DramatistDreamer

All that propping and still flopping. By the way, has anyone heard anything from Mitch McConnell?

Japanese gymnast got the boot for smoking. Japanese gymnast Shoko Miyata out of Olympics for smoking

Real talk: Do people honestly believe that putting up a new ticket in July is a winning strategy? Personally, I don’t trust these people with my vote. I do believe that they want to simultaneously push out Joe Biden and push out Kamala Harris, or the sham of putting her on a ticket that won’t have the time to get together a winning strategy. It’s similar to Hollywood where Black artists are underfunded but are expected to produce wildly successful results or they risk never getting another chance. I believe they are hoping to do this to Harris. Kneecap her, so they can claim she had her chance and fell short but in reality, any new ticket will have a steep time deficit. AOC, whether people believe she is accurate or not, us seeing things, the way many WOC are currently seeing this: a group of moneyed people are trying to wrest control out of the hands of the base of the party, and just expect everyone to acquiesce and comply. This has the potential to be an unmitigated disaster if it keeps on this path.

Newhart left an indelible mark on the worlds of television and talk. R.I.P.

For the people who may be feeling helpless or feel at loose ends, here’s a suggested action you can take.

The media has a long history of doing such things. If you go through archives of newspapers like the New York Times and other centuries old newspapers, you will see racist, sexist, xenophobic rhetoric and commentary in their headlines and in their articles. They have an explicit history of literally being on the wrong side of history. I remember, it being so bad that they had to issue a public apology on their racist reporting on Black people during the pre/post Emancipation period and the era of Jim Crow and the Civil Rights movement. Yes, it’s scary (more like vexing to me personally) but not surprising for them. Considerably “on brand” for the media, in fact.

Unfortunately, just off the strength of seeing two American players (Roddick, Gauff) each to a major title, he’ll likely get in.

Whoa, if they do that, the HOF will be diminished. The only way Brad Gilbert could realistically make a bid for the HOF is as a coach i.e. contributor. It certainly won’t be for his commentary or interviews.

Although I would love to read a biography on her. Today, I came across a new biography on Stanley Kubrick and wondered where was hers? Of all the autobiographies and biographies that I have read over the last several years, hers would be right up there with the likes of Norman Lear, Paddy Chayefsky and Bob Fosse. It’s odd that there isn’t at least one comprehensive biographical book on her. Do you know if there is one in the pipeline?

It’s a shame how wearing a mask became political. I still wear mine in public spaces but I am seeing people on planes, trains and buses unmasked with the numbers going up. Another friend lost his father recently from COVID, he had underlying health issues but still…

Had P&G listened to some of her early ideas about the genre, perhaps soaps would have gotten a little more respect and not been dismissed as trivial entertainment.

Over the last decade of being able to see various episodes from that era (because otherwise I have very sparse memories of the pre ‘83 years as I was too young to understand) on YouTube, I got a chance to see episodes with both actresses and I can only imagine how jarring it must have been to see the switch in real time. And to think, a few 3-4 years later, it likely wouldn’t have mattered that the actress was becoming a single mom IRL. Ms. Irna Phillips was a very complex woman. Years ago, I did read about the battles that she and P&G had, including over the character and direction of Kimberly Sullivan. I realize that Phillips had the reputation of sometimes being something of a battle axe and I am in no way defending her treatment of Rosemary Prinz and Helen Wagner and others but when I read the book When Women Invented Television it was very clear that Phillips felt diminished by P&G, she felt that P&G didn’t believe in her and that she was constantly being undermined while feeling compelled to prove herself, over and over. I’m thinking that toward the end, it may have embittered her.

There are a few people that I know who are recovering from COVID, including a friend who has gotten it for the first time. Please be careful out there everyone.

I watched the women’s final and at least it was reasonably competitive, it was anyone’s match until the final few games. I saw some of the men’s final and it seemed fairly predictable. I still believe that ESPN, in particular, is ruining tennis for the most part. Viewing is piecemeal and unpredictable. The Slams are foolish to have sold exclusive rights to ESPN or dull TC, for that matter, especially streaming rights. How many years must we suffer through the McEnroe brothers?

