All My Children Discussion Group

Topic: FROM SOD ONLINE- AMC Rolls Out The Welcome Back Mat - FOR 40th Anniversary SHOW

As first reported by Soapnet.com, AMC has landed six beloved faces from Pine Valley's past to join Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa (ex-Mateo and Hayley) when AMC celebrates its 40th anniversary on January 4 and 5: Eva La Rue will reprise the role of Maria Santos; Eden Riegel will be back as Bianca Montgomery; Laurence Lau will return as Greg Nelson; Taylor Miller will slip back into Nina Cortlandt Warner's skin; and Leven Rambin will play Lily Montgomery once again (though hopefully not her identical half sis, Ava) — but we bet the news that will most please AMC fans is that Julia Barr (Brooke), the 30-year vet who left in 2006 after she was asked to go recurring, has agreed to come back as Brooke English.

NOTE: Hope the last sentence clarifies why Julia Barr left AMC.

Actors like Jill Larson (Opal) Lee Meriwether (Ruth) and Walt Willey (Jackson) are on recurring, so they may appear on the show at any given time.

I'm THRILLED to see that Taylor Miller is returning for a visit; just the other day, I saw her autograph which I have when I was doing some house cleaning!  LOL...

As for Julia Barr...grand to see her again.  As to clearing up how she left AMC, I look at it this way:

She's not that old (she's younger than La Lucci..whom I also love) and wasn't that old in 2006 when her time on AMC ended.

She's lovely...(and just to add a personal note on the character and JB in general...she's a beautiful woman who, for some reason, makes me comfortable when I look at her...like she's not SO fabulous that I could never aspire to look that put together and yet she's just VERY put together.  Brooke, portrayed as a businesswoman/journalist...I thought she always looked just right.  Not wearing clothes that you'd never find in a local store...Brooke's look was attainable.) 

She has had 8 Emmy noms for playing Brooke, won twice and won a SOD award.

Brooke has been a MAJOR CENTRAL character on AMC since 1976...and while others started the role, she took it in '76 and with the exception on one short time with someone else, she steadily played the role since 82.  So basically she was about 29 years in the role.

After her establishing this character, being on for nearly 30 years in the role, winning awards, being pretty well loved by the audience...when it's time for contract renewal they ask her to go recurring....uhhhhhhhhhhhhh....let's see Walt Willey went recurring in late July...and we've seen him how many times since then?  He's been referred to by the other characters how many times since then?   -0-

To me, recurring is a polite way (there's the respect Julia and Walt certainly deserve) of being let go. 

WHY and for what GOOD reason was Brooke evaporated from PV?  The ONLY other woman of "that age" in PV has been Erica...that's it! (KWAK and Angie are a bit younger)  NO WONDER Erica "has" to be a cougar...they're writing out everyone else of a certain age!!!  She doesn't even have her gal pal Opal anymore...there's NOBODY for Erica.  Erica is either with Adam..who's hooked up with a much younger woman...or she's left to the younger people of PV!

Brooke was central...she's hooked up with Tad by way of Jamie...who went off to Africa or wherever and decided to stay but oh, his mother didn't come to say so long to him...?  Brooke is from one of PV's FIRST FAMILIES...the English family. 

Do very many people on the board even know much about the English family?  Or the Tylers let alone what's left of the Martins?

But I digress...back to JB:

If my boss came to me and said we'd like you to come to work 'now and then' - we cannot say how often but it won't be much...we cannot saw when...we can only say now and then and of course, your salary will be reduced...and we're keeping you under contract so you cannot just go work anywhere else either and not be available to us when we call you in...now and then...I'd have to tell myself my services apparently are no longer required and for whatever the reason, the boss is letting me down easy or just wanting to keep me on the hook for using me at his beck and call...but it has nothing to do with me...and wow, for this treatment I get to have my salary slashed. 

If your boss came to you and said he'll use you now and then..can't say when..can't say how often...but sign this contract to establish how you must remain available to us in some fashion...what would you think your boss was doing to you and your position?

If your spouse told you he/she wants to live apart...you do your thing and he/she does his/her thing but "now and then" you'll get together...would you think you still had a marriage?

No Julia Barr was "let go" which many people call "fired" --I call it "let go" because "fired" sounds like she did something wrong...  so Julia Barr for whatever their reasons was let go..no matter how people try to pretty it up.

