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Show more to creating sizzle on screen than one mightthink. friend and Courtney's brother is Sonny Corinthos (Mau- r **Ttiére‘dre'mahyélefriérits** rice Benard). That whole to keeping relationships passionate, and all stem from characters,” says Josh Griffith, the head writerfor ABC's “OneLife to Live.” “It’s like life: Two people are together becausethey love each other, and they're afternoon hard to measure, soap writers say By Candace Havens Zap2it Whereis the love? Aglanceatthe prime-time TV listings show a plethora of action adventure shows, intense dramas andsilly comedies,but there is little in the wayof passion and romance. bringing to the relationship all their personalgifts, flaws, insecurities and dreams. Sometimesthey stumble, but their soul mateis there to help them get back up. Passionis keptalive by the fact that people are mysteries, and love is a mystery. A relationship that worksis one where those mysteries are constantly explored, and where eachpersonis endlessly surprised and fascinated by whatthey discover.” Thesizzle viewers see on screen betweentheir favorite soap opera characters has a lot to do with chemistry. That doesn’t meanthere is always a greatrelationship between the two actors playing the roles,butit certainly helps the believability factorif Since the departure of the prime-time soap operas “Dallas,” “Dynasty” and “Melrose Place,” to name a few, there hasn't been much in the wayof love on network television. Thelast truly romantic couple was Lily there is a mutual respect. and Rick Sammler (Sela Ward and Billy Campbell) on Sometimesthere is a chemistry test, wherethe writers ABC's “Once and Again,” put actors together to see which was canceled last what happens.Thewriters spring. set up specific moments, There was a moandif the sparks fly, then mentin ABC’s “Alias” when more scenesare written for superspy Sydney Bristow that couple. (Jennifer Garner)tried to Somecouples, howhave a romantic dinnerwith ever, sizzle with no help at her CIA handler, Michael all from the writers. Vaughn(MichaelVartan), “Jason and Courtbut a bunch of bad guys camein with guns and blew ney (Steve Burton,Alicia Lee Willis) never needed a that scene to shreds. chemistry test,” says Bob The WB Network's Guza, co-headwriter for “Smallville” and “Gilmore ABC's “General Hospital.” Girls” flirt with young love, and reality television tries to “This was a random progression that we built and force the issue on a weekly prayed there would be basis, but there's only one place to find intense passion chemistry. There were a couple ofthings built into and romance:daytimetelethis that told us this might vision. happen. One, we had two It may looklike a superb actors in Steve and simple formula - put two Alicia. Two,is thatthis is forbeautiful people together biddenlove. There is a and watch the sparksfly taboo because Jason's best but there is a great deal taboo/ forbidden love aspect givesit an amped up quali- pher Douglas). The reasons why some couples click and others don’t isn’t always easyto deter- mine. “There is no one simple answer,” says Pas“It also givesit the Romeosions” creator and head and-Juliet setup,” adds writer James E.Reilly. “It Guza’s co-headwriter, definitely varies from couple Charles Pratt. “What hapto couple. Someof them pensis the audience sees have pure animal magnetthem being drawn together ism; others live on drama and then pulled apart by these hugeobstacles; as an and excitement; and some audience,we begin pulling have enduring long-term refor them. When they come lationships. into a room and look at each “If there is one thing other, we don't haveto exsuccessful daytime couples plain anything. They don’t have in common, it is the haveto talk about their rela- ability to lose themselves in tionship. Youjust getit and each other completely and you feelit. There is no need lock out the outside world.” for the spoken word.It can They may approachtheir be donewith the eyes.” characters and story lines Arguably one of the most with differing points of view, passionateloveaffairs writbutthereis onethingall the ten for daytimetelevision is writers agree on: that daybetweenpolicemanLuis time television is more roLopez-Fitzgerald and poor than primetime. little rich girl Sheridan Crane mantic “Daytimeis all about ro(Galen Gering, McKenzie mance, passion andlove... Westmore) on NBC's “Pasthat's our raison d’etre,” sions.” The couple comprissays Jean Passanante, coes two-thirds of a wicked headwriter of CBS’s “As the lovetriangle thatalso inWorld Turns.” “Wehave to volvesLuis’ brother, Antonio work muchharder than Lopez-Fitzgerald (Christo- prime-timetelevision to maintain passion between lovers because we occupy a lot moreair time than they do.It's justlike reallife. Anyone can maintain passion for a short-term fling, but to maintain.it in a long marriage, you really have to workatit. And we do.” “The wonderful thing aboutdaytime,” Griffith says, “js the richness of the canvas and the time you have to explore the loves, dreams,desires and flaws of the people onthatbold andintense canvas.” Sometimesthe writing is so good the actors playing the rolesfall in love for real. ABC’s “All My Children” has spawned two such unions: John Callahan and Eva LaRue (whoplay Edmundand Maria Grey) and Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa (Mateo and Hayley Santos). “Whenyouare doing the really passionate scenes,it's not that romantic for the actor,” Ripa says. iUnThe Franke it pays advertise in the Thritties Thrifties Four-Day Merchandise Package Total price of items in ad cannotexceed $300.Prices must be listed on allitems. Noabbreviations. Ads runin our Thrifties section. is required. |
