Daytime Suds Update

Got some quick soap news to report to you today before I forget. As always, I get all my soap news from Soapcentral.com but in the very rare case you haven't been there, I report it back here and give you links. Aren't I nice? :P

---Well, the scheduled return date for Kirsten Storms (Maxie, GH) was supposed to be next month, however it was just announced a couple of days ago that she will not be returning just yet and Jen Lilley, Storms' replacement, will be continuing in the role 'for the foreseeable future.' I never like hearing that phrase--usually it means either the actor will not be returning at all and they have decided to continue on with the recast, or the actor will not be returning for months and there's no longer a return date in sight. Storms has been off tv since September battling endometriosis. Hope there wasn't a complication with her condition. Get better soon and come back, Kirsten!

---In more GH news, remember awhile ago when I said that in some locations, GH was being bumped off the air, signaling what some (myself included) felt might be the first death bell for the show? Perhaps there was some weight to it--last week Soapcentral announced that the soap could go primetime instead--who remembers a few years ago when GH did a primetime series during the summer for SoapNet? I loved it personally. According to the news report, whispers are going around that GH could be moved to a primetime slot and be continued as a short-term summer series instead of a daily daytime one. That's a loud enough death bell for me, I don't know about the rest of you. With Brian Frons out, the vision for ABC's daytime programming has shifted and if talks like this are already occurring then it doesn't look too good for the future of the soap. In essence, even if the show is moved to primetime, it is still the death bell--GH is a daytime soap. It seems like moving the show to primetime--where its against major shows--and turning it into a summer series is to pacify those who don't want the show off the air yet. Not diggin' the idea at all. So let's hope those are just whispers in the night that won't see the light of day. Somehow though, I don't truly believe they're just whispers in the night...I can see cancellation or other changes to the soap coming sooner than ABC is willing to say. With the upcoming cancellation of SoapNet, therefore ending all replays of the soaps still on the air and any chance for a 2nd season of the GH primetime summer series, this really doesn't look good.

---In DOOL news, the return of Tanya Boyd (Celeste) was announced, but due to scheduling conflicts, she has had to decline her return, prompting a last-minute hiring of Beverly Todd to take over Celeste's short-term return. She is due to air in April.

---Hillary B. Smith (ex-Nora, OLTL) has signed on the dotted line to play Dr. Stacy, the new sex therapist setting up shop on B&B; the announcement was made last weekend.

---Speaking of B&B, they have made the decision to bump both Brandon Beemer (Owen) and Zack Conroy (Oliver) off of contract status; it is still unknown whether or not they will be on recurring status or written off entirely.

---Finally some Pine Valley casting news--Susan Lucci (come on now, like she needs me to remind you all who she played lol) has been announced as the new host of a show debuting on the ID Channel this fall quite aptly named Deadly Affairs. Doesn't that sound like an Erica Kane talk show special? lol The reality series will delve into stories of real-life betrayal and love triangles. They couldn't have picked a better host and I will be reviewing the show for the RBR (Random Bitchy Reviews, duh!) when it premieres.

---These are probably a little older in news, but both Lisa Rinna (Billie, DOOL) & Bryan Dattilo (Lucas, DOOL) will be returning in the weeks to come. The returns were announced within a week of each other early last month; Rinna is slated to air in March; it is still unclear whether her stay is recurring or permanent. The last time we saw Billie, Julie Pinson was in the role; Lisa Rinna hasn't played Billie since 2003. Dattilo's first scenes are due to air sometime next month. Again, the duration of the stay was not specified. Welcome home!

---Genoa City will soon be adding a new resident--Catherine Bach, or Daisy Duke as most remember her by, will be joining the canvas as Anita, Chelsea's mother. She is due to begin airing on February 7th.

---And finally, to clarify last week's statements made by ABC when it was announced that Llanview's Manning family as well as John McBain would be setting up shop in Port Charles, Kassie dePaiva (Blair) informed her fans that the ads and announcement were a little misleading; instead of a permanent stay as we were told, the crossover is on a short-term basis.


Well, I guess that wraps up this week's Daytime Suds Update. Check back with me next week for more!

Read More »

Series or Season Premieres?

