Nelson, my real name is Daniel Montgomery. A link to my blog is below, and I have a picture in the "About the Author" section.
Now stop sucking up to Maria Arena Bell!
I understand it's a red-carpet interview, and maybe not a good time for an in-your-face smackdown, but I kept waiting for the hard-hitting questions both these writers are due. Relative to everybody else, Carlivati and Arena Bell are the best writers on daytime right now, but both are due much tougher questions:
Maria: Why are Sharon and Phyllis behaving like love-struck idiots for a man who treats them both like garbage? What are you going to do to fix Phillip's botched return? Will he actually have scenes with his abandoned son, who is inexplicably now a Genoa City detective? Who is responsible for the choice to have Deacon rape Amber and then have Daniel treat her like a slut for it? Will the Scoobies ever get good storylines? Will Lauren ever get any storyline? Will Ashley stop being abused anytime soon? What the hell is up with the Winters family storylines? Devon and Tyra -- really!?
There was a long love-fest for Michael Muhney; I dig the actor, but the rhapsodic praise is way out of proportion with the work he's done. The stars of Y&R this year have been vets Tricia Cast and Doug Davidson, not Muhney.
Ron: Love Kyle and Fish -- so why aren't they on-screen more often? Why does their storyline look like such a repeat of ATWT's Luke-Noah coming-out arc? Why don't they have connections to any other characters on the canvas? Why on earth did you choose to drag Fish into bed with Stacy, a character who was imposed on you in the first place by Brian Frons? Fish's coming-out scenes played very PSA, and Layla was far too quick to forgive -- don't you think Fish needs to earn back the audience and the other characters' trust and affection? Should we be worried that the network will get in the way of telling a complete, consummated gay storyline? Why are Blair and Tea throwing themselves at an unrepentant rapist? Why is Todd being written as a romantic lead after what he did to Marty -- again!? Greg and Rachel aren't working -- not a question so much as an observation. Will Starr and Cole ever get to be kids again?
For starters.
Arena Bell and Carlivati are the best in the business right now. What's more, they're probably the only writers who give a crap if viewers don't like their storylines. Charles Pratt will just blame Eden Riegel. Robert Guza will solve the problem by having Sonny and Jason shoot more people. Procter & Gamble will squeal, "Hooray! Let's move those GL show-killers to ATWT to finish their work!" Brad Bell has been repeating the same material for years despite viewer complaints.
But with Arena Bell and Carlivati there's hope. That's why we need to hold them accountable when they go off the rails. They need to be the standard for the rest of daytime to follow, so even if the medium is dying it can go out with a bang instead of a whimper.
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"A movie is not good because it arrives at conclusions you share, or bad because it does not. A movie is not about what it is about. It is about how it is about it: about the way it considers its subject matter, and about how its real subject may be quite different from the one it seems to provide." - Roger Ebert, from the introduction to "Awake in the Dark" (2006)
LMAO! Wow that's some hard-hitting journalism there, Nellie. The praise for the horribly miscast Muhney is laughable. Queen MAB doesn't know the first thing about writing. Why would she know what constitutes good acting? MAB is going to write Y&R into the ground. It must be nice to be able marry your way into a job, record low ratings be damned.
[QUOTE]Originally posted by JerrySD: "Who's the top or bottom - Kyle or fish?" Hahaha! Classic.[QUOTE]
It's not classic- it plays into every stereotype hurled at gay men...that it's all about sex. As Ron Carlivati said, it's an inappropriate question.
At a time when gays are fighting daily for equality, and a great story is being told on "OLTL" that can play a role in changing people's notions of gays, the best question that an out gay journalist can ask is "Who's the top?" Really? One step forward, two steps back.
Posts: 836 | Location: Phoenix, AZ | Registered: February 03, 2003
I was laughing at the fact Branco had the audacity to ask Carlivati that question. It was bold, no matter how you look at it. Cleary, Branco was having fun with these interviews. At least that's how it appeared to me. It was classic Branco to ask that, I'm not surprised he did.
