This is Brad Bell we are talking about. Yes B&B was good earlier this decade but he can never decide what he wants, relies too much on repetition and comes up with scatterbrained ideas (pairing Eric and Caitlin for a Lolita story, making Gabby a deranged disfigured psycho; both dropped last minute thankfully!!), atrocious PSAs (Hope in the hot tub; Massimo becomes an environmentalist; need I say more?) and shameless Emmy grabs. He is the only one to blame for any woes that B&B faces these days.

"Shameless Emmy grabs"??? If you're going to accuse Bell of this, point the finger at ALL soap EPs and headwriters, starting with JFP and SANTA BARBARA. It was the first soap to write Emmy shows and alter their shooting schedule so they took a number of days to shoot two episodes as opposed to the normal two days. That's why the Emmy process is greatly flawed. But if you think Bell is the only one who does this, think again. You really believe AMC's tornado last year wasn't a "shameless Emmy grab??" Come on!

Totally agree. He definitely has the right attitude. (Unlike some, who just LOVE to bitch and spread negativity.)

Even Les Moonves, the a$$hole himself, says that the "special soaps" will survive. I would class Y&R, B&B, Days, GH and AMC as the "special soaps". OLTL is the only one I would be concerned about. BTW, when was the last time ABC cancelled a soap? CBS and NBC have both cancelled soaps in the last 5 years, but not ABC. So there might still be hope for OLTL.

Actually, Ridge hasn't really had his own storyline since he and Brooke got back together in September. And creatively, the show has been doing fabulously since.

Actually, I would've liked the bolded one. Gaby may have been vaguely interesting.

I think Bell wants his family's shows to continue. I think he's looking at the hard realities and trying to come up with a production model that works. So you see the shadow from a mic boom occasionally. Who really cares? The golden era of soaps were riddled with these kinds of production gaffs. It didn't keep people from watching. In some cases it endeared the audience to the shows even more, like DARK SHADOWS. I'd rather have my soaps on the air, with fewer bells and whistles, than worry about reshooting a scene because you can see the shadow from a mic boom. Whatever you think about his show or storytelling, at least Bell is in there fighting, as opposed to P&G that pretty much just stood back and let their soaps go down the drain. Same for Ken Corday. He's probably the most loathed EP in the soap business, but he's still in there fighting to keep his family's soap on the air, too.

Oh PLEASE. Straight shooter my ass.

Are there outs in the contract? Can CBS try to renegotiate if the ratings dip below expectations? Of course he would leave this information out.

And yours is? Putting together this cheap, tawdry wank show, filled with technical gaffs and terrible acting with little to no rehearsal. Letting your actors run wild and all over you and your production team?

The are several weak actors in this cast, just as there are in all soaps, and all of television. But there are some heavy hitters, too (SF, KKL, RH, SB, AJ, LAD to name a few).

But hey, good for you if it works, man. Good. For. You.

Their recent numbers are so good that they tied you in the households recently. WAKE UP, BRAD! You know you're having problems when a sh*t show like DAYS finds it's Nielsen second wind, again!

I don't consider DAYS Nielsen "sh*t". Wisely, the show has gone back to more traditional soap storytelling and pacing, and it's paying off.

The most honest and real thing the man said in this entire interview.

And it shows. Right down to the boom mics penetrating the scenes.

I addressed this is another post. I don't think it matters to most viewers if there's an occasional mic boom in the scene. They used to be a staple of soaps way back when. It didn't keep viewers from watching.

That question is a moot point [Ridge]LOGAN![/Ridge] It's already starting to show. B&B looks so [!@#$%^&*] cheap and tacky compared to a year or two ago. Horribly staged and directed. So rushed.

I don't see any difference in the way the show is staged now than two years ago. It's lighted the same way, the directors are the same. Rushed? Rushed how? If you mean the shorter scenes, I'm sure CBS is pushing for that. Y&R is faster paced, too. Personally, I think shorter scenes are a mistake. They don't let the audience connect emotionally with the characters or action. It doesn't give them time to connect because they're racing on to the next scene. OLTL is a perfect example of this. They have good story to tell but the scenes and beats are so rushed the audience doesn't have a chance to invest.

KEEEP telling yourself that. JFP has her Emmy in the bag already. But there's always next year.

Mad Men also airs on CABLE, not network television! If B&B moved to E!(which is in just about every cable home in the country), I doubt they would still pull 3.5, 4 Million Viewers. But hey, who am I to sh!t on the parade?

Then ACT like it. Stop writing crap for stories, stop undermining your audience's intelligence with lame brained, rehashed from 15 years ago plots, and your cheap, trashy humor.

I don't know what it is about my posts that makes you think you need to reply to every single one of them. I should be flattered, I suppose.

"Dingo"? Classy.

Don't be flattered. Replying to your posts is the same as someone picking up trash and sweeping the house. Gotta be done.

