LAURIE BAKER'S OUTTAKES ARE THE BEST TAKES

Laurie Baker grew up watching Days of Our Lives.  She was just a fan like millions of others. Now, though, she is not only a fan, she is a reporter. Her internet radio show, Outtakes Interviews, is a hit with soap fans.  She has interviewed stars from all four soaps, but Days is still her first love. She gets the answers to questions that fans are dying to know the answers to. 

Laurie has attended major soap events like the 50th-anniversary party of Days of  Our Lives. Her videos and photos of the gala were amazing.  I felt like I had attended the event with her.

I wanted to know more about Laurie and Outtakes Interviews. I emailed her some questions. Thank you, Laurie, for taking the time to answer them

What is your professional background?  Were you a journalist/ reporter?

I have not gone to formal journalism school…but I participated in a lot of writing and acting all throughout high school, college and my early years in New York City.  I think those experiences taught me quite a bit.  And I am still learning all the time.

How long how you been a soap opera fan?

I grew up watching DAYS OF OUR LIVES with my family.  But I really fell in love with the show around 1982 with Tony/Renee, Marlena/Roman, and Liz/Neil.  DAYS was and is my main soap opera.  With the internet, it became easier for me to watch the other soaps.  In 2009, I began watching all the ones that were still around.  And now every televised soap has something about it that I’m in love with.

Where did the idea for your outtakes interviews come from?  The concept is a unique one. you have combined your interest in soaps with reporting.

As the internet kept growing, some websites came along that were very inspiring to me.  “Daytime Confidential” and “We Love Soaps” were two of them that really would write good articles, have wonderful podcasts and do great interviews with soap opera actors.  And I said to myself, “I would love to do that.”  I am also a fan of “Inside the Actor’s Studio”.  I love to find out what makes actors tick…and so many soap opera actors are brushed off…although that form of acting under such high pressure with little rehearsal time is probably the hardest type of acting there is.  And I am interested in finding out their real insight into the characters they play.  I don’t particularly care for fluffy questions.  And I rarely ask about what will happen next in the soap opera because the actor would only get in trouble by answering anyway

Who was your first outtakes interview subject? Who has been your most memorable interview subject/experience?

James Reynolds (Abe from DAYS OF OUR LIVES) was the first actor to give me a yes.  We did an interview about a play he was doing at Cape May Stage in New Jersey.  I was nervous…and there were some tech problems with the first radio show, but James was gracious and wonderful about it.

It is hard to pick the most memorable because there have been a lot of interviews I’ve cherished.  The show with the all-time highest listen count I did was with Eric Martsolf (Brady DAYS) and Christian LeBlanc (THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS) where they were promoting a Christmas comedy event that they were doing together.  They were so wild and crazy!  It was hysterical.  Some were on my wish list from day one…and when I got them, it was terrific!  Matthew Ashford, Patsy Pease, Charles Shaughnessy, Thaao Penghlis and John de Lancie (yes, all DAYS actors!) were a few that come to mind.

How do stars react when they learn you want to interview them?

Usually, it is either “Sure, let’s do it”; or no reply at all.

Have you ever had a star react negatively?

No.

Is there anyone you are dying to interview but haven't yet? 

Joseph Mascolo, Michael T. Weiss, Charlotte Ross, Roger Howarth, Kassie dePaiva and Peter Bergman.  I am sure there are more that I am forgetting!

What's it like to cover major events like day of days or days 50th anniversary?

The DAYS 50^th Anniversary Gala was surreal.  It was like a dream where every actor you ever watched on the show was right there.  And I was like…do I want to talk to this actor who I’ve loved forever on my right?  Or this actor who I’ve loved forever on my left?  And meanwhile, Stephen Nichols, Ari Zucker, Eric Martsolf and others were all singing these terrific songs on stage.  So I was trying to film some of that…but I also wanted to socialize at the same time.  Not complaining…but truly a situation where there was too much of a good thing!

By doing interviews at Day of DAYS, I just try to focus on my love of DAYS OF OUR LIVES and the actors/characters involved.  And I try to go for questions that I am guessing fans would want to know about specifically for each character/actor.  Not anything too general or cookie cutter.  In the press room, they bring in two actors at a time to interview every ten minutes; so you have to be prepared and ready to go at a moment’s notice.

How long does the editing process take?

It truly depends on the interview itself.  Sometimes with audio, there are technical problems with volume or static that have to be edited out.  The video itself does not take as long, except for montages, etc.

