Last week, ABC-Disney made the much anticipated announcement that General Hospital would remain on their daytime lineup. The show who ended up on the chopping block to make way for Katie Couric's fall talk show? The Revolution. The ratings dud which debuted in January replacing the beloved One Life To Live will air until July. It seems Anne Sweeney kept her word and the show with the highest ratings remained on the schedule. A big congratulations to all who worked so hard to keep GH on the air. But we still have much to do if we want to ensure the show stays where it is past April 2013. We must continue to WATCH!!! Ratings are our only ally at this point. We urge everyone who is a GH fan to watch no matter what and help our soap beat Katie in the ratings once her show debuts in September. We also want fans to contact their affiliates to let them know that GH is the only ABC daytime show they watch and only advertisers during GH will be seen by viewers.
Showing posts with label save our soaps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label save our soaps. Show all posts
Monday, April 16, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
A Fan's Story: What "One Life To Live" Meant To Me
It was on a cold Sunday morning in November 28 years ago when my kind, bubbly and beautiful mom left me to pass on to "Another World". I was 11 and simply didn't get it. Couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I would never see my mother again. Only a week later, I missed her terribly. She was MY "Guiding Light", my moral compass, my everything. I had MANY idols growing up, but SHE was my ULTIMATE idol. Ever since I could remember, I wanted to be just like my mom. And now she was gone.... Who would get me through the daily agony of not having her in my life. That "WHO" came by way of the soap genre. Soaps became my daily companion. I welcomed them with open arms.
When my mother came to the United States at the age of 12, she could not speak A WORD OF ENGLISH. Guess who taught her? Yep, you guessed it, SOAPS!!! She watched Search For Tomorrow, Dark Shadows and Guiding Light, but it was General Hospital that made her a bona fide soap fan. One of my favorite memories with my mother was sitting on our green shaggy 70s-style rug on a cold November afternoon and watching Luke and Laura tie the knot as Helena Cassadine (a.k.a. the incomparable Elizabeth Taylor) cursed the star-crossed lovers from afar. I remember being amazed that Liz was even on GH, but my mom said "Honey, she's a GH fan!!! EVERYONE is a GH fan". Well, maybe not everyone was, but I think she wanted to believe that people could at least appreciate the amazing stories that soaps produced on a daily basis. My mom was crushed when Genie Francis departed the show in 1981 and was so happy to hear she would return in late 1983. She died two weeks before Francis returned and Luke and Laura were finally reunited. When Luke and Laura embraced in the gardens of the mayor's mansion and sealed their reunion with a kiss, I cried. A lot. Not just because they were finally together again, but because I knew my mom would've been sitting right next to me, hugging me and squealing like a lovelorn teenager if she were still alive.
Fast forward 10 years to another cold afternoon. I sat and watched as the beautiful Megan, Viki's daughter, died of lupus on One Life To Live. I LOVED MEGAN!!! For many reasons I will not go into here, I loved that character. In fact, she was probably my favorite character ever on OLTL. But her death, THAT storyline has been the most important soap storyline in my life. You see, it was lupus that snuffed out my mother's light on this Earth. It was lupus that ended a beautiful and vibrant 30 year old woman's life. It was LUPUS that stole my mother from me. As I watched Megan die of lupus, I literally relived the agony of losing my mom ALL OVER AGAIN. I was pissed that my favorite character was gone. I was livid that my favorite soap couple of the time, Megan and Jake, were being cruelly separated. But MOSTLY I was pissed because this television show was making me cry like a little baby, forcing me to relive something I had not dealt with for 10 years!!! And then the scenes after Megan's death when Viki locks herself with Megan in the hospital room aired, and I just sat there in silence. Not crying, not angry, just numb. It was then that I realized death is just the national end to life, that life goes on EVEN after we lose the ones we love. It took watching Viki grieving for her daughter for me to FINALLY grieve for my mother and accept that I was lucky to have had her in my life, even if only for 11 short years. From that day on I truly UNDERSTOOD the importance of soaps in our lives. They're our family, our friends, our educators, our psychologists, our doctors, OURSELVES! They maybe crazy and fantastical at times, but they are a reflection of society. The good, the bad, the ugly and THE BEST OF US.
I will FOREVER be grateful to Agnes Nixon and the cast and crew of One Life To Live for being my spiritual healers when I didn't even know I needed healing. For those who believe soap don't matter, all I can say to that is THEY DO MATTER. They matter to me. They mattered to my mother. They matter to thousands of other viewers. If you don't believe me, that's just tough cookies. But my story is just one of MANY stories out there. Every soap fan has one of their own. I hope others begin to share theirs so that, collectively, our stories make for ONE HELL OF A SOAP OPERA. We only have ONE LIFE TO LIVE. Let's make saving the soap genre part of OUR lives' journey.
