Reel to Real: Backstage, Twitter, & All Media Dram-ugh

[PsychedelicTrip]

I thought this deserved its own running thread.  We've certainly witnessed quite a few meltdowns on twitter and read about the feuds backstage. Since YR is known for having one of the most toxic sets in the daytime industry I suspect there will be more.     

Edited April 3, 2014 by PsychedelicTrip

[PinkCupcake]

Glad to see this topic with its own thread; oftentimes the backstage drama - Twitter conflicts in particular - is more interesting than the show (EB's Twitter rants are especially amusing). Let the fun begin!

[crosby777]

The twitterfeuds are epic. Loved watching certain actors melt down.

[Aquarius]

Is it just me or does it seem there have been less Y&R Twitter feuds since, say, December?

[LeftPhalange]

MM is gone and hasn't been active on twitter since January. Coincidence? 

Edited April 4, 2014 by LeftPhalange

[luvreddington]

I see it as a mass gag order on CBS soap actors who only put out positive stuff in fear for their jobs. The exception is Eric Braeden who just doesn't seem to give a fuck and most anything is likely to fall out of his egotistical and unfiltered old piehole.

[Aquarius]

MM is gone and hasn't been active on twitter since January. Coincidence?

I think not.

[bayviewbubba]

Am I totally shallow to wish for more gossip to surface?  So be it.

[BestNShow]

Braeden doesn't know restraint. Never has. He'll get involved in a snit eventually. He can't help himself.

MM is gone and hasn't been active on twitter since January. Coincidence? 

I don't think he'll return to twitter for awhile. Why would he? People are just waiting to pounce on him. Just a guess on my part.

[crosby777]

 

MM is gone and hasn't been active on twitter since January. Coincidence?

Nope.

[PsychedelicTrip]

I wouldn't be surprised if Muhney is on twitter under another name and posting as just a regular joe.  I think it would be really hard for him to stay off social media.  I'll bet he's somewhere, we just don't realize it's him. 

[crosby777]

He needs all the sqeeing fans tho. I think it would be too hard for him not to pump his chest and let his *girls* know.

[Suby]

Kristoff St John and Gregg Rikaart seem to get involved in Twitter feuds quite often.

Edited April 6, 2014 by Suby

[Suby]

I wouldn't be surprised if Muhney is on twitter under another name and posting as just a regular joe.  I think it would be really hard for him to stay off social media.  I'll bet he's somewhere, we just don't realize it's him.

He will probably out himself when the recast shows up.

[Divagalore]

I wouldn't be surprised if Muhney is on twitter under another name and posting as just a regular joe.  I think it would be really hard for him to stay off social media.  I'll bet he's somewhere, we just don't realize it's him. 

Now I could actually see this, because he loved chatting it up. I just don't think he wants to be recognized, because he KNOWS the questions are coming. 

[DizzieSpell]

Now I could actually see this, because he loved chatting it up. I just don't think he wants to be recognized, because he KNOWS the questions are coming.

When he resurfaces, my sense is that his acknowledgement of his soap days will be minimal. No looking back. Leave Y&R in the rear view mirror, unlike Victoria Rowell, who wallows in it.

Edited April 7, 2014 by DizzieSpell

[crosby777]

I don't see him getting a lot of acting jobs in the near future. I think he burnt a lot of bridges with the latest incident.

[Suby]

I don't see him getting a lot of acting jobs in the near future. I think he burnt a lot of bridges with the latest incident.

We don't really know about the latest incident.   Not saying I don't believe or believe it, I just wish there was some confirmation either way.

[BestNShow]

I don't see him getting a lot of acting jobs in the near future. I think he burnt a lot of bridges with the latest incident.

Actually, I've heard that he's already shooting a feature, so I guess Y&R isn't that big of a bridge. Soaps aren't held in very high esteem in the Hollywood food chain.

[crosby777]

Really?, I haven't heard that.. do you have a link for this info? His fans have been going crazy trying to find out any info.. I now soaps are low on the totem pole(that is why so many actors are leaving the soaps) but someone carrying a bag of hubris to work every day usually is not wanted anywhere. 