What are your future plans for outtakes interviews?

I would love to do more interviews on-site and on camera as opposed to long-distance and audio.  But that is a matter of opportunity more than anything else.  Mainly it is just a matter of persistence, continuing to look for good guests and building up more audience.  I just hope to keep the momentum going!

Links:

outtakesinterviews.com – Website
@LauriesOutTakes – Twitter
OutTakes Interviews on Blogtalkradio – Facebook page
outtakesinterviews -- Instagram

I AM THANKFUL FOR...

This past weekend was one of the worst weekends I have had in the two years I have been here. I won't go into detail Unerstaffing is a major problem here. Aides don't show u[. This leaves the staff that is here scrambling to fill the void. Aides don't come in on time. Either way, this leaves just one aide on the floor. If you are not a resident in that aide's assigned area, most of the time, they will not help you.

Sundays are the worst.  A lot of aides are just here for a paycheck.  I know this is true because most of the time when two aides are helping me, they are talking to each other about personal issues or other residents. Sometimes I wonder if they are paying any attention to me at all. I am not bashing this facility, I know the staff is doing the best they can to meet everyone's needs.

Wait. Don't stop reading., There is a silver lining, I have an aide who is kind and caring. She does everything she can to make sure I get the best care. Her name is Tiffany. Tiffany works part-time. When she is here I am up on time and all my needs are met. She is considerate. She treats me like a person. Tiffany listens.

I tried to nominate Tiffany for a caregiver of the year award, That is an award given by Voyce to a caregiver that goes above and beyond their caregiving duties.  Unfortunately, I was too late. There is always next year.

Thursday is Thanksgiving. Tiffany is off. I am wondering who'll be here to help us. Will it be someone who is kind and listens like Tiffany? Or someone who is just doing their job for the money? I am praying for the former.

We need more aides here. We need more aides who listen and care. We need more aides like Tiffany.

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for Tiffany. She comes in on time. She does her job, She makes life here better.

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN

Donald Trump will be the next president of the United States. I spent the majority of today wondering what that would mean for all of us with disabilities. And, yeah, I cried. 

My tears were born out of fear and frustration. Fear that funding will be cut on services those of us with disabilities require to live independently. /Frustration that if the dire predictions of funds come to fruition, I will never get out of here. Disabled Americans currently living independently, may be forced to live in nursing homes. I don't wish my situation on anyone/ Disabled Americans deserve to keep the quality of life they now enjoy. 

.If I lived in Great Britain, I would not have been forced out of my home. I have been told that in Great Britain, people with disabilities are treated with respect and dignity. They are treated just like everyone else. 

I have begun looking at my options. Currently, the state pays for just six hours of attendant care,  You can get up to eleven hours, but that's difficult/ People more disabled than I am are living in apartments with assistance. I deserve a chance too. I will continue to explore my options and learn how others manage  I don't need to be in a facility. After meeting other people with disabilities who live in the community, I believe that now more than ever. 

I am not angry. I am not going to rant and rave. The people made their choice. Now, we have to work together to make this country the best nation it can be.

I am just going to remind the incoming administration that there are 57 million disabled Americans. We fight daily to be heard, to get the services we need, and to be treated equally. 

All I am asking for is a chance. That is all anyone with a disability wants. To be able to choose where and how we live, to be able to work so that we have a sense of self-worth and can be proud of the contribution we are making.  

I have said all of this before. I pray funding is not cut. Cutting funding will mean that people with disabilities don't matter. But we do matter. I ask one thing of the incoming administration. Please don't forget about the disabled community. Show us that we matter.

MY MICAH FOWLER INTERVIEW

Ever since the first episode of Speechless aired I have wanted to Interview Micah Fowler. Wait, that's not entirely true. I should have said, that ever since I wrote my first piece on the show last August, I have wanted to interview Micah Fowler.

The road to this interview began when I messaged Micah via Twitter. After countless emails to his agents, and with the assistance of entertainment reporter, Cassata, my interview was granted Thank you, Micah, for this awesome interview.

What do you like best about being on Speechless?

This really is a groundbreaking experience, a person with a disability portraying a main, lead character who has cerebral palsy on primetime television!  Growing up a huge television and movie fan, I couldn’t help but notice the lack of representation, the lack of “lead characters” diagnosed with disabilities. So the fact that I get to portray a lead character dealing with cerebral palsy is what I like best. It is so exciting for me to be able to show that people with disabilities are diverse, have personality and can achieve! The best part about being on Speechless is that I get to inspire people to follow their dreams and achieve

Who are some of the actors/actresses that you look up to and why?

