Khan

ICAM. Of course, I'm probably biased, but JE can do no wrong in my book. She can take even the silliest or most throwaway parts (her guest-star role on "Electra Woman and Dyna Girl," her brief bits on "Law & Order" and the movie "Baby Boom") and somehow make them so compelling. IMO, she belongs in the same group as Beverlee McKinsey, Elizabeth Hubbard and Erika Slezak. Again, ICAM. The Lechowicks never bothered to develop Dianne beyond being Karen's antagonist at a job she never was qualified for and was created for her solely because they wanted to write a stalking storyline for Michele Lee. (Notice how "Open Mike" becomes an afterthought once the stalker is finally captured). Next to JE and Marcia Cross, I'd say Robin Strasser was the best actor KL let slip through their fingers. Obviously, Kathleen Noone always has a blast playing roles like Claudia, but - and I admit, this might be because I literally grew up watching AMC - I think Ellen Dalton is more in her acting wheelhouse. Even on KNOTS, her scenes with Stacy Galina felt more authentic to me and reminded me a lot of Ellen's relationships with Devon and Julie. Even a late-in-the-game revelation of this not being the first time Jill went mental over a guy - or that it wasn't the first time she had killed a romantic rival - might have explained a lot. As it was, it was like, one day, she didn't see Val as much of a threat; and then, the next, she's filling Val's prescription for some sleeping pills and making her think Ben's returning. Then, to follow that up with Danny and "Sally's Friend"...it's just too much, lol.

Moral of the story: Artificial intelligence might be a part of life now for many, but just like with many things that are now commonplace, it doesn't translate automatically into good drama.

If Laurelton wasn't his story, it certainly bears many of his quirks, including the repetitive dialogue and story beats and the heroine at the center of the tale whose past includes being shamed out of town by its' close-minded citizens for being a whore. (JER is a good example of how and why religion screws with some people's heads, lol).

I think it's just something that viewers subscribe to in order to explain why certain characters have been dumped from their favorite shows.

In Minneapolis, of all places. The city where Mary Richards famously threw her cap in the air as she realized she might just make it after all. Shameful.

Once again, I think blogger Tommy Krasker makes an excellent point: as thrilling as Jill's plot to drive Val crazy and kill her was to watch from week to week, it's only when you go back and watch it again that you realize that the storyline doesn't make total sense. Specifically, you're never exactly sure how or why Jill makes the dramatic leap from being annoyed with Val to just plain wanting her dead.

Yeah, I remember Genie Francis and Jackie Zeman saying in separate interviews that Marland never got enough credit for creating those characters and saving GH from cancellation.

T. K. Carter was one of those actors who would pop up just about everywhere BITD. IIRC, he even showed up in one episode of "A Different World" as Mr. Gaines' son! He definitely will be missed.

Are we certain that was really Bryan Cranston and not someone using his name? John Cunningham was one of many NYC-based actors who'd pop up every now and then on "Law & Order," and it always was such a treat to watch him, since I never got to see his work on SFT.

True, but I think even a one-episode part should have some meat to it. It says a lot that I can't recall JLB even being on KL, yet I do recall Warren Burton and the guy who played Benny Sago #2 on AMC, lol.

So, now that Willow has been exposed as Drew's shooter, could we please go one step further and admit she also faked her cancer? Hey, maybe that's how ol' Will can seek redemption! She could pretend she's sick again, so everyone will feel sorry for her and let her off the proverbial hook.

ICAM!

I say let her go to jail and be terrorized by a gang led by [enter OLTL alumni here].

Does that he mean he's gonna tape a PSA educating us about organ donation? (IYKYK)

Oh, FFS. Why won't H'wood let "Star Search" stay dead!?

