You're Soaking in it

I see what you're saying. But Kit would have been an awful character for anyone to play: She showed up, revealed herself to be Jackson's "dead" sister (right after he was out-of-the-blue talking about her death), basically acted like a bitch to any PV resident she crossed, made everyone hate her, then was raped so that viewers were supposed to suddenly like her, but no one cared. Add Lee Hawkins (AKA poor man's Ray Gardner), his daughter-by-day / ghost-of-dead-wife-by-night Camile, suddenly-psychic Mateo, his never before-mentioned wife / baby-mama Raquel (he didn't see HER coming!), resurrected-just-for-comedy Mike Roy, and the hysterical conclusion of Brooke's storyline with Jim Thomasen... 1998 was the first time in AMC's history that it became a legitimate hot mess.

*Something "AMC" new to add that I don't think has been mentioned yet: Pierce Riley, love interest for Janet... then Brooke... originated in 1995 by James Fitzpatrick, ending in scandal and replaced by Greg Wrangler in 1996, himself replaced several months later by Maxwell Caulfield.... The role was created for Kin Shriner, who backed out.

There isn't. Eva LaRue is the only actress to play Maria Santos, who first entered the storyline as... Trevor's doctor. Here's one of her first episodes: 100% Laurel. And you're right, Khan, the role was created with Eileen in mind. ABC tried to get her two years earlier for OLTL as a recast Gabrielle... she declined for the same reason: not wanting to relocate to NY. As for Kit Fisher / Christine Montgomery, AMC was courting Jessica Tuck (ex-Megan, OLTL). Obviously that didn't work out. She dodged a bullet since 1998 was just a major WTF year for AMC.

That isn't the same scenario that j swift was describing, which is what I was responding to. Maybe I should have said "self-denial." But yes, "culture of denial" also applies to what you said, all of which is valid. Well beyond magazines (soap or otherwise), pretty much every part of the entertainment industry - from execs, producers, publicists, to actors themselves - helped maintain that order. Too many still do.

Let me say, though, I know there are a few editors who attracted themselves some attention... and might have left the kind of impression you're describing! I don't fault anyone for their thoughts about the soap magazines. So really, thank you for bringing it up.

I can't see into the operation of each soap editor's mind. But I can tell you that from the 90's forward, there wasn't any culture of denial that I think you're describing here. Everyone knows / knew who was doing who - whether it involved being gay, straight, or bi... As Vee made reference to, every show had/has a publicist who is supposed to be in the loop on every interview & conversation their talent is having with the press. The talent is also supposed to be checking with the publicist on things they will or won't talk about. Nobody was to violate that publicist relationship. The idea that the soap mags were overrun by women desperate not to shatter hunky delusions, is the real fantasy here. About a third of the magazines' editorial staff were gay men, and one of the most recognizable and respected editors in the industry was an out lesbian - certainly none of those were personally invested in maintaining such an illusion. But they and everyone else were all journalists who (*with a few infamous exceptions) always practiced with professionalism. They knew their #1 job was to produce the kind of compelling content that sells the issues. Keeping an actor's sexual orientation, even their entire personal life - straight included - out of the pages was always the doing of said actor, the actor's representation, and/or the production they worked for.

I don't believe she was ever nominated, not even for her work in 1987 for the Ross / acquaintance rape storyline... I mention that because it was the first time I really saw how much she was capable of. She was mesmerizing.

But what other choice would there be when the actor says the subject is off-limits for publication, or describes something contrary? You can print only what you can quote. I can recall around 2010, when OLTL's Nic Robuck (James Ford) - mentioned in this thread - was interviewed alongside on-screen brothers Lenny Platt (Nate Salinger) and David E. Gregory (Robert Ford) for a profile Q&A. They were asked if they're dating anyone. Lenny and David both dropped some tidbits, and Nic simply said "I don't discuss my personal life." Even though I'm sure the interviewer knew he was already married to Tyler Robuck, the magazine is obligated to go with what Nic tells them. Believe me, they would love to give you the real scoop about the antics of a certain pair of recast on-screen brothers finding lust off the set ... or to have broken a story of two intoxicated leading men (also on-screen brothers on a show, but appearing on said show at different times) who otherwise present as hetero, getting incredibly, visibly, palpably touchy-feely outside the Daytime Emmys - and overheard & witnessed by many around them, one suggesting they go to his hotel room - then exiting together... But as complicit as it may be, it wasn't on-record, so they legally can't.

