Great interview with Karen! Really looking foward to LIG. It's pretty cool that she knew Sri Rao like 13 years ago and now she's working with him on NS. Can't wait to see those Scorpio family scenes with Robert/Robin/Mac.

I wonder what that project Roy Steinberg and Ken Corday is about.

And what do you know about Leslie Nipkow's whereabouts?

Someone sent me a link to a column she wrote on the NYT.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/nyregion...70&emc=eta1

She never spoke about Claire.

I still haven't gotten to the Daytime Confidential podcast, which is what you're speaking of here. But, I found where I read her speak briefly of Claire. (Yes, I've been totally obsessed, wandering everywhere all weekend finding things to read about Life in General, I admit it.)

Life in General on MySpace

Karen Harris 08-13-08 ...

I'd spent fifteen years as a writer and producer of prime time shows, mostly action-adventure like The Incredible Hulk, and Knight Rider, Street Hawk, and a bunch of shows no one's heard of. I did pilots for Universal and Aaron Spelling, and movies of the week for Fox. But my bread-and-butter shows were taking a break, comedy was king, and when a friend asked me to write General Hospital, I took the leap.

The feature film, Soap Dish had come out, and I thought it was terrific. Then I discovered that the real behind-the-scenes was funnier, dirtier, sexier and way more dangerous. I wanted to do something realistic about the goings on at a Daytime Drama. I actually pitched it around – the story of the people who work on the second longest running serialized drama on US television…the beloved Greenville General. And Life in General was such a perfect title. But it was hard to get anyone to bite. Behind-the-scenes stories of movies and television series were considered a bad bet. So the concept got tucked away in my drawer. Besides, I was getting myself a helluva daytime education from the brilliant Claire Labine, and adjusting to the transition from a primetime career as a writer/producer/show runner to being a full blown, full-time Daytime writer.

...

This blog entry is also found on Facebook as one of Strike TV's Notes.

Edited August 19, 200817 yr by Donna B

Oh, I agree, Riche and Labine made me fall in love with GH, and even Riche's work with Guza was superb. She knew how to bring out the best in his writing, but of course those two hated one another. Needless to say, Guza without Riche has been one huge mess.

Yes, I never cared whether they liked each other or not. They worked! But, that brings up another point I fully believe & have for a long time & that is that some people who work in soaps must have the right person there to set boundaries & pull them back from the edge, facilitate getting them toward balance, etc.! Guza needs that. So do JFP, McTavish, Reilly, ... I'm sure there are others.

Riche is hands-down the best soap opera Executive Producer of the 90's. She knew how to produce the hell out of emotional relationship based drama, and she was very respectful to fans and the historical integrity of GH.

All of that is true & it says a mountain. What Labine wrote for GH was just amazing - that anyone would just keep on coming with story that came right out of history & character. And, while Guza had, and obviously still has, a very different view of GH, still, Riche kept him in check, which I think falls to the EP to do.

I'd love to wake up tomorrow and read Riche is the new EP hired at Y&R, she's basically one of the only people from outside the Bell universe I'd trust at that show. When she inherited GH in 1992 the show was in ruins, but somehow she managed to rebuild the show and it became a creative powerhouse in the mid to late 90's. Hell, I wish she was back at GH too.

If either were true I'd be checking the shows out again.

Riche also didn't take crap from her writers. Patrick Mulcahey said she was a very honest woman, she'd tell you what she liked and didn't like about your writing. He said he respected her a lot, because other producers in daytime tend to give writer's the runaround and say something to them, but do something else.

And, presumably, this is what Guza couldn't stand.

I hear in the 90's during GH Fan Club weekend, Riche would stay overtime to talk to the fans, she was really interested in what they had to say. You don't find that in daytime anymore.

I don't know if you find it this year, or now with morale everywhere more strained, but it was common at P&G soaps.

Edited August 19, 200817 yr by Donna B

If I remember correctly, they were the first two to return to the show a few weeks before the entire crew was back. It was Josh Griffith followed by Maria Arena Bell followed by Bennett/Gottesfeld, and then occasionally Paula Cwikly.

Cwikly was one of the fi-core writers writing during the strike. Toups's list above has her listed as starting to be credited on January 4, although as I recall, she wasn't credited every day, so she was only listed for episodes she worked on. But Toups's list also backs up your recollection that Bennett/Gottesfeld were the first writers to return after the strike in March and were credited every day, and it was a couple of weeks before other striking writers started to return to the credits.

Someone sent me a link to a column she wrote on the NYT.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/nyregion...70&emc=eta1

Thank you! Leslie Nipkow is .

Toupsy,

Check your PM buddy

Someone sent me a link to a column she wrote on the NYT.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/nyregion...70&emc=eta1

This link left me positively glowing.

GO, LESLIE!!!!!!

Thanks for passing it along, Toups!!

OK, I think I saw Charles Pratt, Jr. listed as Consulting Producer on today's AMC.

OK, I think I saw Charles Pratt, Jr. listed as Consulting Producer on today's AMC.

If he was, it's probably because he's incorporating the beginnings of his stories (Taylor being the prime example) into these episodes, but since B&E are still there, he legally can't be head writer yet. So the title "consulting producer" probably gets him out of that.

Plus, chances are he "pulled a Guza" (which is the same as "pulling a Reilly") and had it written into his contract that he'd get a producing credit (and producer's pay on top of his writers' salary)

If he was, it's probably because he's incorporating the beginnings of his stories (Taylor being the prime example) into these episodes, but since B&E are still there, he legally can't be head writer yet. So the title "consulting producer" probably gets him out of that.

Plus, chances are he "pulled a Guza" (which is the same as "pulling a Reilly") and had it written into his contract that he'd get a producing credit (and producer's pay on top of his writers' salary)

Oh, the press release that announced him going over to AMC said he was also joining as a Consulting Producer. I also assume he's credited now because the groundwork for his stories are being started.

Pratt and Guza had the Consulting Producer role in their contracts when they returned to GH in 2002 as well.

Can someone confirm that today was the first day Pratt was listed as Consulting Producer (check yesterday's end credits too, please).

Pratt and Guza had the Consulting Producer role in their contracts when they returned to GH in 2002 as well.

They were first listed as CP in May 2004.

Toups, Deveney Kelly directed tomorrow's US episode of Y&R.

I never thought I'd see her name outside of B&B...

Toups, Deveney Kelly directed tomorrow's US episode of Y&R.

I never thought I'd see her name outside of B&B...

She directed a bunch of DOOL episodes in 2005.

Toups, Deveney Kelly directed tomorrow's US episode of Y&R.

I never thought I'd see her name outside of B&B...

She directed a couple of DAYS episodes in 2005 and 2006 which I thought was pretty unusual.