In Support of One Life to Live and the Daytime Drama Genre

[frogboy4]

mini rant

Critics in the past have claimed that soap operas and violence in TV have had an negative affect on the public - but I say it's reality television. ABC has become one of the greatest offenders of reality television. It's cheap, exploitative and demeaning and it has destroyed TV. It's not even "real". I see no difference in the behavior of participants in shows like The Bachelor, Survivor, Big Brother and the canceled Fear Factor and the girls who work the street corners in my neighborhood. What else would you call having camera crews tape a person running around half naked and eating bugs for money? That Holier than Thou Republican chick on The View made a career from capitalizing on this behavior. Sure, soaps aren't high-art, but they offer stories and characters that have lasted for decades! It's sad that could be going away because it's cheaper to film the dates of vacuous women with low self esteem.

 

[Drtooth]

Critics in the past have claimed that soap operas and violence in TV have had an negative affect on the public - but I say it's reality television. ABC has become one of the greatest offenders of reality television. It's cheap, exploitative and demeaning and it has destroyed TV. It's not even "real". I see no difference in the behavior of participants in shows like The Bachelor, Survivor, Big Brother and the canceled Fear Factor and the girls who work the street corners in my neighborhood. What else would you call having camera crews tape a person running around half naked and eating bugs for money? That Holier than Thou Republican chick on The View made a career from capitalizing on this behavior. Sure, soaps aren't high-art, but they offer stories and characters that have lasted for decades! It's sad that could be going away because it's cheaper to film the dates of vacuous women with low self esteem.

I don't know what post of that to applaud the loudest! Really. Especially that bit about Elizamess Hussleeveryoneback (I could make an entire thread about her... no wonder she loves Sarah Palin... they're exactly the same). I hear NOTHING but whining complaining and herneral malaise coming from pressure groups about how "Evil" violence, sex, cigarettes, and basically anything realistic are ruining television, but they're all thumbs to talk about lying, cheating, backstabbing, and of course, the over all aspect of laughing at people the viewers are glad they aren't... from the unhappy overweight contestants of Biggest Loser to cracking up at Simon's nasty comments on American Idol. Personally, I think that's the only reason people even watch.

Heck, Gordon Ramsy... don't even need to add to that. Given how the TV show and instant celebrity of that family with 8 kids has caused... really, is there any question reality TV is EVIL? And no matter what horrible things you've done, they'll always reward you with a reality TV show (look at Tom Delay's stint on Dancing with the Stars). Add to that the Jerry Springers, Judge Shows, the Maury Povitches, and you just have to say that these media Watchdogs are totally ignoring the worst in humanity factor.

But hey! As long as we re-edit Tom and Jerry cartoons where Tom smokes and exploding cigar, the media is safe.

 

[dwmckim]

Bravo! For all the complaints over fictional sex and violence - what do they do to "fix" the problem? Show REAL sex and violence!

A lot of the television audience is smarter than what people give them credit for - they know the difference between real and fake; right and wrong; good and bad. Not to say that there AREN'T a large pecentage of the audience that doesn't have that level of intelligence - after all how many times have we heard a day or primetime soap actor tell tales of how they had a fan come up to them saying how sorry they felt for what "they're going through" or tearing into them for the awful things "they're" doing? So they're instead fed shows where - issues of how "real" reality shows are aside, they're watching actual people getting hurt, exploited, abused who have real feelings and have to spend the rest of their lives remembered by the general public for their televised moments of shame instead of seeing fictionalized accounts of tragedy where the actor removes their makeup at the end of the day and goes home to their own actual life free from the horrors and emotions they portrayed earlier.

As i've said such storytelling - be it serial or dramatic accounts of the fantastic are far from new - they have a rich history dating back to Greek tragedies (Hey, when it comes down to it William Shakespeare was a weaver of "soap tales" himself with much of modern plots having been done by him and his contemporaries ages before). Perhaps what's changed so much over the years is the access to the ritual. Instead of having to make an effort and travel to a theatre space where one would make a conscious plan to attend watching this form of entertainment, we now can see everything from the comfort of our homes on our tv and computer screens (not to mention a number of any other public places with television sets available to view) and these images that we have easy access to are intermingled with images of actual people's dilemmas via news, documentaries, talk shows, reality shows, do-it-yourself broadcasts like youtube and vlogs...entertainment comes to us instead of us going out to see it and the same sources of fictional entertainment also brings us "actual" broadcasts of living breathing people's dilemmas. Between those blurring of boundaries and the continual dumbing down of programming, no wonder people have such a hard time telling a difference between fiction and reality.

