Matt

So, quite by accident (in the course of checking out soap openings from other countries), I found out that someone is posting full sameday episodes of Verbotene Liebe on youtube. I kinda got sucked in to watching one, and now I'm hooked --- even though I don't speak a single word of German. lol Now I'm going back to what I presume is when they came back from their forced break to catch up to what's current. Granted, I keep episode synopses open (and run through the translator on Chrome) while watching along with the translated character pages from the official site & the wikipedia pages (which are appallingly not current), so I can actually figure out exactly what's going on (although not what they're saying) pretty easily. I'm also rather surprised by exactly how close to the American style of soaps VL actually is (albeit with FAR better production values).

Spotted Judith McConnell in the trailer for the new movie "The Purge: Anarchy"

We can go ahead and roll that bitch in the wheelchair into the river. Cannot. Stand. Her.

Wow. I love Blessing. She's one of my favorite new characters. Trevor & Grace, OTOH -- I can't wait for both of them to get hit by a bus.

LIAMST is one of those soaps I just WISH there were detailed storyline synopses for the entire series available. Ditto for Where the Heart Is. I'd love to "read" the entire series from start to finish. Maybe in novel form like those old Soaps & Serials books from the 1980s.

I've never been able to handle how utterly douchey Ben is in every single scene I've seen him in. Also, his acting style reminds me very much of everything I've ever seen AW's George Reinhold do. Margo McKenna just seems so whiney as Betsy, but I really appreciated her later as Edge of Night warped and desperate Emily. And god bless her, but Veleka Gary was just... not very good in that scene. That crying fit at the end was painful. No surprise, but Tudi Wiggins was the best of the bunch. I like the set up of Leanne (Meg's presumed romantic rival) being forced to operate on Meg to save her life and then being accused of deliberately causing complications. IMO, that's a really nice set up for a story. Although I simply hate that the series ended with Meg still stuck in that wheelchair.

Chandler Harben has uploaded more videos! One is a collection of full scenes featuring 2 scenes with Ben & Betsy (1 fight about her refusing to sleep with him & him storming out; 1 scene between them in the hospital right after the boating accident); 1 scene with Mia (arguing about Mia's phone call to Betsy at the cabin immediately before the accident); and 1 scene with Meg (who's in the hospital after her fall down the stairs when she learns that Leanne operated on her). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vSHIxq_5XY The second video is a re-uploading of a previous video he'd uploaded to another account featuring a fight between Ben & Betsy and a physical fight between Ben & Elliot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVEHk2E3RD8

Oh. My. God. I just so giddy right now I can't see straight. Love of Life has always been one of those old soaps that I never got a chance to see, but kinda fell in love with via reading all the old SOD recaps. I never thought I'd ever see the final episode (or any full episode from the later years). And the FULL and COMPLETE final opening!

She appeared as herself on the show in 1983. I forget the circumstances, but I believe that this was her last acting appearance onscreen (even though she was playing herself).

I was watching this past Friday's episode of "Grimm" and I noticed that it was written by real-life marrieds and AW alums Thomas Ian Griffith & Mary Page Keller (ex-Catlin & Sally).

I always thought she looked like a drag queen without the stage makeup.

Call me crazy, but I've always thought Ron Tomme was hot. Apparently I'm not the only one because I tweeted Dana Delaney once to ask about her best memory of her time on Love of Life and she tweeted back that it was how hot her father on the show was and how she had a crush on him. lol And, actually, in that last picture he seems to favor Don Stewart a lot IMO.

MAJOR Un-Casting Spoiler

Luke & Bella just absolutely broke my heart today.

I don't think there were ever any 3rd books for any of the ABC soaps (with Books 1 & 2 being a single, double sized volume). I believe the Soaps & Serials series folded right after their introduction, didn't it? I actually have the GH one and it's all about Phil/Jessie, Steve/Audrey, but MOSTLY about the very beginning of Lesley and the whole backstory of Laura's conception/birth that actually wasn't seen on the show (if I remember correctly because it's been 25 years or so since I've read it).

I have never been big on reality tv EVER and I've never watched ANY incarnation of Big Brother... until the current edition of Celebrity Big Brother in the UK. O-M-G I LOVE IT! I love how Julie is so motherly to everyone while simultaniously stirring up [!@#$%^&*]. And I'm also stunned by exactly how much I actually like The Situation in this.

Oh, I was SO wanting Rhona to lay the smackdown on Laurel's smug ass in court today. That bitch in a bland sweater set is leading Marlon around by his nose & that stupid sap doesn't seem capable of having a single thought in his head that's his own. I'd love it if Ashley got his [!@#$%^&*] back together & ended up taking Laurel's kids away from her. It would suit the bitch right.

I actually find Dan/Chas quite charming and endearing. Of course, at first I was like "um... ok. ugh" but they're really grown on me. That said, I do agree that they're rushing this along far too quickly and I hope that doesn't ruin the couple for the future. And I'm glad someone agrees with me that Chas reminds me of Tracy Ullman (expect I think it's Tracy doing her version of Peg Bundy).

Co-sign on the Dodger/Texas love. I actually like Tilly, but Jenn really needs to run into Silas in the near future. She annoys the piss out of me and there's no way in hell that character deserves to get a hot brother.

Wow. I must be the only one who really likes Heath (even though I'm more than willing to admit that he can be kind of a douche). Also, I can so totally see the parallels between the Braxton brothers of 'Home & Away' and the McCleary brothers of 'Search for Tomorrow' in the 1980s (as in, a totally new family of brothers that pops up and suddenly take over the whole show).

I have been adoring everything about EastEnders this week (and, really, since I 1st began watching at the beginning of July). Linda Henry simply has me in total awe with each and every episode and I couldn't agree more about Jay.

You just nibble. lol

More like a mansnacker.

Granted that I'm new so I have no background, but she just seems so damn daft & bobbleheaded. She walks around slump shouldered and the best answer she can give to any question is "I don't know." "Indi, do you love Romeo?" "I don't know." "Do you want to get back together with him?" "I don't know." "Do you have the hots for Liam?" "I don't know." She makes me want to slam my head against a wall. Of course, I have similar feelings about Ruby who I want to shake violently while screaming "It's not all about you, BITCH!" That said, I freaking adore Dax, I've quickly become a big Heath/Bianca shipper, and I'd probably screw Sid seven ways to Sunday.

I laugh that you love Indigo so much because I often feel like smacking her in the head with a tire iron.