OzFrog

My memory is a bit hazy here…how exactly did that come about?

OMG NO 😭😭😭😭💔💔💔💔

London-residing Aussie here…. But always so glorious to see people like Rita Panahi go down in flames

Eurovision 2023 is off to Liverpool in the UK, with the slogan of “United By Music”! Another contest is on its way! And in somewhat unusual circumstances for recent times (it has not happened since 1980), the next contest will not be held in the country of the previous contest’s winner (Ukraine, for obvious reasons) - rather that honour has fallen to the second place getter, the United Kingdom (in what can only be described as a phenomenal turnaround of fortunes). Dates for the 2023 contest are as follows: Semi-Final One - 9 May 2023 Semi-Final Two - 11 May 2023 Grand Final - 13 May 2023 With the withdrawal of Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Montenegro, we have just 37 countries officially lined up for the contest, the lowest number since 2014! A number of countries have confirmed National Finals for their 2023 selections: Albania 🇦🇱, Belgium 🇧🇪, Croatia 🇭🇷, Czechia 🇨🇿, Denmark 🇩🇰, Estonia 🇪🇪, Finland 🇫🇮, Georgia 🇬🇪, Germany 🇩🇪, Iceland 🇮🇸, Ireland 🇮🇪, Italy 🇮🇹, Latvia 🇱🇻, Lithuania 🇱🇹, Malta 🇲🇹, Moldova 🇲🇩, Norway 🇳🇴, Poland 🇵🇱, Portugal 🇵🇹, Romania 🇷🇴, San Marino 🇸🇲, Serbia 🇷🇸, Spain 🇪🇸, Sweden 🇸🇪, and Ukraine 🇺🇦. Artists have been internally selected and announced for the following countries: Armenia 🇦🇲 - Brunette Australia 🇦🇺 - Voyager Austria 🇦🇹 - Teya & Salena Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 - TularTulanX Cyprus 🇨🇾 - Andrew Lambrou (who competed in Australia Decides 2022) Greece 🇬🇷 - Victor Vernicos France 🇫🇷 - La Zarra Israel 🇮🇱 - Noa Kirel Netherlands 🇳🇱 - Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper Slovenia 🇸🇮 - Joker Out Switzerland 🇨🇭 - Remo Forrer United Kingdom 🇬🇧 - Mae Muller The venue will be the Liverpool Arena, with usual capacity of 11,000 (however, this may be quite reduced for the contest itself). Tickets are expected to go on sale soon. The thread will be updated as always as more info comes to hand, including the songs that will compete! A big change that will come to the 2023 contest is in terms of the voting (and get ready, this is *major*)… Jury voting will be completely scrapped from the semi-finals - the countries proceeding to the final will be determined purely by televoting. Juries will remain alongside public voting in the grand final, however. Global viewers will also get the chance to have their voices heard via a collective “rest of the world” public vote, and their votes will count as one country. More information here: https://eurovision.tv/story/voting-changes-announced-eurovision-song-contest-2023 Speaking of semi-finals, here is how they will line up this year… And here is where the Big 5 and Ukraine will vote… SONGS 🇦🇱🇦🇱🇦🇱 ALBANIA 🇦🇱🇦🇱🇦🇱 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺 AUSTRALIA 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺 🇦🇹🇦🇹🇦🇹 AUSTRIA 🇦🇹🇦🇹🇦🇹 🇧🇪🇧🇪🇧🇪 BELGIUM 🇧🇪🇧🇪🇧🇪 🇭🇷🇭🇷🇭🇷 CROATIA 🇭🇷🇭🇷🇭🇷 🇨🇾🇨🇾🇨🇾 CYPRUS 🇨🇾🇨🇾🇨🇾 🇨🇿🇨🇿🇨🇿 CZECHIA 🇨🇿🇨🇿🇨🇿 🇩🇰🇩🇰🇩🇰 DENMARK 🇩🇰🇩🇰🇩🇰 🇪🇪🇪🇪🇪🇪 ESTONIA 🇪🇪🇪🇪🇪🇪 🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮 FINLAND 🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮 🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷 FRANCE 🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷 🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪 GERMANY 🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪 🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷 GREECE 🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷 🇨🇮🇨🇮🇨🇮 IRELAND 🇮🇪🇨🇮🇨🇮 🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱 ISRAEL 🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱 🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹 ITALY 🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹 🇱🇻🇱🇻🇱🇻 LATVIA 🇱🇻🇱🇻🇱🇻 🇱🇹🇱🇹🇱🇹 LITHUANIA 🇱🇹🇱🇹🇱🇹 🇲🇹🇲🇹🇲🇹 MALTA 🇲🇹🇲🇹🇲🇹 🇲🇩🇲🇩🇲🇩 MOLDOVA 🇲🇩🇲🇩🇲🇩 🇳🇱🇳🇱🇳🇱 NETHERLANDS 🇳🇱🇳🇱🇳🇱 🇳🇴🇳🇴🇳🇴 NORWAY 🇳🇴🇳🇴🇳🇴 🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱 POLAND 🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱 🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹 PORTUGAL 🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹 🇷🇴🇷🇴🇷🇴 ROMANIA 🇷🇴🇷🇴🇷🇴 🇸🇲🇸🇲🇸🇲 SAN MARINO 🇸🇲🇸🇲🇸🇲 🇷🇸🇷🇸🇷🇸 SERBIA 🇷🇸🇷🇸🇷🇸 🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮 SLOVENIA 🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮 🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸 SPAIN 🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸 🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪 SWEDEN 🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪 🇨🇭🇨🇭🇨🇭 SWITZERLAND 🇨🇭🇨🇭🇨🇭 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 UKRAINE 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧 UNITED KINGDOM 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

