Vee

Holy shît. I didn't know Martha Nochimson had worked on the soaps vs. writing about them (specifically the media book in the '90s that quietly outed Tony Geary and alleged a pretty shocking BTS issue between him and Genie at that time) and in more recent years, writing several essential tomes about David Lynch and Twin Peaks.

I believe Wendi Mercury was trans, not just in drag but I can't be sure, it's been a long time. Pity she vanished.

Oh God. I remember that debacle. Paul Michael Valley was also in that story as a sleazy photographer. Lea DeLaria, also known for genderbending work, portrayed Professor Delbert Fina - Madame Delphina's grandfather or whatever - in the 1968 time travel arc in 2008, then again in the not-very-good Rex/Gigi time traveling TV revisit near the end of the network run.

That's what makes me question the idea that he could be in jeopardy. How many promising stories has Y&R raced through in recent years as though it has an allergy to drama? I'm not sure this is any different.

So I haven't watched yet but I did peek at the top secret new TARDIS interior. It's very '60s and I love it. Spoilering the clip of the new TARDIS console room:

FWIW, to @Faulkner and @DRW50 who are the only people I definitely know follow this thread: I believe The Star Beast goes live on Disney+ in a little over an hour, specifically 10:30 AM West Coast time/1:30 East, simultaneous with the UK. I probably won't be watching it til later tonight, as it doesn't feel appropriate to watch the premiere in blazing California daylight. I hate LA. Cheers.

This very unexpected spinoff rumor comes from a writer who is allegedly the Mirror's only reputable source for Who. Also: The final part of the Guardian's oral history.

Nicola Bryant and Wendy Padbury do the morning talk shows:

Well, in addition to some unfortunate necessary edits to AAISAT's material featuring "An Unearthly Child" due to the Stef Coburn madness, there was a bright spot: They did it after all. @DRW50 @Faulkner

New line-up:

Another anniversary trailer, featuring Gatwa, colorization and a mysterious narration by Paul McGann. @Faulkner @DRW50 Happy Thanksgiving from me and my unexpected cold! Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 of the Guardian anniversary interviews of past and present cast and crew.

Well-wishers from the current and upcoming cast, plus some old friends.

Of course! A clip from The Star Beast:

@Faulkner there's a quick clip of Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson at the end.

Happy Doctor Who Day. Watch to the end for a nice surprise.

Another one I must regrettably @DRW50 for:

Once again I come back to wishing these soaps loved viewers of color as much as those audiences have kept them alive for over 60 years.

That reminds me, I need to finish up my Knots Landing commentary on Season 6 and move into Season 7 over the holiday. Very curious to see Block back in the day.

I imagine that was part of it. But I think it was also very much the Roger Howarth stans leaping onto any port in a storm frankly - Paul and Emily Part Whatever got a lukewarm response from the general audience vs. all his other stories tanking, and like the Franco and Liz story at GH (where some but not all tired Becky Herbst fans were just happy to see her in a romance with a lead the EP was actually invested in), the Howarth stans didn't buy trouble and just said 'we'll take it!' Ironically, while the recast never worked I do think Roger had the most chemistry of all with Martha Byrne when he first arrived, but that always had an expiration date (Rose's death). And he did have chemistry with Cady initially. But when they put them together for real the following year in an overly schmoopy conventional love story, it was execrable. I do hope she speaks on it someday. The few tidbits Jeff Giles mentioned about it while discussing his oral history book (saying Susan had gathered the cast BTS in her last days and said she'd never been treated so poorly in her life) were something else. And we know Thorsten Kaye flatly refused to return as Patrick when asked to exit her character because of it. At least we know thanks to offhand mentions by Nora and Kevin on GH in recent years that "Dr. Saybrooke" is doing well, so I'm just going to chalk that whole mess up to the same tattoo cult drugs Ron Raines gave Clint on Hulu! Ah, soaps.

Also: The full Tom Baker interview.

This is cute.

I wonder what would have happened had Rauch's first choice (James DePaiva) said yes. The Alec Wallace debacle was one of my first glimpses of ATWT. It turned me right off the show. Like GL at the time, it had a thing about somewhat frowsy middle-aged women being treated as sex goddesses and everything revolving around Margo did not play to Ellen Dolan's strengths - despite allegedly being a cop, she came off at the time as weak and all about some young adults she was being mommy for (Eddie? Georgia?) and being sprung for this creepy guy. It was them struggling to write for different types of women and doing it poorly IMO. But I haven't seen any of that since it first aired.

It was terrible. And Susan left furious with the show. I'm pretty sure they ultimately parked Paul with Emily bc it was the only one of his pairings that had any mild audience support at all. It was a sort of surrender, even though they'd always been a mid-tier couple at best with Hensley in the role IIRC.

I was glad to see Waris Hussein honored. I think Bonnie looks stunning too. Tom is interviewed In the Times as well - I'd like to find the full interview. He looks frail these days but is still so Tom at 90, with a few choice quotes: His reaction to Gatwa is about what you'd expect.

I actually don't think he mugs nearly as much as he did on ATWT (I remember his first weeks - dear God). I think he came back to ABC very committed to making an effort, and did so with Todd. In a lot of 'normal' scenes on GH I think he's very earnest - sometimes too much so. But after a certain point with these two characters, all that trying with the wrong roles and bad writing leads to a succession of pulling faces, standard weepy voices or ill-advised improvisation and humor, and overall poor if limited choices as he tries to make it something worthwhile. And instead both he and the writing would often embarrass themselves. He's not trying to tank it like he did back in the day, but he's got no good options and no one telling him no.