All: Claire Labine Interview

[R Sinclair]

I wrote a few paragraphs expounding on why I agree with your assessment, quartermainefan. But a simple "I totally agree," will suffice.

[Ann_SS]

Guza's goal on GH is too make sure that Carly, Sonny, and Jason are on everyday. He gives their stories the most attention and time, yet they are incoherent and rambling. The inconsistency suggests that he is unable to remember or does not care if the stories make any sense as long as these characters are front and center. If they do not have a story, Guza will insert them into minor characters' stories to make sure that they get airtime.

[Sylph]

No it won't.

[R Sinclair]

No, it's just I realized I was participating in the thing I abhor... thread hijacking. This wasn't about Guza and GH.

Bottom line is, people use the word "plot" as if it's a horrible thing. There are some fabulous movies in my opinion, for instance, that are totally plot driven. North by Northwest is one of my favorite Hitchcock movies... and it's totally plot driven and just as entertaining.

What happens now on GH is EVENT! Not plot. When Guza plots, you get the Hostage Crisis or the Virus Epidemic. When GH EVENTS! you get the train crash or the Carnival Carnage. Things that just HAPPEN! and then almost forgotten about.

[CSF]

And that's why GH is a disaster.

[CSF]

That's my opinion and you're entitled to yours.

GH has been redefined twice. Once under Monty and once under Riche. If there was a way where a writer could come to that show today and blend both of those periods together, I wouldn't look so harshly upon GH's plot driven, adventure packed, mystery storylines.

[DeeeDee]

*cough*hotelfire*cough*

[Sylph]

Of course. Precisely what I wanted you to say: people know sh!t about what's plot.driven and what's character-drive, the two most overused words ever in soaps discussions. One cannot exist without the other. You can't have great characters if they aren't a part of great stories (plot) and great stories can't exist without great characters.

[Sylph]

Part seven:

http://www.welovesoaps.net/2009/11/soaps-hope-claire-labine-interview-part_11.html

[SFK]

Just reading her short description of UNION PLACE, I felt a pang of sadness and frustration in the pit of my stomach, at what that show could have been/may never be. She should shop something like that to TVOne, they have interesting programming, but they need a series (maybe a 13 ep season, not a 5x/week soap) like that to put them on the map.

[bellcurve]

That project would have rocked. But, sadly, NBC was so desperate to have a DAYS clone or something that skewed younger. After the epic fail that was Generations, I could see why they'd be so scared to do that again.

I also heard PGP was interested in this project too and that would have been great, but PGP is so conservative that I doubt she would have been able to tell the stories she wanted to tell without network and company interference.

[SFK]

Yeah, sounds less DOOL, and more RH/GEN/Labine GH all rolled into one. Too bad Claire and kids weren't HWing for The City, she could have brought some of those UP elements to that show.

[bellcurve]

But Labine was more interested in telling a story, not a gimmick, which is essentially what The City was.

Labine writing for a group of people not interconnected by family just doesn't seem like her style, nor what ABC was doing for.