User:Nk3play2/Summer Newman

Summer Ann Newman is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Created by former head writers Lynn Marie Latham and Kay Alden, the role is currently portrayed by Hunter King. The character was born onscreen during the episode airing on December 18, 2006 as the daughter of Nicholas Newman (Joshua Morrow) and Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford).

The role was first portrayed by a series of child actors, including Samantha Bailey. In 2012, the character was rapidly aged to a teenager, with actress Lindsay Bushman assuming the role. However, Bushman was let go months into her debut and replaced by King, who has received a mixed response for her portrayal. Summer was later involved in a cyberbullying plot with Fenmore Baldwin (Max Ehrich) and Jamie Vernon (Daniel Polo).

Casting
The role was initially portrayed by various sets of twins. They included Elara and Rhea Kerwin from December 29, 2006 to June 20, 2008, Bianca and Chiara D'Ambrosio from July 22 to November 12, 2008, and Sophia and Angelia Hert until 2009. The character was then rapidly aged for the first time, with child actress Samantha Bailey assuming the role on June 9, 2009. Bailey made her final appearance on May 4, 2012. On May 11, 2012, it was announced the Lindsay Bushman had been cast in the role of the teenage Summer. Bushman made her first appearance on June 8, 2012 on a recurring basis. Bushman had a small bit role on General Hospital as a young Kate Howard in a flashback. Bushman revealed that she got the audition thanks to her agent and booked the role after a few callbacks and chemistry reads. With the installation of new executive producer Jill Farren Phelps, rumors began to circulate that a lot of cast members were in danger of being release or replaced. Nelson Branco of TV Guide Canada announced the news of Bushman's departure in his magazine, SOAP OPERA UNCENSORED in September 2012. Bushman's tweet in response to her firing hinted that she would be replaced by Hunter King formerly of Hollywood Heights, which was also run by Griffith and Phelps. Bushman expressed her frustrations about being replaced on Twitter, saying: "[The Yong and the Restless] is being invaded by Hollywood Heights", referring to Robert Adamson joining the cast as Kevin Schmidt's replacement. King began taping on September 20, immediately after the announcement about Bushman's departure. King made her debut on a recurring status on October 15, 2012. King revealed that she got a voice mail from executive producer Jill Farren Phelps shortly after getting off a flight. Phelps offered her the role and said she would start working in just two days. King admitted that she felt pressure because she stepped into the role during such a critical storyline but said the encouragement from fans really helped. In March 2013, after six months on a recurring status, King was placed on contract. She stated she was "so excited" and that she had been "waiting and waiting" for a contract because she "loves working with everybody on the show".

Characterization
With the decision to age the character, Summer was described as "fun" and "feisty," and the "typical" teenager. Bushman said that Summer would definitely be a trouble maker much like her mother. Though Summer is definitely like her mom, "she has a bit more morals" like her father and often disapproves when her mother does something wrong. When comparing Summer to her former Hollywood Heights role, Adriana Masters, whom she described as a "mean girl," King explained that there are a lot of factors in Summer's life that lead her to trouble. King described the character as "sweet" but also a little "rebellious." When compared to Adriana, King said Summer is a bit more "softhearted." However, King said that it helped that she was still a teenager herself, and explained that Summer like most teenagers can go "0 to 100 in your range of emotions." According to King, Summer can be very "angsty and stubborn" but also at times, Summers begins to open and shows vulnerability.

Development
http://www.zinio.com/www/search/index.jsp?safeMode=false&query=Hunter%20King&safeMode=false&productId=228926041

http://daytimeconfidential.zap2it.com/node/24224/results

Teenage angst
In April 2012, it was announced that the role of Summer would be rapidly aged along with Fenmore Baldwin, the son of Michael Baldwin (Christian LeBlanc) and Lauren Fenmore (Tracey E. Bregman). The two child characters would be rapidly aged to teenagers. Because of who their parents are, MSN Entertainment stated that Summer and Fenmore's new lives as teenagers would definitely had great story potential. Bushman responded, "You get what you give, right?" referring to Summer's parents, mainly her mother often causing trouble for everyone. Summer reacts to her parents transgressions by acting out including trying to drink vodka with Fenmore (Max Ehrich). However, according to Bushman, Phyllis's actions push Summer to such extremes. If her life was stable, Summer would not find reasons to act out. Her mother's affair with Ronan Malloy (Jeff Branson) is what justifies actions in her mind. Bushman said that at Summer's age, it is difficult to deal with an unstable family and all Summer's knows how to do is act out to get attention. The recast occurred at the peak of Summer's rebellion storyline which culminates in Summer causing a car accident which leads to her uncle Adam Newman (Michael Muhney) and his wife Chelsea (Melissa Claire Egan) miscarrying their unborn child.

