The 84th Annual Academy Awards were a mixed bag for me. An example was Meryl Streep’s third Oscar win for her wonderful portrayal of U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady.” I am glad that Streep broke her 29-year Oscar drought. I’m disappointed, however, that it had to be at Viola Davis’ expense.
First, I think that the Academy takes Meryl Streep and her acting prowess for granted. I think she should have won for playing Karen Silkwood in “Silkwood” (1983) or for “Out of Africa” (1985) or “The Bridges of Madison County” (1995) or “The Devil Wears Prada” (2006) or “Julie and Julia” (2009). Streep inhabits almost every role she plays. She’s a chameleon. But I believe Academy members, while awed at her acting ability, tends to believe she’ll be nominated later or tends to give someone else a chance.
After Davis’ Screen Actors’ Guild win for her role as housekeeper/nanny Aibileen Clark in “The Help,” I thought she was a shoo-in for best actress, becoming only the second African-American female thespian after Halle Berry to take the statue. I saw “The Help” and noticed in Davis’ eyes and her posture her transformation from an oppressed maid with small dreams to a woman with hope, even in the dawn of the civil rights era. Davis was the heart of that movie, which was nominated for best picture while “The Iron Lady” wasn’t. But I will give Davis credit for being gracious in defeat to her friend Streep. As my sister Black Woman Blogging said, “Davis is kind, smart, and important. And inspirational.”
I saw “The Artist” on Saturday at the Varsity Theater in Davis. I liked it. The dog Uggie tugged at my heartstrings. While it deserved its five Oscars, I thought it was a good film but not a great one. A great film, in my opinion, is one where you see it numerous times and find something new in each viewing. “The Artist” had much breadth, with its homages to “A Star Is Born,” “Citizen Kane,” “Singing in the Rain,” and some Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers musicals, but it lacked depth. Yet it was good enough to be the Academy’s flavor of the year.
I’m glad Christopher Plummer finally got his long-awaited Oscar for “Beginners.” I’m happy that Octavia Spencer won for best supporting actress for “The Help.” While her role as Minny could have been written off as another sassy maid, it was her compassion and conviction buried beneath her tough exterior that carried the performance.
As for Jean Dujardin, his best actor win ranked with Roberto Benigni’s win for “Life Is Beautiful.” I doubt that I will see Dujardin in another film shown in the United States. Frankly, I think George Clooney should have netted his second Oscar for his tragicomic portrayal of Matt King in “The Descendants.” I think the Academy felt it needed to award an actor along with its flavor-of-the-year film.
With the technical awards, I was off my game. I expected the Harry Potter finale to take some awards. Instead, four technical Oscars went to Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo.”
Host Billy Crystal did a “pretty good” job. At least he wasn’t the awkward couple that was Anne Hathaway and James Franco. I’m not sure if the Oscar producers will invite Crystal back next year. It is difficult to have a host who is funny yet respects the acting audience.
So, what did you think?
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Fault Lines
I am seeing a disconcerting trend in the United States of people not listening to each other, disparaging others who don’t share their views, and jealously protecting their own interests. If this trend continues, I would not be surprised if this nation falls apart within my lifetime.
In Oakland, the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education, where I was trained to become a newspaper journalist, offers a diversity training program called “Fault Lines” that teaches participants how to talk to their coworkers across divides of race, class, gender, generation, and geography. I believe we are a nation divided by multiple fault lines that include these categories – and politics and sexual orientation.
A recent example of this trend is the string of comments on Twitter after the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals announced today the overturning of Proposition 8, a California constitutional amendment that bans gay marriage. While there were many “tweets” of celebration, some disparaged Christians who supported the amendment. Not all Christians in California supported Proposition 8.
Another example I noticed was an entry in the online publication Benicia Patch in which a resident attended a January 25 meeting in Fairfield addressing housing and transportation. Kathy Kerridge wrote that she made a comment and was told by an audience member that if “you don’t agree with me, you can move to Russia.” When Kerridge asked a woman who opposed paying more taxes for transportation how would blind people get to work without public transit, the woman replied that they should walk.
On a national level, the candidates for president claim their biggest goal is to defeat President Barack Obama. However, I have yet to hear how they would address the housing crisis or help boost the economy to create jobs, or how they would deal with the soaring cost of health care. And how would tax cuts for the wealthy help the middle class and the poor? Or do they care?
Before things get out of hand, can we all sit together and discuss our concerns without shouting or name-calling or eye-rolling? My fear is that if we don’t start working together to solve the problems of this country, the United States will rupture along one or more of these “fault lines.”
Writing Diva
In Oakland, the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education, where I was trained to become a newspaper journalist, offers a diversity training program called “Fault Lines” that teaches participants how to talk to their coworkers across divides of race, class, gender, generation, and geography. I believe we are a nation divided by multiple fault lines that include these categories – and politics and sexual orientation.
A recent example of this trend is the string of comments on Twitter after the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals announced today the overturning of Proposition 8, a California constitutional amendment that bans gay marriage. While there were many “tweets” of celebration, some disparaged Christians who supported the amendment. Not all Christians in California supported Proposition 8.
Another example I noticed was an entry in the online publication Benicia Patch in which a resident attended a January 25 meeting in Fairfield addressing housing and transportation. Kathy Kerridge wrote that she made a comment and was told by an audience member that if “you don’t agree with me, you can move to Russia.” When Kerridge asked a woman who opposed paying more taxes for transportation how would blind people get to work without public transit, the woman replied that they should walk.
On a national level, the candidates for president claim their biggest goal is to defeat President Barack Obama. However, I have yet to hear how they would address the housing crisis or help boost the economy to create jobs, or how they would deal with the soaring cost of health care. And how would tax cuts for the wealthy help the middle class and the poor? Or do they care?
Before things get out of hand, can we all sit together and discuss our concerns without shouting or name-calling or eye-rolling? My fear is that if we don’t start working together to solve the problems of this country, the United States will rupture along one or more of these “fault lines.”
Writing Diva
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Oscar Nods Plus a Pleasant Surprise
My closest friends know that I am an Oscar geek. I could tell you when was the last time there was a tie in an acting category was in 1968 with Barbra Streisand and Katharine Hepburn. Streisand won for "Funny Girl," while Hepburn took home the third of her four Oscars for "The Lion in Winter."
Today, I am giving myself a pat on the back. The newspaper critics kept predicting the usual suspects for best actor: George Clooney for "The Descendants," Brad Pitt for "Moneyball," Jean Dujardin for"The Artist," Leonardo DiCaprio for "J. Edgar," Ryan Gosling for "The Ides of March." Well, I kept saying, "Don't rule out Gary Oldman for 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.'"
Hah! I was right!
Oldman, who is in the newest series of Batman movies as Chief Gordon, was nominated for his first Oscar for his role as George Smiley, along with an unknown Mexican actor named Demian Bichir for "A Better Life," which I hadn't heard of. Oldman has also been a character actor in the Harry Potter series. I heard of him when he was in "Sid and Nancy" about doomed rock star Sid Vicious and his girlfriend Nancy Spungeon. He was so overdue for an Oscar nod.
Unfortunately, making room for Oldman and Bichir meant that Leo got skipped (again!), along with Gosling. Michael Fassbender, who played a sex addict in "Shame," also got overlooked. Oh, well.
I wish that there could be a tie between Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady" and Viola Davis in "The Help." Both received kudos for their performances. But if Oscar is true to form, Davis may get it because "The Help" was nominated for best picture and "The Iron Lady" wasn't. However, I would love to see Streep get one more Oscar to tie with Jack Nicholson and the late Walter Brennan. Come on, let's have a tie! The two acted together in "Doubt," and Streep was up for best actress and Davis for best supporting actress. As Streep said to Davis during the Golden Globes, "You're my girl." Yeah, a tie!
Surprise snubs from best actress: Tilda Swinton, she of the tornado hair and garbage bag dress, for "We Need to Talk About Kevin," and Charlize Theron for "Young Adult." Maybe Tilda could stay home on Oscar night.
As for best supporting actor, the Motion Picture Academy may as well wrap up a statuette for Christopher Plummer for "Beginners." His closest competition is Max Von Sydow for "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close." Both have their second nomination and, yes, both are old (82). I would have liked to have seen Albert Brooks nominated for "Drive."
Both Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain are nominated for best supporting actress in "The Help." But I think the wild card in this category isn't Berenice Bejo for "The Artist," but Melissa McCarthy for "Bridesmaids." What could happen is that Spencer and Chastain cancel each other out, making room for McCarthy to take it.
The best song category was harsh. No Madonna for her song from "W.E." No Mary J. Blige for her song from "The Help." Only two songs nominated, one from "The Muppets." (I forgot the other one.) Harsh!
As for the movies, the only one of the nine I saw was "The Help." I have some catching up to do. I think "The Descendants" will take it, based on current awards. I was very surprised that part two of the last Harry Potter wasn't nominated for best picture, just some technical awards. The Screen Actors Guild awards on Sunday night may make the Oscar predictions clearer.
The lead story from the Los Angeles Times has more information.
Writing Diva (and Oscar Geek)
Today, I am giving myself a pat on the back. The newspaper critics kept predicting the usual suspects for best actor: George Clooney for "The Descendants," Brad Pitt for "Moneyball," Jean Dujardin for"The Artist," Leonardo DiCaprio for "J. Edgar," Ryan Gosling for "The Ides of March." Well, I kept saying, "Don't rule out Gary Oldman for 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.'"
Hah! I was right!
Oldman, who is in the newest series of Batman movies as Chief Gordon, was nominated for his first Oscar for his role as George Smiley, along with an unknown Mexican actor named Demian Bichir for "A Better Life," which I hadn't heard of. Oldman has also been a character actor in the Harry Potter series. I heard of him when he was in "Sid and Nancy" about doomed rock star Sid Vicious and his girlfriend Nancy Spungeon. He was so overdue for an Oscar nod.
Unfortunately, making room for Oldman and Bichir meant that Leo got skipped (again!), along with Gosling. Michael Fassbender, who played a sex addict in "Shame," also got overlooked. Oh, well.
I wish that there could be a tie between Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady" and Viola Davis in "The Help." Both received kudos for their performances. But if Oscar is true to form, Davis may get it because "The Help" was nominated for best picture and "The Iron Lady" wasn't. However, I would love to see Streep get one more Oscar to tie with Jack Nicholson and the late Walter Brennan. Come on, let's have a tie! The two acted together in "Doubt," and Streep was up for best actress and Davis for best supporting actress. As Streep said to Davis during the Golden Globes, "You're my girl." Yeah, a tie!
Surprise snubs from best actress: Tilda Swinton, she of the tornado hair and garbage bag dress, for "We Need to Talk About Kevin," and Charlize Theron for "Young Adult." Maybe Tilda could stay home on Oscar night.
As for best supporting actor, the Motion Picture Academy may as well wrap up a statuette for Christopher Plummer for "Beginners." His closest competition is Max Von Sydow for "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close." Both have their second nomination and, yes, both are old (82). I would have liked to have seen Albert Brooks nominated for "Drive."
Both Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain are nominated for best supporting actress in "The Help." But I think the wild card in this category isn't Berenice Bejo for "The Artist," but Melissa McCarthy for "Bridesmaids." What could happen is that Spencer and Chastain cancel each other out, making room for McCarthy to take it.
The best song category was harsh. No Madonna for her song from "W.E." No Mary J. Blige for her song from "The Help." Only two songs nominated, one from "The Muppets." (I forgot the other one.) Harsh!
As for the movies, the only one of the nine I saw was "The Help." I have some catching up to do. I think "The Descendants" will take it, based on current awards. I was very surprised that part two of the last Harry Potter wasn't nominated for best picture, just some technical awards. The Screen Actors Guild awards on Sunday night may make the Oscar predictions clearer.
The lead story from the Los Angeles Times has more information.
Writing Diva (and Oscar Geek)
Sunday, December 11, 2011
(Less Than) Six Degrees of Separation
I have spent the last 21 years living in the Bay Area, 16 of them in Solano County. During my years in Fairfield and Vacaville, I've learned that upper Solano County is a close-knit community. I learned how close-knit it is during a soiree I attended last evening.
A friend from my old church, E, invited me to her home for a holiday party. We sang together in the church choir. I went with another friend from the same church. (We attend different churches now). When we arrived, we saw a couple arrive. The husband, T, was a coworker from a newspaper I worked for in the early 1990s. The wife, D, is a friend and former attendee of the same church.
An hour into the party, a woman arrives. When we meet, I learn that she, C, worked at the newspaper during the early 1990s, where T and yours truly worked. When her fiance R arrived, it was a classmate from my college days. We graduated in 1983. C and E work for the same employer.
OK, this sounds like one would need a scorecard to keep up. My somewhat convoluted example explains how our web of relationships works. The degrees of separation among Solano County residents is small. So, the next person I meet in Solano County may be a friend of a colleague of boss or whatever. Mind boggling, huh?
Writing Diva
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Friends Don’t Let Furry Friends Fly in Cargo
Family and close friends know that I love animals. I am a “cat mom” of two felines. So, when I read that a cat who had been lost for 61 days and later found had to be euthanized, I wept.
For more than two months I had followed on Facebook the saga of Jack the cat, a 7-year-old café-au-lait-colored Norwegian Forest cat traveling with his “brother” Barry in the cargo hold of an American Airlines plane. On Sunday night, November 6, Jack’s extensive skin wounds were too difficult to treat, and the feline had to be put to sleep.
More than 25,000 fans read about the ordeal of Jack and his “mom” Karen Pascoe, who was moving from New York to California for a new job. After Pascoe checked Jack and Barry in to American Airlines as cargo on August 25, Jack escaped the carrier’s baggage center at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. Hurricane Irene reached the northeastern states, causing travel chaos.
Pascoe’s sister Mary Beth Melchior created a Facebook page “Jack the Cat is Lost in AA Baggage at JFK,” which eventually earned more than 25,000 followers. “Friends of Jack” searched the American Airlines terminal searching for Jack but finding other homeless cats. The searchers then found “forever homes” for those felines.
On October 25, two months after he disappeared, Jack fell through a ceiling tile in the customs area at JFK’s Terminal 8, according to the Los Angeles Times. He was taken to a veterinarian in Queens to be treated for malnutrition.
After his condition improved a bit, Jack took a turn for the worse and had to be removed from his suffering.
Some of the Facebook page followers want a law where a global positioning system (GPS) device would be on every animal that travels in cargo. After I initially supported it, I changed my mind after a post from my sister Black Woman Blogging. Furry family members should not travel in cargo. They are treated like luggage and stored with them. As BWB said, “No one can hear your pet scream.”
If I had to travel with my cats Tuffy and Diva, I would rather drive and find pet-friendly lodging than subject them to the indignity and danger of flying in cargo. I have a somewhat “psychic” relationship with my cats, where I can “hear” them crying if they’re in trouble or pain.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram quoted the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, which stated domestic airlines reported 39 pet deaths, 13 pet injuries, and 5 lost pets in 2010. The newspaper quoted American spokesman Tim Smith, who said the carrier hired a pet detective and searched many times at the airport over the two months.
There are options for animal lovers who need to transport their pets cross country. There is a company based in Delray Beach, Fla., called Pet Airways. Instead of flying in the cargo hold, pets travel in the main cabin with a pet attendant on board caring for them during their journey. Although the service hasn’t reached Northern California yet, Pet Airways serves eight airports, including Los Angeles. If it comes to San Francisco, it’s on like Donkey Kong!
There have to be a better ways for our furry friends to travel with us and not be treated like luggage. I pray that Jack’s journey across the Rainbow Bridge won’t be for naught.
Writing Diva
For more than two months I had followed on Facebook the saga of Jack the cat, a 7-year-old café-au-lait-colored Norwegian Forest cat traveling with his “brother” Barry in the cargo hold of an American Airlines plane. On Sunday night, November 6, Jack’s extensive skin wounds were too difficult to treat, and the feline had to be put to sleep.
