j swift

I think it is meaningful how many young actors have expressed their admiration of him. One gets the sense that there are many soap opera patriarchs who are jealous or dismissive of young talent. Male actors can have big egos and when they see the next generation take their place as the romantic lead, it can bruise their self-concept. But, reading these tweets and interviews, you get the feeling that Drake loved being a resource and a mentor to new talent, which is very commendable, and probably rare.

Are there any reports on how long Philip and Vivian are sticking around?

It's funny, I don't find myself missing Nicole. As much I felt that the actress was treated was unjustly, Nicole was never my favorite character. However, it feels like Holly forgiving Nicole is a bad move story-wise. It is one thing to forgive Eric, and gain some insight into how she was transferring her anger on to Brady (although that is remarkable insight for a teen). But now that her estrangement from Nicole has ended, they will forever be burdened with having to explain her absence. For example, why won't Nicole be there for Holly's graduation? De Gaulle airport is closed due to weather. Why won't Nicole be at Holly's wedding? Tate got sick and needed her. etc, etc... Also, as I noted in the spoiler discussion, I hate it when production relies on hair and makeup to indicate a character change. It is as if they think we are too dumb to recognize that this is now Kat and not F-Abby. Meanwhile, the gal was kept locked in an apartment for months and still seemed to blow dry her hair straight. 😉💇🏼‍♀️🌬️

I adore Chad and Julie. It is so organic, and makes so much sense. It is the perfect use of both actors. I like that it distances Chad from the other Dimeras. I like that Chad respects her in a way that Hope and Jennifer never did (not that they were bad to her, but their relationships are more complicated). I also like that Chad doesn't just dump his kids on her, they are really friends and confidants. The tribute to Drake was nice, but I was left wondering why it happened today? It is not as if this episode was produced after his death. And one imagines that they could've inserted a picture into any episode. So, my response was mixed.

I was horrified as a kid when Y&R David Kimble got plastic surgery and wound up with the word “Killer” etched in his forehead. His trash compactor death was a little silly, but that's some freaky makeup.

To be fair, I looked it up, Alex and Theresa's wedding was July 10th. So, she was around for three months. By contrast, Harris was there four times longer, and was thirteen times less interesting.

I just read that Belle and Paul are returning in November for John and Marlena's anniversary. I wonder how that will work?

OK, I might withhold judgement until the end of the week. BUT, how would Vivian have known that Xander was going to give Titan to Kristen? I assume that part will be revealed. It is just odd that last year Philip actively rejected Vivian and was very close with Kate, and this year his allegiance seems to have changed. I want to know the cause of this shift. If this is Quinn in a mask, I may scream. And, I know Kat is on tomorrow, but the pacing means that I've lost the momentum for that story. There are many issues to be resolved, but now that the main secret is revealed, I am not as invested.

Just finished today's episode. Gosh, the pacing is odd, it felt like we were in limbo for weeks, then suddenly everything has changed. I agree with the others that this more stable Vivian is a welcome surprise. I think having Ivan in the mix balances Vivian out. I'd love to see a spin-off of Ivan and Stefan's road trip to Alamania. 😄 I thought Fiona's exit was classy and just what the character deserved. Although the idea of her being self-destructive wasn't really fleshed out until the end of her run, it adequately explains her motives. She seemed like she was scheming for some of that Kiriakis dough when she first arrived, but that seems to have been dropped by the wayside, along with her dislike of Sarah. HOWEVER, Philip was in town for Victor's funeral and the reading of the will, and he seemed OK with the terms. SO, when did he get this letter? And didn't he want Chloe to leave with him? Was his plan for them to go back to the European asylum? And I'm kind of glad that EJ is the DA, if justice in Salem had been served by simply forgiving someone.

Doesn't Jada live with Rafe? I'd like some exploration of the Jada/Gabi relationship. But, most of all, I'm wondering where she is in these home scenes?

And hopefully a better wig 😎

I read on X (formerly Twitter), that Tucker Carlson's entrance music at MSG for the Trump event was "Son of a Preacherman." Which is ironic on a number of levels. Firstly, it was sung by Dusty Springfield, a lesbian who would have hated Tucker and Trump. Second, he's the son of a newspaper man (and the adopted son of a Swanson's Frozen Food Heir). Third, much like Trump's VP pick, he made his mark in the media initially as an anti-Trumper, but later found that MAGA are the only ones who will pay his bills. If it all wasn't so tragic, it would be funny.

BTW, scrolling Facebook and came by a pic of Monti Sharp (aka David Grant - GL), totally underrated and might be good casting.

