1 hour ago, Khan said:

ICAM, @Jonathan!

With her memoir, McTavish had an opportunity, not to point fingers, but to take an honest, unflinching look at her career and examine some of her successes (and why they succeeded) as well as some of her failures (and why they failed).  "Regardless of who rewrote what," she might've said, "the buck ultimately stopped with me." 

She could've even retraced the steps that led her to her gig as the head writer for her "favorite soap" - and by the way, I know THAT ain't true, because I still remember when McTavish mentioned being an avid EON fan - and showed how everything that had happened in her life - from her childhood in New England and/or Illinois (which is it, Megan?), to her college days at Northwestern, to her early career as an actress, including her role as Lola Fontaine on GL - prepared her for the work; and how we, too, can achieve the job/career of our dreams.

Instead, McTavish chose to waste 70-plus pages on deflecting criticism of and blame for her shitty story ideas, as well as on spilling tea about a lot of people who, in many cases, didn't deserve their names being tarnished, and who actually come off looking more sympathetic than the heffa talkin' [!@#$%^&*] about them.  (If Susan Lucci was paranoid about her age and job security on AMC, she had every right to be.  And I say that as someone who still remembers when practically the entire soap press was touting Sarah Michelle Gellar as the NEW Susan Lucci.)

All in all, McTavish's memoir is the most disgusting thing I've read from any soap scribe since the time Elizabeth Page wanted people to feel sorry that she couldn't afford $400 haircuts while she and the rest of the Writers' Guild were on strike.

It's not that serious.

It reads like a rough draft and I have a feeling that had she made revisions/corrections.. it wouldn't have resembled what we read.  However, I like that someone finally called out all of the toxicity and egos that plague the soap world even if she is part of that toxicity herself.

Fascinating read. She really skewers Geary and Richard Culliton and all that she writes seems totally in line with how things played out for each. Culliton was never a successful head writer but desperately wanted to be one (fired from AMC after a year or so, fired twice from AW, fired after some months on ATWT and Carolyn moved around the dial as well, not to mention their terrible Port Charles stories i.e. Audrey needing brain surgery with a drill). I find it interesting that (if Megan is to be believed) they contacted her about being interim story teller after Pratt which she turned down. They got Broderick instead to come out of soap writing retirement to pen three months before Swajeski/Kreizman came aboard then Broderick stayed on till the end. Megan must have watched the end of AMC (which she never really goes into) with bitterness and self satisfaction because the end was terrible with all the dead people coming back to life. One of the worst soap endings ever (other than Love of Life with a bunch of bad actors featured in the last episode and Lee Sheldon's final EON cliff hanger with the Alice in Wonderland b.s.). She's particularly bitter and mean about Hal Corley but he had a long and successful career as an outline writer and story contributor on AMC and ATWT.  

50 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

It was interesting to me how she took great pains to make sure everyone knew she didn't want to kill Dixie, but when she did, she made sure to have fun with it. 

Her relationships with Susan and Agnes at least seem to have some nuance of love/hate, but she's awfully cruel to Lucci who never sounds like she was ever anything but a typically precious/insecure actress, and always at least outwardly sweet to her.

The thing with Cady got me because as I said a few posts ago, no, what she said about Cady's performances in the mid-2000s is not exactly untrue, and we've long heard Cady can be a handful. She's also a real talent and a cornerstone of the show. That's the business. She knew it was wrong to do what she did but when she did it she admits to having taken glee in slaughtering the character. Or with Jean Carol, it's the slightest offense.

Susan Lucci should've taken a page from Eileen Fulton - and inserted a Granny Clause in her contract - Then she would never be a Grandmother

Quite frankly by 1999 - the show needed Susan Lucci MORE than Susan needed the show, so she could've have gotten the clause in her contract without any problems 

12 minutes ago, TheyStartedOnSoaps said:

Susan Lucci should've taken a page from Eileen Fulton - and inserted a Granny Clause in her contract - Then she would never be a Grandmother

Quite frankly by 1999 - the show needed Susan Lucci MORE than Susan needed the show, so she could've have gotten the clause in her contract without any problems 

By the time Eileen got to Susan's age, that clause was gone.

43 minutes ago, Vee said:

Her relationships with Susan and Agnes at least seem to have some nuance of love/hate, but she's awfully cruel to Lucci who never sounds like she was ever anything but a typically precious/insecure actress, and always at least outwardly sweet to her.