One common myth about soaps is that they're all just based around characters bed-hopping and mainly made up of steamy love scenes. Now i can't deny that there's no doubt been individual shows or production/writing teams that totally cater to that image and amplify it. But at its best (and when the genre is true to itself), the love scenes are a small part of the larger picture - they celebrate all of lives' triumphs and defeats, pain and joy - when a love scene happens they should be a moment of great joy and celebration for a character the audience has come to love and root for, not just cheap titalation for its own sake. That's why i love OLTL - they do this well and respect the genre's roots and place in the history of serialized storytelling (and yes i'm fully conceeding that there have been past headwriters at times over its four decades who've not been as true or rich - Dena Higley, ruiner of soaps, i'm looking at you!) Good dramatic television (be they daytime "soaps", primetime shows that have a "soapy" influence from Dallas/Dynasty to Melrose Place to Ugly Betty to Gray's Anatomy, or dramatic shows that aren't as soap-inspired like Law and Order, the Sopranos etc) should be a cathartic from of escapism; not an exercise in rejoicing at/endulging in actual people's shame and humiliation.

They say "truth is stranger than fiction". Maybe, but does it make better entertainment? Is it art? Reality tv points cameras at people and hope they get lucky all the while manipulating situations to "help" things get more exciting and not caring if someone gets sick, injured, hurt, embarrassed, exploited, or even killed. I'll take well-written, well-acted dramatizations any time over such dreck especially if they're such gripping, powerful, and electrifying moments as Judith Light's Karen Wolek having a nervous breakdown on the witness stand as she's forced to admit in front of friends and family that she's turned from being a sheltered housewife to accepting "affectional favors" for money, Andrea Evans' Tina Lord torn between two men accidentally saying the wrong man's name as she's taking her marriage vows ("I take thee Cord...I mean Max"), Susan Haskell's Marty Saybrooke fighting to reclaim her life, sanity, justice, and the ability to love and trust again after a brutal fraternity party gang rape, Erika Slazak's Viki Davidson grappling with making the decision to allow her long-comatose dying husband to be the donor for her heart transplant, teenage Eddie Alderson's Matthew Buchanan sueing his parents to win the right to obtain a forbidden highly risky surgery to regain the use of his legs only to win the case but then betrayed and tricked by his police commisionner and district attorney parents into being hijacked and taken to a British boarding school, or Scott Evans' Oliver Fish finally overcoming his ultraconservative parents and upbringing and his machismo-laced job atmosphere as a police officer to fully admit to himself and his friends that he's gay only to watch his college boyfriend who had been trying to get him to accept himself and their relationship moving on with another man and getting symbolically married to him in a mass act of civil protest. That's the kind of entertainment i enjoy and cherish (when i'm not watching dancing frogs, singing pigs, and exploding monsters) instead of interactive "bullying" pointing and laughing at the actual people (not characters) getting caught with their pants down, eating insects and getting into fistfights.

 

[dwmckim]

Wow - just wow! As i type i am rewatching today's episode for the THIRD time. Today's show is what makes my tuning in for a decade and a half worthwhile. I've never been prouder of this show than today! Since the beginning, OLTL has largely been "the social issues" soap and has done groundbreaking stories - and even though this is not the first time they've tackled gay issues (they were doing so back in 1992), what they're doing right now is just incredible - not just in soaps, but for all television genres! What's even better is that it's just one moment in a wide complex storyline with characters that are not just walking PSA's but fully incorporated into the show (unlike 1992!). I could gush on and on but this article that came out today says it all so well: http://www.afterelton.com/TV/2009/10/out-life-to-live-truly-groundbreaking

Even though it's not perfect and there are elements i'm not as happy with (last week was pretty dull compared to normal and included a blatent retcon of history that was more than a little insulting to long-time viewers), this is really my favorite non-Henson show on the air, and it really deserves a good long life and much more attention/viewers!

 

[Drtooth]

Bravo! For all the complaints over fictional sex and violence - what do they do to "fix" the problem? Show REAL sex and violence!

I'd agree with that statement a LOT more if it wasn't staged "real sex and violence."

 

[dwmckim]

The industry took a big hit today as the official announcement has just been made that As the World Turns has been cancelled. Once it end its run, that will leave the number of network daytime dramas down to only six, practically half as many as there were just a few years ago.

