DramatistDreamer

The story now is that Djokovic knew that play was going to be suspended or he wouldn't have left the court. There's no mention of whether Thiem was informed or not. If he knew, then why would he just stand there? Now some people are complaining that the rain is gone but play has already been cancelled for the day. Maybe the rain will return. Maybe there's something they know that the rest of us don't? LOL. Oh well, Kanye shrug.

Oh well.

Never said Serena was perfect. The point is none of them are perfect but some can do no wrong while others can scream at ball kids, launch balls out of stadiums, shove chair umpires and beat holes into the umpire's chair and two mumbling words get spoken and everybody moves on like it's nothing. There's a double standard. If you think this is not true, why not bring facts to the argument to prove otherwise? Seriously, I would listen to a serious debate. By the way, I've never threatened to walk when I've read numerous posts about how Frances sucks and Felix is overrated, etc. No, I stay and try to present a case of why I disagree. I enjoy most of your posts, @Soapsuds but this seems like a really childish reaction. It's your choice though and I have to respect that.

She'll never get it. Ordinarily I wouldn't even be mad when player wants to assert him or herself because, often times the ITF or the tournament directors are too meek to take a firm decision and it's usually left to the players to try to force the tournament to make decisions but don't act like when one player asserts herself or if there is even a hint of her trying to assert herself, sh*t hits the fan and these dudes pile up on her, while the rest throw their weight around and nobody says one word about it. If Serena had walked off the court without word from the umpire or the referee, it would've been a sh*tstorm and anybody who denies that is lying their asses off. Sometimes I don't even know why I watch this stupid sport. It never evolves, just trades in the same ridiculous regressive themes. I want to see Thiem use that same energy to talk about how he was left standing on court looking like a huge fool while Djokovic walked off without a word to him faster than LeBron could leave a meandering press conference.

And 10-1 Thiem won't say one god*amned word about it like he did with Serena. Federer hits a ball, almost hits a guy. All these dudes can kiss my as*!

I'm basically indifferent to all things Roland Garros this year but I am glad that Konta didn't make it to the finals. No more need to hear from British blowhards at this point, which is a welcome relief.

Just finished watching the December 1981 episode (A.K.A. The PCP Episode) and whoa! The jump cuts alone were jarring! I know that some of those jump cuts were done to emphasize the disorienting, frenetic quality of a 'drug trip' by trying to put the viewer in Sofia's P.O.V. but it also had the added effect of extending that chaotic quality to other scenes that were probably supposed to be more staid. Also, I couldn't help wondering whether it would have helped if I had seen the previous episode where Eric and Sofia end up taking the PCP-- maybe it would have made the consequences seem more grave and less like an afterschool special. From what I've read, I know that somehow Barbara unknowingly ended up giving Eric PCP but I would've liked to see the actual episode and can't help but feel that I'm missing a critical piece that would have made me feel more invested in this aspect of the episode. One thing I don't understand is, I thought PCP was a drug that was more popular in the 60s and part of the 70s? Maybe I'm wrong but I just looked on Wikipedia and it seems that drug use peaked in the 70s and declined in the 80s. The article also claimed that it was consumed by a relatively very small percentage of the population compared to other recreational drugs. In other words, it's popularity was quite limited. It just seems that ATWT was getting in on talking/lecturing/dramatizing about a drug that had waned considerably already and whose use was marginal to begin with. Now, if the story had revolved around cocaine overdoses...in the 1980s, well that would've been topical! At first, the cameo by Dr. Joyce Brothers made me do a double-take but I actually found myself liking her scene with "Dr. Bob Hughes", although the scene read more like a PSA in some regards. I instantly began to wonder whether Dr. Joyce Brothers had ever made another cameo and if not, why not? I would've been cool to see her return to Oakdale, especially when Frannie Hughes was undertaking serious study in psychology. Dr. Joyce Brothers might have served as a sort of mentor to Frannie. So interesting to see how ambivalent James was in regards to getting involved in the drug trade. We all know that ambivalence would not last. Also, it says a lot about Bob that his first reaction is to conclude that Miranda and James were involved romantically, rather than the fact that they could've been colluding in some nefarious activity. They way TPTB just had John Dixon involved in all aspects of the Stewarts' lives was just...oof! It does look as though there was some chemistry between Linda Dano and Henderson Forsythe but still, it was odd to see them together. Perhaps if I had seen the storyline from the beginning, it would be less of an obstacle to taking it in. COMMERCIAL NOTES: Charles Kimbrough on a deodorant commercial! Ilene Graff (Mr. Belvedere) on a fabric softener commercial. Kim Field's mother Chip, on a dishwashing liquid commerical. Virginia Capers (Lena Younger, Raisin In The Sun) in a commercial for Lawry's Seasoned Salt, or at least I think that's her?

