DRW50

Guest star casting news. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a633224/eastenders-june-whitfield-and-jan-harvey-to-guest-star-in-soap.html

I wonder if Marsha ever kept in touch with Gerald Gordon. There were several articles back in 1972 or 1973 about her - I wonder if she had connections.

Nice to know that David Gregory is as dumb as ever. http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2015/03/david-gregory-off-the-record-203505.html?hp=l2_4

Reading the blogs...this amused me. I was also amused at Lisa Vanderpump spending about half her blog making veiled digs at Yolanda. I think Yolanda probably must regret the failed coup attempt against Lisa more than anything else she's done on the show. Lisa seems like the never-forget type.

What bothers me most with her campaigns is the amount of leaks and the very public infighting. This was a huge trainwreck in 2007 and I get the feeling with all this Clinton Foundation warring that it's starting up again.

His campaign people are delusional beyond belief. I have to wonder if they know he has zero chance and are just hoping he'll get a VP nod, or a cushy Faux News gig. http://www.politico.com/story/2015/03/ben-carson-general-election-strategy-115713.html?hp=b2_c2 He makes so many ignorant comments yet any time he is called out for them, the far right flips. Likely because they know he is their ideal token. I do find their obsession with sinking her to be absurd (they are now running stories about what if she doesn't run - they are trying to make this a reality) but I have to admit I find the constant drama and scandal around the Clintons to be extremely tiring.

Close your mouth Tom! I'd never seen that before. Susan looks stunning (and tense). I always love seeing these early things before she became a persona.

I do think this story is better than any you described, and I think they've taken some care to make sure we know how this affects Alicia and that she is the victim here. I just feel like some of the twists they did for dramatic reasons, like stopping the investigation after only a few episodes, and having Chrissie call her unforgiveable names in the street, do more harm than good. It's that part of the story that I see as too much of sensationalism, even as I think some of the story has merit (and I don't think that they are trying to attack women who wear sexy clothes or are flirtatious - I feel like they've done just the opposite).

Sarah Louise was written as a typical young heroine for Tina's first 5-6 years on the show. In her last few years they decided to make her "gobby" and materialistic and stupid, like Rosie. I can't say it did her any favors. Many fans were glad to see the back of her.

That's a good way to honor a soap while acknowledging it's inherent silliness. Who was the guy after Susan and Karl, doing the bad dancing?

Michelle Collins must need that cash... http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a632995/michelle-collins-there-is-no-reason-cindy-cant-return-to-eastenders.html

December 1997 TV Guide

December 1997 TV Guide

Russell Tovey brouhaha over the third rail of being a gay man (or I guess being a man in general). http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/news/a632716/russell-tovey-apologises-for-effeminate-actor-remarks.html

Little KKL bit at the start of this, for ATWT's 35th. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wruIvSqewM

There are 4 parts of this (the episode is incomplete). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0z-Jd_BX8w

Some were doubting her sobriety at that time too, I think. The main problem with Kim and Brandi in terms of viewers is they burnt away most of their goodwill, so anything they do or say is suspect beyond their hardcore fan base. Kim is good at playing games with people in the cast (Brandi...not so much), which means she never really gets her feet to the fire. Even now she really didn't. I do think it will reach a point where she and the others can't keep filming together.

Sen. Catty Bitch "apologizes" for making plastic surgery crack about Nancy Pelosi. http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/graham-pelosi-plastic-surgeries Either he realized that alleged closet door was swinging wide open, or he looked in a mirror...

Thanks for those '76 photos. I hadn't seen a lot of those photos before. I like the Ron Hale one best. So of the era. Rose still looks great. Give her work, somebody. Ron and Frank "love" soaps so much - get her a gig!

It...doesn't get much better. Wow. Apparently there are "Callum Nation" edits on Youtube. I guess he does have a following. At this point I'd say go for broke and pair him with David or Gail,

You know, I do believe that the story will ultimately end with Lachlan facing consequences for sexually assaulting Alicia. The show has managed to avoid many of the most damaging tropes of rape stories on soap operas (like not making Lachlan a random psycho, not trying to make it a mystery rapist story, Alicia keeping quiet, or “who’s the daddy,” or telling viewers it may not be rape and “you can decide”), and they’ve done nothing but present Alicia as sympathetic and totally in the right. What bothers me is that yet again we have a rape story on a soap where a woman going to the police about her attack leads to nothing but grief and absolutely no justice. Soaps like to talk about all the groups they work with on rape stories, but what this increasingly means is they’re using these groups as a cover for melodrama and fear. If more women choose not to go to the police because of what happened to Alicia, then it’s just sad and it’s wrong.

I'm so embarrassed watching this...Helen Worth veers headlong into unintentionally hilarious (tough lady Gail!) and Callum is just ridiculous (and I don't find the actor that hot - apparently many do). Is this what passes for big drama on the show now? Maybe they should go wild and put Callum with Gail. At least Audrey is still good viewing.

Jenny Bradley's first episode. I'm glad her return seems to have been well-received so far. I wish she was sticking around. The show needs more of its history.

I can understand it as well - I think it helps that there's no man Ben is pining away for, which is such a cliche at this point (and is one of many reasons I didn't like Johnny/Ben). Instead of it being about Abi being written as some bitch trying to stop gay love, it's two screwed up people. The scene where he told Abi he has "thoughts" and she tried to push it all away was very effectively written. Jay's part in the story is what confuses me, as I don't know if he has feelings for Lola or for Abi, or if he doesn't have feelings for anyone and is just lashing out and sick of everything and sick of dealing with Ben (blurting out about the kiss was the closest he's come to washing his hands of Ben, but then he took it back). I didn't think there was any need for Ben to return, but Harry Reid has been very good, he has very good chemistry with the main people in Ben's life, from Jay, to Sharon, to the Beales (where he's a part of the family but not a true part of the family). Phil's lengthy absence has also helped. They can do a lot with him if he stays long term.