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GH In The News: The PC Press Club


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(edited)

Can we sacrifice Kelly & Bry-dog to some Muslim, dog-eating volcano god to get Sri Rao as headwriter?

#sorrynotsorry

Edited by Tiger
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(edited)

There are very few good options which are also plausible, IMO. I'd sooner see someone outside daytime or brought back from long ago. My worst fear is Passanante, who I think is a cheap and likely possibility. I will not subject myself to Jean Passanante five days a week ever again, I haven't done that since she got fired from AMC. She's just awful. I might watch on a lackadaisical basis but I'd be gone.

 

I would prefer Ron be demoted or brought in line with a strong co-HW. But I have no idea what's happening. I have zero faith in daytime to bring in someone new and fresh, or someone who deserves the position. Most of those people are out of the game.

 

I would be very happy with Marlene McPherson and Elizabeth Snyder, who worked on Prospect Park's AMC, which I thought was the best soap of 2013, but McPherson has a rough reputation in soap press circles for threatening litigation after her DAYS run (which I also liked, flaws and all). Or with any number of the other Prospect Park writers, like old GH master Thom Racina (who was last at OLTL) paired with someone young. But I don't expect any of them.

 

The only way I'd accept Guza, oddly enough, is if Frank remained a strong influence. For all his cheap, sloppy budget-conscious choices I think Frank cares a lot more about the basic core elements of the show than Guza has in years. But I have a hard time believing Guza would accept anyone thinking they know GH better than him - I believe he even had an expensive producer credit last time, in part to cement this.

Edited by jsbt
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Wednesday: 1.99/2,667,000 (2:36pm start time)
Thursday: 1.92/2,592,000

 

I am so shocked that ratings plunged when people realized it was more Nina/Franco/Madeline/Wig

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(edited)

No one can blame that shit on the network to me. I do not believe anyone at ABC outside the show gives a solitary fuck about Nina, Franco, or Soap Opera Legend Donna Mills, or Maura West in a fright wig.

 

It's a fair question how much all the star-grabbing (Stafford, Budig) is a shared obsession of both Ron and Frank, but I think Ron internalized that philosophy long ago and writes for it with great vigor. I think the devotion to Roger Howarth, or wacky antiheroines like Nina or kitsch touchstones like Mills, and doubling or tripling down on shit that does not work like the wacky dopplegangers (Ava/Denise), is absolutely RC's wheelhouse, not something he's been co-opted into by FV.

Edited by jsbt
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Please, please, please, please be true. I know the current crop of head writers in daytime are all shit, but Ron can't even write one decent romance and that to me is a capital offense in soap land. If nothing else we might actually be finally be able to be rid of his awful creations (Kiki, Silas, Nina, Ava, Nathan, Obretch, Madeline, et al).

A healthy tornado would fix things up right.

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(edited)

I am so shocked that ratings plunged when people realized it was more Nina/Franco/Madeline/Wig

 

They've been making a huge mistake making crystal clear in the promos when an episode is gonna be the Francs and Neens Variety Hour.  I mean, look at the promo for tomorrow.

Edited by TeeVee329
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How much of the current problems can be blamed on Frank? Isn't his main job to keep the show under budget? Does he have the power to say no when Ron wants to bring on another character or force him to get rid of some of the dead weight?

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I think Frank is into the soap grabs as much as Ron.  Wasn't he the one who signed Kim Zimmer up to come to OLTL and then had Ron write a story, not the other way around?

 

I think Frank's into the soap grabs in a big way. But I think Ron is just as much for the most part. If he wasn't years ago (and I mean pre-GH), he is today and I think has been since he's been at this show. Franco, Nina, Donna Mills, Obrecht - there is no way anyone is forcing Ron to write for those people. He is all in.

 

They had both wanted to bring Jason back. They were both fully committed to the war over the OLTL stars with PP, and forcing them back on the show. Maura West's role as Ava went from, what, a two-week job to her becoming a major character, and I am sure that is because RC fell in love with writing for her. And that's not a bad thing on that specific basis; Ava added a lot to the show, had chemistry with basically everyone (especially Roger Howarth, then at his worst) and helped eke out something watchable from an otherwise horrendous period with Franco, Silas and Kiki in full swing. But the larger trend is where the issue is. They both internalized the idea that they were the saviors of soaps, the heroes of the genre, so why shouldn't they hire everyone and anyone? Social media was loving it, after all.

