DRW50

And, sure enough, the loathsome Dan Wootton is blaming Meghan and Oprah for this disastrous trip, rather than articles like these:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/brutally-honest-oscars-ballot-2-1235117316/

I saw those photos. I did wonder how staged they were... This PR stuff works better if there is good will with the public. I'm sure there is still some in the UK, but not as much, and not for most of the non-Elizabeth members of the family. That makes sense about Charles. He seems like a smart man (if not in the ways that mattered most). William...not so much.

Another banner day for Milky Loads. Speaking of self-loathers, look at how desperate the media is to frame Aunt Lindsey's overly rehearsed, likely alcohol-addled meltdown as BOTHSIDESBOTHSIDESBOTHSIDES.

Their likely resentment and hatred of Harry and Meghan, and the constant drip of poisonous leaks they likely put out about them, were incredibly foolish in the long-term. Without them around, the laziness and stupidity of William and Kate, an increasingly open secret over the years, is on full force. Kate's vapidity is one thing, but William in particular is just the epitome of every buffoonish authority figure in every Britcom, just, unfortunately for him, much less attractive and charismatic than the best of them like Paul Eddington and Chris Barrie. I still can't get past him strutting around in that crush velvet green suit a year or two ago. I don't know who decided to have them go on a press tour when these countries made it clear they were moving on, but the days of locals awestruck and waving at the visiting gods are long over.

I hope you're right, but between his football hero status, and how polls now tend to undercount Republicans, it's tough to imagine this not being the case.

I can only guess that someone got through to him how likely Democrats are to lose the Senate this year (seeing a poll showing the complete idiot and domestic abuser Herschel Walker comfortably leading in Georgia made my heart sink, even though it wasn't a surprise), and that this will be the last chance to replace him with someone who is not a hard right extremist.

The problem is that most of the voters who show up to vote, and whose votes aren't being repressed, aren't going to care that much about most of these issues. Many of the voters who are now being curated as the only voters have no real objection to extreme abortion bans, the end of birth control, interracial marriage, or gay marriage. They are about to die, extremely conservative, rich and know they won't be affected, or all three. I saw a viral tweet bragging about how interracial marriage is "a fight we can win." That this is already being framed as a fight - a fight that a media that would sell their entire family to be able to bathe Trump's feet would absolutely love to dive into - shows you which side has "won." It would also likely be used as a wedge issue, gleefully, as many non-white voters also oppose interracial marriage for various reasons. Some who might be concerned are still swayed to media coverage that downplays all of these concerns. CNN, for example, ran a huge headline about Cruz grilling Brown on CRT. The ugly smears against her and the callous way she was spoken to don't matter to them. Secretly, I imagine many of them get a kick out of seeing her degraded. I think a number of Democrats do know how out of control SCOTUS is, but there are no solutions in place to deal with it. The real solutions were if those we were so often told were wiser and able to get through, like RBG, had retired at the proper political time.

I think the opening for Autumn Breeze is a bit too fast, but the extended closing is just gorgeous, and very soothing.

My favorite part of Oscar season: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/brutally-honest-oscar-ballot-dont-look-up-coda-1235116095/

With transphobic laws on the books, Roe probably gone soon, and birth control and gay marriage next, I'm not surprised the GOP are looking for the next rallying cry. He half-heartedly walked some of this back after making sure the trial balloon was floated. I saw various out of touch "we need to run ads on this because it will hurt Republicans, why aren't we smart like Republicans," type tweets going around. With the help of the media, the GOP could make this a prize wedge issue again in no time at all. Judge Brown has been very courteous in the face of extremely ugly attacks. I too am expecting Manchin to ultimately oppose and derail her nomination, especially as it is a sure way to get media attention. We'll see, I guess.

I was still a kid when Empty Nest debuted...I remember enjoying it until Kristy left, but as soon as they brought in the younger sister, I quit (I think I made it through one episode with her). I was glad - even though I didn't watch - that Kristy returned for the finale. I enjoyed the first few years of Nurses, and still have the opening credits and some David Rasche lines in my head. But I don't think I bothered with the last season. Looking back, Nurses was such a slapped together show, between a Roseanne-esque standup as the female lead (for a few years anyway) and cult TV actor/improv great Rasche being thrown in. Then you had Loni Anderson later on. IIRC those later Nest years were a hybrid hell too, with not just Getty, but Marsha Warfield shipped in.

It's also one of those situations where, conservative as Y&R viewers were in some situations (like the ugly backlash against Neil/Victoria a decade later), I do wonder if they actually would have had any problem supporting Amy while also accepting Mamie's nieces being brought into the canvas. Amy had been on the show for 3-4 years and was part of a well-liked friendship group. She was someone who could have easily stayed on for years longer, even if they did not keep her with Nathan. It's a shame they never tried. I do wonder about that, now that you mention it. Even though it was never likely a possibility, just the fear is enough in many cases. In the long-term I think moving Paul away from all his old friends and just being with Lynne and the repetitive stories with Lauren and later Christine left the character stranded, and helped make him feel all but irrelevant by the time we got to the early '00s and the ugly "rough sex" storyline.

Yes. I used to think so. Now I'm not as sure. I guess I should be happy he didn't have the ambulance back up over her.

Sounds like BS to me. The Gray story was a flop with viewers and while Toby is gorgeous, he can't act. Given the budget crunch of soaps now I just don't buy it happening.

I'm not sure if Y&R was ever a popular show for its realism. What is missing is the glamour, the complex character work and years-long storylines that are well-plotted. And those aren't coming back, with or without Diane.

Watching that scene of Victor pushing Diane out of the ambulance again just disgusts me all the more. It's done in such an utterly pathetic manner, and makes Victor look like a complete and total loser, stripping him of any last dignity that Bill Bell, and Eric Braeden, felt was so important. It reminds me a lot of the man-children who now run so much of our country and our media. Ironically, Braeden is often on social media blasting these people to hell.

The show isn't great at the moment (why are they throwing Marty and Samira together in such a rushed manner when they will have Marty chasing after Esther again soon enough??) but there are a few stories that have potential (Wilder's return and the stress he is causing the people in his life; TK's cancer) and some that are at least plugging along (the Hamish saga). Then you have the Desi and Damo saga that NEVER, EVER changes, and never stops being tedious. - Desi is selfish and demanding. - Damo does his best to placate her. - Desi "learns" some lesson that she never actually learns. - Gorgeous men throw themselves at Desi. - Desi nobly turns these men down because, even though she treats Damo like a cash machine and a burden, he's her man. I really wish they would just marry and leave Ferndale.

We saw him die in the hospital and Jill weep over him. The reason some of us hated his return is because there was zero reason for it beyond an insulting gay storyline that was over in about two weeks, all because MAB wanted to pat herself on the back.

Someone who has watched more than five minutes of B&B in the last decade would know more than I do, but I think he showed back up on B&B after all that and fell off a cliff, and was "dead" for years until recently.

The Keemo stuff must be retcons, as he had vanished before Diane returned to Genoa City. Yes. Nikki beat her to death with a rock, or something. (never mind - Deacon killed her and let Nikki take the blame)

For me, Alex Donnelly will always be the only Diane. With that said, if this return manages to wipe away the stench of the vile, deeply misogynist treatment, and exit, Maura West's Diane got, I am glad. I wonder if anyone has found MAB at whatever art galleries she peruses to ask her about the show 'honoring history" by undoing her act of pure malice against a 30-year character...