Soap Opera Uncensored: Issue 7
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chat room and listen to the show live).
Next week, I’ll publish the transcripts from the must-hear show. Among the goodies:
• Kristen believes that the Save Our Soaps (Sudz.tv) and Coupon Campaign definitely helped One Life and AMC by inspiring Hoover to back out as an ABC sponsor — and seemingly save the two shows online. The former Ryan’s Hope diva offered more evidence to naysayers: this week, head writer Ron Carlivati launches a love letter to fans by incorporating the soap movement into the show by cancelling soap-within-a-soap Fraternity Row. As an homage, reel-life soap fan Roxy will launch a campaign to save her story. Moreover, Kristen refuses to believe that Prospect Park acquiring the rights to the Agnes Nixon’s shows was a ruse to distract fans from ABC’s decision to terminate two beloved, iconic soaps. She reveals that the One Life wrap party was extra sad because the cast was told to vacate their dressing rooms by early December. It was reported that One Life was staying put at ABC while it moved to The Online Network. But she’s hopeful, saying, “Maybe that just means Prospect Park found another studio for One Life 2.0 to tape in.”
• La Wyndham had the most food for thought: During the podcast, she shockingly revealed to listeners that NBC was going to move AW from New York to L.A., much like Brian Frons did with AMC. The person in charge at NBC back in those days? Yep, show-killing pioneer Frons. Wyndham denies that P&G wanted AW cancelled; in fact, Wyndham flew to L.A. and pitched several post-modern story and marketing ideas to network executives. P&G was over the moon with the writer-actress’s outside-the-box ideas (breaking the fourth wall/strategic product placement/buzz-worthy storylines), but ultimately NBC cancelled the show for the much more “modern” Passions. When asked if she would like to write or produce soaps today, she said she’d consider it! Is anyone listening?
Click here to listen to Wyndham and others roast Kain … and speak out about the state of the art today.
https://www.blogtalkradio.com/silas-kain/2011/11/22/silas-kains-soap-celebration-birthday-bash
AWARDS SHOW CENTRAL:
Game of Thrones: NATAS finally reinvents the rules for the 2012 Daytime Emmy Awards showdown! Uncensored has the exclusive scoop!
And the Emmy goes to … the most deserving actor and shows in daytime! Whatcha talkin’ about, Nellie?
Yep, the elusive dream may actually become a reality next year. NATAS likes us; they really, really like us! Thanks to the tireless and brave efforts of actors like Y&R’s Michael Muhney, who boldly put a face on the fight for much-needed Emmy reform, NATAS listened and (re)acted in a big way!
A National Academy of Arts and Sciences spokesperson exclusively confirms Soap Opera Uncensored’s Emmy report in our first issue six weeks ago: a major overhaul has reinvented the award nomination process, along with introducing a proposed new category that will get the web soap community all lathered up. The changes have mostly been approved but will be integrated over the course of two years.
Below are the changes; read ‘em and rejoice:
• There is no limit to how many actors from one show can submit their name for Emmy consideration in the pre-nomination round in a category. For example, 10 actresses from General Hospital can submit themselves for Lead Actress contention. So, goodbye bloc voting! This also means that you could possibly have five GH actresses on the final ballot, too. But hey, if the five best actresses are from GH this past year, that’s fair in my books. The alternative means members being forced to vote for actors due to the show they work on — and not talent.
• Pre-nominee hopefuls will submit an edited two-minute reel consisting of one scene from one episode reflecting their best work from the calendar year.
• Judging pre-nominees hopefuls will be conducted online only on a NATAS website over 4 weeks instead of 2. Members of the Academy will choose their top 10 choices from 1 (being the best) to 10 — regardless of what show they are employed on. The catch? The ballot will not include names or pictures of the hopeful candidates. Anonymous live links to their work will only be shown. In other words, voters will have to click on each link to find out who they are voting for — and most importantly, view the candidate’s work. Translation: Blind voting for members’ friends or well-known names is seemingly over.
• An actor can still submit more than one role in the same category.
