j swift

It's ironic that he says he's worked with "hundreds of people, the overwhelming majority of whom would disagree with recent mischaracterizations of [him]." Meanwhile, at least 85% of the cast signed the petition to get rid of him.  And, not one person has said a word to defend him, in over a week, including his boss.

Perhaps, in light of recent events, he will have the time to reflect on the fact that while he may have worked with many people, nobody is going to mourn his loss.  It reminds me of what David Gregory said in his memoir about being fired from Meet the Press. He said that after his anger subsided, he was embarrassed to realize that none of his staff ever mentioned being sad to see him go.

Blame it on my eternal optimism (cue the Karen MacKenzie Pollyanna monologue), but the positive here is that there's hardly been any scenes between Gwen and Brady, so we don't know their chemistry.  EOB and EM could have a sparkling rapport.

And, the return of Tate makes the custody of Rachel seem more logical.  My question has been why is Brady fighting so hard for one kid (who's kind of bratty), while forgetting his other kid?

Also, I assume getting Gwen out of the way means that The Spectator will revert to Jack and Jen, which is good.

The odd lingering issue for me is the Gwen and Xander relationship.  It seems so odd that Xander and Gwen were put together twice as a couple, and then immediately torn apart.  I think a Gwen/Rex/Sarah/Xander quad makes more sense that Xander and Chloe.  So, I wonder why the writers were never invested in that couple?

I would not be in favor of that recast, but I am slightly annoyed that it is being discussed in this thread, rather than in the Previews & Spoilers thread where it belongs...

Getting back to the show that is currently airing, I was clutching my proverbial pearls at Dimitri's scenes today.  This is the second time that they've overtly implied that he's getting oral pleasure.  I know I didn't see that on NBC!

I enjoyed that they played with the timeline a bit by telling how Tripp wound up in bed with Leo.  However, I agree that Leo needs some real consequences for constantly abusing the boundaries of straight men.  It is not funny, and it sends a bad message (not that the whole BTS story doesn't send a bad message, but two wrongs blah blah blah).

I give this week a 7/10, DAYS wins a lot of points based on the charisma of the cast.  The Xander/Maggie scene for example was intriguing to watch, even though the topic of Victor and Xander's reconciliation seems to come out of thin air. 

What are the chances that both Nicole and Sloan carries their embryo to term?

I say at least one of them, loses their baby, and my bet is that Nicole miscarries and somehow blames Sloan.  I just don't see a world where Sarah, Nicole, and Sloan are all holding babies at Christmas.  Especially when the hair and makeup budget can probably only afford one fake belly at a time.

Note that I don't know any spoilers, and I am worse at predicting stories on DAYS than a psychic with an injury to their third eye.

33 minutes ago, titan1978 said:

Lesley and Monica’s iconic confrontation and slap is my favorite old school confrontation on GH. The closeups! Starts around the 6 minute mark.

Iconic!  It is the total fantasy of freedom to have no shame and no remorse.  Monica's husband, family, and co-workers are all steps away, and she yells about laying in bed and laughing about how boring Leslie is when making love to her husband.  Talk about hitting below the belt.  This isn't just a proclamation of love, it is an indictment of Leslie's inabilities as a woman.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Stacey had dated Jamie prior to her marriage to Mark, during his drug using/screenwriter days.  Unfortunately, she came back during the dud-Jamie days, so I could see why her eye would wonder underground.

In retrospect, another odd thing about Stacey and Derek is that they really marketed that coupling as a Beauty and Beast combo, even though the primetime show was on CBS.  I don't recall if they used the actual phrase in the promotion, or if it was just referenced in the soap press, but the source material was obvious.

I also wonder if they ever referenced Stacey when Morgan was introduced, especially when he needed some legal advice?

@dragonfliesI believe he said that there wasn't a PR department, although they hired an outside firm to handle the PR after the Deadline article (p.s. they're not doing a great job)

20 minutes ago, Liberty City said:

There is no HR.... 

It's sometimes difficult to determine if someone is being intentionally ironic in print, but, of course, there is HR, it just not on site

from Deadline

I apologize if you were just teasing, but I wouldn't want others to mistake your humor for truth

These websites need to do at least a bit of fact checking...

Do they really think Ken Corday co-created Days of Our Lives with his parents at age 13? 

That's the issue with HR and harassment.  If HR had found that Alarr was actually guilty of misconduct, then he would've nullified his contract, and wouldn't need a buy out.  But, if HR was inconclusive and just recommended further training and supervision (as often happens in a first offense in order to limit liability), then it is another story.  We only know the allegations that prompted the investigation, the fact that he admitted to the behavior, and the recommendations from the investigation.

