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I just always assumed it was money. But, I always assume it is about money. Marcy Walker was on the verge of leaving for at least two years before she bit the bullet, and she was due for a pregnancy leave that year. SB was in a hiring frenzy I would bet they paid more. One year later, when someone in SB production failed to reply to his agent's call about renewing his contract, he left without notice, and Gordon Thompson, his replacement, said that they had to pay him a big salary because they were in the lurch.

Kyle's daughter's friend's maybe-a-thief/subcontractor recognized LVP?!? A. Who makes their construction workers take a lie detector test? B. What subcontractor in LA would recognize LVP? C. Don't Lie Detectors work like psychologists and have confidential waiting rooms? D. If you saw LVP in the building why would anyone guess that she was taking a lie detector test? E. Does John Sessa make his eyelash extensions from actual Vanderpump dogs?

She was the most frequently recurring girlfriend on Seinfeld and was in the iconic Hamptons/shrinkage episode. Assumingly Kassie Wesley (DePaiva) is in the same issue worried about leaving GL. Meanwhile, 30 years later she's had a pretty steady gig as an employed actress.

Melanie Smith (Emily) gave an excellent exit interview to SOD in the 12/27/90 issue. She mentioned her reason for leaving was to go to LA, but she didn't like working with Greg Beecroft (who left to play the failed recast of Duke on GH) and called him unpleasant and uncooperative. She also told a great story about Bette Davis asking for her autograph. I would infer from her exit that there was very little story for Emily at the time after she had just broken another affair with Tonio and Brock. Whether later writers wanted to take Emily in a new direction is yet to be proven. But, the throughline of the character was that she was always impulsively sexual and that is what got her into trouble. https://classicsodnews.tumblr.com/post/181458634097/late-breaking-news-ratings-race-vcr-alert-soap

I might need to start watching in non-HD because James's nails were so dirty that I was distracted for the whole reunion! Also, functionally, this crew doesn't need a reunion. They see each other every day. They don't need a special day to air their grievances and wear a cocktail gown.

There's a discussion on the exec producer thread about the original plan for Jessica and Natalie regarding their parentage. I think Natalie vs. Meghan's long-lost-baby backstory is such an interesting contrast. Paul Rauch took under a year to tell the impossible story of Eterna to explain how Vicky could have had a long-lost child. The audience instantly accepted Meghan and moved on. Cut to another decade and the writers are much more low-key about providing specifics of how Natalie came to be; which then bit the show in the butt because it took years to nail it down. They had the technological advance of the DNA to prove maternity, but it didn't explain how Vicky became Natalie's mother. I would suggest it one of the variables that limited Natalie's appeal to me as a character. Also, I've always hated soap stories where adults meet their rich biological parents and expect an instant attachment. I think there are many long-lost kids of rock stars in real life who would tell a different tale. It is weird and usually reflects poorly on the parental character who neglected a kid for some reason that needs to be justified in the plot so they don't seem like monsters.

In my prior response, I totally forgot that was the Elizabeth Taylor week of shows ("I put a curse on you Luke and Laura..."), so that whole week was probably abnormally inflated. Also, aren't those photos a funny reminder of how the female characters established iconic hair-dos? Monica had her bun-with-tendrils look from 1977 until she met Ned at that spa, once Anna took off her scar she wore that half-up/poof for years and Gail always wore a short perm.

According to the podcast, Marland and Monty disagreed about the direction of Luke and Laura. Falkin-Smith was responsible for so many of the romantic scenes between them, (dancing in the department store, etc..), that I wonder if they would have stayed together under Marland, or if any of the 90's "second-take" on the impact of Laura's rape would have been necessary. Because, in hindsight, she inherited that part of the story and then needed to change course in order to move on so that they could work together to solve mysteries. Certainly, when reviewing the history of the period, one can see that Marland was more concerned with explaining character motivation. Which is why Luke and Laura spend so much time talking about their relationship before the Left-Handed boy adventure than they do for twenty years afterward. Laura goes from a spunky/conflicted/impulsive girl to a damsel-in-distress that Luke puts on a pedestal. Luke gets all of these monologues about how she's too good for him meanwhile, she almost went to reform school two years prior. Even the Alan/Rick/Leslie/Monica story takes a turn under PF-S. It goes from two couples struggling with intimacy and commitment to Alan becoming super-villainous and trying to drop a nursery roof on Rick. By the time Alexandra shows up, it is all plot with no time for explaining motivation or even how she is related to the rest of the family. I am a fan of all of those stories. I think her strength was the ability to use action/adventure as a backdrop for the evolution of a couple's romance, rather than letting a mystery take over the show. If Marland was criticized for carrying on stories too long, then I think her pacing was great. She was able to balance multiple stories and I think she introduced the seasonal summer storyline that was resolved by the time school started in the fall. But it interesting to consider how a synthesis of the two styles could have benefitted the show. I think it is odd that Monty hired her after fighting with Marland, considered that she had a reputation based on suing her bosses at Days.

