GL: January Discussion

[Cashton]

Yeah, Telenext, which is P&G's production company produces the People's Choice Awards, hence the P&G commercials. It's just so funny seeing Phillip in a red hoddie outside looking as though he's playing a game of footie with the boys. Whatever.

Thanks to jfung79 for writing your take on my comments and the show. Did you watch the show in the 90's or are you a new viewer? I'm just curious. People still watch this show of course but i wonder how many veteran watchers still watch.

[jfung79]

Some interesting ideas, but I think Lizzie fighting Bill for control of the company would be too plot-based. It doesn't ring true to me. Bill and Lizzie have been through the struggle for the company already, and they are now both in charge. It's much more character-based and in-character to see how people act out of love. I think only Alan has an all-consuming passion in his character to fight for company control. I like the involvement of family with each other in your story though.

The show is building up to Philip's return with the Beth/Coop story and its ramifications, and with Emma taking interest in the Spauldings to the chagrin of Olivia and Natalia. I think we will see a steady build, with a couple mini-climaxes, leading up to February 9th.

[jfung79]

I love it that P&G is fighting for its soaps. I remember when Another World was canceled 10 years ago, people had conspiracy theories that P&G wanted out of the soap biz, and I think actions like this speak loudly that this is not the case.

I didn't watch the awards so I didn't see the ad for GL, but it sounds like a great one.

Thanks for reading my response, Cashton! Yeah, you're right, I didn't watch GL in the 90s. I watched GL in the summer of 1989 (my first soap, it was so good -- flashes of memories include Philip at a Spaulding board meeting, Roger and Holly, and Josh/Reva/Billy talking about Dylan and how Billy was the father, with Reva saying it was rape); switched over to GH for my summer soap viewing for some reason (I was still an elementary/junior high schooler) for the next few years; watched some other soaps after GH went downhill; was aghast at GL hearing about some Amish thing, human cloning, some model-turned-actor, San Cristobel, and the mob in the late 90s, none of which made me want to watch, before finally watching again January-July 2001 (in college by then) because of Claire Labine; loved Olivia and Tony/Marah/Sam, as well as seeing Robert Fredrico Santos being born, but was disappointed by how the show was so San Cristobel-focused (complete with Cassie being locked in a castle and Beth walking around in skimpy clothing so Paul Rauch could leer at her, ugh) and mob-focused and was bored to death by Noah (much like I am bored by Jeffrey), then got even more bored when Labine left so stopped watching; watched sporadically at times in the next few years (caught some of Marah/Tony, Marah/Jeffrey?, fake Jonathan aka Sandy, some Joey kid, Shayne not wanting a baseball career anymore, the tale end of the Maryanne Carruthers story, a bit when Coop first came on and Company might be bulldozed?, some of the mystery after Philip "died") while being a regular viewer of other soaps; and started watching regularly every day again from mid-2006 on the strength of the amazing in-depth Inside the Light episodes, Buzz and Olivia, Jonathan and Tammy, the bringing back of Billy to the fore, and Reva's breast cancer story.

I was without TV for a few months and moved across the country so missed a bit in the last year, but I am back faithfully watching every day now and am loving it, although I think the four-headwriter rotation is not working.

My favorite head writers whose work I have watched on GL in real-time (not classic video clips) have been Pam Long and David Kreizman. My all-time favorite character is Holly.

[Mitch]

Thanks for the thoughts, though I totally disagree. The fight for control made absolutely no sense and only seeing them act of out love is a bit shallow and boring (at least for me.) The "old," GL had people who were intereseted in love, family, AND business, and it was all tied up and each effected the other ESPECIALLY for the Spauldings and the Lewises. The Spaulding and Lewis fued is big...and to treat it as a little plot point bump on the road to Bill and Lizzies Twu Wuv...(which, once they get there will be broken up in two weeks) is a diservice to both the characters and their families. Bill is both a Lewis and a Chamberlin and his grandfather founded the company. Lizzie is the lone "adult," Spaulding of her generation and should be the "hope," for the Spauldings to start new. Vanessa is friends with Alex, friends/rivals/exfiance with Alan/Billy has a deep seated hatred of both Alex and Alan/ why arent they more invovled? Josh hates Alan himself. The storyline should be about all of that including Bill and Lizzie's romance...we dont get that, we get one of the dumbest kidnappning storylines ever.

Alex, as written before the drug lord stupidity, had an all consuming passion for control of Spaulding also, and before she became a wimp under Wheeler, she bested Alan at the game more often then not. Why isnt she mentoring Lizzie?

[UCLAN]

I like the way you think. If this was GL today, I would cross rivers, swim streams etc just to see it. The best parts of GL were the families, all of them, Bauers, Spauldings, Lewis, Coopers, Reardons, Chamberlins and how their lives intersected and interacted. That's what I loved about GL

[AllAboutAngst]

Here is the promo that aired during The People's Choice Awards, I found it on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NA7r_vOp9k

[jfung79]

Nice promo, although I wish they had shown some of Buzz or Company and said something like "Are you looking for friendship, laughter, community" too instead of just love and adventure. "Life Happens Here" is a great tagline and is also how the show is promoting itself on its Facebook page.

