Khan

If I were writing this -- yeah, right! -- it would BE up to the women to save Johnny, and the rest of Salem, from the devil. The devil, either through Johnny or through others, would devise various schemes to incapacitate the men (John, Roman, Steve, Abe, EJ, etc.) and keep his grip on the town. Ergo, Marlena, Susan, Sami (if AS were still available), Julie, Jennifer, Kayla, Ciara, Allie, Chanel, Paulina, even Ava, Nicole and Kristen -- practically all the women would need to join forces and stop the devil once and for all. Even as the devil uses whatever issues exist amongst these women (and I'm sure these women have tons of issues with each other, too!) to turn the ladies against each other and derail their mission. Moreover, Marlena would be ringleader, because of her own history with the devil (and because, well, she's the star of the show, lol). Initially, she'd be visited, in a dream, by her late, twin sister, Samantha, who'd warn her that the devil is not through in Salem; that he has taken control of one of her loved ones; and that it's up to her (Marlena) to rid Salem of him. Marlena would hesitate, saying she knows how powerful the devil can be, and how can she stop him when she's proven (twice!) how vulnerable she is to him? However, Samantha would remind her -- with flashbacks! -- how she once took on the likes of Stefano DiMera when she thought Roman was dead and defeated him. Marlena might have been vulnerable once (or twice) to the devil, Samantha says, but the fact that she "knows" the devil like no one else also gives her an advantage in beating him that no one else has either. Whether it's a mobster intent on controlling the world, or the literal embodiment of evil out to ruin God's creation, Samantha knows that her sister has proven, time and time again, how she will stop at nothing to defeat anyone or anything that has placed her loved ones in jeopardy. Aiding Marlena and the other women in their fight would be a new character: someone who comes to Salem under a cloud of mystery...someone whom Marlena can't shake the feeling that she knows...someone who is gradually revealed (first, to the audience; then, at the story's climax, to Marlena) to be D.J. Craig, in adult form. D.J. isn't back from the dead, though. He's an angel, sent -- by God? by Samantha? by Alice Horton? by Tess and Monica? -- to help his mom through this crisis; and when the crisis IS over, and the balance between good and evil has been restored (for the time being) in Salem, he'll return to Heaven. But, as he tells Marlena, he'll always look out for her, and for the rest of his family, too.

From what I've read, what led to Bill Bell phasing out the Brookses and Fosters was the constant need to recast core characters as the original actors quit -- a merry-go-round which sped up once the show expanded to 60 minutes, something that many within the cast, who were already being overworked, resisted. According to Bell himself -- and this might be the truth, or just hyperbole on his part -- he had resolved at one point that if one more actor decided to leave the show, he would retool the show completely. Subsequently, when Jaime Lyn Bauer (Lorie) informed him that she was leaving at the end of her contract, that pretty much sealed the fates for the rest of the existing Brookses and Fosters (save, of course, Jill, whom Bell ultimately transitioned into the Abbotts).

Are you sure about that? Are you REALLY sure about that? Exactly.

Poor Sarah. First, Les Moonves torpedoes her career. Now, this.

First of all, I thought his character's name was the worst. It's like something Jimmy Fallon's writers would have come up with for a soap opera parody. Second, not only was Ashland's backstory horrendously convoluted, it also reminded me too much of Stitch's backstory, and we all know what happened to Stitch. When you have in your cast an actor like Richard Burgi -- someone who ain't Laurence Olivier, but who definitely has appeal, and a following outside of soaps -- you don't saddle him with the likes of drippy Amelia Heinle and a bunch of boring, go-nowhere storylines. (The less I say about Tara...). You do something with him that's big and important and shakes up the status quo for years to come. Believe me, if Bill Bell were still around, he would've known what to do with him. Yep.

I don't think you are. I recall reading the same thing, either in his book, or in an interview.

Another example: Karen Wolek's descent into prostitution on OLTL was inspired by Luis Bunuel's 1967 film, "Belle de Jour." Someone (forget who) once said that there are only so many plots, and that everything written was inspired by something else. So, you know, it doesn't surprise me that soap scribes have cribbed from books, movies, other TV shows, etc., or that they will continue to do so so long as there's a God in Heaven. All's I ask is that they don't bore the audience.

Agree!

Well, I'm glad to see NBCD's promo department hasn't lost their sense of humor. (But seriously, wtf?)

Frankly, if she hadn't been Ronn Moss' spouse at the time, I doubt she would have gotten the audition, much less the role.

I guess that was in case Kim Novak wasn't available, turned it down or backed out at the last minute, because I feel like the role was created with her specifically in Jeff Freilich's mind. Right down to the many "Vertigo" references.

I loved that movie, too. Terrific cast. It was like watching a combination of "Three Days of the Condor" and "WarGames."

I've sometimes thought it'd have been fun to see Elizabeth Montgomery as Maggie on FALCON CREST. For obvious reasons.

I think Andrea Evans in particular was good, regardless of the show's quality. Same goes for Kathleen Noone and Kim Johnston Ullrich.

In a way, the devil instigated this by having Johnny dump Chanel, and I don't like that at all.

Either the higher-ups have interfered yet again, or Josh Griffith simply has no idea what TF he's doing anymore. Or both.

Yeah, never again do I want to hear anyone complain (even in jest) that Claire Labine's GH was too depressing to watch. Trust me, her GH wasn't nearly as depressing as mourning three or four deaths in a row.

Agree. And don't tell me that wasn't your intention, powers-that-be, because we all know that's a damn lie. Neil was deliberately written into a corner like that so it would be that much easier for the show to marginalize him right off the canvas. KSJ saw the writing on the wall, too. I'm just sorry about how it all added to his mounting and ultimately overwhelming personal issues. (Y'all oughta be ashamed of yourselves, Sony/CBS.) I feel like that's because the audience was so angry over how her and Ed's affair led to Maureen's death. TPTB greatly underestimated how the audience would have felt about losing Maureen. Ergo, giving Lillian increased story and/or airtime would have been like rubbing salt in the wound.

On the one hand, it's a shame that Rosalind Cash didn't get to live long enough to make an even bigger impact on the show. Having her as the matriarch of an African-American family -- and one with ties to the Quartermaines, at that -- was nothing less than a stroke of genius. On the other hand, I shudder to think how Bob Guza, JFP and others would have dispatched with her the same way they did with the rest of the Wards.

Isn't that awfully...sudden?

I liked Deborah Goodrich as (Sterling) Silver, but I think Kelli Maroney (ex-Kimberley, RH) would have been so much better in that role.

Yeah, except I think Leonard Katzman and his writers might have written the show with more depth. The Shapiros and Pollocks -- God bless them -- always had big ideas, but they never possessed the skills necessary to make them work.

LOL!! But seriously. I feel like Linda Evans wouldn't have been as formidable as Pam. Not that the writing ever made Pam a legitimate threat to J.R. and the rest of the Ewings, but if David Jacobs' original plan was to have Bobby die and Pam take on his brother and other enemies...? It wouldn't have worked.

Damn. In my mind, Mr. Poitier was one of the most dignified men ever to grace the screen. He proved that Black actors could do more than just play the butler or the Mandingo. Denzel and Idris and so many other actors of color owe a ton to him. May he RIP.

Frankly, I never understood their appeal. IMO, Keith Hamilton Cobb was a piss-poor actor, and he had absolutely zero chemistry with Sydney Penny. Agree. Even if Drucilla/VR were to magically reappear on Y&R, her return would be so hollow, because Neil/KSJ wouldn't be there.