Murder the owner…live in his house!
December 29, 2006

I was watching some of the episodes from this week earlier today and it hit me as majorly bizarre that Jonathan is living in Edmund's house. You know…the Edmund that Jonathan murdered in his own barn and then set the barn on fire thus burning down the barn as well as murdering Edmund Grey. I'd like to see the ghost of Edmund past haunt Jonny for an episode or two. Here is poor Tad who is the fruit of a psychopath's loins and he's so tormented with burying Dr. Madden alive and thus causing his demise that he's sulked about the Valley searching for forgiveness. Which he got from Father Clarence, but Jonathan Lavery murders a bunch of people and his guilt seems to be as gone as the tumor that caused his behavior, or so we've been force-fed. Now Jonny is living at Wildwind…umm…perhaps I stand alone on this but I feel the writers have lost their collective minds. Perhaps, while being obsessed with killing they've lost the ability to write tasteful episodes. Just wondering aloud. I wonder if dear, dear Auntie Julia mentioned to Sam and Maddie that the man who murdered their father is residing in THEIR house? I digress.

Well this whole Zarf/Bianca thing has me on the edge of switching channels for a while. This is what I do when I just can't deal with the stories on AMC. I take a time out. Again, I'm not sure this was the desired result for this storyline. I get the whole complexity that is Zarf but to tie Bianca's whole life's identity to him is unrealistic and uncomfortable to watch. I find it hard to believe that Bianca is drawn to a MAN. I really, really find it hard to believe that she can sense his inner woman. Heck I can't even sense my inner woman and I am a woman! I really enjoy Jeffrey Carlson's Zarf because he's weird and quirky and something that's been sorely lacking on AMC for a long, long time…he's FUN! I love that he and Binx are great pals but I think this storyline, in as much as linking Bianca to it is dangerous and confusing for straight people to understand. It took 3 years for the general public to become comfortable with Bianca as a lesbian and now the writers (who aren't up to the challenge of this complex storyline) have tied Zarf's real self of Zoë to Bianca's questioning her own sexuality and the fact she's conflicted because she's attracted to a man. Kendall seemed as confused as the viewers must be. I'll watch for a little bit longer before I take my sabbatical, because I just love the holiday episodes.

How cute is Josh, Kendall and Bianca together? Way Cute!!! I love these three together and I hope they have lots more scenes.

And last on my list of oddities…I've noticed in the last couple of days the writers have thrown in patch work fixes for all of the complaints that the viewers have had in the last few months. Like how come Liza hasn't talked to Colby? How come Marian has time to sell houses but doesn't have a moment for her only grand daughter? Weird but welcomed. Was anyone else confused by Tad and Zach's entire conversation today? I was…Tad told Zach he wants him to tell him all he knows about the ribbon and the flower…Zach's response that's why I hired you…you figure it out. This is just plain stupid…as Tad pointed out that if another person is murdered because Zach is playing some stupid game it's on his head. Zach's tormented by stuff but won't tell anyone. This crap is as bad as Dixie slinking around Pine Valley all the while saying, "I don't want anyone to see me yet." That is of course why I'm walking all over town in public areas and showing up at crowded events my loved ones are at. This tripe is just stupid.

Here Endth My Rant!

Megan McTavish…THE RECYCLER
December 28, 2006

Okay so I'm watching yesterday's show and wondered why I wasted an hour of my time. I love AMC so much that I watch under direst. I love the Zarf/Bianca friendship. Again this comes with a disclaimer of, as long as they are not paired as a couple, but I'm really reaching the end of my tether with the recycled storylines.

Remember the baby fiasco that was Bianca/JR/Babe with Little A and Bess/Miranda well apparently that little ditty is back again. This time it's Tad/Dixie/Krystal/Adam and baby Charlotte. What is with the McTette's and their need to recycle storyline? If, you are that burned out please take a break and there by giving us all one! When I was watching I was cringing when Adam asked Tad and Dixie to be "his" daughter's godparents. Hello Bianca/Babe! I didn't like the story the first time what makes McT think I'll like it the second time. And what's worse is the fact that these aren't young people these are 40 something's playing this game. End this crap before it gets out of hand….please I beg you. We all know what comes after Adam finds out the truth about Charlotte. He turns ugly and vengeful…you know like JR became after discovering the truth about "Bess" and Little A. Yawn…been there, done that, bought the t-shirt and threw it out!

I'm also upset with the killing of people to satisfy plot points, like killing off Linda and Jim (day players) so that Tad and Dixie can eventually get Kate back. You know what would have been more interesting? Tad and Dixie discovering their child and than a battle to get her back. Instead what we are going to be served is Julia getting her heart broken in her desperate need for a child and putting Jamie in a difficult position of the love of his life or his father. Riveting…hardly. It's amazing that Tad and Dixie get their Christmas Miracle at the expense of someone else's life. Very Christmassy for sure! Death as a Miracle…I'm not hopping on board…thanks.

Moving on to the flawed storyline that is Emma's DNA and her father being Ryan. Um…If the writers would remember…cause they wrote it…Dr. Madden was Donor #1 so why would Dr. Madden have used Ryan's 'sample' for Annie McDermott? Wouldn't it make more sense that Dr. Madden used his own in his mad pursuit to populate the world with little Madden's? Heck, I even recall a scene between Bianca and Josh about this very topic and Josh wanting to tell all those happy couples who gave birth that his father was their child's biological father. Maybe I'm just being picky here but I need more information to make me understand why Dr. Madden chose Annie to change his evil plan and use Ryan's contribution. I love that little Emma has a family connection to Pine Valley but the story is beyond weak and I personally need some semblance of continuity!

My last irk is…how come Ryan and Jonathan didn't wear ties to Erin's funeral? Was it so difficult to look your best for the one person who actually loved each of you in spite of they men you became? Apparently it was to great an effort…you know Josh wore a tie and he only knew them for a couple of months. Oh well…I'll file it under mysteries of the earth!

Here endth my Rant!


Yes Tad There Really Is A Santa Claus
December 19, 2006

Why does Dixie need to be a buttinsky? I liked the Dixie/Tad scene right up until her obsession about Krystal's baby popped up. No matter how much Tad tells her Krystal said the baby wasn't his Dixie 'has a feeling'. I'm waiting for Dixie to be standing posed at the delivery room ready to rip the child from Krystal's arms and give the child to Tad. And all the while I'm watching these scenes the only thing to flash through my head is "I want this child to be Adam's"! How come Dixie's only reason for being in town these days is to obsess about Krystal's baby. Can't the writers actually come up with a storyline that is intriguing? Just for an FYI Dixie has siblings in Pine Valley. Sure they change their names about as often as they change their underwear but they are fun and young and hickish. Although I'm confused by the name game with this crew. Dixie's a Cooney who uses her ex-husband's last name. Del is a Hunkle who changed his name to Henry when he became a writer but decided to use Hunkle on his draft story of Zach the murderer of Madden story (see here). And last but not least Di who was raised with the name Kirby but is really a Hunkle that now goes by Henry. Clearly the writers have no idea that those of us that are obsessed fans actually follow along and when the continuity is shattered like the example above it's annoying!

Which leads me to the recycled storyline of Babe and Krystal playing baby keepaway. Again no character development...let's just play the same storyline that wasn't a big hit and dragged on way to long of babynapping and lies. But don't you worry because Babe announced today they are doing the right thing by lying. You know cause it's worked out so well in the past for them.

I'm actually liking dear Mr. Zarf. Jeffrey Carlson is fun to watch and as long as he's not Bianca's new love interest I'm running along with this new character of Zarf. They will make a great friend duo.

I'm also in like with the Ryan, Annie and Emma storyline. Sure it's weird that Kendall wants to keep Ryan from his daughter but you know...that's Kendall. She doesn't share well. There's really no chemistry between Annie and Ryan but hey I'll give it a whirl...who knows maybe I believe these two kids actually are capable of falling in love.

I'm thrilled by the news that Elizabeth Henderickson is reprising her role as Maggie Stone. I think it is good for BAM to have closure if that's what is in store for them. I'm not sure the writers can handle this but as always I hope.

Why was it so important for the writers to turn Tad into a pathetic soul? That whole I murdered Greg Madden and now he's done nothing but mope around for months. Sure MEK has had some powerful scenes (the court scene and the Simone scene specifically) but Tad is just so depressing anymore. If I want to be depressed I'll watch the news instead of my soap.

My Christmas wish is that things get livelier in the new year.

Here Endth my Rant!

Victim #2…Erin Lavery
December 15, 2006

First I want to say interesting new opening…Erin is killed off but yet she's still in the opening credits…color me confusioned!

I will miss Connie Fletcher and Erin Lavery in Pine Valley. Like so many fine actors before her the less than stellar writing talents of the McTetts have left Erin as dead as her storyline. What I find very unsettling is that Simone who was on the canvas for 5 years got one little snippet flashback and Erin gets everyone devastated by her death and a video montage of clips and she was on the canvas for 1-1/2 years. I like to refer to this as non-Lavery prejudice! Since all stories must revolve around either Babe or Ryan it would only make sense that Erin gets top billing over Simone.

This then leads me to Bianca's reaction to Erin's demise…odd doesn't even begin to cover it. Why you ask…well Bianca left for Paris in February of 2005 and Erin came to Pine Valley in August 2005. I do not remember them spending quality time together during Bianca's trips home. Not until Simone's death had I ever seen the two together so Bianca's devastation at the news was way over the top…sensitive soul or not!

