Vee

It has taken entirely too long to see her again after taking OLTL 2.0 by storm, but Kelley Missal was a pregnant mob wife in the fifth episode of HBO Max's Minx. I know she was on one of their teen shows recently too (obviously not a teen anymore). @DRW50

Lulu was married to Dante a long time. You can't go much younger. And I know Todd renamed it the Sun. I'm trying to recall what happened to it since, or if that's the Invader.

"The Plan to Save Y&R!"

The reason I (mostly) don't support recasting Lucky again is essentially because of how seamless, IMO, JJ's contract return was after so long and it being relatively unthinkable. The stories became a mess but he fit like a glove, including as a heroic but roguish cop and with Dominic Zamprogna (a duo which, as I've said so often, should've become the Luke and Scorpio or ugh, Sonny and Jason of the 2010s-onward), and he legitimized the character again. He elevated everything he did, even as a fully grown adult. I feel like nothing is ever going to touch that and he makes anything that came after him forgettable. Plus, JJ is supposedly open to another return in some form. Nashville's been gone a while now. If that's true and if he could be lured back even on a recurring basis (and by 'recurring' I mean 'Frank Valentini recurring' - or like Cady McClain was 'recurring' at ATWT in her early years there), I would leap at it. That being said... if it isn't possible, now is probably when I'd reluctantly move to recast Lucky again. But I would go after a name, as Y&R once did with Justin Hartley pre-This is Us. I would find another talented, grown-up teen idol from JJ's generation - there are a lot of them out there, doing TV and indie film - and get someone from the same era and generational memory, with some of the same presence, talent and stature, so that the audience could relate it back to JJ and realize we didn't just go out and get another 2000s-era Jacob Young (or Jeff Branson, another mooted choice who I feel is past his sell-by for the role). If Will Estes wasn't happily ensconced on primetime these days and was still a jobbing actor I'd pick him. If Devon Sawa wasn't having a major career resurgence in genre work and TV (seriously, he's very good) I'd pick him! But there's always options. Still, JJ is the first choice for me, period.

Lord, some things never change. Diane is still a camp event who looks like a gay hand puppet. It just occurred to me that yes, bringing back Lulu with the right strong recast (God knows who) or a somehow-adrenalized Julie Berman as Lulu Spencer, Adventure Reporter would be a good fit at the Invader (what happened to the PC Press or whatever Todd called it?) with Alexis as her boss.

An immortal legend.

I completely agree, but we've been over it a lot lol. I think it's unconscionable what they've done re: Luke and Laura and I've made it pretty clear how I feel about Laura and Kevin. I would give her a new man and story, but you have to do better honoring the Spencers IMO. I would try to lure Tony back for a year or so with the promise of killing him at the end - but he'd have to play what is written. If he won't come back, there's always another way.

I think that is down to Frank being cowed by TG over LNL in the 2010s despite his and Ron's initial plans to reunite them, and hoping they lure him back for more someday. I also think it's down to his not knowing how or caring about writing for Lulu or any Spencers without Tony. Genie bullied her way into a contract (as she should) but they still don't know how to fully deal with Laura's link to Luke anymore in her new place on the show. RC never cared about Dante and Lulu (a couple I wasn't exactly big on but they had a real fanbase under Guza), and neither does FV. Dante is also not a priority now, sadly. If you got back JJ as Lucky, which is not something FV wants IMO, it would destabilize the rest of the mostly ill-served male leads or his preferred male stars. Even a recast would also command more attention to elements Frank can't fully control. Same goes for Lulu. With Lulu back in the mix there's less for the anonymous chicks he has hired or other preferred female leads. Not that I'd have much of a clue what to do with Lulu myself atm, but yes, I agree the current loss of the Spencers is prominent and strange. I'm glad Laura has a central place in the canvas for herself sans Luke, but it still feels very grudging on Frank's part if not wholly GH's overall. And without dealing with the Luke and their family of it all - without having her family/children structure - it makes it easier to lift her out as she visits other people's frontburner stories. Laura is not someone you should be able to lift out.

I just block and move on.

Kevin Smith, to his credit, gave a very passionate defense of Willis' comic skills on Moonlighting, etc. the other day at a convention, and Bruce as a song and dance man. They famously fell out while filming Smith's flop Cop Out and Bruce allegedly behaving very badly. But he was touched to learn that Willis has allegedly regarded him highly since then. I have very little patience for Kevin Smith generally, but it was moving to read about.

Valentin is pure cringe for me. I understand JPS played a great character on AMC 30 years ago and is a very talented actor in other things since. I just don't care. He should be gone tomorrow. Along with, yes, half the cast.

Billy Joel! I swear to fuckin' God.

To each their own. I just could not tolerate Stafford on the show at all and Valentin, the corniest Cassadine, made it even worse.

I don't care about Nina either, lol. I do like CW and I think she gives a thankless, confused role her best and has chemistry with MB - she's much more tolerable than Michelle Stafford. But I'd still play out her storyline and write her out without hesitation.

CW's brand is OTT, ever since Annie on GL. She keeps it pretty contained on GH most of the time despite the fact that she inherited a formerly deranged character, but I don't mind when she goes wild tbh.

I think he started strong but now often seems listless. He can't or won't always keep with some of the powerhouses he works with. He's fine I guess, but yes, if it ever became viable with Tyler's wellbeing, I'd welcome him. The whole reason they paired Ava and Nikolas to begin with is because TC and Maura had chemistry, and the pairing began there before his exit.

I've watched some of it. The lowdown from the SOD write-up is harrowing. I am glad he seems to be getting well and is being very honest about what has been out there in the rumor mill for several years now. I'd welcome him back if it was ever healthy for him to return to GH - Coloma is a serviceable replacement, but he can't measure up.

Marshall has the same annoying expression on his face every time I watch this show, in every scene.

She looks better than she did a couple years ago. What a legend, who never got the full exposure she deserved on ATWT.

Is it really a small town? It's called Genoa City.

Almost everyone who's ever worked with Lucci has nothing but good things to say about her, so we can put this aside in the thread about her husband's death.

I think it's realistic to tell tech stories in this day and age for at least part of the business material on the show. I also think it's clear the Y&R writers have no concept of how to write about it or present it in a serious or compelling way, especially when many of the white-collar lunatics in our world today are in fact tech moguls and this stuff is ripe for use. They keep hearing viewers want business stories, but they don't really know how or want to tell those stories so a lot of this stuff largely feels like feints.

Yet another bizarre scandal that has been percolating for awhile: