ATWT: You are not going to believe what Martha asked for.

[LoyaltoAMC]

I'm not saying Forrester's a great actress by any stretch of the imagination, but she did open up new avenues for Robert Newman, who was withering on the Josh/Reva vine. Don't think they would've ever put Josh and Cassie together had Wright still been playing the role.

[DevotedToAMC]

I was expecting much more from her since they seemed to make it out like she had these outrageous demands....but that is the "Big" demand she asked for this entire time? Good for her in leaving...all they had to do is say they will use her in so many episodes....after all, she is a veteran actress so she deserves plenty of airtime.

That is one of the simplest requests I have seen from any soap actor.

[DevotedToAMC]

I think it is time for him to go....he has been the EP at ATWT for almost a decade now and is clearly burnt out. I want to see him become AMC's new Executive Producer so we have no more of that talentless twit Julie Hanan Carruthers. He has a history at AMC since he directed the Emmy award winning tornado sequences...it is not as if he is a complete newcomer to the show

[dragonflies]

Uhm I really doubt that. It wasn't about the acting, it was about the WRITING for the character. No recast is going to do anything for the character as long as Lily continues to be written poorly...

Oh and Nicole Forrester "breathed new life"

[Adam]

Yep. Lily has been a POD for several years now......

If Hogan does end up as HW at one of the ABC shows, how long do you think before Martha joins said soap. Hogan loved Martha!

[LoyaltoAMC]

Her only 2 soap possibilities would be AMC and OLTL. Frons likes 'em to look like Playboy centerfolds, and Byrne definitely doesn't fit that image. I guess you never know. She could bring back a long-dormant character with ties to the canvass, on AMC possibly Hayley or maybe, with Jake being back, his ex-wife Emily Ann; on OLTL, possibly a de-SORASed Tina Lord. Just throwing some ideas out there.

[Soapsuds]

I found this at the soapoperadigest website.....by Carolyn Hinsey's Blog

March 18, 2008

I had the honor of attending Martha Byrne's goodbye party at Blondies Friday night, and I do mean honor. WOW was there a lot of love in that room. First of all, about 100 more people showed up than Martha anticipated, so the place was bursting at the seams. There was lots of speculation about who will be replacing her as Lily (LOVING's Noelle Beck? Michelle Pfeiffer's sister Dedee Pfeiffer?!), although all agreed no one could ever "replace" Martha. The tears and speeches flowed, as well as the disappointment voiced by a few actors that ATWT Executive Producer Chris Goutman was not at work on Martha's last day. In between all the hugs and well wishes, there was a real sadness about where ATWT and GL are headed — and whether these actors will even be there a year from now to see it.

[DeeeDee]

Byrne as Cassie & Koffman as Lily?

[brimike]

Wow, that's an interesting thought. Hayley could certainly be played by someone Martha's age now, and Hayley would be tough like Rose minus that horrible accent.

I had never even considered the possibility, but Martha as Hayley would be something totally different from Lily, a challenge for MB, and a character gone long enough from the canvas that no one will be offended by the recast. (And I dare ANYONE to think Kelly Ripa would ever come back!) Plus, if Martha can go toe-to-toe with Liz Hubbard, imagine what she could do opposite David Canary.

The more I think about it, this is my new favorite idea. It'll never happen (LOL!), but it's really intriguing to think about.

[dragonflies]

So did Goutman chicken out? Arsehole couldn't be bothered to show his face on her last day

[Soapsuds]

Nicely put Zendall Fan. But I agree. He is a scumbag!!

[Juliajms]

I'm glad Martha gave the details of why she was let go. At first I wasn't on her side because I figured she was asking for something outrageous and since the show said they tried to accommodate her, I looked at it as Martha choosing to leave.

Now that we have the truth, it seems to me they were looking for an excuse to let her go, which pisses me off. Lily has never been my favorite character, but I've been watching her since I was 7 years old and it really makes me mad that these people have no respect at all for history.

[AddictedToSoaps]

I'm glad he wasn't there. He doesn't deserve to celebrate the talent of Marthe Byrne and recognize everything she brought to his show.

[edgeofnik]

Perhaps Goutman decided not to show up, so that it could be Martha's day and to allow her fellow cast and crew the opportunity to bitch freely. It's not unusually for a boss to avoid goodbye days/parties of a popular employee. He made the right choice. I'm sure it would have been awkward as hell. I wish MB all the best. It's too bad it didn't work out. Frankly, the biggest mistake they made was killing Rose off. Lily was already in a HUGE rut before Rose.

[dragonflies]

Personally I hated Rose, and was glad when they killed her off. I felt she too overshadowed Lily, whom I felt was the more important character....