Chris B

Excuse me. I know you posted this a long, long time ago, but I take offense! Let's not forget that RYAN'S HOPE, a great show, was thrown under the bus for Loving. That show which never seemed to find it's identity was given RH's timeslot to make Agnes Nixon happy. It's a shame because RH's ratings were good and with the timeslot switch they immediately dropped so much that you know the show never had a chance. Had they not moved Ryan's Hope we wouldn't have The City or Port Charles because it was a great, well developed show that would've remained successful. I'm still pissed it was messed about with for Loving. I'll never watch Loving or The City because of that! Now moving onto my reason for entering this thread--Port Charles! I've seen the arcs two, three times in some cases. I was a big PC fan when I was in high school and now I'm re-watching the series from the very beginning. Anything Pre-arc is brand new to me. Original!Joe and Original!Karen are new to me. Scott as a regular on PC is new to me. I just completed the pilot and was pleasantly surprised. I don't expect this to be a great show. They experimented with a different format: no families and multi-generational storytelling; set in the same town and same main location as another soap (still don't know how that'll work!). The casting seems strong which explains why they didn't have too much cast turnover in the pre-arc years. Things that stood out to me so far... - I forgot Port Charles was in New York with those painfully obvious California-as-Ontario location shots. I just assumed the show was set in Cali since the location work is clearly being done there. Then I thought about it, shook my head and tried to ignore it. Not a major problem, but kinda annoying. They could've picked a locale to put Scott and Serena that they could reasonably recreate in California. - Loved seeing Lucy Coe directly off her GH stint. I loved her during the arcs and I've never seen her on General Hospital. She was great in the pilot. Very funny, sexy and I loved the scene where she calls for help and bullets come flying through the elevator. I'm surprised GH hasn't tried that! It was such a thrilling sequence and she did a great job with it. - As an Audrey fan I hope to see a lot of her in these pre-arc years. She's in the opening and Wikipedia and IMDB show her as a regular so I hope it's more than once or twice a month. That's how I'm used to seeing her and I'd love to see her do even more. If I were in charge of Y&R I'd sign her to contract as the new Dina Mergeron. That is, if Marla Adams isn't available. - So weird seeing Julie Pinson at the beginning of her soap career. I hated her on Y&R and DAYS, but I'm enjoying Eve. This is probably her best soap role. I also look forward to seeing more of the fragile Julie. I know they ruin it later on (based on her appearances during the arcs), but I'll enjoy it while it lasts. Right now I'm looking forward to seeing Karen and Scott interact and the introduction of Debbi Morgan as Ellen.

I wonder what will happen with the Flash Forward episode which not only was six months in the future, but would be spinning off yet another story, the Who Killed Calvin story. As for the cast, I do worry about which characters will stay and which will go. It needs a revamp, but I'd like certain regulars to stay... - The McQueens - Tony, Dom, Cindy and Holly - Steph, Darren, Frankie, Jack and Newt (I don't care for these characters, but I know they've been around for years and people enjoy them) - Lauren and Sasha, the two remaining Valentine's - Josh, Amy, Ste and all of their kids - In the college sect I'd keep Hayley and Dave. Not sure I even remember who else is in the halls. Oh I'd keep the girl who shits on herself too. She reminds me of Jessica. - My babys dad Zak needs to stick around, along with Elliot, Malachy, Kris and Nancy - Since Kris seems to mainly date girls, why not keep Ravi and develop a male love interest for him? Dump Anita. Those are the people I'd like to say off the top of my head. I'm sure I'm forgetting one or two people. Overall they have a decent cast that needs better storylines, but there are certainly gaps that need to be filled. I just hate that this show in particular seems to constantly have people coming and going. With the young focus I expect that, but when revamping the show they need to develop some of the older characters like Darren, Steph, Zak, Nancy, etc. so they can have a strong group of characters going into their mid-20s-early 30s if we're looking to the future. Glad to hear this guy has mostly positive feedback. I'm willing to accept major changes even if they suck. I just want someone with a bold vision and attempts to do SOMETHING. Lucy Allan seemed to be piggy backing off of Kirkwood's material. None of her new characters were anything special and her stories were dull. I couldn't tell you what her vision was for the show. Just to keep it moving I guess. But when the ratings dropped to around 700,000 or 800,000 in December I knew she'd be gone.

