Daniels’s Friday Thoughts: 01.30.04

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So, after last week I’m sort of at a crossroads with the whole fiction thing. I didn’t get too many hits at it last week, so I’m thinking I’m going to change it to more of a “when the mood strikes me” thing. I don’t know I don’t really know what to do with it. I’m interested to see where the characters go, but not enough to follow through with it right now.

So, instead, let’s talk about some other stuff.

The Big Day

It’s almost that time of the year. The day of the year guys on the planet look to as their Holy Day. People gather around, much beer is drank, many chickens give their wings, and much gambling is done. That day, of course, is Valentine’s Day.

I kid, I kid guys would be happy enough if Valentine’s Day never happens again.

The Super Bowl the one official Man Day of every year. Where we toss off the yaks and collect in bars and friends houses all over the country to eat, drink, be merry, and watch commercials.

And somewhere in there, there’s a game, too.

As a matter of fact, not that anyone here at 411 would condone gambling. And we definitely don’t have a pool. And Ken Anderson definitely didn’t lose Bower to me in a bet last Super Bowl. BUT, I have a sure fire pick for you guys. I know who’s going to win and I know what the over/under is going to be. Now, be careful, there are spoilers below, so scroll down if you don’t want to read.

But.

The Panthers and Under.

Daniels, you may be saying, How can you be so sure that you know who will win the Super Bowl. Do you have an NFL in? Do you have Paul Tagliabue on Speed Dial? Did President Bush himself call you and let you know what was going to happen in Houston? None of the above in fact, it’s much simpler. About four weeks ago I was in Las Vegas. As I walked around the casinos, I kept looking at the Panthers. They were 20 to 1 underdogs to win the big game the day I left.

I looked at that bet, and thought about putting $40 on it, since at that point in the trip, I was up a couple hundred. Then, I talked myself out of it and shortly after, my luck turned to complete shit. Therefore, since I walked away from the bet which would have netted me about $750 and nearly paid for my entire trip it is a shoo-in to hit on Sunday.

So, find your favorite bookie, and lay it all on Carolina. I’m sure they’re getting points, so you got even less to worry about.

As for the over/under I’m just going to go with how both teams play. Whatever the Under is take it.

Carolina and under you heard it here first.

Let’s get to the more important part of the Super Bowl now the parties. Personally, I joined a football club at the beginning of the season which paid for the party I get to attend this year. I will be getting free beer and free food for the duration of the game. I plan to be a wreck by the time the girl comes to pick me up around ten. I plan to still be a wreck when I get up for work the next day if I get up for work the next day.

So whatever you are doing, I hope you all have a good time. I hope you win lots of money. And whatever you do, get home safe.

Now, for something different.

The Music Box Killer

As my long time readers know, I am a huge fan of One Life to Live. In fact, besides Raw and Smackdown, it’s the only show on television that I watch religiously. I generally make up excuses when people ask me why I watch excuses which range from “I picked it up from one of my roommates in college” to “I used to go to school with the red-head and I like to watch her.” Neither are true the real answer is much simpler.

It’s just a good show. In fact, I challenge anyone, male or female, to watch it religiously for two weeks from a Monday to a following Friday and see if you don’t get hooked. And it’s well written.

Now a lot of people will dispute that, and say a lot of soap storylines are cheesy and drawn out and I will absolutely agree with that. Soaps are repetitive but then, when you are writing a television show that has been on the air five days a week for thirty-five years, and in Guiding Light’s case, SIXTY years (yes, it was on the air BEFORE there was television), some things are going to get repetitive. I have often complained about the comparison between wrestling and soaps simply because (other than Passions) the writing and continuity in soaps is generally impeccable. If two people hated each other six months ago, you can be damn sure they will hate each other now. Feuds last for, in some cases, decades.

Regardless, every once in a while, you come upon a storyline that is really good and manages to keep you watching. Oddly enough, they seem to revolve around sweeps time.

Since late October, the major storyline on One Life have revolved around the Music Box Killer. A serial killer who’s MO Is to strike every two weeks, leave a music box at the scene that plays Romeo and Juliet by (I think) Tchaivosky.

The first on screen murder, the fourth victim, occurred on Halloween. Since the Serial Killer storyline picked up, I’ve been able to watch and be amazed at the similarities between different online communities. And oddly, my experience as a member of one of the most f*cked online communites in the known universe have given me a bonus in dealing with a lot of the people in the other online communities. Why? Because they aren’t used to dealing with the type of half-truths in disinformation that the IWC usually deals with. Networks release weekly spoilers to try to entice people to watch. These spoilers make it to message boards, and ISC (that’s Internet Soap Community). I have often railed agains

There are two overwhelming rules I have noticed in the world of soaps.