It will be interesting to see whether there is movement in the polls (whatever polls are worth) once the debates begin. The current occupant of the WH continues to mix personal business with his position in the Oval office.

Okay, it's taking longer than I anticipated but I've seen about 3 out of 5 of those episodes uploaded by Patricia Bruder-Debrovner. I hope she will upload more episodes, I like it when actors upload episodes of their shows, I know that Margaret Reed has uploaded some, mainly for reels but at least they looked like complete episodes. I know some soap fans are only interested in clips and character/couple edits but from a writer's perspective, I find it more informative and more immersive to watch full episodes. Mr. Big was quite... over the top. It's unusual to see a six and a half minute opening scene compared today's soaps where it's more common to see a three or four minute scene max before seeing the opening theme song. ATWT really made a conscious decision to indulge in these scenes. Brent Collins, Justin Deas and Margaret Colin did seem to be enjoying themselves, playing it up to the hilt as illustrated by the interplay--Mr. Big asking Tom & Margo "Are you lovers?" (it seems that Mr. Big could see into the future) and Margo's comment about cigars stunting one's growth and Mr. Big's reaction was amusing. Also Mr. Big's analysis of Tom and Margo's individual traits (spot-on) made me wonder whether, in some twisted way, was Mr. Big the conduit for bringing Tom & Margo together? Yet the pacing of the scenes seemed to drag, for some reason. Oh, and I would've loved if somehow some of these episodes could be digitally remastered to see if the colors could be made a bit more vibrant. The lighting is also dull, unfortunately. The incongruity of the BGM with the tone of the Mr. Big was highly noticeable but I guess it was a product of those post-disco times. Ellen looking for an apartment for herself? I'd like to see more. COMMERCIAL BREAK NOTE: Lauren Bacall was too good to be pitching some off-brand coffee. Karen and her genie style culottes is a "Lewk"! That scene of Karen 'on the couch' with the psychiatrist proves that Doug Marland wasn't the only writer who liked to put characters in analysis. That scene is positively minimalist compared to what today's soaps would do-- minimal BGM, no flashbacks, mainly a monologue full of introspection delivered by Karen which escalates into a combative dialogue with the shrink during her session. As amusing as Ellen's low-key hostility toward John was, his appearance in the nearly empty Stewart house seemed a bit contrived. If John wanted to know where David was, surely he could've called his office? Perhaps it was a ruse for John to snoop and taunt but it mostly seemed like a way to get out exposition. (*Gasps*) what was in Mr. Big's room? You know something I've noticed through these very early 1980s episodes? I see moments of tenderness, moments of subtle contention and low-key hostility (Everybody Hates Joyce) but I don't see much in the way of passion onscreen. I guess perhaps network standards and social mores for television might have dictated how expressive characters/actors could be with each other--at least for one or two more years to come. It was nice to see Nancy and Chris as a couple and not just the elderly grandparents that I would see them as right before Don McLoughlin passed in the mid 1980s, which was how I mostly remembered them together. Kim and Bob's scenes seem to flow and have a nice pace to them. I'm not sure whether this is owing mostly to the writing or the chemistry between Hays and Hastings. I'd chalk it up to chemistry and the actors setting a rhythm for each other. Strangely enough, I think Linda Dano would have been a better fit for the show down the road in the late 1980s and early 90s and beyond but by then she'd be well into creating an inimitable character on AW. Just as well, since ATWT seemed to have more than its fair share of standout women characters in Dano's age group. In the 3/31/80 episode, I like how the women are styled. Lisa looks very 'rich lady chic' and they even gave Ellen more of a bombshell look. Ellen looked more youthful when her hair was down or they just let her curls be free. COMMERCIAL BREAK NOTE: Sheryl Lee Ralph for a Pampers commercial. I'd recognize that smile anywhere! It was jarring to see Don so combative with his father Chris Hughes. I'm not sure what transpired between them but at the end of that scene, I felt sorry for Chris. His downtrodden expression said it all. So much of what I grew up seeing involved Lisa getting along famously with her ex-husband, so it's interesting to see them being sort of contentious in this episode. Speaking of Lisa- So many times I've talked about the great (combative) chemistry that Eileen Fulton had with Elizabeth Hubbard but I've neglected to appreciate the great long-lasting chemistry that Eileen and Colleen Zenk have. Lisa and Barbara have gone back and forth, from friendly and warmth to combative and sparring back to warm, loving and protective and the two actresses made it work. Still, it is a bit strange to reconcile these scenes of them talking as prospective mother and daughter-in-law knowing what's to come for Barbara and Tom. Also the fact that, for a while, it was a closely guarded secret that Paul was Barbara's (and James') biological son is turning in my mind--in a few years Paul's name would constantly be on Barbara's lips and James would become obsessed with having his son under his influence. Question: Had David temporarily lost his medical license or something? Why mining? Another Question: Was that gym where Brad, then Dee arrived to exercise a company gym? It looked awfully cramped! I would've preferred working out at home to that! COMMERCIAL BREAK NOTE: Theresa Saldana (does everybody know her story?) in a Kraft Zesty Italian commercial. By the way, the dressing looks like cloudy water, ick. I miss seeing the closing credits (was that Suzanne Davidson playing Betsy? If so, does anybody know what she looks like now?) but again, I'd love it if more ATWT alums would upload episodes to YouTube. As much as people might think there are a lot of episodes already uploaded, there are some fun and key episodes that have yet to be uploaded. We were just talking about this in another thread, how much people enjoy episodes like masquerade balls and big parties and weddings, etc. There are some fun 80s parties that I wish were uploaded to YouTube.

