Vee

I don't think she does either. But she seems pretty content with her kids and her life, so whatever.

I had no idea they were connected at all! I'm so glad Kimberly's directing career seems to be going very well. Meanwhile: A very candid Sarah Michelle Gellar cover story. AMC is only mentioned in passing, though to her credit SMG has always repped for it hardcore a la Julianne Moore. @DRW50

I think it was half and half. Yes, Guza definitely wanted to tell crime stories, but his GH back then also very often followed its nose re: heat from primetime or movie synergy (like when he infamously tried to model his revamped version of Jerry Jacks, closer to his original intent for the character, on Daniel Craig in Casino Royale right down to his alias being "Mr. Craig" and having a big torture scene for him). The hospital worked out for them given that synergy. They also really committed to real story for Robin and Patrick, using the hospital constantly, then did Night Shift and so on. Was it all genius work? Hell no, and many of the recurring hospital characters were annoying to me. But it still signaled a sea change in the right direction for the overall show that has stuck since. It's also notable that Guza clearly hated Courtney (almost entirely Frons and Pratt's baby, I think) and marginalized her in C-story with Jax and then killed her off the first chance he got.

It is worth noting that there is some demarcation between 2000-2005 IMO. 2002 but especially 2003-2004 were almost all mob all the time and it felt like it lasted 5-10 years. But when the show tanked on a profound level in '05 (something we've discussed here a lot) with Sonny and Reese, the Michael murders A.J. story, the Nikolas/Courtney affair, etc. they were forced to recalibrate and shift a lot of the show. A ton of stories were hastily rewritten or scrapped, Pratt either quit or was fired around this time, and Guza and co. seized on Steve Burton's suggestion to ask Kimberly McCullough back. This was also when Grey's Anatomy was hitting big. They rehired Kimberly, hired Jason Thompson to be her love interest (since Kimberly allegedly did not want to revisit Jason/Robin, which would have shifted the show even more) and most importantly of all capitalized on the Grey's synergy by refocusing a ton of the show's canvas around the hospital hub and hiring a ton of recurring supporting players like Epiphany, Leyla, Kelly Lee, Nurse Nadine, etc. Elizabeth also went to work at GH around this time, and then they began doing medical crises stories like the monkey virus (not exactly genius work, but a good concept). That was when the hospital finally came back into play for GH again, and despite a strong mob focus from 2005-2012 it's never really stopped being in play since. It became the other integral half of the canvas again.

Oh, they didn't? I had no idea. I was under the impression it was definitely the same actress.

I still remember Angie Costello appearing in the '93 anniversary ep - I'd have to go back and rewatch, but the dialogue with Steve made it seem like she was there for a brief patient arc, whereas apparently she was there for over three years lol.

Whenever I'm bored, exhausted or just can't think enough for more edifying entertainment, I turn on Dallas on FreeVee. I think my reasons for that have been clearly stated before. That being said, some of the characters, rhythms, etc. do really grow on you as I've mentioned. I do think Seasons 5 and 6 were among the more gripping I've seen so far, even if I still couldn't get through a full year of the grinding repetition of the larger show. I am poking around in S7 and S8 now, hoping to sync up KL and Dallas for their creative swap shortly and watch both in tandem. What I will say is that suddenly, in S7 the cinematography and look of the show ramp way, way up from the chintzy, plastic look it's had for years (especially in comparison to Knots). It suddenly looks cinematic, it looks like a more modern film of the later '80s (or a primetime drama from a few years later), there is a lot of amazing use of shadow and warmth; the redesigned Ewing drawing room now looks vast and spacious, not like a set from Three's Company. This is allegedly the work of new cinematographer Bradford May, who makes the show look and feel very different. So of course he was apparently fired before this year was out and they went back to looking cheap.

Babies/pregnancy stories have long been rumored to be the one of the only stories currently gunshy networks will consistently approve for contemporary daytime, at least at ABC, and I absolutely believe it. Agreed, they absolutely do not.

She's Trump scum.

I mean, Alice's death in 2004 was intended to stick. Reilly got overruled.

Genie Francis is 60 years old.

Very intriguing, given RTD's talk of expanding the DW franchise again.

Tinker's Fen and Ana could've been a huge couple IMO. Ana aside, most of what they've tried to do with Black female leads since Hilary (Imani, etc.) are weak imitations IMO. They deliberately sandbagged MM's return AFAIC; they knew a mediocre twin character would not get the traction Hilary had and decided to wait it out, because they were simply not comfortable with a Black female lead on this show today for the same reason GH is clearly uncomfortable with major Black story now. Daytime has regressed a lot in the 21st century and especially the last decade.

