DRW50

January 1993 Digest. Carolyn Hinsey reviews DAYS. "Dazed" By the New DAYS OF OUR LIVES DAYS OF OUR LIVES is in a critical period right now, and much of its success will depend on the audience's willingness to move forward along with the show. We're betting the end result will be well worth any growing pains along the way. For years, DAYS has capitalized on the appeal of super couples. Duos like Doug and Julie, Roman and Marlena (the first time), Bo and Hope, Patch and Kayla and Kim and Shane have won the show fiercely loyal fans. But DAYS paid a price for this approach. By counting on the star quality of couples to win over viewers, it sacrificed mature, sophisticated storytelling and complex characters. One wicked wife after another came back from the dead to temporarily break up super couples; in the Brady family alone, Bo, Kayla, Roman and former "Brady" John suffered through this phenomenon. Sure proof that simpleminded super couples are on the way out is the manner in which DAYS is handling the BO/Carly love story. In the old DAYS, the beloved Bo and Carly (played to perfection by Robert Kelker-Kelly and Crystal Chappell) would have gone through one crisis after another, reuniting over and over. This time, DAYS is relying on strong storytelling, not audience infatuation with a super couple, to keep viewers coming back for more. Formerly, Lawrence Alamain (Michael Sabatino) would have served as nothing more than a wrench in the romance of Bo and Carly. Now, Lawrence has been transformed into a riveting leading man, and DAYS is moving all the characters forward by making Lawrence a viable match for Carly. The revelation Lawrence made to Carly about Nicky during her wedding to Bo was a fitting climax for the well-told tale, and a good catalyst for the Bo/Carly breakup. Not that Bo will be left in the cold - many of our readers have been writing in for weeks encouraging a Bo/Billie (Lisa Rinna) romance. The fact that viewers are already behind these new couples and not clamoring for a Bo/Carly reunion indicates the success of DAYS's redirection. Bo and Carly worked, and DAYS improved on them; the show is also changing what hasn't been working. Marlena and Roman were wildly successful as a couple once, but they sure don't work now. Fans got very used to the charismatic Drake Hogestyn playing Roman for five years. Now, thanks to months of "So what?" stories, Wayne Northrop just doesn't seem like Roman anymore. The actor's natural appeal wasn't written into the character the way it was the previous go-round. Roman even seems to be straining with his own family members, like calling Bo "little brother" all the time. We get it: They're brothers. The biggest problem with the implausible resurfacing of Roman and Marlena stems from the fact that DAYS never deal with the implications of Roman's seven-year imprisonment. He just moved back to his house (and job!) like he had returned from a cruise. How did Roman feel about his wife and kids accepting another man in his place? Was he angry that John Black got promoted to police captain, a title he never achieved? And most importantly...when did Roman get new clothes? Or pay his taxes? Imagine the paperwork - gone seven years! And while we're on a roll, when did Roman catch up on current events? The whole thing was preposterous. Thankfully, that's changing. Just before Marlena was thrown into the pit, she and Roman had their best scene together all year. They got their anger out on the table after months of dancing around each other. More scenes like this will go a long way toward developing them as a couple again. Equally rewarding were the scenes in the pit between John and Marlena. By finally addressing the fact that their relationship is unresolved (it wasn't as if they'd fallen out of love when she returned to Roman and he married Isabella), DAYS has opened the door for a compelling triangle. And there's nary a presumed-dead evil wife in sight. While the adult characters are getting on track, DAYS's teen characters need considerable retooling. Carrie Brady came back to Salem a real spoiled brat: She tried to seduce Lawrence, played head games with her "friend," Molly, and bickered constantly with Roman and Marlena. Then, overnight, Carrie became the Patty Duke of the '90s, hosting dinners and flirting conquettishly with Austin (Patrick Muldoon, with whom the previous Carrie, Tracy Middendorf, had zero chemistry). This was a plot that were nowhere - fast - as Carrie moved in with Jesse, who immediately stopped buying drugs and started buying groceries. And then disappeared. The new character of Tim is a washout, and that whole Johnny Angel gambling story is a big snore. The return of Christy Clark to the role of Carrie suggests DAYS is addressing the problem, but the show still needs a dynamic teen group with believable ties to the older characters. Hopefully, the rapid aging of the Brady twins, Sammi and Eric, will accomplish just that. If DAYS is smart, scripts will finally explore the fact that the twins have suffered from multiple abandonments: the loss of their father and then their mother (who were both held captive in the Tiberon Islands); next, wannabe-dad John Black's instant ouster from the Brady house upon Roman I's return; and finally, the recent death of Isabella, who was the closest thing to a mother that they've ever had. A little reality on this front would go a long way toward making us care. Adolescence, in general, is an age of anger. These two kids, having endured so much, have every reason to wind up in juvenile hall. On other fronts, DAYS has already proven that it can effectively weave young characters into the fabric of the show. Look at Jack and Jennifer: They're young, but they have interesting, humorous interaction with just about everyone in Salem. Matthew Ashford and Melissa Reeves have one of the best on-screen chemistries going, and DAYS is wise to capitalize on their acting talent (and popularity). Jack and Jenn's "Mr. Mom" storyline is an original for daytime, as many real-life couples are facing the same dilemma: Who cares for the baby when the wife earns more money? Kudos to DAYS for finding an interesting, timely story that hasn't been done. (Unfortunately, this story is being hampered by cheap soap opera ploys like Bill Horton entering their new house and saying, 'I hope I did the right thing...Jack and Jenn must never learn what happened in this house.") Speaking of cheap soap opera ploys, I was all set to trash Kimberly's multiple personality storyline, which has been done to death on daytime (Viki/Niki on ONE LIFE TO LIVE, Sharly/Sharlene on ANOTHER WORLD, Mason/Sonny on SANTA BARBARA, Sonny/Solita on GUIDING LIGHT, to name just a few!) But after taking a good look at Patsy Pease playing Kim, Clare and Lacey, I have to give credit where credit is due. From the moment alter ego Lacey emerged, Pease shined in one of the most tired plots in the history of daytime. She did her best acting work to date playing three very believable, different, people. Greatly aided by Richard Burgi in the thankless role of Philip Collier, Kim's fiance and Clare's nemesis, Pease's scenes were among the best on the show. One character who did not get enough scenes is Julie. Susan Seaforth Hayes has aged better than any other actress on daytime, and after 25 years in Salem, she deserved better than to sit around greeting strangers and saying, "Welcome to Wings." Where was the torrid love triangle with Victor and Vivian (the incomparable Louise Sorel, who deserves as much storyline as DAYS can feed her)? Hays was too talented and too much of a Salem staple to be wasted like this. And now she's leaving. Sigh. DAYS is lucky to have such loyal fans, and the show undoubtedly wants to hang on to every one of them while reaching for a larger audience. Breaking out of the stale super couple mold may jolt some veteran viewers; the show will have to provide solid storytelling to keep its longtime fans loyal. But think of what DAYS can do now that it isn't devoted to churning out what became a juvenile, repetitive formula. It's an exciting time to be watching DAYS - the show is finally growing up.

