Faulkner

Lots of records being tied or broken on this week’s Hot 100;

Why can’t TEB go back to that hairstyle instead of the dated Jessica Rabbit look she’s currently sporting?

These NJ daily press conferences are so loosely structured, which makes it even more frustrating when they break into regular programming. Gov. Murphy is just now getting into the daily numbers, more than a half-hour in.

Alex Donnelly sort of looks like she could be Michael Mealor’s mother, with their endearing mouths. Shame that Y&R destroyed Diane so shortsightedly. Her absence is deeply felt.

From Mumbai 🇮🇳

Ok, I’m cackling at this reunion.

Another Jill track from back in the day:

Oof. That Guy Fawkes goatee on Josh Morrow. Not a good look.

If they had any sense, they would have seen her sparking on screen during that time and just allowed her to own her villainy. Just make her a cold, cruel, and vindictive (yet pathetic and human) Cersei Lannister type. An heiress thirsty for the throne and willing to do anything to protect her inheritance. But that would force them to rethink their “best-laid plans” for their idea of what Y&R looks like. As the eldest daughter of Victor, they see her as a leading lady full stop, and she must be likable/rootable. (Maybe they feel like a woman with Victor’s claws would be a turnoff?) They must have had data that shows audiences like her the way she is, and I’m sure the popular Billy Miller pairing earned her a lot of goodwill. How else to explain why she’s been thrusted in our faces for so long?

Such a beautiful song from Jill Scott (watched her IG Live “battle” with Erykah Badu last night, which was such a warm chat between friends):

I like Gigi too and thought her stand-up was way better than I expected it to be, given how the show previewed her stumbling. But who was it who did her puppet in the mini-challenge? They clocked her for falling back on her robot schtick after the Snatch Game success. I love Jaida as well, and she would be a deserving winner at the end. Her stand-up was terrible, even accounting for the fact that Sherry screwed her over by running long. (Just a cringeworthy concept.) All in all, I think I somewhat agree with Ru that this has been a somewhat strong season.

From Quezon City, Philippines 🇵🇭

From Essex, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇬🇧

From Denver 🇺🇸

Wow, the Drag Race editors (and Michelle Visage) are dragging Sherry Pie tonight. But it’s weird because the judges seemed like they enjoyed her performance. They’ve done a somewhat seamless job of downplaying her this season, but moments like this show the disconnect. They obviously don’t want to elevate someone who admitted to heinous things, yet it feels dishonest. I suppose they didn’t have much choice. The two black girls in the bottom... Heidi out. Although it’s clear RuPaul genuinely adores her. So since we know Sherry Pie is not making the finale, the Top 4 is set: Jackie, Gigi, Crystal, and Jaida.

Yeah, it’s just rare that a person in the HW circle would be so ubiquitous (showing up to almost every! single! event!) yet so silent. Almost eerily silent. She’s like a strange inanimate object with a face that rarely even smiles or changes expressions. They must have really hated her, or she must have given them next to nothing to work with.

This Elyse chick on NYC is just the weirdest presence. It’s like they were testing her, and she was such a dud that they’ve essentially silenced and erased her from the show. But she’s always around!!!

Yes, AH was fabulous on Loving. But she was so anemic on AMC and just got more lackluster on Y&R. I know a lot of us watch AH play scenes as Victoria and wonder how HT would play it. I do it all the time. But then I remember how the show was changing Victoria even before she left and how HT is currently playing Katie on B&B. She would have more energy and fire than AH, no doubt, but I think we’d still be disappointed at the portrayal.

Certainly not unpopular here. But I would say EB and MTS were both better and more consistent in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, like Y&R itself. Never rated JM highly, even when he had good direction, although he’s had enough strong moments to make me think he’s capable of more if he actually cared. But even Heather Tom has gotten lazy and predictable over at B&B, so who knows how she’d be if she stayed and had to deal with this level of production. She’s certainly not thriving under Bradley’s pen.

Ugh. Hated the blond hair on Heather Tom. Josh Morrow looked great with that short cut, though.

If you lived in NYC over the past 20-30 years, you know this guy’s commercials.

From South Korea 🇰🇷