I'm still debating whether I should cover only season premieres, only series premieres, or a mix of both. Midseason and awards season are both in full swing, so there will be no shortage of television to cover; the list I'm compiling for this week's premieres alone is well in the double digits of shows premiering on various channels. By the way that is one of the upcoming changes. In the off-chance that someone besides me is actually reading this blog (lol) every week I will try to release a list of the shows premiering within that week as well as times and channels. I'm not familiar with the channel #s for Comcast, but Dish, DirectTV and Time Warner shouldn't be hard to find. That way, you can respond with your comments on the premiere or my assessment of it once I post my review. Besides that, for the most part tv shucks these days. Either we'll find something to make fun of or something that we actually like, and who can beat those odds? Unless the show is that terrible, in which case we wasted an hour we won't get back. However, let's hope that doesn't happen right away. lol

For the most part, the shows premiering are either shows I'm already not interested in or shows I haven't heard of, so either way this'll be a new experience for me. For season premieres of shows I haven't seen though, they may not all be as easy for me to write as the season premieres I saw of the BET shows. I may end up giving a show a bad review because I didn't understand when it could have been simply because I caught the show too late in to understand the backstory. That's why the idea of doing series premieres appealed to me more; I want to give fair reviews on all the shows I comment on. However, I do believe I gave a fair review to both BET shows because what I saw wasn't enough to get me interested enough in the characters or the storyline, and that had nothing to do with me coming into the show too late. It wasn't anything I couldn't figure out on my own and I still wasn't interested. I even did some research on the show to find out the backstory on the characters and still wasn't interested. lol I wasn't bashing the shows or anything, they just weren't for me and I made that clear.

I'm trying to access Wikipedia now to see if I can get a list of series premiering this year so I can start putting together the weekly lists. I think if any of the shows are ending this year I might start putting together series and season finale date lists as well.

In short, this site is a work in progress. Patience is definitely encouraged!

Read More »

Bitchy Review: Scorned: Love Kills

The series premiere of Scorned: Love Kills debuted on the ID (Investigation Discovery) channel tonight, right after Who The Bleep? Did I Marry and a few minutes into the show, I remember thinking that it it looked a bit like Oxygen's Snapped. I never did finish watching the debut episode because the story looked a little too familiar to me, and then it hit me--because I'd seen it already.....on Snapped. lol I'm going to try to pull up a link from the Shannons' episode, but yeah...this couple was profiled by the show years ago. So with that said, a debut featuring a story that was already profiled by another channel with a show based on a similar concept probably isn't the best way to go.

Since I didn't watch anymore of the premiere because I had already seen the episode, it made me wonder how many others were watching the show as well and had to do the same thing. I mean seriously--if you plan to do a show along the lines of scorned lovers, do your research first is all I'm saying. Snapped is by far the most popular of the 'scorned documentaries.' If some lover, more particularly a woman, has 'snapped' on a lover or a husband and it made the news for the salacious activities that took place or the level of the crime, its likely that Snapped has already gotten to it. So if you intend to create a show that will enter the arena of documentary or investigative report, make sure your episode isn't going to be a repeat to viewers and furthermore, don't make said repeat the debut episode of your show. If that's not the quickest way to kill viewership, I don't know what is other than simply being boring. I mean, its okay to get different perspectives on the matter since the Snapped episode, but at the end of the day the facts were out and televised for years before the debut of the show. The previews of this show made it seem like it was going to be something new, and then it premiered and I was very disappointed to find out the debut was a repeat. It makes no sense to me. Are you telling me, honestly and truly, that market research on similar programs or rival networks was not done? Nobody thought to make sure this profiled story had not already been covered? Hell, even if the story had been covered already and you choose to show it again in a new light, perhaps more insight on the woman's, in this case Joan Shannon's, perspective and mindset while these events were transpiring in her life then that's okay with me. However, it should not have been the debut episode. Definitely not a season opener but the fact that this was a SERIES opener was ridiculous. You can't pull in viewers with something they could probably catch on Oxygen during a Snapped marathon. Even with that being how it is, on the flip side, yes Snapped showed this episode years ago, but that's just it--it was years ago. Like I said, Scorned could have breathed new life into the story by providing deeper insight or any updates since it was first profiled and from what I saw, they hadn't. I believe if they had done that, something to show that this isn't another rewashed story, this wouldn't have been so bad. I don't mean to bitch and complain, but let's be real here---if you owned this network or were in charge of series or season premieres, wouldn't you make sure that they opened with something new and exciting, with some story that even if viewers have read about they haven't actually seen before? This was such a poor thought-out debut that I doubt I'll even be tuning in next week.

