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I’m no expert but I would guess injectables are to blame for McKenzie’s appearance. But while we’re on the subject, there’s something odd going on with Eric Martsolf’s hairline and eyebrows. Men tend to use a single color dye, and it looks very unrealistic, especially next to Galen who seems to be aging a bit more naturally. (OK, that fulfills my bitchy comment quotient for the day).

With different editors and background music there's a fine line between Kathy Hilton and Ramona Singer. They are both face lifted, long-time republican, peaked in the 80's, superficial gals, who feel compelled to tell others how to dress, act, and present themselves like ladies, as if the male gaze is the most important thing to value on the planet.

While I appreciate the Capwell mansion set, (with the well lit atrium and hand painted floors to look like tiles), I thought the bedrooms were uninspired. CC's office was prominent in the first year as it was the site of Channing's murder and it led to the secret tunnel. It included a stunning use of wooden paneling, antiques, and art. However, once CC went into his coma, his main suite did not look lush or well appointed. Similarly, I liked the Lockridge living room, (and the modernity that they never showed their kitchen), but the bedrooms seemed very generic. For example, I get that Minx would have occupied the main bedroom, but I would have thought that a stylish woman like Augusta would have redecorated her room with a bit more pizazz, and certainly it would not have been pastel colored. Warren's room, much like Ted Capwell's room, was mainly a bed, with no teen-aged boy memorabilia, no video games, and no posters. I also really liked Cruz's houseboat, as they were constantly dealing with real boat issues like where the fridge goes, how to attach a landline phone, and the small closet space In terms of the community sets, La Mesa and the Diner made sense for the actual town of Santa Barbara. One expects that there would be at least one Mexican restaurant in Santa Barbara where they still make the waitresses wear mariachi dresses as uniforms (as opposed to AW's oddly placed Cafe Paradise). The Liar made less sense, as the actual Santa Barbara is a little sleepy when it comes to nightclubs and bars. Most residents still venture to LA if they are looking for nightlife, because the bars in SB tend to be either for the university crowd or tourists. Also, the first Capwell Hotel and Orient Express were geographically incorrect because there are very few highrise buildings in town, and the major hotels mostly resemble European spas with Spanish architecture (like the later used Oasis set and exteriors), not tall boxy structures with signs on the roof (which I think are actually illegal because they look bad, not because they are prone to killing nuns).

As I've mentioned many times, the ages of the Love family always seemed convoluted, so it would have been especially odd if Scott LaSalle was the triplet of Marley and Vicky, given that they were dating men the ages of Jamey Frame and Dennis Wheeler, while Scott was dating high school senior Cheryl McKinnon. The twins were in young adult storylines, Marley had already married Jake, and they were talking about having children. Meanwhile, Scott was in a teen story, and was more concerned about college crushes and first kisses than weddings and babies. So, it would have been a stretch to think of them as being the same age, even though the stage was clearly set for a triplet reveal when Scott was introduced because they reminded viewers all the time that he was the adopted son of Reg and Mary. In retrospect, one of the most interesting dynamics when Reg returned should have been his relationship with Michael. Reg and Michael should have been equal sparring partners given Michael's wealth and status. However, my criticism is that by having them in the same house it neutered Michael's power. The story should have been about Michael seeking revenge for Reg making him miss being a father to the twins. He even went so far as to have Michael's brother in the room during the birth. However, none of those beats were played out, and it was mostly about Michael being a savior to Donna, (when he wasn't being distracted by John's return). I mean the morning that Reg showed up and demanded to stay at the Love mansion, Michael should have called a real estate agent and bought a place of him own (Steve Frame's old mansion that Blaine once owned was probably available). Instead he was still being conned, tormented, and dominated by Reg until his fell off of that building.

