DRW50

Thanks. Never heard of this. Alaina was special.

That's a great idea - I hope they will do it. And thanks for all you did for them with the Tina clips/suggestions.

Semafor, which is a big Beltway favorite, also has a piece out on how friendly the RNC is being to the media (even though Kari Lake and MTG, two hugely influential figures in the party, hurled abuse at the media). They really are trying to commit to the narrative of how safe the GOP is, as they were given such a lifeline with Trump's supposed attack. I wonder if it's working or not. I don't get the sense there's a ton of interest in the convention. I did hear a lot of talk about how dull JD Vance was and how visibly unhappy Trump was as he spoke. Speaking of which... Trump’s campaign has given no official info about his medical care following assassination attempt | PBS News

For some reason lately, I don't know why, I keep thinking about how Rachel had children with four different men. Yet I don't know if this was ever commented on. I suppose because these were 30 years apart, and by the time the twins were born, I don't even think Jamie was mentioned anymore. Still, it's an interesting contrast to others in that boat like Reva Shayne, who took longer to escape the trashy/slut-shaming baggage than Rachel did. Reva's story also makes me appreciate more that all of Rachel's kids were from pregnancies seen on the show instead of weirder and weirder retcons.

I know they were still trying...I always just assume after BJ died it was inevitable.

I remember when she gave an exit interview, she said something to the effect of wanting to get her body back. I do wonder if that affected her chances of work post-Loving. It's rare to see someone who is as phenomenal as she was in the endrun of a show not get more of a chance. Then again I thought Amy Van Horne would be a bigger name after The City (not saying she was the same as Christine) and that never really happened.

There were publicity photos taken of both versions, although by that time the plans were already in place of course. I think he was let go because he wanted to do panto and at that time you were only allowed if you were a very select group in the cast.

If they had to bring him back, they should have just brought him back as Sam rather than the Shabobby nonsense. I wonder why JFP had such an issue against Amanda anyway. It's very odd to me that she wrote her out, the first time Amanda had ever been written off the canvas (not counting the short break between Ferguson and Tucci) and IIRC after she was fired the character was so quickly recast (with the underrated Laura Moss).

They brought in a slew of characters for the movie storyline but I don't think there were any big names. I do wonder if they brought Susan back for a year to try to fill some of the Pat void. I think Elena also came back around this time.

I imagine if not for the complaints or general negativity surrounding the show at the time they would have gone further into an actual affair. I guess the fallout would be Monica/Dorman (Tony and Bobbie's marriage was already dead so I don't think this is why he slept with Carly). They were already in counseling at this point, right? (Tony and Bobbie) @FrenchFan Thank you again for the wonderful recaps. I wonder if anyone ever said the stories the show would have had for Augusta if she had stayed on as originally planned.

I'm wary of the Pelosi claims as she has denied this (more firmly than Schumer did, whose response was essentially, "I said what I said"), but given how close she is to Adam Schiff, I don't think he would have called for Biden dropping out if she hadn't been OK with it. Given that Biden's polling has not changed significantly post-debate, and I think Kamala Harris will do the same or possibly worse (if they want to win they might have to try to also get her not to run, which would open up a huge can of worms), I still feel like the Democrats who want him out are burning a lot of time and energy just to lose harder, but then I don't think they would be so adamant about this if there weren't some reason. I don't think it's just the media, vile as the media is, getting to them. There are claims of private polling being bad not just for Biden but dragging down House and Senate races. That would not be a surprise to me, although some movement to Republicans is likely anyway as they have always overperformed when Trump is on the ballot. There's also the donor issue (sorry, but yes, it still seems to be an issue): https://deadline.com/2024/07/jeffrey-katzenberg-joe-biden-2024-election-1236013665/ And there was a disoriented call with members of Congress that would have been a big story on Saturday if not for another event: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-held-tense-call-group-house-democrats-concerns/story?id=112033463 I think Biden has been treated horribly by the media all along, because he doesn't kiss their asses and doesn't make them money. And there are clearly still parts of the campaign where he can be effective, even powerful, like rallies and certain interview moments. But we're at the point now where enough people who aren't just deluded, bitter figures or attention seekers have been maneuvering that I do wonder what is going on with Biden behind the scenes and how many in the party were shielded from it until the debate.

