Im totally torn on Matie now vs. Bratie. Jon Prescott lit up like a Christmas tree with Terri C in those first meeting scenes. Wow! I was stunned. There's so much history there between Katie and MIke. If its not revisited now, it will be later I bet.

I think I need to give NuNuMike a little more time to settle in. I'm on Team Bratie for the moment, and I would love for Katie to love Brad without reservation because the poor guy really is getting her on the rebound right now. Heaping Mike on top of her Jack issues just doesn't seem fair!

I'm not a Katie fan but I find her the most tolerable with Brad. The show has waited so long to actually get them together that I think they need to stick with that. They need to get established as a couple first and it only further damages Katie if so quickly she becomes conflicted about men again. Writing her like that now for the last few years has already caused her so much damage and they need to let her show it is Brad and only Brad she loves. Since Brad's past is returning they should let Katie fight for Brad for a change. I just don't think now is the time for Mike to complicate things so hopefully that isn't part of the story. It looks to me more like he will be the triangle with Paul and Meg.

Mala:I just picked up the latest SOW with your interview with Jake Silbermann. I haven't seen many interviews with Jake, so this was a really nice to see. You asked some great questions, and he gave some very well thought out answers, in my opinion. So thank you, so much, for that!Also, was it you who interviewed the ATWT/P&G spokesperson, Jeannie Tharrington, in that same issue? If it was you, or someone else, whoever it was - thank you for doing that interview! It was good to see some hard hitting questions asked that needed to be asked. I applaud whoever might have been the interviewer for that particular piece. Very nicely done!!!If it was you who did the interview with Jeannie, would you try asking a follow-up question to her? What type of a message is the show trying to send by only showing the gay guys kiss or get kissed by women? P&G was already skating on this ice as far as I am concerned, but now we saw in the preview for next week Ameera kissing Noah, the ice has official broken. What didn't the camera pan away from that? Oh wait, that's right - watching two straight people kiss is ok, but if they're gay, it has to happen off-screen. I guess I forgot those are the rules that exist at P&G. That's just so wrong and so hateful in my opinion that if the show is going to be forced to do that, they should never have even started with the storyline.

Thanks, NoahFan. It was my first time really talking to Jake and he was very nice! I'm glad you like the Q&A.

And, yes, it was also me who interviewed Jeannie Tharrington. Thank you again! As for the questions and asking her that particular followup... honestly, I can tell you that P&G is not trying to come from a place of hate or wrongness. ATWT is doing the best they can, telling the story as sensitively and passionately as they can. Yes, the cutaways and offscreen smooches are annoying, but diversifying daytime is a slow process. I mean, we still have no Asian-Americans on contract, very few black characters, and all of three Middle Eastern characters who never pray to Allah onscreen.

What viewers who have just tuned in for Nuke have to remember is that most people have been watching their favorite soap for a minimum of 10 years. There's often a giant generation gap involved as well. ATWT is trying to tell this story for its whole audience, MOST of whom don't even know any gay people. Each step Noah and Luke take paves the way for them and the future of gay couples on daytime. They've already been farther than AMC's Bianca, which is a miracle.

I mean, for comparison's sake...? Ameera kissing Noah and that being his only outward display...? Bianca, who only ever made love to a woman offscreen behind a locked door and certainly NEVER talked about her sexual desires, was viciously raped by a man onscreen. Ouch. That sucked.

Noah and Luke are an amazing step for daytime, and I think ATWT was absolutely right to have started this storyline. Don't ever think that they weren't!

Mala:Thanks for your thoughtful reply. I do appreciate the show for being brave enough to take on this story, and for the most part, doing well by it. You're right to point out that having gay characters or gay relationships on soaps in the past hasn't gone too well.That's one reason that I find it amazing, personally, to see how popular this couple is. I think it shows how far society, in general, has come. It wouldn't have worked without great acting and writing, and I think this story has featured both of those characteristics, for the most part, since its inception. I know it has also changed some peoples feelings regarding gay people, which is great. Anytime a television show can help change society for the better, especially a soap opera of all things, that's wonderful.Still, in my opinion, that doesn't let P&G off the hook regarding what I mentioned in my original post. The show HAD done a good job of avoiding the mistakes that other soaps had made sometimes when they brought on gay characters. But now, with the censorship that has so invaded this story that it is taking away from peoples enjoyment of what they're seeing, things are going backwards instead of forwards, and this might just end up turning out like the other stories you mentioned on other soaps. I'm looking for a silver lining, but I'm not seeing it.And specifically referring to that forthcoming kiss between Ameera and Noah, I think that's showing the wrong message, and needs to be called out. I can imagine some uninformed people who have never met any gay people sitting at their home, watching that, and going, "I knew it! He was straight after all...he was just confused, that's all. It's about time he got away from that Luke character."I don't believe the powers that be want to send that message, but for some, that's might be how it's interpreted. The gay real couple doesn't kiss, but the fake straight couple does.No matter how you cut it, I think we can all agree that it's sad that this is even an issue. The storyline would be so much more enjoyable without having to worry about how the writers will get to come up with "Luke and Noah kiss interruption #153" and then #154, #155, etc. etc. It's very distracting, annoying, and sends the wrong message.Hopefully things will change in time...I hope that's another thing we can all agree on. Thanks again, Mala, for the great interviews and your thoughtful reply. I appreciated them greatly.

