Contessa Donatella

Remember the Time Travel s/l where Reva stepped through this life-size oil painting into ... the past?! Yes, I knew you would. That was another stinker but also where I appreciated the Costumes of Shawn Reeves. Olivia "time travelled", too! (Crystal Chappell)

Oh, well, Passanante is said to be strong in writing romance, too. And, that they were co-HW, itself, makes it make sense. Also with two of them with the same bent, it's easy to see how they could get the Lumina plate spinning & then start up "The Secret Garden" for Amanda & new guy! Vicky said that, too, that she was promised that they would really write for Cory family members.

Well, since NBC's stance was that they either wanted to change AW into a DOOLjr or run it off or kill it & they'd been actively trying to destroy the show, also tried to wrest Victoria away & kill Rachel off, etc. that would've been a character changing move by the network. P&G's stance was trying to keep NBC from killing the show. Okay, I'm confused. I recall Victoria telling me that they had been told that they were bringing them a HW who would write romance & their being cautiously optimistic. And, I thought that who that ended up being was Jean Passanante & that the "romance" she brought them was Lumina & that was another disappointing blow to the cast, etc. And, I also further thought that Amanda & Cameron's love story was "The Secret Garden" not Lumina at all but a second storyline. IMO, the only good thing at that time was the Lumina Ball because who can resist a costume ball? Adding: And the only other thing I knew about Lumina was that NBC pushed it. Here's the handpainted headdress Shawn Reeves did for Felicia for the Lumina Ball. If only the stupid story had been as fabulous as the headdress!

Not that it matters but I always experienced AW & OLTL as opposite each other, with ATWT being the third point.

Not that it matters but where I lived growing up & then on my own, AW & OLTL were the head-to-head competitors. The societies of Bay City & Il llanview

Susan & Finola are 2 beautiful, fashionably inclined women with unusual bodies, too. FH is way long waisted & Susan is so petite it's like she has doll features. Of course they say runway clothing is not suited to normal bodies, so there.

I love it! Erica as a queen of the Fox Hunt! 😂

But, Jill didn't have power over hiring & firing? Didn't she fire Anna Lee? Everyone that I've talked to about JFP's tenure at GH blames her for Anna Lee & Stuart Damon. I just saw a new movie touted with a GH alum in it. This should produce a guffaw, at least. Alicia Leigh Willis in a movie

Oh, yes, ratings, what the thread is about. No amount of bad news would surprise me. Personally, I hated Devil, kidnappings, Mission Impossible masks, and everything they did to Sarah. That deserves bad ratings.

I think BLQ is hot. I can't evaluate them together because they write them so weird.

There was an Exorcism. Tripp sacrificed himself to rid them of the Devil. Tripp died. Traditional DOOL acting took place with much weeping & wailing. Ava climbed onto the gurney with the body. Everyone cried. Angel Bo appeared & brought Tripp back to life. I don't disagree that the s/l overall was a flop but I think the 2 day ending of it stood up. The Angel Bo F/X worked, amazing but it was because they were simple. But, yes, the s/l as a whole sucked up a lot of time & annoyed the pig, as the saying goes. It was a soap miracle because Tripp was apparently not maimed for life.

Yesterday I found myself engaged when she & NIna were going at it verbally. Felt like she finally stepped up & SAID what she was thinking! And, for once she got to say something instead of listening on-and-on to Michael who always has an opinion! And, it seemed more like May Sweeps, too. I am just over it with all these interminable drag-on-for-yrs scenes with Sonny just talking to people! Face it, Sonny's not that good a talker, it's Maurice who talks, the person is bleeding over into the character. No wonder he likes this guy so much! They've reached the point where the writers are writing Sonny like Maurice, total comfort zone.