Cyberbullying
In November 2012, Summer was involved in a storyline where she would create a fake online persona, "Brittni" on a social media website to get information from Jamie Vernon (Daniel Polo), a boy being mentored by Genoa City cop Ronan Malloy (Jeff Branson) who was involved with Phyllis. Speaking on the show's cyber bully plot, head-writer Joshua Griffith stated: "Summer is in such a screwed-up state over the divorce of her parents that she misguidedly decides to hurt Ronan by hurting this kid he cares so much about [sic] She uses her phony online persona called 'Brittni' to form a relationship with Jamie and draw information out of him — deeply personal and hurtful stuff about his past troubles with the law — and then she blasts it out to everyone on FacePlace. She'll also be using texting and instant messaging to disparage him further." Simultaneously, Summer starts really getting to know Jamie, and "She realizes he's a kid who's had a really terrible life and that she's doing things to him he doesn't deserve," explained head writer, Josh Griffith in an interview with TV Guide. Summer even uses Fenmore's crush on her to get him to go along with her plan to hurt Ronan by hurting Jamie. But, when Fen becomes aware of Summer's growing soft spot for Jamie, he gets jealous which leads to Jamie attempting suicide. Summer feels sorry for her actions when she realizes that Jamie comes from a broken home just like she does. Summer stops the attacks and tries to support Jamie instead of making matters worse. Summer realizes what she did wrong and King hoped viewers would that Summer was making progress.

Paternity
In October 2012, Bushman hinted that she would not be opposed to a potential romance with Kyle Abbott (then Blake Hood). In February 2013, King's version of Summer is scripted as being 18 years old, and the character has developed a major crush on Kyle. Nick's immediate disapproval hinted that there was more to his disapproval then just the slight age difference between the two characters. Because Nick is the only person to see the test results, many viewers have begun to speculate that Jack could indeed be Summer's biological father. Summer's crush on Kyle reminds them of the possibility that they could be brother and sister. With the installation of Josh Griffith as head writer, in addition to Nick's adamant disapproval of Summer's crush on Kyle, Jack even brings up the night he helped deliver Summer in the elevator. According to Griffith, Nick is so protective because he knows about Jack's playboy history during his younger years. He stated: "Nick's worried that Summer is going to get involved with someone who could break her heart." Despite Griffith's explanation, King herself questioned Summer's paternity; "I ask Josh everyday, 'Whose daughter am I?" Though refused to reveal anything, Griffith explained that anything is possible. In May 2013, Nick uncovers the paternity test results from 2006, revealing that they were in fact inconclusive. The storyline coincides with the memorial of the death of Nick's daughter, Cassie Newman (Camryn Grimes), and he visits her grave and admits that he is terrified about losing another daughter. Joshua Morrow admitted in an interview with TV Guide that the writers make it clear that Nick did not intend to do anything wrong. He stated that Nick "refused to do another test". Morrow admits that Nick may have never thought about the possibility of Jack being Summer's father again had Summer not fallen so hard for Kyle to point where she admits that she would like to lose her virginity to him. He said that "people don't know what to think" of Nick's "threatening Kyle" and reasons to "ground Summer". On May 27, 2013, Morrow did an interview TV Buzz which confirmed that Summer is indeed Jack's daughter, and according to the actor, Nick is terrified of Summer's reaction. The confirmation of Summer's paternity coincides with her high school graduation.

Storylines
When Summer is conceived, her father Nicholas Newman (Joshua Morrow) is grieving the loss of his adopted daughter, Cassie Newman (Camryn Grimes), the victim of car accident. With his marriage to wife Sharon (Sharon Case) falling apart, Nick begins an affair with Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman)'s girlfriend, Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) in December 2005. Despite the affair, there is still a posibility that the unborn child could be Jack's. The parents order a paternity test but the actual copy of the results are only viewed by Nick; not even viewers see the document. However, Nick announces that he is Summer's father and marries Phyllis. Summer is born in an elevator at Newman Enterprises and delivered by Jack during an ice storm on December 18, 2006.

