http://soapnet.go.com/news/soapnet_amc_headwriters.html

BARBARA J. ESENSTEN AND JAMES HARMON BROWN NAMED HEADWRITERS FOR ALL MY CHILDREN

Brian Frons, president, Daytime, Disney-ABC Television Group announced today that long-time writing partners Barbara J. Esensten and James Harmon Brown will join ABC's Emmy® Award-winning soap All My Children as headwriters.

"We're thrilled to welcome this talented team back to ABC," said Frons. "They're known for telling compelling stories that take characters and viewers on a great emotional ride, and their creative vision promises to continue the show's tradition of cutting-edge storylines. Fans can expect an exciting summer in Pine Valley and can look forward to even more of the romance and intrigue they have come to love and look for on All My Children."

"Combined with their ability to take creative and emotional risks, Barbara and Jim write with commitment to character integrity and honesty. I look forward to working with them again and welcome them to All My Children," said executive producer Julie Hanan Carruthers.

The Esensten-Brown Emmy® Award-winning writing team have written for the ABC dramas Dynasty, Port Charles and One Life to Live. In addition they wrote for Guiding Light, and most recently served as head writers for Days of our Lives.

Hogan is what's wrong at DAYS IMO. Not B&E....

Except, at the moment, there's not really much wrong with Days. The show's gotten much better over the last month. Everyone noticed the positive changes, but nobody really knew why it happened... until now. B&E leave, and the show gets better! LoL I think one probably has a little something to do with the other.

we wait to see if 6 months from now the show has risen, fallen or stagnated. That's really all you can do. At this stage in the game all we can do is hope for the best.

But that's the thing — I don't want a good six month, I want five years. At least.

Hogan is what's wrong at DAYS IMO. Not B&E....

Well, I'm not sure that's the truth. Beacuse Hogan is known as a head writer whose quality of writing depends on who his close advisors are. He was good in his first year with As the World Turns because Carolyn Culliton and Stephen Demorest were working closely with him.

Well, I'm not sure that's the truth. Beacuse Hogan is known as a head writer whose quality of writing depends on who his close advisors are. He was good in his first year with As the World Turns because Carolyn Culliton and Stephen Demorest were working closely with him.

I'm more and more convinced that Hogan will only be as good as the advice he gets. And right now the one whispering in his ear is Corday ... as good as some changes can be, in the long run it's not really encouraging. Hogan has no vision for the show and that's very obvious. The thing I found heartening about Kay Alden was she seemed to have strong opinions that could translate into long-term cohesiveness and momentum for the show, instead of event-to-event writing.

Kenny, pfft, you're mean. Could they really have had that much influence of DAYS writing? *Denial/Acceptance Phase* The 3 cancellations plus the tragic "fall" of DAYS once they joined the staff could all be conincidental!

Kenny, pfft, you're mean. Could they really have had that much influence of DAYS writing? *Denial/Acceptance Phase* The 3 cancellations plus the tragic "fall" of DAYS once they joined the staff could all be conincidental!

LoL! Cute.

They must have been free lancing at DAYS.... or DAYS gave ABC permission to talk with them. I just want to know why Alden was passed on... or who knows maybe the longterm plan is to pair her up with them? One can dream right LOL. I still would prefer Alden, but am excited to see what these two can do. I wonder if this is what got Thorsten to stay? I mean things are pretty good for Toasty now. The EP and HW are all his friends LOL.

Except, at the moment, there's not really much wrong with Days. The show's gotten much better over the last month. Everyone noticed the positive changes, but nobody really knew why it happened... until now. B&E leave, and the show gets better! LoL I think one probably has a little something to do with the other.

Brown and Esensten were still on the writing staff during this past month. In fact, they were listed on the credits for today's episode. My guess is they probably left Days for AMC either this week or last week. Whatever contribution they've made to Days' writing will still be seen over the next two or three weeks.

Loretta

Brown and Esensten were still on the writing staff during this past month. In fact, they were listed on the credits for today's episode. My guess is they probably left Days for AMC either this week or last week. Whatever contribution they've made to Days' writing will still be seen over the next two or three weeks.

I understand that, but certainly if they were busy putting together a story bible for AMC over the last several weeks, they weren't really all that involved at Days, hence the changes we've seen. And judging by previews of what's to come, it appears as though things are only going to continue going slowly uphill as they make their final exit.

WOO HOO!!! Two more recycled hacks take over head writing duties on a current daytime soap! I can't wait to watch Brown & Essenstein essentially do to AMC what they've done previously at Loving, The City, Guiding Light, and Port Charles. You wanna talk about 1 step forward, ten steps back......

Sh!t, [s.W.S.N.B.N.] taking over AMC would be better news than this.

Edited May 22, 200718 yr by juniorz1

I understand that, but certainly if they were busy putting together a story bible for AMC over the last several weeks, they weren't really all that involved at Days, hence the changes we've seen. And judging by previews of what's to come, it appears as though things are only going to continue going slowly uphill as they make their final exit.

How many of DAYS problems since Jan be attributed to script editors/BDW's, though? The ideas, pacing & balance are all factors controlled by the headwriter and/or producers. B&E would have influenced individual scenes/episodes but it's the overall stories and onslaught of unfamiliar faces that are the main issues. I think Hogan may have suffered losing the input of a seasoned writer like Brash but it seems a bit far-fetched that the departure of two staff writers would trigger a dramatic improvement.

But that's the thing — I don't want a good six month, I want five years. At least.

Oh, I totally agree with you. I say six months always seems to determine how the show's gonna be under a certain head writer. In six months I think would be a fairer assessment of the direction the current regime is going in -- unless you're McTavish and rape somebody the first week you return... THEN you've pretty much tipped your hand.

But I agree -- after suffering four years, I would LOVE to be on an exquisite high for the next four, five years. I want to be PROUD to be an AMC fan -- not be embarrassed.

Oh, it should be noted that B&E did clean up McTavish's mess before, only last time it was on GL.

Not to make this again about GL lol, but I think alot of the credit for cleaning up after McTavish belongs to interim writers Michael Conforti and Victor Miller. They began some of the stories that would climax during B&E's run (Apparently, they actually wrote the episode when Annie fell down the stairs at the Spaulding party.)

These two reek of contrived plot points. And I don't like it. I thought that stank left with MMT. Kay Alden on the other had, she smelled of respect and grace. Two things that AMC has been missing for years. She seemed like she was willing to take the time to know and understand the characters, to really write for them, not just for plot. I wanted that for AMC.

I guess these two might surprise us. And maybe things aren't so bad, and I hope that's the case. I hope that I'm leaving AMC is good hands. But I just fear that they have real potential to make Megan missed. Do you know how much that thought terrifies me?

Edited May 23, 200718 yr by Kylie

They must have been free lancing at DAYS.... or DAYS gave ABC permission to talk with them.

Probably they were. Another question is who brought them to Days of Our Lives and why.

I just want to know why Alden was passed on... or who knows maybe the longterm plan is to pair her up with them? One can dream right LOL.

Reportedly (oh, how much I love this word ), she was passed on because she didn't agree with the rest on All My Children HW team.

As for you secodn sentence, hm... Who knows, maybe the plan is get Jim and Babs for a while until the situation is calm, and then we'll put Alden in charge. But that's just... Impossible.