Thanks for finding that and answering my questions It is an odd choice to use a modern jazz song for a scene about sexual assault at a disco, one would assume that JFP would have gone for something with more synth to it as was popular at the time in movies like Waiting for Mr. Goodbar and Midnight Express. Meanwhile, I contend that the snippets of Christopher Cross's "Think of Laura" that was used as the buildup for Laura's return are better than the whole song. It's a banger that needs to be re-mixed. Those haunting whisper tones were iconic. I recall that Mr. Cross was somehow opposed to the use of his song, or just needed the clarification that it wasn't written expressly for GH, but it is an excellent use of music to set a theme (also it was totally convenient that the local stores on Cassadine Island had so many coats with hoods for Laura to skulk around in). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym64hGGWuRA And General Hospi-tale, the comic rap based on Luke and Laura's Left Handed Statute storyline is my favorite soap-related media of the period (along with Young Doctors in Love which I think is underrated, especially compared to Soap Dish). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8EVkVp86-k

I don't know those numbers but by comparison, 83 million watched to see Who shot JR?, 14.2 million watched Lady Di's wedding to Prince Charles that year, and 20 million watched Betsy marry Steve on ATWT. However, even those numbers may have been underestimated because Nielsen ratings were only counted by households at the time, they did not have the technology to measure individual viewers. So, 30 million households watched, but there may have been 2-4 people in the house at the time. A Trip Down Soap Lane Podcast did an episode this week about the start of Luke and Laura, and I had similar questions. Was there more promotional support once Gloria Monty took over? It went from #8 to #1, but I wonder if anyone took notice before they hit number one? I also wonder how much press the original rape episode got? Because the iconic fact that Herb Alpert's Rise played in the background during the scene seems to be etched in my memory by soap press rather than actually watching the show at the time.

1. When Scotty left Laura while she was on the run with Luke, did he get a proper send-off scene? I recall a scene when Laura returned that she had with Lee to get Scotty to sign the divorce papers, but I don't recall Scotty leaving Port Charles. 2. Wasn't Laura already an adult/over 18 when Rick adopted her after marrying Leslie?

It is odd that it looks like Jill is in the Berkshires in the season teaser video. But, when she met with Luann it was as if they hadn't seen each other given that Jill was still asking questions about Lu's sobriety. Also, the whole season seems to take place in one month. Dorinda had her Halloween decor in Berkshire's four episodes ago, but Luann's party on Halloween was just last week. In past seasons they went until the holidays, took a break for any cast members who may have been arrested during the holiday season, and then resumed filming in January. This feels like we're not even going to get to Thanksgiving. The cliffhanger is which florist Dorinda is going to choose for the event, the one who did Bethanny's centerpieces from Ramona or her new neighborhood florist with the mustache?

That is an excellent point, well stated, thank you for your insight

RHOP: Was that scarf just draped over Katie's head, or was it somehow pinned to her hair? How did it stay on her head when the wind blew or the door opened? Also, I wonder why Gizelle drives a Mini Cooper? It seems not her style, and it looks like it couldn't fit all of her kids at the same time. There's got to be more to the Michael story, right? I was waiting for a cliffhanger during the last ten minutes, but so far, we just have Robyn's gossip. When does the stuff happen with the crew member and who was the guy he was hitting on?

Instagram and time have certainly had an effect on de-closeting/un-closeting/whatever of many actors. Ian Buchanan, Thaao Penghlis, and Nic Robuck live their lives openly on social media, and one can only be a "confirmed bachelor" for so long. They no longer need a specific announcement of their sexuality because of the proverbial picture that is worth a thousand words. However, I still maintain that there was a "Liberace-Effect" in the soap press, wherein female editors of female-skewed soap magazines that tried to sell dish soap to housewives didn't want to see or hear that their favorite male stars were gay because it interrupted the illusion of the soap hunk. Despite the fact that Gregg Marx was just as unattainable as Jon Hensley to most female fans, there were many women writers who tried to maintain their availability as part of the fantasy. Just like Liberace telling Oprah in his final interview that he could just never find the right woman to settle down with and share his jewelry and furs.

I wonder if they'll extend their season to make up for the missed episodes? I also found myself questioning her judgment at going out with Angela "Black Chyna" and her son. However, she made a strong comeback when she alluded to how things work with TMZ. Wendy explained that they were done with dinner at 11:30, but her guest insisted that they stay for another half hour, reminded her to touch up her makeup, and then a photographer met them at the door at midnight. I like that she has new management and I like the dissolution of the Hunter Foundation. I always think it is better to support established charities rather than start one from scratch and deterring funds from programs that have a proven track record. I wonder if she has had her face to face with Charlemagne yet and if she'll appear on his radio show? Because it really is the only venue that I can think of that still does newsworthy interviews. There is no Barbara Walters or Diane Sawyer left to do a proper sit-down tv interview, Katie Couric doesn't have a current gig, and I don't think she's going to be interviewed by Oprah, so that leaves radio or print. I certainly hope she profits from this period of celebrity misery. Finally, I read on Pg6 that her exec producer is going to Tamron Hall, who I am looking forward to seeing her show in the fall. Recently, I watch Hot Topics on youtube and I never watch the rest of the show. However, that is how I've watched Live with Kelly & Whomever for years, I never care about the interviews or cooking segments.

