GH In The News: The PC Press Club

[KerleyQ]

I'm completely disappointed in the lack of Ron meltdown over TG's exit interview.  Did someone at the network change his Twitter password on him or something?  

[jsbt]

I think there is zero chance he will publicly comment on that, fired or not. (And I don't think he's fired.) He's been muzzled on this. TG is too big a hill for him to die on.

[HeatLifer]

It's hilarious that he has to stay silent because TG basically told the world the show sucks, his exit sucks and then spoiled his own ending. The ratings won't survive those comments or TPTB's silence.

[ulkis]

It's hilarious that he has to stay silent because TG basically told the world the show sucks, his exit sucks and then spoiled his own ending. The ratings won't survive those comments or TPTB's silence.

 

I don't think the ratings depended much on his comments either way. TG could have praised this stuff to the sky, it would not have mattered. It's why Jamey Giddens is no longer lying looking for the silver lining anymore - the bloggers who previously sucked up know at this point they HAVE to say something about the actual quality of the writing, because it's the only chance it will change.

[jsbt]

They're also more charitable about OLTL's last years than they should be, but they always were. (Although it was still way better than current GH, and had plenty of good stuff.) But that's because IMO almost none of them had a truly consistent or dedicated history of viewing OLTL prior to Frank and Ron. But I digress!

Edited July 21, 2015 by jsbt

[dubbel zout]

I'm glad Ron has been muzzled. I'm tired of his petulant whining that viewers are stupid, don't understand his genius, etc. I mean, it's amusing to read most of the time, but his continued contempt for the fans is really off-putting.

[WendyCR72]

 

I don't think the ratings depended much on his comments either way. TG could have praised this stuff to the sky, it would not have mattered. It's why Jamey Giddens is no longer lying looking for the silver lining anymore - the bloggers who previously sucked up know at this point they HAVE to say something about the actual quality of the writing, because it's the only chance it will change.

 

Well, the very fact that - as of yet - nothing has happened regarding change, I do think there is something to ABC wanting the show to go low enough to pull. I recall rumors that ABC had wanted to axe all of its soaps at the same time OLTL and AMC bit the dust, but Frons championed GH.

 

Well, Frons is long gone. And I cannot imagine these anemic ratings are helping the cause where cash inflow is concerned.

 

I guess this is my long-winded way of saying maybe fans and soap reporters want and hope for change. I'm just not sure it'll ever come or that RC/FV won't be there to turn the lights out.

[jsbt]

Well, the very fact that - as of yet - nothing has happened regarding change, I do think there is something to ABC wanting the show to go low enough to pull. I recall rumors that ABC had wanted to axe all of its soaps at the same time OLTL and AMC bit the dust, but Frons championed GH.

 

That is true. Frons believed Guza's GH was the One True Way. In the end, he left ABC and Guza was removed shortly thereafter due to the hefty fees Frons had allowed him to negotiate years prior, as part of JFP's attempt to save herself. Ultimately, GH's budget issues and overages ousted both of them.

Edited July 21, 2015 by jsbt

[HeatLifer]

I don't think the ratings depended much on his comments either way. TG could have praised this stuff to the sky, it would not have mattered. It's why Jamey Giddens is no longer lying looking for the silver lining anymore - the bloggers who previously sucked up know at this point they HAVE to say something about the actual quality of the writing, because it's the only chance it will change.

It may not have mattered if TG praised the show, but he did nothing to help. Why would people tune in now after reading that interview?

[SlovakPrincess]

I don't think the ratings depended much on his comments either way. TG could have praised this stuff to the sky, it would not have mattered. It's why Jamey Giddens is no longer lying looking for the silver lining anymore - the bloggers who previously sucked up know at this point they HAVE to say something about the actual quality of the writing, because it's the only chance it will change.

It won't really fix anything unless TPTB change the writers to people who are really willing to make significant changes. Not just clear that the decks and / or choose a different set of newbie pets. People really willing to look at the stories and characters - and the untenable corners most of the characters have been written into - and really commit to telling compelling stories with consistent characterization. I doubt the network cares enough to do that.