Everyone loves a special guest appearance from someone on the Bell-Phillip Payroll.

"Shameless Emmy grabs"??? If you're going to accuse Bell of this, point the finger at ALL soap EPs and headwriters, starting with JFP and SANTA BARBARA. It was the first soap to write Emmy shows and alter their shooting schedule so they took a number of days to shoot two episodes as opposed to the normal two days. That's why the Emmy process is greatly flawed. But if you think Bell is the only one who does this, think again. You really believe AMC's tornado last year wasn't a "shameless Emmy grab??" Come on!

The difference between JFP's Emmy Shows and Brad Bell's Emmy Shows is that the former actually wins.

I think Bell wants his family's shows to continue. I think he's looking at the hard realities and trying to come up with a production model that works. So you see the shadow from a mic boom occasionally. Who really cares? The golden era of soaps were riddled with these kinds of production gaffs. It didn't keep people from watching. In some cases it endeared the audience to the shows even more, like DARK SHADOWS.

And we see what happened to Dark Shadows. Eventually canceled.

And you can't even compare something like Dark Shadows to B&B. Dark Shadows was a camp classic that never had a budget, while B&B has always been a show with one. And without a budget, the show looks so sloppy and thrown together. The performances are awful(can we give the actors AT&T cards since they love to phone it in so much) and most of the directing these days is weak as hell. And people ridiculed Wheeler for her cheap sets, even before she changed her production model. Turnabout is, after all, fair play. You are absolutely entitled to not care about boom mics and camera heads and the occasional, accidental shot off camera. But it looks extremely amateurish and unprofessional. Especially when your story is weak as hell. You can't say that Brad shouldn't be immune from this sort of criticism that has been passed to everyone else in the industry. Why? Because he's Brad Bell?

I'd rather have my soaps on the air, with fewer bells and whistles, than worry about reshooting a scene because you can see the shadow from a mic boom. Whatever you think about his show or storytelling, at least Bell is in there fighting, as opposed to P&G that pretty much just stood back and let their soaps go down the drain. Same for Ken Corday. He's probably the most loathed EP in the soap business, but he's still in there fighting to keep his family's soap on the air, too.

I don't see "fighting" from Brad. What I see is more typical figurehead, arrogant nonsense coming out of this interview. Flippantly saying PGP didn't care about their shows. He has one hell of a nerve.

I don't consider DAYS Nielsen "sh*t". Wisely, the show has gone back to more traditional soap storytelling and pacing, and it's paying off.

While B&B's numbers(no thanks to Y&R) continue to plummet to new record lows each year. DAYS' "return" to traditional storytelling should tell them something.

I don't see any difference in the way the show is staged now than two years ago. It's lighted the same way, the directors are the same. Rushed? Rushed how? If you mean the shorter scenes, I'm sure CBS is pushing for that. Y&R is faster paced, too. Personally, I think shorter scenes are a mistake. They don't let the audience connect emotionally with the characters or action. It doesn't give them time to connect because they're racing on to the next scene. OLTL is a perfect example of this. They have good story to tell but the scenes and beats are so rushed the audience doesn't have a chance to invest.

What I mean by rushed is exactly what Michael Logan(and even you, I believe, in another thread so casually wondered) asked Brad in terms of their being little-to-no rehearsal. It's painfully obvious. The actors are more concerned about spitting their lines out instead of worrying about what's on the page. I'm aware the economic reality of daytime no longer allows them the privilege of doing five takes of one scene. But I don't see anyone really jumping in and caring about their performances. At all. Everyone has gotten lazy. Just look at their faces. They're more concerned with beating rush hour traffic than actually caring about the scenes. But then again, who could blame them, given that B&B has an excellent recycling program?

Edited December 15, 200915 yr by bellcurve

I think Bell wants his family's shows to continue. I think he's looking at the hard realities and trying to come up with a production model that works. So you see the shadow from a mic boom occasionally. Who really cares? The golden era of soaps were riddled with these kinds of production gaffs. It didn't keep people from watching. In some cases it endeared the audience to the shows even more, like DARK SHADOWS. I'd rather have my soaps on the air, with fewer bells and whistles, than worry about reshooting a scene because you can see the shadow from a mic boom. Whatever you think about his show or storytelling, at least Bell is in there fighting, as opposed to P&G that pretty much just stood back and let their soaps go down the drain. Same for Ken Corday. He's probably the most loathed EP in the soap business, but he's still in there fighting to keep his family's soap on the air, too.

I am sure he cares to some extent but honestly I was a bit put off by his comment about P&G. And do you really believe viewers would be patient with cheap production? Really? Look at the beating GL took when Wheeler changed that show.

What a horrible interview--if only for Bell's total ignorance of what is really going on around him! That part about being able to produce the show for even less was especially cringeworthy.

And his ridicule of MAD MEN, where all people do is talk... I'm sorry, wasn't that what happened on Y&R all the time? And to a lesser extent B&B?