More than 25,000 fans read about the ordeal of Jack and his “mom” Karen Pascoe, who was moving from New York to California for a new job. After Pascoe checked Jack and Barry in to American Airlines as cargo on August 25, Jack escaped the carrier’s baggage center at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. Hurricane Irene reached the northeastern states, causing travel chaos.
Pascoe’s sister Mary Beth Melchior created a Facebook page “Jack the Cat is Lost in AA Baggage at JFK,” which eventually earned more than 25,000 followers. “Friends of Jack” searched the American Airlines terminal searching for Jack but finding other homeless cats. The searchers then found “forever homes” for those felines.
On October 25, two months after he disappeared, Jack fell through a ceiling tile in the customs area at JFK’s Terminal 8, according to the Los Angeles Times. He was taken to a veterinarian in Queens to be treated for malnutrition.
After his condition improved a bit, Jack took a turn for the worse and had to be removed from his suffering.
Some of the Facebook page followers want a law where a global positioning system (GPS) device would be on every animal that travels in cargo. After I initially supported it, I changed my mind after a post from my sister Black Woman Blogging. Furry family members should not travel in cargo. They are treated like luggage and stored with them. As BWB said, “No one can hear your pet scream.”
If I had to travel with my cats Tuffy and Diva, I would rather drive and find pet-friendly lodging than subject them to the indignity and danger of flying in cargo. I have a somewhat “psychic” relationship with my cats, where I can “hear” them crying if they’re in trouble or pain.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram quoted the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, which stated domestic airlines reported 39 pet deaths, 13 pet injuries, and 5 lost pets in 2010. The newspaper quoted American spokesman Tim Smith, who said the carrier hired a pet detective and searched many times at the airport over the two months.
There are options for animal lovers who need to transport their pets cross country. There is a company based in Delray Beach, Fla., called Pet Airways. Instead of flying in the cargo hold, pets travel in the main cabin with a pet attendant on board caring for them during their journey. Although the service hasn’t reached Northern California yet, Pet Airways serves eight airports, including Los Angeles. If it comes to San Francisco, it’s on like Donkey Kong!
There have to be a better ways for our furry friends to travel with us and not be treated like luggage. I pray that Jack’s journey across the Rainbow Bridge won’t be for naught.
Writing Diva
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
The Soundtrack of Our Lives
When I read yesterday that entertainment diva Jennifer Lopez broke down in tears during a recent performance that included reenactments of her love life, I could relate.
I consider myself musically oriented. I learned to play piano when I was 6. (I’ll have to pick it up again.) I love almost all kinds of music except most country and rap. I have 649 songs on my iPod Touch so far, spanning the 1960s to Coldplay’s “Fix You.”
Most important, songs play a major part of my life. I can tell you what song was playing during a certain event.
For example, I danced my first slow dance at a chaperoned high school party to “As” by Stevie Wonder. To the strains of Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman,” I studied mass communications at UC Davis while working as a reporter for the campus radio station. While waiting in line to get my bachelor’s degree, some of my fellow graduates sang Queen’s “We Are the Champions.” Swing Out Sister’s “Breakout” came out when I was enrolled in a journalism boot camp that launched my 12-year career. On a road trip to Monterey, I blasted Gwen Stefani’s “What You Waiting For?”
Not all the memories were pleasant. In the mid-1970s, I had junior high school classmates sing that awful “Brother Louie” by Stories. I was once dumped while Gloria Estefan’s “Don’t Wanna Lose You” played in the background.
But all those songs are as much a part of me as the books I’ve read, the places I’ve traveled, and the experiences I’ve had. To some people, they’re just songs. To me, they’re the soundtrack of my life.
However, I don’t have a theme song, yet. My brother H2 the Lionhearted has one – “You’re Still a Young Man” by Tower of Power. (Don’t ask why.) I wouldn’t be surprised if it were played at his funeral.
Maybe I should adopt Natalie Bedingfield’s “Unwritten.” After all, I’m a writer. And much of my life has yet to be written.
