Honestly though? I find Oprah: Season 25 Behind the Scenes and Lisa Ling's Our America much much better than any soap on the air right now

I like Lisa Ling, and I'm glad she got out of The View alive, but she has the screen presence of one of those fill-in CBS News anchors.

The problem is these are 2 shows on what is supposed to be an entire channel, and Oprah Behind the Scenes is a niche show, even if it's probably a lot of fun (I remember the one on Oxygen was). Oxygen ultimately sank, and I think OWN will do the same unless they take a few risks.

That doesn't mean purchasing existing soaps, but it does mean paying a little more for some scripted shows that could pay off in the long run.

I do think they would benefit from scripted programming...

I think Oprah may be a little gun shy, she hasn't had the best of luck with scripted ventures.

I think Robin's Tweets about Chelsea were pretty mild. All she said was she'd like to see Chelsea criticize her when Chelsea gets to her age. She could have said, "It must be tough to talk with your head up Jennifer Aniston's ass" or, "I'm glad you were able to move your face long enough to bitch about me."

I was surprised at what she said about JPL, but then, JPL comes across onscreen as so entitled, I won't be surprised if he is that way offscreen. He is a big reason why OLTL lost a lot of viewers in 2009 and yet he is likely to be rewarded by Frons, IMO.

As for Baba, not surprised there either. The only part I'm surprised about was she mentioned Frons at all. That means his assy behavior is doing him some serious PR damage, if she felt the need to defend him. The problem is if anything, her speaking up in his favor just turns more people against him.

Edited April 18, 201114 yr by CarlD2

On the one hand, I don't want to begrudge anyone who enjoyed the AMC of the early '90's. And yet - there always an "and yet" w/ me, isn't there, lol? - I knew even as those years were unfolding that something amiss was going on, that the AMC I had known and loved throughout much of the previous decade was eroding. That's why Felicia Minei Behr is never high on my list of favorite EP's. (All my favorite EP's - Robert Calhoun, Joe Stuart, Jorn Winther and Jackie Babbin - knew how to keep a show "fresh" w/o throwing away everything that made it wonderful in the first place.) When FMB crowed about bringing the show into the '90's @ AMC's first Emmy win for Best Drama Series, I just knew we were in for it.

ITA about Behr. In fact, it was the Natalie-in-the-well story that killed AMC for me. AMC was always rooted in reality..."heightened" reality, but still reality. That story ended what AMC had always been. Ironically, as AMC went crazy at the time, OLTL was having a renaissance with Linda Gottlieb at the helm.

You didn't think the stuff like Damon Lazarre and lasers was what tipped AMC more towards that direction?

I don't watch regularly so I can't speak character names and all that, but I've caught a few very serio- scenes on Tyler Perry's sitcoms, one in particular was a heated argument between a couple where it looked like they were even ad-libbing a bit. I can easily see his Atlanta studio cranking out a dramatic series. I'm sure Oprah and Tyler have discussed him doing a show for her network over one of their expensive meals at BOA. And as a team, money wouldn't be quite the issue it might be with someone else behind it creatively. I'm not all that impressed with TP's sitcoms, but they seem to do well and to be inexpensively produced.

You didn't think the stuff like Damon Lazarre and lasers was what tipped AMC more towards that direction?

That was during the writers strike, lol...and it was ended pretty quickly. In fact, Goldie just disappeared without explanation.

Nah, it was Behr who put the first nail in AMC's coffin.

I like Lisa Ling, and I'm glad she got out of The View alive, but she has the screen presence of one of those fill-in CBS News anchors.

The problem is these are 2 shows on what is supposed to be an entire channel, and Oprah Behind the Scenes is a niche show, even if it's probably a lot of fun (I remember the one on Oxygen was). Oxygen ultimately sank, and I think OWN will do the same unless they take a few risks.

That doesn't mean purchasing existing soaps, but it does mean paying a little more for some scripted shows that could pay off in the long run.

So you haven't actually seen the shows on OWN? I have to ask because I've noticed this a few times in conversations, how can one have an opinion on what a network needs if one doesn't watch the network?

