The ‘Schmootz on Venice Premiere
December 5, 2009 by admin
Filed under Entertainment, Web, What's Featured
I have watched the premiere episode of Open Book Production’s Venice several times, and I believe I am prepared to take an honest and constructive look at the new webseries. I approach this endeavor with the same critical eye I apply to all entertainment, and for that matter politics, as I believe they are one in the same. I don’t think Kim, Hope, or Crystal would expect anything less from me.
My favorite part of the five minute episode came in the first thirty seconds. It is the part where the CBS/P&G executive yells, “Cut!”, and Crystal Chappell says, “Fuck you AND your standards and practices.” OK, that scene is in my head, but I see it every time I click “play”.
I believe the script inaugurated the two characters of Gina and Ani very well. It established their relationship obstacle right away, giving an insight to their history and the possible flaming circus hoops to jump through in the future. Complicated is an understatement. Gina is aggressive, broken, and flawed, and for that Kim Turrisi, I say good on you. Meat to chew is so much better than milquetoast to swallow. Speaking from someone who now sarcastically and unfairly equates the phase “I don’t know” with Jessica, it is refreshing to see her play opposite Crystal with desperation and frustration but not with a pabulum resolve.
The first screen shot was generally well constructed. I have to admit, though, the slow pan across the discarded clothes trail revealing a morning-after scene with two perceived as passionate lovers that are HALF-DRESSED leaves me perplexed. I don’t say this as a titillated fan with an overwhelming desire to see the girlie bits. Hell, anyone with access to an internet connection or a Netflix account has seen Jessica naked. This is merely a pet peeve of mine in a PG-13 world. A well placed sheet around “the girls” would have been more realistic.
I would have preferred the Galen character’s familial relevance to have been established with more definition. Unless you are a reader of the soap press or a Twitter hound bird-dogging the series and it’s production team, it’s not necessarily obvious that Owen and Gina are related. Nevertheless, they have a resemblance, and he teased her as a good brother should. I loved the sarcastic little brother “re-tread” line as visually I can see the shiny new facade of the old worn pneumatic unravel and peel away with time. I look forward to more glimpses of why Gina keeps pushing Ani away when clearly in the “body clutch” before the shower scene she loathes herself for not being able to step up. Gina is troubled, emotionally cold, and possibly, a bit mean. Everything I love in a dramatic lead character, but thankfully not in a partner.
How will the other romantic characters play into this broke-back relationship? How does Gina’s family tree shade her truth and her confidence? I have about a week to decide if $9.99 and a Paypal account is the price to pay for my curiosity. No matter the school of thought on this subscription-based internet programming, and there are plenty of opinions out there, I am interested to see where this business model will lead for a “soap” series. Open Book Productions is in a very unique position that many web producers can only hope to be. Crystal Chappell has a pool of friends to pull from that are experienced TV and theater actors that will work for free (for now). Crystal also has a maniacal following willing to finance the initial phase of this dream with Venice swag and in-kind drop off programs. Is the webseries the future of the failing daytime serial model? Are Crystal Chappell and company riding that proverbial elephant I gave them right down the middle of the world wide web, a socially-marketed entertainment juggernaut? Will this niche audience be sustainable? Time will only tell.
Now, can anyone loan me $10?
I agree with your take on this…there were flaws, but overall, very nice, and yeah I’ll give them my 10 bucks. I can avoid Starbucks a few times. Can’t wait to see where this goes. It will be fascinating to watch over the next few months.
Great Blog Schmootz!.. its said practically everthing I myself would want to say. I to was a bit dumbfounded with the clothes streamed across the floor and the two ladies still with their tank tops on, again not because I wanted to see them naked (although that would be nice!) but just for realistic value more than anything.
From that first 90 second I was loving Crystals character!, She is flawed, shes selfish and she’s a bit mean, and I really want to see what happens to Gina and why she is how she is.
Ani, although intriguing and it was established that she’s in love, has been hurt and also will not give up. I like her, she also has a backbone and hurah.. she can swear on the web!