Posting without comment. Alexander Zverev launches new video podcast with brother Mischa: 'A bis Z' now available on Tennis Channel

Looks like I got my answer, at least where the BBC is concerned. Wimbledon 2024 TV ratings: BBC sees steep decline for Carlos Alcaraz vs Novak Djokovic final compared to 2023; women's final also lower

Did anyone hear the sound from the meteor yesterday?

It’s something to ponder what you’re posting @vetsoapfan @DRW50about the writing that used to really keep us captivated and the difference between that and the latter years when the quality of storytelling took a nosedive. Sheffer’s writing seems to have left a legacy in some of today’s soaps and the storylines. Y&R (at least the last time I watched an episode) seems to have a closer affinity to his writing than to that of Bill Bell Sr. Not to bring in politics or anything but in other threads we often talk about the complicity of media in promoting scenarios and figures that are harmful to a healthy functioning democracy because it seems good for business and sometimes I wonder about certain aspects of (what once was) the soap media— did they promote certain toxic aspects (e.g. rapemances, etc.) because it was good for business? And were they also complicit in the deterioration of the genre?

Wow, their Olympic Games uniforms are beautiful! Team Mongolia can already take a victory lap for their Olympic uniforms

Meanwhile, more violence at a site where the GOP and Trump followers gather. Ohio police officer shoots, kills person in Milwaukee outside of RNC perimeter

Oh I absolutely agree with you @DRW50about it being justified that Sierra would snap at Tonio. I don’t know if you remember but Tonio at one time had been physically abusive as well as emotionally and mentally abusive towards Sierra. In at least one scene, fairly early on in their marriage, Lyla in observant nurse mode, noticed that Sierra had bruises on her arm and the horrified expression on Lyla’s face said it all. I believe the same thing happened to Meg. There was that very intense scene when Sierra announces that she plans to divorce him and Tonio forcefully grabbing Sierra and telling her that she will never leave him or he would kill Craig. There was also a forceful struggle between Tonio and Meg where Emily walks in and starts bellowing at Tonio to stop. It was an intense scene, especially since by then, Meg knows about the affair that her husband had been having with Emily. The mistress having to intervene on the wife’s behalf. Do today’s soaps do that type of twisted drama? It was also something of a shocking contrast when Kim lost her cool or had an outbreak because it happened so rarely and it happened in times of genuine duress. Another “goodie” was in the midst of all this high drama with people at each other’s throats, there’s Lucinda in the catbird seat, smiling serenely at John, knowing what she is about to do and that he would likely owe her big time lol. There had always been some inexplicable force between John and Lucinda (usually combative) but when Lucinda smiled at John in that hospital boardroom, you just knew something had changed.

Hopefully everyone knows who this man was. R.I.P. Tuskegee Syphilis Study Whistleblower Peter Buxtun Dead at 86

Wow, the way that Sierra came for Tonio’s neck, everyone was going for the jugular in this episode!

Oh yeah, this is during the time that Barbara was snubbing Sabrina. Thanks for sending this my way @DRW50 I do remember those scenes where Susan was gleefully gossiping about Bob and Kim at the hospital and how hypocritical she believed them to be. When we speak about soap opera character feuds, ATWT is criminally underrated. That exchange between Susan and Kim was 🔥 🔥, it’s right up there with Lisa and Lucinda. And Barbara and Shannon was pretty fiery-I could only imagine how far it might have gone had Duncan not been refereeing between them. A thought just crossed my mind-had Brian Bloom stayed on and not left when he did, I bet it wouldn’t have been long before there was a continuation of the triangle and down the road a WTD storyline. Brian Bloom’s leaving changed a lot of story projection in that direction, I bet.

This was mentioned in the Guiding Light thread but was never mentioned in the actual In Memoriam thread. Renauld White, ‘The Guiding Light’ actor and fashion model, dead at 80