I feel bad for not feeling bad for Ryan or Jonathan over Erin's murder. The acting was fine but I couldn't muster any sympathy for them…especially Jonathan. Perhaps if he said something like "I now know what I put those families through when I murdered their loved ones…" You see how I can't come up with any sympathy. Same goes for Ryan, he allowed Jonathan to get away with murder and slap Maggie around and drug his wife and frame Kendall and well you get the picture. All because poor little Hockett couldn't have been so bad, and oh my guilt of abandoning him and Erin. Boo Hoo! Ryan you are an adult. You ran away at 15 and didn't look back…get over it already. The only thing I was touched by was Amanda's reaction to the whole matter. How she wanted to help Jonathan through the pain she suffered when her mother murdered her father. Chrishell Stause is amazing. Amanda is capable of being shallow and soulful, sweet and wenchy all at the same time. If written correctly Amanda could be the bad girl we all want to forgive because Chrishell has the ability to be a raging b*tch and then as innocent as a child. But I do not see the McTetts giving her anything incredible to work with. Like so many characters I'm sure she's will languish as a Lavery accessory. I would love to see Amanda in a triangle with Josh and Jonathan. Friends with Josh and in love with Jonathan with the nastier side of Jonny coming out from time to time.

Here's one to mention. I'm not sure if it's true or not because I couldn't confirm it but the rumor mill is churning that Kay Alden and Jack Smith from Y&R are now story consultants for ABC. If this is true there might be hope for AMC. Still on my Christmas List is the exit of Julie Caruthers and Megan McTavish or as I'm now going to call them Smash and Crash! Fingers crossed Kay and Jack can save us all from our misery!

Okay I love Bianca and Zarf being friends…what I didn't like was the fact that the kiss with Zarf puts Bianca into questioning her sexual identity. You know the one she fought so hard to validate with her friends, family and especially her Mother. I don't care if Zarf is a woman trapped in a man's body, I find it very difficult to believe that she could hone in on his female side just because she closed her eyes. That like saying just because one of the characters sat next to the serial killer they were able to feel that the person beside them is a psychotic killer.

What have I liked? Well thanks for asking…I was thrilled today that Livia rushed home to be there for Danielle. I love that the Frye family is on the canvas once again. I've not been a fan of the totally white town of Pine Valley. Where are the Asians, Hispanics (other than Julia) and the Black families? Just because you've got a gay character doesn't mean you have diversity. I would love to see Derek, Livia, Jamal, Dani and Tom all spend the holiday together. I would like to see Julia spending a traditional Texas/Mexican Navidad. And how come Brad Carlton, Y&R (aka George Kaplan) is the only Jewish Character on the soaps right now (maybe there are more)? AMC has always had compelling stories for the African-American characters on the show. The love story of Angie and Jesse, Frank Hubbard and how about Les Baxter as the bad guy? But I guess it's too much to ask for since the McTette's are only able to write for Babe and Ryan. There is so much story for Derek, Danielle and most especially Livia. Why isn't Livia the DA of Pine Valley??? Just wondering.

Well I guess that's all I've got today. So…. here endth my Rant!

On The First Day of Christmas AMC Gave To Me….
December 13, 2006

…Bianca and Zarf kissing. I get the point of these scenes but what I do not get is the point of these characters. It's not riveting as much as annoying. Why do I feel this way you ask? Well Bianca got to kiss a woman only 5 or 6 times in her five years since outing herself. In two weeks she's kissed Zarf twice. You do the math! I get the flow of writing here but I'm not jumping on board. So here's my take on this little "lovefest" we watched today. By closing her eyes Bianca let herself feel and by doing so seemed to hone in on the true Zarf that is Female and being a Lesbian was kissing the real woman that is Zarf. Way existential of her don't ya think? This new agey spin doesn't work for me because Bianca knows she's kissing a man, as would anyone in her position. It has to do with senses. You trust what you can see unless of course you are Bianca "sensitive soul"!

What else is my AMC giving to me? Well a mass murderer's sister was…well…murdered and he's distraught. What is very odd for me is that Jonathan never really had remorse for murdering the people he did? It was because of the tumor don't ya know. This excuse was echoed by Erin, Jonny and Ryan over and over ad nausem but never was he destroyed by his guilt of murdering two men who had wives and children who were devastated by his act. Gosh even Angel the Vampire felt bad for killing all those people when he got his soul back so much so he devoted his eternity to helping the poor and down trodden victims of life. Jonathan moved through his life (as written) without a care in the world except disappointing his beloved Lily. Ryan had no guilt either which I find odd because it was Ryan who talked Maggie out of pressing charges against Jonathan for assault that led to Steve the bodyguard's murder. It's ironic that their sister is murdered don't you think. The acting was fine from both Jeff Branson and Cameron Mathison but the characters were written extremely odd. If the writers need any back-story of the past on the show please email me I'd be glad to help you! In fact I insist on it!!!!

Also odd was the fact that Erin, who never really was a front burner character got a montage of clips, but poor Simone who was on the show for 5, count them 5 years got one clip of Tad and she in bed. I'm hoping there will be a funeral or something but alas I'm not counting on this writing team to offer any kind of real tribute.

Moving on to Annie and Kendall and the non-triangle from boredville! Yes I remember last year's Christmas episodes with Kendall and Ryan in the church where Kendall explains she's not a person who can share well. So this scene with Annie makes sense from Kendall's point of view but what was with that picture of Greenlee she just pulls out and shows to Ms. McDermott? I also would like to interject that Greenlee was not Ryan's true love. The Princess was his true love and the chemistry was sweet, amazing and at times electric! Greenlee and Ryan had a love formed from the bonds of friendship but it was nothing at all like his true love Gillian. Since the Annie/Ryan love story is written very oddly (my word dujour) there's not fan connection. No one is routing for these two in fact its sort of like taking your sister to the prom. I honestly would rather see Ryan spend more time with his daughter Emma and less time with her mom.

On my weird list was watching Erica and Jeff behave like they are in there twenties. First…YUCK! Second it's just silly. I'm confused who the target audience is for these two? If anyone knows could you please email me. Thanks.

Last on my list for the first day of Christmas is to tackle the Babe/Ryan not so lovefest with the fans. Alexa and Cameron are wonderful and talented actors but these two characters have been over written for, so much so, that the fans are burnt out by them. Babe and Ryan are in practically every scene, every day. If I made a drinking game of taking a shot every time I saw either one on screen I'd be tanked every day! We all get that Ms. McT loves Cameron Mathison and the character of Ryan (it was evident in the spring and summer of 2005 when the only story really going was Ryan's rage and the All My Lavery's in Canada). I personally miss the old Ryan who was a con man. He was poor and hungry and didn't like it. He lost everything but as long as he had Gillian he didn't need anything else. When Gillian was murdered he was a broken man. Ryan never was the hero in anyone's life except Gillian and I liked that about him. He was just a man. Since coming back to Pine Valley in 2003 he's been written as the god of Pine Valley. And then there is Babe Carey. She was a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who cheats on here "husband" with his brother accidentally. When she was just that sassy trailer park gal who roared into town I liked her. She was the thorn in Adam's side. I liked her because she was sassy but then we were introduced to the baby stealer who was written as a victim. Babe supposedly did the wrong things for what she thought were the right reasons (or so Bianca told Josh). But the viewers never saw Babe as a victim. She was a liar and a cheat who kept her "BEST FRIEND'S" child from her letting said best friend mourn for said child. Yet over and over she was the victim of JR. The way Babe was written she cause all of her problems and didn't like the consequence. This writing team has destroyed the characters of Babe and JR as far as I'm concerned. Babe is over exposed and JR is just a nut. There was no development in the characters. Instead of someone stealing Little A from the other we have these two acting like idiots driven by childish passions. They make no sense, one moment they are savvy millionaire industrialists the next, one of them is jumping out a window during a drunken tirade and the other is having sex on the floor of her office and then in the very public rooftop. Yep, I know, it makes no sense.

So Santa Baby…can you throw me a bone here?

Dear Santa: All I want for Christmas…
December 10, 2006

Well I must say that Wednesday, Thursday and Friday's shows were the consecutively most improved shows in a long time! Not since the September 11th show has there been a decently written show.

As always the Acting was top notch. For me the acting is the only thing that makes me watch every day; that and the sincere hope that things will improve. I will miss the character of Simone tremendously because I'm lucky to have on tape shows where she got a chance to be an important part of the story instead of thrown into the scene oddly. I remember when Terri got to play Simone as Sexy, Sensitive, Naïve and most of all fun! Simone was a character that could have easily become front burner but was lost in the mad dash to convert the show to the Ryan Lavery and Babe Carey Show. Again the acting was on the money but the writing became tired and mundane and at several points the storyline became a merry-go-round of dialogue! So much wasted talent!!

I'm trying to move forward because I can't change the past. Simone's death kicks off a murder mystery that promises a dead person a week. Um…Just in time for Christmas??? Anyway, when the Fusion girls sat around with their Bloody Mary's telling old stories of Simone it was classic! Especially to see and hear the reactions of those characters that weren't around for the early Simone like Kendall was! Tad's tearful goodbye and the flashback to the whip cream episode were priceless. And although the writers understood Simone's presence in the community they summed up her impact nicely, reverently and in true Simone fashion. The only smudge was the inclusion of Zarf, his input could have been left off until Monday after the characters got to grieve and remember Simone! It would have been nice if they could have offered Rebecca Budig a one or two day reprisal of Greenlee Smythe to attend her once best friend's funeral. )For all those who didn't know this Greenlee and Simone were BFF (to quote the writers) back in 2002 and she was her maid of honor to her near wedding to Leo). It would have brought it all to a poetic close.

I actually also like something else from Thursday and Friday's episodes. Dixie being the Dixie we all hoped to see one day. Not whining about Kate or insisting Krystal declares her child Tad's (which she's been doing for months and weeks now). No she was Dixie who wanted to save her son's heart and life. She was strong and proud and most of all stood up for the right things for a change. She cut JR's tirade about Babe in half. Dixie lovingly but firmly confronted JR about the man he's become and the man he needs to be for Little A. I hope to see more of this strong and powerful woman and not see Dixie revert to the sad pathetic person the writers have created. Cady McClain is a talented and unique actress, how about the writers cut her a break and write something worthy of her talent!