One thing that surprised me… due to being a Otalia fan is that before the episode I was expecting to see Olivia and Natalia and that just didn’t happen.. The two characters on screen were entiley different and I am so so grateful for that and just awed by these two actresses that can within the first 90 secs of a show, bring to life to new characters that I know I am going to love!
Oh and year unlike the Schmootz, I had no question in paying out my $10 (well for me $11.22 AUS), admit would of probably paid even before watching the first ep.
I concur with your assessment of Owen. His relationship to Gina, as her brother, needed to be clearly stated. I know it, you know, 10,000 obsessed twitter geeks (I include myself among them) know this but nonetheless, it needed to be said.
The pan across the clothes – my thought was, that’s been done. That doesn’t mean it was bad but their morning after sexness could have been expressed another way.
I really enjoy Jess being something other than Natalia. I loved Natalia but, WOW!, I was ready for a shift. I look forward to seeing where this goes.
As for paying the $9.99, well, I did but there still seems to be some glitches where that’s concerned because when I click on the Watch Video link it takes me to the Subscribe link again as opposed to the first episode and the bonus material. I’d say give it a day or two before you go ahead and buy.
I assume that ultimately you’ll buy because you know that we’ll want you to Schmootz the hell out of it for us…….right? (((sweet smile)))
That said, thanks for the Schmootz on Venice Premiere and I hope to read more as the series progresses.
I too was a bit puzzled by the trail of clothing leading to two partially dressed leading ladies.
I thought the premiere was nicely done and I have already am a subscriber cuz I want to know more of the story.
I was a bit distracted by the wind in the hair of our lovely duo at the High Lounge hopefully they will be able to come up with some wind shields.
All in all, I liked what I saw. No program is perfect the first time out. Everyone picks new shows apart then they find their center and settle in. I see the same for Venice.
As usual, I agree with you. And you hit on one of my pet peeves right off the bat-being half dressed. Very minor, but annoying nonetheless-I hope they keep that in mind for Season 2. But a good beginning and they did a very good job establishing the characters while giving the fans what they so desperately wanted. They are most definitely to be congratulated and yes, I already paid my $9.99 and am thinking of stocking stuffers for a few friends….
Great catch on Owen/brother. I’ve read so much about the show in advance I didn’t even realize it wasn’t said. Maybe epi 2 it becomes clear? The clothing on the floor & then on their bodies definitely stood out to me for the same reasons. Its just off enough to break me out of the imaginary world.
If these are the biggest issues than I say its a smashing success and hope the remainder of the season can maintain it. Definitely enjoyed it & willing to spend money to watch. However, problems with their website have made me hesitate in buying the subscription. I hope they get the kinks worked out in the next couple days and then I’ll whip out the credit card.
Brilliant blog-After i came down from my high and many viewings of the premiere-the questions came-one being expressed in this blog-what didn’t feel right was indeed partially clothed women after what assumed was a passionate night spent together. As an Otalia fan i love the chemistry between these two-
I loved the premiere of Venice it was fantastic. I also noticed the clothes on the floor and then half dressed actors but a very small mis-step in my opinion. The show was wonderful and boy do I love Ani she is in love and not willing to give up on her dream relationship with Gina. Jessica did a wonderful job portraying the woman hurt by love but unwavering in her commitment to Gina. Kudo’s girls keep up the good work and my subscription is already paid and also paid for the subscription for 4 other family members already.
I was worried that with all the build-up, it was going to be a let down. I am glad to say it wasn’t. I thought the first episode was beautifully done and I am looking forward to the rest. I have ponied up my $ 9.99 already. Schmootz..I’ll be more than happy to give you the money if you agree to write these wonderful and snarky reviews.Plus it would be worth it to see you say FUCBS in every review!
I have paid my $9.99 and I have watched the premier about 100 times and I still find it hard to believe that I am lucky enough to see their hard work come to fruition. The selflessness of all involved is astounding! Bravo!!