I'm a huge Mark Hamill fan because I LOVE Star Wars and he brought one of my favorite characters to life and did an incredible job at it. He also voiced The Joker in the animated series Batman and I'm a big fan there as well.

Chloe Bennet is a favorite because she is such a talented actress and makes it seem so easy. I love her show, Agents of Shield, and have loved watching her portray Skye/Daisy/Quake. I met her once and she was so nice and down-to-earth. It's been fun to watch her grow on that show. 

I also really look up to my sister Kelsey. By the time she was 16, she had been in four Broadway musicals. She taught me the fundamentals of acting. It is because of her that I became interested in acting.

What was the audition process like for the part of JJ?

About two years ago, my agent asked me to send in a "personality tape" for an "untitled Scott Silveri project".  I put together a tape of me just talking about myself and joking around. Time went by and never heard anything else.  A year later, my agent called and said they had requested another personality tape for the same project, now titled, "Speechless". So I again put together a personality tape just talking about my interests and joking around.  A few days later the agent said the casting director was sending 6 scenes over.  I spent an entire Saturday putting together the tape of the six scenes. My parents verbalized all of the other characters' lines (off-camera) while I reacted to all of the dialogue on camera. My sister was at school, so my mom sent her the audition footage to upload to the agent. She texted my mom, "this is hilarious, he is totally going to book this".  How crazy is that? She called it.  The agent told us they loved the tape and would be in touch. About 2 months later, I found out I booked the role on the day of my 18th Birthday, BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER!!!

How difficult is it to portray a nonverbal character?

JJ uses a laser pointer and aide to communicate so I have to compensate physically by being extremely expressive with my facial expressions and body movements. It’s not hard for me to convey emotions, as I have always been a very expressive person. The challenging part is getting each expression just right, I mean conveying the exact emotions the scenes are making JJ feel and making his personality come through. My goal is to make sure the audience knows what JJ is thinking and feeling at all times. I think it is really unique that you get to know JJ without him ever speaking

Do you have any input on storylines or certain scenes that involve JJ?

Yes, my parents and I have shared many of our personal experiences with the writers; some have already been used in episodes we have shot.  I have also given input during filming certain scenes, input concerning JJ’s disability level and the equipment he uses.

What's it like hanging out with your TV family in between scenes? What do you do?

We laugh a lot while filming and in-between scenes we chat, share stories, talk about songs, movies, and television shows and even do magic tricks for each other. Kyla Kenedy and I sometimes sing and listen to music as well. She knows a lot of songs. Mason and I goof off quite a bit. It's a ton of fun!

 What do you think about your fans? What kinds of gifts have you received from your fans?

I have received such wonderful feedback from the fans. Before this all happened I didn't even have Facebook, Twitter or Instagram! Every day I get messages of support from people telling me how much they like the show. But the ones that touch me the most are from people with disabilities telling me I've given them the hope or courage to do things they never thought they could do.

In the long run, what do you hope to achieve with your career?

I loving acting and I would like to have a very long, diverse acting career. I hope that I can have opportunities to portray many different types of characters during my acting career. I love Mark Hamill and Michael Rosenbaum. (I'm a big Smallville fan too and Marvel, DC, pretty much anything superhero). My dream role would be to play a villain in a Star Wars movie

INCLUSION WORKS

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The title of this post is this year's theme. There are approximately 57 million disabled Americans. We are the largest minority group.  

According to an article written for CNN Money, in July of 2015. " In the early 1990s, about half of disabled Americans were employed, according to Census data. Today that has fallen to just 41%. Some of the declines are due to an aging population. Older workers are more likely to have disabilities, especially physical ones." http://money.cnn.com/2015/07/26/news/economy/americans-with-disabilities-act-problems-remain/

Many disabled Americans. like me, want to work, but we are afraid of losing our benefits. There is no incentive to work because of the restrictions that have been placed on us by the government.

People with disabilities are more conscientious and appreciative than most non-disabled workers. That is because we know that we must prove that we can do the job that we were hired to do. If an employer is willing to make the reasonable accommodations that may be necessary so that a disabled worker can do their job effectually, the employer will find that hiring someone with a disability is an asset to the job, rather than a liability.