Any new set of writers will have a far bigger challenge than Ron was handed. IMHO, he made so many problems exponentially worse and created a lot of new ones.

[ulkis]

Well, the very fact that - as of yet - nothing has happened regarding change, I do think there is something to ABC wanting the show to go low enough to pull.

 

The show already hit that point. ABC isn't afraid of a public outcry if they cancelled GH without warning tomorrow. I think, like others have said, they just haven't got a good replacement yet.

[WendyCR72]

The show already hit that point. ABC isn't afraid of a public outcry if they cancelled GH without warning tomorrow. I think, like others have said, they just haven't got a good replacement yet.

 

Oh, I agree. But I think a valid question is how long will/can ABC wait to find something to fill the slot before GH is just far too unsustainable to keep on the air? If they can't find something, I think affiliates will start to protest and, perhaps, ABC will end up ceding the hour to them. (As it is, there have been posts about affiliates moving the show around. And as one who also watched and loved GH's time rival Santa Barbara that went through the same process before dying, it is never a good sign.)

[jsbt]

Affiliates apparently have begun to protest. That one may be an outlier, as I think the poster said it tends to be, or it may be the beginning of a trend. If it is, that's very bad. I agree that barring some huge upsurge a la 2012, ABC is just waiting to develop alternative programming. But if this keeps up, they run the risk of being replaced by reruns of Judge Mathis or whatever.

Edited July 21, 2015 by jsbt

[SlovakPrincess]

Or those crappy paid programming adverts. Which I can't imagine anyone watches, but I bet they're super cheap for affiliates to air. That's where this thing is headed if the network doesn't start caring about the quality of their product (and I'm not sure they do).

Once affiliates start moving GH to very random times - like morning - that's really a bad sign. When Guiding Light was on its last legs, our local station aired it mid morning.

Edited July 21, 2015 by SlovakPrincess

[Dandesun]

They can't do it alone, that's for sure. As for coming to terms, it's a process with DC. Two weeks ago Jamey was still repping for Howarth and Stafford. Him admitting the '80s are over is a big deal for him.

 

I think it's funny that Jamey's a proponent for Howarth but loves the 80s because Howarth, especially the horse that he rode to his levels of power, were absolutely anti-80's. Todd Manning and everything that Howarth was at that time was so 90's. He was grunge to the years of hair metal. Has he regressed to the point of 80s camp at this point? Is that how far he's fallen?

 

Or those crappy paid programming adverts. Which I can't imagine anyone watches, but I bet they're super cheap for affiliates to air. That's where this thing is headed if the network doesn't start caring about the quality of their product (and I'm not sure they do).

Once affiliates start moving GH to very random times - like morning - that's really a bad sign. When Guiding Light was on its last legs, our local station aired it mid morning.

 

I admit to having watched the paid programming adverts a time or two. It's not must see TV but sometimes on a lazy Sunday or when I'm hung over or sick and can't find the remote immediately I'll watch a half hour long commercial about hot tubs. Or, more likely, a long advert for 'Songs of the 70s' and stuff like that. It's not something I watch remotely regularly but I have watched such things in certain circumstances.

 

As far as the affiliates... I understand that Chicago has been messing with the GH schedule a bit over the last year or so. That's a VERY hefty market to be dicking around with your schedule.

[jsbt]

I think it's funny that Jamey's a proponent for Howarth but loves the 80s because Howarth, especially the horse that he rode to his levels of power, were absolutely anti-80's. Todd Manning and everything that Howarth was at that time was so 90's. He was grunge to the years of hair metal. Has he regressed to the point of 80s camp at this point? Is that how far he's fallen?

 

IIRC, Jamey was not watching OLTL when Roger was first on it (and by first on it, I mean from '93 til 2003). He said he was not familiar with him outside ATWT but boosted Roger because Ron and the audience (and myself) did at OLTL, and internalized that blind support. But this is not OLTL.

Edited July 21, 2015 by jsbt

[Dandesun]

Oh for fuck's sake...