Which songs are on your life soundtrack?
Writing Diva
I consider myself musically oriented. I learned to play piano when I was 6. (I’ll have to pick it up again.) I love almost all kinds of music except most country and rap. I have 649 songs on my iPod Touch so far, spanning the 1960s to Coldplay’s “Fix You.”
Most important, songs play a major part of my life. I can tell you what song was playing during a certain event.
For example, I danced my first slow dance at a chaperoned high school party to “As” by Stevie Wonder. To the strains of Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman,” I studied mass communications at UC Davis while working as a reporter for the campus radio station. While waiting in line to get my bachelor’s degree, some of my fellow graduates sang Queen’s “We Are the Champions.” Swing Out Sister’s “Breakout” came out when I was enrolled in a journalism boot camp that launched my 12-year career. On a road trip to Monterey, I blasted Gwen Stefani’s “What You Waiting For?”
Not all the memories were pleasant. In the mid-1970s, I had junior high school classmates sing that awful “Brother Louie” by Stories. I was once dumped while Gloria Estefan’s “Don’t Wanna Lose You” played in the background.
But all those songs are as much a part of me as the books I’ve read, the places I’ve traveled, and the experiences I’ve had. To some people, they’re just songs. To me, they’re the soundtrack of my life.
However, I don’t have a theme song, yet. My brother H2 the Lionhearted has one – “You’re Still a Young Man” by Tower of Power. (Don’t ask why.) I wouldn’t be surprised if it were played at his funeral.
Maybe I should adopt Natalie Bedingfield’s “Unwritten.” After all, I’m a writer. And much of my life has yet to be written.
Which songs are on your life soundtrack?
Writing Diva
Friday, September 23, 2011
R.I.P, AMC
After more than 41 years, the ABC daytime drama “All My Children” aired its last television episode today. Needless to say, I’m sad and pissed. (Sorry for the language.)
I haven’t seen the final episode yet. I’m waiting until I get home to watch it. I’ll have a box of facial tissues nearby. I used some tissues for the salute to the Hubbard family on Monday.
Although the venerable soap is supposed to be reborn on the Internet sometime next year, for me, it won’t be the same. “All My Children” wasn’t just a soap that aired five days a week. It fostered gathering places for people to watch, such as college dorms, corporate lunchrooms, sports bars (Yes!), and homes with big-screen TVs. People talked about the antics of Erica Kane and how it took 19 nominations for her portrayer Susan Lucci to win a Daytime Emmy Award as best actress. There would be a collective “AWWW!” at each cliffhanger. Viewers followed the love stories of supercouples Cliff Warner and Nina Cortlandt, Greg Nelson and Jenny Gardner, Tad Martin and Dixie Cooney, Jesse Hubbard and Angie Baxter, and even Adam Chandler and Brooke English. There were characters we loved to hate, such as the powerful Palmer Cortlandt and Adam Chandler, snob Phoebe Tyler Wallingford, pimp Billy Clyde Tuggle, and egomaniacal Dr. David Hayward.
I began watching “Chillin’,” as I call it, in 1972. (Yes, again I’m dating myself.) While in school, I would watch on holidays and during the summer. While attending UC Davis, I spent my unoccupied noon hour watching the show in the basement Games Room of the Memorial Union. I would ask someone what I missed, and I would help someone else catch up. Student viewers would work on their papers and study while watching Tad Martin messing with Liza and Marian Colby, daughter and mother, respectively. The Games Room viewers were a community.
When I entered the working world after college, I didn’t have much time to catch up on my soaps. I depended on Soap Opera Digest and weekly recaps in newspapers. When I worked as a reporter for a Fairfield newspaper, I would try to watch AMC with my coworkers in the conference room during my lunch break.
When I read in April that “Chillin’” was being canceled with my other favorite soap “One Life to Live” in favor of a cooking show called “The Chew” and a lifestyle talk show called “The Revolution” (Wasn’t that the name of one of Prince’s backup bands?), I was livid. I believed the soaps would last forever. But with CBS soaps “The Guiding Light” and “As the World Turns” canceled due to low ratings, I was kidding myself.
