Ideas to revive "that Black storyline"

Nekeeta----

We have been acting up and showing our tails on Facebook for the past week---and having a marvelous time doing so, might I add (muah! smooches all around! ), so you know how I feel about this situation right CHEA!!!!

Maria Bell couldn't write an interesting story for a black character if her life depended on it!! I think in her disoriented and disorganized brain, she THINKS she's doing black people a favor by writing these contrived/boring/uninteresting stories for black characters like Tyra, Karen, Devon, Ashley Banks 2.0, Lily (falls victim to narcolepsy at the very mention of her name!!!!!.....2 minutes later, I awaken with drool all over my keyboard!)...........What was I talking about again?? Oh, Lily!! The most BORING black character on daytime, and quite possibly on TELEVISION!!!

Back to Nia Peeples. When I heard she had made those disparaging remarks about "Eva Diva's" completely emotionless performances, my first reaction was: Well, thanks for saving me the time and energy of having to shame the devil. But why would you want to alienate people who have done NOTHING to you??? Eva Diva seemed like a perfectly NICE girl, who NEVER should've been hired on Y&R in ANY other capacity other than a model or dayplayer, mind you, but she was just trying to earn a paycheck. Any criticisms regarding her acting abilities should have been issued ONLY by her acting coach---assuming she had one, which I doubt!! Cringing still remembering her performances.

I am off topic---big surprise there!! I did like Nia Peeples' performance, and I wanted to like the Karen character, but found it difficult. She seemed like a poorly written substitute for my Drucilla Barber Winters. Needless to say, once you've had filet mignon, you never quite look at that cheeseburger the same again, even if it is pretty appetizing. She was wishy-washy, but not in a way that seemed well planned out. And her not wanting to have babies, or raise Lily's grandchild was totally understandable. She clearly wasn't "wifey" material, even though they did try to create a backstory about her being infertile. Neil needs a woman who he can make babies with. We all know he wants to have more kids, and Karen can't give him that. They never would've worked long-term!!

I keep wishing they'd just pick up the phone and call my girl up--------and start munching on crow!! Or actually DEVELOP an interesting, feisty, multi-faceted black female character for NEIL!!! I am truly starting to wonder if Hogan and Maria can do this. After all, Bill Bell didn't create the magic that Victoria Rowell brought to the screen---MOST of that was improvisation, ad-libbing and her own sassafras shining through. Great characters are usually a COLLABORATIVE effort between actors and writers, but the writers have to a.) care, b.) show up and put in the effort, c.) know their audience!! Zero outta three is HELLA bad!!!!!

I'm feeling Sofia thus far and I pray the writers don't make her into an angry Black woman stereotype who needs a brace from excessive neck-popping.  What the Winters Family needs is to shift the focus from Lily to the patriarch.  I want to see my boy engaged in some serious business wars.  Coming out from under Victor's shadow was huge - now let's have him propel Chancellor to new heights.

Falcolm (thanks Jillian!) and Sofia are in cahoots with Tucker.  Devon just graduated from college, right?  He and Mal have a good rapport.  Why don't the writers expound on that little stint when Devon did some work for his uncle.  Neil and Tucker are always fighting for CI's joystick, so having his son work in opposition to him would be good conflict.  Devon could be some of that fresh blood Sofia was talking about. 

NP was on some other stuff, but I still think Karen was a good look for Neil IF developed.  Neil's pushing 50; wtf does he need with babies when he's somebody's grandpa?  That s/l about Karen's infertility was just a contrived roadblock.  They should have done some major reconstruction to bring her back while Lily was sick.  That Nash mess was dreadful!  WHERE is Liv?  Please bring her back with her tracks intact and possibly her son, Nate (paging Lawrence St. Victor/Remy from GL). 

Ok how to fix the black storyline...

