UPDATED 1-22-07

  Parting of the C's

Like Moses escaping from Egypt, TPTB have started to
part the seas - or C's, as it were. "C" stands for Couples,
of course!

 

One Life to Live continued its slow but sure march towards improvement last week. The current romantic pairings (or as I like to refer to them, the "Super-Boring Couples") reached new levels of crisis as signs of their demises began appearing like little miracles. The first couple set to crumble is the torturous-to-behold twosome known as Jolie. John's continued abuse of Natalie has everyone gagging, except for Natalie who seems relatively content with being treated like a piece of stinking garbage. But in walks Marty and - shabang! - Natalie attacks like a rabid dog. This premature jealousy is quite telling. The writers are tipping their hand. As for Marty and John... I'll get to that later.

Over on the Crave front, Cristian's descent into apparent madness began. This storyline is a last-ditch effort to make David Fumero's presence worthwhile in some way. I think what TPTB are doing with Cristian now is not only inspired - but necessary. I don't know whether Evangeline will ultimately stand by her man when this latest round of "dealing with one's demons" takes place, but certainly it will be much more interesting than the usual Crave drudgery. Ideally, Evangeline will have to confront herself on the lie her life has become. Or she could stand by Cris the way he stood by (or hovered over) her during her blindness. But it would be more powerful if she was spun into a story of her own, propelled by her realization that Cristian has just been a big lie in her life. In any case, her trust in Cris is already cracking due to the items she found in his backpack. Things looked up even more when Cristian and Talia were given a short but fairly impressive chemistry test this week. Perhaps in a few months we will see Antonio and Cristian in a love triangle of their own.

Speaking of Antonio, his current love triangle is about to get a whole lot juicier. Jessica is about to two-time her BRAND NEW husband. As much as the Nash/Jessica combination seems inevitable, why TPTB chose to purposely make Jessica so whorish is beyond me. I guess that's what Brian Frons likes to see. This storyline will most likely be entertaining (as I hear it Antonio may retaliate with some cheating of his own), but I can't help thinking that Jessica will be ruined by it. She is becoming one of the most selfish and immature characters on all of daytime. I'm sure Erin Torpey is rolling her eyes somewhere.

Nathaniel Marston returned to our screens this week looking and sounding well. I was very relieved, especially since Michael's storyline is about to get rather... interesting. Looks like TPTB aren't content to bring trouble just to the doorsteps of the SBC's (Super Boring Couples!), but will be taking Marcie and Michael's marriage and shackling it with a big, huge problem or two. Marcie's situation will be somewhat similar to Evangeline's. In the case of Marcie and Michael though, I'm sure that love will win in the end. Welcome back, Nathaniel.

Message to TPTB: It's time to scour the talent over at Passions and Guiding Light. Both shows are set to go off the air (very sad, indeed) and there are many talented cast members who will be looking for work. But there are two in particular who MUST be brought back home to Llanview. From Passions, Andrea Evans - the one and only original Tina Lord. Her fans have been praying for her return for years. The time is now. With her daughter Sarah "Flash" Roberts already being figured into future storylines (possibly as a love interest for Rex), it's time to bring Tina home and move her into Llanfair. She can bring C.J. with her too. This could give Viki something great to do other than her constant back-and-forth with Dorian. My other wish is to see Evans paired in a storyline with Ilene Kristen's Roxy. Whether they're fighting over a man (paging Max Holden and David Vickers!) or discovering a connection from their pasts, I have a feeling those two would be magic together. The other vet that is much missed is the acting phenom known as Gina Tognoni. She was right to leave OLTL and go to Guiding Light, where she finally got the material her talent deserves. Her Emmy-recognized work, which showcased her flair for darker and heavier material, should earn her some respect from the peacock network. Time for Tognoni to reprise the role of Kelly Cramer. That is, if GH doesn't cast her as Brenda Barrett first!

