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OLTL: Could Jean P. be an improvement over Ron C.?


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I don't believe new writers want these gigs. Not when they can earn just as much or more respect writing for a short-lived cable show with for equal money, less pressure and less hassle. When you have writers like Nancy Curlee, Michael Malone, the Labines and Lorraine Broderick saying "Thanks, but no thanks" that tells you that the problem isn't a lack of available talent, it's that the talent is no longer available for a reason.

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Exactly. There are so many writers who don't want to be HW because they know they will be micromanged and they just don't want the headaches. Why would you want to deal with Brian Frons? LOL It's just worth it.

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Seriously, I can't imagine anyone thinking Passanante would be a good solo headwriter. The woman has been a disaster on every soap that she touched. You didn't even mention her final damage to AW which was in its death throes. I can understand considering Richard Culliton, but Jean Passanante? Whats next? Desperate pleas for Megan McTavish to return?

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I mean I dont want JP at OLTL either, but what else are we going to get? A completely new, young, creative HW is simply out of the question.

Ron Carlivati has ran out of steam and this show is a trainwreck. Kreizman did a hack job at GL, yet he got a gig at AMC, it seems Frons wants the P&G rejects.

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What we're seeing now, is no different than what JP did during her tenure at ATWT/OLTL/AMC. Minus a boy who thinks he's a dog, libidizone(sp?), and Victorian Christmas's you might as well slap JP's name on what we're seeing now, because it'd be no different. The only reason JP would be made as OLTL's HW is because she's a network executive's dream gal, she will write whatever Barbara Bloom or even Brian Frons will tell her to write, unlike early-Ron Carlivati. She doesn't try to ruffle any feathers or go beyond her pay grade.

Do people think that with RC gone, and JP in the driver seat the Starr propping will stop? The Todd-John-Rex clusterf**k will suddenly end? IMHO it would continue. The problem lies deeper obviously, and its name is Brian Frons.

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If Ronald isn't done, then he needs to be done. I used to write off the shitrocious state of OLTL as being "*sigh* another one of those Frons things that is out of RC's control," but after listening to him defend the crap storylines and talk sh!t about the people who don't like the crap storylines, I'm ready for this one to pack up the shirtless Ken dolls, bags of blood, paternity tests, flavor of the month ripoffs, and all the other nonsense and get to going. OLTL is a total caricature of...I'm not even sure what.

So my answer is "yes." Because, IMO, World Turns is more watchable than One Life at this point.

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OLTL is a difficult soap to write because it has no identity. It seems to change every few years. That's a big problem with Carlivati, often trying to combine the over the top 80s with the more urban style they have now. Sad how bad the show has gotten and nobody seems to care. GH is now in good shape, they went through a lot of trouble to improve AMC, but nothing for OLTL. I do think Passanante is being brought on more as a Co-HW. My guess is that they'll see how it goes, but I think they do see the need for him to go. Just don't know if they care enough to actually replace him.

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Again, I'm not buying that Frons is responsible for the state of OLTL or GH. All this talk about stories rejected and actors pushed by the network are excuses that ignore the fact that If these headwriters had any talent, they could write good stories within these limitations. The poor plotting, bad stories, inconsistency, and stupid dialogue are on the headwriters, not Frons.

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I was also one of those that praised Ron C's writing in the beginning, and quite frankly back at that time it was great writing. Now, however, he has totally run out of steam.

The show needs a writer. This is daytime tv with powerhouse actresses like Erika Slezak, Robin Strasser, Kassie DePaiva, Susan Haskell, Gina Tognoni, Hillary B. Smith, and more. You put them in great stories and the audience will tune in for these women. But instead we get them barely used or abused in their stories to look like weak, pathetic women. No female daytime audience is going to root for that or the show its on.

:(

OLTL has enough talent onscreen to run with IF used in good story.

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