Replies: (list all replies)

Recurring is different from being ‘Under Contract.’ Recurring actors are not given the benefits they are given when they are ‘Under Contract,’ and they can certainly do other jobs (maybe not on another soap) with a recurring status on ABC soaps. If a recurring actor is not available when the show needs him/her the show improvises. But a recurring character can be called on at any time to work an episode or episodes, unlike an actor that is fired. Now I am NOT saying that an actor should be content with a recurring position but Jill Larson has had a nice run in the past few months for a recurring character, while also filming (even if it is only a small part) in the Martin Scorsese movie ‘Shutter Island’ starring Leo DiCaprio & Ben Kingsley, which will be out in February 2010. Speculating without any certainty about why Julia Barr was put on recurring does not make it true. I cannot recall Julia Barr or the editors in the industry news referring to Barr leaving AMC as her being fired. Hence, I think it is fair to actually describe her departure from AMC, if one is going to say she was ‘fired’ or ‘let go’ as those words naturally mean something else other than ‘recurring’ to many readers. I don’t think anyone would dispute that JB was treated badly or given a helping hand to leave. And although Emmy winner Julia Barr’s Brooke English should be in PV representing one of Agnes Nixon’s traditional families, I understand why SHE would choose to walk away from the recurring status they offered her.

Please don't speak for Julia Barr. Obviously she has no ill will toward the show or else she wouldn't be coming back. You do not know what her situation was when she left AMC.

Actors on recurring status have no legal obligation to a show. They can look for work, & accept it, anywhere--including other soaps. Recurring status means that they have no guarantees of a minimum number of episodes they will be in, they usually get paid less per episode (closer to union scale) & they are free to say 'no thanks' if TPTB come calling. Sometimes (rarely) actors on recurring status get more airtime than when they were on contract, but that isn't the norm. As far as 'not answering for JB', agreeing to be in a couple of episodes isn't representative of having no hard feelings. It is a job & she may see it as a gift to the fans, nothing more. Not saying it IS, just that it also shouldn't be seen as JB having warm & fuzzy feelings about the jerks who destroyed the character she played. eom

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Posted by: Rosebud1
Date posted: Thu Nov 12 18:54:27 2009
Message:
Sorry, but I find it depressing & insulting--particularly to Barr & her fans.  They can do something for a day, but not on a daily basis?!  We're supposed to be grateful for something that only rubs salt into the wounds of those of us old enough to remember what great characters these were, for a moment or two of brief appearance?!

I don't want to see flashes of them, I want to see AMC back to its old, quality self.  Not just for a few moments, but for always.  All too soon we're going to go from reminders of greatness back to the mundane, unwatchable crap of today.  Why?!  If TPTB really valued that 40 yr history we would get great soap every day & great characters that are consistant--but that isn't what we've been getting for far too long now.

Again, we are supposed to be grateful for crumbs from the past while today's inept Suits claim to value the show's history--momentarily.

Replies: (list all replies)

Why so negative all the time? I'm thrilled to see Julia Barr back. Great move on their part to bring her back. I'm looking forward to it very much.

Gregory: Some people are fine w/the microscopic crumbs handed to us. I'm not. Why can't they bring these characters back as viable, interesting residents of Pine Valley for more than a few moments? It certainly isn't because the actors wanted to be tossed onto the backburner, or worse. Now we are all supposed to get excited over a few moments w/them, when they know that what the fans want is MORE of them, not less. Ever hear of the saying, 'Burn me once, shame on you, burn me twice, shame on me'? I find it painful to get sucked into emotionally investing in these characters, yet again, only to have the rug snatched out from under me. I'm also not looking forward to wonderful, veteran performers getting stuck w/crappy storytelling, once again, even for a day or two. We all deserve better. All too soon, they will be gone & TPTB (Corp) will think that the fans are happy w/a few moments, when what most of us would rather see is MORE of these characters, not less. Once again, it isn't about being negative, it is about wanting soaps & the fans to be taken seriously, treated well & not manipulated w/some gimmick--which this is. eom

Absolutely and totally agree, Rosebud! I can't stand gimmicks like this. There is no logical reason for characters like Brooke, Opal, and Ruth to not be in front-burner, interesting, and well-written stories on a daily basis! I, for one, am not watching AMC now, and I will not be watching AMC during its 40th anniversary episodes. /eom

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Posted by: NiteOwl
Date posted: Thu Nov 12 17:15:48 2009
Message:
So happy to hear Brook will be back !!!!

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Posted by: mrskool
Date posted: Thu Nov 12 14:28:37 2009
Message:

 

Yay !! Brooke's coming back !!  Too bad she has no family left to come back to ...

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