Khan

How ironic is it that he dies IRL from the same form of cancer that killed poor Isabella on the show?

For the most part, I think (former) daytime actors fared well on KL, with Peter Reckell being a noted exception, lol.

WHA??? Talk about "out of left field"? I didn't even know the man was sick! OMG. I'm just...stunned. I can't even begin to imagine how this will affect DAYS, and affect Deidre Hall/Marlena in particular. RIP DH, and may God be with his loved ones always. He DEFINITELY will be missed.

To me, Claire Labine was far too gritty (for lack of a better word) for a relatively conservative show like GL, or for any P&G show for that matter.

I haven't seen much of Nancy Pinkerton's Dorian either, but from what I *have* seen, she strikes me as someone who's unnerving in her ability to manipulate while coming across as benign. Robin Strasser's Dorian, on the other hand, builds on that aspect of the character, but adds layers of neurosis and vulnerability. And when she's allowed to play all that and she has a producer and directors who can rein her in - like she had throughout most of her original run - she's fabulous at playing a morally ambiguous person with very complex motivations. When she doesn't have that support, however, you get pretty much what we got from Strasser from Gottlieb-era forward: an otherwise thrilling performer who's now knocking down scenery with the brutality of an NFL linebacker. For me, the real wild card was Claire Malis, aka "Jo's mom," lol. From what I've seen, her Dorian is almost entirely out of step with every other performer's; yet, it's also fascinating in its' own way.

As a matter of fact, @Mitch64, Deas guest-starred with Colin on her short-lived CBS sitcom, "Foley Square." Again, I can understand why some find them irritating, but the two acting out Diane English's smart, witty dialogue...? That's heaven to me, lol.

I know they aren't everyone's cup of tea, but I could watch Margaret Colin and Justin Deas banter all day.

It's hard for me to imagine what a S15 would have looked like in light of the changing TV landscape. As @kalbir said, KL would have looked old school next to the Aaron Spelling shows and "NYPD Blue." But it's possible that William Devane would have left (and that Greg would have left Paige standing at the altar or some business) or that Ted Shackelford would have left with the explanation that Gary had moved back to Texas with the twins (and Kate). That would have left Michele Lee, Kevin Dobson, Michelle Phillips, MAYBE Kathleen Noone (although, with Devane and/or Stacy Galina gone, there wouldn't have been much for her to do) and, of course, Nicollette Sheridan. Under those circumstances, you'd almost have to reboot the show, lol.

I love how she could be so bawdy and naughty and still be so "British," if you know what I mean. I have to admit this one hurts me as well. RIP Dame Maggie Smith. There will never be another one like you.

And it showed. Her performances were just so manic. But I don't blame Robin Strasser. I think she was just doing the best she could with material that was written by someone who didn't really know Dorian.

Believe it or not, I'm grateful as well, lol. I dunno. It's tough for me to think of the last time I was SOOOOOOOOO excited to watch a particular soap everyday. By 1991/1992, AMC, DAYS and OLTL all had changed so much from what I remembered; and by 1995, both ATWT and GL were shells of their former selves as well. This was the period, I think, when I started getting more into GH and Y&R, but by the end of the '90's, even those two (along with James Harmon Brown and Barbara Esensten's stuff on GL) had turned into disappointments for me! They definitely rushed the Kevin/Stephanie romance, lol. However, if they had bothered to cast better actors who shared real chemistry, you might've been able to overlook that. Instead, you got Robyn Griggs, who was as nails-on-a-chalkboard annoying to me as Kelly Ripa; and Joey Thrower, who was telegenic enough, but who was better suited for a Miller/Boyett sitcom than he was for a soap opera.

The thing is, I would LOVE to see Jaclyn Smith tackle a role on a soap, lol.

That sounds like something I would've said about Joey Thrower and Robyn Griggs, lol. On paper, the Kevin/Stephanie romance was ripe with possibilities, but TPTB just plain screwed up the casting on both ends. Except, by 1991, "Words Get in the Way" wasn't as contemporary anymore. (Even then, I was like, "Wow, that song is...kinda old?"). If Linda Gottlieb (or whoever) wanted to be contemporary, she might've been better off having Robyn Griggs sing something from Mariah Carey or Janet Jackson.

As usual with shows that are circling the old drain, by the time TPTB do anything about the state of GH, it'll be too damn late.

I think it's entirely possible - and, in fact, quite likely - that Michael Malone ghost-wrote the show, tweaking material as he saw fit, before his name began appearing in the credits. He wouldn't have been the first HW to do that. Either way, though, I definitely felt a shift in that storyline, which I wasn't a fan of to begin with, and then grew to like even less as Linda Gottlieb and Malone continued with it, adding Susan Diol to the mix as Angela Holliday, or whatever the hell her character's name was, lol. TBH, my enjoyment of OLTL had pretty much stopped by the time Gottlieb and Malone's work began. Gottlieb might've improved the production values, but the overall show just didn't feel like OLTL to me anymore. Even Robin Strasser's return was a disappointment, as I felt she was ratcheting up her performance level in order to compete with her massive, Reba McEntire-like 'do at the time, lol.

As glad as I was (and still am) to see Joe Biden rally around Kamala Harris the way he has (and so quickly), I, too, remain disgusted with how the Democratic Party kowtowed to the George Clooneys and pushed Biden out of the race. As bad as his polling numbers might have been, he didn't deserve to be served up on a platter like that to the media, who had painted him as a senile, incontinent old fart.

Well, of course, the NYT won't come out and admit that Harris is destroying him. They want a horse race, because that's what sells papers. Anyone who's watched "His Girl Friday" even once knows that the press can't be trusted to do their jobs. Ever.

In his defense, he IS a Kennedy.

I know, it just cracks me the hell up, lol!

I couldn't make it through the first week!

That wasn't just a plunge. America literally pushed "E-R" off the balcony after the first episode. Except watch "People Do the Craziest Things," apparently. LMAO!!

I truly cannot recall being excited when I heard the news of Conboy's hiring. I remembered only too well his work on CAPITOL and SaBa (and had seen at least bits and pieces of his work on Y&R) and believed he was an odd choice for GL's new EP, to say the least. Conboy had always been about opulence and old-school glamour, two things which GL never was about, even during the height of the Gail Kobe/Pam Long era.

Honestly, if Donna Reed had joined the show as a sibling or cousin of Miss Ellie's, with the explanation that Ellie had either passed away or was out of town for health reasons, I think viewers might have accepted her more. Primetime isn't like daytime in the sense that you can just recast a character and expect viewers to go along with it.

You are correct, sir (or ma'am), lol! The truth is, Hallmark movies are so strictly formulaic that all you really need IS the title.

LOL!! I can't believe the number of Jell-O Pudding Pops that I ate as a child on account of that sleazy bastard.