AMC: The Moving/Not Moving Thread

[EricMontreal22]

Sorry, you are delusional With all respect--I REALLY don't want the show to leave New York but... The writing was on the wall. Frons or whoever obviously convinced the network this was happening and, honestly I don't think Canary and Lucci coulda stopped it. They have loyalty to the show, obviously even with some weak writing still love their jobs--and the lesser paid or famous actors obviously also want a STEADY acting job. To think they shoulda stood out against this--especially in the current work environment is INSANE--these are working actors and actors are, frankly, used to moving around to find work.

[EricMontreal22]

his column is getting worse and worse. I know AMC has not been its best lately but hsi blind HATRED for it (and his huge love for Y&R which I don't think ahs been brillian tthe past two months) drives me crazy.

that said I agree. I loved AM back in the day, and Kendall and even Zach but they have been SOO played out on the show for me that I'm finew ith them leaving the show at least for a coupel of years

[EricMontreal22]

I just hope we get a good 40th annviersary and it's not forgotten in the movie

At least that blurb makes me think James Mitchell isn't as sick as I was worried he was? At any rate I still hope he gets a proper sendoff\

And I agree with those who say NBranco saying Ray M made close to a million a year is complete BS.

[Juliajms]

When a recast Kendall comes back to town, I hope she comes alone.

[Juliajms]

Or maybe it would have been canceled. I don't think they are going through all this just for the hell of it. It's obvious there are huge budget problems that must be addressed.

[EricMontreal22]

Me too. Maybe with Franco slumming Sarah Michelle Geller (who, let's face it, has had a pretty crap choice in what roles she takes post Buffy) will return

Branco calls AMC the worse show on TV. Now i knwo th eman has an adolescent delight in speaking in exagerations but as a long term AMC fan it's not even the worse AMC has been (Passanante's solo term, and Rayfield, and some of McTRavish's last era--not to mention th eeternal boredom of Brown/Esensten were less watchable) and keepign an eye on all the soaps it's also far from the worse currently on air. I'mn not saying it deserves praise--it needs a lot of changes, but the way he bullies it is just ridiculous. Now he's boycotting the show and not covering it (on a MAJOR site like TVguide.ca no less) because ABC is keeping it and cancelling OLTL? I love OLTL, I'm a fan, but such pettiness is beyond stupid--and pointless! It'll do no good and just comes off as childish. And he claims to be a journalist? Oh please--even if you HATE the show to complain about a job where you have to watch AMC for 40 mins a day as being too much is insane. And the ultimate joke is NOTHING official has been said about OLTL and won't be said for MONTHS to come. Talk about jumping the gun.

Branco has NEVER been an AMC fan--it's obvious even in its glory days it was never one of his shows. Fair enough--but the only reason he calsl it the worse show on TV is because he's so desperate to get it canceled over OLTL

This does make me sad though: "Ouch: Recurring actor Daniel Kennedy found out he wasn’t welcomed in L.A. by reading ABC’s press release! "

I wish they'd realize what AMC needs MORE of is smaller but important characters like Pete, Opal, etc that give the show a sense fo comedy and community like it once had.

[Ann_SS]

Exactly. Without the LA move AMC could be gone in a year or two. The bigger stars not agreeing to make the move was not a realistic option.

[marceline]

The irony is that I think AMC will still end up losing most of its big stars but now they'll lose them gradually. I'm not saying that's necessarily a bad thing either. Actually the fact that they've lost Kaye and Minshew shows just how much of a good thing it could be. This could be the reset that the show desperately needs.

[Ann_SS]

I completely agree. ABC is so convinced that their soaps have to revolve around these popular actors/characters. Yet Days was able to move on from John and Marlena. AMC should take the opportunity to do the same. Pratt can tell fresh more balanced stories giving more characters airtime. OLTL and GH would also benefit from losing it biggest stars. OLTL without Todd and John and GH without Sonny, Jason and Carly would be joys. The audience would still watch as along as the stories were solidly told. I suspect that CBS/Sony/Bells are about to learn this lesson when Eric Braeden is gone for awhile.

[R Sinclair]

I've been saying that for the longest. The whole concept that was introduced 2 months ago when the relocation was announced that the show would DIE without this actor or that character is nonsense. What's the difference between a poorly written show with these actors front and center 5 days a week while taping on the east coast... and a poorly written show without those actors? Nothing. It's still a poorly written show no matter where it's taped or who is acting on it.

