I don't think it's OLTL. ABC has become such a boys club over the past few years with Frons at the helm. I can't see hiim getting rid of Valentini.

Frons's boys club:

Valentini

Pratt

Guza

Carlivati

I'm guessing that Goutman will take over GL (which is the reason Grant Alexander returned), Wheeler will remain as lead director of GL, and de Cazzotte will take over ATWT. That's more of a wish...I think ABC is keeing her in the family because they were so happy with Night Shift. In that case, she's going to AMC where they brought in powerhoue Pratt and wll match him with a hollywood producer. Valentini isn't going anywhere.

A little aside but I have never understood Kendall & Zach fans calling for JHC to be fired. Hello!? TK will be out of AMC the first chance he gets if JHC goes.

The ABC EP's don't have much impact on what we see. Leslie Charleson and others have confirmed this. Bob Guza said a couple of years back that the headwriters have more freedom under Frons than he has ever seen.

The cast adores Julie, even those who you might expect would not be too pleased with the EP. MEK, for example, has said in the past that Julie was instrumental in helping him get through his divorce and that she had earned his loyalty forever. Just recently he singled her out for helping him get through the really tough contract negotiations he had. So despite the Madden story that, for many, destroyed his character forever, the Dixie/pancake fiasco, and having his pay slashed he still thinks Julie's the greatest. Because he knows she had no control over any of it?

I believe Julie's thoughts about AMC are alot closer to the viewers' thoughts than we think. After all she's buddies with TK, who seems to have a good grasp on what's wrong. I can't see him respecting the woman if she was utterly clueless. It wouldn't surprise me if, at the end of day of taping, they both meet up in a corner somewhere and vent about the material.

Surely she benefitted from working with Wendy Riche and Francesca James for years. Maybe I'm being way too generous but I think the one time we really saw JHC's impact as an EP with actual power was when she was made EP of Port Charles and made Karen Harris headwriter. The show was the best it ever was then IMO (the nurses strike era). It was modern, fresh, diverse and socially relevant. But then ABC took control of the show to experiment with it.

The casting improved dramatically when JHC replaced Buke. The sets improved a little, taking into account budget cuts (this is the only respectable hospital set AMC has ever had IMO). The cast likes her. I don't see any benefit in replacing her with another figurehead. The only change I could see coming from Lisa Hesser is Passions-like casting. Net loss.

The funny thing is... like that's how I feel about my boss. Great guy. Compassionate. Understanding. Helped me out immensely, sometimes going beyond the call just to get me through a really difficult situation this time last year -- but sorry to say, his managerial skills cause more of a road block than anything.

I don't think it's OLTL. ABC has become such a boys club over the past few years with Frons at the helm. I can't see hiim getting rid of Valentini.

Frons's boys club:

Valentini

Pratt

Guza

Carlivati

Man, when you list it like that it's even more sickening. And it explains a LOT.

Man, when you list it like that it's even more sickening. And it explains a LOT.

I don't know if I would include Carlivati in that list just yet. Whatever your thoughts on his writing, it's not like he's a Frons puppet that was put in that position because he's "one of the boys". Hell, I'd almost see Higley in that category more than Carlivati - who came out of nowhere and got the head writer job at OLTL with nothing but six months of Days on her head-writing resume - merely because she and Frons were friends from his days at NBC.

Yeah, Carlivati's a man. But I don't see him in the same cigar-smokin', scotch-drinkin', boys' club scenario I see Frons, Guza and Pratt in. (I also agree on Valentini, especially with the reminder that he took Tomlin's job a few months after they won their first Emmy for Best Show) Say whatever you want about his writing, but Carlivati worked his way up, and I feel he earned that promotion in 2007.

Edited December 17, 200817 yr by brimike

I think its Carruthers.

Anyone remember how AMC recently(shortly before he joined Days) wanted Tomlin to come and replace her at ABC? Also supposedly to reward him for writing OLTL during the writer's strike???

It could be the same with Lisa, just rewarding her for doing such a good job at NS.

If this is a replacement at OLTL it better be someone with good taste visually. I am in no mood for OLTL to start looking cheap, brightly lit (like AMC) or gray and ugly like GH. ABC has some cheap ass looking soaps and this person better not mess with OLTL's solid production values.

That being said, I think it is ATWT or AMC.

Man, when you list it like that it's even more sickening. And it explains a LOT.

It also ignores two strong women in charge of PRODUCTION (JHC and JFP). One should argue those women serve as counter-balance.

But it IS striking that, in a female oriented genre, EVERY creative leader on EVERY soap on ABC, and at the network, is a white male. That is strangely disturbing. No diversity at the top at ALL. (Should we make anything of the fact that 2/3 of the HW are also Italian? I'd love Tom Casiello to comment on that )

It also ignores two strong women in charge of PRODUCTION (JHC and JFP). One should argue those women serve as counter-balance.

But it IS striking that, in a female oriented genre, EVERY creative leader on EVERY soap on ABC, and at the network, is a white male. That is strangely disturbing.

Oh jeez, let the OLTL Marty/Todd storyline "due to the misogynist men at ABC" bashing begin anew.

Well let it be known that Carlivati and Valentini are not exactly the cigar smoking, football watching types. Ahem.

It also ignores two strong women in charge of PRODUCTION (JHC and JFP). One should argue those women serve as counter-balance.

But it IS striking that, in a female oriented genre, EVERY creative leader on EVERY soap on ABC, and at the network, is a white male. That is strangely disturbing. No diversity at the top at ALL. (Should we make anything of the fact that 2/3 of the HW are also Italian? I'd love Tom Casiello to comment on that )

And if JFP (murder Frankie, fire Laura Koffman while she is pregnant, hire your boyfriend(s) is considered a good female counterpoint I will take a man anyday!

Oh jeez, let the OLTL Marty/Todd storyline "due to the misogynist men at ABC" bashing begin anew.

Well let it be known that Carlivati and Valentini are not exactly the cigar smoking, football watching types. Ahem.

I have no interest in talking about the Tarty garbage anymore. But I will say that both AMC and OLTL have strong currents of misogyny to them. I don't watch GH but from what I've read about the mob stories, that show isn't exactly a star of storytelling in a post-Buffy world. As for Carlivati, yes he worked his way up, and he's been well rewarded by one of the biggest bigots in the genre regardless of what he smokes.

It's one of the things I find fundamentally wrong with ABCD and was one of the things that started driving me away from ABC and soaps in general years ago. We do agree on one thing, I don't consider JFP a good example of a woman in management. I barely consider her an example of human

Edited December 17, 200817 yr by marceline

Double post

Edited December 17, 200817 yr by marceline

Well we do know that Frons is obviously a moron and in all probability a total ass-ole.

Let's see-

Kathy Brier: "She is not an attractive woman."

Heather Tom- "We got her for CHEAP!"

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Wasn't Days always know as the show that was big on violence against women?

And I do agree that women are needed at the top in this genre specifically.

I would actually be thrilled to hear that Ron got a female headwriter. I think Sara Bibel would be BRILLIANT with him.

I don't think it's OLTL. ABC has become such a boys club over the past few years with Frons at the helm. I can't see hiim getting rid of Valentini.

Frons's boys club:

Valentini

Pratt

Guza

Carlivati

Even the stars tell the story: AMC is all about Ryan and/or Zach, OLTL is about John, Todd or now Rex, and GH is primarily about Sonny and Jason.

Even the stars tell the story: AMC is all about Ryan and/or Zach, OLTL is about John, Todd or now Rex, and GH is primarily about Sonny and Jason.

Don't forget the fixation on pregnancy stories. Women on ABC soaps are most valued for their ability to reproduce.