Quote:Thanks, NoahFan. It was my first time really talking to Jake and he was very nice! I'm glad you like the Q&A.And, yes, it was also me who interviewed Jeannie Tharrington. Thank you again! As for the questions and asking her that particular followup... honestly, I can tell you that P&G is not trying to come from a place of hate or wrongness. ATWT is doing the best they can, telling the story as sensitively and passionately as they can. Yes, the cutaways and offscreen smooches are annoying, but diversifying daytime is a slow process. I mean, we still have no Asian-Americans on contract, very few black characters, and all of three Middle Eastern characters who never pray to Allah onscreen.What viewers who have just tuned in for Nuke have to remember is that most people have been watching their favorite soap for a minimum of 10 years. There's often a giant generation gap involved as well. ATWT is trying to tell this story for its whole audience, MOST of whom don't even know any gay people. Each step Noah and Luke take paves the way for them and the future of gay couples on daytime. They've already been farther than AMC's Bianca, which is a miracle.I mean, for comparison's sake...? Ameera kissing Noah and that being his only outward display...? Bianca, who only ever made love to a woman offscreen behind a locked door and certainly NEVER talked about her sexual desires, was viciously raped by a man onscreen. Ouch. That sucked.Noah and Luke are an amazing step for daytime, and I think ATWT was absolutely right to have started this storyline. Don't ever think that they weren't! Thank you Mala. you did a great job. i agree with you about what TPTB are trying to do, and i know soap because i use to watch Days for a long time. Luke and Noah brought me to ATWT but Austin Peck was the one that got me to watch the whole show. right now they need a new head wirter becuase there some storyline that are bad and having Katie or Carly on 4 or 5 days a week is over kill for me. i like went story line have charactors one 3 days maybe 4 if it needed. even though the wirting was bad from the scrubs at less i seen differnt poeple on. I love Margo's storyline the best.

Quote:Thanks, NoahFan. It was my first time really talking to Jake and he was very nice! I'm glad you like the Q&A.And, yes, it was also me who interviewed Jeannie Tharrington. Thank you again! As for the questions and asking her that particular followup... honestly, I can tell you that P&G is not trying to come from a place of hate or wrongness. ATWT is doing the best they can, telling the story as sensitively and passionately as they can. Yes, the cutaways and offscreen smooches are annoying, but diversifying daytime is a slow process. I mean, we still have no Asian-Americans on contract, very few black characters, and all of three Middle Eastern characters who never pray to Allah onscreen.What viewers who have just tuned in for Nuke have to remember is that most people have been watching their favorite soap for a minimum of 10 years. There's often a giant generation gap involved as well. ATWT is trying to tell this story for its whole audience, MOST of whom don't even know any gay people. Each step Noah and Luke take paves the way for them and the future of gay couples on daytime. They've already been farther than AMC's Bianca, which is a miracle.I mean, for comparison's sake...? Ameera kissing Noah and that being his only outward display...? Bianca, who only ever made love to a woman offscreen behind a locked door and certainly NEVER talked about her sexual desires, was viciously raped by a man onscreen. Ouch. That sucked.Noah and Luke are an amazing step for daytime, and I think ATWT was absolutely right to have started this storyline. Don't ever think that they weren't! Mala, I think you make some wonderful points. Luke and Noah are an amazing, incredible step and the fact that their story is being told and continues to be told is progress in itself. I don't think a lot of fans realize by their very existence, Luke and Noah have done and are doing more than anything in daytime or prime time. Name another mainstream TV show with the depiction of a long running, on going gay relationship where we see all the beats? You can't can you? NBC and CBS have no on gay going characters on any of their prime time shows. ABC may have these gay friendly prime time shows, but do any of those gay characters have a relationship that has been on screen and lasted as long as Luke and Noah? Not even Brothers and Sisters can boast that. As you mention, many (but not all) Luke and Noah fans have never watched a soap before, tend to skew younger and cut their teeth on cable shows where anything goes regarding the depiction of gay relationships. And like it or not, daytime is still a conservative medium and ATWT is probably one of the most traditional, older skewing soaps around so yeah, you gotta take baby steps like with anything new and different for the medium. I don't see any of the young, hipper soaps trying this story in any form. It's not perfect and I have my issues, but I wouldn't have wanted to miss this story for a minute. And I look forward to what's to come, warts and all. I must say though that it's interesting that we can see Luke and Noah on a bed panting and breathing heavily, ripping each others clothes off until they are half naked and in a heated clinch, but we still haven't gotten so much as a peck. Frankly, I thought that was more steamy and hot and provocative than a kiss.