Ok I think the major problem with the "black" storyline is that it is isolated. Whenever Devon, Malcolm, Roxy or Neil are on is they are isolated from everyone else. I can't remember the last time that Devon or Roxy has shared a scene outside of the "black" actors in two years. It's very sad. The "black" characters shouldn't be so islanded. They need to integrate with the rest of the cast. I know some will try and say that Neil, Olivia, Dru, and Malcolm were isolated during the 90s but that's far from true. Neil, Olivia, Dru, and Malcolm were very well integrated with the cast. Neil was Ryan McNeil's best friend, Olivia and Ashley were best friends, Dru was a model for Jabot, Malcolm was a photographer for Jabot and he worked with Blade. I mean they weren't just stuck interacting with each other. They also had stories that people cared about and were relevant for the time.

Now it baffles me that Devon isn't involved with any of the other young adult cast. It makes no sense that he is only around Lily. Why not mix him up with the rest of the cast.

Now besides integrating the "black" cast I think they need to take all the focus off of Lily. The characters of Neil, Malcolm, and Olivia all have 15 plus years of history on Y&R and them being a talk to for Lily is unbelievable. Makes no sense at all. They shouldn't be just focused on Lily. If you give them a storyline outside of just looking over Lily then I think a lot of viewers would be happy.

Give Neil and Malcolm a storyline that doesn't involve them fighting over the same woman. We have been there and done that with a few other women, Alex, Dru, and Olivia to name a few. We have seen it before please don't do it again with Sophia.

The jury is still out for me on Sophia. Yes she can act, but I'm so indifferent right now to it. I want to see where they take the storyline with her before I give her a seal of approval.

Nekeeta---

Now you KNOW I am gonna have to switch you/read you the BUSINESS right quick for suggesting Lawrence St. Victor for another acting role. Lord, keep me near the cross. I swear that if you GOOGLE African American Ken doll/hair model, his photo will most ASSUREDLY pop up. You know I love you like I love cooked food, but this is one wishful casting that is about to drive me to DRANK!!!

(shakes head repeatedly while reaching toward the heavens for guidance and understanding!)

Oh, and Smitty----we are on the same page!!!!!!!!!!! How often does that happen?? LOL!!!

And I forgot to add about Karen. I was a fan of Karen, but once they hooked her up with "black" character we never saw her interact with anyone else. I mean she came on the canvas as Nikki Newman's campaign manager. Why didn't her and Nikki remain friends? Karen had no real friends in Genoa City. I think Nia Peeples and Kristoff St John had amazing chemistry. They worked well together and a good spoiler for that relationship should have been Dru returning from the dead. Karen had much potential but I think Maria Arena Bell wanted to get rid of any sign of LML on the show except she is keeping Cane around which to me makes no sense because I would have kept Karen over him, but that's just me.

Alston, don't beat me *in my "No, mama, no!" Penny from Good Times voice*!  LSV delivered when Baby Max died on GL.  GL was hella clumsy with their diversity, so you know they gave him crap for a storyline.  I refuse to believe that chocolatey Adonis isn't talented, LOL!  Liv needs to be on the canvas more, and it would be good for history's sake to bring her son, if only for a few visits.  MAB an' 'nem can call their appearance splashes of seasonal color, like fall leaves. 

Smitty, I agree wholeheartedly that they do segregate the AA characters, and that the Winters family has become The Lily Show.  Having Neil, Mal, and Sofia get involved with CI and thus Tucker and Kay is a start; I think someone's been listening to us.  I wish they'd incorporate Devon and Roxie in now.  Why didn't Neil loosen the reigns on Indigo and let Devon assume responsibility for it instead of selling to the tacky twosome?  He does have a degree now, and music is his thing, so a jazz club would have been an apropos setting for his first career (and it combines the business aspect, too, so he's not shiftless and trifling like Daniel). 

Karen was a great companion for Neil, but I think they started writing her badly with the intention of phasing her out.  Remember how secretive she was at first, how hesitant she was to put down roots?  She worked under Chow - they could have done something with that, rather than making her barren.  It didn't  matter, cuz Neil ain't anybody's spring chicken.  They ruined Karen by making her freakishly obsessed with adopting Ana.  I took her for the career woman who didn't necessarily want a family, which would have been fine for over the hill Neil.  We should do some wishful writing, ya'll...