Idealizing anything can cause unnecessary problems. And yet, I can't stop this compulsion, although I know all too well that nothing is totally perfect.
In the last few months, my love affair with telenovelas was wearing thin, mainly because the 'Gran Final' for some of my telenovelas have been hit and miss. For example, En Nombre Del Amor was a disappointment, despite enjoying the stories leading up to the conclusion. And with Mi Pecado, while I wasn't nearly as invested in this telenovela, the gran final was fantastic, especially seeing Carmelo disheveled and deranged in prison. So had some trepidation when it came to the Gran Final for Hasta Que El Dinero Nos Separe. After all, in the weeks leading up to the conclusion, the story seemed to drag a bit, and frankly, there were one too many Alejandra crying over Rafael scenes. Again, my criticisms of that may be unfounded, since I don't understand Spanish and may have missed a crucial plot point. At any rate, I marvel at how wrong I was about how Hasta Que El Dinero Nos Separe would conclude. In fact, I'd venture to say that it was the best finale of soap opera/telenovela that I have ever seen.
In previous posts, I've lamented (read: bitched!) about how American soaps end, or rather, the fact that they get canceled. And it's understandable that most of these soaps that have been on the air have a difficult time encapsulating their long histories in the remaining months, but the haste in winding down storylines that likely didn't work usually took a lot of time away from giving fans a satisfactory goodbye. For example, Santa Barbara's finale centered around Warren and B.J.'s wedding, which was a shame, since their history wasn't as entrenched as other characters. Or Guiding Light, which did resolve some long overdue relationships like Alexandra and Fletcher; however, a lot of time was spent on Josh and Reva, who in my mind, pissed away a lot of time and fans' patience during the last years. The same goes with As the World Turns. While it was nice to see the Hughes' presence in the last episode, they were glaringly absent in the shows leading up to the finale, since the writers decided to focus on Jack and Carly (yet again).
So yeah, I expected that Hasta Que El Dinero Nos Separe would center on Rafael and Alejandra, but imagine my surprise at how the gran final was a celebration of the whole collective. Yes, it was off-putting that several brides shared their wedding with Alejandra, but you know what - I kinda liked it. I liked that the reception was a vehicle for breaking the fourth wall, i.e. showing clips of significant and funny moments involving many of the personnel from the dealership on the large projection screen on the reception hall stage. And it was good to see the staff of the beauty shop, the two cops who had a knack at stopping the main characters for silly infractions, and Vicky's father at the reception as well. And Sadina. And the staff meeting at the old dealership with a staff that bear a strange resemblance to Marino, Ramirez, Claudia, Dandy, Rosella, Jimenez, etc. And the use of top notch actors familiar to regular telenovela viewers implied a reverence for this telenovela that exceeded mine.
Sure, it bothered me that Claudia didn't seem to pay for sleeping with Marco, but then again, there were times when I fell asleep before the end, so it's possible that Alejandra and Claudia had words. But I guess the word of the night was affection - affection for the show, the cast, and the audience. An affection that has been lacking in American soaps in favor of pacifying the soaps' sponsors who callously ordered the plug to be pulled. Finally, some respect was given to all of the people who invested their time in a genre that sometimes don't get their due.
It has been a long time that I said, out loud, how much I enjoyed a television show and how much I was going to miss it. And hopefully, I am not the only one who feels this way about Hasta Que El Dinero Nos Separe, because if enough people love it, maybe Univision will return it to its lineup like they did with La Fea mas Bella.
Here's a snippet of the premiere episode, which I stupidly missed.
Showing posts with label soaps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label soaps. Show all posts
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Returning to Days of Our Lives... albeit temporarily
Likely, I will return to Young and the Restless, although I am deeply dissatisfied with the course it is taking, but for now, I am tuning into Days of Our Lives. Why? Because they are finally going to deal with Frances Reid's death via Alice Horton's slow and inevitable decline and death and so far, they're doing a pretty good job.
Pretty good... but not great.
The thing that I really like is how the Horton relatives are trickling into Salem to pay their final respects. Coupling that with old clips featuring Alice Horton, at various ages, offering her steadfast advice and support to her family and Salem's strays, TPTB are conducting a respectful tribute. And unlike with MacDonald Carey/Tom Horton, Alice's death will not come as quite a shock. And the added element of Alice's health declining after the death of her son, Mickey, makes sense.
However, I think that the Alice tribute is taking the backburner to stories that seem irrelevant, given the circumstances. I honestly don't care about Arianna (who's that?), Melanie (who's that?), Nicole, scheming for Brady's affections (yes, I know about that and that was the reason why I stopped watching Days), Carly interfering with Chloe (oh, Chloe) and Daniel (who's that?).
Chloe, Chloe, Chloe...
You know, it didn't help when the writers decided to scar Chloe via a car accident, fake her death, and eventually reunite and marry Brady in what had to be the most hastily put together supercouple wedding ever. That didn't bode well for Broe's future. When Nadia Bjorlin's foray into movies didn't work out, the @$$hat writers decided to salvage Phloe (Phillip and Chloe), which I was always thoroughly against, since Phillip was possessive and obsessive towards Chloe. But Chloe had to do something...
But Chloe still being tangled up with Phillip and cheating with Phillip? Come on!!!! Chloe has some pucker to her, which was the reason why I gravitated to her, but this storyline is just cheap. CHEAP!!!! When Alice finally goes, I'm outta there. It's demoralizing that Days took what, potentially, was an interesting character type and made her a insecure, bedhopping slut.
Channeling Broe... stat!!!!
Pretty good... but not great.
The thing that I really like is how the Horton relatives are trickling into Salem to pay their final respects. Coupling that with old clips featuring Alice Horton, at various ages, offering her steadfast advice and support to her family and Salem's strays, TPTB are conducting a respectful tribute. And unlike with MacDonald Carey/Tom Horton, Alice's death will not come as quite a shock. And the added element of Alice's health declining after the death of her son, Mickey, makes sense.
However, I think that the Alice tribute is taking the backburner to stories that seem irrelevant, given the circumstances. I honestly don't care about Arianna (who's that?), Melanie (who's that?), Nicole, scheming for Brady's affections (yes, I know about that and that was the reason why I stopped watching Days), Carly interfering with Chloe (oh, Chloe) and Daniel (who's that?).
Chloe, Chloe, Chloe...
You know, it didn't help when the writers decided to scar Chloe via a car accident, fake her death, and eventually reunite and marry Brady in what had to be the most hastily put together supercouple wedding ever. That didn't bode well for Broe's future. When Nadia Bjorlin's foray into movies didn't work out, the @$$hat writers decided to salvage Phloe (Phillip and Chloe), which I was always thoroughly against, since Phillip was possessive and obsessive towards Chloe. But Chloe had to do something...
But Chloe still being tangled up with Phillip and cheating with Phillip? Come on!!!! Chloe has some pucker to her, which was the reason why I gravitated to her, but this storyline is just cheap. CHEAP!!!! When Alice finally goes, I'm outta there. It's demoralizing that Days took what, potentially, was an interesting character type and made her a insecure, bedhopping slut.
Channeling Broe... stat!!!!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Mexican telenovelas are bringin' it, by GOD!!!!!
For months, I've been debating whether to remove The Young and the Restless from my recording program. The writers' lackluster approach to storytelling, their rush to hook up some characters (Jack and Emily; Ashley and Neil), while dragging their feet towards others (Hot Chance and Chloe), and currently, having two doubles stepping into the lives of the originals (I mean... come on!!!) - Y & R is just not what it used to be. There's a complete lack of the Bell magic. The only true bright spot of the show is the potential of a Billy and Victoria pairing, two characters I couldn't stand due to their individual selfishness, and yet, I eat them up whenever they are together. They 'get' each other, but the possibility of dirty, loathsome hate sex is always there and actually welcomed. Of course, a J.T/Mac pairing is looming and the writers may, foolishly, use this as a distraction for Billy and Victoria, but they would be stupid, since Mac is probably the most boring Y & R character, which is something since Ashley is always stiff competition. And unfortunately, J.T.'s continual sanctimony regarding Victoria, nevermind that his past wasn't that pristine, makes him the third dog in the race. In short, I am fed up with the never-ending Adam storyline (although I doubt that he's really dead), tired of the missing Janna and Lauren storyline starring the Wonder Twins, the Lily and Cane storyline since nothing is really happening, and I'm tired of Neil being set up as the Bellamy, since it is clear that the writers are trying to pair Ashley with Tucker McCall. And BTW, while I love Stephen Nichols, I prefer the original actor more.
Now to the good... the Mexican telenovelas, specifically Hasta Que El Dinero Nos Separe. While I do watch Mi Pecado as well, HQEDNS is my favorite. Yes, it absolutely has campy aspects to it - I mean, there was a Michael Jackson impersonator on it, for reasons I haven't quite figured out yet, but despite the language barrier, I am genuinely enjoying the show. Mind you, I was extremely pissed that Claudia (the sexy blonde) slept with Alejandra's fiance, Marco, the most weaselly pig I've seen recently, and I hope that ole girl has a damn good explanation for doing it. But the money is Rafael aka Medina and Alejandra. They are very funny to watch, given Itati's pint-sized kewpie doll looks contrasting Pedro's dark good looks, but it's Alejandra and Medina's personalities that are the clincher. Alejandra is kinda bossy and impatient while Medina is childlike and enthusiastic. Clearly, the bossiness and impatience is a facade on Alejandra's part, since whenever Medina is in a precarious place, she defrosts and reveals her true feelings. So when Medina and Alejandra had to pretend to be a couple, it was inevitable that this was going to happen. Thank you, jealousy and oneupsmanship:
The kiss continued and it was delicious and sensual. Very Thomas Crown Affair, Notorious, and Vertigo romantic rapture. For me, it was among one of the best kisses I've seen on both American soaps and telenovelas. Oh so nice, I have to post it twice:
I wish, wish, WISH that American soaps would take a peek at Mexican telenovelas. Telenovelas are what American soap operas used to be: romantic, funny, dramatic, pot boilers. Sure, telenovelas have an advantage, given that they have a finite amount of time on-air, therefore, there is a lack of tendency and need to drag $h*t out. If Wiki can be believed, I know that HQEDNS will end in November, so waiting for Medina and Alejandra to get together will not be as torturous. Some may think that would ruin the fun - uh, I've been watching soaps for nearly 33 years; it's time to explore a different form of fun, like unpredictable storylines, and depicting couples who don't take love or their partners for granted. Yes, Alejandra is engaged to douchebag Marco and Medina is saddled with shrieky Vicky, but when Alejandra and Medina are alone and being open and honest with each other, it is must see TV.
Fingers crossed that HQEDNS keeps up the good work.
