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| 'Is there an age cut off for Menudo?'
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One can only imagine the hundreds of housewives, faces painted, ready for battle. One of them pacing back and forth on a stage (probably the largest one - hopefully dressed in leather and carrying a bullwhip) in Braveheart fashion asking the question, "What would you give for your soap opera? Would you fight?!" This could have been, and was most likely how the scene played out, when fans of Another World held their annual luncheon at the New York Hilton Saturday.
A few of you might be saying, "Hold up there buck-a-roo, soap fans holding an annual luncheon?" The answer is a somewhat confused yes. Funny what women will do to get out of the house for a few days and get jiggy in the Big Apple.
And you thought Star Trek fans were the only ones who went a little overboard.
The reason for all the anger? NBC is pulling the plug on the 35-year-old fictional Bay City, Ill soap. Longtime followers aren't letting go of their favorite program without a fight. Some of the reported 800 people attending their fan club's meeting gathered at NBC studios Saturday morning. Members of the club have also launched a vicious letter-writing campaign pleading for network execs to change their minds about replacing Another World with a new soap called Passions.
NBC Entertainment President, and resident insincere TV exec, Scott Sassa called the
decision "very tough," but said the change, coupled with a new morning news lineup on NBC,
will help the network establish a pattern in programming he called "critical to our success."
That's network speak for: Out with the old, in with the new, and stop writing letters because we're not reading them.
In addition to lobbying NBC, Another World fans are also pitching the show to ABC and
Fox in hopes one of them might pick it up. The chances of either network picking up
the show are not very good considering they have enough of their own crappy soaps to air.
"Whatever happens next will be really interesting because now it's in the
hands of the fans," said Victoria Wyndham, whose character, Rachel, is the
longest-running on Another World. Viewers have watched her do what she
calls 'acting' for a staggering 26 years.
"We've had the rug pulled out from under us, but I don't think that NBC is
the only outlet in town," Wyndham said. "I'm an actor. We believe that
you can find a bunny in the hat."
We're not sure what being an actor has to do with believing you can find a bunny in a hat, but we'll take her word for it as we tune in to Sunset Beach.