As I read the story, we don't know the conclusion of the HR investigation, probably because it is confidential, but if anyone else has information about their actual findings, that would be interesting.

9 minutes ago, dragonflies said:

He might have a iron clad contract, or whatnot, or maybe there's something in his contract where they can't easily fire him?

You can't make a contract to allow illegal behavior such as harassment, and most media contracts have morals clauses, so it could not be a contractual issue.  Even it were, there would still be the option to buy him out, like what happened at CNN and CBS.  Also, California is a non-cause state, so anyone can be fired at any time without cause.

I third the preference of Sloan and Eric, so we almost have a quorum.  I admit that I preferred their noncommittal days when they felt that they could be brutally honest with each other.  But, it was a pleasure to see that Sloan still has enough self-respect to want a real proposal.

All things being equal, messing with a DNA result seems like a lower offense than telling Jada to get an abortion. It should go without saying that I support a woman's right to make private medical decisions with her doctor.  However, Nicole's bullying of Jada in a desperate attempt to reconcile with Eric seems much more egregious.  And, it was during Nicole's lowest times that EJ took her into the mansion, which is why they are well suited.  They have frequently been each other's port in a storm, and rather than seeing each other as their second choice, I think they work better together as a team.

Also, how fun would a Sloan vs Belle courtroom scene be?  I know DAYS doesn't do courtroom drama, but it would extend the conflict to see these two in action (I know they have been opposing counsel, but we've never seen them depose a witness or do a cross-examination on screen).

9 minutes ago, JAS0N47 said:

There are 33 contract actors airing this week (taped 6 months ago). So, depending on how many have left or been added in the last few months, the cast size usually hovers around 30-35 at any given time.

I knew @JAS0N47 would have the exact number, thank you!

I guess when watching the show, it only feels as if there's just twelve people stuck in three different rooms every episode.

1 hour ago, antmunoz said:

Too bad that Zaslow wasn’t the Tony recast. He’d have been on OLTL FOR YEARS!

On the other hand, David was well positioned to be a long term cast member.  He was Dorian's ex-husband, and father to Cassie, who was becoming the central ingénue.

I also think his chemistry with Jenny was h-o-t.  He was the first romantic interest for her that wasn't either dying, a dweeb, or a manipulative lout.

25 cast members signed the petition to oust him.  How large is the cast?  That seems like everyone currently employed signed it.

1 hour ago, carolineg said:

Eric has no career

To be fair, he took some pictures of Nicole last year....

Honestly, when he mentioned a gallery show a few weeks ago, I had to wondered if he had enough work to fill a space.

Do defrocked priests get a pension?

I found myself giggling at all of Sami's phone calls this week.  It feels very in character for her to call Marlena after arguing with Eric about Nicole.  Obviously, a cameo would've been nice, but we didn't need to see her to know exactly what she was ranting about.

4 minutes ago, carolineg said:

It's really hard to gauge people's reactions when we didn't see any of it happen and Sloan and Talia have not interacted with the Colin actor is weeks. 

I guess that's why we're not supposed to think Eric is a jerk for interrogating Sloan about Nicole's test result rather than asking how she feels about her brother going to prison.

And, do we think that Eric never references Jada's abortion because it reminds us that Nicole was unsympathetic in that scenario?  It is rather easy to forget why Eric and Nicole broke up, since neither of them talk about it.

10 hours ago, AbcNbc247 said:

Today was another episode of family/friends bonding and character development, and I like that. Episodes like this really help fans understand the actions of these characters. Not just on Days, but soaps in general. 

Agreed, I think Wednesday episodes are built for recaps and character development.  I didn't watch Tuesday, so this is a nice pace.

However, doesn't Tripp live with Steve?  Why is he just now telling him that he's a couple with Wendy?  Also, is there nobody left that still calls him Patch?  I guess it is not an appropriate nickname in a non-ableist culture, but it's odd to hear John and Abe reference him as Steve.

Also, for humorous or historical purposes, just once I'd like friends to reflect on their own history with similar traumas.  Both John and Steve could tell Abe about the time(s) that they lost their memories and forgot about their loved ones.  I mean, John's forgotten his entire upbringing, and Steve believed he was Stefano not too long ago.

4 hours ago, carolineg said:

All this Colin stuff Jada/Sloan were talking about would have been better if we actually saw it lol.

Sloan seems very nonchalant about loosing a case where her brother is going to prison for 20 years.  Maybe nobody in Salem believes that people stay in prison for more than a year without getting their sentence commuted?  Unless they're Lucas...

