GH In The News: The PC Press Club

[jsbt]

I just don't think ML would go as far to say "I feel confident ABC will do something" if he didn't know something. Who knows, though.

 

I don't either. I don't think he knows Ron is out or anything, but I think he knows Ron's in a very bad spot. I also really do wonder if Tony Geary's been whining about his genius denied, and if there's one thing Michael Logan loves it's being BFF with Tony Geary.

[HeatLifer]

I don't either. I don't think he knows Ron is out or anything, but I think he knows Ron's in a very bad spot. I also really do wonder if Tony Geary's been whining about his genius denied, and if there's one thing Michael Logan loves it's being BFF with Tony Geary.

Geary's exit quotes have really been interesting to me. I really don't think he wanted Laura anywhere near Luke's exit and his recent statements about characters never dying is verrrry interesting in light of a certain spumor.

Edited July 3, 2015 by HeatLifer

[jsbt]

Yeah, but fuck Tony Geary.

[Francie]

What's sad is that Ron Carlivati is one of the last people left in this business that actually gives a shit about working in it as opposed to exploiting it in order to get literally anywhere else. He started from the bottom and worked hard, but his ego is his own worst enemy and I have very little sympathy.

He was (and is) more concerned with proving that he is smarter than the fans than trying to entertain them.  That was (and, for the time being is) his fatal flaw.

 

That and being tone deaf about romance.

[HeatLifer]

Yeah, but fuck Tony Geary.

LMAO. Now that's a great shirt.

[jsbt]

He used to do some romances well, on both his shows. But more and more, especially in the last few years, they all follow a very similar mold designed to amp up plot and meeting the breakdown milestones or sweeps deadlines vs. anything organic. I know when he's going to pull an old gag - a mismatched couple, two people making another couple jealous, etc. And this Lulu/Dillon/Dante/Val thing is unbelievably rushed.

[SlovakPrincess]

Geary's exit quotes have really been interesting to me. I really don't think he wanted Laura anywhere near Luke's exit and his recent statements about characters never dying is verrrry interesting in light of a certain spumor.

Did Geary want Luke to die? 'Cause I would have no issue with that!! (And I say this as someone who can sort of appreciate early 80s Luke ... I did like him in the Ice Princess story).

I would feel much worse for Ron if the stories he chooses to tell weren't so mean spirited. And I admit I'm pissed because he shat all over some of my favorites in ways that did nothing to create good story or drama. But, honestly, the problems are so big and glaring and so easy to have avoided in the first place that I have no sympathy.

[Francie]

I can't. I think Logan will walk it back, I'm amazed he got that brazen. Maybe Tony Geary's been bitching to him. Most of these guys are access and survival first, and that means kissing ass.

Logan has nowhere to walk it back to.  Ron and Frank are already pissed at him about revealing the Duke "dire plot twist."  Usually those things blow over, but I don't think it was happening here.  So, I guess Logan figured he had nothing to lose.

 

I do agree that Logan was brazen tonight.  That alone causes me to suspect that he's heard some serious rumblings about who is stepping in.

 

I do think Frank would have protected Ron for a long time. But I also think Frank is savvy, and the second he came to the realization that it was either Ron or Ron and him, he'd cut Ron out in a second.  I don't get the sense that they are close friends at all.  Just comrades who came up through ranks together. 

 

I wonder too now if Logan isn't doing some last minute edits -- if he still has time -- to his exit interview with Geary.  Maybe there was something was holding back in order to be civil.

 

Oh, and I do think that Logan will, indeed, try to walk back what he said a bit tonight.  Not because he wants access.  But that does, genuinely, seem to be the kind of guy he is. If he thought he crossed  a line, he'll apologize.  Even if he knows it won't be accepted.