I watched the first episode, not sure what to expect. I knew that it was not going to be the Olivia and Natalia characters. But it would be the actors who created such wonderful characters and I was interested to see if they could do it again. For the first episode I am hooked and have paid my $9.99 with no second thoughts. As for the comments about the woment being half dressed, hasn’t anyone gotten up after having sex and thrown on a t-shirt. Crystal and Jessica are out there taking a chance with this series. Why should we expect them to expose themselves any more than they already are. Kudos to Open Book Productions for a job well done!!
For me, the most striking thing about the premiere epi was how much more aesthetically pleasing this web series is compared to Guiding Light.
I also thought the music was expertly chosen and served the storyline well. This was key given the limited time that can be given to backstory in a six-minute episode.
The server issue doesn’t help the cause to be sure but given that Exec. Producer Hope Royaltey seems to be in charge of everything from directing the show to calculating bandwidth needs, it is not surprising. (By that I mean, cut the girl some slack.) Hopefully they find their way to website hosting that partners with Akamai or some other company that helps load balance Web-traffic.
I am sure I will be boo-hissed for this next comment but with all due respect to Crystal Chappell for her dedication to getting this project off the ground and into our living rooms, between Jessica Leccia and Ms. Chappell, Leccia looked like the seasoned pro. Flawless delivery of her lines. For some reason, I felt like I could “see” Chappell acting. I watched the episode a few times to be sure I wasn’t just saying this because Gina is such a, well, bitch. OK, tortured soul. (Better?)
One could argue that in addition to having to act, Chappell was responsible for producing, some directing, and probably even making sure the caterers delivered the right food. Oh yeah, and she has a feature role on Days so honestly, its all forgivable and she can still out-act the entire cast of the new Melrose Place with one hand tied behind her back so please, take the comment with a grain of salt. Leccia basically got to show up and act. Period. Probably helps one focus.
Final comment. Not feeling the whole “lose the tank tops” issue. This is the “morning after”, not the “moment after”. “Moment after” and I would be right there with you all. “Morning after”, well, I like to sleep in a tank top too. Both actresses are well-endowed and its just more comfortable to sleep when you don’t have boobage slipping into your armpit at 3am in the morning. What can I say, I can relate.
… and from a purely technical standpoint, Ms. Leccia has a baby that she is probably breast-feeding and its probably just more comfortable to not have to worry about what could possibly happen during the filming of that scene. If you have ever nursed before, you know what I mean. Again, lets cut these ladies some slack.
I already paid my $9.99 but fully expect I will be able to find the content online for free without much effort.
I stopped following MindSchmootz for no particular reason, but thought I would check out your views on Venice. You seem to be “fair and balanced”
in your assessments. With that said, it is clear to me that I wasn’t standing alone in my thoughts on this webseries. I have helped several friends to sign up. They are not soap watchers but use the internet the way most people do who are not big into technology. Because there were problems in connecting to the website these friends are hesitant to subscribe. I wish that the technology had been tested prior to the screening. As an educator, we would have lost our credibility with teachers and students for not being prepared. I know that a soap webseries is not that critical but it was the only analogy that came to mind. (Guess that another friend and I will be giving lessons to regain their trust.)
If Owen and Gina are close, I would assume he would know Ani quite well. Wondered why they did not hug or shake hands. They seemed hesitant. It came to me that the possible reason they didn’t was because of the conservation of time and movement. Time is limited as is the stage.
Also, the long pan over the clothes on the floor left me wondering about the bra and now they are wearing tank tops. It was a little distracting. Would have made it more believable with a sheet over them. I don’t want to see them “nekked”, and understand them not wanting to be, but a skin tone garmet and sheet would have worked.
Okay…back from several calls and reread my comments. They sound like I don’t like the series! I Loved It! Just want the talented women to get it as right as possible & there may plenty of explanations for my issues. I think they are true pioneers in showing us the future of entertainment. VenicetheSeries is not the rerun of a television show or on the fly filming or editing work that has already been created. These women have captured an audience and worked our minds like no other. Can’t think of another thing that caused this much anticipation in entertainment since “who shot JR?”