Thank god! Now hopefully something, anything will happen on this show! And less teens!

There's a great British torrent site called The Box. It has just about every current British program and so many classic series as well. Right now I'm watching Crossroads from the 60s and 70s, Hollyoaks, 3 Non Blondes,So You Think You Can Dance UK and Emmerdale from there.

Oh how I love Zainab! She was a ball of fierceness. LOVED the confrontation with Christian, who is far too wooden/ken doll for me. I also loved her scenes with her husband and his brother and Syed. Pretty much every scene she was in was golden. Love that actress. Syed is the sexiest man on earth and has the most beautiful eyes. I didn't really learn anything about Ameera except she's beautiful. Does she speak? I wonder how she'll feel about all this considering she seems like such an afterthought. The one thing i hated about this episode was the Tina McQueen-esque character. Her hair was looking a mess. Also, what type of character does the big bad woman from Bad Girls play? Is she evil? And is the little boy in the wheelchair ever going to walk again? As a US soap fan I need to know whats up with that.

I didn't know when the wedding started so I started with the 28th and this show is really good! So different from what I remember. Now I'm really looking forward to the Kirkwood stuff.

It's like Brookside all over again! Not Hollyoaks! They need to sack her fast! It's so sad to think of how well the show was doing before. Now I've finished October and the show is improving a little bit. I enjoy seeing Mercedes and Sasha fight, but is it going anywhere? Nope. I at least prefer this to the upcoming affair with Calvin. Didn't they learn their lesson with Mercedes/Tony? The Jake Dean return is actually my favorite story. Steph is quite enjoyable as a supporting character. I could do with some more Darren and Cindy. Newt still drives me crazy, but his story is better without all the voices in his head. I'm beginning to like Lauren and would like to see her outside of the Newt drama. It seems that's where they are going so *fingers crossed* The Zoe/Lydia stuff is great, but I credit Kirkwood for that. Can't wait to see what happens there. Now I'm going to finish Emmerdale for October (3 weeks to go!) before I watch more 'Oaks.

So should I bother checking out some of the episodes leading up to this or just watch the fierce and fabulous wedding? It's giving me Amber Gates flashbacks!

I was just coming to talk about the wedding! So there is a gay storyline with that sexy indian man? That story actually sounds good. Eastenders must have changed a lot since the last time I watched. I may want to look at some episodes from this story and I definitely want to see the wedding.

I was never a huge Amy fan, but she is a familiar face and I think an on screen post partum depression story could be interesting. I also love her two love interests, Josh and Ste. Why would they decide to sideline her out of all those awful teens? I thought I read that Carmel gave Tina's baby to Russ. Did he end up escaping with the baby or was it returned to her? I hope the baby is gone so she can move on. They also need to give her a big new love interest and move on from Tony for a while.

I thought picking up after Hollyoaks Later would be perfect. It's the start of a new month and you have the aftermath of Sarah's death to look forward to. Unfortunately...I've hardly seen anything with Sarah's death so far. I was especially shocked not to see Amy. WTF? The first week back was largely centered around Newt (shoot me, but more on that later!) and the return of Jake. I can't say I ever cared much about Jake. I don't even remember why he left and I don't really care. I think the Dean/Osbourne family is dull. I never liked Steph or Darren, even when the show was well written. The story with Cindy has improved Darren's prospects so he's off my shitlist for now. The best part of Later was being reintroduced to those fierce McQueen sisters. Carmel and Jacqui are an absolute delight and so trashy! I love the clothes both wear and that the show hasn't toned them down over time. Can you imagine if they were on a US soap? Another character I've always hated was Hannah. I can't wait until she leaves. I look forward to seeing more of Sasha, Mercedes, Jacqui, Zac, Michaela, Kris and even Nancy. Now the one character I find more detestable than any (including all the US soaps) is Newt. I have never been so unmoved and irritated. I don't know if it's the acting, the character, the writing in general, but i hate him. Doesn't matter who is writing I just can't take it. And those voices in his head? MAKE IT STOP!!! I'm going crazy just watching him. This crop of teens is terrible compared to what we had. I also am looking forward to seeing more of the college crowd. Seems like a lot of the new characters are in this group. I look forward to see them.

