OLTL Ups the Dramatic Stakes, But Do They Dare Fire Slezak?

[David_Vickers]

ONE LIFE has been the most the best soap in soap history imho. It's lows have not been as nearly as bad the lows of AMC, GH, GL, ATWT, PASSIONS, EDGE OF NIGHT, SANTA BARBARA or AW.

Kristen Alderson(Starr) is a very good actress, she should be nominated for an Emmy and has a great chance of winning. Eddie Alderson(Matthew) is also good and has been in a few motion pictures, including the Oscar nominated CHANGELING. Austin Williams(Shane) is also good, as is Farah Fath(Gigi) who has improved greatly since her time on DAYS. Crystal Hunt is doing a good job as Stacy, but I agree that she should've been introduced much slower. I think that Crystal Meth comment is pretty rude and nasty. Hunt's a beautiful girl and definitely NOT a meth addict.

ONE LIFE, or should I say ABC, should NOT fire Erika Slezak. Slezak and Viki ARE ONE LIFE TO LIVE. ONE LIFE needs to get Viki and Brian Kerwin's Charlie back in front-burner status pronto. I don't get why they don't. Other vets like Robin Strasser(Dorian), Jerry ver Dorn(Clint), Bob Woods(Bo), Kassie DePaiva(Blair) and Ilene Kristen(Roxy) have all been on front burner, or at lest getting decent airtime. I can't believe that Ron Carlivati and Frank Valentini are doing this on their own accord, it's more than likely it's the "evil" Brian Frons who's doing this (if this is truly being done). Hopefully ABC/Frons/ONE LIFE will issue a definitive "NO" to the rumblings on the web of Slezak's possible firing.

[Dan]

I'm not sure which is worse: watching Hunt strut around trying to be sexy or watching her pull the heads off of dolls.

[rhinohide]

It's official! I really hate newbies. I actually hate returnees, because for me they're just a different variety of newbie if they've been gone longer than five or six years. Jared gets a pass from me because he was introduced for a purpose to create story for characters who were already on the canvas that I care about. THE BUCHANANS! And Dorian. And David! He also brought Charlie, so that's another pass. Schuyler almost gets a pass for the same reason. I really expected him to be more involved in the baby switch drama since his mother was a key component. I honestly hope I'm wrong and that he's not going to be pulled too deeply into the Rex/Gigi/Stacy vortex that seems to be sucking up every story that isn't directly about the teens (and a bit of that too, now that Cole is responsible for the accident that reveals

). But I don't think I'm wrong. Stacy is a totally unnecessary character IMO. Rex and Gigi will have enough material with whatever they're going to do with Rex's paternity and the drama surrounding

. Why do they need an interloper to boot! I think the best story they could have right now is for Shane to die. They're too young to be saddled with a preteen anyway and I think it's limiting storywise for such a young couple who is supposed to be so sexy to be parents. As it is I am dreading the dramatic material that is sure to be coming for JPL and FF. JMO. Furthermore, the spoilers that Stacy is

should be Gigi's story anyway. I think it might be fun to see Roxy and Gigi interact more, and although Ilene can hit the dramatic beats out of the park, FF is more suited to lighter fare, and given the opportunity to interact with Ilene could play to her strengths.

The teens are another dillution, for lack of a better term. I swear every day there is a new teen on the show. Lola and Asher and Justin and Destiny and Becca. And it's going to get worse! I really liked Langston when she was one of four or five teens on the show and she was involved with Dorian and she was Starr's BFF. The teens have their place in these stories. But am I really supposed to care that Lola ambush kissed Markko?

Whatever this strategy is that involves new characters (or returnees) being introduced as the center of the show is crazy. The very nature of soaps is we as viewers develop relationships with particular characters like Viki and Dorian and Jessica and Blair, to name a few, over years and we spend every day with those characters and can't wait to see what happens in their lives. New characters should create story for the characters we already have those relationships with, not take center stage. You can't make the audience care about these characters overnight. It takes time. And I don't care how good (or bad) they are at their craft.

There are too many disjointed stories that are focused on the wrong characters IMO.

[DRW50]

Apparently Rex and Stacey were mentioned on the Colbert Report. OLTL has so much talent, and viewers who don't know the show are going to be introduced through that.

[rhinohide]

If this is a joke, I'm embarrassed to admit I don't get it. If you're serious? Gawd help us.

[DRW50]

I'm serious. I didn't see it, but someone told me they were mentioned or shown on the Colbert Report tonight.

[Vee]

Dear range is "done" with OLTL only as long as it helps his views count. I don't care for Stacy or John but I found the accident drama excellent today. I'm just disappointed another person insists on perpetuating the ES rumor crap.

[Darn]

Oy, ONTD is the new Passions, only mentioned in non-soap media outlets because it's ridiculous.

[Scotty]

*If* that is true, then it's really, really sad. It's worse then Marty "The Incredible Hulk" Saybrooke today.

OLTL has so many wonderful actors that hardly get featured anymore.

[Scotty]

No offense..... but you never have anything positive to say about OLTL.

[SteveFrame]

Vee I thought the accident was riveting too.

My daughter who loves AMC but has never watched OLTL much has started watching it now. She has always been a Days fan and turns the TV after AMC to watch Days which airs opposite OLTL here.

But the other day she forgot to change the channel for some reason and saw the episode with Blair about to be stabbed. And now she has given up Days to watch OLTL. She loves all of the show. I have not heard her complain about one thing yet.

She has been frustrated with Days for quite awhile and says she doesn't miss it at all.

[jinx_avery]

Yes, lets go back to the 70s and 80s when they never did stories like teenage drug addict Cathy Craig or Brian Kendall being mowed down by Karen and Talbot's hit and run or Danny Wolek's twin sister dying or Megan Craig Riley's heart condition and subsequent car accident death.

[DRW50]

Cathy Craig's drug addiction involved trips to real-life drug treatment centers. Danny's twin sister dying involved counseling sessions with a real life therapist (Dr. Joyce Brothers).

The current stories seem to be all shock, no followthrough, no exploration. Cole's addiction was all camp, and after the mess they made of dealing with what Todd did to Marty, I think they've practically forfeited the right to deal with any social issue storylines. A casual viewer would believe Marty was a nut and Todd was the one who was being mistreated.

[jinx_avery]

I wasn't commenting on the quality of the current stories, but, rather, the Professor's assertion that children in jeopardy is a recent development which shouldn't be done at all. She'll invoke Agnes Nixon as some sacred cow, all the while ignoring some of her defining moments in soap history like Laura Cudahy being run over by a drunk driver or Tad and Ray in the park or little Dottie Thorton killing her father. Those stories didn't send young mothers fleeing from their television sets, but when a Guza or Carlvati or Frons does basically the same plot, Connie siezes the opportunity to wantonly grind her axe, as if it had never been done before. Her cries to "Think of the Children!" and "Men with Guns!" always ring false to me.

[Ann_SS]

Excluding the Marty/Todd horror, OLTL's current stories are standard soap fare. The problem is the execution and the poor performances. The problem with the teen drug addiction story is that actor who plays Cole is terrible. The actor plays Marko is better so the story should have been given to him. The teacher crush story would been better with the actress who plays Langston is much better than Kirsten Alderson. IMO, OLTL doesn't need a lot of work to improve. All RC has to do is recognize the limitations of his actors and tailor the stories to their strengths with less airtime for the worse of the lot.