Edited July 3, 2015 by Francie

[boes]

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY had a blurb about Tony Geary leaving GH.  It stated that Tony Geary's decision to leave had "less to do with playing Luke and more to do with his impatience at the medium of soaps".  Geary says that soaps are "always in act 2" and that he is tired of how "people don't even die or even if they die they seem to regenerate".  (Can't really say that complaint is unwarranted).  I LOL'd at the part of the article where he said about how difficult it was for him to realize that his obituary would read, "Luke of Luke and Laura died today" because "I don't think it represents me as a person or an actor", but then says some bland crap about he's all cool with it now and all.  I was like, "Yeah, you're so cool with it you mention it in every single fucking interview!!!"  ;)

 

What the hell else WOULD any obit say about him???  That he does great shadow puppets at dinner parties?  That his imitation of Murphy Brown is spot on?    That when he's not in his spanx people mistake him for Doris Roberts?   That Kermit the Frog charts higher on sex appeal than he does?  

 

Or maybe he'd rather see him mentioned for his role in the 1989 tv movie "Have you seen the Muffin Man", or how he got two guest appearances on "Murder She Wrote".  

This is what chaps my ass the most about this douche dickhead.  He disses the role that made him famous in daytime, he disses the medium that allowed him to do very little while feeding his ego and his bank account, and apparently, also, his fantasy life of the tremendous body of work he's done that apparently NOBODY but him, even IMDB, seem to know about.  

 

He's not Laurence Olivier.  Hell, he's not even Soupy Sales.

[jsbt]

I suspect Ron and Frank are pretty tight - they have been together a long, long time, well before Ron was a headwriter, and endured the Frons regime (and Dena Higley) together. I think FV would go to the wall for Ron and I think he has before, though maybe not at GH. But in the end, yes, I think he would cut him loose if he absolutely had to.

 

That being said I have yet to see a real indication that ABC is in any way interested in making a change, even if the soap media is beginning to come around. Even Daytime Confidential is beginning to have issues with GH, though hilariously they limit their critique to "the last few months". But I don't even know if I can say in good conscience that replacing Ron with one of the usual rent-a-hacks would be worth it; none of them are going to have the love for some of the show that he does, for all his massive flaws. Getting Jean Passanante to take over, or Megan McTavish or whoever would be the death knell - they're both worse than him.

 

What I think is that he needs to be replaced (either removed entirely or demoted - I honestly would prefer the latter, with him in a secondary position, but him running the whole show can't go on) by someone from the last major regime from the '90s-2011. The problem is that most of those people (mostly women) are either at other shows or out of the game.

Edited July 3, 2015 by jsbt

[SlovakPrincess]

I'll happily take over writing the show.

But you'll all have to embrace the fact that the last three years were Robert's malaria-induced nightmare.

Or I'll block you on Twitter.

[mybabyaidan]

heee, this one's a good response:

 

@TVGMLogan Maybe Ron can get a job with the National Spelling Bee (@ScrippsBee) when he is replaced as the #GH headwriter.

#WhyRatingsAreLow

 

wait, did he really tweet that?  I missed that one....

[Deputy Deputy CoS]

What happened with Garin Wolfe? Or the Night Shifts writer? 

 

TPBT should consider trolling online for the best fic writers. Get at least 3  for breakdowns and continuity. Demote Ron to co- headwriter with member of the writing staff who've been there for a long time. 

[Oracle42]

This twitter slap fight has provided more drama and intrigue than the Luke exit story

[jsbt]

We already have a fanfic writer in charge at this point.

[Oracle42]

I'll happily take over writing the show.

But you'll all have to embrace the fact that the last three years were Robert's malaria-induced nightmare.

Or I'll block you on Twitter.

 

Can it be AJ's coma dream? Cause Imma need him back too

[ulkis]

wait, did he really tweet that? I missed that one....

That was just a random person's response.

No Garin Wolf. He was very bad. imo.

[Francie]

I suspect Ron and Frank are pretty tight - they have been together a long, long time, well before Ron was a headwriter, and endured the Frons regime (and Dena Higley) together. I think FV would go to the wall for Ron and I think he has before, though maybe not at GH. But in the end, yes, I think he would cut him loose if he absolutely had to.

