DRW50

I've assumed so, as I don't believe she did any acting post-AMC, and I think it was spun as her wanting to leave, but I'm not completely sure. I doubt McTavish would have written her out, as she created the character and gave her a lovely exit. I thought she and Dimitri worked much better than they should have (not a big fan of the Tad pairing - or Tad in general...), but probably not a hit with viewers. I think the Adam and Alec pairings worked in terms of high drama, but not romance. It was very plot-driven material, as so much of AMC was in that period (like Janet sleeping with Palmer).

Kristina's answer is a heartbreaker.

Overall I preferred J Eddie Peck as Jake, at least once the pairing with Greenlee (just about the only person Rebecca Budig had chemistry with - on any of her soaps) got involved. I eventually learned to tolerate Lowry but he never did anything for me. His godawful intro story did not help.

Jackie Collins on the Lottery, starting 5 minutes in.

Paul O'Grady was so prominent in UK pop culture for so many years, I'm shocked by the news of his passing. He was a very funny, warm presence, who was an increasingly popular public figure in very dangerous years for gay people. He also loved animals and spent much of his time fighting for them.

Rachel Cory going from the bitch of Bay City to leading off a Lee Greenwood montage is something. The end of this montage cracks me up. Not one but two lengthy musical montages in this episode. Not the last padded strike montage or performance we will be getting (I'm looking forward to seeing the one with Merry Clayton again). Ronnie Lawrence was such a likeable, warm character, one of many black women who were never given a real role by AW. A very patriotic cherry-popping with Cheryl and Scott right before they leave Bay City. I did not get at the first watch how much Josie is obviously there to fill the ingenue role that Cheryl had never really managed. I do find her much less cold and hollow than I generally found Josie. The Vicky/Jake/Lisa/Jamie shot in the montage is choreographed just right. A moment of pity for the actors who had to mimic looking at fireworks and ended up looking vaguely disturbed.

Thanks @slick jones

Thanks @slick jones . I will always have a special place in my heart for Rachel due to her work on GL. She was very good on Supernatural, even when the writing wasn't there. I'm glad it was a positive experience for her. She's clearly a very strong person.

Sorry to hear this, but what a legacy. I'm glad we finally got to see some of her work on The Doctors, which certainly wasn't perfect, but was head and shoulders above anything else I saw on the show afterward - very warm and witty alongside the expected melodrama.

If there were another actor in Jack's part, I'd agree, but after all the stories about his feelings on Luan and Keemo, Victoria Rowell, and Bergman's decline in performance, I have no interest in seeing him. I would agree about killing Billy, a character I've never liked, no matter who is in the part. I would recast Victoria, bringing back Heather Tom if at all possible, and write out Nick and Sharon.

As others have said, this whole fiasco does make me have a lot more respect for performers like Beth Maitland, who were discarded years ago, saw their only onscreen children killed off, and were humiliated by the diva behavior of other "actors" like ex-Beastmaster.

Paul was one of my favorite characters for a long time, and by all rights he should be there for the anniversary. He was a big part of what kept the show humming in the '80s and '90s. Yet Doug's behavior does seem delusional and ungrateful when you think of the opportunities he got from his decades on the show, including hosting the primetime Price is Right. I assume he watched actors like Jeanne Cooper who were kept on even in their last years, but those are exceptions, not rules. Jack should have gone a decade ago. Nikki and Victor I could see staying to the end of the show (or until MES and EB retire), but it would depend on how willing they are to adapt to the realities of soap salary today. They were more integral than Paul going some ways back. Even by the mid '00s Paul felt like a spare part. I don't think he ever recovered from the "rough sex" storyline.

Pat on Ryan's Hope. Robert Finnocolli was atrocious.

Hadn't heard this anecdote about Barbara Stanwyck on The Colbys before. https://people.com/archive/barbara-stanwyck-a-stand-up-dame-vol-33-no-5/

Thank you. This was lovely to watch. You could see how proud she was of her work on the show, especially the foster care storyline, and she's right about how ahead of its time the show was in the early/mid '90s (with light shade thrown of what has happened since). Her memories of Bill Bell were touching.

Thanks @BoldRestless that was a lot of fun, and very important to have as a tribute to their contributions to Y&R (the closest we'll get, anyway). Wish we could have had some of this in the episodes. I'm glad they did mention Victoria Mallory. Given that they mention Brad I wonder if there was any attempt at interviewing Janice or JLB with Tom Hallick, unless there's some bad blood there. @vetsoapfan you may enjoy this interview if you haven't already seen it.