ABC = Absolute Bastards Corporation?

So I'm on the ABC Daytime web-site, and I see a banner saying that the "real Greenlee" Rebecca Budig is coming back on January 16th. WTF? So the actress who has been the playing the role for the past 10 months must be the "fake Greenlee"? What a slap in the face for Sabine Singh who worked her butt off in storylines that were borderline ludicrous.

I've been watching ABC Daytime since All My Children premiered way back in the 70's (yes, I was a mere niblet). AMC was the first daytime show that I actually got into, from the love story of Phil and Tara to the shenigans and many marriages of Erica Kane Martin Brent Davis Chandler Marick Montgomery (I'm sure I've missed a few, the woman has been married like 10 times!). I haven't really watched it in recent years because I hated the headwriter Megan McTavish who has ruined more shows on daytime yet still seems to get hired.

And I wasn't a huge fan of Greenlee Smythe DuPres as played by Rebecca Budig once Josh Duhmel left the show. I thought the character floundered and then they put her with Ryan and got her embroiled in a feud with Kendall Hart (once played by the too young Sarah Michelle Gellar). But then they recast the role after Rebecca Budig left to go hang out with her hubby Bob Guiney (did he marry up or what?) in the greener pastures of Los Angeles where I figured she'd end up on Desperate Housewives.

You know what, I really liked Sabine Singh as the recast even though the new headwriters made her a total sap over Ryan, trying to get him back, still mad at the world for not being able to have his child. And they worked the poor actress to death. In the 10 months, she's been on the show, she's been in almost every single episode, mainly crying her eyes out.

Apparently TPTB constantly told her how much they loved her portrayal of Greenlee, they signed her to a 4 year contract and then just before Thanksgiving, they lowered the boom and told her that she was being let go and replaced by the original actress. Now this happens all the time in daytime, but the way ABC handled it sucks. Not only did Brian Frons, who is President of ABC Daytime, give an interview saying that Sabine shouldn't be too upset because she's been replaced by the Emmy nominated original actress, but now they have this stupid countdown clock on the web-site counting down the days until she comes back.

Meanwhile Sabine Singh is still on screens playing Greenlee until January 15 while all this is going on. They even have an interview with Rebecca Budig on the web-site talking about her return. Like this couldn't have waited until she actually appeared on screen? I shouldn't really blame the whole network for this but I do blame Brian Frons who has single-handedly over the past several years made ABC Daytime suck.

Remember the old days of Love in the Afternoon? Well now it's Violence in the Afternoon. On GH alone, we've had to endure a hostage crisis, a text message killer, and a crazy mob boss holding an entire island of party-goers in a reign of terror, not to mention killing off two Emmy winners and one of the most appealing characters on daytime.

I hate ABC Daytime and Brian Frons!

Thanks for reading,

EKM