DARK SHADOWS FORUMS
General Discussions => Current Talk Archive => Current Talk '24 I => Current Talk '06 I => Topic started by: AndreDuPres on June 20, 2006, 09:13:36 PM
-
I've been watching the PT storyline when Lisa Richard's/Sabrina's wooden, awful acting inspired the idea for this thread. Yes, Sabrina, either in RT or PT, has caused me to fast-forward through many scenes. It's almost unbearable to watch her together with Don Briscoe/Chris, especially towards the end of the Leviathans when they're [spoiler]locked in Bruno's house/apartment thing.[/spoiler]Jeff Clark and Amanda Harris tie in second place behind Sabrina, for while Sabrina's the epitome of boredom, they're both highly obnoxious.
-
I know what you mean but thats part of the whole Dark Shadows charm. As lame as some parts of the show tend to be I love every episode.
-
Oh I have been very tempted in the past to fast forward through parts, but as of yet have not yielded to temptation. Usually it's not a certain actor, but a storyline or some dialogue that just draaaaaaaaaaaags and is painful to watch. The latter half of the Adam storyline was just PAINFUL to watch in my opinion, as was Vicki's witchcraft trial, and that's only for the way she and her "lawyer" handled it.
-
I know what you mean but thats part of the whole Dark Shadows charm. As lame as some parts of the show tend to be I love every episode.
I think that's how I feel. While there are some storylines or characters that I sort of feel "ick" when I think about them, when I'm actually watching, it's still woven into the overall story well enough that I get caught up in all parts and want to see what's happening. I might not enjoy those parts as much, but wouldn't skip them. And, before I knew what was going to happen, I was still caught up in those parts and wanted to see what would develop.
-
I for one am not ashamed to say 'yes, I've skipped parts' of DS because one or two characters was just BORING.
Take Peter/Jeff/Dirk. He's always fixing his hair and anybody else's in that scene. And he shouts. Everybody knows your there. We're not deaf. So yeah, I have skipped over it....everytime it's on.
Then there's Hallie/Carrie. It's like an hour to tell you hello. Everytime she's on, I want red coals put in my eyes so as not to see her screw this scene up.
Coming in third is Sabrina Stuart. I just think that Lisa Richards, who is a very nice person from what I've heard, is not the right person to play Sabrina.
And of course, there is Anthony George/Mitchell Ryan. The person that these people played, well, the Collinsport people, headed by Roger, tar and feather Burke Devlin. That would bring him down a notch or two.
I feel better now.
-
The latter half of the Adam storyline was just PAINFUL to watch in my opinion, as was Vicki's witchcraft trial, and that's only for the way she and her "lawyer" handled it.
I agree wholeheartedly! I will NEVER watch the 2nd half of the Adam/Eve plotline again. Nor will I watch Vicki's trial again. I will watch [spoiler]Quentin's and Desmond's trial once more just to make sure those DVD's are not defective or anything, then I will *probably* never watch that again either.[/spoiler]
-
With almost any show that has a large cast, there's always a character or two (or more) that tempts me to fast forward. With DS, there's the occasional character and also the plotline. If a plotline is really good or I'm really interested in it, I can tolerate characters that I find irritating.
My FF picks:
Hallie Stokes and the summer 1970 plot. Sitting through some of those scenes with her and David was excrutiating. Never mind FF, I skipped some of those episodes entirely - and probably will never go back and watch them.
Phillip and Megan Todd at the Antique shop, and later Megan and Phillip with all the little Jebs. The temptation to FF was painfully strong.
Adam/Eve/Nicholas - I'm not much of a fan of the Adam storyline, but I was never tempted to FF when characters like Barnabas, Carolyn, Elizabeth, Vicki or Roger were on screen. But the scenes with Adam and Nicholas, and Eve and Nicholas, and all three of them together - my finger was on the FF button, getting ready to make use of it.
Other characters that irritate me and make think of the FF button - Jeff/Dirk/Ned, Bruno, Roxanne, Sabrina and Amanda. But since Roxanne is often onscreen with Barnabas, FF-ing is just not possible. It's the same with Amanda (because of Quentin) and sometimes Jeff (because of Vicki). Unfortunately. :P
-
I actually like the late Adam storyline; it's the early part I don't like. I don't think I've seen early Adam for about two years, but I just finished watching the Adam/Eve/Nicholas stuff earlier this summer, and though it was pretty ludicrous in some spots, I enjoyed it.
Now, about these characters...I was watching PT this morning during brunch, and as soon as I heard Lisa Richards do the voiceover, I cringed and involuntarily moaned. I cannot stand her Sabrina character. I'm sure Lisa Richards is a nice lady in person and that she's done better acting in other roles, but here she's awful. I try not to fast-forward, but she leaves me no choice.