Here endth my Rant!

Murder in Pine Valley…Again
December 6, 2006

So why is Derek so stupid? Isn’t it proper police procedure to believe foul play until it is the first thing ruled out? No immediately Derek suspects Simone being depressed and killed herself because he sees no sign of struggle or markings on the body. Yet the body is perfectly posed, complete with flower in her hair and a ribbon entwined in her fingers. And what was this talk of CSI doing their forensic search? Um you just as much as told the room full of people you think its suicide. His other suspicion is Zach, who said she had been killed. When Derek asked Zach why he thought this in an accusatory tone Zach response it’s a feeling. How about it seems obvious you dimwit!

I’ve given lots of thought to this “serial killer” storyline; besides my absolute distaste for gratuitous murder I’ve been trying to make sense of the tie in of Zach’s visions and his past with the killing of the Fusion Girls. If these two s/l’s are connected the connection at this point makes no sense. I watch a lot of Murder, She Wrote and so I like to piece things together as I watch (I know it’s sad, lol) but these early pieces are fragmented. The obvious pointing of the finger will be Zarf, which of course will be the red herring. It would make the most sense if the killer hadn’t been seen on screen but what I would like to see is that Zach’s visions and his notes are not tied to the killings. I would write the killer to be young Sydney Harris. Her character hasn’t been explored other than her mother doesn’t want to be bothered with her and it would flow that feeling abandoned causes her to act out in such extremes that thing go from bad to worse. It serves two purposes. Sydney is a character already on the canvass and secondly it would eliminate this character that really hasn’t found a place in Pine Valley. But I’m not writing the show so….moving on!

A yet another move to bring MTV to ABC…we now have the Pine Valley Real World house. Aren’t the endless Music Montage filler pieces enough…apparently not…we now have the group cohabitating together in the fun filled mansion. If you doubt the similarity of the two I offer exhibit A…Del at work talking to Amanda about meeting her in the hot tub! I rest my case! And in today's episode...shocking..Music Montage! Don't even get me started that the last guy who lived at Wildwind got murdered as did Gillian!

What’s kind of stupid about this premise is that these are not 20-somethings living together…with the exceptions of Amanda and Jamie the rest of the lot are 30-somethings. And what is this garbage that Aidan has no heat??? Um, you’re an adult pay a bill would you! All though this would save money on the budget since they wouldn’t have to incorporate as many set changes I feel this cohabitation is very much on the odd side. Living at Phoebe's place (Jamie Owns it) makes more sense than everyone living at Maddie and Sam's house.

And this brings me to yesterday’s episode in general. Who edited this show? It was extremely fragmented. Just as the Real World PV gang was in the middle of talking it was fad…commercial. Weird. And why did Derek take the Fusion group to the very much outdoors roof while his men did their investigation? Wouldn’t it have made more sense to take them to the ConFusion office? And today when the Fusion girls all migrated back to the Fusion office there wasn't any crime scene taped off. This makes no sense!

And my last bit of what the heck...Since when did Kendall become this great friend of Simone? Their relationship has been Kendall giving Simone a hard time and basically treating her like garbage. And that leads to my very last bit...now that Simone's dead with Fusion go under because she was the only one who ever did any work?!

I’m scratching my head again…at this rate I’ll be bald before Christmas! Here Endeth my Rant!

Searching for the lifeboat
November 29, 2006

When will the writers actually research the past of the show? When JR lying in his hospital bed with his broken pelvis telling Little A "daddy fell down", Adam barks a dismissal to Tad. JR asks his father since it's Thanksgiving can't the Martins and Chandlers get along? Umm…I didn't know there was such a feud between these families? Was it because Tad help save Dixie all those years ago from the mental institution that Adam had connived to send her too? Or perhaps it was when Adam stole her son from her so that he could possess his child? I see how well that worked out for the lad. Although come to think of it this early kidnapping prepared JR for his future kidnappings of which there were many.

Anyway back to my point (I'm so easily pushed off course), the writers clearly disregard the shows history. I mean we have all suffered through the Non-Aborted Miracle Baby and it was enough to set me off to the moon but lately it's like the writers just don't care what they are putting on paper. They've even revised their own s/l.

I also wondered why Julie Carruthers, the Executive Producer and Megan McTavish are so hot to purge the show and make it something completely different and new? If TPTB wanted a new show then why not start one? Nothing's worked in the 10am slot for ABC so why not throw a new soap in that slot? Instead we've been force fed new cameras, new actors/characters and a series of Music Montages. The only real story concerning the show is how awful it's become. And yet these changes began in late July early August and when they were greeted with Fan hostility TPTB ignored the Fan Base and kept on plowing over the show we all loved for 36 years!

On the horizon are two really bad stories. First the transgender storyline, which isn't in itself bad but having no faith in the HW at AMC, it will become either a travesty or a mockery. Either way what could be a good s/l will end up horrid. In the recent story by AP about the grand announcement of Zarf being transgender JHC (Julie Hanan Carruthers) said they had talked to members of GLAAD and some transgender folks. Wow…they talked to about 3 people and now they feel they can tackle this complex s/l. Good for them!

The second fiasco on the horizon is the serial killer storyline. I've never thought that glorifying murder in daytime was a good idea. And clearly it turned disastrous the last time McT gave us a killing (aka Greg Madden). So to think she's capable of this tripe is a stretch. Here's my problem…besides the obvious gratuitous killing they have not taken into account the fact that some of the characters they are killing off might be needed in the future (aka Erin Lavery). I say this because in the last two years ALL MY CHILDREN has actually meant ALL MY LAVERYS.

I never understood why every new character/actor was given a long-term contract. Why not do what they did with Liz Hendrickson, Frankie/Maggie and offer a short-term contract and if the actor is a hit with fans offer a long-term character. This is how some of the greats started on daytime. Tony Geary and Stephen Nichols got their starts this way. Day players who stood out and became icons of daytime. If TPTB at AMC took this approach they wouldn't be force to ax long time players like Julia Barr/Brooke English and Vincent Irizarry/Dr. David Hayward. They somehow got lost in the hire more people because there's nothing happening on the show. Hello…it's the writing!

I live in a major city in America and we have had more murders this year than any other year so why would the fine people at AMC think that I want to watch murder as entertainment? It's sick and disturbing to me. Perhaps I'm alone in this feeling but the world is already a violent place and instead of giving us a compelling social storyline they've chosen to slaughter the residents of Pine Valley (to cut the cast size) and attempt to tell a story about a transgender.

Where's the love, the romance….the plotting to have the man or woman of your dreams and end up sabotaging the one thing you want in life? Where is the core couple that over the years fought the odds and survived in tact to be a model couple for the townies? Where are the family get togethers at holidays? Joe and Ruth Martin who were the center of Pine Valley life were on a cruise during Thanksgiving. A Cruise???? Are you kidding me??? Their two sons lives are in disarray and their aborted grandson is destroying his life for Babe Chandler but I could see them taking a cruise instead of standing by their family!

My head hurts!!!

Here endth my Rant!

Transgender Storyline: Is it ground breaking or just sensationalism?
November 27, 2006

Today it was announced that AMC would be launching the character of Zarf who will be revealed as Transgender. This in itself could be a very moving storyline. The emotional side of a character dealing with the fact they know that they are trapped in the wrong body. This said I do not believe Ms. McT is capable of writing this important story.

When Bianca was written to be a lesbian it was a powerful story. The coming out episode was one of the best stories out there on any soap but after telling the story and the characters reactions AMC didn't continue the pace. Bianca's relationships (Sarah, Frankie, Lena and Maggie) all were limited. She did not have the same type of romantic scenes as the heterosexual couples. After her first kiss Bianca went on for the next four years and kissed a total of 4 more times (Twice with Lena and twice with Maggie). There was no real relationship just a lot of discussion about being involved in the relationship. This is what Bianca became.

I honestly believe this storyline was not for the "powerful" reasons that were mentioned in the article (see here). This has free press written all over it. The sensationalism of it all will bring in the curious viewers but they won't watch for long and AMC will be back in the same boat as before. The reality of their purging seasoned vets will hurt the show in the long run because the truth is that Soap Fans started watching because their Moms, Dads, Sisters and Grandmothers watched the show and they started to watch because of them. If you alienate the people who bring in the new viewers well you lose the base and the future of Soaps.

TPTB haven't learned yet that hypes and gimmicks are not the real answer to their problem…it's the WRITING!!! Get a new HEAD WRITER!!! What's going on with this show is indicative of the issues in entertainment. When Hollywood stands around scratching their collective heads wondering why movie ticket sales are going down and yet they are making big budget films. What they do not understand is…just because some movie mogul likes the film subject doesn't mean that America wants to shell out $10 to see some stupid crap! When will Mr. Frons, Ms. McTavish and the merry tots discover that just because they like the storyline don't mean the viewers will!!!

The letters, the emails, the boos at the fan luncheon and yet they still do not listen.

To sum up…I believe this storyline is a gimmick for free press (which they are getting…heck Matt Drudge posted a link to the story to his site today for a couple of hours). I honestly believe that the writing team is incapable of handling such a dramatic storyline and I have a feeling I will be ranting about this for a long time to come…I apologize in advance!

Here endth My Rant!

So you're back from the dead…now what?
November 26, 2006

I was thinking a lot about some of the characters in Pine Valley since so many changes are on the horizon. One character that has puzzled me is Dixie and what I'd like to see for her. Cady McClain came back to AMC with great fanfare after having had an excellent run on ATWT. But what happened to Dixie? She's done nothing but cry since she's come home…and most of the tears have been sorrow. Yes I know that it's called Daytime DRAMA but when will the writers show a different side of Dixie. It's time for Dixie (as Kendall once said) to stand up and be the hero of her own life. Why does Dixie need a man to save her? Tad, David, Mr. Dude in Switzerland Guy, Zach and JR have all rushed to save Ms. Cooney. I'd like to see Dixie kick butt and take names for a change!

