On a chilly Tuesday in November, I tossed myself out of bed and scrambled to wake up and arrange everything accordingly. I wasn't nervous so much as frazzled - I am no morning person. But I had set a time to speak with a daytime legend, someone I have watched on television many times and admired very much. Trying at once to caffeinate myself, lay my planned questions out, and ready the electronic recording devices, I was interrupted by a call - from Ilene Kristen. She was ready for her interview, perhaps more ready than I. I realized at once from the sound of her voice that I just needed to sit down, take a deep breath, and engage in a conversation with this woman. I hung up with her, poured my green tea, and situated myself. I dialed Kristen's New York number, and despite a slight surrealism to it all, began engaging in a very real conversation about this woman's career as well as the state of the soaps - from star to fan (and critic). I had no idea what I was in for: A frank, sometimes shocking, and often hilarious chat with none other than the "Foxy Roxy" comedienne supreme of Llanview, PA.: The irrepressible Ilene Kristen.

Once I tested my phone recorder and saw that it was functioning, I grabbed at my list of questions - everything ranging from Roxy's relationships and storylines, to the politics of soaps, to rumors and beyond. But Ilene assured me that it wasn't necessary to rattle off questions. We would just start the conversation up and see where we landed. The put me at ease. So we began with Roxy's recent airtime. Grandiose announcements had been made across the internet, heralding major airtime for Roxy during November Sweeps. I asked her about it and Ilene cracked up - she says the news item about Roxy having airtime in November was just a case of her fans getting excited but ultimately not being fulfilled: "I don't know why that was put in the paper, and there might be a reason for it... I think people are demanding to see me. They're (TPTB) just doing damage control... why that is... I don't know." Ah-hah. I figured Kristen would not be someone I had to walk on eggshells with, but one never knows. Immediately, I understood that with this woman, there is no need for BS.

Somehow our attention turns to the mid-term elections, which had just transpired. I ask her, "Wouldn't it be great if the fans could vote on the writers and producers," just the way we as citizens can vote for our elected officials? Even though we fans have heated disagreements with one another, there is some common unity and a general frustration with the show. Aside from our letter-writing campaigns, there doesn't seem to be much we can do to be proactive. I mentioned to Ilene how frustrated the fans are with One Life to Live. Ilene responds, "I here that from people." But she doesn't watch the show. She clarifies... "No, I don't (watch it). Generally speaking, I'm not a soap opera watcher. I never have been." Though growing up she did watch The Secret Storm, which starred Bernie Barrow, who later went on to portray her father-in-law on Ryan's Hope.

I started talking about how different (and better) OLTL was in the 80's. There was a certain camp factor back then that Roxy reminds me of, especially the big hair and over-the-top comedic style of Andrea Evans as Tina Lord. She interrupts, "It's very interesting that you see it that way. Because I'm out in a lot of clubs (where she performs her cabaret show) in certain areas of this country... I don't see Roxy as an exaggeration. I really don't." At this point I feel pretty stupid and am afraid I have insulted her as an actress. She continues, "I don't see her (Roxy) as campy either, believe it or not. In the context of the show, yes, but actually with what is out in reality, what I try to base things on... to me she is not campy." I see where she is going with this. Actors are never trying to BE campy if they are worth their salt. Camp arises out of the material, or in an exaggerated style dictated by genre. I mention that I think soaps in general are a home base for campiness, ranging from shows like Dark Shadows, Passions, and Days of Our Lives on the one end of the spectrum, and General Hospital and Young and the Restless on the other. One Life to Live has always been somewhere in the middle - a safe place for camp to flourish, balanced out by the serious drama. Roxy, along with a handful of other characters like David Vickers, continue the comedic tradition set years ago by Andrea Evans, among others. Roxy is written in a more "campy" manner than most of the other characters; though Dorian, Blair, Todd, David, and Rex are also written campily - and probably not coincidentally, also played by brilliant actors. "Maybe it's just that I don't like that word... in the context of the show I think it does appear as campy," she says. Okay, I think we've passed this touchy crevasse. Bringing up Tuc Watkins' performance as something comparable to hers in order to point out that they are both playing campy characters but using very good, real acting to do so. She cuts me off with, "Tuc's actually campier than I am!" Touche.

