Here's the article thanks to Daytime Royalty: http://i43.tinypic.com/2iayiyq.jpg

Basically it says that Phillip faked his death because he didn't want to tell his family he's gay. Gag me. I'll repost what I posted there...

I'm very upset that Phillip is going to be gay. That ruins future story potential for Nina and Christine, who both had romantic chemistry with Phillip. Hell, Lauralee Bell even said she'd be willing to return thanks to these two actors being back. It would be fresher than just throwing her back with Michael and Paul, two played out relationships. I also feel like he's only gay because the actor is. I think they're afraid to show an openly gay actor as a straight leading man. It would be different if Joshua Morrow or Eric Braeden (just using them as examples) came out because they've already been established as romantic leads. They probably consider it more risky with an actor who hasn't been on the show in 20 years.

Another reason this doesn't work for me is that it will clearly isolate Phillip and limit his full cast integration. Not to mention how poorly the show has developed Rafe and the latest twist with Adam. On paper it sounds good, but the execution is rushed and very plot driven. Will Phillip become a plot point as well? Why not just make Phillip IV gay and see how Phillip III and co handle it? Also doesn't help that Thom is almost 50 and Yani looks like a school boy next to Michael Muhney. Ugh! So much wrong with this. I can't believe Phillip is back for this.

I'm very unhappy with Y&R right now, but I must say, I'm looking forward to the reunion. The only reason is the actors involved (Cast, Walton, Cooper). If these actors weren't playing this story, I'd have no faith at all in it. Phillip and Thom Bierdz always seemed like a great marriage of character and actor, and I'm intrigued at the show bringing in parallels from Bierdz's real life story. But after the reveal and the short-lived fallout, I'm done with the show, and therefore, done with soaps (and mostly likely all scripted TV), period.

Debbi Morgan and Darnell Williams sold the big Jesse "return from the dead" reveal on AMC for at least a little while. They made me look past the plot holes on the strength of their talent. However, Pratt has not capitalized on them at all, and he got no mileage from Jesse's other life. The Rebecca story was a great idea on paper but in reality was a big "Eh." Angie/Jesse have become a huge disappointment for me, and I no longer watch AMC because of what ultimately has been done to their characters. Jesse is the "dumb cop" and Angie is a "Dr. Joe" surrogate.

The awesome result of my shrinking soap viewing? More space in my life to do my own writing.

I have not read every reply yet.

But I posted some of this over at SoapsWEB.

My biggest problem is him abandoning his child. And evidently so far it seems he has been working with Cane. Did Phillip hate his family so much that he would try to push an imposter on them? And what was his motivation with that?

I don't like the whole return from the dead story period. Him being gay does not matter to me. But my fear is that unless they make a clear cut villain somewhere that fans are going to end up being against Phillip from the start unless they make Cane or someone a total villain in this.

Was he blackmailing Phillip over something? Did they implant the memories into Kay's head so that they would have the chance to put the fake Phillip in place? If they didn't how in the hell did they even know to send Cane to Genoa City at the right moment.

Fans of AMC were quick to forgive Jesse for abandoning Frankie and Angie for all those years due to the villainous aspect and danger. Will they be quick to forgive Phillip for abandoning his son for being gay?

And I am anxious to see how fans accept Kay, Jill and Nina who are beloved characters if one of them turns out to be a homophobe and not accepting of Phillip? And I don't think all 3 of them will be. It will be weird if Phillip stayed away all these years, inflicted Cane on them, and they all suddenly say - oh you're gay - well that's fine.

