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Worst nightmare: Matt Ashford has been fired. posted by kira on 08/04/03

The awful news has broken. Matt Ashford (Jack) has been fired, and Jack Deveraux -- the most complex, intriguing, intelligent, witty character that DAYS OF OUR LIVES has ever had -- will become a victim of the upcoming serial killer storyline, courtesy of new headwriter James Reilly.

Well. I hardly know what to say, except to share my extreme disgust, disillusionment and sorrow at this incredibly stupid, offensive decision.

I'm so sorry that Matt has to go through this again. He is a wonderful actor who created a unique character out of the barest bones he was given back in 1987, and doesn't deserve such disrespectful treatment. I'm sorry that Missy will have to endure the storylines without him; she works so well with Matt, and has shown how much she admires and likes him as a colleague. And I'm especially sorry for the fans, especially those of us who have written and faxed and emailed and signed the petition all this time to work for this couple.

Please use all the phone numbers, email addresses and whatnot on our "where to write" page to express your extreme horror at this latest callous, unthinkable slap in the face to legions of fans. If nothing else, we can go down fighting.

I want to express my appreciation to everyone for your encouragement and your hard work. I hope this website has been helpful in some small way, even though the campaign failed utterly. I'm sorry it wasn't enough to stop the idiots in charge from destroying a once addictive soap opera, and laughing at their audience members by killing off one of the most popular characters of all time.

Thanks again, guys.

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We Are in USA Today, Hear Us Roar! ... posted by kira on 07/10/03

More press for our campaign! USA Today online mentioned the J/J campaign in its "Hip Clicks" section! Hundreds of visitors flocked to our website, and more than 70 signatures were added to the petition as a result. Many J/J fans have written to reporter Whitney Matheson to thank her for the generous and surprising mention (please feel free to do so as well), and I'm happy to report that Whitney has admitted to being a Jack and Jennifer fan herself!

Hear that, NBC? We are EVERYWHERE!

NOTE: Due to the extra signings, it was agreed by general consensus that we'd hold off sending the petition until Monday, July 15.

In other news, in today's online chat with Soap Opera Digest editor Stephanie Sloane, J/J fans were out in droves to thank her for all the Jack and Jennifer coverage in the July 15 issue. Please send her M&Ms, folks, got to get those little candies seen by the SOD staff.

Anyway, after being thanked profusely, Stephanie told the throng of avid J/J fans (we were the majority by a large percentage), "You're welcome, and I want you all to know that you are being heard!" A quick-witted follow-up question from "Greeneyes" (thanks B!) confirmed that Stephanie meant that we were being heard by DOOL. Hopefully she's right!

There IS a possible hint that they're hearing us regarding our overwhelmingly negative reaction to the insipid "In the House" premise. An upcoming teaser for July 24th's episode states that Jenn asks Hope onto ITH to talk about the Larry situation, leading Jack to express delight in doing hard news for the first time in ages. (We know how you feel, Mr. Deveraux!)

So is this a teeeny sign that Jack and Jenn may be returning to news reporting instead of faux Regis/Kelly junk? We can only cross our fingers and hope!

KEEP THE LETTERS AND FAXES AND M&Ms COMING TO DAYS, NBC, REILLY, CORDAY and all the soap magazines listed on our "where to write" page. If you have the SOD article about Jack, print it out and send it too. Keep up the pressure, gang, we're picking up speed!

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7/3 Campaign News! ... posted by kira on 07/03/03

Hi all. Real life made it difficult for me to get online to share the latest scoops, but now I've got a moment at last!

Soap Opera Digest article -- Caveat: the following is all second-hand news from me, I'm afraid, because I haven't seen the article myself yet. Anyway, the issue that's on newsstands July 8 (probably dated July 15) has a snippet about Jack/Jennifer fans and how fearful we are about the lack of Deverauxy-goodness. Mentions the campaign, and there's a quote from DOOL producer Steve Wyman saying that Missy just signed the contract, and Matt hasn't started negotiations yet since it's not up until at least the spring.

Also, there's a feature called the Top 10 stars who deserve a storyline. Matt Ashford is one of 'em. Damn straight!

Our Next Move Should Be: Flooding SOD with encouraging letters of hearty approval of their selection here. Positive reinforcement, folks!

SOW Chat -- The 7.3 chat with SOW writer/editor Janet Di Lauro (who, btw, wrote the nice article about our campaign) was fairly uneventful and info-lite. No new J/J news. Though JdL says she's in contact with DOOL every day, she had nothing much to say about upcoming plots, with the predictable exception of the inhabitants of TeenTown (who get the big summer plots, natch) and Sami/Lucas/Toni.

The good news is that once again, we were large and in charge of that chatroom, probably comprising about 85-90% of attendees. Kinda annoyed the moderator with some repetitive questions, but that's only natural when people are coming in at different times.

Our Next Move Should Be: Attending next week's chat with Stephanie Sloane (SOD editor)! We may not get any info, but we should show our persistence and loyalty to the cause anyway.