THUMBS UP: TA Fresh Start
This week was the best thing to happen to Blair in years. Her near-death experience seems to have knocked some sense into her head. Could it be that Blair may actually TRY to be on her own without a man for more than five minutes this time around? Let's hope. Kassie DePaiva and Trevor St. John are flawless (even when Trevor is forced to play material that is written by scribes who don't understand Todd's character) and will always be amazing together. But I can think of nothing more interesting than seeing them play out a NEW story for the first time: That of truly letting go of one another and learning the basic respect and honesty necessary to build a co-parenthood and friendship. For my money, that would be an amazing thing to watch. And THEN down the road, if they were ever to reunite, it wouldn't be the same old tired routine. It would be something fresh and different. Nice to see some flashbacks. Nice to see Addie again, too. I wish she was on more frequently.

THUMBS UP: Crazy Spencer
Oh my, oh my. Paul Satterfield sure is going out with a bang. His scenery-chewing this week was delightfully disturbing and well-played. The gimmick of having his psyche partly fracture into "fantasy Blair" was outstanding. I really appreciate when a performer and storyline go to such a dark place while still managing to be entertaining and funny. This is Satterfield's best work to date. It kind of made me sad that he'll be leaving, but truthfully there is nowhere to go with the character now. Only one crazy doctor at a time, please (Paige will be next, and then hopefully we can have TV Treadway back as crazy Dr. Troy!). I guess my only question now is, did Spencer really try to kill himself with that gun? The writing and Satterfield are really blurring the line between cunning and insanity. This is good stuff.

THUMBS UP: Super couple?
What is going on with Antonio and Nash? Are they falling in love? No - seriously. In any case, I am enjoying their friendship. Nash brings out the best in Antonio, oddly enough. I'm sure that will all change when Nash's cuckolding is exposed, but for now it's rather nice. These two guys complement each other well. During their scenes, I find myself liking them as individuals more. Then when they have their scenes with Jessica, I find myself disliking them both. Jessica doesn't deserve them, and she brings out the worst in them (especially Nash). I am starting to care more about Nash and Antonio's friendship than I do about who Jessica winds up with.

THUMBS DOWN: Not Hot
Yikes. It seems that Marty and John are the answer to my prayer for the end of Jolie. But... I was way less than impressed by their scenes this week. First of all, the writing was horrendous. When Marty showed up at John's apartment, acting like a madwoman on crack, John starting playing amateur psychiatrist with her and guessed she had been through post-traumatic stress before. Are you kidding me? In the three years he's been in Llanview - as a COP - he has never heard about the Todd Manning/Marty Sayebrooke scandal? Puh-lease. Wasn't he in town when Marty came back to testify on Todd's behalf? The writing here left me scratching my head so hard that I started bleeding! Then there was the acting. Michael Easton and Christina Chambers are trying way too hard to force a connection here. Unfortunately, I am not seeing any chemistry. I saw some during their scenes in the hospital stairwell a few weeks ago, but these latest scenes were really bad. And this time I can't really blame Easton as much as I normally would. There is a likeable quality to Christina Chambers, but she does NOT get this character. At all. And neither do the writers. Also, her acting choices were weak and featured an inordinate amount of gasping and gulping in a rather weird fashion. Several times it seemed like she was fake-laughing when it made no sense for Marty to be laughing. Very distracting. I also feel that she is acting into herself and not connecting with her costars. I hate to go against the couple that could break up Jolie, but the only good thing about these scenes was Natalie storming in and biting off Marty's head. I was cheering Natalie all the way, even though she was acting like a maniac. At least she interrupted the boredom.

THUMBS DOWN: Press Conference
Ugh. Anytime OLTL sets up a scene in Angel Square involving a dozen day players, we know we're in trouble. This time was no different. The idea of the press conference wasn't so bad, but it was dragged out for an entire episode. Vince's lawyer ranted and raved and caused a stir - fine. But the melodramatic entrance of Cris and Van upon the scene was just silly. Can no one control this baby-tempered man? Evangeline is more his chaperone than anything else, constantly restraining him from physical violence. How deeply embarrassing for her. I like that the press conference took place and that it resulted in Evangeline and Antonio being taken off of the case (as well they should be) - but the conference didn't even need to be on-camera. And if it had to be, then one scene would have sufficed. Instead we got a drawn-out affair that made me yawn. Even Natalie slapping Vincent fizzled. And was I the only one confused that they held an hour-long press conference outside in the freezing cold with snow all around? Funny how no one was shivering.

