...so, in the dead of night, keeping informed of the HCR votes...

...I'll shift gears and give you a little Senta Moses news :)

Let's start with the network one: Senta's going to be in an episode of Castle. The ep is "The Third Man", scheduled to air January 25, a couple of eps after the Alyssa Milano super-hyped episode. Also in Senta's ep is fellow General Hospital ex-pat (twice over) Sarah Brown (she now has a steady job over on The Bold and the Beautiful).

Other upcoming stuff includes mucho commercial work. She has a Wendy's commercial airing during bowl season (no doubt the one she auditioned for with the Struggling Actress who blogged about it below), she has a Teleflora commercial airing during the Super Bowl (and it's not the first she's been in), and she's participating in the big 2010 Census promotional rush. The ads are being directed by Christopher Guest, so that should be a good sign. (Perhaps one of them will air during the Super Bowl as well...)

Finally, apparently the indy feature 10 Years Later has a release date. According to the IMDB it will be released on March 26, 2010. Dunno who's distributing it, and dunno if it'll reach out here in the boonies...

...well, that's it for now. Back to seeing how the loony right will kill HCR again...

...so, I better make a little journal entry about this because I just heard.

Mark Ritts died last Monday at 63 from kidney cancer.

I just want to say just how good he was at bringing joy to kids and adults all around the world, and not just as being a guy in a smelly rat suit.

RIP, Lester.

...so, oh Jesus fucking Christ, it's happening again.

Approximately the same pattern as with General Hospital and Winifred is now happening...in a webcomic fandom.

Specifically, punch_an_pie.

More specifically, with Heather.

So, a few weeks ago, we transfer back to Heather (because we'd been with Angela for a long while) and almost immediately, the groans start coming. Because, you see, Heather was the bitch in the Heather-Angela relationship for breaking them up. When, of course, Angela went nuclear when she broke it off for basically no good reason, especially after how Angela nearly torpedoed her friendship with Kestrel in the other comic...

...but no, Heather's the bitch because she deigned to not want to be in a relationship where she thought the other one didn't love her.

...fast forward to this storyline. We se she's with Ai--wait, no, she's with Lucy? Of course, she's a bitch for being with anyone other than Angela or Aiden...so, of course, she left him on the side of the road bawling his eyes out, that bitch...he's still calling her and never getting her...so of course it's her fault.

...each and every fucking comic, the "fans" dream up new excuses to call her a bitch...every single one pretty much unfounded. Take the latest one for example...a flashback to six months ago (yes, it's been that long since we've seen Heather). "Oh, she wants to know where she and Aiden are going, and when he brought it up, she said 'So I should leave you?' THAT BITCH!"

...when she wasn't even talking about her relationship with Aiden at all...he was talking about the fact that, a few months after getting her college degree, she's still weaving hair at a zoo. Which is basically how her rift with Angela started...pressuring her to get out of a job she hated, but felt compelled to stay at for the money (yet another reason she's a bitch...she doesn't know what's best for her.)

...oh, by the way, now she's in a dead-end job at an accounting office where she likely will never actually be an accountant, and wondering why she got her degree in the first place. Cue yet another "That bitch" comment, because she actually thought she might actually go somewhere immediately with her degree. Pompous, arrogant bitch!

...but back to six months ago, Aiden says something in the effect of "I thought you'd be moving on" ...unspoken "with your career" in a prodding "you could probably do better than this" tone. Heather answers back, "Do you want me to move on?"

...BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITCH!

...Yes, of course, she's talking about leaving Aiden's poor heart to bleed on the side of the road...the same heart that up until that very night didn't have the guts to actually admit that he and she were even in a relationship, let alone talk about it.

...No, it's pretty clear she still thinks they're on the career topic...and actually asked to clarify, "What do you want?" As though--GASP!--she was actually concerned for Aiden! But she can't be concerned for him, she's a cold heartless bitch, everyone knows that. But this was simply another steer into their relationship...and this time, he finally answered...

"I want...to make out."

That's where we are right now. And six months later, she's with Lucy and not returning Aiden's calls. Obviously she was a non-stop bitch in those six months.