[miamama]

Whether or not anything is confirmed about why he was let go, I think he's tainted quite badly. There are certain transgressions that almost give you cachet in Hollywood (as a bad boy, a wounded boy, a tortured artist). What he's accused of is not one of them. Plus he's notoriously difficult and seems to feed toxicity. He's just not big enough to get past this professionally, imo. He also left Veronica Mars under sketchy circumstances. That's two bad exits.

I've noticed some stans are startling a hashtag #fakeAdam. I can't imagine this will be too well received when the character is recast by an actual person. It's pretty low to start attacking a human being for taking over the part.

[crosby777]

I think he is tainted too and I will be surprised if he gets anything soon.. He isn't a big enough talent to get off with no punishment.

[LeftPhalange]

I hope some of the more overzealous MM fans don't cause such an uproar that the recast Adam gets prematurely cut short. 

[BestNShow]

I think he is tainted too and I will be surprised if he gets anything soon.. He isn't a big enough talent to get off with no punishment.

What more punishment should he receive? Lethal injection? Public hanging?

My Lord, the man was publicly humiliated, his name drug through the mud, TMZ smeared his reputation, and his life & family were threatened with violence. I think that's enough. Even if he's guilty, his transgression doesn't warrant his entire life to be destroyed. There are so many players in Hollywood that have done far more that have skated by. MM certainly deserves to make a living for himself and his family, IMO.

I wish him nothing but the best.

Edited April 7, 2014 by BestNShow

[miamama]

I'm not sure what Crosby meant by punishment, but my understanding of the post was that MM isn't likely to come out of this unscathed. Performers who have a lot more work and accolades and reputation behind them can weather something bad. He has more bad than good press around his name. I don't even see it as personal (in the sense of wishing him good or ill). It's what it is. 

Whatever he did or didn't do, people in the business are not publicly coming to his defence. This tells me he's tainted. He won't have an easy time finding work at CBS/Sony or in daytime in general. And getting fired from playing a tertiary character on Veronica Mars has hardly given him a foothold in prime time or anything bigger.

This doesn't mean he can't work and feed his family. It isn't the Great Depression. He is an intelligent guy (who I understand has written a script that actually was produced) and presumably his wife can get a job? I don't know too many people of my generation who rely only on the man to feed them.

As an actor, I think he's radioactive. At least in the short term.

[glowlights]

My eyes rolled halfway out of my head when Kristoff St John made a parallel between fan reactions to MM's firing and the LA street riots. I don't think MM was the only one carrying around a big bag of hubris!

(btw, his iMDB page doesn't show that he's working on anything in production)

[crosby777]

 

I'm not sure what Crosby meant by punishment, but my understanding of the post was that MM isn't likely to come out of this unscathed

 That is exactly what I meant. I don't think the job offers are going to be coming his way..Other than a few soap fans I don't think many even know or care who MM is.

[LeftPhalange]

There's a good chance primetime and film casting directors and producers have no idea who MM is, but his past is only one google search away. If he manages to get his "bag of hubris" under control I think he might be able to find work as an actor again at some point. Maybe. Or he could just decide to work behind the scenes. People in the entertainment industry have come back from worse and he probably can too if he plays his cards right. 

[DizzieSpell]

There's a good chance primetime and film casting directors and producers have no idea who MM is, but his past is only one google search away. If he manages to get his "bag of hubris" under control I think he might be able to find work as an actor again at some point. Maybe. Or he could just decide to work behind the scenes. People in the entertainment industry have come back from worse and he probably can too if he plays his cards right.

He's a very smart man. I've had the pleasure of meeting him and he is a passionate and considerate person. My sense is that as a professional actor he finally cracked from Braeden's arrogant behavior and insults. His talent is apparent.

[Demig]

Woody Allen seemed to have done okay for himself and his shit was worse and had the attention of the child protection and the courts!!

ETA: not saying he is any Woody Allen talent wise, so...

Edited April 8, 2014 by Demig

[canucktvwatcher]

My eyes rolled halfway out of my head when Kristoff St John made a parallel between fan reactions to MM's firing and the LA street riots. I don't think MM was the only one carrying around a big bag of hubris!