 

You know, it's a good thing I never took the guy seriously in the first place because finding out that he didn't even WATCH OLTL during Malone's stellar first run -- and probably also didn't watch GH during Claire Labine's excellent 90s run -- tells me that his opinion on the state of shows today doesn't matter at all.

[jsbt]

Oh, I think Jamey was watching GH back in Labine's day. But he was always most partial to the Guza years, IIRC (which I have a lot of fondness for, in Guza's first run). OLTL, OTOH, he started, on whatever casual or non-casual basis, in 2004. I personally don't think he or many of them paid real attention to it til Ron.

[TeeVee329]

He said he was not familiar with him outside ATWT but boosted Roger because Ron and the audience (and myself) did at OLTL, and internalized that blind support. But this is not OLTL.

 

Wow, that's quite the little admission, huh.

[jsbt]

To be fair, part of it ("blind support") is just my take. The part that is factual is about when he started watching. I remember him saying in 2011 that he'd never seen RH outside ATWT but had to give him credit for giving OLTL some of its mojo back. Either way, this is wildly afield of topic.

[Dandesun]

I guess I just find it weird that Jamey fixates on the 80s. Good soap was still being told in the 90s... that's when things started going downhill as far as how stories were written and what happened with budgets but the 90s were very much NOT about wild, crazy adventures involving aliens or weather controlling diamonds... when was Marlena possessed? Was that the 80s or the 90s?

 

The point is that if you look back, as much as there are wild adventure stories there are still actual character beats, people sitting in kitchens having conversations, the majority of the story beats are not taking place off screen. If you want to go back to the 80s or whatever, go back to THAT and rebuild the towns, the characters, the relationships therein and, hopefully, the audience.

[jsbt]

And in fairness, that is part of what he said about GH - they can no longer compete with the budget of primetime shows or Netflix, so they need to get back to character driven story, not stunts and adventure trying to relive the '80s. He particularly hated ol' Frank Smith being wheeled out. But with Jamey, the glamorous primetime soaps of the '80s are king so he could very well relapse if GH hires Pamela Sue Martin or something. I doubt it, though - he roasted them for the Rebecca Budig addition here, which is not something he was saying months ago when she was hired. He used to be all about Frank and Ron hiring every big name in soaps and taking names, and now he is deeply down on that. I don't like agreeing with Jamey Giddens, but he sometimes makes good points, even if his overall view is IMO very limited.

Edited July 21, 2015 by jsbt

[SlovakPrincess]

I think Casey the Alien was 1990 and Marlena possessed was 1990s. Passions was a 2000s thing. The weather machine and other gems were outlandish 80s stories, though. Over the top stories started in the 80s, but continued through all the following eras.

But when the adventure stuff started, there was balance, and character driven stories. The adventures were used to bring out character traits and relationships. It's like the soap press and current writers are oblivious to that.

And you don't necessarily need a big budget to be creative. In 1983, Luke gets hurt in an avalanche ... made up entirely of stock footage of avalanches and what appear to be styrofoam chunks thrown at TG. It looks goofy, but you still get invested in the fact that he's getting squished instead of heading home to his pals.

Or you could just write for the hospital in a way that makes sense!

Edited July 21, 2015 by SlovakPrincess

[jsbt]

Casey was a desperation move, or so I've been told. After that they moved away from that shit for years. That was kind of the last gasp for GH and crazy for a long time, I believe.

 

DAYS and the possession and Jim Reilly are an outlier. Nobody else could've done that and a lot of it hinged on their production value and their performers, and the total commitment.

Edited July 21, 2015 by jsbt

[FireFoxy]

OMG that interview is giving me LIFE! I mean, I can't stand TG or Luke, but that was amazing. Well done sir.

[Francie]

Casey was a desperation move, or so I've been told. After that they moved away from that shit for years. That was kind of the last gasp for GH and crazy for a long time, I believe.

 

DAYS and the possession and Jim Reilly are an outlier. Nobody else could've done that and a lot of it hinged on their production value and their performers, and the total commitment.

