Inside
this issue:
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Port Charles Street
by Smokey
Welcome to my home on Port Charles Street! Join my
on the porch, have some hot chocolate, and we'll see what comes down the
road. Each week, I'll try to take an in-depth look at a topic from
our favorite soap. I'd love to hear your observations, so email me at [email protected].
I'm new to this, so please be gentle with me.
I was sitting on my back porch, soaking in
the beauty of the mountains, when over the rolling hills of the cow pasture,
I saw an old VW mini-bus that was obviously lost. To my surprise and horror,
it was the writers
from Port Charles! Eight women and two
men, emerged from the doors, which were covered in bright daisies and yellow
smiley faces. I think they where looking for Dollyworld. After tying..I
mean, sitting them in
lounge chairs and serving ice tea (although
they wanted "Tab"), we began to talk about my favorite subjects:
Chris, Eve and of course, PC.
I was giddy with glee (that doesn't happen
very often since the hysterectomy) as I talked about how the city of Port
Charles, New York has become like a home town for us fans Many of
us are second generation viewers, picking up the tradition from our parents.
There
have been times when real life took me away,
but I'd try to come home to catch up on Luke & Laura, Scotty, Lucy
and whoever was her husband at the time. They were so innovative to give
us a workout with Richard Simmons, while watching TV! Or we could
disco. It was exciting when Port Charles spun off from GH. Like a
new beginning, yet familiar. It has been a wild ride through Greg Cooper's
deaths, General Homicide, Neil's cancer, Julie's madness. I told them how
I missed Matt, and the
courageous strides to portray a man who is
not at all restricted by his wheel chair. I miss Julie, the Nurses
Ball, and Chris: the old, deliciously scheming Chris. I just had
to mention that a lot of us fans are not to happy with the new "book" format,
and the "Outer Limits"
storylines. They just had to come to
our message board/town meetings to hear what we unofficial citizens had
to say.
I am not a writer (I just play one on the internet).
It takes a huge amount of talent, education, and experience just to get
the job. I can only imagine how grueling it would be to have to produce
something EVERY day! Original ideas are in short supply. A
notebook is a constant companion in case that lightbulb goes off at any
minute, day or night. On top of all that, there are producers, directors,
and actors breathing down their collective necks all the time. And
then there are us fans.
We are so hard to please. There will
always be someone who has to complain. What is a writer supposed
to do?
In my humble opinion, I see that some of the
problems stem from the writers maybe trying too hard to be innovative by
"borrowing" plots from the big screen, and molding them to the actors
that are left, after some
wind came in and blew away half of "Port Charles".
It may sound like a good idea, but remember, most of these characters have
a history behind them. We fans know EVERY detail! We trust
the Powers That are There
with these friends of ours, but when that
trust is betrayed, when the continuity is broken, when our friends become
just puppets, we get really upset. Especially when we catch a story
that's not ringing true. Take Karen, for instance. We all know
that she's been through hell and
back. From the time she was a child,
she had to put up with an alcoholic parent, drug addiction, getting mixed
up with a slimy Sonny Corinthos, and then rising above all that to marry
hunky Jagger, and go to Medical School. We have too much respect
for her than to see her
acting selfishly toward Cookie. Karen
should be the first one to reach through Nellie, the twilight zone computer.
When did she become a bitch?
It drives a person crazy when anyone treats
them like they are stupid. I guess TPTB don't think we'll notice even the
little things. One look at the syringe in Karen's hand and we could
see that it was something that TAKES blood. Dr. Eve would know that.
A little research into
medicine (there are links to research at various
writer's web sites) would reveal that the are many non-addicting analgesics,
and alternative methods of pain management, like biofeedback, hypnosis
and accupuncture are available for Karen, so that she can ease her fears
about sliding back into addiction.
I know that some movies have a "continuity"
department that makes sure that all the scenes match up, and that the story
is consistent. Those overworked writers have more than enough on
their plates, so what if the Producer, or whoever is in-charge, could budget
a continuity and a research person? Someone who will say "Chris would
NOT try to seduce a teenager", or "Babies are never born in three grunts
and a push!", or even, "When will General Hospital get another group of
interns?" (who will learn from the "old" cast). The best part is,
all "They" would have to do is go to any message board, are there will
be a whole pool full of fans, whose minds are about to burst with every
detail of every
character. Just ask! No, I don't want
to give the writers another person to bother them. It would be nice
to give a boost to their creative process.
The barking of my canine kids wake me from
a nap in my lawn chair. The sun has gone down, and I realize that
I had a very strange dream. It's time to go inside and
send off my column to "Chris & Eve Cheerleaders".
I wonder what it would be like to actually
talk to a PC writer! I wonder who they really are, and what they
would say to me.
May you live an interesting life,
Smokey
What do you think? Give me a holler at [email protected]
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