Jump to content

AMC: Hoping B&E are next to be FIRED


Recommended Posts

  • Replies 28
  • Created
  • Last Reply
  • Members

I personally don't think it makes a difference who is writing AMC. Carruthers needs to be fired. When she is gone and new writers are in place, I think only then will AMC improve. McTavish tanked and B&E are tanking and the common demoninators are Carruthers and Frons. Frons wont be fired anytime soon so Carruthers needs to take a hike, IMHO.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Oh puhleaze. Say what you will about JHC, but Megan McTavish is one of the top soap hacks like, ever. She had the reputation for being a god awful writer years before she even meet JHC. The same with B&E. Those teams would have bombed no matter who was EP and who was network president. Let's hire a writer who's NOT a hack and then we'll see what happens, for a change.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Please, it's not just the lack of moving or creative storylines on AMC that has suffered, it's the whole damn production under JHC. Outside of GL, AMC now has the cheapest looking production values of any soap, you know its bad when OLTL with its smaller production budget and smaller studio space comes out looking ten times better than anything on AMC. JHC has no creative vision or backbone to be EP of AMC PERIOD. Under Burke, who I didn't care for much either, AMC had much better production values and the lighting on the actors and sets was actually flattering.

A good EP is suppose to be there to balance out the overwhelming bad qualities of the show's Head Writer. Look at the Felicia Minei Behr and McTavish combination, which was successful and compare that to what AMC was under McTavish and other EP's, namely JHC....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I've been coming to this board at lunchtime every day since the strike ended hoping to see a thread that B&E are out!

ITA that the combination of JHC & Frons have helped in the destruction of AMC, but a good headwriter would be the first step in resurrecting the show. Remember last winter when Kay Alden's influence was so strongly felt? Suddenly, Tad showed remorse for killing Madden, Erica & Jack had a fun Christmas reunion, and even Sean & Colby's scenes had depth. Unfortunately, it was short lived but it proved that AMC can be saved.

JHC just doesn't get Pine Valley, imo. She gave several quotes over the years about Julia Barr's lack of screentime by saying that not every character can be on the frontburner. She had no clue how important the legacy character of Brooke was to AMC. I doubt that Jean Dedario Burke would have let Julia or Marcy Walker or Jill Larson be taken off contract without a fight, and I can't see her approving the storyline where Dixie was murdered before reuniting with Kate.

I hope that Anne Sweeney's presence in New York earlier this week heralds some major backstage changes soon!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Was never a huge Burke fan, but I remember reading an interview with her circa 2000 in which she said that the 3 key, defining, lynchpin, tentpole AMC characters are Erica, Tad, and Brooke. Let's see, after she left, Brooke was written off with nary a mention, Tad was turned into a killer, and Erica has been mostly supporting. Say what you want about Burke, but she GOT the show. JHC has been trying to reinvent it, but has failed miserably every step of the way. The writing and production values suck. The only thing worth watching IMO are Jesse/Angie. Debbi and Darnell are selling this story, despite the mediocre writing. The rest of the show is still pure unadulterated crap, and it still has that "throw anything against a wall and see what sticks" feeling to it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Was never a huge Burke fan, but I remember reading an interview with her circa 2000 in which she said that the 3 key, defining, lynchpin, tentpole AMC characters are Erica, Tad, and Brooke. Let's see, after she left, Brooke was written off with nary a mention, Tad was turned into a killer, and Erica has been mostly supporting. Say what you want about Burke, but she GOT the show. JHC has been trying to reinvent it, but has failed miserably every step of the way. The writing and production values suck. The only thing worth watching IMO are Jesse/Angie. Debbi and Darnell are selling this story, despite the mediocre writing. The rest of the show is still pure unadulterated crap, and it still has that "throw anything against a wall and see what sticks" feeling to it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

JDB was the biggest pushover ever. The main difference between her and JHC is that JDB worked mainly under Angela Shapiro, who valued actors over 40, BIG TIME, and kept the network meddling to a realtive minimum. When Frons took over, the show took a nosedive, and ALL of the vets were sent to the backburner. If anyone recalls the wonderful late 2002/early 2003 "Fusion" era, we all know that JDB certainly didn't "fight" for the integrity of the show. If she did, it wouldn't have been such a huge mess.

If JDB was still around as EP, Julia Barr would still have left. It wasn't a decision that come down at the EP level, it was a network decision.

JDB is a wonderful woman, and very nice to work for. AMC has had a large standing tradition of having great EPs who keep morale high (no JFPs in the bunch), but since Felicia Behr left, there hasn't been a real ball-busting EP in the bunch. Instead, everyone has pretty much left the writers & network execs. do the creative stuff, while they tend strictly to the studio side of things. So when they get a good writer in the bunch, that's great, but when they have a bad writer, it's too bad because they get to run & do whatever the heck they want.

Lastly, I'm tired of hearing the illogical argument "McTavish is good with the right EP." Megan McTavish had ONE well received stint in her whole career. ONE. She didn't even write it by herself -- Agnes Nixon was writing alongside her. Since then, she's worked with Jean Dadario Burke, Michael Laibson, Jill Farren Phelps, and Julie Carruthers and the stints have been all disasters. A good HW/EP team should complement each other well, a good HW/EP team doesn't require the EP to sit and hold the HW's hand every step of the way. And considering McTavish's trademark of misogynistic, dark, gruesome, and just plain destructive storytelling, she deserves every ounce of blame that is leaped on her. I would blame the EPs for not intervening, but I give Megan McTavish 100 % of the blame for being a talentless, clueless, destructive hack of a writer.

I hold the long standing belief that it should be the WRITER'S SHOW, not the EP's. The EP is there to produce. The writer is there to write -- their vision should shine through. Was it Lisa de Cazotte's Passions or James E. Reilly's Passions? Exactly.

Gloria Monty, who I think did a lot of bad for the Industry, changed everything. Before her, no EP would ever get involved in story. She came around and made daytime an EP's playground, and it sucks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Excellent post!!! I couldn't have said it better myself. So PUHLEAZE!!! AMC has completely lost its identity under Carruthers. Maybe a better EP would stop focusing on the same six characters and bring back important characters to AMC's history. I don't think new writers will solve the problem completely. AMC may improve marginally but the look and feel will stay the same and AMC needs to change, IMHO.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Ok.....

I want B&E GONE!! I thought that AMC would be better with them but compared to McT they are the same but the ratings for AMC when McT was writing were much higher. The reason why AMC is right now in bad shape is because the people working on the show has no clear visions. JHC has made no good chioces thus far. They got rid of Julia Bar, Cady McClain, and put Jill and Tonya on Recurring. At least with JDB she was very supportive for Julia Bar. I remember when she won the Daytime Emmy in 1998, Barr said that JDB was very suporrtive of her. JHC cannot make any decisions.

If you look at the directing, SETS, money compared to 1997 it sucks. I have to blame JHC because agian she does not know what to do with the show. She just goes along with what the writers say.

I remember in the 1990's when FMB was EP. Everything was great. The reason why was because she knew what AMC was. She has a vision for the show and under FMB it was great. They won 2 Daytime Emmy's under her.

I would not mind having FJ back. At least she had a vision for the show creativity wise. I rember under FJ in 1996-1998 thw show was still good. Everyone was used. And agian she knew was AMC was. Thats why they won 1 Emmy under her in 1998.

I have to blame FRONS though. He really does play favorites. He like Guza so hes not going to go anytime soon. He has no visions for the shows. He hates using people over 50.

Well there goes end my RANT!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy