j swift

I find it intriguing, and it is not enough to make me stop watching, (I assume the same is true for you). @ranger1rg So, to be repetitive,😉 I'm on a wait-and-see track. If they can make it work, I would be interested. Thus far, they've introduced the Wuthering Heights stuff this week, and Julie just re-opened the bookstore. Which is an evergreen teen hangout, and much more suitable than the Pub. Hopefully, it could grow into Julie's legacy in Horton Square. I would compare the inspiration to a cultural interest in Colleen Hoover, and the rise in reading among young women -- I always play the game, what were people talking about a year and a half ago? My only question is -- do the books matter, or was that a single episode device? Also, where did they get fresh pumpkins in the middle of winter?

As I mentioned, these two second AI soaps are all over vertical media. Different from the vertical K-drama inspired multi-story soaps. These are all AI generated and bizarre. All AI, no human actors (look at the mouth), no set, no script. And it is meant to look like a video from 1986. It could look like any time you select. Imagine, what will be possible in a year. ai soap.MP4

That's funny, but logical. If you want someone who can play return-from-the-dead, RH is a specialist. Ironically, someone also brought up Granville Van Dussen on the AW thread this week, because wasn't he Tricia's father?

The Tammy Bruce connection has always interested me because she was a liberal political talking head on talk radio in Los Angeles for years. She also worked as a PA for Gloria Loring. Then, she went through a political conversion, and now is Trump's spokesperson for the State Department. But, I don't recall if Tammy Bruce (who was 19 or 20 when Brenda died) ever discussed Brenda Benet in later interviews. Most articles seem to mention her ex Bill Bixby, who was much more well known. But, I would jump into a deep dive on that duo. Importantly, I want to know if Tammy Bruce still watches Days of our Lives at the State Department.

I won't go into any details about the episode because between thinking about how far in advance they have to buy costumes for Leo (one doubts there were pumpkin sweaters in stores when they shot this), and the Greene's Parisian pied-à-terre, I was distracted. So, I'll skip any obvious objections to why Leo would go on a tour of haunted places (with a baby) after he has lived in Salem for years. But, the last time we saw Cat and EJ, the Wuthering Heights reference were very heavy-handed (e.g. EJ carrying a copy). Yet, today, there was really no direct reference to the book. I guess we could extract the adoption of Tesoro as an abstraction of Kathy's choice to allow Heathcliff to be known as the father of her child. But, it doesn't make Cat beholden to EJ, like Kathy was to Heathcliff, in any way, so far. Are the books a thing? Is anyone else focusing on them?

This is a silly detail, but I knew it the second I saw it. Cat's apartment is the same set/back wall as the hotel room in Paris where Mark shot Chad. Or at least they use the same corner molding and swapped the door for a window seat. I hope Mark doesn't get flashbacks. 😉

Love in the afternoon's favorite sketch artist is back. I'd be fascinated to get some insight in the tech at the time, because the faces are usually photorealistic, but the hands are bizarre in scale and dimension. This image really highlights the problem, because the center is a mélange of different sized hands. It reminds me of early Midjourney files that always had an extra digit. Yet, it is totally captivating. Note: for those too young to remember, Robin's doll was not that frightening, but it was the McGuffin in the plot.

a bit corny, but inspired

I'm off to write my fanfic of Maggie taking a few months off to go to a lab and create the MAGI-wrap 5000, a newfangled dryer to give hair more volume as it dries. It saves Titan (now re-named and feminized as Titian), and Maggie is finally credited for ingenuity.

All three were very expensive shows to produce. They starred actors with prior track records, who were drawn from other networks. Each was one of the highest paid primetime actors by the time their shows ended. They filmed primarily on location. And they were one-hour dramas, which are tougher to syndicate. Not exactly the types of investments one tends to make without a strong plan in place for development and programming.

I know it's a TV Show theme, but it is the ultimate rainy day song for me.

At one point, this was my morning alarm because it does one of my favorite things, building from one voice to an entire choir and orchestra. If you feel like a day when you are gearing up for a battle, this is the song to get you prepared. This is, to me, is one of the most romantic montages, from Colin Firth arriving in Portugal to rescue his new love, to Hugh Grant going to school's Winter Performance, and Thomas Brodie-Sangster running through Heathrow. It breaks my heart.

I encourage everyone to read the story from TVinsider, it is so endearing. And I teared up reading this sweet passage: Rogers notes that she will look the same when Maggie is back on screen. “I didn’t lose my hair,” she discloses. “I guess because I was taking the chemo pills. I’m sure there’ll be people that are saying, ‘Well, she didn’t really have cancer,’ but you know what? I really don’t care what people say. I know what I’ve gone through and I’ve come out on the other side, so that’s all I care about.” I cannot imagine having to consider that people might think she was faking symptoms. The internet is a horror show when it comes to subjects like this. I'm happy she was able to control the narrative (even if the list of co-stars she informed of her diagnosis was a bit of a juicy topic).

You have to treat all AI's like an ignorant pal that needs to develop. Never accept the first response, and have it learn from its mistakes in order to improve. You cannot exhaust it (although, I agree, it may exhaust your system). Whenever it apologizes, prompt it to review the compliance with the prompt, and ask for a plan of improvement. My SON forum icon, which is a spoof of the ad for Cecile's return to Another World, took eight tries, and it still never got my hair or glasses correct. Needless to say, I didn't want to commit too much time to the project.

