also, is there a mutiny happening over at B&B? I mean, I think you can make anything work and I believe this will provide the show with a much needed reboot…
No, I don’t think I can make anything work — nor can Brad, either. I also don’t feel I can make any final pronouncement about Ronn Moss leaving, either. But you know, at the same time, when you change a dynamic on a show, it makes all things possible that you could not do before. But at the same time, we’re all mourning because Ronn Moss is a really nice guy and he’s played that character for 25 years — and it’s hard to imagine anyone else ever doing it.
Do you know how talented you are? You must know….
Thank you…. You know, when you have this job, you write a lot, and some of it is not great, but if you’re lucky, and you have people who support you, then once in a while you get a show like yesterday and you’re like, “Wow, that was actually good.” But I never do it on my own.
Yeah, you could have been cockblocked or soapblocked….
Or, you could have an editor, who decided, “Wow — this is over the edge. We can’t have a father call his son pathetic.” That happens all the time. Listen, the best stuff I’ve ever written never got on the air! [Laughs]
Do you know when you write something special? Is there an “A-Ha” moment? Or, are you like, “Shit, I had no idea that was good?!”
Well, let’s take yesterday’s show as an example because I can’t take ownership over it. Brad, Michael [Minnis], Kay Alden and I all worked together on that show so that was a gift to me to give me that situation to write. Yes, I think I hit the goal, made the objective and made it work — but I can’t claim it was all me. Yes, I knew when I was writing it that it was cool but I didn’t know it would get on air. You’re a writer, too, so you know you have to get the satisfaction at the keyboard because, after it leaves you, you have no idea how it’s going to be perceived.
The predominate question everyone wants to ask you is: Why aren’t you head writing a show? Do you even want to? Is it too daunting? I think I may have asked you this in our last interview but if I were a network executive I would do anything in my power to convince you to helm a show creatively in all of its entirety.
No, it’s not daunting. Not only do I think about head writing, but I’ve also done it.
Did GH and SANTA BARBARA scare you off? [Laughs]
There are two issues. One is that it’s so much work. So much work. And you have to sacrifice so much in your life — and my life is what feeds me as a writer to write about people. And the second thing is, and the cold reality is, the higher you get up on that ladder, the less writing you get to do. You’re usually delegating to people about what you want to see happen… but you don’t get in there and get to put the words in people’s mouths — and that’s the thrill for me to get inside their hearts, minds, and mouths!
I agree. I’d love to head write but I would have to write dialogue. To me, they go hand in hand. Why do you think you have that gift? Maybe you haven’t figured it out yet… but you have a poetic gift, which is unrivaled in this business.
Well, thank you for the compliment…
Well, it may not be a compliment because I’ve seen that gift drive writers crazy…
Yeah, I agree; it can. For as long as I can remember, I’ve heard voices — but they are not psychotic voices that tell me what to do. Now, my advice is to never tell this to a psychiatrist!
[Laughs] Especially Taylor Forrester!
When I was a teenager, I told the wrong person I was gay and that question came up: I hear them at night or when I’m just sitting quietly… which is why I never listen to music at home unless I want to listen to something specific from beginning to end. There is no sound in my mind — I just hear people talking. That’s how my mind works. I just have to figure out what they are talking about. I mean, I can get an idea for a scene by just listening to my own head.
Is it like an imaginary process where it’s make believe or is it just instinctual?
I will hear a phrase from someone talking — and I will make the rest up.
I get that.
Now I totally sound psychotic!
No, you don’t. You get to the heart-and-soul of scene first — and then work around it. That makes sense. So, what do you think about AMC and ONE LIFE being canceled — I know you have never written for them — but what are the voices in your head telling you about the future of this medium and what it needs to do to survive.
I think we missed the boat in a few ways. I think the Gloria Monty strain in thinking about daytime drama led us down the wrong path to the insistent creation of “super couples” and big adventure storylines we can’t do very well in a studio. That was a wrong turn. And the audience was trying to tell us what the problem was by switching over to the Kardashians and seeing those sisters argue about why Sister A likes Sister B’s boyfriend and keeps his picture around. And Sister B is like, “Well, Sister A is such a slut…” well, that’s what we used to do! We used to give the audience that fly-on-the-wall feeling. We were intimate. And we fucked up. We’ve become improbable and we’ve become all about the “kiss.” And I don’t know if it’s remedial now. I had this conversation with Brad — and he thinks it is remedial. He thinks we can do what the Kardashians are doing… we can have the same draw but show how people should be classier and better behaved.
I agree. I find reality shows more character-driven than soaps. Prime time, cable and reality stole what soaps did so well and evolved it. Meanwhile, soaps are in panic mode… it’s like they are in the closet: gay but pretending to be straight — if they just “be,” everything will be alright. I mean, I tend to only watch competition/talent reality shows like BIG BROTHER, which I love because it’s a social experiment…. which soaps were kind of about, too.
Yes, the social dynamic of BIG BROTHER and putting it under a microscope — that’s really the interesting thing. I think our conventions just got too old and creaky. The audience always likes to think that their soap characters are real in many different ways and what they are watching is really happening but they can’t believe that anymore because we’re so old fashion and conventional.
What’s your relationship with Brad Bell? You know I love Brad to death: he’s the only person in this business trying to save the genre by thinking outside the box and he’s the sweetest, sassiest and smartest guy in soaps.
Yes. Brad is never not a great guy.
But B&B is kind of a clusterfuck right now. I hate when soaps find something successful and overstaturate the canvas with it. You should be doing the opposite. I mean, I guess I’m asking: Do you do what you’re told or do you give him advice? I mean, if I had Michelle Val Jean and Patrick Mulcahey on my writing team…. And, by the way, I’m so happy Michelle Val Jean is writing for B&B! I’m so happy Brad Bell hired her! She’s so talented. And a sassy little diva!
I’m still waiting for my finder’s fee! [Laughs] I love Michelle. We’re glad to have her here. As for Brad, oh, he trusts me. It’s very open, really. He’s made a truce with his inner control freak. When we did the 5000th episode, he said, “Well, this is what I kind of see,” and I said, “Well, that’s great and I’ll do it like a play,” but when I wrote it, he did make a major change by taking himself out — he was going to have a bit part in it — so he doesn’t forget he’s the boss. He never forgets to give me feedback, praise and credit to me in person, in the press and to actors. And for my part, I really trust him, too. When I hear an idea, which I think is disastrous, I’ll send up a flare — and he always listens. I mean, always listens. Very often, he’ll really consider my advice and make adjustments. But sometimes after stating my point of view, he stays his course, and I have to trust that he sees something that I don’t see yet. And usually, that’s how we work.
Do you think the fact that Brad writes a few weeks in advance of taping is a hindrance or benefit in today’s climate?
I think I’m going to say something bigger than answering this
question: On this show, we can do without a story if it’s faithful to its characters and it shows compelling scenes between characters. Soaps don’t have to be steering towards Armageddon or a pot of gold towards some rainbow. Listen, it’s fun to have story, don’t get me wrong, but it’s OK when you don’t have a big arc for someone just like Stephanie when she battled lung cancer… just focus on the step before the other step. As long as you’re honest about doing that you can keep the audience. The one thing you can’t get away with is manipulating the characters with plot.
[Cough] No comment.
It doesn’t have to be an either/or. When I worked with Douglas Marland, there was always a great [marriage] between a long-term plan and an immediacy of character interaction.
I actually think B&B is the closest thing to SANTA BARBARA because the characters just write themselves in many ways and the original, dysfunctional family dynasty is still intact (for now). You almost can’t fuck it up because Stephanie and Brooke are so engrained in the show’s DNA… not that I’m comparing any soap opera to SANTA BARBARA, which is arguably the best soap opera ever to air. Would you agree that there is a similar SANTA BARBARA DNA on B&B?
I wouldn’t agree with that, actually. SANTA BARBARA was so story interruptus all the time because we had so many writer changes and network interference at every turn. So many of our characters had amnesia – and so few of them had a long tenure with the exception of the Capwells. B&B, to me, feels more like GUIDING LIGHT when I was writing it with Douglas where the characters had a long history and every one of their interactions are loaded with whispers of the past. That was what GL felt like to me… Look at Ed Bauer, he was born on the air, he was 50 years old — and that was a cool thing. The closest thing I’ve ever had to that was Eric, Brooke, Ridge and Stephanie. 25 years!
The Core Four! And what’s ironic about that is B&B is the youngest soap opera on air! So what the fuck is happening on B&B? Obviously, Hope/Liam/Steffy was a happy accident but have you guys lost focus about what the show is about? Is this overplayed?
Well, overplayed is in the eye of the beholder; and not mine. It’s arguably true that we were so elated to have a constellation of characters that was cast so well that we could rest a heavy burden on them, right? All our actors are fantastic. We had a lot of dry years with our younger actors — whether they weren’t cast well or they were but they left us too soon.
I believe B&B is Brooke’s story. She is the protagonist. All roads lead to Brooke — and this insufferable Hope/Liam/Steffy triangle, to me, is still a Brooke story. I spoke to Brad, Jackie MacInnes Wood, Don Diamont and Scott at the Emmys and told them that I think this triangle is a karmic catharsis of sorts in the Brooke/Ridge/Taylor thread because Brooke is defending Hope, who is like Taylor, and Taylor is defending Steffy, who is like Brooke. I wish you played that beat more.
So, yeah, maybe if the audience feels we’ve overplayed them, well, then that’s how they feel but we are aware that we are echoing history with that triangle. What we don’t want to do is force the parallels. We want the characters to be themselves. I don’t think you can’t not admit that we took Steffy on a character arc where she has developed into a different person than she used to be — even though she is still fun but she’s not deceitful or manipulative. We’re not trying to make her Brooke.
No one is Brooke — except for KKL. Steffy’s kind of a hybrid, of course. Steffy’s a heroine for our time. Jackie is kind of stealing the show, actually.
You know, there is a chemistry between writer and actor where you want to write what that actor can do — and she is so wonderful in this role right now. I don’t think we want to hammer home the parallels… we know we’re doing that.
I guess what I’m asking is: can we expect more integration? The show is not balanced….
For his response and more, tune into the next issue of SOAP OPERA UNCENSORED.
Cover Story
FALL 2012: FEARLESS PREDICTIONS
What will happen? Who Will Die? And What Hair Colour Will Michelle Stafford Sport Next?
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL — Burning Bridges
• Ridge refuses to return to town when he joins a horrible rock band in Italy. He runs into Clarke and Clayton Norcross there.
• Brooke falls for Dr. Meade during her battle against breast cancer.
• Liam chooses Steffy.
• Liam chooses Hope.
• Liam chooses Steffy.
• Liam has sex with Katie.
• Liam marries Katie.
• Liam sleeps with Hope.
• Hope becomes pregnant.
• Liam bottoms for Thomas.
• Stephanie dies — and haunts Brooke.
• Felicia returns when her mother dies — and falls for Bill.
• Scientists are called in when Katie gives birth to an Emmy.
• Amber hits town again when Rick and Caroline are about to wed.
• Marcus is overjoyed when he finds a Hooked on Phonics texting app.
• Peter Reckell joins the cast as nuRidge.
• Ronn Moss continues his meltdown on Twitter.
• By the end of September, Moss accumulates 1 million Twitter followers.
• Broke, after buying all his followers, Ronn Moss begs for his job back.
• RJ is SORAS’d and played by Eddie Alderson.
• While Karen is away, Dani has an affair with Felicia. Bill is immediately turned on.
DAYS OF OUR LIVES — Renewed, Baby!
• Gabi learns she’s pregnant with Will’s baby. “Let’s name her Grace,” suggests the vixen. Sami switches the baby, natch.
• In order to get back at John and Marlena, Kristen beds Brady during one of his coke binges.
• Bo leaves town to become a fashion designer in L.A.
• Father Eric Brady is accused of sexually molesting his altar boys. Immediately, Will becomes an altar boy.
• Jen is hired by Chick-Fil-A to do its PR.
• Ken Corday shows up to work one day.
• NBC renews DAYS after the net realizes that the soap has taped episodes well into 2014. Nice move, Gary Tomlin!
• Hope falls in love with Rafe to the delight of EJami fans.
• When Gary Tomlin refuses to pursue the red-hot chemistry between EJ and Will, Chandler Massey and James Scott release a real-life sex tape to help fans out!