I don't watch regularly so I can't speak character names and all that, but I've caught a few very serio- scenes on Tyler Perry's sitcoms, one in particular was a heated argument between a couple where it looked like they were even ad-libbing a bit. I can easily see his Atlanta studio cranking out a dramatic series. I'm sure Oprah and Tyler have discussed him doing a show for her network over one of their expensive meals at BOA. And as a team, money wouldn't be quite the issue it might be with someone else behind it creatively. I'm not all that impressed with TP's sitcoms, but they seem to do well and to be inexpensively produced.

Don't like his show or his films at all, however Tyler Perry is incredibly smart. His shows and films are all inexpensively produced and always turn a profit. The only reason I think Oprah would be apprehensive about a Tyler Perry produced scripted program is that there is a HUGE divide in the African American community about him. 50% love him, 50% agree with Spike Lee (who called Perry's films/shows coonery and buffoonery)

Edited April 18, 201114 yr by Vizion

Frons cried, huh? I guess he did learn something from soaps: glycerin.

So you haven't actually seen the shows on OWN? I have to ask because I've noticed this a few times in conversations, how can one have an opinion on what a network needs if one doesn't watch the network?

I don't have OWN.

The lineup is tanking, enough to where the press is speaking out, so that's why I was saying they needed scripted programming. Perhaps Lisa has come on leaps and bounds since the last time I saw her, and I'm wrong, but I don't really see her as a great host.

Why wont they just merge AMC or OLTL in primetime soaps they will come on every season and the production values may be cheaper to produce... I am in the minority here or bi monthly mini series

Edited April 18, 201114 yr by EyewitnessNews

I was surprised at what she said about JPL, but then, JPL comes across onscreen as so entitled, I won't be surprised if he is that way offscreen. He is a big reason why OLTL lost a lot of viewers in 2009 and yet he is likely to be rewarded by Frons, IMO.

First of all "entitled" is a great adjective to use regarding JPL. I was reading your post and saying YES!YES!YES! and it was not the Herbal Essence shampoo!

If you watch scenes shared with JPL where somebody OTHER than Rex is having a dramatic climax, he will steal the scene with either bad acting, or total ham, or comedy. He did it with Schuyler's character and even Austin Williams (Shane) it seemed. You can't be cute when your son is trying to jump off the roof. I don't like him for that reason. And Farrah Fath has evolved that way as well...Gigi acted like a total harpy towards Fish and Kyle. I dislike JPL and FF both.

Erik

Edited April 18, 201114 yr by Erik

I could see them moving Rex over to GH to be a love interest for Maxie. Other than that, I don't see where he would fit on the GH canvass. McBain, on the other hand, will almost definitely be brought there to mix it up with Carly and Sam.

Edited April 18, 201114 yr by LoyaltoAMC

How can anyone be sure, Vee? After all, during that time, it was almost entirely plot-driven, out-of-character, and gimmicky.

For whatever it's worth, I know that McTavish was "consulting" at OLTL in early-1999... and that Agnes Nixon was back "consulting" (after cutting herself off when ABC dismissed Broderick over a year before) at AMC... There was a noticeable change in tone and story direction on AMC as well, and between that and what people at the studios were saying, that got Soap Opera Weekly poking for info.

It was actually due to the questioning that ABC finally confirmed that McTavish was out at AMC. Her return the year before was so awfully received, they held off for a few months, if I recall correctly, before they actually named her head writer of OLTL.

McTavish was OLTL's OFFICIAL headwriter from Feb 1999 to Jan 2001. She was listed in the credits in the 2000 episodes I have on tape, too.

Did you read JPL's statement? I can understand why Robin went off...

http://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/john-paul-lavoisier-weighs-oltl-cancelation

OLTL's John-Paul Lavoisier weighs in on his soap's cancelation: "Yeah, you know. All good things must come to an end sometimes. Farah [Fath] and I have plans to head out to L.A. as soon as the show wraps. Time for me to pound the pavement in another town I suppose. We are actually very anxious and excited for all the new jobs ahead. I wish everyone at AMC and OLTL the very best of luck in their careers and personal lives that are to come after November of 2011. I will forever feel extremely blessed to have worked on the final nine and a half years of one of the longest running television shows in the world's history. Thank you, Brain Frons for letting us all work under your amazing talent and decision making for all this time. Thank you."