While we're on the subject of Tuc Watkins, I go on to say her how badly I wanted to see Roxy and David paired together, but now Tuc Watkins is out the door. "A lot of people (wanted to see David and Roxy together). They (TPTB) should have (put us together), and I think they were going to, and then Tuc told them that he was leaving. Now, whether they would have followed through on that, who knows... but I think after the Valentine's Day episode, people definitely wanted to see it. It got a very strong reaction. And that's right when he gave his notice." How tragic!!!

I segue into a topic on many fans' minds: The dismissal of core characters like Kevin and Kelly, and the reduction of the vets like Catherine Hickland, Hillary Smith, and Timothy Stickney (obviously this was before the recent announcement that Nora and Lindsay will be getting a new storyline). I expressed concern for her job safety and relevance to the corporate interest currently controlling the show. She assures me that, "As far as I know, they want to keep me on there. They know they have no quota of humor unless I'm there." I asked her if TPTB see Roxy merely as comic relief. "Yes. I don't think that's what Gary Tomlin saw it as, and I honestly don't think that's what Frank (Valentini) sees it as. But there are stronger powers than that. I think if Frank had his way, things would be a little different. He knows I can do all of it."

So what, I wonder, is the point of having an Executive Producer if he or she doesn't have the power to express their creative will? I ask Ilene if she is referring to Brian Frons as the "stronger powers," and if so, how are storylines and ideas processed behind the scenes? She replies, "I would say it's dictated by Brian. It's dictated to Dena (Higley) I suppose." I ask her if it is a "chain of dictation." She answers, "Yeah. I think Brian Frons has been dictating alot." I tell her that is the perception of the fans (though I leave out that many fans refer to him literally as a dictator). She considers this and says, "And I do believe that is correct." So I decide to ask for her reaction to Frons' recent comments that fans had to be trained to accept his vision of the show. After a moment of starting and stopping her thoughts, she says, "That is disrespectful to the fans. The fans are highly intelligent. It makes no sense. The fans have to be... WHAT? Are they like dogs? I'm not saying that they have to go in line with whatever the audience says, because then they'd be changing things left and right, you know? But to say that is treating them like they're pets." My thoughts exactly. She continues, "I think there are things that come off on the air that are genuine... and then there are things on the air that are just completely... forced. And I think the audience knows when they are getting thrown continuously like, 'Oh, we're going to make you like this character, we're going to make you like that character.' But you can't make them like a character that they don't like." No kidding - but do the powers that be realize this? And do they even care?

I mentioned to Ilene that I've been watching OLTL since the 80's, but others have been watching since the 70's or even the 60's. I go on to say, "I think the longer you watch this genre, the easier you spot the bullshit," to which she agrees. So when a couple is paired together that doesn't have good chemistry, or are together at the expense of a couple that does have chemistry, it really pisses people off. She chimes in, "The head writer, along with Mr. Frons, or whatever network it is, come up with something - and they want you to buy it. Like it's a car that they just produced and they want you to buy that car. It's a shame. They ought to know when things aren't working. There's a bunch of crap that doesn't work. And they just keep throwing it at you. Everybody knew that the Tico stuff wasn't going to work from day one. That was just... everything about it was wrong. Everything. They had six weeks in the can, but they knew. They knew they couldn't push it too much, because it just wasn't going to happen. But then other things they get very stubborn about. They'd rather be right - they want to be right rather than being good. Like, 'this is my idea so I'm going to make you like it.'"