Yeah, unfortunately Portfolio went belly up, and their archives are no longer online. But, here's an interesting idea from the book The Survival of Soaps, published in 2010 Constructing the Older Audience: Age and Aging in Soaps Abstract This chapter examines age and aging in the soaps, drawing on interview/survey data with long-term viewers, veteran soap actors, and other industry experts. It looks at an aging U.S. audience base and the subsequent rise in purchasing power among elders. The chapter argues that soap operas should be focusing on narratives—and advertising—that target this underserved market. I also agree that arguing with trolls is a waste of time. As the old Twain saying goes, “Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference”.

I don't recall the differences being that severe, in terms of character. Yes, the stories were faster paced, and lacked the interwoven complexity from before. But, it is not as if Nancy became mean, or Geraldine lost her bite. The old characters remained the same, and there were arguably some interesting new ones; like Chris. Also, I'm a sucker for Alicia Van Dein and her kooky brother. And I think if we are looking for reasons for the change in writing, it is a tale as old as time. Ratings were slipping, especially in comparison to the lead-in from GH. Local stations wanted to expand their profitable news segments. So, they fired the writer (or did not renew his contract). What else is new? By the time of the cancellation, one could argue that Oprah's emergence was more of an issue than the quality of the production.

I agree on the re-casts, but I also hope Vivian's tone is a bit different this time. Last year, she wanted Titan to deal drugs, and was going full Mafia Momma. The time before that, she was a gun totin' psycho. I just want slightly wacky, always witty, Vivian. Although, I am interested to see why she is more focused on Philip than Stefan…

Here's the poll I believe the most!

We've spoken before that the press's need to argue "both sides" is a misguided effort to appear unbiased. I actually thought Anderson Cooper had a good response to this while discussing Charlemagne's critique of CNN. He said his job is not to argue with politicians, but to get them to espouse their opinions in order to expose their hypocrisy to the public. Which is the opposite of what Nora O'Donnell did. However, the argument for abortion restrictions are inherently illogical. Firstly, states like Florida are saying that abortion is OK under certain circumstances, which would never appease religious conservatives. Secondly, restrictions should be overseen by the American Medical Association. For example, there is no federal law prohibiting breast enhancement for minors, because it is unnecessary due to the fact that it against the ethics principles of the AMA. Third, we all know this is a smoke screen to create a precedence to evade other civil rights. I get annoyed that the political argument stops at Tim Walz's stance on privacy. I think they should use similar rhetoric to the immigration policy and ask how would these federal laws be enforced. Would they want to arrest the mother or the doctor? If the doctor is found innocent, they can go back to practice. But, if there was an ethical concern that was handled by the AMA, that is a lower threshold would inhibit the ability to practice, because those found to be unethical cannot be insured. And finally, why does the federal government have more of an interest in regulating medicine than other professions?

My polling journey this year. July: National polls don't matter we have to focus on the swing states August: Kamala's up in polls, hooray September: They're polling the wrong people, this is not predictive October: Voraciously reading every story saying the polls are tools of the media to keep us involved, and she's going to win in a landslide (while worrying that the polls could be true).

In hindsight, the timing is unfortunate. A few months ago, I would have said that the redundant Dimera was Chad. Of course, now he is in the middle of the F-Abby story. But, given the long term potential of Gabi as a leading lady, it would be logical to keep Stefan around (because we know F-Abby/Cat is leaving in a year). Especially because I think Chad and Stefan are more similar as the “sane” Dimera in contrast to Kristen and EJ. On the other hand, Chad has two half-Hortons who could go on to become good adult characters in the future, and Stefan never had a kid.

Meanwhile, you know they still haven't upgraded the security on the ranch, so everyone from Veronica Landers to Aunt Jordan can hide out there.

I cast my vote for JPL over JKJ, but to each their own.

I hope Nikki will be much more pleased by this reveal. Imagine going from a penthouse to that pitiful place with no color and zero charm? Although at this rate, for the next anniversary, Victor is going to have to build a replica of the Colonnade Room next to the barn for them to have a vow renewal. Or, clone Miguel, so someone can help Nikki around the house. 😉

Maybe what I referenced as the 'new house' was actually an existing structure, other than the tack house, or the gatehouse, or the barn, which Victor constructed back in the day to spy on his wife and hold prisoners.

@Liberty City from the Deadline article, It doesn't sound like a remodel but a whole new structure. As viewers will soon learn, Nikki’s husband Victor (Eric Braeden) made the decision to secretly rebuild their original home after it was burned down in 2012 by that crazy Sharon. Victor’s plan all along was to spring the completed house on his unsuspecting wife. (Apparently, the construction was easy to hide since the Newman ranch is so dang big). This is why I asked about Aunt Jordan's cell. Because it seems like the implication is that Victor and Nikki have been staying in another house on the ranch, that shares the same address because the ranch only has one address for the entire property. So, was the cell under the old house (where Michael Scott was held), or under the new house? I guess we'll never know.