 

[Drtooth]

There's nothing I can really say that I haven't said before. The networks are run by greedy, lazy kids who don't even care about ratings, and would gladly just air 24 hour infomercials because they get all the money without doing any work.


The demise of shows that lasted the lifespan of an actual person should at least raise some eyebrows, but no matter how many people I see on TV talking about it, I only see, "aw, what a shame" instead of any outrage at a callous and greedy industry that favors oh so cheap to produce reality TV and lame game shows. Again, I see parallels between this and the crap going down with animation.

The thing that really gets me is reality TV... we've seen what kind of shallow, selfish, nasty, immoral people who want to get involved with it. We've seen the kind of illegal, immoral, and even dangerous stunts people are pulling to try to get into the industry... Balloon Boy, Octomom, the White House party crashers.... There's only ONE solution... we have to get the word out and tell people to STOP watching these things. Every time I turn I see the Real House Hos of Whatever, or nasty exploitative garbage parading as "hopeful messages of inspiration" like Find My Family and Biggest Loser.

We're worse than the Romans... and By Toutaitis, I do not wish to be like them... Those Romans are Crazy!

 

[dwmckim]

The following article was printed in TV Guide Online and really says everything better than i ever could (I especially like the quotes from Agnes Nixon a few paragraphs in since it reminds me of my other huge fandom everyone here should recognize!)...

The Best Soap You're Not Watching By Nelson Branco

Are you living your best soap life? Take the "One Life To Live" challenge by watching the best daytime drama on TV today! What are you waiting for? You won't be sorry:

"Here's what to do when you don't find that rainbow's end | this time ¦ Here's where you go when it looks like when the rain won't end ¦ don't cry ¦ I'll give you tomorrow, let me be the one to share it with ¦ And each day that follows ¦ 'cause we only have one life to live!"
Grammy winner Peabo Bryson in One Life's '90s legendary opening credits

Somewhere lurking between the glowing heavens and fiery hells lies a sudsy paradise called Llanview, a place where you allegedly only have one life to live. The best part? You don't need a passport to visit. And on this show, it's quality, not quantity, that matters.

There, in this magical and luxurious place named Llanview, you will find intelligent drama, infectious characters, laugh-out-loud hilarity, sweeping romance, imperfect gods and goddesses, and complex psychologies that will systemically capture your imagination, heart and mind.

In July of 1968, soap opera impresario, Agnes Nixon - who has seemingly come out of retirement to promote the future of the worst TV show on air, her ******* child, All My Children instead of her other darling baby, the best soap on TV, the one which is in the most danger of being cancelled - created one of the most special and unique soap operas ever to air, La One Life To Live. According to Nixon, she gave birth to the special entity, not only to entertain, but also to educate and enlighten.
Nixon relays that the germination of Llanview was born during an Aspen television conference helmed by Saul Alinsky.

The Emmy-winning icon wrote in Gary Warner's One Life's official 30th anniversary book, "A renowned social activist and front-line fighter in the war against poverty and injustice posited that until diverse human beings better understand and respect one another, we can never live in harmony and peace on the planet. By definition, all television entertainment shows have a mandate to entertain. If they fail, they go off the air. But isn't an expansion of mental horizons a key ingredient of entertainment?"

Originally titled Between Heaven and ****, Nixon created a socially responsible yet fascinating and addictive soap opera that resonated with smart and passionate soap fans across the world. Her mission statement? It was simply, in her words, "to fashion stories about richly diverse people as their lives intertwined, as they interacted with one another - To explain the hopes and hardships, the goals, fights, and failures that are ultimately shared by all mankind no matter how desperate their lifestyles."

Forty-two years later, head writer Ron Carlivati and executive producer Frank Valentini were granted loving custody of Nixon's baby, and despite the economic and political obstacles in their way, these two angels nurtured this historic, precious legacy and evolved it. In fact, some critics would argue that One Life has never been this superior since its debut. Today, One Life is soaring in all aspects - except in the dog-eat-dog world of ratings. It's sad because One Life is the closest thing soap fans have to a post-modern Santa Barbara, and many pundits hail it as the best daytime drama to ever air.