Thanks, AnthonyL and CodeNuke. I really do think it's a matter of constantly dipping the toe in the pool and slowly swimming from the shallow end to the deep one. The fact that they've gone from kissing twice to no kissing is frustrating, yes, but when it comes to the fact that Luke is a fully realized, wonderful, normal soap character who viewers can connect to and watch fall in love...that's awesome.

This isn't going to BE Queer As Folk. Ever. That's just not how daytime works. It's definitely a genre that skews older and uses a LOT of traditional storytelling and views its women in a very antiquated manner. (I could go off on a whole separate gender rant, so we'll rein me in. LOL.) So Noah and Luke are a really nice surprise. Their writing is actually better than the writing for Bratie, if you consider the fact that right now Katie is absolutely on the rebound and she's never once said, "I love you, Brad." Sure, they're having sex all over the place, but is it a LOVE story like Luke and Noah's? Nope.

NoahFan - As for the Ameera/Noah kiss leading people to think "Well, all he needed was a good smooch from a girl!"...trust me when I tell you that it's Ameera who is going to suffer for that scene, just as she has been since she got to town. What part of "I like boys" isn't clear to her? Man, she's written as naive. I know plenty of Muslim women and none of them act like they just fell off the falafel truck.

Mala do you know who is really responsible for writing what we are seeing now? I know the writers are not listed in the credits yet, but at the same time this seems very much like JP's work. While the show had been more balanced for a while during the strike, that seems to have stopped. This week was definitely As Katie's World Turns and it looks the same for next week. And while Casey was eased onto the canvas as a newbie, we now had Mike airing every single day.and looks like he will be on at least 4 days next week. That's one way to turn the viewers against a new character. CarJack had made wonderful progress and now we have Jack back to being a jerk again. So I'm curous if Goutman is responsible for what we are seeing now or if JP came back and tweaked it. It really seems like her style of writing. It really seems like her favorites of Katie and Meg are back front and center big time. I guess I wonder if we can hope for the writing to improve soon or is this really the direction that JP is going.

Quote:Mala do you know who is really responsible for writing what we are seeing now? I know the writers are not listed in the credits yet, but at the same time this seems very much like JP's work. While the show had been more balanced for a while during the strike, that seems to have stopped. This week was definitely As Katie's World Turns and it looks the same for next week. And while Casey was eased onto the canvas as a newbie, we now had Mike airing every single day.and looks like he will be on at least 4 days next week. That's one way to turn the viewers against a new character. CarJack had made wonderful progress and now we have Jack back to being a jerk again. So I'm curous if Goutman is responsible for what we are seeing now or if JP came back and tweaked it. It really seems like her style of writing. It really seems like her favorites of Katie and Meg are back front and center big time. I guess I wonder if we can hope for the writing to improve soon or is this really the direction that JP is going. That is a great question, I have been wondering the same thing for the last few weeks, it all just seems very much like JP. I mean like you said Jack is becoming a jerk again, as is Holden, both things that JP loves to do, but CG was kind of making them softer. Plus like you said it is newbie city, plus JP's faves Katie and Meg are all over the place again, and the balance is gone.

What's most annoying is that characters who had their own stories just two weeks ago (Margo and Henry/Vienna) are now back to propping Katie and have no reason to exist otherwise. Last week was all about Katie, every scene, every event seemed to revolve around her, her life, her men, whatever. The only characters last week that didn't yammer on about Katie and her life were Luke/Noah/Casey/Ameera. Thank God!

Sadly the word is that Trent is back to taping very little again also. I loved seeing more of Henry there for a while and shades ot the Henry I loved while he was working with CarJack and also when he had probably the best Cowboy Jack scene of any of them when he had lots of us viewers just howling as he talked to CJ. Not a lot of actors could have made that work. His talent is truly being wasted as just a Katie prop.I loved Margo and Tom in the whole story as it played out with Nevins and there should be fallout from that but nope it's back to Katie propping. Again more talent being wasted.

yes it is sad went chaacters are wasted. now we need a new head wirter for ATWT.

Mala: I'm not sure what you are referring to regarding how Ameera has suffered since she came to town. Could you please clarify?The way I see it, she was going to be shipped back to Iraq, and a complete stranger married her to keep her safe. On top of that, this stranger's boyfriend's family took both him and her in and housed them. She is even already taking college classes. Heck, she just got her own place with Noah. (excuse me..I'm feeling a bit sick ).. Other then the random and pointless minority bashing episode that took back a month or two ago, I think she has been treated extremely well, especially considering these are complete strangers that are being nice to her and going out of their ways to help her, even at the expensive of two specific characters happiness. Being watched by ICE agents all the time isn't that great I can imagine either, but it's the price she has to pay for her freedom and safety.I do most definitely agree that she has been written as naive, and in fact, I would go far as to say she has been written very poorly in my eyes. It's very sad to see that too, considering she is the only Muslim character (from Iraq) that I know of on any daytime show. It's sad that she hasn't been as written as sensitively and as well as the characters of Luke and Noah had been (that is, up until we got to this storyline and the writing, in my opinion, went downhill).I wonder how JP will treat the character of Ameera once her written staff is back on screen. I'm still not entirely sure if the character is in it for the long haul, or if she was just supposed to have a short stint on the show. Does anyone know?