So, a comment I've made in the OLTL thread has brought this question to mind: as we all know, KL employed many former daytime actors over its' 14 seasons, including (off the top of my head) Ted Shackelford (AW), James Houghton (Y&R), Donna Mills (LIAMST), Jane Elliot (KL), John Considine (AW, Y&R), Allan Miller (GH, OLTL), Rosemary Prinz (AMC, ATWT, HTSAM, RH), Barry Jenner (AW), Jon Cypher (ATWT, GH, SaBa), Douglas Sheehan (GH), Alec Baldwin (TD), Peter Reckell (DAYS), Robin Strasser (AW, OLTL, PASSIONS, DAYS), Sam Behrens (GH, SuBe) Robert Desiderio (OLTL), Kathleen Noone (AMC, SuBe, PASSIONS), Philip Brown (LOVING/THE CITY, SFT), Marcia Cross (EON, OLTL) and Maree Cheatham (DAYS, GH, SFT). (Louise Sorel (Bess), Michael Sabatino (Chip), Hunt Block (Peter) and John Aprea (Manny) don't count here, since they worked in daytime after being on KNOTS). A long list, to be sure, but aside from Shackelford, Mills and maybe Baldwin and Sheehan, did any of these people (or any other daytime alumni who appeared on KL after working in daytime) ever get worthwhile material to play? Because, it seems to me the show wasted a lot of 'em. (And is it just a coincidence that Val's two ex-husbands were both played by GH alumni, lol?)

Yeah, KL did Robin Strasser no favors. Dianne Kirkwood was a plot device and a red herring for a bizarro stalking storyline, who had no inner life whatsoever beyond "I hate Karen, because she got the hosting gig (with ZERO experience) that should've been mine." Then again, I'm hard-pressed to think of ANY former daytime stars who fared well on that show. Most, if not all, ended up saddled with dead-end characters.

She was. Well, she and Jeff Ryder were.

LOL! A storyline like that leaves you with only two options: either the spoiled heiress reforms, which would have been death for a schemer like Anne; or she stoops even lower to get her money back...which she did, and which was awful to watch, and which made a marginally tolerable character even less tolerable in the end.

Nah, the soap gods wouldn't be that kind to us. She's just going on maternity leave.

Same here. Whenever the Lechowicks would just tell the story, and not attempt to play gotcha with the audience or hit you over the head with some soapbox issue, they did a pretty good job. They injected a lot of humor into the show, which helped them keep and gain new viewers, I think. For me, S13 remains the point when making it through just one episode becomes a chore. Literally nothing worked that season. Not Pierce Lawton, not Tidal Energy, not Brian Johnston and Linda's murder and whatever the hell it all had to do with Greg, nothing.

Has Ben Gavin been cut? Or is this just wishful thinking on all our parts (including mine)?

I agree. I don't know whether she would've been able to save SaBa, but I do think it would've gone out on a better note.

I couldn't even understand why Jean Hackney (or whoever she was working for) wanted Greg Sumner dead, or why she wanted Ben to be the one to assassinate him. Laura and Val were friends (although, not as friendly as Val and Karen, or Karen and Laura), so I guess the thinking was, if one friend's husband had to kill the other, then that would put the friendship in jeopardy. But, to me, it would've been more impactful (if no less stupid) if Ben had had orders to kill Gary, or even Mack; or if Jean had blackmailed someone who had an actual connection to Greg to kill him. (A dicey proposition, I guess, since the only one who was close to him at that point WAS Laura). Otherwise, the whole story plays so random and off-the-top-of-the-head: "Doug [Sheehan] says he'll stay another year if we give him a story, so let's say he used to be a spy and now someone wants him to kill someone." "Who wants Ben to kill somebody?" "Uh, a lingerie saleslady?" "And who's Ben supposed to kill?" "I dunno! Greg, maybe? Anyways. Let's talk about Nicollette. I don't think we're doing enough for her." "She's literally in every scene!" "Yeah, I don't think that's enough. Maybe we could have her play her mom in flashbacks, too?"

For that, I give credit and thanks to Brandon Tartikoff and Grant Tinker. Those two CARED about the network they ran and the shows they placed on their lineup.