What if Dixie and Di teamed up to find Kate? Two sisters united in a greater good. We all know that once little Kate Martin is discovered Tad and Dixie will fight over her custody. It's inevitable that it happen. So this is where having Di and Dixie team up would be great. To see these two women strong and it would give us a chance learn more about each of them. I would write something about Dixie's time living in Pigeon Hollow when JR was younger (pre-Jonathan Bennett). Perhaps Di had contact with Dixie and Junior when they were living there and didn't know they were sisters. What if the sisters also needed to save their brother Del from something? It would unite the Hunkles in a storyline.

Once Dixie had found her strength, then and only then would I have her reunite with Tad…of course after the custody hearing, lol!

The storylines are limitless when one has talented actors like Cady, Kelli and Michael but does AMC have the writing team to tap into all of this talent? Time will tell.

Here endth my RANT!

The Five Year Old JR Chandler, Part Two
November 23, 2006

So we are treated to yet another round of JR…victim of Babe. For those of you keeping score here's the breakdown. Babe marries JR even though she's married to Paul Cramer (Lie #1). Babe sleeps with Jamie, JR's stepbrother, when she first comes to PV (Lie #2). Babe's not sure who the father of her baby is - well this isn't exactly Lie #3 but she had to have a paternity test (Lie #2-1/2). Babe eventually discovers that her baby is Bianca's (Lie #3). Babe gets JR to marry her again (Lie #4) that actually turned into love. Babe feeling abandoned and lonely sleeps with Josh and denies it (Lie # 5). Now lets compare these lies with what JR's done over the last 3 years….

Drugs Babe and almost kills her with an over dose at SOS (2003) Jamie gets stabbed by Seth... (2003) While JR watches. (2003) JR picks up a lead pipe and bashes Jamie in the head for stealing his son... (2004) JR pushes or is directly responsible for Bianca's fall off the balcony when she went to claim her child. (2004) JR holds a Gun on Tad and even fires it because he wanted Tad to tell him where Babe and Jamie took his son. (2005) JR just for fun drops a motorcycle on Jamie. He had already destroyed Jamie's chance for a life so this was only for entertainment. (2005) A Drunk JR threatened to run off with Little A and while drunk runs over Amanda Dillon. (2005) Again Drunk a completely idiotic version of JR holds Krystal hostage. (2006) He fires the gun at Krystal but misses however unbeknownst to JR his bullet hits Dixie. (2006) In his drunkness JR believes Janet Green and sets out to kill Babe in an "accident" but almost kills Kendall and her baby.(2006)

One can see how much of a victim JR really is…NOT! I've never been comfortable with the way that the writers portray JR as a victim. And this time around everyone is upset with Babe because HER lies made him drink…HER lies made him violent….HER lies made him so irrational he jumped out a 4th story window. SHE did this to him. Funny I thought it was the fact that JR is basically mentally unbalanced. The man should be in Oakhaven but instead is running around lashing out at people because…well he's hurting. I actually believe JR and Babe are perfectly suited for each other. Not unlike Alan and Monica of General Hospital.

I watched yesterday's episode and wanted to turn off the television. When will the writers STOP recycling the dialogue and storyline????? I'm reaching the end of my tether here. There's nothing-original happening. It's the same bloody storyline from 2 years ago. The same basic dialogue again and I imagine now we will be treated to months on end of fighting over Little A. This rehash of Dixie/Adam is old…not just old but really, really, really old! I'll make it easy for TPTB and post some storyline ideas in HWFAD. Kind of help them a little.

Moving on to my least favorite character…Colby. Ahhh…I sigh to myself. The writers are desperate to keep this character and are trying to mold and reshape her. I honestly think it is in vain. My feelings on this character are pretty solid. Even with the attempt to salvage the character the writers go one step forward and two steps back. The special moment with Krystal is eclipsed the very second that Colby says…I'm a Chandler and all her entitlements there of. Like being a Chandler is the end all and be all of Pine Valley. I'm personally OD'ing on the Chandler's right now.

Speaking of Od'ing. I'm sick of the non-storyline (it's just all dialogue) of Ryan, Annie, Zach, Kendall and most of all Bianca. Did Eden Riegel really return to daytime so Bianca could be mediator for the masses? Ryan is CEO of the multinational conglomerate Cambias Industries but he can't get in touch with the Governor to help him in his time of need with Emma but Adam can drag a judge out of bed to give him temporary custody of Little A. Yeah okay… And how is it that Tad and Dixie have done nothing to save little Emma from foster care. It's becasue of them that Annie is fighting for her child but apparently they've moved on to make more messes of other peoples lives!

There is no doubt in my mind that the staff writers are capable of writing dialogue. It's their strong suit but when the HEAD WRITER is incapable of writing storyline well I suggest manning your lifeboats because eventually the ship (show) will slam into that iceberg.

And last on my list is, this is lamest Thanksgiving in the 36-year history of Pine Valley. Joe and Ruth are on a cruise!!!!! (Comment 1: So much for building up the Martin Family…Ms. McT's line about why she revised the abortion storyline). Tad and Jamie are off doing something…(see comment 1) and Amanda doesn't want to do thanksgiving. So Brooke is with Jack at the Miranda Center volunteering. Annie and Ryan go to the hospital for Test Results (Um…I think the lab would be closed on Thanksgiving for standard testing). Zach is running around trying to find a place to hold the grand event…which by the way, is airing Monday…you know the Monday AFTER Thanksgiving! Did you catch Y&R Hey they had their thanksgiving….before thanksgiving!!! Guess we know why they are #1 for all these years!

Let's face it…this Rant could go on forever…but it won't because I've got to pick up the grandparents for dinner. Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!!!

Here Endth my Rant!

Back from Super Soap Weekend
November 19, 2006

Well as you know I was stressing about the direction of the show before heading off to Super Soap Weekend. Then I arrived at the event and all the frustration about the show left me. I'm really glad that I went.

The actors work so hard all weekend to entertain the fans and I couldn't believe the amount of energy they all had because they were working non-stop from 9 am to 9 pm. My hat if off to all of them!

My favorite part of the weekend was the Grand Motorcade at 7:15 pm on Saturday night…The electricity and excitement created by the fans was incredible! Soap Fans Rock!!! If you would like to see my pics and vids from the event I've created a special page dedicated to just the event! (Click Here).

So I'm back and the show still makes no sense and although the ratings numbers are holding at (2.3) that's not a good thing because it puts us third from the bottom and only because A comes before O. The bottom three are AMC, OLTL and Passions. What I have noticed is that the ratings are up for all the other shows. So that's a good thing…more people are watching Soaps in general…just not AMC!

And here's why….

The body count continues…now besides Brooke (Julia Barr), David (Vincent Irizarry) and Simone (Terri Ivens) we are losing Erin (Connie Fletcher). I personally have always liked Connie's acting. It wasn't her fault that the writers can't…well…. write. Instead of creating storyline (which they historically have been weak in that department) they had Erin as a filler. She and Aiden explored each other and well that was it. The back-story of Erin was only that of her life with Ryan. Just as Jonathan had become the back-story of Ryan. Each of these characters has been written into limbo. But alas, now Erin is going to be a victim of the latest tripe handed down by Ms. McTavish and her merry band of wanna be writers.

I've read that Ms. McT is giving us yet another murder mystery. Let me put aside my absolute contempt for her lack of talent for a moment and just focus on the facts. Murder Mysteries are not her strong suit. Look at the fiasco that was Michael Cambias. Someone murdered him and the town did everything to protect whoever the culprit turned out to be. Well it turned out to be Bianca. Which of course made no sense because if I was raped by someone and found out I was pregnant by them the first thing I would do is go to their home in the dark of night to confront them. Yep…I'm sure this is what I would do. If I had written the conclusion to this storyline I would have made the murderer Myrtle and have it be an accidental shooting…a small trial and viola! Conclusion.

Moving on to the Ryan Lavery "Murder Mystery Game" shooting…turns out the person trying to kill Mr. Lavery was his mentally deranged kid brother. This storyline was fine right up until they brought back Jonathan from the dead. Instead of waiting months for this story to get cold (This is when Ryan naturally turned to fight club) they should have integrated Erin's rescue and care of Jonathan. But they didn't because they suck! (Sorry).

Next, we have the fiasco that was the Greg Madden Murder Mystery. This little trip had fans scratching their heads and wondering what they heck Ms. McT and her band of merry men were smoking. Revisionist history kicked off this mess and it only got worse with Tad Martin being the person who buried Greg Madden alive…twice! It's almost like watching a train wreck in slow motion…you know you should turn away but invariably you still want to see how it turns out.

Fast-forward to the future and the writing team is going to give it another shot. This time with a serial killer plucking off cast members left and right with Simone and Erin to be the first victims (or so I've read). I guess this is how they intend to get the younger viewers…MASS MURDER. Well they may get the younger viewers but they will lose the hard-core fans…, which I believe out way the 5 or 6 viewers they would gain.

Look at what wonderful young storyline they are playing over at OLTL. Starr and Cole are cute, young and in flux. He's a bad boy whose mom was raped by Starr's dad. He's a football hero with a secret and Starr wants to save him before he hurts himself or her. On AMC we have Colby yelling about her money and entitlement because she's a Chandler and the self-absorbed Sean Montgomery is even less appealing. These characters have turned viewers stomachs. The unfortunate thing for the show is these newbies can act but they are given horrid dialogue and even worse direction. I saw on one message board that they were asking everyone's list of whom they'd like to see knocked off by the serial killer and Colby was usually #1 on the list. The writers tried to fix the mess they've made by having Colby finally talk to Krystal but really it's too late for that where I stand. I've already formed my opinions of the character of Colby and it's thumbs down. Sorry Ambyr…you are a good actress but the character is crap.

