OLTL: Erika Slezak

[KLN]

I don't think anyone ever argued that Days wouldn't survive without Deidre. Of course it will -- how long is the question.

But OLTL would also live on without Slezak. Like a Marlena-less Days, it would be vastly different and missing its "star," but it would survive -- at least for a while. Same goes for Braeden on Y&R. Every one of these shows would survive (at least for a while) without their big stars.

All I'm saying is that I disagree with the argument that the loss of Slezak would somehow be a bigger blow for its show and daytime in general than the loss of Deidre Hall, because that's just silly to me. While many people might not have cared for character of Marlena in recent years or Deidre's hammy acting, there's no denying that she had many fans. Her firing got lots of mainstream attention -- certainly more mainstream attention than the loss of Erika Slezak would garner. Outside of daytime, most people don't even know who Viki is. She might be just as beloved to her show's fans as Marlena was for Days fans, but when it comes to comparing who was the bigger "star" or whose firing would be the bigger loss, I really don't think there's much of an argument there -- because Deidre wins, hands down. Deidre is a mainstream iconic face of daytime, even if the show hasn't written her as such in the last 5+ years. That doesn't mean she's better than Slezak -- but she is the bigger star, so obviously her loss has packed a bigger punch than the loss of Slezak ever would. JMO.

[Toups]

I'm with Drew and Kenny. Slezak is definitely not a bigger name than Hall.

As for DAYS, if Hope was possessed or the serial killer, it wouldn't have been as big of a story. Jim Reilly was smart to know who to choose for those stories - the biggest star of the show.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

DAYS also jumped to #2 during the summer of 93 with the Buried Alive storyline, which had nothing to do with Marlena though. Though after Possession, they held a tight grip at #2, I still believe those stories would've been as big with or without Marlena.

Lots of people who didn't watch a soap a day in their life, especially young people, were tuning into DAYS then, I don't think Marlena/Deidre Hall had that much of an effect on them prior.

[Darn]

Some people seem to stuck on the level of fame of the performer versus what their character means to the show. This is not just about who Joe Blow can pick up from a lineup because frankly they don't matter, they weren't watching the show anyway.

[KLN]

I get that.

But for anyone to suggest that Viki means more to OLTL fans than Marlena means to Days fans is just ridiculous, IMO. Matters of opinion are always subjective anyway. We can argue about which is the "bigger star" based on who's had the most mainstream attention (obviously Deidre) but when it comes to discussing which character is worth more to the fans of their respective shows -- well, it's kind of pointless.

As for me, I say that the character of Marlena means just as much to Days fans as the character of Viki means to OLTL fans. The characters are equally important to their respective shows. I considered Marlena to be the face of Days just as I consider Viki to be the face of OLTL. Bo and Hope may have been the more iconic couple, but that doesn't make them the face of the show -- no more than Greg and Jenny are the face of AMC or Sharon and Nick are the face of Y&R. I'm thinking more singularly. For the loss of a sole character, Marlena's departure has been just as important to Days as Viki's departure would be to OLTL, and I disagree with anyone who says that the loss of Viki would be greater. But then again, opinions are like assholes, eh? We all have one.

[Darn]

I never said this, I'm not sure where you're getting it but I'll play. I never mentioned fans, I've only talked about the show and each character's importance to it.

Let's be honest, OLTL has orbited around Victoria Lord for 40 years now. She is the central characters regardless of who has the current spotlight. I don't believe that's ever been the case for Marlena. I'm not saying she wasn't an extremely prominent hugely popular divine superb etc., etc. character (I'm trying to not offend your love for the character, which is obviously immense). However Viki has never been away from OLTL for significant stretch of time, she's been front and center for decades, Marlena on the other hand has been gone for years at a time and the show existed years before her creation. OLTL IS Viki's show. You write out Viki and the whole landscape changes and it may as well be a different show entirely.

[KLN]

No, but there were these quotes further back in the thread, from you and others.

"Sorry but Deidre Hall is not Susan Lucci or Erika Slezak. SL and ES define their shows in a way no other daytime star does"

"IA with Darn that she doesnt compare to Erika or Susan"

"She may be the face of Days but frankly I don't think her character was nearly as strong as those two."

You're entitled to feel that way, but I disagree. Those comments seem to imply that Deidre/Marlena is somehow less important, less iconic to her show. No, those weren't your exact words, but that's certainly the implication I got from it... and I disagree. Most Days fans in general would probably disagree as well. But you're certainly entitled to your opinion.