Casey the Alien was a story that sounds outlandish on paper, but other than some lame gimmicks right at the very, very beginning, one stupid crystal, and than a final cheesy send off, it was a very non-special effects, non-outlandish story.  Think Starman, with a tiny dash of ET (poor Casey, befriended and hidden by a little girl, just wanted to get home). 

 

It helped that everyone who became privy to Casey had a healthy disbelief.

 

I always hate that GH had a stupid alien story because I have to defend against "the alien story." But it led to Faison, and that was one of the most intense, serious, and adult stories I have ever seen on GH.

[UYI]

when was Marlena possessed? Was that the 80s or the 90s?

 

 

 

1994-1995. 

[kristabell]

And in fairness, that is part of what he said about GH - they can no longer compete with the budget of primetime shows or Netflix, so they need to get back to character driven story, not stunts and adventure trying to relive the '80s. He particularly hated ol' Frank Smith being wheeled out. But with Jamey, the glamorous primetime soaps of the '80s are king so he could very well relapse if GH hires Pamela Sue Martin or something. I doubt it, though - he roasted them for the Rebecca Budig addition here, which is not something he was saying months ago when she was hired. He used to be all about Frank and Ron hiring every big name in soaps and taking names, and now he is deeply down on that. I don't like agreeing with Jamey Giddens, but he sometimes makes good points, even if his overall view is IMO very limited.

This is the issue exactly. Even in the heyday of big daytime budgets and location shoots, their "epic adventures" and plots were always pretty terrible. The one actual storyline from GH that I remember for good plot was the Mr. Big storyline in 1986. I think that was actually a well-told story, which also functioned as a solid umbrella storyline. But that story also didn't rely on plot alone. It was really about Anna and Duke and their relationship, about Robert, about Frisco and Felicia's relationship. And the mob was actually seen as the villain and actually lost! I KNOW!

Some of the 1980s storylines were beyond ridiculous. I don't think even the writers knew what was going on with that Mount Rushmore storyline, but that was largely beside the point. Again, it was about the characters and their relationships, with a little summer fluff thrown in.

Daytime soaps have never and will never be able to complete with primetime or Netflix, HBO, etc for a variety of reasons, including budget, but also including the writing, acting, and production talent. The mistake is trying to make soaps into something they are not. The one thing soaps as a genre have over any other televised media is the ability to really delve into characters and relationships. The number of episodes per year and the number of years that characters/actors remain on the shows gives daytime the ability to write characterization and relationships (which, dear writers, include things other than romantic relationships.) But the writers have inexplicably given that up in some attempt to become the Sopranos or Breaking Bad. Soaps have never been about the plot; when they were at their best (and most popular), they told the stories of families and friends and characters that people cared about. Why TIIC collectively decided to give that up I will never understand.

[Oracle42]

They showed clips of the possession during a recent Marlena/Stefan enemy montage. It was amazing. I loved that they included that like it because everything else in the montage was so deadly serious

Edited July 21, 2015 by Oracle42

[SlovakPrincess]

OMG that interview is giving me LIFE! I mean, I can't stand TG or Luke, but that was amazing. Well done sir.

It would have been more satisfying from a different source, yes, but I heartily enjoyed it.

Or, actually, it was even more satisfying because it came from someone the TPTB still pretend to care about.

Edited July 21, 2015 by SlovakPrincess

[ulkis]

I'm still trying to make it through this podcast . . . Jamey Giddens is horrifically embarrassing. He has good points, but the way he's screaming, jesus.

 

I don't understand how they're acting like Carly and Sonny are Audrey and Steve because they keep having romantic scenes. Sonny is still acting like a giant jerk.

 

Listening to this guy talking about the writing on Bold and Beautiful and how the dialogue is way better makes me bummed cause I remembered that Michele Val Jean was over there.

Edited July 21, 2015 by ulkis

[Francie]

Casey the Alien was a story that sounds outlandish on paper, but other than some lame gimmicks right at the very, very beginning, one stupid crystal, and than a final cheesy send off, it was a very non-special effects, non-outlandish story.  Think Starman, with a tiny dash of ET (poor Casey, befriended and hidden by a little girl, just wanted to get home). 

