Love in the Afternoon
Do you watch soap operas?
Happy New Year! Welcome to 2017.
Every year we’re told it’s
time to get a fresh start or
perspective on our goals for our lives.
I get it. Sometimes it’s not
easy to set resolutions, let alone keep them. I suppose that’s the
challenge. I will set some personal goals for myself and we’ll
see what happens. My personal goals include: Focus
on weight loss by reading a little, meal planning, and trying to work in
exercise. I’ve been told if it’s important to you, you’ll make
the time, and weight loss and fitness must become a priority
for me in 2017. #2 – Try to blog more.
Today I decided to tackle a
topic close to my heart:
Soap Operas. Growing up as a teen in
the 1980’s, I cultivated
a love of soap operas. I suppose I hit my
“peak” around 2000
with my “One Life to Live Satire.”
(You can still find it on the
web if you Google it.) At one point,
there used to be 11 soaps
on daytime TV. Now there’s only 4.
What happened? Are soap operas still
about “love in the
afternoon,” or have they changed to
action/adventure
dramas? How many of you still watch
soap operas?
I’ll be honest: I don’t watch soap
operas anymore. I’m just
too busy with work, sleep, and my
sons’ activities. My
watching died a slow death from 2005
to about 2010. I
used to love watching Roger Howarth
act. He was “Todd”
on One Life to Live and “Paul” on As
The World Turns. He’s
such a handsome actor, and totally
embodies any character
he plays. I tried to videotape his
shows, but I found they
would just back up and I couldn’t
watch for weeks. When
As The World Turns was canceled, I
just gave up. I know
Mr. Howarth is on General Hospital
now, and I’m still a fan,
but I know I can’t watch anymore, not
with my crazy
schedule. Soaps used to be fun to
watch, especially when
I was younger. So what happened?
Soap Operas started in the 1930’s –
1937 to be precise.
The first was “The Guiding Light,”
and it was on radio. It
was a drama about everyday people and
their ups and downs.
The commercials would feature
products from Proctor &
Gamble, Colgate, and Lever – products
that were made for
the home – soaps, mainly, thus came
the name “soap operas.”
The Guiding Light was the first to go
to TV in 1952. Soap
Operas came to be known as serial
dramas which examine
the lives of many characters focusing
on emotional
relationships. In the 1950’s, they
appealed to women since
women were in the home while men went to work.
Soon,
moms, grandmoms, and their daughters
would tune in to
watch the latest happenings on their
shows.
In the late 1960’s, soap operas were
very profitable and
continued to be throughout the 1970’s. In the
1980’s,
demographics began to change. More
women went to work
than were homemakers. To appeal to
the change in audience,
soaps got more dramatic to appeal to
a younger audience.
Now there were return from the dead
plots, infidelities,
murder mysteries, lies, and tortured
couples. Soap operas
also expanded into primetime TV with
“Dallas” and “Dynasty.”
The last soap opera created for TV
was “Passions,” in 1999.
By the end of the 1990’s there were
over 11 soaps, but that
was about to change. In the 2000’s
soaps declined as reality
TV, talk shows, and game shows began
to rise. Why? These
types of shows were much cheaper to produce
than soap
operas. Soaps tried to keep pace with
more plot driven stories
set at a faster pace. They created their
female characters to
be more independent and edgy. Dialogue became
clever and
witty. Now, 16 years after 2000, only 4 soaps
remain.
My favorite show was any show
Roger Howarth was on.
LOL! Honestly, it was “As The World
Turns.” Do you still
watch soap operas? If so, what’s your
favorite? Why?
OFF TOPIC: I sit here receiving the
sad news of Carrie Fisher
and Debbie Reynold’s deaths. I was
just 10 years old when Carrie Fisher’s “Princess Leia” came
to life in Star Wars, and I knew I wanted to be just like
Princess Leia – strong,
independent, sassy, brave, loyal, and
kind when I grew up.
Carrie Fisher created a character
that young girls wanted
to be like. Princess Leia inspired
and gave hope, but that
came from Carrie’s portrayal. Carrie
herself was a true inspiration as she went on to be a
fantastic writer (I’m reading Princess Diarist right now), a script
doctor, and a personwho was honest about her struggles
with bi-polar. On the screen and in real life, Carrie was a
true inspiration. Rest in Peace, Carrie.
I’m convinced Debbie Reynolds died of
a broken heart, losing
Carrie Fisher. Curious about Debbie’s
life, I did a Google
search. Debbie was extremely talented
with 2 stars on the
Hollywood walk of fame. She could
sing and dance and she
tackled adversity with courage.
Debbie Reynolds was a girl
scout. I admire that, because
scouting can be a challenge
to a young person who is involved in
scouting. Rest in Peace,
Debbie.
2016 was truly a year of grieving for
the many talented
celebrities we lost. May 2017 heal
our hearts.
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