MissLlanviewPA

Thanks. Both of my parents were huge fans of the show when it was originally on (I was only a year or two old back then), but they both have always made a point about how weird things got during season 2, so when I first expressed interest in seeing the whole series, they asked me if I was really sure if I wanted to do that .

As someone who hopes to see the original series soon, would you guys say this survival guide is fairly accurate?

Yes, The Bay. And believe it or not, despite my avatar, I have yet to see her on it!

Yes: What's worse is that Tea actually DARES him to rape her right before it, too. I will say, though, that Roger and Flo are GREAT in this scene. And then there's the scene where he threw Tea out of his penthouse while she was naked during a snow storm. And threw a boot at her head. Not the healthiest of relationships, believe it or not. Some great acting, though:

I remember at the time Erin left, she was saying how it was time to move on, since she had been with the show since she was nine years old, and she wanted to try out new things, like college (she was nearly 22 when she left the show) and singing (which she ultimately has--there are some performances of her on YouTube). I know there was talk about the direction Jessica was going into then and her being unhappy about it, but her being on the show that long, I'm sure, probably convinced her she needed a break. That was the reason she cited leaving at the time, although it may have been partially a cover for her real reasons she left. Interestingly, she and the Alderson kids share the same hometown: Doylestown, PA, right outside of Philly. It's sad that Anthony Call doesn't want to act anymore, because having Dorian reunite with Herb in some way or another would have been a LOT better than keeping her with David.

Thank you Carl and Amy!

I've always liked Nicolle Wallace. As a Democrat, if I'm going to have the loyal opposition, it might as well be her. I always liked her on Morning Joe and Real Time with Bill Maher. I'm not so familiar with Rosie Perez outside of her acting, so that will be interesting to see.

Here's a question: How would you rank the Cassies? There were: Cusi Cram (the original, high school aged Cassie) Ava Haddad (the one who married Rob Coronal and came back briefly during the Mendorra storyline in 1990) Holly Gagnier (the one who took Jon Russell from Dorian) Laura Bonariggo/Koffman (I you guys know what she did )

I don't see why not. From what I've seen of Steve, he would have been a good counterpoint to his wilder older brother, and if he and Brenda had stayed together and remained married (and still had Steven), I could see them being a good counterpoint to Max & Gabrielle--a more stable, potential tentpole couple compared to the latter's more volatile relationship (although, ironically enough, I think M&G, given how much more mature and healthy their relationship, even though it was just platonic, was by 2003, I think they would made a good tentpole couple themselves, along with their best friends Cord & Tina). Also, I am always amazed at how Russ Anderson and James DePaiva look SO much like RL brothers. VERY good casting there.

Yeah, I think it's just that nobody has posted it yet. There's a lot of Max & Gabrielle that hasn't been posted yet either--stuff I remember from the old Fiona Fest site, even. The scene I want to see again the most is from 1990, when he was recovering from being shot by the Wymans (the Lord Love the Children couple) after they tried to kidnap Al, and as he is finally ready to love and be with Gabrielle, tells her while she's visiting him that she's never looked more beautiful than at that very moment. And of course, Gabrielle, who promised God she would become a nun if He saved Max, is trying all she can to resist him. Well, that, and the love scene from 1988 while Steve was in a coma (and Gabrielle was still married to him).

I thought it was a bit of a strange outfit--although I don't think I hate it as much some do--but I agree. These are the VMAs, not the Oscars (of course, weird crap like Bjork's dead swan dress in 2001 sneaks in there every once in awhile, too) . There's more of an anything goes atmosphere that allows for crazier outfits. Compared to Lil Kim and her pasty that Diana Ross felt up years back, Taylor did just fine! That said, her dress at the VMAs last year was probably one of the safer outfits ever worn by a celebrity there, too. LOL to Lorde in those photos next to Taylor--I don't think she was as impressed with Blue Ivy.

It was Atlantic City. To this day, that scene has never been posted to YouTube, so I have yet to actually see it. But I can't help but wonder if any onscreen chemistry they had back in 1994 had to do with the fact that they were secretly attracted to each other in real life, despite the fact that they were both married to other people (Kassie to her first husband, and James to his second wife--Misty Rowe, of Hee Haw fame--who is also the mother of his daughter, Dreama, who was only around two years old when that scene would have aired). I always suspected that that love scene, despite never having seen it myself before, was hotter than it otherwise might have been because James and Kassie were giving into their real life feelings without "technically" cheating on their RL spouses as it was Max & Blair giving into each other onscreen. I'll never forget an interview the two of them did in SOD a few months before OLTL left ABC. They talked about this scene, and how when Phil Carey saw it on the monitors at the studio, he claimed it was straight up pornography. It makes me wonder if that's when their spouses finally decided their marriages were over (okay, it's not funny, but still). I know it's none of my business, but I've always been curious as to when and how that relationship actually began. Add into the fact that Kassie grew up in Kentucky loving country music, and it's entirely possible she grew up watching Misty on Hee Haw, having no idea she would wind up marrying her husband. Also, when she first performed at the Grand Ole Opry at 18, one of the songs she performed was Loretta Lynn's "You Ain't Woman Enough To Take My Man." Okay, okay, I'll stop now. But seriously, as fans of both of them as actors, the story of their relationship has always fascinated me.