 

It helped that everyone who became privy to Casey had a healthy disbelief.

 

I always hate that GH had a stupid alien story because I have to defend against "the alien story." But it led to Faison, and that was one of the most intense, serious, and adult stories I have ever seen on GH.

I know it's horrible to quote my own post (forgive me!), but I wanted to add:

 

I liken the Casey the Alien storyline to the Fonduke storyline.  Both had an element of being completely preposterous.  But, yet, damn, there was some good, intense storytelling there.

I'm still trying to make it through this podcast . . . Jamey Giddens is horrifically embarrassing. He has good points, but the way he's screaming, jesus.

 

I don't understand how they're acting like Carly and Sonny are Audrey and Steve because they keep having romantic scenes. Sonny is still acting like a giant jerk.

 

Listening to this guy talking about the writing on Bold and Beautiful and how the dialogue is way better makes me bummed cause I remembered that Michele Val Jean was over there.

Thank you for taking one for the team! 

[jsbt]

I'm still trying to make it through this podcast . . . Jamey Giddens is horrifically embarrassing. He has good points, but the way he's screaming, jesus.

 

Yeah, the good points he can occasionally make are generally drowned out by either his Twitter tantrums, his screaming, or both. Like Ron, he's gotten more entitled over the years. He used to/still occasionally has public meltdowns vs. Nelson Branco, the ABC PR staff, CBS, etc. As I say, it pains me to credit him.

Edited July 21, 2015 by jsbt

[LeftPhalange]

I'm still trying to make it through this podcast . . . Jamey Giddens is horrifically embarrassing. He has good points, but the way he's screaming, jesus.

 

I listen to this podcast regularly. Jamey's screaming is often extremely OTT but I usually find it highly amusing. I'm cheap. 

[Tiger]

Affiliates apparently have begun to protest. That one may be an outlier, as I think the poster said it tends to be, or it may be the beginning of a trend. If it is, that's very bad. I agree that barring some huge upsurge a la 2012, ABC is just waiting to develop alternative programming. But if this keeps up, they run the risk of being replaced by reruns of Judge Mathis or whatever.

That was me. And I didn't see this for myself but apparently last night ABC aired GH promo during B'ette, but a few seconds into the promo my affiliate interrupted with a promo about some local news. And, I'm watching today's episode right now and they cut off the first segment and opening credits for a news update. So they are obviously done with the show.

I checked and View and Chew are again airing on the sister station. What makes it even funnier is that Family Feud is now airing three times a day at 10, 3, and 330. Plus they air Steve Harvey so they've turned over 3.5 hrs to Steve Harvey.

Edited July 21, 2015 by Tiger

[LeftPhalange]

How long did GL stay on the air after affiliates started relocating it?

[ulkis]

https://twitter.com/GeneralHospital/status/623624852277100544

 

Goodbye message from GF to Geary

[Tiger]

How long did GL stay on the air after affiliates started relocating it?

I never watched GL or CBS soaps in general, but I'm pretty sure that by the time I did watch ATWT for the year or so and a bit afterwards that Sarah Brown was on in 2004/5, my affiliate had already moved GL to the wee hours of the morning and at a weird time like 2:35am.

Edited July 21, 2015 by Tiger

[SlovakPrincess]

https://twitter.com/GeneralHospital/status/623624852277100544

 

Goodbye message from GF to Geary

 

That was either really sweet ....  or her diabolical, passive-aggressive plot to force him to watch the Luke and Laura wedding scenes again.  Mwahahahahahaha!!

[Dandesun]

LOL! I'm inclined to think she did a nice little message and then the GH promotional "team" put in the Luke and Laura flashbacks. Sorry Tony! You're going to have to come to terms with this somehow!