This is one of the things about Holly’s brief 2015 return (when Ethan and Lucky were kidnapped) that irked me - she basically said to Laura that she didn’t know Bill, and I was like “YOU DATED THE GUY!!”…

Why do they not ever write scenes like this anymore? The chemistry between Tony Geary and Tristan Rogers is off the charts!

OMG they were chem-testing Mac and Holly! They actually had really good chemistry - interesting to see where this would have gone…

Been watching Holly’s 1992 return - amazingly written how her return formed part of Faison’s scheme against Robert and Anna (indeed, Holly’s return in NY happened just as Faison had kidnapped Anna). Also incredible how they managed to involve Mac and Dominique (I’m still laughing at how Mac calls Robert “Robbie”). I’m still making my way through, but I’m suspecting that Robert’s departure is not far off from here…

With Holly’s return this week, I came across this clip from Holly’s original departure in 1985 and the last conversation she had with Anna at the time… very understated, but yet so much being said at the same time… https://youtu.be/SQN5EYXFLic

Staci Greason’s run on DAYS lasted *exactly* three years. Have we ever had other soap stars whose runs were exact like that?

We were talking about this in this thread just the other day…

Been slowly catching up on clips here and there… Damn, has Curtis always been this frickin self-righteous??

10 years ago today saw the debut of two characters, one of whom is still on the show today…

One for you, @carolineg… 30 years ago today!

Somehow I forgot that Jagger and Stone were brothers…

For sure! I’m lowkey curious to see how Rena Sofer and Amanda Setton would be like on screen as mother and daughter. Also, Lois works as a go-to for Sonny and Olivia (and with the latter now married to Lois’s ex, that could also make for some organic drama).

29 years ago today saw the debut of a certain Sonny Corinthos…

This scene of Anne Heche as Marley is one of the most powerful I have ever watched…

It’s uncanny how these two events could happen on the same day years apart… #cordandtina

You have to believe we are magic…. Nothing can stand in our way! RIP Sweet Olivia 💔😢

Hadn’t Stephen Schnetzer been on the show for a few years by that stage as well?

I grew up as a kid in Australia in the 80s and 90s watching Neighbours almost religiously. The back-to-back Neighbours/H&A hour was a staple in many Australian households for decades. I hadn’t watched Neighbours regularly since around the mid-2000s, but seeing the final episode was just heart-wrenching. And I echo what a few people have said so far - Guy Pearce and Annie Jones stole that show! For an old-timer like me, it was just so joyous seeing those two interact as if it were the 80s again. Also, as a result of falling down a Neighbours-related rabbit hole on YouTube, I discovered that someone posted THE WHOLE FIRST SEASON FROM 1985! Yes, the original season that showed on Channel 7 in Australia and was then axed before it moved to Channel 10 the following year. One of the highlights - watching the Kim Taylor storyline (yes, as in David and Leo’s mother Kim Taylor). Episode 1 is here below. The same channel has all the others following:

I will start a new thread once the host city has been announced, but in the meantime, the *country* for 2023 has now been confirmed… we’re off to the UK for the ninth time in the contest’s history. https://eurovision.tv/story/united-kingdom-host-eurovision-song-contest-2023

Even now, 37 years later, it is still incredible how Ellen Wheeler pulled this off…

Yeah that’s the scene I was thinking of with Wheels and Lucy. It kinda irked me when the others were having their pre-reunion chat and Lucy was saying that Wheels got off “scot free”, and I was like “hang on, the guy did his sentence, spent 10 years in prison for drink driving and manslaughter, and has to live with the consequences for the rest of his life”. Yes Lucy had years of rehab to get her back to where she was, but it wasn’t as though she didn’t make a conscious decision to get in the car with him (I know she was angry with Caitlin at the time for accepting Joey’s proposal, pre-revelation of his affair with Tessa). I am also glad that Wheels and Snake did patch things up - I know they were on not-so-good terms around the time of School’s Out, so was nice to see them reconnect in TNG.