I hate hearing that Trent is on the back burner again, especially since he almost left because the show wasn't using him, signed a new contract, got a big story..... and is now back on the BB again.And you're right about Margo and Tom. The other day when Margo said to Tom "Our lives are perfect, we're lucky" or something like that, I couldn't believe it. It was as if they hadn't been through such a terrible ordeal. And then they went right back to going on and on about Katie.I really think it's time for a change at the show. The writers strike let us see more of the cast, more stories, more interaction then we've had in years. Sure there were problems, but now that JP is back, it's all about Carly/Jack/Brad/Katie. Everyone else is propping their stories. And I don't like it. I'm back to only watching the days the boys are on... and that can't be good.With the ratings falling maybe it's time the show stopped constantly changing it's cast and looked at the writing team.

Sorry for making another post, but I forgot to comment on this in my last post. Ms. Tharrington said in your story about how proud she and the show is to be telling the Luke & Noah story. But if that's the case, why don't they act proud?According to another magazine whose name won't be mentioned (though they're not really competition, but still, I will be respectful ), Chris Goutman, the executive producer of the show, has been barred from talking publicly about this story. If he and the show are so proud to tell the story, why is he, just like the characters of Luke and Noah, being censored by P&G officials? I would think, if they really were proud of this story, they would have Mr. Goutman talking to anyone and everyone regarding just how thrilled they are to be telling the Luke and Noah story and telling it right. Yet that's not happening, and it kind of makes me and others wonder why. What exactly is going on behind the scenes, and are P&G officials afraid Mr. Goutman might say something that they wouldn't like? I suppose we might never know, which is quite unfortunate.

Mala, now that we know that Daniel Hugh Kelly is returning as Colonel Winston Mayer... do you know anything about what will happen with him? And which effect this will have on Luke and Noah (and Ameera)?Thanks!

Could you also let us know if it's just one day (though the ATWT.net indicates it'll be more than just one episode)? Will he still be in jail or wandering free?

So Mala, that kiss on Friday between Noah and Ameera, does that finally clue Noah in to Ameera's feelings towards him or does he remain clueless still for a while longer? Noah also has been acting like a jerk towards Luke ever since Ameera arrived, does that stop soon?

I guess I'm asking how much more of clueless jerk Noah are we in store for until he wakes up and smells the roses?

Hey, everyone! Sorry it's taken me a few days to get to this round of questions.

-At this point, I do not know how long Daniel Hugh Kelly is going to be sticking around but I'm looking into it.

-As to who is writing the show right now, from what I've heard we won't see the bulk of Jean Passanante's stuff until May but she is indeed back at the helm. I have no idea who was writing in the interim and can't speculate.

-Noah being a "clueless jerk" (windwalker12's words, not mine! LOL!) is going to last a bit longer. What's a soap relationship without conflict?

Quote:Mala: I'm not sure what you are referring to regarding how Ameera has suffered since she came to town. Could you please clarify?

The way I see it, she was going to be shipped back to Iraq, and a complete stranger married her to keep her safe. On top of that, this stranger's boyfriend's family took both him and her in and housed them. She is even already taking college classes. Heck, she just got her own place with Noah. (excuse me..I'm feeling a bit sick ).. Other then the random and pointless minority bashing episode that took back a month or two ago, I think she has been treated extremely well, especially considering these are complete strangers that are being nice to her and going out of their ways to help her, even at the expensive of two specific characters happiness. Being watched by ICE agents all the time isn't that great I can imagine either, but it's the price she has to pay for her freedom and safety.

NoahFan - What you've said above basically encapsulates why I feel Ameera, as a character, has suffered since she hit Oakdale. Rather than being an autonomous, strong, woman who came to this country on her own power to save her own life, she was immediately a roadblock between Noah and Luke, a frail "little woman" that they had to protect, take in, and shelter. They decided for her that marriage was her path to freedom. That's not strangers being "nice." That's presumptuous! We don't know Ameera's hopes, Ameera's dreams, her motivation. All we know is that they *dramatic gasp* can't let her go back to Iraq! What about the girl who was brave enough to get out of Iraq on her own, get on a plane, and get to rural Illinois by herself? Where is that girl? I wish we'd gotten to meet her, this amazing Muslim woman who took that risk. I think she got lost at the expense of Noah and Luke.

