Dear Susan Lucci, My Only Agenda Is Saving Soaps
Daytime superstar Susan Lucci visited The Talk on Thursday and got fans buzzing about the possibility of All My Children continuing on another network. Before that, she mentioned not believing the AMC cancellation rumors initially because they came from a blogger, who she thought had a "negative agenda." As the blogger most likely in question, Ms. Lucci I must respectfully say, my only agenda has always been helping to save the soaps.
Like millions of soap fans, I adore these serials. Their characters are like family to me; their amazing stories, like treasured heirlooms. The not-so-great tales are like any family secrets, painful, and I'd like to forget them if at all possibly, but some drunk relative keeps bringing them up at the Fourth of July barbecue.
Ms. Lucci, growing up in a sports-obsessed town, straight out of Friday Night Lights, an overweight black kid who would rather read Soap Opera Weekly than play center on his high school football team wasn't in danger of winning any popularity contests. Soaps were my salvation until I could save myself by heading off for college to pursue a writing and broadcasting career.
While most of my peers at Southern Arkansas University were inspired by great writers like Samuel Clemens, Charles Dickens, Berstein and Woodward, I wanted to be the next Agnes Nixon or Bill Bell. This was a fact that netted me more than my fair share of eyerolls, smirks and giggles, but I didn't care. I knew soaps had the same transformative power of the best newspaper articles, plays or movies, because they had transformed me from someone who felt painfully unworthy, because I couldn't hit a fastball like one of my cousins— nor did I want to—into someone who believed I could escape small towns and small minds to lead a fabulous life full of romance, career success and the occasional battle with a Sweeps month serial killer.
Have I been highly critical about AMC's storytelling in recent years? Absolutely. I've been hyper critical of all bad soap stories, because I've born witness to the amazing sagas this genre can tell, as have my droves of readers and podcast listeners.
I would debate the snobbiest of film or theatre buffs on the social themes, characterization and acting chops displayed in such stories as Cindy Chandler's (Ellen Wheeler) battle with AIDS and prejudice in Pine Valley or Bianca Montgomery's (Eden Riegel) coming out. I'd even defend the splashy, escapist romance of Erica Kane and her Hungarian count Dimitri Marick (Michael Nader), or the delicious, melodramatic villainy of Erica's badseed daughter Kendall Hart (Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alicia Minshew), and the campy hijinks of Opal (Jill Larson) and Palmer (the late James Mitchell), which is why stories about poisoned pancakes and unaborted fetuses made the whites of my eyes go black.
Never have I once criticized All My Children's veteran cast for the state the show was in. Although I have blasted TIIC's penchant for putting vapid newbies front and center at the expense of said veterans, such as yourself, Debbi Morgan, David Canary, Michael E. Knight, etc.
Have I reported on AMC executive producer Julie Hanan Caruther's inability to bring this show in under budget? Of course I have, because it was the truth. Countless sources have detailed to me what a major headache AMC's budgetary woes have been for Disney in recent years. ABC didn't move All My Children across the country for the weather.
I know Hanan Caruthers is popular with the cast and crew, but in these hard economic times—for all of network TV, not just daytime—it was her task as showrunner to do whatever it took to keep this show financially healthy. She didn't accomplish that. Not that it would have made any difference, since Frank Valentini reportedly has done his job managing One Life to Live's finances effectively and his show is getting the boot as well.
Ms. Lucci, you've mentioned ABC showing you a document stating AMC's financials were sound, however since the cancellations of AMC and OLTL were announced, Frons himself has said in countless interviews they weren't, so I am puzzled as to what exactly you read on my blog that "wasn't true"? I'm sorry, but once again these people lied to your face.
Back in 2008, I was the first person to report that ABC was forcing its daytime employees to take massive, across the board pay cuts. Mere hours after that report went up, ABC Daytime released a statement to Soap Opera Digest saying what I reported wasn't true. The next day, Agnes Nixon confirmed my story to Advertising Age.
