A friend got me hooked back in the fall of 1987. I was visiting a good friend and he looked at the clock and said; "Oh, it's time for Y&R". I said I'd leave, but he insisted I stay. I wasn't crazy about getting into another soap, as I was already watching "Another World" (and so was he!). Of course I knew nothing of the story lines, but he filled me in during commercial breaks. Over the next month or so, he pretty much filled me in and got me hooked. The characters were intriguing and the plots were "slightly" more realistic than other soaps. After awhile he stopped answering my questions and said, I'd just have to keep watching and I'd learn as I watched.
He was right of course. Creator Bill Bell was a master of storytelling and often used flashbacks to re-introduce the past to the present stories, Mr. Bell left the show several years ago and has since died, but his legacy lives on. The show has gone through a number of changes since and sadly, not all have been good.
The most glaring error was the hiring of Lynne Marie Latham to helm the writing team. She focused on characters rather than story lines and basically attempted to re-write history. The fans hated it and have been very vocal about it on wiki's, blogs and forums. Well, our prayers were answered earlier this month when she received her pink slip after the writer's strike ended. We all have our fingers crossed that the new writers that have been added will restore the show to its true glory and make Bill Bell proud.
Y&R fans are some of the most loyal and vocal people I've ever met. In October 2007, I found the Y&R Wiki and started reading the threads (subjects/questions/thoughts) that were posted by the members. Wow these people are loyal!. If you ask a question it is generally answered within a few minutes by someone with a great memory. You don't always agree with other people, but you don't judge them by their opinion.
I signed up for a free membership and created a screen name and started posting. Hey this is cool! I actually knew the answers to some of the questions about show history that were being asked by newer viewers or a slightly faulty memory!
For some reason Canadians get to see episodes of Y&R on Global TV a day ahead of USA viewers on CBS. It is often tempting, for some of us, to spill the beans and let our friends know what is coming up. For the most part we resist although we do hint and post teasers. One friend even sent me a recipe but I kept my lips shut. It really is hard to keep quiet especially when it is something juicy! I've said I will talk for good quality dark or bittersweet chocolate but haven't receives any yet.
I've learned a lot, laughed a lot and shared a few tears with my friends on the wiki! It really is a great community. It can drive you crazy at times, like when several threads with pretty much the same subject/question are started. Not everyone has figured out how to use the search feature to look for keywords and characters. We all have our favourite/least favourite characters and plots.
Personally, I only reply/post to about half the threads that I'd like to as it is just to hard for me to type and read that much info without my eyes driving me nuts. I find the red thread titles very hard to see and the boxes for composing posts and messages very small. I've tried typing posts in notepad or outlook and then copy/paste into the compose box but that is only useful if I know I'll be making a longer post. Some posts start out short and then take on a whole new life as I type.
I've made several friends on the wiki and have invited them to view my blog. Some are concerned that I won't be posting on the wiki anymore. Far from it - I will still be checking in a couple times a day and if I feel I have something to say I will post a reply or start a new thread. You are not getting rid of me that easily! If I don't post on the wiki for awhile, rest assured that my warped wisdom is only a click away. I know several have visited and I hope they continue to visit, invite a friend and feel as free to comment here as they do on the wiki. Just remember that I moderate the comments, so behave yourselves folks! I can make your post disappear!
For more info on the Y&R wiki; http://theyoungandtherestlesswiki.cbs.com/
dn
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