All that we send into the lives of others

More snide sarcasm coming soon. We interrupt today’s broadcast for this special announcement…..

When Guiding Light ended in September, I shared some of the local Chicago points of interest that were part of Irna Phillips’ life, and of GL’s beginnings.

Around the same time, I was lucky to be one of the people who landed a new job after months of post-layoff unemployment. As I’d promised in September, I sent a donation to the same church that Phillips found comfort in during a rough time – the one that eventually inspired her to create GL.

I’m hoping to inspire GL fans, as well as ATWT fans and fans of other Phillips creations, to donate to 2 Li’l Fishes, the church’s food pantry. And to make it fun, I’m recommending that you do what I did – donate an amount equal to the number of years you’ve been watching.

I’d love to have you post in the comments here the number of years and dollars you donated! It’s a great way to honor something that entertained me for so many years, and to speak to the message that we directly affect the lives of others every day – that our actions speak louder than words and dialogue.

The Web site for 2 Li’l Fishes, which includes their mailing address, can be found here.

Prime numbers

About a year ago, I talked about some of the prime-time serials, and wished that their daytime counterparts would copy from them. My contention was that the prime-time shows were doing a much better job at portraying romance, family and the fine points of relationships.

I may have spoken too soon.

The ballad of Hans Gudegast

No matter what big, splashy storyline you might be watching onscreen these days – Carly returning to Salem? Tea and Todd getting married? Who really killed Stuart Chandler? – that story can only pale when compared to the high drama and the twists and turns provided by the story of Eric Braeden and his job status as Victor Newman on The Young and the Restless.

The story reached its climax on Friday when it was announced Braeden would be returning to the role of Victor. It was a culmination of a series of events worthy of Victor Newman. Braeden gave a slew of “exclusive” interviews and played hardball.

According to Sara Bibel’s Deep Soap, the tide appears to have turned when entertainment news sites like Entertainment Weekly reported that the salary that Braeden claimed was a “lowball” salary was still in the neighborhood of a million dollars. When Sony played those PR cards, Braeden’s camp appeared to be in a more conciliatory mood.

All personal feelings about the character and the actor aside, I think the whole Braeden story is a fascinating study in office politics and the power of public relations.

And it clears up one mystery that both We Love Soaps‘ Roger Newcomb and I had been puzzling about for so long. Namely: why the HELL does Eric Braeden get so many Soap Opera Digest covers?  It’s been no secret that Braeden’s publicist has for years maintained a sweetheart deal for Braeden – if he talks to you about story, Eric is on the cover. Period.

Was it ego? Perhaps. But in light of his now-temporary departure, I see it as solid insurance for a man working in a genre that has pushed many other actors in his age range and pay range down the elevator shaft.  This all hit me when I read Michael Logan’s interview (an “exclusive” one) with Braeden earlier this month. Logan’s interview with Braeden included this very telling comment:

ERIC BRAEDEN: It’s not that I’m not cognizant of these difficult economic times. One has to be stupid not to be aware. I’m also aware of certain decreases in the [Y&R] license fee that took place recently, but now it’s sledgehammer time, you know? [And that’s wrong] when you put your ass on the line for this show for 30 years, and have done as much publicity as I have. I still sell more [daytime] magazines than anyone in this medium, as you know. And I am very proud of that association.

Braeden’s insistence on being a cover boy could be called a lot of things – but stupid isn’t one of them. Those covers came in handy in the public relations battle that followed.

I’ll admit that, from a creative perspective, I’m not a huge Victor Newman fan. And whether it’s the character of Victor, or Braeden’s acting skills, I’ve felt that Victor was a pretty limited character. For years, I thought he was the Ridge Forrester of Y&R, a wooden character who’s more of a figurehead than anything else.

But while Braeden may be no Olivier or Branagh, it occurred to me the other day who he IS – daytime’s Clint Eastwood. Eastwood doesn’t have an A to Z acting range, either. But he plays the hell out of the few letters he does have in his range, and he’s smart and thoughtful about trying to make those characters more than one-dimensional stick figures.

