Monday, April 28, 2008


OUT AND ABOUT

On the venerable CBS soap opera "Guiding Light," the fictional Bauer family each year holds a big Fourth of July barbecue. The production crew typically sets up fake smoke, in a fake grill, in a fake backyard.

"That's how it has always been," said Ellen Wheeler, the soap's executive producer. "And we add the sound of sizzling hamburgers."

Now the annual event, set to tape in June, will look a lot different. No more actors in swimsuits with water sprayed on them from bottles. This time, the cast really will be outside, and Wheeler is contemplating the idea of having live sparklers during the scene - an impossibility in a studio setting. "When you really are outside, it changes the feeling for you," Wheeler said.

Entire story, here.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

But the Bauer family means nothing on GL...why should we care?

Anonymous said...

Who is Wheeler trying to kid? Since there's a pic of the BBQ, the scene's been shot and it looks like a modified Main St set, unless this is a different scene. The lighting gives it away.

Who's watching GL anyway? Behind the scenes is more interesting than the show. If PGP was smart they'd decide to do a reality show about GL Production! Just don't tell Wheeler.

Anonymous said...

The pic used with the article is from last year's Bauer BBQ where Rick and Beth got married. It was shot on an indoor set.

Ellen Wheeler must be seriously close to brain-dead. How many times do we viewers have to beg, scream and shout that we couldn't care less about indoor sets, fake lighting, or seeing characters outdoors? All we want is to see some real good old-fashioned drama with characters we can actually like and care about in stories that make some sort of sense. That's it. It's not rocket science or neurosurgery and yet it's truly astonishing how magnificently Wheeler and Kreizman have completely and utterly failed in every respect that matters.

Does Wheeler honestly, truly believe that fans who are, on a daily basis, being insulted, offended, and just plain confused by her disgusting drivel give a damn about seeing the actors being taped outdoors with Ticker-Toy cameras so crappy that Best Buy wouldn't give them away? Does she really think that viewers will somehow accept her turning Springfield into an ugly, depressing one-horse town in the middle of nowhere and turning every single character into a lying, cheating, despicable scumbag who will screw and screw-over anyone to get what they want if we see a couple of real fireworks at the Almost-Completely-Bauerless-Bauer BBQ?

Is she really THAT stupid? If so, that's scary.

SuperSage said...

When will Wheeler and PGP realize that it isn't about props, filming or stunts. It is about writing for characters we already know and love in emotional storylines that INVOLVE the characters.

Right now, and at the upcoming Bauer BBQ, it is more gloss than substance.

Unknown said...

What if they had a Bauer BBQ and nobody showed up?