Prospect Park, a television, film and music production company, will air the two soaps online. But not all the actors are on board for the Internet version of AMC. Debbi Morgan, the Emmy-winning actress who played Dr. Angela Hubbard, will jump to “The Young and the Restless,” while J.R. Chandler’s portrayer, Emmy-winner Jacob Young, will return to “The Bold and the Beautiful” as Rick Forrester. Others, including Rebecca Budig (Greenlee Smythe) and Emmy winner Michael E. Knight (Tad Martin) opted not to return and will move to other projects. And Susan Lucci has turned down an offer from Prospect Park to resurrect Erica Kane. I don’t expect it will be the AMC that I’ve watched for four decades.
So, I wish the “All My Children” I’ve watched and loved farewell. And to Brian Frons, the president of ABC Daytime who ordered the cancellations: I have a bag of used cat litter with your name on it.
Writing Diva
I haven’t seen the final episode yet. I’m waiting until I get home to watch it. I’ll have a box of facial tissues nearby. I used some tissues for the salute to the Hubbard family on Monday.
Although the venerable soap is supposed to be reborn on the Internet sometime next year, for me, it won’t be the same. “All My Children” wasn’t just a soap that aired five days a week. It fostered gathering places for people to watch, such as college dorms, corporate lunchrooms, sports bars (Yes!), and homes with big-screen TVs. People talked about the antics of Erica Kane and how it took 19 nominations for her portrayer Susan Lucci to win a Daytime Emmy Award as best actress. There would be a collective “AWWW!” at each cliffhanger. Viewers followed the love stories of supercouples Cliff Warner and Nina Cortlandt, Greg Nelson and Jenny Gardner, Tad Martin and Dixie Cooney, Jesse Hubbard and Angie Baxter, and even Adam Chandler and Brooke English. There were characters we loved to hate, such as the powerful Palmer Cortlandt and Adam Chandler, snob Phoebe Tyler Wallingford, pimp Billy Clyde Tuggle, and egomaniacal Dr. David Hayward.
I began watching “Chillin’,” as I call it, in 1972. (Yes, again I’m dating myself.) While in school, I would watch on holidays and during the summer. While attending UC Davis, I spent my unoccupied noon hour watching the show in the basement Games Room of the Memorial Union. I would ask someone what I missed, and I would help someone else catch up. Student viewers would work on their papers and study while watching Tad Martin messing with Liza and Marian Colby, daughter and mother, respectively. The Games Room viewers were a community.
When I entered the working world after college, I didn’t have much time to catch up on my soaps. I depended on Soap Opera Digest and weekly recaps in newspapers. When I worked as a reporter for a Fairfield newspaper, I would try to watch AMC with my coworkers in the conference room during my lunch break.
When I read in April that “Chillin’” was being canceled with my other favorite soap “One Life to Live” in favor of a cooking show called “The Chew” and a lifestyle talk show called “The Revolution” (Wasn’t that the name of one of Prince’s backup bands?), I was livid. I believed the soaps would last forever. But with CBS soaps “The Guiding Light” and “As the World Turns” canceled due to low ratings, I was kidding myself.
Prospect Park, a television, film and music production company, will air the two soaps online. But not all the actors are on board for the Internet version of AMC. Debbi Morgan, the Emmy-winning actress who played Dr. Angela Hubbard, will jump to “The Young and the Restless,” while J.R. Chandler’s portrayer, Emmy-winner Jacob Young, will return to “The Bold and the Beautiful” as Rick Forrester. Others, including Rebecca Budig (Greenlee Smythe) and Emmy winner Michael E. Knight (Tad Martin) opted not to return and will move to other projects. And Susan Lucci has turned down an offer from Prospect Park to resurrect Erica Kane. I don’t expect it will be the AMC that I’ve watched for four decades.
So, I wish the “All My Children” I’ve watched and loved farewell. And to Brian Frons, the president of ABC Daytime who ordered the cancellations: I have a bag of used cat litter with your name on it.
Writing Diva
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