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| Victoria Rowell |
The spark, energy, and fire that Rowell brought to the screen is sorely missed. I don't care about what supposedly went on behind the scenes. All I saw on screen was a magnetic character who I couldn't take my eyes off of, who made her scene partners better, and who always made me care about whatever drama she was dealing with at any given time.
At a certain point, producers and networks need to do what is best for their shows, if they truly want a series to be the best it can be. Y&R is in desperate need of Dru in Genoa City. As we lose core characters and a sense of history, fan favorite Rowell would be just the thing to bring some much-needed history and depth back to the top-rated daytime drama.
Victoria Rowell is an actress who cares about her craft, believes in diversity, and stands up for what she believes in. I don't see anything wrong with that. In fact, why aren't more people celebrating her for speaking out?
More than ever, The Young and the Restless needs a major boost. The show is dragging, and there are days when I hardly recognize one person in an episode. A dynamic character from the past, developed by the legendary William J. Bell, who can instantly creatte story across the entire canvas, would do wonders for Y&R. Some days the show is just plain boring. One thing Drucilla Winters was not, even on her worst day, was boring.
Instead of hiring popular (and sometimes bland) actors from other soaps, bring back an actress who already has a built in fanbase who could be ratings gold. Y&R is maintaining it's top-ranking but is there really any competition for that spot. All four daytime soaps are holding their own in the ratings the past two years (thankfully) but the other shows are not going to gain a million or more viewers and suddenly catch Y&R. Why not also be the #1 show in terms of quality? Despite a ridiculous Daytime Emmy process that gave the show 26 nominations last week, Days of our Lives and The Bold and the Beautiful are leaps and bounds ahead of Y&R in terms of quality. On many days, General Hospital is too.
Y&R is coasting, and it's time to stop. The priorities seem to be all wrong. The first thing I thought of when I saw former Y&R actress Michelle Stafford pop up on ABC soap General Hospital last week was, "Oh brother, which current or former GH actress will Y&R try to 'steal' now to play Phyllis?" Stunt-casting or event-drama like Delia's death seem to be the new norm, and that's not the way Mr. Bell ever intended his masterpiece to be. Isn't there anyone at Y&R (Jill Farren Phelps) or CBS (Angelica McDaniel) that actually knows what Y&R was/is supposed to be about?
Can you imagine the publicity that Victoria Rowell's return would generate? And instead of hiring an actor from another show that many Y&R fans do not even recognize, Drucilla's return might actually lure back lapsed viewers that stopped watching.
The story possibilities are endless. Where hams Dru been all these years? Does she have a new family? Is she in hiding for a reason? Does she even know who she is? How will she react when she learns her archenemy Phyllis is in a coma? Will she help Sharon when the truth about what Sharon did to Phyllis is finally revealed? And what would Drucilla have to say about Neil and Hilary? That would be enough to get me to tune in! I bet there are other fans like me that would feel the same.
No offense to anyone mentioned here but none of the actresses who have played opposite Drucilla's husband, Neil Winters (Kristoff St. John)--Nia Peeples, Eva Marcille, Julia Pace Mitchell, Angell Conwell and Mishael Morgan--can hold a candle to Victoria Rowell. Morgan is the best of that group, and has a spark, but none of these actresses will ever mean to Y&R what Rowell did, and could again.
Now that you know how I feel, we want to hear from you. Are you ready for the return of Drucilla Winters?
Please take a look at some of my favorite Dru scenes from the past and share your thoughts in the Comments section below.
I actually just mentioned Victoria Rowell in one of the comments. Bring her back!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see Drucilla return. Genoa Cith has too many generic females like Avery and Courtney and Chelsea and Leslie. Drucilla versus Hilary would liven things up.
ReplyDeleteYES! Bring some magic back to this dreadfully boring show.
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ReplyDeleteHasn't Victoria Rowell been vocal on her twitter account about the lack of diversity of behind the scenes talent at Y&R, which may be the reason that TPTB at CBS and Sony hasn't brought her back on the show yet, thinking that she may be too difficult to work with on the show Michael?
