DRW50

@Contessa Donatella There were many jokes about AJ's weight during Sean's return to the role.

Nice to see that Robert Scott Wilson still can't act.

I don't mention Van Jones as a claim he is influential with the public, more that he is a strong example of the media's agenda regarding Trump. Trump won in 2016 and almost won in 2020. He has likely lost some support since that time, due to many of his voters dying, but then there are so many factors that benefit him (media adoration, tech bro adoration, so many of his worst impulses being blocked during his first term, the idea many have that the economy was better under him, the nihilism and accelerationist attitudes that lead many to go to him). And a big part of this appeal has always been people making him what they want him to be, not caring about what he actually is. I don't know how accurate polling is, I try not to put any faith in polling for that reason, but I do feel like those conditions are a big help to him again. One of the reasons I did think for a time and still want to think Biden is a stronger candidate than most Democrats would be is that he also has a unique appeal and isn't just an empty suit. And I think many like Yglesias underestimate this factor because they believe "youth" or being "telegenic" matters much more to the public than it actually does. I'm already seeing a lot of anger over Brown's decision, but it mostly makes me worry just how bad things are on the ground because I don't believe he would say this otherwise.

I do think Carville and others who were so aggressively pushing this likely want Harris out. And that will be extremely ugly optics, but they either don't care or think that it won't be a big deal. If the idea is who will beat Trump, I do think there are many valid concerns that neither of Biden or Harris can beat him, but then I'm not sure who in the party actually could at this moment. So if they truly want Biden to go then they need to say they will support Harris. I don't know what a winning strategy would be. I truly wish Biden or his people had never pushed for a June debate. They weren't prepared and they have not been prepared for the fallout. And it's just gone on and on. Every time Biden has a slight misspeak or pause or struggles to get in a car or on a plane, the images go around and around, and another donor gets on the phone. The response from some in the campaign about bedwetters has less impact when you have senators like the very vulnerable Jon Tester going along, or today, Martin Heinrich (who, being in a race with a mega-rich self-funding Republican, will now generate headlines about New Mexico possibly being in play), joining in. And then you have supporters tweeting out this type of divisive stuff that is catnip for Republicans: I am not sure we are at a place where even if Biden gives a knockout performance at the DNC it will shift. Even with Trump and the GOP not capitalizing on any of what's happened over the last month, it still feels like Biden is a negative feedback loop he can't break out of, with decreasing donations and more and more members of the party either not supporting him or only supporting him with gritted teeth. It didn't have to be this way, but here we are. I don't know what will change it. I used to just think hopefully the polls are wrong (again) and a slow and steady approach from Biden would scrape a narrow win through. The debate really hurt that possibility. I certainly hope I'm wrong. I think the fear over the lost 2020 coalition is a big factor in why they are panicking. States like Nevada (not just Arizona or Georgia) will flip by a noticeably large margin if any of the polling is accurate. Hopefully it's not, but I'm not surprised some in the party are confused and scared.

Thanks. I guess NLG has never talked about it.

Already mentally preparing for Robin Givens as a murderous Dru recast.

Thanks. What was it again with NLG? The Julian story?

That's crazy. I have paid so little attention to that show in recent times you could tell me Spanish Red from GLOW was a co-HW and I would believe you. Honestly that's one show I can see saying straight to the end, although if anyone does he will.

B&B is so completely vacant I am almost curious as to what he would do. Likely bring Sally back recast with Jill St. John, hellbent on destroying Forrester. And Stacy Haiduk joins as a not-dead Angela Forrester and her imposter Devaney Dickson or whatever her name was. And the show still won't have any gay characters.

That would explain all the ugly weight jokes...

Yes I remember actually getting into the show for a season or two (I wasn't as into the vampire spinoff). Thanks for catching me up on Kalouria. I did like Martha Stewart's talk show (those were the last years before she became a full self-parody). Oh I forgot him too. I feel like he got a number of his fetishes on (the gruesome treatment of that Willow prostitute or whoever she was, EJ raping Sami), but yes, there were cases of him having all this idea of what he wouldn't do (like being aghast at cousins dating), that then surrendered to the inevitable. I definitely see what you mean about potential not being met due to the rotting greenhouse that is the JER era and Corday's laziness/ineptness. I still think they sort of get chances to form their own voice, which is more than I can say for a number of other soaps (some now gone, some still around in zombie form), but it never works out, for the reasons you mention.

