ATWT - Greg Watkins interview
MsLiz
http://soapinfo.com/atwt/watkins050999.htm
I normally copy, but this article is apparently copyrighted. Did
you know I made "best paper" on my patents & copyrights exam? Of
course not.
MsLiz
Cory
lizg...@mindspring.com says...
If CG were a smart man (hey, I'm not saying that he's *not*...) he'd get
Connor (REALConnor, not MADD's phony dimwitted pal...) and Evan back to
CrOakdale to match wits with Lucinda... oh, wait just a second, that's
RIGHT!!! First he's gotta get LUCINDA back in CrOakdale!!!!! The man's
got a huge job ahead of him, IMO, if he's gonna get the world turning in
the right direction again.
--- Cory
--
Death to the NRA, NOT our nation's children!!!
Cats purr, e-mail doesn't... *REMOVE the 'purrs' to reply*
Rthrquiet
>The man's
>got a huge job ahead of him, IMO, if he's gonna get the world turning in
>the right direction again.
I totally agree with you, Cory. MADD's statement on Behr's departure was
truthful to the extent it mentioned what wretched shape ATWT was in when Behr
took over in 1996. Despite MADD's spin on what a wonderful job FMB has done in
realigned the show's elements, however, it's still a disaster. One of MADD's
first promises (to Michael Logan in a TVGuide interview) was that the show
would cease to be a training ground for young actors who looked pretty but
couldn't act. That hasn't happened. Furthermore, although I'm sympathetic to
the mandate on all the shows to go out there and capture the younger audience,
ATWT now has a lower rating in key demographics than when FMB took over, and
the storyline measures taken to capture that audience (unsuccessfully) have not
only failed to attract it, but have alienated long-time viewers in the process.
It's a disaster any way you slice it.
However, I still think Goutman is the right person to turn the tide. A lot will
depend on the choice to replace Lorraine Broderick as head writer, however. I'm
still hoping it will be Claire Labine.
Michael
Cory
rthr...@aol.com says...
>on...@xoommailpurrs.com (Cory) posted:
>
>>The man's
>>got a huge job ahead of him, IMO, if he's gonna get the world turning in
>>the right direction again.
>
>I totally agree with you, Cory. MADD's statement on Behr's departure was
>truthful to the extent it mentioned what wretched shape ATWT was in when Behr
>took over in 1996.
I still say that the Black/Stern/Valente years were better than this
dreck.
>One of MADD's first promises (to Michael Logan in a TVGuide interview) was
>that the show would cease to be a training ground for young actors who
>looked pretty but couldn't act. That hasn't happened.
ICAM. I wonder what happened to that promise?? I got curious today...
so I watched as much of ATWT and GL as I could stand, flipping to OLTL
and GH to keep tabs there as well. The one thing that stood out (and was
absolutely *AWFUL*, but at the same time I laughed for 15-20 minutes
about it) was Molly's "In Your Face" show/segment. I just thought that
that was the biggest joke on the planet, and honestly, if I were LKS, I'd
be so pissed off at MADD and FMB for making my "career" (although she
should get out of the daytime circuit and stick to what she obviously
knows best) out to be the laughing stock of daytime television. I guess
real life does imitate art (or however the saying goes) if TIIC are gonna
be honest and have Molly hosting a show/segment called "In Your Face",
'cuz nothing could be more true than that, huh?
The Reid/Julia thing is *STUPID*, and it doesn't help that the only two
people involved in the whole escapade who actually show some talent are
Martha Byrne and John Hensley, and they were never *THE* best actors on
daytime to begin with (I like both of them, but in all honesty, I HAVE
seen better work from other people)!!
And Molly's surprise for Andy (or was it Andy's for Molly... I was too
stunned to retain much at that point) at the end of the show today???!!
GIMME A FRIGGIN' BREAK!!!!!
The only one of the younger set that I could tolerate today was Katie,
and I still don't know why TIIC SORAS-ed her to begin with. To pair her
with NM?? I kind of feel sorry for the actress if that was MADD or FMB's
intention.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually liked GL better than ATWT
today. I like Susan (score one for whoever it was that thought of the
continuity there for bringing back Harley and Dylan's kid), and I'll say
it again... they really hit the jackpot with Ehlers' replacement in
Hayley Barr-Sparks. I wish Ehlers all the best in the world and hope she
gets back soon and that things are going well. Until then, Sparks is
doing a dynamite job in a VERY difficult position. I thought the whole
thing with Philip/Harley and the whole thing about the information that
neither one of them were supposed to know but did anyway and how it all
unfolded was REALLY well done (you'll understand it when you watch the
show). Hopefully Goutman will see the light and bring Courtney back to
town when Sparks' time on GL is done, because I still think Andy and
Courtney belong together.
