DramatistDreamer

@JaneAusten the way and in the form most current media exist today is the reason why I have to read multiple sources every week, if I want even half the story. Some days I can't even stomach much other than to read the headline the the lede. I can remember years ago when I would consume the news like it was my job because to be able to write, I felt like being well read was a must. To some extent, I still feel this way but I am far more circumspect about every single news source- I pretty much treat them all as if tabloid tendencies lurk beneath the surface.

At the risk of starting a rumor which may not even be true, I saw a tweet posted by a Korean American man that Peng Shuai is "on trial" and now I can't dismiss the thought out of my head. Could that at all be true? How would this man know this? This account is listed as being located in the United States, but is it really, or could VPN be a factor? Maybe I am making too much out of a stray comment posted on social media by someone who may have no insight at all but I can't help it, I find the comment deeply disturbing. I wouldn't dare discuss it anywhere else but here.

At least one of these issues is not as important as folks think it is, that's all I will say on that post. I wish people (including media) had the ability to focus on more than one issue at a time. The latest jobs report clearly illustrates that hiring has slowed down. I suspect it's been slowing for some time, meanwhile the labor force has "surged" as media reports put it, probably because Republicans have yanked many social safety nets from under their constituents, based on the lie that eviction protection programs and extended unemployment was somehow a disincentive to work. People have been complaining for months that employers are not hiring at the rate that ads are being put out and people are continually applying for jobs, yet not hearing back, despite companies complaining that they don't get enough job inquiries (which is clearly not the case) for open positions, therefore many jobs are going unfilled. This is more alarming than being highlighted in media. Much of the "leverage" (what little there was to begin with) that workers and prospective employees are purported to have is obviously being stripped away and it appears to be a concerted effort by the corporations and those of their ilk. Why so little focus on this? Is this issue not "sexy" enough? Also, who actually gives a fig about whether the idiot former occupant of the White House had COVID or not (he did) or whether idiots in high places are actual friends rather than mutuals who frequent the same events. There are actual events going in that actually affect real life and these events don't seem to get much traction. How sad.

You're welcome. I found it at random. I had to laugh though when he mentioned the Facts Of Life and said that he thinks that George Clooney, who had left the show, was playing "Jo's boyfriend or something". He obviously didn't watch that show before he was on it, lol. I realize I have seen some of the work that he's produced. Even though it's for a YA audience, I really enjoyed the special he produced about Frederick Douglass years ago. Too bad there weren't more episodes in that series made about other historical figures, I thought it was a great idea- it probably lacked the funding to go further.

This is one of the better hosted podcasts interviewing someone from the world of daytime drama, but time stamps would be a worthwhile addition as these podcasts tend to run long. Bryce is interesting in general, but he really got my attention when he begins to describe his final appearance on ATWT and how he hadn't realized how badly things had deteriorated on the show until he was there. https://youtu.be/RulOS2v1tRk Welp, it can't be embedded. Sorry, just got to follow the link. Some of these podcast hosts are so bad at promotion of their program, no wonder their view counts are so low!

You can be working class, practical and still stylish. I grew up in a working class family and everyone dressed pretty stylishly, even in the 80s as a child, I noticed this.

There used to be a thread with a listing of popular music used on soaps. I can't find it but if I could, I'd add Al Jarreau's "After All", which appears to be the theme song they're going with for Caroline and Thorne. They've used twice now--arguably, it's the same scene since the second time is in a flashback.

She wears it with ease. Overall the sartorial choices for the character are as timeless as one can get, especially for the 1980s. It's interesting but, although I am focusing on B&B, quite a number of grande dames on the soaps are styled in a timeless way back then, not following trends like many of the younger characters. Because of this, their wardrobes stand up the best against the ravages of time. Yes, the jewelry helps too. As The World Turns often had Harry Winston and Cartier jewelry. Depending on the character's wealth, whether they came from "old money" or "nouveau riche", the opulence would span understated or extravagant. In this particular instance, because of the fashion backdrop of the actual show, I have been really attuned to the clothing choices and the fact that the show debuted in the late 80s, which could be a harsher period for fashion, at least where the masses are concerned. I think Stephanie weathered this time period relatively well. Others on this show, not so much.

