Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[P.J.]

Or a very lame Hallmark movie. lol

While I can't stomach those scenes with Matt---I found myself smiling at some of the original Vanessa peeking out with Michael. Spoiled, sulky and demanding her own way. MK deserved so much better.

[Kane]

This might be the interview you're looking for: https://marcywalkeronline.tripod.com/pages/press022.htm

It's an interview with Marcy Walker, but she references Liz Keifer commenting about how GL was wasting her.

[chrisml]

Thank you! This is what I was remembering. Thank you for linking to it. I'm glad the interview also goes into what I've been referencing in terms of JFP using Marcy Walker to keep her job.

[Mitch64]

Man, Kimmer was looking..HARD then! And Rauch had Van contemplating plastic surgery while Reva looked she just spent a week on a Tulsa dive bar walk..which is how Reva should look but still, she was the center of the show and the goddess of love??/

[Mitch64]

People can criticize whomever they want, its all subjective.  And we know how JFP won those Emmys..she was smart and knew how to play the game.  Kudos for her but that doesn't mean the material deserved it.

Edited January 9 by Mitch64

[slick jones]

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[Khan]

AMC won Best Daytime Drama Series twice, and neither time did I think it actually was worthy, so I definitely don't put much stock into those awards (even though I'd love to have one someday, lol).

ETA: Totally forgot about the third win (in '98).  The show wasn't [!@#$%^&*] then either.

Edited January 9 by Khan

[wonderwoman1951]

i believe this is what’s called a specious argument. 

[Maxim]

To me, it's even more telling that after so many awards...  all people remember her as... is this incredibly unlikeable entity that destroyed every show she touched except Santa Barbara. Why would people make-up stories or lie? What would they have to gain? At this point... of the game especially. This is the popular negative opinion I've heard hundreds of times by different people, some of who don't even like each-other, so there must be some truth there.

Maybe they are all wrong. Maybe she was this hard-working woman who did nothing other than work her ass off and try to improve Daytime... and got a 100 Emmys for it. Maybe she's the most misunderstood creature on the planet.   

I saw her Locker interview and she seemed... benign and nice. But they all do, don't they. Not the most interesting interview, not the most intellectually stimulating conversation...  From what I've seen of Restless when she was in charge... it's not my cup of tea. That's all I can say.  

[Khan]

I agree.

I think the best producer ever to work in daytime was Robert Calhoun.  Yet, despite his incredible ability to turn around not one but two flagging soaps, he won only once, for ATWT.  Does that mean he shouldn't be held in the same regard as JFP?

[Contessa Donatella]

Ya know I pointed out that she's been hired so many times but that she's also been fired so many times. Two sides of that coin. The same kind of thing is true as to people's reactions to her & assessments of her. There are certainly people who are very critical of her & dislike her immensely, but, the other side of that coin also exists since there are people who praise her to the moon & back & just totally adore her. She provokes strong opinions & reactions but it's neither all negative nor all positive. 

[Maxim]

Of course... there is no possibility of all negative or all positive opinions, especially if you are living in a democracy. Even if there is 1 positive one, it still exists. But that doesn't mean that when you look at a person you can't find similar patterns in the way people are describing their experience with them. I mean... there are still millions of people who think Trump is the second coming of Christ and a Hero that will save the world. Will that turn him into a positive character in my eyes... No way. Even if MILLIONS of them screamed under my balcony. I am not saying that this person (JFP) is in away way or form on the level of vileness that man is, I'm only making my own parallels for perceiving positive/negative and the importance of personal subjectivity. I TRUST the people who have told me their opinion of JFP, but it's their opinion. Not mine. The only thing I have ever commented about her was that the quote @Mitch64posted... sounded ominous. And I also think having received many awards don't make one immune to negative opinions. These awards are being given by a selected group of people. They are incredibly subjective. All awards are SUBJECTIVE. So shoving them down our throat as some kind of FACT is... someone else already found the right description in the post before mine. 

[Contessa Donatella]

I think the thing I was trying to get across, that I failed to do, was assert that she is one of these people who galvanizes reactions. You don't seem to find people in the middle when it comes to her, they're on the extreme ends. 

[Maxim]

And what is your opinion of her? 

[Contessa Donatella]

I am a consistent, vocal critic based on her tenures at GL, AW & OLTL. I place her in the company of Brian Frons & Susan D. Lee.