2008: The Directors and Writers Thread

[MarkH]

Okay, but let's be FAIR.

If this show loses 7 writers, part of the reason is that they will lose PAIRS. They have lots of PAIRS.

These PAIRS share a writing salary. So, the truth is that we have four breakdown writers and 8 script writing teams/individuals. We keep talking about "bloat" here, but we're not adjusting for the "pairs" factor.

Now it gets easy to do the math. If we winnow it down to 5 script writing teams/individuals, dropping three script writing teams/individuals, we have already lost six.

Add one more, and we reach 7.

Now, go over that list and find the LML hires.

My prediction for departures:

Darin Goldberg & Shelley Meals

Cherie Bennet & Jeff Gottesfeld

Christian McLaughlin & Valerie Ahern

James Stanley

(I would have said Hamner, but he still seems to be in favor, acting as spokesperson for the show)

If I am write, then, this is the post-bloodletting group. Most of these people are NEWER additions.

Now I start to get impressed because (a) it looks like there has been a gradual infusion and training of the new talent, GETTING THEM READY for the job; ( the old talent (LML era) has had a lot of fair warning and notice to reposition themselves and justify continued employment.

All told, this seems like an ethical, planful, orderly transition.

Okay, so what is the resulting team, and then let's do the REAL math!

Head Writer

Maria Arena Bell

Co-Head Writer

Hogan Sheffer

Associate Head Writers

Beth Milstein (script editor)

Scott Hamner

Natalie Minardi Slater

Breakdown Writers

Marla Kanelos

Paula Cwikly

Lisa Seidman

Script Writers

Eric Freiwald & Linda Schreiber

Sandra Weintraub

Thom Racina

Marc Parent

Amanda L. Beall

We've got three breakdown writers and five script writers/teams. That is NOT unreasonable.

So where is the bloat? It seems to be in the AHW and HW category.

I don't see Y&R giving up the Arena/Bell-Sheffer team soon. They're going to try to blend Bell with not-Bell (and more power to them).

Since Toups said only 7...I'm going to assume we'll lose one or two of the AHW in the future.

At that point...I think we have a reasonable team size for a show that still has a bit of a budget.

ETA: I forgot Jay Gibson. I keep thinking some of these VERY new (to Y&R) folks like Gibson, Parent, even Racina and Beall might be on "tryout")

Also, let me say I AM GOING TO MISS Darin Goldberg & Shelley Meals, Cherie Bennet & Jeff Gottesfeld, Christian McLaughlin & Valerie Ahern. They brought me infinitely better dialogue--humor!!--and better pacing. They were not responsible for the bad story structure and the dropped threads and the ignoring of history...that blame falls higher up.

I do fear there may be a baby-out-with-bathwater phenomenon in play.

[Sylph]

Even if you're right, MarkH, that team sucks. I mean - Hamner?! Beall?! Kanelos?!

[soaplvr02]

toups didn't say all 7 were on one show

did anyone confirm beal was going to write scripts? pretty sure breakdowns might be in her future... she was an assoc head writer on AMC.

bugler's last script aired yesterday.

[Sylph]

soaplvr02, do you know about any other changes on GH team?

No one confirmed that Beall would write scripts.

I'm glad Bugler is gone!

[Soapsuds]

ATWT is down to 8 writers. It should have been 7. I dont know why they hired Gordon Rayfield. Where is Rain1 with the news of the 7 fired writers.

[Toups]

It'll be soon. I wouldn't have teased now for an August reveal. LOL

I just wanted to see some predictions and guesses.

About Lisa Seidman, I first heard she was doing breakdowns, now I recently heard she was writing scripts. I think Y&R sets up two-way contracts for some of their writers where if writers leave, other writers can be re-positioned. I wouldn't be surprised if Amanda Beall has that type of contract since she has experience doing both scripts and breakdowns.

[Jonathan]

Toups is waiting for November sweeps to reveal the identities of the Lucky 7.

[Khan]

That long, lol?

Gee, Toups, you really are a JER aficionado!

[MarkH]

Toups, can you AT LEAST do a "getting warmer" and "getting cooler" kinda thing?

[Sylph]

Markie Mark, we've made of you an TDAWT addict!

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Why is Y&R hiring all these script writers? They need better breakdown writers! I guess that's on its way, since I imagine some of those breakdown writers are on their way out.

[Sylph]

In this particular order?

[Sylph]

I would fire them all, except maybe Paula, I don't know about her.

And I would hire, as I said here, Michael Minnis, Rex M. Best, Sara A. Bibel and Jerry Birn, who is old, but hey... Maybe John F. Smith instead?

[MarkH]

I think in THIS order:

Cherie Bennet & Jeff Gottesfeld,

Christian McLaughlin & Valerie Ahern

Darin Goldberg & Shelley Meals,

Your list makes sense to me. I definitely think SOME of them belong at Y&R, at least as story consultants and script consultants.

But ALL? Where does your innovation come from?

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Paula is the only one I'd keep too. She does family scenes and other charater interactions really well.

If not these people, how about people who actually have decent track records, instead of the under-whelming writers Maria tends to hire.

Also, one has to wonder, where the hell did she pick Jay Gibson and Marc Parent from? Are they her friends that she decided she could give a job to? Yeah, we saw how well that worked with Latham.

Seriously, a lot of those former Y&R writers that B&B has need to come back to Y&R. No way does B&B need all of them and it's pretty obvious their influence isn't being felt there. That show will always go through cycles where its good, and others where its bad. Bradley Bell is just not a good storyteller. Some of those people would be a much better asset to Y&R in the long run.