Seeing this latest trend in best/worst threads, I thought to start my own.

Who are some of your favourite daytime divas, those bigger-than-life, magnetic, super stylish femmes fatales of daytime? It can be anyone from a long-forgotten guest star in the '70s to the main female protagonist on the show. Villainess, fairy godmother, the characters ethics and morality are not the point.

And not to forget: is there a particularly soapy name of a female character you like? Like e.g. Dominique Deveraux (not daytime, but hey), Angelique DuVal, Helena Cassadine, those French/Italian/German/Greek sounding names, that sort of thing.

P. S. If a mod could change the b in the title to a capital, I'd be grateful.

Edited October 19, 200916 yr by Sylph

+1

It's sad actually because I see her sadness in that role. Sadness that they keep asking her to do the same person all over again. And also I feel a certain tiredness, it's just there in her eyes. It depresses me. I love Joan.

Sylph, I thought Joan was fine in those scenes! I didn't see any problem with her acting. What do you think of her in this?:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t-Tr1td_n4&feature=PlayList&p=17B3C1EEFE4AA933&index=74

It's sad actually because I see her sadness in that role. Sadness that they keep asking her to do the same person all over again. And also I feel a certain tiredness, it's just there in her eyes. It depresses me. I love Joan.

What makes it even worse for her, I think, is that she genuinely enjoyed playing Alexis a lot, and she'll enjoy spoofing that role, but she just wishes people would ask her to do other stuff as well. I really can't blame her for it. If Flavor Flav had wanted her to appear on that god-awful sitcom he did for MyNetworkTV a few seasons back, she probably would have jumped at the chance to reach a different audience.

What do you think of her in this?:

I'm halfway through it, and she really, really pulled this one off!

I do not believe at all that she is a limited actress: she can play sensual, vulnerable, bitchy, glamourous, she has a sense of comedy... I guess Joan is a classic case of the following: you know when you see someone pull something off so fanulously, you just expect better from then on but somehow the potential never gets realised. And she us not to blame, it's people who won't let Alexis take a vacation.

What makes it even worse for her, I think, is that she genuinely enjoyed playing Alexis a lot, and she'll enjoy spoofing that role, but she just wishes people would ask her to do other stuff as well. I really can't blame her for it. If Flavor Flav had wanted her to appear on that god-awful sitcom he did for MyNetworkTV a few seasons back, she probably would have jumped at the chance to reach a different audience.

Precisely.

Sylph, I thought Joan was fine in those scenes! I didn't see any problem with her acting. What do you think of her in this?:

Off topic, but I used to watch that show EVERY Saturday! It was 3 or 4 pm, on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Obviously, my alphan friend, you watched it with more zeal! I personally liked the Season Two changes (esp. Maya the shape changer).

I'd be interested in seeing this show get a Trek/BSG/Doctor Who style reboot.

However, if I like someone that does not mean I like all their performances and hype them up to high heavens as if everything they did is splendor. Joan did much sh!t in her days. I don't see why I should deny reality and say her Eva is a great performance.

Oh, I didn't mean specific to Joan. But thanks for saying something nice and then qualifying it with the above statement. It's just, consistently, moaning and bitching and undercutting.

It's tiresome.

As well, don't cry for Joan, she's laughing all the way to the bank.

It's just, consistently, moaning and bitching and undercutting.

It's tiresome.

Deal with it. Because it's not bitching, moaning and undercutting. But whatever. I'm not going to explain myself because it's pointless.

Deal with it. Because it's not bitching, moaning and undercutting. But whatever. I'm not going to explain myself because it's pointless.

Everyone on this board deals with it and has been dealing with it for years

Everyone on this board deals with it and has been dealing with it for years

Good.

Off topic, but I used to watch that show EVERY Saturday! It was 3 or 4 pm, on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Obviously, my alphan friend, you watched it with more zeal! I personally liked the Season Two changes (esp. Maya the shape changer).

I'd be interested in seeing this show get a Trek/BSG/Doctor Who style reboot.