When my mother came to the United States at the age of 12, she could not speak A WORD OF ENGLISH. Guess who taught her? Yep, you guessed it, SOAPS!!! She watched Search For Tomorrow, Dark Shadows and Guiding Light, but it was General Hospital that made her a bona fide soap fan. One of my favorite memories with my mother was sitting on our green shaggy 70s-style rug on a cold November afternoon and watching Luke and Laura tie the knot as Helena Cassadine (a.k.a. the incomparable Elizabeth Taylor) cursed the star-crossed lovers from afar. I remember being amazed that Liz was even on GH, but my mom said "Honey, she's a GH fan!!! EVERYONE is a GH fan". Well, maybe not everyone was, but I think she wanted to believe that people could at least appreciate the amazing stories that soaps produced on a daily basis. My mom was crushed when Genie Francis departed the show in 1981 and was so happy to hear she would return in late 1983. She died two weeks before Francis returned and Luke and Laura were finally reunited. When Luke and Laura embraced in the gardens of the mayor's mansion and sealed their reunion with a kiss, I cried. A lot. Not just because they were finally together again, but because I knew my mom would've been sitting right next to me, hugging me and squealing like a lovelorn teenager if she were still alive.
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| Credit: ABC video |
Fast forward 10 years to another cold afternoon. I sat and watched as the beautiful Megan, Viki's daughter, died of lupus on One Life To Live. I LOVED MEGAN!!! For many reasons I will not go into here, I loved that character. In fact, she was probably my favorite character ever on OLTL. But her death, THAT storyline has been the most important soap storyline in my life. You see, it was lupus that snuffed out my mother's light on this Earth. It was lupus that ended a beautiful and vibrant 30 year old woman's life. It was LUPUS that stole my mother from me. As I watched Megan die of lupus, I literally relived the agony of losing my mom ALL OVER AGAIN. I was pissed that my favorite character was gone. I was livid that my favorite soap couple of the time, Megan and Jake, were being cruelly separated. But MOSTLY I was pissed because this television show was making me cry like a little baby, forcing me to relive something I had not dealt with for 10 years!!! And then the scenes after Megan's death when Viki locks herself with Megan in the hospital room aired, and I just sat there in silence. Not crying, not angry, just numb. It was then that I realized death is just the national end to life, that life goes on EVEN after we lose the ones we love. It took watching Viki grieving for her daughter for me to FINALLY grieve for my mother and accept that I was lucky to have had her in my life, even if only for 11 short years. From that day on I truly UNDERSTOOD the importance of soaps in our lives. They're our family, our friends, our educators, our psychologists, our doctors, OURSELVES! They maybe crazy and fantastical at times, but they are a reflection of society. The good, the bad, the ugly and THE BEST OF US.
I will FOREVER be grateful to Agnes Nixon and the cast and crew of One Life To Live for being my spiritual healers when I didn't even know I needed healing. For those who believe soap don't matter, all I can say to that is THEY DO MATTER. They matter to me. They mattered to my mother. They matter to thousands of other viewers. If you don't believe me, that's just tough cookies. But my story is just one of MANY stories out there. Every soap fan has one of their own. I hope others begin to share theirs so that, collectively, our stories make for ONE HELL OF A SOAP OPERA. We only have ONE LIFE TO LIVE. Let's make saving the soap genre part of OUR lives' journey.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
The End Of An Era On Network TV: One Life To Live Signs Off
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| Credit: deadline.com |
The very same fans that took the news of One Life To Live's cancellation like a bullet in the gut, are now mobilizing and banding together to help OLTL's creator and the Queen of Soaps, Agnes Nixon, regain the rights to her soaps from ABC/Disney and Prospect Park. The latter entity struck a deal with the network to continue OLTL and All My Children, which ended its run on ABC in September 2011, on the web. In late November, Prospect Park announced they would be unable to bring their plans for either show to fruition. Fans are clamoring for PP and Disney to return the rights to both soaps to the 84 year old Nixon. It is only fitting that she be the one to decide what their ultimate fates should be.
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| Credit: LA Times |
GH Fans Unite is compiling a scrapbook of fan notes to forward to the beautiful Agnes Nixon. Click HERE and leave your comments for Agnes. We will make certain she receives them. We know her work has touched MANY lives and what better gift to give this amazing writer than praise and heartfelt thanks for her contributions to the world of television!
Friday, January 6, 2012
Join SWAN - Stand With Agnes Nixon
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| credit: zimbio.com |
Time to take a stand with other ABC soap fans and support Agnes Nixon, the woman responsible for giving us the gift, the legacy of two iconic soaps, All My Children and One Life to Live. Showing your support for Agnes is simple as this - join the SWAN movement! SWAN (Stand With Agnes Nixon) is the first fan-based movement in daytime television history dedicated to supporting Ms. Nixon's legacies. Join us as we demand that ABC/Disney release the rights to AMC and OLTL to Ms. Nixon. Spread the word to your friends and family, and help us do the right thing!
SWAN - Stand With Agnes Nixon
Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/198139810275324/
Twitter: @SWANS4Nixon
SWAN - Stand With Agnes Nixon
Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/198139810275324/
Twitter: @SWANS4Nixon
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