Now don't get me wrong, maybe some viewers tonight had not heard about the Shannons' or seen their episode on Snapped. For those viewers, the debut tonight was a good one. I thought about my review and it was rather scathing and only focused on the fact that it was  a rerun. Let me think impartially here--in theory, the story was quite a crazy and twisted one--one that would definitely make for a smash opening. You wouldn't be expecting to hear half the things you did during the episode, and the conclusion is an even bigger surprise than that, at least to me. So excluding the rerun portion of the review, I can say that they actually chose a decent story. The only thing that continues to eat at me is that many of us have seen it already and wanted to see something different and exciting. If ID and this new show would like to avoid being compared to Snapped, they probably shouldn't start their show off with a regularly featured episode from the latter's archives. Just a suggestion. There I go, judging again. lol I'm sorry you all, I just can't seem to get past this at all. I was really excited for this debut especially since I was going to be covering it in a review later, and I feel incredibly let down by what I thought was going to be an interesting documentary on scorned lovers, a new twist on what Snapped usually brings to the table. 

Bitchy Review: Scorned: Love Kills had much potential to bring some excitement to the ID channel. However, their debut episode was lazy, rehashed and from what I saw, included nothing that I did not see years ago. My thinking is that if they are this ill-prepared for their new show and could not muster up the energy to do more digging and give us at least more details on an old story; they instead stole this old news out of Oxygen's backyard for the debut, how much lazier will they be next week? Meh. I don't care to find out.

Bitchy Rating: 1 (out of 5)--was that too harsh?

But just in case if you'd like to tune back in next week, Scorned: Love Kills is on every Saturday night at 10est/9 on 192 for Dish viewers; 285 for DirecTV viewers. Comcast & Time Warner subscribers, contact your local listings to find the channel.

Read More »

Daytime Suds: Four OLTL Actors IN at GH!

Well this is surprising. In an 11th hour turn of events, not only are four former OLTL actors making the jump to General Hospital, two of them were committed to the Prospect Park deal and jumped ship, BUT! they get to come over as their past Llanview characters!

I am in FLOVE with this concept. I have to admit, I used to love back in the day when soaps would have a bit of fusion during Sweeps Week to shake things up a bit. I didn't like when Babe & Bianca did it on AMC, but that was only because a baby switch was involved and I didn't like it on that one soap, so I definitely wasn't diggin' it when they carried it over to another. I did, however, like the dual thing Anna Devane did on both AMC and GH. But I'm a Finola Hughes fan anyway, so perhaps I am biased. I don't know. Regardless, I think this is definitely going to be an interesting turn of events, if the writers play their cards right. And let's not forget the rare feat that Skye Chandler pulled off, being a crossover character on all 3 ABC soaps. So the idea of crossover characters isn't unchartered territory and the fact that these will be permanent stays is an intriguing one to me.

As we all know, the Prospect Park deal is dead at this point so the chance to revive OLTL and AMC from various standpoints is just no longer feasible. Several stars, more from OLTL than AMC, signed on immediately and put their faith in PP and their shallow, unfinished promises, and were rewarded with another pulled plug as a result. Read their press release here. Throughout the holidays, we heard nothing except that Y&R had picked up a couple of former AMC'ers, but nothing on OLTL. As the soap aired its final episode last Friday (which I missed! I am so pissed about that!!), there was still no development...UNTIL! (Yes...I am excited...I apologize for the caps attacks)yesterday Soapcentral confirmed that 4 former Llanviewites are headed over to Port Chuck in their old OLTL roles.

I can't help but feel that a part of the reason why these characters were invited was to keep a piece of Llanview alive. I'm sorry that sounds cheesy, but this has been so disheartening to me to watch ABC Daytime completely go up in smoke, with no apologies to longtime viewers who provided that network with years of excellent ratings. It's nice to see the remaining soap showing some loyalty and picking up actors from a sister show.

Kassie DePaiva (Blair), Roger Howarth (Todd), Kristen Alderson (Starr) & Michael Easton (John) are all headed to Port Charles in the weeks to come, and I have to admit this may drag me back to Port Chuck for a spell. They should be a little comfortable in their new digs; it was announced some time ago that Ron Carlivati, the head writer for OLTL, will be taking over the head writer position on GH as well. You can read the article in its entirety here.

I wonder how it would go if there was a mix of all the ABC soaps, just formed into one soap. Maybe it would be a disaster, maybe it would be gold. If done right, it could be amazing. Unfortunately it seems as though not too much energy will be used in the name of soap operas anymore not to mention the production costs and equal pay would probably be altered significantly, so maybe that's asking too much anyway. Oh well...it was nice in theory.

Regardless, welcome to Port Chuck!