-
Definite Dark Shadows "FF" (or, 78 RPM) Characters:
Modecai Grimes (A man, who makes even Victor "Bloody" Meldrew of "One Foot In the Grave" fame, seem like Liberace or Ward Cleaver by comparison!)
Morgan Collins (Can anyone possibly be even MORE narcissistic than George Hamilton or Fred "The Hammer" Williamson in this lifetime? I think so!)
Jeb (or Jebess?) Hawks (Ugh, please get me the Pepto-Bismol, quick!)
Samantha Collins (a woman, who gives even Madame DeFarge, a softer and more feminine image.)
Jeremy Grimes (The "pretty-boy" apple, doesn't fall far from the ogre-like and gnarled tree, does it?)
PT Quentin Collins (A man sorely in need of both anger management classes AND copious amounts of Prozac, in that order!)
Gabriel Collins and Edith Collins (What can I say, but they are the James Carville and Mary Matlin of Collinsport, Maine, circa 1840!)
-
Definitely those ($(#@ING Leviathan kids, especially that brat Alexander. If I were Paul Stoddard I'd have either thrown him off Widow's Hill or given him a one-way ticket to Joan Crawford's Manhattan apartment where Mommie Dearest herself would've taught the little sh*t a thing or two....
-
Charles, I take it you really didn't like Alexander.
Definitely those ($(#@ING Leviathan kids, especially that brat Alexander. If I were Paul Stoddard I'd have either thrown him off Widow's Hill or given him a one-way ticket to Joan Crawford's Manhattan apartment where Mommie Dearest herself would've taught the little sh*t a thing or two....
-
Definite Dark Shadows "FF" (or, 78 RPM) Characters:
Morgan Collins (Can anyone possibly be even MORE narcissistic than George Hamilton or Fred "The Hammer" Williamson in this lifetime? I think so!)
Samantha Collins (a woman, who gives even Madame DeFarge, a softer and more feminine image.)
PT Quentin Collins (A man sorely in need of both anger management classes AND copious amounts of Prozac, in that order!)
Yep, I agree about these 3. Morgan is such an a-hole! I kept hoping Bramwell would roundly kick his ass for the shabby way he would treat Catherine, and right in front of him too! This is why I love it when [spoiler]he goes flying off the roof of Collinwood at the end of 1841PT![/spoiler]
Samantha was like fingernails on a chalkboard. Again, [spoiler]I cheered LOUDLY when she tumbled off Widow's Hill![/spoiler]
I've already said I hate 1970 PT Quentin, but I do like 1841PT Quentin very much, go figure. ::)
-
Peter Bradford and/or Jeff Clark, hands down.
It's way way WAY down the list for anyone else anywhere near as annoying. Maybe Hallie and Carrie Stokes?
G.
-
Watching an episode of DS is the last thing I do each day before going to sleep, so the boring storylines/characters aren't too much trouble for me, I actually kind of enjoy the sedative effect. It's the annoying characters (Harry Johnson :-X) that drive me up the wall and have me fighting the urge to FastForward.
-
I'm just wild about Harry! ;D There's something about Craig Slocum's terror and nervousness as an actor that lends itself to the character so wonderfully! I will agree that in one scene with Nicholas, he was, as Leonard Pinth-Garnell of SNL "Bad Theatre" fame would say, "deliciously bad." For my money, however, the appearance of Sky Rumson ("ANN - JUHHH - LEEK!) was equally "delicious."
Petofi, who has to hand it to central casting.
-
I'm just wild about Harry! ;D There's something about Craig Slocum's terror and nervousness as an actor that lends itself to the character so wonderfully! I will agree that in one scene with Nicholas, he was, as Leonard Pinth-Garnell of SNL "Bad Theatre" fame would say, "deliciously bad." For my money, however, the appearance of Sky Rumson ("ANN - JUHHH - LEEK!) was equally "delicious."
As God as my witness this is true; at the 1988 Dark Shadows Festival, during the "Q-and-A" session with actress Lara Parker, some very nice lady in the audience, asked her (and, remember, now, this was 18 years ago): "How did you like, working with a 'pretty-boy' like that Sky Rumson character?" (She may have even mentioned that tall, dark and handsome actor's real name!)
Anyway, Ms. Parker, just raised her eyebrows, as the audience (including yours truly and my then-girlfriend) just about fell out of our chairs in paroxysms of laughter!!! ;D >:D
Hopefully, there are several other cousins out there, who were, indeed, at the 1988 Festival in the World Trade Center to verify that I am NOT going completely senile in my dotage. Oy vey, that lady, must have had a "few" at McSorley's Pub, just off of lower Broadway before "sauntering-over" to the Fest! :o
-
Great story, Bob! I don't doubt it a bit, considering how wooden good old "Sky" could be.
Petofi
-
I'm in the no-fast-forwarding camp, but if ever I were to switch sides, my first victim would be Vicky. All that unleavened sweetness gets to me. I've never seen the pre-Barnabas episodes and I accept that she's smarter in them - but she would probably still remind me of a bowl of melted vanilla ice cream.
-
Vanilla is my favorite ice cream flavor. ;)
Victoria has never annoyed me, even when her character deteriorates. I get more annoyed at The Powers That Be for not seeing the potential in the character and not allowing her to grow and be let in on things.
-
Fast forwarding was the perfect antidote for Beth-the-human-doormat.... >:(
-
;D Love that, Rainey.
I have to admit I don't understand anyone being hesitant about fast forwarding through something he/she considers boring. The whole deal with this stuff is it's suppose to be entertaining. When something I'm watching ceases to be that for me, I fast forward until something catches my eye. >:D
Nancy
Fast forwarding was the perfect antidote for Beth-the-human-doormat.... >:(
-
David and Amy when Quentin is haunting Collinwood. The way they lie and always switch to that "who, me? I'm so innocent" voice when they do it, then they share a smug grin with each other afterwards. Good god, I can't take it. And all those scenes in David's bedroom where he and Amy basically have the same conversation over and over, and none of it advances the plot one bit. And Elizabeth and Roger acting like complete imbeciles. Definite fast forward material.
I think I also skipped about 20 episodes where Adam was falling in love with Carolyn. But even though I don't care for that storyline too much, it's at least watchable. Those kids make me yell at the TV screen.
-
Vanilla is my favorite ice cream flavor. ;)
Victoria has never annoyed me, even when her character deteriorates.
I agree. I like Victoria no matter what she's doing, but I have to admit I'm a sucker for those eyes of hers :o
Sometimes it's a struggle, but I haven't fast-forwarded yet. I even watch the credits all the way to the end, I guess it's the completist in me :)
-
I agree. I like Victoria no matter what she's doing, but I have to admit I'm a sucker for those eyes of hers :o
Sometimes it's a struggle, but I haven't fast-forwarded yet. I even watch the credits all the way to the end, I guess it's the completist in me :)
Vickie doesn't really bother me too much either, even at her most "petunia-ish". I was very good in the beginning of going through my DVD's to not fast forward through anything, including the opening and closing credits. But because I'm trying to get through the entire series before the Fest in August, I've begun to FF through both sets of credits. Saving even a little bit of time helps. ;)
-
As God as my witness this is true; at the 1988 Dark Shadows Festival, during the "Q-and-A" session with actress Lara Parker, some very nice lady in the audience, asked her (and, remember, now, this was 18 years ago): "How did you like, working with a 'pretty-boy' like that Sky Rumson character?" (She may have even mentioned that tall, dark and handsome actor's real name!)
Anyway, Ms. Parker, just raised her eyebrows, as the audience (including yours truly and my then-girlfriend) just about fell out of our chairs in paroxysms of laughter!!! ;D >:D
Hopefully, there are several other cousins out there, who were, indeed, at the 1988 Festival in the World Trade Center to verify that I am NOT going completely senile in my dotage. Oy vey, that lady, must have had a "few" at McSorley's Pub, just off of lower Broadway before "sauntering-over" to the Fest! :o
I recall a similar incident. It might have been all the way back at one of the Newark Fests. LP was asked about Geoffrey Scott and she replied that he was very good-looking but a terrible actor.
My vote for most fast-forwardable character? The Eagle Hill Cemetery caretaker. In general, I loathe the "young actor acting old" routine, and all of his scenes felt like filler, as if the episode came up short so the writers decided to have the caretaker ramble and moan to add the necessary 1 minute and 15 seconds to the running time. Even though I've seen these episodes many times, I still hope that Barnabas will kill the old geezer.
-
LP was asked about Geoffrey Scott and she replied that he was very good-looking but a terrible actor.
She should talk! Sheesh! Oscar/Emmy contender she ain't! ::)
-
She should talk! Sheesh! Oscar/Emmy contender she ain't! ::)
Definitely disagree there. LP is a good actor with definite screen presence. Her performance as Angelique certainly outshines Geoffrey Scott's acting as Sky by leaps and bounds. Geoff was easy on the eyes, but rather wooden acting-wise. LP's performances weren't at 100% in every single episode (who was always at 100% every time really except maybe Louis Edmonds?), but when she was on her game, Parker was certainly as good as the best actors in the series IMO.
-
Definitely disagree there. LP is a good actor with definite screen presence. Her performance as Angelique certainly outshines Geoffrey Scott's "acting" by leaps and bounds. She wasn't at 100% in every single episode (who was really except maybe Louis Edmonds), but when she was on her game, Parker was as good as the best actors in the series IMO.