Looking at the first year of this show and honestly, Stephanie and Ridge are the only characters whose sartorial choices seem to hold up as looking stylish consistently all these decades later. Eric would have made it if not for that stupid belt/suspenders combo, which, for a designer, is beyond the pale. So far, Clarke hasn't been bad, except his apartment is hopelessly 80s with those balloon sculpture wall-hangings and that stark Miami Vice of the West decor. I won't even get into the others with big hair (Kristen), bigger earrings (Margo) and boxy suits (Caroline, Thorne) and whatever that mud color contraption they had Brooke in (although the first dress that Ridge gifted her could almost be stylish today (with a few modifications). Except for the wedding, where the Logan's all looked good, their choices are dull, lack style, which I guess is what privileged people think middle and working class always wear. Rocco, well, he is a walking MTV 1980s billboard, lol. Stephanie's wardrobe choices were highly stylized, but they work. There are those episodes where she's wearing white, and she looks like someone out of a "leisure" scene in The Great Gatsby. Stephanie/Susan Flannery just looks like those women who, even if their lives are a total disaster, always look put together, so elegant.

It wouldn't surprise me if Symone Sanders left to work for the Stacey Abrams campaign. I guess if true, we'll find out.

R.I.P. to Mrs. Jacqueline Avant who was the victim of a horrific shooting. There is a Netflix documentary on the life of music empresario Clarence Avant, her husband, which I watched a few years ago. This is so tragic.

Good! I also think, despite the millions in what is essentially guaranteed money in China, their human rights atrocities and repeatedly trampling civil liberties is making it harder and harder to justify doing partnerships with them. It's likely become a headache for the WTA. That coupled with the pandemic, forcing and ultimately showing Steve Simon to alternative tournament venues, has proven that the WTA has other options-- maybe not ones that are willing and able to pay enormous sums of money, but that atmosphere in Guadalajara...I can't remember the last time I saw a non-major have that level of crowd enthusiasm. China, while they began with a lot of enthusiasm (and relatively small crowds) has become stale even before this disappearance of Peng Shuai. I feel the same about Singapore as the site of the WTA finals-- it also got stale. Onward, hopefully to a fall swing that has match times more suitable for a good night's sleep for me.

Even just letting her hair "be" in its natural wavy state, instead of trying to brush it straight and into that Little House On The Prairie bun made her look fresher and more youthful. When I look at episodes on YouTube of how she was styled in the late 1970s and very early 1980s, it's unfortunate. That styling really made her look consistently dowdy.

Aww Kei. 😚 People are already speculating that the increasing insistence on vaccination is what finally made Konta decide to retire. IMO, injuries and a vastly changed Tour due to the pandemic, likely also factored into the decision.

Didn't we all suspect this on this board? I may be mistaken but it feels like we discussed this last year after that positive COVID-19 diagnosis was announced. He is as diabolical and amoral as we thought he was.

...when he lives in New Jersey.🙄

Serena posted this on her IG account.

With or without pay?

Alan Locher claims that he was trying to get Lisa Brown on his reunion livestream he doesn't appear to mention trying when he had William Fichtner and Martha Byrne on and that would have been the ideal time. If he mentioned it, it must have gotten lost in one of the technical glitches. Does anyone remember whether getting her on that particular reunion was discussed?

Once the show shifted Ellen into grandma status, her character seems to have become very staid. By the time Steve and Betsey became a couple, it seemed as though the character of Ellen had pretty much faded into the background.

😂 she sure has! Did the show even let her sing or was that lip syncing? That kook Dr. Oz is running for political office in a state that he is not even known to live in?

I. Told. You. So.

Congratulations to Barbados in casting off the Queen as head of state and becoming a republic-- likely the first domino to fall, as far as the Caribbean in the Commonwealth is concerned.

Just saw my own typo and corrected it in my original post. I meant unvaccinated, not undiagnosed. My bad. 😔

Your welcome. 😃 At this point, I am hoping that these pharmaceutical companies that have already developed vaccine will update their mRNA technology so that they can catch this and future variants. According to what I have read, for Pfizer, that would be about 2 months away and Moderna about three months. They may not have had this in mind last year when they developed these vaccines but this virus is still here mutating. Fortunately, the mRNA technology can be adapted with a fairly efficient turnaround time, so I have read. Good to hear.