As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[DramatistDreamer]

It seems as though Alan feels that he has to be seen saying something, heaven forbid he actually let the conversation flow organically.

The actresses were highly diplomatic, seeking to complement their colleagues and their generosity, rather than get into the weeds of the politics at P&G, probably sensing Alan's unease with those topics.

I was intrigued by Lauren's brief recounting of the time that a group of Black actors convened to bring their concerns, as well as voice their displeasure with P&G. Someone needs to ask her more about that because I'd like to hear more about it.

[Vee]

Locher is constantly trying to stifle the actors from being candid - why? These shows are long gone. P&G is out of the soap business. Why protect bad eras of good soaps just because you worked on those bad eras once upon a time? It's ridiculous. I love when these reunions spiral out of his control.

[Mitch]

Because Alan is still working and people who were the decision makers are still working , even if they are not with P & G and egos are egos. PR is, like HR, there to protect the company. I am sure Alan still feels loyal to those people (is MADD alive still.)?

 

What would be interesting is if Alan let them talk and then gave his perspective...(such and such was going on at the network, the focus groups said this, the budget was limited,..etc.)  However the best thing would be if someone else besides an ex-corporate P & G..did these.. if they could shut up a minute, Zimmer and Zenk would be hilarious moderators...(especially around happy hour..)

[Bill Bauer]

 

 

That is a GREAT idea, Mitch!

[adrnyc]

Being in the industry, if you want to continue to work, you don't trash work you've done before. It's seen as "negative" in the industry and few want to work with "negative" people. Plus, unlike most of this board, some people prefer to carry with them the positive memories of their lives and let the not-so-positive go. It's much healthier that way. Y'all might try it. 

[Vee]

Yeah, thanks, some of us work in industries like these (I have nothing to do with daytime television and never have, but I work in entertainment and know better than to shít where I eat). That's not the point. Work with who? Where? P&G soaps are gone. Does Locher even work for the parent company anymore? He has nothing to defend and no call to censor the actors.

Edited November 25, 2020 by Vee

[Mitch]

Being honest is not being negative...(for some reason the dead soaps are now like dead people, you have to overlook their flaws and act like they were perfect.) I was watching the Fresh Prince reunion (I have no idea as I never watched the show and found Will Smith grating but the world is the world now and it was on...) and while the majority of the show is exactly what Alan is trying to do..warm memories and camaraderie...Smith had the balls to tape a segment with the woman he had publicly dissed who played his mother...I guess she was offered a smaller contract with more restriction and because of Smith, found it hard to work again. Smith admitted his fault, he was young and dumb and didn't understand until he had kids, and she didn't just let him off the hook, she did call him on the fact that he had a great career and she didn't. Again I never watched the show but it was amazing to see a level of honesty with any actors and especially one as big as Smith.

 

It would be refreshing to let the actors be honest,,,not bitch about the past..but MG talking about ageism...Zimmer talking about her weight, and yes, even corporate screw ups and mistakes. Besides some of the uh..wide eyed fans..like on the GL FB page..we were there and saw it all happen so it would be interesting to hear what the actors thought.

 

And yes, Zimmer, Zenk, Hubbard and Pratt would be great moderators but no one would get a word in edge wise.

[Vee]

 

People should def watch the Fresh Prince reunion segment with Janet Hubert. I was more impressed with Will Smith than I have been since Six Degrees of Separation. That and the subsequent Red Table discussion (which had more of their convo) was very good on his part, and it made me very happy to see Hubert welcomed enthusiastically by the entire cast minus Alfonso Ribeiro.

[DRW50]

Speaking of Janet, I saw that Lonette McKee called her out on Twitter, and then some people were talking about how in Alan's talk with Napiera/Lauren/Cassandra there was some mention of Lonette on ATWT. Was there?

[Vee]

Lonette McKee - I just saw her in Coppola's Cotton Club Encore. Amazing. She has a number which might as well be the centerpiece of the film.

[Bill Bauer]

 

 

I tried it but reality kept getting in the way. 

[Soapsuds]

Yes there was talk of her by Lauren. McKee being a recast of her mom...her as a person.....her work....etc....

[DRW50]

Thanks.

[DramatistDreamer]

Janet Huber portrayed Will's Aunt Viv, not his mother, but I understand that you didn't much watch the show, @Mitch
 I admit to missing some episodes during it's original run.

I need to see this reunion, I guess, since it's been the talk of the interwebs lately.

Why minus Ribeiro? Was he not there? Were there hard feelings between them too?

 

Anyway on the subject of critiquing a show that you grew up with and loved, it is possible to do both.

As a writer, my work often got critiqued, it was part of the process. Some of it could actually be helpful. One really can't be so thin-skinned to take it as some sort of affront.

A few of us have been musing about an in-depth multi-part documentary series, a la Ken Burns, on the history of the daytime drama. One thing that I really appreciate about those series are that the often approach their subject clear-eyed, and critically, even that which the filmmakers love. Whether it's jazz, baseball or country music, the documentaries didn't steer clear of criticism-- there was racism and greed and short-sighted thinking involved that was at odds with the art and beauty and sheer enjoyment. This was a very real part of each industry and to not discuss the blind spots and shortcomings would be doing a grave disservice as it is akin to a lie of omission. If you truly care about the genre and want it to be respected (maybe even have some aspects be revived in the future) why wouldn't you want those problems to be discussed?

 

Some intelligent discussions can only help the genre's image, since most non-soap opera viewers think soap fans are mostly a collection of 'Nurse Bettys' devoid of critical thinking skills, with little perception of real life. Looking at us as a collection of critics with specific tastes can only be an improvement, lol.

Edited November 26, 2020 by DramatistDreamer
Ffs, autocorrect!

[Vee]

 

It's on HBO Max. There was a YT link but it got pulled. This, from Red Table Talk, is a follow-up thing which has more of the Hubert segment from the show. If you have HBO you may already have Max which is an (unnecessarily) separate service and app containing all the main HBO content plus new originals - I found out I had it. If not, you can do a trial.

 

Anyway: Back to y'all's topic, sorry.

 

I thought Ribeiro dipped due to not wanting to see her, but I believe Hubert has said he was busy and her coming in was filmed at a separate point. Not sure I buy that.

Edited November 26, 2020 by Vee