However, no one ever lost a dollar underestimating the taste of the public (or One Life's disappointing, inept publicity department). One only has to take a depressing glance at the highly flawed Nielsen ratings, to know that's true. It's a scary day when a poor excuse for a serial drama like All My Children is making mincemeat out of the superlative One Life To Live in the ratings. And why ABC is throwing their resources towards saving AMC, and not my dear, beloved One Life is extremely telling. To focus this picture clearer, let us compare it by saying that the viewers are the liberal and free democrats, and ABC is the*taxing, self-serving Republican party.

For Emmy winner Judith Light, who is now ironically toiling on One Life's prime-time equivalent, Ugly Betty, she's furious if ABC is even thinking of cancelling this iconic, enveloping soap opera. Our friend tells TVGuide.ca, "The show is very close to my heart. I wouldn't want to live in a world without Llanview. It was the smart person's soap - and still is. We need One Life because it's relevant."

Even soaps' most powerful and popular superstar, Crystal Chappell raves about all things Llanview! "One Life is one of the best shows I've ever seen. I've been a fan since I was a girl. One Life will always have* a special place in my heart and life. Yes, my One Life character, Maggie, wasn't a breakout hit, but I was still honoured to be a part of this iconic show. One Life rules! Start watching, people!"

TVGuide.ca urges everyone - and their lovers, friends, children, neighbours, enemies, and rapemance victims - to start tuning into One Life, the soap nearly every soap critic named the best of 2009 in their best-and-worst lists. If you're not satisfied with your experience, ABC will refund your money.

1. THE PLAYERS
Uber-talented and passionate executive producer Frank Valentini and Emmy-winning head writer Ron Carlivati genuinely care and love their little show that could - and most importantly, its fans. In this day and age, that's unheard of. The blessed fans of One Life are eternally grateful to know that every day they get to digest a show that is good for them spiritually and artistically. Also, Carlivati is one of the only out-and-proud gay artists in the business - and in the process, his relentless pride, humanity, and personal freedom has infused One Life with a undying spirit that has never been witnessed before in soap opera land. Yes, Douglas Marland would be proud of Carlivati.

2. ROBIN STRASSER AND TREVOR ST. JOHN
In the annals of daytime, the divine and delicious Emmy-winning diva, Robin Strasser, and the criminally sexy and*mercurial Trevor St. John prove that the best acting in entertainment is happening right on daytime television. It is an honour and a privilege to watch these two unbelievably authentic thespians work on a daily basis. Acting students, pay attention - these are masters in your midst. Look up passion and pride in the dictionary, and you'll find a picture of Strasser and St. John. It's a shame that these two acting stallions don't have more Emmys on their mantles. Or Oscars.

3. DIVERSITY RULES
Black, gay, brown, white, and green - One Life has inspiringly integrated a richly diverse canvas like no other soap opera ever before. Or will ever.

4. NINE!
Federico Fellini would never suffer from writer's block if he wrote One Life To Live! From La Strasser, Erika Slezak, Florencia Lozano, Kassie DePaiva, Gina Tognoni, Melissa Fumero, Tika Sumpter, Hillary B. Smith, and Susan Haskell, this ABC sudser boasts the best actresses in daytime. Now that's something to sing about, Kate Hudson!

5. LIGHTS, CAMERA, SETS!
Emmy-winning set designer/director Roger Mooney is the best aesthetic mastermind in daytime. One Life defies the antiquated stereotype that daytime is just three cardboard walls. Bravo, Mr. Mooney! Llanview feels like a real town that I have lived in or want to move to - and that's an accomplishment. On most soaps, a sudsy town consist of three cold sets, but Llanview is a real destination.

6. KISH, BABY!
Once upon a time, a closeted gay cop and an out-and-proud homosexual med student fell in love. And just like that - America fell in love, too. Carlivati has been criticized by many, including myself, for dismantling certain past storylines (ahem, Todd and Marty), but Carlivati redeemed himself by paying homage to his Emmy-winning peer, the incomparable novelist-turned-soap writer, Michael Malone, who penned the definitive coming-out storyline involving then-unknown Ryan Phillippe. Mr. Carlivati paid it forward with the near-perfect Kish love story. OK, it was perfect from start to present - yes, Carly-vati should be very proud of himself. The soap god actually wed 21 gay couples on his show - and managed to get away with it! Now that's impressive.

7. SETTON PLACE
Andrea Evans who? There is a rising star raising **** on One Life and her name is Lady Amanda Setton, one of the most beautiful, talented, and sexiest newcomers soap opera has encountered in years. As ex-stripper Kim, Setton proves there are no small mediums, just small actors. Sign her to an infinite contract, One Life, before she bolts for the bright lights of Hollywood. In simpler terms, Setton is One Life's female Billy Miller.

