Vee

We knew the latter paragraph here long ago, but seeing it in print from Woodward's book, backed up by witnesses, still makes my blood run cold.

50's career would have been over (sooner) if that had happened, absolutely. That being said: While I absolutely think there was a major racial element with what happened with Janet, I do think Moonves would've gone after Britney in the same situation if he felt she - or any woman - had failed to be properly deferential. His pattern suggests any woman who defies him is to be destroyed.

I agree. And I think she's going to walk. I also don't think CBS will have her long even if she did cut him loose.

Full video at link:

I thought Sharon Osbourne's statement was probably as blunt as it could be in their impossible situation - and very candid that they might all get canned. TMZ has some of the video but I hate them so I'm not linking it, though I did watch it. This is a rundown. Apologies - I didn't realize the above link had more as well:

IIRC John Dunn, the first(?) Tad, left the show and memorably played a foul-mouthed teen who got mutilated in the horror classic Sleepaway Camp a year or something after exiting AMC. I had no idea the guy was on the show until I read up on the cast after rewatching it recently.

Convention Q&A: Sherilyn Fenn apparently had no idea of Audrey's new backstory with Cooper until seeing it on TV. Harry Goaz has theories on the Audrey storyline. And more. More:

Gonna be a real interesting Monday on The Talk!

Not sure if it's been mentioned: The offender in question above, Steven Striegel, is actually DOOL's Steve Wilder (ex-Jack Devereaux #3, ex-Alex Bastian on Melrose Place). I love Shane Black's work - he's a screenwriting god, and I loved his and Fred Dekker's script for The Predator upon reading it a year ago and look forward to the film. That said, while Black has apologized for hiring Wilder/Striegel and claims he was misled, the entire situation has been horribly mishandled by him and Fox. Olivia Munn did the right thing.

RSW has kind of talked out of both sides of his mouth about Courtney. He's alluded to her being high maintenance, etc. a few times, but I believe it was either in Jeff Giles' book or when she passed that he called her welcoming and kind to him as a newcomer to soaps. Either way, he was classy.

I may not know WTF I'm talking about as a later viewer, but based on the information and available episodes I often got the impression Stuart, etc. banked on making Jacquie Courtney and Pat the leading lady of the show for awhile. She got major failed stories post-Reinholt, and was tried with both Buchanan studs before they finally let Clint and Viki make it official, while Viki's time seemed to wax and wane for a year or two there. Erika's own commentary about this period has been respectful but muted. She did once say she knew she had job security once Joe Stuart left - as did the show's major interest in Jacquie Courtney. I have nothing against JC - she's lovely in everything I've seen of her, including her OLTL stuff. But Pat ain't Viki Lord.

The crap they gave Maeve Kinkead in the late '90s was vile.

I think LOV would've potentially been a good safe harbor for the characters - much like how it was for the admittedly much bigger draws of the Hubbards in the 1990s. It kept them in the ABC daytime universe and consciousness, and I think that was Agnes' intent for Carla and Sadie.

Marilyn Chris quit, in fairness.

Great montage work:

It's not a pro-Trump conspiracy. It's a genuine attempt from someone to deflect blame and write their self-serving narrative. What matters most is how unprecedented it is and how it continues to delegitimize Trump.

I guess none of us really know for sure if Agnes planned to add Lillian Hayman to Loving as the future Minnie Madden character or as Sadie from OLTL. The story I remember hearing is that when Rauch canned them Agnes asked both Hayman and Holly to go to Loving as Sadie and Carla and they refused; others have heard different. But I think it would've worked.

One person EH is a big fan of: Susan Lucci. "She deserves every penny she was ever paid." I think Jean Arley's exit was more about her being a part of that strange time in the early-mid 80s pre-Rauch where the whole show seemed creatively adrift overall and constantly rotating writers and producers. Stars like Karen, David, Jenny came and went. Carla, etc. were casualties of that and Rauch as the show changed focus - but I have no doubt he gunned for her personally. EH's book is brutal but essential - and fascinating. She basically says she had no desire to come back in 1993 and sit with the other vets who were now millionaires, while she had become a librarian. Very sad. Around 52 mins she talks about being at the March on Washington, and Eleanor Roosevelt. Very sweet at the end where she thanks the interviewer for reading her book.

I don't agree with everything EH has said in recent years - especially about Erika - but I understand her pain about her history with the show and I think it's all extremely valid. And heartbreaking. I would've moved heaven and earth to try to get that family back on the show one way or another. Whether or not she ever agreed to appear, you needed to honor Carla and Holly. Carla would be the linchpin of the story, holding the family secret onscreen or off (dead if necessary). Though if she could appear, she would be patterned as an older woman after Holly herself - fiery, angry, brilliant and full of inconvenient truth about Llanview. Erika (and Bob Woods) talked about the Jack Scott mess in Jeff Giles' book - they hated the actor (Arthur Burghardt) too and said EH wrote it all and that Burghardt treated her horribly. So did Erika and Tim Stickney. For no fee, IIRC.

That would've been genius. I know EH has spoken with venom about Agnes Nixon in recent years - I don't know if she does here. Agnes, for what it's worth, admitted "Ellen hates me now" in one of her last interviews. But I'll never forget when Agnes retold the Carla/Sadie hallway reveal story on-camera for SoapNet in 2008 for OLTL's anniversary and burst into tears.