DRW50

I could agree about Queer, but I think everything about Challengers was intensely tied to that brain dead tiktok mentality as soon as they got Zendaya involved. The focus became about her, and oh see those cute dumb boys follow her, our fashion queen, and so on. It got his film more interest than it might have otherwise (there's only so many times you can get people to care about which straight actor might or might not kiss another boy this time), but I think the choice to become about Zendaya shut down most major awards consideration, especially now that we're past the MTV Movie Awards era. I know the soundtrack was widely praised, so the rejection of even that might mean there's some kind of bad blood surrounding Luca at present with certain voters. I do agree Isabella got a career nomination, but I prefer her to who else might have been in (I would say Danielle Deadwyler deserved the nod instead, but I don't think they would have chosen her). I like Sebastian Stan well enough, but I think getting nominated for playing Trump may do him more harm than good in the long run.

I think this is who Lulu has always been. Abrasive, obsessive. You could argue they are just writing her in service to their pets, but I think it does make sense with Lulu's history. They at least they seem to have her in the right place with her relationships, if not her job (she isn't doing enough with Laura but I have never found any of Laura's relationships especially interesting, aside from the one with Lesley). Lucky is the return where they truly seem to have no interest. Maura West is an interesting actress for me because I loved her early work as Carly but after she came back, the show put the character through so much trash, I felt like she had to put on a shield to get through it. And the same has been true for Ava, which has led to a very artificial, performative sheen in a lot of her work. This hasn't been helped by a long string of flat-to-outright-bad leading men. I do think she works well with Rick Hearst. The long break from acting seemed to benefit Rick because while he was always a good performer, sometimes you could see all over his face how constipating the material he was given was (not just on GH, but through his soap career, maybe aside from getting to play a monster on Y&R). He doesn't look as pinched now and just has a real glow. If he stays, I hope that can last.

I'm happy for Guy Pearce, Isabella Rossellini, Jeremy Strong, although I won't be watching. I'm also glad to see those Luca Guadagnino movies snubbed. I know some people loved them, some critics and viewers I respect, but overall I did not care for the marketing or tone of them, or the way most fans treated them as fetish material or as an excuse to push Zendaya as their fashion queen, then acted shocked when their memefests did not magically materialize into awards contenders. They seem to have no value beyond people who like to get horny over straight actors playing gay (or doing a half-assed version of a very vague bi tease) and who make fancams. These are stunted softcore by way of music videos. Maybe Luca can team up with Bruce LaBruce, who would at least have used real parts if he was going to have Daniel Craig rutting around for awards bait. Challengers was, with a few exceptions, a movie that will only be remembered by people who think being cute on letterboxd is a mark of quality. Zendaya will likely never be able to get out of a very limited box and no amount of style and expertly orchestrated media will change that. That's not unusual for stars, but you can't be shocked when she doesn't get an award. I'm sure if she stays around long enough she will get a nomination, deserved or not...if the Oscars are still on by that point. Emilia Perez seems to be almost universally hated, which makes sense. I'm more surprised that awards voters like it so much. I guess they managed to package othering and degrading stereotypes for a new era.

Angela also had an NBC TV movie in 1988 called Shootdown. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shootdown_(film)

Her last album was a big flop. And it seems her streams fell after her warbling off-key for Trump, refusing to shake Kamala Harris' hand, allegedly throwing a fit backstage, etc. Carrie Underwood, Nelly & More Inauguration Performers Up in Sales

She had the potential for more but stuck in a narrow lane. Now she has aged out of that lane, she's in a genre that has less use for women than it ever has, and she was never especially compelling in the first place - she had a good voice, but no charisma, and very generic looks. She can try to hobble to MAGA, but they have made it clear they hate women. Maybe she can do a duet with Jason Aldean about how she wants to kill everyone who lives in New York, Massachusetts, California, etc. but he'd probably go for a younger model. This is her last gasp. And gasping is seemingly all she was ever good at. I know it's pointless but I do respect her for doing what she did, knowing the price she will pay. I am not surprised some on the left, who only care about performative activism and moral superiority, are too busy whining about her somehow stereotyping immigrants (even comparing her to the pathetic Kelly Osborne) to even appreciate her point. I suppose this is the end result of people who posture against Trump in public and beg their arch-Republican parents for money in private.

Thanks. Paul was such an empty character, but with someone as dynamic as Burgi they could have done more. They still could with Larry but I guess they won't. I know Tracy/Cody was never going to happen, but I'd rather Tracy have another turn on the day player wheel than being with MEK in his non-part. At least it's not Cyrus...

Will be happening today.