Petition -- We're at 631 now, having gotten about 30 signatures after posting the ad at TWoP! I will be sending the printed out petition on Tuesday. I'm not sure if the campagin website & petition are mentioned in the SOD article, which could cause some more signatures (we got about 150 from the SOW mention!). But time is a-wastin' and I don't want to wait another two weeks to get this sucker over to TPTB.

Our Next Move Should Be: Until the deadline, sign and plug the petition. Get your friends' and relatives' and next door neighbors' signatures on there.

Banner Ads -- Thanks a million, or at least $115 , to the folks who've donated to the banner pot! There are two instances of the banner up now, so that means double the chances for people to see and click on our ad. I opted not to go for a two-week run, since time is of the essence! In all likelihood, we won't be getting many more clicks after a week's run anyway.

I have also put up an ad on the EpiGuide, which will run for a month. If you guys can think of ANYWHERE else that takes banner ads, or any other type of ad, for a reasonable amount, let me know!

Savvy accountant types will notice that there's a little money left over. I'm not gonna use it to run off to Acapulco, contrary to rumors. I'll use it for postage for the petition, which is probably going to be kinda pricey anyway, what with 630+ names and comments going out to about a dozen different venues. And what the heck, I'll toss in some M&M bags too.

Our Next Move Should Be: Thinking of other venues for the banner ad.

Okay, that's all I have for this installment. If anyone has ANY further ideas about how to promote our cause, jump in and share 'em! Thanks again to all who've contributed, either via letters/faxes, M&Ms, banner moolah, or campaign/petition link pimping. Go us!

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Ad Banner and SOD article news ... posted by kira on 06/27/03

Hi guys! Time for another update!

Soap Opera Digest Chat -- We had another good turnout of J/J fans! Despite the larger turnout for the chat in general, we were still the largest fanbase represented. Yay us! Way to represent J-squared!

Unfortunately there was no new information whatsoever about future storylines (or lack thereof) available from Stephanie Sloane (SOD editor and this week's moderator), who apparently hasn't been in touch with the DOOL folks in more than two weeks. But she did have some good news in the PR department: the July 8 issue of SOD will have an editorial bemoaning the lack of storylines for Jack! Also, there's a blurb disavowing the rumors (first noticed on the Coffeerooms message board) that Matt/Missy and Thaao P. (Tony) are being fired. It'll be good to see it in print, that's for sure.

Even though we're not getting much info, I think it's important for all of us to show up and keep plugging our favorite characters and actors! Let's make sure SOD and SOW continue to hear us.

Petition -- Fairly slow at this point, but we're up to 593, which is really wonderful. I have to admit I was worried when we started that we wouldn't even hit 250!

Ad Banner -- I'm thrilled to report that thanks to the generosity of many fans, we have raised enough for one ad in Televisionwithoutpity.com's banner rotation!!!! WOOHOO!!! Plus, there's a little extra in the pot, which gets us started on a second week.

Anyone who wants and is able to contribute should please do so; we can double-up on ads (increasing our visibility) or just add on an extra week. The best and most convenient way is to donate via PayPal/credit card or electronic check, which is instantaneous and secure.

BUT if you really do feel uncomfortable donating that way (many people do) and would prefer to send a check, drop me a line.

Thanks again to EVERYONE for coming through with the bucks, and let's keep donating so we can get more weeks and publicity!

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Chat, Petition, Banner & Sami... posted by kira on 06/26/03

Hi all! There's a weekly DOOL chat with the editors of Soap Opera Digest & Soap Opera Weekly held every Thursday, and many J/J fans are rallying to attend each one so that our concerns are being heard by the all-important soap media. Last week we were there in droves, and we should keep up the flood! The chats, which occur in the SOD chatroom right here officially start at 4:30PM EST (there's a chat for Passions from 4 - 4:30), but if you get there a little early it's no crime. Please show up and ask any questions you may have about Matt & Missy's future storylines as Jack & Jennifer!

The petition is humming along at 584 names now, minus a few trolls (obnoxious people posting fake comments). We're going to wait a few more days before sending, only because we want to make sure the list has reached as many names as it's likely to get -- and we may receive more thanks to...

The Ad Banner! We're gathering donations to buy banner space at a huge television fan site called Television Without Pity. If you'd like to learn more, and find out how you can take part (any donation is welcome!), visit our banner page here. Many thanks to those who've contributed so far! We're currently up to $30!

Ali Sweeney (Sami Brady) posted on The Connotator last night (as she's done several times in the past -- she's a J/J fan too!) and left a few intentionally vague quotations about hope, perserverence and miracles. I don't know if she was hinting that our hopes are going to come true -- or whether the implied statement was "you're gonna need a miracle, folks!" But either way, it was incredibly thoughtful of her to try to encourage fans of J/J. Thank you for your generosity, Ali!

Finally, thanks to all the various non-J/J fanatics out there who are sympathizing with our plight and helping out the cause too. (The fans of Lucas/Sami and Shawn/Belle in particular have been extremely supportive.) You guys are terrific!