I go on to tell her I think she has just summed up what is most wrong with the genre today. We're on a roll here. She continues, "I think that's what the problem is with alot of these shows. I think the one show that probably doesn't do that is the Young and the Restless. Am I correct?" I inform Ilene that I don't watch Y & R regularly but that every time I tune into it on Soapnet I find it very difficult to turn off. There seems to be a core set of characters, hardly any newbies, great writing, and great actors for the most part.  I veer off the topic of Y & R to get back to the show I really care about: One Life to Live.

I ask her to clarify for me - when I am bitching about the show in my column - if I am wrong to blame Dena Higley and the writing staff. She replies, "I think they're told who to write for or not. And I think alot of that has been coming from Brian Frons. I think part of it's her (Higley), but you know, Brian..." She takes a moment to gather her thoughts, then proceeds. "Brian exerted himself in ways that heads of the network had never done before." I ask if there is any form of checks and balances whatsoever, to which she replies, "Obviously not. Checks and balances would be the ratings, or the audience response. And the audience is responding negatively, and it continues to go on. So are there checks and balances? No." We reflect on the recent midterm elections again and how a lack of checks and balances is very dangerous, whether for a country or for a daytime soap lineup. I think there is a parallel between President Bush and Brian Frons - two supposed leaders who impose their will on the masses regardless of what the masses want or need. She adds, "I think his ideas about how to run these shows... I don't know, I think they made certain decisions about All My Children that are so horrifying that they've ruined the show. They've destroyed it." We then go on a bit about the nauseating camera style All My Children imposed recently, and I express my opinion that the show has been ruined for years but in the past two years has become irreversibly soiled by a newbie invasion and the refusal to give the show's best actress, Julia Barr, a storyline. And now she's out the door, too.

I ask Ilene how much of what's going on at ABC Daytime is due to ageism. She answers, "Alot of it. It's shocking." I reply that it seems like the shows are going for the teenage demographic, which makes no sense - because teens are never going to choose soaps over reality television and prime time unless they are compelled by the acting and writing and overall storytelling. She agrees, "It doesn't make any sense. You want to keep that base audience." My reply to Ilene is that the reason people tune in is to see Viki, Dorian, and the vets. "Why they never have me in scenes with Dorian is beyond me." Me too.

While we're on the subject of the two Queens of Llanview, Viki and Dorian, I compliment Ilene on her scenes with Viki/Erika Slezak. I always love the way Roxy is oblivious to being "proper" for Viki's benefit and treats her like any other broad. And I love how Viki seems torn between accepting Roxy for who she is and still kind of rolling her eyes at her behind her back. Ilene goes into the storyline that brought her to the show in the first place: The Jessica/Natalie baby switch, Mitch Laurence, etc. "What's really a shame to me is that... it would have been great if they had really had Jessica be my kid. That's where they really screwed it up. Also, the whole story with Mitch. They took it away from Roxy and gave it to Dorian because she had to come back to the canvas. Alot of that story that could have been mine was hijacked. Look - she's great, Robin - I'm just saying for the sense of the show, that was a hijacking. They took it and completely hijacked it. But that's not by accident."

"Was it personal?" was my question. And she answered me. But I'll just have to leave what she said up to your imaginations.

I started to get excited remembering the fabulous storyline involving Roxy, Mitch, and the glorious mother of all psychos, Allison Perkins. I brought up Barbara Garrick, who played Allison, and Ilene's tone of voice changes. "She's a great actress. We had a friendship before that, and it was very significant for both of us. It was very profound that we were working together - for many oddly spiritual reasons - and I really couldn't get over the fact that we were working together like that. Sometimes in life you realize there are just no accidents. It was very profound. That whole first year was just, on a certain level, beautiful for me." I want to know more about Ilene's history with Barbara Garrick, but I can sense it is something special and I feel it is best not to pry.