I recommend having co-pilot research all the opening images, and merge the parts you like from each into one mega image. I find co-pilot works best if you ask it to research an image first, then edit it. There's already a TikTok account recreating old AMC scenes through AI. So, we are less than a year away from asking it to recreate any scene for you, and it will accurately depict it to look like it was shot on video in 1972. Followed closely by just producing your own content, and make fanfic some to life. Kick rocks bad writers, you'll be able to do it yourself, and we'll see if you did better. Soon, my dreams of Rita the secretary having her own DAYS spin-off will come true.

I would only add to agree: The last time Theo saw JJ, he was working in Johannesburg for a charitable organization. For Theo to now see JJ returning to the Salem PD, an institution that once nearly cost Theo his life, would be more than surprising. It would be destabilizing. That’s not just about character history—it’s about race, power, and memory. Let’s not flatten that. It is not the same thing as Gwen forgiving Leo for sleeping with Dimitri, and I think we are all sophisticated enough to know that is true.

A general food for thought that came to me whilst watching Julie today. I was just reflecting on how wealthy characters, introduced in the last century, don't appear as rich and privileged today, like Jack Deveraux and Shane Donovan. For example, do you think Doug was wealthy when he passed? On second thought, Shane was so rich, Stefano bought the Dimera mansion from him. So, why was his daughter, Theresa, worried enough about Victor's illegal will to go to jail, when she could hold out for Shane's will when he passes (eventually)? Back in the day, Doug wound up being a man of means. And, we knew they went on world cruises (like Anna and Tony). At one point, they were similar in status to Stefano, in terms of Salem society. I've always assumed their wealth didn't diminish over forty years. Meanwhile, I understand the logic of Julie living in the Horton House, and I don't want her to move. But, when you watch Julie today, is she still supposed to be as wealthy as she was when Doug and Julie left Salem in 1984?

Rest assured, I am beyond 50. You'll get the hang of it, as we all must eventually. And, FYI, your images are kept under the library tab on ChatGPT until you erase them. So, be careful at work.

IIRC, Ivy was still with Pete, and Mike was on the rebound from Robin when they hooked up. Then, Ivy divorced Pete, hoping Mike would fall for her (Ivy was always that type of rebound-gal, unfortunately). In the end, and due to the TV pilot season, Mike knew that Robin was ultimately the one for him, and he left Ivy to return to Robin who was either expecting, or raising, Jeremy in Israel. I can't recall when Jeremy was born within that relatively short sequence. But, Ivy easily could've left Salem infant-cipating Mike's son. Who she raised using her last name to avoid involvement with the Hortons. And both men would be close in age today.

I still don’t understand what Abe is doing with Liam. They’re reading books together, but to what end? Liam clearly doesn’t enjoy it, can’t show up on time, and looks like he’d rather be anywhere else. If he’s Theo’s age, a grown man with a degree, why is he still going along with this? Is this some kind of literary probation? That would be a twist, but it doesn’t track. I’m glad he’s not illiterate, but the whole thing feels like Abe is running a book club for people who didn’t agree to join. (are we foreshadowing Abe's journey to learn to be a better listener to Theo?) In sum, one group is reading Wuthering Heights. I forgot the book Marlena got from the book club. But, I recall that she was reading One Thousand and One Arabian Nights to Rachel, when Rachel ran away. Kate, Kayla, and Paulina are reading Stephanie's book. Rachel and Thomas read those knock off Harry Potter books. We've clearly established what everyone is reading, but I am waiting to see how it pays off. Then there’s the blackout looting. We keep hearing about it, but where’s the damage? Julie’s bookstore opened right on schedule. Sweet Bits is spotless. No graffiti, no broken glass, not even a crooked flowerpot. It’s hard to feel alarmed when the town looks like it always did (even in the establishing shots). And did anyone else clock the waitress at The Bistro? Who runs it now that Stefan is in Alamania and Ava is in the far east (side of LA). And Stephanie’s big reveal. She’s a nationally best-selling author with two books out in four months. She’s also a PR expert. So naturally, her strategy is to tape a cardboard poster outside a local bookstore and hope Julie connects the dots. Julie, who never figured out Jeremy’s disappearance in 2007, is now the linchpin of the Anastasia Sands publicity machine. That’s bold. (note use of hyperbole for the sake of humor). Fanfic idea: Stephanie's next book is based on the adventures of young Dr. Mike Horton, and reveals his past with Robyn and Ivy. I assume Write Out is based on Alex's time on Body and Soul (aka the show that shall not be named out loud).

My bet is he is Ivy's kid with Mike who will be a rival for his newly returned half brother Jeremy, especially because Mike is returning for the opening of the clinic.

This is my silly AI version of the dome over Horton Square on DAYS And The mansion at 430 Lakeview Drive in Salem, Illinois It did poorly on the interior blueprints

Is JJ's sympathy toward Jeremy logical given his treatment of Stephanie? I know JJ isn't Joey, but I wonder about his closeness with Stephanie. And how does JJ feel about Alex?

Somebody has to help out current production with the use of AI. This ain't cutting it: When I can make this in three seconds (give me one more try, and we'd turn the typewriter into a laptop).