Vee

Oddly, the performance of Rebekah's that sticks with me most other than MD is this harrowing rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner from Richard Kelly's cursed epic Southland Tales. (I really dislike the film unlike a lot of cult film buffs, but this rendition is certainly more relevant than ever)

I felt for Donnell at one point. When he first came on he crowed that he wanted to be 'the Black Luke Spencer' and have major story. They played him heavy with Michelle Stafford's Nina and with Budig, and he did have chemistry with them and was initially a pretty engaged performer. But I knew his dreams were not going to happen on this show, not for any Black male, and I felt for him. Once these options faded he began to perform like an Epcot Center greeter and still does today in most situations. Unless he's with Genie Francis, or certain other ladies. I think Brook Kerr has been terribly wasted on him. I think Portia has been poorly used often but BK always gives it 200% and could be doing much more. I do think scheming tycoon Curtis has some meat to it, but I would still ice him soon and bring back Justus instead.

It's like they have it in for Eva at this point, or the staff writers are finally getting to unload on a character they clearly disliked as much as the audience but who FV kept trying to put over. It reminds me of Megan McTavish's unpublished memoir gossiping about how much she and everyone else on the OLTL writing staff disliked Kale Browne but executive producer JFP (his lover) insisted his character be in 3 shows a week and centered in story. Either way, it is vicious, well-deserved and I am treasuring every moment. And yeah, Y&R is my bet for ol' Chad since JFP had a hand in his soap debut. Whether he'll be as soporific as that show, we'll see.

@Darn and I have been over this but I would bet dollars to donuts Sony snaps Chad up in under a year for Y&R or Days. Chad Duell IN as Chance #6, lol! As for Natalia, this is the show's vibe and it is cracking me up.

Agreed on both. I don't think Frank would've ever let him go (unless he asked for a pay bump lol) otherwise. Chad had been cruising since maybe the end of the Carlivati era, during which many of our male vets (DZ, Jason Thompson, etc.) seemed to become despondent or switched off. At GH RC rarely wrote for many previously multidimensional male leads who weren't broad, outsize villains or eccentric caricatures, which is a shame since he started out writing some very kind, decent or layered men at OLTL like Brody and Jared Banks. But ultimately Brody bored him too, and most of the GH men who had been rich characters became clueless dopes to take their clothes off at the Nurses Ball. This affected Chad as much as anyone; outside of the relationship with A.J. and the too-brief confrontation and rift with Sonny in 2014, Michael became another male spare part to stand around acting confused most of the time. This continued following RC's firing. I was more than ready for his recast, but I am glad he was gracious about it. If he hadn't made the choice IMO FV never would've. I don't see him trying to get Chad back now unless Gibson asserts himself too much about pay or story lol.

I agree. I do think BC has improved by leaps and bounds since February.

Might as well put this here since I didn't see it: Chad talks the recast.

Honestly I'm so behind with IRL stuff vs. the show that a week off sounds like just what I need to play catch-up lol.

I feel bad for Mansi. It's not her fault and I thought she was very strong early last year squaring off against Natalia over Blaze and Ava over Sonny. There was a brief moment where she was carrying a lot of what was a sluggish, conflicted show during the BTS drama.

I mean, teens absolutely do that. I buy it from Danny.

I don't think it's some big mystery tbh. Not long after this time last year they were going all in on Natalia, trying to put her with Sonny, with Korte/CVE trying to spin the leaked bigot tape as being all about Ava as the one to blame for Natalia's own words. Then Natalia briefly did a 180 as a GLAAD mom and became super tight with Kristina, who she'd been at the throat of for months. This is how FV operates: When an audience doesn't like a pet hire, he usually doubles or triples down trying to push them harder. The Sidwell thing was also obviously intended to give her a major story initially. What I think changed here is not just that the audience response to Natalia was so massively negative, but moreso that MB clearly was not going for it. They never so much as kissed. In a normal circumstance that would've happened by fall '24. It was very unusual and specific. Instead they kept her devotedly at arm's length even while trying to shine up her image until at least a couple months ago, having her as Sonny's medical confidant. It was like FV and GH kept hedging their bets on putting Natalia over with the viewers until the last possible minute. Then the switch flipped and she became regularly humiliated as prep for her exit, lol. And suddenly every character is allowed to say what the audience already thinks of her. tldr: I put it on Mo. He didn't want it, the audience hated her and those two things (and probably some other new favorite hires of FV who pulled his attention, which always happens with most of his pet gets) are what sealed ELR's fate. Which couldn't come soon enough for me.

If Frank really tries to make Rocco the child of Honorary Homosexual Britt he's about to find the limits of people's tolerance. That's a red line. But in truth I don't think she will be. I think they may tease the plotline but in the end he will stay Lulu and Dante's. Still, it's a gross waste of time.

