JUDI, DREW AND A CRAPPY SHOW OR TWO

I only saw a bit of DAYS OF OUR LIVES today but was pleased to see Judi Evans back as Adrienne Kiriakis. I loved her recent stint as Maeve on AS THE WORLD TURNS and thought they could have done more with her and Holden.

GENERAL HOSPITAL was excellent today, even as I fear the dark storylines might be driving viewers away, judging by the low ratings. I don't know what has led to the recasting of Michael. Drew Garrett (pictured) is a powerhouse; if for some reason he can't do the show anymore I say throw Michael in jail and don't let him out until Drew can play him again. Aside from that, the scenes where Ethan and Luke talk about Luke's rape of Laura were powerful and well-written. I'm glad GH doesn't just sweep that under the carpet.

Because my DVR is full and I must tape CAPRICA tomorrow, I watched last week's GOSSIP GIRL, which was lukewarm. Who cares about Chuck's mother (even if she is played by MULHOLLAND DRIVE's Laura Harring) or Serena's father? This show should exist in a parentless vacuum. Let's hope the last episode is (was?) better.

LIKE HILARY DUFF IN GOSSIP GIRL...

...I have been away in Tokyo, so not much chance for soap watching lately. I am enjoying the 6th GOSSIP GIRL novel, NOBODY DOES IT BETTER, and was amused to see an unrecognizable Bradley James (from CORONATION STREET) as a scary clown in THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES!

xoxo

YES, IT'S NOT A PHOTO FROM TONIGHT'S EVENT BUT IT'S LATE AND I'M TIRED

Fastforwarded through the highly prestigious and intellectually profound TEEN CHOICE awards to see GOSSIP GIRL's Leighton Meester and Chase Crawford get Best Actor and Actress as they picked up GG's award for Best Show, as well as Ed Westwick and Kristen Bell presenting. Ed Westwick was insanely hot in person; his natural British accent and un-Chuck Bass attire of jeans and T-shirt made me want to leap through the TV. Instead, I had a nice cup of Earl Grey and reflected on Ed coming to New York and drinking tea and buying the wrong kind of creamer (an anecdote told better in last year's NEW YORK magazine cover feature on GG.)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

To celebrate Mother's Day, here is a picture of Carol Potter as Cindy Walsh, mom to Brenda and Brandon Walsh in the early, good, charming years of BEVERLY HILLS 90210.  Give me down-to-earth-but-cool Cindy to GOSSIP GIRL's scheming, manipulative, selfish Lily any day!                         

How weird is it that tonight's GG is a backdoor pilot to a LILY spin-off? What  odd apres Mother's Day viewing for a nation of teen girls probably forced to spend time with their Moms the day before.  I think the producers' desire to do an eighties era John Hughes movie (complete with Andrew McCarthy!) every week will be awkward, but I'll reserve full judgement until I see the thing.

DIE, DIE, MY DIMERA

They are really stretching out Tony DiMera's demise on DAYS OF OUR LIVES, aren't they?  To be honest, he might have died at the end of today's episode but I didn't watch it because GOSSIP GIRL was calling to me from the DVR!

And a fine episode of GG it was, though one plot twist was stupidly spoiled by the "Previously on GOSSIP GIRL" recap.  By reminding us of the hidden Humphrey child, the seemingly innocuous fan letter Dan got was loaded with Obvious Significance.  I also wasn't too fond of Jenny in this episode; surely she should have spent her unwanted party getting elaborate revenge on the girls who tormented her rather than masochistically wrecking her future abode?

xoxo

I LIKE IT LIKE THAT

The GOSSIP GIRL books are better than the TV series because by book 5 Chuck Bass is experimenting with being gay out of sheer boredom, and Jenny Humphrey has also been in touch with her queer side.  In the current climate of MILK love, I want to see more gay stuff on my TV, but especially in GOSSIP GIRL!  Interestingly, gay Eric and his boyfriend are original creations of the TV show.  In the books, Serena does have a brother named Eric but he is older and straight. So GOSSIP GIRL the TV show is definitely gay friendly; how about also giving more airtime to gay stories instead of blink-and-you-miss-them  marginal characters and daft stories about secret whore clubs for straight old men?

You know you love me.

RACHEL NOT GETTING MARRIED BUT LEAVING THE SHOW INSTEAD

With the news that Rachel Melvin is leaving DAYS OF  OUR LIVES, I now have even more reason to spend my 1-2PM hour watching ONE LIFE TO LIVE instead.  With Chelsea gone, what young girl on the show are we supposed to root for?  GOSSIP GIRL wannabe Melanie?  Good grief.