I move on to the introduction of Natalie Balsom and how the history of the show was somewhat defiled at that time. Despite that, I told Ilene, I really loved the big reveal that Natalie was Viki's daughter, and that Jessica was Roxy's daughter. It really shook things up and since I had never liked the Jessica character anyway, I thought this story would be very interesting. I wanted to see Princess Jessica have a white trash alcoholic mother like Roxy, and see the low rent Natalie move into the castle known as Llanfair. It was a great story that fizzled much too quickly. Why? Because TPTB retracted their bold move and instead devised the incredibly lame gimmick that Jessica and Natalie were twins - but by different fathers. Oye vey. Ilene chimes in, "They didn't stick to the story they were going to do. And they made a situation where you don't believe that these two girls are biologically related. And that to me is a cheat. It should have been that Natalie was just a con artist, or that there was actually a baby switch. And that would have tied in with Mitch. First of all, Roscoe (Born) is a great actor." We agreed that bringing Born back to Llanview would be a very good idea. She goes on: "They make mistakes with the villains on this show. They make them so grotesque and they paint them into a corner, and there's absolutely no reason to do that. The characters that really work are the villains that you love. And that's why it's a shame what they did with the Spencer character. Because I think he's (Paul Satterfield) tremendous - just tremendous." I mentioned to Ilene that I was rather dumbfounded that after all this fuss surrounding the character, TPTB decided not to make him the Buchanan heir. "Yeah, I don't know why not," she agrees. "Phil Carey isn't going to be around forever, and it would have been great to carry on the mantle. Now that (not making Spencer a Buchanan) makes no sense. I think they definitely blew a good thing. I don't know what they were thinking." So essentially, Spencer has been painted into that proverbial corner, and his redemption has been cancelled. He'll soon be written off like many villains before him. Including some of the most excellent villains ever portrayed on daytime, such as Carlo Hesser and Mitch Laurence. Still annoyed with TPTB, Ilene adds, "They do that time and time again with the villains. Which is stupid. With Mitch... they made him into a freakin shark." We discuss the uber creepy scenes in which Mitch danced with his daughter Jessica while seemingly salivating over her sexually and how gross it was, and how you pretty much knew at that point that Mitch was a goner. Why did they have to go there? Why get rid of someone as talented as Roscoe Born? It made no sense.

I move on to another "storyline" Ilene had: The strange love affair of Roxy and Nigel. I wanted to know what Ilene's opinion of it was since Nigel was previously always portrayed as a gay character. She said they weren't a couple "in the real sense" but that she and Peter Bartlett (Nigel) had a great time working on the material. But then she says that one day, "He that shall remain nameless" came over to her on the set and said, "Well, you know, it's no good having two funny people together. That doesn't work." But at the time Ilene thought to herself, "'Well yes, that does work, actually. You're saying it doesn't work this week because it's maybe getting too much attention.' Because I'm sure people were thinking Roxy and Nigel should have their own sitcom. Put the Powers That Be don't want that kind of attention there. They don't want it to turn into a comedy." Together we wonder why comedy can't be a bigger part of One Life to Live since it's always been the funniest soap (besides for Days and Passions depending on one's taste). She says, "You know, Peter Bartlett is trained in comedy. I'm trained in comedy. That's my background. I've done Broadway shows where you have to make 12,000 people laugh. That's training. And you know... not everybody can do it." You can say that again!

I asked Ilene, "In an ideal world, what storyline, couple, etc., would you choose to play next for Roxy?" She immediately answers, "In an ideal world, it should be something from my (Roxy's) past. It should come from a haunted kind of place, or some place that's filled with emotion, or filled with longing." In other words, an actual storyline! She continues, "People really do want to see more of Roxy. When I came on the show, the world was in a very dark place. I got the job on September 10th, 2001. And I really knew that I was there to entertain people, to lift them out of the grief. So I'm on a mission to entertain people, to make them not run out to the bathroom or press fast-forward. I have the ability to that; I've always had the ability to do that. But that doesn't seem to be the currency that's important at the moment. But I'm hoping that it will be." So are the fans.