This blast from the past showed up in my FB memories today & it seems just as salient now. One of WLS Top 25 Blunders 16. The Mismanagement of the Final Years of AS THE WORLD TURNS The first several years of the Chris Goutman era as executive producer of AS THE WORLD TURNS were award-winning and critically acclaimed, full of actors who couldn't praise their leader enough in the press. The final years were the complete opposite. The constant pats on the back were gone. In their place were a lot of confusing casting decisions, rumored turmoil, and the unbelievable mistreatment of the legendary Eileen Fulton. The show that had the most history that was still intact had a leader who could not have cared less. Letting the brilliant Larry Bryggman (John Dixon) walk away in 2004 was a huge blow to the show and a definite sign the tide was turning. Seeing his return for a few weeks at the very end of ATWT's run in September 2010 proved what an asset he was and what a hole he left. Similarly, allowing Martha Byrne (Lily Snyder) to leave, and acting so cavalier about it in the media, was infuriating and turned off many fans. Even when the classy Noelle Beck offered to step aside so Byrne could return to ATWT in the final months for a reunion of Lily and Holden, Goutman refused. Firing a returned Scott Bryce, who actually made the character of Craig human despite awful writing, was another head scratcher. We don't know if it was pride, personal grudges, or complete incompetence but this was not the man who turned this soap around in the early 2000s. What happened? And where was Procter & Gamble? They seemed to have lost interest in both their remaining soaps at the time. ATWT still showed moments of brilliance in its final years with Maura West (Carly), Michael Park (Jack) and Colleen Zenk (Barbara) leading a cast that gave their all, no matter what story was written. But there was no explaining the act of continuing to introduce new (and mostly unlikable) characters through the final months of the show. There was no justifying the rapid-pace style of editing that seemed to confuse and alienate viewers. And there was no reason to back burner daytime legends such as Don Hastings (Bob), Kathryn Hays (Kim), and Elizabeth Hubbard (Lucinda). As for Lisa and Ms. Fulton, what a horrible way to end this soap. All soap opera final episodes are not made alike. For every perfect ending (SEARCH FOR TOMORROW's Jo and Stu come to mind) there is a Paul Rauch stomping on a cigarette or CAPITOL having Sloane standing in front a firing squad. It's not always easy to wrap up a soap in a limited amount of time. But no soap opera had ever had as much time between their cancellation notice and leaving the airwaves as 54-year war horse AS THE WORLD TURNS. The logical ending would focus on Nancy Hughes, but unfortunately the legendary Helen Wagner passed away the month before the show wrapped production. So obviously, the next thought would be the characters of Bob and Lisa, played by Don Hastings and Eileen Fulton, who both joined the cast in 1960 (that's 50 years earlier!). The show got it (mostly) right with Bob and let him have the final words on the air. But Lisa, they couldn't have got it more wrong. Why didn't Lisa have some kind of storyline in the final months? Fans had been questioning her airtime for years. But surely, knowing the soap was going away forever, was't Lisa entitled to one last hurrah? The producers and writers instead gave her only two scenes in the final episode, as a supporting character in the Lucinda-John reunion and in quite insulting circumstances as well. The character of Lisa is credited as TV's first "bitch" and characters like Erica Kane or Alexis Colby may not have existed without her! That's huge. That's history. So what kind of historic tribute did ATWT pay to Lisa on the last show? They gave her four lines and a sarcastic talking-down-to from Lucinda and John. At the very least, would a phone call from an old flame like Grant Colman have hurt? Put them all together, and these decisions demonstrate a lack of respect for AS THE WORLD TURNS as a cultural icon, a lack of consideration of its millions of viewers around the world, and a general sense of contempt for the show on behalf of Goutman and P&G. The consistent and systematic dismantling of this beloved soap through poor management decisions remains a shameful blight in television history, and a tragic example of how ignorance and disdain can ruin an American institution. ____________________ This was the Executive Producer who openly wept at the end of ANOTHER WORLD, but who faced Jen Lenhart, ATWT Editor at Soap Opera Digest, in a 2008 Q&A and told her that he had no need to read fan mail, that HE knew what was right for the show -- not the fans.

