Diva Tour ‘09 Is On, Eric Braeden Gets (More) Real with Entertainment Weekly

Eric Braeden is MAD y’all. He is not letting Victor Newman go down without a fight, and honestly, I can’t blame him. The 30-year Y&R veteran continues his ‘Candid Interview 09′ tour, this time speaking with Lynette Rice of Entertainment Weekly.

For those who think all this drama is just Braeden’s way of getting tiic to bend to his will, and that this is all a big bluff (even I can’t accept that Victor Newman is really gone) this is what he had to say about Sony’s current contract offer (warning, there are a lot of ‘dollar’ words in his answer, get out your dictionaries, LOL):

As of today, are you willing to take what Sony offered?
No. There is no appreciation of the fact that I’ve been an important part of the show for 27 years that has been no. 1 in the ratings. That’s extraordinary. So to be dealt with in a perfunctory matter as if you had just known these people for a few months is what is most offensive. This is a certain corporate culture now that is very deleterious.

I’ll say it again, HE MAD, lol. The Mustache makes his last on screen appearance November 2nd, and as for the way he’s written out, Braeden isn’t feeling that either:

You taped your last episode on Sept. 23. Was that the way you wanted Victor to go?
No. It was rushed. It was obviously meant to intimidate. It was obviously done with enormous forethought to coincide with the end of the 26-week cycle. Essentially that is what the business is doing now and has been doing for a while. And quite frankly, it’s outrageous. When I sign a three-year deal, I’m obligated to fulfill that deal. The producers, however, can come to me after a half-year and say, “We’ve changed our minds.” Where in the world of business does this kind of contract exist? Do I blame the people for wanting to squeeze as much out of us as they can? I do not. The question is, when do you squeeze too much?

Just like the mistake they made with killing off legacy character Colleen Carlton, tiic at Y&R are idiots if they believe Adam Wilson is the future of this show, and can replace Victor Newman.

The interview is a good read, but Braeden lost me with this one:

Can you see the genre still existing in 10 years?
Yes I can. How many reality shows can you watch? They’re so obviously phony [my personal note: Like Y&R isn't]. Our show deals with adult problems in a long continuous manner, and very much like the way things are dealt with in real life. In that sense I think there will always be a need for (soaps). They’re almost novelistic in their approach.

Two words: YOU LIE!