Y&R: TV Guide interview with Jill Farren Phelps

[frequentsoapfan]

I wonder if Sally Sussman Morina will be back soon since she wrote for HH as well.

[SFK]

Are they pretty much banking on HH not getting more than 80 episodes, because it looks like they're steadily picking from it for Y&R?

[Chris B]

Hollywood Heights was always presented as a true telenovella and everything is going to be wrapped up in the final episode. I think it was meant to launch a series of novellas if successful, but not the same story or cast and crew.

[Eric83]

The ratings were pretty bad that they moved it to TeenNick, I doubt its coming back.

[SFK]

Ah, I see, that makes sense.

HH is kind of boring from what little I've seen (and read from others) but I still hope the novella train doesn't stop with it. Degrassi has done so well for TeenNick and a good novella couldn't find a better home than on that network. Soaps in general could learn a lot from Degrassi.

[Chris B]

Hollywood Heights has gotten better from what I've heard, but I think it was a huge failure in terms of the way the show was marketed. I felt that aspect was rushed and not thought through. First of all, it should've been on Teen Nick with the other similar teen soaps. It also needed more promo. If it was able to get almost 1 million viewers on Nickalodeon, then there was an audience for the show, but they wasted it. 1 million viewers is great for a cable show.

[Cat]

I have come back from vacation and read this thread all in one gulp so forgive me if I am still mulling over stuff that was debated a week ago...

I really want to believe that JFP is going to do amazing things with Y&R. I remember reading a GH fan who, at a GH Fan weekend, ended up sitting next to Jill at lunch and talking to her in an open, non-recriminatory way about what she liked and didn't like about GH. Jill was equally open and respectful and she seemed to really listen to what this fan was saying. Whether or not this translated into anything substantial on screen, I don't know, but I do believe that Jill wants what is best for any show she is on.

My problem is that while JFP is liked by TPTB, by directors, crew, some of the cast, at the end of the day, this means zilch if the audience does not like the product on screen. I find in the past there has been a disconnect between the praise given by the crew and cast and the audience who may get turned off. I am thinking primarily of GH here -- the best I can say about her years there is that it was misogynistic and up its own ass and visually looked grey, bland and depressing. I liked her Santa Barbara but that was many moons ago.

When I read a little thing like "updating the look and music" of the show, I get worried, especially about the music. Y&R has the best incidental music in Daytime. It adds elegance, mystery and old-school allure to scenes which normally would be a bore. I think back to GH when a chemistry-filled love scene between Ric (Rick Hearst) and Claudia (Sarah Brown) was drowned out by that awful, generic "Do ya do ya want it" song JFP used to put on for every sex scene, and I get nervous.

Re-reading her honest interview in TV Guide, the more I linger over the VR reference, the more I think that she is not coming back. JFP is here to do Sony's bidding. It makes me sad because what a shot in the arm it would be to have Drucilla back. She leaves such a void in the show, even all these years later.

As for Kay Alden being at the recent Y&R festivities, she wrote the show from day 1 for over 30 years. I hope she is asked to join Y&R's writing staff again but we will see.

In short: more than anything, I badly want to eat my words and watch a great Y&R under Jill's watch! But I still feel nervous and cautious about her tenure. When does her and Josh's work air again?

[LondonScribe]

Cat, my understanding, going by what has been reported, is that JFP's name will appear in the credits later this month, but she will be producing what has already been written only.

It has been said that Josh Griffith won't tweak any of what is already written, rather start his own stories afterwards.

I believe their first episode as a duo will air 12th October.

[frequentsoapfan]

That awful song was by Adrianna Leon and was used on Gossip Girl was well. It was called Would you Like it and yes it grated my nerves too all of 2009. But only that year was it the go to sleazy sex song.

[Khan]

I liked SANTA BARBARA, too, although that had more to do with certain actors and script writers than anything else. And of course, what she did in tandem with Nancy Curlee at GUIDING LIGHT in the early '90's was nothing short of amazing.

Question: was JFP the EP when GH did that one episode where several people in Port Charles had disturbing dreams? I realize that episode (written by James Fryman) was not everyone's cup of tea, but I think it was one of the rare times during that awful, dark period when an episode of GH didn't leave me feeling uneasy at the end.

[cattykittens]

If that's the case I pray MM's instincts are correct. I'd love to see TPTB value Jess Walton/Jill again so I can see her on my screen.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

For some reason, Y&R always tends to be at its best when Jill is a valued character.

When she's treated like crap and ignored (like the past three regimes have done), the show tends to be at its worst. Not saying there's a correlation, but an observation on my end.

I think Maria really underestimated this character's importance and thought Jill's role on this show was insignificant. She, of course, was wrong.

[frequentsoapfan]

The only thing I remember about Jill this year was her fighting that bitch Gen in the mud and than Delia rubbing dirt on herself saying she wanted to be like grandma.

[YRBB]

The way I see it, Jill (and Kay) are the very center, the very heart of Y&R. It will never be OK if those two (as characters, at the very least) are not written for well.

[Khan]

Unfortunately, the best thing about Jill and Kay -- which is to say, their long-running feud -- has become such a non-issue, I truly question whether anyone could restore the two to their respective, former glories.