THUMBS DOWN: Too much information
I've always liked Rex, but over the past couple of years he's lost a few too many brain cells. First he picked the dullest chick in Llanview to be his girl, dulling himself down in the process. Then he became a private investigator, stupidly shared secret information with Adriana (the dull girl). I'm a fan of the Cramer clan, but they are the last people you'd ever want to hand out privileged information to and expect it to remain under wraps. It's only a matter of time before Adriana accidentally spills the beans about what she knows. But this week Rex went a step beneath Adriana and shared information with Spencer that could potentially get him killed. I get that Rex wants to find out if Spencer knows about the Tommy/TJ connection, but why did he show him that fake death certificate? Sure, Spencer has become alarmingly deranged as of late - but he is still a conniving and shrewd man whose primary goal in life is to screw up Todd Manning's life. Spencer probably won't want Todd to find out that Marcie and Michael are raising his child, but you never know. Especially now that he's lost his marbles - who knows what might slip out of his mouth. And now if Spencer does let the secret out, chances are he will be bringing Rex down with him. Can you imagine what Todd will do to Rex when this comes out? And in the end, it will all be Rex's fault. Not only is he lying, but he's lying badly.

THUMBS DOWN: Bad advertising
For those of you who have Soapnet, you may have seen the new line of commercials they're running for all of the soaps carried on that network. I saw the one for DAYS first and it was pretty good. They show a montage of some of the best moments from 2006, including Zach's death and its aftermath. It says, "If you thought 2006 was riveting... just wait until you see 2007!" A couple days later I saw the one for One Life. It was the same exact thing, with one big difference: 2006 wasn't riveting for One Life. They did show a bit of Todd's execution, which of course WAS riveting. But the rest of the clips only served to remind me of the deplorable blinding of Evangeline and all it symbolized, and the overexposed Jolie, Crave, and Java/Nash. So when "If you thought 2006 was riveting..." began to scroll across the screen, I had to laugh because no - I didn't think it was riveting. So "Just wait until 2007!" left me not excited, but scared. Very scared.

THUMBS DOWN: Jash or Nessica or Whatever
What is with all of these contrived situations Nash and Jessica are finding themselves in these days? First they are buried in a mine, then they "accidentally" wind up in the men's steam room together. Come on, writers. Can't you think of anything realistic that might cause these two to face their attraction? How about just being alone together during a hand-off of baby Bree? Why must you frame them in situations that ring untrue? It's not helping the cause. Come to think of it, it's totally hurting the cause (the cause being getting Nash and Jessica to start their torrid affair). Along with the contrivances, the big problem is how Jessica is being written. For example, she and Natalie show up to Serenity Springs (not that place again!!!) for professional massage therapy. They are told they have fifteen minutes to wait. So what does Jessica do? She decides that in those fifteen minutes, she'd like to sneak into the MEN'S steam room (which would be virtually impossible at any respectable club or spa) and have public sex with Antonio for the second time. When she enters the steam room, there is so much fog that she can't see that Nash, not her husband, is the man with the towel on his head. When he speaks, she not only fails to recognize that it's Nash's very distinctive voice, but she also fails to realize that it's not her husband's also relatively distinctive voice. How stupid does this make her? Very. Another thing that makes her stupid is that even if Antonio were the man sitting there in the heat, and they were able to engage in their new public sex hobby, there would be nothing from stopping any other men (including security guards, attendants, etc.) from walking in on them. They easily could have lost their club memberships or even been arrested. Worst of all though, what makes Jessica not only stupid but disrespectful and disgusting, is that she went off to have sex right before getting a massage - if she was even going to bother to keep the appointment. She is being written as a tacky, slutty mess and I'm not sure why. Can someone please give her a brain transplant, and soon?






