DramatistDreamer

So that was exactly what I was thinking.

In the reunions, Hillary Bailey Smith, Gregg Marx and Scott Bryce all said that Marland offered to either hold their storylines in place, so that they didn't have to decide right away whether they wanted to return. I think Scott was really the only one who took him up on the offer. Gregg admitted that it was a rare offer that he didn't appreciate at the time, especially since "Tom" was held in place for almost, what a year, before the character was recast? Martha, Michael Swan and Margaret Reed also had nice things to say about Marland. Most of the actors mentioned having been to his home and seeing that he had photos of all the actors framed and mounted. I think HBS specifically pointed the photos anecdote

One aspect that I have definitely gotten out of these reunions is that it appeared that keeping his actors happy was just as important to Marland as servicing the storylines. It's an admirable way to work, though, personally when I have worked with actors, facilitating the story has always come first.

I really hope there will be a rise in power. For too long there has been endless doubters and naysaying in terms of Black women's ability to take leadership positions. I recently had a conversation with an exasperated friend who complained of having to train someone who will, no doubt, leap over her to a higher position. This woman assumed that my friend is younger. Not only is this not the case but my friend is far more credentialed than this person. Many of us can relate to someone assuming we're younger because why else would someone be held in place? I would love if people would ask Stacey Abrams what she needs to do the work that she has been doing for the last three years at a more efficient pace and just get out of her way.

FWIW, most soap operas wrote their male characters as being pretty self-righteous, especially when it came to their romantic relationships with the women in their lives. Unless the men themselves were diabolical, having the man being the "sober" one in the relationship seemed to be a soap staple. This is why early Kirk and Iva was so interesting. I don't care what soap you're talking about, unless it was a Bonnie and Clyde scenario (in which one or both are sure to be brought down and off the canvas), you rarely, if ever had a viable, equally scheming couple. Not going to happen on daytime soaps. If they are, they're sure to get killed off.

This made me smile. ext_tw_video.mp4

One obituary described Trebek as a steady and consistent presence over decades. A sad irony that he should pass away when calm, steady and consistency seems to be in greatest need. R.I.P. Alex Trebek, who fought hard for as long as he possibly could.

Racism in the soaps is not just what you see on screen, it is also what happens, or fails to happen behind the scenes. Reading that very little seems to have changed behind the scenes, in terms of production and executive positions, I really couldn't give any of these shows even a passing grade in terms of how they function. I am seeing some generous grades but after 30, 40 years, I think it's time to stop grading on a curve.

I can understand them wanting a real Aussie but even back then the technology was in place to record a video audition and send it to the exec. producers, who can then select their preferred "Simon" from the submissipns and then fly the winning candidate to the U.S. It just seems like an extravagant expense for a show that was on the verge of decline. Even in the days when soaps were flush with cash, I don't think I have ever heard of this being done on a daytime soap before. Kirk and Iva had a lot of witty and sharp banter. I really liked the dialogue between them, it was very Wilder-esque at times. And there was a lot of humor in their early scenes together.

I haven't watched any of the Paris Masters tournament but I saw that Rafa fans were put out by his latest match result.

A lot of Black worked quietly and stealthily, from grassroots organizations, to volunteers bringing voter to the polls or answering questions about the absentee ballot process to helping get people registered to encouraging and reminding family and friends to get their absentee ballots in early. It had to be done--anything to try to stop the carnage from this virus and this economic fallout on communities that have been suffering. There was really no other choice.

Shout out to all the people who claimed that the Biden/Harris ticket couldn't win, especially any red states, who are now pretending otherwise. Also special mention to those who muttered soto voce that a Black woman, especially Harris, would be a drag on the ticket, when the last winning ticket for the Democrats featured a Black person on the ticket. Seriously, as a Black woman in of Jamaican heritage, I am brimming with pride today. That. Is. All.

He has also spoken previously about his confusion over why Kirk and Iva were broken up and how fans still mentioned how much they loved Kirk and Iva. As much as I liked Babette Renee Props, the pairing between Kirk and Ellie had no genuine staying power and toward the end became as dowdy and depressing as anything Kirk went through with Iva toward the end of that relationship. Not to mention, that wedding ceremony was tacky as all get out. Even Meg's barnyard nuptials to her former cousin had more elegance.

