Bright Eyes

Maybe it's just my perception because of the upcoming change, but Friday and today's especially felt different, for the better. More serious, a little deeper. Things with Rachel Blake seemed to be explained a little better. She hates the DiMeras again and Kristen made sure to mention she's lost her damn mind. But I was with you, if I was Ava, I would have thrown hands on the old bat. I noticed with the actress being Australian, she seemed to struggle with the word displeasure, which I found amusing. I do hope she gets a scene with Marlena before she's (hopefully) written out. And even though EJ/Kristen shouldn't have a brother/sister relationship (it should be much more twisted) the actors have great scene partner chemistry with each other. Me of 10 years ago would slap me across the face, but I'm going to officially say I'm an EJ fan. Love to hate the bastard. Tina Huang was fun as Melinda today, too. You could tell Holly is dickmatized and she doesn't even know it. I bet she's seen those videos online ... iykyk. Gwen wondering if she could get a hug from Brady came off so weird. Once he left, EOB settled into the role much better. Of course, that horrible wig was doing everything it could to ruin her scenes. I'm excited to see how Theresa muddles everything up this time. The line I bought the most as Theresa being a mother to Tate was when he basically said she was messed up too and she called him out on it. The adults are acting more like adults, ever so slightly. And Tate really felt like a teenager today, too. I'm hanging to the hope that's it's a good sign of things to come.

Lovely, I'll get stuck in. Thank you.

Coming back to the show as a regular viewer as I did in late fall, I went in with the knowledge that most areas were pared down considerably, and through the enjoyment I get from the show (yes, it's there), one of the biggest difficulties I have day-to-day is the horrible scoring they now. There's especially one that's very 'honky tonk' cheap and embarrassing and completely anti-soap opera, like it's being used as a repellent against all viewers. The fact that Marty Davich started after Bill Bell had already left, who we all know was a master at incorporating music, and probably one of the few to use it at a consistent and successful level, to the point where it became part of its brand, only adds to the strength of Davich's talents that he had that simple throughline from a time before his own. If you know of any of his GH work out there, I would love to listen to it. Which brings about a question I have: Does anyone know who would own the music rights to the scores he composed on the soaps? It's a shame his tv work isn't on Spotify, to my recollection. It's certainly not on his artist's page.

He recurred as a pianist background character on DAYS from 1977-1993, while scoring the show with various beautiful themes. He was also a composer for GH/PC, and in primetime his work is best known from ER. Susan Seaforth Hayes posted this tribute to Marty Davich about his passing ... Here's an obituary announcing his passing. I'd also like to remind everyone that a generous soul posted a full album of tracks that he composed for DAYS on Youtube ... They are all lovely, but this one "Roman's Death Theme" immediately brings me to an emotional place.

Is this rage bait?

I thought aspects of the DiMera lunch from hell worked, especially that establishing shot to end the scene after it all blew up. Dan F is very, very good as EJ. Dare I say, the best male actor on the show ... who gets material at least. On the other side of the coin is Peyton Meyer; I want to like him much more than I do but he seems like he takes a valium right before they say action in every single scene. It's so disappointing.

Anyone else pick up on hints that Derek is potentially abusive/controlling towards Ashley?

I'm happy for Anora's triumphs, but I'm gutted that Demi Moore didn't win. However, adding something positive, I thought Conan O'Brien was a wonderful host, not that I ever doubted him. They absolutely need to get rid of the cringey nominee praising from the presenters. It's always so eye-rolling and suffocating to watch. When they got to the showing clips for the lead categories, it was such a relief. Also, and this is a pet peeve of mine, nominees shouldn't be presenters.

Enter RuPaul ... "Don't blame that sh*t on them!" 😄

For me, Martin was an important enough character where they could have just had him leave the square, not even London, just the square. Mention him as a haven for his children during dramas or breaks. He could still be a good father. As for dramatically, I think a huge part should have been that 1) he didn't love Ruby, but most importantly 2) he did love Stacey, but after Max and her recent cheating with Jack, it should have been paramount that he felt he could never trust her again. Not everything has to be big, bigger, biggest, especially with one of the more grounded characters like him.

Losing Madelyn Kientz was huge compared to thus unnatural, awkward alien creation now known as Sophia Choi. Under her original portrayer, Sophia could have been a long-standing character who a family was eventually built around, Kientz was that good. Now I just want her to go away as fast as possible. At least now Abigail Klein is the second worst actor on the show.

It was just the delivery that made Passions a mess. The initial set up on paper was one of the strongest of any soap. This is why when Hidden Passions came out, a lot of people were annoyed that the backstory established from it wasn't followed through on the show.

Maurice Kerry (Randy Parker) nicely commented on my latest insta post when I followed him from my alt-page. Thought that was cool of him. I don't have a problem with Ashley and Ben like you all do. I did think the actress playing her mom was a wash though. I do sadly agree about some of the critiques about Brandon Claybon, but in his favour is how much he seems to resemble Clifton Davis. I hope with time his fine ass (both literally and figuratively) can find a more natural state. I need to know how long Andre and Dani have been in each other's lives, because if I was the family, I'd be grossed out if I learned of their hook up. I'm very intrigued by all the bubbling plot threads slowly beginning to sprout, hanging on to every word to see if something will blossom from it. I also will be interested to see how the in-laws are within the DuPree family and with each other. There are so many future interactions to look forward towards.