Malone came after Gottlieb. Craig Carlson was still head writer for about a month. You're right, Malone was a novel writer, and didn't grasp (embrace?) concepts of pacing & storyline connectivity. Josh Griffith as his co-head writer definitely made a positive impact there. It was announced that Malone & Griffith were returning as co-head writers effective on-air February 2003. But Malone's work was delayed by a month or two because of some contractual obligation he couldn't release from. Outgoing head writer Lorraine Broderick (she was actually demoting to the Associate Head Writer post) served as interim co-head writer with Griffith until Malone got there. I actually think Griffith & Broderick's work played far better emotionally than what came once Malone was back on board. Lindsay shooting & killing Sam (by mistake) & her subsequent breakdown - probably Catherine Hickland's best work ever; Al Holden being the voice of the night - his drug problem & budding relationship with Marcie... Two strong points. Once Malone returned, it was Jessica & Antonio in-your-face & down-your-throats, Keri Reynolds suddenly-psycho, Cristian gone crazy, Dorian's return (good) but married to Mitch & obsessed with the Baaahdra Diamond (BAD), Reverend Joey kissing cousin "Flash"/Sarah & pouting over uninteresting Jen, the off-screen ruin of her mother Tina (which to be fair, Malone had already ruined in 1995), Music Box Killer, the Santis, and the unceremonious ditching - sometimes killing - of legacy characters like Gabrielle, Max, Al ... By the time he was done, it was a crap fest, which ironically made the transition to Dena Higley's work kind of seamless.

It wasn't Samms that was horrible: The super-soft writing of her character, which actually started to take shape a year before Martin left, was the problem. With the recast, The Colbys storylines abandoned any sense of the strong Fallon we'd known. When Samms returned to Dynasty, things started to improve. Then come season 9, credit the new EP David Paulsen. In an interview, he described his first time meeting Samms, getting to know her personality, and realizing the essence of Fallon was right there in front of him... But the previous writers had been ignoring her fire in favor of having her play a shrinking violet.

Emma Samms. Honestly, I wouldn't wish this show upon her or anyone... But I've always thought her Fallon - especially when well written (see season 9) - was the better conception of the spoiled princess daughter to Alexis & Blake. Add that to her screen presence, being beautiful, enigmatic, having immediate chemistry with her co-stars... I think she'd also be a more on-point Alexis... But again, with this Dynasty, any actor should proceed with caution.

Paul Anthony Stewart was practically never in. My (straight) best friend was the bartender at Akbar in Silverlake, CA - first met Paul as a patron there shortly after he left Loving. He was sociable, friendly, and comfortable in his own skin. And we can probably add these two AMC kids to the list of never-ins: Daniel Kennedy (Peter Cortlandt) and Bobby Steggert (Sam Grey). Oh, and Richard Roland: He played Kevin Sheffield's older brother, Jason - who shot at gay teacher Michael Delaney on live TV, but missed & killed Michael's sister, Laurel instead... because he blamed Michael for somehow turning Kevin gay. (Edit: All My Shadows, you beat me to it on Bobby!)

In hindsight, I know this was an error... but you should have seen the double-take on my face when I first read that!

After hearing about her from him, I wasn't surprised to see what came about later... IIRC, she was let go from OLTL once and brought back, then let go again. Then came AW, then the partying with John Bobbit, etc... I think the original Stephanie didn't even make it through a month or two before they "discovered" Griggs. Her appearances were sporadic, too. But I remember her being sweet and a competent actress Just didn't have the chance to get to know her.

I met Joey Thrower like 3 months after he was off the show. He was bartending at a night club in Pasadena, called - not joking - SHELTER. He was really nice. And we TALKED, lol... He didn't like then-EP Linda Gottlieb, which I knew even then that a lot of cast & crew did not (general feeling was that she was unusually controlling of actors, even off-set - and that she disregarded the show's BTS history, which led to things like her basically telling Jensen Buchanan to get lost). He was kind of cocky, but it sort of fit his age - and you could tell he was together, not a partying mess. He did NOT like Robyn Griggs (Stephanie Hobart) AT ALL - said she was an instigator, attention-seeker, drama-magnet... He really liked working with her predecessor, Christiaan Torres-Mills. Said she was never given a chance in the role, and that her more ethnic-look, while definitely resembling the Carlo Hesser family, worked against her. He liked everyone else, too. Loved Yasmine Bleeth. He really missed Erika, Chris, and Erin. Was in love with Karen Witter, in a very "crush" sort of way. I remember speaking nicely of Phil Carey, too. But you know what? He seemed really happy doing what he was doing right there... not crushed or defeated at all. He still came off as appreciating the experience on OLTL.

Bruce Michael Hall looks more suited to be the third of a retconned set of Jessica-Natalie-Joey triplets... and definitely the youngest of the three! And yeah, Jack Armstrong might have made a very good Dan Wolek - he even reminds me a little bit of what Joshua Cox & Steven Culp brought to their stints in the role.

Am I mistaken, or has JSS "done something" to his face? He looks as if every spec of fat or softness was sucked right out of it. I think your recognition is dead-on, Khan! That does look like Peter Strong (Bob) - the eyebrow bridge is what makes it. I never would have got that on my own. BTW, I wonder if there are any pics of KT with Karen Witter (ex-Tinas) together. They look placed not so close by each other... which is kind of appropriate considering how different they were in the role. And weird that Mia Korf is sat next to KT. Her Blair & KT's Tina never crossed each other.