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SOW & DOOL staff hear us! ... posted by kira on 06/19/03

Good news! Wendy, a moderator and reporter from Soap News & Scoops, reveals that the upcoming issue of Soap Opera Weekly includes a mention of the J/J Campaign!

In a post today at The Connotator forum, Wendy says that according to SOW, "Missy and others are shocked and giggling by all the M&M's coming in to the studio." The website is apparently mentioned as well.

This is terrific for the cause, folks. Obviously the more media notice we get, the better! NBC needs to hear our voices, and those voices will be a lot louder when amplified by the industry press. Also, articles in magazines such as SOW will catch the eye of other entertainment journals, not to mention audience members whom we haven't reached via our web-based campaign.

If you're reading this and haven't signed the petition, please do so now! As I write this, we're at 414 -- which is great, but might not be high enough to hammer home the message!

The ratings for last week continue to be abysmal for DOOL. They're below Guiding Light, for heaven's sake, which isn't even ON in all markets. An exciting, complex storyline that involves the show's most compelling characters is exactly what this series needs to get out of the ditch. Jack and Jennifer could be just as electrifying as they were twelve years ago -- it's only the writing that's keeping them from lighting up the screen. Let's remind DOOL and NBC what untapped treasures they have with Matt and Missy's Jack & Jenn!

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Race to 500! Plus 2 New Fliers ... posted by kira on 06/17/03

Hi everyone! The campaign's swinging along, with 334 signatures to date on the J/J petition. When we get 500 I'll be sending the petition along to NBC, DOOL and anyone else with a pulse related to our goals. Though we're doing really well, we've got to push push push towards that goal so that it happens sooner rather than later -- headwriter-to-be Reilly is working on those storylines now, and if we want to have any real influence on these formative plots, we need to get to him ASAP. So sign, get your friends & relatives to sign, and spread the word!

Hey, there are two new fliers available for mailing, both of which are really cute & clever! Thanks so much to Kate and Stephanie for creating them.

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Important Poll! And: Petition = 211 posted by kira on 06/14/03

Hurry to the Viewers' Voice poll on Soap Opera Digest's website -- they're asking which backburnered character you most want to see utilized. Click here. One option might be to reference the petition or the salems most wanted campaign in the "comments" field -- could give some tremendous publicity to the campaign!

Petition signers: 211 right now, 4:09PM EST. Woohoo! Let's get up to at least 225 today!

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Two New Fliers; Petition at 140! posted by kira on 06/13/03

We've added two new printable fliers to use when mailing or faxing TPTB and the press, thanks to Sarah and an idea by Tantetweety at The Connotator. Thanks guys!

After less than 24 hours, we've collected 140 signatures on the petition. That's pretty darn good, especially since a similar petition started a couple of years ago has received 289 signatures to date. Still, we need plenty more to get to the ideal number of 1000, so please keep spreading the word and encouraging participation.

Many thanks to all who keep chugging away!



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The petition is ready for signing! posted by kira on 06/12/03

We now have an official petition ready for your signatures, folks, so let's get cracking!

The link (below) should be distributed as widely as possible -- add it to your sigs, post it on forums, mailing lists and websites, shout it from the rooftops. But let's keep track of where the link's been posted, so that we don't annoy people with repetitive spamming. The more participation the better!

When it seems that we've received the bulk of signatures, we can send a printout of the signatures & petition to NBC, Corday Productions, Sony Pictures Inc., and the press.

The link is:

http://www.petitiononline.com/jackjenn/petition.html

Thank you and please GET SIGNING!

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More contact names & addresses posted by kira on 06/12/03

Thanks to Brenda for compiling a bunch of new email, fax numbers, phone numbers, and mailing addresses! They have been added to the "where to write" page, with the newest highlighted in a box on the top of the page (so you can keep track of the latest entries).

The soap and TV magazines are extremely important to target -- the production staffers at the soaps read these carefully to see who gets the most press and viewer interest, so let's get cracking to show both our enthusiasm and concern.

And according to a chat with Soap Opera Digest's Stephanie Sloane today, they want M&Ms too.

Thanks for all the hard work, and keep spreading the word!

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New contact addresses; Petition news posted by kira on 06/12/03

There are a couple of new links in the "where to write" page: email addresses for NBC's DOOL contact and Soap Opera Digest editor Stephanie Sloane. Many thanks to Kim and N.A. for sending them along! From now on I'll add the dates for new contact names, so those who've already gone through the list can easily access the newest contacts they may have missed.

Also, hugs to everyone who's written to me or posted on various forums praising the site. The response has been incredible in just one day! It means a lot to know the effort is appreciated. But though the design and some of the grunt work is mine, I can't take credit for either the idea of the campaign or all the fantasic information that I've compiled from numerous sources, particularly the gang at the Connotator. So here's another hug to everyone there and everywhere who's joining in the campaign!

Finally, many have asked about an online petition. One is in the works right now, and as soon as it's ready it'll be up and running.

That's all for tonight. If you have any new ideas about how best to reach TPTB or other fans, don't hesitate to post on the guestbook, at the Connotator message board, or write to me. Thanks!

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