Contessa Donatella

First week of February, I think. It's a huge epic week. Felicia has a big birthday party complete with a room of mirrors, a strong man (Derek) and a lot going on.

I'm not an apologist for either one of them but it seems to me that Johnny gets anything he deserves. He's the one who cheated. And, it looks like he's going to escape any punishment or consequences except this dorky behavior he's forced to endure. Stephanie, to me, is sorta like they present her. Definitely fickle. She never knows what she wants. And, she would believe anything! Well, I didn't see that coming! King Solomon type of ruling where the two brothers who hate each other are forced to work together. 50% to one & 50% to the other, equal partners & co-CEOs! This is going to be predictably disastrous! I never can tell.

Oh, I forgot you're watching Philece as Donna. She's not really Donna to me, although I loved her as Renee on DAYS.

I hate to burst your bubble but I really bet he could care less. I'm there but the only bad person I'm seeing is Drew, but I still say they made him much more interesting. Nina might quality also for bad guy. The looks on her face & her tone of voice, I was afraid she was scaring Amelia. I know Michael did the right thing & is the better man but his remembering when it happened to him & Morgan when they were children was heart-breaking, but a good use of history. Tracy & Lulu finally together! It was magical. I liked it so much. Of course I also loved Jason with Joss but you wouldn't.

IMO Cyrus has a bent way of thinking & it applies extra to any female he is related to. I think he killed Sam to make way for Lulu to get back with Dante. Thank god Laura finally put a peace bond on him. That is not happening. I thought GH was really good again today but what I want to post is this fan video. https://x.com/i/status/1868714671139963394

Baskin Robbins has 32 flavors at any given time FOR A REASON. It would be boring if all there was, was vanilla.

Totally! All those stripped shows were so awful. I, for one, am very pleased that they have made a start on promotion, already!

WOWOWOW

Brooke Kerr is one of the most beautiful women in daytime & she is not without dramatic talent but they waste her, which they do with all of the black citizens we know in Port Charles. This iteration of Jordan is also nice looking although not as gifted an actress by any means & they have yet to pair her with anyone! And, not only were they denied mother/daughter time, neither of them was actually seen much at all. Portia was stuck in the hospital. Didn't they give her that ludicrous line where she claimed that Willow was her favorite nurse?! Willow hasn't worked enough shifts to be anyone's favorite! And, Trina disappeared for whole weeks at a time, more than once & only had scenes with just Joss or with Joss & Gio for months! Until recently. The next to last time I watched Y&R it was to see Chelsea's suicide storyline & I thought MCE did a remarkable job with the material.

And, they are also subscribers, which they care about, dearly. It's interesting to me that not only does Disney own all of the ABC classic soap archives but they own Santa Barbara, too. I know that last year Jerome Dobson made a comment that there might be a possibility of it coming to streaming. But, there's been no follow-up after that one mention. Since it doesn't have as many episodes as so many of the classics, it might be more feasible but that could be far too optimistic. I hope they are staying strong. They pretty much led the field with streaming daytime soaps.

On the whole, I agree wholeheartedly. I didn't think that the second half was rushed. And, I don't particularly dislike the music in the pub as much as I pretty much dislike MOST of the music cues the show uses, period. Often, the music they choose seems hokey to me & almost takes me right out of whatever dramatic moment they've just created. It's seemed really odd to me for a long while that I don't care for the music when that is Corday's thing. So, to me, it's not really being nitpicky. I think the show music is a regular item I am critical of. Both Brandon as Shawn-D and Martha as Belle seem so good to me. They just fit. I found it fairly clever that each of them thought the other was gone already & instead each, independently, had decided to stay, both to do jobs. Then, of course, they crossed paths in the Square because no one can go anywhere in Salem without going through the Square. Belle's been good with Marlena, with Shawn-D, with Brady, now also good as an attorney again.Shawn-D's been good with Jada, Belle & with JoshRoman. Nice to have them back where they belong. The cliffhanger I found especially effective. You're right, the room the hearing was held in looked like any ordinary meeting room. The Committee to Outlaw Body & Soul, for just one example, would probably meet in that room on Monday nights!

