DramatistDreamer

Betsy von Furstenberg (no relation to Diane) had a pretty respectable theater career. I think soap fans were adverse to turnover, especially a character who came to be so closely associated with a particular actor. Well, technically Julianne Moore was the final Frannie...she was the last actress to appear as the character in 2010 before the show ultimately went off the air. She's the one they clearly wanted back anyway.

Such a nice guy, huh? And such appropriate, considerate behavior. Roger Stone Disses Barbara Bush as a ‘Nasty Drunk’ on News of Her Death

I guess that's why both have such clear visual quality! How I wish SoapClassics had been able to release more sets! A few of the murder mysteries have been uploaded almost in their entirety to You Tube but strangely have pivotal episodes missing. For instance, I'd love to have the complete, uninterrupted Tad Channing Murder mystery to watch because on You Tube, some episodes leading up to the resolution of "Who Dunnit?" are missing. Something similar happens with the Doug Cummings and Brock Lombard resolutions. Key episodes are not uploaded. It's just too bad that PGP made things so difficult for SoapClassics to continue on with issuing the sets.

And in the end, Phillips herself ended up being removed...

It shouldn't come as a surprise that Trump would forget about the tax law- a man with a notoriously short attention span who is too busy picking fights on social media to follow up on a major piece of legislation that he pushed. Also, it hasn't yielded the results that he bragged about happening, so it follows that this would fall through his consciousness like liquid through a sieve. No One’s Talking About the New Tax Law And Trump has reversed himself yet again--what a surprise NOT! Someone must've reminded him that the TPP was conceived in the Obama White House and you know...Obama. Trump, in Another Apparent Reversal, Says Trans-Pacific Trade Pact Has ‘Too Many Contingencies’ No surprise, countries are holding back from initiating any trade deals with the U.S. with so much indecision, backpedaling and a demonstrative lack of knowledge about what or even who is involved by this administration. The U.S. looks unreliable, inept and foolish, to say the least.

The other day I posted the episode that followed the infamous "Hello Barbara" episode where John Dixon informs Dusty that James, the man that tried to kill them and others on a plane, returned. Well, good news but I happened to come across the episode where Dusty, John, Gunnar and others are all on the plane that seemingly is headed for a crash. Kind of a bit of strange timing considering the recent news but fortunately this is a soap.

A few years ago, I had read something where she seemed to indicate that there were some sexual harassment issues but I don't really know enough about the situations. Her writing was laid out somewhat haphazardly, in a sort of incoherent manner so it was a little difficult to make sense of it. Seeing what we're seeing about the likes of Weinstein et. al, I certainly won't dismiss the possibility that her mental health could've been impaired by something like this.

Ahem. Perhaps she could be following Tillerson's lead in more way than one.

An endearing interview with Parker Posey (Tess, ATWT) who co-stars on the new reboot of Lost In Space that currently streams on Netflix. With ‘Lost in Space,’ Parker Posey Finds an Unlikely Home in Serial TV

So now that Rex Tillerson is gone, I guess it's Nikki Haley's turn to look like an out of touch idiot by having her boss contradict her. Trump puts the brakes on new Russian sanctions, reversing Haley’s announcement

I hope Felix Auger-Aliassime can live up to all that talent and potential he has. He seems to have a level head, all I can hope for is that he has a sturdy constitution and the ability to stay as healthy as possible.

That conversation and push-pull dynamic between Alexandra and Fletcher perfectly encapsulates not only the fundamental difference between women and men but just how complex a character Alexandra Spaulding was (especially as portrayed by McKinsey), she was a standout character for so many reasons. Even as compared with other female business titans on soaps (most of whom were complex at the time), Alexandra illustrated the delicate balance between being a titan in the business world and the ability to maintain lasting romantic relationships and the fact that sometimes it was zero-sum stakes. Alexandra seemed to be written as clear-eyed about the opportunities gained and missed in life while pursuing a high-standard (even control) in the family corporation. She seemed to realized the sacrifice involved and the romantic possibilities that she could be giving up/letting go of. You definitely don't see a character being written with that deal of inner complexity on today's daytime soaps. What McKinsey, in particular brought to the role was unique.