>Furthermore, although I'm sympathetic to the mandate on all the shows to go out
>there and capture the younger audience, ATWT now has a lower rating in key
>demographics than when FMB took over, and the storyline measures taken to
>capture that audience (unsuccessfully) have not only failed to attract it,
>but have alienated long-time viewers in the process. It's a disaster any
>way you slice it.
You know, I've seen posts from others claiming that the only reason that
the younger set has been on so much lately is because it's summer.
That's NOT the reason folks. The younger set has been prominently
featured for a longer period than just the late spring/early summer
months now, and it kinda confuses me why some people still think that
they will just disappear into the woodwork when school's back in session.
They won't, unless of course CG has seen the light and will shove them to
the back burner where most of them belong.
>However, I still think Goutman is the right person to turn the tide. A lot
>will depend on the choice to replace Lorraine Broderick as head writer,
>however. I'm still hoping it will be Claire Labine.
>
>Michael
And I actually made a slight mistake in that other post, which I'd like
to rectify right now... MADD's not the one who's pals with Batten. It's
FMB. FMB was the one, as was pointed out by a friend in an e-mail, who
was obsessed with having a Susan Lucci clone on ATWT. FMB could not see
AR-T as a Lucci-esque type, so FMB brought in Batten, and when Batten
started going down in flames, LKS was pushed as the Lucci clone. While I
never put two and two together as to why Batten or LKS were brought in
until my friend pointed out the Lucci connection, I've always maintained
that the MADD CBS soaps were being turned into ABC clones, and this
business with the Lucci clone only reinforces that notion, IMO.
--- Cory
--
"...unfortunately for the average fan, Harry isn't
around to stick up for you anymore, either."
- Steve Stone ("Where's Harry" Taylor Pub. 1999)
chica...@bell.south.net
> rthr...@aol.com says...
> >One of MADD's first promises (to Michael Logan in a TVGuide interview) was
> >that the show would cease to be a training ground for young actors who
> >looked pretty but couldn't act. That hasn't happened.
>
> ICAM. I wonder what happened to that promise?? I got curious today...
> so I watched as much of ATWT and GL as I could stand, flipping to OLTL
> and GH to keep tabs there as well. The one thing that stood out (and was
> absolutely *AWFUL*, but at the same time I laughed for 15-20 minutes
> real life does imitate art (or however the saying goes) if TIIC are gonna
> be honest and have Molly hosting a show/segment called "In Your Face",
> 'cuz nothing could be more true than that, huh?
>
> to rectify right now... MADD's not the one who's pals with Batten. It's
> FMB. FMB was the one, as was pointed out by a friend in an e-mail, who
> was obsessed with having a Susan Lucci clone on ATWT. FMB could not see
> AR-T as a Lucci-esque type, so FMB brought in Batten, and when Batten
> started going down in flames, LKS was pushed as the Lucci clone. While I
> never put two and two together as to why Batten or LKS were brought in
> until my friend pointed out the Lucci connection, I've always maintained
> that the MADD CBS soaps were being turned into ABC clones, and this
> business with the Lucci clone only reinforces that notion, IMO.
>
> --- Cory
I don't know who your e-mail pal is Cory, but I am so glad you posted this.
That finally makes some sense out of how/why they destroyed the character of
Connor. I thought we had chewed that subject up pretty good back then, but
I don't remember this being suggested, and it "really" fits what they did.
I'm even more annoyed now, to think of that simpering, blind-dusting, poor
imitation of LaLucci, they made of Connor. Why couldn't they have "added"
their Lucci clone, if they thought every soap needed one? Why did they have
to destroy a popular character, before they got their feet wet at CBS/P&G?
Grrrrrrr.....
bjw
Rthrquiet
>I'm even more annoyed now, to think of that simpering, blind-dusting, poor
>imitation of LaLucci, they made of Connor. Why couldn't they have "added"
>their Lucci clone, if they thought every soap needed one? Why did they have
>to destroy a popular character, before they got their feet wet at CBS/P&G?