Mala, thanks as always. I appreciate the information and insight you provide us with.I hope DHK will be around for a bit. He's one of my favorite soap actors going back to Ryan's Hope. But unless he's going to be cleared of all charges and wandering around Oakdale, I can't imagine it's a long stay. Though it would be the first time the show has get a murderer get off on some silly technicality.I'm not surprised that Noah is going to keep acting the way he has been for a bit longer. I just hope that there's lots of begging and pleading on his part when he realizes what a fool he's been!

Mala do you think we'll see some change in story then in May when we see JP's work start? I'm barely hanging by a thread right now and I've been watching a long time. Quite honestly the only thing keeping me watching are Maura and Michael despite the fact I am not happy with their story. Yesterday was painful with the whole focus on Katie and her men and Paul/Meg/Mike. Those seem to be the 2 big stories but I really think watching paint dry would be more interesting. How sad that Barbara's story has her reduced to just being talked about and not even seen. Any chance the focus will shift from these 2 main stories soon? I'm really missing the better balance we had there for a while.

-Noah being a "clueless jerk" (windwalker12's words, not mine! LOL!) is going to last a bit longer. What's a soap relationship without conflict? HI Mala,Ok so even after Ameera's "move" on Noah, he's still cluless-ah-you gotta love soap opera couple conflict-Last week I think you said Ameera is going to suffer from her putting the move on Noah, if Noah is still clueless, and Luke isn't, does her "relationship" with Noah deteriorate? I'm also hoping that we Nuke fans get the payoff that we so justly deserve when the writers, unfortunately, came up with this green-card marriage bit. I totally agree that Ameera should have been created to be a stronger person due to all you mentioned: leaving Iraq, finding her way in a foreign company etc., I am so hoping that the writers' get a clue and do something brilliant with this character in order to redeem herself. Thanks, Mala.

AnthonyL - I don't know if I'm actually offering any insight, but thank you! LOL. WorldTurner - I think there's going to be a lot of Meg/Paul/Mike/Sofie/Aaron stuff coming up, as well as Katie/Brad stuff. I guess that means you have to brace yourself. berdache1 - You're waiting for a Nuke payoff? LOL! As a seasoned soap viewer, I think I should probably warn you to buckle up. Just ask the CarJack fans, who've been waiting for a real payoff for, what, a decade now? The road for anyone's favorite couple is never going to be easy and even after this Ameera story wraps, I'm sure something else will be thrown in Nuke's path. It's going to be an interesting romantic spring and summer for many Oakdale faves.

LOL. Ah, Mala, how well I know that a soap opera couple's relationship is full of strife but I guess "wishin' and hopin'" keeps us all coming back.Thanks!

Thanks for the warning Mala. I don't normally use the ff but I think it's going to be getting worn out. Is there anything good coming up for CarJack? I'm not expecting a reunion anytime soon, but if any other love interests get thrown into the mix, I may go storm the studio myself lol. If only we could have Jack be the one to fight for them this time. I was happy to at least see Metro again today and hope they let Carly actually have a career!And yes it has been well over a decade that CarJackers have waited for a payoff and we're still waiting but our patience is being severly tested right now

Marla, Is this carjack's next story starting right now?thank

Quote:

berdache1 - You're waiting for a Nuke payoff? LOL! As a seasoned soap viewer, I think I should probably warn you to buckle up. Just ask the CarJack fans, who've been waiting for a real payoff for, what, a decade now? The road for anyone's favorite couple is never going to be easy and even after this Ameera story wraps, I'm sure something else will be thrown in Nuke's path. It's going to be an interesting romantic spring and summer for many Oakdale faves.

It's the small but noticeable payoffs that count. For instance, in that 10 years, carjack has been married twice. We are still waiting for that kind of payoff for Paul and Meg.

I don't think anyone wants any of their couples to settle into complete unproblematic happiness. LOL, that gets boring, but having Paul and Meg be able to celebrate their happiness over (oh lets say) their baby for 5 minutes in one episode (before the miscarriage), doesn't count! Grrrr.....

Quote: For instance, in that 10 years, carjack has been married twice. We are still waiting for that kind of payoff for Paul and Meg.LOL you still have nothing to complain about in comparison to CarJack. They waited 2 years to ever make love and it was 5 years before they married and then Hogan had to destroy that by throwing in Carly sleeping with Mike the night before the wedding. They got married a 2nd time basically as a we're sorry from the writers to the fans for what was done with the first wedding. So considering it's only been 2 years for Paul and Meg you are way ahead of CarJack already in payoff.