Now to the good... the Mexican telenovelas, specifically Hasta Que El Dinero Nos Separe. While I do watch Mi Pecado as well, HQEDNS is my favorite. Yes, it absolutely has campy aspects to it - I mean, there was a Michael Jackson impersonator on it, for reasons I haven't quite figured out yet, but despite the language barrier, I am genuinely enjoying the show. Mind you, I was extremely pissed that Claudia (the sexy blonde) slept with Alejandra's fiance, Marco, the most weaselly pig I've seen recently, and I hope that ole girl has a damn good explanation for doing it. But the money is Rafael aka Medina and Alejandra. They are very funny to watch, given Itati's pint-sized kewpie doll looks contrasting Pedro's dark good looks, but it's Alejandra and Medina's personalities that are the clincher. Alejandra is kinda bossy and impatient while Medina is childlike and enthusiastic. Clearly, the bossiness and impatience is a facade on Alejandra's part, since whenever Medina is in a precarious place, she defrosts and reveals her true feelings. So when Medina and Alejandra had to pretend to be a couple, it was inevitable that this was going to happen. Thank you, jealousy and oneupsmanship:
The kiss continued and it was delicious and sensual. Very Thomas Crown Affair, Notorious, and Vertigo romantic rapture. For me, it was among one of the best kisses I've seen on both American soaps and telenovelas. Oh so nice, I have to post it twice:
I wish, wish, WISH that American soaps would take a peek at Mexican telenovelas. Telenovelas are what American soap operas used to be: romantic, funny, dramatic, pot boilers. Sure, telenovelas have an advantage, given that they have a finite amount of time on-air, therefore, there is a lack of tendency and need to drag $h*t out. If Wiki can be believed, I know that HQEDNS will end in November, so waiting for Medina and Alejandra to get together will not be as torturous. Some may think that would ruin the fun - uh, I've been watching soaps for nearly 33 years; it's time to explore a different form of fun, like unpredictable storylines, and depicting couples who don't take love or their partners for granted. Yes, Alejandra is engaged to douchebag Marco and Medina is saddled with shrieky Vicky, but when Alejandra and Medina are alone and being open and honest with each other, it is must see TV.
Fingers crossed that HQEDNS keeps up the good work.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
A final (and woefully long overdue) farewell to En Nombre Del Amor
I hestitated commenting on the grand finale of En Nombre because I ended up being kinda disappointed by the ending. For me, the pacing and the overuse of slow motion throughout the finale grated on my nerves. However, I slowly began to appreciate En Nombre Del Amor because, at least, during the weeks leading up to the finale, there were a bunch of surprises. For example, Carlota taking a header off of her staircase. Another was Romina doing a 180 about her life and her child after she was nearly killed in a car accident. But the real clincher was watching The Young and the Restless 'resolution' to the baby Faith story - it landed with a great, big plop! It didn't have a tenth of the tension and emotionality of the Colleen death story, and Faith was a baby.
So I reexamined my initial thoughts about En Nombre Del Amor and felt a bit more satisfied, especially when I thought about the emotional highpoint of the finale: Gabriel's death.
I knew that Paloma and Emiliano would wind up together, but I certainly didn't expect Gabriel to do what Paloma should've done: look out for Paloma's happiness. Again, I don't speak Spanish, but it seemed that Gabriel truly loved Paloma, but he was hiding his health condition from her. Still, he trucked on, planning his wedding. But after Paloma and Cristobal's walk down the aisle, out steps Emiliano, via Gabriel's invitation, and Gabriel put it out there - if you're going to marry, Paloma, marry for true love. And he made her decide - and she picked Emiliano. Heartbreaking, right? Except that Gabriel had a look of peace and contentment as Paloma and Emiliano exchanged vows. GABRIEL WAS THA MAN!!!! Too bad Carlota had to c*ck up the day by trying to kill Paloma, yet again. And once again, telenovelas demonstrated their recognition and appreciation of men with pure hearts by having them die tragically. Too bad, because after what Gabriel did for Paloma, I wanted to climb all over him - it would've been a beautiful vacation for me, since the actor who portrayed Gabriel was all kinds of yummy!!
But back to Carlota. Carlota... Carlota... Carlota... certainly had a hand at killing a good time. Speaking of killing, here's a montage of Carlota's best kills. She was a very busy girl and yet, her hair was rarely out of place and her makeup was impeccable.
And finally, the very thing that attracted me to En Nombre Del Amor - the theme song. En Cambio No, as performed by Laura Pausini, is one of the best television theme songs I've heard in a long time. Mind you, I sing Hasta Que El Dinero Nos Separe at the top of my lungs. But En Cambio No is a pretty fantastic song. It reminded me of Lost in Your Eyes by Debbie Gibson... only totally awesome!!!! I am so close to buying Laura Pausini's album for this song, although I suspect that there may be some other gems on it - Pausini has some serious singing chops.
So thanks, to whomever or whatever it was that compelled me to watch En Nombre Del Amor. I regret not watching it sooner, but grateful for what I eventually ended up seeing.
So I reexamined my initial thoughts about En Nombre Del Amor and felt a bit more satisfied, especially when I thought about the emotional highpoint of the finale: Gabriel's death.
I knew that Paloma and Emiliano would wind up together, but I certainly didn't expect Gabriel to do what Paloma should've done: look out for Paloma's happiness. Again, I don't speak Spanish, but it seemed that Gabriel truly loved Paloma, but he was hiding his health condition from her. Still, he trucked on, planning his wedding. But after Paloma and Cristobal's walk down the aisle, out steps Emiliano, via Gabriel's invitation, and Gabriel put it out there - if you're going to marry, Paloma, marry for true love. And he made her decide - and she picked Emiliano. Heartbreaking, right? Except that Gabriel had a look of peace and contentment as Paloma and Emiliano exchanged vows. GABRIEL WAS THA MAN!!!! Too bad Carlota had to c*ck up the day by trying to kill Paloma, yet again. And once again, telenovelas demonstrated their recognition and appreciation of men with pure hearts by having them die tragically. Too bad, because after what Gabriel did for Paloma, I wanted to climb all over him - it would've been a beautiful vacation for me, since the actor who portrayed Gabriel was all kinds of yummy!!
But back to Carlota. Carlota... Carlota... Carlota... certainly had a hand at killing a good time. Speaking of killing, here's a montage of Carlota's best kills. She was a very busy girl and yet, her hair was rarely out of place and her makeup was impeccable.
And finally, the very thing that attracted me to En Nombre Del Amor - the theme song. En Cambio No, as performed by Laura Pausini, is one of the best television theme songs I've heard in a long time. Mind you, I sing Hasta Que El Dinero Nos Separe at the top of my lungs. But En Cambio No is a pretty fantastic song. It reminded me of Lost in Your Eyes by Debbie Gibson... only totally awesome!!!! I am so close to buying Laura Pausini's album for this song, although I suspect that there may be some other gems on it - Pausini has some serious singing chops.
So thanks, to whomever or whatever it was that compelled me to watch En Nombre Del Amor. I regret not watching it sooner, but grateful for what I eventually ended up seeing.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Relatively overdue post... but here's my excuse
The thing is... I get caught up. Not in anything that's especially pressing like family or work matters.
I simply go through phases that come on every few years and apparently, this year... it's back.
My irrational fixation on telenovelas, courtesy of Univision.
It started back in 2000(?) when I got caught up with Carita del Angel and later Abrazame Muy Fuerte, which is, to date, my all-time favorite telenovela. Federico Rivera and Racquela... probably my favorite telenovela villains/heavies. But Carlota from my current fixation, En Nombre Del Amor, is gaining.
I readily admit that I didn't watch En Nombre from the beginning. Hell, that's my usual methodology when it comes to telenovelas. I'm usually channel-surfing and a visual grabs my attention, whether it's a confrontation or oddball comic relief character, or maybe it's a snippet of the telenovela's theme song. Usually, it's the theme song that pulls me in. That's certainly true with En Nombre Del Amor. Here's an early version of the opening credits (it ends abruptly as all telenovela opening credits seem to do) :
The opening tells you everything you need to know - this show will be top-heavy with love triangles, teenaged/young adult and middle-aged angst, and that the severe-looking green-eyed woman with be the very devil to anyone who crosses her path.
That's Carlota, by the way. Very severe hair and and her make-up palate is very frosty in nature. I can't help thinking that if someone would've bumped her hair and offered her a better, more warm color selection, she would've been in a better mood. I have to say, though, she looked exactly how I felt after my hairdresser decided to give me a Pineapple Scrunchy. Couple that with the rampant stinger/musical cue, even an non-Spanish speaker like myself can understand that Carlota is no kinda good.
The actress - Leticia Calderon - apparently, this is her first foray into being a villain and I have to say, she's doing a very good job. This week, she bumped off (or tried to) a doctor (I think), but according to wiki, a lot of characters lost their lives at her hands. I did, however, see that she was responsible for bumping off Victoria Ruffo's character via flashback. Ruffo's Macarena (yes, like the dance craze) met her end months ago, at the hands of sister Carlota, due to Carlota's obsession with Macarena's long ago secret love, Cristobel, who was a priest, and the result of Macarena and Cristobel's tryst, Paloma, who was, apparently, adopted by a rich family. Anyway, Paloma found about her link to Macarena, but soon after, Macarena bit it. And Carlota been doing everything to get complete control over Paloma by blocking anything that could bring Paloma independence and sustained romantic happiness.
Apparently, this telenovela is due to end around March 5th, so a lot of $h*t is due to hit the fan. Already, Emilliano, Paloma's true heart's desire, found out that Romina, the chick he had to marry because he thought she was pregnant with his kid, has been screwing around with one of his friends. Romina, who was Paloma's friend, knew that her boyfriend and best friend had some sparks between them, but she had to be stubborn about things and eventually manipulative, even seeking counsel from Carlota. Clearly, Romina belongs with the dude she's been screwing with, but it will take some time for her to figure it out.
Another telenovela caught my attention. Actually, it's the reason my schedule has been thrown off. Recently, Univision added Hasta Que El Dinero Nos Separe to their primetime line-up resulting in En Nombre being pushed up an hour. Hasta Que El Dinero Nos Separe has a much different tone than En Nombre. It's definitely lighter and funnier in many ways. And I've definitely taken a shine to Rafaell. He comes across as a good-natured soul, caught between a rock and a dragonlady, in the form of Alexandra. Mind you, she has cause for being salty; Rafael is the reason why she's in a neck brace and on crutches. Eventually, Rafael and Alexandra will end up together, but right now they're grappling with Bellamys in the form of a batshit crazy girlfriend with an overly protective father and his toadies, and a mustached cheating fiance. Still, the opening credits and theme song got me:
I simply go through phases that come on every few years and apparently, this year... it's back.
My irrational fixation on telenovelas, courtesy of Univision.
It started back in 2000(?) when I got caught up with Carita del Angel and later Abrazame Muy Fuerte, which is, to date, my all-time favorite telenovela. Federico Rivera and Racquela... probably my favorite telenovela villains/heavies. But Carlota from my current fixation, En Nombre Del Amor, is gaining.
I readily admit that I didn't watch En Nombre from the beginning. Hell, that's my usual methodology when it comes to telenovelas. I'm usually channel-surfing and a visual grabs my attention, whether it's a confrontation or oddball comic relief character, or maybe it's a snippet of the telenovela's theme song. Usually, it's the theme song that pulls me in. That's certainly true with En Nombre Del Amor. Here's an early version of the opening credits (it ends abruptly as all telenovela opening credits seem to do) :
The opening tells you everything you need to know - this show will be top-heavy with love triangles, teenaged/young adult and middle-aged angst, and that the severe-looking green-eyed woman with be the very devil to anyone who crosses her path.