I listened to an interview with Andy on Isaac Mizrahi's podcast where he mentioned that the Housewives put themselves on display with the expectation of getting feedback, which I am using as an excuse to post the pic of Erica Jayne from tonight's promo of WWHL looking very skinny.  Between her and Kyle, it makes me wonder if the storylines on RHoBH are going to center on all the women being h-angry all season.  Similarly, I just saw RHoNJ's The Marge on TikTok who seems to be a mere shadow of her former self.  Whoever is giving these women weight loss drugs should get their prescription pad revoked!

So, is Kristen going to raise Rachel at the Dimera Mansion?  I guess if I were a precocious little villain I would prefer living in a home with secret laboratories, a family mausoleum, and a pool, but it's getting rather crowded in that house.  Maybe she'll get Megan's room?

It seems both out-of-character and plot convenient that John was at the hospital rather than the courthouse.  He is so close with Rachel, and one would imagine that a judge would like to hear his testimony.  However, I agree that Belle is an awful attorney if she can't make a better argument in this case.  To be fair, I thought her specialty was corporate law, so maybe Brady was being penny-wise and pound-foolish in hiring her for a custody case.

I think of all the original characters, Warren and Augusta were the ones with the most Montecito/Santa Barbara-specific vibes.

Mason, Eden, and CC all feel very east coast preppy.  They look like they never go to the beach.  They always dress in some form of business casual.  And they speak like mid-Atlantic old moneyed WASPs.  When I picture Mason and CC they are always in a blazer, and Eden favored heavy knits and long skirts even in the summer.  Those looks were fashionable for the time period, but not appropriate for life in Santa Barbara, especially given that they were supposed to be native to the city.

Kelly looks like a Southern California girl, but more Malibu than Santa Barbara.  She has typical Malibu Barbie style, hair, and lack of ambition.  However, she feels more at home in a bikini than at lunch in town with Megan Markle or Oprah.

Lionel and Minx seem more European, with their interests in art, history, and antiquity.

Gina and Julia have more of a big city urban vibe like one would find in Los Angeles.

Ted, Laken, Danny, and Jade all feel more appropriate to Orange County because it is very family oriented, but also a bit more upper middle class than the Uber-wealthy suburbs of Santa Barbara. 

Santana and Cruz are interesting because while it seems appropriate to have Latino families in a soap about Southern California, Santa Barbara is one of the least diverse parts of the area.  There is not a lot of economic diversity.  In fact, most household staff would commute from Los Angeles.  And the harbor in Santa Barbara is not only very expensive, but they don't allow people to live on their boats.

But, Warren, as initially written and portrayed, is a bit of a hustler, like one would expect of the youngest generation of a wealthy family.  There's a scene early on where he is discussing with Minx that he has investors lined up for a real estate deal on the beach.  In light of recent events, it is giving very much "let me call my famous Dad during dinner in order to seal this deal" energy.  I like JAN a lot in the role, and I wish that they had emphasized more of his hustler energy in order to give more context to when he later becomes a degenerate gambler.  I feel like his whole tangent into the newspaper and helping Maggie with her lawsuit were not in keeping with who Warren was meant to be.  And the decision to lean into that side of Warren's history with the recast bore no resemblance to the original character.

Augusta feels especially specific to Santa Barbara.  She is costumed like a lady from the area, from her wide brimmed hats to her flowy outfits.  Louise Sorel always exudes wealth, snobbery, and pomposity, but the mix with Augusta's libidinal urges, the way that she is body conscience, and her vague interest in the type of spirituality that one only gets from massage therapists and expensive yoga coaches make her feel like she is from the area. 

I wonder how much experience the Dobson's had in Santa Barbara culture, or if they did much research into its society, because the art direction and set design seem correct for the area, but the costumes, makeup, and many of the characters wouldn't fit in.

10 hours ago, janea4old said:

A fact (which the articles don't mention):
Back on February 12, Jennifer posted on instagram that it was her birthday, and posted a photo of her parents.  Stephen Nichols posted a comment onto that IG post.  He said
"Happy Birthday, Jennifer. Just prepping a Days script which honors your dad, airing in August. "
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cok8X1dP_Bp/c/18021852244444740/https://www.instagram.com/p/Cok8X1dP_Bp/c/18021852244444740/

So obviously Jennifer has known about the tribute for months. 

I agree on all points, except, Jennifer Aniston employs Stephen Huvane, a very pricey PR firm, who undoubtedly handles her public social media account

the gaslighting by the trades continues...

Yes, @DRW50 & @Xanthe it is Eileen Heckart