Quote:Quote: For instance, in that 10 years, carjack has been married twice. We are still waiting for that kind of payoff for Paul and Meg.LOL you still have nothing to complain about in comparison to CarJack. They waited 2 years to ever make love and it was 5 years before they married and then Hogan had to destroy that by throwing in Carly sleeping with Mike the night before the wedding. They got married a 2nd time basically as a we're sorry from the writers to the fans for what was done with the first wedding. So considering it's only been 2 years for Paul and Meg you are way ahead of CarJack already in payoff. (((bangs head against the wall))) 5 years? Yikes!! LOL

ROTFLMAO! Isn't it terrible when you start laying out the years like that? I mean, really, considering that Noah and Luke have only been together since September-ish, they've just got to sit down and wait their turn. We've got to see CarJack through, see where Paul and Meg are going to end up, see if Holden and Lily can survive another recast, wait and see if Katie's marriage with Brad will last longer than the ones to Mike or Jack...

It never ends! It's total relationship roulette! And think about it, if your favorite couple ends up happy and secure...where do you end up? Hanging out with Margo/Tom and Henry/Vienna on the backburner!

Hmmm... I think we'll have to wait a long time before we can see Luke and Noah with a payoff in the form of a wedding. Or they do it here in the Netherlands and go on location here, so I can meet Van and Jake.

But I still hope we'll get a payoff in the form of Luke and Noah making love for the first time.

I often forget that Jack and Carly waited 2 years to finally have sex..... and I was watching back then! I'd rather Luke and Noah not have to wait that long, thank you! But yeah, I think that even after the Ameera story is over there will be another crisis just waiting around the corner. Maybe they can squeeze in a smidgen of happiness in between Ameera and whatever befalls them next? Probably not! In terms of the future story, I don't see Brad and Katie lasting. They rushed into things, I don't think Katie really truly loves him, she just wanted to be married. I suspect though that she might be pregnant (she DOES faint at the wedding) so maybe it might last at least until she gives birth.I have this sinking feeling where the show is going with Carly and Jack. She's spending a lot of time with Holden lately and they have scenes tomorrow after barely speaking for years. Hmm......I could care less what happens to Paul and Meg. I was tired of them 2 years ago. Either get together or break it off for good, but stop the dithering!

Mala: Thanks for your take on Ameera. That's a very interesting read on things. I wonder, considering what you said, which I mostly agree with, I wonder if the show would make Ameera into a villain working for Winston? Would they go that route? I put nothing past TPTB, so who knows?

Also, as everyone is discussing a payoff for Luke and Noah...I think most fans would just be happy if they were *allowed* to kiss like any other couple on the show. I don't see anyone demanding they rush into sex or get married all of a sudden. The fact that they aren't even allowed to kiss means they payoff for fans of the couple is getting to see them rub shoulders and jump up and down on beds like they're 5 years old, which is quite insulting to many people.

Jeannie Tharrington said she in Mala's interview that they heard the fans, but it will be interesting to see if what we see on TV reflects that. Judging from what's coming up on Friday, I say they're going the opposite route and trying their best to be as offensive to the fans as possible. That doesn't make any sense to me at all, but that's what's going down.

LOL You're so right Mala that once your couple finds happiness they take a ride to the backburner. It was really 6 years before Carly and Jack were happy and following that Montana wedding they headed to the backburner pretty much until Jack went off that bridge. It frustrates me that the writers don't think happy couples can be interesting. They can have angst without somebody coming between them. Clearing Parker would have worked just as well if Jack and Carly were happily married. I would have rather seen more of Gray's story focus more on playing cat and mouse games with Margo and Tom rather than coming between Henry and Vienna. If we saw more intrigue and adventure maybe couples could stay together longer.I would certainly hope they aren't going anywhere with Holden and Carly. That would be the ultimate character destruction. Carly would never do that to Lily nor would Holden to Jack. Plus the first thing they need to do with a recast Lily is establish her as Lily with Holden. Looking at tomorrow's preview on the official site, it could actually be interesting if Holden and Carly finally became friends through this and eventually Holden is the one to push Jack into fighting for Carly. Anything more would end some of the only friendships that exist on the show. From that preview Holden looks like a friend and nothing more. And that is pretty nice.

You're right in that Holden would never do that to Jack.... but I wouldn't put anything past Carly if she thought it would get Jack's attention or hurt him or tick him off. This is a woman who let her children think she was dying to get a man. Going after Holden to get Jack in her sphere would be nothing to her.

But that was character destruction when they had Carly lie about dying. Carly would never have done that. I know SOD and I think SOW also called the writers on that too. Carly knows Lily is trying to work things out with Holden and she would not do that to Lily. Plus there is the fact that Holden has never liked Carly. And also that Goutman nixed a Holden/Carly pairing a few months ago.

But aren't Luke and Noah already on the backburner? They are on once a week and not the main story on those days. While have the Ameera thing going on it's not much of a story. Will they ever get more airtime?The difference between Noah and Luke and couples who waited a long time to be together is that they have been together and a couple for months, even living together. They are not slowly building their relationship to a point of finally admitting their love or moving in. They've already done those things, with no sex or not kiss, that we've seen. They are kissing off camera, that is the problem. We aren't waiting for a reunion so they can kiss or be together. They're already a couple.

