Faulkner

Seeing some people speculate it’s AP/Esme based on a comment that MB made during a live chat with Marcus Coloma, but hmmm.

Hugo from Argentina 🇦🇷

I wish Maura had good writing to support her show-stopping performances as Judith did. Thankfully, MW had at least scenes with strong dialogue as Carly on ATWT, even when her stories were meh and repetitive.

For classical music fans:

It’s that time of year:

More of Jo from Indonesia 🇮🇩

Also, just bringing back the “Legacy” series won’t address the diversity issue, unless Bravo is cynically betting on that moment having passed. Or that it’s been long enough for people to have forgotten the Eboni/Leah mess and are just missing their old faves, minus Ramona. I dunno.

If true, I find it interesting they’re having so much trouble casting in the nation’s largest city (where Bravo is based), a capital of entertainment, media, finance, art, etc. I wonder what their criteria are and if they are casting too narrow a net just scouting influencers and celebrity-adjacent types.

One thing’s for sure: by making Nate such a nothing character, it’s easy for them to slot him wherever they want for plot purposes.

David 🇺🇸

Y&R: Dru and Olivia as sisters, John Abbott and his kids, Heather Tom’s Victoria and Victor OLTL: The Cramer women in the ‘90s, Clint and Bo Agree.

Not watching, but has JG put Sally and Diane together as friends or acquaintances? It would drive Phyllis nuts to see her two rivals, one old and one recent, making moves on “her men.” Seems obvious to team Sally/Diane up now that Sally is *finally* hooking up with Nick (making obvious yet satisfying connections isn’t JG’s strong point), but it appeared that Y&R had completely moved on from both Phick and Phyllis/Sally. And Y&R appeared to be foreshadowing something when Adam and Sally ran into Diane when she first returned. Sally was intrigued with her.

I’m a Novak fan, yet I recognize what Roger did for tennis and how his accomplishments drove other elite players to improve and make a run for his records. I was kind of melancholy when I saw yesterday’s news. Roger and Serena had been at the top of the sport for so long, it seemed they’d never leave. I felt similarly about the Queen’s death. She’d been monarch for so long that, even though we knew she’d eventually die, it’s still jarring to see it actually happen. I dunno… just the closing of all of these long eras really highlights the passage of time.

Bobby Louis

Renan from Brazil 🇧🇷

Holy sh!t: Tamara Tunie (ATWT) looks and sounds just like Cissy Houston in the trailer for I Wanna Dance with Somebody. I smell Oscar:

The trailer for her big-screen biopic, I Wanna Dance with Somebody:

Oh this is tragic. I used to see him a lot on CNN:

I think Maura is an incredible talent and one of the best actresses soaps has ever seen, but like other prodigious talents like Gina Tognoni (whom I adore) and even Justin Deas, she can often veer into the grotesque for me. Sometimes I feel like she forces things to enliven mediocre writing. Genie has matured into such an unflappable, consistent talent who always delivers exactly what a scene needs, subtly elevating the material, which is why I give her the edge.

Meanwhile, Simona Halep picked the right day to announce she’s shutting down her 2022 season.

B&B: Jacqueline MacInnes Wood GH: Genie Francis DAYS: Suzanne Rogers Y&R: if we’re talking contract cast, Courtney Hope. But I’d say Eileen Davidson, easily. Edit: I forgot Beth Maitland, who is Eileen’s near equal. An edge to ED for her range, but Beth has a lived-in quality that makes a Mary Sue like Traci feel real and not a do-gooder caricature.

Roger Federer has announced his retirement. Laver Cup will be his last event:

More of Sterling in L.A. 🇺🇸