 

That being said I have yet to see a real indication that ABC is in any way interested in making a change, even if the soap media is beginning to come around. Even Daytime Confidential is beginning to have issues with GH, though hilariously they limit their critique to "the last few months". But I don't even know if I can say in good conscience that replacing Ron with one of the usual rent-a-hacks would be worth it; none of them are going to have the love for some of the show that he does, for all his massive flaws. Getting Jean Passanante to take over, or Megan McTavish or whoever would be the death knell - they're both worse than him.

 

What I think is that he needs to be replaced (either removed entirely or demoted - I honestly would prefer the latter, with him in a secondary position, but him running the whole show can't go on) by someone from the last major regime from the '90s-2011. The problem is that most of those people (mostly women) are either at other shows or out of the game.

Having already had the HW spot, solo, for so long at both OLTL and GH, Ron's probably not going to work well with others if he's only  demoted.  And part of the problem is that some of his team members are just in the wrong field.  And those are Ron's favorites.

 

I do agree that, while so many say "it can't get worse!," we time and time again get proven wrong.  It's time to stop overturning the Titanic deck chairs to find available head writers.  I think Passanante would be awful too.  And I fear it'll turn into in the West, Howarth, Cady McCain, and Budig show.  I don't think Gary Tomlin -- whose name has been bandied about on other sites -- would be a marked improvement either. And I don't think anyone could seriously consider McTavish as an option. Right?  RIGHT?

 

Is it really that hard to find good melodrama serialized writers?

 

BTW, whatever happened to Hogan Sheffer? He was heralded as a head writer back in the early 2000s on ATWT. Won a couple emmys and people were talking about him like he was the second coming. And then he fizzled out on Days.  Was he anywhere else?  Not that I think he's an answer.  I was just curious if he simply shuffled away.  Because usually the head writers seem to get a chance to ruin two or three shows before they're persona non grata.

Edited July 3, 2015 by Francie

[Artsda]

Days fired 2 different Emmy writing teams, GH can grab one of them.

[jsbt]

Having already had the HW spot, solo, for so long at both OLTL and GH, Ron's probably not going to work well with others if he's only demoted.

 

That's his problem. He wouldn't be the first (like Jean Passanante, who is supposedly a great breakdown person but utterly incompetent as HW) but he might be the last.

 

Hogan Sheffer flamed out quickly at Y&R, IIRC, in some sort of clusterfuck multi-writer hydra thing with Maria Arena Bell. I liked elements of his DAYS stint early, early on, but it also went very bad. I think he probably had a lot of interference from Ken Corday and Bell at DAYS and Y&R respectively, but IMO he's out of chances. The rot has long since set in.

 

I'd personally go after old GH personnel and maybe some of the people Prospect Park burned through, but I still think they ain't comin'. I see no evidence of regime change. And Gary Tomlin - nice guy, bad idea.

Edited July 3, 2015 by jsbt

[HeatLifer]

We already have a fanfic writer in charge at this point.

An AU one. Far, far worse.

[ulkis]

Honestly I don't think trolling the fic writers would be a good idea. There are a few good writers but overall GH fanfic is pretty bad. I saw a fic that had Dante refer to Stone as Uncle Stone, people. I'm still scarred years later.

Edited July 3, 2015 by ulkis

[jsbt]

Fanfic is rarely the answer, IMO.

[tvgoddess]

 

What happened with Garin Wolfe?

 

No please. The guy who gave us Ethan/painting, that doctor that was involved with Steve that Heather killed, and basically six months of stories that went absolutely nowhere, just NO.

[jsbt]

I can't!

 

[Oracle42]

Look how much she wants to snatch that wig! Just let her do it!

[TeeVee329]

OLTL 1.0 died on RC's watch.

 

I give Ron a lot of grief these days and I hated what he did at OLTL the last year or two, but I don't hold OLTL's cancellation against him at all.  OLTL 1.0 was cancelled because ABC wanted out of the soap game and OLTL was always the red-headed stepchild, even though its ratings were better than AMC's and maybe GH's at the time and was under budget compared to the overspending both AMC and GH were doing.