Oh my at the debut of Nadine with that pink Cadillac and the interplay with the mechanic! Although, where was she supposed to be from with that accent? I don't think her accent stayed. How could you not love Alexandra (aka Beverlee McKinsey) in these scenes with Fletcher (and his awful mustache)? Speaking of awful hair, Phillip and his mullet looked best in that car with the wind blowing through his big 80s hair and the 1st Blake who was fine in the role (although Stringfield was my favorite Blake) but the styling insisted on making her look like a Glenn Close clone. How interesting the mutual admiration between Alan-Michael and Frank would soon become a bitter rivalry down the road. I liked both Alan-Michaels and can appreciate the young love between this version and Harley. And Sam Marler, did they ever bring her back? She seems like a character who could've easily dropped in and out over years, given her connections. I'm trying to pay more attention to the Solita/Sunny storyline than I did back then but in my defense I was still a child and floated in and out of attention to this story.

Watching this episode and the scenes between Tom and Margo are a little devastating. The other thing that struck me is the subtle interplay between characters. In all the trauma and seriousness, I couldn't help but chuckle at that interaction between Steve and Craig and that sharp dig that Steve very deftly directs at Craig over Sierra. Then the camera expertly segues to Dusty and John's conversation. ATWT's tracking shots execution was unparalleled back then. I was always entertained by these episodes where half the town gathered in one place over some inciting incident.

And the Crown prince MBS is driving that war in Yemen which has been devastating but then again, Kushner and his kin seem to be indebted to the Saudi royal family, so I won't hold my breath for any pronunciations on that one. Also, the Reagan administration trained mujahedeen (Bin Laden was one among many in this group) who spanked the Soviets in Afghanistan. @Juliajms I'm not dismissing the Russians at all but in terms of the middle east, the U.S. might just have more to worry about from a rising insurgent force of guerrilla fighters who may have an even greater ability to move more stealthily than the Russians. The U.S. has been obsessed with the machinations of Russians and possible war for over 60 years now yet no one paid enough attention to the more than dozen terrorists who commandeered commercial airplanes and flew them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I'm just saying that, in terms of retaliation, it is important to keep one's eyes open for the the little noticed groups as well as the bigger ones.

Even those who applaud the missile strike agree that it won't achieve anything in the long run. I don't understand Slaughter's reasoning though. And no one seems to care that it was likely illegal.

Hezbollah is in Syria as well. They could certainly mix and mingle with other disaffected Syrians the way that Daesh infiltrated in Syria against Assad. Then you'd have the possibility of an odd combination of Assad being on the same side as forces that he once opposed against a U.S. allied coalition. Armed conflict certainly makes strange bedfellows.

I think people are remiss if they dismiss possible retaliation from militant groups like Hezbollah, as well as any ad-hoc militant groups that could form because of this action. Under the Bush administration, the U.S. underestimated grassroots militant groups in Iraq (which quickly became the land of IEDs) and Afghanistan who know the landscape a thousand times better than any perceived 'invading' force coming in from the outside, like the Allied forces. An old-fashioned, on-the-ground war of attrition that lasts for a decade is always a danger. Remember Iraq was supposed to be an 'in and out' proposition too (remember Cheney speaking of how the U.S. would be greeted in Iraq as liberators? How far was the reality from this?).

Feast your eyes. Although, I don't expect to get an honest timeline of when the warnings were issued.

I don't see why not, especially since he likely tipped Putin off before that 'retaliatory response' that ultimately arrived in the wake of the poisoning of the ex-spy and his daughter. Announcing sanctions months ago, then leaving it open-ended gave all those oligarchs plenty of time to move their money to the Cypriot bank of their choice.

And who among us didn't see this coming from a mile away?

Remember when Fridays didn't have the predictable drumbeat of political scandal? It's starting to feel like ages ago.

That fool wants to rejoin the TPP? Ahahahaha! Only if it's a better "deal" than what Obama did? After all those countries worked meticulously in the absence of the U.S., (who, by the way created TPP under Obama). Let's see how that one goes. Japan has already said that they don't intend to change the agreement and Canada (that has gotten a better "deal" after the departure of the U.S. from the trade agreement) agrees with Japan. Trump cannot manage China, clearly and wants some sort of backup trade agreement. China recently claimed that they would look to lower tariffs on foreign automobiles but who knows whether they intend to include the U.S.? Many Chinese like European and Japanese cars, particularly those who lean towards status symbols. I think the TPP members may be more open to the U.S. rejoining when the U.S. has a different president because at this time, the U.S. is no longer a reliable partner, as Angela Merkel alluded to in a speech she gave last year. @marceline ITA with your post.