Oh, I wasn't saying Lara was a bad actress, just that she wasn't the best, IMHO anyway. She was average, and let's face it, there were times she overacted ('course, ALL of them did at times ;) That would be the script too most times). I saw her in a couple things after DS and she was good, but not great. I didn't see a lot of versatility to her in those other roles, she basically played the same thing. There are some actors out there that can TOTALLY transform into something, then in the next movie be completely different again. Case in point--Al Pacino--he can play a very quiet, soft-spoken, almost shy person (Scarecrow, Frankie & Johnny) then play something way opposite (Scarface, Scent of a Woman), and do all 4 roles very convincingly. This is why I'm convinced some actors have bigger, better and more lucrative careers, like Pacino (or DeNiro, Streep, Sally Field) and others (Lara) don't. But it's true, G. Scott *was* pretty bad on DS, but by the time he was on Dynasty he was much better. ;)
-
I haven't seen much of LP's work besides DS to be honest. Only her Kolchak appearance. I know what you mean, but to be honest, I wonder if LP was ever given the opportunity to play various types of roles. It seems, at least in days gone by, she had a personal leaning towards the ingenue role which I don't think she's as well suited for. I suspect she'd be a fairly strong character actor given the opportunity and the interest on her part.
-
Just a reminder, Lara is in the very early Braine DePalma film, "Hi Mom" which I have some quibbles with, but its the only place I've heard her use her Tennessee accent. Her sons very briefly appear as well.
Is Lara still married to Jim Hawkins? He also appeared on the original "Kolchak".
Michael ::)
-
As God as my witness this is true; at the 1988 Dark Shadows Festival, during the "Q-and-A" session with actress Lara Parker, some very nice lady in the audience, asked her (and, remember, now, this was 18 years ago): "How did you like, working with a 'pretty-boy' like that Sky Rumson character?" (She may have even mentioned that tall, dark and handsome actor's real name!)
Anyway, Ms. Parker, just raised her eyebrows, as the audience (including yours truly and my then-girlfriend) just about fell out of our chairs in paroxysms of laughter!!! ;D >:D
Hopefully, there are several other cousins out there, who were, indeed, at the 1988 Festival in the World Trade Center to verify that I am NOT going completely senile in my dotage. Oy vey, that lady, must have had a "few" at McSorley's Pub, just off of lower Broadway before "sauntering-over" to the Fest! :o
I recall a similar incident. It might have been all the way back at one of the Newark Fests. LP was asked about Geoffrey Scott and she replied that he was very good-looking but a terrible actor.
My vote for most fast-forwardable character? The Eagle Hill Cemetery caretaker. In general, I loathe the "young actor acting old" routine, and all of his scenes felt like filler, as if the episode came up short so the writers decided to have the caretaker ramble and moan to add the necessary 1 minute and 15 seconds to the running time. Even though I've seen these episodes many times, I still hope that Barnabas will kill the old geezer.
ClaudeNorth,
I was never at any of those Dark Shadows Festivals, in "beautiful" downtown Newark (as Rowan & Martin used to say). However, I have seen videotapes of the Collinsport Players (?) from that Fest.
One young woman was absolutely terrific as Angelique a la "Ms. Peggy Lee," singing "Fever." (I think that she appears at many of the festivals.) Yet, the funniest performer, had to be this guy in drag, wearing a red wig, full makeup, and a doctor's white uniform. I recall that he "recreated" an obviously angst-ridden Dr. Hoffman, pursed-lips and arms flailing about, as he/she cried out for her beloved Barnabas, during Angelique's "Dream Curse"! Let me tell you, the tears of laughter were flowing freely after THAT memorable performance! :'( ;D (I don't think that I'll ever be able to keep a straight face, when the late, great Ms. Grayson Hall, begins to wail on videotape/dvd: "Oh, Barnabas, help me! Where are you, Barnabas?" >:D
As to the venerable (not to mention, "eccentric"?), "Eagle Hill Cemetery Caretaker," I have to take polite and respectful disagreement with you. Oh, what utter joy, to hear that white-haired gentleman, with his hair parted in the middle (just like Clem Cadidelhofer sp?), and with that depressing undertaker's (?) suit on, say to Roger, Vicky or whomever was present (or wasn't present with him there in the cemetery): "You must go! This IS a frightening, evil place!" [9050] [laughing6]
Oh, just think, how great it would gave been to have seen that enigmatic caretaker, sitting in the back of the Collinsport Inn Coffee Shop, sipping his fifth cup of coffee (he probably only had to pay about a quarter for one cup of "joe," back then) as we watch the winsome and burgeoning (yet, ill-fated) romance of the lovely Maggie Evans and her hunky boyfriend, good guy/young-man-of-the-sea, "Gentleman" Joe Haskell? [love3] (No doubt, the caretaker, would sit there quietly, just wistfully remembering his own short-lived, bittersweet romance with "Miss Rockport of 1905"!)