"I only know what I know. What I don't know, I don't even try to talk about. But one thing I know is my umbilical cord to the audience," she asserts. "There's a massive amount of people that want to see me - see me do something real; something meaningful." I agreed with her wholeheartedly and then complemented her on the scenes in which Roxy and Rex kept Natalie company while she was grieving for John. I thought those scenes were very well-done and showcased that Roxy (and Kristen) can play dramatic material honestly and still make it funny. She interrupts me, "Those scenes were very good, but you know what? Roxy living through her kids really annihilates the life force of Roxy. I'm sorry, but I know this to be true. If I know anything - I know that. That's the most important thing I can say; that this character has a vitality and a life force, and to just let her out of her little cage... it's very disrespectful to the audience and it's actually disrespectful to me because of what my capabilities are and what I feel I can bring to the show. Which is not just humor but an earnestness and a real emotional power. A full character. Not to cheat the audience," she states.

At this point I am humbled by Kristen's bluntness and willingness to talk about such things. And in a way, I feel a certain kind of validation for myself and for all of the fans that have watched the 40-plus lady soap stars be reduced to nothing more than the doting mothers of the under aged crowd. I tell Ilene that I think the same exact thing has happened to Erika Slezak as the protagonist of the show, Victoria Davidson. When this kind of ageism reaches the Queen of Llanview, we viewers are in deep trouble. In essence, Viki's only purpose on the show is to be there for her kids. "Yeah, which is ridiculous ," retorts Kristen. "Really, it just cuts into these characters. They should have full lives, not just in terms of their 20-something year-old kids. That's fine, to be there as a mother. But it completely destroys the reality of what life really is. I'm just trying to show life out there. My mother's got a life other than my own." And so do all the mothers who tune into One Life to Live every day. I wonder what kind of message the show is sending to those viewers? That there is nothing to their lives other than living vicariously through their children? Who wants to see that? It seems to me that the show has become not only ageist, but sexist as well. You don't see the fathers giving up their jobs and coming out of the woodworks merely to offer advice to their children.

Time to change the subject. I asked Ilene if she got nervous over the past summer when she got the scripts in which Rex was searching for Paige's son and Roxy started to act as though she had something to hide regarding Rex's own paternity. She answers, "No! I actually thought they were going to do a real story - which they didn't. Maybe I got nervous (excited) because it looked like they were going to do a story. But they didn't. Not for me. They did it for Paige instead. It makes me nervous to read a script and wonder how much of myself to invest in it. So once again, they're going to give me something that could be juicy like this, and then they just take the carpet out from under me. And that you should print - that something real comes my way, something interesting, and then it's dropped... because yes, Rex looks enough like Paige that he could have been her son." I was surprised that Ilene would be okay with Roxy losing her last biological connection to the show, but clearly she is an actress more concerned with working and telling a good story than with the logistics of centrality to the Llanview canvas. And what could be more admirable than that? As her fan though, I must admit I was relieved when that story was dropped. I love the Roxy/Rex connection and didn't want it to be undone, especially for the fickle character of Paige who probably won't be on the canvas much longer. But now that they've killed off Hugh as if he was nothing more than a day player, they could still make Rex Paige's son. But Ilene doesn't want to talk about that - she is much more interested in Josh Casaubon's (Hugh) sudden dismissal. "It's a shame, because I think they had something with that actor. Those scenes that he did right before he left, when he found out he was Paige's son, were unbelievable. I just thought they were fabulous. I called him and told him." While I wavered in my opinion of Hugh and Casaubon's work, I did think it was inexplicable that TPTB, after letting Hugh float around the canvas for a year without much of a purpose, finally gave him a story and made the audience invest in him - only to unceremoniously dump him without any sort of closure.

