LostinHarmony

Just finished reading the book, honestly this book told me a lot about James E. Reilly. @Toups would likely find this a good read. Alot of good details about Passions including how Reilly almost called it quits and Marlene McPherson and Darrel Ray Thomas almost took over, how no one realized Ben Masters had dementia until he suddenly disappeared and everyone was asking where he is. Tracey Ross loved herself some Ben Masters, the way she talks about him makes his passing hurt even more. The lack of respect the soap industry showed the show, even evident by the soap blogs not even covering this books release says a lot. Honestly, as a Passions fan i have a new found respect for the show even more reading how they pulled this off. I think the book is a good read not just for fans of the show but soap fans in general. NBC gave Jim hella power after that Days stint, overall its a good read.

This was so well done, was thinking of this earlier today.

was looking up details about Hidden Passions on Amazaon and stubbled across this...

LMAO, I was just sitting here thinking how much I liked it, especially the messaging given what shes been through. I'm enjoying Haylee's recent developments but I still need to know what was up with the pregnancy and her connection to Randy, I'm so confused by her.

Agreed, he's my favorite. I also liked Phideaux Xavier's directing today, specifically the shots with Bill and Dani on the stairwell.

I'm so happy to have BTG back! Since I dont currently watch the other soaps it was a long week without them. I agree with whoever said OG Ted was back with the backbone, seeing him stand up to Leslie today and then Nicole inviting him to go to the hospital together made me smile. Especially since I was pissed with Ted last week for offering up the house, well played.

YES! lmao I also didn't like Fancy with Luis, she was better paired with Noah in my opinion.

I can't wait for the day we meet Ruwina and all the dirt she probably has on the Duprees or drama in her own family.

That was around the same time they kept appearing on VH1's Best Week Ever and when they got 2 covers for TV Guide Magaine. Definitley the best years of the show. Yes, Donn Swabby was the better Chad to me, although Charles Divins did eventually grow on me. I would love to peek inside the original bible for this show because it definitley got darker. Up until shortly after Josh Ryan Evans passed away, the show felt more in sync. Then it got dark... some of it I enjoyed like Sheridan in the pit and the whole Beth and Charlie thing, but once Jessica was being pimped out, the blackmailer half man/half woman storyline, etc. it felt like a different show almost like it had forgot what it was.

I thought both Liza and Natalie were good in the role. Natalie made Gwen more likeable in my opinion and I wouldn't have minded her Gwen and Ryan McPartlin's Hank together. Ryan's Hank was pretty to look at, but him replacing Dalton James might as well had been another character. I'll never forget when Liza returned to the role on her first day back and blamed Theresa for why Ethan was stuck in the elevator, I was like there goes our "villain" version of Gwen and she hopped right into it. I hear you on Josh Ryan Evans, he was definitiley irreplaceable. To be honest, the show got "lucky," for lack of a better word, that the storyline played on screen the way it did to explain everything. Not sure if you know, but the original intenet was for him to die on screen as a real boy and be resurrected later that year as a doll again. I didn't mind Endora, but what would you have preferred for Tabitha's projectory? I'm only 2 years younger than you, I was 9 when the show premiered.

Did anyone else spot that fly buzzing around Vanessa and Vernon in Orphey Genes after she walked in, I hate flys lol. I can only imagine how TMG wouldve improvised had it buzzed around her, especially the other day when she was enjoying her toast haha

What a great episode, Jazmen is killing it with his scripts, my fav. Brandon and Mike were not only great together today but the chemistry between Mike and Jibre was just as good. Such a fire week so far, and it seems like it's only heating up.