That episode, Babes Behind Bars, is actually from 2002. Trading Places is from 2001. Jessica switched places with Jen in that episode. I truly wish Erin was more remembered as a kid lifer in soap history. She may not have been the best, but she was there for many years, and deserves to be remembered as much as any other kid lifer on soaps.

IIRC, she's actually one of the few people in the world now who knows for certain who that song is about. Is that true? She was in the movie Valentines Day, but I guess that was really at the very beginning of her career, so that makes sense.

I honestly have mixed feelings about Taylor and her public persona. On one hand, she was born in 1989, just like I was, and it IS pretty cool to see a young woman in the spotlight who was born the same year as me achieving her dreams and making a success of herself (see also: Hayden Panettiere, another 1989 girl who I absolutely ADORE [and many think her character on Nashville was partially inspired by Taylor, despite the noticeable height difference between the two ]). So, of course, seeing that her new album is named after our birth year is pretty damn cool . I also like that she's not much into partying, as I am a very shy girl who rarely drinks at all, and when I do, it's red wine. And I like her, I was bullied throughout middle school, so I absolutely sympathize with her on that front. It was a horrible experience for me, and no doubt for her, too, so naturally, the idea of becoming a huge success and having everyone who teased you and made your life a living hell is VERY tempting to me, and no doubt to her, too. But like others have said, here's the thing: Sometimes, after going through something like that, the best thing to do--and my mom has told me this, too--is to let your success speak for itself. She has every right to write songs addressing bullying and sticking up for the underdog, but when she makes statements like she did at the VMAs last year--thanking the guy who inspired "I Knew You Were Trouble" (and I'll admit that song is a guilty pleasure of mine)--it kind of undermines that and makes her look resentful and bitter (although, to be fair, many thought it was about Harry Styles, who they cut to right after she said that, but it makes MUCH more sense for it to be about John Mayer, who has earned the reputation as quite the manwhore, and unlike some guys in Hollywood, he's actually been called out about it many times--that, and she and Harry weren't involved yet before Red came out) I actually think the song "Mean" largely works as an anthem for kids who have been bullied and how they will someday make it and become successful like she did, but when it shifts to focusing on a music critic who claimed she couldn't sing in a review, once again, it undermines the overall message of the song to me. I like it more than I hate it, but that part seems unnecessary to me. I also largely like and relate to the song "You Belong With Me" too (and she is SO CUTE in the video with her glasses! I wore really ugly glasses in high school--I only got contact lenses shortly after I graduated high school), because I DEFINITELY felt like an ugly duckling (or maybe an "awkward duckling" is more accurate) in high school--not just because of my glasses, but because of my weight back then--so I definitely see what she's going after there, but yeah, the implication that she'll steal that guy from his girlfriend is still a little weird to me. But like I said before, from what I've heard before, I like a lot of her album tracks much more than her singles, especially "The Lucky One" which is pretty obviously about Joni Mitchell--I've heard she's supposed to play her in a movie sometime soon. And yes, I'll admit, because we are the same age (I'm a bit older than her--I was born in February 1989, she was born in December 1989--okay so I'm almost a year older than her, lol), I do sometimes feel some jealousy towards her because of how successful she's already become (which is part of the reason I don't really like "22"--one, I was 24 when that single came out, so that age has passed me by, and two, way to remind me of the fact that I'm still trying to find lasting success, Taylor! lol--that, and the hipster line seemed awkward to me), and even with all the jokes about her relationships (and I'll admit I'm as guilty as anybody in laughing at them/making them myself--I'm only human, people!), as someone who has only dated one person--and it only started last year--I sometimes feel some jealousy over that. Not too much, but sometimes. Like her, I'm also blonde-haired and blue eyed, but MUCH shorter and my weight goes up and down a lot. So I wouldn't mind being as tall or thin as her either! But what are we gonna do about that? And lastly, while I don't really care about what kind of music she makes (although I do understand the concerns about alienating her fanbase that made her famous), I really am not a fan of "Shake It Off." I love late 80's pop, but that makes me think less of Debbie Gibson or Paula Abdul and more of...mid 2000's Disney Channel soundtrack. Of course, watching the video was probably a mistake for me, as usually I find it's better just to listen to a song, and make up my own visuals for it. That, and I couldn't deal with her rapping, either. Too much for me. That said, I'm willing to give the rest of her new album a chance. So, I wouldn't say I'm a lover (although I did recently like her FB page) or a hater, more of a...whatever-er. I like some of her songs, and I'm interested in her public persona to a degree. It is what it is. I have no idea if I made any sense at all here, and I certainly didn't expect this to be so long , but this is just the perspective of Taylor from a young woman the same age as her.