Thanks! LOL! She just goes on like this. At least according to the cast she was very kind to them. I still love her in Night of the Iguana, On the Beach and the all-too-relevant-today Seven Days in May (and @DRW50will recall her performance in the very, very strange Technicolor fantasy Pandora and the Flying Dutchman with James Mason, a favorite of Martin Scorsese).

I seem to recall Randolph Mantooth (Halifax) having a lot to say about his time at GH.

I'd love to read that Sentinel article but it defaults to their modern main page when I use the link and I can't find it in the Wayback Machine. I do appreciate the thought! I'd somehow forgotten there's a whole two more seasons of Laura after where I'm at - I kept thinking she was gone in S8 for some reason. It's about to get real interesting creatively regardless. I also wanted to single out the lovely, now-defunct Knots Blogging site, different from Krasker's blog, run by a devoted fan with a lot of funny and often informative recaps. The site can still be accessed via the Wayback Machine but was shut down after its owner's untimely and tragic death. They seem to have had a difficult life, but their work is so appreciated.

GH used to be nothing but Metro Court hotel rooms about 5-6 years ago, and FV's skill at keeping things peppy and cheap or at times using nothing but gray paint on the GH sets has been well-documented. It's gotten a lot better in recent years (in part owing to people like Finola Hughes allegedly insisting on having a home set, the repurposed Chandler mansion from AMC) but I still think some stuff is strictly amateur hour - the painful outdoor flashback material with Liz last year, the regular use of studio stairwells, etc. a la ATWT or GL, the AMC Los Angeles-style park shoots. That being said, yes, it's a huge step up from where it was and it does look better than Y&R now. Never thought I'd say that. Even if the Q mansion has turned into a slightly more low-rent version of the Fresh Prince sets.

Seriously, how can they be that broke as the #1 soap? I know B&B has more money because of a stronger international situation, but the fact that they look at least as skint as GH is rough (and GH looks better in recent years).

Confirmed, not that we needed it. From SOD (we can quote part of the article, right?):

Lord! I've never heard of this movie but I feel bad that she's getting memed because she's legitimately a brilliant actress.