Emma turned out not to be Kate Martin. Is this because it seemed inevitable that she would turn out to be Kate Martin so the writers switched gears? Never fear Valleyites Ms. McT promises a Christmas Miracle…Would that miracle included better storylines??? The only saving grace to that horrible storyline of Annie being a Chimera is that the little girl playing Emma is the cutest little actress in the world!!! Who didn't cry when poor little Emma was being dragged away from her Mommy? Which brings me to a sore topic. When would Child Services take a child from her mother based on illegally obtained documents that by the way were not substantiated by any authorative source? Annie should sue the judge and the department. This then segways into the promo they have out that has Ryan as Emma's biological father. Now this is miraculous. He donated is sperm in Pennsylvania…Annie was living in New York. Dr. Madden was living and working at his clinic in Switzerland taking care of Dixie. According to what the writers had already written Dr. Madden had acquired the fertility clinic in Pine Valley right before he came to town. Didn't Adam own this clinic? Anyway even if he did own the clinic 4 or 5 years ago why would he use a random sperm sample for a woman who lived in New York??? Yes that pain in your head is confusion (not the club) get used to it!!! And I know you are all wondering why Brooke didn't do an expose on Greg Madden after the big Josh Reveal or the Dixie/Tad affair. After all she was only Dixie's best friend and Tad's ex-wife…I could see why she wouldn't help out at all (said with absolute sarcasim)!

So I'm going to end this Rant because just trying to make sense of this mess is hurting my head! I'm going to post my storylines in HWFAD so if you get a chance check them out. Let me know what you think of how I would write the show.

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!!!

Here Endth my Rant.


The Body Count - What's Going on in the Valley?
November 8, 2006

Sure I ranted yesterday and the day before but this is more of a body count, if you will, of the state of our favorite show. I've been thinking more and more about the sorry state of affairs over at AMC since I'm getting ready to leave for Super Soap Weekend...so here it is.

I'll Screech 'Til You Turn off the TV!
November 7, 2006

As I watched the television with my mouth wide open mumbling to no one but myself I couldn't believe I was actually watching this crap! When will the writers get the message that Colby is beyond irritating. One person equated Colby to nails on a chalkboard. Which I feel is a dead on analogy. Whine, screech and blab and that is all this character is about. From the moment this character was reintroduced to the world of Pine Valley she as been written poorly. Of course that's par for the course these days with the writing but what's the point of this character. She blabbed about Krystal's connection with Tad and Babe's affair with Josh but as it was written none of what Colby had to say was of any importance to either storylines. She's like that gnat buzzing around that you swat at...annoying but not significant. I feel bad for Ambyr because the posters out there blame her and I really do not believe that it is her acting as much as the way the character is written and the direction on the character. Ambyr is just doing what she's told.

So Bianca is now Babe's greatest ally? Why?? Babe kept Miranda from Bianca and let Bianca believe her child was DEAD! So I could see how you'd want your new brother to hook up with Babe and you would council JR (who nearly killed you and your sister) on the virtues of Arabella Carey. And then for no apparent reason the writers have JR jump out the window...What in the heck was that??? I'm sure it was plot point...after all Josh stumbles upon an unconscience JR as he heads back to his hotel. So Josh gets to be his savior...boring and predictable. You know what would have worked for me...Colby finding JR's body. Wanting JR to pay for not believing her and turning Daddy against her she decided to walk away...so much drama could have been generated. But it would have been Chandler vs. Chandler with Adam stuck between a rock and a hard place. Nope we get Crap!

The rest of the show was so uneventful that I can't remember it. Apparently Brooke was on but in the moment I answered the phone and turned the volume back up she had already gone! I'll have to rewind it just for Brooke!

I've heard AMC described as mostly Fast Forward Events. Sadly I'm starting to FF.

Here endeth my Rant!

Toto We're not in Pine Valley any more!
November 6, 2006

It 's the evident that the viewer ship for this long time viewer has waned and I'm not the only one. As the rating inch down day-by-day and the disgruntled viewers flock to message boards across the internet we wonder why TPTB do not hear our pleas. Even SOD wonders why the fans are being ignored.

I try to get over to one board everyday (SoapNet message board) if I can and it's because these folks are more entertaining than the show. One poster will write,"I haven't turned on my television yet…should I bother?" This is usually followed by a barrage of don't bothers! They have cute names like McRuinoursoap. Very cleaver if you ask me and last week the post that saw the most action was about what everyone was going to use for their Thanksgiving screen name. There was even one post supposedly from SoapNetInfo that posed the question…"What was your favorite scene from 2006?" This still makes me laugh. There were only two real suggestions. One was the 9/11 episode where they wrote great scenes for Myrtle and Palmer and David and Julia. The other was the Mardi Gras Ball Explosion, way back in February. And off course there was a chorus of posts that said Babe being locked in the freezer…I'm thinking she's not a fan favorite right now! I also like that the posters use TIIC (The Idiots In Charge) rather than TPTB. Go figure.

As I sat in my recliner this weekend I was reading over some old soap magazines and I came across some articles that Agnes Nixon and Megan McTavish did together years ago. It made me think that perhaps Mrs. Nixon has retired completely from the show and this is why we are saddled with this mess! Mrs. Nixon, even when she was "retired" years ago still had her hand in the storytelling. When things would run off course she would step back in, take the reigns and put the show back on course. We need Mrs. Nixon to save our show but I do not think it's going to happen. This is where having a family franchise would serve the viewers best. When Days was having trouble you could hear the Corday's hollering 3,000 miles away. And how about those Bell's…Number one and Number two in the ratings for years on end…no problem there! So I say Captain, My Captain!!!!

I wanted to put off addressing the horrid announcements this week of not only Julia Barr (I expected as much) leaving the show after being treated so shabbily. To have offered this talented actress that had been with the show for 30 years a reoccurring status contract is an insult and a slap in the face!!! Ms. Barr is and has always been a woman of class and talent and to have treated her in this low class fashion is not only disrespectful but it shows just how low this show has gone!

The other departure is the Lovely and talented Terri Ivens. Terri had wanted to depart the show last year but signed an extension when she was promised a storyline. In fact, Ms. McT in the fall previews offered something big would happen for Simone. Yep it's big all right…she's leaving! Personally I don't blame Terri for leaving. Simone who always bordered on the verge of becoming a front burner character only to have it snatched away has frustrated me to no end. She added comic relief and her romance with Tad was hot and sexy and most of all fun. It was a welcome change to seeing Tad mope around pining for his long dead ex-wife. But now we say goodnight to such a fun character.

This just whittles down the cast to leave us with characters no one cares about with word from the workshop that more newbies are on their way…I say NOOOOOO!!!

So here I sit ready to head to Florida for Super Soap Weekend and instead of being pumped up I wonder if there will be a town lynching of TPTB when I get there. Perhaps if 60,000 people boo them at once they will get the message!

Here endth my Rant!

October 29, 2006

It's become even difficult to muster a Rant about the show anymore. The writers and producers are clearly not listening to the fans and for me the show is drowning in miss steps. It's sort of like watching the Philadelphia Eagles every Sunday. I hope they are going to win but after a few games I've become resigned to the fact they talk so much about their talent that I actually believed they had some…I was wrong.

The ratings got a little boost from Bianca returning to Pine Valley but from what I've seen of Bianca since she's returned she's more of a buttinsky and less of front burner storyline type of character. That would be reserved for the boring trio of Colby, Sean and Sydney. Had the writers written any back story and well just taken the time to develop one or all of these characters perhaps I would have grown to like them. For me, they are a waste of space and airtime. Yet the writers will devote unlimited hours to these three. Had they just developed a storyline for Reggie and Dani I think I would have been on board? Reggie had so much back-story and Dani could have been the one to bring him back from the edge. What about Bianca and Reggie's relationship? These two have always been close and were much more interesting to watch than Bianca and Sean. I have to say that I've decided to start a drinking game that every time Sean talks about his conception we do a shot…but we'd be plastered all the time. Apparently the writers think this is the most interesting part of Sean Montgomery. Now Sean Cudahey…there was a character!

That leads me to…what kind of parent tells a young child that they were only brought into this world to save the other child? When did Barbara and Travis share this little ditty with Sean…at his 5th birthday party at Chucky Cheese? Lame!

Moving on…David has had more dialogue in the last three weeks than he's had all year. It's odd that they can find a storyline for him after they fire the actor that plays him! I hope Vincent wins the Emmy and gets a job at Y&R!

As I struggle everyday to remain a true and loyal fan (especially since I've shelled out bucks for SSW) I find it difficult to embrace the "New" Tad and Dixie. Why do the writers think "Edge" means "Evil" or "Murderer"? Tad is now in my eyes…a killer. What's next for Tad…rape? Oh no…the next thing for Tad would be to drag a happy child away from the only mother she's known for his own personal satisfaction of having his child back. Tad and Dixie have run around yelling "Kate" and they've not once thought about the child "Emma". Who writers stuff like this…oh…that would be the writers at AMC! Dixie has a history of abandonment and acknowledged she signed her child away. After realized she was going to live she realized she made a mistake? Yeah no kidding and then she doesn't reach out to her family because she's was afraid they wouldn't understand why she gave away Kate. This storyline has left me angry. If I want to be angry all the time I can just watch politics on television. I watch AMC to be entertained by moving stories. Well…that's why I watch ATWT! It's crazy that AMC has pushed me to become reacquainted with As The World Turns after all these years!