Of course, I would have also liked to have seen the caretaker (perhaps, better known to the longtime residents of Collinsport, as "Mr. Electricity"!), sitting in the great Bob Rooney's convivial gin mill, "The Blue Whale," and nursing a gin and tonic as Mr. Frank Sinatra intones "It Was A Very Good Year" on the jukebox. Quick, I need a Xanax, at the very thought of that lonely and prince-of-a-man, sitting there all alone and reliving his own youth as "Frankie-boy'" waxes oh-so-nostalgically about all the girls/women he had known over the years!
I could go on, but you see, I think that in the case of that solitary cemetery caretaker, there was a veritable font of moving and heartrending stories. Excuse me, while I turn on Regis Philbin, and listen to "Reege" interpret an especially sad "saloon song" as only "Old Blue Eyes and, possibly, "Drunky" Dean Martin could have done, before Regis discovered his Jerry Vale-like talent, so late in the autumn of his own oh-so-busy life...
Sadly (if not, lugubriously) yours,
Bob the Bartender [cryg] [beer] :'(
-
G. Scott *was* pretty bad on DS, but by the time he was on Dynasty he was much better.
Something tells me that any illusions he might have created to make it seem as if his acting had improved on Dynasty were quickly dispelled after he returned to daytime on Guiding Light in the '90s and was fired because his acting was so bad and the daytime press almost universally cheered his firing. [wink2]
-
G. Scott *was* pretty bad on DS, but by the time he was on Dynasty he was much better.
Something tells me that any illusions he might have created to make it seem as if his acting had improved on Dynasty were quickly dispelled after he returned to daytime on Guiding Light in the '90s and was fired because his acting was so bad and the daytime press almost universally cheered his firing. [wink2]
Gee, I thought that he was pretty good as that "stiff," lying there with his red (?) silk underwear on, and a big kitchen knife, sticking out of his chest, as a very blond and very hungover Jane Fonda, begins to finally wakeup, next to "Sky" in the sack in some flick, whose name I can't quite remember! [8371] [6184] [Skull2]
-
Hmmm. Portraying dead bodies probably could be Scott's forte. He should be out there auditioning for the dead bodies on all the procedural shows around now. ;D
-
Hmmm. Portraying dead bodies probably could be Scott's forte. He should be out there auditioning for the dead bodies on all the procedural shows around now. ;D
Sort of a "taciturn" Jonathan Brewster, I take it? ::)
-
Gee, I thought that he was pretty good as that "stiff," lying there with his red (?) silk underwear on, and a big kitchen knife, sticking out of his chest, as a very blond and very hungover Jane Fonda, begins to finally wakeup, next to "Sky" in the sack in some flick, whose name I can't quite remember!
LOL, it's "The Morning After." His character was a soft-porn movie maker and the search for his murderer was, appropriately, the dullest part of the movie.
-
Prepare yourselves for a shock. I am about to say something favorable about GS. :o
I recently saw some of his interview footage from the DS DVDs, and I have to say that my hat is off to the man for his honest appraisal of his work on the show. He acknowledges that he was far more obsessed with learning the lines correctly than with how he delivered them, which explains the horror that is Sky.
I found his candor somewhat refreshing. Note, however, that I'm not saying I have a newfound appreciation for his acting. ;D
-
Yes, she's still Mrs. Hawkins- are you sure he's an actor? If so, it's news to me.......
-
Is Lara still married to Jim Hawkins?
I hope so, I always enjoy seeing his gorgeous mug at the Fests, LOL! ;)
-
I was never at any of those Dark Shadows Festivals, in "beautiful" downtown Newark (as Rowan & Martin used to say). However, I have seen videotapes of the Collinsport Players (?) from that Fest.
One young woman was absolutely terrific as Angelique a la "Ms. Peggy Lee," singing "Fever." (I think that she appears at many of the festivals.) Yet, the funniest performer, had to be this guy in drag, wearing a red wig, full makeup, and a doctor's white uniform. I recall that he "recreated" an obviously angst-ridden Dr. Hoffman, pursed-lips and arms flailing about, as he/she cried out for her beloved Barnabas, during Angelique's "Dream Curse"! Let me tell you, the tears of laughter were flowing freely after THAT memorable performance! :'( ;D (I don't think that I'll ever be able to keep a straight face, when the late, great Ms. Grayson Hall, begins to wail on videotape/dvd: "Oh, Barnabas, help me! Where are you, Barnabas?" >:D
I wish they'd go back to the Newark Gateway, it's a NICE looking hotel, from the outside anyway, and right there at Newark Penn (train) Station so ppl could very easily get to and from NYC. I never attended any Fests there however, my first was at the World Trade Center Vista Hotel in 1990.
