DAYS- Stephen Nichols bashed for comments he made in his blog

[PhoenixRising05]

I just had to quote this again. Beautiful post. Couldn't have said it better myself.

[sungrey]

If my memory serves me right, Deidre and Wayne Northrop got that credit when they returned in the summer of 1991... back when Marlena had much more pull in the story than she does now.

[JER Soaps Fan]

Now you're talkin'!

The thing is, whether or not it's great soap opera, this really WOULD drive ratings up. And they need to start thinking about outlandish ways to get people to get AWAY from Internet porn (which is probably the biggest competitor to TV since TV can't getcha off and the Web is there 24/7), iPods, etc, and watch "Days of Our Lives."

I'm sure they could find a character-driven way of doing these things too. For instance, a couples mud-wrestling match would be a fundraiser for the hospital or something; and a bitchy TV correspondent who was televising the event and wanted the station's ratings to spike from it could spread a rumor to Marlena about something Kayla "said" about her that wasn't so flattering, and she can hint that Steve "said" something about John too and a classic "Threes Company"-like situation could result in an actual fight in the mud!

[TC]

Seriously. I can't speak for DAYS at all, but this thread could be written about any soap. Take a quick look at the the OLTL section of the ABC boards if you want to see how bad it can get.

[DaysFanatic777]

Hi Guys!

I am a loyal lurker who rarley post. I come here because I find that this board is the ONLY board (with the exception of Spoiler Diva) that isn't slanted torward a fanbase of some sort. It's a refrshing place to read about Days. I've been a loyal fan for decades. I know this show inside and out. It's a family tradition for my clan. Here's an honest breakdown from my point of view of which female stars have "owned the screen" since the shows inception in 1965.

1965-1972 belonged to Flannery. Currently on B7B, she really did her best work on Days as deranged but likeable Laura Horton.

1972-1980 belonged to Susan Seaforth-Hayes Sorry, but she is the Queen Bee of this show historically. WHY? because the show was a bonified critical and nielsen ratings HIT during her time at the top, and the show racked up Emmys and got a Time Magazine cover. She also displayed grace and dignity during her wild stardom, and her romance with Doug really started the Supercouple era on soaps. Her on screen nuptuals with Doug scored the highest ratings in soap history AT THE TIME. Later Luke and Laura, and the Steve and Kayla out did this event.

1980-1990 belonged to the female on the other end of a supercouple In this order; Deidre Hall, Kristian Alfonso, Patsy Pease, Mary Beth Evans, and lastly Melissa Brennan (later Missy Reeves). All had a turn at top watchability and screen time as Days became a "Couples Soap".

1991-Present belonged to Dee Hall Her return in 1991 solidified her in the credits as top billed actress. Alfonso and Eileen Davidson gave her a run for her money at times, but in realityshe continues to be the face of Days.

Her fans are bold, brash, and st times rude. They are vigilant, and remain scared that she may be replaced. Obviously, the show has gone through cycles, and history tells us a new era will come.

I'll say this from my opinion only. I haven't ernjoyed Steve and Kayle this go round. The magic seems lost with me. Their run in the late 80's was magical, but it's lost its dazzle. That doesn't mean they aren't great actors (they are, BYW). It just means this is not 1988.

HOWEVER, the reaction on Dee's page is reprehensible, crude, outlandish, and shameful. Dee's fans, no matter what reason they feel they have, need to stop being so insanely defensive. If they'd push for a better show as much as they push for more screentime for Dee, they might come closer to getting what they want. As it stands now, they've pushed this longtime general fan to...

Just wishing Dee would go away. I love Dee, but I wish her obsessed fans would just leave this show, and the rest of us true Days fans, alone. If that would take Marlena leaving town, sadly, I'd be for it.

ONCE AGAIN: I LOVE DEIDRE HALL, but I love Days more. and her fans are simply not good for the shows survival.

[Shawn]

That was eloquent and to the point.

Really, after reading that, it makes me want to see you post more.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I pretty much agree with all of your post, until here. I know they bent over backwards to get Dee back in 91, but was that really the start of the show "belonging" to her? I'd say it was more like 1994 onwards. The early 90's essentially belonged to Crystal Chappell and Carly, a character that really had no core ties to the show at all, at that point. I remember hearing there was tension on the set, because a lot of the cast wasn't happy because everything seemed to revolve around Carly. The soap press especially picked up on an alleged feud between Crystal and Dee, I don't know the specifics or if it's true at all. But, Carly being buried alive was really the storyline that put JER's twisted version of Days on the map, a lot might want to give Marlena's possession credit, but it was definitely Vivian burying Carly alive that initially got Days the outrageous attention it was known for in the 90's.

But I guess Crystal could fall into the category that Kristian and Eileen fall into, you know, giving Dee a run for her money.

Also, pretty strange to note that Carly went from being shoved down our throats, but still popular, yet she isn't mentioned on the show anymore.

[TC]

Lookie here!

http://boards.soapoperanetwork.com/index.php?showtopic=21486

[MikeGoldy]

Steve and Kayla haven't worked so far this go around. I feel like there is something lacking in MBE, as Stephen is giving it his all. But, Dee's return to the show was considered a bust; she didn't really take center stage again until she was thrown in the pit by Stella, and she was rescued by John. But I wouldn't worry about the fans of Dee ruining DAYS by pushing for only story for Marlena; they have been around for so long now, I'm sure they will by dying off soon! lol Just kidding, so relax

[dragonflies]

Days4Life that was an excellent post!

