Thursday, October 4, 2007

To do or not to...meet your favorite soap star?

This seems like the easiest question for a fan to answer, right? Well, duh, you want to meet your favorite performer(s); it would be a dream come true. However, after years of watching and supporting, what if you finally get to meet that "favorite" and he or she is not the person you envisioned. Would you be able to "move beyond" that disappointment and continue to support and enjoy that performer? It is a scenario that I believe each fan should ponder before going to an event.

Each of us create our own "standards" about those(friends, family, co-workers) we want to support. I am not a fan who can support an actor solely based on his/her talents; I have to believe that I would respect and admire the person behind the character because I want to support actors who are people I would want to engage in conversation or be around in a social environment. Are my "standards" too high for actors to "reach"? Luckily for me, the answer has been a definite "No". For the most part, I have been extremely fortunate; the actors I have supported and admired have met my "standards". Some have even far exceeded my expectations. This is the question I pose to you --Can you risk being disappointed by the person behind your favorite character and/or storyline?

Soap fans are known for their loyalty and passion for their "favorites". We (the fans) have often "grown up" with these characters, "fallen in love" along with these couples and "loved" these families. I welcome these characters, as well as the actors, into my home every week day. For me, it is a "must" that I feel positive about the person who breathes life into my favorite characters and stories. My emotions for the character and actors are entangled. Although I like actors whose characters have not been a favorite of mine,the reverse has never occurred. My head knows the difference (between character and actor), but my heart does not. This realization about my passion for the characters and actors I enjoy is the risk factor I battle each time I meet a "favorite" because I am not only taking a chance of being disappointed; I am risking losing a "favorite". When I become devoted to a character, couple or storyline, I completely immerse myself into that particular situation(the story or relationship). Often, that story or characters have become a "bright spot" that provides me a much needed smile or laugh in a day filled with much real life angst. Each time I prepare to attend an event or personal appearance I wonder, "Is meeting this person worth the risk of losing a "bright spot" in my life? Is it a risk you are willing to take?

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