While it's true that GH has always been in one location, that city was not named in 1963. According to Gary Warner Port Charles, New York, was not mentioned for the first 15 years or so. Other places it names which writers called it Port Charles first in the late 70s. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-12-31-tv-19465-story.html

I think Bill surprised some people with his performance!

Thanks, as always!!!

These are all just so good!!! Thanks so much for sharing them.

Oh, yeah, I knew what you meant about RoMar being first AT DAYS! Understood, also agree. I never thought about danger being an element. But, I see what you mean.

I certainly respect your informed opinion but I happen to totally disagree. Not that she's not making an acting choice, because she is. But, I happen to like it. I even posted one place: Just go ahead & give her the Emmy now. To me, it was iconic, classic. However, I admit to a bias. SSH as Julie was my first soap crush & I never stopped loving her.

11-30-65 Episode #16 Intro: All of these consecutive episodes of Early DAYS qualify for the Star Billing Blog. Quality: Good. Location: Sawyer house, Horton's house Cast: Jane Sawyer, her mother Mrs. Sawyer, Tom, Ferguson, Alice, Mickey, Marie 20:49 A woman opens the door to Tom outside. Jane - You're too late, Dr. Horton. Tom - Carl is my patient. I need to see him. Jane - I asked you to leave. Tom - Carl is my patient. I'd like to go upstairs. Jane - The other doctor has already been here. You didn't come when we called. Tom - I was unavoidably detained. I'm sorry. Jane - Well, now my father is avoidably dead. Tom - I must see him. Mrs. Sawyer lets Tom in & he goes diretly upstairs. She says to her daughter, "He feels terrible about this." Jane - Mama, this is one time I'm not going to let you turn the other cheek. Their neighbor & attorney Mr. Ferguson then is at the door. Jane lets him in & he says his wife told him. Jane - We called Dr. Horton, your friend, who you recommended to us & he didn't come. Ferguson - Isn't that Tom's car out front? Jane - It took him 3 hours to get here. If he'd come immediately my father would be alive. Mrs. Sawyer - Janie, how can you know that? Jane - Because Dr. Bell came right over when I called the Emergency & he told me that. Dr. Bell was absolutely shocked! Tom comes down & says, "I came as soon as I could. I was detained. Mrs. Sawyer? Mrs. Sawyer turns away from him. Ferguson to Tom - What happened? Tom - He had a massive hemorrhage. Mrs. Sawyer - Thank you, Dr. Horton, Goodbye. Tom leaves. Ferguson - If there's anything I can do, Mrs. Sawyer & Jane ... Jane to her mother - Why don't you go next door with Mr. Ferguson & I'll wait here for ... Mrs. Sawyer - No, I want to see to all the arrangements. I'll stay. Jane to Ferguson - What Dr. Horton did was criminal. He is responsible for my father's death. Ferguson - Carl had a plan with a plot, didn't he? The lodge has all the information. I can arrange for an announcement in the newspaper. Mrs. Sawyer says she's going upstairs to tidy up a bit & she leaves. Ferguson - She's holding up very well. Jane - Dr. Horton did this. Ferguson - I'd get that idea out of my head if I were you. Jane - I can't. I won't forget or forgive. We need to know my father's exact cause of death. Can you order an autopsy to be done so we can find that out? Ferguson - Alright, I will. Jane - It might tell us if Dr. Horton caused this, might it not? Ferguson - Yes, it might. At the Horton's Alice & Mickey are beside Marie who is in bed, seems to be sleeping. Mickey - Is there anything I can do? Alice - Why don't you go on to bed? Mickey - No, I think I'll wait up for Dad to get back. (He goes downstairs just as Tom is coming in the door.) The two of them go into the next room. Mickey - What happened? Tom - I lost him. Carl Sawyer. A perforated ulcer. A massive hemorrhage. Mickey - I'm so sorry, but Dad, you're not blaming yourself, are you? Tom - If I'd gotten there sooner it might've been routine. I've never had anything like this happen before. Mickey - Well, did you tell them why you couldn't come right away? Tom - No, of course not. It was because of Marie. Now let's get one thing straight. No one is ever to know that Marie was near death tonight. We have to keep this to ourselves. He went on to explain that it's the kind of thing that people talk about & Marie would be devastated if people were to know. Alice comes in & says she thinks Marie is uncomfortable. Tom leaves & goes upstairs to see. Mickey fills Alice in on Carl Sawyer & his very upset family. Alice - I'm a doctor's wife & with that comes certain responsibility. Alice - Mrs. Sawyer made an emergency call & I answered the phone & I didn't tell your father! Mickey - You can't blame yourself. When you found Marie on the floor, that was an emergency here that had to be dealt with. Alice - How did your father take it? Mickey - You know how Dad is. You need to go up to bed. You're exhausted. Alice climbs the stairs. Tom is with Marie who wakes up & says, "Dad?" Tom - You're going to be fine. Everything is back to normal. Marie - Nothing will ever be normal again. Why did he do it? We had such plans! Nothing will ever be the same again. Tom - blood pressure, heart rate, pulse - all back to normal. Marie - I just want it to be over. Alice comes in & says, "Don't say that, sweet girl." Tom looks out the window & says, "It's a new day." Marie - It was supposed to be my wedding day. (She cries.)