 

If you go back historically, I know Frank was the one into Michael Easton and the teen scene at OLTL when Ron wasn't, but honestly, if it wasn't him it would have been Brian Frons, and I'm sure Frons leaned on both of them for more of those things. FV's priority as EP was running interference with the network and keeping their numbers up to survive, in a superficial way, frontloading Easton or Kristen Alderson did that for some of their (stupid) demographics and probably kept them afloat a little longer. And as for casting before the role, it can and does happen. When Linda Gottlieb took over OLTL in the '90s she went out and told her casting department to bring her "interesting people," and then had Michael Malone write characters for them, some of whom remained on the show until it ended (Blair) or at the very least became very beloved (Luna Moody), and I suspect it happened with Susan Haskell too. They had 24 hours to come up with a character for Thorsten Kaye in 1995 (Patrick Thornhart) before their contact sent him over to AMC.

 

This shit happens all the time in this business - it's not that new or outrageous. When it works is when the producer and the writer are able to work together and push and pull. I've never seen any indication that Frank and Ron are not thick as thieves. In this case, that has become the problem. They are so high on their own supply and their success that they will collect stars like candy and frontload some of their worst excesses. There is literally no one who has been able to step in and tell them, 'maybe you guys can let Franco go, this is too personal for both of you.' Just hearing that FV catered to Tony Geary's resistance to Luke and Laura isn't enough for me to say that relationship has ruptured. The EP being the go-between is, for better or worse (and in Geary's case worse), what the EP should do.

 

I think the trouble at GH is at least 50/50 Frank and Ron, each. But at this point, in 2015, there is no way anyone could sell me on saying that because Frank pushed a few characters or managed a few stories - which, again, is what the EP does - that he somehow is responsible for what has become of RC's storytelling overall. No. They did this together, and they did it as a unit that was, IMO, at least largely in agreement. All the block taping, all the crazy restructuring of the process was not that relevant, IMO, to Ron's process.

Edited by jsbt
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But at this point, in 2015, there is no way anyone could sell me on saying that because Frank pushed a few characters or managed a few stories - which, again, is what the EP does - that he somehow is responsible for what has become of RC's storytelling overall.

 

I agree.  Going back to my Kim Zimmer example, just because FV brought her on doesn't mean he demanded that Ron make her story about Rex's paternity merry-go-round, that was all Ron.

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(edited)

I agree.  Going back to my Kim Zimmer example, just because FV brought her on doesn't mean he demanded that Ron make her story about Rex's paternity merry-go-round, that was all Ron.

 

Also, honestly, Zimmer worked out for the most part IMO - including the Rex angle. Her story started well, but ended in silly string and then getting shuttled off because they had too big a canvas for the final months. They knew how to use her, and part of that IMO probably had to do with her not being a huge favorite of theirs, and with her being over 45.

Edited by jsbt
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That was Viki, though, yes? Niki would have used her rings and made it hurt.

 

No, Niki went to visit Echo during her brief emergence.  "You can call me Nicole, I'ma call you homewrecking slut."

 

On topic?  I guess I'm curious whether it's more Ron saying, "Hey, I invented this totally awesome character, Silas's coma wife!  Find someone awesome to play her, preferably from Y&R!" or Frank going, "Hey, I managed to convince Michelle Stafford to sign on with us, find her something to do!".

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(edited)

I'm going to break this down later, but off the top of my head, I lay responsibility for various things with the following (this is just my own guesswork and supposition):

 

The Network

The presence of Sonny, Carly, Sam

Vets not getting contracts after Finola, except for new man to replace Geary

Julian not getting killed

Sonny being heavily featured

The presence of the mob (on which lately they may have reversed themselves)

The shooting and wedding happening on the live shows

 

Frank

Stafford, Miller, NuDillon, Paevey, William DeVry

The vets being on in 10 episode increments instead of as needed to tell the story

The choppy editing

Tony Geary getting his way

Tristan Rogers not being told there was a story they wanted him to play

The bad wig on Maura

The grey walls

 

Ron

The legion of doom/Caricatures instead of characters/the villains always win

Lack of romance

REASONS!