It would be nice if she returned for Jodie's exit. What happened with Darren anyway?

I never understood what happened with Vanessa. They had a real chance with her, but it never went anywhere. The same happened with Glenda. I guess at least she never ended up with Phil. I did like the last second where she tried to get her dignity together, and walked down the road. It's funny because people often say the women on Eastenders are too dominant and the men are too weak. While the men may be weak, the women aren't too strong these days either.

More of the quick story with Ellen and Lucy becoming friends. The first clip was uploaded a while ago and now a few more have been added to them. I'll just post the first two. I enjoyed this a lot at the time - it was nice for Lucy to get to know someone so different from her, and nice to see Ellen in a different plot as well. They had trashed Lucy very badly right before this, and this story was sort of a way to make her more likeable again. Debbi Morgan does such a great job in this - she makes it genuinely look like life and death. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYZaRu5yHkY

This is from the March 12, 1985 SOD. This talks about Dynasty too but since it's one of the few articles I've seen which talks about Another Life, I decided to post it here.

Andy Moss. I prefer this CIN with him.

He's great in these. I loved the one he did with Nina when they were in Saturday Night Fever. And the jazz hands and fawning when Michelle and Alfie were singing in Eastend Street or whatever it was called. Rita Symons has a better voice than I realized.

Loved it. Drags a little at the end but the rest is great.