Has this woman actually written any interesting stories or is it all teens and gimmicks? From what I've seen and heard she sounds like an American soap write. Going from one issue to another and it sounds very plot driven andnot very interesting.

Susan Oliver played Laura Horton on DAYS so it's very possible she could've been on RTPP as well. I have the first half of the original series, ending when Mia Farrow leaves. I plan on purchasing the entire series soon and I look forward to seeing those reunion movies. I've seen Murder In Peyton Place YEARS ago. I was like 8 or 10 and thats when my soap obsession began, with Peyton Place. I'm interested in the Betty recast and how both movies handled Alison/Rodney's exit. I also am interested in seeing them older in The Next Generation and seeing if it could've been a viable series. Michael Filerman, the man behind Dallas, Falcon Crest and Knots Landing was behind it so surely they had plans. I can't wait to see his soaped up version. Eric, I saw that promo a while back and it is SUCH a treat! Since the title didn't mention Peyton Place it was hard to find, but a joy as well. And in color! I'd love to see just one episode of this show. I want to see the recasts, the sets, the tone. I'm so curious about it. It took me 10 years of searching until I saw one episode of the original series so I'm keeping hope alive. Maybe one day.

Edith Collins was my only disappointment from 1840. I was looking forward to seeing the actress return as a familiar character I enjoyed, but it was a nightmare. I didn't believe she was truly Edith Collins and the writing was terrible for her. I do wish with these time jumps that they used more of the original characters in bigger parts. Right now I'm on my third episode of the 1991 series and I'm enjoying it now. My only problem are the nighttime scenes. Julia did an experiment with Barnabas' blood in the daylight. The vile of blood exploded. The next scene saw Barnabas and Victoria, at night, walking in the woods. Had they not made such a big deal about Barnabas not being in the sunlight I would've never known it was night. The night scenes are brighter than the daylight scenes! Is this really a primetime series? I'm not sure what happened because I've never seen something like this. Oddly enough, the original wins when it comes to set design and overall production values. Just to think of how successful they were with so little money amazes me. I hope that at some point the brilliant Jean Simmons is allowed to act. Barbara Steele works as Julia for me because she's strange just like Grayson Hall. And Barbara Blackburn continues to impress. I do wish she joined Ryan's Hope a little sooner because I hear she was great as Siobhan and I believe it.

1840 was just brilliant and a nice way to end the series. I didn't like that Leticia was such a copycat of Pansy. What was their relation btw? Overall I enjoyed it although the parallel time story dragged on. I'm glad the final storylines were good, but it made me sad that we didn't get to see Barnabas, Julia and co one last time. The costumes in this era were also fantastic. Right now I began watching the 91 series. So far I've seen the pilot and was kinda disappointed. The early 90s were very scaled back from the over the top glamour of the 80s. It seemed to be important that everything be real and gritty. I don't think that worked for Dark Shadows. The actual mansions don't work for me. They seem more like something out of a horror film rather than something that generations of families would want to love in. There is no gothic/romantic element, it just feels condemned. Then Barnabas is so dark that I'm not sure why you would root for him at all. I don't know if he tries to kill David like in the original, but I can't see this Barnabas pulling something off like that. He's already so dark that seeing him threaten a child might be too much. Willie Loomis looks a mess, but I actually enjoyed him a bit. I like Carolyn and Victoria seems dull but she'll do. The actress playing Maggie is great and I actually found Rebecca Staab the most appealing actress which shocked me. Also love Joseph Gordon Levitt as David. I'm looking forward to seeing them go into the past. I hope the bad 90s trends don't follow them there.

I stopped watching in April and I was thinking of starting back with Hollyoaks Later and episodes from there. I found the show to be really dull when I left. I worry about this new HW and how good she is. The only thing I've heard people raving about is Sarah's death and Kirkland wrote that! Right now is the show any good? Would it be worth it for me to come back full time? I'm thinking if Hollyoaks isn't up to it maybe I'll pick up another soap like Eastenders or Coronation Street. Right now I feel like I need British soap in my life. Moreso just a good soap. Of the four, sometimes five US soaps I watch I only love one and I enjoy one other. With a good British soap I can at least go 3/3.

