Vee

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.

The Children in Need short - "Destination: Skaro". That is Julian Bleach from Series 4 sans makeup as

Grain of salt:

This... sounds like a recipe for boomer backlash given the critical drubbing of his recent projects but I am happy for Moffat, Karen and Alex. Meanwhile:

I think 'found family' is valid enough for soaps - Melrose Place, and shows like Degrassi, The O.C., 90210, etc. used it to great effect for decades. It's the execution and stories that bear it out. The City's found family was not the issue for me (though I think they could and should have woven in more direct family ties, like Ava and Alex's kids), but it did a lot very fast for daytime, in terms of changes and taking risks, and it didn't have good enough story to back it up.

This appears to be Ncuti confirming what has recently been rumored - that next week's BBC repeat of the docufilm An Adventure in Space and Time, about the creation of DW, will feature him in the key final scene. It shows William Hartnell seeing a vision of the latest Doctor of the period when it aired (2013) - at that time, it was Matt Smith. The film's writer, Mark Gatiss, has long suggested the BBC update the shot regularly with an appearance from the incumbent Doctor whenever it re-airs. This appears to be the fulfillment of that.