November 23-27, 2009

[JaneAusten]

Why can't we get the same from GH? Because the big guns all get written for.

[Cyberologist]

Yep he's consulting producer

he'll never leave Frons won't fire him

it would have to come from Sweeney, who doesn't give a sh....@

I don't care if soap dramas are small potatoes in my world of

being Forbes #1 most powerful woman in H-wood...if I looked at

this show I would cringe...there are no women on it like her.

so it would have to come via Iger or their BOD (the last time I thought

Frons was on the ropes she gave him a "promotion" so?

they just hired his wife Meg Bennett and I was doing a happy Dance

I just knew Julia Newman wouldn't let me down but the awful writing

for women has gotten worst on her watch as script writer.

I hate to be this way honestly I use to love this show but its

the only ray of hope I have for them to entertain the possibility

of me being rid of him. He wrote everything for Franco (dialog)

I still think its Frons who needs to go...he flips the script

and until he goes nothing for ABC will really change he dictates story.

I keep seeing your Jane Austen and I watch Mansfield Park on Hulu

its good too...I watched it today when GH was on....

I wub Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice I like the A/E one

with Colin Firth. as Darcy...that is my login for many blogs/sites..

[Cyberologist]

Guza is "not a storyteller" he's good to stage those events ever so often

and even most of them tank.

BIOTOXIN!

it was horrible

man I hated that storyline...

The last one that did anything was le Carnivale most of the ones before

didn't make it, MetroCourt was the last one I really liked, WdUDie4 was terrible....

the train wreck was pretty good, the monkey virus I think I had problems with that one

I vaguely remember it...

[DRW50]

What has Meg Bennett done in her time as writer for shows? She was headwriter for SuBe, wasn't she?

[Jonathan]

He was fired because the ratings are pretty much stagnant. We see bumps here and there but year over year they're still down. I think if the show can get to 800,000 plus in 18-49 that would be a success for the show.

I'm sure GH spent a lot of money to promote Franco. They even licensed "Mad World" and made it Franco's theme. That song's not cheap.

[AS THE WORLD TURNS]

Then why weren't the other head writers fired then.

[Cyberologist]

Yep her and Bob are Frons' homies I thought Pratt was too I thought they were all buds....

I was trying to hope for something plus Meg supposedly likes NLG (from SunSet Be) so I thought that might mean more screen time (good storylines for Alexis)

but then one of NLG fans pulled my coat and said it isn't quite sp her and Meg aren't cool like that

then I thought...she's married to a man who writes this kind of stuff so ?

I just read what you wrote re: the writing re Elizabeth's rape

and I actually shed a tear yet DayTime Confidential lauds GH writing as sooooooo great

and spectacular! Its the bomb according to their podcast must see TV

I can only shake make head in pure disgust.

This man has a job writing for women? Can somebody please tell me

how can he get away with something so absolutely dreadful there are no words

(and I can find them but I'm speechless this is the worst thing I've ever heard regarding rape in my entire life)

I refuse to watch Elizabeth they are totally and completely demolishing her she is even demeaning herself in dialog now...

and has been for the last few weeks that's all she does no storyline except banging Nik and putting herself down for it.

I hope Becky leaves because they want Sam to be the face of that show she is getting it all

primo scribing all the bells and whistles and they do this to Maxi/Elizabeth/Alexis/my poor AuntyEm (Natalia) left again

can't say I blame her...

[Ann_SS]

Meg Bennett is married to Guza so I figured that they think the same way and nothing would change. I actually thought that she got the job to keep an eye on her husband because he is obviously infatuated with LL's bosoms. Besides nothing ever changes at GH in any meaningful way. I do think that the ABC brass have faith in Guza for some inexplicable reason, maybe his ability to bring in the ratings with his sweep stunts despite the audience erosion. After all it is the sweeps ratings that bring in the ad revenue. November sweeps did start off with a bang wit Claudia's death, they had a nice bump with the 18 to 49 women demo, but two weeks later they lost it all and have gotten nothing back this week. We'll see how things unfold over the next couple months, maybe the Franco story can pick, but I highly doubt it.

I am certain there is more to Pratt's firing that the ratings. Something else is going on in that situation.

