WTF!!!!!

EXCLUSIVE: Here is a great holiday gift for soap fans: I’ve learned that Prospect Park has revived its plan to continue cancelled ABC daytime dramas All My Children and One Life To Live online. I hear the company behind USA hit Royal Pains has inked deals with SAG-AFTRA and DGA for the soaps’ production, eyed to begin in the first quarter of 2013.

http://www.deadline....ine-web-series/

I realize that the folks at PP proved themselves to be !@#$%^&*]-ups last go round, but I don't quite understand the vitriol for a company that at least tried. Do I hate the doctor who tried to save my loved one's life but was unsuccessful or do I sit and stew about a hospital full of doctors who never thought to try?

That;'s a good point. Before PP had this wacky idea--NOBODY was interested. Andy Cohen and Oprah said they were sad to see them go, but clearly didn't have any interest in having them on their networks. Nobody else really thought there was even a possibility to make an online version work. The idea simply wasn't out there (yes fans had suggested it--a little bit--with P&G soaps, but nobody seemed to consider it seriously). Yes PP screwed it up, and frankly treated people badly, although it seems more out of naivity--they thought they could take on more than they could--than malice. But to have the thought process of "thanks PP! These are gonna flop and if it hadn't been for you we'd have these great Summer soaps on ABC Family" is ludicrous.

Edited January 9, 201312 yr by EricMontreal22

I realize that the folks at PP proved themselves to be !@#$%^&*]-ups last go round, but I don't quite understand the vitriol for a company that at least tried.

The vitriol comes from what we learned after the fact last time. The fact that they had virtually no regular PR team and instead played shiesty L.A. games in the industry trades to try and put pressure on the WGA and Susan Lucci to buckle without any real negotiation. They made one offer, walked away without discussion and leaked to the press that the other parties were all too "difficult." It was a hustle and a shakedown and it was shitty behavior, and it appears to be continuing now. It's all surface and a big gloss job followed by attempts at intimidation and gossip-mongering towards people and programs who deserve better. They were unserious people who clearly thought the little old soaps required a minimum of unserious effort and a lot of bullshit and brass. Let's not forget that in the end they apparently didn't make their payments and did not have the money they claimed to, either.

If I thought they truly were making a good faith effort this time to rectify their prior errors and weren't just in this to leech more money from the rights, I'd be more optimistic. I tried that last time and got burned. These people scream hustlers to me now and too little seems to have changed. I really hope they prove me wrong.

Edited January 9, 201312 yr by Vee

They needed a PR team then and they need that now. Even once these shows are in production, they need to build relationships so fans and people in the position to promote their shows will care to do so. Even their weak statement a couple days ago could've been much better. They need someone regularly on Twitter for one. They don't understand how successful a grassroots campaign is for entertainment in the age of social media.

I totally agree that they really need a PR/social media team. Badly.

I couldn't help but smirk and smh at the sight of those first few soap-related tweets, fascinated by how I was seeing this man's life change forever before my very eyes.

LOL! I know right? I saw one tweet where he said that he thought soap fans and comic/sci-fi fans had a lot in common. He's about to see just how much.

Cameron is getting work. Production has just started on a Thanksgiving movie that he is starring in with Jennie Garth. Good for him. He might not be a talented actor, but he hustles for all sorts of work.

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/01/08/production-to-start-on-abc-family-movie-home-again-starring-jennie-garth-and-cameron-mathison/164616/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Tvbythenumbers+%28TVbytheNumbers%29

Edited January 9, 201312 yr by Ann_SS

He is a good, nice guy, and he definitely hustles. Not the greatest actor though lol and Ryan was always terribly written, IMHO.

Whatever one thinks about his acting, Mathison works hard and doesn't seem to take himself too seriously plus he's really good to soap fans.

Lord knows I'm not a CM fan, not by any stretch, but at least he appreciated Daytime and didn't blatantly treat it like something beneath him until something better came along.

While I'm not a fan of CM, I do think the only positive of him joining on this would be the massive PR. The one talent he had was the ability to do PR... he and Susan Lucci were basically the PR for All My Children in it's last years.

I agree that CM seems like an all-around good guy you can't help but like. I just don't want him or Ryan Lavery back on ALL MY CHILDREN.

LOL! I know right? I saw one tweet where he said that he thought soap fans and comic/sci-fi fans had a lot in common. He's about to see just how much.

Well at least he understands that much--some cliche sci fi fanboys probably wouldn't realize it! LOL (It's actually pretty much true--unfortunately )

Edited January 9, 201312 yr by EricMontreal22

Otherwise I get the impression with One Life she did leave it to their own devices, but was eager and willing to help consult if anyone asked (I know for a while--early 90s--she was official consultant for all of ABC Daytime). But she definitely kept much closer to Loving and especially AMC where, from what Hal Corley said, she would go to as many story meetings she could and give her thumbs up or down--though there were chunks like the early 2000s when she was nursing her husband she was less available--and of course she flat out said in the AMC tribut ebook last year that after a few months Pratt barred her completely from story meetings. I get the impression that for much of that time--especially once Frons came in, her opinion meant a lot less and if an exec or HW wanted a story and Nixon said no, they happily would overule her, but it sounds like she always was involved at AMC in some consulting capacity.

I think it's rather odd that Pratt barred Agnes Nixon from story meetings, but yet both Pratt and Agnes's names were on the Emmy ballot for Outstanding Writing.

http://www.emmyonline.tv/mediacenter/daytime_36th_nominations.html

If I remember correctly, he even said he met with Agnes before he launched his stories. I think he mentioned the Brot story and Bianca's return in that same interview. Of course, that was before he tanked the show.

I think PP will look to Agnes to assemble some good writers. Agnes will probably try to get Jeff Beldner and Lisa Conner into the mix. Marla Kanalos is also available and worked on ABC soaps.