That's Carlota, by the way. Very severe hair and and her make-up palate is very frosty in nature. I can't help thinking that if someone would've bumped her hair and offered her a better, more warm color selection, she would've been in a better mood. I have to say, though, she looked exactly how I felt after my hairdresser decided to give me a Pineapple Scrunchy. Couple that with the rampant stinger/musical cue, even an non-Spanish speaker like myself can understand that Carlota is no kinda good.
The actress - Leticia Calderon - apparently, this is her first foray into being a villain and I have to say, she's doing a very good job. This week, she bumped off (or tried to) a doctor (I think), but according to wiki, a lot of characters lost their lives at her hands. I did, however, see that she was responsible for bumping off Victoria Ruffo's character via flashback. Ruffo's Macarena (yes, like the dance craze) met her end months ago, at the hands of sister Carlota, due to Carlota's obsession with Macarena's long ago secret love, Cristobel, who was a priest, and the result of Macarena and Cristobel's tryst, Paloma, who was, apparently, adopted by a rich family. Anyway, Paloma found about her link to Macarena, but soon after, Macarena bit it. And Carlota been doing everything to get complete control over Paloma by blocking anything that could bring Paloma independence and sustained romantic happiness.
Apparently, this telenovela is due to end around March 5th, so a lot of $h*t is due to hit the fan. Already, Emilliano, Paloma's true heart's desire, found out that Romina, the chick he had to marry because he thought she was pregnant with his kid, has been screwing around with one of his friends. Romina, who was Paloma's friend, knew that her boyfriend and best friend had some sparks between them, but she had to be stubborn about things and eventually manipulative, even seeking counsel from Carlota. Clearly, Romina belongs with the dude she's been screwing with, but it will take some time for her to figure it out.
Another telenovela caught my attention. Actually, it's the reason my schedule has been thrown off. Recently, Univision added Hasta Que El Dinero Nos Separe to their primetime line-up resulting in En Nombre being pushed up an hour. Hasta Que El Dinero Nos Separe has a much different tone than En Nombre. It's definitely lighter and funnier in many ways. And I've definitely taken a shine to Rafaell. He comes across as a good-natured soul, caught between a rock and a dragonlady, in the form of Alexandra. Mind you, she has cause for being salty; Rafael is the reason why she's in a neck brace and on crutches. Eventually, Rafael and Alexandra will end up together, but right now they're grappling with Bellamys in the form of a batshit crazy girlfriend with an overly protective father and his toadies, and a mustached cheating fiance. Still, the opening credits and theme song got me:
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Frances Reid... gone
She was 95 years old, so the thought of her having a long life is somewhat comforting. However, I found out about her passing at the hands of an incompetent morning show female DJ who didn't have the decency to know her name.
HER NAME WAS FRANCES REID, DIP$H!T!!!!!
And while it is easy to assume that the DJ in question never watched Days of Our Lives, any soap fan would, or rather, should know the name Frances Reid. She portrayed one half of one of daytime's most indelible soap couples: Alice Horton.
I remember back in the 80s when I dared to switch from CBS to NBC. It was the summer and I was on summer vacation. Reid's Alice Horton was one of the first friendly faces that greeted me. Naturally, there were others like Anna DiMera, Marlena, Calliope, Liz, but Alice Horton was the one who jumped out the most. Such a lovely, welcoming, and at times scrappy presence in the sea of youthful blondes angling for screen time.
And she made homemade donuts... a lot. Who does that except Alice Horton.
And in between being in charge of Salem U's candy stripers, she would willingly help her granddaughters, because it was always her granddaughters, get out of scrapes of their own making. Hope and Jennifer Rose, mainly, although according to soap lore, Julie was a roustabout herself, but that was before my migration.
That initial summer of Days viewing was when Bo and Hope were on the run in New Orleans and Gran would do her best to help keep Larry off of their tail. This was back when Kristin Alphonso had a normal percentage of body fat and neither Bo nor Hope wore on fans' patience with their inexplicable tendency to ruin their romance. Very good memories, given that Alice would help, but never crossed the threshold into being a busybody. She was the grandmother you wish you had. And whenever Alice and Tom celebrated a milestone within their marriage, it was as much of an event as Roman and Marlena, and later John and Marlena, Bo and Hope, Jack and Jennifer, Steve and Kalyla, and any number of supercouples that passed through Salem. If anything, Tom and Alice's celebrations were more precious because they were the benchmark of what couples should be: supportive, faithful, loving, and ever-growing.
Needless to say, it was huge blow when MacDonald Carey passed away in the early 90s; however, Alice's ability to endure and still represent the solidness of the Horton union, even in widowhood, continued to make an indelible impression on Days viewers. And while I jumped ship from Days when Nadia Bjorlin left Days (initially), I still sought out examples of couples similar to the Hortons on other soaps and frankly, there were none to be found. And sadly, that kind of commitment isn't really prized in the current soap climate.
My hope is that Days writers will take their time and create a fitting tribute for Frances Reid. I remember that after Carey passed, Days waited several months to address Tom Horton's passing onscreen. Reid's passing seems even more significant, given that she was the last vestige of the simpler, more elegant part of the Horton legacy. And given that the older fans are still livid about Days' current tendency to cater to their younger demographic, the writers had BETTER do right by Reid and the longtime fans.
Man... I loved Reid's face.
HER NAME WAS FRANCES REID, DIP$H!T!!!!!
And while it is easy to assume that the DJ in question never watched Days of Our Lives, any soap fan would, or rather, should know the name Frances Reid. She portrayed one half of one of daytime's most indelible soap couples: Alice Horton.
I remember back in the 80s when I dared to switch from CBS to NBC. It was the summer and I was on summer vacation. Reid's Alice Horton was one of the first friendly faces that greeted me. Naturally, there were others like Anna DiMera, Marlena, Calliope, Liz, but Alice Horton was the one who jumped out the most. Such a lovely, welcoming, and at times scrappy presence in the sea of youthful blondes angling for screen time.
And she made homemade donuts... a lot. Who does that except Alice Horton.
And in between being in charge of Salem U's candy stripers, she would willingly help her granddaughters, because it was always her granddaughters, get out of scrapes of their own making. Hope and Jennifer Rose, mainly, although according to soap lore, Julie was a roustabout herself, but that was before my migration.
That initial summer of Days viewing was when Bo and Hope were on the run in New Orleans and Gran would do her best to help keep Larry off of their tail. This was back when Kristin Alphonso had a normal percentage of body fat and neither Bo nor Hope wore on fans' patience with their inexplicable tendency to ruin their romance. Very good memories, given that Alice would help, but never crossed the threshold into being a busybody. She was the grandmother you wish you had. And whenever Alice and Tom celebrated a milestone within their marriage, it was as much of an event as Roman and Marlena, and later John and Marlena, Bo and Hope, Jack and Jennifer, Steve and Kalyla, and any number of supercouples that passed through Salem. If anything, Tom and Alice's celebrations were more precious because they were the benchmark of what couples should be: supportive, faithful, loving, and ever-growing.
Needless to say, it was huge blow when MacDonald Carey passed away in the early 90s; however, Alice's ability to endure and still represent the solidness of the Horton union, even in widowhood, continued to make an indelible impression on Days viewers. And while I jumped ship from Days when Nadia Bjorlin left Days (initially), I still sought out examples of couples similar to the Hortons on other soaps and frankly, there were none to be found. And sadly, that kind of commitment isn't really prized in the current soap climate.
My hope is that Days writers will take their time and create a fitting tribute for Frances Reid. I remember that after Carey passed, Days waited several months to address Tom Horton's passing onscreen. Reid's passing seems even more significant, given that she was the last vestige of the simpler, more elegant part of the Horton legacy. And given that the older fans are still livid about Days' current tendency to cater to their younger demographic, the writers had BETTER do right by Reid and the longtime fans.
Man... I loved Reid's face.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Y & R's Heather continues to impress
Victor and Nikki's back... sigh.
Ashley and Neil are getting together... whatever.
Tucker may be Katherine's son... gonna miss Jo-Jo, but this has possibilities.
But the thing that impressed the hell out of me was Heather. I was getting a little worried about her, seeming very visibly wounded that Adam married dumbassed Sharon. And I also worried that she would be relegated to having dinners with Daddy Paul. But when roguish Billy stepped to her table and they wounded up in bed and ole girl didn't even give Billy a chance to come up with an exit line before she dismissed him... oh, man!!! Now that is what I want to see more of... grown assed women taking care of what needs to be taken care of, without stereotypical soap heroine moony-eyed bull$h*t.
What has gotten into Heather... besides Billy? Maybe it's the new reddish haircolor... very Lauren Fenmore, much like the attitude of getting satisfaction without apology. And Billy... I'm beginning to like Billy, just a little bit. I think it's because he's away from Mac. They had the same dynamic as AMC's Ryan and Kendall - Kendall always had to prove herself worthy of Ryan's love and she never could, and quite frankly, why should she? Like Ryan, Mac is such a drag; and I get a weird vibe off of her where Lily and Cane's baby is concerned. And since it is obvious that the writers are considering a possible Mac and JT pairing, why not have Billy and Heather have some fun before Billy starts having hate sex with Victoria? I definitely get a vibe from Billy and Victoria too.
This is not to say that Heather should be alone. Again, if Chloe loses her head again, Heather is clearly capable of scooping up Hot Chance for herself.
Ashley and Neil are getting together... whatever.
Tucker may be Katherine's son... gonna miss Jo-Jo, but this has possibilities.
But the thing that impressed the hell out of me was Heather. I was getting a little worried about her, seeming very visibly wounded that Adam married dumbassed Sharon. And I also worried that she would be relegated to having dinners with Daddy Paul. But when roguish Billy stepped to her table and they wounded up in bed and ole girl didn't even give Billy a chance to come up with an exit line before she dismissed him... oh, man!!! Now that is what I want to see more of... grown assed women taking care of what needs to be taken care of, without stereotypical soap heroine moony-eyed bull$h*t.
What has gotten into Heather... besides Billy? Maybe it's the new reddish haircolor... very Lauren Fenmore, much like the attitude of getting satisfaction without apology. And Billy... I'm beginning to like Billy, just a little bit. I think it's because he's away from Mac. They had the same dynamic as AMC's Ryan and Kendall - Kendall always had to prove herself worthy of Ryan's love and she never could, and quite frankly, why should she? Like Ryan, Mac is such a drag; and I get a weird vibe off of her where Lily and Cane's baby is concerned. And since it is obvious that the writers are considering a possible Mac and JT pairing, why not have Billy and Heather have some fun before Billy starts having hate sex with Victoria? I definitely get a vibe from Billy and Victoria too.