The Wonderful World of TV Soap Operas by Robert Laguardia is my favorite book of soap history. I've owned both the original publication and update, and I've reread it often. So, imagine my delight when I saw that the Vintage Soaps Archives Tumblr began rescanning his articles. https://vintagesoaparchives.tumblr.com His article (which looks like it was typed directly into the magazine) includes scoops regarding the change in direction pf soaps that took place in the early 1970's Which lead to industry wide changes He noted that Edge producers were scared because ratings had dropped and they were only getting a 20% share (so funny to think what was bad in a time with only three networks, the highest rated show last week in primetime got a 3% share)). Although some of his news was incredibly mundane with the exception of one piece of news that I never knew

I guess the nurse's cap goes on the back of the head because they couldn't fit it into frame on the top. 😀

I think Amy's reactions to Tara and Erica would have been interesting. Amy was so vocal about the Women's Movement, image her dismay at these two young women abandoning their sisterhood to fight over boys? If she had lasted it might have been fun to see how she reacted to Tara's lie about her pregnancy, and how it mirrored her own experience with Phillip. I would also like to hear Amy's take on Erica's modeling career. In particular, Nick's attraction to Erica, whose value system was so far from Amy's would have made for an interesting story. However, I also think she would have vilified Phoebe and kept her from becoming the beloved character that she evolved into. Someone would have needed to voice the contrasting opinion to Amy's liberalism, and I'm afraid that would have fallen mostly on Phoebe's shoulders. Luckily, Phoebe was humanized by her relationships with Benny and Langley who taught her the ill effects of snobbery. Also, in these pics, Ruth makes a housedress and cardigan look comfortable, but achieving that hairdo seems like a painful amount of backcombing.

The funny thing about The Vulture review is that the Hollywood Reporter review specifically notes that HBO did not want reviewers to spoil the twist about the identity of Gossip Girl when they sent out the screeners. So, lesson learned, if you want to keep a secret don't tell Vulture. Also, I question if the teen culture of Upper East side has changed dramatically since 2007? I seriously doubt if the current version would discuss the ethnic exclusivity of the UES private school entry system which would have made a diverse cast seem historically inaccurate. In my experience, the fact that currently the wealthy residents of the Upper East Side represents a more racially and religiously diverse population has yet to have any impact on the desire for UES institutions like private schools, co-ops, and clubs to be more inclusive. So, the representation of BIPOC characters in this reboot is purely superficial.

It tracks because Sophia cheated on CC during their first marriage, but it is also lamentable that she never tried to restart her relationship with Lionel. With the exception of that brief period in the first year when they were stranded in the western town, Sophia and Lionel never share any flirtations, or even that much consideration of each other's plight. Totally agree, I remember watching during Eden's presumed death and Cain's motivations to keep Eden in his cabin were always confusing as a viewer. I didn't know if he was benevolent in trying to help Eden convalesce or if his actions were more malicious. It is an interesting contrast because Sophia betrayed CC with Lionel, but CC betrayed Pamela with Sophia, and yet they never really play out the fact that both of them had similar experiences. In fact, except when Pamela goes batty, there is too much redundancy between Pamela and Sophia (both married Europeans, both returned in disguise during a murder investigation, both harbored a grudge with CC, but felt no guilt about leaving their kids with him). Although it is never explicitly discussed, it was interesting to me that CC was always second choice. Pamela dated his brother Grant before she dated CC, than she had an affair with Scott's Uncle Hal. And Sophia cheated on him within the first year of their marriage (although the timeline of the affair with Lionel is always questionable). The problem over time was that The Liar became more of a lounge than a nightclub. Characters would inexplicably go there for lunch, and they stopped playing music. IRL there's something depressing about being a club during daylight and that was my problem with The Liar. BTW - My favorite part of the Elena story was how bold she was as a villain toward Eden. She mocked Eden's paralysis in a way that was unforgivable. Given that Sherilyn Wolter had previously played such a sweet character on GH, it was shocking to see how vile she could be in those scenes. It is always fun when an actress is allowed to play against type, and she did it very well (which is probably why they had her play a similar role on GL, just to complete her triple play of roles in 2pm soaps).