On GENERAL HOSPITAL today, I found Olivia throwing away the DVD incriminating Claudia to be very contrived.  There was no point to Olivia doing that; the only reason it happened was to prolong Claudia Zacchara's life beyond the point of common sense.  Seriously, there is no reason for any of the Zaccharas to still be alive, considering how they have wronged everyone in Port Charles who has access to a gun.  GH should cut its losses and get rid of this daft family once and for all!  Preferably in a blaze of gunfire.

On the Internet front, I have greatly enjoyed watching the 2007 reality show INTURN 2 on cbs.com.  In it, aspiring actors vie to win a 13 week contract on AS THE WORLD TURNS.  Year 2 of the show is gobsmackingly great for 97% of it's run.  Never have I seen such a group of people in a reality show that were just so much fun to watch, from evil hell bitch Natalie, to cute but dim Adam, to the genuinely talented Lauretta Vaughn.  The only bad thing about the whole show was the final segment, which is anti-climatic and a bit dull.  Plus, the person who won turned out to be terrible on ATWT and was killed off!

I finished reading the third GOSSIP GIRL novel, ALL I WANT IS EVERYTHING, and the books are proving to be just as addictive as the TV show, only with an extra layer of wit and satire that inches the books ahead of the show a smidge.  And once you read about the character of Adam on the page, you realize that the show's miscasting and rewriting of this pivotal player is one of TV GG's biggest fumbles.

But no matter how flawed GG might get, it is always 300 million times better than the main GG rip-off, the horrifying new series of 90210.  I was forcibly reminded of this as a street near my destination tonight was blocked off to turn a corner restaurant into the frakkin' Peach Pit!  90210?  More like 90036!

xoxo

xoxo I HATE MY DVR

My DVR decided not to record GOSSIP GIRL(pictured left) tonight, leaving me in a pissy mood at the end of an irksome day.  Was DAYS OF OUR LIVES entertaining enough to make me not regret missing GG? No.

Regular readers of this blog will know of my unfortunate habit of letting AS THE WORLD TURNS pile up on my DVR.  Tonight I finally watched the episode from Monday, January 19!  This must be a new low for me.  At this rate, I won't see Eric William Morris' return until 2010.  If ATWT featured Nuke more often, though, I'd be gleefully sitting down to nightly marathons instead of treating the show as a chore.  

CHAMPAGNE TASTE

Watched some of DAYS OF OUR LIVES with breakfast and I am loving Chelsea.  My adoration of Chelsea stands in direct proportion to my hatred of Melanie, a character who possesses no redeeming values whatsoever -- and I don't mean that in a GOSSIP GIRL so-bad-they're-good way, I mean that in a Good-Lord-They're-Keeping-Her-And-Firing-John-And-Marlena??!! way.

Saw the end of ALL MY CHILDREN and found the kiss between Zach and Reese to be puzzlingly staged.  It is meant to be friendly and platonic, but the way Zach kisses Reese is definitely romantic.  Between this and Luke's jealousy of Noah and Maddie on AS THE WORLD TURNS, I am weary of gay love thwarted by semi-heterosexual overtones between friends.

I almost got sucked into today's episode of ONE LIFE TO LIVE, because Marty's plan of revenge against Todd is an irresistible story.  However, the notion of actually having to watch a band named Puddle Of Mudd that da kidz are down wiv filled me with fear and dread, so I switched off.  Am I the only one who remembers Information Society appearing on OLTL in the eighties ?  Erika Slezak was the consummate pro, smiling and applauding this long forgotten band even though I could tell she knew their fame wasn't even gonna last until the next commercial break.

The household's main viewing tonight was the sparkling Blu-Ray disc of the campy yet strangely entertaining 1966 BATMAN movie.  I didn't think this title had any soap connections but I was proven wrong as Lee Meriwether plays Catwoman...decades before she joined the cast of ALL MY CHILDREN as Ruth Martin!  It is going to be surreal when Ruth next makes an appearance in Pine Valley!  (P.S. RIP Eartha Kitt, who  essayed the role of Catwoman in the BATMAN TV series.  I'm trying to work a THANKS FOR EVERYTHING, JULIE NEWMAR joke in here but it's late and I feel a cold coming on.)

GOODBYE DYLAN BRUCE

My first episode to watch in my sizable AS THE WORLD TURNS backlog was the one from the 15th, which was Dylan Bruce's last episode. He seemed so sad throughout; it made for heartbreaking viewing. What are the producers thinking? Dylan is gorgeous, charismatic and can act. He has great rapport with Bob Hastings and Kathryn Hays. He is the first Chris Hughes I have seen that works for me. Chris is an integral part of Oakdale, and a Chris/Emily/Alison/Casey/Dani plot practically writes itself. If someone has to be let go to pay for Grayson McCouch's return, I think Agim Kaba would be a better choice. Aaron has become increasingly unlikable and strident, with few storyline prospects. While I have enjoyed Agim's performance in the past, especially his scenes with Van Hansis, the current writing team is not playing to his strengths. I think Chris Goutman and Jean Passanante have made a huge mistake in getting rid of Dylan Bruce and his character of Chris Hughes.

