DramatistDreamer

I enjoy reaction videos and have always wanted there to be a daytime soap edition. I wish more soaps would do these types of video reactions by the actors. Now that P&G has dipped their toes back into the world of daytime drama, I wish they would allow that with some of their clips from their classic shows. Hm.🤔

Unfortunately, Heather's storyline drove that character right out of Oakdale. I remember there was a scene with Frannie, Sierra and Roy (presumably in the lounge at Oakdale U.) where Roy was discussing what how things fell apart between he and Heather and wondering if Frannie had heard from her. There was a sweet moment between the two where Frannie was trying to comfort Roy with words of encouragement. It was an understated moment of grace. It's a shame because I thought they could have been a good friend group and I was sorry that Heather/Tonya was no longer on the canvas.

I thought Tonya Pinkins and Julianne Moore had believable friend chemistry.

Heather Dalton arrived on the canvas around 1984, no? I don't remember Heather being a confidante of Frannie Hughes until Julianne Moore was in the role in 1985. Before that, Heather was closer to Betsy and Steve since Heather and Tucker were dating and Tucker was Steve's friend and business partner. Then, when Betsy and Sierra became friends, it seemed as if they were going to be a trio of girlfriends but I guess, after Tucker left town (I don't even remember the circumstance, does anyone else? Strange), and as Marcy was leaving the canvas, Heather was shifted into the friend group with Frannie and Kevin.

I think that might have been Susan Bedsow-Horgan, who I wish they would have lured back to ATWT as a HW after Marland's sudden passing.

What's going on with all these people?? Why is Ehrich abusing his mom? Who takes nitrous oxide?? Didn't Darius McCrary learn anything from his previous entanglements that turned completely sour? Sadly, with the way things are going in this country, I think I will have to brace myself to hear of more disturbing occurrences like these.

@DRW50@Soapsuds was it just me or did Don Hastings start to mention that Eileen wasn't handled very well toward the end of ATWT? I know he also mentioned that Eileen was so talented but had been mishandled by people during her career but I also think he started to talk about the way she was treated toward the end of the series when he was interrupted.

There were over 500 people watching the livestream last night! That is truly a testament to how many people love Eileen and Lisa. I wish Larry and Scott could have been there but it was a great group. It seems as if Colleen has softened her position on her vixen era (aka Baddie Babs), she recognizes that, although it was hard on her to go from "good girl" to "baddie", she appreciates that Barbara had to escape the doormat status that that character had become stuck in as James' wife/victim. She talked about how much Eileen helped her see that and how Eileen dealt with being a "hated" character in her vixen era with grace and professionalism. I always enjoy Hillary Bailey Smith talking about her era, how much she loved to play with Gregg and what an absolute hoot Eileen was. I know HBS often feels the need to reiterate that Eileen got a lot of hate for Margo's miscarriage but it really wasn't her fault for that particular storyline. I loved hearing from Don Hastings about the Irna Phillips era of the show and I want to hear more about it (interesting that Ellen Dolan mentioned that she had been working on a one-woman show about Phillips). Sadly, neither woman is here to discuss the Lisa/Lucinda feud but I think, had Larry Bryggman been there, he might have had something to say about it. The venomous dialogue between the two women was truly clever writing. That scene at Diana's where a confrontation ensued and ends with Lisa, with her head gently resting on her hands with a wry smile plastered on her face to say "Oh, how I despise her" was peak golden age cinematic delivery. That was Old Hollywood and you just don't get that kind of writing in soaps anymore. I miss that type of daytime soap opera.❤️

Thanks @Soapsuds Just the other day, I was wondering if/when they would have something for dear Eileen after stumbling on some episodes on YouTube that I hadn't seen in a very long time. I love the group they've assembled for this! Ms. Fulton looks fantastic here, true Diva fashion.

Honestly, can't say I am shocked though.🤷🏾‍♀️

Those BTG demos are quite...something.

Mine arrived today. Was hand delivered by the owner of the independent bookstore that I ordered from. I am so glad I decided to order from a bookstore owned by a Black woman!

I think almost every woman on As The World Turns in the 1980s and 90s had their real life pregnancy written into the show Colleen Zenk, Hillary Bailey Smith, Lisa Brown and others who have been mentioned upthread. I am not sure about Susan Marie Snyder, although she was married to and had a child with her co-star Peter Boynton.

It takes me a bit longer to reply--I am just now seeing this because I don't come on these boards as often as I used to in the past. The show needs its own version of Debbie Allen to put some figurative "hot sauce on the table". One example is when Bill and Dani were reminiscing about throwing Chelsea a party (something to the effect of an intimate sit down dinner) because Chelsea was envious of people she knew who had a bat mitzvah because she liked the idea of an event that centered the tradition of marking someone's introduction into adulthood. Well, in the African-American community there is something called a cotillion or a debutante ball which does exactly that and it is especially popular among the well-heeled and upper-income African American set. It's a big deal and anyone writing a show about wealthy and connected Black folk should have known enough to acknowledge that yes, Chelsea, Naomi, Kat and their mothers Dani and Nicole all would have participated in one. I could not imagine a family like the Duprees and a man like Bill Hamilton, all attached to status not taking part in a 100+ year old tradition in the upper echelon of African American society. You mean, to tell me that the Duprees cherish their country club but there's no photographic evidence of one of the most visible members of the family having ever attended a cotillion of debutante ball? It's the details... This is only one example of disconnect.