I'm surprised I did not relay this when I found out, but Darnell Williams (ex-Jesse, AMC) is on his way to Genoa City, where its rumored he'll once again be sharing time with longtime acting partner Debbi Morgan (ex-Angie, AMC). It was rumored that Williams committed himself to the dead PP deal not long after Lindsay Hartley and Cameron Mathison did, but I think he was right to play it safe and not announce anything until more details had come through. Since the ship was already sinking when the other two jumped on, he was smart to keep his foot on the docks since the chance to revive both soaps has since been killed. Besides that, with so many AMC characters off the canvas permanently because the actors had already committed to other soaps or retired, what potential for storyline could you have? After separating Angie & Jesse for 20 years and bringing them back for 3, I really wouldn't have been able to deal with watching them be separated again or having the writers use a puny explanation for why Angie is never shown on screen, like she's at the hospital working or asleep--when we can all clearly tune in to Y&R and watch Debbi Morgan playing another character. It would be nonsensical and again, with so many characters off the canvas, most of whom made AMC what it was in recent years, many storylines would be full of holes. The week it was announced that PP would be picking up the soaps and reviving them online, Morgan had just (and I mean 'just' as in the day before! How's that for irony??) committed herself to Y&R so she wouldn't be making a return. Denise Vasi (ex-Randi) has already picked up Stacey Dash's old slot on VH1's Single Ladies so Frankie would be without his wife as well. Shannon Kane (ex-Natalia) had left the show before the finale and J.R. Martinez (ex-Brot) is probably busy again, riding the high of his recent Dancing with the Stars win...so where does this leave the Hubbard family anyway? Part of the reason why we loved this family so much was because of their interactions with and love for each other. You can't have one member of the Hubbard family there to carry on the name alone--this isn't GH, where its half decent to have just one Webber. As much as I like Liz & her brother (I forget his name...Steve? Idk), they're no Hubbards. There can't be just one. lol Long story short, I'm glad some of the actors from AMC are finding work. They seemed less gung-ho about the online concept than those from OLTL, as many more of the characters from Llanview were going to make the commitment to Prospect Park a few months ago. Casting news from AMC has all but died off since the re-cancellation announcement, so I'm glad to hear that others have picked up and moved on to other roles. Here's hoping that history can be made again with different characters in a new locale. Welcome to Genoa City, Darnell!

Read More »

Changes to Come!

At about this time last year--or was it 2010? I forget--I decided to change this blog to include tv reviews. In the course of that year, however, my interests have since changed dramatically, which in retrospect probably should have shut this site down completely--I stopped watching the original intention of this blog, soap operas, to name the main change. I was growing more and more unhappy with where soaps were going and after the announcement that 2 of them were up for cancellation (one of which has already happened; the other is later this month), I grew so disillusioned that I just gave up on the remaining ones. So to those that read this blog for soap recaps or updates, I apologize. But I can't and probably won't return to that world as it has all but died off to me already. :(

But I digress. At around this time last year, I made some changes to the site, including an addition to the name as I decided to take on the task of providing tv show recaps and reviews. I have a habit (which I'm sure is rather annoying to those I live with lol) of sometimes providing a running commentary of what I like and dislike about the show. Eventually I figured, since I can't do it with soaps anymore and write down my opinions, why not revamp the blog for tv reviews instead? I really enjoyed reviewing the shows and I had a great time trying to improve on my writing skills--the entries just from this week alone are by far my best work and I know I still stand to improve even more--and the content I choose to review. Because of that, I have given a lot more thought to the tv review portion of this website, what with soaps pretty much down the proverbial tube and all. I considered only doing selective reviews, but I would like the practice and looking back on my very first reviews, could use it. lol There are many shows premiering in the months to come, some inside and some outside of my comfort zone, but it never hurts to expand one's horizons, I say.

So I am thinking that the Daytime Suds of this website will be relegated to major news & updates since I have stopped watching soaps entirely, and dedicate the majority of my attention on providing reviews. Some of the reviews will be season premieres, but I also think it would be beneficial to the traffic on the site and to those interested if I start doing series premieres as well. Luckily (or unluckily) for me, there are many to come just from now until May, so between that and school I should be pretty occupied. However, the concept of doing various kinds of reviews has also crossed my mind, so we'll see about that....

As I mentioned last year, the design, layout & features of the blog will be changing (the difference is that this time I'll actually make those changes lol) so please bear with me in the weeks to come.