Since we're on the subject of Paige, I told Ilene that I don't think that character ever caught on. After three actresses and an unpopular pairing with Bo, the fans never cared about her. But then they threw the Paige/Hugh curveball and some fans started to care. And no sooner had they started this storyline, we learned that Casaubon had been fired so that John McBain could come back from the dead in a huge plot gimmick. Ilene agrees that Paige wasn't catching on, but points to the scenes at Rodie's where Roxy and Paige had a few drinks together as something that showed potential. I had forgotten about those scenes, but as soon as she brought them up I remembered that yes, they were quite enjoyable. Roxy made Paige seem fun. Kristen adds, "We had that beautiful scene where I was helping her do the waitress thing, and I think the audience went 'Wow - we could use a little more of this!' Sometimes I feel like they use me so that they can get characters that aren't popular interacting with me, and then they just drop it. They use me like a foil - because the one thing I know I have is chemistry with people. I really work on this stuff - coming from my heart. I could cry about this, and I have. It's very unfair to all the actors. But they're writing for some corporate, faceless audience rather than for the actual audience's faces, hearts, and souls. That is a good quote!" Yeah, it is. "They're writing for this corporate unknown entity. They're not writing for the actual faces that show up to all the events, all throughout the country. There is a face to these people - highly intelligent people. Lawyers, doctors, whatever. They watch these shows for release, to take them out of their lives."

Ilene starts comparing and contrasting the current state of soaps to the way things were when she starred on Ryan's Hope. I had to confess to her that Ryan's Hope was a bit before my time, though I have caught some replays of it thanks to SoapNet. She explains, "Ryan's Hope had such a broad appeal to a very sophisticated audience, because they didn't talk down to the audience. There were times when it got out of control. After I left, they did the King Kong story which I thought was a disgrace. The ratings went down like 3 points, and they never got them back. They had an intelligent audience who were treated that way, and then they insulted their intelligence." Ilene explains that the fans of Ryan's Hope included many musicians, one of whom was Bonnie Raitt. "That's how I met Bonnie Raitt - she was a huge Ryan's Hope fan. Rosie O'Donnell, too - huge fan. And you know what? Even the fans who aren't scholars or artists, deserve respect." She goes on to say that the real problem with the industry now is that the corporate suits in charge of the soaps are not regarding the audience with respect, or treating them the way they were treated during the days of Ryan's Hope. She imitates a corporate suit saying, "'We'll make you love these couples!' Well, we don't love these couples. Because they're not getting to our hearts. They're not affecting us."

I asked her what she thinks the fans can do about all of this? She replies, "I think the fans have done alot. With the internet and everything - how much more vocal can the fans be? What are they going to do, send letter bombs? What more can they do? They could stop watching. But if they don't watch, we'll go off the air." So of course I have to ask her how likely she thinks that is. Will One Life to Live be cancelled? She replies, "Well, that actually might happen if there's not enough revenue being brought in. The thing is, you have to feel compelled to tune back in. With Ryan's Hope, they couldn't wait to tune back in. The half-hour format was better, and there were always cliffhangers. You need cliffhangers, and people aren't writing those anymore. And triangles that are real where something is at stake. You need to have something at stake, and if not - people won't tune in. They'll tune in, but if they miss it, it's no big deal." I tell her that is exactly how I feel about One Life to Live lately. She goes on, "Like right now, I cannot WAIT to tune in to the finale of Dancing With the Stars. Like the week cannot go fast enough. That show has heart. It's better than any soap I've seen lately." Ouch.