Season 6, Episode 15 (Inside Information): I'm not sure if Lorraine Ferrara has directed for the show before, but there's a fantastic opening to this episode which begins deep inside grainy handheld video playback via TV news cameraman from the Gary Loder (he of the Tidal Basin mythos) murder scene. We don't initially realize this is not a 'live' sequence until we hear Mack asking them to roll it back in voice-over, the footage pauses and rewinds and then the camera pans out of the monitors to show Mack, Abby, etc. at Pacific News watching the old footage. There's an equally wonderful holy shít moment as Abby silently clocks Scott Easton in the footage, standing in the crowd. What do a string of dead Galveston Industries secretaries (apparently dummied up to seem like a serial killer case - unless it is a serial killer) add up to? I would expect maybe something involving the Empire Valley conspiracy, but who knows. Abby's bob is fortunately back to God-tier this week, which serves as a bit of a panacea for Galveston riding herd on her over the Val secret. Abby cleverly but perhaps hastily plays the Tidal Basin card immediately to fight back, and the look in Galveston's eye is deeply unsettling; you can’t help but wonder if he's telling the truth that he's enjoying their game. I think he is but could also kill her without a thought. A genius story choice has the bedridden post-op Karen, annoyed with being stuck at home, stumbling upon the Loder news tape. There, she spots not Easton but another Galveston man from the recent Lotus Point meeting - and dimes the Galveston connection out to Mack, despite Abby's best efforts to play dumb. Are patrons at Isadora's really supposed to be avidly eating up Joshua's TV sermons? I guess the Bakkers were pretty big back in the day too. At least Cathy is singing another banger. Joshua is jealous of Cathy's fans while shrugging off his own, and jealous of her opportunity to go on tour; when Lilimae and Cathy talk their musical dreams, it's a smart use of Lilimae's candor about her past regrets that enables Joshua's controlling behavior by convincing Cathy to back off the tour. There are more and more hints of the darkness under the surface with Joshua over these last few eps: The couple's easy physical roughhousing at the club with their last less serious tiff, then his very coolly dismissing Cathy's acquiescence this week with little more than "good" and an embrace in which he piously tells her "all is forgiven." I think the puritan streak in Joshua, the authoritarianism has always been there, even when he was innocently asking the others if Val losing the babies was punishment by God for her sin. Meanwhile: Val (to Abby): Boy, you're pretty. Frustrated with Gary's fixating on Galveston and Empire Valley, Abby heads to Shula! The above moment is great as Abby and Val/Verna come face to face. The writers once again do the right thing with Abby here by having her try to do the decent thing, level with Val and ask her if she's coming home but of course Verna is clueless. Abby is a little too thrilled Val has lost her mind, lol. Interesting that Parker Winslow is immediately onto her though, clocking the Ewing name. I was surprised that Parker is that suspicious of the whole situation that fast, but he is clearly paranoid and possessive - he tracks down an article on Val's disappearance at his local library and immediately has the connection. His solution: Propose to this mentally ill woman after a month! What a yokel. Verna is very winning in Shula but are we meant to think she and Parker haven't slept together when she adorably teases him about his wanting to buy another pillow for her bed? It seemed clear in the last couple eps they were hot and heavy. Back in LA, Greg and Laura see a highway bill go down for Suspicious Reasons - all Sumner's newfound Senate power is being stripped away due to pressure from Galveston. Greg confronts Daddy, but gets no ground while Laura looks on as he bobs and weaves about the tycoon with Mack. Laura finally pulls the truth out of her lover in an incredible fairy tale-flavored monologue from William Devane in which Greg is alternately a hype man, a storyteller and a cajoler. You wonder how much was scripted and how much with Devane was improv: The manic electricity never leaves Greg's eyes or his body language as he keeps throttling up and up with enthusiasm while telling Laura about walking in on his mother in bed with Galveston the day after his father died, never betraying the rage or pain that must seethe just beneath the surface. Finally, as Greg lowers the boom about who Galveston really is to him he immediately, violently jerks Laura into his arms to force a kiss and therefore control. Greg must always find control even when he’s out of control, and the move adds an even more chilling and fascinating exclamation point to an already fraught sequence. It's also made explicit after the commercial break that rough (but consensual) sex between Greg and Laura followed the revelation - Greg exorcising his demons. This is fairly shocking content and layering for glossy '80s primetime soaps. The final brilliant touch of the episode comes at the end: Abby returns to Westfork to greet Galveston's threats to blow the whistle on her about Val's whereabouts, only for her to turn around and immediately disempower him by telling the just-arrived Gary all about Val. I was not expecting that at all and it was fùcking incredible, right down to the beautiful freeze-frame on Abby’s fùck you smile to the old man. They have threaded the needle with Abby in this storyline very well so far. Episode 16 (Out of the Past): Finally, it is Bill Duke Hours once more! You know what that means: As is custom for a Duke episode at this point, a great deal of this hour is bathed in shadow, spotlights and lamplights warming the dark corners while other key moments are shot through with ethereal light. Galveston's shadowy military(?) contact early in the episode is gorgeously cloaked in his warm half-shadowed leatherette chair by Duke, while his murky physical appearance is a kind of inverse Mack MacKenzie in type and build. Abby and Karen working together at Lotus Point so much lately in spite of each other is great - neither of them trust in Empire Valley or Galveston. They make a very good team. Gary hits Shula! Val is so carefree and fun as Verna at this point, so I can understand people's fondness for this storyline even if I have found the whole Parker angle deeply tiresome from the beginning. Of course the local hicks don't believe Gary's very sensible pleas. The beautifully-shot gauzy flashback to young Val and Gary's first meeting in Texas is a standout here, great handheld work by Duke featuring age-appropriate actors who nonetheless embody the leads. They don't try to make JVA and Ted play 16-18 like most shows of the period would do (and as KL unwisely attempted with several female leads in Season 1). It's very winning stuff, and pays off wonderfully when Gary (undaunted by his street beating by Parker and his buddy from BrutalTops.com) reprises their first meeting during Val/Verna's lunch rush. There is great cutting between past and present from frame to frame, and a fascinating, fluctuating performance by JVA as for a moment, Val knows exactly who he is and it terrifies her. Laura and the rarely-seen baby (toddler) Daniel are so cute, in part because I feel fairly confident that this is still Constance McCashin's IRL son Dan Weisman, who apparently played him on and off in Season 4 and 5. There is an adorable moment where the baby is pointing up at what are obviously the studio lights and asking 'what's that?' "It's the ceiling," McCashin/Laura replies. Daniel/Dan? also throws a fit when being handed off to Lisa Hartman to exit the scene. I didn't initially remember that Galveston and Laura had never really met when he arrives at her office (Greg's office, I think?) with no announcement and is pointedly avuncular and familiar re: her and Daniel - an intimidation tactic. He promises to fulfill Laura's heart's desire if she helps him with his son, pinpointing what it believes it to be - "To be richer than Abby Ewing. You can tell her where to get off." A nice historical beat. This is where I would post an IG video Dan Weisman posted a couple years ago of his mom dancing to Ariana Grande that made it onto KL fansites, but it seems to have sadly been deleted. There's a lot of power playing and maneuvering this ep; Abby is always recalibrating and tries to throw in with Paul Galveston and increase her leverage on him as Mack's net begins to close, while Greg is finally ready to comes through for Mack but wants no questions on his connection to the old man. The echoes of the Wolfbridge saga are very deliberate in this episode with Mack even invoking his failures there to Karen, but both he and Abby are determined not to be left without a chair when the music stops this time. I do enjoy watching the constant push/pull between Abby and Galveston; he never has her totally over a barrel, as Wolfbridge did. Over at Pacific World/News/Cable/whatever, Joshua has apparently pushed his favorite pastor out of his own show. I loved Abby waxing messianic to corrupt him further, boosting their shared business and driving a new wedge with him and Cathy. Their rapport - which may or may not turn overtly sexual - is very interesting work by the writers, Mills and Baldwin. It's also great to see Abby and Cathy finally properly spar again, bringing up the past that already seems so distant. Cathy tells Joshua about her past with Abby, but I have a bad feeling about where that's going. The other centerpiece of this episode besides the Gary/Val stuff is an excellent scene between Galveston and Greg. Howard Duff is a deceptively jovial presence, physically similar to fellow Old Hollywood star Howard Keel on Dallas in many ways with ruddy cheeks, cowboy getup and bolo tie. But unlike Keel's kindhearted and sweet Clayton Farlow, Paul Galveston is a smiling cobra. When Galveston turns over a chair threatening Mack if Greg doesn't get his old friend to back off, Sumner (outwardly, at least) coolly shrugs off the idea of Mack's death - he says anything is worth getting to his father. This could be played so many ways with sneering villainy, chest-thumping and big musical stings, but instead Duff and the writers play Galveston as instantly overjoyed, happily believing father and son to be more alike than Greg admits. I love this fuckin' show.