Read More »

Bitchy Review: Let's Stay Together

Let's Stay Together is another of the newest half-hour shows in the revamped BET programming schedule, and much like Reed Between the Lines, meh. I'm not feeling it too much. I was interested in some of the previews when I found out that Kyla Pratt was joining the show as a cousin of two of the main characters, but she didn't have much screen time so it felt like a blink-and-miss premiere to me. I joined the show at the premiere of the 2nd season so I don't really know what the 1st season had to offer, but I hope it was better than tonight's premiere. lol

Much like I said with Reed Between the Lines, I think Let's Stay Together is trying to bring back programming of old with a little bit of today's concepts, but to me it falls a little flat. The show focuses on three sets of couples, most of whom are somehow related, trying to make their various relationships work when presented with different obstacles. Again, the cast isn't the problem--most of them are veteran actors and I've enjoyed half of them in previous roles. For me, it's the writing. Today's episode featured a cameo by Kandi Burress and my lawd! I have to give her a slight pass because she's really a singer, but oh my damnit she cannot act. It felt like her acting impacted the actress she shared her cameo with, because their exchange felt super scripted and super forced. Again, the jokes fall flat. There are a couple of moments that I chuckled or smirked, but I can't say I actually laughed throughout the episode and the only time I can remember coming close it was only because one of the characters was acting straight nigga in public. lol The plot itself really wasn't all that good and I walked away dissatisfied.

I really wish BET would get their writing together and come up with better material for these actors. The network has many talented names on their payroll, and I personally believe they deserve to have better material and plotlines written out for them. The sets are stiff and look too prop-like, some of the characters still seem a little stiff with the plot itself and the storylines they choose to make the focal point of the episode just can't carry it because they're no more than side story potential to me. Let's Stay Together could be a fantastic show and would help me begin to enjoy watching BET again--I haven't enjoyed watching the channel in almost if not over 10 years, so that should show how long I've been dissatisfied. I'm waiting, almost with baited breath, for some quality Black programming that isn't a reality show.

As I mentioned in my review of Reed Between the Lines, I do miss the cheesiness of yesterday's Black programming. I miss the simple plots, however they were simple in a way that was still able to carry the show. Today's simple plots are just that--simple. And not in a good way. The casts of both of these shows are young, sexy, and it would be nice to see them do a mix of yesterday's themes with a modern twist on it. As much as I miss tv themes of old, times have changed and I realize television needs to reflect that so we as viewers can still relate. That's not even my problem. My problem is that those people who write these plots don't reflect it. While I SEVERELY doubt Clair Huxtable would ever suggest spicing up her life with Cliff by acting out a scene from a porn, I doubt Cliff would even watch it. So yesterday's plot with Charles & Stacy doing that reflects a normal and modern problem affecting couples now--one of the two usually watches some sort of pornography and in an effort to not only get them to stop but bring some variety to the bedroom, the other will emulate it. I have no problem with that. My problem is that it didn't stand out; it wasn't done in an interesting way.

Bitchy Review: Again, this cast of actors and actresses is not my problem. It is the writing. I think BET has the potential to strike gold with their tv programming; not only is it not reality-driven like many other channels but it prominently features Black actors and actresses, something I believe more sitcoms are in need of these days. Even with times changing, the amount of diversity in programming unfortunately has not. With the big acquiring of The Game from The CW Network in addition to these new programs, BET stands to gain so many Black viewers and bring back old viewers by doing something new and exciting. The writing material on these shows, unfortunately, is killing it.

Bitchy Review: close but no bitch. 2 (out of 5)

Read More »

Bitchy Review: Tyler Perry vs Spike Lee Debate

I felt the need to hop on this train just for a second about Tyler Perry. Over the past couple of years, he and Spike Lee have had quite the war of words over the sort of movies they put out. In short from what I understand, Spike Lee questions the quality of the movies that Tyler Perry makes. Speaking in revenue terms, the latter is a very successful actor and writer; his Madea movies have all been hits at the box office and were hits before when they were plays. However, Tyler Perry has also done something that few African-Americans in cinema these days hardly do--being credited as producer, actor, writer & director. Yes, many Blacks in film these days are multi-talented, I'm not taking that away from them; Tyler Perry has many talents in film and making these movies gives him the opportunity to showcase such things. So I figured, I've got an opinion and since everyone else is saying theirs, let me try to sound at least somewhat educated about my facts about this before I give mine.

Let's look at this debate from both sides. My boyfriend leans more towards the Spike Lee way of thinking in that a Black man in drag hardly makes for groundbreaking cinema, not to mention paints the Black community as a whole in a bad way. My siblings are more of the "it's just comedy, why not enjoy it if its funny" opinion, choosing not to let these movies paint or shape them into any sort of stereotype people have come up with. And I can agree with both.

