DramatistDreamer

The dialogue during this period was particularly standout. Some of the philosophical discussions that occurred between characters--I appreciate the fact that during this period, the writers didn't "dumb down" topics for the audience, the writers put it out there and trusted that the viewers would 'get it'. Watching the whole Ross running for Senate storyline, I'm amazed when I see a PSA urging viewers to "Get Out and Vote" or Ross basically embracing what is universal healthcare. I could not imagine any characters discussing politics on today's soaps. I have had many debates (pun intended) with soap fans who claim that soaps should not engage in real world challenges or breach the politic but I disagree--I think, if written well, engaging in real world concerns keeps soaps relevant. I think the problem with most soaps over the past 15 years or so is that many are no longer relevant for most viewers, which is why the ratings continue to dip, year over year. During this period, GL managed to mix the deeply intimate with the global, even metaphysical and dealing with cosmology (I remember one stunning bit of dialogue between Nadine and another character about whether there was intelligent life outside of Earth in the universe). The use of characters across all age groups was pretty good and even-handed (it wasn't perfect but it towers over what soaps do now). I would say Alexandra's and BM's absence from the canvas is still deeply felt in the storylines that I am currently watching. The scandal afflicting Spaulding mainly due to Alan-Michael's schemes, Nick McHenry still reeling from his broken engagement/non-wedding to Mindy. Fletcher reeling after being 'stood up' at the altar by Vanessa, even Ross' election scandal and the reaction from Springfield's elite--it just seems like there are empty pockets where Alexandra's presence should be. But yeah, this is a great period for the show in terms of the writing talent, the acting talent, the production quality and unlike her work on Y&R, JFP and her use of exterior shots were actually done well on GL. The killing off of Maureen though...well done in the short term, definitely came back to bite in the long term. Turned out Peter Simon wasn't the easiest to find chemistry with, so there goes your tentpole matriarchal and patriarchal figures-- wiped away in a car crash.

I haven't checked but might it be on the ABC website?

Too bad this has gotten the bare minimum of promotion but Yaya DaCosta (Cassandra Foster, AMC) is co-starring as the wife of jazz musician Buddy Bolden, in the biopic Bolden.

Probably the most serious charge against Mario Batali yet.

We know that Trump has no real interest in governing but it's (almost) interesting to hear him whine about how he can't be productive and work with Democrats while they are investigating him. My first thought was "Wait, didn't Bill Clinton get things done while he was facing impeachment?" I came across this tweet which basically confirmed that.

Jamie doesn't surprise me that he could manage given his experience performing onstage as a musician. I just can't imagine Sykes as Louise. Louise had a slightly haughty air, in addition to putting people in their place (namely George) and Sykes doesn't give me any of that, from what I've seen of her.

That's not surprising. Tomei is the only actor who has any type of theatrical experience. Jean Stapleton, Carroll O'Connor, Isabelle Sanford and Sherman Hemsley all had extensive experience in the theater. Tomei also has an impressive stage resume. I haven't watched either of these new live versions but that was my concern all along. Doing theater for all actors, Hollywood included, used to be a prerequisite. They performed onstage regularly while most of today's actors don't.

Seems like Daou is in favor of moving the needle on impeachment, if I'm reading his subtweets correctly.

True. Infrastructure week has been a never-ending joke (without the humor) since his days in the WH. It's just the irony of a self-professed developer failing to build one piece of infrastructure. Speaking of things we all could see coming-

OMG at that Farage news! I had read that Scotland's McDonalds had stopped selling them at certain locations but I didn't see that working out in the long run. Looks like elsewhere in Great Britain likely knew that wasn't going to work either and didn't bother to adopt that policy.

No apologies needed @Dax7000. Just from looking at a few seconds of the first video, my guess is that it's unlikely that these have been posted before. I've been wanting to see some never before uploaded ATWT episodes from the 80s and you delivered! I can't wait to have the time to dig into these! Thank you!

Because I don't subscribe to Showtime, I've never seen The Chi. Nor have I seen Straight Outta Compton. What I'd like to know is, hadn't this guy ever heard of #TimesUp or #MeToo? He must have some inflated sense of self if he thought he'd get away with continual harassment, especially in the wake of these two movements.

Speaking of the "Princess of Arizona", she probably wished someone would've interrupted her earlier before she continued on this silly train of thought.

The one thing this article really fails to mention is that Obama's earliest supporters before the Democratic debates and primaries were mostly white voters because many black voters were dubious about his ability to get elected. Many black women did indeed vote for Hillary Clinton in the primary for this same reason-- Hillary appeared to be the solid choice to many. As the Obama campaign began to raise more money than the Clinton campaign (along with some missteps Clinton campaigners and surrogates), black voters began to coalesce around Obama. This is perhaps an uncomfortable aspect that many people (including those in the black community) don't want to acknowledge but it would be absolute amnesia to forget about this.

This entire administration under Trump is simply awful. Almost too awful to contemplate on a daily basis.

Yes, the plans seem very amateurish and lack some basic understanding of the demographics of black people living in the U.S. but this quote from the article hold some deep truths. “Russia understands how critical the African American vote is to determining the outcome of elections,” said Demings, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee. “And because we have not effectively dealt with racism as a country ourselves, I believe we've made ourselves vulnerable to foreign powers like Russia to continue to try to undermine.”

Yeah, I definitely noticed that when they worked in tandem, is when I noticed that these P&G shows were high quality production, which is why I said "and". The and/or referred to their titles because honestly, I couldn't remember the exact titles, lol. Having worked in the production of a T.V. show myself, I'm well aware that one element being changed from a winning setup can cause things to go awry, especially when you're dealing with something of a machine like television production. It's not like theater that allows for a measure of chaos while producing top-drawer results in the end. One other point about that episode. In four short years after his GL appearance, Jesse L. Martin would be onstage for the musical phenomenon Rent. I was doing a summer internship for an independent theater producer the year that Rent debuted on Broadway and I will never forget the very long queues for ticket purchases. The producer I worked for was one of the investors for Rent. She didn't care for the musical itself but was loving those profits.

Something I've noticed is that during a zenith of various P&G soaps, Kenneth L. Fitts and Edward Trach were supervisor and/or executive in charge of production. I'm not sure how many fans of these shows appreciate that fact.

This episode features Nia Long, Jesse L. Martin, Monti Sharp and...wait for it...a clean-cut Roger Howarth.