Edited December 15, 200915 yr by YRBB

And his ridicule of MAD MEN, where all people do is talk...

You need to read this (and all the comments):

http://www.deadline.com/hollywood/recent-emmy-winning-young-female-writer-loses-her-job-on-mad-men/

You need to read this (and all the comments):

http://www.deadline....job-on-mad-men/

Oh dear Lord, all that drama!

Too bad I've got both Seasons on DVD and haven't even been able to make it through the first half of Season 1

Not through with the entire interview yet, but apparently CBS cut their previous licensing deal for B&B and renogiated better terms. The current cycle was supposed to run until March 2010...

...and last time they got a 5 year year renewal and not just two years. Ouch.

Not through with the entire interview yet, but apparently CBS cut their previous licensing deal for B&B and renogiated better terms. The current cycle was supposed to run until March 2010...

...and last time they got a 5 year year renewal and not just two years. Ouch.

Was Y&R only renewed for 2 years also?

I should have clarified what I meant about shameless Emmy grabs--I mean bad shameless Emmy grabs. Amber's second dead baby and subsequent pill addiction and so forth come to mind. Brad Bell is the master of pointless twists ie Ridge is Massimo's son.

Too bad I've got both Seasons on DVD and haven't even been able to make it through the first half of Season 1

LOL! It didn't hold your interest?

Edited December 15, 200915 yr by Sylph

Everyone loves a special guest appearance from someone on the Bell-Phillip Payroll.

Just because someone doesn't agree with your opinion doesn't mean they're on the Bell payroll.

The difference between JFP's Emmy Shows and Brad Bell's Emmy Shows is that the former actually wins.

I believe Brad Bell's Emmy show won this year, and JFP's did not.

And we see what happened to Dark Shadows. Eventually canceled.

DARK SHADOWS was but one example, and it hardly got cancelled because of boom shadows in the frame. Come on!

And you can't even compare something like Dark Shadows to B&B. Dark Shadows was a camp classic that never had a budget, while B&B has always been a show with one. And without a budget, the show looks so sloppy and thrown together. The performances are awful(can we give the actors AT&T cards since they love to phone it in so much) and most of the directing these days is weak as hell. And people ridiculed Wheeler for her cheap sets, even before she changed her production model. Turnabout is, after all, fair play. You are absolutely entitled to not care about boom mics and camera heads and the occasional, accidental shot off camera. But it looks extremely amateurish and unprofessional. Especially when your story is weak as hell. You can't say that Brad shouldn't be immune from this sort of criticism that has been passed to everyone else in the industry. Why? Because he's Brad Bell?

Certainly Bell isn't immune to criticism, but I hardly think what Wheeler did at GL and anything Bell is currently doing at B&B to save money remotely compares. B&B isn't shooting with hand held cameras. The older sets still look great (the Forrester mansion, the Marone mansion, Brooke's house, etc.), and the new ones work well (Bill Spencer's office, the Jackie M offices, Jackie's loft, etc.). The show is lighted the same now as it always has been. And when the show does outside to shoot, it's beautifully done.

I don't see "fighting" from Brad. What I see is more typical figurehead, arrogant nonsense coming out of this interview. Flippantly saying PGP didn't care about their shows. He has one hell of a nerve.

I don't think he was being flippant, just honest. The truth is P&G has screwed up all their soaps. They made bad decision after bad decision. If they truly cared about their shows, they would have gotten rid of poor performing producers like Goutman and Wheeler, and gotten headwriters who made more respect for the history and core characters of these shows. Goutman to this day is still as arrogant as ever. He still doesn't get what fans really wanted from his show.

While B&B's numbers(no thanks to Y&R) continue to plummet to new record lows each year. DAYS' "return" to traditional storytelling should tell them something.

When Y&R falls, B&B falls, as does the rest of the CBS lineup. Sometimes B&B reverses that trend. Not often, but it happens.

What I mean by rushed is exactly what Michael Logan(and even you, I believe, in another thread so casually wondered) asked Brad in terms of their being little-to-no rehearsal. It's painfully obvious. The actors are more concerned about spitting their lines out instead of worrying about what's on the page. I'm aware the economic reality of daytime no longer allows them the privilege of doing five takes of one scene. But I don't see anyone really jumping in and caring about their performances. At all. Everyone has gotten lazy. Just look at their faces. They're more concerned with beating rush hour traffic than actually caring about the scenes. But then again, who could blame them, given that B&B has an excellent recycling program?

I guess we're different shows. I don't feel the actors are phoning it in. Say, like Tony Geary on GH, who totally phones in his work day after day IMHO.

I guess we're different shows. I don't feel the actors are phoning it in.

I don't either. I think B&B has a stellar cast, apart from a few stinkers (Ronn Moss, Drew Tyler Bell, Texas Battle).