Re: Y&R.

I don't think it's a big deal if MAB experiments with writers -- to see what she likes. But, jeez, spread it out a bit! I can't imagine how crazy it must be to have four new writers come in, all with limited history with the show, at around the same time. Plus you have a relatively new writer (Beall) moving up to breakdown writing. It just seems like it would be...chaos. It's hard and stressful enough for a writing staff when ONE new writer joins and needs nurturing and a little extra attention and guidance...so, I can't imagine a revolving door like this.

MAB is a very sharp, decisive woman. My understanding is that if she sees a script she hates, it's a strike against a writer, another one, another strike, another one and BAM, fired. It's not about negotiating, it's not about cultivating talent. It's about a team that performs and doesn't need hand holding.

With the exception of Lisa Connor, all of these people joining Y&R are joining on a trial basis. Who knows if any or all of these people will last past their trails. Teresa Zimmerman probably has the best chance, given her connection to the Bell's, but I'm not so sure about the others.

Has anyone figured out who the hell Jay Gibson is? Is he a friend of Maria's or something? He's written some decent episodes, but I've honestly never heard of him until he joined the writing team last year.

Another hack writer if you ask me. I dont know why all the excitement about her.

How is she a hack? Just because she agreed with a horrible idea?

Lisa Connor..hmmm...wasnt she called a hack by most on here?..lol

I don't ever remember Lisa Connor ever being discussed before.

Has anyone figured out who the hell Jay Gibson is? Is he a friend of Maria's or something? He's written some decent episodes, but I've honestly never heard of him until he joined the writing team last year.

Yeah, Jay's a FOM. They worked together at some art-thingy.

http://www.psarts.org/Newsletter.pdf

Of course I'm assuming it's the same Jay Gibson.

Didn't we Bury the H-Word, already?

Along with "propping," "whitewashing," and "production model?"

Well... okay... the last one's simply my pet peeve. But you get the idea.

Anyway, HACK is being thrown around too generously. That isn't to say some head/mid-level/script writers don't deserve that title (McTavish, Higley, Bugler, etc.), but still. As much of a fan as I am of Michelle Patrick, I will never say "oh, the unabortion was wonderful because she thinks it was," but that won't make me say "she disagrees with me? HACK, HACK, HACKITY-HACK-HACK, HAAAAAACK!"

Didn't we Bury the H-Word, already?

Along with "propping," "whitewashing," and "production model?"

Well... okay... the last one's simply my pet peeve. But you get the idea.

Anyway, HACK is being thrown around too generously. That isn't to say some head/mid-level/script writers don't deserve that title (McTavish, Higley, Bugler, etc.), but still. As much of a fan as I am of Michelle Patrick, I will never say "oh, the unabortion was wonderful because she thinks it was," but that won't make me say "she disagrees with me? HACK, HACK, HACKITY-HACK-HACK, HAAAAAACK!"

I was just about to post something like this, but you just so beautifully captured what I want to say so I won't bother now. Some people really need to open up a dictionary and absorb some new vocab.

The dictionary was written by HACKS!!! No Kendall or Zach entry, yo!!!

LML is a hack bitch from the depths of hell. Hack. Hack. Hack.

What's with Cheryl Davis coming back? I mean, I like her, but it's like: "Well, Lisa's leaving...so I guess you'll have to do, Cheryl."

The dictionary was written by HACKS!!! No Kendall or Zach entry, yo!!!

I love the direction this thread took from this afternoon.

:lol:

Another hack writer if you ask me. I dont know why all the excitement about her. Lisa Connor..hmmm...wasnt she called a hack by most on here?..lol

Wow, Soapsuds. I love hangin' with you on here, but you have a serious hatred of pretty much every writer from the last ten years. It's like every writer who was a member of a team that wrote a story you didn't like gets that title "hack". Can I ask who you think ISN'T a hack?

(I promise, I'm not trying to be challenging. Just curious)

But are soaps about revolution though? I always thought they were about maintaining their identity. There's only a handful of stories you can tell anyway, the trick is to work your way around them in a manner where these stories appear to be something more than that are, if that makes sense.

Ahem... From the great Jerry ver Dorn:

" I think what should happen — and I've been working with a lot of producers and executive producers over the years — is you should grab and maintain and keep and treasure your core audience and just make little inroads into other audiences. They seem to try and want to say, 'Well, we don't want you any more. We want 18 to 49-year-old females with disposable income.' Then they take a hacksaw to the show and try to do things in a hurry and in daytime, the viewers don't like revolution — they like evolution."

Not to mention that I have never thought of organic, character-driven writing as obsolete. Although Y&R may not be very ground-breaking or original, I think the fact that we can finally identify with a great majority of the characters is a mighty fine sign indeed.

I saw that Lisa De Cazotte was listed as Producer at the end of Monday's ep. I didn't see Friday's end credits, so anyone know if today was her first episode as Producer?

[Although I will here express my first big hesitation about the MAB style. The rejuvenation since August has -- thrice, now -- been built around three replications OF THE EXACT SAME CATALYST. Sabrina/David died, and we got three months of fallout (with long tails of that story still resonating today). Then, as that wound down, Katherine died. And we have had almost exactly three months of (very strong) fallout. Now, fairly suddenly (but well done within that context), Brad is suddenly apparently gone. And I guess we'll have three months of fallout from that. While I have enjoyed it very much, I am--slowly--worrying that this is a one-trick pony.]

Mark, I totally agree with you on this, and yes - it's a worrisome pattern forming. The one thing I can say though, on the flip side, is that all three stories, while they used death as the catalyst, all had very different tones to them, and I wonder if that's the work of the lower level writers (mainly the script writers) acknowledging that. David/Sabrina was about anger, rage, vindictiveness. Kay's story, while incredibly moving, has an element of fun to it. From Murphy, to Jill vs. Esther, to the "kids'" involvement, there's something very entertaining about it within its own grief (I hesitate to say "camp", because it's not like David Vickeroshi, but it's as close to camp as Y&R gets without putting a shirtless guy in a cage), and from the early spoilers about Brad, it sounds like a lot of that will be about guilt over wasted heroism. So there definitely feels like there are quite different thematic elements to each story.

Having said that, I think Y&R needs to put a kibosh on all funerals for the rest of 2009.

Mark, I totally agree with you on this, and yes - it's a worrisome pattern forming. The one thing I can say though, on the flip side, is that all three stories, while they used death as the catalyst, all had very different tones to them, and I wonder if that's the work of the lower level writers (mainly the script writers) acknowledging that. David/Sabrina was about anger, rage, vindictiveness. Kay's story, while incredibly moving, has an element of fun to it. From Murphy, to Jill vs. Esther, to the "kids'" involvement, there's something very entertaining about it within its own grief (I hesitate to say "camp", because it's not like David Vickeroshi, but it's as close to camp as Y&R gets without putting a shirtless guy in a cage), and from the early spoilers about Brad, it sounds like a lot of that will be about guilt over wasted heroism. So there definitely feels like there are quite different thematic elements to each story.

Having said that, I think Y&R needs to put a kibosh on all funerals for the rest of 2009.

Yes, every word here is right! I'm not really complaining, because I have greatly enjoyed the show. And you are also right, in that real effort has been made to have each story feel different. But it will behoove the team--those at the top--to find new ways of launching the next three month cycle. In the end, there will probably be explosions and blackouts and weddings and...I think finding high-concept launches is going to be an ongoing part of this team's methodology.

Didn't we Bury the H-Word, already?

No, honey, whatever gave you that idea?