DRW50

I don't like Andy Cohen very much, and I've always found Anderson Cooper to be phony and pompous, but it's difficult to watch what's happened with her. She's gone from being apologetic to putting on a brave face, but it feels hollow. She made a stupid choice, and her career has suffered for it, but ultimately that decision was on her. She's never been universally beloved in the industry, she made a meal for many years out of her feuds with people and dislike for people. I get the feeling that as time passed she mistook what was obviously fake friendship for business purposes with some type of real bonds, and she got too comfortable with her niche in the industry. It doesn't matter if other people did this or that and didn't suffer - what matters is that her relationships with the people in showbiz were obviously not strong enough to survive, and I have a hard time imagining that was just from the photo shoot. It means they were already fragile to begin with. I also thought her calling Anderson Cooper an "heiress" was offputting and yet another example of her treating gay men as objects and accessories ("my gays"), not friends. A lot of women do this, especially in her generation, likely with the idea that they are so honored and grateful to be acknowledged at all that they are 100% loyal. Clearly that wasn't the case, so that means she's comfortable making comments that allegedly liberal people would not say. Of course she's happy to use "her gays" when it's time to read out homophobic slurs they send her about Cooper: http://www.washingtonblade.com/2017/10/11/kathy-griffin-spills-gay-tea-ex-friend-anderson-cooper/ I have no real pity for him, and certainly not for Andy Cohen, but neither of them have ever hidden much about who they really are (including this "misogyny" which I don't remember Griffin ever having a problem with in her career). She just didn't see the full force of it until she got on the wrong side. At her age and with her career she should have known better. She didn't, and now she's just going to keep talking about how hard done by she is and wait for "yas queen" in response. I guess if it gets her gigs, it gets her gigs, but I'll just be glad when the whole thing is over. I used to really enjoy her comedy and maybe she can turn it all around for herself, but the current PR exercise or "tea-spilling" or whatever she wants to call it feels like circling the drain.

I was reading an article last week about how many insects are dying off and how it's likely even worse than we know. (this was in Germany or France so who knows what it's like here). This will just make that continue (not even getting into effects on humans). This is the third or fourth pretty good piece I've read from Kristof lately. I remember him being somewhat unbearable under W and Obama...

I don't think the Lechowicks understood Abby's character (as I think Donna Mills suggested as well) - there was something very mechanical about her last season, up to her last episode, which was much better thanks to the "Abby scale" scene and her finally cutting the cord with ungrateful Olivia. I think they also had a really hard time covering up that they loved Paige and likely vastly preferred her to Abby. I think Abby was too complicated a character for them, as she always did plenty of scheming, but had a great deal of vulnerability to her. They didn't seem to understand that. The only other woman on Knots who was more complicated was Laura, and they ditched her too. The closest they got to capturing that type of complexity was Anne, who was much more of a supporting character.

I read that article on Hannah and Sciorra - truly stomach-churning, especially the part about him showing up at her hotel room door years later half-dressed, waiting to get in. And her saying she came forward for the sake of the other women who have been shamed for their rapes by people saying they weren't actually raped or that they're playing victim. I've already seen people saying the same about her, as per usual. I hope coming forward helps her find some peace, unlikely as that is.

Wow. I had no idea the Weinstein issue would cause such reaction internationally. I know there's been some stuff in the UK as well, with Parliament. I guess it was like a dam breaking. You can tell how popular Halperin was in the Beltway based on the reactions. I saw a bit of Tucker Carlson, who has gone on about Weinstein for weeks, and now he was saying that it wasn't fair that Halperin's accusers have remained anonymous and he was obviously trying to put the onus on them. Yet even he wasn't going full-throated in defense, which makes me wonder if some of Halperin's behavior was an open secret that people accepted because that's how it goes and also because they liked him.

I think that is why they let her go, so you're probably right.

Welcome to the board.

I'd forgotten about Aunt Ginny until now. She was obviously a Lillimae replacement (which makes you wonder why they didn't just try to get Julie Harris back), but Betsy Palmer had her own special style and kookiness. I kind of wonder if Joan van Ark asked that Val push Danny away rather than forgiving him. I remember how shocked I was when that man went through the window. It was a strong glimpse of the complex crime stories that the Lechowicks would favor here and elsewhere. And it was interesting, although I think we're going to get to Mack bellowing DIRTY COP DIRTY COP DIRTY COP soon, unless we've already gotten to that. Hate hate hate hate hate.

Thanks. Some real treasures there. Here's an update on the boy who played Samuel Skilbeck. http://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/15434643.1980s_Emmerdale_child_actor_wouldn_t_swap_his_career_as_a_stonemason_for_a_small_screen_revival/?ref=twtrec

The photos of Sheryl at that Disruption thing are great. I'm glad to know season 4 is still a possibility. Renaming the DVD "the limited series" made me wonder if it wasn't.

I always tend to be wary of Rosie O'Donnell in the last 20 years, but this is a pretty good interview. https://www.wmagazine.com/story/rosie-odonnell-smilf-showtime-new-donald-trump-interview

Looks like Lisa Bloom was in very deep with the Weinstein cover-up, to the point of weaseling info out of Ronan Farrow...and then conveniently enough after this was when NBC started trying to stop the story. It sounds like she really crossed the wrong people. https://www.thedailybeast.com/lisa-bloom-has-files-on-rose-mcgowans-history-inside-her-scorched-earth-crusade-for-harvey-weinstein

Wow. I thought they'd stopped uploading. Thanks.

Judging by the ratings last night, maybe 15 is a tribute to the amount of viewers they'll soon have.

Bert Bauer would be very proud of our restraint... (1982 Bert, anyway - 1952 Bert would make a passive-aggressive comment and spend 4 consecutive episodes venting to Papa Bauer about how weak we are)

She was the last Jennifer Smith on GH a few years ago.

Wow - an episode. It's so rare to see this. @Ben I doubt you ever pop up here anymore (I can't say I blame you if so...) but you may enjoy this:

Mark Halperin, Cheeto whisperer and Beltway darling, has been accused of harassment. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mark-halperin-sexual-harassment_us_59f15b11e4b0af27f58993a2

Thanks a lot, as always. I thought she was on the show in earlier years but got confused as she talked about how Mary Stuart had been on there 20 years, and so on.

Before Obama, and before everything imploded with the GOP in 05-06, I was pessimistic enough to think we wouldn't get a Democrat as President for a good while and that the only real change would be from the GOP imploding and having to refashion itself. I began to think the GOP would end up becoming like the Borg. Sometimes I wonder if that's where we're heading again, although as of now the only changes the GOP makes are moving further and further to the right.

Does anyone know more about this plot?

It's good to see you here again @amybrickwallace. I always have things I want to post or upload that you can see and then I forget by the time you return. I hope you got to see some of the Search uploads a few months ago, like the live episode and backstage footage.

Everything with Straus goes back a ways, before Trump. The Texas GOP has become increasingly extreme since Rove took it over in the mid-90s. I put an article here early in the year or late last year about his battles with the extremists in the Texas House. This was written around the time that one of them called ICE on protesters. In many ways Trump is the perfect foil for the GOP even now because they are so crazy yet he's the main one that gets the attention and the blame. I'm genuinely afraid for the people of Texas with this news. With gerrymandering and voter suppression and voter apathy, unfortunately I've given up thinking that the Republicans are going to lose power. I hope they do. I hope they do before it's too late for the country or the world, really.

5 gunshot wounds? That makes me wonder more about those fan theories that Shelly killed him...