Y&R with Jill, Colin and Katherine

Some of the most entertaining daytime viewing was on Y&R when Jill found her man, Colin.  And no, Katherine did not like that at all.  But Colin, Jill, and the viewers, thought it was quite entertaining!

Maria's Creative... Writing

This just in: Maria Bell has hired yet another new actor to gum up the works at Y&R.  Catherine Bach, Daisy Duke herself, will be entering Genoa City before too long.  Maybe she'll be a detective and finally locate Paul, Lauren, Jill, and the other vets that have disappeared into the woodwork.  Maybe she'll play a Family Therapist who will reunite Colin and Cane long enough to get the the Ashby/Atkinson story going again.  Nothing against Bach or Williams or the bevy of other newbies at Y&R, but they aren't used any better than the vets.

I've grown accustomed to the bewildering decisions over at Y&R, and I continue to be amazed at how no one, not even Sony, has stepped in to stop the madness that emanates from the Executive Producer/Head Writer's cave of doom.  I keep fully expecting to turn on A&E's Intervention one day and see Maria Bell sitting on the couch, surrounded by well wishers:

"Maria, you have to stop writing your show after spending hours surfing the air waves" says one.  "You have to choose.  Watch TV or write Y&R.  Pick one.  You can't do both."

"You are tearing us apart" says another.  "We don't recognize our show anymore.  You've killed off all the Abbotts, the Ashbys, the Winters, and most of the Newmans.  And now the show is in French and has a singing clown family at the center of it.  You have to stop now, dear."

"I can't.  I need it bad, man" counters Maria.  "If I don't add more new characters, no one will love me.  I'll get the sweats and... and... you just don't understand, man."

 Of course the hope is that she'll see the light and listen to the people around her.  Maybe their sanity and logic will rub off on her like a healing balm.   Y&R ceased to be entertaining long ago.  Many of us would watch, get hooked on a character, get involved in a story, and then Maria pulls the carpet out from our feet and giggles, "oops I did it again" before skipping off to create another character that will displace the characters we already don't get to see but every other full moon.

I also imagine Sony execs going to her office and gaining a clue about the devastation they are enabling.  My fingers remain crossed that SOMETHING will break through the fog over there and save the Y&R from its downward path.  One can still hope.... I hope...

One Bell Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest!

Enjoy this little conversation between Steve Kent at Sony Television and Maria Arena Bell the head "writer" at the Young and the Restless.  If only Steve would actually do something about the Maria problem. Now let us collectively cross our fingers.

Maria Bell Could Learn a Thing or Two from DOOL

With the deteriorating state of soaps on my mind, I caught John Carrozza's We Love Soaps interview of Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn. The interview contains fun stories and gives fans a nice treat in seeing these two back together. However more than that, Drake's comments show that he has a clear understanding about the fan's perspective and what fans are looking for in a story.

He states that the writers at DOOL are “very respectful of the audience and the history of the show and the audience's knowledge of what the characters have been through, so therefore the storylines that we can do right now are character driven. And whatever the plots are, it's like, 'yeah the character would react that way in the storyline.' It's not like a plot driven storyline where the audience goes 'Well she would never do that...Well she would never do that!' That's when you lose the audience.”

As I listened to that I had to stop and cheer and shout “EXACTLY!” DOOL seems to get this, and if I could waive my magic wand, I'd magically impart that same understanding to Maria Arena Bell and Sony. Bell's humorous statements (thought she was serious) about her scripts being character driven just show her lack of understanding, and SHE'S the writer (or the one who is being paid to write anyway). Drake (talented actor and experienced soap icon) should be hired by CBS to mentor Bell and get her on the right track.

Drake continued, “And that's what throws the audience most. Over my years that I've been there, we had some writers that would like, reinvent the character or change the history and the audience says, 'No that did not happen!' And they know the exact day that this did happen and what he said, and it's like, you don't fool, you don't mess with them. That's what Marlene and Darrell are doing. They're being very respectful of the show.”

Again, I cheer this very keen insight, and am baffled at why the logic of this completely misses the gray matter of Maria Arena Bell and Sony. But then the word “respect” comes into play. The lack of respect from The Young and the Restless is easily seen in the scripts (reasons Drake listed), and in the quotes from Bell and her writing team about what they are planning (which typically anymore falls flat or dies off quickly).