"Don't you have patients to misdiagnose?" - Natalie, to Marty

MAIL REPORT

"You stepped WAY over the line with your comment about Bree Williamson. I think it's f-cked up that you feel the need to single her out when all the while, your precious favorites mess up their lines. I'll no longer be reading your column, if you can call it that." - Jennifer

What line did I step over? The line of pretending that when an actor is unprepared, it's no big deal? The only line I stepped over is the line of political correctness - and I never said I was going to be a good little boy and try not to piss anybody off. While it's certainly not my intention to be mean to an actor, I think it's perfectly fair to criticize their performances. It is not personal in any way. How could it be? I've never met the cast members. I don't have any desire or need to single out Bree Williamson. She is FAR from the bottom of the talent pool. She's had her moments, and I've given up a good amount of praise on her behalf. When an actor - ANY actor - is blatantly unprepared for a scene, it is extremely damaging not just to their show, but to all of daytime. Imagine if someone unfamiliar with One Life to Live had tuned in during those Marty/Jessica scenes. They would most likely dismiss the show outright as being filled with crappy writing and terrible acting. Personally, I love soap operas and I don't think it's acceptable for them to turn out a crappy product. Especially considering these scary times devoid of rating increases. Those Marty/Jess scenes were stupid to begin with, but at least if Bree would have known her lines, they could have passed as decent. I still think Bree is very talented and very beautiful, and she did some Emmy-worthy work during the Tess storyline. What then is her excuse for not knowing a scene? Kamar de los Reyes even stated on Soap Talk that Bree "never knew her lines" - so I really don't think I'm imagining this. As for my "precious favorites" messing up their lines... could you please list some examples? Nobody is perfect, and everyone is allowed to "mess up," but there is quite a big difference between "messing up" and not knowing an entire scene. That is just irresponsible. As I stated in my last column, Bree was completely prepared and into her other scenes on that episode and every episode since then. In no way am I damning her to a permanent doghouse or trying to get personal about it. I am simply doing my job and reviewing the show as I see it. What I saw during those Marty/Jessica scenes was just downright embarrassing to daytime television. If you can't handle frank opinion-giving, then this column probably isn't for you. Otherwise feel free to disagree with me. But in this comment from Jennifer I don't see a disagreement - merely an accusation which, upon examination, is without merit.

"I was not watching when Marty  Saybrooke was on before, so I really like the current actress as Marty. I liked her right away. I thought the chemistry between she and John McBain was magic... I see in your column that you mention a pairing of them, and I am very pleased. I am so tired of Natalie and her tirades and "me, me, me" that it will be nice to have her away from John. And no, I do not care what they do with the
Natalie character." - Patricia

Alot of people feel the way you do about Natalie. She is a very polarizing character and actress. The people that love her, love her. And the people who don't, are quite cruel about her. Strange then, that for me she is not very evocative one way or the other. My sentiment is that there are two Natalies. The original Natalie (Balsom), who was conniving and quite venomous. Then she was replaced with the current Natalie (Buchanan). This current Natalie is ho-hum, and at times rather annoying. But for whatever reason, I don't find myself hating her because I still see glimpses of the original Natalie. I hope that villainous side of her surfaces again, because she is far more entertaining than Natalie 2.0. I have heard that Natalie will soon be briefly leaving the show in order to "find herself." Hopefully this signals that TPTB realize the character needs to be retooled. And by retooled, I really mean restored. Her instant career in forensics was a misstep. She is not suited to that environment. She should quit her job, leave town, and then return with some sort of secret or new agenda. I'd like to see her either get involved at the Banner or perhaps go to work for Dorian or Blair or even Todd. I could totally buy her as a tough-as-nails reporter. But I'm sorry, it's just not believable that she'd spend hours a day combing through evidence and scientifically analyzing it. Very few people are cut out for such work and Natalie is not one of them. It's contrived. She needs a new career and a new driving force in her life. Whatever happened to Natalie Balsom? I'd like to see her return and replace a little bit of her inner Buchanan with some old school Balsom fire. As for Christina Chambers and her version of Marty, I also feel quite ho-hum about her. I neither love nor hate her. But if I had to choose between like and dislike, I'd heavily favor "dislike." This new Marty is not very soapy. Meaning, she doesn't have much to offer the dramatic landscape. She is nice and a bit overly fragile. Where is the toughness of Marty Saybrooke? Where is the heart? It's true - I think recasting this role was a mistake. They should have gotten Susan Haskell back and for whatever reason, used her pregnancy as an excuse to move on without her. I am still pulling for Christina Chambers to knock my socks off, but if it happens it will be a surprise.