 

There also seems to be a misconception that OLTL was always wall-to-wall garbage with no rootable couples for Ron's whole run there and that's not true, at least in my opinion.  He wrote stories I enjoyed and couples I loved.  But he did develop the bad habits there - being annoyed when the audience didn't agree with his take on a story, the overbearing propping of characters he wanted to sell, tinging too many stories with rape, etc. - that live on today.

Edited July 3, 2015 by TeeVee329

[Pete Martell]

What's sad is that Ron Carlivati is one of the last people left in this business that actually gives a shit about working in it as opposed to exploiting it in order to get literally anywhere else. He started from the bottom and worked hard, but his ego is his own worst enemy and I have very little sympathy.

 

I think he gives a shit about working in Soapdish - a campy parody of soaps. I think he also cares deeply about getting validation and ego-stroking. I think he stopped caring about the genre itself a long time ago. I also think he's had a lot of lucky breaks (especially in always replacing headwriters who were very unpopular with fans and critics) that he mistook as signs of his genius. Even now he seems to think this is all about him. His reply to the controversy over the lines that were changed about Bill and Holly was another moment like that. He only cares about himself - himself and some show he probably half-watched 35 years ago.

[MichaelaRae]

I really need that Twitter war to continue - it's the only interesting thing about GH right now.

 

:::insert michaeljacksonpopcorn.gif:::

[Tiger]

I really need that Twitter war to continue - it's the only interesting thing about GH right now.

 

:::insert michaeljacksonpopcorn.gif:::

While I agree, it's also extremely disconcerting to me to be cheering on Michael Logan. If Fairman and Jamey Giddens join in and I find myself cheering them on too, I am going to start looking out for swarms of locusts.

[jsbt]

The last I checked, some of those other folks were blaming "network notes" for the show. Really? I'm sure the network has infringed on some story plans as always, but is the network making them protract the Jake/Jason story to the fall, or giving us more of Donna Mills, Nina, Franco, Kiki, Denise? No chance.

[TeeVee329]

I could see the network pushing or at least encouraging "soap royalty" Roger Howarth and Michelle Stafford staying front and center.

 

Donna Mills, though?  That's all Ron.

[SlovakPrincess]

I could see the network pushing or at least encouraging "soap royalty" Roger Howarth and Michelle Stafford staying front and center.

Donna Mills, though? That's all Ron.

The idea of Howarth or Stafford being big "gets" really chaps my hide. I didn't watch their shows. I don't care about them. I care more about GH "royalty" and that includes more than Geary and Mo, and it means more than just bringing back actors, it means being true to the characters they've put so much work into over the years. And not shitting all over show history.

The fact that the show couldn't see its way clear to getting TR back on contract or getting John Stamos back for a decent guest appearance (and he was willing, apparently, if there was at least some substance to it) -- but I'm supposed to give a crap about Stafford or Howarth or Donna Mills or Maura West because they were on some other soap and now play crappy poorly written characters in GH? GTFO.

Anyway, if the storytelling was any good and they promoted the show properly, they wouldn't have to rely on name-dropping so-called big stars.

Edited July 3, 2015 by SlovakPrincess

[TeeVee329]

I think the bigger picture is the characters Ron wrote for them.  Franco and Nina?  A SERIAL KILLER and the crazy coma wife of a new character?  Who cares!  And that's all on Ron, since we know he felt making Howarth...who was he rumored to be playing originally?...that character was too boring.

[peachmangosteen]

I always knew Jiz and Scum were going to be the death of GH.

 

Who's Scum? I haven't seen that one before.

 

Yeah, but fuck Tony Geary.

 

Always.

 

What happened with Garin Wolfe? Or the Night Shifts writer? 

 

Apparently the Night Shift writer has never been interested in writing a daily soap. This reminded me that I still haven't watched Night Shift. I need to get on that. Just season 2 though, right everyone?