Deidre notes that the audience finds comfort and reassurance in seeing the couple together. “It's also a comfort. When there are hard times out there you want to see families pull together and take care of each other and that's what we're doing.” Drake sees the need to share words of hope with fans and followed that with, “If you have each other, you can get through this.”

In a time when the whole daytime drama format is on the ropes, we need someone to step up and transform the soaps that are dying, and recreate them into something that pleases fans (which brings in higher ratings and creates revenue) and introduces the genre to a new group of viewers. My history teachers taught that we learn history to avoid the mistakes of the past. Why can't the network execs and soap producers learn from history. They should be looking for a modern day Gloria Monty, who took a dying soap and turned it around into an iconic state.

But then throwing together a cheap talk/yak/cook show is easier I guess.

The Real Y&R Mystery

The Young and the Restless used to be the template for all soaps to follow. What happened to change this once great show? Viewers don't just quit watching out of the blue. There has to be a causal event that triggers a chain reaction to produce such an outcome.

There's no mystery on this one. The one common complaint of viewers is the writing and direction of the show. If the writing leaves a majority of the viewers disconnected, they will leave. When they leave, the ratings go down, which in turn leads the network to believe that people don't care about soaps anymore. Viewers aren't watching for a reason: they don't care about are poorly written stories.

Sony can fix the problem of a declining viewership by fixing the writing problem. Sony needs to ring a Bell, and do it ASAP. Stop the stunt casting and stop the madness- PLEASE! Who cares about the overdone mystery of Diane's death. I want this one solved: The mystery of the disappearing characters and dropped storylines. Forget the laughable investigation of Colin, and investigate how Bell can keep her job when this show is imploding!

The stunt casting is especially problematic. I don't buy the line about a “bloated cast” because Bell has been on a hiring spree of baffling proportions. Bell is the Oprah of stunt casting, walking through Hollywood shouting at anyone who comes near, “And you get a role, and YOU get a role, AND YOU GET A ROLE. EVERYBODY GETS A ROLE!” If budget is a concern, and if screen time for current players is a concern, then logic says, DON'T HIRE ANYONE ELSE!

Good business sense and logic have flown out of the Y&R offices on a pink unicorn, floating on a cloud of cotton candy, escorted by the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. Maybe we need to get Logic to Occupy Bell's Office. We want to get back great stories like Colin and Jill. We want a show that makes us oooo and ahhhh instead of urp and arrgh! The biggest mystery of all is why Sony hasn't voted Bell off the island yet.

Investigative Report: The Secrets of Y&R Magic Revealed

Where does Head Writer Maria Arena Bell get her ideas for plots and for the new characters for what she called an already "bloated cast." How does the magic at Y&R happen?

Maria Bell watched Oprah, saw Genie Francis and got the big idea to hire her as a new character on Y&R. Fans were told that something exciting was going to happen with the Atkinson/Ashby clan. Hopes were high that they would give the Newmans and Abbotts a refreshing new rival. So we connect Oprah to Genevieve's arrival in Genoa City.

Then, according to her latest interview, Maria went to a performance of Hairspray, saw Diana DeGarmo, and voila, Y&R got another new character... for an already “bloated cast.”

Ahhh, so our collective lightbulbs turn on and we begin to understand the workings of the Bell brain. She goes out on the town and POOF ideas just come running. We recently had an investigative reporter shadow Bell's evening activities so we could get figure out what new characters are on the Y&R horizon.

Bell attended a Comic-Con event and came up with a side kick for Super Cane. She met up-and-coming Luke Skywalker imitator Frank Nardo who will be joining Y&R as an Aussie Platypus wrangler named Bruce. Bruce spends all his time saying things like, “Wow Cane you ARE a hero” only pausing in the constant the hero worship to iron Cane's cape.

Attempting to replace the Aussie accent of Tristan Rogers, Bell was inspired by a Geico commercial and hired the Cockney Mr. Gecko. Mr. Gecko announced that he has now saved Y&R 15% by hiring him, and she confided to him that no one will notice the change in accent.  "They're all the same... right?” she stated confidently.