>Grrrrrrr.....
>
Because MADD and Felicia both thought from the get-go that they knew *exactly*
how to "fix" what was wrong with As the World Turns without bothering to
familiarize themselves with Oakdale. I think they really thought that soap
opera was soap opera and that they could just apply ABC soap thinking to ATWT
and success would follow. It took the outrage over Batten to shake them out of
their complacent arrogance and persuade them at least to make a feeble attempt
to figure out what As the World Turns had been about, instead of assuming that
they knew better.
This idea that they were attempting to recreate the Susan Lucci phenomenon
fascinates me. (Well, I'll give them credit for one thing: They understood that
AR-T wasn't going to give them *that* kind of performance.) But Susan Batten?
How they thought she could pull that off based on her work on One Life to LIve,
I cannot imagine. And of course LKS is even less up to the task.
Michael
Cory
says...
<snip...>
>I'm even more annoyed now, to think of that simpering, blind-dusting, poor
>imitation of LaLucci, they made of Connor. Why couldn't they have "added"
>their Lucci clone, if they thought every soap needed one? Why did they have
>to destroy a popular character, before they got their feet wet at CBS/P&G?
>Grrrrrrr.....
>
Michael's already done a great job in answering your ?, but I'll just add
this quote from either MADD or FMB (I truly cannot remember which one
said this, or who they were referring to... I just remember reading it
and thinking that ATWT was in big trouble.) in the very early days after
they took over ATWT... "Who's that?? What character does s/he play?"
Put simply, MADD and FMB didn't do their homework WRT the history of
ATWT. I'm not sure that MADD's ever done her homework WRT ATWT
historical accuracy, or that she ever will. That's why Connor Walsh was
demolished, along with her brother Evan and the whole Walsh family.
DonnaB
netizen rthr...@aol.com (Rthrquiet) posted the following
in Msg# <19990624193608...@ng-fe1.aol.com> :
| Because MADD and Felicia both thought from the get-go that they knew *exactly*
| how to "fix" what was wrong with As the World Turns without bothering to
| familiarize themselves with Oakdale.
If you go backward one more step you'll fall over the "fix
it" mentality that is behind so much of this crud in the
first place. They're worse than the medical profession for
diagnosing by trial & error.
| I think they really thought that soap
| opera was soap opera and that they could just apply ABC soap thinking to ATWT
| and success would follow. It took the outrage over Batten to shake them out of
| their complacent arrogance and persuade them at least to make a feeble attempt
| to figure out what As the World Turns had been about, instead of assuming that
| they knew better.
|
| This idea that they were attempting to recreate the Susan Lucci phenomenon
| fascinates me. (Well, I'll give them credit for one thing: They understood that
| AR-T wasn't going to give them *that* kind of performance.) But Susan Batten?
| How they thought she could pull that off based on her work on One Life to LIve,
| I cannot imagine. And of course LKS is even less up to the task.
Without even getting in to Susan Batten with y'all <G> they
didn't write NuConnor at all like an Erica Kane.
--
DonnaB BA*RF GAG, RATSFuzz, CCWF, MPW, LGAW, GRITS, SWATCHr
& ARIAA <*> http:www.delphi.com/soapopera 8^> icq308592
AW: only 1 more episode; then NBC is the History Channel At
My House
"I didn't become a lawyer because I like the law; the law
sucks. It's boring, but it can also be used as a weapon.
Want to bankrupt somebody? Cost him everything he's worked
for? Make his wife leave him, even make his kids cry? We can
do that." - Richard Fish, ALLY McBEAL
Eloelo
>each time I see him.
>
He is definitely getting more interesting. And the possible storyline of his
psychopathic behavior (and I sense they may develop an eating disorder) in the
context of his family is somewhere I wouldn't mind their going. The one thing I
wish is that he would not always be thrusting out his head at females. I do not
know what it is supposed to do---make him look "on the make"? Mildly
threatening in an intrusive way? It was one thing that made him dislikeable at
the beginning and continues to do so.