(btw, his iMDB page doesn't show that he's working on anything in production)

KSJ's rant was one of the most arrogant, asinine pieces of drivel I've seen an actor spew forth. EB clearly is not the only actor on the show that confuses himself with the character he plays. The sanctimoniousness tone of the rant was extremely off putting. When you need to take a break halfway through reading someone's rant, you know they've gone on for much too long. Egads!

What more punishment should he receive? Lethal injection? Public hanging?

My Lord, the man was publicly humiliated, his name drug through the mud, TMZ smeared his reputation, and his life & family were threatened with violence. I think that's enough. Even if he's guilty, his transgression doesn't warrant his entire life to be destroyed. There are so many players in Hollywood that have done far more that have skated by. MM certainly deserves to make a living for himself and his family, IMO.

I wish him nothing but the best.

Not to mention we DON'T KNOW THE WHOLE STORY. This whole thing has been a debacle for the ages.

I'm not trying to be a MM apologist, but logic would state that we should have the whole story before passing judgement, no?

Edited April 13, 2014 by canucktvwatcher

[Lamplighter]

I believe these three things about MM and the whole shitfest.

1) he's a talented actor compared to many, though I have no view on whether it is a unique talent than can transcend a break in his luck.
2) This is a a business. If there is a belief MM can contribute a product in a way that will make money, whatever happened will factored against that and if it can be considered not to matter on an economic basis, it won't.
3) if he is working again, given the generally unthinking phenomenon that is Twitter outrage, the decision could have been taken to stay absolutely quiet about it as long as possible.

I think lately everybody is learning that Twitter in particular is more a crazy Aunt than a voice of the people. Mobs form and bay and howl, often without any basis in logic, often in defiance of it once facts emerge. My fearless prediction is that the freak out factor has sown the seeds of Twitter's destruction... or slide to irrelevance... eventually, content producers will leave it to the just-my-I-have-a-right-to-my opinion crowd. Not next week, not next year... but five years on, I wonder at what Twitter is (and Facebook.)

[crosby777]

 

ETA: not saying he is any Woody Allen talent wise, so...

That is the difference tho.. he is not some big talent.   I doubt he will get hired anytime soon.. but I have been wrong once or twice....

[canucktvwatcher]

I believe these three things about MM and the whole shitfest.

1) he's a talented actor compared to many, though I have no view on whether it is a unique talent than can transcend a break in his luck.

2) This is a a business. If there is a belief MM can contribute a product in a way that will make money, whatever happened will factored against that and if it can be considered not to matter on an economic basis, it won't.

3) if he is working again, given the generally unthinking phenomenon that is Twitter outrage, the decision could have been taken to stay absolutely quiet about it as long as possible.

I think lately everybody is learning that Twitter in particular is more a crazy Aunt than a voice of the people. Mobs form and bay and howl, often without any basis in logic, often in defiance of it once facts emerge. My fearless prediction is that the freak out factor has sown the seeds of Twitter's destruction... or slide to irrelevance... eventually, content producers will leave it to the just-my-I-have-a-right-to-my opinion crowd. Not next week, not next year... but five years on, I wonder at what Twitter is (and Facebook.)

Spot on. I have no use for Twitter. Social Media in general has been ambiguous in the years since its inception; while it's great to "level the playing field" and put the general population in touch with "celebrities", and pretty much anyone else, people have not thought of the consequences of posting before they think. The nuances and etiquette of online posting are really lost on some people. It's one thing to post on a message board like this and discuss shows, characters, etc, but it's another to have meltdowns and rant and rave about personal opinions and other nonsense.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Oh, so the party's moved over into this thread?

ETA: not saying he is any Woody Allen talent wise, so...

Yeah, a couple of days ago I had drafted a comment invoking Allen and Roman Polanski as a comparison but I forgot to save it so it's lost in the ether.

Anyways...there are any number of Hollywood types who've behaved very badly and have come back from it. Charlie Sheen anyone? However, those people generally already had major track records in Hollywood as being money makers and/or darlings of the arts critics.

