Y&R December 2021 Discussion Thread

[ajsp35801]

 

Great interview. Very sad segment about KSJ. I had no idea he was bipolar. And I don't think he was off the mark about losing his job. The show seemed to be phasing him out. I regret the events that led to his death and that he wasn't able to get the help he needed. 

[Broderick]

Regardless of what he'd been told by the producers, it was pretty clear that KSJ was being phased-out at the time of his death (along with Christian LeBlanc, Doug Davidson & Kate Linder).  He could clearly see the writing on the wall.  

I wish Alan Locher could see the two interviews above and learn how people can converse without saying, "Wow, that's crazy", and have a beneficial conversation.  

[Faulkner]

Maybe there’s some commentary on America’s crisis with men being adrift, but why is nearly every man under 50 in Genoa City a mopey, hapless, and aimless dude who needs to be coddled (Chance, Noah, Nick, Billy, even Adam, who amounts to a Victor yes-man)? And again the lack of dynamic, strong, mostly competent leading men dates back years (back to when Nick, Billy, Cane, and later Scott and J.T. were all screw-ups under Sussman and Mal).

Edited December 13, 2021 by Faulkner

[Khan]

Yeah, even Bill Bell knew how to write men as something other than wet sponges.

[DramatistDreamer]

I suggested this years ago. Not the bi-polar diagnosis but the fact that, having spent so much of his life on Y&R, it was tied up in his identity and seeing his role reduced had a deleterious effect on him, not to mention a job gave structure and purpose to his days, he could have used that, particularly after he lost his son, but people kept suggesting that it was best that he wasn't working at that time.

[slick jones]

I was berated by someone for suggesting the same thing. Granted, he was going through the alcohol issues after his son died (I was told by the person I was full of S*it and that he was going through rehab). The way he was treated by TPTB as an afterthought was appalling after all those years. When he needed the work most, they took him off contract.

 

[DramatistDreamer]

That was a good interview, but man, you all were right about the segment on KSJ, it was sad to get an account of his final days and how he had suffered.

I still have yet to see the KSJ documentary. I had hoped it would be on Netflix or an easily accessible streaming platform. Has anybody seen the documentary?

[FrenchBug82]

Because Victor Newman.
Ironically your point is what EB constantly says about men in soaps but in a weird twist his insistance that his views on masculinity and leading men in soaps make a Victor an invincible all-knowing no-weakness virility machine ended up sucking the oxygen of every other man on the show.
It started with Jack being slowly castrated to becoming a endless loser but the new generation cannot grow alpha males because Victor is a hurdle they always end up hitting because Victor never loses and EB won't let him lose or even show vulnerability.

Add to that the 2000/2010s fad for antiheroes and you get an entire generation where they haven't found the right balance.
But I blame EB's dictating the stories for Victor for ricocheting into screwing a lot of story beats for the show. And it is very ironic.

[ajsp35801]

 

I recall your saying it at the time and always thought it had merit. 

[DramatistDreamer]

Thanks.

At the time, it seemed as if I was being hard on Y&R (admittedly, I was) but it also felt like the push back against what I was trying to say was defending Y&R's shabby treatment of an actor who had given so much to the show. Personally, I know it's not exactly healthy to have your self-worth tied to a show but in such a crucial time, it may have been the one lifeline that he could have felt he was able to hold onto and the idea of that still kind of haunts me.

[Soapsuds]

Eileen Davidson to be interviewed by Alan Locher.

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/eileen-davidson-live-interview-scheduled/?fbclid=IwAR0Yh-895Wr9Loen_kKAaQMZDtsmLQ6fmJ_9W_A2tLUbRx4MdmIuPzrAmio

[DramatistDreamer]

If the Eileen Davidson livestream can't draw more than 10K views in 48 hours, then his program has really fallen off.

[Soapsuds]

Eileen Fullton has only gotten 8k views. I thought for sure it have triple that amount by now.

[DramatistDreamer]

It's not Fulton, it's Locher. His video views have dropped over several months and the drop off has been fairly consistent. Not only is his channel failing to attract new viewers, it's turning away those who used to be interested enough to click on to watch.

[FrenchBug82]

Exactly right. Lots of actors*resses I would casually watch if I didn't know his constant interruptions and lack of incisive questions are going to piss me off.

I only make the effort with people I *really* am dying to hear from and even then I have to do it by bits and pieces because I get so irritated.

It is a wonderful concept and I'd hate for it to go away - Lisa B's passing proves we really ought to make sure we hear from all kinds of legends while we still have them - but boy is he diminishing the potential of this idea.