El
Cory
>In article <MPG.11dc5e58a...@news.concentric.net>,
>Cory <on...@xoommailpurrs.com> wrote:
<snip...>
>>they really hit the jackpot with Ehlers' replacement in
>>Hayley Barr-Sparks. I wish Ehlers all the best in the world and hope she
>>gets back soon and that things are going well. Until then, Sparks is
>>doing a dynamite job in a VERY difficult position.
>
>she will be on that day). I'd love to see her again - loved her as
>Courtney on ATWT.
Be prepared... Hayley's gone blonde, *probably* (although no one can say
with absolute certainty except Sparks herself) at the request of MADD or
PR in an attempt to make Sparks look as much like Ehlers as possible, so
as not to make the change too jarring/noticeable between the two
actresses when Ehlers returns (and vice versa, when Sparks took over the
temp. duties of Harley).
I guess this is as good a place as any to go on the record WRT Sparks'
hair (trivial an issue as it is though) and give it a thumbs down. I
think she looks better as a brunette, not a blond. JMO.
>And I vote for Labine as well.
DonnaB
netizen cgl...@nyx10.nyx.net (Cyndi Glass) posted the
following in Msg# <93031709...@iris.nyx.net> :
| I think the very next thing Goutman should do, after giving Elizabeth
| Hubbard a nice, juicy return, is re-hire Allyson Rice-Taylor as Connor.
Is there any way to stretch this to get her back with Cal &
have Royce Kellar reappear? <g>
--
DonnaB BA*RF GAG, RATSFuzz, CCWF, MPW, LGAW, GRITS, SWATCHr
& ARIAA <*> http:www.delphi.com/soapopera 8^> icq308592
AW: only 1 more episode; then NBC is the History Channel At
My House
"We're women; we have double standards to live up to." -
Ally to Renee ALLY McBEAL
chica...@bell.south.net
> | Hubbard a nice, juicy return, is re-hire Allyson Rice-Taylor as Connor.
>
> Is there any way to stretch this to get her back with Cal &
> have Royce Kellar reappear? <g>
> --
> DonnaB
I'm afraid that would exceed TPTB's viewer "satisfaction" quota. Definitely
too much to expect. ;-D But wouldn't it be wonderful?
bjw
cheryl
> Molly's "In Your Face" show/segment. I just thought thatthat was the biggest joke
> on the planet, and honestly, if I were LKS, I'dbe so pissed off at MADD and FMB
> for making my "career" (although sheshould get out of the daytime circuit and
> stick to what she obviouslyknows best) out to be the laughing stock of daytime
> television.
Boy do I ever agree, and I can only guess that LKS believes whoever is advising her
on that show. But surely she isn't dumb enough to believe that "In Your Face" crap
is any good.
>
> The Reid/Julia thing is *STUPID*,
Oh yeah.
>
>
> ... MADD's not the one who's pals with Batten. It's
> FMB. FMB was the one, as was pointed out by a friend in an e-mail, who
> was obsessed with having a Susan Lucci clone on ATWT. FMB could not see
> AR-T as a Lucci-esque type, so FMB brought in Batten, and when Batten
> started going down in flames, LKS was pushed as the Lucci clone. While I
> never put two and two together as to why Batten or LKS were brought in
> until my friend pointed out the Lucci connection, I've always maintained
> that the MADD CBS soaps were being turned into ABC clones, and this
> business with the Lucci clone only reinforces that notion, IMO.
>
> --- Cory
>
This sounds logical, but SB or LKS as a Lucci-clone? And the drugs those powers
that be are ingesting are..........
Cheryl 8-0
MsLiz
>I think the very next thing Goutman should do, after giving Elizabeth
>Hubbard a nice, juicy return, is re-hire Allyson Rice-Taylor as Connor.
>
I would sho 'nuff love to see her back. I have a fantasy to
share. Lucinda returns, but is not able to run World Wide by
herself. Alec is trying to buy up stock in WW. Lucinda needs
someone smart and aggressive to protect her company. Lily isn't
available due to the babies, Kirk is AWOL, and that leaves those
step-grandchildren, Connor and Evan Walsh. They are smart and
they know Worldwide. Maybe they have formed a company of their
own and can be a corporate "white knight."
And Connor also had an affair with Andy in Europe . . . .
I really miss real Connor.
MsLiz
chica...@bell.south.net
OHHHHHH So do I MsLiz!!! I wonder what ART is doing these days?
Has she left acting for good?