This is not to say that Heather should be alone. Again, if Chloe loses her head again, Heather is clearly capable of scooping up Hot Chance for herself.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Shaking my head at Young and the Restless
Technically, I've been shaking my head at this show for months, especially after Colleen's death, given that they blew some great opportunities. Even Tracy's return at Christmas seemed like an afterthought - most certainly, it felt like a wasted opportunity.
As for Darius McCreary taking over the Shemar Moore part - I'm okay with it... so far. I am in a very small minority, but I really couldn't stand Moore's take on Malcolm. Yes, Moore is fine, but he is also cocky and smug. I was troubled when I heard that Eddie Winslow was joining Y & R because the show already his nephew, little Richie, on the show, who, ironically, will be Malcolm's nephew, Devon, plus we have Ashley Banks from the Fresh Prince on the show as little Richie/Devon's girlfriend. I was getting a little afraid that Telma Hopkins would take over the role of Drucilla or something. But to be honest, they all seem to be doing a pretty good job on the show and that's all that matters. I mean... thinking back on Joan Collins as GL's Alexandra Spaulding... please!
One of my problems with the current state of Y & R is, frankly, similar to the problems I had with B & B... the schizophrenic tone and pace. For example, the quickness of Chloe getting over Billy. Yes, I wanted her to turn her eyes to the general direction of Chance, and I have been satisfied with their relationship, but I wouldn't have minded if the writers allowed the whole business to simmer... just a little bit. Again, I'm relieved that she cut that douchebag loose, but make it more believable.
And I'm not exactly excited about the Chance storyline either. Again, it feels rushed, plus, it seemed like it came out of nowhere. Mind you, I am getting a vibe from Heather that she wants Chance and hell!!! who can blame her? I hate triangles, especially lopsided ones, but if Chloe develops the Billy disease again, I wouldn't be too upset if Heather was right there to scoop Chance up. Actually... sop him up with a biscuit is more accurate.
Another rushed storyline - Jack and Emily. I like those two together, but their getting married on Valentine's Day screams Sweeps stunt. I worry because Jack never really had luck with sustained happiness and Emily is a pretty d@mn good choice. However, Patty is b*t$hit and her roots are coming in, despite her being 'blonde'. Patty really could put a world of hurt on Jack and Emily.
Although this seemed rushed too, I do admit that I like Paul and Nina together. I like their friendship and how they 'get' each other.
The storyline involving Michael, Lauren, Kevin and the Wonder Twins are really stepping on my nerves. And the Daniel, Amber, and Deacon stuff... I DON"T CARE!!!! And again, I can't get all fired up about Little D's safety when Deacon had the mental wherewithal to bed both Amber and Victoria. If the kid was in real danger, he wouldn't have taken such a lackadaisical approach to doing faceless broad's bidding.
And Kay possibly finding her long lost daughter... I kinda dig the woman she found. Jo. She's loud, brash, kinda awesome... in her way. I hope that she is Katherine's daughter, although I always secretly hoped that Esther was the missing daughter.
And now... for the main reason why I wanted to blog about Y & R... SHARON!!!
What a fcuking rag!
Actually, I want to call her a fcuking toerag, but I'm not sure if that's the correct spelling (God... I miss Coronation Street!)
Anyway, I wouldn't have a beef with her confronting Jack about his hypocrisy, but the b*tch seems oblivious to how much her $h*t stank. She was quick to point out Jack's flaws to Emily, but she neglect to mention that he did volunteer to raise her child as his own, regardless of the paternity test results (BTW... Nick and Jack's brother, Billy, were the other ones at bat). Then, she promptly ditched Jack for Nick. Then she ditched Nick again, only because his daughter Summer nearly died. Then she allowed Nick to believe that Jack was the father. Then she proclaimed that she wanted to be independent, meanwhile Jack was keeping an eye on her, on the QT, because Mary Jane/Patty was out to get her. Then she got her butt arrested and thrown in an institution for her failure to accept that Nick did exactly what she thought she wanted him to do - reunite his family with Phyllis. Then she 'lost' the baby. Then, all of a sudden, that being without a man flew out of the window when Adam started checking up on her.
WHAM... BAMM... they wound up in bed.
And not only did they wind up in bed, they wound up there on World AIDS Day. Can you imagine how insulting it was watching a woman knowingly and willingly sleep with a man who did the 'downlow', when women of my ilk are unknowingly acquiring the ailment in that manner at frightening numbers? It was a huge goof and Y & R can't justify it by saying that it illustrates tolerance. It was stupid and sloppy. And it was obvious that whomever wrote this wasn't thinking beyond getting the Nick/Phyllis/Sharon/Adam quadrangle going. And Sharon marrying Adam and nearly dying in a plane crash? And now, Noah may perish in a house fire... gimme a break!!! The Y & R writers seem to be breaking their necks to make Sharon interesting, but b*tch really isn't.
She's dumb.
And even worse, she lacks instinct. An affliction that infects any female who associates with Adam. First, it was Heather; then, Ashley; and now, Sharon. Blondes who are not helping the stereotype, although Heather is doing her damnedest to rehab it.
Seriously, I can't wait for Sharon and Ashley to get their face cracked, where Adam's concerned. I won't feel sorry for either one of them because they knew better. Plus, it's yet another baby switch story and I am too through with those storylines.
Fcuk you, Sharon!!!!
As for Darius McCreary taking over the Shemar Moore part - I'm okay with it... so far. I am in a very small minority, but I really couldn't stand Moore's take on Malcolm. Yes, Moore is fine, but he is also cocky and smug. I was troubled when I heard that Eddie Winslow was joining Y & R because the show already his nephew, little Richie, on the show, who, ironically, will be Malcolm's nephew, Devon, plus we have Ashley Banks from the Fresh Prince on the show as little Richie/Devon's girlfriend. I was getting a little afraid that Telma Hopkins would take over the role of Drucilla or something. But to be honest, they all seem to be doing a pretty good job on the show and that's all that matters. I mean... thinking back on Joan Collins as GL's Alexandra Spaulding... please!
One of my problems with the current state of Y & R is, frankly, similar to the problems I had with B & B... the schizophrenic tone and pace. For example, the quickness of Chloe getting over Billy. Yes, I wanted her to turn her eyes to the general direction of Chance, and I have been satisfied with their relationship, but I wouldn't have minded if the writers allowed the whole business to simmer... just a little bit. Again, I'm relieved that she cut that douchebag loose, but make it more believable.
And I'm not exactly excited about the Chance storyline either. Again, it feels rushed, plus, it seemed like it came out of nowhere. Mind you, I am getting a vibe from Heather that she wants Chance and hell!!! who can blame her? I hate triangles, especially lopsided ones, but if Chloe develops the Billy disease again, I wouldn't be too upset if Heather was right there to scoop Chance up. Actually... sop him up with a biscuit is more accurate.
Another rushed storyline - Jack and Emily. I like those two together, but their getting married on Valentine's Day screams Sweeps stunt. I worry because Jack never really had luck with sustained happiness and Emily is a pretty d@mn good choice. However, Patty is b*t$hit and her roots are coming in, despite her being 'blonde'. Patty really could put a world of hurt on Jack and Emily.
Although this seemed rushed too, I do admit that I like Paul and Nina together. I like their friendship and how they 'get' each other.
The storyline involving Michael, Lauren, Kevin and the Wonder Twins are really stepping on my nerves. And the Daniel, Amber, and Deacon stuff... I DON"T CARE!!!! And again, I can't get all fired up about Little D's safety when Deacon had the mental wherewithal to bed both Amber and Victoria. If the kid was in real danger, he wouldn't have taken such a lackadaisical approach to doing faceless broad's bidding.
And Kay possibly finding her long lost daughter... I kinda dig the woman she found. Jo. She's loud, brash, kinda awesome... in her way. I hope that she is Katherine's daughter, although I always secretly hoped that Esther was the missing daughter.
And now... for the main reason why I wanted to blog about Y & R... SHARON!!!
What a fcuking rag!
Actually, I want to call her a fcuking toerag, but I'm not sure if that's the correct spelling (God... I miss Coronation Street!)
Anyway, I wouldn't have a beef with her confronting Jack about his hypocrisy, but the b*tch seems oblivious to how much her $h*t stank. She was quick to point out Jack's flaws to Emily, but she neglect to mention that he did volunteer to raise her child as his own, regardless of the paternity test results (BTW... Nick and Jack's brother, Billy, were the other ones at bat). Then, she promptly ditched Jack for Nick. Then she ditched Nick again, only because his daughter Summer nearly died. Then she allowed Nick to believe that Jack was the father. Then she proclaimed that she wanted to be independent, meanwhile Jack was keeping an eye on her, on the QT, because Mary Jane/Patty was out to get her. Then she got her butt arrested and thrown in an institution for her failure to accept that Nick did exactly what she thought she wanted him to do - reunite his family with Phyllis. Then she 'lost' the baby. Then, all of a sudden, that being without a man flew out of the window when Adam started checking up on her.
WHAM... BAMM... they wound up in bed.
And not only did they wind up in bed, they wound up there on World AIDS Day. Can you imagine how insulting it was watching a woman knowingly and willingly sleep with a man who did the 'downlow', when women of my ilk are unknowingly acquiring the ailment in that manner at frightening numbers? It was a huge goof and Y & R can't justify it by saying that it illustrates tolerance. It was stupid and sloppy. And it was obvious that whomever wrote this wasn't thinking beyond getting the Nick/Phyllis/Sharon/Adam quadrangle going. And Sharon marrying Adam and nearly dying in a plane crash? And now, Noah may perish in a house fire... gimme a break!!! The Y & R writers seem to be breaking their necks to make Sharon interesting, but b*tch really isn't.
She's dumb.
And even worse, she lacks instinct. An affliction that infects any female who associates with Adam. First, it was Heather; then, Ashley; and now, Sharon. Blondes who are not helping the stereotype, although Heather is doing her damnedest to rehab it.
Seriously, I can't wait for Sharon and Ashley to get their face cracked, where Adam's concerned. I won't feel sorry for either one of them because they knew better. Plus, it's yet another baby switch story and I am too through with those storylines.
Fcuk you, Sharon!!!!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
CBS is getting their NBC on
So now, CBS is getting rid of As The World Turns.
The ax will come down nearly a year to the day that they killed Guiding Light.
So in September 2010, CBS's daytime line up will consist of two Bell soaps - The Young and the Restless and Bold and the Beautiful. While the thought of these two soaps surviving is reassuring, given that they are pretty good, at times, it's still disheartening that CBS can clip two shows that were on-air for a sum total of 120+ years. It just seems cruel and shortsighted, especially when there is a network (NBC) who pulled the same crap back in the 90s and they are still suffering.
Mind you, I haven't watched As The World Turns in years, mainly because I got sick of the incessant Carly and Lily whining. How many times can Jack and Carly and Lily and Holden break up and make up before it becomes contrived? But I have to say that one of my favorite ATWT storyline was when young Will Munson bumped off the biggest whiner, Rose, using antifreeze. I really enjoyed that storyline. I also dug the Emily screwing around with Chris, her sister/daughter's fiance and everything came to a head at the altar. But that whole story was topped off when Hal forgave Emily for the transgression. I also like the storyline involving Jack having amnesia and hooking up with a different Julia than the bat$h*t one of yore; unfortunately, she was whiny too. But for me, the most pointless storyline ever was when Margo and Jessica were at each other's throats over that football player.