Fallon's bitch/repent cycle with Liam is getting slightly repetitive. I wish they teamed up on Laura Leighton's character (who looked great) the minute that they found out she was deliberately delaying the SEC filing. I actually sided with Fallon in this week's argument and thought it was cruel of Liam to continue to investigate when it could put those in Fallon's company out of work, considering he could have waited a few months without any repercussions. Also, how did Laura Leighten magically find out that Liam was investigating her? The mine stuff was cute, although the set (as well as that green screen balloon) looked cheap as heck. Also, Jeff just suddenly wondered where his mother could be and out of the infinite places in the world, he figured out that she was in the mine? And the whole search and rescue took place during a commercial? Also, why is Cristol carrying around her medical files? And how is she in stage four of an illness where she has only experienced a single instance of side effects? Coffin theory of the week

No, remember Harry's pie that he was so proud of (it's one of my pet peeves when straight guys can get so much praise for a simple baking task that their maid has to clean up afterward)? Their home bbq is the origin of Lisa and Erika's annual hot dog and it was the site of the cupcake decorating event when Erika told Denise that she was her porn fantasy. Also, given that filmed during covid lockdown in LA, where else could they go?

https://pagesix.com/2021/07/02/meghan-mccain-was-miserable-at-the-view-before-leaving/ When Kim Godwin was named president of ABC News in April, we’re told she took a “no-nonsense” approach in shaping up the show. “There was a meeting. Kim didn’t take a side, but she came in with a stern, ‘You have to figure this out,'” an insider said. Despite buzz that McCain — the daughter of the late Sen. John McCain — was getting pushed out, multiple sources told us that she ultimately decided to leave. And despite the hosts’ chummy on-air goodbye, multiple sources and insiders maintain the ladies “hate each other.”

Not to make it a competition, but upon reflection, I preferred Cass with Frankie. Kathleen was always a bit of a damsel in distress, going blind, being wheelchair bound, kidnapped etc, which creates routing value, but is not the type of heroine that I enjoy. Whereas Frankie challenged Cass and felt more like an equal because she rescued Cass as often he aided her. As far as Reginald, although death is never final on a soap, we watched him fall off of a roof, Vicky inherited his wealth, and he had already faked his death, so there's not much left for the character. On the other hand, it would have been nice to see Michael become a bit more of a moral compass for his family, rather than returning for another child whose mother hid his existence from him (I mean when two different woman do it, you have to start some self-reflection on why nobody wanted you to be a father to their babies).

Mid 1970's (pre-Monty) GH seemed fun in a traditional soap melodrama kind of way Mary Ellen goes on to cause an accident for the doctor who was going to perform emergency surgery on Terri. So, Mark has to do the job himself (I recall Gerald Gordon on The Doctors mostly indicating his emotions with extreme nostril flaring). Terri survives with some minor memory loss. Terri finally remembers what happens, but breaks it off with Mark when Mary Ellen makes a failed suicide attempt. Her only hope is that Mark's insurance investigator tracks the ring Mary Ellen reported stolen, but actually pawned to pay off her driver. All that being said, it was easy to see that these stories skewed much older, and Laura seems to be the only young person in Port Charles. Poisoned tea and meddlesome chauffeurs must have felt out of style and Monty's ideas clearly brought the show up to date.

So, what are the chances that Johnny ever mentions his eye? Patch 2.0?

I have two pieces of "evidence" to present to this court 1. An article from Page Six https://pagesix.com/2021/01/31/meghan-mccain-losing-ally-with-resignation-of-james-goldston/ which included the line, “She should be very nervous now. Her cover has left the building,” one source said. 2. She's leaving at the end of The View's season (they usually take off in August and re-set in September) with two years left on her contract. Which leads me to believe she was fired...

Can someone catch me up? As a baby didn't Johnny have an issue with his eyes? I recall him needing an operation, or there was an accident, but definitely something related to his eyes.

@Liberty City Do we agree that Cristal has become a valid candidate for the coffin?