The thing with Cady got me because as I said a few posts ago, no, what she said about Cady's performances in the mid-2000s is not exactly untrue, and we've long heard Cady can be a handful. She's also a real talent and a cornerstone of the show. That's the business. She knew it was wrong to do what she did but when she did it she admits to having taken glee in slaughtering the character. Or with Jean Carol, it's the slightest offense.

This is just my guess, but I think Megan's bitterness toward Susan comes from the fact that Susan always praises Agnes and Lorraine—especially since Lorraine was invited to the 92NY event while Megan was not—yet tends to overlook Megan. While Megan did provide Susan with substantial material, like Bianca’s anorexia storyline, I always preferred Erica’s character when Agnes or Lorraine was in charge. Under Megan’s writing, Erica—and many of the female characters—often felt like perpetual victims.

1 hour ago, VelekaCarruthers said:

Fascinating read. She really skewers Geary and Richard Culliton and all that she writes seems totally in line with how things played out for each. Culliton was never a successful head writer but desperately wanted to be one (fired from AMC after a year or so, fired twice from AW, fired after some months on ATWT and Carolyn moved around the dial as well, not to mention their terrible Port Charles stories i.e. Audrey needing brain surgery with a drill). I find it interesting that (if Megan is to be believed) they contacted her about being interim story teller after Pratt which she turned down. They got Broderick instead to come out of soap writing retirement to pen three months before Swajeski/Kreizman came aboard then Broderick stayed on till the end. Megan must have watched the end of AMC (which she never really goes into) with bitterness and self satisfaction because the end was terrible with all the dead people coming back to life. One of the worst soap endings ever (other than Love of Life with a bunch of bad actors featured in the last episode and Lee Sheldon's final EON cliff hanger with the Alice in Wonderland b.s.). She's particularly bitter and mean about Hal Corley but he had a long and successful career as an outline writer and story contributor on AMC and ATWT.  

She also came hard at Michael Conforti. They all seemed to get shots from her, more than the actors. I had mixed feelings about FMB as a producer, but her clear loathing of FMB may have been the toughest part to read (along with some of the doubling down on Susan), maybe because FMB recently passed (to be fair this was written long before FMB passed away).

I have mixed feelings about AMC's end. I wish we could see what the original ending would have been. I didn't mind some of the returns, like Dixie and Stuart. I did not like the gunshot ending.

18 minutes ago, Jonathan said:

This is just my guess, but I think Megan's bitterness toward Susan comes from the fact that Susan always praises Agnes and Lorraine—especially since Lorraine was invited to the 92NY event while Megan was not—yet tends to overlook Megan. While Megan did provide Susan with substantial material, like Bianca’s anorexia storyline, I always preferred Erica’s character when Agnes or Lorraine was in charge. Under Megan’s writing, Erica—and many of the female characters—often felt like perpetual victims.

I do get that sense in some of her first tenure for Erica, although that also has some strong material for her - it's just the strength seems to go more towards others (Kendall and Mona get more out of the stories). Her second run has the anorexia material, some of Susan's best work (even though Broderick started the story), and then the Mike stuff, which felt like a regression for Erica. Her last run has some good moments with Erica and Bianca and the Cambias murder, but after that becomes aimless. Unfortunately, I am not sure anyone knew what to do with Erica by then. 

Edited March 17Mar 17 by DRW50

5 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

I do get that sense in some of her first tenure for Erica, although that also has some strong material for her - it's just the strength seems to go more towards others (Kendall and Mona get more out of the stories). Her second run has the anorexia material, some of Susan's best work (even though Broderick started the story), and then the Mike stuff, which felt like a regression for Erica. Her last run has some good moments with Erica and Bianca and the Cambias murder, but after that becomes aimless. Unfortunately, I am not sure anyone knew what to do with Erica by then. 

Megan never met a lesbian she wasn't ready to torture, rape, put them with a pre-op trans, murder, or attempt, it's miracle she didn't off her, so dedicated to the lesbian tropes. Binks perfect victim. Hated it.

I felt really uncomfortable reading the chapter where Megan called Agnes a homophobe. That accusation seems hard to believe, considering how inclusive Agnes was in her writing—especially with characters like Lynn Carson, the lesbian psychiatrist for Devon on All My Children, and Black characters like Carla Gray on One Life to Live.

I thought the ending was fine. I didn't mind the returns, particularly Dixie and Stuart. Those deaths should never have happened. I didn't love the slapped-together cliffhanger but as a statement about Erica it made sense for who she was.