I was also the first to report that All My Children would be moved to Los Angeles. ABC Daytime told Soap Central that report was "rumors that had been in the zeitgeist forever." When the move was announced, just days later, I reported that ABC came dangerously close to cancelling both AMC and OLTL, a fact that was angrily denied to the soap press, including me, in phone conversations with ABC Daytime's Vice-President of Publicity and True Lies Jori Petersen.
The PR peeps at ABC Daytime wanted me to be quiet. They even offered me greater access to their stars, interviews, etc. if I would basically just pipe down and be another publicity vehicle for ABC Daytime. As you've probably noticed, much like Julia Roberts' character in Something to Talk About, I have a problem eating poop politely, even for a Kim Zimmer interview.
Since I broke the story of the AMC move, I've ran numerous reports on Frons' aggressive development of vehicles to replace ABC's soaps—long before the mainstream media decided to go there—hoping that if I got the word out, fans and the industry could fight back a la the efforts to save primetime shows like Chuck and Fringe. Silly Jamey, tricks are for kids.
Over and over again my coverage of the state of ABC Daytime, my calls to action, were dismissed. Then, after Brian Frons broke the hearts of millions of soap fans by announcing the cancellations of two soaps at once, he went to Deadline and in one fell swoop, confirmed each and every expose, rumor report and breaking news item I've reported about ABC Daytime on this blog since 2008.
I am sorry Ms. Lucci, but the agenda you should have been focused on was Brian Frons', not mine. I'm simply a loudmouth, black, overweight fanboy from Texas who didn't want to see his 'stories' go away. I'm not the one with Erica Kane's blood on my hands—Mickey Mouse is.
At any rate, I still love me some Erica Kane and you, La Lucci, and pray you're right about someone picking up AMC, not to mention OLTL and GH, if and when it comes to that. In the meantime, I'm gonna keep on blogging and keep on watching you both on AMC and in interviews like the one below:
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Comments
5 July 2008
5 min 6 sec
Very Respectfully Put Jamey. I was attacked On soapcentral Yesterday cause I questioned If Lucci's comments on the show possibly being saved were sound given that she was the last to know about the cancelation. now I'm being raked over the coals and called a naysayer.
Jamey However thats what u get when u try and speak about the possible reality of a situation sometimes. Once again, good Job.
31 January 2011
10 weeks 4 days
Jamey Dont Beat Yourself over someone (with all due respect) didn't have the galls to stand up to regime that was actively running this EPIC Show into the ground. I respect Susan, Melody, and the other vocal actors but lets be real they have the oppurtunity stand up for theses shows and they can either allow them to be ran in to ground or not.
26 June 2008
5 hours 27 min
My first thought when she said that was "What on earth does she think the agenda is???? the cancellation of soaps is not something you, as a daytime blogger, would want...So what does she think is your or this websites' motivation....she doesn't make much sense to me...
31 January 2011
10 weeks 4 days
I must the Talk has been bringing it for Soap Fans Lately.
22 October 2010
5 hours 43 min
Jamey - that was really beautiful - We all love you.
16 March 2008
13 min 50 sec
Jamey, you by now should know what a HUGE Susan Lucci fan I am but I truly hope that you sent this letter to her. If so, I hope she reads it and reaches out because I thought it was very well written and very true. I’ve been listening to DC Confidential for about 2 years now and I know everything you wrote is the straight forward honest to God truth.
15 October 2008
4 weeks 2 days
This is really big of you.
Hopefully the intent here will finally make these soap stars catch a clue and stop blaming the messenger.
28 April 2011
1 year 51 weeks
Susan Lucci is still just staying with the company line. She wants that job on Desperate Housewives Brian Frons has promised her. Well good luck with that. They are pulling the same crap(going to be picked up by another network)that worked out so well for Guiding Light and As The World Turns.
16 March 2008
13 min 50 sec
Plus, can we all agree that The View, particularly Ms. BaBa WaWa, could really give two hoots about the ABC soaps as long as Brian Farts is pulling their puppet strings.
11 April 2009
2 hours 59 min
Jamey However thats what u get when u try and speak about the possible reality of a situation sometimes. Once again, good Job.
