest them anymore.

And on another note, I am convinced Ken Corday has had to resort to hooking on the corner to bring all these veterans back. Where the [!@#$%^&*] he is finding the money for this massive influx of DiMeras I cannot imagine, so my conclusion is: Hooking, and drugs. And possibly bootleg video equipment fencing.

[billyjill]

I mostly agree with that post, Vee, but I do think there is more to the world than JER vs Hogan Sheffer. Criticisms at Sheffer don't invalidate the fact that JER sucks, and JER sucking doesn't mean that Sheffer's tenure should not be looked at critically. JER was writing the show in my formative years too and I have always thought very little of him.

For the record I do think Sheffer is good at some things, I'd rather him than JER and I'll put that on a t-shirt if I have to.

[Vee]

Again: I don't give a [!@#$%^&*] about [!@#$%^&*] Duck or whoever, all those stories, no vets. That's stupid. I agree. But after over a decade of Reilly time, I'm willing to let them right the ship after, what, a couple months? And I mean, they just rehired, like, an entire family.

[billyjill]

I'd normally agree with you but I do think the 2009 cancellation date is a factor in understanding anybody's panic, if indeed it ever seems like anyone is panicking. It changes things, and I'm not saying fire Sheffer, but it is definitely go time. It'll take a while to get back to, what, 2.5? 2.5 was considered bad just a year ago. And then beyond that, how long will that take? It's not personal on Sheffer, but the reality is we have 18 months left. I'm not for stoning Sheffer to death or anything, but I do think its time for fans to put their feet down.

[Vee]

I think the cancellation was going to happen with or without Sheffer, Doug Marland, Harding Lemay, anyone else. They were fed up with Reilly and the show. They gave them the renewal through grit teeth and slashed the budget incredibly. I think NBC made the decision a while ago.

What's left is either for Sheffer to take it out with dignity or get it another chance, either on NBC or elsewhere. At this rate I will be fine with either, because at least the show is trying, which is more than I can say for most of the past ten-plus years.

[billyjill]

Heaven help me for defending JER, but in his way he was "trying". He was doing what he did best, using delayed gratification and shock value for ratings, the SSK storyline (while all kinds of lame IMO) was intended to get ratings. I don't doubt that NBC was fed up with the show for a while, a looong while actually, extending back into the 90s. Quality has been little concern for Days for a while because it's been all about the bottom line for ages now.