In any event, the band playing the sad ballad of Hans Gudegast (Braeden’s real name) has left the rathskeller, and that ominous violin music is back, heralding his return. The Mustache, Father Time, The Great Victor Newman (TGVN) – whatever you call him, he may have been down, but he’s definitely not out.

You got that?

Dazed and confused

Readers: My apologies for being incommunicado for the last few weeks. Thanks for your loyalty to A Thousand Other Worlds!

You have no idea how much I’d like to write a glowingly positive review of As The World Turns. I’ve been watching the show since 1985 – almost 25 years – and I’ll be writing a lot more about it in the next few weeks.

Speculation about ATWT’s future has been fast and furious since sister show Guiding Light was cancelled. P&G shows, which once numbered in the dozens, are down to one, and rumors persist this is the end of the road for ATWT, now daytime’s lowest rated soap.

I’ve been trying to understand where the show is headed by watching the last few weeks and months. But I’m still not clear what story ATWT is trying to tell.

Zombieland

Halloween isn’t for a few more weeks, but I swear we’ve been living in some parallel soap universe overrun by zombies.

We’ve all become accustomed to very shocking news – with the industry shrinking and budgets disappearing, we’ve experienced our share of  ”oh no they didn’t!” moments in the comings and goings department.

But the last few weeks have been truly astonishing.

Let’s take a look at these bombshells, one by one.

My favorite new soap

In the last few weeks, I’ve become addicted to a fantastic new soap.

It’s a soap with engaging characters that leap off of the screen, as well as a great sense of humor. Even though half the characters are in high school, they’re still so well developed that I actually care about what happens to them. And my new favorite soap has already launched into a few sudsy storylines.

I am, of course, talking about Glee.

Lessons Oakdale needs to learn from Springfield

Oh yes, I AM going there.

It may seem too soon – since Guiding Light only ended about 48 hours ago – but time is of the essence.

Yes, I loved Guiding Light. And I love As The World Turns, too. I was disillusioned with it for much of 2008 and 2009, and I had focused much of my energy in this blog on GL. But now Oakdale has my undivided attention! Lucky for them.

I’ve been watching ATWT since 1986, and I’m very worried – as many of us are – that it might be next to go. I think GL suffered from bad timing – it made necessary changes way too late in the game – so I’m hoping ATWT will learn from some of the lessons that GL had to learn the hard way.

Here’s some things ATWT should learn from its older – and unfortunately dearly departed – sibling.

That’s a wrap

I’ve received e-mails (tens of them!) from readers who asked me for my take on the last episode of Guiding Light.

I have to admit, I’m reluctant to revisit the topic.

It’s been a looooong five months since we learned about GL’s fate, and I’m beginning to feel like it’s really time to take a deep breath and let go.

But I can’t resist an opportunity to add my two cents in, so here’s what I thought about the last days of Springfield.

Behind the curtain at Oz

A phone call reminded of something this morning, and it’s been on my mind since.

As you watch today’s final Guiding Light episode, remember that in addition to the cast of characters you saw on your screen every day, there were many, many people behind the curtain at Oz.

We may not have always agreed 100% with their ideas or decisions, but these actors, writers, directors, producers and administrative folks worked very hard and were very invested in making GL be the best it could be, every day.

Invested, folks. Deeply, deeply invested in the show, and its survival.

There are a lot of people who lost their jobs and their livelihoods, as well as the joy of working on a project that they loved. They’re on my mind today.

Sunset in Springfield

Here’s a recap of the coverage I’ve featured here as part of the end of Guiding Light.

Ten old friends

An elegy for Springfield

The lion and the cobra

The hardest working woman in show business

Family reunion

Enter Vanessa Chamberlain

The curious case of Otalia

Here’s where the story ends

Reva and the red dress

Holly: Woman of heart and mind

We may never pass this way again

The end (and the beginning)