Re: Julia impersonators-the BEST impersonator of the Grand One, IMHO, is Darryl Schaefer. Second would be a guy named Michael Fritch who appeared as Julia in the 1991 LA Fest Costume Gala. He/she handed out sedatives (M&M'S) to the crowd afterwards! The third would be former Collinsport Player Harriet Stitch. ;)
Hmmm. Portraying dead bodies probably could be Scott's forte. He should be out there auditioning for the dead bodies on all the procedural shows around now. ;D
Hey, I think Law & Order is hiring! >:D
-
i'm never tempted to fast-forward during a first viewing of any episode no matter how much a particular character might annoy me(although adam/harry johnson/jeff-ned-whoever did try my patience).i just want to see what happens.
during future viewings i might grab the remote if a particular character or scene i dislike comes up.
one actress i adore who sometimes surprised me with inconsistent performances was joan bennett.when she's spot-on she's dynamite.i absoltuely love all of her characters.liz/naomi/judith all class up an episode with an appearance.
but sometimes she's off her game and it shows.i just finished 1970p.t. and not only did she seem unsure of herself here but on occasion she was physically clumsy.i recall one scene when liz and sabrina walk down the stairs into the lab and joan trips.another she bumps into the couch.she was just strange during this time.
i guess being such a seasoned performer i always expect the best from her but we all have our days.
-
one actress i adore who sometimes surprised me with inconsistent performances was joan bennett.when she's spot-on she's dynamite.i absoltuely love all of her characters.liz/naomi/judith all class up an episode with an appearance.
ITA. I love watching her when she's playing front burner or is heavily involved in the storyline. Elizabeth is my favorite (and one of the reasons I can't wait to get my hands on the pre-Barnabas episodes), but I love Judith and Naomi, too. When she's given the material (like with the Jason McGuire storyline), I love her work. I always like her a lot. Sometimes she seems to be "going through the motions" when she isn't in a storyline that gives her a heavier role, but that's usually when there isn't any material for her to work with.
I didn't mention them in my first post, but PT Quentin, PT Angelique, and PT Maggie all tempt me to fast forward.....but that sums up 1970PT on the whole for me with only a couple exceptions.
-
amanda and hallie are my two that make me run from the room
i'll take sky any day over those two :o{he wasn't any better on Dynasty}
jennifer
-
Put me down for Dirk in 1897 and Amanda Harris/Olivia Corey in any time period. On the first, RD overacted bigtime (yeah, who's surprised? >:D ) As to Amanda, one dimentional, no plot justification for her actions. If she were a character in fanfiction everyone would be screaming MARY SUE when Quentin fell in love with her at first sight.
Oh, and Tom Jennings as a vampire. That tongue thing was just TOO MUCH.
-
If she were a character in fanfiction everyone would be screaming MARY SUE when Quentin fell in love with her at first sight.
So, so true. [lghy]
-
There used to a whole lot of "Mary Sue" fan fiction (i.e., fiction in which the author creates a character based on an idealized version of his/herself: hopelessly attractive, destined to either save the day or die heroically trying while winning the love and admiration from the established characters- you know, a real ego trip on paper!) in the early days of DS fandom- just look back at older issues of The World of Dark Shadows or Inside The Old House. These girls would instantly win Barnabas or Quentin within a few paragraphs. To see a classic MS in action, just watch the Wesley Crusher character on Star Trek:TNG- it's no coincidence that Gene Roddenberry's middle name was Wesley- even HE couldn't resist the Mary Sue seduction.
I've always wondered if Sam Hall was guilty of that with the Eliot Stokes character: a sophisticated-beyond-words heavyset man with graying hair who always seemed to have the answers like Mr. Whoopee on Tennessee Tuxedo. Mind you, I love the character, Thayer David could never be boring in any character he played. Thayer David had to have gray streaks put in his hair to play the character, since has was barely 40 when he first played the role. By this time, Sam Hall already had the gray hair, and was married to the ultra-chic Grayson. Hmmmmmm.........