Gina is so self-centered that I wanted to slap her. (Good acting!) Ani is in love but it took strength to stay away and passion to come back, and I wanted to shout run. (Again, good acting.) It took a person with wonderful insight into the human soul to write this series and a wonderful director and editor to share with us so much in such a “short” time.
I guess we all have our perspectives, but that is what I hope my subscription will help answer.
BTW, I am once again following MindSchmootz. Really good Blog. Well-written!
The premiere was great— Oh, sure, who wouldn’t want to see more skin, uh, realism, but really, this is ground breaking stuff. Seeing this is like seeing Lady Gaga for the first time: If you don’t recognize you are seeing something VERY original, then you were not paying attention.
Cheers to Crystal Chappell, Kim Turrisi & Hope Royaltey for bringing us this show, regardless of any technical challenges. As for the comments about the brother— brother, friend, or both, I hate when screenwriters spell everything out like we just tuned in on (dare I say) a not-so-well-written soap opera that uses a “re-tread” and patronizes the audience by giving all the info up front instead of letting it reveal itself, as in life. Kim Turrisi didn’t do this, and I love that. This was basically the opening to the show and the brother info was not needed to make the scene work. That having been said—Mindshmootz: I love reading your opinions!
Block out the negative crowd noise, Crystal, Kim & Hope– I LOVED paying my $9.99 to support this venture and would have paid triple that to keep this bold move moving forward. The road less traveled will always be filled with people who want it to be smooth pavement. Personally, I don’t mind a few bumps…and bugs! Great job, ladies!
Ok, let’s talk boobies, just like opinions, we all got ‘em. Some of them are just bigger than others. It is purely a pet peeve of mine that actors are half dressed after a night of passion. A well placed bed linen over those “D’s” is just my theatrical preference. As someone commented above, it detracts from my realism. That is just me and my reality. Hard, hot, passionate sex has no head bumping, face fondling, phalanges fornication, cookie baking…or CLOTHES.
Loved your review. I agree that Crystal did seem a bit distracted, but that could just be her interpretation of Gina. I just loved Jessica in this epi. I think she plays Ani in a way that all of us at one time have been, in love with somene who’s emotionally unattached. I’ve watch the episode many times and catch something new everytime. Looking forward to seeing where Gina and Ani’s relationship goes despite all the distractions
Thoughtful and concise review, as always! More bare skin? That would have been nice (real nice!)but they look good in tank tops as well. (I DO get what you say about hard passionate sex and nekkid!)
It was a great beginning and I am looking forward to more. As for the subscription, I know Crystal tweeted that if there were no subs, there would be no season 2. I’m OK with paying and perhaps there will be more sponsorship down the road to cut the cost.
Looking forward to more schmootz on Venice!
I loved it. I have no disappointments in something that was so graciously handed over to a bunch of dissappointed Otalia fans (and newer Gina/Ani lovers). There are ALWAYS going to be critics and not everyone will be satisfied but, considering the amount of time and effort devoted by a few people who really didn’t have to do this at all, the outcome is more than I could ever ask for.
I think that Kim, Hope and Crystal (and others) have delivered history in the making and I will GLADLY fork over my ten bucks (It’s worth more!) to see the rest.
I really liked what I saw…I kinda guessed they would be partially dressed, even though it was unrealistic, but it didn’t bug me too much. I will pay..my only peeve is I think 6 minutes is just too short for an episode, I would have had 6 – 12 minutes episodes instead of 12-6 minute ones. Or somewhere in between, 6 minutes isn’t enough.
Done it again. Well thought out observations on the beginning of this undertaking. I would agree on much of what you said about the content in the first one – sheets wrapped around them would have felt more realistic but I could imagine posed logistical issues and the Owen has her bro thing I think could have been inserted without feeling like exposition.
I would only add the slowmo into the roof bar felt a little more about getting more of the words of the song in then really setting up the moment. Slow Mo is a great tool but one not necessary in that second.