I remember watching this show back in the day, specifically, during the day when Meg Ryan portrayed Betsy. You could see her potential even back then. I vaguely remember Marisa Tomei and Julianne Moore, but barely. I think that this was during the time when I went over to NBC, but who knows. I think that ATWT was a little too sophisticated for my childlike mind, although, again, I found Meg Ryan absolutely appealing as an actress.
With the end of ATWT, the ranks among NYC-based soap operas continue to shrink. It's wrong to generalize, but you can definitely tell the NY soaps from the West Coast soaps, in terms of acting. The late Benjamin Hendrickson aka Hal Munson comes to mind. Fantastic character actor whose loss severely damaged the show. I have no idea what else contributed to ATWT's demise; however, yet again, TPTB aren't leading by example. If they don't care about their shows, why should potential audiences invest their time and sentiment to them?
The ax will come down nearly a year to the day that they killed Guiding Light.
So in September 2010, CBS's daytime line up will consist of two Bell soaps - The Young and the Restless and Bold and the Beautiful. While the thought of these two soaps surviving is reassuring, given that they are pretty good, at times, it's still disheartening that CBS can clip two shows that were on-air for a sum total of 120+ years. It just seems cruel and shortsighted, especially when there is a network (NBC) who pulled the same crap back in the 90s and they are still suffering.
Mind you, I haven't watched As The World Turns in years, mainly because I got sick of the incessant Carly and Lily whining. How many times can Jack and Carly and Lily and Holden break up and make up before it becomes contrived? But I have to say that one of my favorite ATWT storyline was when young Will Munson bumped off the biggest whiner, Rose, using antifreeze. I really enjoyed that storyline. I also dug the Emily screwing around with Chris, her sister/daughter's fiance and everything came to a head at the altar. But that whole story was topped off when Hal forgave Emily for the transgression. I also like the storyline involving Jack having amnesia and hooking up with a different Julia than the bat$h*t one of yore; unfortunately, she was whiny too. But for me, the most pointless storyline ever was when Margo and Jessica were at each other's throats over that football player.
I remember watching this show back in the day, specifically, during the day when Meg Ryan portrayed Betsy. You could see her potential even back then. I vaguely remember Marisa Tomei and Julianne Moore, but barely. I think that this was during the time when I went over to NBC, but who knows. I think that ATWT was a little too sophisticated for my childlike mind, although, again, I found Meg Ryan absolutely appealing as an actress.
With the end of ATWT, the ranks among NYC-based soap operas continue to shrink. It's wrong to generalize, but you can definitely tell the NY soaps from the West Coast soaps, in terms of acting. The late Benjamin Hendrickson aka Hal Munson comes to mind. Fantastic character actor whose loss severely damaged the show. I have no idea what else contributed to ATWT's demise; however, yet again, TPTB aren't leading by example. If they don't care about their shows, why should potential audiences invest their time and sentiment to them?
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Fingers crossed that Hot Chance is leading a trend
I haven't written about Y & R for about a week, despite some promising developments regarding current story arcs. I still hate that Adam will continue to skate on all of his misdeeds; I hate that, ultimately, Ashley will be devastated when she loses Sharon's Faith. I hate that Traci will be leaving Genoa City, especially since Beth Maitland has been responsible for the heart, which has been sorely lacking.
However, there has been much to love, despite receiving them in small doses. A good example is Ashley. Despite her blindspot regarding Adam, I absolutely love how cold and ruthless she is towards Victor. Despite Colleen's heart beating inside his chest, Victor isn't being handled with kid gloves by Ashley; finally, Ashley is smart again. Although she will not likely succeed in limiting Victor's access to Faith, the fact that she recognizes that being overly accommodating is dangerous, shows that sentiment has colored her perception. Unlike Nikki, who is enthusiastically returning to the rich b*tch/lady of the manor pose she wore during her many on-again off-again years with Victor. Nikki is a sap and a buttinsky. Much like when she interrupted the Abbotts' grieving for a crack at Colleen's heart, she 'decided' to remind Ashley that Faith was a Newman. I was thinking 'Cow... stay the fcuk out of this!'
Another great surprise is that TPTB aren't letting the actress who portrayed Patty/Mary Jane go... just yet. For me, this actress is a keeper. There were times when I hated Patty/Mary Jane (i.e. when she injured Summer, killed the Newman dog, prevented emergency response from helping Colleen, etc.), but when she, with Paul by her side, surrendered herself to the authorities. Her performance was heartbreaking, especially when one thinks back on all of the awful things she did. Unfortunately, this actress will be playing a dual role, which can be tricky, but the therapist remains as scrappy as she was on Thursday's episode, this could prove promising.
But for me, most of my hopes rest on the males on the show; specifically, the 'nice guys'. I continue to be impressed, and quite frankly, majorly attracted to Paul. Seriously... he is the best big brother ever! And just a fantastic guy altogether. It's a week too late, but I really have to compliment Doug Davidson's performance in the scene after Colleen's memorial. His Paul was uncomfortable, guilt-ridden, ashamed - pretty refreshing compared to, say, Victoria, who made Colleen's life hell while she was alive and profited from her death via her father getting a second chance. Victoria was glacial and bratty throughout this whole thing; it was fantastic to see someone carrying guilt right out in the open, although Paul really didn't have a hand in Colleen's death.
Another promising male is JT. I am glad that he's not handholding Victoria. That chick is a freaking coward. Instead of accepting culpability in the disintergration of her marriage, she goes to work and avoids everything. I would so not be mad at JT if he gets that job in New York, takes Reid and get the hell out of GC. And BTW... what the hell is the deal with the writers trying to make Deacon sympathetic? Interjecting that little D may be in danger and that Deacon is merely a puppet is just too little, too late. After all, this is a dude who relished in blackmailing Amber, arranging it so that Daniel could hear them having sex, and he bedded down Victoria. That fcuker was having way too much fun screwing all of these people over, so don't try to paint him as some desperate case now.
And finally... Hot Chance. I loved it when he broke things down to Billy about his virginity. And although I would love for him to be with Chloe, I looooooovvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeedddd how he Rhett Butler-ed her @$$ today. Why should he waste time with someone whose mind is on someone else... an unworthy someone else? Although I do worry that he will fall into bed with Mac - I simply don't like Mac. Now if it was scrappy Heather, then I'm all for it. But naturally, I would love it if Chance maintains his purity until it's absolutely right for him; but again, I find him unbelievably attractive. I just want somebody - a female somebody - to kiss him and mean it.
However, there has been much to love, despite receiving them in small doses. A good example is Ashley. Despite her blindspot regarding Adam, I absolutely love how cold and ruthless she is towards Victor. Despite Colleen's heart beating inside his chest, Victor isn't being handled with kid gloves by Ashley; finally, Ashley is smart again. Although she will not likely succeed in limiting Victor's access to Faith, the fact that she recognizes that being overly accommodating is dangerous, shows that sentiment has colored her perception. Unlike Nikki, who is enthusiastically returning to the rich b*tch/lady of the manor pose she wore during her many on-again off-again years with Victor. Nikki is a sap and a buttinsky. Much like when she interrupted the Abbotts' grieving for a crack at Colleen's heart, she 'decided' to remind Ashley that Faith was a Newman. I was thinking 'Cow... stay the fcuk out of this!'
Another great surprise is that TPTB aren't letting the actress who portrayed Patty/Mary Jane go... just yet. For me, this actress is a keeper. There were times when I hated Patty/Mary Jane (i.e. when she injured Summer, killed the Newman dog, prevented emergency response from helping Colleen, etc.), but when she, with Paul by her side, surrendered herself to the authorities. Her performance was heartbreaking, especially when one thinks back on all of the awful things she did. Unfortunately, this actress will be playing a dual role, which can be tricky, but the therapist remains as scrappy as she was on Thursday's episode, this could prove promising.
But for me, most of my hopes rest on the males on the show; specifically, the 'nice guys'. I continue to be impressed, and quite frankly, majorly attracted to Paul. Seriously... he is the best big brother ever! And just a fantastic guy altogether. It's a week too late, but I really have to compliment Doug Davidson's performance in the scene after Colleen's memorial. His Paul was uncomfortable, guilt-ridden, ashamed - pretty refreshing compared to, say, Victoria, who made Colleen's life hell while she was alive and profited from her death via her father getting a second chance. Victoria was glacial and bratty throughout this whole thing; it was fantastic to see someone carrying guilt right out in the open, although Paul really didn't have a hand in Colleen's death.
Another promising male is JT. I am glad that he's not handholding Victoria. That chick is a freaking coward. Instead of accepting culpability in the disintergration of her marriage, she goes to work and avoids everything. I would so not be mad at JT if he gets that job in New York, takes Reid and get the hell out of GC. And BTW... what the hell is the deal with the writers trying to make Deacon sympathetic? Interjecting that little D may be in danger and that Deacon is merely a puppet is just too little, too late. After all, this is a dude who relished in blackmailing Amber, arranging it so that Daniel could hear them having sex, and he bedded down Victoria. That fcuker was having way too much fun screwing all of these people over, so don't try to paint him as some desperate case now.
And finally... Hot Chance. I loved it when he broke things down to Billy about his virginity. And although I would love for him to be with Chloe, I looooooovvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeedddd how he Rhett Butler-ed her @$$ today. Why should he waste time with someone whose mind is on someone else... an unworthy someone else? Although I do worry that he will fall into bed with Mac - I simply don't like Mac. Now if it was scrappy Heather, then I'm all for it. But naturally, I would love it if Chance maintains his purity until it's absolutely right for him; but again, I find him unbelievably attractive. I just want somebody - a female somebody - to kiss him and mean it.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Santa Barbara 25 - Mason versus the Capwells
I haven't posted a Mason clip in a while, although emphasizing on Justin Deas and Robin Wright were completely justified.
I found this clip, demonstrating how much of a black sheep Mason was. This was during the time when Kelly was trying to discover the real killer of her brother, Channing. She finally believed that Joe wasn't responsible; so Mason became the primary suspect.
Why? Because Peter Flint told her so.
Peter Flint - her ex-fiance she threw over for Joe. Persecution complex Peter Flint, who later became the infamous serial rapist/murderer called the Carnation Killer.
But Mason had a major rivalry with Channing, which included Channing using and impregnating Santana Andrade just to get Mason's goat. That, and Peter's allegations were enough to put Mason in Kelly and CC's crosshairs.
Well, my Mason turned it around on them in this clip. For whatever reason, CC always favored the kids that Sophia bore, but treated Mason like a poor relation. This was the beginning of Mason giving CC a lot of hell for his past mistreatments.
I found this clip, demonstrating how much of a black sheep Mason was. This was during the time when Kelly was trying to discover the real killer of her brother, Channing. She finally believed that Joe wasn't responsible; so Mason became the primary suspect.
