AMC: Panic behind the scenes

[SteveFrame]

Wish you could merge them into one. Is that not possible?

[Angela]

ETA: The thread is staying up. Keep on replying here or in the other thread if you want.

Ruggie

[SIPort]

Who/what is Sean Montgomery, and why, as an AMC viewer, will screentime be wasted on this?

I think AMC sucks

Tonya Pinkins is a TONY Award Winner, and they can't find something for her to do.

[Kylie]

There is not a damn thing we can do, either. The fact that Josh is still on our screens as Erica's fetus tells you that the fans don't matter. Hell, MMT laughed at us, told us to shut up, stop whining and deal with it, cause she needed a Martin. We were told we were wrong, and not her, the one who turned AMC history into science fiction trash. They have no respect for what the fans want, and it sounds like no respect for what the actors want.

[rsmith2k2]

:lol:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Perhaps we should consider this overt exertion of power on Frons' part (beyond his annual teens of Summer infusion) as a sign of weakness for McT? I don't have a problem with Frons' marketing style and it's seems just to be a fact of life about teen influx every Summer. I just think AMC, OLTL and GH and stories that are organic to them should drive the marketing, not the other way around.

I believe there is a way to write quality stories while having to stay within a framework provided by the ABCD President. Not saying it's an ideal situation, not saying Frons ought not go, just that we have every reason to expect that compelling stories are possible still at AMC and Frons' ABCD. Megan McTavish's well of creativity, though is as dry as sand.

One thing I haven't seen considered (and just thinking aloud here...speculation)...

Perhaps Frons is unhappy with the show in general, the executives, or the actors' rancor. The newbie influx could certainly be considered a, "Shut up or be replaced"-type threat to current contract players, especially non-front burner, higher-salaried vets).

Or, it could be Frons is trying to redirect story and character directions because he thinks McT and/or JHC are screwing up. Let's not forget (and kudos to Kylie for her tireless work for this cause), McT and Frons think themselves through the worst of The UnAborting controversy (as specualted by Bruno on SoapTalk, I think) the uproar DID cause trouble for Fronsie.

It created a situation. One serious enough that they had to form a plan and send out the troops to defend and/or explain the story in the media. Even if they did get through the initial bump, having to defend the story caused Brian Frons a pain in his @ss. Bosses. Don't. Like. That. Especially if there's no tangible ratings benefit. Side bar: While I find it hard to not want Frons to have a pain in his ass, I'd rather it be for *any other reason* than having to defend the indefensible.

[King]

Well, Frons is not helping, I'm sure, but he's not going anywhere, unfortunately for ABCD. But McT has to go. I'm not a McT hater really because I don't care enough about AMC to hate her, BUT NO show can have the same writer for this long, or shouldn't at least. Writers just lose steam after a while and run out of ideas. They just need a fresh writer.

[Vee]

Agnes Nixon and Harding Lemay wrote at their shows for many years. Doug Marland, too. You don't see people saying Joss Whedon should've left Buffy The Vampire Slayer either. I don't think writers staying with their shows is the issue. I think the issue is BAD writers staying with their shows.

[SteveFrame]

Harding Lemay didnt really stay that long at any show - his longest was at AW where he stayed 8 years. Compared to Nixon, Bell, and Phillips that was not long at all. Even Marland didn't stay that long. His longest stint was on ATWT and I think it was about comparable to Lemay at AW.

I think shows need to keep a writer long term like Nixon, Phillips and Bell did at their shows. What they learned to do was to keep a strong assistant with them. Phillips stayed involved with both GL and ATWT for many years but she put Nixon at work at GL and Bell at work on ATWT. She was able to help keep continuity going, but still didn't get burned out because she worked with someone else.

Bell stayed at Days for 65 to 1975 but he had the talented Pat Falken Smith working with him. And then at Y&R after the show went 1 hour he always kept a very talented writing staff with him too.

Agnes Nixon always kept a strong assistant with her at AMC. One of the best that worked closely with her for many years was Wisner Washam.

Shows need writers at the helm who stay longer than they are now. When we got into the late 70's and on into the 80's and the 90's when shows started looking for quick ratings spikes and started changing writers constantly that is when daytime started to hurt. Y&R was the only one of the older shows to keep the same headwriter throughout all of it and you see where it got to because of it.

The constant change of headwriters is exactly what killed shows like Another World and Search For Tomorrow. With ever new headwriter and every new production team, you got new characters and new focus to the shows. How many times did I sit through new villians and new mystery characters coming along to stir up the pot on AW. The best run the show had to me was when Donna Swajeski and Harding Lemay started to focus the show back on the Frames, Matthews, and Corys and blending in the newer families. But it didn't get the ratings surges and once again things changed. Fans want quick changes, and so do TPTB. There is no more lets give it time.

Shows are constantly hurting and being hurt by all these new writers who have no regard for the shows history, and constantly change characters motives and actions. We need writers to stay around longer, but we need them to be talented writers too. Have them work with assistants, and even change out the assistants some, but lets get some consistency and respect of history back. And quit changing history and focus of the shows.

[Casey]

I just don't know what to say anymore, but I think AMCHistory was spot on in their post.

I don't get why they are making the decisions they are making. Like Kate Brown said in her spoiler column on eyeonsoaps...how is it that you release Tonya Pinkens from her contract when her son will appear on screen...in what universe does that make sense? How can they release Jill Larson from her contract when her grandbaby will be found soon...in what universe does that make sense?

That appears to be the question that resounds all over ABCD...in what universe does any of this make sense?

[Pine Charles]

Brooke needs a storyline! Besides Mother, she's my favorite. Plus, Julia Barr is the best actress on the damn show.

Kill the damn Lavery Family! This will never happen and it wouldn't solve everything, but can image how better things would be with them gone?

[Britney]

The Jill Larson/Tonya Pinkins thing [!@#$%^&*] sucks.

Jill tapes after the Fourth of July hiatus, she'll probably be stopping in once in a blue moon a la Jennifer Bassey.

[AgnesEckhart]

Everytime I see your name I hope you're here to announce McTavish has been canned

I wonder if they'll even drag Marian out of the attic to reuninte with her precious grandaughter! Probably not...David Canary is basically recurring . Bassey is more like a recurring recurring player.