Vee

100%. Though frankly, I think the fact that Jackee is retro TV royalty is the primary reason Ron is writing for her at all. He generally couldn't be bothered to write for most of the Black characters on GH or OLTL.

I think Sarah was otherwise engaged at the time, or declined just before or after whatever gig that was. I don't know if it was on ATWT or her CBS thing that fell through or whatever. I know Susan also turned the return down at the time. I don't think there's any recasting Brenda. VM has always been a singular presence.

She can be very lazy, but I think that owes itself to the sheer schlock they gave her in her last few runs at AMC. They never gave her anything good on GH either, which is why I'd kill Hayden instantly. We used to give JFP and co. [!@#$%^&*] for talking about 'training the audience' but it's true to a certain extent, in that you have to train them out of bad habits like expecting the mob and ancient couples to rule the show forever, or to only watch for X or Y. If you kill Budig it sends a message that no, we are no longer going to be tolerating beloved soap favorites in hollow roles just because they played Greenlee or whoever once upon a time, we are doing something new. Me neither. Budig tried playing that kind of role at GL and tanked. Same when they tried to make Greenlee more of a straight heroine. Sarah and Susan Haskell are both very gritty, visceral actors which is where I think the idea came from. But they're also fundamentally different IMO. There is something to each of them that makes one uniquely suited for Marty and one all wrong for it. I can't buy Sarah playing a character who evolved to the degree that Marty did. It would be a waste of her talent and would cheapen the singular power of each individual actress IMO. Either way, it didn't come off for whatever reason - I can't remember what - and Susan refused to return because she didn't like Dena Higley's pitch for the story, so they went out and got... Christina Chambers.

The extremely small subset of fans watching to see Carson Boatman in the arms of silver daddy Derek Frye, your moment has come!

Brenda wasn't the one to worry about. Allegedly, Frank originally hoped to recast Robin with Rebecca. Despite Kimberly having made herself available for them many times when Carlivati wasn't ready to finish the endless story. It would've been suicide AFAIC but then Frank had also once had the bright idea of recasting Marty on OLTL with Sarah Brown, and that just wouldn't have worked either.

Rebecca didn't even like the longterm pairing of Ryan and Greenlee to begin with.

I still don't get how Ryan and Erica got together or how long it lasted. I thought it was a potentially viable idea, but not with Chuck Pratt who was largely terrible for the show. (Of course I also could've potentially gotten down with Bianca fùcking Ryan to get revenge on Reese and Zach, which it was rumored that Pratt had floated and may have helped drive Eden off the show, so my taste is subjective!)

God, no. Enough. I like Rebecca but Hayden has no personality beyond "if you squint I am Greenlee".

I don't think it's an either/or, lol. I just think if we're trying to reinvent this show with new leads and new focus you could do a lot worse than having one possible option be bringing Gina on as Dr. Sarah opposite a preferably-bearded Cameron Mathison, since Drew is a Quartermaine who loves his family, served his country and has minimal interest in the mob despite the show clearly trying to wedge him into a Jason-shaped hole atm (and they don't seem to have any other plan for him). When you go a bit younger there's also Lucy/Kevin/Scott's kids for the younger set, Tom Hardy Jr., Anna Donely, Brook Lynn who's already here, and some of the existing teens. You're spoiled for choice and options, but GH isn't really using any of them to revitalize the show. I would 100% still bring Sarah back as Carly though, and Sean Kanan as A.J. opposite her.

Not one they're truly committed to, IMO.

Yeah, the article says they're giving it til September until they retitle/rebrand the show.

Mo has been on autopilot for many, many years now. His last, best work came in those farewell scenes with Vanessa Marcil in 2011 I posted a week or two back, because the writers were brutally honest and incisive in the writing and because he and Vanessa are very tight and she brings it out of him. But that was over a decade ago. I think Watros occasionally wakes him up and cuts into him lately, but the story is disposable and the dialogue is often bad. I have no investment in Nina or real interest in Sonny and Nina whatsoever, but I appreciate that she brings something out of him occasionally when I watch a scene or two. Laura always gives 100%. I don't know of a day in this business onscreen where she hasn't and she's been around a long time. It's not her fault either. They should never have let him shave that beard and it is beyond me why they are testing him with all the wrong people. Just bring someone on for him. (I'd still pair him with Gina Tognoni as Dr. Sarah Webber, but oh well) There are relatively few performers on daytime then or now who can get that ugly that quick. She's a force of nature.

I've watched those AW scenes a lot. Wyndham is scary as hell. I'll have to check out this fight, lol

I can believe it, lol.

You never fail to mention this and it cracks me up every time. I still don't know who killed his sister Kelly, played by poor Cady McClain in one of her all-time worst performances.

Thank you for posting both of those, I looked it up in the video the other day. It's pretty much as I suspected.

Why did Stitch (a.k.a. Dr. Giant Baby Head) go crazy again?

I think this was posted a year ago. She was mistreated.

Anna was basically non-existent until Sheffer discovered the couple when he came on the show and brought her back as well as restoring the classical, more heroic Tony. He talked a lot about them. I'll always be grateful for that choice because it's stuck despite several attempts to undo it.

It wouldn't surprise me at all. The story in the interviews about JP vetoing the Spice Girls appearing in favor of a corny 'roaring 20s' theme for his episode bc of the obnoxious big band revival trend of the year seems textbook to me. (Though I personally enjoyed The Cardigans, who appeared during that episode)

Pretty sure they did all that bc it was part of the big push at the time to bring Thaao back and make Tony (once again behaving OOC) into the big new villain under Brash and Cwikly. I never understood that, though I was always happy to see Thaao.

I haven't watched that season in many years but I recall Brandon and Valerie's quasi-incestuous attraction to each other being a major throughline for that whole season, even during her fling with Dylan. And her closeness to Brandon was a key part of her rivalry with Kelly. Yet after that one cliffhanger it was never, IIRC, touched again.

I don't fault you for reading it. The thing is, I think most of us have seen Y&R do this dance with new hires dozens of times and squander people and burn them out fast. I think people were counting the days on Burgi in the role even before his COVID mishap and RN is no different. So in the end it really doesn't matter what Newman wants or what the length of his contract is; unless it's revealed to be short-term there's no new news there. He's no more secure than the last guy.