"This show has so much potential... which is why I stick around, on the slim chance that there will be something compelling on the screen. But dang it -- IT DOESN'T HAPPEN! Take, for example, Todd and Evangeline. It's just a tease. It's obvious that these two have chemistry, but according to Dena Higley, it's always gonna be Todd and Blair. Jeez Louise -- can't the relationship at least be explored? I'm ok if Todd and Evangeline only become a temporary couple. Who hasn't been in a rebound relationship? It's more interesting to me as a viewer to see how each character handles it. Why would Evangeline have a fling with Todd, knowing how he feels about Blair? How would a relationship with Evangeline change Todd's relationship with Blair? Would he enter into a Blair relationship as a whole new man? Would Evangeline and Todd be friends after that? How would it effect her friendship with Nora? Would she become more involved with Viki, the only person that actually talks to Todd on a consistent basis? There are so many questions that just this one action raises... and that would make it exciting for me." - Jessica

Of course a Tangeline affair or relationship or fling would bring about alot of excitement. But that initial excitement has already worn off a bit due to TPTB's dragging their feet over this couple. Tangeline are the ONLY potential super couple on OLTL, yet they've been relegated to the roles of mutual confidantes. It's taken an entire year for TPTB to realize the mistakes they've made with the couples on this show, and now they're finally taking steps to correct this... but it will be a more difficult sell now because of their refusal to strike while the iron was hot. But as Crave faces a deep crisis (Evangeline's lack of trust in Cris, probably for good reason) and Todd finds himself without Blair, the timing is soon to be ripe once again. Tangeline is the best thing that could happen to Renee Goldsberry, outside of getting her OWN storyline that doesn't revolve around a man. Personally I'd prefer for her to get that storyline first, and have that be the impetus that gets her involved with Todd. I don't mind if they drag getting Tangeline together out for a long time if they are involved in a storyline together as friends.

"I hope that OLTL has a great 2007 and I think the potential is there if the writer's go in the direction of Tangeline! But once again, they have to do it right. I think they are afraid of blowing it and that is part of the delay!" - Susan

I'm sure they are afraid of messing up Tangeline. But in a sense, they've already messed it up by delaying it for almost a year now. Hopefully when/if it does happen, it will be believable. There is something to be said for thinking things through - but there is also something to be said for not over thinking things. Tangeline has the kind of explosive potential that should be capitalized on immediately. That didn't happen.

"As for OLTL... your observations are always on target. I'm not sure why Frons loves his awful couples and I imagine his ego and determination to prove that he can sell the malleable viewers anything, is what might keep him dragging them out way too long. I know people such as yourself are smelling an end to John and Natalie and who knows? Maybe they will terminate them in February but I would not be at all surprised if that dead weight is still dragging along in May. The people that like them and think their two portrayers are perfect together on screen, do indeed see what they want to see. Their vision is the same as the Cristian and Evangeline fans who see some romance for the ages. They probably imagine in their minds that there is some magical connection between the two that does not transfer on to the screen." - Justine

I don't see how Jolie could ever recover from their current state. Their relationship is the most abusive, ugly, and repulsive in the show's recent history. And it's WRITTEN that way, not just played that way. The writers would not be writing them this way unless it was leading to their demise. The sudden intrusion of Marty and the instantly jealous and bitchy reaction of Natalie signals the end even more so. Will TPTB drag this out until May? Let's hope not! I'm not sure why Jolie has its fans; ditto for Crave. I just don't get it. I've tried to understand but at this point I am convinced that it's just a matter of taste.