Oh, it would have been easy for them to play more beats pre-ceremony! Personally I really dislike it that they didn't wake Bo up & have him there, as well. I would have preferred the real deal Dougie, as well.

I also am one who does not think GH is in any immediate danger of cancellation. However, I also do not see a new soap showing up on the ABC lineup. I think the risk factor of launching a new soap is too high.

As I understand it, the term supercouple was coined by mainstream media with regard to GH's Luke & LAURA when they first went on the run from Frank Smith but almost immediately the term was retroactively applied to 2 couples: ATWT's Jeff & Penny and DAYS' Doug & Julie. But, yes, the next supercouple was likely RoMar OG Roman (Wayne) & Marlena. After that, DAYS went supercouple crazy with Bope (Bo & Hope), Stayla (Steve/Patch & Kayla), Kim & Shane & onward. I think you're correct that romance has to be a staple for the show to live up to its own identity. BTW, I much preferred it when all soaps had unique identities & not so much sameness. Personally I think for DAYS to get back on track they're going to have to toss some shows & get back to being able to respond to what's working & what's not. This business of being 10 months ahead on writing & 8 months ahead on taped shows is not working, IMO. I understand how & why they got there. I just think it's time to reconsider it. Also they have to part ways with Greg Rikaart's Leo Stark & Emily O'Brien as any character. They also have to stop having actors play 2 separate parts back to back. They need to work on pacing & a sense of it being the same time all over Salem in any given day. An excellent thing would be a classic villain. GH is too superficial & their pacing & balance is all out of whack. I don't think their current fast & furious block taping is serving them well. They desperately need to trim the size of the cast, likely cutting 15. Personally I think they ought to go ahead & roll the dice on Romantic Jarly & just see if it works or not, instead of constantly second guessing what to do. I approve of the return to more hospital stories as well as the rebuilding of the Spencers & I think they need to lift their Cassadine ban. Also, GH needs to find some way to write much better for a variety of characters but first up, the African-American players that they seem to misuse rather than use or even ignore for long periods of time. The last time I watched Y&R was the initial Jordan & Claire story & in general, Y&R doesn't work for me, so I would be inept at advice. The last time I watched B&B was Maya's story, so again I'm the wrong person to do any evaluating.