Movies like Big Momma's House, White Chicks, the Nutty Professor (which I still feel was ingenious for Eddie Murphy to do and play every character in that family LOL) and now the Madea series make a man in drag the focal point of the movie. Granted, the reasons are different--Martin Lawrence's character was in drag undercover as were the Wayans brothers, Eddie Murphy was simply playing the mother of the lead character and Tyler Perry's Madea quite frankly cannot be done justice by having another portrayer--but nonetheless the main character or supporting character to the main were all played by men in drag. Black men in drag. It has long been a part of Black tv to have that token gay character or that one character fulfilling all of the stereotypes and "That's so-and-so!" moments; you can take that all the way back to In Living Color, for a slightly less current example. The Wayans brothers made that one of the foundations of their show with the Men on..... skits. And don't get me wrong, they were all hilarious. I loved them. But with that said, I understand what Spike Lee is saying in a general sense; making men in drag a foundation or a fallback in Black cinema is not only what keeps general perception & acceptance of Black films lower than it should be, but because of that it presents the Black community as a whole pretty badly to harsher critics. What I think Spike was getting at was that there are many talented Black directors, producers, and writers out there today, he himself being one of them. It doesn't do the Black community justice to flock to these sorts of films instead of the ones that are actually saying something impactful, or funny without being idiotic. Black film shouldn't become synonymous with drag or Madea-style movies, and if we do have a voice we should use it in a more effective way and not using the microphone to always display senseless activities. I do believe that in smaller portions or doses it is hilarious and even though it seems rather common these days I still find it funny, it does begin to get rather tiresome to watch yet another Black actor don a wig and pop his neck better than some women I've seen do the same. I love Black comedies that don't fall into a box but the truth is these days, there are too many boxes for those comedies to fall into and the majority of them fall into the same one. This same plot and go-to shouldn't become the standard for Black movies, but unfortunately it has and has become expected.

On the flip side, movies that have to show the harsh life in society or those films that make you think had their heyday back in the '90s. Boyz In Da Hood, Juice, Above the Rim, Jason's Lyric, Do The Right Thing (not all of which Spike Lee produced, I'm just naming some Black movies with more serious plots) were all impactful movies on our society, if not to showcase how things really happen in some of our communities, but the '90s were about saying something, about sending a message and using your voice. In recent years I'll say that movies, especially Black-produced ones, tend to lack that. Sure, the stars and the writing or directing team will say what the movie is trying to portray, and I won't take that from them. However, many Black movies these days are comedies, and the majority of them feature characters like Madea. If not following that format, Black movies these days predominantly follow the same format more or less; the same skeleton so to speak. I respect Tyler Perry for prominently featuring a love for God and moral themes like the importance of faith, trust and respect in the characters' relationships, I do. There's nothing wrong with that. But I have to admit, integrating those themes typically follows the same skeleton as well. Some tired, Black woman is mistreated and then dumped by her man, usually someone very successful and very arrogant, for the typical younger chickie. Out of nowhere when she's at the end of her rope and questioning God, some handsome man comes along and sweeps her off her feet, therefore restoring her faith in God and giving her the happy ending she's always wanted. And yes, sometimes that happens and it's wonderful. But many times, it just doesn't. It provides false hope to those who really resonate with some of the women in these movies, not to mention simultaneously paints men in a good and bad light. At the other end of the spectrum, there's a good Black man, being mistreated by his loud, overbearing, oftentimes obnoxious wife and he's just trying to make sense of everything and find his way. Again, yes that's true and it sucks. It also paints women in a bad light and feeds into the stereotype that many people are all too eager to agree with, that Black women are loud and rude. Some of us are, but not all of us identify with those women and don't want to be forced into doing so. With that said, the moral quality of the movies tends to get lost in the mix of everything else going on in the movie--the sassy grandma, the stereotypical characters and statements, the seemingly same skeleton for every film--and at that rate, other than the morals shown in the film, what else is the movie really saying?

I understand both points of the argument and now that I am reading what I have written so far, I can see that most of what I have said so far is in favor of Spike Lee's side of the argument, but I can also argue Tyler Perry's half and will do so now. Yes, those movies I listed in the previous paragraph had their heyday in the '90s. Yes, that was an effort by Black stars and producers to give the community a voice. Yes, they were successful efforts. At the same time, not every movie needs to touch your very spirit's essence to be enjoyable. Not all of Tyler Perry's movies even involved Madea--the Why Did I Get Married? movies were wonderful, and there was no Madea in sight. Likewise with The Family That Preys, which was not only a deep movie, but Tyler Perry did not have a starring role unlike some of the other films he's made and again, no Madea. Sometimes with the stress and everyday pressures of life, you need something funny to lighten your spirits. You need a watercooler topic that doesn't make others think about the troubles within your lives and movies with Madea typically solve that problem. Madea, I can see, is a mix of various women in Tyler Perry's life, something he has admitted to before. And sometimes when she is saying certain things or behaving a certain way, I can't help but think "Oh my god, that reminds me so much of so-and-so!" or "Oh hell, I've said that before!" It's senseless humor; its meant to make you say things like that. But it isn't meant to make you question the very existence of your life. It's meant to stress things in your life that Perry feels should be present--faith, respect, and trust in God. Overall, I believe many of those movies are meant to stress the importance of family and related values, and the power of love. I can't knock that any day. They're movies that you feel comfortable watching with your kids, teaching them the importance of things that ultimately can help you shape them into being better people. It's not done in the same manner as movies of maybe my childhood, but if the movie's concept is effective in at least one life who am I to complain? The same message can be played out in different ways and people respond to it in different ways. To each their own, I say.