Positive – I love that the first three main characters seem gently etched out (Gina’s ‘issues’, Ani’s spark and the fact that Gina is like some kind of drug to her, and that Owen, in what little dialogue he had, is set up as the ‘slacker’ brother, who likes nice things, and is close to his sister but not afraid to give her grief. Looking very forward to how this series will play out as the exposition phase moves on and it just becomes about the characters we know mixing it up. And I love the fact that although Gina is the lead it is nice to see what appears to be the idea of giving all the characters equal face time (considering that the first episode closed on Bro-Owen and not Gina leaving)
I am willing to pay $9.99 but would have probably paid twice that to see this content exist for the sheer fun of what I am being given. I don’t find issue with the paid structure especially as it would seem to give them seed money for season 2 to start shooting in time for it needing to debut in spring 2010.
I subscribed to Showtime for L Word and QAF and I subscribed to HBO for Deadwood back in the day. I also bought the L Word and Deadwood DVD sets. And while the Deadwood sets had a great deal of extra material for it’s over $100 price tag (when they came out) the L Word DVD sets were highly lacking in any extra material for it’s giant $100 price tag when it was first released. So paying $9.99 for an hour and a half of content plus bonus material is WELL worth it to me. Cheaper then a crappy studio film, with NO LGBT representation, in the theatres.
Might they be limiting their viewing base. Perhaps – but it’s their call to make. And if paying $9.99 means they aren’t limited by censorship, the quality and talent across the board stays as professional as this looks (them having a full crew got them great stuff – good on them), AND I don’t have to sit through another car or bath tissue commercial online when watching streaming content – then HELL YES I will pay.
Beyond all this – I also watch this with a very close eye as one who works in the entertainment business. As Y&R soap writer Tom Casiello pointed out on the We Love Soaps blog about the value of Venice, this show changes the landscape. Other web based series have either been done low budget with no revenue stream, have been developed quietly until debut, or have not been soap operas. The Sci-Fi webseries Sanctuary was a revenue green screen special effects web series that, if I remember correctly, was either $1.99 or .99 per episode (and the episodes were as sort as Venice is) and grew to be so successful SyFy channel picked it up as a fully funded network show. And Imaginary Bitches was more in the comedy vein and although starred some amazing soap talent wasn’t really a web soap opera… it also was something that debuted without the new influx of the popular twitter site etc.
Venice navigated the marketing of this show very well – and good on them. And f successful this is something that very well could result in industry professionals like actors and writers being able to go to networks and studio heads and saying – you CAN’T say the web isn’t a money making possibility. It could finally result in talent both on camera and behind the scenes getting paid what they are worth and not simply as a passion project.
As I get to experience every day of my professional life – Passion projects might have lovely intention behind it but people still deserve to get paid what they are worth for bringing that material to the masses. So again good on them for finding a way to do it.
KUDOS to team Venice and Kudos to Mindschmootz for always telling what she thinks and not pulling any punches!
And what a breath of fresh air not to have to completely imagine what happens when two people are attracted to one another simply because both parties are of the same sex.
Totally agree Schmootz on the clothing on the floor and then morning after clothes.
And definitely willing to pay the 9.99 for the season, especially if the website issues are corrected—-and I agree wit some folks who mentioned above that price is small to pay if it includes yor recaps too.
@MariSanGiovanni commented
“Block out the negative crowd noise, Crystal, Kim & Hope– I LOVED paying my $9.99 to support this venture and would have paid triple that to keep this bold move moving forward. The road less traveled will always be filled with people who want it to be smooth pavement.”
Mari, I have to respectfully disagree with you and am a bitsurprised as a writer yourself you would ask them to “block out the negative crowd noise…” I want Venice to succeed and if the most “invested” fans only spew positives and not any constructive criticism I don’t believe it helps improve the series to expand the audience which will ultimately be a factor in determining the longevity of Venice.