[Tiger]

I think the ultimate is that the show makes no fucking sense. Anything could happen, any character could do or say anything at any time.

I am really not trying to be funny (okay, maybe a little): if Mary Mae Ward, played by Marc Samuel in a Party City wig and Lane Bryant caftan, was revealed to be behind the L&L stuff I'd just say "because of course" and/or "for reasons". And as disrespectful and hilarious as that would be, it wouldn't surprise me because nothing Ron writes can.

Continuity, logic, reason, basic common sense, intelligence, etc., were all fired to pay for The Staff and Donna Mills.

Edited July 3, 2015 by Tiger

[mybabyaidan]

Why Ratings Are Low:

 

Either dragging story lines out for fucking ever, or telling them at breakneck speeds, regardless of if it makes sense or not.  My number one issue right now is this whole Dante bullshit.  And I don't even CARE about Lante.  AT ALL.  But really, if you knew you wanted to tell this story, how HARD would it have been to lay some groundwork first??  Like I said before, maybe have Lante start to have little arguments, over Rocco, over Luke, christ over ANYTHING to show the start of some kind of strain.  But there hasn't been, so Dante automatically jumping to Lulu cheating is RIDICULOUS given what we have seen onscreen. 

 

And of course, don't get me started on this Jakeson nonsense.  Yes, let's invent clever (and by clever, I mean not at all) dialogue about how similar Jake and Jason are.  EVERY TIME JAKE IS ONSCREEN.   We get it.  It's funny because Jake IS Jason.  Except when it's in every fucking scene for over 8 months.  ENOUGH. 

 

I could go on, but I'll just be repeating what has already been said.  Ratings are low because the writing SUCKS. 

[BestestAuntEver]

I think the ultimate is that the show makes no fucking sense. Anything could happen, any character could do or say anything at any time.

I am really not trying to be funny (okay, maybe a little): if Mary Mae Ward, played by Marc Samuel in a Party City wig and Lane Bryant caftan, was revealed to be behind the L&L stuff I'd just say "because of course" and/or "for reasons". And as disrespectful and hilarious as that would be, it wouldn't surprise me because nothing Ron writes can.

Continuity, logic, reason, basic common sense, intelligence, etc., were all fired to pay for The Staff and Donna Mills.

This so fucking much. You just threw some cheese fondue and revealed the truth. Almost none 9f the stories, pairings or new characters make sense it all "because...reasons".

NS season 2 was awesome. I wish it were available on DVD vs just netflix.

[tvgoddess]

 

Who's Scum? I haven't seen that one before.

 

I just assumed it was Sonny. Because always blame Sonny.

[SlovakPrincess]

I assumed Scum = Sonny + Carly

[testardo]

Having already had the HW spot, solo, for so long at both OLTL and GH, Ron's probably not going to work well with others if he's only  demoted.  And part of the problem is that some of his team members are just in the wrong field.  And those are Ron's favorites.

 

I do agree that, while so many say "it can't get worse!," we time and time again get proven wrong.  It's time to stop overturning the Titanic deck chairs to find available head writers.  I think Passanante would be awful too.  And I fear it'll turn into in the West, Howarth, Cady McCain, and Budig show.  I don't think Gary Tomlin -- whose name has been bandied about on other sites -- would be a marked improvement either. And I don't think anyone could seriously consider McTavish as an option. Right?  RIGHT?

 

Is it really that hard to find good melodrama serialized writers?

 

BTW, whatever happened to Hogan Sheffer? He was heralded as a head writer back in the early 2000s on ATWT. Won a couple emmys and people were talking about him like he was the second coming. And then he fizzled out on Days.  Was he anywhere else?  Not that I think he's an answer.  I was just curious if he simply shuffled away.  Because usually the head writers seem to get a chance to ruin two or three shows before they're persona non grata.