Bell then announced that Judge Joe Brown had been added to the cast after watching him bang a gavel and roll his eyes. She hired the judge to act and to help her research the intricacies of what happens during a trial. “Research is so important” she said. “The trial thing of Diane's murderer is going to be fantastic. It will last about a year because there's laws and stuff like that. The interpols send a new detective, played by THE Inspector Gadget- I watch his show faithfully” she confided. “They use the google from the internets to do really investigative things” she quipped. “I hope I'm not to technical for you” she explained.

After she stopped at Jack-in-the-Box for a quick bite to eat, she signed Jack-in-the-box spokesman, Jack, on the spot to do a 12 week stint as Jack Abbott's twin brother Jack. She told a puzzled bystander, “He'll have a major storyline in which he accidentally chokes the other Jack with a Jumbo Jack or a Sourdough Jack, with cheese, lots of swiss cheese, the kind with great big holes in it. Maybe some fries. I like fries, so I'll use lots of that, and maybe Swiss cheese fries too... What was the question?”

At this point our investigator in the shadows reported that Bell started playing with the Jack-in-the-Box head that she purchased with the meal. She tossed it up a few times, then... yes, she dropped the ball- which then rolled out of her window, onto the street, only to be crushed by a big yellow bus.

So, cheers to Maria Arena Bell. Where does she get these great ideas and how will she use her next set of great ideas? Only time will tell... if we HAVE time that is.

The Redemption of Cane

Remember seeing those movies that do a rewrite at the end so you can have options to choose from on your DVD?  It's your own Burger King edition of a film- you get to have it your own way.  That may work for movies, but not for daytime drama.  I'm convinced that Maria Bell and her team of writers are confused as to the necessity of constantly rewriting The Young and the Restless. They give us one ending, then switch and give us a different one.  First Cane was Philip, then he was blood kin to Katherine, then not, then he was, then he was Cane, then he was Caleb, then he was Cane.  He was a liar, then he was a hero... no a liar... no a hero, no wait, he gaslighted Lily, no wait, he was really a good guy, or not....? 

In a story that is character driven, the character assassinations don't rule the day according to the whims of the writer or the financial concerns of the producers.  Y&R's claims to be character driven are a slap in the face to the fans who clearly know the difference.  Bell has an agenda.  First it was to destroy and get rid of Cane.  And then she was forced to bring Daniel Goddard back.  I was glad to see him back because he was giving us some of his best acting in scenes with Tristan Rogers.  There was a whole new story to tell there of Cane's lingering secrets and his newly revealed family.  Whew! Finally something we can sink out teeth into again.  Finally there was something to get us through the lame re-dos of the other plots MAB was making us sleep though.

But here's the kicker, Bell, a "professional" writer who's modus operandi is to leave stories dangling till they disappear, couldn't figure out a single way to redeem both Cane and Colin.  Neither could Hamner. This is mind boggling that they couldn't summon up a single creative brain wave to give a reasonable explanation that would let us enjoy the Atkinson/Ashby family for years to come.  As a writer, I would be too embarrassed to announce that publicly, but yet they proudly proclaim, "Hey people, we have no imagination and can't write our way out of a paper bag.  Thanks and keep watching." 

Seriously?  Bell kills Cane so dead, so very very dead and puts her brand of an exclamation mark in that whole death scene and follow up.  Yes, we got it, Maria.  The guy is dead.  But wait.  It is a miracle.  That was Caleb.  Really?  A twin?  How inventive.  Not... But then she wastes Cane's reinsertion into Genoa City with more non sequiturial writing.  It is an insult to fans that we are supposed to believe the trite set up and rewrite, lame clues, and the limp twists.  With the lame material Ronan and Chance have in this "investigation" I don't know how they can do theses scenes without laughing.  It is all one stinking mess, and Sony knows it.

Sony could fix this by calling for Tristan's return, which means that they'd need a writer with a sense of logic and imagination, who could write a return, and explain it without going the twin route.  Let us have Colin back and find out that he was framed or some other plausible story.  Sony needs have their own redemptive act to save Y&R.  They need to invite Bell and her undynamic duo to take a break from the daily phoning in of their scripts, and then bring in someone who will simply write a great story that will bring fans back.  Come on Sony, get on the ball.