The pointless scenes (Anna & Jordan on the bench, over and over again, for example)

Alternatively, conversations that go on for 3 days

The corny dialogue and groan-worthy pop culture references

Too many plots revolving around people overhearing things and stupidly just straight out telling Franco their secrets (side eying Olivia and Ava)

The cops being incompetent (only Sonny should be able to get away, per Network dictates; all the other villains caught)

Women with baby rabies

Maxie becoming a mother and now being all 'meh' about it

Robin blowing off Emma

Patrick and Anna having no suspicions or concerns about Robin

Anna becoming a cold-blooded killer instead of having a fight-for-the-gun type shoot out with Carlos

Turing Nikolas and Liz into selfish villains

Ava as Denise

Trying to turn Franco into a romantic hero

The way in which Robin was written back out in 2014

Patrick's man pain when Robin returned

Robin's HIV status dismissed

SparklePrincess

The Wesbourne/Obrecht family

Pitting Sam vs. Liz, yet again

Logistics of storylines not being thought out (no bathrooms for kidnapping victims)

Dr. O taking over the hospital

Anna and Robert sticking Faison into a hole in the ground for a year

The kiddie quad

The DeViLeD quad

The vets popping up every two months and bed hopping (who cares!)

Franco and Nina getting all the POV and 15 minutes of airtime per episode vs. other characters getting 3 minutes

Ava and Franco taking over the Quartermaine mansion in 203

Ava's fucking gallery

Carly and Franco

Hayden having no purpose other than to pressure Nikolas into sex

The Vampires of 2013

Rafe

Milo & Lulu

Milo & Epiphany

Milo in general

Donna Mills

Richard Simmons returning (I still need therapy for that)

 

 

Perhaps Ron and Frank Together

RoHo, ME, and KA coming over from OLTL in the first place (though that may have just been Frank), & then returning again after the PP lawsuit

Edited by Francie
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Pratt's doing great at YR.

 

Doesn't mean people are happy with his writing. At least not if you go by the PTV Y&R board. I barely even pay attention anymore, that's how stupid it's gotten.

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Stafford, Miller, NuDillon, Paevey, William DeVry

 

RoHo, ME, and KA coming over from OLTL in the first place (though that may have just been Frank), & then returning again after the PP lawsuit

 

 

This may be an UO, but with the exception of Stafford, I have no problem with any of these casting moves. And I never objected to the OLTL3 coming on or staying. My problem is with the writing, especially for RoHo. It's been said before but it bears repeating. Franco was a vanity project for James Franco. He was never meant to be a long term, viable character. Ron could have either made RoHo a recast Steven Lars, or Tommy Hardy, or created someone entirely new for him. He had a blank canvas, and instead he chose the most vile character he could think of and inserted Roger into it. Sure Roger has been hamming it up, and yes I'm tired of it. But I still think he could have been a genuine asset to the show. And while I'm not a huge ME fan, I think he too could have been better utilized.

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(edited)

Interesting breakdown, Francie, though I don't necessarily agree with every point.

 

Rafe

 

Well first off, I had kinda forget he ever existed, heh.

 

But it also reminded how interesting I found the IDEA of Rafe.  He had a different but interesting tie to GH and PC history, he was a character in an age group that actually needed one, and exploring how a traumatized kid who spent his formative years on the streets adjusted to a new life and his new family could have made for some good soap.

 

But Ron and/or Frank undercut all of that in the casting and writing, scrubbing him clean to be their latest Hot White Boyfriend.  Tis a shame.

Edited by TeeVee329
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(edited)

I can't break it down on such a minute level. I think they both made a lot of wrongheaded decisions together, including doubling down on Nina, Nathan, Franco, the new ex-OLTL characters, etc.

Edited by jsbt
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Interesting breakdown, Francie, though I don't necessarily agree with every point.

 

 

Well first off, I had kinda forget he ever existed, heh.

 

But it also reminded how interesting I found the IDEA of Rafe.  He had a different but interesting tie to GH and PC history, he was a character in an age group that actually needed one, and exploring how a traumatized kid who spent his formative years on the streets adjusted to a new life and his new family could have made for some good soap.

 

But Ron and/or Frank undercut all of that in the casting and writing, scrubbing him clean to be their latest Hot White Boyfriend.  Tis a shame.

Fair point.  I didn't mean for my entire list to come across as things bad about the show.  

 

For instance, my own, perhaps, UO is that I see a place for Sonny, and I like Maurice.  And I'm fine with Sam.  She's not a fave, but I don't think she should be cut.

 

I agree about Rafe, too.  I think the concept of adding someone into the teen scene was good.  And building on Molly and TJ is smart.  But, they made that kid such a brooding bore then a cocaine addict! And, for me, he never had a chance because, while he was tied to GH's history, they immediately brought on his mother just to kill her off!  They didn't mention that his grandmother was alive. And then they casually mention that Amanda Barrington was dead! What?!   That was a real long walk to make Little Orphan Rafe.

