Liberty City

Enjoy it; I've been intermittently re-watching 1997 and wow... what a good, solid year! Enjoy yourself!

YUP!

For me, the soap excelled until March 2004 when Ellen Wheeler took over as executive producer, although, it wasn't too bad. 2005, for me, was the true effective beginning of the end when actors started leaving / asking to be let go. So, it's clear, Wheeler came in and it just... went down.

Per Beth Elhers statement when it was announced she was cut from All My Children: ❝ "After many conversations with AMC it was mutually decided that I would no longer play the role of Lt. Taylor Thompson and would not relocate my family to the West Coast," Ehlers told SOAPnet. "I was very proud to give a voice to Lt. Taylor Thompson and hope I conveyed the courage, sacrifice, and fortitude of the brave members of our military and their families. To my new friends and colleagues I met at AMC and ABC during these past 18 months, I wish you much love and continued success. And lastly, a big hug to my fans! I'll see you soon!" ❞

Let me start with: I liked Dan O'Connor & Chris Van Etten as a head writing duo. They came in and really did shift the writing in a way that had been needed for quite some time. However, once COVID hit, the steam immediately left their station. Returning from the COVID break, instead of progressing storylines and possibly even factoring in the COVID-19 pandemic into the scripts (considering hey, this IS a hospital show), they picked right back up with the same storylines they went into the hiatus with. Timing and pacing is their issue: when they are given a time limit for executing a storyline (a.k.a. Emma Samms' one-month return) they shine. They have an A to Z plot point and they aren't allow room to change it. When they are on it they're on it, but when they are not.... it's all Hell breaking loose. The changes in storyline because audience figured it out (Cyrus / Pautauk leader being a female), the hold Hat Daddy had over the mob and his big secret, etc. were really messy, and proof they couldn't stay contained to a story timeline. And that ultimately is their negative. Plus, I also believe Nathan Varni and TPTB at Disney-ABC were paying attention during the strike material; fans were VOCAL about how much better-paced things had moved, and once O'Connor and Van Etten were returning, things immediately reverted and were being undone. Patrick Mulcahey is a MAJOR WIN! He's someone whose name has been tossed around for a while. First in possible replacement of Josh Griffith on The Young and the Restless and then in general terms. He's smart, he's educated and he's worked some of the greats, so his input is needed. He is hard-headed and doesn't take the easy way out in his writing, and IF Disney-ABC allow him to do his job ⏤ and I am hoping they do, because you don't hire someone like Mulcahey and not allow them to do their job ⏤ this really could put General Hospital back on an amazing trajectory. His words have always reigned true to his passion for daytime. He is smart, and when John Conboy came onto Santa Barbara, Mulcahey left after the one and only meeting he had with him. That's the kind of energy we need: he won't be taking anyone's bullshït, which again, proves to me TPTB know what they're doing in hiring Mulcahey. In 2011, in an interview with Santa Barbara Online, he had this to say on the future of soaps: ❝ [That] soaps really don't have a future. We needed to change or die, and the only changes we made were for the worse. ❞ Also, this is a shining beacon of hope: Elizabeth Korte I feel is a safety promotion; she's been there since 1994, and has remained through multiple regimes while Mulcahey had been misused on The Bold and the Beautiful, so she can be there for some kind of "continuity," which I don't feel is necessary. Plus, both Mulcahey & Korte worked together during his all-too-short time at General Hospital, and I am hoping her attention to playing favourites with characters is settled by Mulcahey, who I do feel is top dog in the head writing team. I know it'll take time for the new material to shift, and I am willing to provide the appropriate time for both Mulcahey & Korte to fix things that need to be fixed. That being said, I am also happy to see a FEMALE head writer back in daytime, and while it is not the name I would have chosen, I am welcoming it cautiously. Now, if only the "writer" could get canned from Days of Our Lives.

According to the latest post from Digest, Fulk has concluded her run and McCoy will return in February.

