This quote from queen Maria herself in Branco's latest column:

"In an exclusive interview, Y&R’s head writer Maria Arena Bell told Soapgeist that her co-head writer Scott Hamner was misquoted in Soap Opera Digest when he recently told the magazine that the soap never had any plans on telling a gay storyline. “He was solely talking about the Adam and Rafe story — not Phillip or Rafe’s personal journeys,” she asserts. “We’re totally committed to telling gay stories on our show.” Look for more of Maria’s thoughts this Wednesday"

NOW... I TOLD YOU this was some of the typical SOW BULLSHIT, and I was RIGHT. Now, for everyone who poo-pooed me, while I was one of the lone voices of reason when that article came out... I will be accepting apologies and grovelling between 3 and 6 PM tomorrow, Eastern daylight time. Please bring some extra virgin olive oil to anoint my feet with. If you don't mind.

Edited August 31, 200916 yr by alphanguy74

Mark, this was the same woman that told Nelson and the magazines in May that the summer would be filled with romance, characters that hadn't been used in forever, more balance, and more fun. Was it honestly any of those things? I don't think so...

This woman lies and then uses sh!t like "Bill Bell is watching over my shoulders" to try and calm her audience down. Also remember her claims that the outlandishness of the LML era would be gone? I honestly think the show has gotten more outlandish.

Well.. as far as THAT comment goes, Alvin, I honestly think she felt that LANE and their lame ass crap was the "filled with romance" part (NOT)... and the actor not used in forever was Doug Davidson. But I don't know what to think at this point. This is WORSE than when they fired Dickson, I'm so mad I could just spit. I would really like to get to the bottom of this, I'd like to know who is responsible and why. If it DID come from above in CBS, If I were Maria, I would tell them... "Ok... if your'e gonna make me break promises I made to the viewers, then I'm gonna go public and name you and say it was on YOUR orders. I'm not sure if that's what Bill Bell would have done, but that's what I would have done. Or she could just be a two-faced bitch..... who the hell knows. But here's what's troubling, People who claim to love this show are pissing their panties in delight that I was wrong, and the show truly is the [!@#$%^&*] they claim it to be. Well congratulations..... you WIN. What exactly did you win?

I suppose not. God forbid I'd believe such a direct statement as "We are totally committed to telling gay stories". Now kiss my ass.

No thanks.

I prefer my cornbread homemade or courtesy of Jiffy.

I really get the feeling that something derailed. Why would she outright say "we will have gay stories" and then have none? It makes no sense.

She may not have had it planned out, but she must have had some idea where it was headed...or which individuals she'd chemistry test.

So, since that didn't happen, I'm guessing that something intervened. And I'm guessing it could also be a multi-causal thing: (1) Numbers started trending down, and they got scared; (2) Viewers HATED both the Adam thing and the P3 'I faked my death to hide my gayness--even though my mother and grandmother are tolerant gay divas'--so they got scared; (3) Thom did have acting limitations (that he himself has publically apologized for), and so they changed their minds about hanging a story on his back; and (4) CBS is definitely getting more gay-skittish...Nuke is pretty much chaste, Otalia was not allowed to kiss. Otalia was apparently a NETWORK (not P&G or EW thing).

How do we know that to her, these weren't gay stories? It seemed to me that this was all they ever had in mind. I know Branco said there was supposed to be some hot kiss or sexual content between Rafe and Adam, but even when the photos of that clinch were released, all we saw in the photo was the two of them sort of staring at each other.

The entire Phillip storyline basically played out BEFORE they knew viewer reaction. Every single major beat was rushed through in less than a month. His return, the reaction of his family, his explanation for faking his death, their reaction to his homosexuality. From the start of that story there was NO drama whatsoever stemming from his homosexuality. Nina, Jill, Katherine all said, "We're fine with you being gay." Even the drama of Katherine not accepting that he would hurt his family this way ended quickly.

So we were left with his small role in the Chance story, which barely involved his homosexuality. That was about it. There was never any indication that Phillip would get a love life, that they were going to put him with Rafe. Rafe had nothing to do with the Chancellors, he had like one scene with Billy and then he moved on to being Colleen's BFF.

The same happened with Adam. His fling with Rafe was VERY brief, and we had absolutely no development between them. Suddenly, Rafe was so desperate for Adam that he let Adam seduce him -- offcamera. A few offcamera trysts followed, before we got like less than two weeks of people finding out, Victor finding out, everyone who knew about it accepting it, and then Heather finding out and blowing him off, never to interact with him again. Rafe had it out with him and never went near him again.

Where was there any space in the story for anything which could be dropped? Otalia -- they kissed, they talked about wanting each other. That was dropped. Nuke -- they kissed, they talked about wanting each other. That was dropped, and stalled.

The gay stories, or non-stories, on Y&R, I think they were very self-contained and deliberately designed to be nothing more than shock value. I haven't really seen any indication that they were forced to change course, or to drop the storyline. Even now, they are bringing it up again with Adam and Sharon.

They wanted all the attention of a gay story without actually telling one. And they got it.

And why are you getting so upset anyway alphanguy? You would have said or done the same thing IF Maria has pledged her promise to donate a gay story to the rainbow community. You would have bumped up this thread and told us how we were all wrong, etc.

You can dish it, but you can't take it.

Edited October 20, 200916 yr by bellcurve

The gay stories, or non-stories, on Y&R, I think they were very self-contained and deliberately designed to be nothing more than shock value. I haven't really seen any indication that they were forced to change course, or to drop the storyline. Even now, they are bringing it up again with Adam and Sharon.

Maria did tell Nelson last month that everything on the show was "by design." So, I guess she finally told the truth about something...

Or she could just be a two-faced bitch..... who the hell knows. But here's what's troubling, People who claim to love this show are pissing their panties in delight that I was wrong, and the show truly is the [!@#$%^&*] they claim it to be. Well congratulations..... you WIN. What exactly did you win?

Exactly! I don't see a winner here.

Okay, so the defenders of MAB are being worn down...having a harder and harder time finding hope in her regime.

If the LML example maintains, soon there will be bigger viewer defections, and we'll start hitting average 2.9 HH ratings.

How is this a good thing? I really don't see it.

It's not like this collective recognition that the show is in the sh!tter is coing to CHANGE anything. It's not. And even if it does, the recent history of daytime shows there is no way to SUBSTANTIALLY change ratings momentum.

So what's the point? Even if MAB is now universally reviled, how will this lead to any kind of good? Maybe the next HW will be Brad Bell or Lauralee Bell or Charity Rahmer. How is that any better?

And why are you getting so upset anyway alphanguy? You would have said or done the same thing IF Maria has pledged her promise to donate a gay story to the rainbow community. You would have bumped up this thread and told us how we were all wrong, etc.

You can dish it, but you can't take it.

Valid point, and the "anointing" his feet comment was all about that.

Exactly! I don't see a winner here.

Okay, so the defenders of MAB are being worn down...having a harder and harder time finding hope in her regime.

If the LML example maintains, soon there will be bigger viewer defections, and we'll start hitting average 2.9 HH ratings.

How is this a good thing? I really don't see it.

Maybe viewers will stop making excuses and rationalizations for things that don't exist on the show or in the writing. It's time more than ever to be realistic than theoretic.

So what's the point? Even if MAB is now universally reviled, how will this lead to any kind of good? Maybe the next HW will be Brad Bell or Lauralee Bell or Charity Rahmer. How is that any better?

A regime change, good or bad, would show someone at least cares about the show and is trying to make it better before it finally fades away forever. And honestly, Y&R very much needs some kind of behind the scenes shakeup right now. It may not be what we want, it may be, but we have to take that chance.

Edited October 20, 200916 yr by Y&RWorldTurner

You can dish it, but you can't take it.

I just told you to kiss my ass... I said nothing about not being able to "take" it. Here's a question for you, once all the soaps are gone... and replaced by news, talk, and reality shows, what are you going to do with your time? I enjoyed gloating and thinking I was right because I LOVE the show, and I want it to succeed. You are gloating because you hate it and want it gone, your'e delighting in the failure of something you supposedly LOVE, in my book, that makes YOU just as much of a two-faced bitch as Maria. I still want to know whose damn fault it is. I'm dying to see what Nelson has to say on this subject. He'll probably blame it all on Thom. As if Kahlil's crappy acting has kept HER from getting story. I'd think he'd be PISSED after he pumped her up for so long, to see what's become of the gay SL.

Edited October 20, 200916 yr by alphanguy74

alphanguy, Nelson's already blamed it on Thom. He blamed the Adam/Rafe flop on Yani Gellman.

The thing that pisses me off more than every is that they rewrote all this history, pissed on the intelligence of the audience that SAW Phillip III die in front of their eyes, brought him back, and initially they made him and unsympathetic jackass. Then, a week later, he was backburned and rarely used again.

So, really, what was the point of this mess, especially if they had no long-term planning for this story or knew what to do with with Phillip III in the long-run? Why did so much important history have to be destroyed, and why was the intelligence of the fans again taken for granted?

I'm doing a Dee Dee drive by type of post.....

I suppose not. God forbid I'd believe such a direct statement as "We are totally committed to telling gay stories". Now kiss my ass.

I guess we're lucky since your response could have been worse. I don't kiss asses though so no thanks.

