Why aren't you watching?! All My Children

Alright dear readers, what else can I say? The title says it all. Why aren't you watching All My Children? This week marks the final week that All My Children will air on television. I could go into a long rant about why ABC made a huge mistake in canceling this long running soap, but I won't. I am merely going to discuss the fabulosity that is All My Children. And why you should be watching!

First of all, soap operas are truly the best form of storytelling on television. There is nothing else on TV that allows fans to follow their characters for years, decades even. Fans get to watch their favorite characters grow and develop in all sorts of life situations that are at times hilarious, thrilling, romantic, and heartbreaking. Put simply, a soap opera has it all. There are even storylines that tackle some sci-fi stuff. For proof look no further than One Life to Live. In the '80s OLTL had a large cast of characters travel to a hidden city underground named Eterna. A fantastic mess. Of course there have been many other sci-fi tales on other various soaps as well, which would need a whole other entry to address.

I started watching soaps when I was little. My mom was a fan of many soaps and I would watch them with her. My favorites were always All My Children and One Life to Live. Over time I would go on to watch Loving, The City, General Hospital, Guiding Light, Port Charles, and Young and the Restless. A few of those I would watch every now and then or at least until they ended. Well Y&R I still watch. When Victor and Nikki (two grown folk) hook up on a bail of hay while the jealous Diane looks on snapping pictures, you know you gotta stay tuned.

I realize that watching soaps is a lot of TV to follow, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Soaps have a way of bringing people together. My best friend and I met in college long ago, and aside from gossip, clothes, and fashion, we bonded over our soaps. We would talk about the characters as if they were real (they're real to us!) and other people would be like, "Who are you talking about? And why do they have an evil twin?" Nothing is better than when soap fans talk about the characters and other people think you are talking about real family members. The best.

I can't tell you all how many times I have bonded with perfect strangers because soaps were being discussed. You just get it. Fans understand that Erica is meant to be with Jackson. Debates rage on and on about the nature of Ryan and Greenlee's relationship, should they be together or are they toxic? Conversations can last for hours about theorizing the next months worth of storylines!

I have been lucky with soap watching. Growing up I would have my mom keep me up to date while I was at school and of course have holidays and the summers to soak up all the stories. Later on I would buy blank vhs tapes in bulk and tape the show. Of course Soapnet came out and it was even easier to watch soaps. Then DVR was created and I got to watch my soaps whenever I wanted! It was like living in the clouds with the Care Bears. Everything just was so cheerful and great!

Over the years I have bought books, magazines, dolls, and even trading cards (cool, I know!) all about the awesomeness that is AMC. I have tried to hold onto anything connected to AMC, because after 41 years on TV, the show is going to end. I have been doing my best to prepare myself for this experience. I don't know what it will be like to no longer watch this show on TV. Regardless if the show was under great writers or lousy ones, I have stuck by this show. There is even hope that AMC looks like it will be going online to an internet channel in early 2012, but I'm not sure of that. However if all goes well, how cool will it be that soaps once made the move from radio to TV, and now from TV to the internet? That just seems so cool to me.

So how do I say goodbye? I have been highly emotional ever since the cancellation. This week is going to be some great TV people! If you have ever watched AMC, I simply suggest that you find a way to tune in. The show is damn good right now.

David Hayward has been bringing people back from the grave (very Marvel comics, I know) and there are still two people that David has hidden from their loved ones. No one knows who the two people are!

So basically the storylines are all wrapping up about who is going to stay together, who will break up, and who might die. JR has a gun and I feel like he is going to use it. From what I have read, the ending of AMC is going to have a surprising cliffhanger since the show is planned to continue online. A cliffhanger people! If that is not reason enough to start tuning in this final week, I don't know what is.

One way that I am going to say goodbye is by listing some of my favorite moments from the many years that I watched! Here they are:

1. The love story of Ryan and Gillian- they were one of my favorite couples on daytime. They went through so much, and he was just never the same after she was killed. Her spirit scenes in heaven were just the saddest. I cried for a whole week, non-stop.

2. Erica's Phantom of the Opera moment- During a chilly snow storm that was tied into a primetime Stephen King event, Erica and David Hayward were involved in a serious car wreck that left Erica with a scar on her face. While wearing a very Phantom chic mask Erica kinda sulked around town and kinda lost it and fell in love with the dastardly David.

3. The tornado of '94- Put simply, the best TV. A huge tornado swept through Pine Valley putting everyone's lives in danger. Poor Julia had a chandelier fall on her. The scenes were shot so well, full of high drama.

4. Erica's weddings- Each one was an event and needs to be mentioned. The men. The dresses. The subsequent divorces. Let's hope if she walks down the aisle again it'll be for keeps. Though I think she should be the forever single gal.

5. The Mardi Gras Ball- Crazy Janet-from-another-planet takes it upon herself to rig a mansion full of bombs that go off during a Mardi Gras ball putting the denizens of Pine Valley in grave danger. The back from the dead Dixie almost died again!

6. Bianca's coming out- There have always been dramatic stories between Erica and her youngest daughter Bianca. Bianca once burned Erica's house down. Erica fought tooth and nail to save Bianca from anorexia (even garnering Susan Lucci her Daytime Emmy) but it was the story of Bianca coming out as a lesbian that was just the best of what soaps are made up of.

7. Kendall and Greenlee duke it out in a pool- Once upon a time best friends Kendall and Greenlee hated each other as they fought for the affections of Ryan Lavery. The two reached a fevered boiling point as they both tried to marry him, and ended up fighting it all out in a pool. Greenlee ended up marrying Ryan, though she should be with Leo, who I hope is really alive.

8. Janet earns the title, "Janet from another planet"- Janet and Natalie were twins. However Janet was jealous of the life that Nat had, so Janet threw her twin down a well and took over her identity. No one knew, and Janet managed to take over Nat's life, including playing house with Nat's husband Trevor. Janet went a lil loony and ended up having a child with her sister's husband, but everything came crashing down once Nat was eventually rescued from the well.

9. Back from the dead- Coming back from the dead happens quite often in Pine Valley, and the best tales involved Jessie coming back and reuniting with true love Angie. Dixie coming back from the dead numerous times always makes for good story. And Maria really surviving that fatal plane wreck was just the best.

10. Erica and Brooke- One of my favorite storylines from AMC, involves the rivalry/friendship between Brooke and Erica. Whether they were fighting over men or fighting each other, these two women have gone from loathing to actual real respect and friendship. Also some of Erica Kane's best lines usually were directed at Brooke English. This type of storyline and its longevity could only be possible due to the nature of soaps.

Now that is just some of the stories that have been the best on AMC. I have not even mentioned all the actors and talent that has made this soap a truly great piece of television history. I just know that come Friday, I will be a huge blubbering mess.

On a side note, how fun was Night of the Living Roach 4: The Final Battle Part 1? I am working on Part 2 and it will be off the hook! I wanted the whole thing to be completed, but it turned out slightly longer than expected. Hence the Part 1 and Part 2, which plays off of the current trend with certain movies and adds to the overall fun of the goofy story!

Also, Bridesmaids comes out tomorrow! If you have not seen that movie yet, you just have to! It is hilarious!