Today is not just April Fool's Day - it is also Don Hastings birthday:  4/1/1934.

Happy birthday, Dr. Bob!!

Found this photo of him taken in February 2012, after ATWT ended. 

Happy Birthday to him.

I always wondered why Bob's siblings never were brought back and their kids (Ryder, Christina, Amy Lyn).

Also I always wondered how different Nikki Munson would've been had Kelly Monaco been casted

I think given how popular of a following KeMo had from PC, Nikki would've probably lasted longer than she did. IDK if I would've been happy for her to be wasted on Henry though.

Don't get me started on TIIC's obsession with Hunt Block, how they destroyed the character of Craig tailoring it to his limited schtick, and just in general shat upon the entire show with their version of Y&R's Eric Braeden.

 

Given the situation---I was okay with Babs ending up with Henry. She got a happy ending. I'm not really sure who they could have brought back from her past as an alternative, and let's face it---it was a surprise TIIC even bothered writing anything for her. These are the idiots that spent the last nine months obsessed with giving Luke an adult love interest instead of focusing on their core vets. At least IMO.

Edited April 2, 20169 yr by P.J.

No kidding about Luke...Good God, everything with Noah in the final year was crap. I did like Reid, but not for Luke. Luke wasn't ready for a relationship with an out and experienced guy like Reid. 

Don't get me started on TIIC's obsession with Hunt Block, how they destroyed the character of Craig tailoring it to his limited schtick, and just in general shat upon the entire show with their version of Y&R's Eric Braeden. 

 

Well Hogan Sheffer was quoted back around the time he started on ATWT that he loved GH's Sonny and Y&R's Victor--two characters he'd've loved to write for in the future. It wouldn't be a stretch that he mirrored poor Craig after them. 

 

That's something I hate with soaps--how they model or try and emulate characters from another show. That's why I feel like the importance of show themes needed to be maintained. Each show had it's own essence that was lost apparently by the end of the 70s. Some shows seemed liked they regained their themes back in the 80s but by the 00s, only Y&R and B&B were the only ones that stayed true to their shows themes; however, when Bill Bell died, they shot to hell too. Neither one of them look anything like they were 15 years ago.

Edited April 2, 20169 yr by Nothin'ButAttitude

I don't necessarily object to having some BigAsshat on the show, and in theory Craig could have filled that role. BUT, they hamstrung the character with inconsequential writing and a ham-fisted, tic-filled actor with ZERO charm or ability to convey even the slightest bit of vulnerability. Goutman and Sheffer tried to BS excuse after excuse, claiming Craig was simply returning to "his roots", not comprehending that motivation is needed for the audience to buy such a huge revision for a legacy character's personality. Damn, I'm getting pissed off all over again. And I spent five years gnashing my teeth at how my show was suffering under that sociopath. I damn near had an orgasm when they fired Block. SERIOUSLY. I was like Snoopy happy-dancing all over the house.

 

Honestly, those jerkoffs probably would have turned Bob Hughes into a Hugh Heffner type if they thought they could have gotten away with it.

 

Ugh. LUKE. The gay version of Katie. I may have hated Katie more, but that's only because Luke never had the audacity to chase after one of Carly's men. Luke was a boring character played by a underachieving actor, thrust front and center in the desperate attempt to make ATWT seem "current" with a gay boy story. What's worse---it spawned the Olivia/Natalia story on GL, which, believe it or not was arguably lamer and a bigger publicity grab (and Crystal Chappell rode it 'til it was hard and wet, that's for sure).

 

 

Ugh. LUKE. The gay version of Katie. I may have hated Katie more, but that's only because Luke never had the audacity to chase after one of Carly's men. Luke was a boring character played by a underachieving actor, thrust front and center in the desperate attempt to make ATWT seem "current" with a gay boy story. What's worse---it spawned the Olivia/Natalia story on GL, which, believe it or not was arguably lamer and a bigger publicity grab (and Crystal Chappell rode it 'til it was hard and wet, that's for sure).

LOL..now THAT'S a quote !

I thought Luke was more like his mommy Lily..."ME-ME-ME" and everyone so worried about him and every gay man falling in love with him...(maybe I am mad that he got a kiss from my high school dream Greg Nelson but that's another story..) Was he ever kidnapped?

Those gay storylines were so weird, as they had gay fans just because they were gay characters..didn't matter if it didn't work or make sense...(though I could see Olivia getting it on with anything..) or the actors didn't have chemistry...I mean, are we that hard up to see ourselves on screen that we just don't give a damn?  

 

 

I mean, are we that hard up to see ourselves on screen that we just don't give a damn?