I think that was Phoebe's last spate of storyline. I enjoyed her working to help bring down Jim.

I don't.

Sorry to hear that.

I hope some of that shows up eventually. I've heard so much about the park scenes and how much they were used to humanize Kim.

I think it's less noticeable with UK soaps if they have larger casts. Neighbours has such a small cast. I know some is also just down to budget and filming limitations, but I don't think they have adjusted well with the writing choices. For instance the choices they made with the Roswell breaks took away most of what made them a good family to me - the whole story with Quinn went off the rails and then you had Sadie blaming Andrew and leaving him home alone until he went away camping on his own for a month or two. It was a world away from the loving family they were intended to be. I am surprised Karl was in that many episodes because I feel like even when he's there they are sort of writing around him.

Sometimes I lie to myself that they are around but just not going up on Youtube for copyright reasons. Probably not the case. So many had a total lack of interest in soaps. I know back then VCRs were very expensive so you can't tape everything but I really wish there was someone around like that lady who taped all the news programs in these years. Always the most underrated soap fashion doyenne.

That makes sense.

With his recent media tour claiming he was guilted to vote for Kamala and shaming anyone who criticizes Snoop Dogg or Nelly, I have even less interest than before. He's not a bad screen presence but I'm not sure what the point is. Between this and the football story is Frank or ABC trying to get more male viewers? If it's an attempt at getting more black viewers, then the best way to do that would be not having such clear contempt for your black cast.

That's a good video - it's on the channel too.

We got another '70s promo! An extremely rare glimpse of '70s Kim and Kim/Dan. @Paul Raven @jam6242 @slick jones @FrenchFan @DramatistDreamer @Vee @Reverend Ruthledge @soapfan770 @P.J. @Contessa Donatella @Maxim @Soapsuds @Mitch64 @Khan @Bright Eyes @MarlandFan @VelekaCarruthers @blueberrywaffle @Soaplovers @chrisml @All My Shadows @kalbir @Dax7000 @adrnyc @wonderwoman1951 @vetsoapfan @Franko Apologies to anyone I forgot.

I wouldn't write them out of the show. I would just have them leave Ramsay Street if they are only going to be part-time characters. I'm sure they could find a way to have them just stay at the hotel or even find a house to rent out for part of the year. It's just odd to me having Holly there all alone with the house for months.

There's a line about halfway through this where Tracy says, "I don't enjoy being right, Paul. It's a burden I've had to bear my whole life." In the hands of many, that line would be played for high camp, or uber-dramatically, and I imagine all the people out there who just see soaps as a big joke or clawfest would eat that up. Instead, Jane plays the pain of Tracy, very matter of fact, deeply sad. It's a beautiful moment. And of course you could say how deluded is she, but even if you say that, you understand her in that moment. You look at her point of view, all the carnage and chaos of the Quartermaines that she probably thinks she could have stopped if she'd had the respect. You watch through her eyes. That's something soaps have lost when either making everything about plot or just trying to get us to root for TPTB pets. We don't have to agree with Tracy...we just have to understand her. I laughed when Paul had the guitar. I guess that explains Dillon's musical career. I wish the show had done more to have some serious moments between Tracy and Larry Ashton (were there ever any? and was there anything of value in his '10s returns?) as he was clearly such a horrible betrayal of her trust that she then spent many years going for "respectable" guys like Mitch Williams and Paul who under the generic face were real sleazebags. I love the music cue at the end when Tracy finds the earring.

Their channel puts up a lot of content from that area.

I think Judith would have had a much stronger position than Susan Harney, but I know Susan's primetime success was probably the reason they asked her back.

I agree with you. The whole point of Susan and Karl in recent years was their home was for waifs and strays, a backbone of the community. You can't really say that when they are gone half the time. It's especially noticeable now because Karl's brain-dead daughter is constantly in turmoil, and they aren't around most of the time. And when they are around, they still don't have enough involvement with her, aside from brief moments like Holly's therapist saying her parents are why she is the way she is. I can't argue Home & Away treats its older characters the way they could be treated, but John Palmer is the character I wish Karl could be. Instead, when Karl is around, he's wasted on nonsense like "Dr. Pooper," one of the worst stories the show did last year. The Holly issue gets worse because Izzy is never around either, so Holly just constantly whines, cries, curls up in a ball, sobs on the living room floor, and other than her "friends" (who never seem like that close of friends, to be honest), nobody reacts. I would either have Karl and Susan move off Ramsay Street or write Holly out immediately. I would write her out anyway.

I see what you mean, but Susan herself had been gone almost 15 years, and the story that sent Lenore out of town was started by Judith. I think it could have worked.