Is Crystal Chappell trying too hard to play up to the lesbian audience?

been saying that to my friends for awhile now! Just being an "actor" was not good enough, the only way she was able to get attention was by selling this "I play a lesbian!!!" but it is just a role. Well evidently it is not "just a role". I have lots of gay and lesbian friends, some from as far back as elementry school, I am not a prude, but either come out and say you are gay and proud or not! Nadia is a beautiful woman and her Boyfriend is hot, but they should really learn from people like Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee, Keep your personal sex life personal and private! I really don't want to see hear about it or see it anymore then they want to hear about mine or SEE mine!

Didn't realize Chappell had so many detractors. I'm not sure I understand it, actually.

Loved her Carly on Days back in the day -- she was a fierce, dramatic heroine. The current version of her is... subdued.

I don't blame her for capitalizing on her Otalia success, but I only saw that freebie first Venice episode and certainly don't think it's going to save soaps, judging by those 8 minutes. There was no soap to speak of, just some generic ladies' rock on the speakers and beautiful shots of Venice Beach. Like the people behind this were going "OMGZ! Look! We're actually filming this! I can't believe it!" and forgot to bring along a script.

The photo? Could be that CC and MS have an open marriage. Could be that Beemer and Bjorlin do, too. Could be that the photo was done for Venice promotional purposes. Could be that it was all a bit of a joke.

People clearly think that Chappell went above and beyond the usual devotion to her fanbase with Venice and that she overstepped the mark. Maybe in a way similar to Steve Burton hawking Monavie. What was it about the Venice project (or anything else Chappell did) that got your antennae twitching? That's an honest question, BTW -- I really do want to know.

Edited March 9, 201015 yr by Cat

The panties were a factor in detraction, too.

I just think the whole thing's obnoxious. Like, I give her all the props in the world for continuing to work for the Otal fanbase after GL's cancellation, and I'm not trying to put that down at all. It's so over-the-top, though, like..."These are lesbians, and I am going to appeal to lesbians as much as I absolutely can, so I AM going to dance around in my drawz, and I AM gonna kiss Nadia Bjorlin and make damn sure there's a camera around so that we can put it online and let everyone see it and get turned on by how hot it is! We WILL have lesbians kissing on Venice and we do NOT have to worry about silly things like characters and storylines. All we have to do is make out and have some little love scenes, and we're good to go. Let's get it started, bitchesssss!"

Which could totally just be my mind going into overdrive, but it's basically the feeling I get whenever I look at anything Venice-related.

I don't get what the big deal is either.Isn't this just another night in Hollywood?I think CC is doing great on days.I guess I don't get what shes doing so bad on there.

We WILL have lesbians kissing on Venice and we do NOT have to worry about silly things like characters and storylines. All we have to do is make out and have some little love scenes, and we're good to go. Let's get it started, bitchesssss!"

You might consider watching all 12 episodes of Venice before making sweeping pronouncements about it. The kissing scenes in Venice as a whole are few and far between, and considered by many in the largely lesbian fanbase as far too tame and tepid for a show that (unlike GL) doesn't have to worry about censorship. Of course the audience wants good storylines too, but good storylines and an honest portrayal of lesbian love need not be mutually exclusive.

You might consider watching all 12 episodes of Venice before making sweeping pronouncements about it. The kissing scenes in Venice as a whole are few and far between, and considered by many in the largely lesbian fanbase as far too tame and tepid for a show that (unlike GL) doesn't have to worry about censorship. Of course the audience wants good storylines too, but good storylines and an honest portrayal of lesbian love need not be mutually exclusive.

Regardless of how many "kisses" there are in Venice, the show was still played up and portrayed as being more edgy than what Otalia did on GL. I think that's the point AMS was trying to make.

I'm sorry you didn't get your money's worth.

