Khan

Exactly. Actresses like EF know that those kinds of characters are what get viewers talking, pure and simple. Honestly, though, I take Colleen Zenk's ambivalence with a HUGE grain of salt. After all, this is the same CZ who still thinks her on-screen pairing with Trent Dawson's fey Henry was money. Need I say more?

AFAIC, Liz Hubbard can go fly a damn kite. Douglas Marland gave her the best material of her entire soap career -- stories and scenes that were miles ahead of the putrid mess the Pollocks typically handed her on THE DOCTORS -- and she has the nerve to trash. Woman, please.

IDK if this has been posted already. If it has, my apologies: https://deadline.com/2020/12/phyllis-mcguire-dead-lead-singer-last-living-mcguire-sisters-89-1234663467/

YES. Especially the last part. I STILL remember Marlena De La Croix comparing MW/Carly back then to a young Carroll Baker and agreeing with her 1000%. MW/Carly was truly one-of-a-kind, and the fact that ATWT handled both actress and character so badly in its' last decade, never giving her material that rose above generic, is one good reason why AS THE WORLD TURNS turns no more.

You mean, they haven't? In retrospect, I think GH should've just killed off Jason in that accident. Changing his personality like they did only created another show-eating monster in the end.

LOL!! But seriously. Melanie Smith was like ATWT's answer to Susan Lucci: no matter what else was going on in the scene, or who with, your attention invariably drifted toward her. Not the greatest actress in the world, mind you, but certainly one of the more captivating. Actually, I think KMH was on the right soap -- and if not ATWT, then certainly GL, or even AW. OTOH, Roger Howarth DEFINITELY belonged on ABC soap, lol.

Exactly. I'm sure Melanie Smith wanted to leave ATWT, but I'm also sure ATWT -- and Laurie Caso, in particular -- didn't fight very hard to keep her. As an EP, Caso wasn't awful, but his choices tended to be so conservative and safe. Case in point: Darryl Crawford. That character DESERVED a dynamic actor to bring him to life. Someone along the lines of, say, Roscoe Born (ex-Joe, RH; ex-Mitch, OLTL; et al). Instead, Caso gave us Rex Smith, who was about as fascinating to watch as a root canal.

Agree.

Agree. At its' peak, AMC was a show that had a "little something" for just about everyone. Sometimes, the mix was a tad unwieldy; but when it worked, it was a breathtaking show to watch.

If they are planning an "L.A. Law" reboot, then I hope they'll land a writer/producer who was as good as David E. Kelley. He MADE the original series, IMO; and when he left to create and produce "Picket Fences," the quality went down FAST.

If there was a decline in the quality of KMH's acting, then I blame it on the fact that directors and producers have stopped actually working with actors to get the best performances from them. Now, it's just hit your mark, point the cameras, shoot the scene and then move on. It's been AGES since I've seen a truly worthy performance from anyone on daytime, and that's because TPTB just don't take the time anymore to work with them.

Who knows? If she had been there for ATWT's actual finale, she might've made the character's pairing with Roger Howarth's Paul actually palatable! I'm just saying! Let me be clear: I've nothing against KMH. If she had been hired to play Samantha, for example, or even been tapped to be a Betsy recast, she would've been wonderful. But she was not Emily Stewart. Not by a long shot.

Well, then, he succeeded. Honestly, you could have paired Melanie Smith with Telly from "Sesame Street" and it would've been FIRE. Smith's Emily was LOADED with sexual energy, and any writer would have bowed down and thanked the soap and other gods for her. Letting her slip through their fingers, IMO, was right up there with RYAN'S HOPE/ABC's decision to fire Sarah Felder (Siobhan Ryan Novak #1) in most boneheaded casting moves of all time.

Damn, this one hurts: https://deadline.com/2020/12/adolfo-shabba-doo-quinones-dead-dance-pioneer-breakin-star-was-65-1234662999/

And if a recast just isn't possible...?

KMH's Emily was just so different from what she'd been when Melanie Smith still playing her. No way could you have imagined KMH's Emily hooking up with James Stenbeck or Paul Ryan.

Because, KL rarely made any bones about being a soap opera; and soaps are always on the low end of the TV totem pole.

Yep. I'm sorry for his loved ones, and I'm praying for the healthcare workers who tended to him at the last, but AFAIC, he had only himself to blame.

Oh, that's sad to hear as well, @Faulkner. Levinson & Link were an amazing writing team -- not just on crime shows, but also TV movies like "My Sweet Charlie," "The Execution of Private Slovik" and "That Certain Summer."

I apologize if this has been posted already. "Lean on Me" was such a good movie. https://deadline.com/2020/12/joe-clark-dead-lean-on-me-principal-morgan-freeman-1234662672/

I still feel like I'm about to watch an episode of "Sally Jessy Raphael" whenever I hear that theme again.

Agree. Stacey Abrams worked her ASS off from the day Brian Kemp stole the gubernatorial election from her to get POC in GA registered and voting. She and her team should be commended for "turning GA blue" and making their state THE story of the 2020 election.

I can see why Sean Garrison was initially cast as John Abbott, as he bears a slight resemblance to Terry Lester, but I don't think he carried the needed, commanding presence that Jerry Douglas and even Brett Halsey did. He'd have been better off playing someone like Derek Thurston or Lucas Prentiss.