Wendy

Yep, this is me, too.

Said it in another thread, but this all is unnecessary and lazy. Ron has a thing for killing characters with history for no real reason other than he can: Laura Horton Bill Horton [off screen - he could have been recast; see the actor playing him for Alice's funeral. He had zero interaction before with anyone and fit right in!] Abigail Deveraux Adrienne Johnson [for freaking cartoon Bonnie Lockhart] David Banning [off screen] Seemingly Dr. Neil Curtis [see Maggie/Sarah's talk about Sarah having Neil's stethoscope] There was no reason for ANY of these deaths. There is no reason to kill Abigail, a legacy character born on the show and who grew up on the show. Like Mike Horton, she had many actresses play her. One more wouldn't make a huge difference. So Jack's only kid on canvas is a freaking useless RETCON who, frankly, should have been the one to die in this murder mystery...

Or, you know, radical idea here...recast AGAIN. Kate Mansi was a recast. Marci Miller was a recast. Mike Horton had bunches of actors play him. Chad still could have been freed. Couples do not last forever. But, as this stands, this is just more of Ron's bullshyt tactic of killing yet another legacy character for short-term shock value, but decimating the show long term. (See also, in no particular order: Laura Horton, Bill Horton [could have been recast; the actor that played the role for Alice's funeral was great!], David Banning, Adrienne Johnson, likely Neil Curtin, the way Maggie spoke to Sarah about him...) But at least his precious retcon Gwen gets to be Jack's lone span on canvas.

But who's to say Bill and/or Laura Horton could not also have come back and have a story under a COMPETENT writer? (I know, ageism is rampant in soaps, but even Doug/Julie get C-level stories now and then!) The actor that played Bill at Alice's funeral in 2010 did a remarkable job - even realistically having no prior history to draw upon. And I recall many had wished the show had used that actor and brought Bill back to interact with Kate, etc. Whether the characters were driving story or gone for a while, killing legacy characters for no real reason is stupid, and just further decimates the show.

Yeah, Neil was the reigning doctor at the hospital at one point, not to mention having had the requisite affairs and marriages (one to Gloria Loring's Liz Chandler - whom is the mother of Sarah's half-sister, Noelle, whom Ron had sleep with Rex off screen, thus Sarah and Rex splitting [then there is the whole Mimi mess, but anyway...]. And Jo Johnson - Jack, Steve, and Adrienne's mother - seemed to have unrequited feelings for Neil, too. Then the actor, Joe Gallison, and the character of Neil Curtis just sort of faded away in the early '90s or so, much like Jed Allan/Don Craig, did before him.

As far as I know, Don is still in limbo. But based on Sarah and Maggie talking about him upon Sarah's initial return to the show, it sounds like Ron killed Neil Curtis off, off screen, too. (The talk of Sarah having his stethoscope, etc.) As I said, Ron is a lazy hack.

Who? Jack only has ONE child, in Ron's eyes. The shitty retcon named Gwen! (This all pisses me off. Not because I am any big fan of Abigail's, but Ron could have EASILY recast the role again. He has already killed Laura Horton, Adrienne Johnson, Bill Horton, and David Banning off screen.) He's a f-u-c-k-i-n-g lazy hack that kills characters for short-term shock value with no thought to the future. Say what one will about Abigail, but she was born on this show and grew up on this show, and that fact that useless pets like Gwen stick around is just insulting.

As I asked elsewhere, where was the outrage in freaking 1994?! Vince Vance and The Valiants are suing Mariah Carey for recording a Christmas song with the same title as their own Christmas song. (Both get airplay.) Here is the Vince Vance tune: And, naturally, here is Mariah Carey's song: I hear NO similarities, save for the title. The band Foghat had better watch out. They ALSO have a song with the same title: This SCREAMS "money grab", to me. A shame, because I like the Vince Vance (and Foghat) song, too, as much as Mariah's song. But where was this outrage ALMOST 30 YEARS AGO? I hope this gets laughed out of court. There is a website devoted to many songs with the same exact title. It happens!

