As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[Vee]

Tamara Tunie is joining Michele Val Jean's new CBS soap Beyond the Gates. Deets in the main discussion folder.

[OzFrog]

@DRW50 thanks so much for this - such a treat to see a scene like that! And you’re right - how long did Kim have that hair??

On a different note, I’ve been making my way through the early 90s episodes currently online, and have made it to 1995 where Carly has shown up in town! And it’s weird seeing the juxtaposition of the more recent characters like Carly with the earlier brigade.

I mean, it was a shock to me to see scenes between Carly and Andy (although I will say that Andy seemed to clock onto Carly very early on). Even seeing her interact with characters like Connor, Evan, Scott Eldridge… she had smokin’ hot chemistry with Evan #1 (Greg Watkins). Maura West at that time was an absolute revelation in what seemed to be a sea of dullness - indeed, Carly was the best thing to have happened to the character of Rosanna Cabot!

[DRW50]

Thanks. Sorry for not tagging you.

I remember at the time wondering if Carly might sleep with Andy as that would have been a believable step in her plan to get Mike, given that he was Mike's good friend. One of the reasons that I was and still am so annoyed at Andy's firing in 1995 is that he was pretty well-integrated in the canvas, even with his closest partners all gone.

There were so many places to go with Carly in that original run, although I think Maura was right to leave at the time given that she was having a baby and the show had had her have a miscarriage while pregnant in real life, which I hate.

(I am not saying that's why she left - I assume she just wanted to focus on being a mother)

Edited September 20, 2024 by DRW50

[Contessa Donatella]

As far back as I can recall, I have loved this scene, which I have often called it: Iva With Pitchfork. That says it all, right? However, I have just had the pleasure of creating my own edit of this scene & I found more there, so now I have created, from scratch, "Iva With Pitchfork, Long Form." Let me know what you think of it.

One more thing: watching the entire episode I was reminded of what a giant ATWT really was,  telling A, B & C storylines flawlessly. It makes me furious that CBS mandated a change. Let's call it "pod" storytelling. UGH.

https:// R*** .com/v5fwo71-atwt-iva-pitchfork-long-form.html

Or alternately here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/soapthegoodthebadtheugly/?multi_permalinks=3843838205934717&notif_id=1727012491808450&notif_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif

[Mitch64]

What is this pod storytelling you speak of?

[Contessa Donatella]

In Lynn Liccardo's book she talks about CBS mandating the so-called new production model for Guiding Light and a new narrative style for ATWT. She dubs that new narrative style "pod storytelling" where they completely abandoned their traditional "weave a tapestry" narrative style in favor of stories where individual characters, or couples, were as isolated as possible from everyone else!!! IOW, each character, or couple, existed only in their own little 'pod.'  Another way to put it might be that people stay in their own lane. 

[Mitch64]

Why? I know it's cheaper but what else is the advantage. I was bored to tears of Jack and Carly never leaving their Jack and Carly zone, etc. It MIGHT have worked if you had a connector like Lisa to dip in and out of everyone's storyline so it was more cohesive. 

[Contessa Donatella]

Why do it, yes, that is the #1 question. If we ask oh maybe someone like me, I might reply that CBS did it out of the sheer stupidity of being able to do it. IOW, power. In this scenario it is imagined that CBS wanted P&G in a position where they would have power over them. They publicly announced in 1995 that they wanted Bill Bell to create a brand new soap for them to replace Guiding Light. P&G went to bat for their soaps, verbally, and so CBS "backed off" when P&G said, basically, "We'll do anything, just please, don't cancel us." And, it seems to me that was what the point was, all along. CBS wanted P&G to say "Uncle". They waited until some P&G veterans, retired, to pull this stunt. BTW, Bill Bell wanted nothing to do with any of it. But, this to me, was the set-up for the whole effing last years of these two venerable "Chantilly" soaps. I happen to have a deep & abiding love & respect for GL & ATWT & I think, I mean it is my opinion, that it was CBS BTS pulling strings till the whole damn structure ... collapsed.

[Mitch64]

Was this  Babs Bloom involvement? 

[MarlandFan]

It was all about money and running an efficient production schedule (again, money). During that "pod" era (and even to this day on the surviving soaps) a typical episode usually consisted of scenes that had only two characters.  For instance, if Jack and Carly were having a conflict, their argument/dialogue would be stretched/padded so that it lasted for 5/6 separate scenes.  Those scenes were interspersed throughout the episode with 5/6 separate scenes of Bob and Kim dealing with a conflict, and 5/6 scenes of Barbara and Hal, etc.  Each episode was therefore cheaper to produce because they only had to pay 8 to 10 actors.  And the unionized technical crew no longer could charge for overtime because they were no longer filming beyond the regular working hours (wedding scenes, birthday parties, etc. would often film late into the night.)  It certainly was an efficient business model but it made for very boring, inert, vapid viewing experience.

[wonderwoman1951]

barbara bloom came on in 2003 to finish the job lucy johnson set in motion in 1995. 

[Contessa Donatella]

Did you see the mention of Bloom recently in deep background about Beyond The Gates?! I did not expect to read her name again after all this time!

[Mitch64]

Thanks...and yes, it did make for very boring viewing...could care less about Jack and Carly so you are stuck having them talk endlessly...(and remember when they used to make fun of the old days when people were in a kitchen chatting over coffee, where we were right back there, but I could care less about two middle aged people acting like teenagers and talking bout breaking up, making up, etc..

 

Lord, I will never forgive that woman for foisting her friend, Whatshisface to play NuDylan. You should also check out her Linkedin page...for a "creative narration expert," its a whole lot of verbage that says nothing.

[Contessa Donatella]

Omg! Creative narration whatever. My Sweet Lord! Preserve us from the likes of that.

Must have been. Timing is right.

NuDylan, remind me. Was he mainly known for looking good in black Calvins?

[Mitch64]

I don't remember..he just came back after apparently dumping Bridget, to be MADLY in love with Harley, even though he never was in the past. I just always thought that Brian whatever his name is just looked like a doufas! But I have a love for RealDylan..who I know was not the greatest actor, but he had a sweetness about him that really sold that his blond muscle boy would be protective, appreciate and in love with someone like Bridget. And yes, I know it makes no sense that the kid of Reva and Billy would be this mellow nice guy but it worked.