"Natalie needs to remember that she is not John's punching bag and/or doormat. She needs to lace up her boots and gets to stepping. I don't care what anyone, including John, says - John does not love Natalie. He can barely tolerate her. Someone was lying to those Jolie fans when they said things would be different for Jolie when John returned. The only difference I see is the possibility that Natalie just might walk away from John instead of continuing to be abused." - Roman

It would do great service to Natalie's character if she were to dump John. If John dumps her, it is going to make Natalie look so pathetic. The woman has no self-esteem and allows herself to be treated like garbage. John has been treating her this way for a year now and she reacts as though it's no big deal. She stands by "her man" even though he seems to loathe her most of the time. What I don't understand is why TPTB brought John back from the dead only to continue the decline of Jolie, after building up their relationship as an imaginary romance during John's "death." They hyped it up so much, pretending Jolie was engaged and that they were "soul mates." Yet just weeks after John's return from the dead, he is back to hating Natalie. Was there a sudden change of plans by TPTB? Maybe. Otherwise that whole Jolie engagement angle strikes me as very messy planning. Perhaps TPTB used it just to hype up Michael Easton's return and prop up his new contract. Why they didn't make the most of his return by sending John in a new direction, is beyond me. I stand by my opinion that John should have come back with amnesia. He could be in therapy sessions with Marty, and just around this time be recovering memories of Spencer (so that he could be added to the suspect list in Spencer's murder). Natalie could be more deeply involved in the Vince/Cris rivalry but still fighting to be with John (to no avail). Everything would have been more suspenseful, and John and Natalie would both be more watchable on an individual basis. Throwing Jolie back into their miserable relationship pretty much sealed their doom.

"Another major problem I have with soaps and that's WWS (Weak Woman Syndrome). I'm sure that many women feel like they need a man to survive and soaps could have been more progressive in that area in terms of women having more backbone because regardless of how many women are drooling over some guy, there must be a great many more who love their man but love themselves as well. You touched on that regarding Dena Higley's misogynistic writing style. I think I'm kind of burnt out on seeing that kind of thing." - Justine

Yes, the depiction of women on daytime is quite nefarious. I am surprised, considering that most of the daytime audience is comprised of women. Clearly there is a dual sexism at work. First, the production and writing are quite often terribly sexist. But secondly, there is a tolerance and acceptance of sexist stories and couples by the audience. Why? Clearly, not all women care to see independent, man-free storylines for their heroines. They want to see "romance" - even if it is regressive in social terms. In the past year alone, we were "treated" to some of the worst depictions of women ever seen on daytime. I refer to this as the Dena Higley Debasement of Women Initiative, though Brian Frons is probably more to blame for it. But Higley is Head Writer so whether she's forced to write these things or not, it is perfectly acceptable to tag her with the distinction. If she isn't responsible, then she should stand up against it or quit. During her tenure, we've seen Blair have sex with Spencer numerous times just to try and get evidence on him, only to turn around and desperately try to seduce Todd for months while he called her a "whore" to her face. We've seen Evangeline's eyes scratched up with glass in order to have her "fall in love" with a loser and give up her career for months, then give up her practice completely. We saw Nora lie in a bed for a year then give up her position of power. Viki was reduced to being only a mother and not a woman. Jessica got married despite having feelings for another man, reinforcing the idea that women have to get married to be happy and normal. To some degree, soap operas are never going to be politically correct, nor should they have to be. But there is a limit to how low these characters can be debased before they become an embarrassment to womankind. I don't mind seeing women fighting over a man. I just think it's sad when they lose their integrity and self-respect as a result. In Natalie's case, she hasn't had a rival for John in over a year, but she has debased herself just by being with him. Hopefully she will regain her integrity after the Jolie break-up. Otherwise I see no point in keeping her on the show. The best thing for her would be to take a breather, then come back as the bitchier, fiercer Natalie Version 1.