MM, best as I can tell, mostly has a noisy and fiercely loyal fan base. A fan base which, like cats, seems to be able to puff up to look bigger and scarier than it perhaps actually is.

I don't think he's been blacklisted (except maybe in soaps) and I'm sure he'll get work again eventually. However, IMO he hasn't acquired enough juice to make it okay for him to be either a public or backstage jerk--or worse--with impunity. Maybe that was one of the lessons he needed to learn.

Edited April 19, 2014 by Joimiaroxeu

[Blueeyes]

This is rather bizzare but funny at the same time - S.Kent hiring JFP:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qehHns_IV9I

Edited May 29, 2014 by Blueeyes

[bayviewbubba]

OMG!  I think I'm in love with this.

Edited May 30, 2014 by bayviewbubba

[cgoff0704]

Oh, so the party's moved over into this thread?

Yeah, a couple of days ago I had drafted a comment invoking Allen and Roman Polanski as a comparison but I forgot to save it so it's lost in the ether.

Anyways...there are any number of Hollywood types who've behaved very badly and have come back from it. Charlie Sheen anyone? However, those people generally already had major track records in Hollywood as being money makers and/or darlings of the arts critics.

MM, best as I can tell, mostly has a noisy and fiercely loyal fan base. A fan base which, like cats, seems to be able to puff up to look bigger and scarier than it perhaps actually is.

I don't think he's been blacklisted (except maybe in soaps) and I'm sure he'll get work again eventually. However, IMO he hasn't acquired enough juice to make it okay for him to be either a public or backstage jerk--or worse--with impunity. Maybe that was one of the lessons he needed to learn.

if the rumors are true, he was not invited to do the Veronica Mars movie because he was reprimanded for groping KB's boobs!  I just think he has a problem and needs some mental health help

[photo fox]

Please note this request from lead mod radishcake in the Michael Muhney thread:

 

Guys this particular argument is been done to death. We aren't privy to any legal action and all we know is random stuff from the internet (the world's most reliable news source ;) ).

So let it go now unless new info arises.

Chit chat about MM & his characters but be done now with the harassment argument.

The same applies in here.

[canucktvwatcher]

Thank God.

[LeftPhalange]

 

This is rather bizzare but funny at the same time - S.Kent hiring JFP:

 

*laughs uncontrollably* 

[BestNShow]

if the rumors are true, he was not invited to do the Veronica Mars movie because he was reprimanded for groping KB's boobs!  I just think he has a problem and needs some mental health help

 

OK, I'll clear this up. MM had no intention of ever being in the VERONICA MARS movie. He did an interview with one of the online services months before the filming saying his character had been killed off and there was no reason for Don Lamb to show up in the movie. It was in the past and wished them good luck in funding it and great success. These rumors are just that. People WANT to believe this stuff, so it's repeated enough that it becomes fact, not fiction. The internet feeds this kind of shit.

[Lithogirl]

He may have tried to spin it that way, but the idea that he voluntarily turned down the VM movie is ridiculous, IMO. He knew there was no way in hell he would be brought back for the movie. Of course he wouldn't publicly state that, so he made it sound like it was his choice.

[BestNShow]

Sorry Litho, but that's not accurate. Don Lamb was killed off in the series. There was no reason for them to even offer him a role in the movie. I watched VERONICA MARS when it was on and it was a big shock when they killed his character off in the third season. The show continued on without the character before it was cancelled. MM did the interview as the kickstarter campaign was about to get started, well in advance of any of the Y&R bullshit. He spoke very fondly of the series, but it was in the past.

Edited June 5, 2014 by BestNShow

[Lithogirl]

Okay. We'll agree to disagree. Dead characters make cameos in movies and shows all the time, though. I believe that if they had wanted him back, and written the part, he would have been there. I also believe if they had wanted him, they would have found a way to make it happen.

Edited June 5, 2014 by Lithogirl

[Petunia13]

Okay. We'll agree to disagree. Dead characters make cameos in movies and shows all the time, though. I believe that if they had wanted him back, and written the part, he would have been there. I also believe if they had wanted him, they would have found a way to make it happen.

