B&B: Unbold & Ugly?

[RuAsRuAnAu]

Apparently, Heather Tom feels that B&B is bold & beautiful. Here's what Tom said in SOD: "Brad[ley Bell] is the only person I want to work for, so I'm really happy to be back on a Bell family show." Did LML, CBS or SONY not contact her to rejoin Y&R? I know she quit Y&R in 2003 but why? Was it because of Smith/Alden/Jones's refusal to write for her?

[RuAsRuAnAu]

Katherine Kelly Lang was recently interviewed by TV Soap Magazine (Australia). Here is what she said:

She is tired of Brooke's romantic storylines. She wants to do something different with the character

She wants to do a SL with Eileen Davidson that doesn't involve the characters fighting over Ridge

She doesn't want Brooke to be the mother of the egg baby, is hoping for a twist in the story

She thinks Brooke is too old for any more kids

(Posted by Kangaroo @ SC)

At this point, B&B cannot lose KKL.

September 17-21, 2007

(Compared to Last Week/Compared to Last Year) (Compared to 2003)

Total Viewers

2. B&B 3,689,000 (+16,000/-374,000) (-818,000)

Same Week: 2003

2. B&B 4,507,000

HH: 2007/Same Week 2003

2. B&B 2.8/3.5 (-.7)

Women 18-49 Viewers (Last Week/Last Year)

5. B&B 836,000 (+26,000/-108,000)

Girls 12-17 Viewers (Last Week/Last Year)

6. B&B 20,000 (-3,000/-11,000)

Men 18+ Viewers (Last Week/Last Year)

2. B&B 874,000 (-16,000/-78,000)

[bellcurve]

YES!

YES!

YES!

Fight for what little dignity your character has left! Because at this point, I could give a damn if Brooke decided to jump off a building.

All Brad knows how to do is love triangles that pit one person against another. I'd rather see Ashley and Brooke take each other on in the labs. Maybe Brooke remembers how to be a chemist...Ashley and Brooke could compete with each other by making new fragrances or even better, a followup to BeLieF that involved lots of sabotage(on Brooke's part where Ashley's concerned and on Stephanie's part where Brooke is concerned).

I'm all for bitchfights on soaps, but please, let's do something other than making it about Ridge or Nick for the umpteenth time.

[YRBB]

Ooooooooh, that sounds just about perfect! I hope Bell listens to her and starts giving her other things to do. If one thing, she proved her strengths with the Custody/Rape Storyline. She can do it, if only the writers come up with any other, non-romantic storylines!

[DaytimeFan]

I have to say that I'm really enjoying B&B a lot these days. It is obvious, to me at least, that Kay Alden is at the typewriter in terms of these scripts (ditto Janice Ferri Esser). Therefore, I give Brad Bell credit for realizing that he needed help and that the person best suited to aid him was his father's right hand woman: Kay Alden.

I think B&B suffered a lot in the last few years with trying desperately to get the Marone family integrated in order to take the place of the Spectras which never panned out and was basically destined to fail. I think the declining health and then death of the fabulous Darlene Conley, the grave misstep of firing Shae Harrison and probably some backstage wrangling in regards to Y&R messed up Brad's concentration.

I think what B&B needs to get back into is the campy, fun, 'Melrose Place' style it had in the years circa 1993-1999 when it was just on fire. Hopefully it can get to that point because with Y&R spiraling out of control B&B is the last bastion of Bill Bell style consistency in daytime.

[RuAsRuAnAu]

Maybe Stephanie's return will significantly help B&B in the ratings department because the other the November Sweeps spoilers are not appealing in the least bit.

October 1-5, 2007

Total Viewers (Last Year) (Compared to 2003)

2. B&B 3,708,000 (-354,000) (-550,000)

~~The Most Important Demo~~Women 18-49 Viewers (Last Year)

4. B&B 854,000 (-14,000)

Girls 12-17 Viewers (Last Year)

5. B&B 15,000 (-27,000)

Men 18+ Viewers (Last Year)

2. B&B 776,000 (-131,000)

[YRBB]

Thank you for that. Now give it a rest. All the soaps are down. How come you don't post things like these about the soaps that YOU like? And, personally, I really don't care if you find the spoilers interesting or not. You have said numerous times you don't find anything good with B&B. That is fine. So stop expressing your opinion about it. I hate [insert soap name here] but you don't see me talking about it, do you?