On RHONY this week, why did no one address the Bridie/Birdie situation? When Ramona referenced the event to Bethanny, neither she nor Tinsley brought up the ending. Then, at Luann's roundhouse Dorinda didn't say anything about it to Ramona and there appeared to be no residual drama. Did I miss the resolution or did the drama of Halloween usurp the total disrespect of the ladies toward that young woman's message? On the other hand, Bethanny's argument that Ramona would never miss a red carpet invitation was a perfectly clever retort. Because all of the housewives universally respect the need to be photographed at a red carpet event. The chance of being in Us Weekly trounces all other obligations, from charity to attending a friend's wedding. I'm left perplexed by the housewives' response to Barbara coming out as being sexually fluid. They're all such know-it-alls that they collectively patted themselves on the back for not being surprised by the revelation, but nobody complimented her courage at coming out on national television. Instead, they dismissed it as a passing phase, (which didn't feel very current for women with a lot of gay friends). Either, they've all just decided to ignore Barbara, or they're so caught up in the fear of having to attend a cabaret in Upstate New York that they've overlooked it, or she's not holding an apple so producers didn't ask about her during the testimonials. Clearly, there's a difference between being in a relationship with a woman for a year and kissing girls on the mouth when you get drunk, but these sophisticated Manhattan ladies seem to not understand that concept.

USC just published that they reached their annual donation goal of $330 million dollars. Which puts these cases into perspective. The Laughlin/Mossimo family only wanted to spend $500,000, which would hardly get noticed in a pile of $330 million/$6 billion total alumni fund, so bribing an official seems more economically viable. Also, search USC Woman's Rowing, it is a surprisingly large team given that USC is in East LA and there are no rivers or other bodies of water immediately nearby. I am certainly not defending them, but it is amusing upon reflection.

The discussion about Drew always reminds me that one of the things that I appreciated about the finale was the full-circle moment of Bo talking to Matthew about impending fatherhood. He remarked upon his fears when he found out that Beckie Lee was having his son. I really liked those parallels of how Bo's family thought he wasn't ready for fatherhood just as Matthew's family had reservations about his maturity for paternity (which were more reasonable given Matthew's age and recent coma). It was a clever twist to use Bo's perception of his own history rather than what the audience on-screen saw at the time. It erased the predatory nature of Asa and explained why Bo had a different relationship with Matthew than he had with Drew.

A great scene made even more memorable by those monitors, not everyone has forty years of pictorial evidence of during an epic takedown. Until you mentioned it, I had no recollection that Ryder was the son of Grant and Joyce; too bad he didn't inherit his father's George-Hamilton-like-tan. I love the classic scene from 50 Years in Soaps when Lisa refuses to attend Joyce's wedding.

Are Ellen and Myrtle in the room with the blue wallpaper at The Boutique? And is the picture of Brooke and her Aunt Phoebe is from The Goalpost?

Those promo photos are great. Isn't odd that at the turn of the 21st century we were really turned on by wet jeans?

LVP is stuck because you can't prove a negative so she cannot find proof that she didn't do something. Even if she could find proof, or pass a lie detector, or get gossip editors to attest to her virtues, it doesn't matter if she won't film with the rest of the cast. She could have formed a coalition of Camille, Denise, and possibly Erika, and at least she would have had the numbers to intimidate Teddi, Dorit, and Kyle. However, I think LVP's engendered more animosity from the cast by having the luxury of only filming in her own home, and that has become the real sticking point nine months later, not some puppy and website gossip.

I liked LVP's new kitchen. Although, I wondered if it went with the modern architecture of her home? BTW, the range alone is $11,000.00, so her budget estimates seemed about right. https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/la-cornue-cornufe-stove-blanc/? pkey=cstoves&isx=0.0.800 LOL, they're very close, every two years Lisa asks Camille if everything is well. Also, note that for all of the shade of the minute flashback, Camille never inquires about LVP's wellbeing in all those air kissing sessions. Aside from the total foolishness of having multiple bridesmaids at your second wedding, which is a destination wedding, when you are already "of a certain age", I wonder what the etiquette is about having attendants from your first wedding be bridesmaids at your second wedding. Can you repeat people or do you have to find new ones each time? Also, LVP is beautiful now, but she was stunning in those flashbacks to S1. And I stand unconvinced that production did not have LVP come back at the end of the season when they saw that all they had was some lame argument between Camille and Teddi and film all of these lie detector/kitchen scenes (note that Camille is fearing a faux fur, and it was never that cold in the fall in LA). RHOP Question: Where is that room where Giselle films her testimonials because it looks nothing like the rest of her house?

Three thoughts after finally re-watching Kristen's party episode from the start. (1)Is there rational given in 1988 for why Caroline still lives at the Forrester house without the benefit of marriage? It seems odd to have terminated an engagement, but stay in your in-laws' house. (2) 32 years later the vibe between Stephanie and Ridge is uncomfortable. I thought it was clever later when they referenced it in the Mossimo Morone story (I wonder who was the inspiration for that character's name?) (3) And if they're really the 10 most eligible bachelors in Los Angeles, why are they all available on the same night?