ReplyDeleteHi Chris. She has been vocal. But she is a proven talent. It's a business. When you think about all of the other "difficult" actors that have been with Y&R for years, it makes you wonder.
DeleteShe's proven she's difficult.
DeleteLook, the actor is clearly very high maintenance and I can understand why the studio/company doesn't want to go through that again. The writers can make the show stop being boring by improving the writing. Drucilla's presence wouldn't make the writing any better. Oh for the edgy days when Adam seduced Rafe to make him think Adam was gay.
ReplyDeleteCan't imagine they would bring her back after her last take down of CBS.
ReplyDeleteDear Michael,
ReplyDeleteWill you marry me?
Seriously.
The past few weeks, I have read one inspired, unbiased, witty and passionate blog post after another by you. Every last word, I have agreed with.
Victoria Rowell's return to Y&R would trump any other move the show or any other soap could commit. Not only would it generate buzz but actually result in a ratings increase. As much as I like Michelle Stafford's acting, I cannot imagine her joining GH's bloated cast as a new character at the center of an anemic s/l will lead to a ratings increase.
Where's the attention to the bottom-line over at Y&R/CBS? Sure, Rowell has burned bridges but bridges can be rebuilt. Any of the actors she may have had issues with on the set will just have to deal with it_ there aren't many other job options and they know it. Whatever antics occurring behind the scenes make no difference to this viewer at home. I just want to be engaged with Y&R again and this is one way to do that. And, I don't think it's a coincidence Rowell championed more diversity behind the scenes/onscreen and suffered backlash as result. She challenged the status quo and we need more of that!
Frankly, one Drucilla Winters played by Victoria Rowell is worth more to the show's canvas than any other character outside of Victor and Nikki Newman.
I accept Joshua :) Dru is an iconic character and is right up there with Victor, Nikki, and Jill when it comes to the identity of Y&R. In all of soaps, Drucilla is the last remaining character who can be brought back and cause a major bump in the numbers. As a viewer, I don't care what has happened behind the scenes. I want to be entertained. That's it.
DeleteYou've made me a very happy man and soap fan. ;-)
DeleteNO
ReplyDeleteShe's on twitter ripping the Bells, CBS, and Sony. Not gonna happen.
ReplyDeleteOh heavens no! I used to like VR, now she is a joke. She has carried herself in an extremely unprofessional manner for years and years now.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I was a BIG fan of Victoria Rowell's and enjoyed her immensely as Drucilla. I also realize that actors can be difficult. It can be an egocentric profession, so it kind of comes with the territory.
ReplyDeleteBut that said, I think she crossed a line with her bedtime stories and twitter rants issuing innuendo-laden tales about former co-wrokers ... just to what??? sell a few more books??? Totally unprofessional.
Yes, we all know things happen on set. But the thing is that a soap opera set, even more so than many other types, is very much like a tight-knit repertory company, and a certain amount of privacy (i.e. "what happens on set stays on set) is an unwritten, understood rule and becomes necessary when you're going to be around the same people day-in and day-out for years and years and years. Look, I'm sure people could tell stories about her as well. But have they?
In short, if I were an Executive Producer I would put the other cast members ahead of VR. I would not want anyone in my troupe to have to walk around on eggshells thinking they might one day end-up as a thinly veiled character in her next book or have a snarky bedtime story told about them. (As I recall, the always-thoughtful and professional Eileen Davidson, who's also been writing soap-related fiction, had something to say on that subject.)
To use some old-fashioned soap opera cliches, VR basically made her own bed, burned her own bridges, and it's time for everyone to move on. - jmho
I sure would watch! That is all.
ReplyDeleteVR was great as Dru. I'd be OK with her coming back, not so sure the Bells, CBS and all would be, though. The show needs better writing asap. A HW who can write for all age groups. Doug Marland was so good at this. Nancy Curlee was good, JFP worked with her, may she can lure her out of retirement (?). Where is Pam Long? Better writing would def help Y&R pick up the pace!
ReplyDelete