So, if you're Frank's buddy, text him, or bump into him in a parking lot, you too can be a GH star! Ridiculous. So another useless character. Where is Lucky? Still chasing the "darkness"? Nice of TIIC to make him a deadbeat just like his own poor excuse for a father.

Yup. Bo and Roman being brothers. No incest please!

Vince Van Patten is also on the cast list, so I guess Eileen Davidson gets to bring hubby to work with her, too.

And ANOTHER shooting today, this time at a Tulsa OK hospital. How does it feel to live in the OK Corral?

The GOP loves guns more than children. Except unborn fetuses. And that is just to control women. Once born, another target for the NRA! This country is SICK.

Funny I just saw this listing, as I just got done watching Harring's guest role on Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Marta Caldera in "True Legacy", S9 (2010), a.k.a. the lone Jeff Goldblum-led season, a couple hours ago on cable. Sort of a political Lady MacBeth type. Also remember her as a mistress to a governor candidate named Paula Houston who gets murdered on Silk Stalkings in Season 5 (1996) in "Family Values". I recall Billy Warlock was also in the episode.

Wow, the quality of this batch is great! Thanks so much!

Considering the fates of many prime time soaps of late - and the fact that there hasn't been a peep about this in a while - I think this is DOA, anyway. So worrying about a darker Pine Valley seems moot. Trends come and go. Maybe down the road, someone will try reviving AMC or whichever defunct soap or make a new one again, and the masses will watch. Unfortunately, the current climate is not friendly to the genre.

It appears that John Aylward, best known as Dr. Anspaugh on ER, has apparently passed away. I say apparently because I guess there are unconfirmed reports. If true, may Mr. Aylward RIP. Dr. Anspaugh was a great character.

Just like the original shows, I find the only cast I would hang around with and like spending time with is the original NYC cast (sans Becky, who seemed to regress instead of act like a rational adult). Everything after with the subsequent casts has been a predictable train wreck. Again.

Oooh, another clip! Awesome! Thanks, again!

UGH.

If you want to see more different acting from Deidre Hall, in the Primetime forum, there is a clip I found on YouTube of Dee appearing on the '80s show, Wiseguy. She is lucky enough to be acting opposite the great Tim Curry! Glenn Frey and Deborah Harry also appear in the episode (and not as themselves!).

I think casting - as @carolineg points out - makes a difference for any role. Would Drake have worked as Edmund Grey? Maybe. He had the charisma and charm. But he may not have been a journalist had Drake played him. To use an old prime time example, apparently, the character of Sam Malone on Cheers had apparently been envisioned not as an ex-baseball player, but an ex-football player! And one of the actors in contention for the role was real-life former L.A. Rams player turned actor Fred Dryer (who would recur as sportscaster Dave Richards on the show and also got his own big break with Hunter, obviously!) I think I even read that William Devane (ex-Greg Sumner, Knots Landing) had also read for Sam. However, once Ted Danson got the role, it was changed so that Sam was a former member of the Boston Red Sox baseball team, and the rest is history. (On a side note, another actress up for Diane Chambers was Julia Duffy. She, of course, landed on Newhart as Stephanie. I think she even appeared in a Cheers episode as a friend of Diane's, but I can't be sure.) So I think any role can be played by almost any actor if the details are tweaked just so...

Just saw him on the Law & Order Mothership revival as a judge in one episode. (In another, Alicia Coppola played a defense attorney, although she was on Criminal Intent well before that role.)

Much different show, but the "junior or everything after" deal with a not first-born son also happened on ER with Carter's family. His grandfather was John Carter, Sr., his father Jack was John Carter II (played by Michael Gross, who did resemble TV son Noah Wyle, so great casting there!), and Carter was John Carter III. BUT Carter mentioned deciding to become a doctor because his OLDER brother, Bobby, died of leukemia as a child (causing his parents' divorce). Like you, I'd think Bobby should have been John Carter III, instead. Shrug. To connect this to Santa Barbara, Scott Jaeck, who played Cain, played Dr. Flint, head of radiology, in a recurring role in the first couple seasons.

Yep. Can't believe this schitt got a renewal. Will Steve be wiping Che's ass next while Miranda beams? (I hope David Eigenberg just focuses on Chicago Fire and doesn't return for more garbage.)