If the show tells entertaining (not even "good") stories, then the audience will remain. The only reason I tuned out of AMC for almost a solid year was because B&E made the show so dull that I wasn't even entertained. I simply didn't care. The upside to Pratt is that I care. Do I enjoy the particular stories and treatment of characters? Nah. But do I have some kind of investment where I tune in and get myself riled up and want to post as soon as I see the nonsense? Yes!

[SFK]

I agree with marceline, that's just what I was thinkling... they're moving or commuting now, but now doesn't mean forever, doesn't even mean six months from now. For some reason it's Canary and Morgan who I wonder about in particular, moreso than Lucci even. I've also wondered if TPTB have made addendums to the contracts of those who will be continuing with the show. I know that they were all *generously* offered the choice to move or not, but I don't know what kind of legalese is in those contracts that could potentially help or hurt their decision to leave the show based on this cross-country trek, I mean doesn't this move qualify as a breach of the original contract or does ABC have its ass totally covered? Is it crazy to think that some of the actors have had their lawyers and representation approach ABC about adding things to their contracts protecting their clients in the event that the move doesn't agree with them and they want to get out of their contracts early?

[R Sinclair]

I'm inclined to remember the case of Genie Francis. She was under contract with ABC, living in New York, doing the character of Ceara on AMC, which she enjoyed doing because of the whole incest survivor storyline she was given with that character and doing theater on Broadway at night. ABC basically said "You're worth more money to us as Laura Spencer than as Ceara Connor," and fired her from All My Children and was "forced" to move back to Los Angeles to do GH. She didn't want that, but she was under contract and basically had no choice unless she wanted to contest it. So, what I'm able to gather is that no matter what show the actors are performing on, it's by ABC that they're employed -- not the actual show. Writer Michelle Patrick's In The Zone interview revealed that Brian Frons called her up to say, essentially, he's taking her off GH's writing staff and moving her over to AMC's. Yes, I know, being a writer is different than being an actor for an ABC soap since writers don't have to move to the area the show is taped, but the ideology is the same. The network has the right to say "You work for us, and we want want your services over here, now, instead of over there. Now, if you choose not to go, we'll happily buy you out and replace you. But if you choose to go, you're more than welcome!"

With my ignorance of the legalese of these contracts completely accepted, I don't know whether or not there could be an argument based on the fact that these actors who are east coast based signed on to the show with the idea that the show would continue to be east coast based... and that if they knew there were a possibility at any time they could be required to go to another locale, they probably wouldn't have signed. But I'm prone to think that ABC has their asses covered, because they've dealt with actors, such as Ty Treadway, who commuted from LA to NYC to be Colin/Troy on OLTL every week. And even 25 years ago when Dorothy Lyman was taping her scenes as Opal in New York and flying out mid-week to Television City to tape Mama's Family on NBC. I'm sure the legal department at ABC made sure they were covered and had the upper hand before they made the final decision to relocate the AMC production.

[SFK]

Gotcha, makes sense, thanks for your response. Yes, GF was really upset about the Ceara/Laura thing, sure they made her a star, but damn if they haven't been putting girl through it for almost 30 years now.

I know that business and business, but I really hope that the actors' best interests are seriously being taken to heart here. In other words, please don't invite me to move and fire me three months from now. HEATED! It looks like they're trying their best to take care of all that now (

), but from experience, the last thing you want to work around is a group of cranky actors who feel like they're being yanked around and taken advantage of. The whole "You should be happy just to have a job" thing will only take you but so far.

[EricMontreal22]

Debbi Morgan has spent enarly all ehr time while not on AMC or Loving/City based in LA (and not just during her brief Port Charles stay) so I'm not concerned about her. Canary I am a bit more--wasn't the gossip in the Spring he wanted to work less? Still, with less and less soap work in NYC, and actors prone to moving around for their work anyway, I'm not too worried about people moving to LA and suddenly deciding they can't leave NYC (tho I sure know I'd rather live in NYC...)

[Y&RWorldTurner]

According to what Debbi said on the Wendy Williams Show, she and her new husband are based in Maryland and she commutes each week via train from Maryland to New York...

I guess she could be moving back to LA though...