Ilene asks me what I think of a particular couple on the show at the moment who shall remain nameless. My honest opinion: They are horrible. And this begins a five-minute rant in which I explain my thoughts on the terribly mismatched couples and what not, which eventually leads to talk of the Jessica/Antonio wedding. I told her that all I could think about during their wedding was how the bride had been married to the groom's brother, and had dated his other brother all throughout high school - and yet none of that was brought up surrounding the wedding. And that made me wonder if the writers even REMEMBER what happened in the show's history. Ilene assures me, "Oh yeah, they do. But they're told what to write. There are a couple of writers who, if they were head writers, the show would be alot better. There are several writers who have a deep regard for the show, and would be magnificent head writers. It would be a whole different thing. Here you have a show where they have to write for characters that they don't even want to write for. Then they cast an actor that doesn't even appeal to people..." I interrupt her and ask what she thought of Mikey Jerome, the winner of Season 3 of I Wanna Be a Soap Star, coming onto the show. Her answer surprised me quite a bit: "I adore him. He's a doll. He needs to get a little more training. But you know, these contests are very disrespectful, you know, like anybody can be on a soap. In a world that disregards Julia Barr (Brooke, AMC), they'd rather just have some piece of meat that can't act. And this is nothing against Tobias Truvillion, but as soon as they found a younger black actor, they let Timothy (Stickney) go almost immediately. Timothy is a beautiful man and a beautiful actor. And they couldn't combine his talents with Tobias'? There's so many interesting possibilities. But as soon as they found a hot guy that can walk and talk - and I like him very much - it just stinks. How can you respect an organization when there are corporate decisions like that? When they are done with people even though the audience isn't done with them? It's disgusting - and that you can quote me on."

"We're trained actors. We have deep ties to the audience. Don't disregard that. I was born at night - I wasn't born LAST night. But you know, I've been talked to as if I was born LAST night," she proclaims. I asked her who talks to her like that - executives? People in charge? She is quiet. So I add that I don't think the people running the show understand acting very well, or storytelling for that matter. She takes over, "They don't understand storytelling, but they also don't understand what is going on in the hearts and the minds of people out in the world. We are on television in front of millions of people. Take those focus groups and go screw yourself, you know?" Since she brought up focus groups, I have to ask her about the Dan Gauthier situation, with rumors that ABC focus groups were the reason for his firing (something few fans accepted as truth). Ilene gives her two cents, "For them to let go of Dan, it's just obscene. I don't know if they really wrote Kevin and Kelly the way they could have or should have, but it's still obscene (for them to leave). And now another person from the Soap Star show is coming on. Oh, that's all it takes? A little respect, please!" I do tell her that Beth Ann at least is really talented. But yes, the fans want to see the vets and the core characters - not random newbies. "Well, I don't think Roxy's dead yet. I really don't. It might take awhile. But the light that I have, and the things I have to give the audience, will come out. If it's not used there (at OLTL), it'll be used somewhere else."

Naturally I have to ask her, if she was offered a contract with another soap, would she leave her recurring role at One Life? "Gone in a second," is her reply. But she would rather create a new character on a new show. One Life is the soap that fits her the most, we agree, but they have to use her talents the way the audience wants them to be used. Ilene restates her preference for the half-hour format. "I think it should be back at a half-hour. An hour is ridiculous. Tell a quicker, tighter story and get to the heart of it. Make people think and bring back romance." I would be nervous to see the show go down to a half-hour, I tell her, but if the ultimate result is a better show, then maybe it would be worth it. After all, I conducted this interview in the midst of November Sweeps, and there were no indications that a sweeps period was going on. The show had never been so boring. But then it's followed by General Hospital which epitomizes the meaning of "sweeps" and has action-packed episodes on a daily basis, usually supported by brilliant acting and directing. Ilene seems less than fascinated by the mobular goings on in Port Charles, insisting, "I think One Life to Live has the potential, even with its flaws, to be more sophisticated than the other shows. If Frank Valentini was really allowed to do what he'd like to do... it would be great. Frank is a very sophisticated person who has a deep regard for this show. I don't think he can operate the way he'd like to operate. If these producers were allowed to really produce and not have to cow-tow to every whim of a corporate suit..." and then she trails off with a sigh. I ask her if this is all a result of Disney taking over ABC. She doesn't know. I think all of this talk has saddened the both of us. Ilene must sense it too, because she immediately returns to what I now realize is her trademark optimism: "My wish, my hope, my dream would be... because I know that I'm capable of doing it, is to affect people. Whether it makes people laugh or cry. If we're not making people feel things and they feel like they can fast-forward, then we're not doing our job." I told her that I have never fast-forwarded any of her scenes. Which is the truth. She thanks me and adds, "And I'll never let you." And I believe her. "I will not let my audience fast-forward me. I am speaking to their hearts. It's a gift that I have - a light. And obviously there are some people who don't want that light on the show. And it's a shame. Because I could have done magnificent things on the show. I wanted this character to be the one that just flies in the face of convention and talks back to  everybody and tells them what a bunch of slime they are. And then goes off to create her own dynasty. She's a scrapper. She has a psychotic need to be seen and to be noticed. And I haven't been given the opportunity to do that. I haven't been given the arc. I want to do on this show what Judith Light did as Karen Woleck. That was a great character. She is a great actress. She's a TRAINED actress! You know what? They have the opportunity to have trained actors on this show. If they might have to pay a little more money - well, they just don't want to do it. Trained Broadway actors will work on these shows for not that much money. And you could have all this incredible story like we had on Ryan's Hope. Stories that mean something to somebody. You want to keep writing stories that don't mean anything?" At this point I have to suggest to Ilene that she replace Brian Frons as Head of ABC Daytime. She has a laugh but then says seriously, "I'd be good at that job. I would be." I don't doubt that.