Actors have a say in their SL's all the time, Michele Lee had quite a bit of power at Knots Landing. Jeanne Cooper and Eric Braeden have all KINDS of input to their characters. Jeanne Cooper's facelift was a PERFECT example of an actor doing something that dicatated SL, and it turned into GOLD. It just depends on how much the actor/actress is worth to the show, and if the end justifies the means. In the case of Bierdz.. it DOES. He was, and IS greatly loved, and this is gonna be good for us long time viewers. Shorter term and younger viewers just can't understand it because they don't have the emotional connection to the character. And there was TONS of groundwork laid for a gay SL in Bierdz' original run. As a matter of fact, if he had not left, I'm convinced that's where the character of Phillip would have gone, most viewers at the time felt this, as well. None of the groundwork then was OVERT, but it translates into a gay story like BUTTAH, wer'e just now seeing the Monet from a distance. Bill bell left that groundowrk vague on PURPOSE because it left his options open, that was part of his brilliance. IT could have went to a gay SL, or a clinical depression/attempted suicide SL, any number of things. And thanks for the compliment, Brimike... I feel passionately about this stuff.

But many are saying the exact opposite on other issues. They are saying actors should shut up and act, and one notable soap journalist is saying on Facebook that no actor should have any input on his character. They should leave that to the writer.

I guess in the end it just boils down to what we want them to say. LOL And if we agree wtih them or not.

Sadly, the people who just post the same thing over and over again are the ones TPTB ignore and brush off as "Internet crazies". They're much more willing to listen to a post that says something constructive and criticizes them in a rational way, as opposed to "This sucks" or "You're a hack".

The only "internet crazies" are the people who come up with these ridiculous theories that TPTB decide would be great stories and run with them.

And why is it that everything that is remotely considered "negative" is written by someone crazy? Most of these critical Y&R posts I've read clearly illustrate what's wrong with the show. Should every negative post begin with, "Oh, this was great. Blah, blah, blah, but here's what's wrong..." Message board posters are not in pitch meetings, they're merely voicing an opinion.

And why are TPTB reading message boards anyway? For fan reaction and criticism they obviously don't read? To make fun of their "crazy" fans?

Don't they have anything better to do, like...I don't know...write and produce an efficient show?

The only "internet crazies" are the people who come up with these ridiculous theories that TPTB decide would be great stories and run with them.

And why is it that everything that is remotely considered "negative" is written by someone crazy? Most of these critical Y&R posts I've read clearly illustrate what's wrong with the show. Should every negative post begin with, "Oh, this was great. Blah, blah, blah, but here's what's wrong..." Message board posters are not in pitch meetings, they're merely voicing an opinion.

And why are TPTB reading message boards anyway? For fan reaction and criticism they obviously don't read? To make fun of their "crazy" fans?

Don't they have anything better to do, like...I don't know...write and produce an efficient show?

BAM! Word! Bravo!

Edited June 28, 200916 yr by Y&RWorldTurner

I'd be more open to Phillip IV and Rafe romance with Adam around as the villain. That is a classic triangle, but played by men and no woman in sight, though Heather could be the spoiler re: Adam.

Despite the age difference, which is a non-issue to me, I'm not sure I'd want to see Phillip III with Rafe.

The only "internet crazies" are the people who come up with these ridiculous theories that TPTB decide would be great stories and run with them.

And why is it that everything that is remotely considered "negative" is written by someone crazy? Most of these critical Y&R posts I've read clearly illustrate what's wrong with the show. Should every negative post begin with, "Oh, this was great. Blah, blah, blah, but here's what's wrong..." Message board posters are not in pitch meetings, they're merely voicing an opinion.

And why are TPTB reading message boards anyway? For fan reaction and criticism they obviously don't read? To make fun of their "crazy" fans?

Don't they have anything better to do, like...I don't know...write and produce an efficient show?

Hey, believe me. I'm not saying I agree with it. Just passing on what I've heard from numerous people. I'm the last person to talk about anybody posting on message boards as "crazy". LMAO!

But I do know there has been many a discussion at a few shows regarding what fans say on boards like this. And since that's true, I'd like to see the message passed on to TPTB in a way that MAKES them listen, not makes them roll their eyes. Literally roll their eyes, not the emoticon. You'd be surprised how many people behind the scenes read this stuff and pay attention.

