If you’re a fan of daytime television and have been following Guiding Light’s break through storyline over the past year between Olivia Spencer (Crystal Chappell) and Natalia Rivera (Jessica Leccia) affectionately know as Otalia, then you most definitely know about the fan forum Big Purple Dreams. BPD was created by a group of soap fans wanting a place of their own to gush over the burgeoning epic love story they were witnessing over at Guiding Light. First came the Otaliafan channel on YouTube then the forum and after a few months, this little engine that could is nearly two thousand members strong and growing!
Recently I had the distinct pleasure of chatting with the three podcast mavens, Mel aka the cheerleader, Christi aka flowchart and Destini aka the sexy voice that lead this band of loyal, enthusiastic, and intensely passionate soap fans. The following is what took place or at least what I was allow to print…they’re a saucy bunch and I loved every minute of it!
Desti: We do the podcast twice every week. Because we do a pre-pod conference call the day before so that we can get all of our really bad snark or gutter minds out of the way so that we can have some kind of outline. It usually ends up being just as long as the podcast is.
EM: Well I was going to say because the podcasts are hitting three hours at this point. [Everybody laughs…hard] Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the fact that it’s three hours because that gets me through the workday. I put it on repeat and it gets me through the day. Oh my gosh…it’s hilarious! [everyone laughs…hard]
Destini: I can’t believe we can do a three-hour podcast on one episode a week.
EM: I know!
Christi: Here’s the funny thing of it. The three-hour podcast is a five-hour phone call! [hysterical laughing ensues]
Destini: Last night when we did our pre-pod phone call I got off the phone and Mrs. Desti (Destini’s partner) said “four hours you were on the phone” [everyone’s laughing] And I was like “yeah, yeah I was.” [everyone’s laughing]
Mel: It’s 1:30 in the morning and I’m I gotta go to bed you guys. 1:30 east coast time!
Destini: I go in there and I’m like “I’m sorry honey I’ll rub your feet.”
EM: I was going to ask what it is exactly you’re going to have to buy for her after a few more months of this!
Destini: I have no idea.
It’s refreshing to see that those as the “face” of the Otalia fandom are intelligent and well spoken and yet still can have their fangrrl moments. I’m so proud to be a part of this big, purple dream. I’m excited to see where this true supercouple will go in the future. It is my firm belief that Olivia and Natalia’s love story will be a major part of what saves Guiding Light. Kudos Desti, Christi, and Mel! Thanks to Eclipse Magazine and Tiffany! And many thanks to Crystal Chappell, Jessica Leccia, and everyone involved with this love story for the ages.
Great article. The intelligence, humor and passion with which the BPD team and the whole forum have rallied around Guiding Light must send a powerful message to the soap community. If this was just a “gay” phenomena AMC and ATWT would have experienced a similar frenzy, but it is so clear that this story is so different, and I could not explain it better than Mel, Christi and Desti did here already. SO I will close by thanking you for covering the Otalia craze from this unique angle.
thanks for the great interview tiffany!
not a day goes by that i don’t feel completely blessed to have found the big purple dreams fan forum, the otalia storyline and guiding light. i only wish i had found it all sooner. destini, christi, mel and the other administrators at BPD have created such a welcoming environment- our own little purple living room over at the big purple dreams board. and they each lead through service, which in turn brings out the giver in the rest of us.
i’ve never stood up to be counted in a fan campaign before. i guess i never believed enough in something before to invest the time or the effort to give power to my voice. but i believe in otalia and guiding light. and i believe in what we are creating over at the board. it’s positive and supportive and empowering. the otalia story gives me hope that someday, not too far in the future, every gay love story won’t need special promotion or sensationalization. that we won’t need special privileges. that our love will just be love, without labels. it’s been a long time coming, but thanks to GL, i can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
again, thank you for the closer look at our fearless leaders. now when are we getting some more juicy outtakes?
Great interview, Tiffany. Destini, Christi and Mel make BPD a fun, loving place to be. Even with over 1,800 members, it feels like a family. Even though I just returned to Guiding Light a couple of months ago, I can’t remember that exact turning point moment. Since re-connecting with the show and finding BPD it feels like I’ve always been there.
I appreciate you and Eclipse magazine shining the light on BPD and Guiding Light.
Dear Tiffany,
That was a fantastic interview! Its about time someone wrote about the Big Purple Podcasts, and I’m so glad you fessed up about listening to them – its hard to describe to someone unless they listen, but it really is the most engaging, funny (too many pee in the pants moments) 3 hours of entertainment. In fact, I had to laugh when I saw that there is now a play by play on the podcast itself! Guiding Light is a gift, Otalia is a gift, the writers creating this story is a gift, the actors doing their parts is a gift, and everything about BPD is a gift as well. We need to cherish and recognize them for what they’re giving us. Just like the show, a family has been created unexpectedly, and its a thing of beauty. Kudos to Destini, Christi and Mel for the tremendous work you do every day on behalf of bringing more audiences to this important story. We love Otalia and we love Big Purple Dreams!!!
Christi, I am so proud of you!
Mom2