ALL: Kay Alden visits MIT

[Faulkner]

I also liked the commentary from the audience - they really directed the discussion into some interesting areas. Glad someone mentioned Doug Marland, too.

I think her interview is both optimistic and pessimistic. At least there are people like her that are smart enough to know what's wrong, if not exactly how to completely fix it (she's the right in that too many people have broken the habit and are just not coming back, even if the shows get "better"...they've found too many other things to do.)

I do wonder what the new business model for soaps will look like - I doubt most long-term fans will be satisfied.

[billyjill]

This is great so far, I'm trying to type up some of my favorite parts but what I love the most is how she *gets* that the genre is about *people*, the audience tunes in based on characters and not plot. I so hope she writes AMC. She is one smart writer lady.

[whyamcwhy]

I have only had a chance to listen to about half the interview but it certainly has been interesting so far. In some ways, I don't think Frons would ever let Alden be a headwriter of one of his ABC shows. She wants to do a show that is character driven and balanced while I think he likes plot/event-driven/ratings grabber stuff. I think it would be wonderful if AMC or OLTL had her as a HW but maybe she is too "old school" for Frons and he is looking for a writer to take soaps in a "new" direction. It just seems that getting back to the basics of a character driven soap would be a HUGE step in the right direction.

I could be wrong and Frons could announce her as the HW of AMC any day now but if she were taking over why don't they go ahead and announce it?

And it is very sad that the focus groups for AMC are so negative. To me, it is not surprising that all the characters are hated on AMC right now. McTrash took away any of the depth that the characters had and destroyed every single one of them. It is very difficult to understand a character's action when things aren't shown but just announced or dictated to the viewers and the range of emotions are only touched upon and not explored. I think it is going to take someone like Alden to get AMC back on track but it is going to take a LOOOOOONG time.

[Jess]

This is an excellent interview.

[Addison Montgomery]

One of the issues they discussed was a writer going from one soap to a new soap without knowing any of the history or the characters.

Kay said she's spent the last six months studying the characters and history of AMC.

But it's not unusual for ABC to hire a writer, have them develop storylines for a long period of time, and then install them as HW.

Megan McTavish was re-hired by ABC in March 1997 for a consultancy position. She did not become AMC's HW (again) until November 1997.

I think Frons realized that McTavish's "ratings grabbings" stunts weren't working (the ratings weren't going up that's for sure) and that's why she was fired. That was one of Kay's main points: AMC has suffered because of all those ridiculous stunts that McTavish did. I don't think Frons is looking to replace McTavish with another McTavish.

[Kylie]

Sounds to me like someone is feeding her a line, trying to get her not to bring this back up. God forbid should the fans remember who Josh is. My ass. I've never forgotten and I never will. Someone needs to finally show the fans that they can and will do what's best for our show, and the first step to doing that is getting rid of Josh as the fetus. Colin can stay. Josh can stay. The fetus, must go. If we rally around her and help her to get this changed, it could open the window to the fans finally being able to protect and fight for our show again. Drop them all at AMC/ABC a line and remind them that Josh was never DNA tested against a Martin.

[Adam]

I am just starting to listen to it now. I really, really hope she is eventually installed as HW of AMC. Hopefully that is the long term goal because it sounds like she understands what AMC is about, how far off course it became with McT at the helm. She seems to want to right the ship.

[cal3]

Kay Alden ROCKS!

Viewers don't watch for plot or events they watch for character! Someone please tatoo that on Dena Hackley's forehead.

Interesting comments on Frons.

[Jess]

I'm glad they don't use the internet an accurate representation. I believe the posters on this board are the exception not the rule. It's interesting what she said about Frons. I hope she does become headwriter. I wish OLTL would get her.

[baller]

It's a good listen, especially for all the "soap nerds"

She brings up a lot of good thoughts and ideas...I think that she is right that the internet and changes in nelson ratings are coming in the next 5 years or something...I do think though that the internet now is not the best gauge and reaction to storyline...I think it's something that should be used more but it's still the "faceless saying anything" and manipulations of boards by fans...

