PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: MEMBERS-ONLY EVENT: HERE'S TO LIFE: A 40TH ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTE TO ONE LIFE TO LIVE {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in this series of seminars conducted by The Paley Center for Media in New York. This evening honors the 40th anniversary of “One Life to Live,” the daytime serial about the lives, loves, and social aspirations of the citizens of suburban Llanview, Pennsylvania. Host Ron Simon (curator of television and radio, The Paley Center for Media) offers opening remarks before introducing a clip package highlighting memorable moments in the show’s four decades on the air, including: medical emergencies; births; romantic entanglements; betrayal; musical numbers, including guest-stars like Snoop Dogg, Nelly Furtado and Timbaland; various shooting locations including Italy, the woods, beaches, cities, the sea, cliffs and elsewhere; death scenes; weddings; fights and more.
Following the clip package, Simon introduces moderator Donna Hanover (journalist and television personality), who gives history about the show and then welcome the panelists to the stage: creator Agnes Nixon; executive producer Frank Valentini; writer Ron Carlivati; Erika Slezak (Viki Lord); Robin Strasser (Dorian Lord); Robert S. Woods (Beau Buchanan); Hillary B. Smith (Nora Hanen); John-Paul Lavoisier (Rex Balsom); and Kristen Alderson (Starr Manning).
The discussion touches on such topics as: Nixon’s interest in bringing soap operas “out of WASP Valley” and incorporating diverse characters; the writers’ interest in giving the audience what they want within the stories; the musical episodes and how they helped “connect” with the audience; Carlivati’s previous career as a lawyer; how the character of Viki Lord has changed over time, and how Slezak has had to find “an extreme sense of humor” about her; how changing writers often “rewrite history” on the show; the challenge of doing only one take per scene; the audience’s ability to predict what will happen because of familiarity with the characters; Strasser’s experience on “All My Children”; the cast’s friendships and how the set is like a “college dorm…but you never graduate”; cast member pranks; playing poker on-set and Lavoisier’s significant debt; the show’s interest in dealing with “the nitty-gritty of life”; their commitment to racial diversity; former cast member Michael Zaslow’s battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease; the writers’ belief that the audience will follow any “adventure” as long as the people remain in-character; whether the show uses focus groups to determine the plots; Nixon’s interest in characters who “do the wrong things for the right reasons”; the maturation of the character of Starr; how the cast can “play both sides” of their flawed characters; the extreme speed and complexity of the dialogue, and tricks for memorizing or prompting their lines; strange fans encounters, including famous viewers; how men often deny that they enjoy the show; the vast number of weddings on the show; the process of finding and choosing costumes for the characters; Viki Lord’s rediscovery of herself in Paris, Texas; and the relative ease of kissing scenes, especially compared to “awkward” bed scenes.
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics: medical emergencies in the plots and how they occasionally have to invent diseases; Nixon’s desire to never write a “negative prognosis”; Nixon’s lack of involvement with casting; the process of finding the right actors; the rapidly changing plotlines, including an anecdote about Slezak’s maternity leave and returning to find her character’s life significantly altered; the enduring nature of Nixon’s shows; her belief that they are an “ensemble effort”; the exact location of the fictional town of Llanview, Pennsylvania; the writers’ commitment to “never saying never” in regards to plot developments; upcoming plotlines, including an on-screen appearance by Nixon; the difficulty of the actors’ jobs because of the speed and lack of rehearsal; Lavoisier’s realization that he “never does the same thing twice,” unlike other professions; Alderson’s challenging balance of school and work; unfavorable commentary from internet communities and whether it affects the actors and writers; and how the same actors often appear on different shows as similar characters.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: June 10, 2008 6:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:23:16
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:92322
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Ron Simon … Host
- Donna Hanover … Moderator
- Agnes Nixon … Panelist
- Frank Valentini … Panelist
- Ron Carlivati … Panelist
- Erika Slezak … Panelist
- Robin Strasser … Panelist
- Robert S. Woods … Panelist
- Hillary B. Smith … Panelist
- John-Paul Lavoisier … Panelist
- Kristen Alderson … Panelist
- Snoop Dogg
- Nelly Furtado
- Timbaland
- Michael Zaslow