As the two-hour mark approached, Ilene and I covered many random topics and dished some more about the goings-on behind the scenes at ABC Daytime. Most of what we talked about I cannot print. But I would like to share something Ilene said that I found rather profound: "When art is driven by ego, it is not good art." Indeed. We discuss other characters and couples on the show, the state of All My Children, the need for further acting and vocal training for newbies, and a myriad of other topics - including the sudden cyphering of the Roxy/Max pairing. Ilene tells me that certain higher-ups sabotaged the couple, probably as a way to get rid of James DePaiva. She and I agree that Roxy/Max were awesome together and could have turned into a long-term, fabulous couple. But perhaps TPTB were ready for DePaiva to leave the show and therefore a popular pairing was ultimately not what they wanted for the character of Max. What a shame! Ilene loved the storyline. Soon, it is time to get off the phone. Before we hang up though, Ilene wants to talk a bit about one of her other passions: Her music. "I will be doing my own solo gig on February 24th, 2007, at the Triad, and I spent the summer working with a wonderful R & B band called the Rosalinde Block Party at a club called Prohibition. I did that all summer. Alot of my own stuff has a Latin feel to it - Motown meets Brazil. I write it all in my brain, and then go to a really good musician to work with me on it. And then I get other stuff stuck in my head like a mosquito, very haunting melodies. It happens all different ways. I don't know what I would have done without my music. Especially since being taken off contract." Before I can ask her to elaborate, she does so on her own. "You know, to disregard me like that after getting my first Emmy nomination - it's somewhat humiliating, but you have to be stronger than that, play to your strengths, and go out and kick some ass. People don't realize what it takes to be a performer in this world, especially on television. I've been working for 40 years, and it isn't easy. You've got to have a thick skin and love what you do. Even when there are people who are tremendous obstacles. Don't get in the way of me and the audience - if you do that, I don't like you for that. If you're going to be the thing that keeps me away from my audience, which is the thing that I love and think about every day - that audience that needs and wants to be entertained - if you step in the way of that, you're not my friend. I have a purpose. I'm here to entertain people; to make people think and feel. Don't get in my way. I'm on a spiritual quest - it doesn't have to do with money, and it doesn't have to do with fame. I'm here on a mission and I'm doing the best I can."

And Ilene, you're doing great! I think I can speak for all of your fans when I say that you deserve more and hopefully will be getting more in the near future. In the meantime, thank you for thrilling us with the screen time you do have - and thanks for the light.