Posts: 36 | Location: San Diego, California | Registered: May 05, 2008
Originally posted by Smileynate: [QUOTE]Originally posted by JerrySD: "Who's the top or bottom - Kyle or fish?" Hahaha! Classic.[QUOTE]
It's not classic- it plays into every stereotype hurled at gay men...that it's all about sex. As Ron Carlivati said, it's an inappropriate question.
At a time when gays are fighting daily for equality, and a great story is being told on "OLTL" that can play a role in changing people's notions of gays, the best question that an out gay journalist can ask is "Who's the top?" Really? One step forward, two steps back.
Posts: 6074 | Location: Illinois | Registered: June 30, 2006
OK - did anyone watch the last year of Y&R? Looking at it as a whole, the Kay/Marge story was perfect. PERFECT. Well paced, AMAZING funeral, great reveals (even Katherine just remembering Ambers phone was this perfect moment). Murphy is wonderful, it facilitated Ninas return, made Jill not her daughter . . . I think MAB knew exactly what she was doing and she clearly has a vision for whats to come for this gang.
I think Eileen Davidson could make some different choices despite the material. She could be showing Ashleys strength despite the circumstances. I'm really hoping that Michael Muhney also makes some new choices because he has been 100% sociopath since he started. He is good but I still miss Chris Engen - it was easy to care about Chris - he showed humanity.
This summer has not been great - but I do trust that Maria has a vision and that things are being put in motion that will be worth it in the long run. I've watched for 15 years and I know many of the rest of you reading have been loyal for years so the threats to jump ship are pointless - we can air our grievances but lets celebrate what we can about a show we love and stop bitching so much!
Posts: 38 | Location: NY | Registered: June 20, 2009
I've watched off an on for a long time. I'm done with the show. You remove the idiot plots. You remove the misogyny. You remove DNA results. There's nothing else. Yes, that could be a lot of shows, but I expect better from YR. If MAB doesn't see there's a problem, I have no reason to stick around and hope things get better.
It's really sad and unfortunate that Y&R is stuck with someone that thinks super fast pacing, not playing all the story beats, constant victimization of women, ignoring half of the canvas, never writing for minority character and giving them crap when she decides they're worthy of an episode a month, super villains with no substance or motivation, overexposed characters that do the same repetitive things no matter the story, flip-flopping quads, dog killing, killing of core characters, neglecting the corporate side of the show which made Y&R distinct for many years, and other crappy/bad storytelling traits constitutes good soap opera and nothing about the show these past few months has been uneven and that no mistake was made on her and her writing team's part.
This sh!t doesn't only infuriate me, it makes me very sad. This woman's ego is killing the very show she claims to love so much.
If Maria Arena Bell thinks this current incarnation of Y&R is good soap opera, I'm hoping she passes whatever she's smoking on to me. The ego and blatant lies from these idiots running these shows into the ground, I tell ya...
I normally enjoy Nelson's interviews and opinions for their honesty and candor, but the interview with Maria -- regardless of the context -- was a sycophantic embarrassment. Y&R has really taken a turn for the worse the past six months. It's turned from a character-driven, history based treasure in Maria's first year to a non-sensical, plot-driven mess during the last six months.
And the praise for Muhney is laughable. You would think from Nelson's MAB interview that he's the second coming of Eric Braeden. He's a serviceable Adam at best, and this continued over-the-top praise to support the dismissal of a potentially homophobic actor is transparent political correctness at best. I hate homophobia too! But that doesn't mean I have to be preached weekly that the replacement is Lawrence Olivier. He isn't even as good as Engen. Enough already.
Listen, on a red carpet you have five minutes — and believe it or not, because I talk really fast — that was five minutes (and I was the only reporter she chose to talk to). I would never delve into heavy issues on a red carpet. Too much noise.... producers yelling for people to come into the theatre... and I told her the show was uneven, and called her on the gay thing. Anyway, it's the Emmys — THAT'S NO PLACE TO BITCH. It's a celebratory time. I save those interviews for sitdowns. You'll love my Paul Ruach interview. I went there. Boy, did I go there! However, it was just a nice meet and greet. She knows I'm not happy with the show. And I LOVE MUHNEY. And so will you. When I raved about Otalia, everyone rejected that — I'll be proven right on this one. Trust.