-
i agree with barnabas' bride that when joan bennett is given good material to work with she usually rises to the occasion.sometimes when her characters are on the back-burner she just phones it it.
leviathan is a controversial storyline.some people absolutely despise it.but one thing i did like about it was that elizabeth was given some meaty material.liz could easily have been left "out of the loop" on this one.a clueless outsider in her own house.drifting about the periphery with a tea-tray worrying about carolyn.but she was included in the plot and i think icy "leviathan liz" had some really great scenes(although i do concede that the plotline as a whole was preposterous).
i also agree with pansity about tom jennings as a vampire.those bulging eyes.that wagging tongue.it was d.s. at it's camp worst(although i did like don briscoe in some other roles).that this plot occured concurrently with the adam storyline to me represents the moment when the show's producers decicively left the adult audience and actively persued those kids that you-know-what.later on i think the writing returned to more adult friendly storytelling.
-
There used to a whole lot of "Mary Sue" fan fiction (i.e., fiction in which the author creates a character based on an idealized version of his/herself: hopelessly attractive, destined to either save the day or die heroically trying while winning the love and admiration from the established characters- you know, a real ego trip on paper!) in the early days of DS fandom- just look back at older issues of The World of Dark Shadows or Inside The Old House. These girls would instantly win Barnabas or Quentin within a few paragraphs. To see a classic MS in action, just watch the Wesley Crusher character on Star Trek:TNG- it's no coincidence that Gene Roddenberry's middle name was Wesley- even HE couldn't resist the Mary Sue seduction.
Good description of MS's. Every fandom's got them and always did (and I still have the ST zine with the parody story that GAVE Mary Sues their name to prove it). I cringe when I hear MS's described as ANY character based on the author. Nope, there are plenty of three dimentional flawed characters out there who are their author's alteregos. Sure you have the Wesley's and the Jack Ryans (Tom Clancy's Marty Sue) -- and the Amanda Harris wish fulfillment fantasies of male writers. [blackwidow] But a lot more are debatable, like Indiana Jones and Luke Skywalker. Sure, they are Lucas' alter egos, but both are far from perfect, or, at times, even admirable. Same goes for fanfiction and created characters. Some are great, some have had their numbers filed off and have been taken pro by the fanfiction writers who invented them -- and some are just... [5363]
I just wish the prevalence of Mary Sue's in DS fanfiction WERE a past phenomenon. I've gotten very discouraged with the bulk of the new fanfiction I have been finding lately. Aside from Barnabas Julia stuff (which I have gotten a bit overloaded on over time, from sheer volume alone) there is very little of the new stuff that even makes an attempt to tell a coherent story with plausible characters. It's the early days of zines all over again, without the filtering mechanism of an editor to weed out SOME of the worst stuff before you waste your time attempting to read it. Sure, there are gems there -- but when it takes that much work to FIND them, many people just give up. And with the only dedicated DS zine even NOMINALLY publishing now being WODS, which has now gone a good many years between issues.... (The only reason I say even nominally publishing is because Kathy R. has a story of mine she accepted about a year ago, so theoretically there is a new zine in the works.)
Stuff like this makes me really pessimistic about the future of this fandom.
Oops in reading this over I hope I haven't run afoul of any of the rules. I know there's to be no posting of fanfiction, but does this general discussion of the phenomenon cross the line? If so I apologize.
-
Anytime Crazy Jenny gets ready to start singing.
-
Oh, and Tom Jennings as a vampire. That tongue thing was just TOO MUCH.
>:D ;D >:D
-
Barnabas did when he decided that Angelique was the only woman he ever loved.
It was like what? I could not have heard that correctly.
In my opinion... The writer's made her just to much of a villian to have any redeeming qualities. So for me that plot just did not work in 1840.
I have the feeling had the show continued. Angelique would have returned with a vengence.
FireRose
-
Oh, if we talk scenes instead of characters, that one ranks as my number one, FireRose. That gets my finger itching for the fast forward button perhaps faster than any other moment, or even character, on the show. I can suffer through characters that annoy me, but I can't suffer through that moment at all.
-
When I hear Quentin's Theme on the gramophone for the hundredth time. Or Pansy Faye's "boom-da-boom" theme ....GRRRR!! It gets annoying, but that passes quickly ;)
There were times when the show got slow and repetitive. Many of the episodes with David and Amy, for example. They seemed to drag in spots.
-
I never fast-forward any of the Dark Shadows stories or episodes (even the ones I am not crazy about), but I must say I was never found of the 1970 Parallel Story. Other than William and Carolyn (played greatly by John and Nancy) I didn't care for any of the other characters. Instead of fast-forwarding the Parallel Time story of 1970 (which I know I would no matter how hard I'd try not to except for Will and Carolyn) I decided not to buy the sets with that story....well except for 22 I did get that one, just to watch the part where Gerard and Daphne begin haunting Collinwood.
-
If she were a character in fanfiction everyone would be screaming MARY SUE when Quentin fell in love with her at first sight.
One question; Where does one find much fan fiction? When I google, I don't seem to come up with much. I'd like to read some-I've only found about 3 so far...? [confused_ani]
-
One question; Where does one find much fan fiction? When I google, I don't seem to come up with much. I'd like to read some-I've only found about 3 so far...?