1. I adore Crystal Chappell and KimmyT for bringing us this fucking fantastic series. I agree with all of the positives listed above.. but
2. The technical issues are frustrating. I wonder how many viewers were lost last night because H chose to shut down the website at 6pm the night of the premiere for an “upgrade.” Shouldn’t that have happened weeks ago? I suspect that international viewers might have been lost along with any others who did not get the word about watching on Youtube.
After CC’s many mentions of “see it at “venicetheseries.com in her many many lovely and entertaining interviews…that publicity was widely wasted. People tried to go there and found nothing but an error message that lasted for 6 and a half hours. Not acceptable.
3. I want Venice to be a rousing success and a long-lived one. Please fix the server issues in ADVANCE of a showing.
Any new undertaking is going to have kinks. Cut some people some slack. The first episode was also up on youtube and this fandom has broken everything from the smallest website’s bandwidth to the bandwidth on CNN.
@Mari San Giavanni wrote “block out the negative comments Crystal, Kim and Hope”.
Please reread all of the comments. I would bet that everyone that has commented only wants to see this effort succeed. I know I do. Jeez, I want it to be longer and more often. So, to do this I would think they would want an honest assessment from the varied viewers. These assessments can be thrown out or used, it is their choice.
I don’t know many business related efforts that don’t receive some feedback. Those that only get what they want to hear tend to end up where they never intended to go…failure.
Oh well..I too would pay more just so these ladies could give up their day jobs to focus on Venice and other production ventures, as well as family and friends. I would gladly endure commercials to see this show more often. The comments were not negative, just observations to add to their own review of their work! Which is exciting, and for us that want it to succeed…..nerve wracking!
Thank you all for the wonderful dialogue. Speaking from this side of the blogsphere, I am human and criticisms are not necessarily my favorite comments to read, but they are definitely the ones that provoke the most thought. I learn from each and every one. Respectful and constructive criticism is always welcome. Some I read and amend my position if necessary, some I read and respectfully agree to disagree. I think that is probably what Mari was referring. Take it all in stride, appreciate the desire to help, listen, change what needs to be changed if anything, and full steam ahead.
Sanctuary is an independently produced series by Damian Kindler, Amanda tapping and Martin Wood’s company Sanctuary 2 Productions. It is not a fully funded network show. It is not network funded at all, though Syfy did pay their airing licence up front for Season 1. Sanctuary on TV got off the ground because of Canadian interests way before Syfy came into the picture.
Are you freaking kidding me. People commenting on the half-dressed bed scene. We (Otalia fans) have waited two years for that delicious kiss and you want to comment on half-dressed.
Thank you Michael, Jacob, Dylan, Brian and Ivy for being so supportive of your wifes and mothers. Thank you Crystal and Jessica for doing this for your fans.
Try using your imagination people, it is a wonderful thing. Look were it got Crystal and Kimmy.
You want skin, show me the money.
Final comment. Not feeling the whole “lose the tank tops” issue. This is the “morning after”, not the “moment after”. “Moment after” and I would be right there with you all. “Morning after”, well, I like to sleep in a tank top too. Both actresses are well-endowed and its just more comfortable to sleep when you don’t have boobage slipping into your armpit at 3am in the morning. What can I say, I can relate.
Well-said! I can’t believe the digital ink spilled over tanktops and panties, f’Chrissake! Even w/ a lover in bed, not ALL of us like to sleep in the nude, y’know? Odds would favor that two people like that would form OTP (that means “One True Pairing”, right? I keep seeing it in soap lingo) every once in a while!
@ Schmootz: I, too, am going hat-in-hand (at the BPD) re the $9.99 price (which *I* didn’t know about till the day before the premiere, and I can’t have been the ONLY one). It’s ever so tiresome to be LECTURED (directly, at the BPD, indirectly, elsewhere) about how I SHOULD be able to afford this (if I’ll just give up X, Y or Z), and if (on the off-chance) I really can’t afford “X, Y or Z” EITHER, then I just somehow have no right to exist! (At least in the privileged world of those oggle/obsess over Otalia/CC/JL/Venice)
OF COURSE, I want CC&Co to “make it” (esp. JL, who doesn’t seem to have another paying gig at the moment). But in addition to the choices we were presented with earlier (at the V site) about lo-res and/or ads, it’s really disappointing to that so many lesbians seem to have forgotten that phrase that USED to be given out, when joining The Community, like a toaster-oven: that phrase is Sliding Scale (aka “More if you can, less if you can’t”).