Appleridge,
That's sad. Given the timing, there's little hope for another network to pick up AMC. All of the networks released their schedules at the upfronts.
15 October 2008
4 weeks 2 days
I think now more than ever there needs to be a common ground w/fans, press, and the shows. They need to know that the criticisms (small and extreme) does come from a place of care since we make time to invest and they work had to put out the product.
We are in a new age and I think think that is what us throwing these actors for a loop (fits into the discourse of the lack of evolution for the daytime soaps). They have been use to so much praise (false and true) from the mags, that they just regulate the Internet to the same bunch of negative complainers.
Won't go on b/c it will be an incoherent post of should of and would of b/c it is not healthy especially since the end is inevitable.
3 November 2009
1 year 30 weeks
Great letter, Jamey...let's hope someone waves this under her nose!!
As far as her toeing the company line so she can be on DH...good luck to her! That sucks, too!! It's like jumping off the Titanic to take a ride on the Lusitania!!
21 June 2010
1 year 31 weeks
Great letter Jamey.
I hope Susan Lucci has the chance to read this.
12 February 2010
4 days 1 hour
My dear Susan Lucci has her facts mixed up, clearly. The only people who have had AGENDAS have been Julie Hanan Carruthers, Megan McTrashy, Chuck Pratt, Killer Kreizman, Swajeski, James Harmon Brown and Barbara Esensten, all of whom have totally TRASHED this show over the past 7 years, showing up SEEMINGLY only to collect a paycheck, while not giving a hot damn about improving this show or treating us to the level of grade A storytelling that we all enjoyed in the 70s, 80s and 90s.
Getting paid SIX figures a month to produce crap is a dream job, if you can get it.
I still love Susan, and am not sure where her venom comes from, but I wish she'd get her facts straight and stop blaming the messenger. People who try to ADDRESS the problem should not be vilified. That vilification should be reserved for those who STARTED the problem in the first place.
But we all know how people like to often blame journalists simply for having an opinion. Heck, many of the posters on this site are guilty of the same thing. The second you post something that they don't agree with, they are ready to tar and feather you. It's just not right. Not right at all.
27 December 2007
1 day 5 hours
Ms. Lucci remains clueless..."some blogger with an agenda"
The only agenda I've ever experienced here is telling the truth about the state of Soaps
9 January 2011
1 year 47 weeks
Who is the male blogger she is referring to?
5 July 2008
5 min 6 sec
Who is the male blogger she is referring to?
DC's One & Only Jamey Giddens
22 October 2010
5 hours 43 min
Jamey, I cant stop thinking of this. I have never - ever read anything you have said to not pan out eventually. I remember how sad you were when these shows were cancelled. I, however, have read from another person info that were gospel and never happened. Maybe its not you Jamey. You never were hateful. Anything you ever said happened word for word. Jamey, unless you know for sure, maybe its not you. You are good at what you do, and Ive never known you spilling beans unless you knew what you were talking about.
18 February 2009
51 min 52 sec
Jamey, I wondered whether she was talking about you when she said that yesterday, but I dismissed you as the prime suspect immediately, because I couldn't twist my brain in any way that would explain how you had any kind of negative agenda.
As much as I love Susan Lucci, it's clear that she speaks the party line (probably with good reason, to help not just herself, but her fellow castmates), so I always taken anything she says with a grain of salt.
9 January 2011
1 year 47 weeks
HOGWASH!!!!!!! I hope Jamey knows how respected he is!!!!!!!
29 October 2009
13 hours 39 min
Jamey- great article. You pretty much summed up by early school days also. I just realized why I have loved soaps and serials in general for so long. BRAVO!
8 November 2010
11 weeks 6 hours
I keep wondering where Jamey is from....
I'm from Texas also.
I will miss the soaps terribly. I think all three will be gone eventually and then I will be gone from ABC for good.