I Knew You Were Trouble is a HUGE guilty pleasure of mine, I'll admit right now. I'll be honest, I haven't listened to anywhere near all of her discography, but from what I have heard, I mostly like her album tracks better than her singles, especially "All Too Well" and "The Lucky One" (which is supposed to be about Joni Mitchell). I wish those songs were a little better known. I will say, as someone who was also born in 1989, it is pretty cool to see that her new album has my birth year as the title.

I just found this cool picture on Erin Torpey's Twitter/Instagram accounts of her, Gina Tognoni and Darlene Vogel (she played Melanie). The three of them were very close friends at OLTL. It was taken around three weeks ago: http://instagram.com/p/qfENeWCd9t/

I posted about this a bit in Marceline's recent status update, but I thought I would bring my comments here, too: Now that we know the GOP is hosting their convention in Cleveland, as a die-hard Democrat (just so you guys know where I'm coming from upfront, right? ), I'm VERY interested to see what the DNC is going to do with their final list. Cleveland's on that list too, but obviously that isn't going to happen now (I'll admit, that was my top choice for the DNC, but I can see how the GOP was able to snag it--it actually makes some sense historically--there are definitely suburban Republicans in Cleveland--Steve LaTourette served in Congress in an area like this for years, and former Senator George Voinovich is also from there). These are the other cities in contention and my comments on each: Birmingham--Since we just had our last convention in Charlotte, moving the convention to another region would probably be the way to go this time. I'd certainly be open to it in the future, though. Columbus--I would LOVE to see this happen. Having both conventions in Ohio would be an economic GOLDMINE for the state, and as another bonus, it brings the DNC back to the Midwest for the first time since 1996, when it was held in Chicago. That said, having it in a different state from the RNC might be a wiser move for the party. But, on the OTHER other hand, there is no greater way to cement Ohio's status as a swing state than to hold both conventions there. We shall see, I guess. New York City (specifically, Brooklyn)--It's been since Clinton was nominated in 1992 (albeit at Madison Square Garden) that the Dems have been here, although the GOP held theirs here in 2004. I'd be okay with this. And again, it puts the party in another region: the Northeast (the last time? Boston in 2004). Philadelphia--The last time they held a political convention was in 2000, when the GOP nominated GWB. Another northeast city, and again, I think would be a great pick. On a shallow note, being from Maryland, the chance to go to either NYC or Philly for the convention (If I get to go, that is) would be great on a proximity level for me, but I'll try not to focus on that now . Phoenix--Other than Columbus, this would probably be my top pick for 2016. It puts the Dems in yet another different region--the Southwest--and given the GOP's long-term dominance in the state of Arizona, it would certainly make an interesting statement to have the opposing party hold their convention there. When is their final decision supposed to be, anyway?

James DePaiva's shot here was SO HOT. Sigh. He was the best.

It kind of looks like Monica is flipping Ned off in one of those pictures . Kurt McKinney was hot, I'd argue hotter than Wally Kurth. There's more of a boyish thing there that I just really find appealing. I even think his 80s haircut works for him here.

Whatever his faults, I'm forever grateful to Gary Tomlin for three things: Troy & Lindsay, Cristian & Natalie, and of course, part 2 of my beloved Max & Gabby. Not to mention that I first became a fan of the show when he was producing it.

And meanwhile, like the calm in the middle of the storm, Max & Gabrielle were enjoying a terrific friendship, and Al & Marcie were falling in love. This was 10 years ago. I was 14 years old. It wouldn't be long before this all disappeared.

Never mind, I was late to the party, I guess .

Sharp Edges is a documentary by filmmaker Sandra Luckow, who followed 15 year old Tonya Harding to her first Nationals in 1986. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GhzZOlP7MA

Three OLTL stars are joining the cast of Tainted Dreams. Ilene Kristen, Tonja Walker, and best of all... JAMES DEPAIVA!!!! YES!!!! http://www.welovesoaps.net/2013/07/ilene-kristen-james-depaiva-tonja.html