I think it's Holly Gagnier (ex-Cassie). You know, they never even considered bringing back McKenna as Joey. Not that Tom Dengen was bad, but Chris would have been a helluva lot better. He and Nathan Fillion seemed to share this similar soul in the character. I remember when Fillion first came on, as tall & different looking as he was compared to Chris, he still felt like the Joey that Chris had left with. They were the two least memorable for me. DJ was such a weird replacement for Fillion... deep and soulful with a sense of humor, to an attention-hungry brat who thought himself "cool" when he was actually annoying. As for BMH, he wasn't annoying - but so different that he was wrong for the part. And trying to reinvent the character as Father Joe didn't make it better. I believe he is a building contractor now... I think in an inland area of So Cal, like Indio or Palm Springs.

Given the condition of the house in the season finale, I say have her die from complications of mixing opioids with Ambien. Jackie heads downstairs just to check on things, we see her always-comedic face with a look of surprise & a shout-out of "Daaaan, we got a problem!" - and cut to a floating face-down Rosie body double. Cue the new Roseanne-less opening credits, with everyone else celebrating their usual fun family feast. (Darlene's brief, sarcasm laugh at the end.)

1) Lorraine Broderick - I rank her as my favorite because, in every HW position she had held, she made it a priority to put "heart" into the story. Of course, this was always at its best at All My Children, the show that was closest to her own heart. And three different times, she came in to successfully correct a previous HW's damage on AMC. There was no one better to bring Pine Valley to a close on ABC - All My Children felt like itself again. She understood and respected its legacy. Her former writing partner, Wisner Washam, and her mentor, Agnes Nixon, of course deserve much credit for being influential cores of Broderick's writing DNA. 2) Peggy O'Shea - She is probably one of the most under-recognized head writers, particularly for One Life to Live. Her work absolutely exploded (in a good way) in the mid-80's under EP Paul Rauch, and with her Associate HW S. Michael Schnessel. They were truly an excellent collaboration. She knew how to mine the show's history, and play the character beats. Mike Schnessel had a sense of adventure & whimsy that worked for the show under Peggy's guidance in keeping things grounded, making the fantastic feel real. Viki's trip to heaven would have seemed almost ridiculous if it weren't so expertly told from Viki's POV. Maria Roberts would have otherwise been cartoonish if not for continually fleshing out her emotional descent into insanity. And of course, the definitive creation of Nicole Smith... an expertly story that also brought Tina to the forefront... the troubled girl to misunderstood, status-craving vixen - and then a man named Cordero entered her life and exposed her human side. All that was Peggy O'Shea... it was OLTL's highest viewership ever. She did not return after the WGA strike in 1988... Schnessel went solo for about 2 years, and while it tonally felt like the OLTL O'Shea had created, it lacked substance and often went over the cliff when it tried being over the top (Eterna). By 1991, he was gone, too - and the show felt confused, especially between the exit of Rauch and the starting of Linda Gottlieb as EP later that year. Agnes Nixon goes without saying. Winser Washam's AMC is considered golden era. Claire Labine has done fantastic work.

I take it back, Jonathan.. I watched clips from a few episodes of that era yesterday. When the story began, it looks like Marcy Walker's Liza was doing some kind of internship for the news at WRCW, and was drafted to assist Cliff when he stepped in to do their medical segments. By the time Walker left, Liza was working exclusively for Cliff. When Alice Haining took over, Liza was always behind his medical office desk at the hospital - sometimes flirting with Cliff or taunting nu-Nina. There's no clear point I could find where she said, "I'm changing jobs" - she just seemed to follow Cliff around, lol...

I believe she worked for specifically for Cliff at that time, helping run his medical practice. This TV gig just came along with the job.

Great episode with some good scenes between the Sago's... Little bonus: I'm pretty sure that's Carrington Garland (Kelly Capwell, Santa Barbara) in that Geo Prizm car commercial at around 37:40...

It was a really brief, pinch-hitter recast - maybe 2 weeks... But he resembled the character enough and was believable in scenes with Taylor Miller. Basically, Matt was in Pine Valley just for the reveal that Michael was in fact Cliff's son, and not his. Once that cat was out of the bag, Matt was gone for good. I don't recall Nina being a servant for the Chandlers. But if it happened for only 5 seconds, I definitely could have missed it.

The two ladies you're thinking of may be the same character, and Steve was gone long before she had entered the story: The doctor was Amy Stone, Nina's psychiatrist during Barbara Kearns' run (Nina #3, the red-head who was boinking Benny Sago). Amy was originated by one actress, but was recast with Catherine Christiansen once she was paired with Cliff and Taylor Miller had returned as Nina. Cliff & Amy were engaged to be married. But after a chance encounter with Nina at Martha's Vineyard, Cliff confessed to Amy: "We have to face the fact that I'm still in love with Nina." Amy promptly screamed, cried hysterically - "NO!! LET ME GOOOOO! ARRRGGHHH!" - and ran out the front door into the street where she was hit by a speeding car - all in a matter of 5 to 10 seconds! (I remember my head spinning a bit, lol.) She was in a coma and later died in the hospital.