Edited June 28, 200916 yr by brimike

I'd be more open to Phillip IV and Rafe romance with Adam around as the villain. That is a classic triangle, but played by men and no woman in sight, though Heather could be the spoiler re: Adam.

Despite the age difference, which is a non-issue to me, I'm not sure I'd want to see Phillip III with Rafe.

I would!! But I'll admit it's due to the fact that I have a crush on both actors. If Thom Bierdz and Yani Gellman would lock lips on my TV screen... I'd probably walk around with a tent all afternoon!

You'd be surprised how many people behind the scenes read this stuff and pay attention.

Wait so, reading aggressive fan reaction on the boards somehow makes TICC believe they're somehow doing something right, covers up their incompetence in their minds, covers of their lack of storytelling talent, and gives them an added boost of confidence? What a horrible cycle on both parts.

Bill Bell always said he read very little fan mail and press attention. He wrote the show he wanted to write, not the show the fans and critics wanted. Y&R seems like Maria goes to the boards and sees what some fans want and then she and others try to replicate it on screen, especially with these re-writes to cover up re-writes from past regimes. I swear, a lot of what's on the show right now has been posted about theoretically on boards for a few months now before the show decided to tackle it. It also seems like she's trying to please every fanbase in this quad, but doesn't realize the harm its doing. Both Shick and Phick have rabid fanbases, it seems to me that Maria and company are afraid to make one lasting decision, so in an effort to please both rabid fanbases, she prolongs this quad and has Nick bouncing from one woman to the other, week after week.

I'm not saying that fan reaction shouldn't be considered, but don't let it consume you and the obvious lack of confidence that it appears that many have in their talent, and in most cases, that lack of confidence and talent appears to be true.

Y&R lacks a cohesive vision right now on-screen, IMO, I can also assume that it definitely lacks one behind the scenes too.

Anyway, they might make fun of fans online, but money speaks. Y&R has been tying record low ratings for the past THREE weeks, and this past week, it tied its low the coveted 18-49 demo. Yes, daytime ratings are down, and online screening is up, and daytime has been threading downward for a while now. But spending three weeks at your record low in households and HITTING record lows in viewers and demos isn't exactly a good sign, especially when it comes to things like ad revenue, which which is far more than anything they'll get from streaming online, it also tells me that there might be a good amount of general fan dissatisfaction out there, separate from the fans online.

Edited June 28, 200916 yr by Y&RWorldTurner

Bill Bell always said he read very little fan mail and press attention. He wrote the show he wanted to write, not the show the fans and critics wanted. Y&R seems like Maria goes to the boards and sees what some fans want and then she and others try to replicate it on screen, especially with these re-writes to cover up re-writes from past regimes. I swear, a lot of what's on the show right now has been posted about theoretically on boards for a few months now before the show decided to tackle it. It also seems like she's trying to please every fanbase in this quad, but doesn't realize the harm its doing. Both Shick and Phick have rabid fanbases, it seems to me that Maria and company are afraid to make one lasting decision, so in an effort to please both rabid fanbases, she prolongs this quad and has Nick bouncing from one woman to the other, week after week.

I agree with you in theory, Alvin - but Bill Bell had a 7.0 rating. He didn't HAVE to pay attention to it.

ALL the shows now are scrambling. They're looking EVERYWHERE they can to try and SURVIVE. And yes, that means fan mail and the internet. They all know they're going to be gone in a few years, so they're paying attention to this stuff more than they ever have.

I'm not saying the show's NOT suffering for it. I think all the soaps are. Just saying that head writer and EP's ARE paying attention. Well, except Chris Goutman. But we see where that's getting him. The same place it's getting everybody else.

Depressing? Yes. Cynical? Yes. True? Yes.

Edited June 28, 200916 yr by brimike

I don't know why I keep hoping for better, I just hold out hope that this genre can survive and thrive, but I guess I just have to let it ago. I don't want to accept mediocrity, so I guess occasional viewing of the daytime soaps is all the viewing I can take anymore.