Since the very beginning of the tournament I suspected that neither Sloane nor Simona would get back to the finals this year. Just yesterday I was musing on the possibility of having two brand new finalists and lookie here! Madison doesn't surprise me--she reminds me of Lindsay Davenport at RG, can get to the 2nd week, but don't truly expect her to make it to the finals. I think Davenport mostly made it to the Round of 16 and QFs and to the SFs once or twice at RG.

Hm.

Only recently, did I find out the Melina Kanakaredes' middle name is Eleni! MK speaks fluent Greek so when she'd be murmuring in Greek, it was authentic-- she put so much of herself into that character! I do agree that they had no interest in the character after MK's departure, which is a real shame but had they looked hard enough, perhaps they could have found someone who at least had great chemistry with Frank Dicopoulos. The recast might not have been as perfect as MK but I got the distinct impression that they were going for just another woman, who kind of had ethnic features with long dark hair. They were focused on the wrong aspects. Perhaps they believed that lightning could not have struck twice, so they gave up trying altogether.

"Miss Thing" is exactly right. Speaking of trash people who keep potentially earth-shattering information under wraps, Pfizer should be ashamed not to at least fully pursue the possibilities.

At least TPTB were smart enough to appreciate what they had and actually wrote compelling material for them for a time. Betty Rea, who also did casting for As The World Turns, really know how to pick talent. Sharp and Long not only had wonderful chemistry with each other but they fit seamlessly within the group of college age/early 20s of Bridget (Melissa Hayden), Julie (Jocelyn Seagrave) and Dylan (Morgan Englund). It's a shame it had to come to an end. Glad you enjoyed that episode. I'm on a serious nightly GL binge everybody, and I can't seem to get out of it! I'm watching an episode where Nick McHenry compares Roger Thorpe to Rupert Murdoch. The episode

From what I've read, most people under 30 who live in China, don't know what happened in Tiananmen Square, it's basically been scrubbed from Chinese history. This sounds promising until you read the rest. There truly needs to be a Democratic majority in the Senate.

Speaking of the Grants, I was in the Best Soap Scenes thread and got caught up in David Grant and Kat Speakes and fell down a YouTube rabbit hole with some of these episodes and this one is particularly special because it features some really sweet and charming moments between the two and you guessed it-- Kat's first time. The chemistry between Monti Sharp and Nia Long is just 'off the charts' wonderful here. @Darn @DeeeDeeI wanted to alert you to this episode because it's pretty special.

Soleil Moon-Frye and Cherie Johnson remain close IRL so the show probably could get Cherie on the show as well. They could probably get a good number of the original kid cast to make appearances.

I thought everybody knew that Roland Garros, the French Federation of Tennis are an absolute mess. I mean, look at how they screw their own French players. Also the ITF is also a mess. They use players as a human shield rather than take responsibility. The tennis media promotes it because they revel in chaos and the attention they hope it brings to them. Even when they're wrong they still keep on promoting bogus stories.

Trump's tailor hates him.

Thanks @Errol. EDT: Yay, it looks like it's working for me!

The one time I put my hope in Sloane (I mean the only time) and that bruja fails me! Sis can go kick rocks!

Yeah, most of the people that I have on Ignore, I had all the boxes checked yet I'm still seeing their posts in threads. So add me to that list, lol.

Disgusting, is all that I can say.

Did anyone see this?

That Monfils/Thiem match was the worst of the tournament so far. Lackluster and joyless. No entertainment value whatsoever.