When I mentioned a payoff for the Nuke fans, I 'm not expecting a commitment ceremony but at least their first kiss as a couple. I don't think that's asking for much;) I'm not even asking for a honeymoon cottage by the sea but the kiss payoff would mean so much to so many and I think ATWT is aware of that. That's all;)

NoahFan - If they make Ameera evil, I can guarantee that ATWT watchers the world over will hear me screaming. No matter where they live. LOL. And I still firmly believe that ATWT is not trying to be offensive to fans by withholding kisses. They really feel they're acclimating the majority of their audience to a gay storyline. The Internet is but a SMALL fraction of ATWT's audience...and international viewers watching it on YouTube certainly don't count in the Nielsens. WorldTurner and AnthonyL, I definitely don't think Carly would do that to Lily or Holden to Jack, but that's our view of the characters... which doesn't always jive with the TPTB's views of the character. I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping that when the chips fall where they may, it's Jack/Carly and Holden/Lily who end up together! (And that's not so much a bias on my part as my general love for arcs and supercouples. You don't mess with what makes a soap's foundation!)DemiAshton - LOL! Luke and Noah are in no way on the backburner right now. Maybe around the time Van was in Die, Mommie, Die but definitely not now. They have a story. Being on the backburner means they dust you off and bring you into somebody else's story for five seconds if they bother to bring you in at ALL...ala Bob, Kim, Lisa, Henry, Vienna, even Margo and Tom. Noah and Luke, much like Ali and Chris or Sofie, have an arc that's definitely in play! It's all about them, they don't have to run over and support the Holden and Lily story (though they *should*!), etc.I mean, they're never going to be on as much as Jack, Carly, or Katie and Brad, but that's not a sign of homophobia. That's just the way a soap works. You know, it's like how the doctors will never be on GH as much as the mobsters.

DemiAhston: I agree with you. Being on once a week, in small 15 - 30 second clips here and there does not a front burner story make. This show should be so much more balanced, featuring every story two to three days a week. With the Luke/Noah/Ameera story, it is dragging out so bad, and on every message board I've seen, fans are just dying for this storyline to end to as most people (not all, but most) seem to hate it with a passion. That's rather disappointing, too, as I'm sure once this storyline is over, the couple will be back to a 0.3 times week appearance. Honestly, to make a good show, I don't think anyone should be on 4 to 5 days a week. If they are, why even bother telling other stories that air once a week or once every two weeks? If most of the story is taking on off-screen, why bother with the small stories?I honestly don't see why Luke and Noah aren't featured more, just like you Demi. The show has gone on record with crediting the couple for a boost in ratings starting the summer of last year (up by half a million, or 17%, since then), the couple has garnered worldwide media attention, and I would gather this story appeals to younger viewers, and if soaps want to survive, I would think they would want to try and attract as many younger viewers as possible. That doesn't mean they should ignore their older viewers, but if a storyline has helped increase ratings, isn't it only logical to feature it more, unless you don't care about your show's ratings.

Mala, I agree that Luke and Noah aren't on the backburner. Look at folks like Babs or Kim and Bob, Tom and Margo or Henry and Vienna. Or what Aaron has done for the entire time he's been back in Oakdale. That is the backburner. You have no story... and the only time you are seen is to prop someone else. Apparently people have forgotten those months in Dec - early Feb when the boys truly were on the backburner with no story and there were weeks they weren't even on. The guys have a story, we may not love it, but they're seen fairly regularly and have a story that focuses on them and their relationship. There are many characters on this show who can't say that.

And I agree that Luke and Noah should be supporting Holden and Lily's story and visa versa. There was a time when they crossed paths regularly, but they've had very little to do with one another as of late.

But I think the real problem is that when you have Katie on 5 days a week and Luke and Noah and many other characters on 1 or 2, there's a serious balance problem. I know that Katie and Jack and Carly and Brad are the front burner players as they appeal to the widest audience, but nobody should be on that much. It's just not good for the show.

There's also the very real fact that a huge number of the couple's fans don't watch the show and only watch them on the Internet. That's great, but it doesn't help the show's ratings one bit. They may love Luke and Noah, but they couldn't tell you who Chris Hughes or Alison Stewart or Bob or Kim are because they don't cross paths with the boys and don't appear in their scenes. When Luke and Noah went to Parker's trial a few weeks back a lot of Internet viewers had no clue who this kid was. If many fans really want the show's producers and writers to know how many L/N fans there really are they'd watch the whole show, IMO.

As for the short scenes, that's just the way this show is written for some reason. Though on some days it's better than others. It's annoying though.