 

And then they stuck him with Silas.  Ugh!  And then Nina! Ugh!! Ugh!!

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Don't forget neither of these idiots would listen to what the fans wanted and what they were repelled by. When they weren't being patted on the back by the soap bloggers, Ron was telling the real fans *Your blocked*. So it looks like they told him , watch the mess you created yourself. Tony G helped to leave with a *Don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya. get over the couple that people watched ?? Over it. Over the show also. If Tony didn't like the plots he didn't do the script. FrankenRon are at fault. We now have more mobs, murderers , looneys out of the looney bin. We have so many back from the dead , When Franco started chewing abc gum, that was it for me watching him. I watched very little OLTL watched a little when it was cancelled , wanted to see what it was about. I remember reading about the gang rapist, and how the actor quit rather than re play it. They did one thing right, brought back AJ , made Michael believe him, allowed him to actually win then boom AJ is fat goodbye. Michael had a lobotomy gave the baby AJ back to scummy and put her in danger. ? Do either of these guys even watch any of this show not high as a kite.

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If Tony didn't like the plots he didn't do the script. FrankenRon are at fault.

 

I still maintain that Tony Geary wouldn't like any script/story where Luke reunites with Laura or Luke isn't a scuzzy, drunken, asshole.  Notice that he didn't badmouth the Fluke story in that article.

 

I remember reading about the gang rapist, and how the actor quit rather than re play it.

 

If you're talking about the first time Roger Howarth quit OLTL, that was WAAAY before Frank and Ron were in charge at OLTL.

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What ultimately did it for me with Ron is too much to list, but mostly surrounds Franco, Helena, Faison, Ava, Julian, Nina, Kiki, Sabrina, Patrick, Robin, AJ, Liz, Nik, Sam, Jakeson, Felix, Brad, Carly, Sonny, LUKE/FLUKE/BILL/WHAT, Danny, EMMA ROBOT MINION, ****, the NURSES BALL DISGUSTING Sobby tributes.

Oops, here I go again, naming every character and story.

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(edited)

I still maintain that Tony Geary wouldn't like any script/story where Luke reunites with Laura or Luke isn't a scuzzy, drunken, asshole.  Notice that he didn't badmouth the Fluke story in that article.

 

Taking my response to the Backstage thread.

 

ETA: huh. Looks like it's gone. So here's my question:

 

I'd like to know just when Geary became so bitter and turned against Luke and Laura. I think maybe after Genie left after the Luke and Laura 25th anniversary? Where, instead of renewing their vows, it turned out to be all fake? Because the acting and the emotions from everyone, but especially Geary and Genie were so raw and it was just so wonderful; and how Luke broke down, and tore down the Christmas tree? Amazing.

Edited by GHScorpiosRule
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(edited)

I'd really like to believe this is true (as I've said before), but who would replace him?

 

My expectation is Jean Passanante, who is already on staff and had HW stints at ATWT, AMC and Y&R. She's also fucking terrible and boring.

 

My hope is virtually anyone else. I wanted Ron taken down a peg and/or demoted, but I never thought outright firing him was the best plan without a very strong alternative.

Edited by jsbt
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Yeah, Howarth bounced more than once and the reasons why... are questionable. He didn't want to be a romantic figure but... never mind, not important. The point is, he made his runs at primetime more than once and then started parlaying his power as Todd Manning into extended absences that he could use to try to get other work or to do other work or what have you. He left in '95, in '98/'99 and then in '03.

 

Franco is basically Roger Howarth left to go to seed. He's pretty much allowed to do whatever he wants and fall back on his 'snarky snarker' role. Maybe he actually does something heartfelt once in awhile. I don't know. He's got a pretty specific wheelhouse at this point in time and doesn't exert himself to do much more from what I can see. He's capable of more but Ron's never going to write it. He likes wacky Roger more than most.

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I still maintain that Tony Geary wouldn't like any script/story where Luke reunites with Laura or Luke isn't a scuzzy, drunken, asshole.  Notice that he didn't badmouth the Fluke story in that article.

 

 

If you're talking about the first time Roger Howarth quit OLTL, that was WAAAY before Frank and Ron were in charge at OLTL.

