OLTL: Discussion for the week March 30

[leevo64]

They had better reveal that Stacy is clinically insane or something and that she's spent years in a mental institution before running away and meeting Schuyler and becoming a stripper, because I cannot fathom anyone with a heart holding a child's life over someone's head unless they're pure evil. That's Helena Cassadine stuff, not bitchy blonde stuff.

As for the under-40 crowd... I think Mark Lawson is an excellent actor. His material has steadily improved since he's come on the show and he's had a chance to show what he's capable of. Bree Williamson has moments of brilliance but like someone said earlier, she needs direction. My favorite young actress on the show is Brittany Underwood. She's elegant, poised and focused and deserves more than some C-list love triangle story and best friend role. I also think they're wasting Jason Tam, who starred on Broadway in A Chorus Line as Paul. Come on, give the kid a good scene!

[rhinohide]

I would have loved if Gigi had confided in Natalie and Natalie had plotted with Gigi against Stacy. I can see Natalie making Jared fake sleeping with Gigi to throw Rex off (and of course John Brotherton would have been hysterical playing Jared "Oh well if you insist! I'll crawl into bed half naked with another woman.")

What's missing with Stacy (besides any depth whatsoever) is she doesn't have a true rival that goes toe-to-toe with her. As stupid and cartoonish as the character is, Gigi is bested at every turn. Natalie and Roxy in tandem, as Gigi's champions, would provide worthy adversaries to Stacy's manipulations. As currently written, Stacy doesn't come off as all that clever, but Gigi comes off looking like a total idiot. (And the same is true of Natalie and Jared in the baby swap story).

The best part of the Natalie/Jess story was that their conflict popped off the screen. And neither was entirely right nor entirely wrong, but they didn't give up any ground. They were on somewhat equal footing that provided true challenge. Sigh. I get really excited when I think of what could have been had Frons kept his nose out of things and allowed Ron to write what he wanted. But Ron doesn't get a pass from me either. He's not allowed the privilege of throwing his hands in the air and declaring he didn't want to write these stories. He's still required to make them better than they are.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

A little off topic, but what the hell....

Robin Strasser recounted an incident between her and JFP on her hotline recently.

Do you all remember that portrait of Dorian that hung by the staircase in her house? Well, when Robin left in 2000, she said JFP gave it to her and obnoxiously shrugged, "Well, we won't be needing this anymore."

Just thought I'd share some gossip...

[SFK]

I think it was even bitchier, like, "Here, take it, I'll never need it again."

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Those two must have really hated one another if Strasser is still talking about her after all these years.

[SFK]

I know, it cracks me up! I love Robin's hotline and how candid she is. She's at an age/point in her career where she can say whatever the hell she wants because she and JFP will most likely never cross career paths again, and even if she did, she'd go toe-to-toe with her. Didn't someone post that they had crazy screaming matches on set?

Some more... just as I've suspected for a while now and posted in our infamous gossip thread, Robin admitted that her and Linda Dano's friendship went on *hiatus* so to speak for a few years there. She didn't elaborate but I think it started with Linda's move to ABC where she was treated better than a vet like Robin and then of course Linda made a couple of remarks about Robin's Emmy outfits that a friend wouldn't make. Honesty, on TV or in SOD no less, isn't always the best policy. Take your girlfriend aside.

[rhinohide]

It would have been a little difficult for Linda to do her job at the time if all her former colleagues were off limits.

[DeeeDee]

Gigi & Stacy are on every day while Jess & Natalie are on the backburner.

[detroitpiston]

It's effin ridiculous. The Jess vs. Natalie story was just starting to get good when some hack decided watching Crystal Hunt and Farah Fath try their best Allison Sweeney impression would be more interesting.

[DeeeDee]

Exactly!

Bree & Melissa aren't the best actresses but they kept Jess Vs. Nat entertaining.

Farah & Crystal are horrible.