This is a show I enjoy, but I was hesitant about watching it due to the token minority characters. This is the type of modern show that loves to tout diversity, but it's so transparent. You have the white lead characters like Quinn, Rachel, Finn, Puck and the adults and the minorities are all on the sidelines supporting them. The minority characters will be given "very special" episode treatment, like Kurt with his two episode coming out. The mainstream teens will have the storylines at the forefront for the entire season. The real romances and issues that are developed. For that reason I can't say I love this show. It's very good and bringing something different to TV, but it has it's big shortcomings just like all of current TV.

I hope the news that the company that bought The Doctors is negotiating with two networks works out. I'd prefer they start releasing it on DVD or stream it online honestly. I think that would be easier to get off the ground. It's amazing to think that such a long forgotten soap could possibly return and we lucked out because it actually looks very good. I've seen one episode from 1981 and it was very good and that was the end! I was also impressed with how different Kim Zimmer was. It showed that she is possible of playing other types of characters.

Red One -- Sugababes! I'm listening to About a Girl, the fierce new Sugababes single produced by RedOne, best known for Pokerface and Just Dance by Lady Gaga. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value=" name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

This was the first Peyton Place offering I saw, after the movies. It was years ago so I don't have deep memories of it. I do recall laughing at Stella Stevens as what I now know as a miscast Stella Chernak. I also recall them showing flashbacks with Lee Grant despite the recast. I believe Norman and Betty were recast as well. I'm sure if I rewatched this I'd feel even worse about it. This one interests me and I hope to see it soon. You can tell it was a pilot because they changed things around for the sake of the new series. Instead of a son, Connie and Mike son Matthew was now a daughter Kelly. I also don't think they honored the two kids Rita and Norman had (second one being the Return to Peyton Place baby) or Betty's daughter Peyton. I don't expect them to continue from the daytime series, but they should've remained true to the original show at least. The only change I liked was Steven being Hannah and Martin's illegitimate child. That's the way it should've been originally. Shame this didn't get picked up. I'd love to have seen Betty again all grown up. Because Adam West was Batman, I can't really guess what role he'd have played. I know, I'm just as bad as those producers who typecast actors. Still, this would make a nice bonus feature on a DVD, if the show was ever successful enough to merit them seeking this out.

Oh wow! That actually sounds great! On Peyton Place, it bothered me how they'd often introduce an outsider and center the show around their story with the main inhabitants playing a supporting role to them. Reading that, it seems like neglected characters like Connie, Elliot and Mike actually get real stories themselves. It's also nice to know that Hannah Cord and Martin Peyton were still around making hell for people! It's sad reading that and now knowing this show was good and knowing I'll probably never see it. I'm curious about every aspect of it. How the sets looked, how the new actors were in the roles, how the writing and tone matches up to the original series. Hopefully one day! I'd take seeing even one episode. ETA: I was just reading on another forum that apparently there was also an hour long pilot made in 1979 for Peyton Place. It had a new cast and I guess was a total reboot on the series. It starred Elaine Princi as Betty, Adam West (not sure who he'd be) and according to the IMDB listing, Mark Pinter. In 1979 soaps were still dead in primetime so I can see why it didn't sell. Had they just waited a couple of years it would've definitely made the air. Now here is another part of the Peyton Place universe I'd love to see.

I'd love to hear about Return to Peyton Place! I haven't heard many story details from that show.

I LOVED SFT when AOL was streaming the show. As much as I enjoyed Ryan's Hope, the show really suffered when Paul Avila Mayer took over. The previous headwriters did a great job and fit the mood of the show better than he did. I especially hated Jo's granddaughter getting killed off before her mother even returned! Patti was a major character for so long and that was just stupid. Why would you kill one of JO's main connections? It was dumb. They also did a poor job introducing that legacy character. I also have a week from 1966 which was fantastic. I love everything I've seen of this show and wish we could've seen more from AOL. They should've started in the late 70s or whenever their episodes started. Why they started so close to the end is beyond me. My favorite character was Liza and I enjoyed Wendy, Justine, Suzi and of course Stu and Jo. The McCleary's were pretty dull overall.

So Hot (South Crunk Mix) by the Wonder Girls So cute!

This 1897 story was great for a long time, but they're clearly stretching it beyond believability. I no longer care and just want it to end! It seems to just go on and on and everyone is dying and I just can't figure out why we're still here and haven't moved on yet. I can't wait to see how they tie it up and if it is worth the wait.