OLTL's Erika Slezak Speaks Her Mind...and How!

Many thanks to a living legend in soap journalism, Marlena De La Croix, for tipping soap fans off to this amazing, no-holds-barred interview with the normally reserved Erika Slezak ("Victoria Lord Davidson", ONE LIFE TO LIVE), who sounds off in her March 2007 "Erika's World" fan newsletter on exactly how and where OLTL has lost it's way (and she names names!) and tackles issues such as the firing of popular co-stars, the depiction of teen sexuality on the show, reacts to the firing of GENERAL HOSPITAL vet Stuart Damon, and offers the real reasons behind some of the show's decisions. I cannot properly describe how frank, candid, and genuinely interesting Slezak's Q&A is.

Equally good is Marlena De La Croix's latest contribution to the soap community, a blog entitled Savoring Soaps. It reflects De La Croix's decades of experience as a soap viewer, fan, and journalist--and shows she is still as insightful as ever. Her take on the Slezak interview is as good as the interview itself! I highly recommend checking it out.

Erika Slezak's newsletter is here (it's a .pdf).

Marlena De La Croix's Savoring Soaps blog here.

Soapdom.com Reader to B&B: Take Some Responsibility

Wow...a startling provocative indictment of B&B from a family counselor and reader of Soapdom.com (who have all rights to this material):

Dear Soapdom,

I started watching THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL from its inception, and I always enjoyed the little intriguing segments -- when I needed
fantasy -- but the writers have shown such a blatant disrespect for family life.

I entered the field of family counseling because there are so many broken teens, who were tramautized by family: rapes; marriages ended; incest, just to name a few of the heart-wrenching situations that brought life-changing events in their lives!

Yet, without any concern for your young viewers, [B&B] place[s] in their faces:

A sick young man like Rick, who believes it's alright to make sex with his young [former niece and step-] sister! Why not promote something healthy, like a man thinking of the effect this will have on the young
woman over time?

Why does Brooke, always have to be a tramp? Where is [their] sense of moral obligation??? The twisted thinking of [the] writers has caused me to re-think my sources of entertainment, and I assure you, watching this twisted program will not be one of my choices.

For a change, let age appropiate (sic) behavior be the bases for a storyline; let [the] characters own up to their wrong course; give Ridge and Brooke a chance to build a fantastic company together, let a competitive development between the two companies come. [They should] stop making Ridge look like a cartoon character...[and] make him strong, not a bully!

Young people are troubled with so many issues today.

Isn't it [their] responsibility also to provide healthy alternatives to the sick projections of family life that are kept feeding the youth of America who are raised in dysfunctional families? (The writers need to
work out their issues in therapy!)

Please let the lives (of the characters) be important!!!

Sincerely,

Betty, via email

Executive Producer Frank Valenti dishes OLTL

Over on sister blog Soapipe.com ONE LIFE TO LIVE Frank Valenti comments on several OLTL hot topics, including Emmy nominations (and snubs), and the possible return of fan favorite Roger Howarth (ex-"Todd Manning," AS THE WORLD TURNS' "Paul Ryan").

Check out the full post here.

When Casting Announcements for One Show Ruin Enjoyment of Another

In a piece for the Columbus Dispatch, writer Molly Willow advocates a little discretion in casting announcements:

Notices of casting often spoil surprises Even before I sat down for the season finale of PRISON BREAK, I knew things wouldn't turn out well for agent Paul Kellerman.

Not in an "Oh, I totally saw that coming" way (we all knew Meredith wasn't going to die on GREY'S ANATOMY). I mean, I actually knew because the actor who plays Kellerman, Paul Adelstein, has a new job.

This isn't insider TV critic stuff; I read it in The Hollywood Reporter almost a month ago. (Speaking of Grey's, Kellerman's fate rested on some doctors on ABC; Adelstein's new job is in the planned Grey's spinoff.) Casting announcements are the same reason I doubt that the Fox comedy The War at Home will be renewed: Its star, Michael Rapaport, has been cast as the male lead of the new CBS fall comedy Fugly.

<...>

Although I like knowing which of my favorite actors will be appearing where announcements can take the surprise out of television.

Read the full article here.

Has UGLY BETTY made 'plain and chunky' the 'new beautiful?

Writer Carol McGraw asks if "plain and chucky [is] the new beautiful?" and ponders whether UGLY BETTY may be partly responsible (or at least reflective) of a shift in American thought.

This is more an article on standards of beauty and attractiveness, but may offer some insight into why shows cast actors the way they do.

Read the full article here.