Huh. Well...it was nice of them to do this for charity.

By the time of the 1977 fashion model layout I posted a while back she seemed to have the shorter hair. I wonder if she kept that for a while. I think in the early 80's she had very horribly aging blonde waves of some kind.

The media will likely spin this as Democrats being unfair and Democrats not wanting to shrink government, even though I don't really believe that shrinking government has ever been a priority to most people, and this "small government" stuff has just helped choke the life out of the economy. Obstruction benefits Republicans because most of their party will support them, while Democrats are more likely to blame their own party and not show up at the polls. Add in the many on the far right who likely want the government to collapse and think this will bring America to a new paradise where all the lazy and worthless will be punished and the hard working Richie Richs will be rewarded, and Republicans have no incentive to do anything but watch Rome burn.

It's pretty incredible when you sit back and realize that it was only a little over a year ago that Aaron was the talk of the soap, with huge attention from fans focused on this character. I've never seen any major gay character lose such support - now, only a handful of people give a s!it. They ruined this story in so many different ways, sacrificing quality and potential for misery and shock value every time. I hope the people who now run Emmerdale never, ever tell a gay story again. Their story with the two lesbians is just another example. Awful, miserable, asexual, downmarket, trash.

9/28/93 Digest. Carolyn Hinsey reviews ATWT. Acting A- Stories B Romance B- Humor C Families A AS THE WORLD TURNS lost its beloved head writer, Douglas Marland, last March. It might seem unfair to critique the show a scant six months later with a still-reeling cast and new head writers, but daytime marches on. There's a lot right with ATWT these days. The Holden/Iva story has been building for two years and is certainly timely, with all the custody battles in the news. Pitting brother against sister when brother has no memory is a new twist on this tale. Holden (Jon Hensley) understandably wants to play an active role in his newly discovered son's life, and seems bent on revenge against the whole Snyder clan (poor Emma) for keeping Aaron's paternity a secret. So far, this volatile family battle ha s been engrossing, and it looks like there's a lot more story to play. Mac's Alzheimer's story is also unusual for daytime, and it's a fine way to educate viewers about a difficult disease. That scene between Nancy (Helen Wagner) and Bob (Don Hastings) talking about Mac not wanting to wear an I.D. bracelet was especially poignant. Can't ATWT come up with something for the talented Hastings to do besides playing wise old Dr. Bob all the t? (Remember his steamy affair with Susan?) The lion's share of the show's recapping is put on Bob and Kim (Kathryn Hays) as they sip lemonade in the backyard ("Did you hear about Lily?) and these actors deserve better. Kim's increased work at the TV station is a good sign, and the All About Eve story with Janice (Holly Cate) looks promising. Lately, scenes between Emily and Susan have been excellent. Kelley Menighan has come into her own, and it's high time the excellent Marie Masters (Susan) and some scenery to chew. Emily donating an egg for Susan's in vitro, combined with Royce's (Terry Lester) saga, gives both actresses plenty. To be honest, Royce's arrest for Neal's murder was most provocative because of its effect on the accused's fiancee, Emily, and his new half sister, Lucinda (talented Elizabeth Hubbard) - but not because of what it did to Royce. The guy is just too new and unsympathetic to make viewers care about what happens to him. Sad but true: Neal was the one who touched viewer's hearts. Although Lester milks Royce's trauma for all it's worth, in the final analysis, it doesn't much matter to the audience. Glynnis O'Connor had her work cut out for her when she took over the pivotal role of Margo Hughes from the high-energy Ellen Dolan. O'Connor slowly seems to be making the role her own, but, as yet, she has not made much of an impact. This is not entirely the fault of the actress - her storyline has consisted of arresting people and making phone calls. And poor Scott Holmes has watched Tom Hughes go from vital district attorney to recapper extraordinaire. "Any word from Scott?" and "Are you going to arrest Royce?" has been the extent of his dialogue. In fact, too many stories and characters are muddying the waters at present. By using people sporadically, the writers are forced to identify them. That slows the action. Lyla has to say, "Where's my daughter Margo?" Emily says, "Thanks for the phone call, Gram," to Ellen. Even Tom had a line to Margo, "As district attorney, I have to deal in facts." Like his own wife doesn't know he is the DA? All the recapping drags down the scenes, and this show has too many good stories to tell to allow that to happen. Any combination of Lucinda, Kirk, Connor, Cal, Duncan, Jessica, Courtney, Andy, Larry, Julie or Caleb would make for spellbinding storytelling. Too bad ATWT is only an hour long. For example, crusading black lawyer Jessica (Tamara Tunie) is married to white newspaper publish Duncan (Michael Swan). Her no-talent brother Lamar (Michael Genet) is messing things up at Duncan's paper, The Argus. What do you say to your wife when her brother turns out to be the worst employee you have? This is a back-burner story, but entertaining nonetheless. The take-charge Tunie energizes any scene just by walking into the police station and bellowing, "Where's my client?" Luckily, it appears that both Duncan and Jessica may soon have more to do. Some guy at a bar recently exclaimed, "I never thought Duncan would get over Shannon until you, Jessica." Hmmm. Is this a not-so-subtle clue that Duncan's late wife will be rising from the dead? A vital part of the Oakdale scene is stunning fashion designer Barbara (Colleen Zenk Pinter), whose husband, Hal (Ben Hendrickson), made a welcome return from the dead a few months back. Still, I've missed those trademark scenes between Barbara and Lisa (Eileen Fulton). There's a very titillating triangle brewing between Holden, Lily (Martha Byrne) and Damian (Paolo Seganti). Lily's sexy new Italian husband is obviously keeping more than a few secrets from his bride. Perfectly placed flashbacks of Lily and Holden swimming in the Snyder pond help remind Lily (and us) of the love they shared. Could Holden really have forgotten that? How will ATWT make room in the crowded cast for the return of popular Scott Bryce as Craig Montgomery? Since he's Lyla's son, Margo's brother and Lucinda's ex-fling, there's an important place for Craig. This may just give the under-used Hubbard something to do, but clearly, someone will have to leave town to make space for Craig. Overall, ATWT is in a period of transition. As Marland's stories play out, it will be exciting to see what the new team has planned for this classic serial. No matter which way they go, our hunch is that AS THE WORLD TURNS will always be a cherished hour with old friends. Who wouldn't welcome that?