And for those wondering why AMC hasn't picked someone yet is because they do want to make a good decision in this

[R Sinclair]

I'm gonna chose to believe her. Trying to undo such an outlandish storyline could do more harm than good, because there's a possibility that undoing it might make you have to go even further out of the realm of reality -- and it's just a slippery slope. Some things can't be undone if you're working within the confines that you're given. She believes in being character driven over plot driven, and she has to deal with the characters that she has right this minute. Undoing the Undone Abortion is totally plot driven because the goal would be to undo another plot by another writer -- not to write something character driven.

Not to sound like Nora Negative, but once the abortion was undone back in 2006, there was no going back from it. I don't WANT another DNA test. Too many effing DNA tests have been going on. Some authentic, some altered, some totally false. Enough!

I'm just thankful that the Fetus is going around talking about "Babe" every five minutes. I'm not happy that a piece of my show's history has been so horrendously pulled apart, but I'm willing to reconcile Josh as being a typical "longlost" son, and move on. I'm with Alden. I don't want to revisit the story. Just like I don't want GH to re-revist the Luke and Laura rape story. ENOUGH ALREADY -- MOVE ON!

[d_wsb]

thanks for posting guys.

definitely going to give her a listen.. i wanna know what she has to say and from what I heard already she can take over AMC..lol

[Reddi]

I'm not sure I buy a lot of this, especially the stuff about Frons. Since Frons took over on ABC he's been trying to force the soaps into Disney's "Youth" vision. Look at the changes to Soapnet since he took over.

And everytime each of the soaps gets a new HW, they do well the first six months or so.. even the first year... then the SAME problems crop up on each soap. the only common denominator is Frons.

I'm one of the few (at least who will say out loud) that I didn't mind the idea behind Josh. It was somewhat SciFi, but within SciFi a lot of complex social issues can be explored. There was material for a fantastic story there, bringing up history, complicated relationships, even more complicated emotions.... but there was no follow through, and he's since become one of my most hated characters on AMC.

Most of all I hate how the show, UNDER FRONS and DISNEY, systemically moved the vets to the backburner and kept bringing on new characters to fit this Disney NewSoap mold. That's just gotten worse and worse. If I were Kay I'd back away from any ABC soap while she has the chance. Until Disney changes their views on what a soap ought to be, they will keep having problems.

btw- I agree that the 'net is not an accurate gage of viewer's feelings... the net skews to the negative. But Focus groups will have problems too. They are seeing a slice of something, and a serial like a soap unfolds over time... you can't gauge viewer reaction to a long term short with short term research.

[KLN]

"I've worked with some very good writers, but, you know... the ego has to be right. Because there are people that are very uncomfortable with it (who say), 'But if I write it this way, it sounds like everybody else on the team.' That's the idea! You know, it's supposed to sound like the show. Writer X is supposed to sound like writer Y, who's supposed to sound like writer Z. When I get those scripts, they should all sound like the same person. The characters should all sound the same (as normal). It's mutual authorship."

I love that quote! There seem to be a few writers in daytime -- head and otherwise -- who seem more interested in putting their own thumbprint on the show and its characters (for personal ego reasons) than they are in keeping the show and its characters the way they're supposed to be. LML seems to be doing that at Y&R, which has caused many of the longtime viewers to notice a sharp change in the show and wonder "What happened to my soap?"

When you're hired to write a soap, you're not hired to make it your own creation with a distinct different identity under your pen. You're hired to maintain, even if it goes against your own personal idea of great story. Of course, there are both positives and negatives to that... but that's the way the cookie crumbles. Part of that mindframe protects the soap fans and the soaps themselves, and then part of that mindframe keeps soaps from breaking dated molds and moving into the new century.

[Kylie]

I disagree. I think you could tell a very, raw, human tale by taking away Josh as the abortion. When he was first revealed he did a number on Erica's psyche (not as much as it should have and she was made to look like the villian, but I digress), and to go back now could really show off a range of emotions. It could be the story MMT didn't write, only this time, putting the history back in place. It wouldn't even have to be plot point, it could be part of a bigger storyliine, that just ends up revealing it, and then the fall out. Imagine, the emotions, the drama. Josh bonded with his mother, his sisters, his dad and family to a degree. And then bam, it's all ripped away. Maybe it was all a con. Maybe Greg stole her eggs, or even Kendall's twin, whatever. It could be written with heart and depth, if whoever was penning it was penning it to put back the respect and honor of the storyline, rather then to just reserve it.