I agree with you in theory, Alvin - but Bill Bell had a 7.0 rating. He didn't HAVE to pay attention to it.

ALL the shows now are scrambling. They're looking EVERYWHERE they can to try and SURVIVE. And yes, that means fan mail and the internet. They all know they're going to be gone in a few years, so they're paying attention to this stuff more than they ever have.

But THIS is the problem, brimike. This mindset of "We'll be gone in a five years."

That's not a survivalist attitude. That's very much a defeatist's attitude and it pisses me the hell off. If these people don't want to save their jobs or save this industry they claim they're so passionate about, then why not tell the network they don't want any part of it, instead of wasting their time and the viewers loyalty and passion by continuing this a second longer?

They need people behind the scenes that will write and produce each and every episode like they've got an eternity to produce it.

They need to embrace their fans, the positive cheerleaders and the Gene Siskels, instead of deeming them crazy or psycho.

Yes, they do need to look at things realistically, but they don't need to live and work, thinking about the dark cloud looming over their head.

I'm not saying the show's NOT suffering for it. I think all the soaps are. Just saying that head writer and EP's ARE paying attention. Well, except Chris Goutman. But we see where that's getting him. The same place it's getting everybody else.

All I can say is that they are paying attention to the wrong things. Anyone can look at these record lows and see that.

Phillip III should have stayed dead, it would have saved us a ridiculous return from the dead nonsense and this new ridiculous tale about abandoning his loved ones simply because of his sexuality.

Maria could have easily un-do Cane as the real Phillip III without bringing Bierdz back. In an attempt to fix a re-write, Maria used another re-write that crapped on as much history and takes the audience for fools as the initial re-write. When will this nonsense ever end? Sigh. daytime is f.ucked.

In an attempt to fix most of Latham/Smith's mistakes, she's made things just as bad as they ever were. Jill not being Katherine's daughter had almost no fallout, and the only thing we see is a bitter Jill (that's played for comedic relief these days) hurling insults at Katherine whenever they're on together. Mac and Billy have been a bust, and this quad is turning many off and has ruined everyone involved.

And yes, actors should never dictate storyline, I would have thought Queen MAB knew better than that, but at this point nothing surprises me.

Yeah, this show needs new management, badly.

This is the main reason I'm concerned. Stories are rewritten just to rewrite them, not for any followthrough. People said that Jill being Katherine's daughter killed their storylines, gave them nothing to do, this was a great way to make them important again. They have not had any real followup on that story since then. If not for this story with Phillip's return, Jill would exist only for us to laugh at her stupidity, cringe at her shrillness, and enjoy seeing her file nails.

And now I'm worried this is going to turn into Jill was such a lousy mother that poor poor Phillip had to fake his own death.

That he would do this to his child is what bothers me the most. He knows what it's like to grow up without a father. He was very badly damaged by that. Why would he want to inflict the same pain on his own son?

This is the part of the story which I think is the biggest red flag, and I don't understand why they couldn't have just said he was in trouble and had to fake his death to protect everyone.

I don't know why I keep hoping for better, I just hold out hope that this genre can survive and thrive, but I guess I just have to let it ago. I don't want to accept mediocrity, so I guess occasional viewing of the daytime soaps is all the viewing I can take anymore.

But, other than spots of greatness, do you really feel this genre was ever more than mediocre? Really? I'm sincerely interested. I'm not talking about your "Camelots", like Curlee's era at GL or Marland's at ATWT. Do you feel the genre and most shows were ever truly great?

But, other than spots of greatness, do you really feel this genre was ever more than mediocre? Really? I'm sincerely interested. I'm not talking about your "Camelots", like Curlee's era at GL or Marland's at ATWT. Do you feel the genre and most shows were ever truly great?

Y&R was truly great a few months ago for me.

I also thought that OLTL was truly great last year, before 1968, the Starr Manning Show and Mendora.

A lot of soaps have been truely great over the years, but Marland's ATWT was my dream soap