• The top 10 pre-nominees from each category will be announced on March 2, 2012.
• In the final round of judging, a blue ribbon panel will be chosen to judge each of the final pre-noms, who will submit one full episode from the calendar year on DVD. Next year, NATAS will propose 15 minutes of work from as many episodes as they like and viewed online much like this year’s pre-nomination voting session. Why not this year? The spokesperson elaborated: “We asked AMC, while they were putting together their reels, to give us some sample submissions with scenes from multiple episodes, so that it would lend weight to our argument and be able to let the awards committee view, and see how important it is for an actor to show a broader range of work. One thing we were told was that pulling from multiple episodes would be asking too much of shows, but AMC proved that wrong by quite easily working with the actors and putting together a couple of sample reels for us, quite quickly since they were about to wrap! We’re working on that change for next year – as you can see!”
• The biggest win? A guest star category will more than likely be re-introduced in 2013. Over the years, members have suspiciously voted against bringing back the guest star category; but with so many recurring statuses and/or stunt casting enveloping the daytime dial, the Academy is finally reflecting the changing daytime landscape. But again, why not this year? According to NATAS, each show needed more time to create a new system of “guest star billing” in their credits to qualify.
• Final nominees will be announced on May 4. The ceremony will take place sometime in June. And it looks “good” that they will air on broadcast television, shares the spokesperson. Moreover, he adds that a very cool plan to reinvent the ceremony may be in the works as well. Stay tuned.
• When Uncensored asked if dramatic web actors could submit themselves in the mainstream categories (Best Actress/Supporting Actor/Directing, etc.) — especially since the number of broadcast soaps have decreased significantly in recent years and the quality of acting online is as top drawer as on the tube — NATAS answered: “That’s a good question! There is nothing in the rules that prevents web actors from entering in the main broadcast categories!”
Ergo, Crystal Chappell could have legally submitted her work on Venice for Outstanding Lead Actress contention last year! Shut the front door! Hey, soapers: You really need to start reading the fine print like prime-time and film actors do.
“In our literature, we’re not allowed to discriminate against platforms, [so on paper that would be legal].” After the discussion, NATAS later informed Uncensored that until they sort out this murky issue (after all, the broadcast soaps could revolt and simply refuse to vote for web stars), and barring any objections (at press time, it still needs to be passed by committee, but is expected to), NATAS has created a new category in the interim: Outstanding Performer (Male or Female) in a Special Class Format.
Next year, the Academy will vote if whether or not web soaps should compete in the mainstream categories. With One Life to Live seemingly headed online, I think it would be wise to open the mainstream categories to this fledgling medium.
SOAPILEAKS:
This week’s hottest news, interviews, and gossip!
All My Children, TheOnlineNetwork.com — Moneyball: Lucci and Irizarry Hit Back!
• Remember how Prospect Park and ABC leaked Susan Lucci was the big reason why AMC’s online launch was stalled? Yep, more lies. The Emmy winner took to Facebook to set the record straight: “I want my fans to know the truth. There have been miscommunications as a result of statements in the press that I am one of the reasons that AMC is not moving forward. This is simply untrue and not the case. We ha
ve been in discussions since Prospect Park first expressed interest in moving the series online, and in correspondence dated September 8th, I made it clear that I would be ecstatic to be a part of AMC in a prominent way if they committed to producing the series for another year. I have not heard back from Prospect Park since then; in fact, I learned of their decision not to proceed with AMC at the same time you did, through the media.”
In a bombshell claim, which was picked up by every media outlet, Deadline.com reported the following this past September: “I hear that, after a two-week deliberation, AMC star Susan Lucci has turned down Prospect Park’s offer to stay on the show. The offer was for a salary identical to what Lucci currently makes at ABC, but I’ve learned that she tried to gouge the producers for more money while also asking to work fewer hours and get a commitment for a primetime series.”
So much for reporting.
• More Prospect Park drama: La Lucci’s fellow Emmy-winning co-star, Vincent Irizarry, fought back, too, after reports surfaced that he was to blame for AMC’s online launch since his character was the focal point in