Seeing the Marianne in the 1975 and 1976 clips makes it all the more remarkable how completely extinguished she feels by this point (not that long before her exit). The P&G soaps at this time really seemed to want to age up and drain their ingenues. The scene at 20 minutes between Jamie and Pat (Pat's last real scene on the show) is an absolute knockout. I am not a huge fan of storylines where people wring their hands over what's written about them in books, but Pat's response to "James" (switching to Jamie as she becomes more vulnerable) here is surprisingly layered - not just the feeling of betrayal and of humiliation, but that he got so inside her head that she wrongly assumed he'd had actual conversations with her about her crimes before writing his book. It plays into the power of fiction, and the power of soaps, especially with long running characters. We think we know what is inside their head and we try to shape what they say or do with our own experiences. It reminds me of Kathryn Hays talking about how she felt like Irna Phillips knew her secrets when she played the early material for Kim. Beverly Penberthy has such an ethereal directness (similar to Jacquie Courtney) that makes any scene improve and is truly put to good use when she gets the chance. There's something deeply sad in knowing this is her last time to be able to use that chance, but also satisfying - she is showing the ageist, brain dead execs just what they've given up. And Richard Bekins is wonderful, as he often is, not downplaying the arrogance and naivete of Jamie, but imbuing him with such a soulfulness. He can do so much with his eyes as the camera just latches onto his beautiful face, making the moment where Pat finally gets him to see just what he's lost all the more devastating. If they hadn't fired Beverly, I wonder if they might have paired up Pat and Jamie instead of Susan and Jamie. They have surprisingly potent chemistry here.

Some old promos I found on a disc. I don't think they are up on Youtube at present. If anyone knows exact date, thanks. (I am not sure if the Liza one is from 1995 or 1996 but I just put 1995).

I remember an aunt of mine really liked that first book. I should read them someday.

I wish more of her material from that last ATWT stint was around because there are some ideas she is trying that likely felt new for the time or could have been innovative (like Penny adopting a child and Tom and Carol starting to go into eco-farming, etc.). Her reputation so often seems to overshadow her work.

He was. And over time he became a decent actor too. I think he may have retired not long after leaving daytime.

That would make sense, although I think it's also down to the loss of some of the more stagey actors of those first few years, like Kate Mulgrew. I do love those early years, although I think that particular vibe is lost by early to mid 1976. That's when it feels like the show really shifts into more melodramatic plots and less character beats. Thanks. That makes sense. That was also a good period for Faith in that I barely had to see her either...

I found four City episodes on a disc that I don't think were on Youtube anymore (if I missed them my apologies and I'll take these down).

Thanks.

I hope not either. I know someone who has repeatedly had COVID and has had hearing loss as a result, even as she has had the best access to care. People keep downplaying COVID but it's still out there. At least Jill will be there and hopefully all is well.

I remember him being a likeable enough presence but i'm not surprised he found more success outside of acting. The murder story is probably the show's strongest, IIRC, although they mostly still have a decent run even to the end (although the Bible story near the end didn't seem overly well-received).

Conan O'Brien and Rashida Jones talking about Twin Peaks.

@dc11786 Wow I didn't remember it had been in production for quite that long. You'd think they would have had a stronger early product with that much time. I just wish any of the 70 episodes were available somewhere. Even just one or two floating around on a VHS tape. I should try Hilton Head Island sometime.

Thanks for sharing this. It's unfortunate to hear of such Puritan views, although 1982 was still the years of the Moral Majority. I can't say Ridley's work has blown me away (more often it puts me to sleep like much of that era) but she had been in the part for several years and was probably the most known Annie. I'm confused as to why IMDB has her in a 1970 episode. Did she briefly play Annie as a child? Aside from visits, I think the closest would be late 1988, when Holden and Meg were leaving, and Caleb and Ellie were brought in. I can't remember if there was overlap. And Lisa Brown may have been on maternity leave at this point.