Why is this similar to Winnie?

Because "fans" are manufacturing reasons to hate her. If her and Angela's situations were reversed, they would not be saying such dumbass things about Angela. In GH, Winnie was getting heat before she even made an on-screen appearance. And it was pretty much over for them the moment the head writer, who every GH "fan" loathes, praised Senta Moses' chemistry with Bradford Anderson and extended her role...which basically means they went into hating SENTA...for no fucking reason. I have said before that trying to qualify a statement with "I like X, but" is a bullshit move...if you don't like someone, say so.

And PnP "fans" are saying they don't like Heather, in droves...but I still haven't found a good goddamned reason why that could not be applied to Angela. And there never was a good goddamned reason why Winifred should be so hated...at least not one that could not be applied to Spinelli, which I'll give the half that didn't like him a slight pass on, but the side that loves him doesn't have that excuse. They may not like her because she's trying to steal Spin away...but then, multiple men try and steal Maxie away, and they're not universally hated. They may not like her because she busted Spinelli...but then, Mac tried to bust Spinelli multiple times, and he's not universally hated. The worst of all though, were those that decided to hate her because she was a "Spin-clone"...which is bullshit for half the fan base.

Now, to the PnP side, everything Heather does, it's because she's a bitch. I mean, literally every strip there's some anonymous "fan" who posts how the latest strip proves beyond a reasonable doubt that Heather is a bitch. And whenever they point that out, I think, "How can this not apply to Angela?" Sometimes, I feel like saying it, but I know it'll either be ignored, or they'll reply, "Oh, you're not a real fan 'cuz you don't think Heather's a bitch!"

...That's fine, thanks...I'd rather not be a real fan, if that's what real fandom does.

...so, a sort of interesting exchange with the subject of Senta Moses occurred on Twitter yesterday, all spurred by my innocent comment about the dropped "Kate's embezzling from her own company" storyline on General Hospital:

@IlGreven: @WubsNet Seems that dropped stories are a habit around Spixie these days...

The Wubqueen then ReTweeted my post and added, "And WINNIE! grr." She knows that Senta's pretty much the only reason I watch GH...and now don't. I only heard about the Kate s/l through her tweet about it.

Robin from GHOFS then chimed in with this:

@GHOFS: @WubsNet I miss Winnie! Tried to find out from Senta M if she was gone a little while back, she didn't give details.

...hmm. Not giving details. Which means a coupla things: Either she is not gone, and isn't talking 'cuz she's afraid she might actually be gone, or she is gone, and isn't talking 'cuz she's hoping she'll be back. Or, maybe she's just rather busy and didn't have time for a long reply, which could be the case.

And if she's really busy, that means she's probably working on something big.

Thing is, the lack of news about anything about that is rather frustrating. Google has been pretty much dry the last two weeks. So for right now, the only things I have to look forward to are Boiler Maker (whenever it comes out, and if it comes out around here, the probabilities of that are fairly low), Ten Years Later (if that ever emerges from development hell, and also carries with it the same ifs as Boiler Maker when it does), and that Hallmark Movie "Wishing Well" (which hopefully won't disappoint me like "Bla...er, "The Kidnapping" did...). I would say "Ronna and Beverly", but Showtime didn't pick that one up, and Senta was just a guest star in that one anyway, so...

Of course, she might be negotiating to get back on Greek, which I've heard is now filming Chapter 5, which comes out in August...right around the same time the Chapter 3 DVD comes out.

But anyway, here's to hoping for more news...

EDIT UPDATE: Ask and ye shall receive! Robin was nice enough to pester a few answers out of Senta today. She has about as much of a clue about whether Winnie will be back as I do. Other stuff: Apparently, she has a Facebook, which I would not know because I don't have one, and FB is remarkably closed for a social networking site. Anyhoo, other stuff..."Boiler Maker" does have a distribution license, which means it'll come out in theaters, but whether it makes it to the boonies remains to be seen; "Ten Years Later" did make it to Cannes, but doesn't have a distribution license yet; and apparently "Grown-Up Clubhouse" is being shopped around. And she says she'd love to come back to "Greek" (which means right now she isn't). Thank you Robin...and Senta!