The best example of the postie effect of inclusion in the workforce can be found on the television show Speechless. Instead of hiring a non-disabled actor for the role of JJ DiMeo, The show hired Micah Fowler. As you know, Fowler, like the character he portrays, has cerebral palsy. He is a working actor on a hit sitcom. He is part of the cast. He is doing his job. He is contributing.

Micah has the largest trailer of any of the actors on the show. His trailer has a ramp to accommodate his wheelchair. He also has his own makeup chair on the back patio of his trailer.

Inclusion works. .Just give us a chance.












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SHE WENT TO VISIT THE QUEEN

Photo credit  We Love Soaps 

American television viewers will remember Emma Samms from her 80's television roles  Fans first saw her in the short-lived TV series, Models Inc.

Audiences remember her as  Holly Sutton, the con artist with a heart of gold on General Hospital. Holly won Luke Spencer's heart after his beloved Laura was presumed dead. Emma Samms made fans forget Pamela Sue Martin ever existed. She took over the role of Fallon Carrington Colby on Dynasty and The Colbys and made it her own.

In 1982, Emma co-founded The Starlight Children's  Foundation with her cousin, Peter Samuelson. Starlight has chapters in the United Kingdom, the U.S. Canada, Australia, and  Puerto Rico. http://www.starlight.org/

Starlight is a non-profit organization. Its mission is to brighten the lives of seriously ill children. The organization partners with other non-profits and children's health organizations to accomplish its goal. Starlight lessens a child's fear by bringing entertainment, innovations in technology, and education to them during their treatment or hospital stay.

Recently, Emma was awarded an MBE for her work with Starlight and other children's charities. She was made a  Member of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.  http://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/actress-emma-samms-receives-mbe-from-the-queen/story-29840301-detail/story.html

I met  Emma and her sister, Louise, in the '80s, when she played Holly on General Hospital. I never thought, when I wrote a fan letter to Emma that I would receive a reply. I received a handwritten note from Louise. That note started a friendship between Louise and me.  Louise and Emma invited me to the studio for lunch when we were on vacation in California. I have some lovely memories of that day as well as the day I attended Emma's fan club luncheon and year or two later. 

Life got in the way. Louise and I lost touch for many years. I always tried to keep up with what Emma was doing. Thanks to social media, Louise and I have reconnected. I love hearing about her life and seeing her photos. Facebook has bridged the continent between us. Twitter helps me stay connected with Emma. She and I have something in common now. She is a writer too.

Congratulations Emma, on your well-deserved honor. I loved seeing the photos.  I know that you will continue helping others an continue to d bring them joy. Louise, thank you for your friendship. Keep those photos coming. I am proud to call both of you my friends. 

And, It all started with a simple fan letter.





   

LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD

Someone on Facebook asked me to defend my reason for supporting Hillary Clinton. Senator Clinton has brought disability rights to the forefront of her campaign, She is the first candidate to endorse The Disability Integration Act http://www.adapt.org/main.diamain,

The DIA was introduced by Senator Chuck Schumer. Its purpose is to ensure that people like me, who were forced to live in long term care facilities or other institutions be given the supports and services needed so that they may be integrated back into the community. ADAPT a grassroots organization, works tirelessly to ensure that the rights and freedom of people with disabilities are protected,  

You can read Senator Clinton's statement regarding the DIA here: https://www.hillaryclinton.com/briefing/statements/2016/04/06/statement-by-hillary-clinton-on-the-disability-integration-act/

No one who is not sick and has a good mind should have to live with limited rights and freedom. I can get out, but getting transportation can be a hassle. Getting aides to cooperate can be an even bigger challenge. I wish the state had contacted an independent living center about support services for me. Instead, they just dumped me here.  It's been two years. It feels like ten.

When I look in the mirror, I see a person with many challenges whose body has betrayed her. Recently, I visited the Starkloff Disability Institute.  Starkloff helps people with disabilities gain employment and be part of their community. I saw people with many more challenges than I have. I visited a gentleman's apartment. I learned how he manages caregivers so that he is safe. He works. He lives his life. I hope  Staekloff can help me too. starkloff.org

Someone on Facebook asked why they should vote for Hillary Clinton.. Donald Trump has mocked people with disabilities, insulted every minority group, and spoken about women as though they were less than human  He believes a woman's only purpose is to sexually satisfy men. 

I am not telling anyone why they should vote for one candidate or the other. The most important thing is to vote. Let your voice be heard.