 

 

I was a great fan of ATWTs until HS came there and ruined the whole show.  he was not a soap writer and the show looked it.I watched World turns for 35 years till he got his hands on it. They gave him emmy's so what they gave T.G 8 of them no matter what was written. The Emmys are a joke day or night.I actually use to like Logan ,he use to think the same way the fans did. Re_Ron is a mean girl and always has to get even.Christopher something was there afterwards and he was even worse. He destroyed the show before it was cancelled. Brain freeze I am getting old.

[Pete Martell]

I think the bigger picture is the characters Ron wrote for them.  Franco and Nina?  A SERIAL KILLER and the crazy coma wife of a new character?  Who cares!  And that's all on Ron, since we know he felt making Howarth...who was he rumored to be playing originally?...that character was too boring.

 

Wasn't it supposed to be Steven Lars?

 

There's this continued fantasy, based on the days when soaps had far more viewers, that if you hire a "name" from another soap, you will automatically get a big boost. GH has gorged itself on actors from other soaps, while continually casting non-"names" with actors who are too bland and green to be able to contribute. It's a terrible combination. You go from Grayson McCouch smarmshouting to the Hallmark cutout playing Dillon smarmshouting.

BTW, whatever happened to Hogan Sheffer? He was heralded as a head writer back in the early 2000s on ATWT. Won a couple emmys and people were talking about him like he was the second coming. And then he fizzled out on Days.  Was he anywhere else?  Not that I think he's an answer.  I was just curious if he simply shuffled away.  Because usually the head writers seem to get a chance to ruin two or three shows before they're persona non grata.

 

He was at Y&R for a few years, and did a lousy job, as he did at ATWT and DAYS. He was Ron before Ron - desperately hyped, believing his own press, and obsessed with rape stories. 

[peachmangosteen]

NS season 2 was awesome. I wish it were available on DVD vs just netflix.

 

I got all excited thinking that NS was on Netflix. Dammit!

[Deputy Deputy CoS]

Scum is Sonny and Carly.

 

I don't read GH fanfics, the only tics I read are for West Wings. For some reason I thought there'd be GH fic writers who are just as good. Some of the West Wing authors are actually published writers. 

[UYI]

Fanfic is rarely the answer, IMO.

 

Ask EL James. (No pun intended! DAMN, that was a fun night).

 

Carly worship aside, would Elizabeth Korte be a good choice as HW? 

I assumed Scum = Sonny + Carly

 

I have meant to add this to the nickname thread for a long time. Carson and S&C are the fan nicknames for them, Scum is the hater nickname, just like Liason/Jiz.

[Tiger]

Ask EL James. (No pun intended! DAMN, that was a fun night).

Carly worship aside, would Elizabeth Korte be a good choice as HW?

I have meant to add this to the nickname thread for a long time. Carson and S&C are the fan nicknames for them, Scum is the hater nickname, just like Liason/Jiz.

I think E.L. James may hate wimmins more than Bob Guza, Jill Phelps, and Ron Carlivati do combined.

Of all the legitimate Ron replacements, Liz Korte is probably the best option. Carly would be on five days a week and be involved in every single story, but on the whole I think her stories would be better than Ron's. The episodes she has written the last few years have been excellent IMHO.

My favorite 'hater' ship name of all time is "Crapper" for SWSNBN & Jax.

Edited July 3, 2015 by Tiger

[UYI]

I assumed Scum = Sonny + Carly

 

I said it already, but that's exactly what it means. I've seen it a few times over the years, but I'm kind of surprised it isn't a LOT more commonplace like Jiz is. You'd think it would be, given how much more hated they are and how destructive they have been for the show. 

Edited July 3, 2015 by UYI

[backhometome]

 

Garin Wolfe

I just remember his stuff was really slow paced. And that awful Ethan/painting story.

[wonderwoman]

"Christopher something was there afterwards and he was even worse. He destroyed the show before it was cancelled."

Yes he did -- and his name is Christopher Goutman.

[Badsamaritan]

SID said on Twitter they wished Sonny would rip DenAva's wig off & someone else asked what that would prove. Mo's response? 'That he's not an idiot'! I legitimately laughed out loud...the shade, man! THE SHADE!!