Vee

Since the show was namechecked, I will never forget the scenes on OLTL in 2008 where Viki breaks down upon learning what Victor/Todd has done to Marty and goes to the family mausoleum to rage at her father. When Charlie finds her Viki tells him that despite all her accomplishments, once she's gone all people will ever remember her for is what her father did to her and to their family. It was a brutally candid and very good series of scenes and great work by all involved, especially Erika Slezak. But it did end with a note of hope about making your own future and own legacy, and leaving the rest behind; that Viki didn't have to be fully defined by her abuse. OLTL didn't always follow through on that in a responsible way of course, then or later considering the storyline they'd just told, but in terms of Viki and a way forward it was the right way to handle things IMO. I think the article in the OP frankly hits a lot of points many of us or other journalists have already made, but in a more perfunctory way. We already know that everything prestige is soap now, and that they aren't being respected for it. We've known that a long time. Part of this is their own fault, because the remaining soaps continue to marginalize themselves even today in terms of content out of fear of their remaining audience and fear of losing it all if they break from inertia. GH should've played COVID everyday onscreen. They should have Portia, Liz, etc. on the front lines breaking the law to get a young woman (Joss, specifically) an abortion after corrupt local politicians temporarily institute a ban, as is happening in cities and states all over this country right now. There should be more representation, more honest, nuanced, in-depth exploration of contemporary issues in the ways our best legends rarely shirked from. This is the brief of the daytime drama that plays five days a week, year round. It is their social responsibility as part of the historical compact with their audience. If soaps want to survive they have to meet the moment, and make the culture that has pillaged from them stand up and take notice. They're not doing that. I truly hope someday, somehow they can.

It seemed like they very quickly leaned into just turning it into a camp factory of gags, setpieces and in-jokes and not much else in order to survive based on the loyal audience for that. Which worked for awhile on the CW, but wasn't a recipe for longevity. Although tbh I think the handful of long-running network dramas these days are equally formulaic or desperately hyper-paced.

A rare moment of accurate, razor-sharp insight from an otherwise very cosseted, dismissive and self-congratulatory NYT publisher A.G. Sulzberger in this very frustrating but illuminating profile. He doesn't seem to realize he's helped cultivate exactly what he describes.

Another legend. RIP.

I've been meaning to watch the longer, even stranger director's cut of The Counselor, McCarthy's film with Ridley Scott. One of the single most insane moviegoing experiences I have ever had in my life, seemingly written, directed and performed by coked-up Martians, but absolutely spellbinding. And the DC is supposed to be even weirder. I'll be doing that very soon. The boldness it took by all parties (particularly Scott, who can write his own ticket and is never afraid to fail or alienate people used to his more conventional blockbusters, and McCarthy, who never sacrificed an inch of his character or style for anyone). RIP.

People still go to those sites?

She's getting roasted for it too. I'm not sure how long it will be before Politico and Semafor inevitably eat each other and become one being, but I cannot wait for the years when this entire access journalism complex implodes on itself like the streaming boom. Since it was tweeted by the odious David Sirota I won't repost the reveal that Politico hosted some sort of disgusting pitch by the American Bankers Association for more deregulation of bank mergers which Politico posted as a news item (the ABA is one of their many corrupt key sponsors they regularly host online and at events with zero daylight between their news arm) - only for their latest ex-Republican admin hire to angrily protest that no, no, it was a 'newsletter item'. Classic Politico. Since Punchbowl is basically Politico with a new hat like Malibu Stacey on The Simpsons, I also won't miss Jake Sherman's daddy hero worship of any savvy Republican who comes by, or in the case of guys like McCarthy just the latest Republican who can give him access and macho cred despite being an idiot or a monster. As for Tapper, the other Jake has always been complicated. He was a surprisingly forthright voice a lot of times in the last decade, but he's as prone to the same dumb errors as many very on-air people, and he is still responsible for angrily crusading for Fox to keep their access in the Obama era. Some of these people are flawed but have decency; others are simply craven sociopaths. Even Rachel Maddow, who I like a lot despite her longwinded rambling build-ups on air, had the truly idiotic pitch for "make Trump promise not to run and then pardon him" the other day. Give me a break. In any event, MSNBC won the day's ratings and also came out very forcefully against Trump.

Revoke their press credentials. Enough. Meanwhile, while I think relatively little of both of these people, they go which way they think the wind is blowing and this is decent work:

Both the Riegels (Eden and her brother Sam) have long gotten steady VA work in games and anime, etc. I am a little staggered to have learned Eden voiced a major character in the revamp version of Persona 4 which I played years ago - that would've taken a lot of getting used to for me.

What's crazy to me is how long they tried to keep things going off and on over the years with Audrey being caught between Steve and Tom Baldwin, apparently (and a couple other men?). I don't think she and Steve got properly together til the mid '70s IIRC, and then they brought Tom back around one more time to play spoiler again trying to push her to get back with him by kidnapping Tom Jr. or something? And this was like five years after he raped her. I'll never forget the amazing work Rachel Ames did in those scenes where Audrey told Liz about her marital rape in the late '90s. So good. I wonder if it was the Meg recast that led to them making her so unstable, or if that started before.

Johnny is there to be a pair of twink titties for Ron and the gang. That is his character arc.

LOL:

So talented and handsome. And deeply, deeply underrated for his excellent work in Sidney Lumet's underseen epic/spiritual Serpico sequel Prince of the City with Jerry Orbach.

I remember this. It was well laid out.

More of Lindsey rambling.

Bless La Hubbard, but yes she seems to have been hypercritical of everything she ever played. It's been noted more than once.

In fairness, everyone and their nephew in the business has claimed they were 'supposed to be there that night.'

I believe she can be forcibly removed regardless.

According to legal experts she is likely to be challenged by DOJ and either forced to recuse or if she doesn't do that, dismissed by a higher court.