DRW50

Unfortunately, I've seen a lot of bad polls again lately, but I agree I don't know how much weight they have. I suppose these days everything is vibes-based. Biden is certainly in a tougher mood than he was last year, which I appreciate, but vibes-wise so many seem to have already shifted to Trump coming back in, to the point where you have various world leaders traipsing to Maralago like he's already in office. I hope there's some slim chance. Those press dinners should have stayed gone after COVID shut them down. I don't think they have any real importance, but seeing people throw themselves on the ground for their beloved Hamas to agonize over Colin Jost's embalmed jokes just remind me how much the worst of this country blots out any discussion or common sense.

I used to have a copy of the '97 anniversary book. I'm not sure if I still do - if I do it's in storage somewhere. There were plenty of insights for me (I had little knowledge of the show's history beyond when I started watching, scraps of soap magazines, and what was in the '92 TV special), along with many photos I'd never seen before, although fans who were more in the know likely noticed errors. Later on, I checked out the '87 anniversary book from the library. It didn't have as much content, but IIRC had a number of interesting interviews the other didn't have and focused a bit on the making of those anniversary shows.

I'm still not entirely sure of Biden's campaign (if even a strong campaign could stop what often feels like an inevitable press and public coronation of a shockingly decayed Trump), but I am glad they have avoided media whore Chris Christie, who continues to be bitter and sour over his many failed dreams. https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/chris-christie-biden-trump-comments-rcna149533

Rena has always been a very charismatic presence, but one of my issues with Lois is that so much of the presentation could border on caricature. The loud lady from Bensonhurst who stood up to the amoral Qs, and so on. My general apathy-bordering-on-antipathy toward Ned probably didn't help. I actually prefer Rena Sofer in her Loving role, even though it wasn't the one that brought her fame, because I think her earnestness shines through. She did have her moments as Lois, when she was allowed. I wonder what might have been with Jax and Lois if Rena hadn't left. (wasn't he originally brought in for Lois) Lisa also plays Olivia as a caricature, because that's what Olivia has always been, but I think she fits the more hollowed out Ned of recent years, and she is a bit flatter in day-to-day moments than Lois, which separates the two. I do appreciate the energy Rena has had in her return, from what I've seen of it, as I think the show needs it. I don't have any real investment in Brooklyn and never have (also never really gotten the Amanda Setton hype in any of her work, but she's OK). Still, at least she's alive, unlike most of the other Qs, and she and Chase seem harmless enough.

The link didn't work for me either last night although when I found their account I was able to listen to a few other audios.

I would actually argue that Carly has taken over GH in the long term in ways even Reva did not with GL, but that would derail the thread and most people in here don't want to sit through all that.

I remember around September-November 1996 that talk reached fever pitch, with B&B introducing a new family. Then we heard it wasn't going to happen. Even if a lot of the show was hollowed out by that point I'm still glad it survived a bit longer. I think Rebecca faced some of the same problems of actresses like Beverly Penberthy - too classy and understated for an increasingly histrionic genre. I also wonder if it's because she was the one Lewis who was not emotionally volatile. Even Long didn't seem to do that much with her - maybe because that just wasn't her type of woman.

The Avengers used to have close friendships back when I read their comics, but I haven't read much of them past the late '80s/early '90s.

They are clearly banking on Trump winning and are terrified of alienating him. And they have missed him every single day. I don't know why anyone sits through that propaganda network.

Thanks @JAS0N47 for the DAYS info. I haven't watched any of that material in a long time but everything with Ali and her mother was so dark. Marla really knew how to play into those elements.

It's kind of amusing to me because some of the tweets amount to - these women could be models or running magazines or running art galleries and look at what they're doing instead, they're taking women back to the '50s. All of those careers are also very dated for women, if that's the complaint. That's a genre wide concern and not down to the new/old writers. I wish people could just say "They don't know what to do with Sasha, she's a flop," instead of trying to spin the choices as misogyny.

If they were going for that approach you'd think it would make more sense to say, "We had her first." Still, it was probably a more successful ad campaign than those "I made the switch" ads in 1986. It's a shame she didn't last long at GL, for whatever reason.

Sadly, I don't know if any of her episodes are available to watch, aside from Quint and Nola clips.

I haven't been a big Survivor fan in a long time, but I remember Sonja fondly. https://deadline.com/2024/04/sonja-christopher-survivor-dead-season-one-contestant-was-87-obituary-1235897137/

Is it anything new for other characters to call out Sonny? Calling out Jason is more of a rarity. All the way back to Guza, Sonny could be dragged, but it's mostly a smokescreen. I'm more interested in some of the responses to Sasha becoming the Q cook (mainly the fans who think the show is through Trina and Sasha trying to subjugate women) than I am in the story itself.

Heartbreaking. I am sorry that what may have been her best work (Belle on Secret Storm) is all gone, but her work as Dina Mergeron was fascinating. In many ways Dina was an unsympathetic character, but Marla always gave her layers, and stood tall against actors who were extremely talented and extremely charismatic. I remember that clip that used to be on Youtube of Dina going to the Abbott home, getting into it with Mamie, and THEN getting into it with Jill. No catfights, all class, all shade, and all ice. A delirious viewing experience. When I heard of Ashley's current story, I wished that they had kept Dina around to play a part in it, but now I see they made the right decision. Even if I didn't follow most of her last story, I did see the end, which felt moving due to the work of those involved. Compared to how a number of soap legends were treated, Marla got to leave on a high.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/apr/25/laurent-cantet-film-maker-who-tackled-diversity-and-class-in-france-dies-aged-63 Someone here recommended The Class to me a few years ago and it was well worth the watch.

I can't really speak as I have only seen scattered episodes, but based on how moribund most of 1982 feels to me in those episodes (and frankly, a good portion of the Marland era I've seen in the scattered episodes), I can see how early Long/Kobe would have felt like a burst of energy. I'm reminded of what happened when JFP took over OLTL in early 1998 after years of the show feeling lethargic. That also ended up being a disaster in the long run, probably even more than Kobe/Long.

Pathetic.

I can definitely see the resemblance. All those guys and gals who were crushing on them in their CW years can be happy.

@Vee Thanks. Their reaction to this all day has been defensive, petulant, and deluded - their only real personality traits these days. That paper has rotted away for a long time now, which is why Biden was comfortable shutting them out in the first place. And you can tell they feel their relevance fading and can't handle it. They would sell every family member they have to get Trump back in power because they think he can save them, and because they were fond of him on a personal level. One of the many reasons I hope Biden wins is to shut down the power of these publications once and for all, but no matter who wins, they are in their last few years.

I think that position is valid. It's more the show's history (or any soap's history) of heavy airtime after one half of a popular pairing goes compared to Trina's airtime, and also the tone of the writing that I can understand getting a negative response. I also think the decision to repeatedly have her show up to apologize or to sit for Ace while Laura spends a lot of time doing prop duty for lunatic characters we are meant to feel sorry for (Cyrus, Heather) hurts the setup that should have been there with the characters.

I think one of the problems with the framing for Trina is she has limited POV and screentime so those nuances are lost in the writing. Any fan of a character can be entitled, but I am not surprised that her fans seem to think she is being minimized or put into "safe" roles, especially as that was likely the only plan for the character before the pairing with Spencer took off.