1) The very worst person will always walk into the worst situation at the worst time. If someone is kissing someone else, that someone’s significant other will just happen to be there at the wrong time. Or they will overhear someone talking about it.

2) When you think you know exactly who is responsible for something, you’re never right.

Just recently, the One Life story lines have been crossing close to a similar storyline going on over on Days of Our Lives. Days of Our Lives has had the “Salem Stalker” storyline going on for quite a while a storyline specifically designed to thin out a bloated and overpaid cast. Just last week, after months of mystery, the Days killer was revealed as Marlena who is like THE lady on Days she is to days what Susan Lucci is to All My Children. Unfortunately for NBC, the identity of the killer leaked out about a week before they revealed it. Needless to say, the brass at NBC was not happy. Soap actors and workers, from what I gather, are under Ironclad Contracts which can result in terrible penalties if storylines leak out ahead of schedule and, for the most part, it can pretty much blacklist you from daytime shows forever if you are found out to be responsible for a storyline leak.

In early December, I thought I had the Music Box Killer figured out. I followed the rules. Those rules being: 1) it’s not who you think and 2) it’s not who anyone on the show thinks which lead me to the psychiatrist, Dr Haver, who was treating the suspected killer, Dr Troy McIver.

Since then, however, most of the ISC has jumped on the Dr Haver bandwagon, culminating in a spoiler released by what is generally regarded as the 1wrestling or the Torch of the soap world, Eyeonsoaps.com. They pretty much confirmed that they had heard through one of their sources that, in fact, Dr Haver would be the killer and he would be offing one of the shows longest standing characters, Dr Rae Cummings.

Now, being from where I am originally, that being the IWC, I was able to take a step back from this and read anything released through a website as what it is something released through a website. The ISC isn’t used to being “worked” by the powers that be most of the time, when they hear a story they take it as gospel. However, it hasn’t crossed anyone’s mind that the following could be going on:

a) They are making the character of Dr Haver look super suspicious right now, with two murders left to go. We know that the murderer is currently, for whatever reason, targeting Buchanans and the good Dr just took Jessica Buchanan, one of the show’s long standing characters, on as a Research Assistant. They also take every opportunity to make SURE we know he is suspicious.

b) The name of this character’s mother was just recently released to be Marlena. The same killer who, on Days, was just revealed as a serial killer.

c) A huge, unheard of leak, just occurred on NBC.

Now, what no one on the ISC seems to realize is that this could just be a ploy by ABC to get nosy fans out of their hair. Give them a killer, give them something convincing and let them chew over it so they can lead their online fans in the same direction that they are leading their regular TV fans?

I guess it’s just the cynical nature of the IWC in me. That, and it doesn’t follow any of the rules of soaps.

My theory well, the way I look at there is only one person totally unaccounted for during all of the murders. Quick backstory, Al Holden is a character who died on screen of a virus he caught because of a shitty immune system due to a drug overdose. He was later re-incarnated into another character because of the fan revolt surrounding his death.

Four of the murders took place while he was either dying or dead. These four murders were all linked to the Pussycat Lounge, a strip club in Atlantic City where the man who’s body he took over, Michael McBain’s, mother got her start singing. After Al Holden took over his body, the MO changed. Suddenly, he was attacking only people with whom Al was knew intimately.

1. Jen Rappaport. She didn’t die, but the police theorize she was the intended victim. Al nearly married her and, in fact, faked paralysis to do so.

2. Madison Kensington. Responsible for his death.

3. Gabrielle Medina. His mother.

4. Sarah “Flash” Roberts. A friend he grew up with.

The next attack seems to be Jessica Buchanan also one of Al’s friends. And, if the MO holds true Natalie Buchanan will be next. Natalie is the one who broke up Al’s marriage to Jen originally by revealing he wasn’t paralyzed.

One of the characters, Dr Troy McIver, says he knows who did it. All he has revealed thus far is the murderer is a doctor. This has added more fuel to the “Dr Haver” fire. However, the new body Al resides in belongs to Dr Michael McBain.

I’m saying it’s him and I’m sticking with my horse till it proves me wrong.

In Conclusion

Now that I’ve spent almost five pages on something I’m pretty sure none of my regulars care about, I think that’s about it.

The fiction will hopefully make a comeback soon.

Till next week drive safe this weekend.

Daniels