About your fantasy, it sounds great except for that Andy part. ;)
I'm not sure I can picture that, but I wouldn't grumble about
anything that would get her back. :)
bjw
TerriW
training. I don't know if she is still pursuing acting.
Terri W.
Gregory
TerriW wrote in message <3776D7DB...@tiac.net>...
>According to AR-T's web page, she is currently into wilderness survival
>training. I don't know if she is still pursuing acting.
Wasn't she fired from Crusade after one day of work?
Worshiped,
but not Gregory
Loved
DonnaB
netizen "Gregory" <wb...@werewolf.net> posted the following
in Msg# <93054198...@news.remarQ.com> :
| TerriW wrote in message <3776D7DB...@tiac.net>...
| >According to AR-T's web page, she is currently into wilderness survival
| >training. I don't know if she is still pursuing acting.
|
| Wasn't she fired from Crusade after one day of work?
So, is she going to show up in one of the CRUSADE episodes?
--
DonnaB BA*RF GAG, RATSFuzz, CCWF, MPW, LGAW, GRITS, SWATCHr
& ARIAA <*> http://www.delphi.com/soapopera 8^> icq308592
"There are four kinds of homicide: felonious, excusable,
justifiable, and praiseworthy." - Ambrose Bierce
Gregory
DonnaB wrote in message <37a814ab...@enews.newsguy.com>...
>| Wasn't she fired from Crusade after one day of work?
>
>So, is she going to show up in one of the CRUSADE episodes?
I was under the impression that she was one of the main cast members, but
was replaced. I do not think we will be seeing her.
Rthrquiet
>I was under the impression that she was one of the main cast members, but
>was replaced. I do not think we will be seeing her.
>
I had not heard anything about this. Are you sure you're not confusing this
with Time Cop a few seasons ago (where she did have a major role and was
replaced after the pilot was shot)? The entry for Crusade on IMDB doesn't say
anything about her, but then that doesn't necessarily mean it isn't true.
Michael
DonnaB
netizen rthr...@aol.com (Rthrquiet) posted the following
in Msg# <19990628075642...@ng-fb1.aol.com> :
I was wondering that, too.
--
DonnaB BA*RF GAG, RATSFuzz, CCWF, MPW, LGAW, GRITS, SWATCHr
& ARIAA <*> http://www.delphi.com/soapopera 8^> icq308592
"I never travel without my diary. One should always have
something sensational to read in the train." - Oscar Wilde
gra...@my-deja.com
Craig gets fed up with simpering Sierra and her Montegan monkeys and
comes back to take over Worldwide.
In article <377442d1...@news.mindspring.com>,
lizg...@mindspring.com wrote:
> cgl...@nyx10.nyx.net (Cyndi Glass) wrote:
>
> >I think the very next thing Goutman should do, after giving Elizabeth
> >Hubbard a nice, juicy return, is re-hire Allyson Rice-Taylor as
Connor.
> >
> I would sho 'nuff love to see her back. I have a fantasy to
> share. Lucinda returns, but is not able to run World Wide by
> herself. Alec is trying to buy up stock in WW. Lucinda needs
> someone smart and aggressive to protect her company. Lily isn't
> available due to the babies, Kirk is AWOL, and that leaves those
> step-grandchildren, Connor and Evan Walsh. They are smart and
> they know Worldwide. Maybe they have formed a company of their
> own and can be a corporate "white knight."
>
> And Connor also had an affair with Andy in Europe . . . .
>
> I really miss real Connor.
>
> MsLiz
>
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Share what you know. Learn what you don't.
cheryl
Gregory wrote:
> TerriW wrote in message <3776D7DB...@tiac.net>...
> >According to AR-T's web page, she is currently into wilderness survival
> >training. I don't know if she is still pursuing acting.
>
> Wasn't she fired from Crusade after one day of work?
>
> Worshiped,
> but not Gregory
> Loved
She was let go of some show called Time Cop last year, after one episode,
because the show thought a young babe would make for a better show (it was
cancelled)
Cheryl 8-0
MsLiz
I sent an email to ARTcontaining the posts below, and got an answer.
Here is the salient part:
"It's very humbling that people would still be remembering the
character fondly after several years away."
I was brazen enough to wirte back and suggest that if she and Saint
Christopher Goutman get along, she should put out some feelers.
Made my day!
MsLiz