Well.. as far as THAT comment goes, Alvin, I honestly think she felt that LANE and their lame ass crap was the "filled with romance" part (NOT)... and the actor not used in forever was Doug Davidson. But I don't know what to think at this point. This is WORSE than when they fired Dickson, I'm so mad I could just spit. I would really like to get to the bottom of this, I'd like to know who is responsible and why. If it DID come from above in CBS, If I were Maria, I would tell them... "Ok... if your'e gonna make me break promises I made to the viewers, then I'm gonna go public and name you and say it was on YOUR orders. I'm not sure if that's what Bill Bell would have done, but that's what I would have done. Or she could just be a two-faced bitch..... who the hell knows. But here's what's troubling, People who claim to love this show are pissing their panties in delight that I was wrong, and the show truly is the [!@#$%^&*] they claim it to be. Well congratulations..... you WIN. What exactly did you win?

You were proven wrong and honestly some of us are delighting in that fact right now.

No thanks.

I prefer my cornbread homemade or courtesy of Jiffy.

Jiffy rocks when it comes to cornbread and so much more!

And why are you getting so upset anyway alphanguy? You would have said or done the same thing IF Maria has pledged her promise to donate a gay story to the rainbow community. You would have bumped up this thread and told us how we were all wrong, etc.

You can dish it, but you can't take it.

Yep.

I just told you to kiss my ass... I said nothing about not being able to "take" it.

Oh, I never doubted for a second your ability to "take" it, if that is what you are referring to. But knowing how much you enjoy talking about sex, your behavior is highly indicative of someone who doesn't "take" it as often as he would like.

Here's a question for you, once all the soaps are gone... and replaced by news, talk, and reality shows, what are you going to do with your time?

Definitely NOT sit around and wait for a gay story, like some people.

But if you really want to know the answer to that, I have no idea. Maybe I will watch those game shows and talkshows and reality shows. And news shows. Hey, I'd much rather watch Diane Sawyer interview Mahmoud Ahmadinejad than watch Ashley hallucinating in the back seat of her car or watch Adam do his best Ennis Delmar and Flip Wilson impersonations.

I enjoyed gloating and thinking I was right because I LOVE the show, and I want it to succeed. You are gloating because you hate it and want it gone, your'e delighting in the failure of something you supposedly LOVE, in my book, that makes YOU just as much of a two-faced bitch as Maria.

Why do "I" want Y&R to fail?! If you even read any of my additional posts, I've always said that Y&R's success directly affects other daytime lineups on and off the CBS network, as alot of people watch Y&R to begin their daily soap routines. Even IF people on this board laugh at that and say it's ridiculous.

Without Y&R, daytime is f*cked. I don't want Y&R to fail. I want it to get better and to find its second wind and if this really is "the end of days," I want Y&R to end with some dignity and class. I don't want it to go out like this.

And to say that I am a "two-faced bitch" like Maria is absolutely absurd. You've got me all wrong. And FYI, 1.) I don't wear $400 ponchos from Neiman's. 2.) I'm not rich. and 3.) I've taken dumps that have better story than Maria's "vision" for Y&R.

I still want to know whose damn fault it is. I'm dying to see what Nelson has to say on this subject. He'll probably blame it all on Thom. As if Kahlil's crappy acting has kept HER from getting story. I'd think he'd be PISSED after he pumped her up for so long, to see what's become of the gay SL.

As long as he gets invited to the pAAAAAAAArties, I don't think Nelson gives a damn about the piss-poor state of Y&R either.

Jiffy rocks when it comes to cornbread and so much more!

Their blueberry muffin mix is AWESOME!

How do we know that to her, these weren't gay stories? It seemed to me that this was all they ever had in mind. I know Branco said there was supposed to be some hot kiss or sexual content between Rafe and Adam, but even when the photos of that clinch were released, all we saw in the photo was the two of them sort of staring at each other.

How many times did I not say this? A million. Phillip coming out, Rafe as an openly gay man and Adam/Rafe sex were obviously the gay stories that MAB was referring to, she did not lie in her mind. She never meant do anything more. Someone lied to Branco about the Adam/Rafe kiss. From the promo pictures, it is clear that the kiss was never going to happen Engen or MM. Branco then said that CBS had no problem with the kiss, that it was Y&R that decided not to do the kiss. Branco gave MAB the excuse and there was no outrage so why would MAB change her plans and flesh out her "gay stories?" It was the outrage at the lack of Luke and Noah kissing that forced P&G's hand at ATWT. Just goes to show that Branco has more power than people want to admit. His followers let Y&R slide because he let them slide and the result was nothing for gay characters on Y&R.

Edited October 21, 200916 yr by Ann_SS

How many times did I not say this? A million. Phillip coming out, Rafe as an openly gay man and Adam/Rafe sex were obviously the gay stories that MAB was referring to, she did not lie in her mind. She never meant do anything more.

But why would she tell Nelson AFTER all those stories are done that, "There's more on the way. Truuusssss Trussssss. There's more."

Why lie about that? The three stories you mentioned had wrapped up well after Nellie's "On the Red Carpet" interview with Maria. And she ran her mouth and said, "We still plan on telling gay stories." Is Adam porking ****** during November Sweeps a "gay story" too?

Edited October 21, 200916 yr by bellcurve