Sorry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQa1L_Bq3s8

Malcolm's role of Pat Ryan on Ryan's Hope would become larger as the weeks went on, and that he would be taking this role of Jesus in a production of Godspell in upstate New York. How was this affecting him - what was it giving to him to have so much going on at one time? With an enormous smile on his face he told me. "Right now it's like a time of storing up energy. I'll be so busy on the show and doing Godspell and commuting, I have to make the best use of my time. So this is making me have to make strict economy of time which is good for me. It's good training!" Did they inform Malcolm that his role of Pat Ryan was going to grow - or did he learn it himself. "No, we talked about it. They are a wonderful group of people and tremendous to work with. Do you notice how wonderfully they build their plots on Hope? All the things that are happening with Delia right now are great and the complications are terrific!" Now it is obvious that Pat Ryan, too, will be a part of these complications. "I got a week off for the rehearsal of Godspell and it's about an hour-and-a-half drive to the theater. I'll be sleeping in New York - sort of touching base - and meditating and doing yoga which is as good as a few hours sleep. I just want to use my energy as efficiently as possible." For Malcolm, who is totally in touch with spirituality, there must be a great deal of emotion in playing the role of Jesus. "I'm really looking forward to it. I'm also hoping that it will be a channel for something to come through. I want to be responsive. He said some great things and it's brought out in the play. Perhaps it's done in a tighter manner - but it's all brought out about the Kingdom of Heaven Being Within. That's a lot of what meditation is about - teaching that heaven is within. "You know, what Buddha said is like what Jesus said. The lessons underlying the words of religions are the same. He taught a way of life. Religion is man-made, Truth is God-made. Truth is the thing beneath the labels." For a man who spends so much good energy and self-use in finding stillness, peace and truth. I wondered if perhaps New York City was not the best choice in the world for an environment. Malcolm met the question head-on. "I feel as though my art is my 'service.' In mediation I try to go inside and tap something that I can let outside and relate to the outer world. That's what art is, too. It's what finding out what self is. "New York affects me as much as I let it. You actually create your own environment. Whatever your inner-state is - that's the way you have to perceive things. Depending on my state of mind, I can perceive a heaven or a hell. One of the laws of metaphysics is that consciousness creates form. New York is the only place for me to do my art. It may change, but right now its where my 'service is. New York is the quintessence of what's going on in the world. It might be one of the darkest times in the world, but there is also a ray of light. That's what I try to tune into." At this point of time in Malcolm Groome's life, he is not deeply into a relationship with any one person. "The main relationship I'm involved with is working on myself. It's the only thing to do. Working on my consciousness, my growth and my evolution. You know, if you can be a conscious being in New York you can be one anywhere. You can't be lazy with yourself in New York. It just must be within you as an on-going process." Was there anything that would make Malcolm happy - perhaps material or tangible? "What I try to do is not attach myself or my goals to the world of form. That isn't to say that I don't want the ease and comfort of things because I do! But I just believe in the growth of the soul first. I want so much to improve myself. I don't know where it's going. I want to work on my art and be as much of a channel as I can be to the world." Here again, I feel as though I must say that trying to paint a picture of Malcolm Groome by words is almost wrong. Just the way people who try to write about emotional things like love and death and birth and joy - we can only hope to get close to the truth. And we keep trying. "You asked what makes me happy," he said softly. "The process of acting makes me happy. It's the begin one with the process. In work I feel very alive. It goes beyond happy - it's not just a smiley thing. It can be working at your ultimate aliveness. I feel happy any time I can feel a peaceful acceptance." I don't know why I didn't realize that it was really raining the whole time I was with Malcolm or even after I was out on the street. Maybe I was too busy being grateful that not only did I know Malcolm Groome - but that we were friends. - Ronni Ashcroft