So here we are again. Storyline driven but not character development and that leads to nothing but frustration. Honestly unless something major is done with All My Children it will only lead to further eroding of the viewer ship and it's poor ratings have rubbed off on One Life To Live. I hope keeping on Ms. McTavish as head writer is worth the loss of revenue.

Here endth my Rant!

October 22, 2006

I watched the show all week with sceptism which by the way is not how I like to go about watching my favorite soap. It had some good moments and some bad and there were scenes that reminded me that the writers are capable for writing something good. Adam telling Krystal that he would accept their child no matter what (click here for the video). That the writers are capable of remembering the past, David reminding Tad (Click here) of what happened the day Leora Died (Click Here). Shining moments in a sea of miss steps. I've always known that the acting is exempliary on AMC but to watch powerful scenes like these gives me hope.

Now for some of those miss steps I mentioned. Lately the writers have taken a road that I just can't go down with them. They have decided its okay to murder someone if you have a good enough reason. This type of storytelling is just wrong. I give you example A) Dixie telling a distraught Tad it's okay because he didn't think and example B) Ryan telling Jonathan (a mass murderer) he had no choice in killing Terry. In both of these killings the "Bad Guy" was in a vunerable position so it was pretty much a pigeon shoot. It would have been more understandable to me if there was a scuffle and a gun went off or a punch was thrown that caused the death of the bad guy. It would have been in a self defense response or an accident that never was thought to result in death. But the writers have made Tad (usually) a good guy a man who buried someone alive not once but twice. And Jonathan didn't have to kill Terry he could have shot him in the foot instead of in the back and Jack would have rushed in to help him stop Terry.

Now we will probably have to watch poor Emma being dragged from the only source of stablilty she's ever known, the only mother she's ever known to be given to two of the most screwed up people ever. Dramatic it will be but it will only make me like Tad and Dixie less than I do right now and let me tell you that I'm not a huge fan if you couldn't tell. Oh and Dixie has no rights to the child...she signed them away, REMEMBER! So that would leave Tad to work out a shared custody agreement with Annie.

So to sum up I realized in watching last week that the writers are good at writing dialogue but have major issues with storyline. It's time to step up and write a storyline that someone can get behind. Where's the romance (lusty sex isn't romance)? Where is that core couple that has weathered all the odds and still are together (Joe and Ruth do not count if they haven't been seen on screen)? If the writers actually cared about what they are writing we would have embraced the newbies instead of having nothing but utter distain for them. How TPTB expect anyone to embrace Colby after the quagmire they created with her is beyond me?

Here endth my Rant!

October 15, 2006

Well I apparently haven't been the only one upset with the direction of the show. Some of the complaints we've all had have been fixed. Now if TPTB could address the major concerns of the show. In their grand pursuit of the younger folks they've reduced our beloved show to an MTV special complete with music videos. All they have actually accomplished is the further eroding of viewers. I've read so many posts from people who have had it with all the changes and the flood of newbies. This cord of discontent began with the wildly unpopular storyline of Erica's non abortion and the stupid tale that followed right up until the big reveal that was "who killed Greg Madden". Unfortunately for the show each miss step was followed by another miss step. The worst of course was the firing of long term contract players and the hiring of a flood of newbies.

The constant positive with the show has always been it's gifted actors. For me it's been the one reason to watch. I'm a loyal person and I see these kids going out day after day, year after year giving it their all only to have to deal with mediocre writing at best. Add in the obvious interference from Brian Frons and what you have is a recipe for low ratings.

Business is business and I get they are trying to trim budgets on all the shows but truth be told they could have seen out the rest of the contracts on the players they had and just write good stories. But since this didn't happen and they went with plan B so will I. TPTB in the rush to get younger viewers have alienated it's base. Why? Good question. The situation that AMC is in now is not unlike when the OJ Simpson trial saturated the airwaves. They eroded their base of viewers and miscued on the fact that the viewers didn't come back after the trial. They had moved on to other shows or stopped watching. You know what I did during this time...I started watching CBS because at the time they were the only channel with soaps. I became a Huge ATWT fan which I remained today. Once the trial was over I dabbled in watching AMC but only came back full time when Bianca was revealed as being a lesbian. It was a bold story that the writers really didn't do justice. When Bianca left town I continued to watch the show and can say that now that she's back I worry they will destroy her character like they've ruined others....like Julia.

The largest weakness with the show is not utilizing the characters. We've been force fed the story of Colby...Sydney...Sean...Annie and in the months since they've arrived in town we have learn nothing new about them. Let me break down Colby for a moment. She comes to town as a runaway who stole a car. She screamed Daddy every five seconds and now her new mantra is get rid of the trailer park trash. What I find very odd is that Babe is wealthier than JR with her stocks in Fusion/ConFusion and let us not forget that Fusion and Enchantment had merged to streamline things. Oh maybe the writers forgot that. Any who Colby has been "A True Chandler" or so the writers have the other characters telling us every five minutes. She's a 16 year old Adam...yada yada yada...you get the picture. Well personally, I'm not a fan of the Chandlers. Sure they make good villains in the Soap World (mostly in the past) but the writers have them as CRIMINALS not villains. The difference is a good Villain is one that has a specific motive to strive over their adversary. Whether stealing a company or setting up their foe they have a goal. Also, if someone got physically injured it was never the intention and it then grounded the actions of the villain. The latest batch of Chandlers are soulless criminals who have resorted to attempted murder and the such for the dumbest of reasons. And the thought of Adam fathering another child to screw up (three of his 4 children have substance abuse problems) is just disturbing. What if Krystal is carrying Tad's child, well that would be just as bad. Instead of taking a week to see Tad distraught over being responsible for killing Greg Madden and write some powerful scenes of his guilt (Brooke could have been his savior) we watch Tad look for Kate and then contemplate taking his daughter away from the only mother she's ever known. What didn't work for me was that Tad's biggest problem with killing Greg was that he thought he'd never find his daughter...hey what about taking a innocent life??? He tortured a man for the weakest of reasons. And although the writers conveniently forgot the fact that Tad not only buried Greg Madden alive he dug him up and re-buried him. Every time I see Tad I think he is as soulless as JR.

So I've noticed my Rant has become a ramble which means that I should end it here. I support the actors and hope one day they will get the writing they truly deserve and I hope one day the viewers will get stories that aren't filled with holes or that they one day make sense. ATWT is great at integrating the cast and I see that OLTL is trying to do the same...now if only AMC would stop with the music montages for a moment we might actually get a storyline going.

Here endeth my Rant!


October 8, 2006

After re-watching last weeks shows I asked myself...why did you waste your time. The only exception to watching AMC is the incredible acting. Michael and Cady were phenomenal. Everyday the cast go to work and give 110% and in return the writers give them next to nothing to work with. Every week I read my SOD and they echo the frustration of the fans.

Brian Frons and Megan McTavish have yet to answer the fans. There are thumpings on the door and yet we go unanswered day after day. Why??? Why not explain to us all why you've taken our beloved show and made it almost unrecognizable. Frustration reverberates and yet still nothing from the brass except high fives for the new "look". How can you be so deaf? The cries of the fans are loud and I can hear them...heck everyone can hear them and they will be heard again during Super Soap Weekend. At the Fan Luncheon the fans who attended booed when mention was made to the new look and it took the cast to calm them back down and asked that we all give it a chance. And we did...but when you have shows like Thursday's that wasn't in focus AT ALL. Well you loose us all. So let me get this straight...you bought the equipment but don't know how to use it???? Even I know how to focus a camera!

So to recap the last six months...Greg was buried alive for his "crimes" (which amounted to not telling Dixie and Tad where their daughter was and "saving" Erica's fetus). He died because of neglect while buried alive. Zach and Dixie were tried and acquitted of the crime of murder and it turns out that Tad was responsible for Madden's burial and death. IMO, the writers should be arrested for telling stories with no moral value. Usually a story like this or JR's alcoholism would be told with moralizing at the end but not under our current leadership instead we have JR almost killing Amanda, almost shooting Krystal, shooting Dixie and almost killing Kendall with the intent to kill Babe. Fastforward...Tad buries a man alive and then lets him die. The most he can muster is "How can I live with this?" which Dixie response to 'you can'. The message that I get from these types of stories is violence is acceptable...as long as you don't get caught. Nice....very nice...why would anyone write something as horrible as this?!!!

So we get the old Tad and Dixie back...frankly I find them most unappealing. The writers have destroyed Tad in one sad storyline that never took off with the viewers but instead of wrapping it up they dragged and dragged hoping someone would care about the storyline. Only one person liked this horrid storyline and that was Brian Frons.

I watch everyday hoping things will get better. I'm not sure it will. TPTB have put a lot of stock in the return of Bianca. Personally I can't see how bringing Bianca back is going to fix what's wrong with the show. Only a new head writer and the President of Daytime keeping his nose OUT of the daily happenings of the show will do this and I do not see that anytime soon TPTB checking in on themselves! To Bad because they have the best cast in Daytime and there is only so long that they will be able to save the show.

I've done a tribute to Vincent Irizarry. To have let this tremendous talent go is the true crime on ALL MY CHILDREN! Click here to see how talented Vincent is as Dr. David Hayward!

Here Endth my Rant!

October 1, 2006

Ah…a new month. Well the trial is headed to a speedy close. And the viewers continue to not watch, according to the latest numbers AMC is still at the bottom of the heap with GL and Passions. I'm glad to see all of the shaking up, firings, new hirings and that blasted new camera work has paid off for TPTB. Well done!

I'm going to tackle the cameras first in today's Rant. They went from bad to worse with only the stationary cameras of old as the shows saving grace. First we had shaking so bad it left the viewers seasick. Now with the digital stabilization mode we get blurry images where the shaking would have been. I offer exhibit A and B. Back to the drawing board people!