My soaps have gotten me through my teenaged depression years, the long illness and death of a parent, two bad marriages and divorces, and the birth of my first child. I can remember many late nights with my newborn and One Life to Live in the background. I picked the name Caroline for my daughter when I heard Luke call Carly that. I have recorded these soaps and watched when I got home from work for nearly 20 years. I have watched these with my mother and grandmother and now my daughter is starting to watch. She will be too little to remember by the time these go off the air. I feel like I'm losing a good friend. The one stability in my life for 20 years. My escape when sometimes my personal life was going to hell in a handbasket. The one thing I could count on to be always there and always the same.
Oh yeah. That's right. Not anymore. I hate you Brian Frons.
22 January 2011
25 min 40 sec
From one painfully skinny black kid who couldn't play sports to an overweight black kid: Jamey, I loved that line, "Soaps were my salvation until I save could myself."
They were mine too.
Susan often comes off as being in a bubble when it comes to her awareness of what is going on with ABC, so I can't say I'm surprised.
1 July 2009
4 hours 11 min
As much as I love Susan, she is too often towing the company line. Jamey and other bloggers like him are just saying their opinions and more often than not, the truth.
Too many people have agendas, maybe if Susan had said something sooner especially after what Pratt did to the show, things would've been different.
Don't ever change, Jamey!!! We love you and the rest of the DC gang, keep doing what you guys do best!!!!!
11 September 2008
1 week 11 hours
I can understand Susan Lucci's point of view because this site has had an agenda for quite awhile now to promote One Life to Live as the greatest thing since sliced bread. You guys would critize the stupidity on AMC but always heaped praise on OLTL. Even in this article you talk about AMC's EP and their last few HWs having agendas, but what about your boys Valentini and Carlavati? They have been just as destructive to OLTL as any of AMCs EP and HWs. And as AMC and OLTL begin to fade into the sunset AMC is going to go out with a bang with Lorraine Bordderick writing but the same can't be said for OLTL, Carlavati even said he doesn't plan on rewriting anything because of the cancelation so OLTL will go out on a crappy note which is too bad because I once loved that show.
17 May 2011
37 weeks 6 days
Lucci can't seem to catch a break, no matter what she says. She's made it pretty clear that the network honchos misled her; but as long as she still has to be "in bed" with them, how much can she afford to trash them? Actors who trash the writing on their own shows usually end up unemployed--like Charlie Sheen; and even he wants his job back, bad writing and all.
It's not far-fetched that actors on these shows develop a kind of insular "group think" and paranoia fostered by their bosses as a way to keep control of the PR message fed to the public. Actors are repeatedly told and conditioned to shut up and act; and not try to usurp the role of the writers and producers, who are supposedly skilled at their respective crafts. And if crap writing is successful with the viewing public--again, see the Charlie Sheen mess and his show--then how much leverage will an actor have to change things? Sometimes you allow yourself to be convinced that it's in your best interest to just go with the flow.
Is it a coincidence that two actors from the same show attacked " a blogger with a negative agenda"? Didn't Ricky Paull Goldin use those exact same words previously? Group think at its most chilling--of course you attack the messenger as a means of keeping control. Like if your best friend tells you your spouse was spotted kissing another; even if you discover it's the truth, you still hate the messenger for knowing about your humiliation before you did--that's just human nature in many cases.
Sometimes truth-tellers don't reap accolades; they just get kicked in the teeth for their courage. If you're dedicated to telling the truth; then consequences be damned, you do what you have to do.
23 April 2008
1 day 4 hours
I can't imagine how frustrating it must be to hear that. Everyone knows that Jamey champions this industry. I thought by now Lucci would have her facts more clear.
29 August 2010
9 weeks 3 days
I echo others. Beautifully put, Jamey! I truly HOPE that Susan gets to read this!
7 April 2011
7 hours 19 min
Jamey, you also managed to capture the spirit of many a soap fan in your love and commitment to the genre. I am proud of you for standing up for yourself, and, in effect standing up for us fans who love soaps but refuse to sit in the dark.
5 July 2008
5 min 6 sec
For those who think this is a amc vs oltl its not. Jamey and DC have equally vocal whenever the soaps are bad all of them