Finally NLG's reel basis is out & about in the universe: On YT look for "GH Alexis 04 08 21". Haven't seen it yet myself but saw some people who had who are raving about it. Also she gave an interview to MFairman & its supposed to be of great interest. NLG talks to MFairman about her emmy reel NLG's interview with Michael Fairman is in text instead of being another Zoom chat. Short, to the point, but well stated. Adding a write up of NLG's reel: GH NLG Apr 8 2021 Emmy Reel - Alexis had long defined herself, first as an attorney-at-law & then with 3 words: a fighter, an idealist & an advocate. Now since she has been disbarred she is no longer an attorney. So, who is she? Is she still a fighter, an idealist & an advocate? Tomorrow she reports, turns herself in, to begin her prison sentence. Everyone told her not to plead guilty but she thought she really was so to be honest & clear about it, she would plead & throw herself on the mercy of the court. The day before going into prison was making her very shaky. She had a meal in a restaurant with some of her favorite friends - Ned, Finn, Valentin & Jax, it was a kind of a late supper but at midday I guess, so the Last Lunch. They told her they were proud of her. They said she had owned up to her stuff in a way that none of them ever had or probably ever would. They toasted her with coffee cups. (Hmm, maybe this is Brunch.) - She's appreciative. But, now she feels she really must find a purpose to her life. Kevin suggests they go back to her last session & pick up from there. She has no recollection of what she said in her last session. Fortunately, he says, he takes very good notes. When last they met, they were discussing her father & his place in her life. She claims that she really has very little to say about him & that he wasn't around very much either. Kevin is sure that was the topic, her relationship with her father. She repeats that she really did not have a relationship with him. She keeps looking over to the side of the room as if there's someone there. We can see that in her mind's eye there's a young girl sitting, hugging her legs, looking very unhappy. Finally she said something, but it was the same just reworded. I truly don't have memories of my father. He was a married man & he kept my mother in an apartment although she used to think it was a gilded cage, as much as she knew what that meant. Her mother was on a short leash. Periodically he would appear bringing little treasures. That's how her mother got this expensive watch that she now wears. But, he also beat her & it would be terrible to see or even just to hear. She was the one who let him in one time when he came & she let him in because she loved him, but ultimately he caused her mother's death. - The scene changed & it was Alexis & Ned, the only people present. I don't know why you're still talking to me. I walked out of our wedding. Yes, I left Ned at the altar. My dear friend, you were kind & stable & you treated me with respect. - The scene changed again & Alexis opens the door to let in Olivia, who says she is furious with her but that she does not hate her. When the mayor had me arrested for trying to feed my kid in public, you were there & you fought & advocated for me. Alexis got kindness & grace from Olivia. They hugged. She'd been pushing herself her whole life. - The scene changed again & it's Nik & he's saying that she's going to be fine in Pentonville. - The scene changes again & it's Jerome, Julian Jerome, the mad bomber of Pt. Charles. Alexis is getting fractious. She made the right choice with Neil and she ended up with him in her bed with her, and thought, and thought this convo is bugging me. Julian loved me so but he didn't know how to be with anyone. Add in my reluctance for her to look at things I have let this convo get out of hand. Listen, I think the session is just fine. - Alexis has been sabotaging herself since she was 10 yrs old & was at sleep-away camp. First memory of insomnia & I was wide awake & everyone else was sound asleep. Self-sabotage. Happiness is fleeting. This is not working. Not all actions are equal. I do not want the men in my life to define me. Twice now you've gone somewhere else as if you're remembering something. One memory keeps coming back of a visit near Christmas, with a shower of gifts for Christmas, only my mother asked him to stay & have Christmas with us & he became furious. She told him if he did not do so she would tell Helena & he beat her for saying that & he just kept on hitting her over & over. He showered her with gifts & then when she was not grateful to receive them & wanted more then he showered her with cruelty. I tried to help her but I couldn't. Alexis you were a child. You couldn't help that. That wasn't your job. Alexis walks over to the little girl with her knees hugged up to her cheat & tells her that she is Alexis Davis & she is a fighter, and an idealist & an advocate & she will take care of little Natasha & they embrace. "I got this." she says. I have been the voice of the voiceless, of others. - Then we move to the final scene & Alexis is at home with her 3 daughters, Sam, Kristina & Molly. Kevin says she is fortunate to have 3 daughter & that they are fighters, idealists & advocates. Kristina says you don't need a life raft because you are unsinkable. Alexis tells Sam that she is okay & that she is more at peace than she has been in a long while. (The girls had also had Molly walk out in cap & gown because Alexis will miss her law school graduation while she is inside.)

1978-79 GH jumped up to #2 in the ratings, from somewhere in the bottom half of the pack the year before. I think Doug Marland might have been MVP of HWs then. Agnes Nixon literally saved AW from being an infant soap cancelation, making the triangle of Rachel & Steve & Alice iconic. Bill Bell HWing DOOL with Mickey-Laura-Bill & Mike's paternity being a known secret for 8 yrs before the satisfying reveal brought that show to improved ratings & whole lotta what is now called buzz.

It's funny but I can actually stand it when Dante tries to talk to this new man whoever he is. Oh, right, we're going along to get along & calling him Sonny no matter how much we may feel he's some foreign creature. I dislike ALL of Sonny's scenes except when Dante is trying to reach him. And, I resent the time spent with Sonny & deadLenny and with Sonny & downhome new married advice to Brando! And, Brando likes this new guy. Go figure.

Gentleman Jack

You're very welcome! It has been a labor of love. I just wish the show's would let on to their reels.

Just to throw a date into the mix since it might give some context: AW 1st hr long show May 3, 1974. AW permanent to hr Jan. 6, 1975. DOOL to 1 hr. Apr 21, 1975 Most of the rest followed along. RH did not.

Two DOOL nominees, Eric Martsolf & Stacy Haidug, chose their scenes for their reels, from 2 consecutive episodes: May 26, 2021 and May 27, 2021. I just watched both episodes. They're up on dailymotion. Kristen is in police custody. Brady is visiting her. She had kidnapped Chloe & put her in the trunk of some car. She tells them where the car is but it's gone because Jan Spears has taken it & she has kidnapped Claire. Kate finally wa/oh that won't be on their reels. Um, very intense & high emotion, Brady is seething, angry, Kristen is crying, pleading, and Brady breaks it off with her, for good.

Victoria Wyndham's gallery Some folk were asking about what Vicky is doing & I told them what I knew & included about the 7 yrs she sorta wandered in the desert, truly lost after the show was off the air, ending with her finding a painting instructor & taking class & now having a gallery, etc. So I said what the hey & ran down its location.

I am finding it hard to believe that she's really leaving! I mean she surely has stayed longer than someone as talented as she is, would usually. So, why now? Anyway, fond farewells!

Oh, yeah, that is why they had it happen to *perfect* Dawn, to make people aware of the universal threat. And, when Wendy Riche pitched the idea she had to Claire Labine it was about something that could happen to just anybody, even, ... these 2 kids. That Dawn got it from her mother & her mother had a secret, well, that was just soapy of it. I've heard that OLTL had a plan in place to have Joey Buchanan contract HIV/AIDS & use the core family child play. No idea what happened to it. ABC really did that up right w/ Bianca & gay & w/ Robin & HIV.