They literally did that.

Slick has Bessie as Jean Pope in his soap hoppers thread.

Does anyone know the actress who played Nicole's older assistant, who had the yellow/orange tongue? She was giving me Nell Carter vibes. @Errol @slick jones

Cat weirded me out today by acting like some She's All That nerd before the makeover. And what's with character's constantly stuffing their face with a plate of fries. I hate it. I also hope that the new writers go back to having the possession be persona non grata and proceed with never referencing it in any fashion ever again. It's makes the whole show look stupid. You'd think at least Marlena would mention the previous hospital fundraiser from the 70s. However, I know they don't have the means to pull something like that off again, and the last thing I want is some cringe low budget Nurses Ball reject to happen. I do think the bachelor/bachelorette auction is a classic soapy idea for these things and if it happens, I hope they pull it off well. I hope they kill Arnold off for good this time when all is said and done even though I've enjoyed this story is a means to an end, a showcase for Jada, and as the catalyst for what was shown in the DoD promo regarding Johnny.

Also, with Martin's embarrassed look towards Haley, I wonder if he'll be the first one to sympathize with ostracized Haley, only amplifying Dani and Nicole's sisterly relationship. Or maybe that's where Smitty will come in? And this is jumping the gun by a lot, but I wonder if Bill's secretary could eventually become similar to Sofia Landon's Diane Ballard from GL? If they slow burn like GL did, it could be great.

I had a wonderful time watching the premiere of Beyond the Gates! I'm happy that Nicole was the first character we saw to introduce us to the show. Dani may be the firecracker, but it's Nicole who I have my eyes on. I actually wrote down who was introduced in chronological order and the first five main characters we saw were all women. As a gay man, I couldn't be happier that it feels like women will be at the center of this soap. And as a gay man, Jacob and Martin are gorgeous, but it's my man Andre - who gives me Shemar Moore vibes, who I'll be crushing on the most. He's is perfection. But, I enjoyed everyone. I didn't have a problem with the white people like you all did. I watched their scenes with interest wondering how they'll figure into the story. I noticed Ashley had one of those ominous, "I'm never going to lose you" lines to her husband , which made me think he's going to die sooner rather than later. She instantly connects to Naomi/Jacob and Andre, who we know from the promo will soon connect with Dani so if Ben does die (maybe grasping at speculative straws), Ashley could be embroiled in Dani's chaotic life quite easily. It makes me wonder if MVJ will take the Bill Bell or Agnes Nixon approach when it comes to integrating the cast. I'll reiterate that Karla Mosley gave me Vicky Wyndham vibes, especially in her scenes with Haley. And though I'm sure MVJ got her inspiration elsewhere, the way Vernon called Dani his "best and brightest" was exactly what Grandpa Shawn Brady called Kim, much to Kayla's chagrin on Days of our Lives. I actually thought Haley was the greenest actor of them all, Martin seemed a bit robotic, and Chelsea's voice needed to be less mousy, for lack of a better word. But again, I'm well aware people need time to adjust, especially the newcomers. Especially true in the actors finding chemistry with each other because some of the dialogue didn't flow as naturally, coming off stilted. The perfect example of this is when Dani told Haley "Shut up, I'm talking," but it felt like Dani had been silent for ages by that point. Once the actors become more familiar with each other and find a comfortable rhythm things will pop more successfully.

Billy Flynn looked fine as hell today. It made his scenes with Leo very conflicting. I actually liked that they used Stephanie's past history with Arnold to get her to connect the dots. It was a nice surprise and I thought the strong scenes with Gabi/Javi really helped build to that payoff. Steph's allusion to her past struggles with her love life made me want that insecure, messy girl to come back. Please mess up your life again (with Philip's baby). However, Sonny and Will, both Stephanie's cousins, calling Alex was a huge reminder of how icky the pairing is. Maybe it's just me, but it seemed like Marlena was slightly playing matchmaker in a subtle way. It could be interesting if as she and Belle became more distant, she and Cat became closer leading to Belle's jealously manifesting somehow. I've been loving the Jada show myself. She's one of the better actors, other than the vets. I hope the new writers continue to build her up as lead and keep the Shawn and Jada train running. With regards to the hospital, at least they had Xander offer to buy it with Sarah turning him down. I am curious how they will be resolving the issue, but I'm hesitant to find out at the same time.

Is THE SECRET STORM the only other soap that has debuted in February? It's the only one I can think of off the top of my head.

Have fun in here folks, but it's the last you'll see of me.

In today's special clip preview, was Karla Mosley giving anyone else Vicky Wyndham vibes? Maybe it's just because of the eyes, but I saw a resemblance in some of the way that Mosley speaks as well.

https://www.womansworld.com/entertainment/celebrities/melissa-reeves-talks-days-of-our-lives-drake-hogestyn-nashville In this interview, Melissa Reeves confirms John's memorial episodes will air in June.

After the woeful decisions EastEnders (Martin) and Emmerdale (Leyla) have recently made, and the news that Neighbours is cancelled again, I feel like I need Beyond the Gates even more now. Save us, girl!