Oh my, MARK!!! you liked the second season? It went from a grand science fiction epic to a children's adventure show! (Gasp) I never saw it as a child, I got introduced to it at the age of 30, so the more adult first season is my great love. About 95% of all fans are first season fans. But another great diva who does a guest shot on this show is Rula Lenska, she's fabulous!

I don't think the failure is in Joan in those FW scenes, I think she did perfectly well with what she was given. But I see what you're after Sylph. When your image is archetypal and you're continuously cast as such, the quality of the writing will undoubtedly ebb and flow. I think that's why she's so much fun when she's spoofing her image (These Old Broads, Will & Grace, hell, even The Flintstones where she played the *younger* version of the Elizabeth Taylor role, Wilma's mother), opposed to when she's expected to recreate her Alexis magic just by throwing her in clothes and giving her bitchy one-liners (of dubious quality). Alexis was more than a character, she was an experience. Joan, the dialogue, the clothes (hats, furs, gloves), the hair, the champagne and caviar, the triplex penthouse, the office (the tusk desk!), the white Rolls, the cigarillos, the lhasa apso, I mean, this character had so many fabulous plates up in the air, it's impossible for her to give us any more than a *glimpse* of Alexis in these Special Guest Star roles, we are destined to be a little disappointed unless they play her against type or throw in some new and interesting slant.

I don't think the failure is in Joan in those FW scenes, I think she did perfectly well with what she was given. But I see what you're after Sylph. When your image is archetypal and you're continuously cast as such, the quality of the writing will undoubtedly ebb and flow. I think that's why she's so much fun when she's spoofing her image (These Old Broads, Will & Grace, hell, even The Flintstones where she played the *younger* version of the Elizabeth Taylor role, Wilma's mother), opposed to when she's expected to recreate her Alexis magic just by throwing her in clothes and giving her bitchy one-liners (of dubious quality). Alexis was more than a character, she was an experience. Joan, the dialogue, the clothes (hats, furs, gloves), the hair, the champagne and caviar, the triplex penthouse, the office (the tusk desk!), the white Rolls, the cigarillos, the lhasa apso, I mean, this character had so many fabulous plates up in the air, it's impossible for her to give us any more than a *glimpse* of Alexis in these Special Guest Star roles, we are destined to be a little disappointed unless they play her against type or throw in some new and interesting slant.

Oh my, MARK!!! you liked the second season? It went from a grand science fiction epic to a children's adventure show! (Gasp) I never saw it as a child, I got introduced to it at the age of 30, so the more adult first season is my great love. About 95% of all fans are first season fans. But another great diva who does a guest shot on this show is Rula Lenska, she's fabulous!

Well, now, remember, I was 9 or 10, and haven't seen since, LOL. The movement toward action/adventure was very pleasing to me. In Canada, it was a hit, and ran through all two seasons. The Saturday broadcasts were followed by the Bugs Bunny/Roadrunner hour, and a few hours later, Hockey Night in Canada. So, you've got to put it in that perspective .

I know it is on remastered DVD now, so I guess I should watch some again. A problem I have is getting these old school sci fi shows to keep my attention. I have a hard time looking past the SFX.

As far as Joan is concerned..

I adore her. She turned my life around the first time I saw her as Alexis and years later I understand why my parents wouldn't let me watch Dynasty as a child I always had the impression that she knows very well what people want from her; some glamourous, over the top, campy Alexis moments from time to time and she is fine with it. The material is not always perfect, but she is. Even if the role, or even the acting is not exactly what I want to see, I just love watching her. My Facebook friends and I share Joan Collins photos or videos all the time and some of my family members still blame her for a lot of things that went wrong with me Love, love, love Joan!

My favorite magnetic daytime diva of all time is of course:

If I thought I'd EVER see her giving a Nazi salute in court in a green velour jogging suit, I'd have dissmissed the thought as IMPOSSIBLE. But real life can really be a better soap than anything you could write!