I don't know that everyone hated her (the director was a big fan), so I have no idea if she was difficult anywhere else. I thought her character was kind of a drip but as she was written to be the heroic waif in the movie that's unavoidable. She is definitely one of the more accomplished actors in the whole silly movie, lol.

In honor of the date I am watching Friday the 13th Part VII, starring KL's own Lar Park Lincoln (who I have yet to see on the show). In this movie Lar battles Jason Voorhees onscreen with the powers of her mind while allegedly battling much of the cast offscreen - according to the copious special features and commentary for the wonderful F13 series box set, Lar and onscreen love interest Kevin Spirtas from DAYS couldn't stand each other. Small world!

On EON, the Mansion of the Damned shoot was sabotaged because its producer, huckster Eddie Vaughn, was keen to boost its PR profile with a series of horror-themed stunts and faked 'disasters' on the set and soundstages to spook the public and media and get it a ton of attention and hype. MOD was supposed to be based on a 'real' legend of a witch local to the Monticello area, and Vaughn's angle was to make people believe the witch's curse was plaguing the production. Things went south when starlet Nola Madison urged her old flame Eddie to set the soundstage on fire after filming had wrapped (IIRC) in order to both collect the insurance money and cement MOD's legend as a 'cursed' movie before its impending release. (Her real motive was to kill her romantic rival in the fire.) Eddie thought it was going too far and refused, but Nola did it herself. Eddie died in the fire trying to save her, and the MOD shoot came to a fiery end. It was only a week or two later when, IIRC, MOD's director Owen Madison realized the raw footage had been erased when he tried to play it back - suggesting that the witch's curse was real after all.

Didn't MOD end with Owen Madison discovering the reels had erased themselves mysteriously in the screening room, suggesting that 'the curse' behind the real witchcraft story was real after all even after the hoaxster in question died? Or was there more to it after that?