Are you a soap opera fan? Are you mad about the genre dying out? Well, if you don't mind spending a small subscription fee for each season you can have your soaps again.
Crystal Chappell is a visionary, plain and simple. Crystal's involvement with the Oatlia storyline on Guiding Light opened her eyes and heart to the LGBT community. She felt that this community was robbed of seeing Otalia to fruition. She, also, saw the potential for telling a story on the internet that encompassed this community. By Crystal keeping total control, she doesn't have to answer to anyone and by telling this story on the internet, she doesn't have to worry about censorship! Season 1 was the ice breaker; establishing characters, the start of the story and figuring out how to produce a show for the web with very little money. Season 2 was hands down a 100% better, the story telling, the feel & flow and the filming were such an improvement. Crystal is learning and improving as she goes.
Season 2, we saw hands down some of Crystal's best work. Gina's reading of her letter to Ani. Also, she brought out the best in Nadia Bjorlin in her breakdown scene. In my opinion, Nadia's best work too! That episode gave Crystal the best recognition ever when she and Venice won an Emmy!
We are 3/4 of the way through Season 3, as I write this, and I am loving it so much. You have the drama between Gina, her unrequited love for Ani, Lara and her battle with the bottle and hiding her slips from Ani, Guya seeing her dead sister's spirit & helping her cross over, not to mention the Colonel's recovery, the Colonel and Gina's repair of their father-daughter relationship, Van's deliberate manipulation of Owen's love life. Then there are the twists and turns Will Ani ever find Gina's letter with her declaration of undying love? Will Ani find out that Lara read the letter and lied to Gina? Will Gina and Jamie get caught for their improper disposal of a dead body? Will it come out that the Colonel was seeing hookers? Will we ever find out why Van has it in for Owen? What's the deal with Sami, is she missing a screw or two? Will Richard ever find out why Gina disappeared after high school? I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things. Who knew that Hilary B. Smith could be soooo hilarious? I didn't. I was mostly familiar with her work from ATWT when she played Margo, I've only watch OLTL for the last year or so. I love this woman! She has no fear! Her comment to Judi Evans' Logan, Gina's ex, about someone dropping a house on her was too funny and classic! I can't not mention the funeral and Jamie song, 'Paid to Get Laid'. Oh, that was so up there!
I think what make Venice the best is that all of the actors and crew are doing this for two reasons: (1) Crystal is providing them with great characters and great writing; (2) they are doing this because Crystal asked. When she went to most of these folks and said 'will you do me a favor?' the answer was yes even before she told them what the favor was. These actors are getting paid very little if anything to support Crystal in giving us Venice.
In closing, Venice is the next step in the evolution of the daytime drama. Not only can we look forward to more seasons of Venice, but more web shows from Crystal Chappell!
Crystal Chappell is a visionary, plain and simple. Crystal's involvement with the Oatlia storyline on Guiding Light opened her eyes and heart to the LGBT community. She felt that this community was robbed of seeing Otalia to fruition. She, also, saw the potential for telling a story on the internet that encompassed this community. By Crystal keeping total control, she doesn't have to answer to anyone and by telling this story on the internet, she doesn't have to worry about censorship! Season 1 was the ice breaker; establishing characters, the start of the story and figuring out how to produce a show for the web with very little money. Season 2 was hands down a 100% better, the story telling, the feel & flow and the filming were such an improvement. Crystal is learning and improving as she goes.
Season 2, we saw hands down some of Crystal's best work. Gina's reading of her letter to Ani. Also, she brought out the best in Nadia Bjorlin in her breakdown scene. In my opinion, Nadia's best work too! That episode gave Crystal the best recognition ever when she and Venice won an Emmy!
We are 3/4 of the way through Season 3, as I write this, and I am loving it so much. You have the drama between Gina, her unrequited love for Ani, Lara and her battle with the bottle and hiding her slips from Ani, Guya seeing her dead sister's spirit & helping her cross over, not to mention the Colonel's recovery, the Colonel and Gina's repair of their father-daughter relationship, Van's deliberate manipulation of Owen's love life. Then there are the twists and turns Will Ani ever find Gina's letter with her declaration of undying love? Will Ani find out that Lara read the letter and lied to Gina? Will Gina and Jamie get caught for their improper disposal of a dead body? Will it come out that the Colonel was seeing hookers? Will we ever find out why Van has it in for Owen? What's the deal with Sami, is she missing a screw or two? Will Richard ever find out why Gina disappeared after high school? I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things. Who knew that Hilary B. Smith could be soooo hilarious? I didn't. I was mostly familiar with her work from ATWT when she played Margo, I've only watch OLTL for the last year or so. I love this woman! She has no fear! Her comment to Judi Evans' Logan, Gina's ex, about someone dropping a house on her was too funny and classic! I can't not mention the funeral and Jamie song, 'Paid to Get Laid'. Oh, that was so up there!
I think what make Venice the best is that all of the actors and crew are doing this for two reasons: (1) Crystal is providing them with great characters and great writing; (2) they are doing this because Crystal asked. When she went to most of these folks and said 'will you do me a favor?' the answer was yes even before she told them what the favor was. These actors are getting paid very little if anything to support Crystal in giving us Venice.
In closing, Venice is the next step in the evolution of the daytime drama. Not only can we look forward to more seasons of Venice, but more web shows from Crystal Chappell!