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Please scroll down for a brief description of this issue's contents, as
well as a few items and links you won't find in the navigation bar.
Letter from the Editor
by Amy McWilliams
Welcome to the General Hospital Review!
I'd like to take more space than usual in this month's letter to talk about
the changes we've made in "GH in Review" (if you want to skip
to the contents, click here). I mentioned that you'd be
seeing a different format in this issue, and I wanted to explain why we're going
in this new direction. You'll still find coverage of all the storylines and characters,
but we're taking a step back to offer more of an overview perspective, rather
than recording every event in each episode. While it has always been our priority
to talk about the important details, we need to get away from having to account
for all of them.
More specifically, as you'll see in my review for February 2001, "GH in
Review" will now provide a substantial overview critiquing each storyline
for the month. The review will discuss trends and hit high points, rather than
listing and quoting from every episode in every storyline. With that overview,
we will still work to offer supplemental material from key scenes--quotes, screen
captures--along with comments from our other editors, such as those you're used
to seeing. Each of the editors will take a turn at bat, so "GH in
Review" may vary in structure from month to month. The advantage, however,
is that you'll get a different guiding perspective.
Since our note last month, more than one of you have written in about the juxtaposition
of the announcement that we were changing format and the noted rumor that ABC
was beginning to shut down fan websites. I assure you that this is not a case
of post hoc, ergo propter hoc. (And, in fact, the transcript site has not
been shut down by ABC, we're happy to report--see Reader Mail
for more information.) I have been considering making this change for some time
now, and here are the two main reasons:
The first issue is time. I am a graduate student writing a dissertation, and
I have been responsible for putting together "GH in Review" since
before the GHR took on its present form. It's how I started writing about
GH. I've been doing blow-by-blow accounts of episodes, weeks, and months
since February 1997. Not only have I grown weary of that kind of updating/summary,
I don't have time to do it. We are perpetually behind, usually by more than four
months. And in struggling to stay reasonably caught up, I find that the only thing
I get to do in each issue is "GH in Review," and even that has
had to be without my own commentary for the last year or so. I wanted to change
that column to find the fun in reviewing GH again, and to let myself have
more time for writing other kindsof things for the GHR. Finally, I wanted
to let (or make, they might argue) the other editors have an equal voice in that
column.
The second consideration is audience. The reason I have hesitated to make such
a change before now was because I know that some of you read us more for the updates--the
transcripts, lists of events, and, more recently, the photos--than for the commentary
and articles. Finally, though, what we're most interested in doing--and what we're
best at--is the critique, not the summary. It was a hard decision to change the
balance between what we were doing for each audience, but we think it was the
right one.
To those of you who have written in this past month to encourage us, to tell
us you want more of our writing (and even to tell us you want less of the details),
we hope that the new format answers. For those of you looking primarily for summary,
we hope that you will still find a clear picture of what's been happening on General
Hospital.
In the meantime, along with the review you'll find lots of good stuff in this
issue, including a piece from me on the Deception offices in "Set Pieces,"
Turner's comments on the Nelly storyline over on Port Charles, a new poll,
and, as always, goodies galore in "Say Cheese!"
Enjoy, and thanks for reading.
GH in Review: February
Sweeps & Pieces of April
by Amy McWilliams and Judy Ellison
My review of February gives the overall picture for sweeps, then focuses on
key scenes such as Sonny's prayer in Martinique, Lucky and Elizabeth's fight at
Jake's, and Ned and Alexis's Valentine's date. Meanwhile, Judy takes on April,
pointing out the good things she sees with the new behind-the-scenes team and
on the screen.
As always, thanks go to the GH Transcripts page. I depend on it as well as
the daily updates from the official
ABC website and r.a.t.s.a. Thanks also to everybody on the GH side
of the Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.tv.soaps.abc for their discussion of the show,
and to the other editors, whose discussion always informs my own opinions and
makes the show so much more fun to watch.
GH in Review: February Sweeps
GH in Review: Pieces
of April
This month, Turner talks about the new "Time in a Bottle" novella
on Port Charles, focusing on the Frank and Karen (and Nelly and Cookie)
storyline.
PC in Review
Joan Roseman started this column as a place to vent her frustrations and share
her unpopular opionions. Occasionally, when Joan's taking a break from venting,
Arda has stepped in. This time, Arda's back with some annoying moments that could
have been easily fixed.
"And Another Thing..."
Set Pieces: The Space of
Deception
by Amy McWilliams
"Set Pieces" looks at the spaces and settings of our soap. Here, writers consider
both the literary and practical aspects of the different sets on which the action
of GH occurs. This time, I talk about the Deception offices, drawing on
show history and thinking about the details of the set and the blocking of scenes
that take place there to think about Laura in her new job.
Set Pieces
Say Cheese!
This month's wallpaper brings returning favorites as well as new faces. We've
got actors' other roles in scans, Rebecca Herbst in screen captures, and February
sweeps from 1998 in video clips. Enjoy! And please write in and let us know what
you'd like to see featured.
Say Cheese!: Video Clips
Say Cheese!: Screen Captures
Say Cheese!: Desktop Wallpaper
Say Cheese!: Scans
Readers' Poll
We're back with a new poll question this month. Let us know who your favorite
newcomer is, and feel free to also send in a note on your choice at the feedback
form below.
Readers' Poll
Reader Mail
We've had two main questions from readers in the past month, and we wanted
to give two quick answers here....
Reader Mail
Featured Websites
We'll be back with more featured websites next month.
As always, if you would like to recommend a site for recognition in a future
issue, you can do so at the feedback form or send us an email.
Websites Featured in the Past
Feedback
- Comments?
- Suggestions?
- Questions?
- Complaints?
- Recommendations for featured web sites?
- Topics you'd like to read about?
- Letters to the Editor?
- Poll Responses?
Fill out the feedback form.
You can also email us at mcamy@leftfield.org.
Please indicate on your message whether you want it to be considered for publication,
and see our other notes about reader mail at the feedback form.
Back to Top
Editor-in-Chief: Amy McWilliams
Editorial Board: Arda Darakjian Clark, Judy Ellison, Teresa Leslie,
Joan Roseman, and L. B.
All original content is © 1998-2001 by the author.
General Hospital Review, including page design, is © 1998-2001 by Amy McWilliams.
General Hospital is the property of ABC.
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