The earliest part of Iva's courtship with Kirk was the most fiery and spirited I'd ever seen the character, until she became weighted down with trauma, which afaic, was a way to facilitate a breakup between Kirk and Iva and clear a path for Kirk and Ellie, creating a holding pattern for the Iva character, from which she seemingly never emerged (for no good reason since, Kirk and Ellie didn't really work very well, at least, not beyond the short term). I saw the livestream interview with Paul Leyden and was astonished about his revelation that the show actually coughed up the cash to fly out half a dozen Australian guys business class to NYC ca. 2000-01 just to test for the Simon Frasier role?? You could already see cuts to the show production. I wonder what went into that decision to fly all those Aussies from one side of the world to the other just for a few days? Was this the best use of the show's decreasing budget?

Back in the day, Meg the tartlet used to annoy me as I considered her to be an obstacle to Lily and Dusty in the beginning but Ashe had such range as an actress that she was totally convincing in the character's evolution and by the time her character left the canvas, Meg was fully appreciated by me. Now, as a writer, I look back at those scenes and I truly appreciate the conflict and sense of tension and restlessness that Meg brought. Dramatically, you need the conflict and tension. You also need a sense of restless energy in any youthful character. I also often wondered what Ashe would've brought to the role had she been playing Meg when the character returned in the show's last decade. It's hard for any performer to overcome bad writing and Meg was plagued with poor writing in the final decade (it's also possible that TIIC would have fired her for asking too many questions about the character's trajectory, like they did with Scott Bryce) but I would like to think that Ashe would, at the very least have brought more energy and intensity to the character. Ashe has been doing a lot of theater in the intervening years, so I think her dramatic instincts would have been much sharper than Wilson's. Also, no disrespect to Marie Wilson but Ashe, as an actress displayed more range. Marland and co. likely knew this from her work on Loving.

There seems to be a lack of confidence over the issue. In the article, a childhood friend of hers, as well as the friend's mother admitted taking Zverev's side at first, even though at the time neither had met him. The friend's mom had even prodded Olga to reconcile with Zverev. Both now say they regret taking Zverev's side. This seems to be a case of people having a bias toward the man (her friend even admitted this) or, in the mother's case, being charmed by a successful and seemingly charismatic young man. She may have even thought that her going back to Sascha would lessen her allegations somehow? I think Olga could've benefitted from having even one friend encouraging her to press charges. Basilashvili has an active case of DV against him, so that makes two players in the top 40 who have been accused of DV and so far, I am not hearing even a small peep from the ATP in the matter.

Oh, that photo is cool. Someone should send that image to her on whatever social media platform that she uses.

This Patty is super cute. In an odd way, I see more than a passing resemblance to Vail Bloom. It would've been fun to see both on screen together to see whether they could still pass for relatives decades later. Was the souring relationship between Greg and Nikki the beginning of the enmity between Jill and Nikki, or was it something else? This John Abbott seems more hard-nosed but I like the back and forth between he and Jill. Interesting how the relationship would change with different actors in the roles. There would be something of an almost full reversal, with Jill being the more aggressive one, and John seemingly more compliant. Geez Nikki, read the room, why don't you...these people practically scream cult! Those lyrics are certainly unsettling. Interesting episode made that much more enjoyable to watch with pristine visual quality.

I don't know if this has been posted but this memoir has a connection to Santa Barbara, the real as well as the imagined and serialized place. Is It Soap Opera Or Real Life? It's Both.

Yuck. I think I'll be staying away from this thread for at least the next week. It's gotten toxic. 🤢🤮

In the case of France, don't forget about France's relationship as a colonizer to the countries that many migrants have come from. That makes it much closer to the likes of Great Britain (see Windrush Scandal). The difference lies in how isolated these migrant communities remain in the Paris suburbs vis a vis London.

Yes, but it seems to reach back to the Charlie Hebo related attacks a few years ago, no? There seems to be a connecting thread between these strings of terrorist attacks. An ongoing struggle over perceived values (religious vs. secular). France still insists that immigrants assimilate to the French ethos, even as they isolate immigrants to the banlieus without much hope for better. This seems like a recipe for radicalization. And since the supermarket terrorist attacks a few years ago, it just seems as though there is now a pipeline, with radicals, whether homegrown or newly migrant encouraged by previous terrorist acts to attempt their own acts of terror. Every nation struggles with some aspect of terrorism, but part of me cannot help but think that France is going about things in the wrong way.

France and Belgium seem to have recurring problems with terrorism, France most of all, with Belgium often seemingly housing sleeper cells that eventually seem to make their way to France. Nice seems to suffer an attack about once a year. That the French government seems content with ignoring their racism and repeating their well-rehearsed motto of 'French-ness' for all while relegating POCs to the banlieus and expect success is mystifying to me.

In my lifetime then, as opposed to 1965 or 1971 or some date before my time. One would hope that he would have evolved out of that thinking but it seems that most men who believe this only ever seem to change their views if they suddenly have daughters and since Connery had two sons...