• Nick becomes addicted to Meth because Blake Berris does it so well. Bitch.
• Melanie leaves town with Bo to find Carly…. in Los Angeles.
GENERAL HOSPITAL — A New Time, A New Attitude
• Turns out Jerry is working for Mr. Big.
• Sarah Brown returns as Claudia.
• Jason has sex with Elizabeth before he “dies.” Liason fans orgasm in unison.
• Lulu and Dante continue to put the audience to sleep.
• Genie Francis is back as Laura just as Luke and Anna wed.
• Patrick falls for Maxie just as Robin returns back from the dead.
• Alan Quartermaine returns back from the dead.
• Jackie Zeman is still missing in action.
• James Franco returns to tell Sam that Jason is the father of her baby. To apologize, he votes for Kelly Monaco on DANCING WITH THE STARS.
• Steven Lars is poisoned when he visits Chick-Fil-A — and no one notices he’s gone except the sober GH audience.
• Robert finds Duke and brings him back to Anna.
• Luke registers as a Republican when he realizes he didn’t “legitimately” rape Laura.
• Nancy Lee Grahn’s boobs refuse to take a pay cut.
• GH holds on to the majority of its passionate audience when it moves to 2 P.M.
• KATIE fails miserably in GH’s 3 P.M. timeslot.
• ABC/Disney realizes it completely dismantled and destroyed its daytime line-up. Vicki Dummer changes her name to Vicki Dumb Dummer Dumbest.
• ONE LIFE and AMC are
brought back to the ABC line-up in 2013!
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS — A New Era Begins!
• Kevin accidentally says, “I want to tag and grab Adam.”
• One of Lane’s twins dies.
• The Bell Family mourns when Maria Arena Bell falls into a volcano. No one has an alibi.
• Sharon screams at Faith: “No more wire hangers!”
• Daniel and Heather still share no chemistry.
• A plane flies over CBS studios with the banner: “Save Yvonne Zima.”
• Adam goes ballistic when one of his Twitter followers asks him to retweet her because it’s her birthday. He punches Esther.
• During a scene, Doug Davidson’s package bursts out of his tight jeans killing and maiming several crewmembers.
• Victor Newman has a new best friend: an empty chair. “I call it, ‘The Bastard.,’” he tells SOAP OPERA DIGEST.
• Sharon announces she can see Russia from the Newman Ranch.
• Abby and Carmine produce a sex tape. I buy it immediately.
• Restless Style TV hires Maria Arena Bell.
• JFP fires Genie Francis when she gains a pound.
• Josh Griffith makes everyone happy by resurrecting Ricky as played by Peter Porte.
• Jill finally returns home… with Colin!
News & Views
SOAPILEAKS:
This Week’s Hottest News, Gossip, and Reviews!
ALL MY CHILDREN — Keeping Up With The Luccis!
• Did you guys know Susan Lucci nixed the idea of doing a reality show about her own life? Yep, the Emmy winner is a class act. You go, Susan!
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, CBS/CTV — Ronn Moss is a Twitter God!
• The Longest Goodbye: If you follow Ronn Moss on Twitter, you’re fully aware that he’s on a tweeting and retweeting rampage. For someone who quit the soap to pursue his music career, it’s becoming clearer that Moss was bluffing when he left the show due to a paycut and the show’s new focus on the younger set.
While I don’t really pay attention to how many followers soap stars get, I do with B&B because I find it strange and ironic that the actors on the most watched daily serial in the world are the least followed among American soaps.
Katherine Kelly Lang only boasts 13K followers and, until recently, Moss did, too. So imagine my surprise when I spotted Moss’s 350 K Followers! How did Moss attract so many followers in less than a month? This makes him the most followed soap star ever (sorry, Alison Sweeney).
Did he buy his followers? A co-star nods, “I’ve been waiting for someone to notice.”
In story 411, Brooke and Ridge walk down the aisle for their seventh and seemingly final time. Expect a shocker as the couple wed surrounded by pictures of their past nuptials.
John McCook raves about Kelly Lang’s emotional performance in this week’s DIGEST. He says, “We shoot weddings all the time, but the fact that this is the last one for Ridge and Brooke and Ronn’s last day, it’s a big