[/quote

Didn't they do the new actor in the role, and the girl in his bed .Her without a memory him with a new face. Forget the names . then it turned out RoHo was kidnapped and held prisoner ?? the show was a little off for me because I wasn't a long time or shot time watcher either. I thought RoHo could actually act. I could be wrong though, I watched ATWTs for 35 years and he destroyed Paul Ryan or maybe the writers did .he was a lot like this franco, so ?

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I never thought outright firing him was the best plan without a very strong alternative.

No one is going to be perfect. And I don't expect his possible replacement to be a star. But I've seen enough of Ron's GH to know that I don't want to see what else he can destroy.

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No one is going to be perfect.

 

No, but Jean Passanante would be my ticket back out very quickly. The only person who would be worse for GH has already been here: Megan McTavish.

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My expectation is Jean Passanante, who is already on staff and had HW stints at ATWT, AMC and Y&R. She's also fucking terrible and boring.

 

My hope is virtually anyone else. I wanted Ron taken down a peg and/or demoted, but I never thought outright firing him was the best plan without a very strong alternative.

 

Would you rather have Passanante* or McTavish? Someone named McTavish as a possible replacement and my instinct was to curl up in a ball and rock in a corner.

 

*Good thing it rhymes with Dante, otherwise I'd be messing that one up a lot.

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You can post that here . . . didn't they merge the backstage thread with this thread?

 

Yeah, I got confused. I could have sworn, that sometime back, a mod said to take the behind the scenes/backstage talk to the...backstage topic! I edited my post.

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No, but Jean Passanante would be my ticket back out very quickly. The only person who would be worse for GH has already been here: Megan McTavish.

 

heh. You wrote the answer just as I wrote the question.

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No, but Jean Passanante would be my ticket back out very quickly. The only person who would be worse for GH has already been here: Megan McTavish.

I mean, we all have our things that would make us tune out. I get it. I'm there with Ron.

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(edited)

My expectation is Jean Passanante, who is already on staff and had HW stints at ATWT, AMC and Y&R. She's also fucking terrible and boring.

 

My hope is virtually anyone else. I wanted Ron taken down a peg and/or demoted, but I never thought outright firing him was the best plan without a very strong alternative.

 

The fact is that, ultimately, it's not going to matter. Whoever they get isn't necessarily going to be better. They'll be different. For a time, different will feel better but it won't last because it's the same merry go round of writers in a genre that could be successful if they'd just allow it to grow for a change. Give it the time it needs rather than slashing budgets to the bone so that there's little rehearsal, the writing is constant with no breaks, and so on and so forth.

 

It's the same fucking writers going from show to show to show. Get fired from one, get hired at another, get fired from that one, get hired at a place they just fired the same group from last time. New blood isn't going to be found because no one wants to climb on a sinking ship. Soap opera can be found in plenty of places... cable, Hulu, Netflix, primetime and the daytime version still gets the embarrassed 'oh God, that's still there?' treatment.

 

So, Ron can go, sure... but it's not going to mean a hell of a lot in the long run.

 

Didn't they do the new actor in the role, and the girl in his bed .Her without a memory him with a new face. Forget the names . then it turned out RoHo was kidnapped and held prisoner ?? the show was a little off for me because I wasn't a long time or shot time watcher either. I thought RoHo could actually act. I could be wrong though, I watched ATWTs for 35 years and he destroyed Paul Ryan or maybe the writers did .he was a lot like this franco, so ?

 

 

No, they did the plastic surgery angle. It was actually fairly well done. It only really went to hell... well... when Ron took over.

 

Howarth can act. Todd Manning was his character and he could do amazing things with that role. To be fair, he could also be awful... and he was before he left in '03. Paul... I don't know. I've seen bits and pieces and he often came off as very... ordinary. And Franco? Franco's just a joke. Maybe, at this point, all he can do is Todd? I honestly couldn't say.

Edited by Dandesun
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(edited)

grrr now I really want to find it . . . does anyone remember that parody that was linked to (it was definitely not on the actual forum, but linked) at twop two years ago and it was McTavish and I want to say Jill Phelps having a conversation and they're talking about how there's a little too much rape at GH even for them and at one point McTavish says, "I'm proud that at least I can write, "Magan McTavish: she raped Bianca" on my tombstone!"

Edited by ulkis
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Yeah, I got confused. I could have sworn, that sometime back, a mod said to take the behind the scenes/backstage talk to the...backstage topic! I edited my post.

This thread is for discussing backstage/behind-the-scenes and media relating to GH. The threads were merged some time back.

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