Of course not, for the simple reason that they're completely different characters. Olivia was a bitchy, snarky, passionate, tormented bad girl who was ultimately redeemed. I'm still not sure who the hell Carly is because she's so inconsistently written (which appears to be a trademark of DOOL writers), but at the moment she's being presented as an introverted, teary-eyed damsel in distress who allows judgmental Salemites to use her as a verbal punching bag. I miss the assertive and vastly better-written Olivia and I sometimes wish that CC would invest Carly with her qualities, but I would respect her less as an actress if she did that because Carly is not Olivia (unfortunately). Whatever role she plays, CC is not the kind of actress who resorts to scenery chewing and lazy, actorly mannerisms.

IA sure I would like Carly to get some fire to her.Olivia was certainely written better than Carly is.At the moment though I think there writing Carly as being beaten down.

I don't think that CC's "antics" would be relevant or even mentioned if the quality of her work was still what it used to be but it's not. Not on Days and not on Venice. She's not even close to the top of her game and given that the Twittering, faux lesbian flirting, etc. coincides with the slide in the quality of her work, I think it's natural for people to assume that these things are a part of the reason why she isn't the actress she used to be. She's distracted and stretched too thin to be at her best. The best thing she could do for her career would probably be to end Venice at the end of season 2 and focus on performing at Days at the level she was at during her best years there and at GL.

Regardless of how many "kisses" there are in Venice, the show was still played up and portrayed as being more edgy than what Otalia did on GL. I think that's the point AMS was trying to make.

I'm sorry you didn't get your money's worth.

Oh, I got my money's worth. Hillary B. Smith's performance alone is worth the price of admission.

Venice was quite rightly "portrayed as being more edgy than what Otalia did on GL" because, as you'll recall if you watched GL, the most racy thing Otalia did was bump foreheads.

I don't think that CC's "antics" would be relevant or even mentioned if the quality of her work was still what it used to be but it's not. Not on Days and not on Venice. She's not even close to the top of her game and given that the Twittering, faux lesbian flirting, etc. coincides with the slide in the quality of her work, I think it's natural for people to assume that these things are a part of the reason why she isn't the actress she used to be. She's distracted and stretched too thin to be at her best. The best thing she could do for her career would probably be to end Venice at the end of season 2 and focus on performing at Days at the level she was at during her best years there and at GL.

Maybe but I still don't think shes been bad on Days.I mean theres a few actresses on Days that can't even cry that drives me crazy.I mean some want Carly to be the same as she was in the early 90's but even after PR BO left.Then RKK Bo came in they pretty much had her a crying mess back then too.Yeah the story makes no sense but Carly shouldn't be the same after all those years with Lawrence.JMO

whats wrong with her current Carly?

This Carly's a whiny, unsympathetic, crazy, pathetic bitch. She's not the heroine that you loved to root for that she used to be. It's a shame because Carly used to be my second favourite behind Marlena.

Edited March 9, 201015 yr by catsmeouch

This whole pandering complaint seems so unfair. All actors pander. Oprah Winfrey panders every time she comes on her show, throws on the phony down home accent and pretends to be just another common sense woman trying to get through the day. Then she goes on the Oscars and the real Oprah emerges with an accent Olivia De Havilland would be proud of.

This whole pandering complaint seems so unfair. All actors pander. Oprah Winfrey panders every time she comes on her show, throws on the phony down home accent and pretends to be just another common sense woman trying to get through the day. Then she goes on the Oscars and the real Oprah emerges with an accent Olivia De Havilland would be proud of.

Personally, I'm tired of how some in the soap press seem to think Crystal Chappell can do no wrong (along with Martha Bryne). This woman gets way too much press. She's a decent actress, but the way "We Love Soaps" and "TV Canada" fawn over her, you'd think she was the "Second Coming." There are so many other talented actors and actresses to cover.

Personally, I'm tired of how some in the soap press seem to think Crystal Chappell can do no wrong (along with Martha Bryne). This woman gets way too much press. She's a decent actress, but the way "We Love Soaps" and "TV Canada" fawn over her, you'd think she was the "Second Coming." There are so many other talented actors and actresses to cover.

Consider the source...the editors at We Love Soaps and TVGuide Canada are also part of the gay mafia.