8. IT'S THE CHARACTER ACTORS, STUPID!
One Life's casting department should be applauded for hiring and maintaining an incomparable ensemble that rivals the old days of soap opera. Character actors like Ilene Kristen, Peter Bartlett, Lea DeLaria, Tuc Watkins, January La Voy, Patricia Elliott, Wortham Krimmer, Catherine Hickland, Kathy Brier, Brian Kerwin, Chris Stack, John Rue, Scott Clifton, and Jackie Hoffman make waking up every morning worth it.

9. THE CRAMERS
Arthur Miller would have a field day with the best family in daytime, the Cramer women. These dysfunctional beauties are worthy of their own TV show. We can call it Being Cramer "I can't believe I was given up for adoption"

10. YOUTH IN REVOLT
If you have watched Carmen LoPorto, Eddie Alderson, Shenell Edmonds, Kristen Alderson, Jason Tam, Kelley Missal, Brittany Underwood, and Brandon Buddy, you know that One Life boasts the best younger cast not only in daytime but also in all of TV!

11. HEY MR. VALENTINI "MUSIC MAKES THE BOURGEOIS AND THE REBEL"
Who needs James Franco? From Mary J. Blige, Nelly Furtado, to Snoop Dogg, One Life expertly crafts authentic reasons for the A-list musical acts featured on their show. In turn, One Life helps raise their record sales ten-fold. The best act so far? The All-American Rejects, who will never be erased from my DVR player.

12. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!
Despite the Directors' Guild Awards snubbing the best directed serial on television this year, Larry Carpenter and his team passionately direct one **** of a TV experience for its fans - inside and outside of the studio. We are blessed, Frank and Larry! Compromise doesn't exist in these guys' vocabulary, Ellen Wheeler.

13. SEXIEST MEN ALIVE
Let's keep this boxer brief - Mark Lawson, David Fumero, Brett Claywell, Scott Evans, John Brotherton, Forbes March's dead corpse, Trevor St. John, Michael Easton, Terrell Tilford, J-P Lavoisier, The Porcupine, Michael Lowry, Roscoe Born, Jerry Ver Dorn, David Gregory, Tuc Watkins, Scott Clifton, Dan Gauthier, Ron Carlivati, Frank Valentini, and Matt Walton will leave you hot under the collar.

14. THE WRITE STUFF!
No other daytime serial is better written than this sudsy opus. Carolyn Culliton and Elizabeth Page soar under the leadership of Mr. RC. They care so much that they even title their episodes! As you all know, I'm an Emmy whore, and I have a pretty awesome track record with picking Emmy reels (when it aired, I knew that Asa' funeral would win Ron his first Emmy; too bad he didn't listen to me last year), but for the 2010 Emmy race, I have no clue what Carlivati should submit because he has a plethora of kick-*** material. Good luck, Ron! That's the price you pay for perfection.

15. TUC OFF!
Saturday Night Live? Pfft. Tuc Watkins, Tuc Watkins, Tuc Watkins! Enough said.

 

[dwmckim]

Welovesoaps.com hosted a survey among a blue-ribbon panel of judges compiling The 50 Greatest Soap Actresses of All Time. 17 OLTL actresses made the list (and many others were honorable mentions including current cast members Hillary B Smith, Kassie DePaiva, and Florencia Lozano) with three current cast members both on the list and placing high - Ilene (Roxy Balsom) Kristen at #21, Robin (Dorian Lord) Strasser at #5 and Erika (Viki Banks) Slezak at #3. Couldn't resist posting about this here since one of the judge's comments about Slezak was "Viki, Niki, little Tommy...hasn't she played everything but a tuna sandwich? She could probably do that, too...if asked."

And after reading that, i immediately thought, "sounds like someone should book her as a Muppet guest! Maybe she could have played Gonzo's sandwich in MFS!"

(...and speaking of Llanview Ladies i am so psyched to see Gina Tognoni returning on Friday to reclaim her role of Kelly Cramer where she first got her start on her way to stardom! Plus several other of my favorites returning to usher her back on - Laura Kaufman's Cassie, Melissa Fumero's Adrianna, Wortham Krimmer's Andrew and Dan Gauthier's Kevin! I'm gonna have my popcorn at the ready!)