Christi: Exactly. Field trips…I don’t think I’ve ever seen them go on field trips on a soap opera!
Mel: There’s always something you can relate to on this storyline no matter where you come from.
Destini: Not only that, soap opera’s got famous as a genre because of the slow build super couple. It’s a serial drama and we got to know these couples, we grew up with these people we know them. But somewhere along the way, and I think Christi’s theory does play into this quite a lot, the soap opera’s powers that be decided that what we really needed was to be talk down to and spoon fed storylines and insta-couples and have them in bed, married, have kids and divorced in six months so that they can have a constant turn over rather than getting back to their roots and telling us the stories that we grew up watching. I think that the reason Otalia is getting fans across the board who don’t care weather they’re gay or not is because it goes back to the grand tradition of soap opera’s and telling those type of stories again.
Mel: The thing is they’re not telling us they’re in love, that’s the big thing. They’re showing us.
EM: I think that’s such a perfect way to say it. Because how often in life do you have to walk up to people and say guess what I’m in love. [everyone laughs] Your friends can see that you’re in love with someone. They see the way you look at each other, they see the way you touch each other, the way you’re just together in each other’s presence. So why wouldn’t you portray that on television? Why do you have to stand up and shout, “Ooh look at us, look at us!” Why can’t it be oh wow, those two are in love and you see it and you realize it and it just is what it is.
Christi: One of my favorite lines from another TV show is “I don’t think that the people that watch television are dumber than people that make television.”
EM: That’s such a great line!
Christi: Sometimes it feels like people think we are.
Destini: If you have to go out and do interviews and do press and talk to people and tell them what it was they saw on the screen and explain to them what they saw on the screen, then you’re not telling your story right.
Mel: It’s like a book analogy. You open the book, you look at the first chapter, you read the first chapter and they’re taking you right to the last chapter of the book in most of the soap opera’s now. They forget about all those chapters in between. So maybe you open up to chapter one, before you know it you’re on chapter ten but you’ve missed chapter’s two through nine! That’s one of the things that I think is so great about Otalia because we’re getting the whole book.
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