Speaking of Company, that was a great story this week. The possible foreclosure was much much better handled than Carly possibly losing Metro and then Craig offering $200,000 just like that on ATWT. It was relatable and relevant to the current economic crisis and predatory loan officers, but not depressing because they found a way out. It was cute seeing Coop "just being realistic" talking accounts payable, adjustable rates, and balloon payments -- I am so going to miss the show's idealist romantic writer and smart guy. It has taken a long time -- several years -- for the show to find Coop's voice, his niche, and it is so wrong that he is leaving now just when they have.

Beth getting Alan to buy them out on the land and then lease Company to the Coopers was a stroke of story genius, involving the Spauldings and Coopers in an awkward way again just as Phillip is returning to town. It made sense that Buzz would go for it given the situation, and that Frank would be so vocally against it. In years past, Coop would have been against it too, but it also made sense that he wouldn't now, as he knows it is Beth's idea. It also made sense that Alan would go for it as finally putting Beth's needs first after Lillian berated him about that, while also liking it because he would still turn a profit and would still get good PR for Spaulding.

From Friday's episode, the parallel in the Bill/Lizzie story and Remy/Christina story of the parties walking away when they really want to be together was interesting and heartbreaking. And then you had the hopeful twists at the end where actually Lizzie did agree to be there with Bill while the hypnotherapy took place, and actually Remy got Christina to sign something else, not the divorce papers. Meanwhile, Mallet told Marina about the possible cancer instead of walking away from it, with help from a Reva who had learned her lesson. There was a consistent theme tying the stories together this episode.

More, more, more!

[Mitch]

I love your optimisim and your uh, generosity with the writers (and I am not being sarcastic.) The whole Company thing doesnt make too much sense as Buzz bought it with his lottery winnings and then, sold it to Phillip, and then Lizzie gave it back to him. I didnt see the scene so maybe they explained that Buzz took out a equity loan to buy things for the kitchen, etc. I do appreciate they are trying to tie that storyline to a real situation....tying a soapy situation (Beth/Coop, Alan's eventual blackmail) to a real life situation is something all soaps should be doing. I am hoping Wheeler is figuring out that reality means more then watching Reva walk through a field with flies buzzing her head.

I am also appreciating the fact that someone is at least trying to explain Beth's motives and trying to redeem her. Since Rauch Beth has been nothing more then a plot point, going from good girl to bad girl, to vixen, to nut case to good girl, to nut case, etc with no explanation. Rick should be more involved in this story as Beth's friend and we should see that James (Phillip's only son in town) has come to regard Rick as his father figure (which would piss Alan off more and up his desire to keep and control Beth.) The writers also need to show us that Beth/Alan is a continuation for Beth of the Beth/Bradley dynamic, only this time she is marrying her abuser...setting the stage for Phillip to "save," her again. Once again, Rick should be getting more and more airtime leading up to Phillip's return and please soap god, lets retire the Spaulding/Cooper fued..its boring, stupid and never worked. The Lewises should be the ones butting heads with Alan.

[Dan]

I've never really understood why Wheeler doesn't involve Rick more. For a show so "supposedly" entrenched in reality, Michael O'Leary plays an AMAZING "every man." This is IMO at least partly why the new format doesn't work because they refuse to focus on the characters that are actually best suited for this format. The ones that would have worked best have been completely driven away from the soap (Peter Simon, Beth Ehlers, Jerry verDorn, Maureen Garrett) or have been criminally underused (Jordan Clarke and Maeve Kinkead). Instead we have such unrealistic characters as an Australian jewel thief and his hitman brother.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Apparently, the CBS affiliate (WUSA 9) for Washington DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland has DROPPED GL from its schedule. This is a pretty big affiliate.

Looks like this is the beginning of the official end, folks...

[Rakesh]

Where is it going to air then?

[Rocket Man]

Do you have a credible source to back this claim? I checked WUSA 9's site and "Guiding Light" is still on the current schedule, I have a GL fan-friend there that lives in Arlington and this is "new" info to them. It is truly disgusting thnat people post "rumor crap" on sites with no credible source just to get other people upset.

[Rakesh]

Alvin would NEVER make up stuff. Never, he's not that type of person.

[Mitch]

Couldn't agree more and this is what makes me laugh when Bloom, Wheeler and even posters talk about the "reality," of the show, the characters being featured dont "gel," with the format....we see the aforementioend international jewel thief and his hitman brother, who have no business being in this podunk town, no family ties, work nothing. Cyrus is there cause he has pecs and Wheeler seems to like him, period. Then we have the meglamaniac Alan Spaulding (and RR's bombastic one note acting doesnt work in this format) Jeffery, serial rapist who had plastic surgery to look like a prince, worked for some CIA type of operation and now is suddenly Mike Bauer. O'leary, Ehlers, Simon, JVD,Garrett, etc, all would work as "Real," people but Wheeler and TPTB dont seem to want them. Even the usually over the top scenery chewers of all time Zimmer and Deas have brought their levels town to work with the format.

Wheeler is trying to have it both ways while talking a good game about "reality," and "life," but featuring a kidnapping a month,etc. It doesnt work. Rick could be the town doctor who could be the glue holding it all together.

[Dan]

Didn't want to make a new thread for this. But it could generate some discussion here too But eeee! I'm so excited!

I just received a copy of Reverand Ruthledge's sermons from 1938 that I bought on Ebay (they are fairly easy to obtain). It also has biographies on various early characters (Ned Holden, Rose Kransky [first unwed pregnancy on soaps]. Very exciting.

I might try to transribe some things in the near future...