Khan

Only one way to find out:

Frankly, I'm not TOO hung up on the average length of scenes, for two reasons: 1) I grew up on KNOTS LANDING, so scenes that run 1:30 or less don't really phase me all that much*, lol; and 2) I believe that it doesn't matter whether a scene runs ten minutes or ten seconds, a bad scene is a bad scene is a bad scene. My number-one issue atm with GH remains the same: there are TOO. DAMN. MANY. CHARACTERS. (*I mean, I don't necessarily PREFER shorter scenes, just because of my love of classic playwrights like Chekhov, Ibsen and Strindberg; but this is television, after all, and there are worse sins being committed on shows nowadays). Don't worry, @Taoboi: the folks in the back heard me just fine, lol. I mean, if you're Frank Valentini/Nathan Varni and you're just looking for a HW who will maintain the status quo and nothing more, I'm sure there are at least a dozen, other scribes out there who'd be willing to take on that job. But you don't go and lure out of retirement a writer with a rep for not putting up with b.s. if you're not willing to give him his head at least a little bit.

I'll say this much: if you know anything about soaps, you don't hire someone like Patrick Mulcahey to be your "yes" man. If you do, you do it at your own peril.

Exactly. Actors like CZ get it: if you're up to bat, you don't bunt. You swing for the fences. Maybe you'll hit a homerun, and maybe you won't. But it's much more thrilling either way. (Just ask Babe Ruth, lol).

That's all I ask of any actor in any performance: just show up! I personally don't care if you're the kind who devours every piece of scenery in every scene, leaving behind nothing but sawdust. Believe me, it's a helluva lot more fun to watch someone OVER-act than it is to watch someone who doesn't act at all (*coughs*TrevorStJohn*coughs*).

But I do! I might kid about a lot of things, but I don't kid about bringing Justin Deas back to soaps and pairing him up with Jane Elliot on GH. I (still) think those two would be great together. And I know Deas has his excesses, but I also know he's one actor on daytime who never bores me. He just needed an EP at GL to rein him in when necessary.

Yeah, we really need an exclusive interview with EK and PM. I, for one, would love to know what their vision for GH is.

I agree. Just because you see folks talking about it on Twitter, or hear 'em talking about it on a podcast, that doesn't mean the info is legit. If that's the case, then I'm marching over to Twitter right now and spreading the word that Justin Deas is joining the cast of GH as Tracy's new love interest (once Gonzo kicks the proverbial bucket).

V.O.: "Let's get this wedding started!" Khan: "Yeah, 'cuz the sooner the bodies start pilin' up, the happier we all will be!"

Unfortunately, I learned a long time ago to take actors' public statements with a grain of salt. With some exceptions, actors aren't really good judges of writing. To them, a script is good if it has more lines for them. Furthermore, actors are nothing if not "company men." They'll go out of their way to talk up even mediocre writing, because they aren't going to badmouth their shows and risk people not watching.

I agree!!

I agree.

Count me as another who's always wished to live in Mary Richards' apartment, lol!

I'm sorry, but when it comes to Bo and Hope, that's not the song I think of. THIS is the song I think of:

I realize that set decorators' hands are tied financially these days, but it really doesn't take much to head into the local thrift and antique shops and find a few, inexpensive pieces that can be removed easily and that say something about the character or characters who supposedly inhabit a particular home/office/whatever. And if I say anything more, I'm liable to get into some trouble, so I'll just leave it at that, lol. I mean, what else could she say? Dena's work sucked. Everybody knew it sucked. Erika said something about it, and Dena was promptly let go. Problem solved!

I hate to be that guy, BUT... it was "If Ever You're in My Arms Again," not "Whenever You're in My Arms."

I think it was probably true as well. Granger never stayed at any soap for a long period of time, which suggests to me he just didn't cotton to the rigors of working in daytime. Plus, I've never known Slezak to tow the company line. If things weren't going right at the show for whatever reason and she wasn't in a position to comment on it, she just didn't.

IOW, if Chris Van Etten and Dan O'Connor left behind any sort of long-term projections, then that's what EK/PM have been working off of from the beginning; that they've reached the end of said projections; and that now, the material is totally theirs.

I agree!

Officially, Granger said the pace was too much for him. Allegedly, however, he left (or was let go) because he had been sexually harassing one of the male actors on the show.

Regardless of who is supposed to be living and/or working there. TPTB don't understand (or seem to have forgotten) that, just as in theater or in movies, a set often can reveal more about characters' inner lives than dialogue or action.

Farley Granger was the first actor to portray Dr. Will Vernon. However, that wasn't FG portraying Will, but Bernie McInerney, who replaced him. You could tell back then that they didn't splurge on sets; yet, as cheap and artificial-looking as they were, they still were more distinctive, visually appealing and revealing of character(s) than the sets you see on soaps today.

No, that's Kathryn Breech, who originated the role. Not to take anything away from her, but from the little I've seen of her work, she doesn't bring the psychological layers to Karen that Light would later on. In a way, she reminds me of Catherine Hicks. It's always a treat to see pre-1978/9 OLTL. It was such a different show from what it would become in the '80's; yet, in some ways, it all feels familiar.

Doesn't really make a whole lot of sense, does it, lol? If anything, Blaze should be concerned about what Natalia's brewing relationship with Sonny will do to the brand. Although, in this day and age, having a mobster in your circle practically gets you nominated for sainthood, lol.

I'm truly devastated to hear of Bob Ellison's passing. He and David Lloyd wrote many of my favorite episodes of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." May he RIP.