 

I have said the same about African-Americans -- and to me, the answers are the same.  Some believe any exposure -- even if it's unflattering exposure -- is better than no exposure at all.  I think those people are wrong.  

Edited April 2, 20169 yr by Khan

LOL..now THAT'S a quote !

I thought Luke was more like his mommy Lily..."ME-ME-ME" and everyone so worried about him and every gay man falling in love with him...(maybe I am mad that he got a kiss from my high school dream Greg Nelson but that's another story..) Was he ever kidnapped?

Those gay storylines were so weird, as they had gay fans just because they were gay characters..didn't matter if it didn't work or make sense...(though I could see Olivia getting it on with anything..) or the actors didn't have chemistry...I mean, are we that hard up to see ourselves on screen that we just don't give a damn?  

 

Luke? Yeah, Luke was kidnapped at least twice in his lifetime, once by Damien, in some convoluted tale. Luke and Holden were both presumed dead, and it culminated in some ridiculous standoff with some half-brother in Malta where he backflipped over a wall and down a cliff and I think survived for one last surprise gasp at killing Damian. The other time I remember is by the horrid little Z twins, who planned to rape him to impregnate the girl with the Grimaldi heir or some such crap.

 

The Luke story could have been so much better if they had focused more on how it affected the family dynamic. To me, it made perfect sense that he told Holden first, because for most of Luke's life, Holden was the stability in his life. Lily, flighty narcissist that she ultimately was, he couldn't really trust to hang around or not make it all about herself. But because they couldn't dare show Lily in an unflattering light (outside her questionable ability to remain faithful), they couldn't play her having a hard time accepting it outside of plot points anytime Seganti needed another paycheck.

 

Hansis was one of the worst casting decisions ever, but the rare times he managed to shine was in dealing with older, grounded actors. So, instead of using that, TIIC threw Luke into stupid teen stories with actors even greener than him, and the stories collapsed into farce. They ain't called IIC for nothing. I'm not sure his stories made less sense than any other ones, but Marland was probably turning over in his grave at the ineptitude on full display.

 

As for Chappell/Olivia/NOlivia---ugh. Sure, maybe Olivia (one of the bigger whores in all of Springfield) would have gotten it on with anything with two or four legs (and the occasional python if it was big enough) but Natalia, prim Amish Catholic that she was? *eyeroll* OOOoookay. And then the way Chappell pumped her fandom like ATMs, selling them panties and crappily made dramas just seemed crass to me.

Edited April 2, 20169 yr by P.J.

OMG. Y'all are gonna leave my Luke alone!  

I was so not a Nuke fan. I so wanted Luke with Kevin or even Reid. I like dthat relationship. It made Luke grow up but then ATWT killed Reid for nothing

 

Jake Silberman could not act imho, sorry its how I feel

 

 

As for Chappell/Olivia/NOlivia---ugh. Sure, maybe Olivia (one of the bigger whores in all of Springfield) would have gotten it on with anything with two or four legs (and the occasional python if it was big enough) but Natalia, prim Amish Catholic that she was? *eyeroll* OOOoookay. And then the way Chappell pumped her fandom like ATMs, selling them panties and crappily made dramas just seemed crass to me.

Wait a minute...Chappel was selling her panties to her fans????

Olivia may have been the town pump but for someone who hit the Springfield lottery in doing both Josh and Phillip (don't ask me who plain old Harley did that also) going to boring  Natalia had to have been the biggest let down of all.

I never got how Hansis or that first guy he was paired with had any fans at all..they were just so wooden and dull and uncharismatic but You Tube went nuts with people posting compilation vids of them kissing to bad music.  But yes, the problems with the shows during their last decade is that storylines were all about the *couples* and did not involve fall out from family and friends. I blame that on MADD and her ABC'ing of the P & G soaps.

 

Well, they weren't her used panties (that would have been something!) but I think it was like panties with her show's name printed on them.

 

I'm split on Silbermann. I think he was a better actor than he was given credit for. And better than Hansis. But I don't think he was comfortable portraying a gay man, at all. I thought he had better chemistry with Alex Chando's Maddie.

 

I disliked the entire Nuke experience, from the fans who proclaimed them a supercouple from the minute Silberman was introduced to the media, to Hansis' moments of self-indulgent scenery chewing, and all the hubbub over whether or not they got enough airtime.

I agree with you about Silberman, PJ.

 

Hansis is another one who always seemed asexual to me onscreen.

 

If it had been me I would have paired him with Larry Lau - that would have been messy as hell and given real fireworks for Luke and the people in his life, especially Lucinda.