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Moving on…Ms. McT also stated that after the trial (which by the way did all of the same things that Michael Cambias Trial offered) Tad and Dixie will heal and become the Tad and Dixie the viewers always loved. Well this is one viewer who feels that reviving these two as lovebirds is ridiculous at this point. Let's take a stroll down memory lane that is Tad and Dixie Martin. Yes when they were young and idealistic they were cute. He proposed in a chicken suite and he saved her child and her sanity. Fast-forward to 2000/02 and you will find a decidedly different couple. The debonair Dr. David Hayward sways Dixie and Tad has accidentally had sex with Leslie Colson. All of this generated the next two years of less than love for this pair. Right down to Tad's plotting to get even with David for the libizone fiasco and bringing Leslie Colson back to town who almost killed Dixie not once but twice, almost killed Tad and kidnapped JR. Then there was David saving the day but not her marriage because Tad and Dixie divorced. Oh and lest we forget why Dixie left town to begin with and the fact that after everything Tad really thought they could make a new start with the new baby. Denial, Denial, Denial…says I. Yeah this is a couple I want to rehash a relationship together. Frankly I'd rather see Adam and Dixie get together!

Although we've seen some incredible acting can I really believe that under all the pain these two people have caused each other there really is love? I personally do not believe that there is!

So all of the new changes have left the viewers running to other shows or just tuning out all together. The loss of the viewers of AMC seems to have trickled down to OLTL and GH. Wow…now that's a brave new move I wouldn't have seen coming. If I were in charge I would be questioning the decisions of the President of Daytime Programming right about now.

The phrase Focus Groups has come into play a lot since the firing of Dan Gauthier (Kevin, OLTL). I think they serve a purpose when you are talking about products that involve things like taste testing and what not but I can't see how a generalized group could have an accurate opinion of Soaps. Are these people in the groups specifically selected for their long time view of Daytime Dramas? Are they picked based on the fact they watch the specific show they are "focusing on"? I'm thinking the answers are no and no. If I'm wrong then I'm wrong but it seems to me that having any generalized population view our shows is kind of…well…dumb. I wonder what the focus groups think about the horrible new cameras?

And…I read in SOD that there will be more actors out at AMC, that Vincent's ouster won't be the last "Long Time Fav" to be let go or bumped to reoccurring status. How unfortunate for us. TPTB are doing a good job at telling us that money is tight (you know with gas prices being so high and all.) but when they hire six new actors (one has already jumped ship) and let go long term players like Vincent and Jill and who only knows next, to say it's because they are bringing back Eden Riegel…well these pieces don't really fit the puzzle before us. It's time for some new verbiage to explain the mess you've created. Good luck with that.

This ship is totally adrift with now land in site! If TPTB really want to help the show they didn't need to do anything flashy. All of these changes to make it hip and new, hip and exciting, hip…and…well you get the point have left the viewers fleeing the scene of the crime. All they had to do is…write! Write better stories, develop characters and write something of significance. Burying people alive is gross and horrible, murdering people is gross and horrible and frankly I get enough gross and horrible on my nightly news to want to be subjected to it in the fantasy world of Pine Valley. The only plus the show has had during these tumultuous times has been it's incredible Cast. They've saved what viewers are left. TPTB must realize that even that will not hold. So my advice is stop with the changes, reevaluate what mistakes have been made make real attempts to fix what you've broken and not try tourniquets. Perhaps if you WRITE something of value the viewers will come back.

Here endth my Rant.

September 28, 2006

Something was bugging me and I wanted to share. No it's not all of my missed spelled words from this yesterday's Rant. Although, I apologize for that. It is Tad. I might be the only one who wants to see the dark side of Thaddeus J. Martin but I wish the writers would commit to telling the story. What they have given us is Tad brooding about Dixie. He's angry all the time and I get that. The writers have shown us that Tad is angry. But they've stopped there. It's time for the writers to tells the whole story. I get that they are trying to create mystery to keep us hooked but what has been happening (for sometime) is that the same dialogue and character reactions are told and then re-told and so on. We all get it, Tad is upset with Dixie for giving away his daughter. But that's all we've seen for months. With the exception of Tad beating up Greg Madden in his hotel room there has been absolutely no growth. I feel that it's been drag, drag, drag, drag...oh yeah surprise. But what ends up happening is, instead of SURPRISE! on a grand scale the balloon is deflated. Why not show Tad planting evidence and plotting against Dixie? Why not show little bits now and again of what the suspects of "Who Killed Greg Madden" were actually doing the night he was hit on the head? Why not show Erica remembering a little of what happened before she showed up on the park bench? I know if I saw these glimpses of what actually happened that night it would build momentum for the big payola of who actually caused the death of Dr. Madden. Instead we will be treated to the acknowledgement of Greg's captor and the subsequent flashbacks of what actually happened the night he was buried alive. Yes, I know what you are thinking, didn't we see this style of story telling in the "Who Killed Michael Cambias?". I answer yes we did.

Hey it was great to see Brooke yesterday. I didn't get Sydney's need to keep Colby's secret though...she never liked her but now she's willing to help keep her secret? Is this one of those lame "Teenagers keep to the code" ideas? Oh wait that's the Pirates of the Carribean's the Pirates Code.

I've added my revised ideas for the show in my HWFAD page. Some I'm reiterating others are fresh but at least it gives me a break from my frustrations.

One other thing has be bothering me a lot lately. Why is the president of ABC Daytime so intimately involved with the shows? I do not even know what the President of CBS or NBC Daytime looks like. But thanks to SoapNet and assorted ABC Webpages I get to stare at a man whom I have absolutely no interest in. He's effectively taken over the jobs of Head Writer or Executive Producer. Isn't that weird???

Here endth my Rant!

September 27, 2006

So I've decided to call the show All My Naked Children. What is with all of the sex lately? I'm wondering if this is the response to the fans request for more romance? Okay say it is, well the writers have miss-cued again. There is an infinite difference between Romance and Sex and the writers haven't been able to ascertain the difference.

Romance is the building of feelings that have the characters wanting. We then route for the characters to be together. Ryan and Kendall are perfect example of this or Zach and Kendall. In both of the situations there is the most important ingredient, Chemistry! This is followed by usual obstacles to the obvious "should be together but can't". It is true that Alicia Minshew is oozing chemistry. Every potential love interest Kendall has been paired with has worked and so Kendall's relationships work for us. This is this the true rub for some characters/actors; they cannot be paired with just anyone because sometimes the magic doesn't happen. Like in the case of Babe and Josh. Although I found their attraction game appealing once Babe gave into Josh I was left flat. To watch the "love scene" left me thinking that someone must have eaten something smelly for lunch because they just looked uncomfortable. Hot? Not!

You know who are hot Jonathan and Amanda. Crishell and Jeff have amazing chemistry but what are the long-term chances for this pairing? Probably as good a chance as Jonathan and Lily had at being together. They are both damaged people who are drawn together for comfort but then what? He's a former serial killer and she's the daughter of a former serial killer and that's all. I do not have faith that the writers could give this couple depth and meaning, especially with all of the Music Montages and stripping off the close.

There are other couples that have been miss paired. Ryan and Annie have no chemistry what's so ever. Annie and Jamal have more chemistry then Ryan and Annie. If the writers were to have written this storyline correctly it would have made more sense to pair Annie and David. David knows the truth about Emma and if they were going to write him off the show anyway I would have given it several months and had him railroaded out of Pine Valley and thus breaking Annie's heart or having her follow the man that she loved. Don't get me wrong I think Melissa Egan is a tremendous actor but I'm not feeling the pairing with Ryan.

I like Julia and Jamie together but I think there are a lot of other things that can keep these wacky kids on the fence that have nothing to do with age. The way they are being written is he's in high school and she's the perverted teacher molesting her student. Please! Cut me a break. They are two consenting adults and they are written like children. Brooke could be investigating things but now her primary focus in life is following Jamie and disapproving of Julia. Justin and Sydney have chemistry…use it!

Now on to the Josh (Jamie)/Babe/JR storyline that the writers think is a center stage type of story. Could this be because they've already told this story before with Jamie? Sure it's been a couple of years, well more like one actually, but maybe the viewers won't notice. Babe lies, covers and JR goes psychopathic and Jamie…err…I mean Josh wants to save her from the man she torments…err...I mean loves. Maybe they will go on the run in November too. Personally if all you can do with these characters is recycle storyline it's time to move on.

What's weird for me is that while I've always thought JR was criminal not just evil and never received punishment (unless you mean living with Babe) for his crimes I was re-watching some shows from 2004 when JR wanted Bess for himself and it occurred to me that, although JR was always a little on the edge it was being married to Babe that made him crazy (with guidance from Adam). She lied and cheated from practically the first day they met (see here).

The writers have been trying to make Babe the sweet wholesome girl with a troubled past when Bianca left. She felt very bad for all of the horrible things she did and eventually with time the town's folk believed she had changed. I felt for her even though all of what happened was of her own design. Alexa Havins is that great an actress. I'm sorry I just can't behind the recycle story.

Now for my last two issues. I love a good music montage but there has been one at least once a week or more. What's wrong? Perhaps all the writers' computers are broken. And for my last issue...I positively do not want Colby to come out of the wall. I hope she stays there like Angelique was in the Merick attic for 15 years. There is nothing appealing about the character, the story, and the story how she came to Pine Valley. Same goes for Sydney, and what was with the lame story Winifred gave as to why she's staying in Pine Valley.

Here endth my Rant.

September 20, 2006

Okay, I've had some time to calm down after learning of Vincent's being cut from the cast. I still believe there is a chance we can save Dr. David Hayward so I'm not giving up on the campaign.