...so, I'm gonna give some speculation on Winifred, who is the character who has just replaced Ethan as the one most up in the air right now:

( Spoiled stuff here! )

...so, Robin over at GHOFS has been chatting up Senta today, and I've got only one thing to say:

“And that guy that wrote you about the contract is my new best friend : )”

...dammit, I've been usurped! :P

...so, this will be my last rant on GH as a whole. Oh, I'm still going to be watching GH on YouTube for Senta, but I'm not a "fan" of GH. Because I've come to the obvious conclusion:

No rational person would want to be a part of this "fanbase".

Lemme tell you something, people: I have been a part of the fanbase of two television shows, neither of which have more than 30 hours' worth of content. Both were cancelled long before they were able to take root. And both had rabid fanbases. Didn't help them a bit. In fact, in some ways, it detracted from it, because people were turned away by the fans of the show. They never watched it, but hated it because of the fans of it. It wasn't all of us, just the loudmouths that screamed "ZOMG THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER YOU SHOULD WATCH LOL!"

The same principle is acting here, on an opposite scale. Here, the fanbase has over 10,000 hours of content. It has been a staple show for over 40 years. Unfortunately, that's a strike against its "rabid fanbase," who seeks to go back to the "good old days" when ratings were high (which will never again happen thanks to the age we're in) and stories were entertaining (by each "fan"'s narrow interpretation of "entertaining".) And they complain about today's show. Loudly. How the "n00bs" are destroying the show, it's all their fault, it's all the writers' fault, it's all everyone else's fault. This screeching doesn't help the show a bit. In fact, it detracts from it even more than the rabid fanbases who are spreading their joy of their show far and wide. Because the "fans" who accost them scream "ZOMG THIS IS THE WORST THING EVER THE N00BS ARE HACKS AND YOU SHOULD FEEL BAD FOR LIKING THEM YOU SHOULD NEVER EVER WATCH THIS EVER LOL!"

...and potential viewers don't. They don't hate the show. They hate the fans of the show.

Especially those potential viewers who happen to be fans of the "n00bs" that are coming on. Folks, Claire Coffee has fans. Not as many as some GH actors, but she has fans. Those could've potentially benefitted GH's ratings. But no, the "fans" decided that her character was the worst thing ever. When she was taken off contract and left the show, some "fans" celebrated. Thus, Claire Coffee fans took away a bad experience, and started hating GH, too. But they'd never associate with the "fans" that savaged their beloved Claire Coffee.

...put Senta Moses in for Claire Coffee, and you're where I'm at now. Senta, however, has a bigger fanbase than Claire Coffee. Not as big as a big giant daytime name would, but bigger than Claire Coffee. You're doing that same thing to her, and to me, and the rest of her fans, as you're doing to Claire. And Claire didn't deserve it, and Nazanin Boniadi didn't deserve it, and Senta damn well does not deserve this shit. I don't care how bad you think her character is. And thus, I'm beginning to hate GH, not for its storywriting, but for its "fans".

Sure, there may be a few sane voices who might even like Winifred and her storyline, but those voices are drowned out and shoved away by all the voices who tell me I should be ashamed for liking Winifred or Senta. And you're doing your job, because I'm not watching GH in any official capacity anymore. And I know Senta likes having a job so she won't ever ask to be let go, but just like the "fans", I'll be rooting for the day she's let go, because it will allow her and me to fully escape the insanity that is the GH "fandom" (which I see no actual fans of GH in).

So to any of those "fans" out there, I say this: Be grateful you even still have a show. Because it could be cancelled at any moment, and while you'll probably initially cheer for it, pretty soon you'll be asking for it back, just like I have for two other shows. And I'll be on the outside just shaking my head, because you didn't appreciate it when it was there, and even if you did, you'd go back to complaining, because no amount of "fixing" it will make it like it used to be for any of you.

...so, it doesn't look good for Winifred, especially with all the upheaval of the cast of GH. She's not that popular a character, with the Spin-speak and the incompetence being played up rather than down...

