Vee

It was such a disaster. But as I said, Roger was clearly just happy to no longer be playing a role that had weighed very heavily on him (as he talked about in that recent outside podcast). And I think when he came back to ABC that more calm ethos he's talked about a lot in recent years remained, including while playing Todd. He had put all the agita behind him and was just happy to be there and act. But he has only a certain range, he has limitations and weaknesses, and only so many abilities when faced with not one but two overplayed dud characters foisted on GH (not unlike his messy run as an overly reinvented Paul).

I still wonder what exactly happened there, because Susan and Howarth were both very vocal as recently as a few years ago on a non-soap interview about turning on the show when they attempted to possibly pair them romantically back in the '90s. I still suspect Susan was sold a bill of goods on that story and how it would play out; rumors years later suggested that Ron and Frank had attempted to nab Roger in 2008, hoping to do a Two Todds switch in the middle of that story, revealing then that "Todd" was not Todd. Regardless, we know Susan left in fury and disgust a few years later.

Wow. @DRW50 Article here.

Chambers was awful.

Advance reviews for The Star Beast are out, and seem pretty good on balance. Meanwhile:

Like Howarth but even moreso, Easton is limited. He reached the upper limits of what he was capable of a long time ago lol. Finn came on surprisingly interesting at first despite my disgust for ME's return hire; he was a quirky, strange character who had instant chemistry with Jane Elliot in their intro story together. But they moved him away from Tracy (which could've been a real May-December romance) into more conventional, McBain-esque limp mystery/intrigue storylines with 'hot' stars like Rebecca Budig that didn't pan out, then later desperation throws with fan faves Finola and finally Becky. Anything that was novel about Finn at the beginning has been gone for years, and he was best on this show as McBain - a character I utterly loathed on OLTL but who had found a decent niche on GH IMO, always chasing the next caper for the police with no regard for the mob. Like Todd for Howarth, it should've ended there for ME. I don't believe for a second that Maura West dropped a dime on him, Donna. Those two have gotten along like gangbusters since their first scenes as Franco and Ava ten years ago (and they had real chemistry back then despite the disgusting character RH was playing). She gushed about him as recently as this past summer. She's been doing it off and on for the past decade.

Yep. Susan turned them down, then Sarah was approached because I guess in his mind who could resist the casting coup of her and Michael Easton lol. IIRC she turned it down for some of the same reasons (I think Susan both didn't like Higley's pitch and was pregnant) and that's how in the eleventh hour we got Christina Chambers.

I still can't get over Frank trying for the Hail Mary of getting her to play NuMarty in 2006.

If Frank wanted Roger out for 'phoning it in' he would've done it years ago. And I watched Roger Howarth phone it in in real time back in the day, I know what that looks like. Frank has re-hired Roger over and over despite endless fan outcry. He has never gotten over losing him in 2003. In fairness I think RH has actually done his level best to make these terrible characters work. His exit interview (and a recent candid podcast interview about the gang rape story at OLTL, from a couple years back) indicates he's a much more mellow, sweet guy over the last 10-20 years and is just happy to not be playing a gang rapist anymore. He'll come in and play what they give him provided he's not dealing with that - and when he was playing Todd again on OLTL and GH in the 2010s, he did give that his all too. But he has a specific skill set, very specific old quirks and limitations, and these characters also just plain suck. It should've never gone on this long; he should've been gone with Todd. But I don't think he didn't try.

I'm wondering why they stepped in now if they let him bring him back after Franco. Under normal soap terms Austin was clearly walking dead most of this year for the reasons I stated - controversial actor, role that hasn't caught on, story that has the character compromised. But nothing about Howarth's run on GH has been normal, so I assumed despite all the major flags that he was on thin ice that FV would keep him going no matter what. Even now I have a hard time believing he won't keep Easton, and Finn has arguably been as irrelevant as Austin for a bit longer. I think they may cut him soon. Finn has been irrelevant for quite some time and has spent most of the last year-plus pining for Elizabeth in the background. It's reminded me of the waning days of Silas Clay, when he was quickly decoupled from Sam and just wandered the canvas mooning over Ava/Denise for awhile.

Not you and @Darn both roasting me for this lol! Writing "Unpopular Show Albatross Finally Gone" would've given it away!! I did hint at it in the tags.

No, this sounds done done. Roger says in the SOD interview Frank said they will not be offering him a new contract.

So When did Austin get plugged? I need to watch him (presumably) die.

Snooze and lose! Austin has never worked - the initial attempt to pair him with Maxie was gross - but ever since they tried moving him to Ava, had him vacillate between frame-up artist and conspirator and embroiled him in everything with his weird offscreen crime family, he's come off increasingly sinister, unsympathetic and villainous. He's reeked of dead man walking for at least this past year. I'm just amazed it appears to be for real this time. I thought Frank would never let him go. If he's done Easton has to be next. Finn is at least as irrelevant and sad a character at this point as Austin.

Roger Howarth is (finally!!) done. SOD interview here. Also:

RTD's latest Letter from the Showrunner from DWM:

I may not understand why people still watch the test pattern formerly known as Y&R but I don't think we need to haunt the threads critiquing their posts for even daring to view it. Let's let folks watch DAYS even if Mr. Twink Death 2023 is over on Hallmark and not currently on contract.

Seriously, what happened to Sheri Anderson being co-head or advisor or whatever? Where did she go?

Part 1 of a great 60-year anniversary testimonial.

@DRW50 and I or others have hashed this out many a time over the years, but given the recent Hallmark TV movie/series boom - even on cable instead of streaming - I would argue there is more of a place for a reinvented GL than ever with a progressive glow-up like that content (I'm not saying Hallmark movies are good or works of genius, but they occupy a specific niche and are doing so very successfully). If there's one soap that reminds me of the Hallmark branding it is GL at its best. Sadly getting execs to consider stuff like this (let alone P&G letting go of control of their dead brands they have zero interest in) is, as you have said, Errol, an uphill climb at best. ABC didn't even make a real effort to reexamine AMC and OLTL at the height of the streaming boom, and CBS/P&G are far less likely.

I just know Donna Wandrey who I know well from Dark Shadows was apparently one of the Barbaras. Maybe the first?

Bonnie Langford talks to the Telegraph. It's trickily paywalled, but I managed to grab the pertinent section:

I think the Chappelle's Show Making the Band sketch (featuring the exodus to Junior's) is more famous than the actual show tbh.

Particularly interesting: Apparently in the new DW Unleashed BTS special, RTD indicates that I'm fine with the change tbh; Bleach is dynamic, fearsome and frankly more menacing without all the makeup. has never been super compelling to me and this makes him a new creature.