Thursday, August 5, 2010

Maura West Joining YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS

TV Guide Magazine is reporting the long-standing rumor that Maura West was joining YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS is true. The bad news - they also confirmed the rumors of her playing Diane Jenkins were true. What a truly awful idea. Maura is a decade too young for this part, and it never was all that interesting anyway. One of the best actresses on daytime and Y&R saddles her with the wrong role. If this had not been happening over and over this year, it might not be so glaring. First Eden Riegel as Heather, Marcy Rylan as Abby and now this. Luckily these brilliant ladies can overcome some of the miscasting with their talent but why do they have to?

Y&R has become the show which casts the right actor in the wrong role, the wrong actor in the right role (see Malcolm) or someone know in pop culture in a useless role. Whatever the case, it's completely perplexing.

Hopefully Maura West can spin this into gold the way she's done with some stinker storylines on AS THE WORLD TURNS over the years. If she can, give her a third Emmy. But Y&R seems to be off the rails with its decision making in the past year.

14 comments:

  1. Diane? Why not create a brand new character?

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  2. Roger, Diane Jenkins used to be a pivotal role, and Maura can make it much more than it ever was. Watch out, Michelle Stafford- you really have competition now.
    As far as the age thing, the show has long since given up casting age appropriate- if we can accept Marcy Rylan as Abby, there is definitely no problem with Maura as Diane. She will soon overcome Michelle as the star of that show!

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  3. I quit watching Y&R years and years ago and swore I would boycott CBS for cancelling GL and ATWT. With some additions to the Y&R cast like Marcy Ryland, Jeff Branson and John Driscoll, I may have to re-think this decision if Maura West is going to be joining the cast.

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  4. Unemployment, Diane was key in some plots but I never cared for her. Maura will definitely elevate it. I just think she could bring on a dynamic NEW character and have a better of chance to succeed.

    gmatt, John Driscoll is already leaving. Virginal Chance was pretty ill-conceived from the beginning so they are cutting their losses.

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  5. I guess now they'll be casting Jack and Diane's grown son, Kyle. Who could they get from ATWT to play the part? LOL......

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  6. If Susan Walters had not so recently appeared as Diane Jenkins, this casting wouldn't be so hard to swallow.
    Susan Walters is a great actress and it was wonderful to see her (albeit briefly) back in the role of Diane.
    But if Marcy Rylan could make Abby hers, I can see Maura West making the role her own.
    That said, I agree with Roger and wish they'd brought her on as a new character.

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  7. I think Maura West is a great actress while it would have been interesting to see her play a new character if that were the case however

    I know she will make it her own and I don't really have an issue with her playing a past character like Diane

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  8. Maura will give wonderful performances, I'm sure. I'm praying that she can get along backstage with so many men & women diva-stars, starting with Mr. Moustache Himself!

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  9. I agree Roger! Now I have watched Y&R for years. Loved Alex Donnelley in the role. I think Diane has been involved in many important storylines on Y&R. Her affair with Jack all those years when he was about to get married to Patty was referenced numerous times during the Patty storyline. Also another one of her big stories was the "sperm" storyline. That's how Ashley got Abby and she got Kyle. I think Maura West is wrong for the role. There has been a lot of backlash from fans about the Heather Stevens i think this one will be even worse when she gets on screen.

    I would have rather seen her play Victoria Newman, Tricia Dennison, or Grace Turner.

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  11. Glad to hear, I hope she gets a decent role, Lizzie from GL is annoying, do like also from GL Ben and Shane. They desperately need some new blood over at B&B. Tiered of the same old crap. I would like to see Elizabeth Hubbard go over there as Lucinda, like to see her go a few rounds with Stephine.

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  12. I may, for the first time, strongly disagree with Mr. Newcomb. While the Eden Riegel and John Driscoll castings are failures (Riegel is too different from her predecessor and doesn't fit the vampy role; Driscoll got saddled with a ruined role from the start), Jeff Branson has been amazing and Marcy Rylan instantly (in five seconds) sold me on nu-Abby. The age difference thing fell away instantly.

    I am suspecting that this all presages a Phyllis-Jack-Diane triangle, and frankly that excites me...except for the Jack part :-). This younged-down Diane MIGHT even mix it up with Nick...which would be a very interesting dynamic with Phyllis.

    In the scheme of recasts, this one seems not-bad.

    As for the "new" characters. Y&R is trying to avoid the Lynn Latham debacle of too many new characters not connected to the canvas in any meaningful way. (Ji Min anyone? David Chow? Carmen Mesta). So I'll see how this plays out....

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  13. I am not familiar with Maura's work, but I have to say that I am not happy about the recast of Diane. Susan Walters was the best in that role, in my opinion. The scenes she shared with Michelle years ago, and even earlier this year, were absolutely delicious. Susan and Michelle really had something special. No one could press Phyllis' buttons quite like Susan's Diane, and vice-versa. I am pissed that she won't be returning to the role, but am happy for her recent prime time success. Maura better be damn good! Speaking of Michelle.... THANK GOD that are resurrecting the "bad" side of Phyllis. Her stepford wife routine and helplessness in the wheel chair while "Mama Bear" was trying to kill her just made me cringe!! The old Phyllis would have used a golf-shoe to pulverize that bitch Mama Bear's face in! Please more bad Phyllis!!!

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