[Ryan]

Not only the OLTL section, the entire ABC boards are a hot mess. It's really scary over there.....

I agree Shawn. I really want to see more posts from this member.

[Shanay]

I read his blog entry and for the life of me can't figure out what was so bad that it would upset another fanbase.

[KathyC]

Well, I love Steve and Kayla and I always have. I'm a big fan of both Stephen and Mary Beth. As such, I go to steveandkayla.com often enough and I have to admit we aren't perfect there. But most of us don't do much bashing of Deidre Hall, the actress. I'm sure it's happened, but it's not something we do regularly and there are lines we don't cross. John and Marlena the characters will get bashed there. That should sort of be expected, given the way the John and Marlena fans have bashed Steve and Kayla.

When Stephen and Mary Beth returned last year, Steve and Kayla fans were all excited and we went to message boards ready to share that excitement. I think maybe some of us were a little naive to what goes on with message boards then because a lot of us had been away from soaps for years. But we got educated in a hurry because the J/M fanbase was unhappy. Heck, fans of the whole show were unhappy, really. But the J/M fans were especially so and they let us know it almost every day with numerous posts bashing our couple, and if you went into their threads, sometimes you could see them bashing the actors too.

Steve and Kayla fans tried to understand it, because looking at it from a J/M fan's point of view, J/M were taken off the show just as Steve and Kayla were arriving. J/M were gone for a few months or something and then given no real story when they did return. Meanwhile, Steve and Kayla were given a story. Crazy Steve. It wasn't a great story. I didn't like it much, either. But they had a story and J/M didn't have one. In January, John was put in a coma. That could have been a strong vehicle for Marlena. Really emotional stuff. But it wasn't well-written. It didn't delve too deeply into John and Marlena and their relationship. John wasn't shown, and when Marlena was shown, she was supporting Steve and Kayla's story instead of being featured in her own (and there WAS a story there, ready-made with John's coma and everything. The writers just didn't use it).

That's a recipe almost guaranteed to create resentment from their fans toward Steve and Kayla, and it did. I haven't seen the remarks about Stephen on Deidre's board, and maybe I wouldn't want to. I can only hope they're not too bad. If they are, I'm sorry to hear it. But no fanbase out there is perfect. Certainly not mine.

We all have reasons for our frustration. Our show isn't the show it once was. The actors are trying, but the writers don't seem to know the characters as well as they should.

The only couple I think the writing staff has gotten absolutely right since about January is Bo and Hope.

The other couples have been sort of hit or miss on the writers' part since that time.

John and Marlena

Steve and Kayla

Belle and Shawn

Lucas and Sami

Nick and Chelsea

All of these couples have good actors playing them, but the whole romantic aspect isn't quite right with them.

Hogan needs a course in Romance 101.

[KevC1980]

great post kathy, nice to see your intake...and i totally understand the john and marlena fans being frustrated...they have absolutely every right to be...As a fan of them myself, i'm pissed that they are still being neglected, when they were supposed to be front and center with Bope this summer...The fans have every right to take out their frustrations on Hogan, Corday, the directors, and the other characters who are taking up the screen time...But when i have a serious problem when they start bashing actors like Ali Sweeney and SN....And also i don't understand their resentment to Ed Scott...This man has the potential to really turn Days around, and get it out of the rut that its been in for years...But I've read a few posts on their board and they don't like him because he's married to Melody Scott, who they think has been jealous of Deidre over the years..So in turn they don't think Ed Scott will do much to help Deidre..

[DaysFanatic777]

Yeah, Dee's return wasn't smooth. I remember feeling like they went through all that trouble to get her back to backburner her for a while. It was frustrating. The pit thing sure was fun to watch. Strangely over the top, and yet character driven. That event really sparked the John/Marlena/Roman triangle. To me, that is probably the best love triangle in Days history (maybe tied with Doug/Julie/Addie or Bill/Mickey/Laura).

I think that Days has been damaged by certain fan bases acting like their couples or characters should own the screen. It's really silly and ridiculous. The "knee pads" comment made about Stephen Nichols is a great example of what I'm talking about.

Dee is a great actress and an intregal part of Days history, but her fans screaming for change has resulted in rewrites and changes in direction for the show in the past. Whether that helped or hurt the show, who knows.

All I want is a show that makes good drama again, and doesn't write to make this or that fan base happy. Days problem is its need to remain a couples driven soap. There's nothing wrong with that, but you have to create drama for the couples for the show to move forward. A couple is only as good as the individual characters involved. J&M seem bland right now because the two characters involved have lost their personalities, and seem unable to have a storyline without the other being involved. We need more characterization for the couples to remain strong. Let Marlena have her own storyline, one in which John isn't the knight in shining armour there to rescue her. Maybe a change would be good, and make this couple watchable again.

BTW: the comment about Crystal Chapelle earlier in the thread is a good point. She was the star of the show for a while there, and I liked the Carly years. Her and RKK had good chemistry. Thanks for the tour down memory lane.