This is the first thing I noticed when I started watching again for the John fallout (still going through it, BTW!). My man can barely speak.

The sick fúcking conservative thing this show has promoted for over a decade, going back to the Carlivati years, is the idea that if a child is grown inside someone's womb or anything weird as shít like that, then the sperm donor, carrier, whatever is somehow inherently valid as this child's parent and is entitled to some aspect of a 'relationship' with them. Let's be very clear: Valentin Cassadine stole Lulu's embryos or some shít and had it fertilized himself to create Charlotte. Lulu had no consent or knowledge in the creation of a child with him, yet Lulu is expected to be deeply connected to this thing. Meanwhile, Britt Westbourne and her mother deliberately stole Lulu and Dante's child, implanted him inside Britt, and raised him in secret for months under a false name as part of a massive conspiracy involving Faison and the Cassadines. Then when they got caught they whined and connived about it for even more months. Lulu should be repulsed by what Valentin did. Britt should have absolutely no connection to Rocco or relevance in his mind or his life. She was never a mother to him. She had no real part in giving him life. And I'm so tired of GH playing this Christofascist-adjacent games. I am convinced the only reason she's still tied to Lulu is to keep the door open for JPS to return at any time and keep him relevant. Frank adores him. In other news, I am glad they finally accepted that Gio is a sexual being and should be undressed most of the time.

I think Mamdani will likely take it. The other options are so loathsome and unpopular. I have issues with some of his policies and the people he's connected to or the language he's used, but I could say that about a lot of politicians and certainly NY ones. He can learn on the job, which AOC certainly did, or he'll collapse. We'll see how he does. Either way the NY press will be gunning for him (and already are) in ways that will make di Blasio's tenure, or that of virtually any past liberal mayor, look like a day at the fair. If he wants to survive he will have to learn fast.

As per the typical NYC electoral situation in my years there I have no deep love for any of the current candidates and any number of issues with them, but there is room to grow. What I do have is a profound loathing for Andrew Cuomo. Rest in piss!

I reached the 'Who Cares?' point with shoveling these old ashes at least a decade ago. They put on a wonderful show, did great work and frankly, besides Bea/Betty vs. each other I have my doubts they all despised each other that much vs. what people keep dining out on now. I'm not throwing Rue into it. In any event, I'm over it.

Emily O'Brien (Gwen, DAYS/Jana, Y&R) returns in her key voice role in the PS5 video game Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.

Kim nailed Charita Bauer, IMO. Same with Beth Ehlers doing Irna Phillips.

The WLS guys were very close to the stars in those days. It's not a typical press junket.

And in fairness, RP did make a number of appearances as Billy for at least another year or two.

A lot of actors (including Erika) had personal and professional issues with Gottlieb. A lot of them did some of their best work under her. And a lot of them were wrong. It happens on daytime. Malone's later comments are a typical product of the time and the pragmatic mindset of what a show (particularly a soap) could be allowed to showcase in the afternoon in the early '90s. I don't particularly judge him for it, as times and network tolerances did change, he did some of the greatest gay storytelling on daytime and kept trying for more LGBT story right to the end of his time at the show in the 2000s. I feel more strongly about them dropping the ball on Mia Korf's Blair today, even though she did leave by choice to do a major play (which flopped spectacularly) and even though I loved KDP's Blair dearly for many years. I do hope the remainder of fall '91 goes up in full soon.

It was convenient for the network for the same reason people are re-litigating her book, frankly. Zimmer has always been an outsize, oversharing and at times obnoxious personality, with the soap press, in her book, everywhere. But she always gave 200% onscreen even when Rauch's Reva drove me up the wall, and I at least respected that even when I often found her unwatchable in a certain era. I respected her much more when I saw her classic work, and the work she put out with zero glamour and trappings or seemingly any vanity in Peapack. Or her work on OLTL. They knew some people would believe anything of Zimmer based on how much she shoots her mouth off - 'Kim Zimmer's greed got Jerry verDorn fired.' Which is bullshít, and she was right to say so.

I've said it before but Chad was very strong in his early years, particularly when the Guza daily team was still in place. Even in his first five years he was, I felt, underrated. He got bored and tired (like most vets on the show, especially men who were really not written for outside of Sonny or Frank's favorites) and it showed. He should've left years ago if he wanted to break out, but I am glad he left for the sake of the character. I also think that if Chad hadn't indicated he wanted to stay away longer than a few months FV would've foolishly held the role open out of the same kind of loyalty that drives other behavior.

I've been saying it for years! And yes, every person under 50 on this show has way too many kids. It's this team's go-to to kill time and fill a year: More babies.