Monday, April 18, 2011

Monday Grievances

Soap Opera Cartoon
So if you know me at all, today's post shouldn't surprise you in the least.  Yes, today I'm going to tackle the news that was told to us all last week, destroying the lives of students, stay at home mom's and unemployed gals (& some guys) like myself.  The end of two wonderfully entertaining shows, All My Children and One Life To Live, will come to an end this September and January 2012, respectively.  I am completely outraged and extremely disturbed by this news.  Soaps have been apart of my life since I was born!  And their going to be replaced by health and food shows, which already have whole channels dedicated to that type of programming.  Yes, ABC, that's what many people are watching.  However!, that's not what your viewers are watching.  Soap Opera's still get pretty decent ratings, especially compared to many other daytime programs.  I know this, because I worked as an AD Buyer; it's my job to know about ratings and all that hoopla.

Like I said, Soap Opera's have been apart of my life since I was born.  I grew up watching them with my mom, grandmother, aunt's and even my dad at times.  These shows are full of magic, mystery, fun and crazy story lines that even if you hate them, you secretly love them.  The imagination of Soap Writers is really an amazing thing.  It's not as if they have to just think of story lines every season, but Soaps go on and on, so their constantly having to come up with new, fresh and crazy ideas to not only keep the Soap alive but to keep the viewers going, "Damn, I can't believe they did that."  Soap Opera's make us cry, make us laugh, make us wonder and even make us get some of our own crazy ideas.  They are apart of pop culture history.  Who can forget the wedding of Luke & Laura (GH, will be the only remaining Soap on ABC)?  The many marriages and escapades of miss Erica Kane?  Or when Viki revealed that she had DID?  Or when Jessie died on AMC and was brought back to life a few years ago and reunited with Angie?  Soap Operas haven't just brought us numerous laughs, tears and questionable story lines, but they've also helped launch the careers of numerous actors and actresses that we love: John Stamos, Meg Ryan, Ryan Phillippe (first gay character on a Soap, I believe), Demi Moore, Julianne Moore, Hayden Panettiere, Josh Duhamel, etc.   Hell even having a very successful career as a Hollywood A-lister, James Franco tried is hand at Soaps, and even admitted that acting on a show like that was a lot tougher and restrictive than acting on a movie set.  These shows are sort of a College for actors and actresses to start testing out their acting chops and prepares them to jump into the scary world of Hollywood.  And if you ask me, some of the best acting I've seen has been on Soaps!  Bree Williamson on OLTL always gets my tears running in her role as Jessica.  And as Tess (her DID personality; 'cause you know she's gotta have one) makes me laugh my butt off.  I remember years ago when Megan, a huge character on OLTL & one of my mothers' favorites, died after battling some disease; I don't remember, I was young.  But I do remember being moved to tears at the emotion between the two characters in the scene.  It was at that point my dream became to work on a Soap Opera.  I wanted to be onscreen, behind the screen, cleaning out their garbage, anything having to do with Soap Operas! 

I mean come on people.  What are we doing to our Soaps?!  Programs that have brought us so much and been around soooo long, are just "poof!", gone.  Anywhere you go you can make an Erica Kane reference, and almost everyone will know what you're talking about.  These shows are so precious to so many of us and for so many different reasons.  Only on a Soap can people be possessed by the devil one day and then after some freaky exorcism everything is honky dory.  Only on a Soap can you root for the bad guy, and not feel guilty about it, because hey, he has the best lines.  Only on a Soap can a person lose their memory more times than they change their under-wear...or a lover.  Only on a Soap can someone's face be changed, because the actor decides to leave the show, and everyone is OK with that; Remember Blair on OLTL? She was originally Asian. Ha!  Only on a Soap do people come back from the dead severely years later (I'm still in shock they brought Jessie back on AMC; he's played on angel guiding some of the characters numerous times, hahaha.)  Only on a Soap can someone survive some deadly disease, be shot 20 times and still make it out alive.  Only on a Soap can you find out that 20 years ago a character really had twins, not just one child like you've thought, and that they were switched one day while you & that character were taking a nap.  Only on a Soap can a everyone in the town have slept together, and it's all gravy.  And only on a Soap (except for maybe Maury) can the paternity of a child go on as a mystery for years and then BAM! ruin the lives of everyone on that show; and the mother isn't considered a whore.  This and so many other exciting, thrilling, romantic, dangerous reasons, are why Soap Fans everywhere, though we may be fewer than most fans, are determined, loyal & powerful, and now completely devastated by this news.

We've already lost other great Soap Operas such as Guiding Light, As The World Turns, and for what?  To be replaced with programming no one cares about.  I'm sorry that new Let's Make A Deal show, is horrible.  Or they replace it with re-runs of shows airing on sister networks.  All these actors and crew members will be out of a job, so some fat guy can tell us how to cook a good meal? Puhlease!   I know many of you reading this might not care or not understand why I'm so passionate about it, but I just am.  So I will be apart of any crusade out there that's intentions are to save our Soaps; Soaps I'll always remember with love and devotion.  If you'd like to be apart of it also you can call here to SAVE OUR SOAPS!!!: ABC Comment Line 818-460-7477 ext:255 for AMC ext 663 for OLTL.  And if ABC won't listen, I'm sure there are other channels out there that could pick up not only these two GREAT shows, but a lot of loyal viewers that would follow these soaps to the ends of the earth.  Because to us, they're not just shows, their our guilty pleasures that we're not at all really guilty about; their our livelihood...Yea, I went there. :)

That's all for today's Grievances.  I have to go call some people and yell at them now. Yea, I'm talking to you ABC!  :) 

Happy Blogging All!

4 comments:

  1. See! This is why I love you!!! You totally get me and my pain! And I've been watching soaps longer than you!!! Y que health shows, if I wanted healthy I'd join weight watchers! I want bochinche! Chisme! Infidelity! Lust! I mean who makes love the way they do on soap operas! Start that petition Kris I will sign =D Its a sad day on earth when soap operas are pulled off the air for a cooking show - SMDH!!! PS -(btw Meagan, Viki's daughter died of Lupus).

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  2. I totally feel you on this and understand! I'm passing on the word so people can call!! Hope it helps!!

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  3. Don't count Erica Kane out yet!!!! Go La Lucci!! Yes, Megan died from Lupus which is how Marty first came to be introduced. These soaps were informative without being preachy. I can't say that about the shows that will replace them though. I guess ABC thinks they can dictate what we should watch but you know there's still Y&R and B&B and I can go run errands between two and four and oops I'll miss GH but hey if I have to live without La Lucci.....might as well say goodbye to El Geary aka I'm on vacay for 80% of the show and goodbye to Maurice aka I have more lives than a cat but my ladies don't seem too.

    ABC thinks they can hold us hostage but you know what? They can't. I'm not watching. I'd say goodbye to the slew of ABC shows that I watch but why bother......they're probably on the cancellation block too. So therefore why should I keep watching? Why be a faithful viewer?

    Lastly, ABC really aren't doing their sponsors any favors either. Buh bye sponsors! Get out while you can. They should all rethink where they spend their advertising dollars. Stay tuned....it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings!!!! Is Tiny coming back to OLTL?????

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  4. I'm so glad I'm not the only one upset by htis. So many of my friends are telling me to get over it, because they don't understand the Soap Opera culture. At least Hoover gets it, since they'll be pulling all advertising from ABC starting this Friday. I really do hope that something saves them, and if not for ABC than for another channel to continue on the legacy of the Soaps!... And yes! Of course it was Lupus. I thought it was either that or Cancer. Either way that was a memorable episode. I was probably what, 9 when it aired. Crazy!

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