Veronica Mars is a respected prime time drama. When characters are killed they stay dead. Using your posts logic all the characters killed on Mad Men, Homeland, Breaking Bad, The Good Wife...the characters that didn't come back from the dead meant those actors were disliked by their show runners or unprofessional? I'm just asking since I'm confused.

[Lithogirl]

Um, no,of course not. The fact is, characters do die on prime time and they are often brought back in the form of flashbacks and dreams all the time. The walking dead, for example, killed off a major character and then he reappeared later in a flashback. If the writers choose to, or it makes sense in the story, they will do this even in "respected" prime time dramas. On the other hand, an actors behind the stage behavior may cause them not to do this. To use an example, a character on boardwalk empire was killed off unexpectedly due to the actors backstage drama. He was not brought back even in scenes when it would've benefited the story and it's completely due to his behavior. In regards to MM, the rumors about his behavior on VM have been around for a long time, and do point to his unexpected firing. If the rumors are true, and I think they probably are, then it makes sense that the people in charge would not have brought him back because working with him was not something they wanted to do. I wasn't suggesting that each time a character is killed off its because the actor wasn't liked. I was suggesting that the VM people weren't interested in working with MM. This individual case is what my post was about. Sorry I wasn't more clear.

Edited June 5, 2014 by Lithogirl

[Greta]

Is there a link to this article in which MM claims he was Totally! Fine! with not being in the Veronica Mars movie?  I saw lots of posts from fans/sockpuppets on TWOP about how the Veronica Mars people (cast and crew) were stupid, petty, and/or jealous of Muhney's talent and good looks, but nothing about an article that I recall.

 

Also, I haven't seen the movie, but didn't it involve MM's character's brother Dan Lamb played by Jerry O'Connell?  Easy enough to make it a twin or nudge-nudge wink-wink lookalike brother if they were interested in working with MM again, and cheaper too since I'm pretty sure JO'C could ask for more money.

 

On to more interesting topics, are there any long-time viewers who can spill on old school backstage drama?

[BestNShow]

Here's the link to the Michael Muhney interview: http://entertainment.ca.msn.com/tv/yandrs-michael-muhney-on-his-characters-game-changing-moment

 

Here are his specific comments about Sheriff Don Lamb appearing in the VERONICA MARS movie:

 

Q: Any chance your character, Sheriff Don Lamb, will be resurrected? Even if they create some new flashbacks? Lamb’s ex, Madison Sinclair, is organizing the Neptune High reunion after all. After all, they did have an affair! “18 is legal!” Remember that campaign slogan?

 

A: In terms of resurrecting Don Lamb, there’s no chance.

Absolutely zero. I’m not going to be a part of the movie and I’ll be honest with you, I don’t want to be. I think that maybe the fans want to see a lot of cameos but I think this movie needs to have enough room in its two hour format to tell a story and you can’t have too many cameos. My character served his purpose for three years. I got to be a big part of the show from the pilot to the very end. 40 episodes and a series regular. Essentially, when I was killed off, that was it! That was my story that I got to tell.

I’m almost more comfortable having zero pressure on me and being an observer. I don’t want the pressure to be a part of something that is going to have to live up to the Kickstarter hype and the six-year anticipation from the cancellation to getting a movie. Some felt that the final season of Veronica Mars was very lackluster. There have been a lot of fans asking me on the street if the Veronica Mars movie is going to be indicative of a season one Veronica Mars or if it’s going to be a season three Veronica Mars because if it’s going to be like season three, they’ll walk out and say, “Glad I saw it but I’m not blown away. Now, I’m moving on with my life and it’s time to grow up. I’m leaving Veronica Mars behind as a fond memory.” But if it’s a season one quality movie, they’re going to say, “OK! When is the sequel coming out?”

So, that’s the big question. I don’t want that kind of pressure! I’ve got enough with my current job. I like being an observer in this situation.

 

I trust we can all move on to some other topic.

[photo fox]

This discussion is about the Veronica Mars movie, not Y&R, and doesn't really belong here.

Also, @radishcake has already asked everyone to drop the harassment conversation unless and until new information comes to light. Speculation about why MM may or may not have been asked to reprise his role on VM and what that says about the HK allegations are a part of that.