Khan

One name: Ana-Alicia.

I can envision Jo shooting Warren (or any villain) and then blocking it out psychologically, but I am afraid that Jo was the sort who would have confessed to the authorities the minute she remembered, even if it meant exonerating her nemesis, Stephanie, of the crime. If anything, Stephanie would have accused Jo of delaying her confession in order to make her (Stephanie) suffer; and Jo would have bought Warren's reformed act enough to take him into her home when everyone else had turned their backs on him - which, of course, would play right into Warren's plans. The longer Warren lived with Jo, however, and the more she extended kindness and friendship toward him, the more conflicted Warren actually would become over his plot to ruin Jo. For the first time in his life, Warren Carter would realize that even a low-life such as himself has worth, and that would be due to Jo's influence. But there would be a complication in the form of Warren's continued association with Brett Hamilton, Ringo Altman or another criminal - and maybe a plot to kill Jo and make it look as if she took her own life out of guilt over shooting Warren - that would result in Stu getting injured at Jo's house and Warren finally breaking down and revealing everything before apologizing to Jo and possibly fleeing Henderson for parts unknown, thereby leaving the door open for him to return down the road, played by a different actor (?), and causing (more) trouble for Cagney and Suzi as he wants to get to know Jonah again. But...back to Jo's hypothetical murder trial. As I have mentioned upthread, I would have had Jo on trial for killing someone, with her last husband, Martin Tourneur, being the most likely victim. Courtney Sherman Simon would have returned as Kathy to defend Jo in court, and Millee Taggart would have returned briefly as Janet to lend her support as well. Obviously, Jo would have been framed by the real culprit (don't ask me who), but Martin himself would have provided Jo with plenty of reasons to shoot him, as he would have become more physically and mentally abusive toward his wife in the weeks and months leading up to his murder. Then, at the climax of the special "live" broadcast, everyone's jaws would drop as the jury announces their guilty verdict. I would have used the trial and Jo's subsequent prison stint to bring back some former soap stars in short-term roles. For example, I would have had someone like Mandel Kramer (ex-Bill Marceau, EON) play the judge presiding over the trial. (Alternatively, I would have dragged former EP Fred(die) Bartholomew out of acting retirement to play the "honorable judge Fauntleroy"). Someone like Audrey Peters (ex-Vanessa, LOL) or Bethel Leslie (ex-Maggie, THE DOCTORS) would play at the warden at the women's prison outside Henderson, where Jo is incarcerated; and her assistant would be played by someone like Teri Keane (ex-Martha, EON, et al) or Mary K. Wells (ex-Louise, EON). Jada Rowland (ex-Amy, SS; ex-Carolee, TD) might play the head of a prison gang that gives Jo a hard time behind bars, while Rosemary Prinz (ex-Penny, ATWT, et al) plays Jo's wisecracking cell-mate, who, once released, could become Stu's new, recurring love interest. (Most of the ladies mentioned are just examples, but I do think RP and Larry Haines would have shared great chemistry if they had been paired together.) During her unfortunate incarceration, however, Jo would stumble upon a prostitution ring involving several of the younger inmates. All clues would point to the warden, but Jo, with help on the outside from Stu, would learn that the warden's assistant would be the true ringleader, leading to a climactic showdown between many of the women that results in the warden being injured, the assistant being apprehended and Jo having her sentence commuted by the governor in light of her efforts to expose the ring. In the meantime, Sunny would be using her journalistic skills to clear Jo's name, drawing the reluctant male A.D.A., who had prosecuted Jo, into her efforts to uncover the identity of Martin's real killer. Of course, Sunny's efforts would place herself in danger; and rescuing her from the killer (whoever they are) with Hogan's help would prompt the A.D.A. to confess his feelings for Sunny, initiating a triangle between him, Hogan and Sunny. Finally, when Jo is released from prison, so, too, is another inmate whom Jo has taken under her wing. Jo moves her into her home and in time helps her to track down the little boy whom she gave birth to while still incarcerated and was forced to give up for adoption.

"Then in 2002, Bierdz was again devastated when his older brother Craig committed suicide by blowing his brains out." Subtle.

Does anyone know roughly the dates when Joseph Hardy produced LOL? It is so fascinating to me that the same man who directed so many Broadway shows, including "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" and "Play It Again, Sam," also produced soap operas. ETA: AFAIK, Hardy also produced "A Flame in the Wind"/"A Time for Us", LIAMST, RH, LOVING, GH and KNOTS LANDING. Did he work on any other shows?

Wasn't she on an episode of "What's Happening!!"? And then, of course, she was on "Roots: the Next Generations" with Brian Stokes Mitchell; as well as on "A Different World" years later, as the woman who caused Dwayne and Whitley not to go through with their initial wedding plans.

I agree. Maybe Bill Bell had a mistake when he decided to kill off Phillip. Nevertheless, we saw Phillip die; and I have always believed that if we see the character die, then they should stay dead. I think the part of the story that I never will understand the most is Phillip's assertion that he faked his death, because he believed that neither Kay nor Jill would have accepted his coming out. God knows I am not the foremost expert on all things Y&R, but I think I know that that is not necessarily true. Jill might have denied it at first, because she always wanted her son to have the "perfect" life. However, I think she would have come around, realizing that his father would have wanted her to love their son and accept him for who he was and not for who they wanted him to be. Personally, I think Y&R made a mistake in reuniting Nina with her first child (Ronan). The fact that Nina had had that baby as a teenager and then had it stolen from her was, IMO, the event that defined her life most. It informed many of the choices that she would go on to make. Take that away, and I think you take away a lot of Nina's essence and drive.

FV seems to have deteriorated physically in the past several years. He is not as boyishly handsome as he was when he took over GH. Something tells me the stress of the gig is beginning to get to him.

I could see Bill Bell penning a similar tale for Y&R, but his take would be much slower, more complex and far less exploitative.

Stephanie should have been arrested, tried and convicted for facilitating the rape.

I don't recall whether Cleveland Amory ever liked anything, lol.

Perhaps it was one of those situations where people were reluctant to take the HW'ing position?

Every time I even think about that storyline, I just get mad all over again. I cannot stand what Megan McTavish did to that beautiful show.

In retrospect, GF should have held out indefinitely. Then, when TG's contract was up, they could have written out/killed off Bill and let him go.

Such a lovely photo of the two. It makes me wish all the more that more early ATWT episodes was available somewhere.

Someone should have asked him whether he was stoned.

I think it was a little of both. In my wildest dreams, Bill Eckert returns with a new face, and the actor portraying him is actually more successful in the part than TG was, lol.

I agree. @Vee said it a long time ago: TG never could get over the fact that Bill Eckert failed, even after 1250 character resets. He resented that he had to go back to playing Luke, so he did whatever he could to sabotage the character and his relationships with everyone, shitting on viewers' memories and goodwill toward him in the process. AFAIC, I am fine with Luke remaining dead and buried.

Life comes at you hard on the Street. I would love to see Kate Collins again on any soap.

I am sure even TG would not want the headlines to read: "Anthony Geary, Who Once Co-Starred With Fat Boys In 'Disorderlies,' Dies At Age --."

Christine: "Here, Danny, I bought you this garment worn by a real musician!" Danny: "Uh...rock on...?" Best part: It came from Lauren's "vintage collection," because that is just what Cricket should have done: buy a Christmas gift for her ex from his other ex. Somewhere, Traci Abbott is yelling, "Girl, what is WRONG with you??"

I was so sure he was going to give her a Danny Romalotti ornament that plays "Rock On" when you press the button.

Actually, @OpportunisticSlut, I would say that "honor" goes to the "LOVING Murders." As much as I detest watching serial killer storylines on soaps, I think James Harmon Brown and Barbara Esensten laid out the clues and foreshadowing pretty well. And that denouement! Such a brauva piece of acting and writing! As a writer, Megan McTavish's mantra was not so much "Make 'em laugh, make 'em cry, make 'em wait," as it was, "Make 'em shudder, make 'em scream in terror, make 'em [!@#$%^&*] their pants in the dark of night."

The thing is, if not for "sparking" with GF, Luke and TG would have been history after 1979; and instead of spending his final days as a multiple Emmy-winning actor in his beloved Amsterdam, he would be wasting away as yet another, former "character actor" from a bunch of old TV shows at some home in Pasadena. GF saved his fugly, scrawny ass from obscurity and dinner theaters. You will have to DM me, @Vee, because I am Googling and coming up empty-handed. Good for Ms. Riche.

I agree. Here is what I have been able to surmise: Douglas Marland planned for Luke to provide an obstacle between Scotty and Laura. Did that obstacle include sexual assault? Possibly. In one print interview that I have read, Marland revealed that, in his original projections, Luke's was supposed to have been a "tragic" story. It is possible, therefore, that Marland's plan was to have Luke assault Laura and then be killed sometime thereafter by Frank Smith's henchmen. Of course, as we all know by now, Gloria Monty altered those plans once she saw the chemistry between TG and GF. As I've said before, she allowed the rape to go on as planned, but instead of killing off Luke, Roy DiLucca met his demise and Luke and Laura were eventually paired off for their first "on the run" story, which was the beginning of the whole L&L phenomenon. Now, I think - and as always, this is just what I think - Monty, in tandem with Pat Falken Smith, hoped that the incident between Luke and Laura at the Campus Disco would be more ambiguous than it actually appeared on television. Laura loved Scotty too much to give herself willingly to another man - especially so soon after their wedding - but Luke still needed to provide that obstacle for her and Scotty in order to move their story forward. Laura would go through with reporting her rape to the police, attending therapy sessions, etc., but the question would linger: Was it really rape? Unfortunately, when you watch the sequence of events, there is no denying what occurred: it was rape, pure and simple. If the show's goal was ambiguity on the matter, then the writing, direction and editing of the actual incident blew that goal to proverbial kingdom come. Realizing the error in judgement that they had made, and fearing the inevitable backlash that would arise even back then from certain groups, that is when Monty and her team resolved to label the rape as a "seduction" instead, in the hopes of sidestepping what would have been some very pointed questions (which GH was able to do without much difficulty until '98). In no way do I condone sexual assault as a means to seduction or to courtship. I maintain that the best way to have handled that situation would have been either to go through with the original plan (Luke rapes Laura; Luke dies) or to leave the rape out entirely. (An illicit kiss between Luke and Laura could have accomplished the same goal of driving a wedge between her and Scotty). So, as much as I respect that millions of viewers fell in love with watching Luke and Laura fall in love, and as much as I believe that TG and GF share a unique chemistry that neither will ever be able to replicate with anyone else, I also am convinced that the fallout from Liz's rape rang, or rang again, a bell that cannot be unrung. To put it simply: no amount of work that any HW puts into redeeming Luke and reuniting him and Laura, either now or in the future, will ever leave less than a sour taste in my mouth. GH made a mess by allowing the rape to happen, and then they made an even bigger mess when they decided to re-address it nineteen years after the fact. Hoping that it still could end someday with the two riding off into the sunset together is...just...wrong. I [!@#$%^&*] love what "Grace Under Fire"'s last EP, Tom Straw, allegedly told Brett Butler after she threw a Coke can toward his head: "Pull it together, we have a show to do - and by the way, you missed." Yeah, I thought the Max/Luna relationship was dumb, too.

I would have pushed back if I had been HW. After all, what was the worst that he, the producer(s) or the network could have done to me? Fire me? Please. Unlike some other hacks that I know, I have no problem with going back home and selling Amway for a living, lol. And if TG had laid even one finger on me like he did on Richard Culliton (allegedly!), you better believe I would have sued his ass, too. If I can survive a suicide attempt, I can survive an effeminate soap star with a bad perm.