Both of these directors/producers are very talented. They both have the opportunity to relay a message and say something impactful. In very different ways, I feel that they achieve those goals. Tyler Perry goes the family route, while Spike Lee's messages are more in your face. I respect them both for what they do. I do not agree with all of Spike Lee's opinions nor do I enjoy all of the Madea films, but in this particular debate, they both have something to say, say it to who the theme speaks to, and are as a result very successful. Why don't both of you focus on being the voices for our community and ensuring that as a whole, we are presented at both our worst and best if we have to go to extremes? Why not use your voice to revitalize the way we appear and kill the stereotypes? Why not display the very best that Black films and actors/actresses have to offer? Both of these men are responsible for putting several stars on the map or giving their careers a boost--Denzel Washington, Ossie Davis and Giancarlo Esposito all appeared in Spike Lee films and received career boosts as a result. Tyler Perry, to his credit, regularly employs Black actors and actresses, something I feel is commendable when the film industry, as diverse as it claims to be, doesn't give Black actors & actresses quite the same acclaim unless they're playing someone of distinct disadvantage, facing some sort of obstacle, or playing sidekick. No, that's not always how it goes but many times it is. Kimberly Elise, Idris Elba & Angela Bassett all played parts in Tyler Perry films and still work regularly as well. Both of these men scored big time with a couple of casting marks--Spike Lee scored Nelson Mandela in Malcolm X, and Tyler Perry got 2 in 1 with both Cicely Tyson & Maya Angelou in Madea's Family Reunion. There is no comparison to be made because they both have done well in their craft, but mainly because the only point for comparison is that some of their target audiences are both Black. That is where the similarities end, and that is where this debate will end as well. Use your voices for good--people are listening to you and depending on you to give the rest of us a face, a voice, a story. Don't waste your time fighting over who is better or who has the better message and respect one another for both of you being able to achieve what so few Black men are able to do. You don't have to like each other's work, but you represent our community in film. Continuing to argue and throw shade at each other in the press only helps to further the impression that, in Spike Lee's own words, represent coonery and buffoonery. You're both entitled to your own opinions, but you're both doing something many others cannot. Use your voice for good--not to throw shade at each other.

Read More »

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all of you; I hope you all enjoyed the '11 holiday season and are now enjoying that it has come to an end. lol I certainly am. I can't lie, I was quite the Grinch this past season and couldn't be happier that it's over; it was much more trouble than it ended up being worth so I am very pleased to get back to the normal swing & flow of things.

As I'm sure you all know by now since I haven't updated you all in awhile (I swear I have about 8 blogs in draft now trying to cover it all since September!), there are many outs going on for the soaps that are left. I've said it many times before and I'll say it again, soaps are on their way out. And as popular as General Hospital and Young & the Restless are, I already know they will no longer be on my screen in 5 years, if they make it that long. Unfortunately, the death of soaps has already hit its apex. By the end of this month, One Life to Live will be gone as well, leaving 4 soaps still on the air. In some parts of the country, it'll be 3 because the programming in some places has also taken General Hospital off the air and replaced it with something else. Is this a sign of things to come in the (near?) future? Time will tell.

Brian Frons has been ousted as the head of ABC Daytime, therefore bringing that era and time to an end, which especially doesn't look good for GH, being the last daytime show still running on that network. I wasn't too fond of Brian Frons, but he kept my soaps on the air years after some said they'd be cancelled, so to him I am grateful for that. He saw the omission of soaps from CBS and delayed it happening to ABC for two years, so again I am grateful. However, there were so many changes on those soaps for the two years I had them that I am angry they went out the way they did. Unlike I did with All My Children, I don't think I'll be going back to One Life until the final episode, just to tell it goodbye, like I did with ATWT & GL. I tried watching One Life, but I couldn't get through an episode; if not for the confusion at returning to it after an almost two-year hiatus then because I just didn't like what I was viewing. The actors were not even the problem, it was the storyline--as usual. Some things never change. Actually if I'm being completely honest, I'm having the same problem with GH, not to mention all the outs at a time where they should be hanging onto their cast is essential. I can't sit through an entire episode anymore; I'll be lucky if I make it to the first commercial break. And that makes me sad; even when I had stopped watching OLTL & AMC, I always watched GH and now I just can't do it.