Well, I disagree that OLTL is Viki's show. She's an important, central character... yes, but it's not "her show," LoL. That's like saying Days is Kate's show just because she's central to all her litter that have come and gone over the years and sucked up more airtime than all the Hortons put together. Just because a character is central and important doesn't mean it's "their" show or that it wouldn't survive without them. All shows go through different eras. The landscape for OLTL has already changed many times, even with the character of Viki steadily planted. Of course the landscape would change if Viki were written out, but I don't think the loss of that character would be any more traumatic for OLTL than the loss of Deidre Hall was at Days. Viki's children and friends would continue to live on without her. It's not like they would all cease to exist just because she suddenly went bye-bye. The show would have a pretty big void, yes. Would it be a HUGE loss? Absolutely. But it wouldn't be anymore of a deathblow to OLTL than Hall's exit was to Days. Again, that's JMO.

[Vee]

Please let me know when we get through with measuring Deidre Hall's dick. The fact is Marlena came on years into DOOL's run. Viki and her family have been the touchstone from the beginning. You take her out without it being ES' choice, it all goes.

It's irrelevant though, because this rumor is complete trash.

[KLN]

Doesn't matter. If a character is beloved and important to the canvas, then that's that. Victor Newman wasn't an original character on Y&R -- does that mean he's any less important to that show today than Slezak is to OLTL? Of course not. Meanwhile, I'm no more measuring Deidre's dick than others are measuring Slezak's, so keep that in mind.

Oh, and just as a clarification, my talk above about how Deidre Hall is more "famous" than Erika Slezak was in direct response to YurSoakinginit's reply to Drew in which she said "You have got to be kidding" re: Slezak not being as big a name as Hall/Lucci/Braeden.

Carry on!

[You're Soaking in it]

I don't care about which genre of the press covers what. I was part of it... and which face sells how many covers is a really shallow argument in terms of who really has cache.

I can say with great certainty that not Lucci, Newman, nor Hall would agree with the suggestion that they were more valuable to the medium than Slezak.

Slezak may not be Daytime's Angelina Jolie, but she is certainly its Meryl Streep. No soap performer has been more recognized by peers than she.

I guess I take this sudden backlash on here toward her as being a bit snide, and maybe even a little school-yard. I haven't said anything negative about any other soap star in this discussion. But if I had, I would ask, if you were to hold it against anyone, that you go ahead and hold it against me and not any given actor. The actors aren't exactly here arguing about one another.

[You're Soaking in it]

Great! Then why question anything about Slezak or negate her importance in any way. Because so and so said this about Diedre Hall? Okay, but Slezak isn't so and so. So and so is a fan.

Heh. Do I sound girly to you, Kenny? Well I can say with complete confidence that I have a longer measurement than Lucci / Hall / Slezak combined.

[Vee]

Yes, Dee Hall is a much bigger and more readily recognized daytime name than Erika Slezak. I recognize that. Marlena was a lynchpin throughout many of DAYS' most legendary and notorious storylines. OLTL is by comparison a "black sheep" soap and while ES is held in very high regard within the daytime industry, more people outside soaps would know "Marlena who got possessed by the Devil" than Viki on OLTL. That said, none of that has a single thing to do with this topic.

Hall's outside public visibility does not change the fact that while I think DAYS can get along without her (though it should not have chosen to do so when it did), I do not believe OLTL can get along without Erika Slezak. Her character is far more core and essential than Marlena, who has come and gone before and has not been with the show since the beginning. DAYS was built on Salem and the Hortons; OLTL was built on Viki and the Lords. I understand how important Marlena is or was to many DAYS fans, but she has come and gone before and the show has prospered (though it won't now). OLTL cannot without Viki or her family, and Slezak's presence until she chooses to divest the show of it. And in any event, Erika Slezak is not going anywhere.

[KLN]

When did I negate her importance? I never once said that she wasn't endlessly valuable to OLTL or daytime in general, did I? Call me crazy though, but it seems others may have been trying to do just that with Deidre. They're entitled though. I simply disagree, and I'm entitled to that as well.

[You're Soaking in it]

Kenny, you were referring to the postings of other people in this discussion. So was I.

Discussion can be friendly.

[KLN]

Why not? Drew made a statement above about Slezak not being as big a "name" as Lucci, Hall and Braeden. Another poster responded in disagreement. My post(s) about "who's more famous" were simply in response to that. It was being discussed. Do you think I just randomly start talking about anything and everything in various threads for no reason? LoL I have every right and reason to respond to whatever I feel necessary, whether you deem it digressive or not.