Now, I should really get back to that Online Job Search that is the only cause by which my social betters might permit me to continue my (dial-up!) internet access… >;-/
[Oh, BTW (now that I've vented): Venice promising. CC sexy. JL amazing! Writing pretty good. Looking forward to more---IF someone pays my way {fingers crossed}]
Okay, the next morning tanks were just necessary as the characters moved from bed to a chair, and with only 6 minutes for the whole ep, it made it easier timewise.. but let’s face it Crystal’s nips damn near shredded her tank top, so all is forgiven.
TC says:
December 6, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Sanctuary is an independently produced series by Damian Kindler, Amanda tapping and Martin Wood’s company Sanctuary 2 Productions. It is not a fully funded network show. It is not network funded at all, though Syfy did pay their airing licence up front for Season 1. Sanctuary on TV got off the ground because of Canadian interests way before Syfy came into the picture.
* * *
Thanks TC – I knew Sanctuary was a self funded web series that was so well received under a similar model as Venice (as I remember buying the web series ‘season’ 1) but had thought SyFy (then SciFi) took note and got on board picking up the series and throwing Tapping and crew money to air the series in a higher budget format. I didn’t realize it was a Canadian company that was the one to take note of it’s appeal and that SciFi/SyFy came to the table late.
Only know I dug the green screen undertaking on the web and enjoy it even more as a fully produced series.
As I do Venice
Hi Schmootz!
I loved the episode. It looks so professional, and I am so happy to not have to apologize for it, or make excuses.
I do not understand or even accept the possibility of not being able to find the $9.99 to support this effort, sorry. There, I said it. Use your head, pool a group of 3 at $3.33 each. Please. C’mon. I will certainly do whatever I can to support this unprecedented effort by someone in the entertainment industry to respond to our outcry. I fully support the Atlases of the world.
My only problem is that I secretly wanted to pretend that this was Otalia kissing, and given the (excellent, dammit) performances, there was no chance of that. I WANT a soulful, look in the eyes, stare at the lips, slowly at first then with rising passion kiss between two people who have longed to do so for a long time and who FINALLY FINALLY kiss. This was NOT THAT! This was messed up badass Gina doing lots of kissing , while nonetheless holding back on intimacy. Sooooooo well acted, yet so NOT OTALIA. So, in a way, I am totally hooked, cause now I am waiting for Gina to one day get better and be able to give the above kiss. It is the same kiss that Otalia would have had, but for FUCBS.
One criticism: Fix the website immediately.
I echo most of the thoughts on here and didn’t really notice the clothing until much much later. I was more taken aback that the volume of the music made my ears bleed. I was just blown away that is was watchable and that JL/CC still have it going on together even when their characters’ relationship blows.
I’m really sad that most of the free publicity and hard work publicizing the series was lost because of a crappy mostly contentless and mostly dysfunctional website. CC has put 20 years into the soap industry and earned many fans in the soap press who helped boost the profile of this series to NYT and CNNi level heights and at the appointed day and time it was only the die hard fans who could find the damn show on YT. I weep for that loss of momentum. I really hope they can build it back up again bit by lousy stinking bit and enough cash and press support flows to keep it going past the first season.
Thought the premier was excellent. I wasn’t concerned about tank tops. The dialogue was what mattered and it was superb. I think the brother/sister connection was almost obvious in the way they related to each other. I hope there is never any nudity. People can use their imaginations. Both CC and JL were at their best. They are pros! I thank everyone involved for a wonderful beginning. By the way, $9.99 is a bargin for such good entertainment.