I thought OLTL's network ending was superior on many levels, but AMC's was solid enough for me and they clearly did those last weeks with a lot of love.

9 minutes ago, TEdgeofNight said:

who thinks we care about reading his opinion about every episode of 1989/90

I am enjoying reading posts about watching these episodes for the first time.  I find it fun to read.

Edited March 17Mar 17 by janea4old

Yes, the Conforti dirt is so surprising; he never had any media presence but made a great career as outline/associate head writer after Pam Long (Pam launched many soap careers) hired him as script writer on GL. He just got canned or retired after 34 years of steady soap writing employment. I knew Jill brought him to OLTL but it was so brief then he turned up as Passanante's AMC co-head writer for a few weeks before settling at GH for years followed by his long stints at Y&R. But it all makes sense. Jill got. him the AMC gig but he wasn't cutting it as a co head and then Jill brought him over to GH I think. 

10 hours ago, TheyStartedOnSoaps said:

And here is how they kicked it off - when they tried to turn AMC into Sex And The City

 

This is about as 2003 as you can get, especially what they stick Elizabeth Hendrickson in. 

Poor Simone.

Marcy Walker was still beautiful (and she looked even better when she cut her hair again before she left the show), even if they barely used her by this point. 

Amanda Seyfried gives a vibe of "why the hell am I doing this," but you can't look away from her. I hope she has happier memories of her time at AMC than she does of ATWT (which she was still talking about scarring her in a recent interview).

 

1 hour ago, Jonathan said:

I felt really uncomfortable reading the chapter where Megan called Agnes a homophobe. That accusation seems hard to believe, considering how inclusive Agnes was in her writing—especially with characters like Lynn Carson, the lesbian psychiatrist for Devon on All My Children, and Black characters like Carla Gray on One Life to Live.

Agnes also had the story with Devon and Donna Pescow.

I suppose there probably were people of Agnes' generation who would be upset at a gay man leaving their property to their partner rather than family (hell, given how anti-gay a lot of people are now, they still get upset over it). The situation is nuanced rather than her acting like Agnes was joining Westboro.

With that said, I also felt uncomfortable with the Agnes commentary, because some of it just went beyond dish and into open hostility. And it gives the sense that she's writing from a place of hurt, presumably down to Agnes icing her out. 

1 hour ago, Jonathan said:

I felt really uncomfortable reading the chapter where Megan called Agnes a homophobe. That accusation seems hard to believe

I agree.  Just as I find it hard to believe that she wanted Julia Santos to suffer or feel some guilt for having an abortion.  If she really felt that way, then she would’ve had Erica suffer a lot more than she did for having hers.  Heck, look at what Bill Bell did to poor Ashley Abbott on Y&R after she had had hers!

And as for Cady McClain: I won’t argue that she isn’t a lot to take, both on-screen and off.  Do I believe she deliberately sabotaged all efforts to reunite Dixie with Tad out of boredom and because she wanted to work more with Thorsten Kaye and Vincent Irizarry?  Absolutely.  Do I blame her for feeling that way?  Not really.  But she’s also someone who has long championed for soaps to stop telling these off-the-wall stories about situations that nobody can relate to, and to get back to Agnes Nixon’s philosophy of education-as-entertainment.  (Or so I’ve been told, lol).

1 hour ago, Vee said:

I didn't love the slapped-together cliffhanger but as a statement about Erica it made sense for who she was.

Oh, how I wish it had been Jack who was killed with that bullet, lol.

9 minutes ago, Khan said:

And as for Cady McClain: I won’t argue that she isn’t a lot to take, both on-screen and off.  Do I believe she deliberately sabotaged all efforts to reunite Dixie with Tad out of boredom and because she wanted to work more with Thorsten Kaye and Vincent Irizarry?  Absolutely.  Do I blame her for feeling that way?  Not really.  

Exactly. And in fairness, when she came back for the end she did commit all the way.

9 minutes ago, Khan said:

I agree.  Just as I find it hard to believe that she wanted Julia Santos to suffer or feel some guilt for having an abortion.

I can buy Agnes wanting to work with guilt/trauma because as Megan said, Agnes could certainly write about guilt to fuel drama. I don't buy it in terms of her merely wanting Julia punished for it, which is what Jim Reilly's tormented, conflicted Catholic mind often did with characters. Certainly not from the woman who surely had a hand in the flawless execution of the Cassandra abortion material on AMC 2.0, with the direct address to camera from Angie to Todd Akin.

Edited March 17Mar 17 by Vee