The only way to save the Winifred character in my mind is to give her a complete image and personality overhaul. No more braids, no more glasses, no more Spin-speak. However, it is clear that by this time, the current personality is hers. Thus, ( my proposal )

...so, since last night allowed my love of Senta to become relevant (by recognizing Michael Rady and Erin Cahill playing siblings on "Grey's"), I thought I'd use a post to show other people that I recognize because of my way too creepy obsession.

For a little while, Senta did improv in LA at the IO West. I promoted a couple of times her group was there. Of course, there are plenty of improv troupes that play at the IO West, and one of them is called Trophy Wife. I have recognized one of the players from there before, Jill Alexander...and I've recently seen her in two more commercials: The Hillshire Farm airplane commercial (which also features Youtube queen Stevie Ryan as the stewardess...er, flight attendant...), and also a Pupperoni commercial.

A weird coincidence happened with another Trophy Wifer, Zabeth Russell, and the editor of one of my subscribed channels, Mike "Wolf" Sweeney. This week, she was a contestant on the syndicated game shwo "Trivial Pursuit: America Plays," a game show with a unique twist: Not only are the contestants playing against each other, but they're playing against everyone in America. Basically, home viewers ask questions, and if the contestants get enough of them wrong, the viewers get the cash. As it turns out, Zabeth is the one who makes it to the end...and Wolf is the one that asks the clincher question...and it's the clincher for America's team. So she gets nothing, and he got a check for about 600 bucks. (The clincher's at about 7:45 of that clip.)

So, anyway, once again my crazy stalking pays off!

...so, ( Grey's Spoilers! )

...so, the newest article about Senta is in the Chicago Daily Herald today. Go take a read!

I might have more later...

...so, from the clues I've picked up on GH, I've cemented my opinion that once the current crisis is over, and Spinelli is off the Feds' radar, Winifred is gone.

The clues include:

1. Yesterday, with Winie's attempt at a kiss. Spin was oblivious.
2. Today, Spin's fantasy, has a Devil Maxie and an Angel...Maxie.

I don't think she's going out in a crazy blaze of glory, like some people think. She's basically a harmless crushee. A little imposing, sure, but harmless. But sometime, she's going to teach Spin that he has to be firmer in his convictions, and he can't keep saying yes to everyone. As it is now, he's leading her on without realizing it. He's got to tell her no, and fast...or she's just going to keep pushing, and then Maxie's probably gonna have to choke a geek.

Aside from Spin, however, there are literally no places for Winifred to land. Not even with Sam's PI adventures, because she'll have Spin as her tech there. And other than Jason, she has had zero contact with anyone else in the cast. And because she's on so little, the ( Upcoming spoiler scenes ) don't count. The very best we can hope for is for her to ride off into the sunset, her job done, her main hope realized, moving on to other fish in the sea.

...so, the wonderful spikeylover has alerted me to another Senta Moses interview over at TV Megasite. She has nothing but good things to say about GH, and calls Winnie and Spinelli "the Yodas of daytime television", and talks about how she's on file with the FBI because of research for a role (not this role, though)...

I also want to say to SL and anyone else reading that I don't blame you for how you feel about Winifred, and that you shouldn't feel bad about how you feel about her. My deciding not to frequent there anymore is more of my own feelings than anything you did. And I thank SL and the rest for making me feel welcome even if I held an opinion contrary to the majority.

...that said, my girl returns tomorrow. Mwa-ha-haaaa....

...so, I've finally quit reading pretty much all GH fan boards...including the Spinelli one here on LJ.

I have a message for anyone who posts over there, without real malice, but definitely not neutral:

You are doing to Winifred (and Senta) fans what the fans at Soap Opera Central, Daytime Dish, and Soap Zone are doing to you. I don't know if you're consciously doing it, but you're doing it. And no, the fact that Winnie's an annoying character does not make it all right. Because that's the very justification the fans at those other boards are using to attack Spinelli (and Bradford).

