sage: Hey, whassup, chickiepoo?
katrina: Thanks for IMing me. I'm starting a new thing on EOS where I interview different staff members and I wanted you to be my first.
sage: Honey, everyone wants me to be their first. *sigh*
katrina: :)
sage: Have you made the page yet?
katrina: What page?
sage: The page where you're going to put the interviews.
katrina: Yeah, I just finished it.
sage: Lemme see, lemme see, lemme see...
katrina: http://www.eyeonsoaps.com/interviews.htm
sage: There's no interview there.
katrina: Well no shit, sherlock, I'm going to interview you in a minute and put it there.
sage: :-P
katrina: :-*
sage: I'm not sure I'm into this.
katrina: Why not?
sage: Cause you've got a skewered dick on a stick on the banner
katrina: wha'???
katrina: Pfft, that's a microphone, stupid
sage: Nuh uh. It's very obviously a penis from your "collection." Some people put bugs on pins...
sage: O:-)
katrina: Do you want to do this or not?
sage: Of course I do. You're not going to put this part in the interview, are you?
katrina: Of course not.
sage: Well, OK, then...
sage: Shoot
sage: just keep those pins away from me.
katrina: OK, here we go:
katrina: So how long have you been with Eye on Soaps?
sage: Hmmm. I followed you over from Soap Opera Central when you started your own site, so I was an avid EOS reader from the beginning. I still miss a lot of the old staff: Naomi Clackum, Chris Simon, the woman who did Dot Commentary... we've always been blessed with really cool writers.
sage: I think I started actually writing columns in June of 2001.
katrina: I think that's when it was as well, somewhere around then. Did you think that you'd get the following you have?
sage: Did either of us? Wow. I was shocked and flattered. Especially to have HO's. How often do you step up into the batter's box and get ho's? (We put the apostrophe in there because otherwise, they were hoes, as in WORK in the GARDEN or hos, as in add and "s" and get a large Cartright. This way, it's clearly HO's) Lenore has always been my #1 Ho and everyone who knows her understands why.  winky winky
sage: I've met so many wonderful people over the past almost 4 years and I'm still thrilled to be here.
sage: The time really has flown by.
katrina: Yes it has. So what happened to the spoilers? You were hot on them and then you just bailed. I think a lot of people were disappointed by that.
sage: *shrug* Yeah, I know and I feel bad for that, really I do. I've been accused of losing my sources, accused of being chicken shit and selfish for not wanting to play the game any more, but that really is what it was about. I wasn't happy and I think it showed in my writing. I'd lost the core of what I was all about in regard to the soaps and didn't feel grounded any more.  My long-time readers noticed it particularly and felt the difference after I dumped the spoilers. It didn't matter who was writing the stuff any more. It could have been anyone. I was little more than a bulletin board people came up to check and walk away.  I missed being me in my column.
sage: So yeah, they people who weren't into ME and who I really am are going to be bummed and the people who enjoy what I do will be cool and probably happy with the new columns. Those who were only using me to get spoilers will be extremely dissatisfied. You know, that's how it goes. I'm not going to keep doing something I hate to dump out spoilers for people who didn't particularly appreciate it anyway.
katrina: Do you think the "average" reader appreciated the spoilers?
sage: Oh, you know, probably. But it's a no win situation. When you're in the public eye as a columnist, you're always going to have people who like what you do and people who don't. That's just the nature of the beast. But when you also do spoilers, you've got the added stress of constantly having to prove yourself each and every week. Get one thing wrong, let one thing be changed postproduction and they're all over you. It's like a feeding frenzy. So you get the people who don't like you but read you anyway because you've got great spoilers overall. They're wanting the spoilers, but when you're wrong, they're eager to slit your throat.
sage: Then you get the ones who decide you have an agenda because you didn't get spoilers on "their" couple or "their" character that week. If you don't get the spoilers, you can't print them, but with these guys, there's always a big conspiracy theory. They figure because they have an agenda, everyone else does to, particularly the columnists.
katrina: Do you have an agenda?
sage: Hell yes, I do. First thing on my agenda is to go get me another couple of white russains. Then I'm going to get the "foot fixer" so I can soak my tootsies while we talk. Then I'm going to get some damned Fiddle Faddle out of the cupboard to munch on and sticky up my keys. That's my agenda.
katrina: Aren't you a Casper person?
sage: You know, I was diggin on them for a while, but they're in a rut now and it's really grating on me hard.
sage: I mean, nothing's really happening with them. They're just there, acting out the same scenes as always.
sage: brb - agenda time
sage: type while I'm gone, OK?
katrina: So who is your main interest now?
sage: OK, I'm back
sage: Hmmm...
sage: the trouble is, I'm not into much of anyone
sage: it's all pretty boring
sage: I like Jason and Sam a good bit
sage: Carly and The Hobbit are pretty stale
katrina: The Hobbit?
sage: Yeah, that's what MB calls whosit, the guy who plays Steven Lars
sage: What's that guy's name, I'm spacing on it...
sage: Shaun Benson
katrina: Yeah, that's it
katrina: Have you ever had an agenda where you actively sought to further one particular character or actor?
sage: Hmmm. I want to jump at saying "No," because I don't tend to operate that way, but I actually have. I really, really loved Barbara Niven as Liz Reynolds on OLTL and was devastated when she was let go. Other than that, I can't think of anyone.
katrina: What other actors in particular do you enjoy?
sage: Josh Duhamel was great. I really miss Mark Pinter from AMC. Sam Page who played Trey/Ben was excellent and had great story potential. I've been a Jack Scalia fan forever and was sorry to see him go. Marj Dusay, of course, is a major loss.