I also must admit that my calling for the firing of Brian Frons & Megan McTavish was kind of dumb because it will not happen but it's how I felt. My only solace at this point is I'm not alone in my frustration with the show. The ratings continued to dive according to the last set of numbers and perhaps this is a wake up call for TPTB. I think that the younger set of viewers they were shooting for even tuned out with this cast of kiddies. Honestly it's not because the newbies can't act it's because the characters were thrown at us then shoved down our throats in what can only be described as a desperate attempt at a teen storyline. It turns out the only thing it took for Colby to stop screeching was to have meaningless sex with Sean. I had no trouble with the part of the story where she crashes the yacht because that's what Chandler's do when they are upset (with the exception of Stuart). Whether buying the sperm bank or gaslighting your wife, rigging an accident to kill your wife or crashing the yacht this has been how the Chandler's deal with pain. But because of the poor handling of the introduction of these teen characters I felt no sympathy for Colby and because I didn't the scene was completely meaningless.

The show has been a little better. I've felt that Jackson's reaction to Jonathan and Lily was on the mark. But I also feel that his reaction to Jonathan killing Terry after he traumatized Lily was also on the mark. He doesn't completely trust those Lavery men but he understood at that moment that Jonathan really loved his daughter. I also liked the growth of Kendall. At first we saw the same old Kendall when Ryan was shot but the moment she actually listened to Annie's story she got it because she's now a parent too and there isn't anything she wouldn't do to protect her son.

I do think there is tremendous potential in the show but I think all of the retooling/revisionist history that is happening has been very disruptive to the viewers. Long time favorites are under utilized followed by a flood of new faces and characters that have little appe. Also, plotlines that have been recycled so many times that the viewers are bored. Instead of focusing on good storytelling the show has been about flash and show. Honestly I can't imagine why they would think burying someone alive would be appealing for the viewers to watch. It's beyond cruel no matter who the character is and then to watch Josh build his coffin was kind of dumb because it didn't make any sense how this would further the character. What makes more sense is to have him interact with his new family. He's got parents who want to forge a relationship and a cousin who wants to beat him down.

We want to see more romance too. Now that Zach is stuck in jail until his trial I know that it's going to be a long two weeks. This only mirrors the "buried coffin" episodes where we were wondering everyday when it would end. Who knows maybe the trial is next week but the fact is Zach's been in jail more times since coming to Pine Valley than I think I can count. Maybe we can make up "Free Zach" tee-shirts like those that came out when Martha Stewart was jailed.

I know about budgets and costs so I understand the thinking of TPTB but their approach has been horrid and in response to their handling of the issue they were rewarded with record low ratings. Carolyn Hinsey's column this week in SOD is about the affect that bringing favorite actors back plays on the check book and her argument is valid. I also believe that for the last two years AMC has under utilized it's Veterans and focused two much on two or three characters instead of integrating the cast more. Shows like Y&R and ATWT have done this for years with great success and it would behoove TPTB to take a page from their play books.

Here endeth my Rant!


September 18, 2006

My heart sank this morning when I read on Soapcentral.com that Vincent Irizarry who had been playing Dr. David Hayward for the last eight years was being axed from the show. I just couldn't believe it. I'm still in shock and I'm not the only one I found out when I trolled the messageboards. I want to yell at the top of my lungs WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON????!!!!!

This retooling of the show and the letting go of long term characters for what? Do they really want the show that has millions of fans to storm New York in outrage??? It's drastic but it's how everyone is feeling. We feel betrayed on the grandest scale. TPTB have said it's because of lack of storyline and the cost of keeping Vincent. Interesting because it is easy enough to fix each of these zones. First, rap up the teeny bop storyline and get rid of Colby, Sean and Sydney. They add nothing to the over all show and future storylines. Second, be truthful with the public and tells us who is really writing the show because if it's Megan McTavish then she should be fired for doing such a horrible job. Third, I feel (and I'm not the only one) that the largest obstacle in ABC Daytime is Brian Frons. He's taken our favorite shows and made them unrecognizable with what he wants to see on the show and not what the public wants to see. He was so enamored with the job he did on the Emmy's that he forgot it wasn't about HIM it was about the Actors and the Soaps.

These are the key points as to what is wrong with AMC right now:

1) Lack of story. Right now there are three stories being told. 1) Who killed Greg Madden/Josh Mad-artin and 2) Emma is the missing Kate Martin. Both of these stories were generated by the same principle Greg Madden. The issue here is that no one cared about the short term character. And when they brought back Dixie under such preposterous circumstances they lost the viewers attention from the start. 3) The kiddie's gone wild story. Again they dropped the ball with this one. If you are trying to get the younger demographic one must begin the storyline when they are out of school for the summer with lots of free time. That would be the third week of June but more importantly this storyline should begin building way before June. What we got were three very undesirable characters that repelled viewers not attract them.

2) The writing makes no sense and doesn't seem like it's being written but seasoned veterans. Who is really writing the show right now?
If money is an issue than why would TPTB fire three long term players only to hire six newbies? That makes no sense from a monetary aspect.
Clearly if the network needs to save money they need to fire Brian Frons, Megan McTavish (promote one of the other writers) and basically clear the house of all that is management. As viewers we have expressed for well over a year and more recently since the revisionist history of All My Children began that clearly they are not capable of making decision about the show that are in the best interest of the show. That also reflects that it is not in the best interest of the Network. When TPTB use words like "retooling" what's not really being said is we've lost complete control and direction and now have to fix the mess we've made. The unfortunate events that follow are what we are seeing on not only AMC but over at OLTL as well.

To say that Dr. Hayward hasn't been a part of the storyline for some time is true but it's not the actor's fault this happened. No…it's a writing issue. On Monday they ran with their 9/11 "special episode" that featured relationships. It was an amazing episode. Hey and look at that they used Vincent/Dr. Hayward. Is it really fair to penalized not only the actors but the entire 36 year viewing audience? I think not.

3) Stop firing the talented cast. They are the only asset to the show.


I know what comes next from TPTB. "It was a tough decision that had to be made and we hope that the fans will understand." How about this? I'm tired of being understanding! I want the show I loved to watch back! I want to be so excited to watch it not only once but twice (SoapNet).

I'm so frustrated right now I can't even think straight. I can't imagine the frustration of the actors who have to go to work each day wondering if I am the next to get fired because of managerial incompetence. My thoughts are with them during this tumultuous time and I hope that once we all rally together we can make good things happen for AMC and the talent cast.

So I'm asking all of you to Email, Write, Call and post on your websites and messageboards that we want our show back. Let the powers that be know we've taken all we can. Go to the sponsors of the show and let them know that you want Vincent to stay and Brian Frons to go. One person's voice might mean nothing but they can't ignore ONE MILLION VOICES! Click here for a list of address and email address.


September 12, 2006

I couldn't let yesterday's episode go unmentioned. That is what I was talking about all this time. Julia and David interacting. Jamie and Joe reconciling and Kendall and Erica bonding over Spike. It was about relationships. David giving Julia an earful not realizing he explained to her why he is the way he is and Joe apologizing to Jamie for letting him think that Josh was more important. Kendall telling her mother that she still doesn't believe she can be a good mother and going over their very complicated past.

The other plus was the integration of the new cameras with the old. Not so much shaking is a good thing.

There was only one thing that seemed odd to me and that was the placement of this episode. I was expecting to see Jesse McCartney singing to Colby but what I saw was completely off course for the storyline. It appeared that it was an episode that was shot to actually be aired at a later date but was moved up to yesterday. But if that's the least of my issues it's a good day in Mudville.

I hope to see more episodes like yesterday!

Here endth the Rant.

September 11, 2006

Wow another murder is coming up on AMC this week. This time Bad Guy Terry the molester is going to bite the dust. That's two murders in only a couple of months. Do the writers know that you can cover other types of storylines other than "teen scene" and "Bad guy dies"? I'm just wondering because the writing has become so formulaic that it's the same story told time and again <insert character's name here>. Fundamentally the writing team has problems right now. One could look to them or the brass or directors or any number of places for where the issue resides but at this point one more meeting about how the show is going won't help. I'm in business and I know that sometimes the brass over think an issue and it sometimes makes the problem worse. Perhaps this is the case here. As the shows takes the fast slide to the bottom of the ratings it is crystal clear that something positive must occur soon! The obvious place to start is the writing because lets face it, the biggest asset the show has right now is their incredibly talented group of actors.

I'm all for having the kids involved with the storyline but they need to integrate the cast more. I'll even get on board with the new cameras to help flow the scenes if that's what it takes to get this ship sailing. (They are actually a little better except the one cameraman...he's got the shakes a little and it shows up tenfold on screen). For me the greatest weakness of the show right now is there was a flush of new faces and no integration and very little in way of backstory. Colby was presented to us as an in your face brat that didn't follow any of the previous writing structure. They never took the time to create a plausible storyline that would have had Liza staying away from her child...especially with Colby celebrating her 16th birthday. This could have been easily done with a story about an illness and Marian going to tend to her daughter while against her better judgment Liza sends Colby to live with Adam. Once in the lap of luxury Colby morphs into an Alexis Carrington clone. See the flow in this little story. Instead the story of Adam ranting that Liza is to stay away or he'll see her in prison or whatever was lazy, filled with holes and made no sense and did nothing but frustrate this long time viewer. Respecting the history and the characters is important when writing a serial that's been on air for 36 years. Sydney comes on with no back story for us to sympathize with. She just kind of showed up so it leads to an indifferent audience. How about Annie? Well really this could have been accomplished with a short term contract because once Emma is revealed as Kate (not hard to figure this one out) there is no need or connection for Annie. Even her supposed "up and coming romance" with Ryan is flat. Maybe this has to do with Kendall and Spike. Too many folks going in to many different directions with absolutely no idea what they are doing or how they are getting there. It's too apparent that the writers are writing in circles at this point with Dixie/Tad/Zach/Kendall/Ryan/David/JR/Jamie and Josh. They are dragging this "Who Killed Greg Madden" storyline to reach a specific target date. I ask why? What they have actually created is an atmosphere