DRW50

I saw that Ivanka Trump was using a quote from Thomas Jefferson to make her father look like a martyr. She really is deluded. I wasn't surprised that Collin Peterson, who is in a very red Minnesota district, voted against impeachment, but I was surprised a Democrat from New Jersey did. Maybe that district loves Trump, I don't know.

I know the old show is gone and dead, but I miss the early Halloween years where we got story-based moments for their costumes, whether it be pranking the hell out of their neighbors, or Roseanne being stuck in a bar mistaken for a man. I think it would have been nice to have some fun with the theme rather than just people wearing costumes. Not having Darlene in two heavy stories the same week would have been a needed breather. I don't have a lot of investment in Darlene and Ben, but I thought the way the show handled the fallout was refreshing. In the later seasons of the old show, the men were often ground into the dust, weak and pathetic and unworthy. That wasn't the case here. Ben was cold toward Darlene, but not particularly unfair, and we weren't asked to jeer him for the way he felt. I thought the scene where Darlene tried to reconcile with Ben, only to keep tripping over how many secrets she'd kept and how much she'd taken for granted, was great. I wish they'd done the material with Mary when her mother was still on the show, but I do appreciate the idea, and I thought most of the scenes, like DJ not knowing what to do, and Mary feeling defeated, were strong. I had mixed feelings about her conversation with Mark, mostly because I wish the show had pointed out that a black girl making faces to "scare" people away is not going to get the same response that a white boy doing that will. I did like seeing them talk and seeing more family connections. The material with Jackie, Darlene, Bev and Becky felt more like the old Roseanne than just about anything in the revival. Very emotionally fraught material that leaves you feeling or understanding the position of everyone involved. It's nice to see Jackie as her old self again. I can't believe Estelle Parsons is 92. Her acting is actually better now than it was 25 years ago.

Another boo hoo baby being put on the court. Who cares if a judge is mentally or emotionally stable, right???

Splinter, the hard left political site, shuttered earlier this month (I'm sorry for the people who lost their jobs, even if I disagreed with the tone and takes of much of the site). Now one of its sister sites, Deadspin, seems to be careening towards death - they came down hard on the writers for various reasons (like political commentary and disapproving of autoplay ads) and finally fired an editor a few days ago. This has led to en masse resignations. https://www.thebiglead.com/posts/deadspin-writers-quitting-g-o-media-controversy-01drf9syxbdp

I was a big fan of Kat back then. I loved her friendship with Bridget. I was so disappointed in her exit story. Looking back I guess I should be grateful as many had much worse - if they had exits at all. I think she may have been the last black cast member to have one...

This is just nuts. https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/30/nunes-acolyte-misrepresented-himself-to-trump-as-ukraine-expert-061763

I've been following along with the One SNL Episode A Day blog and he got to a 1996 episode with Alec Baldwin. There's a lazy "what if Jane Austen characters were idiots and crass" sketch which threw me because they use (along with several pieces from elsewhere) three different Dark Shadows songs - the music often used in scenes where characters were at Widows Hill or in the woods or at the beach looking contemplative, a generic music box theme, and Josette's Theme. I have no idea why they used those, but I guess it helps explain why it isn't available on NBC's website...

This is an interesting segment in the first few minutes of this show about the effects of Falcon Crest "groupies" on local filming areas.

Great find. Thanks!

I don't even really know. I'd have Bet return to mend fences with Rita and have a chat with Ken. Maybe have a party at the Rovers and pay tribute to Betty. Bring Vicky back too. Have a few hints that Bet isn't well, but don't say outright she's ill or dying - Bet wouldn't want it that way. I'd write out Eileen, Gemma, Fiz, Chesney, Paul (I actually don't mind him but there's no reason to keep him), Peter, Carla, Nick, Simon (I'd recast Simon at a later date), Alya, Geoff, Gary, Sean, Izzy. To keep the Barlows going I'd recast Ken's grandson and son and have them on the canvas. They probably wouldn't get rid of Steve but if they could I would probably do it - if he does stay I'd make Simon Gregson go to acting classes. I'd get rid of the factory. Have it bought by an outside corporation and shut down. Reopen it as a community center to turn to more character and community based stories. I'd shut down one of the Kabin or the corner shop. No real need for both. I'd replace one of them with something more suited for modern life. I'd also try to figure out how to salvage Toyah and Leanne, if that's possible. Maybe have them learn Les died and left them some mystery to figure out. I don't know. I'd bring back Roy's ward, Wayne, maybe give him a wife and family. I'd give Gail a real job again and have her stop dithering. I'd also bring back Dennis Tanner for a more proper stint.

Naomi needs better projects.

The move to sensationalism was the first step. That happened with Corrie around 1997, and led to the exit of longtime writers like Adele Rose. Too many episodes was the next step. Corrie could, at the best of times, support 4 episodes a week. That was it. It's never been the same since they moved to 5 episodes. The last step is the show is too stuck in its own gaze, too afraid to make the changes it needs to make for modern times. Corrie always kept up with the times until about 2004 or 2005.

That's it exactly. Even moreso than with Elsie, we, at Bet's best, saw the heartbreak underneath the brass. Susi Hush, the controversial producer of the mid-70s, is the one I credit most (beyond Julie herself of course) for bringing out those layers. She was the one who did the devastating storyline where the son Bet gave up for adoption came to Weatherfield and was disgusted by her drunken behavior, so left without telling her. Then when he was killed she attempted suicide. Another story she did was where the sleazy husband of former barmaid Concepta hit on her and ruined her relationship with a man she was crazy about. Bet told him she was sending a letter to Concepta, putting him in his place, but when she was alone, her confidence crumbled. You simply don't have this layered writing for any character on a soap now, least of all female characters.

That period of Y&R had a lot of dropped stories. Wasn't that also when a mysterious person invited Ryan, Cole, Nina and Victoria to a meal, and it was never mentioned again?

Former NC senator Kay Hagan has died. https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/28/former-north-carolina-senator-kay-hagan-dies-060172 Hagan unseated longtime media favorite Elizabeth Dole in 2008, and was seen as a very strong campaigner. She had the misfortune of being up in a terrible year for Democrats, but she still only narrowly lost to the current waste of space in that seat. Sorry to hear of her passing.

I've always felt a bit bad for Michael, because she's been getting panned for her acting for 20 years now, but she really just can't act. She never could. She's a beautiful woman with a very unique presence, but she can't act. She would have been better off if the show was done like the old Dynasty, which was more about presence than anything else.

Jared's been kind of a mess over the years - very erratic on social media.

I've lost count of how many times these gerrymandered maps are thrown out and then the ruling is reversed. Kamala Harris had the right idea about the forum. I get the feeling Cory Booker thought he would send some kind of "teachable moment" message and get the moral high ground vote, but there is no teachable moment. Groups that give Trump any support should not be enabled.

The irony is because of the noticeable age difference between Abigail and the actor who played Chris, many ended up seeing her as too young.

By a few years, yes.