March 3-7, 2008

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I know I might be in the minority as well, but Erin Torpey will always be Jessica to me. I just have a sentimental connection to her because I felt like we grew up together, since we're the same age and I started watching OLTL when she first started on the show.

Bree Williamson is OK, but I find her terribly bland and downright boring at times, I'm not saying Torpey was a dynamite actress, but I still feel she had more on screen charisma than Williamson ever did, JMO.

I hope Torpey considers doing a West Coast soap or something...

[dragonflies]

Not the minority for me, Erin IS Jessica to me. Bree is great, but Erin was who I figured would be playing Jessica forever(LOL), kind of like Kimberly playing Robin on GH

[usetobeasoapfan]

Well what can I say about GH that hasn't been said............ "snickers"............... Come on Iger........."Who has the bigger balls..... you or Frons?"

How hard is it to fire some from ABC?

[Money]

Nope, you're not the only one. I've been saying for months that Carlivati is only marginally better than Higley and that ain't saying much. He goes unscathed yet again because he has the convenient excuse of blaming the ratings on scabs when the ratings under him were already heading for the crapper. Some of these RC apologists kill me. Until the show actually improves, and I mean really improve I'll continue to wish for low ratings since that's exactly what they deserve if they want to continue to pander to the lowest common denominator. Thankfully millions of viewers also reject the insipid writing that's been plaguing this show for years.

[Phoenix11]

<----- is ecstatic that GL went up! Even though it only gained 3,000 viewers, the fact that all the other soaps lost viewers and GL gaimed makes me happy!

It must be that d@mn song!! It's really growing on me!

[Money]

The fact that Frons or whoever in charge of the promotional dept. at OLTL actually thought viewers wanted to see adolescent Starr in a baby voice say "make love to me Cole" is smoking something fierce. They followed that up with a second promo of their "unshakable bond". GMAB! Gone were the days when promos actually made you want to tune in! ABC has no clue.

[marceline]

*terrified whisper with vague unidentifiable accent*

Go! Go now! You cannot stay here. If they find you with me, they'll kill you too. Run and don't look back! Do you hear me?!

(mob sounds, barking dogs, gun shots)

They're coming! Quickly, go to a small house at the edge of the valley. Knock on the door two times, then two more times. When they ask for the password say "better than Higley don't mean crap." They'll let you in. You'll be safe. Go. And thank you.

[Noel]

I don't remember if there are any teens in Springfield or not. Coop's not a teenager and neither is Lizzie. I don't pay any attention to Ashlee Wolfe, so her age is a mystery to me I guess. Wait, you've got two teens! Rafe and Daisy.

[DaytimeFan]

The ratings are stagnant which I think is the typical Post Sweeps lull, I'm not overly concerned.

Here's my take on the ratings:

The top 2 shows are both owned and (presumably) run by the same family: the illustrious Bells.

DAYS is run by a corporation (Sony) and a member of the lucky sperm club (Corday)

The rest of the daytime community is run by corporate USA who had absolutely nothing to do with these shows when they first began. Even Agnes Nixon has, by all accounts, been ousted from her beloved AMC. It's all nameless corporations behind these shows and thus the shows have lost their personality and their personal touch.

The Bell soaps are CONSISTENT (aside from LML's run from hell) and it is this CONSISTENCY which I beleive is the core to their success. Viewers of these shows have not been jerked around and screwed over to the degree that viewers of the rest of daytime have been. What happens, socially, when someone screws with you one too many times? Simple: You Leave and Never Come Back! In all honesty I think the only way daytime can be reinvented is to have all the soaps (aside from the successful Bell shows) get canceled and then have new shows debut in 5 or 10 years. It's going to take a period of time for audiences to forget how crappy daytime has truly become.

Failing that.......c'mon Bob Iger, show the world you've got the balls, FIRE FRONS!

And I must echo what earlier posters said regarding Wheeler and Goutman: both are talented, do magic with awful budgets and are plum burned out.

[marceline]

I don't understand why OLTL is gearing up a teen story at all. They seem to have no grip on the whole teen thing. They did the prom night musical long past prom season (last summer I believe) but shortly after what would have been their big school shooting story. After all nothing heals a hostage crisis like a school dance. Now they're obviously teeing up Coleo and Starrliet's love on the run but why now? Shouldn't that be 2008's big disposable summer teen story? Is there any other soap on any other network focusing on teens or must we assume that Frons now has a priapism for teeny, tiny Kristen Alderson?

[Money]

Ya know, I hated Hilgley's tenure and while the show isn't profusely bleeding, the ineptitude is surely putting me to sleep. I don't know who I resent more... hmnnn... I resent Carlivati more because after eighteen years... after supposedly knowing the history of these characters...after supposedly loving the show...he was suppose to be better than Higley, Malone, and Tomlin combined. His failure to produce nothing but the status quo is insulting in part because he's determined to recapture the glory days with nauseating reduxes instead of using that history to infuse life into the show. So what if the older vets are getting more airtime? So what if ES is no longer bitching about her screentime? So what if the show is finally all about the Buchanans/Mannings/Lords aka "cores". So what if the minorities in juxtaposition are finally put in their place.... The fact that the show remains bland, unimaginative, and insipid is just as bad as characters ruined by plotpoints. Both Frons and RC need to go.

[Gray Bunny]

Interesting to see that. Perhaps those teens are lovin' that hip, MTV-style camera work. It's like watching The Hills only with better actors (but the storylines are just as ill-conceived).

It's a sad state that I'm now in the group that speaks negatively of GL, but honestly, what good can I say? They still have some very talented actors that I love and adore, but there's only so far a great actor can keep me tuning in when the rest of the show, including the very way they present it to us visually, is so unbearable.

As for the excitement or lack thereof on DAYS, well... look at this thread. It's all about One Life to Live! Nine times out of ten, the weekly ratings thread turns into a huge DAYS discussion, whether it be positive or negative. This week, it's barely been discussed.

[Jess]

It's interesting what people think the salvation of OLTL is.

Personally, I think BW is a great great Jessica and believe it would be a huge mistake to bring back Erin Torpey. I also think it stinks that everyone thinks the answer is bringing back Clint Ritchie or Roger Howarth or any other original actor. The show is the character, not the temps who play them for 1, 10 or whatever years. And yes, I know, you all grew up with The Virgin Jess. The actors on the show are just fine IMO. With the exception of ES, Robin Strasser and maybe RSW because of his importance to the other actors, anyone is replaceable.

Also, because of this thread, I watched the show today for the first time in a while. Everyone sit down: I enjoyed the BE thing, and I still think Jess and Nash are great. Right now it's not enough to bring me back, but it could be. When they showed that big picture of Asa, I though, you old SOB, you set this thing up before you died.

[Jess]

Khan, you didn't step on my toes and I apologize for the misunderstanding. It was a very bad attempt at humor on my part. Your post was so well done and I though, what a nice post, that is what I was trying to say. LOL. I'm sorry, it was a joke on my part. I thought your post was excellent.

[Matt P.]

I'm excited about GL's numbers! Hopefully they can keep the momentum going.