November 1976 TV Mirror.

The spin from Romney is that his views "evolved" to where they are now - extremely hostile to women (so hostile that he endorsed an amendment that would ban birth control and IVF) and gays. Yet here we are, in 1993, when several people say that Mitt Romney told them homosexual behavior was "perverse" and "reprehensible." http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2011/11/16/368369/romney-flashback-homosexuality-is-perverse-and-reprehensible/ So, if this is right, that means: - Romney was extremely opposed to homosexuality in 1993 - Romney actually claimed to be more pro-gay than Ted Kennedy in 1994, and again pretended to support gay rights in 2002.. So this is a man who was, if these witnesses are right, virulently against gays, yet managed to hide that for almost a decade? How is this "evolving" or being a pure-hearted true believer? How opportunistic can someone be??

Teresa? I mostly remember her for the fascinating knowledge that Tempo is available in all Latin American prisons.

Another 1993 episode is being uploaded. I was never a fan of Andy and Courtney but they were kind of cute at this time. Lisa's hair and clothes seemed to be better around this point. The man at the end is Hans, right? I think it's Hans. Hans was so chilling. I never knew Rebecca Hollen was on ATWT at this point. Who was she playing? In the late 70's she'd played Tina, who had story with Grant and Lisa. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP24N1GVc9E

I think it may have just been where the transport was going? Playing the Jamaican woman in that clip was, I believe, Kim Brockington, who went on to a thankless role as Dr. Felicia Boudreaux on GL, which she took over from, ironically, Sheri Headley (Mimi). Jason was on for one day when Kevin was trying to go straight. Kevin went to see him and Jason hurled abuse at him, I think. There were more than a few hints that Jason was also gay, which was one of the reasons he was so out of control.

For some reason I thought he was in Vietnam but I might be confusing Trevor with Kiberd's Loving character. The idea of Brooke "taking" Janet's life may have worked on paper but onscreen it was a real drag, and did her no favors.

Her lawyer told her to take a plea, there was no way she'd be found not guilty. Janet was so angry that she fired her lawyer and refused to get other counsel. I got up to the episode after that, or the part that's available. I don't know why I thought that awful flashbulb light was in Stuart's gallery, when it was in Pierce's cabin. And yet another story where Vietnam trauma is cured by sex - why did soaps keep doing that? I really didn't like Pierce/Brooke at all. I had forgotten they had sex in the same episode as Tad/Liza. That was actually a pretty hot scene.

The bathtub scene in this is creepy as hell. I'm surprised that got past the censors. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIxt5Zr8p5o