Vee

She's talented yet I have no desire to see her on a soap again. She's a mess. If she showed up I would give her a chance to perform, but there's just always drama. Speaking of Julia, I remember Crystal Carson adjusting well to the Guza style of dialogue and changed tone of the show when she returned here and there before and after Brenda's "death". I was surprised we never saw her again, though I know Carlivati allegedly had planned for her, Cheryl Richardson and someone playing Sly to appear before he rewrote the Fluke/Bill Eckert story.

I've enjoyed her on every show she's been on (including OLTL, where I thought she was great with James dePaiva) but she's been an increasing embarrassment iRL. I wouldn't go after her again without serious misgivings.

Out of respect for some latter-day friends of the board I am not gonna dig too deep into this topic. I will say I agree with BF that I never liked Evangeline, at least not after they dispensed with her early, more morally ambiguous character. I was thrilled when they cast a Black female on contract to be an ambitious lawyer, I was very excited to see her, but that's not how she turned out; she was on the backburner for most of her first year, and then when she developed I felt Van became a cardboard saint. And I didn't think the terrible writing suited REG's incredible talent, which was clear then but which time and showbiz since have more than proven out for doubters. I always thought she could do so much more than what she was given, and I felt the character was two-dimensional and saccharine. I wanted more for her. (And before Renee really hit it big I kept hoping she'd come out of the coma and give Layla hell as the scheming, perfect big sister trying to take back her man.) That being said, whatever my issues with the character it can't be denied that Evangeline was a frontburner Black female lead in the biggest love triangle on the show for several years running, with several white leads as well as men of color, and that is a fantastic, revolutionary act - even moreso now on daytime, sadly, in the 2020s, than it was 20 years ago. It simply will never happen now. I thought the show could do better, but the reality is it ultimately had no interest. And in Evangeline, with that level of prominence, regardless of the character issues some of us (specifically, me) didn't know how good we had it.

Lord, I didn't know Crystal was a part of it but knowing her that doesn't surprise me at all.

From the immortal We Love Soaps: There are apocryphal stories going way back that Lynn was treated poorly at DOOL and they may well be untrue, or she may just be being very classy years later. I believe this interview is from '09.

I do appreciate that the media is slowly admitting Biden's projections on Putin invading - which some insisted were a distraction from bad news domestically - were 100% right.

A lot from Julia Ioffe, who I disagreed with on Afghanistan but who is committed to this region personally. The sanctions are squeezing Russia and are some of the only things we can currently do, but she's right that it will not deter Putin individually who is a crazed ideologue. I do think it could close the vise from his own people. And a Jewish one, a key point for the antisemitic Russian regime which is projecting and claiming Ukraine is full of Nazis.

Meanwhile:

Any nice guy Ron writes is deep down a stick in the mud or a controlling creep. That is the nature of how he writes most men on his shows these days - staid controlling throwbacks or wild renegades/murderers/rapists, etc. There's rarely little in between. Didn't used to be how he wrote but it is now. So nah, I'm okay with Tripp.

Unbelievable that we should have to say this, but no, the Russians are not capable of dropping the ISS on anyone deliberately. Please stop taking your news from clickbait mills like the Hill. Also, before it gets posted, the "Ghost of Kiev" does not exist. (It's okay to not be fully briefed on a specific piece of news or part of the world. If you don't know something for sure, verify it or ask other people, or leave it to them. I am no expert on the Russian geopolitical situation, but I can take the time to look into something and do research and then post it or not; it's what we should expect of any of us here.) Meanwhile, it is coming up on dawn in the States on the East Coast and the Russians still do not appear to have taken Kyiv. They also have not taken Kharkiv.

Deception could still be a bigger part of the show than it is. I think I was one of the only fans of bringing Laura into it about 20 years ago, but that time has passed. Until today I had no idea Lucy left the show with Seinfeld's John O'Hurley (Greg Bennett). I know nothing about the character, though I knew Lucy left briefly at that time while Lynn did DAYS (I think). Reminds me of when JFP fobbed Dorian off of OLTL with "Drake Faraday" played by Leigh McCloskey.

It's Tulsi Time!

Spoke too soon on Horizon! Chris McKenna (Joey Buchanan, OLTL), Christopher Sean (Paul Narita, DOOL) and Sterling Sulieman (Dre Woods, AMC) all also have roles in the game. Maybe more soap stars that I'm unaware of thus far, one never knows with games, which have been employing daytime people heavily in recent years both for voice work and physical modeling-performing.

A very good point from the amoral Peter Baker:

Stateside, the impact is interesting: The GOP is blinkered on this topic as a whole, struggling to find a way to condemn a war which is suddenly going badly for Putin and try to detach themselves and Trump from it. Biden's sanctions and response thus far are strong (and Putin acted as he predicted, despite left, right and centrist media poohpoohing it for weeks up til the last few days). And for the first time I'm not sure Putin will be in power in a month. It's an awful thing happening, but the Ukrainian response is something to see. What a time to live in.

Russia Today, a state media arm broadcasting at least in part to the West which a lot of useful idiots on the right and left in this country are part of or sympathize with.