sage: On OLTL, I miss Nathan Purdee, Ty Treadway and Thom Chrisopher. Tonya Walker who played Alex Olanov was great. I adore Tuc Watkins and I'm very glad Robin Strasser is still on the show. Ilene Kristen is great. I do miss James DePaiva and Clint Ritchie.
sage: On GH, I really enjoy Corbin Bernsen and Blake Gibbons. I miss Reginald and Alice a lot. They were so much fun and of course, Loren Freeman as Elton. The help is always the most fun on GH. Vanessa Marcil always brings good story to GH. I love Robin Christopher and would like to see her get some solid material. Building up the Cassadine family again with the old characters would be incredible. I miss Stephen Nichols tremendously. No matter how good Jed Allen is, I really miss John Ingle.
katrina: In last week's column, you mentioned Sam getting "AJ." Did you know then that AJ was coming back?
sage: *chuckle* No, I honestly didn't. I'm sad about the way in which he's being brought back and even more bothered that Billy Warlock's return is so short lived, but what can you do? I'm happy for what we get.
katrina: Of all of the stories GH has played out, what has been your favorite?
sage: You know, I really loved the mixed marrieds. I also liked the seduction of Nikolas by Katherine Bell and of course, Stone's death was amazing.
katrina: What about your least favorite?
sage: >:< The destruction of the character of Rick Webber, from beginning to end.
katrina: What about AMC?
sage: I think my favorite scene on AMC was when Leo thought Vanessa was dead and was opening his heart to her. She opened her eyes and he did this keening little "oh shit!!" dance backward that was just delightful.
katrina: LOL. Yes, that was a good one.
sage: Least favorite was probably the Kit Fisher mess
katrina: ..which was before my time, so I'll have to take your word for it.
katrina: OLTL?
sage: Least favorite was probably the foray into Viki's alters where Jean kept Dorian prisoner in the secret room under Llanfair. That and the Eternia story were pretty bad.
[AIM posted a thing that said I signed off and on here]
sage: did your dial up dump you?
katrina: Yeah
sage: bwahahaha suckah!!!
sage: Did you get the favorite OLTL story?
katrina: Nope.  :(
sage: Favorite OLTL story... I think probably the birth of Luna's twins on Llantano Mountain.  She told someone she had named the kids "Moonbeam" and "Tarot" and they were all like, "Oh, um, hmm, nice!" and then she told them it was Frankie and Leslie.
katrina: Getting away from the shows again, when you stopped doing spoilers, you went to the Uncensored column, but you haven't been particularly uncensored. I think everyone expected you to go all ballistic.
sage: ha. Well, I did for a column or so there. Now, I know I can if I feel the need, but mostly, I'm fairly uninspired to rant.
sage: I think of it as HBO, where you know you can be completely candid and uncensored, but it doesn't mean you always will.
sage: I'm writing a column now for this week. I can cuss a little if you want. ;)
katrina: LOL
katrina: Only if you are moved to do so. So where do you see your writing going from here?
sage: I like doing the commentary on gossip and spoilers out there, as well as specifically about the shows. The captions and goofy pictures are fun, but I have to be particularly inspired or they fall flat. I can't just do it on demand. I dunno. I'm just me and the writing and column goes where ever my brain goes.
katrina: So what's the mailbox like this week?
sage: It was actually a pretty high mail week. I got more fuss letters. People always like to write and vent when they're pissed. You know, shoot the shit for a while... me being the shit. One lady was funny. She wrote to tell me how much I was fucking up the column, then told me to tell people who don't like the column to fuck off. I was like, um, OK. Other people tell me how much I suck without the spoilers and I figure they're not in my target audience. You can't please everybody. I tried and I nearly ate my soul up, so whatever. I write what I write and people will like it or they won't.
katrina: Do you go to the message boards to see what people say about you?
sage: I did for a very little while, but it was depressing, so I stopped. I was over-evaluating my work to the point that I couldn't get anything done and the work itself was really psychotic. "Oh, shit, they're going to tear this up. Oh no, what will they say if I say this. How long will I have to pay penance?" That's why I went to the Uncensored format. Say what I want and forget it. Now, I can just let it flow.
sage: So no, I never go to message boards now.
katrina: What about other websites? Any that are your favorites?
sage: Honestly, I'm not on the computer very much any more, so I don't surf like I used to.
sage: Most of my time is spent on EOS.
katrina: Who do you read on EOS.
sage: I read them all!! Seriously, I do. I love Coggie, Kate, Sherry, Kathy and the newcomers as well. I guess they get to be newcomers forever. :)
sage: I read the soap stuff, the off topic... pretty much everything.
katrina: What are you watching on the tube lately?
sage: Hmmm. Most of the stuff I like is off season or in reruns. I still like Scrubs, even as reruns. We mostly watch a lot of DVDs and such.
katrina: So what's in your CD player right now?
sage: I dunno.  Let me look.  "U2 - Joshua Tree"  How's that for my retro moment?
katrina: Well, listen, thanks for taking the time to talk to us. Any chance we'll EVER get to you a fan event?
sage: Well, you never know. Stranger things have happened! I might just pop in some day and raid the EOS table.
katrina: Lastly, we have to know. Who has the head now?
sage: Kurt. He hasn't returned it since Halloween... but I feel him thinking about it.
katrina: Keep us posted! Take care!
sage: I'm off to write my column! Byebye!
sage: Mmmwahhh!
katrina: Hugs, honey.