I feel like the show has changed tonally to somewhat severe degrees depending on the writers at the time. Higley, Brash/Cwikly, Griffith, Tomlin, Poulter and Thomas (I couldn't remember their names, but I remember how buzzed about and ultimately polarizing that period was [Rafe/Carrie and Will seeing EJ and Sami screwing and so on], Carlivati, all had their own styles, under the haze of Corday and whoever else still clinging to JER's ghost. That's how you get situations like Griffith coming in and immediately having the very unpopular Ciara rape story and the serial killer story, only for other writers to make said serial killer a hero and a stud, and so on. I don't think the writers form as much of a blob as you have had at Y&R or B&B for a long time. The problem is the show is so poorly supervised and buried under so many layers of old meta mockery, winking, and having no real idea who their audience now is, especially after moving to Peacock and taping 50 years in advance.

I think I stopped paying attention to DC around 2012 or 2013. Sounds like I missed the wildest period. The amount of fealty fans and cast were supposed to have for Ron will never not astound me. At least I haven't seen this as much at DAYS, although it may just be down to the soap press completely dying by the time he took over.

Thanks. I guess he got his wish with DAYS becoming just like Passions - that worked out so well. (the contortions made for that show just because it was popular with a young demo is a great example of what helped nearly kill off the genre). I am probably not being fair to Dante's Cove, as at its peak it had better writing than anything he's done since about 2009. I can't remember who mentioned it above but now I DO wonder if all this Body & Soul stuff was meant to be some kind of window into his exit.

Someone else will know better than I do but I think people mentioned some social media posts from him after leaving, or maybe a speech. I know some fans felt that was forced on them to try to fit more into what DAYS had become, but I'm not sure.

I wonder if Jamey Giddens will leave with Ron.

So did I. This type of move is sometimes what happens when a show is near the end, but still, we've been hearing DAYS was near the end since about 2007. Even if it is the end, and even as I am not going to put any expectations on them (other than remembering that Paula's co-HW run in the early '00s got some fan praise) I'm glad they will have writers who care more for the show and not winking, nodding, stale camp, and Twitter beef. Learning that the only writer who had a longer run at the top was Bill Bell makes me envision Bill somewhere up there making moves. (admittedly if he was he would probably be more focused on Y&R...) I can't believe we'll be seeing this stuff until April 2025. You could go around the world more than once in that time.

I think he's more likely to revive Dante's Cove than be on The Gates. GH, on the other hand - I wouldn't be shocked, although he left with very bad blood. Anyway, spare a thought for Greg Rikaart, and when you're done:

Thanks again! @Vee @Bright Eyes @slick jones @Paul Raven @depboy @FrenchFan @Khan @dc11786 @jam6242 @vetsoapfan

I don't think these donors are wrong if they believe Biden and Kamala can't win. It's just that, as she said, they waited too long. I could imagine Carville in particular assuming they can airlift in some smooth talker a la Bill Clinton. If they can find one, good luck to them. I'm not sure how much of a negative effect the speech tonight will have. Some press have pointed out the same old same old quality, but then you also have hacks like Van Jones comparing the convention to 2008 with Obama. And I am not even sure the members of the public who are deciding the election even wanted a new Trump - that was more the Beltway that have spent a decade trying to make him into their special project done right, all grown up. Too many of the public are fine with Trump as he is, especially since they are adept at contorting themselves into just making him what they want him to be. After all the time Tim Alberta spent gushing over Mitt Romney (and Paul Ryan, but especially Mitt), it's refreshing to see him pointing out just how lackluster Vance and Trump were.

This would probably lead to Kamala being the nominee, so I'm not sure. I do hope this lights a fire under Biden, but unfortunately any time he has another interview or we have another debate, the problem resets. However fired up he may be over the war in his party, it doesn't really do anything to help with what he's been losing with the average voter. Still, I can't see anyone else winning either, so I guess the best case scenario may be him staying on and hoping for a miracle...and also hoping all those donors and people in the party who have thrown in the towel will at least try to help down ballot candidates.

Thanks. That would have been interesting.

I wonder what her ideas would have been.

I didn't get into soap magazines for the most part until the mid '90s, and it didn't take long to realize just what superior quality SPW was in every way. I do think that by the late '90s, Marlena, Mimi Torchin, etc. had probably said everything they had left to say (Torchin in particular spent more column time writing about her favorite movies and primetime shows), but Marlena could still give some great material - I remember a column tearing JFP's OLTL apart which meant something because she had often praised and defended JFP's work. Ditto for panning Guza's GH around 1999 or so. It's unfortunate the magazine was completely gutted around this point - you could tell SPW up to that point had a lot of respect for its readers. Afterward the whole thing was extremely generic and hard to believe it was the same magazine that had detailed articles on canceled soaps, painstakingly tracked down dozens of soap actors for a where are they now feature, had the greatest moments in soap history issue that taught me so much about moments I never would have known otherwise, etc. Frankly, I'm surprised SPW managed to scrape through another decade.

That's beautiful. Glad some part of the show lives on forever.