Stefano's nightly visits went on for weeks. Marlena would talk about an evil spirit that had taken over her body, but some reason nobody took it very seriously. In the beginning, there was some suggestion that Stefano was drugging Marlena. But, it was explained by the priest during the exorcism that Marlena's own desire to explore the darkness of anger and jealousy, and not any power derived by Stefano, was what created her delusion. Unfortunately so many episodes were preempted by the OJ trial that most fans would have missed the nuances that the same motives that drove Marlena to want to explore the darkness in her psychiatric patients is what drew her to the darker side of her own psyche. As with many of JER's stories the show could not afford the special effects to produce his vision in any way that didn't look cheap and silly. However, the underlying plot was rooted in the character's history and he rarely used stunts that weren't related to tons of groundwork laid months in advance. It was not my cup of tea, but he used the traditional soap troupes of most other daytime writers to tell his tales, he just perverted them to biblical devices.

https://www.thewrap.com/daytime-emmys-apologize-in-memoriam-mistake/ To be fair, the Oscars and Emmys annually screw up the in-memoriam segment, either leaving someone out or misspelling a name. It seems like an award show tradition.

I may be the last person outside of NYC reading the NY Post, but at what point did it just become an amalgam of Sirius radio and TikTok? Every day they either recap Howard Stern, Andy Cohen, Jess Cagle, or some rando on social media. Rosie O’Donnell: Ellen DeGeneres’ daytime exit is ‘complicated’ As the former host of her own eponymous talk show, Rosie O’Donnell believes Ellen DeGeneres’ exit from her daytime show is “complicated.” “I have an understanding of the cycle of show business, and kind of what happens in people’s careers, and when enough is enough,” O’Donnell, 59, recently said on Sirius XM’s “The Jess Cagle Show.”

I think we have to remind each other every year that not only are the Daytime Emmys meaningless, but they are based on the submission of singular episodes. If the only episodes that I watched in 2020 were the denouement of the GH baby switch, or Dina's final episode on Y&R, I would have thought those were great shows. The panels do not have to consider the other dreck that fills out the show the other 198 episodes per year. To me the better question is how anyone could have suffered through even one episode of Larry King's talk show? I guess we shouldn't speak ill of the dead, but we don't need to reward them either.

It feels as if once they went down the path of exploring Lucinda's childhood and thereby creating some audience support for her vulnerability, when future writers tried the same device the returns were diminishing. The same thing happened with Dorian on OLTL and Felicia on AW, once they humanized the diva, there's no going back..And writers certainly shouldn't make the backstory murkier over time because they were disrespecting the established cannon that fans learned to accept over time.

My nominee for best name(s) of the evening was a tie from the directing team at GH, Phideaux Xavier and Denise Van Cleave. They sound like names that Bill Bell himself would have created.

I continue to be entertained and I'm glad that I've committed to watching this season as it gives me something to look forward to watching (usually Saturday morning, but I caught it live this week). Random thought: I get there are tax breaks to filming in Atlanta, but it is a shame that they don't refer to the city more often. They never show any establishing shots of the city or give any context for where the fictional places around town are supposed to be. They're inside so often that they might as well be shooting in Vancouver. My scene of the week was Adam's response to Cristal's diagnosis. I appreciate that these characters are somehow predestined to relive the lives of the originals, right down to their diseases (although only in a soap could a brain tumor be diagnosed by a blood test by an OB-GYN). But, Adam's response was really touching. I was as shocked that Fallon graduated from Wharton as I was to learn that the writers think that graduate business programs have a capella groups (although I guess she could've gone there for undergrad and claimed the honor; like a certain former president). How did Blake afford to buy back the Manor, but he can't maintain Carrington Atlantic? He seems to not have his priorities in order. One would think he would want to re-establish his company before caring about not having to live in a hotel with his butler. That being said, I covet his leisure wear, that outfit in his final scene was stunning. Again, pacing is my major quibble. I was filled with suspects about who was behind Fallon's Scottish deal. My bets were either on her new assistant or Blake causing the destabilization of her company. However, with no mystery what so ever, we found out it was some guy who despite living in 2021, with huge family wealth, still went to drive-in movies? The whole plan was sketchy considering that if he bought the land, his family's company still couldn't develop the property. It continues to mystify me why they feel the need to tie up each story every week rather than allowing plots to develop over time. I am sure Alexis will escape the mine, and Cristal will have brain surgery, before the opening credits next week.