I don't think they'll make Ameera evil... I think they'll present it as misguided or naive. I think if she does anything 'evil' it'll be because she's been duped into doing so by Col. Mayer.I guess folks see Carly different than I because I feel she'd do anything (except maybe kill) to get Jack's attention. When she faked that she was dying, I didn't see it as out of character at all. Carly has never been a good mother and she never put her kids first until this recent situation with Parker. So her letting her kids believe she was dying seemed like she'd do it if it would get her what she wanted. And before you say it, I actually like Carly, though I liked her more when she was bad and didn't care who knew it instead of always trying to live up to what Jack thinks she should be.But I don't think that Holden would EVER get involved with Carly. He's never liked Carly and he'd never do that to Jack. So JP is going to have to have them acting out of character to make the story work. But as she does that all the time (re: Craig attempting to kill Meg's baby), I wouldn't put it past her. I just happen to think the plot is a bad idea and reeks of having run out of ideas for stories. Sure, it hasn't happened yet and it may not..... but it sure looks like it's headed that way to me.

Quote:There's also the very real fact that a huge number of the couple's fans don't watch the show and only watch them on the Internet. That's great, but it doesn't help the show's ratings one bit. They may love Luke and Noah, but they couldn't tell you who Chris Hughes or Alison Stewart or Bob or Kim are because they don't cross paths with the boys and don't appear in their scenes. When Luke and Noah went to Parker's trial a few weeks back a lot of Internet viewers had no clue who this kid was. If many fans really want the show's producers and writers to know how many L/N fans there really are they'd watch the whole show, IMO.I read the live play by play threads on vanhansis.net and they are the most active of any ATWT site. I used to read the PGP threads but they weren't as active. I think more Luke and Noah fans are watching the whole show and watching it live so I'm not following how you came to that conclusion.I caught up on YouTube but I do watch the whole show. If it weren't for LukeFan's videos, I wouldn't be watching. Luke and Noah brought me to ATWT.

And has been already pointed out, the Internet is but a small part of the overall ATWT audience. So people on VH.net, PGP or any other board no matter how active, is not a real picture of actually who is watching the show. And I would bet, and this is just my opinion, that if you took a poll of the YouTube subscribers to the various producers of the Luke and Noah videos, most of them do not watch the entire show, nor do they have interest in doing so. I could be wrong of course, and would be delighted if I were proven so. ATWT clearly did gain some viewers because of the Luke/Noah storyline.... I'm only saying that it could be more and have a bigger impact on the ratings if more them watched the entire show and not just the clips on YouTube..... which is something the network itself has pointed out.

Mala since word is now out that Liberty comes to town claiming to be Brad's daughter, and that she is a teenager, I'm wondering if she ahd Parker will be an item and probably getting in some trouble together? LOL is it wrong that I hope Liberty is a brat and gives Katie some major grief

Good morning Mala, my comment is actually about Martha Byrnes leaving. I am deeply saddened. I subscribe to SOD and I read the articles on why she left or was fired, and I have to say, I was livid. She, as Lily Walsh for 23 years, other than the couple of times when she was on maternity leave, is the only Lily I've known. I know it's realiy. Everyone has to go sometimes, for whatever reason, whether it's illness, death, something new, but for a actress as loyal and as talented as she, it's almost a sin! I just think that if that's how you show your loyal fans and employees, whom I can only imagine become friends after over 20 years of service, that you appreciate they're hard work and dedication, then please, don't be my friend. And as a loyal fan to ATWT, please don't show that you appreciate us!!!

Mala I saw the "buzz" in the new magazine about the partner swap between Lilden and Carjack. My worst nightmare to say the least. It destroys two supercouples and two of the best and only remaining friendships on the show. So is it definite this is happening or only an idea they are kicking around? A lot of people like the idea as far as friendships between them but are revolted at the idea of anything becoming romantic. This would be complete character destruction and once they go there, there is no turning back. Also how does making fans even angrier than they are already ease the pain of losing Martha as Lily? What does ticking them off even more do? And if they want Noelle to be accepted as Lily, they need to establish her as Lily. Putting her with Jack just makes her a new character and not Lily. So do you think this is definite or just something they are toying with? I think I have a pretty good idea who the actor is in the article. It must be very frustrating for the actors to see things that they know are so out of character being done over and over. This would be a total slap in the face to history and to the fans and to everything the actors have worked on establishing over the years with their characters. When is the insanity going to end?

I think it's Micheal Park who made that statement. It sounds like something he would say. He's been very outspoken about the fact that Jack and Carly should get together and stay together, especially after this last go around. He's right. It just amazes me that the show goes from one quad to another with this couple. I didn't mind the Carly/Katie/Jack/Brad quad (though I was rooting for Jack/Katie, sorry!), but this is appalling. It really has the potential to taint both couples, all four characters for good. The idea is horrendous and proves they have run out of ideas for stories. Can't they see what a bad idea this is going in? The four characters would NEVER do this to one another (okay, Carly would, but the rest sure wouldn't -- LOL). They just wouldn't. It goes against who they are as people and as friends and relations. It's just wrong. Let's hope ATWT realizes this before it's too late.