Why? Because Peter Flint told her so.
Peter Flint - her ex-fiance she threw over for Joe. Persecution complex Peter Flint, who later became the infamous serial rapist/murderer called the Carnation Killer.
But Mason had a major rivalry with Channing, which included Channing using and impregnating Santana Andrade just to get Mason's goat. That, and Peter's allegations were enough to put Mason in Kelly and CC's crosshairs.
Well, my Mason turned it around on them in this clip. For whatever reason, CC always favored the kids that Sophia bore, but treated Mason like a poor relation. This was the beginning of Mason giving CC a lot of hell for his past mistreatments.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
The Young and the Restless - Her name is Beth Maitland
Friday's episode was mainly about Colleen's memorial service, with the additional drama of Lily being unable to attend due to her compromised immunity system due to cancer. Personally, I wished that those plots were the whole of the show, but naturally, the writers had to insinuate the Newmans into this storyline, which remains a very sore subject for me. I don't give a rip about Sharon grappling with her 'lost' baby; I don't give a rip about Nick's divided loyalties; nor do I care about Victoria feeling isolated because JT isn't toe-dancing with the news that Victor isn't rejecting Colleen's heart; and I really don't care that, yet again, Nikki allowed herself to be pulled into Victor's personal drama. I would've been perfectly contented if Friday's show was solely about the Abbotts and the Winters because they were the source of the emotion and heart of the episode.
To be honest, I cried throughout the whole memorial, except when Victoria wanted to read Victor's letter. Her presence was like a cold bucket of water in an otherwise very emotional ceremony. The performances were phenomenal; unfortunately, I don't know the names of all of the actors during these scenes, so I will have to use their characters' names. A good example was Billy - typically, I can't stand Billy, especially his interactions with Chloe, but during this storyline, my opinions of what was happening fell in line with his. And when he was charged with arranging the memorial, he did his niece proud. And when he set the stage for what the service would be and punctuated the ending of it with everyone letting go of red balloons, I was actually proud of him.
I was kinda surprised at how moved I was by Neil (Kristoff St. John). Make no mistake, St. John usually brings it, in terms of performance, but his demeanor during this whole thing added authenticity. He made you believe that he knew, appreciated, and loved Colleen for being Lily's friend and for Colleen being Colleen. You felt the gravity of Neil's fears for Lily, especially when he had to face the completely unexpected death of Colleen. He felt like a family friend and a genuine friend to Traci.
The rest of the Abbotts were fine, but the standout was absolutely, positively Traci. For the last few weeks, she has been the heart (no pun intended) of the whole storyline. I have always been a fan of Traci, since I saw myself in her. I'm a twin and unfortunately, I was the decidedly chubbier twin all of my life, so I could relate to Traci's growing pains/rivalries with Ashley, and later, her rivalries with Lauren and her incessant drive to have unqualified happiness within her own skin and on her own terms. The majority of the time, Traci was unsuccessful at getting what she wanted, but she never became bitter about it. So when Traci mothered Colleen, and was damn good at it, it was a significant, well-fought victory; and when her precious child was taken away, it hurt me so deeply. I am ashamed to say that although I related to the Traci character on a personal level, I never knew the name of her portrayer. I was several years gone from Y & R before I began reading soap opera credits, so I never knew her name until yesterday.
Beth Maitland is her name.
Beth Maitland crushed it, on Friday's episode and for the episodes leading up to the memorial. Traci's grief was truly one of the most startlingly authentic portrayals I've seen in years. At times, it was too overwhelming to watch, but impossible to turn off. And the fact that Maitland's Traci tried to be sunny beneath the downpour of tears was quintessential Traci, but her pain was unlike any pain Traci endured over the last 20+ years.
Beth Maitland's performance should be an argument towards giving veterans the frontburner versus hunting down models/reality show contestants and giving them undeserved screen time. Yes, soaps are great testing grounds for new actors, but the vets can and should be the professors on screen.
Kudos, Beth Maitland!
To be honest, I cried throughout the whole memorial, except when Victoria wanted to read Victor's letter. Her presence was like a cold bucket of water in an otherwise very emotional ceremony. The performances were phenomenal; unfortunately, I don't know the names of all of the actors during these scenes, so I will have to use their characters' names. A good example was Billy - typically, I can't stand Billy, especially his interactions with Chloe, but during this storyline, my opinions of what was happening fell in line with his. And when he was charged with arranging the memorial, he did his niece proud. And when he set the stage for what the service would be and punctuated the ending of it with everyone letting go of red balloons, I was actually proud of him.
I was kinda surprised at how moved I was by Neil (Kristoff St. John). Make no mistake, St. John usually brings it, in terms of performance, but his demeanor during this whole thing added authenticity. He made you believe that he knew, appreciated, and loved Colleen for being Lily's friend and for Colleen being Colleen. You felt the gravity of Neil's fears for Lily, especially when he had to face the completely unexpected death of Colleen. He felt like a family friend and a genuine friend to Traci.
The rest of the Abbotts were fine, but the standout was absolutely, positively Traci. For the last few weeks, she has been the heart (no pun intended) of the whole storyline. I have always been a fan of Traci, since I saw myself in her. I'm a twin and unfortunately, I was the decidedly chubbier twin all of my life, so I could relate to Traci's growing pains/rivalries with Ashley, and later, her rivalries with Lauren and her incessant drive to have unqualified happiness within her own skin and on her own terms. The majority of the time, Traci was unsuccessful at getting what she wanted, but she never became bitter about it. So when Traci mothered Colleen, and was damn good at it, it was a significant, well-fought victory; and when her precious child was taken away, it hurt me so deeply. I am ashamed to say that although I related to the Traci character on a personal level, I never knew the name of her portrayer. I was several years gone from Y & R before I began reading soap opera credits, so I never knew her name until yesterday.
Beth Maitland is her name.
Beth Maitland crushed it, on Friday's episode and for the episodes leading up to the memorial. Traci's grief was truly one of the most startlingly authentic portrayals I've seen in years. At times, it was too overwhelming to watch, but impossible to turn off. And the fact that Maitland's Traci tried to be sunny beneath the downpour of tears was quintessential Traci, but her pain was unlike any pain Traci endured over the last 20+ years.
Beth Maitland's performance should be an argument towards giving veterans the frontburner versus hunting down models/reality show contestants and giving them undeserved screen time. Yes, soaps are great testing grounds for new actors, but the vets can and should be the professors on screen.
Kudos, Beth Maitland!
Monday, October 5, 2009
The Young and the Restless - Heartbreaking
I can't wait for this Colleen transplant storyline to be over.
Victor doesn't deserve the heart. The Newmans don't deserve a second chance with Victor. And the Abbotts don't deserve this level of heartache.
However, the last two segments of today's episode really got to me.
Billy and Katherine in the chapel.
JT saying goodbye to Colleen.
Traci saying goodbye to Colleen - d@mn, that was really hard to watch.
And seeing Victor and Colleen being wheeled to their respective operating rooms while their families looked on - and the version of Nadia's Theme/ Y & R theme - I was crying my eyes out.
Nevertheless, I still hate this turn, although it was very affecting.
And to be honest, I don't know if I'm going to continue watching Y & R after this. The writers' clear favoritism towards the Newmans is vomit-inducing. And more than likely, this experience will not change any member of this family for the better.
Victor doesn't deserve the heart. The Newmans don't deserve a second chance with Victor. And the Abbotts don't deserve this level of heartache.
However, the last two segments of today's episode really got to me.
Billy and Katherine in the chapel.
JT saying goodbye to Colleen.
Traci saying goodbye to Colleen - d@mn, that was really hard to watch.
And seeing Victor and Colleen being wheeled to their respective operating rooms while their families looked on - and the version of Nadia's Theme/ Y & R theme - I was crying my eyes out.
Nevertheless, I still hate this turn, although it was very affecting.
And to be honest, I don't know if I'm going to continue watching Y & R after this. The writers' clear favoritism towards the Newmans is vomit-inducing. And more than likely, this experience will not change any member of this family for the better.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Santa Barbara 25 - Double dose of Augusta
Since last week was pretty hectic, I failed to post another Santa Barbara clip.
This week, I'm in an Augusta Lockridge mood. Plus, I heard that Louise Sorel is returning to Days of Our Lives as Aunt Vivian Alamain. So why not serve up some bourgy, cougary Augusta Lockridge action.
The following clip features Louise Sorel as Augusta, along with Judith McConnell as Sophia, sparring during a charity benefit.
And as a bonus, Augusta delivering some home truths to the deluded Capwells and their assembled friends during the Who Killed Channing storyline. This clip made me realize how important Augusta was to the SB landscape; like Mason, Augusta was the truth and was impossible to muzzle.
This week, I'm in an Augusta Lockridge mood. Plus, I heard that Louise Sorel is returning to Days of Our Lives as Aunt Vivian Alamain. So why not serve up some bourgy, cougary Augusta Lockridge action.
The following clip features Louise Sorel as Augusta, along with Judith McConnell as Sophia, sparring during a charity benefit.
And as a bonus, Augusta delivering some home truths to the deluded Capwells and their assembled friends during the Who Killed Channing storyline. This clip made me realize how important Augusta was to the SB landscape; like Mason, Augusta was the truth and was impossible to muzzle.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Young and the Restless is really getting on my nerves
Typically, the main point of contention for most soap fans is that newbies receive frontburner treatment to the detriment of longtimers. For the most part, I agree that the writers and TPTB ditch the veterans way too quickly in favor of some green 'actor' (read: pretty, youthful face). However, I wish that the veterans would sit their @$$es down, specifically the 30-40-something basketcases like Sharon and Ashley.
Look, I know that Colleen was a recast and a newbie, but interrupting the Abbotts as they grapple with Colleen's death and the possibility of organ donation for more hand-wringing and whining from grown-@$$ed, pampered women is just too much to take. And Nick and Victoria's heart to heart about Victor, which resulted in, essentially, shrugging their shoulders at his boorish, manipulative behavior, since they can't do anything about it...
Can't do anything about it? Really?
Or do they mean 'can't do anything about it because it would impact their inheritance'? Because for broke people, like myself, something can be done about a dysfunctional, bullying parent, namely cutting all ties to said parent. And given that Nick and Victoria have children, severing their ties with Victor could impact his attitude and behavior. But, no... there are other things to be considered like their inheritances and jobs and $h*t...
And Nikki... this broad has some fcuking balls! Barely visited the Abbotts when they were hanging on to hope, and yet, here she comes to ask for Colleen's heart for Victor. Seriously, the looks that she and Victoria exchanged when Abby (fcuking bigmouth!) dropped the dime on Colleen's condition, it was like watching Dr. Fronkenstein and Igor licking their chops. Naturally, Nikki and Victoria have better hair, but it was pretty damn ghoulish and typical. Typical tunnel-vision Newman selfishness.
Naturally, Nikki and the Newmans will get what they 'need', because Tracy is really, really nice. But the Newmans don't deserve this miracle and will promptly suppress this gift when the novelty wears off.
I seriously hate this storyline.
