DRW50

Thank you for the reminder. I remember reading through that book, and maybe even typing out those story projections...but it seems like so long ago now. It's a shame the plans for Meg never went through, although then they wouldn't have had Tudi Wiggins. I wonder who they might have cast.

Thanks! I was going to praise them for devoting the entire episode to this story and the reactions of various families, but of course San Cristobel is dropped in from a great height. I remember Kim ZImmer saying you could tell when she was not happy on the show based on whether she experimented with her hair. I am not sure if that is the case here or if it's just the rough early '00s styling. Poor Liz Keifer also looks terrible. This is also that period they seemed to be writing her like Lucy Coe.

I didn't ever see the chemistry between Billy and Sarah, but what annoyed me the most was characters saying over and over they were just like Alan and Monica. That's not a way to get me invested in a pairing, and it always felt desperate and lazy to me. I do think they should have tried to make a firmer commitment - at the time they just kept stalling out because some of them likely wanted to do Jason/Carly but it was clear Steve or whoever else weren't going to go there.

@prefab1 I don't know if you remember the day, but doesn't Daisy/Susan's home get raided by the feds at the end of this story?

I do think MBE is a good actress, which is probably how she managed to make Kayla, not an overly well-written character, connect with viewers. There's a certain mix of warmth and cynicism in her work that worked for Katherine, even if I don't know if Katherine ever really fit on the canvas (of all her stories having her force her way into the Q family may have been the best idea, but the family has so much going on at the time she feels surplus). I'd have to rewatch but at the time I was really missing some key conversations between Bobbie and Carly to help me to the next step of their relationship; I felt like the show mostly had Carly there to move the plot along for Jason, Jason/Robin, what have you, then tried to throw her into the pairing with AJ.

Even at the time I thought that was a silly story (admittedly I was already fed up with that period of the show anyway). I can only assume it was something the government asked them to do. Wes Ramsey got a lot of praise at the time, and many comparisons to Michael Zaslow. He was no Zaslow, but still, I was sad to hear in later years he just became known for playing a character despised by GH fans. (what was he called on here - Parking Lot Pete?)

Bobbie was always a polarizing character for fans, but it was still degrading to see her dumped for Katherine solely because MBE and SN were loved at DAYS. Katherine was never liked by GH viewers, especially not at this time. The talk about love scenes and Felicia/Tom in the current GH thread reminded me of how often the show would try to use "hot" moments to prop up pairings that weren't really that interesting. Miguel/Brenda had a few. Bobbie also had them with Jerry and Roy. I actually liked the Bobbie/Jerry pairing, but they made the relationship all about sex in a way that felt tawdry (like the sex tape at the Nurses' Ball). And Roy just bored me to tears, even when they had him half-dressed with Jackie for a "hot" SOD cover. I wasn't as surprised as I should have been that Bobbie was in a vulnerable position when JFP arrived. All I really wanted at the time was to have a believable development in her relationship with Carly, and I never got it. I remember some kind of hospital shutdown via hacking that Stefan was behind, and then Lucky nearly drowning in quicksand...didn't Nik save him? This was the only Brenda story in that period I was interested in, although I remember why you didn't care for it so I'm not really intending to disagree. I just wasn't into Brenda/Jax and his many declarations of love, and I got the feeling they cut the breakdown story short because they sensed it wasn't working.

I wonder if it is down to later writers and producers not knowing the history. Vanessa also seems to have started over as a character when she met Bruce. And LoL seemed to jump into the "youth" craze before any other soaps, hyper focusing on Bill and Tess.

@Soaplovers Thanks. Those Paley interviews are so invaluable as they are full of details I never would have known otherwise. That was very reckless career behavior, even if Bonnie wanted off the show, but from what she said in her book that was a somewhat reckless period of their lives anyway.

I swear I remember a scene from earlier this year where they were passionately kissing at the police station. So clearly they were willing to do something. This isn't me praising them - that's small potatoes compared to some past scorching soap moments - but it does make me think they aren't completely against any form of intimacy. And it does make me blame the direction choices a little more for just how lifeless the bedroom scenes are.

This has some April 1997 episodes, including a Daytime to Remember from 1983 which is already on Youtube but the audio is not great on the Youtube upload. I don't think the "new" April 1997 episodes are on Youtube right now. Fox and ABC; Soap Operas, News and Sitcoms (April 18, 1997) : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Thanks. Hadn't seen that channel.

I may have already posted this before but I found it in some old scans and decided to post it again. A TV Guide profile on Henry Slesar.

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a62875397/homelessness-in-america/ A former journalist writes about his day-to-day experiences while homeless.

By that time P&G was determined to wind down their soaps. I doubt AW would have much run longer than PC did by that point, but given how irrelevant PC ended up seeming, I wouldn't mind seeing what the alternative would have been.

Thanks for all the nice Thanksgiving messages. On most Thanksgivings in recent years, I have found myself thinking of Mac's toasts. I hope you all had a good day.

A hilarious story that has emerged with the recent Drake legal action drama. Drake Threatened to Quit Degrassi Over Character's Wheelchair

About a decade ago the studio that made various South African soaps (all gone now, sadly) like Isidingo and Generations, suffered heavy fire damage. I think some of the episode post-fire are up if anyone wants to see how they dealt with the changes.

I was just joking because it's what soap fans often do with recasts, although in the case of GL I actually did stick to my guns about not accepting many of the recasts. What we've seen of LOL circa 1952/1953 does seem very smooth, polished, and sure of itself and its core themes. I don't remember how much of the later '50s is available but I do wonder what changes (especially once Peggy McCay leaves). (I think one episode with Bonnie Bartlett is around)

I do wonder even if they made changes with Brooklyn, would it make a big difference? They recast Kristina with a popular actress who seems willing to take risks and the story was a huge failure and she seems hated by a lot of viewers through no real fault of her own. The other women in her age range like Sasha and Willow have more active sex lives but those also aren't presented with passion. Gio being Dante's son seems like it could be overshadowed now unless the writing is much more layered than one would think - if Rocco feels insecure and draws closer to Lulu (or Cody), if Danny lashes out over Dante spending more time with a total stranger than him, etc. As Chase is at least pretty and willing to take off his shirt I would say they could pair him back up with Willow or Sasha (or was he never with her) or even Maxie, but who knows.

There was the brief time when Lillian and Vanessa were on Annie's side after Reva returned, making some catty remarks about her as she was on the outs, although that was badly written and just made people call Lillian a hypocrite.

Joey must be the most popular Bachelor ever? (admittedly that isn't saying a great deal)

My favorite part of that episode was that Marty guy's way of saying, "Va-nessa." That would have probably been the talk of soap boards back in 1953...along with GL fans saying they'll never accept the Meta recast.

That age range is a weak spot for Neighbours and Home & Away (unless they try to break the bank for Guy Pearce or maybe hope for Peter O'Brien), but Craig Hall, who has been wasted in a few of the eternal guest spots that make up the Neighbours revival, could work.