Good God, People, Settle Down!

It seems like everyone is climbing on one side of the fence or the other and screaming loudly as they go on the issue of Tamara Braun as NuCarly.  Half of the people are really excited about her incredible performance and are demanding that the other half, who is appalled by the recast, give her a chance.

Unfortunately, for reasons explained the the May 5th Soap Box, I fall into the segment of the population that is calling for the hook to get her off the stage (if it has not already been done so).  I received a letter today, screaming in huge, bold letters: " First of all, I just want to say to all you NuCarly bashers, Yes she is not and nor will she ever be Sarah Brown.  Did you think she was going to be identical?  Try fitting in some tough shoes as she has done.  The material that was written for her is especially written for unlike Carly.  I think that Tamara was given left over crap to get rid of Sarah Brown and tie up the Sonny/Carly storyline.  Hence where is Carly now?"  This speaks for a number of the supporters of Tamara Braun who are totally missing the mark on what the majority of us are bitching about.  They're screaming, "Lay off Tamara Braun!  Stop trying to make her into Sarah Brown!"  Jeez, people, no one is trying to make her into Sarah Brown except the powers that be who, once again, cast for looks and not for talent.  We aren't complaining because she's not Sarah Brown and never expected her to BE Sarah Brown.  We are complaining because in recasting such a strong role, the emphasis should have been on finding a competent actress who could stand on her own against a strong actor like A Martinez or Maurice Benard without looking like a 5th grader playing a tree in a school play, not on finding a person who had the same face shape and was willing to dye her hair.  This goes back to my previous rant (<---click there to get it) about mediocre to poor acting in soaps being the standard. I want a professional walking into the part who doesn't have to take months to grow on me in the role, but is talented enough to step up to the plate, take a swing and hit the ball out of the park.  Other than A Martinez and Jensen Buchanan (PROFESSIONALS), every newcomer we've had in the past few years has been a bunter at best and strike out at worst.  The exception has been Chad Brannon, the recast of Zander.  Anyone remember the first one?  No?  Didn't think so.  It's not just because he was shown very little, but because he lacked the zing that made Brannon a hit among the younger set of GH viewers within minutes of him hitting the screen.  THAT is what I'm talking about.  Amber Tamblyn started on GH as a child and immediately took hold of the role of Emily like a pitbull.  People might say that not everyone can be an Amber Tamblyn, a Sarah Brown, a Nancy Lee Grahn or an A Martinez.  I say, why not?  Why do we allow for lame acting to be acceptable?  Is there really that big of a shortage of decent actors?  A couple of years ago, Chad Brannon was living in his van and working in restaurants.  I'm sure there are plenty of other aspiring actors slinging hash at Denny's who could work circles around these beauty queens who keep getting work because of their modeling portfolio.  Are the powers that be so desperate that they have a "OK, she'll do" attitude?  I'd be willing to endure a little bit of  "Carly's away at a health spa" or "Carly had to go to Paris to check on a missing delivery of essences for Deception" for a few weeks to let them audition a few hundred girls who might have been better prepared for the role.  It would at least have behooved them to find someone who doesn't look like a rabbit caught in headlights in every scene.

If people are still pissed that I'm not coddling NuCarly, well exccuuuuuse me for expecting competency!  There have been plenty of Coltin Scotts, Lisa Vultaggios, Jacob Youngs and Michael Saucedos who have forced me to endure really, really bad acting while they lull me into becoming familiar enough with them in the role that my eyes glaze over and I no longer care if they suck at what they do or not.  I refuse to believe that I should have to sit around and wait for some actor to get their land legs as a character, using daytime drama as an acting school to log in some practice time, rent a house in Beverly Hills, develop a blistering cocaine habit and pay off their Jag.  They should come in, hit their mark, stand toe to toe with the actors there and earn their pay.

Rant off.

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