Look, I know that Colleen was a recast and a newbie, but interrupting the Abbotts as they grapple with Colleen's death and the possibility of organ donation for more hand-wringing and whining from grown-@$$ed, pampered women is just too much to take. And Nick and Victoria's heart to heart about Victor, which resulted in, essentially, shrugging their shoulders at his boorish, manipulative behavior, since they can't do anything about it...
Can't do anything about it? Really?
Or do they mean 'can't do anything about it because it would impact their inheritance'? Because for broke people, like myself, something can be done about a dysfunctional, bullying parent, namely cutting all ties to said parent. And given that Nick and Victoria have children, severing their ties with Victor could impact his attitude and behavior. But, no... there are other things to be considered like their inheritances and jobs and $h*t...
And Nikki... this broad has some fcuking balls! Barely visited the Abbotts when they were hanging on to hope, and yet, here she comes to ask for Colleen's heart for Victor. Seriously, the looks that she and Victoria exchanged when Abby (fcuking bigmouth!) dropped the dime on Colleen's condition, it was like watching Dr. Fronkenstein and Igor licking their chops. Naturally, Nikki and Victoria have better hair, but it was pretty damn ghoulish and typical. Typical tunnel-vision Newman selfishness.
Naturally, Nikki and the Newmans will get what they 'need', because Tracy is really, really nice. But the Newmans don't deserve this miracle and will promptly suppress this gift when the novelty wears off.
I seriously hate this storyline.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Let Victor Newman die!!!!
Please, TPTB at CBS, let his cranky, lying, vindictive @$$ slip off this mortal coil.
And please reverse Colleen's irreversible brain damage, because viewers know where the current course is leading.
Sadly, since Y & R rarely cops out when it comes to real-life scenarios like brain damage, it looks like Colleen will die and Victor will be the lucky recipient of her heart, since she agreed to be a organ donor upon her death. And quite frankly, this doesn't sit well with me at all.
For months, Victor treated this girl with such contempt, which was completely unjustified. And given that his pathological need to stick it to Jack led to Colleen's death and the fact that he lied, bold-faced, to Colleen's aunt and mother when confronted about his continued misdeeds and negligence when it comes to caring for those he supposedly love, this direction seems very cruel.
This isn't the General Hospital BJ/Maxie heart transplant storyline. There is no way that the audience will cry for Victor or the Newmans; there will be tears for the Abbotts and the Carltons. And while many, like myself, are feeling rage, the rage will escalate because we know that the Jack/Victor rivalry will not end. Jack will not let this stand and Billy will be in the back, egging him on, and frankly, that will be completely understandable. Victor, on the other hand, may feel some guilt about how he treated Colleen and the ways he set her death in motion, but he will get over it and resume his vendetta with Jack because the d*ck can't help himself. Yes, I know that Jack has done many things to Victor, but he usually pays for it, in some way; Victor rarely, if ever, pays for his dirty tricks and machinated cruelties. And it also doesn't sit well that Victoria will get a second chance with Colleen's ex, JT, since she is still alive and that she will fake remorse about how she aped her father's cruelties towards Colleen and feign gratitude for Colleen's 'gift of life'. Like Victor, Victoria will revert to her raggy behavior after a brief period of mourning and placating JT.
Surprisingly, I think that the Williams family deserve more tears than the Newmans. Although Patty was integral to Colleen's death, this woman was clearly mentally disturbed and shouldn't have been dragged into Victor's vendetta against Jack. And the scene when Patty surrendered to the GCPD was heart-wrenching. And as I mentioned weeks ago, Paul was more engaged in resolving this situation than the very dude who set this whole thing in motion. And Paul's only interest in this was, in theory, Patty, but the public safety of others was a very close second. Meanwhile, Victor, whose wife, granddaughter, and goddaughter were impacted by Patty, sat on his fcuking hands for a long-@$$ed time. Paul will be feeling this tragedy stronger than the fcuking Newmans, including Nikki, who reverted back into the blinded wife role she rocked for 20+ years. Poor Paul.
But back to the Abbotts - there is more pain in store for them, involving Ashley's baby, although it may be postponed by a typical baby switch story.
Can't the Abbotts catch a break?
And please reverse Colleen's irreversible brain damage, because viewers know where the current course is leading.
Sadly, since Y & R rarely cops out when it comes to real-life scenarios like brain damage, it looks like Colleen will die and Victor will be the lucky recipient of her heart, since she agreed to be a organ donor upon her death. And quite frankly, this doesn't sit well with me at all.
For months, Victor treated this girl with such contempt, which was completely unjustified. And given that his pathological need to stick it to Jack led to Colleen's death and the fact that he lied, bold-faced, to Colleen's aunt and mother when confronted about his continued misdeeds and negligence when it comes to caring for those he supposedly love, this direction seems very cruel.
This isn't the General Hospital BJ/Maxie heart transplant storyline. There is no way that the audience will cry for Victor or the Newmans; there will be tears for the Abbotts and the Carltons. And while many, like myself, are feeling rage, the rage will escalate because we know that the Jack/Victor rivalry will not end. Jack will not let this stand and Billy will be in the back, egging him on, and frankly, that will be completely understandable. Victor, on the other hand, may feel some guilt about how he treated Colleen and the ways he set her death in motion, but he will get over it and resume his vendetta with Jack because the d*ck can't help himself. Yes, I know that Jack has done many things to Victor, but he usually pays for it, in some way; Victor rarely, if ever, pays for his dirty tricks and machinated cruelties. And it also doesn't sit well that Victoria will get a second chance with Colleen's ex, JT, since she is still alive and that she will fake remorse about how she aped her father's cruelties towards Colleen and feign gratitude for Colleen's 'gift of life'. Like Victor, Victoria will revert to her raggy behavior after a brief period of mourning and placating JT.
Surprisingly, I think that the Williams family deserve more tears than the Newmans. Although Patty was integral to Colleen's death, this woman was clearly mentally disturbed and shouldn't have been dragged into Victor's vendetta against Jack. And the scene when Patty surrendered to the GCPD was heart-wrenching. And as I mentioned weeks ago, Paul was more engaged in resolving this situation than the very dude who set this whole thing in motion. And Paul's only interest in this was, in theory, Patty, but the public safety of others was a very close second. Meanwhile, Victor, whose wife, granddaughter, and goddaughter were impacted by Patty, sat on his fcuking hands for a long-@$$ed time. Paul will be feeling this tragedy stronger than the fcuking Newmans, including Nikki, who reverted back into the blinded wife role she rocked for 20+ years. Poor Paul.
But back to the Abbotts - there is more pain in store for them, involving Ashley's baby, although it may be postponed by a typical baby switch story.
Can't the Abbotts catch a break?
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Guiding Light... done
Watched the last week of Guiding Light, mainly for sentimental reasons - not for some potboiler payoff.
Guiding Light was the soap I migrated to after Santa Barbara was canceled. Actually, I went to Guiding Light before the cancelation because I couldn't stand the infiltration of new characters who didn't add anything to the Santa Barbara landscape. My memories are getting pretty muddled, but I do remember Maureen nearly catching Ed and Lillian screwing around... a steamy shower comes to mind. Unfortunately, my GL watching was pretty sporadic, therefore I missed Maureen finding out and ultimately dying in the car crash; but I did see some of the fallout and noted how fantastically Peter Brown's Ed grappled with his guilt. The subsequent years with Ed picking up the pieces and handling Michelle's grief and anger towards Maureen's loss and the reasons why were worth watching.
David and Kat - on the run.
Harley and Mallet.
Nadine faking a pregnancy and planning to pass Bridget and Hart's baby off as her and Billy's baby was memorable.
Blake (the Sherry Stringfield version) and Ross trysting in the elevator during the blackout comes to mind.
Holly and Ed's talks and Holly helping Michelle out when she started her period.
Billy and Hamp's friendship. Actually, I think I jumped onboard during the friendship era, because I remember a lot of heart to heart conversations that were much more compelling than the usual action sequences.
The Frank- Eleni (the Melina Kanakouredis (sp) version) and Alan-Michael triangle.
Bridget and Vanessa fighting for baby Peter.
Roger Thorpe aka Michael Zaslow.
Fcuking Roger Thorpe. I loved Roger Thorpe. I wanted him to, finally, get his $h*t together so he and Holly could get back together permanently. But dude was easily distracted by ambition and jealousy. Then he fcuked it up by tangling with Alexandra Spaulding, who had no problem lying to Holly about she and Roger hooking up, resulting in Holly's desk top tryst with Fletcher Reade. Holly's pregnancy and her relationship with Fletcher killed any chance of she and Roger making it work.
Technically, there may have been a chance for a Holly and Roger reunion, if not for Jill Warren Phelps. In a previous post, I blamed Kim Zimmer for assisting in the ruination of Santa Barbara, but I gotta note that this SB alum c*cked up the works on GL. As many know, Michael Zaslow noticed that he was having speech problems. Not only did Phelps fire him, she added insult to injury, saying that she doesn't want a 'wizened old man' playing the role. Turns out that Zaslow was suffering from Lou Gehring's disease, which is fatal. Promptly, Phelps checked into an alcoholic rehab, although no level of detox could rid anyone of that level of c*ntiness.
Maybe Zaslow would've retired if he was greeted with concern and compassion, but that lit a fire under him, which resulted in him revisiting his old stomping grounds at One Life to Live. He was wheelchair-bound and unable to speak, but that desire to act was still there. Can you imagine if GL allow somewhat superhuman Roger Thorpe to grapple with an incurable, fatal disease, with the help of Holly, Blake and Hart? And the denizens of Springfield would've risen to the occasion and given Roger/Michael Zaslow the goodbye he richly deserved. Instead, we got Sebastian. But back to the better times.
Bridget, Hart, Julie and Dylan.
Buzz, Nadine and Jenna Bradshaw.
Nadine meeting her end at the hands of Brent Lawrence, dressed as 'Marion Crane'. That storyline was hard to take because I loved Nadine so much. And the fact that it took months for her weighed down, shower curtain wrapped body to float to the surface and that Frank ID-ed her accidentally based on some pieces of jewerly was pretty sad.
A 'pregnant' Annie Dutton throwing herself down the stairs and framing Reva for it. I remember having a debate with a coworker about this. She was firmly on Reva's side, since she was a longtime viewer, but this storyline made me angry because I thought Annie got the short end of the stick. I mean, what woman wouldn't take it hard finding out the only reason why your husband married you was because his daughter told him to do it? Again, Reva's fingerprints weren't on this, but I just didn't buy the self-sacrificing Reva bit at all, especially when it was so clear that she and Josh wanted each other. I think story ploys like this made me feel the way I do towards, say, Brad and Angelina. If you want to be together, just fcuking be together; it's not worth hurting innocent people, although the GL writers went through great pains to paint Annie as not so innocent. Still, I really hoped that Annie's plan would've worked, just so it would teach Josh and Reva not to be so disingenuous.
Now for the reason why I stopped watching regularly - the Santos. I could give a damn about the Santos. Who the fcuk were they to the rest of the Springfield crowd? They were merely off shoots of Danny, which I could take, but it was a colossal mistake to allow this family to eat up a lot of the screentime.
