B&B: Former actor returns

[Soapsuds]

That's a great idea!

[Vee]

If he's lucky he gets the Jack Wagner/Don Diamont B&B package. He has an edge due to his past with the show. But he could very, very easily go the way of virtually all Brad Bell's big hires. And Rick Forrester is not what he was back in JY's day.

I understand his concerns about PP's downtime. His comments are sound. The fact is AMC is a disaster area and the gap between the end of taping and the alleged January pick-up has already led to a number of exits. But I don't consider Brad Bell's B&B a safer harbor for him, at all, and the Prospect Park primetime offer is pretty sweet. A lot, it seems, has come out since he first made his initial judgment about PP.

[Skin]

Yeah I have heard B&B is super hard to break into. It has a very tiny cast and even vets that starred on the show for years have very high turn overrates. I would think B&B would be one of the worst places to have a soap job. I think I have heard that they shake up their cast every six months at least and they throw their actors out like it's nothing. But there aren't a lot of soap jobs anyway. So I guess it's good that he landed something even if it's temporary. From the sound of it though I think he knows that the writing is on the wall for soaps anyway and I think he may even end up retiring once his soap career ends.

It's always interesting to read these interpretations from JR/JY fans mostly because the role of JR was spelled out for even before McT came onto the scene in 03'. The only thing she did was further extrapolate on something that had already been written before her. JR was always a deeply troubled teen who faced problems with addictions, drugs, women, familial issues, etc. and the character always reacted in self-destructive and harmful ways for himself and others. This was nothing new for him. Every one of JR's actions could be traced all the way back to the McCartney era. It wasn't JR being thrown under the bus it was JR reacting true to character and reveling in bad habits that he had even when he was a teen.

Jacob got great treatment during AMC's last years. He was an airtime leader during most if not all of his tenure at AMC and he reaped tons of benefits and story under the pen of various writers. The material provided for him netted him an additional two Emmy nominations. His JR was a flagship leader of AMC behind the foursquare (RB,AM,CM,TK). Jacob was given leading man status and constantly given the lime light against his contemporaries. To imply even indirectly that he was badly treated on AMC is a joke. He could have been phased out for much less but the show kept him on and invested in his character more then they have with any other since the likes of Alicia Minshew's Kendell.

Interesting. I watched him on GH and always found him to be a very soft and tender in the role a bit of a wuss but fairly sensitive same for his initial first few months on AMC until they hoodwinked him into Adam lite. From what I have seen from B&B (and CBS Daytime in general now a days) their leading men are hard, calloused, rakish and have testosterone leaking out of their pores at least on Y&R and from the little I see on B&B with all the bed hopping, affairs, betrayals and business takeovers.

I think his acting style now (yelling, snarky one liners, borderline misogynistic chauvinist) is more inline with the Bell soaps of today.

I would be interested in seeing Jacob in a different role. I have felt his JR to be middling since late 08'.

[Vee]

Assuming Babe is alive, I think AMC is actually done with JR for a good long while. They'll write JR, Babe and the kid out together and call it a day.

[JaneAusten]

Remember all we are reading about PP is all word of mouth. No one knows specifics in terms of the contracts or what type of Primetime guarantees are being given. ALl I read was that is was a possibility. A guaranteed gig with a likely higher paycheck for probably at least 1 year is secure enough as an actor. None of us know the pay or what other benefits the unions have agreed to and it sounds like those deals are just in the midst of being finalized so I doubt anyone has signed onto anything yet. I think its a little presumptuous for anyone here or on anywhere online to think they know what might be the better option for an individual person much less say JY was hasty in his decision. No matter what PP is a riskier move than moving to B&B would be right now. I am sure any other actor on OLTL or AMC who would get an offer from a soap would jump at that over the PP deal. Its not a criticism just reality.

I sort of find it a tad funny about soap actors in a way. The acting profession in itself is a very at the moment profession. How many acting gigs exist where you get paid 52 weeks a year for years and years. SO with that in mind I would say a guarantee of a year at B&B probably looks pretty good.

[soapfan770]

When did Kyle Lowder last appear as Rick anyways? Whatever happened to Bridget?

Anyways, Lowder will not be missed by me. Jacob Young has certainly grown up a lot since then hasn't he? Don't watch the ABC soaps but I do remember he won an Emmy a few years back. I thought he was okay as Rick, I certainly remember the old Rick/Amber/CJ/Usher(Raymond!) shenanigans.

Surprised no one in this thread has mentioned Justin Torkildsen at all.

[Cheap21]

His sole appearance this year was in February. I cant tell you what he did. Probably just filled up the background at Forrester. His last storyline was proposing to Jackie and declaring his love for her. It was a mess.

Bridget went to Hawaii and never came back. She didnt even get an exit. A few months after she last appeared someone mentioned that in passing. Might have been Owen.We know she isnt living in LA anymore bc when Brooke was going through her turmoil last month she mentioned to Hope that she told Rick and Bridget that they dont have to come back to town for her

No one mentioned Torkildsen, most likely bc he sucked and is not needed. I would say I prefer Lowder over him and I disliked Lowder's run. JT had better storylines but he was just not Rick. He came acoss too pretty boyish for the role.

[y&r_fan]

Interestingly, when I saw the thread title I was sure it would either be Torkildsen or Lowder returning.

I started watching in 2002 so I never saw Young's Rick. I applaud Bell for bringing back an original rather than attempting another recast.

Now if they could somehow lure Jennifer Finnigan back as Bridget I would be soooooooooo happy.

[DRW50]

I think pretty much everyone knows most AMC viewers (or OLTL viewers) would struggle to watch the show online. I'm more interested in what happens if they get a cable deal, although maybe that was just rumor.

I do think he made the right choice in going with a sure job over an unknown prospect. It's just unfortunate that job is B&B, which is a perpetual mess, can't write for new characters or returning characters, and will likely involve Amber, a character many fans despise.

[Khan]

As I said in another thread, I don't fault JY for making this decision. He has a family to provide for, after all; and there are just too many what-ifs regarding PP and AMC to make that seem like a win-win situation.

Unfortunately, I think he will suffer the same fate that a lot of old- and newcomers do on B&B. Brad Bell will write heavily for him for awhile; then, it will suddenly fizzle out. That's BB's biggest problem as a writer, I think: he gets big ideas at the beginning, but somewhere along the line, he seems to write himself into a corner and can't do anything except end everything abruptly.

[sheilaforever]

Same here.

I thought Young might return but am still surprised that they hired him. He didn't leave on too steallar terms.

[DRW50]

If they have to keep going back to 1998 to give Amber stories then they should just write her out. I don't remember Rick/Amber being any good as a couple the last time and I don't know if anything has changed in ten years (Amber certainly hasn't).

[Cheap21]

They should have done a Rick/Amber/Thomas triangle when she returned last summer. I was surprised when they diddnt

[dm.]

That is exactly where they should go once Rick returns [from the Forrester halls or wherever he is supposed to be now]. Thomas has no story outside of the Brooke mess and neither will Amber soon since Marcus seems like such a badly written (and portrayed) character.

[Cheap21]

the thing is I cant see it with either men as the ship has sailed. Amber had changed on Y&R and she came back as a fashion designer and doing relatively well for hersself. This past year has just made her come across just as trashy and skanky as she was in the past. Back to being a golddigger and hailing from the trailer park. She's regressed so much and I cant see either men actually wanting her. Rick blew her off last year and Thomas hasnt even thought of her. It might be too little, too late