[RuAsRuAnAu]

On Wikipedia, it says that Kay Alden is B&B's co-head writer. I thought she was the Associate Head Writer along with Minnis. If she stays, she should be the HW with JFE. It is head writer or bust.

October 15-19, 2007

(Last Year) (2003)

2. B&B 4,011,000 (-381,000) (-428,000)

Women 18-49 Viewers (Last Year) (2003)

4. B&B 938,000 (-28,000) (-405,000)

[soapfan4life]

Compared to 2003 all soaps are down, but if you look at the week befores numbers BB is only one of two soaps that gained viewers! Obviously it can't be that bad.

[Cat]

Are we still harping on this tired old topic? B&B has lost viewers -- but so has every soap.

IMO, it is the best show on Daytime right now.

[Gunder]

You have no clue what you're talking about, RuRu.

1. It's public knowledge that Heather Tom left Y&R over contract/money issues, not because she was upset that Alden and Company weren't writing for her character. She wanted to be in New York, wanted to do theater, now she's back in L.A. working for Brad Bell. It's not any more complicated than that.

2. You "caution" that B&B writers and directors will soon be burnt out. But, as another poster pointed out, the show's only a half hour and can crank out episodes at a faster pace than the others. For crying out loud, David Shaughnessy tapes four episodes in a row and then gets a month off! I think he can recover just fine from that grueling schedule.

3. You seem to think Kay Alden and Janice Ferri Esser are just champing at the bit to be HWs of the show. What makes you think they'd even want the job? Would YOU want to have Barbara Bloom knocking on your office door every day with her brilliant "suggestions"? Maybe Alden and Esser are just happy to be working in this era of shrinking budgets and a possible writer's strike.

End of rant.

[TC]

I don't follow it, but from the snippets I've seen over the past few weeks, I almost wish I was more invested in it. I see a huge improvement.

And even when I was a semi-viewer, the boring, repetitive, infuriating scenes that made me feel like tossing something at the screen were usually countered by the brilliant Susan Flannery. Easier to do with a half-hour show, I guess.

[YRBB]

I was wondering the same thing.

First of all, B&B reached over 4,000,000 viewers, something that it hasn't done in months and it will again, with all the stuff that's coming up [in ratings weeks ]

It IS the best soap on air right now.

And I think we have all established by now that B&B is both Bold And Beautiful. Sorry Rarara, we don't agree.

[RuAsRuAnAu]

You are not my friend, Gunder, so please refer to me as RuAsRuAnAu. Thanks.

I still feel the B&B crew are setting themselves up for burn-out. 6 or 5 consecutive written/directed episodes on a regular basis is too much.

I did not list Shaughnessy because I know he is not a full-time crew member.

Did Alden not quit Y&R because of major creative differences with her boss, LML? You cannot tell me that she thinks LML's Y&R (at the time she quit) is worse than B&B's current state. Maybe Alden feels that it is her duty to her former friend & boss, WJ Bell and that can re-energize the repetitive & uninspiring B&B.

As for JFE, did she quit Y&R or was she fired? If she did quit, maybe her reasoning of joining B&B is the same as Alden's. JFE is much younger than Alden, so she may be more ambitious and want to head write a show for the first time. She has plenty of experience (1989-present), is talented and passionate. I think JFE would be a good HW for any show.

CBS keeps a hands-off approach in B&B's case. Why? I'll never understand.

Flannery is the Queen of B&B. Bell should give her whatever she wants.

Why do people just settle for 4 million. Why do they not want the show to reach 4.5 million, 5 million?

I have asked you this, and I will ask again: Why do you like to disrespect me? Have I ever disrespected you, YRBB? Intentionally misusing my name like you just did for the second time is a form of disrespect. Please stop it.

[YRBB]

1) Because it is the best soap on air and, for the most part, everything on it works. At least CBS is smart enough not to interfere with success (they have done so with all the rest and look how THAT turned out).

2) Oh, so when GH is up or Y&R is up, you are satisfied, but when B&B is up you only have to say that it isn't enough? I never said I settle for 4 mil. But if the show keeps up like it does, we will certainly see it go up.

3) Then give me a short version of your name, because (as well as everyone else) I am not willing to spend a minute trying to type that railroad name of yours correctly. If you do not want to, I shall make other accomodations.