[ulkis]

I just don't get why he's so stuck on Luke and Laura and not General Hospital in general having stopped him from moving onto success in another genre. I guess Luke and Laura could be the cover story. After all, it would look a little funny if he was like "I hate GH and blame Luke's popularity on the show for me not finding success" while still being on the show, enjoying its perks.

[HeatLifer]

I honestly have always believed he thought Genie didn't match his level talent-wise. It's probs why he likes Jane so much; he views her as an equal.

[SlovakPrincess]

I just don't get why he's so stuck on Luke and Laura and not General Hospital in general having stopped him from moving onto success in another genre.

 

 

 

Who knows what his issue is.  Perhaps fans reacted badly to how Laura was written out at the beginning of 1982 (I wouldn't be surprised!), and all the stories with Luke after Laura was gone ... and somehow that got mixed up in his head with feelings of resentment and rejection in general.  

 

Honestly, if you're getting steady work on TV, you've been successful.  The competition for actors is insane and many talented people never get close to it.  Most would kill to get on even this horrifying, mutated version of GH.   

 

I totally get him wanting success in other genres, but whose to say he would have found ANY big break without GH.  The Luke character took off (in huge part due to the story with Laura!).  Without that, who knows where he'd be.    

[ulkis]

I honestly have always believed he thought Genie didn't match his level talent-wise. It's probs why he likes Jane so much; he views her as an equal.

 

could be - but he was a lot older than her back in the day, I could see how they just never really became friends because of that. I think he and Jane are just much better friends.

[HeatLifer]

could be - but he was a lot older than her back in the day, I could see how they just never really became friends because of that. I think he and Jane are just much better friends.

Oh, totally. The age difference could have been a factor. But don't you think he kinda probs viewed her like a RP? Hired for her looks?

[SlovakPrincess]

Oh, totally. The age difference could have been a factor. But don't you think he kinda probs viewed her like a RP? Hired for her looks?

 

I could see there being weirdness between them because of the age difference, and her struggles with drugs when she was young and the drama that may have caused behind the scenes.  And apparently he didn't want to be stuck in the same pairing constantly.  

 

But I feel like he's always respected her talent.   GF was always very, very good.  My personal opinion is that often she's better than TG -- she's just less showy in her acting, and I think that's why he got more praise from the soap press.   On the other hand, she had some prime-time success, with the North and South and other miniseries.  Maybe he was a bit envious of that.   

Edited July 22, 2015 by SlovakPrincess

[HeatLifer]

I guess I just think that if he thought she was a great actress, he would want to work with her.

[Box305]

Oh, totally. The age difference could have been a factor. But don't you think he kinda probs viewed her like a RP? Hired for her looks?

 

GF was on the show (early 77) before TG (late 78) was so I'm not sure what you mean by this. She was a teen actress that had pretty heavy storylines written for her well before TG even appeared on the scene. So no, she definitely wasn't hired for her just for her looks. And no offense to TG, but GF could act her ass off at a very young age. 

 

I started watching GH when I was 4/5 and I remember thinking that Genie was actually older than she was. But she was only 19 when Luke and Laura got married and she had just turned 18 when the "on the run" storyline began. 

 

I guess I just think that if he thought she was a great actress, he would want to work with her.

 

If TG doesn't think GF can act, he's a bigger douchebag than I could have ever imagined. And I'm not sure when you started watching GH but go to YouTube and watch when Laura leaves in 2002 and when she comes back in 2006. She rocked those storylines even though they were the biggest bunch of bullshit ever but that's for the history thread.

 

GF deserved an Emmy long before she got it. 

Edited July 22, 2015 by Box305

[HeatLifer]

I wasn't saying I thought those things about Genie. I was speccing about why Geary doesn't want to work with her. That's all it was.

I've watched GH since...forever.

[LegalParrot81]

 

GF deserved an Emmy long before she got it.

 

She was robbed in 1999.  She absolutely killed the scenes when Laura found out Lucky had died.  

 

I remember a scene from 79, maybe 80, when Laura's telling Luke about killing David Hamilton.  I was in awe that a 17 year old could find that kind of depth.  

 

She's always had the chops to keep up with Tony.