As infants, Summer and Fenmore are abducted by Sheila Carter (Stafford) who had gets plastic surgery to look like Phyllis. Fortunately, Summer and Fen survive. A few years later, when Phyllis is sent to prison, Summer becomes ill and must move in with Nick. Two years later, Summer ends up in the hospital when Patty Williams (Stacy Haiduk) gives her a kiss after eating a peanut butter cookie. Phyllis is accused of trying to kill her Summer to win back Nick. Summer goes into anaphylactic shock, and is left comatose. When she wakes up, Summer has the mindset of a toddler due to brain swelling and trouble breathing. She undergoes therapy in Switzerland, and later returns a recovered young girl. After appearing sporadically for several years, Summer (Lindsay Bushman) becomes a moody teenager, and develops a friendship with Fenmore (Max Ehrich). She is briefly employed as a camp counselor and becomes intertwined with her mother's past. When Phyllis is accused of the attempted murder of Christine Blair (Lauralee Bell) and Paul Williams (Doug Davidson), Summer believes her mother is innocent and confronts Christine over the matter. However, when Phyllis begins going to extremes to cover up her actions, going so far as making up a "fake" affair with Ronan Malloy, Summer's parents cannot tell her the truth, leading her to rebel by attempting to pour vodka into a drink in a public place. Phyllis' lies become too much for Nick to handle, so he moves out and Summer goes with him. She is then convinced to make repairs in her relationship with her mother, only to walk in on Phyllis and Ronan actually having sex. Afterward, she bashes Ronan's car and gets arrested, and is grounded by Nick. Later she sneaks out of the house with Fenmore where they share a kiss. Summer returns for her mother's trial, and expresses her hatred for Phyllis. She then had an array of emotions while driving, leading to a collision with Adam and Chelsea Newman. Summer (Hunter King) quickly recovers, however the accident causes Chelsea to miscarry her unborn child, leaving Summer guilt ridden. As payback for Ronan ruining her family, Summer joins a social network under the alias "Brittni," whom she uses to romance Jamie, a boy who is being mentored by Ronan. "Brittni" instant messages Jamie over the internet and gets him to reveal the crimes he committed and how he met Ronan and in turn posts them all over the internet to embarrass Jamie, and Ronan by extension. However, Summer begins to feel sorry for Jamie and decides to stop tormenting Jamie; however a jealous Fen continues and his actions lead to Jamie's suicide attempt. After the fall out, Summer does her best to rebuild her life and starts crushing on Kyle Abbott, son of her mother's current boyfriend and ex-husband, Jack. Nick is absolutely against the relationship but Summer continues to do things to get Kyle's attention. She also starts working as an intern at Jabot Cosmetics, Jack's company where Kyle also works. Summer seems to be winning Kyle over when she is hired as a model for Jabot's fashion division and to complicate matters further, she and Phyllis move into the Abbott mansion. Instead of going to prom with Fen, she and best friend Courtney (Kelli Goss) throw a party at Phyllis's penthouse; when Fen kisses Summer on a dare, Summer tricks Kyle into coming to her rescue. Kyle admits that a relationship with Summer would not be so bad much to to Nick's dismay. The two begin dating, but after a business trip to Chicago, Kyle suddenly breaks it off leaving Summer devastated. She then skips town after saying goodbye to Faith.

Reception
Jillian Bowe of Zap2it was surprised by the decision to age both Summer and Fenmore at the same time. Soaps In Depth said, "A wave of SORAS has hit Genoa City!" in response to the announcement that Bushman had joined the cast. TV Source Magazine said, "Don’t they grow up fast?", referring to the genre's knack for aging young character's very quickly. Dan J. Kroll of the website Soap Central commented, "Two more Genoa City residents growing up too fast." The series had just rapidly aged Kyle Abbott and Ricky Williams. Michael Fairman said aging the characters would help to "beef up" the show's summer storylines. Bushman's acting coach took to Twitter to congratulate the actress on booking the role. When Bushman was let go from the soap opera, Jamey Giddens, also of Zap2it, said: "Another blonde actress who plays a member of The Young and the Restless' fictional Newman clan has been let go", in reference to Marcy Rylan's recent firing from in the role of Abby Newman. Giddens also recommended another Hollywood Heights actress, Brittany Underwood, for the role. The news of King's casting did not come as a surprise due to Phelps and Griffith's ties to Hollywood Heights and previous casting decisions. Zap2it referred to Bushman's portrayal of Summer as "annoying" following the announcement of her departure. One viewer described Bushman's Summer as a "mini Phyllis" referencing her complete disrespect of her brother Noah's mother, Sharon.

King's performance received praise very early on. King ranked at #1 on Zap2it's list of "Top 5 Soap Opera Newcomers". King was applauded for giving "a dose of much-need, angsty teen spirit". The article said King completely transformed the character from a "a vapid, little nothing into a pretty little liar", and that King could easily hold her own up against acting veterans. Soap Opera Digest gave King's casting a "Thumbs Up!" and said that the decision was a "winning move". The magazine also applauded Bushman for her "adequate" portrayal of Summer, but said that King "blends the right amount of brooding teen angst and vulnerability to creat a compelling character" that can make viewers angry because of her decisions, but also makes viewers "sympathize with her". The magazine also thought King's skill as an actress made the transition "seamless". Max Ehrich, who portrays Fenmore, said Bushman's ousting was "bitter sweet" but noted that he also enjoyed working with King. King admitted that she has to "clarify that I'm not the character" to fans whenever Summer is being manipulative. In 2013, King received her first nominations for  Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Daytime TV Series - Young Actress and Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series for her portrayal of Summer.

A lot of fans have always questioned Summer's paternity. Jamey Giddens was adamantly against the potential rewrite. On March 21, 2013, Daytime Confidential ran a poll asking fans if they believed Summer was an Abbott or a Newman, and an overwhelming 79% (1, 459 voters) concluded that Summer was an Abbott.