And by the way — This year's Emmys honoured 2008 — NOT THIS YEAR. She was robbed for last year. But she still deserves a nom this year. Why is Bell a hack when Goutman, Wheeler, and Pratt are still working in the business? Seriously — there are worse people in the biz to bitch about. I want to honour character-driven stories which is why I endorse Maria. And all those horrible storylines? HOGAN SHEFFER.
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And you're missing the point — when she spoke of Muhney, she was really speaking about Chris Engen (BOUGHT HIM LONGEVITY; THREE DIMENSIONAL, ETC) which was my strategy in raving about Michael. God, do I have spell everything out to you guys.
With the way Brad's trashed BB, its history,the chars, and untalented actors continue to rule the screen (Beemer, Downe, Moss, Diamont, Gareis) while talented ones (Lesli Kay, Alley Mills) are sidelined, I'm not elated with the win.
Wow I actually agree with Smileynate on something! Who tops/bottoms with Kyle and Fish? Then Stacy haiduk shows off her pusszy on the red carpet. Michael Muhney rides azz? I mean, really? Must everything be sexualized consistently in all the columns? BTW, I'm the worst cook in the world, so that's why I use bottomchef as a play on the program title top chef.
Ron Carlicatty! Very subtle way of him digging at his perceived lack of chemistry between YR's Adam and Rafe. 742, Crystal: I agree with Nelson that it must be difficult to ask those hard-hitting questions on a red carpet.
I do agree realityguru that Nelson can be sycophantic with the unambiguously gay duo Valentini/Carlivati and MAB, but it's worse with Brad Bell, who has inexplicably gotten away unscathed all these years for hacking BB. Perhaps it's because of the Bell entitlement.
Nelson I liked both interviews and thought they were fun and informative and great that you got the info you did on the circumstances (the madness that is a red carpet - and in that heat too!)
I will say that I've missed having any sense of a business storyline. The pseudo-Jabot issues/takeover last fall weren't much and Colleens board meeting stuff recently were not reminiscent of the quality business stories of yesteryear.
Looking back at some of the clips on youtube from LMLs days i do wonder why everyone bitches so much about her. Reliquaries aside - i thought the show was more even and fun. The breakroom conversations, anything Drucilla, Nicks "death", i even liked the political stuff. Do we all just see things as the glass being half empty? Have we all hated and tolerated this show too long?
I still like it. I love it. LML deconstructed the Abbots and now MAB has rebuilt them. Things ebb and flow. What goes down must come up (yes Ashley has major issues but that will change too and she'll come out guns blazing at some point).
Nina called Jill a lightweight compared to her today and told Chloe she'd met her match - moments like those make a whole episode for me.
Posts: 38 | Location: NY | Registered: June 20, 2009
No, Nellie, we're not idiots. Though since we continue to watch the crap that passes for Y&R these days, I can see why you might think we are. Sooner or later we'll all turn it off. At least there's OLTL.
Do you think you're Big Brother and if you tell us the over-rated one-note Muhney is good we'll eventually believe it? Please. You would have better luck selling us on the charms of Crystal Hunt. At least she looks smashing in her underwear.
Yes, we also know that Queen MAB's fake praise for Muhney was all about her not so secret rage against Engen. For an actor to hate her writing so much that he walked away from a 6-figure salary rather than have to continue making sense of her misogynistic & warped storytelling must have been quite a blow to her delicate ego. She's the queen and demands her actors kiss her ass at all time. MM knows the game. Who cares if he's miscast? He can kiss ass from now until MAB finally kills the show. I do admire KSJ for speaking truth to power about the stupid stories for the Winters -- even if means he gets rewarded with long unasked for vacations. Maybe we'll find out that Neil & Malcolm aren't blood brothers -- since MAB's only stories are DNA mix-ups and psychos -- and then Neil can steal Lily away from Cane.