Try this link, it has TONS of fanfic for tons of shows. ;)
http://www.fanfiction.net/cat/208/
-
Thank you! What a great site! [clap]
-
One question; Where does one find much fan fiction? When I google, I don't seem to come up with much. I'd like to read some-I've only found about 3 so far...?
Try this link, it has TONS of fanfic for tons of shows. ;)
http://www.fanfiction.net/cat/208/
That's a good one Buzz. I also dug up some more old ones. Rainwolf, were you just interested in DS fanfiction, or did you just want to track down sources for fanfiction in general? (oops remembers guiltily that I haven't updated the links on my fanfiction site in WAY too long!)
Collins Library's fanfiction archives has some very good stuff, but it's dormant and nothing new in ages. Apparently the owner of that and the associated group went MIA some time back. Tons and tons there to root through
http://dsfanfic.com
There's also some wonderful continuations of the series. I know Connie posted the link to one a while back, but I can't find it in my bookmarks. Maybe she will see this and post the link?
There's also my favorite of the continuing series, written by someone whose nom is Charles Delaware Troll
http://members.aol.com/chasdtroll/mainp.html Plan to devote a lot of time to it, once you start reading it will suck you in and you wont be able to stop.
There's also assorted sites such as Portraits of Collinwood, which archive fanfiction: http://www.portraits-of-collinwood.net/
And before my fest roomie KILLS me, there's her Website with fanfic for the Angelique fans: http://geocities.com/angeliquewins/darkshadows.html
And there's also the zines, which are EDITED printed anthologies of fan stories, or in some cases standalone novels. Kathy Resch has a number of these in print and you can order them through this site: http://www.knightwriter.org/Shop/Shop.cgi?F=DS
Oops it just occurs to me that this might be seriously off topic as well as long. :-[. Should this either go off board or to a new topic?
-
(Deplorably continuing the drift away from the original topic...) Thanks for asking about fan fiction, rainingwolf, and thanks for answering, BuzzH and Pansity. I've been having a great time reading Hogan's Heroes fanfic, and thinking how much easer it must be to write a good Hogan's Heroes story than a good Dark Shadows one because the original HH characters are so two-dimensional and easy to peg. (Making a gallant effort to return to the original topic...) I guess the tri-dimensionality of the Dark Shadows characters is the reason why there are so many differing ideas on which characters tempt us to fast-forward.
-
Rainwolf, were you just interested in DS fanfiction, or did you just want to track down sources for fanfiction in general?
I was looking for DS fanfic. and thank you so much for the great sites, Pansity! I'm off to read and read and read! [read] [book2] [read2]
-
I was looking for DS fanfic. and thank you so much for the great sites, Pansity! I'm off to read and read and read! [read] [book2] [read2]
You're quite welcome. When I first got hooked on DS thru the web, I had already been active in mediafandom for many years. So, I knew what I was looking for and have a TON of stuff bookmarked. (Fanfic addict extraordinare, that's me!) So feel free to PM me any time for more links and stuff so we don't go disgracefully OT here.
-
Peter Bradford/Jeff Clark/Ned Stuart/Dirk Wilkins/Charles Delaware Tate.
-
Definitely disagree there. LP is a good actor with definite screen presence. Her performance as Angelique certainly outshines Geoffrey Scott's acting as Sky by leaps and bounds. Geoff was easy on the eyes, but rather wooden acting-wise. LP's performances weren't at 100% in every single episode (who was always at 100% every time really except maybe Louis Edmonds?), but when she was on her game, Parker was certainly as good as the best actors in the series IMO.
LP was one of the few that made it into the movies from DS (other than NODS)
-
As a kid, I didn't like either Amanda/Olivia or Roxanne Drew. Their performances were kind of weak but they were both young and inexperienced. Donna Wandrey has turned into a very good actress.
As an adult, it's Jerry Lacy and Jim Storm a little difficult to watch. Dial it down a bit, boys. You don't have to chew all the scenery.
-
Ha, great topic, sorry I never noticed it before. I never really warmed up to Roxanne, either, to be honest. I think I found Sky Rumson to be one of the most boring, though. Funnily enough, I always adored Jerry Lacy's scenery-chewing [snow_laugh]
-
Those weeks during PT when most of the cast was off filming HODS are a chore to get through, particularly the Cyrus Longworth/John Yaeger scenes. It's obvious that the writers were in a holding pattern at this point in the series, stalling for time until the "Old Guard" returned.
For similar reasons, I get impatient with 1841PT. I suspect that once the decision was made to cancel the show, the writers were forced to drag out the lottery business further than they would have had the show not been cancelled.