The outs are coming out left and right since September, and they are ALL prominent characters. Some are leaving by choice and others are not, but they are all still actors & actresses in frontburner storylines and will be missed dearly. Just off the top of my head, let me see who I can remember hearing about.
Lexi Ainsworth (Kristina) was let go a couple months ago;
Nathan Parsons (Ethan) was recently let go but apparently ABC or GH hasn't made a formal announcement;
Jonathan Jackson (Lucky) has already disclosed that he'll be leaving when his contract expires;
Kimberly McCullough (Robin) has also confirmed that she'll be leaving the canvas soon;
and Kirsten Storms (Maxie) has not yet returned from her medical-dictated exit and from what I hear, the replacement Maxie just isn't cutting it;
I'll be checking back at Soapcentral.com today to see if I left any others out.

It's disheartening to hear that these characters have/will be leaving at a time where maintaining the cast and viewership is so important to the survival (for however long, we already know when they decide to cancel the soap it'll be in favor of "current" programming trends, not because of viewers or fans) of the soap. I don't really think its smart to possibly alienate the fans and viewers right now and letting these people leave or overworking them to the point where they have to leave for their own sake, which is the case with Jonathan Jackson, isn't a way to keep us around. In the midst of the drama surrounding soaps now, the soaps still on the air should be thriving and growing, sticking together more than ever in fact, to show us that they're still trying to hang on. I really don't mean to sound apocalyptic on you all, but as a lifetime soap viewer all of this is rather disappointing.

From all appearances, the Prospect Park deal with OLTL & AMC has fallen through, as we have not heard any more about it in over a month. Not much has come out about the deal since hearing that they were interested in continuing the soaps online, then finding out that several actors/actresses from OLTL and three castmembers from AMC signed on to the web shows. Prospect Park has been all but silent about any developments made since the final show of AMC & the months leading up to the final show of OLTL; another move that I don't feel is particularly smart. Viewers are still saddened over losing these shows and not being able to see these characters and people that they practically grew up with--why would you not want to keep them in the loop after giving them hope? Furthermore and more importantly, why would you give us hope after ABC gave the axe, then go silent only to reveal without really revealing later that you don't intend to continue through with your plans? We would understand if you kept us in the loop about the process you have to go through with the actors/actresses and getting them to sign on, or the sponsors you have to contact to help fund the shows, or whatever else goes on behind the scenes to get the ball rolling. The thing is, you didn't do that. You told us you'd be reviving the shows and even gave us an anticipated premiere date, then put that date on ice, then put the entire concept on ice. No real reason given, just one bit of news every so often. Is this how you endear yourself to people waiting to give your website tens of thousands of hits a day so we can watch our shows? I personally think its a crock of [expletive]. You shouldn't offer to pick up the show, shouldn't even publicize interest, until you have everything else in place. We understand this is a new web network, and we understand that this concept in general, soap operas making the move from a television network to an Internet network, is a new one. However, we don't like our chains being yanked and we're sure the castmates that already pledged loyalty to not only keep a job but help said web network, don't appreciate it either. You have castmates like Susan Lucci waiting to find out more because talks have almost completely halted. One, that doesn't make sense as you should be talking to them more than ever right now, what you're doing right now isn't even a way to ensure they return; they could go out and find other jobs and wouldn't be permitted or even available to return should a deal finally go through. For the castmates who actually did commit already, they can't wait forever either. They've got families to feed and careers to continue building, whether its as the character we are familiar with or on completely new horizons. Doing what you're doing is only ensuring that these soaps will not return in the manner we're used to, with some of the same faces, if it ends up returning at all. People that may have at one time been committed or interested will start looking elsewhere as the days continue to pass without any word, which leaves you even more characters short. If that dwindles down enough to where you have no large star power to promote the return of the show, what do you have? You either have a completely new show that just happens to have a historic name and nothing else linking it to what we used to watch, or you have nothing at all. Which I'm beginning to wonder wasn't the plan all along once you realized this was far from a done deal and since it seems as though you can't hold up your end of the bargain. I can say though, this definitely is not a way to ensure the fans return if they've given up on it. So in short, Prospect Park, time is ticking. Get it together.

Ugh. I suppose my open letter/rant to Prospect Park is done for now. I'm glad I got most of that out; it had been sitting there for 3 months. lol

Read More »