I know you're entitled to your opinion. Hell, even I laugh and/or cringe at some of the more ridiculous thing Winnie's done, being utterly unbelievable as an FBI agent being the chief grating thing. But do not forget that she has fans, like the SZ'ers forget that Spin does. Don't sink to their level, making yourselves hypocrites in the process.

...so:

Flashback: 1999.

A comic fan goes up to one of his buddies and says, "Hey! Did you hear about this great new comic series? It's got loads of fights, great comedy, and of course, babes with those two superpowers, if you get what I'm sayin'!"

"Yeah, I've heard of it", his buddy tells him, "But I think I'll wait for the trade to get into it." ("The trade" = "Trade paperback", which for comics is usually an omnibus of a set number of comics, usually 6-12.)

Three issues later, the comic is cancelled due to low sales. The trade? The last product relating to the comic. That is, of course, if it gets released at all.

Flash Forward: 2009.

A teevee buff goes up to one of his buddies and says, "Hey! Did you hear about this great new show on F*X! It's got loads of fights, great comedy, and of course, HALF-NAKED CHICKS!"

"Yeah, I've heard of it", his buddy tells him, "But I think I'll wait for the DVD."

Three episodes later, the show is cancelled due to low ratings. The DVD? The last product relating to the show. That is, of course, if it gets released at all.

And the cycle of life continues...

...so, I guess I can't resist watching the trainwrecks that are most General Hospital message boards on the web, and subsequently becoming angry at the GH "fans" that post therein.

I put quotes around "fans" because few of them really are fans of GH. They may be fans of a particular character or actor, but that's about it.

You wanna know why I know they aren't fans of the show?

Because they wish death on characters.

...no, no, I don't mean those characters did something so horribly unspeakable that they truly deserve to die. I mean, their mere presence annoys these "fans". Not "Claudia should die for what she did to Michael!", but "Winnie should die because...well...she just should!"

To give you a hint: Many of these "fans" cheered when Leyla Mir was killed off at the beginning of the month. Leyla Mir was a peripheral character whose biggest crime was getting in the way of Patrick and Robin. For that, these "fans" gave her a death sentence, and many were dancing on her grave before the corpse was cold. Even worse, a good portion of these "fans" proved that they should not be in any fandom I want to be a part of by blasting Nazanin Boniadi, the actress who played Leyla Mir. You've heard me say it a hundred times (most in the last two months), but it's so rare that the actor has much of any say in what she's doing, especially in a soap. Quite possibly the only actor in daytime right now that has enough creative control to matter is Susan Lucci, and even then, it's not that much. Therefore, anyone who would condemn any actor for the character he or she plays has officially stopped becoming a fan and started becoming the reason their series is about to be cancelled. As is anyone who wishes death on any character for just being there.

Now, I've seen how bad this writing staff's writing is. (Really..."Dude, this is way bad?" I'd like to know what was going through Senta's mind when she read that line for the first time). I've seen how bad their pacing is. I've lived through the dud that was GH Hospital Crisis '09. But guess what? Nothing Robert Guza and company could ever come up with will avert potential viewers as much as a "fandom" that wishes death on half the cast, then celebrates when a character so minor many people don't even know her name dies. If this is the way a "fandom" reacts when they have bad writers on staff, then they don't deserve good writers. They barely even deserve the show they're watching. */**

*I am not hoping for the cancellation of GH only because of how many cast and crew it would put out of work. The "fans" have nothing but their emotions invested in GH. The cast and crew has much, much more.

**And I know maybe half the "fans" aren't watching the show...and proudly crow about it, as if you should be ashamed if you watch it, and...god forbid...like it. And, of course, they bash you for actually liking a character they've wished death on by being there...

...so, a slight update on myself, and a slight update on Senta.

For me, I'm trying to cut back on all the GH fan sites, due to all the negativity on all fronts. That includes the LJ groups I've been spying on, unfortunately, though the Spinelli group is more forgiving than most. Nothing personal, really...it's just that there are so many intense flamewars on characters who are already on the canvas...and that heat is turned up tenfold on marginal characters. Don't believe me? Check out some of the GH message boards the day Leyla Mir died...or when Claire Coffee was taken off contract. And now I know how Nazanin Boniadi and Claire Coffee fans feel...