The trailer for the movie IT: Welcome to Derry briefly shows Kimberly Guerrero who portrayed Simone Bordeau on As The World Turns in one of her very first screen credits. The flash of her onscreen was a few seconds but somehow, my eagle-eye recognized her immediately.

The oversight of critical cultural cues and touchstones on this show is a continual source of aggravation for me. Who is writing this show??

😂 I knew HBS's Margo head turn was coming even before I clicked play. Classic opening. When I was watching the replay of Finn's reunion, I giggled when Finn said Sierra had Tonio killed. 🫣 It's too bad nobody thought to write a genuine corrective to Bryant's storyline, they could have actually had Craig and Sierra rescue a kidnapped Bryant and have Sierra be the one to actually kill Tonio. It would've reminded viewers that Sierra was actually a battle tested revolutionary and not some dainty pantsuit wearing figure that she was presented as being in the show's final years.

Hopefully the people I know stick with it but most say they're giving it until the end of Season One.

Before the series debut, I remember MVJ saying that she hoped the show would appeal to viewers who would not ordinarily watch as daytime soap, as well as the viewers who did (remember the tag line "...not your grandmother's soap"?) At this point, I think it might be better to let go of the idea of bringing in and maintaining viewers who are not ordinary daytime soap viewers.

Which is why I personally believe that this is a writing issue. I noticed that Robinson first came onto the show, he seemed to elevate the performance of some of the actors, even those that did not display strong ability. To me he is definitely a step up from Maurice Johnson.

Dang, so sad to hear about Michael Blake. He genuinely became the most accomplished actor besides Stephan James and Dayo Ade, in terms of pure acting credentials. The Degrassi documentary debuted yesterday at TIFF. I wonder when it might make its way stateside.

I wish I could have "attended" the livestream, because I would have asked Finn for a bit more detail on the circumstances around her departure from ATWT. I know she mentioned that storyline for Sierra was dwindling but I wonder if it had to do with Scott being off the canvas for such a prolonged period of time (even though we know 'Craig' survived the plane crash and figured he would most likely return to Oakdale eventually) or was it a result of the Writer's Strike and those writers deciding to focus on other characters. There didn't seem to be much attention on whether she had any reassurance that it was a temporary issue, rather than a phasing out of a character. I can't imagine that Marland would have wanted Finn/Sierra to leave. Again, I'd love for both Bryce and Carter to talk about what happened to their characters. I remember Bryce saying that when he decided to leave the show in '89, Carter came in for that short story arc just to help usher him off the canvas.

How much of that can be attributed to the writing though? As a Black person who grew up watching daytime soaps, it has been very interesting speaking with other Black people who have no history with this genre. I get the sense (actually, I don't have to sense anything...people have flat out told me that their interest in the show is waning) that some are torn between wanting to support this show, watching with the hopes that their loyalty will be rewarded with a better show or do they just cut their losses. I too am tired of watching the seeming sad sack demeanor of Doug and Ted. I mean...the writing and characterizations on this show is not great. Yes, the actors who portray Tómas and Ben are struggle actors but the writing is not doing them any favors. And although I really think Jon Lindstrom is a talented soap veteran, I am tired of watching Joey Armstrong play puppet master in the lives of this supposedly powerful and influential family. Maybe with Guza gone, Joey Armstrong will recede into the underworld from whence he came.

Hey Vee, I have been discussing this show mostly with people who have never watched a daytime soap before (ooh boy, do they have thoughts on the quality of this show!) and they used to refer to Maurice's version of the character as "Temu Ted"🤭 so they consider Robinson's interpretation of the character as a definite upgrade.

It was mentioned but unfortunately, not much detail, that aspect kind of get swept into the time period that seemed like it was a frenzy of professional activity that eventually led to the beginning of a run toward a period of some personal turmoil. After her time on ATWT was discussed, it seemed as if Alan kind of mentioned some of her other work (MSW included) before diving into Tremors. Finn mentioned that movie she did with Anthony Edwards (How I Got Into College, I think that's the title?) and how she felt insecure in getting into movies as it was so different from how things were on the soaps, but how she'd had to learn how things moved on a soap after only having experience on a stage, mostly as a dancer- I still can't get over how she was part of one of the Ailey ensembles! I think it might have been Ailey II but she got very little opportunity to really delve deep into her time as a dancer. Maybe when she returns and if Scott is up to joining, they can both discuss their respective stints on MSW, that would be fun to see them compare notes on their experiences.