[JaneAusten]

I think as much as people online(the what maybe 800 posters that go from board to board) complain about GH having too much mob, most offliners like it or should I say like the 3 main leads, Sonny, Jason and Carly and it's what keeps GH afloat now. Why? While their viewership is still eroding, I think most left watching like what they are watching. But honestly even personal like won't sustain in the end because it's just a general problem with soaps, I think most watch maybe 1 or 2 days a week versus daily. It's honestly enough to keep up with storylines. Why? Time.

While GH is known for their BIG events, what was the last event that was really a success. The carnival, claudia's death. I don't see them as successful. They upped ratings what a couple of points. The MC Crisis had ratings in the low 3's from the mid to upper 2's, To me that was the last successful sweeps event. The train wreck, hotel fire I think had similar bumps. Even that event Y&R did last year what was it the fire gave them a better bump. But in the end perhaps unlike Y&R which probably still has lapsed viewers they could pull back with decent story and events, GH;s lapsed viewers have finally given up or are onto what they have done. It probably because the show has been so gutted even lapsed viewers know faves like the Q's, Robert, Anna, Felicia, the Scorpios won't be featured anyway because they are gone for the most part. Who cares about seeing Sonny and Jason in a sweeps event because you get to see them 5 days a week already. And even AMC. I know lots of folks thought the tornado event was a success but again how many viewers came back. And lord even if they do come back they don't stay.

I think the Franco story is a big dud and I think JJ's return, watching his one true love betray him so blatantly is the same. They wanted to bring new viewers in with Franco - nix didn;t and won't happen. They wanted to bring back lapsed viewers back with JJ's return. Folks interested may have tuned and and then tuned out when they saw the story being played out.

As far as the writing for women? Which soap is actually doing a better job. I'd argue maybe Days because they actually have stories centered around women. Y&R, not really now. I never felt any of the writing changes at GH (ie Meg Bennett) would matter one bit. And it hasn't

And thanks Cyber for the nod on my user name. I am a huge Jane Austen fan. Emma, Mansfield Park are my favorite of her books. And the PBS and BBC adaptations of her books are by far the best. Nothing can beat the delicious and wonderfully talented Colin Firth as Darcy in the BBC Pride and Prejudice.

[marceline]

ITA. I still think someone above Frons stepped in, someone important enough to make everyone jump. The timing and suddenness of the whole affair reeks of someone doing some serious Hail Mary ass-covering. My big question is why now?

[JaneAusten]

It's odd isn't it especially with AMC moving to LA where Pratt is actually based. Would Frons actually fire his buddy who was HW and Consulting Producer without a push? Rumor is the cast complained a lot about Pratt. Did that really cause them to fire him? Unless it was Susan Lucci or maybe David Canary, who else would they really care about. Beth Ehlers complained in an interview and she got axed as her payback. But if he was fired for the butchering of the show and the demasculation of the females on the show, why not Guza at GH? Perhaps because they don't have a female on GH as centric to their show and important as Susan Lucci is to AMC or Erika Slezak at OLTL. IMO the ratings and demos were maintaining to an extent so it couldn't be because of that unless Pratt promised Frons some truly amazing turnaround. Too bad none of these geniuses at ABC have the talent and foresight and patience of an Ed Scott or Tomlin over at Days who IMO combined both turned that show around.

[marceline]

I don't think it was an actor. This kind of decapitation comes from someone with real juice like a shareholder, board member or advertiser. I'd put my money on advertiser/client. Somebody big was probably ready to pull their business. That would get get the attention of the people who've been ignoring Frons thus far.

Obviously this is all wild speculation on my part.

[Ann_SS]

ITA. According media leaks, AMC actors had been complaining about Pratt for months and nothing happened. The ratings have not collapsed or declines substantially like OLTL. Pratt like Guza, is Frons' good friend so whatever happened it must have been from someone above Frons and out of his control.

[JaneAusten]

I kind of wonder what advertiser would have threatened to pull because that's the only thing I can imagine and for what reason.

[Ann_SS]

But if it was advertiser, why did they not threaten to pull their ads from OLTL and GH if their headwriters were not fired as well. All these shows have the same advertisers.