😏 The way I can watch it legally, and in 1080p.

OP updated with official promo upload + title!

I fully blame this on the creatives for multiple reasons. Between the unnecessary recasts (all of which lessened the role and its core quality), and not taking a Hispanic family seriously, it failed Santana and the Andrades in the long-run.

My thoughts exactly. It's shït like this SAG-AFTRA were fighting against during their strike.

That's the thing: you are assuming a person has shown signs of suicidal tendencies. There is zero proof they have. Your belief, unfortunately, is very narrow-minded. Look at Naomi Judd.... her family knew of her struggles, and yet did not see what happened coming, because she shows no signs of it. By your own thinking, her daughters should've been watching her 24/7, and that's just... illogical. Knowing someone is going through something ≠ knowing they have suicidal tendencies. I can speak from my personal experience in saying as a teen I have severely depressed (undiagnosed) and had suicidal thoughts, and when I did bring it up to certain people, they remarked they had no idea, because they did not see that. Different situation again, but it all correlates. And while that is a sad situation, he easily could've just been a quiet kid battling demons and still shoot up a school. Also, two very different situations. A situation I will share: someone I work with's brother's fiancée killed herself before her wedding. Showed zero signs of suffering, and was outwardly happy and go-lucky, always smiling and appeared optimistic about her wedding, which she was planning for quite some time. She was due to travel for her bachelorette weekend, told her fiancé she'd call him when she arrived at the destination, and instead.... took her own life. So, to correlate to your earlier comment, no one "knew" she was struggling mentally. No one. It was a genuine shock to every single person in her life. The point is: one person can show signs of possibly doing something and not do it, and equally someone can not show signs of doing something, and then do it. Mental illness is ugly and non-linear. Regardless of anything else, it is sad he is no longer with us. And it's a sad, sad situation.

EW! I hate it here.

It's not about someone knowing / not knowing... mental health is non-linear. People can suffer in silence while being outwardly happy and unbothered. And even if cracks show, it does not necessarily click with others. It's partially why mental health is still a stigma in society. We've come a ways, but it is still a complicated disease to battle, unfortunately.

Or a floral wrap dress during the winter in Illinois?

I agree; I don't think the character would have had the longevity it has had if Terry Lester had remained in the role. While a tremendous actor Lester was, Peter Bergman really did embody the role of Jack Abbott and turn him into the character it is today.

Considering she'd been part of scripts where it was insinuated Stephanie was obsessed romantically with Ridge, this is nothing,, LOL!

Susan Flannery's reaction at 3:37 is iconic.

Could you just imagine the outbreak of reaction?

If what I read is true... ... then this is going to get JUICY!

Classic. Pure class.

I would not pay to see her today. 1980s or 1990s Madonna? Sure. Confessions Madonna? Maybe. But Madonna of today? Hell no. She is a shell of her former self... she is no longer a leader but a follower, and her habit of being 2+ hours late is unacceptable. I am sincerely hoping this is her farewell for touring, and possibly music altogether, because this just is not it. The set list has some highlights but, overall, it is a FAILURE. Especially relying on those shïtty remixes no one wants to hear. For comparison: when I went to see P!nk in August, the show was a bit delayed, due to technical difficulties during Pat Benatar's set. As a result, P!nk came out a bit late and did cut two songs, but the show ran smoothly and was out at its expected time. THAT is how a professional is.

Should have semi-been the story when Jason returned in 2017 with Ava; fully in-love with her, which caused more struggle with Carly & Sonny. THAT would have been a story to tell.

GORGEOUS!

Not gonna lie, it seems like a complete redirect by Chris Van Etten & Dan O'Connor... and not at all what the interim writers would have done. That's just the vibe I'm getting.

Thought I'd mention: this is why I wanted Cynthia Watros on soap. She is EATING today, and doing a wonderful job mopping the floor with Cameron Mathison. I cannot wait to see her just... DOMINATE!