"When I look at OLTL, all I see are incomplete storylines, mismatched couples, neglect of veterans and just bad writing... When I look at Evangeline, R.J., Viki and others, I could just cry because they are not interesting anymore. Even when Michael Malone was writing, some didn't like his style, but compared to Dena Higley he was a master. Jeremy, I tried to watch this soap, but it continues to take fans for granted." - Jeanene

It's true that Malone's last tenure was less than stellar, but when he was around in the 90's the show was at its peak. I believe in his genius and I really feel he was not to blame for some of the travesties that occurred during his last stint. I'd welcome him back with open arms, but I doubt it would matter so long as Frons was still around. As you said, the show (aka Frons) takes its fans for granted and assumes that they will watch whatever is presented. Not so. People are tuning out, and the loyal fans that watch every day tend to fast-forward alot. But there have been encouraging signs as of late, such as the re-signing of Hillary Smith, the increased airtime for Catherine Hickland, the renewed feud of Viki and Dorian, the imminent demise of Jolie and other dreadful couples, and also whispers that One Life to Live will soon have a storyline even more controversial than Zarf on All My Children. To me, this is not a good time to tune out. Six months ago, oh heck yeah. Six months ago the show was insufferable. It is improving now. But it needs to continue to improve and not settle for being good. It needs to be great.


It has come to my attention that "All My Children" fan favorite Cady McClain has been let go due to "focus group" dislike. A "focus group" was also the excuse Brian Frons used for firing Dan Gauthier from OLTL. Both of these actors were vocal in their displeasure at the state of soaps and the writing for their shows. Soon after, they were gone. Never mind that they were correct. They were obviously being punished by Frons and it is an outrage. I and thousands of others wish to decry this "focus group" theme. If there IS such a thing, it is skewed towards what Frons wants. The real focus group is the fans, and they wanted Dan Gauthier and Cady McClain to remain with their shows. Brian Frons has his personal favorites on every ABC soap, and thus Michael Easton was re-signed at the expense of Dan Gauthier, Heather Tom (Emmy winner by the way), and Josh Casaubon. If anyone had bothered to talk to the fans, they would have learned that Easton was not missed during his "vacation" and is not popular as a character on OLTL. In fact, Easton has outlived any usefulness he may have had during the past three years, and should not have been re-signed. He was a relative newbie, whereas Gauthier and Tom were long-time cast members, not to mention their characters were core family members. To fire them to keep Easton was a travesty. We are asking that Frons be replaced by a person who respects the soap genre and its viewers." - Rosanna, excerpted from a letter to Disney

I agree that it would have been best for the show if Easton would have left permanently. He drags the show down and has since the day he debuted. But as I stated earlier, if they had to keep him then at least they could have been more imaginative with his character and his return from the dead. Now we are right back to the grouchy, expressionless, and dull McBain - only now he has burns. Big deal. I have yet to be impressed with anything he's done. I would not hesitate to trade him in for Dan Gauthier and Heather Tom. No question. No doubt Easton has his fans, but everywhere I go, wherever I meet people who watch the show I hear the same thing: "He's boring." Take that, focus groups. I don't see Frons doing a "focus group" on John McBain. Maybe it's time he did just that. Or better yet, take those focus groups and shove them all up his ass. They are pointless, inaccurate, and merely a ploy to support his deployment of pink slips to those he wishes to be rid of (such as Cady McClain - though Frons wasn't the only one who wanted her gone). The focus groups are a joke, and everyone knows it.

Some things you may want to write to TPTB about this week: Keeping Timothy Stickney as R.J., bringing back Andrea Evans and Gina Tognoni, bringing back Ty Treadway and getting Tuc Watkins back for good - and of course, anything else you want to see!

Please send your OLTL thoughts, complaints, suggestions, and desperate pleas to:

Robert Iger, President of Disney (ABC Parent Company)
robert.a.iger@disney.com.

Anne Sweeney, President of ABC
anne.x.sweeney@abc.com.

That's it for this week. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to e-mail me.

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JeremyInChicago@soaptownusa.com

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Photos courtesy  of ABCWEBPIX and Willowfriend