The Noah and Theresa friendship mostly developed during what I call the show’s “missing years,” that chunk of episodes from the last few NBC seasons that were nearly impossible to find on YouTube for the longest time. Thankfully, as of about two years ago, most of those episodes have finally been uploaded by YouTuber Melissa Mosley, and as a bonus, many are the original NBC airings. Hearing the original "one-time licensed" popular songs, hits different. Some of the replacement tracks (like in the Canadian reruns or Sci-Fi airings) just don’t land the same, even if those versions are usually better quality than old VHS recordings. Now in terms of recasts, I agree, most of them got progressively worse. The only exceptions for me were Rebecca and Ethan. Even though Maureen McCormick (yes, Marcia Marcia Marcia) initially played Rebecca, Andrea Evans brought her own flair to the character and completely owned it. As for Ethan, losing Travis Schuldt was rough. He was Prince Charming. As a kid, I was genuinely disappointed when he left, especially during such a major storyline. That said, Eric Martsolf eventually won me over. He brought a more mature energy to Ethan, and in time, made the role his own as well. Funny enough, I actually thought the Bennett girls recasts started off strong. Deanna Wright was a fantastic Kay recast, she nailed it. And Jade Harlow was a solid replacement for Jessica. But then… it’s like they just stopped caring. Danica Stewart? I still don’t understand how she got cast. Her acting was painful to watch, and they had the audacity to give that version of Jessica the most intense storyline with Spike, prostitution, and a pregnancy arc. I also preferred Lena Cardwell’s version of Simone. When Chrystee Pharris took over, Simone became way more aggressive and mean. I’ve since seem the actress say she tried to channel TC’s anger since Simone was a daddy’s girl, but I’m not sure that direction worked. And by the time the final Simone was cast, the writing did her dirty. Making her suddenly come out as a lesbian after years of pining for Chad felt like a total slap in the face to longtime viewers. If they had made her bi-curious or questioning, that would’ve made more sense — but a full 180 like that, with no setup, just didn’t sit right with me. Don’t even get me started on the recasts for Paloma, Miguel, and Fox — those just kept getting worse as the show went on. I’ve always been a huge fan of Passions, it was wild, bold, and completely one of a kind, but if there was one consistent weak spot, it was definitely the recasts.

Happy Anniversary PASSIONS! It wasn't everyone's cup of tea but being #1 among teens 12-17 for its entire run, I felt like me and my friends must've been the perfect target audience because we were hooked and loyal even as it transitioned to Directv. It was like a "gateway soap" that led us to eventually fall for other soaps later on. Had it not been for Passions I wouldn't have later gotten into DAYS during the Last Blast storyline, and later OLTL under Ron (the Ford brothers helped with that initially haha.) I guess my point is even with its flaws, Passions still holds a place in my soap heart and I'm always happy to celebrate it and chat about it with other fans, even as I've matured into a BTG type of soap fan, which is the only current soap that holds my attention. I didn't initially start Passions from the beginning in 1999, it was actually during my summer break in 2000 that I stumbled across it. I actually went online and found the exact episode. Watching the episode it made me smile that Galen Gering and Brook Kerr are still killing it in daytime to my knowledge. Travis' version of Ethan was perfect for this "prince charming" type Theresa was so in love with. Passions really struck gold with Lindsay Hartley, it blows my mind she isn't nabbed by a soap, although I was happy to see her in a Lifetime movie recently. I would later catch up on the earlier episodes when they reran on Sci-Fi cannel, but starting where I did up until shortly after Josh Ryan Evans death to me was Passions at its greatest, I was hooked. I still hope for a Passions reboot one day, or even turn the book Castleton into a TV show, if you all havent read it by Tray Burch, the novel plays on Theresa and Ethan's children Little Ethan (EJ) and Jane as teenagers now living in Castleton where Charity and Faith lived. It's a great read for Passions fans with clever easter eggs scattered through out. Cheers to another year of memories.

So I'm reading Sweat by Marquis Kindrick (yes the gay urban erotica lol, don't judge) and was surprised to see a BTG mention and call out to Leslie and her many personalities. So random haha

Deleted, reposted in BTG main thread.

This final segment is steamy, I'm into Chelsea and Madison, and I cosign on the Joey and Vanessa chemistry. Glad to see movement on Martin's secret, although confusing, hoping for clarity soon. Also, thank god for productions being shot in Atlanta now, must be where all the fine black men are cause they seem to always be found for Tyler Perry's productions and now they're popping in on BTG.

BTG just started here in LA and its off to a good start, Kat vs Eva, and I love how when certain people on this board complain of dropped stories or characters the next day they appear (I'm looking at you this time Marcel haha). This is the best nu-Ted has looked since joining.

Today was a good episode, and the week for that matter. I think they've also done a better job with background music. The scenes in todays episode weren't as silent as they usually are in the background and it was noticeable. I think the show has found its groove well and I'm still invested.

Hidden Passions would've definitely made a great mini series, and if I recall correctly, wasn't Reilly actually paid to develop that and the Saturday morning spin off Harmony High. Both that never materialized. Salem High (DAYS) was also a thing at the time.

😂

It definitely did. Nothing major, but I clocked the minor changes too. Passions did something similar with its theme in the later years and people thought I was crazy, but the nuances are there if you're paying attention.

Speaking of Passions, Dana Sparks said she initially read for Ivy. Thank god that ultimately went to Kim Ulrich, she and Ben Masters had great chemistry.

You know, I was wondering why Jacob was on today and was nervous the whole episode because I thought he was going to follow Andre to Dani's and catch them together. Then he popped up at the house with Naomi lol

She's the best thing about Scream 3... huge Scream fan here. Yes, I believe he's connected to Martin's secret in some way too. He's easy on the eyes, hope he can act!