Faulkner

RGS from Indonesia 🇮🇩

My neighborhood:

Jared from L.A. 🇺🇸

Tajh. Looking fit.

Toby’s hair is iconic.

10 weeks for “As It Was.” Harry Styles isn’t giving Lizzo an inch. Kate Bush remains at her No. 4 peak: “Break My Soul” is looking like Beyoncé’s first stable solo hit in ages.

Wowee…

Christopher from USA 🇺🇸

For a long time, I thought the Newmans were a creative albatross around Y&R’s neck. They’ve struggled to create fresh and interesting dynamics for them. Victor is a caricature. They tried to make Nick into an alpha businessman, that flopped, and now he’s back to just sorta being “there.” Victoria has flailed in her father’s shadow for two decades. Abby’s Newman heritage has almost become an inconvenience. They’ve essentially written Nikki into a corner enough that she’d hardly be missed if MTS left. They’re played by some of the least dynamic (and often laziest) actors on the show. They haven’t been able to elevate a newer generation. Victoria’s kids are pretty much props, and they couldn’t find a place on the canvas for Reed. Part of that is the resistance to let Victor ride off into the sunset, and neither AH nor JM can convey gravitas. Nick is so infantilized that Noah feels like his peer. (The less said about the characterization for Noah, the better.) They refuse to invest in a vibrant teen scene to support Faith. They so quickly burned through story with Adam that he’s become rather absurd and stuck. Unfortunately they are hugely popular with viewers, and on a show as gutted creatively over the years as Y&R has been, they are foundational. One would need a writer as talented and creatively unfettered as Bill Bell to replace them, and that’s never going to happen. Mal’s instinct to push Victor out was the right one, but Mal sucked. It’s a wonder they haven’t explored Victor and Nikki’s extended families more, brought Casey back with family, or something. But it’s hard to pinpoint the Newmans as problematic when Y&R overall and soaps in general are so dreadful.

Xia Shengjie from China 🇨🇳

Lucho from Argentina 🇦🇷

Britney singing with her natural voice (without the nasal, girlish affectations). There are moments she sounds very Xtina here:

Some people might argue there’s no tension on All Stars 7, since no one sashays away at the end of each episode. But I prefer this format for All Stars over the usual contrived Survivor format. It allows us to simply enjoy the company of cast members we’d admired from past years, as everyone sticks around for the whole season. Granted, it’s easier to do this when the talent level is this high (all winners).

Justin Deas’s ‘88 reel feels so mundane. It’s restrained from him, which is nice, but the focus is more on Robin Mattson.

Noel Edmonds interviews Kate on the UK Saturday morning kids program Multi-coloured Swap Shop (way back in 1979), and some little girls call in to ask her questions about her hair and clothes. Kate is so adorable here. She also talks a bit about writing “Wuthering Heights” and “The Man with the Child in His Eyes”:

Paul from Indiana 🇺🇸

Sad news for fans of ‘80s/early ‘90s British rock and the Madchester sound: The message from his brother and bandmate (whom most have expected to go first, due to Shaun’s heavy drug problems throughout his life):

These guys so defined the Philly Sound, and his voice was their calling card. Their songs just evoke long Sunday drives with the family:

A1 from North Carolina 🇺🇸

Wow. Are they actually going there after all this time? If so, of course they’d make it about Adam and Nick’s rivalry. Granted, Phyllis now has a formidable romantic rival with Diane.