Goutman...Goutman...GOUTMAN..............

We Love Soaps is counting down the Top 25 Biggest Blunders in Daytime Soap Opera History and number 16 brought up a name that I am not fond of at all.  So I think this is a perfect time for me to blog about Christopher Goutman...the man who totally destroyed our beloved As The World Turns.  Just in case some of you don't know who Goutman is he was the Executive Producer of ATWT for many years.

  
Where to begin...I knew of Goutman for many years but never really paid attention to him until a few years ago during the contract negotiations with Martha Byrne in 2008.  Yes we all know how I feel about Martha so I'm sure you know that I was following her negotiations very closely.  When Martha decided to leave the show I knew there had to be a reason other than money.  It was already known that Martha had taken a pay cut a while back but continued to stay with the show anyway.  Then what was the reason that Martha left?  I believe that Goutman was the reason.  Regardless of what HE was saying I don't believe for one minute that any of his reasons for Martha leaving were true.  He wanted her gone for some ungodly reason so he made sure she wouldn't sign to come back.  He was even looking for a "new Lily" during the negotiations with Martha!  If you are trying to keep a veteran actor on your show you sure as hell wouldn't be auditioning other people to fill her role!  This was the beginning of my dislike for him.  Now the reason for my TOTAL dislike of this man.
 

When it was announced last year that As The World Turns was going to be cancelled I immediately thought of Martha and how this was going to affect her.  I asked her if she would consider going back to the show if she was asked.  She said absolutely!  ATWT was a major part of her life for so long, she grew up on the show so of course she would want to be a part of it when it was ending.  I started a major campaign to get her back on the show.  We began to call, write, email, and tweet everyone we could think of to get Martha back on the show.  I called Proctor and Gamble and the ATWT Studio EVERY day as I know many of her fans were doing the same.  She made it known in many interviews that she was willing to return.  Much of the soap press was writing about having her return as well.  Many cast members spoke on her behalf and Noelle Beck (new Lily) even said she would step down to let Martha come back and give Holden and Lily fans what they wanted to see...Jon and Martha together again.  Now to why it DIDN'T happen. 

Christopher Goutman was approached by many to bring Martha back but what did he do about it?!  He flat out said no.  No to reuniting one of the greatest couples ever in Daytime and letting the faithful AS The World Turns fans get what they wanted to see the most!  Instead he let is BIG ego get in the way and let the show end without Martha being a part of it.  Did he think about Martha's feelings at all?!  ABSOLUTELY NOT.  Instead of bringing Martha back he continued to add characters that no one cared about.  He concentrated on newer characters rather than giving the veterans their time to end the show with what the fans wanted to see.  He could care less about the fans.  All he cared about was himself and what he wanted to see and have happen.  Instead of swallowing his ego and bringing Martha back he did the total opposite.  To say I dislike this man is putting it mildly.  For those of you that follow me on TWITTER you know EXACTLY what I have to say to Mr. Goutman...he can ____ my ____.  The sad thing is ATWT was on a downward spiral for the last couple of years that it aired.  Who's fault was it?  The Executive Producer's of course.  The storylines were bad and the continued lack of respect for the actors was very obvious.  Did Goutman care at all?  NO.  Maybe if he would've paid more attention to the show than chasing skirts the show would still be on the air.  Yeah, I said it.  

ATWT could've been so much more if Goutman was not a part of the show.  He should've been fired years ago.  My only saving grace is that this man will never work on another show Daytime or Primetime for the rest of his life.  He doesn't deserve it.  The only thing he does deserve is to see what it feels like to be unemployed like he made soooo many of the great actors from ATWT.  My mom always told me "What goes around comes around."  I believe it's coming around to Mr. Christopher Goutman.  I do know one thing for sure.  Martha Byrne will have the last laugh and she will be the one who will continue to be successful in all she does.  Mr. Goutman can suck on that......................