Tuesday, September 6, 2011

REPORT: Susan Lucci Turns Down AMC Offer; Will AMC Continue Online After All?

ALL MY CHILDREN star Susan Lucci has turned down Prospect Park’s offer to stay on the show according to a new report at Deadline.com. The offer was for a salary identical to what Lucci currently makes at ABC.

Deadline says she "tried to gouge the producers for more money while also asking to work fewer hours and get a commitment for a primetime series."

Lucci took a very publicized pay cut a few years to stay with the soap.

In light of her decision this time, Prospect Park may reevaluate its short-term strategy for the two soaps and put its muscle behind the higher-rated ONE LIFE TO LIVE, while moving ALL MY CHILDREN to the back burner.

Prospect Park’s original plan was to re-launch both OLTL and AMC online in the first quarter of 2012.

Last week, Lucci told TVGuide.com that she did hope to continue with the soap. "My heart is there," said Lucci, who has played Erica Kane since 1970. "I think it's a very, very exciting possibility. I think that Prospect Park, the men involved there, have a wonderful, successful track record ... It could be very exciting."

RELATED:
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- TV Guide Network Paying Tribute To ALL MY CHILDREN With 1-Hour Special On Sept. 11
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- EXCLUSIVE: Justin Bruening To Guest Star On CSI: NEW YORK
- Last Day Of Taping ABC's ALL MY CHILDREN: Soap Stars React on Twitter
- Ricky Paull Goldin: End of ABC's ALL MY CHILDREN "Like A Crime Scene", Working on Soap Spoof Web Series CEREALITY
- Agnes Nixon Created Big Cliffhanger For AMC Ending
- ABC Confirms AMC/OLTL Licensed to Prospect Park
- Prospect Park, ALL MY CHILDREN & ONE LIFE TO LIVE: Five Things Every Soap Fan Should Know about Daytime's New Powerhouse
- PRESS RELEASE: Prospect Park Names Technology Pioneer Stratton Sclavos as Partner & Member of Executive Team in Company's Online TV Venture
- FLASHBACK: Susan Lucci 1971 - "If You Can't Make It To The Top By Being A Good Girl, Then It's Not Worth It"

6 comments:

  1. Her 'current' salary? 'Gouging?' Hasn't she already taken several pay cuts and had to commute to Los Angeles? I don't think that Susan Lucci is perfect, but seriously?

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  2. Susan Lucci definitely was not gouging to her producers in her business negotiations. If anything, her employers were gouging her over the recent years with the soap (commuting cross-country, pay cuts in her contracts, out clauses for outside projects, etc.).

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  3. I believe the actors who have spoken out (EG Lucci & Strasser) against TPTB are being punished and vilified. After all they are workers just like the rest of us and union members at that - well paid yes but just the hired help nontheless. And the hired help must not forget their place.

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  4. I am not too worried about this--yet. The report says Lucci (or, more likely, Lucci's agent) asked for more money, less hours, and the freedom to leave for a prime-time show (after they had offered Lucci--as far as we know she's the only one who got this offer--the same salary she had when it was on broadcast TV) and then informed them they were walking when they would not agree.

    If that's true either Susan Lucci is:

    1 - disrespectful of the fans and her co-workers (a lot of the jobs of the less famous cast and crew--LOTS of people--depend on the online show being a success, a short-term, 3-month "let's see how it goes contract" would have been a way to help the online show establish before/if she moved on), professionally deluded (if she believes there's a tremendous demand for 60+ women with spectacular daytime star power, but not an exceptional amount of acting range, in movies and prime-time--look who she'd be competing with for those roles), and possibly greedy.
    /OR/
    2 - This was a "hardball" agent's technique used to let them know she knows her value, knows they need her, and get what she really wants, which is more time off, time back in NYC, and the chance to do other projects. (Remember, if you ask for the moon and act at first like you won't accept anything less, it's easy to negotiate "down" and look generous doing it. She'll be a hero if she signs--because she "really wanted to make a deal happen for the fans"--and while she may not get more money, she'll likely get more by way of flexibility than if she'd just opened by asking for it.

    Remember, these are guys (Prospect Park) who come out of the movies and TV world--not the daytime world, and her agent knows this. I think her agent is playing like you see happen in those worlds all the time. Both sides show they are "not afraid" to walk away and then start the real negotiation. However, she risks losing good will from fans if her decision to "walk away" so early on is blamed for hurting (or even killing) the new iteration of the show before it could even get going. You never want to be seen as greedy. But for now...not worried. I see (and hope for) a deal happening.

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  5. Come on guys. I love AMC but Susan Lucci is NOT exactly the best actor to evolve. Matter of fact, the older Lucci gets, the worse actress she is. AMC has FAR better storylines than those of Erica Kane and it begins with Tad Martin and Jessie Hubbard. Pick up from there and build on what we the fans already love.

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  6. I agree with anonymous-I never did get the whole Susan Lucci thing. There is a reason she waited all those years to get an Emmy-she is not that good of an actress. I think she finally did get it out of pity.
    I always preferred AMC when SL was on vacation and off the show.

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