And the San Cristobel storyline. I always hate when monarchies/royalty are brought into a soap; I especially hated it that Reva was hooked into it, although the result, hot-ass Jonathan, made it somewhat digestable. And Olivia too. I liked Olivia's rage a lot - she was scrappy as h*ll. But I got back into it because of Jonathan, but promptly left when he did.
I checked in every once in a while, though. I did see that Olivia and Natalia had some pretty hot chemistry long before the writers finally brought them together. In fact, this storyline very nearly got me hooked back into Guiding Light, but nothing kills viewer investment than a cancelation announcement, especially for a show that's been on air for 72 years.
So the final week of Guiding Light -- it felt very rushed. However, the seemingly small moments really got to me. For example - Alan's death. On paper, Alan Spaulding's death is not a small thing, but the fact that he, somewhat, made up for some past misdeeds and was able to see the great-grandchild he tried to wrestle away from Jonathan before dying in such a peaceful, tranquil manner, seemed kinda ironic. And Phillip finding him like that - Grant Alexander broke my heart. And Alexandra's response was pretty expected and heartbreaking; however, Fletcher returning to comfort her and eventually, take her away, was well-appreciated. Like Roger, Alex had a hard time letting sleeping dogs lie and lost Fletcher as a result of the same lie that broke up Roger and Holly. Speaking of Holly, it was good to see that she and Ed finally got together. Again, their friendship in the wake of Maureen's death was one of the things that sold me on GL.
It's absolutely painful that the brass in charge of daytime programming continue to underestimate what soaps mean to the viewers. Yes, viewership continues to fall off, but something should be said about the loyalty of the remaining soap viewers. Admittedly, I'm not one of them anymore because of Santa Barbara and Another World's cancelations. I'm a soap hopper, unapologetically so, because why should I, as a fan, be loyal to something when the brass can't muster up the patience, enthusiasm or willingness to examine what's behind the shift in viewership?
And no, reality shows aren't the cause or solution to this problem, either. Personally, I'd rather had reruns of SB on than Starting Over.
Here's a brief clip of Ed and Maureen's confrontation after she learned of his affair with Lillian.
Guiding Light was the soap I migrated to after Santa Barbara was canceled. Actually, I went to Guiding Light before the cancelation because I couldn't stand the infiltration of new characters who didn't add anything to the Santa Barbara landscape. My memories are getting pretty muddled, but I do remember Maureen nearly catching Ed and Lillian screwing around... a steamy shower comes to mind. Unfortunately, my GL watching was pretty sporadic, therefore I missed Maureen finding out and ultimately dying in the car crash; but I did see some of the fallout and noted how fantastically Peter Brown's Ed grappled with his guilt. The subsequent years with Ed picking up the pieces and handling Michelle's grief and anger towards Maureen's loss and the reasons why were worth watching.
David and Kat - on the run.
Harley and Mallet.
Nadine faking a pregnancy and planning to pass Bridget and Hart's baby off as her and Billy's baby was memorable.
Blake (the Sherry Stringfield version) and Ross trysting in the elevator during the blackout comes to mind.
Holly and Ed's talks and Holly helping Michelle out when she started her period.
Billy and Hamp's friendship. Actually, I think I jumped onboard during the friendship era, because I remember a lot of heart to heart conversations that were much more compelling than the usual action sequences.
The Frank- Eleni (the Melina Kanakouredis (sp) version) and Alan-Michael triangle.
Bridget and Vanessa fighting for baby Peter.
Roger Thorpe aka Michael Zaslow.
Fcuking Roger Thorpe. I loved Roger Thorpe. I wanted him to, finally, get his $h*t together so he and Holly could get back together permanently. But dude was easily distracted by ambition and jealousy. Then he fcuked it up by tangling with Alexandra Spaulding, who had no problem lying to Holly about she and Roger hooking up, resulting in Holly's desk top tryst with Fletcher Reade. Holly's pregnancy and her relationship with Fletcher killed any chance of she and Roger making it work.
Technically, there may have been a chance for a Holly and Roger reunion, if not for Jill Warren Phelps. In a previous post, I blamed Kim Zimmer for assisting in the ruination of Santa Barbara, but I gotta note that this SB alum c*cked up the works on GL. As many know, Michael Zaslow noticed that he was having speech problems. Not only did Phelps fire him, she added insult to injury, saying that she doesn't want a 'wizened old man' playing the role. Turns out that Zaslow was suffering from Lou Gehring's disease, which is fatal. Promptly, Phelps checked into an alcoholic rehab, although no level of detox could rid anyone of that level of c*ntiness.
Maybe Zaslow would've retired if he was greeted with concern and compassion, but that lit a fire under him, which resulted in him revisiting his old stomping grounds at One Life to Live. He was wheelchair-bound and unable to speak, but that desire to act was still there. Can you imagine if GL allow somewhat superhuman Roger Thorpe to grapple with an incurable, fatal disease, with the help of Holly, Blake and Hart? And the denizens of Springfield would've risen to the occasion and given Roger/Michael Zaslow the goodbye he richly deserved. Instead, we got Sebastian. But back to the better times.
Bridget, Hart, Julie and Dylan.
Buzz, Nadine and Jenna Bradshaw.
Nadine meeting her end at the hands of Brent Lawrence, dressed as 'Marion Crane'. That storyline was hard to take because I loved Nadine so much. And the fact that it took months for her weighed down, shower curtain wrapped body to float to the surface and that Frank ID-ed her accidentally based on some pieces of jewerly was pretty sad.
A 'pregnant' Annie Dutton throwing herself down the stairs and framing Reva for it. I remember having a debate with a coworker about this. She was firmly on Reva's side, since she was a longtime viewer, but this storyline made me angry because I thought Annie got the short end of the stick. I mean, what woman wouldn't take it hard finding out the only reason why your husband married you was because his daughter told him to do it? Again, Reva's fingerprints weren't on this, but I just didn't buy the self-sacrificing Reva bit at all, especially when it was so clear that she and Josh wanted each other. I think story ploys like this made me feel the way I do towards, say, Brad and Angelina. If you want to be together, just fcuking be together; it's not worth hurting innocent people, although the GL writers went through great pains to paint Annie as not so innocent. Still, I really hoped that Annie's plan would've worked, just so it would teach Josh and Reva not to be so disingenuous.
Now for the reason why I stopped watching regularly - the Santos. I could give a damn about the Santos. Who the fcuk were they to the rest of the Springfield crowd? They were merely off shoots of Danny, which I could take, but it was a colossal mistake to allow this family to eat up a lot of the screentime.
And the San Cristobel storyline. I always hate when monarchies/royalty are brought into a soap; I especially hated it that Reva was hooked into it, although the result, hot-ass Jonathan, made it somewhat digestable. And Olivia too. I liked Olivia's rage a lot - she was scrappy as h*ll. But I got back into it because of Jonathan, but promptly left when he did.
I checked in every once in a while, though. I did see that Olivia and Natalia had some pretty hot chemistry long before the writers finally brought them together. In fact, this storyline very nearly got me hooked back into Guiding Light, but nothing kills viewer investment than a cancelation announcement, especially for a show that's been on air for 72 years.
So the final week of Guiding Light -- it felt very rushed. However, the seemingly small moments really got to me. For example - Alan's death. On paper, Alan Spaulding's death is not a small thing, but the fact that he, somewhat, made up for some past misdeeds and was able to see the great-grandchild he tried to wrestle away from Jonathan before dying in such a peaceful, tranquil manner, seemed kinda ironic. And Phillip finding him like that - Grant Alexander broke my heart. And Alexandra's response was pretty expected and heartbreaking; however, Fletcher returning to comfort her and eventually, take her away, was well-appreciated. Like Roger, Alex had a hard time letting sleeping dogs lie and lost Fletcher as a result of the same lie that broke up Roger and Holly. Speaking of Holly, it was good to see that she and Ed finally got together. Again, their friendship in the wake of Maureen's death was one of the things that sold me on GL.
It's absolutely painful that the brass in charge of daytime programming continue to underestimate what soaps mean to the viewers. Yes, viewership continues to fall off, but something should be said about the loyalty of the remaining soap viewers. Admittedly, I'm not one of them anymore because of Santa Barbara and Another World's cancelations. I'm a soap hopper, unapologetically so, because why should I, as a fan, be loyal to something when the brass can't muster up the patience, enthusiasm or willingness to examine what's behind the shift in viewership?
And no, reality shows aren't the cause or solution to this problem, either. Personally, I'd rather had reruns of SB on than Starting Over.
Here's a brief clip of Ed and Maureen's confrontation after she learned of his affair with Lillian.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Santa Barbara 25 - Robert Newman as Kirk Cranston
Honestly, this was a surprise to me.
While rooting around You Tube, I was reminded that Joseph Bottoms, aka Kirk Cranston, left Santa Barbara before the conclusion of an important story arch. His replacement? None other than Robert Newman aka Guiding Light's Josh Lewis.
So, in lieu of posting another Justin Deas/Keith Timmons video, I decided to post the conclusion of the Aqualand storyline.
And yeah... I know that Kim Zimmer was on Santa Barbara too, but I kinda blame her for contributing to the show's demise. Her Jody was just Reva in soccer mom mode.
While rooting around You Tube, I was reminded that Joseph Bottoms, aka Kirk Cranston, left Santa Barbara before the conclusion of an important story arch. His replacement? None other than Robert Newman aka Guiding Light's Josh Lewis.
So, in lieu of posting another Justin Deas/Keith Timmons video, I decided to post the conclusion of the Aqualand storyline.
And yeah... I know that Kim Zimmer was on Santa Barbara too, but I kinda blame her for contributing to the show's demise. Her Jody was just Reva in soccer mom mode.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Santa Barbara 25 - Keith 3
Here's a treat.
More Keith aka Justin Deas, with serious backup from Robin Mattson (Gina), Nancy Lee Grahn (Julia), A Martinez (Cruz) and Marcy Walker (Eden).
Basically, this clip consists of Keith eavesdropping on Julia and Cruz while they were searching for missing/presumed dead Mason.
This clip is a favorite because it shows wall to wall chemistry among the Santa Barbara cast.
More Keith aka Justin Deas, with serious backup from Robin Mattson (Gina), Nancy Lee Grahn (Julia), A Martinez (Cruz) and Marcy Walker (Eden).
Basically, this clip consists of Keith eavesdropping on Julia and Cruz while they were searching for missing/presumed dead Mason.
This clip is a favorite because it shows wall to wall chemistry among the Santa Barbara cast.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Santa Barbara 25 - Keith 2
Here's another Keith clip, although the bulk of it also features Julia, Eden and Victoria at Kelly's bridal shower.
This was just a taste of the antagonism that Keith seemed to seek out in anyone who crossed his path.
Again, this was during the Elena Nikolaus murder storyline.
This was just a taste of the antagonism that Keith seemed to seek out in anyone who crossed his path.
Again, this was during the Elena Nikolaus murder storyline.
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