As for Senta, she's brought news of more stuff she's working on outside of GH. As previously reported, "The Wishing Well" Hallmark movie that stars Ernest Borgnine should debut sometime in the late summer, and she's added a pilot she's worked on for Showtime. From reading it, it looks like it's just a guester on the pilot, but one never knows...the GH run was only supposed to be a week, remember. She took off "Choose Connor" because it's now out on DVD (go rent it on Netflix!), and apparently "Grown-Up Clubhouse" didn't quite pan out (or maybe it's being shopped around right now...). Finally, she's in an IBM spot. If you think you've seen her in one, but weren't sure because it was so short, you probably did. She's on for a split second in one of them, but there may be more where she's on longer, since the "smarter" series is doing the "rapid snippet" approach.

Anyway, that's it for now.

...so, yeah, yeah, I promised myself not to go on the energy-draining General Hospital hate sites (which I will not grace with links), but I still peek from time to time. And I don't get why they rattle on about the wrong inconsistencies. Either they're not watching close enough (which, with how many of them are in group #2 of my people who need to go away quickly, they aren't), or just don't see or hear the stuff they don't want to hear. Either way, they miss the easy explanation for their "inconsistencies". However, those easy explanations cover up bigger inconsistencies.

For example, in Friday's episode, everyone is complaining that the other two FBI agents waited and listened in on Spinelli and Winifred's argument over the toxic balls, let alone arrest Spin when they noticed he was in there. So much so that they still make more jokes about the "toxic balls" than actually know what really happened: Winnie ordered them to go find a secure container for the balls. The entire argument was made while those two guys were out of the room. Of course, the bigger inconsistency here is, Why did it take two agents to find a secure container?

Or, after today's episode, everyone assumes the big "Metal with titanium alloy" container in a briefcase was breached, and we've got toxin everywhere. Of course, perhaps the case was quite sturdy and unbustable. It would make sense, since the payload inside is so deadly. That, though, leads to another question: Anyone, and we mean anyone, could don an asbestos suit and wade in there to get the balls. It doesn't look like anyone has. Why not? That one may be answered in tomorrow's or Wednesday's ep, when Win finally gets debriefed (not that way, you sickos!) by Rayner...

But one "inconsistency" that really isn't one at all: Why the hell is Jason in charge? Because he's the only one who was able to take charge and was willing to take charge! Lulu and Sam weren't, Patrick and Nik were predisposed with fighting the fire, and Sonny was out to kill Trevor. I have no idea where Ric or Nadine are, and everyone else is incapacitated except Carly and Olivia, who were off in Claudia's and Kate's rooms, respectively. There's no inconsistency, here, except for the fact that everyone else in the hospital is down on the bottom floor.

And one selfish note...yeah, folks, it's starting to grate on me a little, too. Senta and Bradford are good actors. I think it's a bad thing for both of them for her to mimic his speech patterns. Let Winnie be geeky in her own inimitable way, like Spin is geeky in his own inimitable way.

...so, yeah, that little promise has went by the wayside...I am still here, anyway...

And just posted over on the General Hospital Official Fan Site is a nice little interview with Senta Moses. Take a peek here!

And it just goes to show me not to get too down on the negative fansites, because there may be a silent fanbase who doesn't post to those places in the first place...

...so, I guess I'll have a word or two on what I expect from a new administration tomorrow, but first, to Mr. Brian Frons of ABC Daytime, why is your target audience teenagers? We've heard you want to bring in a younger audience by bringing in younger people, like your scheme to SORAS Michael on GH. And that's admirable: younger people supposedly buy more, you say, so you want the group that will be more susceptible to your ads...for makeup, household items, fashion and accessories, and baby products.

But think about it Mr. Frons. The television shows you oversee come on at 11 AM and 1-4 PM. Note the schedule of the average school day: 8 AM to 3:30 PM. Note also that most teenagers go to school. And finally, note that if there's a cafeteria TV at all, it won't be tuned to The View usually.

So, again, my question: Why are you targeting a demographic that, because of government mandates, is incapable of watching your shows?