12-14-65 Episode #26 Intro: same, star billing 21:00 Quality: Slight green hue, problems with the intro, then settles down & is fine. Location: Attorney Ferguson's ofc., the Horton's house Cast: Mickey, Mr. Ferguson, Jane Sawyer, Alice, Tom Mr. Ferguson: Are you here officially? Mickey: I am here, been authorized by my father, to offer a settlement. He is very concerned about the Sawyers. Mr. Ferguson: I can't believe this. Why don't you just turn it over to his insurers & let them deal with it? Mickey: The whole idea of going to trial, which it would, because insurance wouldn't offer to settle out of court, is distasteful to him. And the charges you are bringing, my dad's just not that kind of doctor. Mr. Ferguson: Well, without something more than that lame statement that he was unavoidably detained, I cannot see this happening. Mickey: Would your clients then be at all interested in a settlement offer? Mr. Ferguson: What amount of money would be offered? Mickey: My faher is not a wealthy man but any reasonable amount would perhaps be possible. He'd really like to avoid the publicity. Even if he won at trial it would have been the topic of conversation for too long. You know my dad's reputation as a doctor! Mr. Ferguson: I think so highly of your father that I will take this offer to the family. One thing, though, your mother went to see Mrs. Sawyer & asked her to drop this whole thing. Then, you come here, today, with this offer, it would be easy to say it looks like a guilty person's actions. Your mother has to stay out of this. Mickey, obviously dismayed, shocked & completely caught by surprise, says nothing. At the Hortons, Alice is polishing something silver. Mickey comes into the room. Immediately he tells her she's angry with her. She thinks he's teasing. He lets her know it's definitely not a joke. She realizes he's serious & says, "What have I done?" He tells her she may have ruined his father's case. "You went to see Mrs. Sawyer, didn't you? Why did you do it?" Alice: How did you find out? Mickey: Mr. Ferguson, I was just in his office making an out of court settlement offer & he almost did not consider it. You almost ruined Dad's case. Alice tries to explain. She wanted to talk to the older Mrs. Sawyer, but she wasn't available so she had to talk to the Sawyer daughter. She meant to impress upon them that Tom just isn't like that & he would never intentionally delay seeing a patient. Mickey: What did you tell her? Alice: I told her that Tom didn't get the message timely because I had taken the phone off the hook. Mickey: Did you tell her why you did that? Alice: No, I couldn't because I did it because of Marie. Mickey: So, you see, there was no point to your doing it! Alice: Yes, I see that now. Mickey: I've just made the settlement offer. But, you have to stay out of it & let your attorney handle things. Alice: Alright. In the next scene, Mickey is with Tom in another room. Tom: Surely they can't actually think I intentionally delayed seeing a patient. Mickey: We're very lucky that Ferguson is doing this case. Any other attorney would see this as a chance to go to draw blood. Tom: Did you discuss a specific money amount? Mickey: No, I just told him it would have to be a reasonable amount. I'm worried, though, because I am afraid the daughter is in this to get revenge on you. Tom finds this hard to believe. Plus, it won't bring her father back. Mickey: It may be a consolation to her to make you suffer. Shakespeare comes up for some reason. Alice enters the room, carrying a tray, laden with supplies for afternoon tea or coffee, says, "What does Shakespeare have to do with this?" Tom, reflecting, says, "I can't stop thinking of that last time at the Sawyers & Carl had died. As doctors we never get used to losing a patient. And, only the day before I had seen him & he was so improved that I predicted a total & complete recovery. Mickey: Soon this will all be a memory. In the next scene, we are back at Ferguson's office & Jane Sawyer has just arrived. Ferguson: Hello, Jane. Were you able to get away from work okay? She indicates that it wasn't a problem. "You said you had something important to tell me?" Ferguson: Mickey Horton was here earlier. He made a settlement offer. I need to discuss it with you & your mother. Jane: Mother's not well enough right now for such a discussion. She goes on & we realize she is angry about the settlement offer being made. Jane: So, Mrs. Horton comes to me & then the son comes here & tries to buy us off! This is a guilty man. Ferguson: There are many reasons why people prefer to settle out of court that are NOT because they're guilty. Jane: We started this to find out why my father died. We haven't found anything yet. Ferguson: There are so many variables with a jury trial. You could end up losing, very badly. And, there's no guarantee that you'd find out anything new, anyway. Jane: We turn down the settlement offer, flat. No deal. They could offer the full amount & my reply would still be NO. I want the trial, the publicity, etc.!

BTW, I'm pretty sure that Richard Bloore, Costume Designer, is going to be retiring soon.

Plus, it means they were not effectively using birth control.