On a lighter note, GOSSIP GIRL was positively crackling tonight, which was a relief after last week's lumpy episode. I will even forgive the completely horrendous cover of The Smiths' HOW SOON IS NOW that played, as I hope its inclusion was a sign of Agnes' evil nature. Anyone who loves that version of a classic song is clearly a minion of Satan.

I saw some of GENERAL HOSPITAL tonight. Having not watched the show for a couple of weeks, I was struck by how the tone of the show is all over the place. The scenes I saw, one after the other, were:
1) Nadine and Nicolas engage in romantic comedy banter
2) Lulu nutty in a straitjacket
3) Laura and Scott rehashing their complicated backstory in a plane
4) Luke and Tracy shooting at people in Mexico
NONE of these story threads felt connected to the other. (And I haven't even mentioned everything going on with Patrick and Robin!) GH has ceased to be about anything. Compare this to the GH spinoff, NIGHT SHIFT, which works because it is entirely concentrated in the hospital, which allows the cast and plots to be tighter. The sprawling GH currently seems to be functioning on the principle of throwing everything at a wall and seeing what sticks.

SPOTTED:ATWT CREW MEMBER!

Approximately 50 minutes into today's episode is an ATWT crew member, of indeterminate sex but wearing either a Yankees cap or shirt, clearly seen under Dusty's elbow. It is astonishing that no one caught this! I realize there is no time for retakes but really -- that footage is unbroadcastable.

On a more positive note, GOSSIP GIRL kicked ass tonight. Fashion, bitchery and Dan Humphreys being eyed up by 2 leather daddies in jail! As melodramatic as GG is, I can't help but love the current Blair storyline because I also never, ever forgive a friend who has betrayed me. Granted, I am not as machiavellian as Blair but I can be just as much a raving loon. But as to my antics -- I'll never tell.

xoxo

PIMPS, NERDS AND PSYCHOS

ALL MY CHILDREN and THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL competed for my attention when I woke up, and B&B won because you just can not stop watching when Crazy Pam is on the loose. I am happy to see her terrorize and then have her behavior blamed on her medication ad infinitum, as long as we get to keep Alley Mills around!

AMC was not that interesting from what I saw. Kris Eivers' overacting as Randi's pimp irritated me, so I'm glad to read in SOAP OPERA DIGEST that Taylor is going to kill him! I am also irritated by NuPetey Cortland, a ripoff of Spinelli from GENERAL HOSPITAL (mannerisms, storyline) and Nick from DAYS OF OUR LIVES (he is actually very pretty for a nerd!) The Unemployed Boyfriend seemed somewhat taken with Petey, which I will interpret as a compliment to my geeky self.

AS THE WORLD TURNS continues to annoy with any storyline involving Parker and Liberty. I think it is time to ship them off to boarding school so the wonderful pairing of Jack and Janet can really have room to breathe. And I'm saying this even though I LIKE Mick Hazen and Meredith Hagner! It's just their plots that drain the life from the adult characters on the show. The return of James Stenbeck is shaping up to be great fun, though. Has he REALLY come back just to eat Paul's sandwiches and drink his wine?? The shot of him sneaking in to get the rest of his meal while Paul comforted Meg was very, very funny. More of that and less of Brad flying off the handle, please.

This is the first time I've been able to catch GH since Genie Francis returned and while it's great to see Laura again...is her entire story going to have her stuck in a room listening to Lulu whine? On a more positive note, how appropiate that Spinelli will daydream of Leyla kicking ass ala Emma Peel. If there's anything Spinelli and I have in common, it is the Diana Rigg AVENGERS megaset being in our DVD collections!

DOOL featured Blake Berris looking really, really cute in his white jacket. He is also looking very adorable wearing nothing but red Barack Obama underpants(!) in this week's SOD. I like Blake/Nick so much I am not even going to complain that DOOL is ripping off GOSSIP GIRL with Melanie and her potential romance with him, which is a bit reminiscent of GG's Serena and Dan. XOXO

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS is REALLY good nowadays. It is so good that it is even gripping in the crappy Standard Def broadcasts of SoapNet, so strong is the writing and characterization. I like the pairing of Cane and Chloe a lot. I sense a growing attraction between them that could lead to a more complex pairing than Cane and Lily ever were. Don't Cane and Chloe have more in common than they realize? Both are working their way up from crappy working class backgrounds to the good life, any way they can get it. Let's remember that Cane was as shady as Chloe when first introduced. And whoever thought up the upcoming revelation that Chloe is Esther's daughter is a GENIUS!! I'm going to give Hogan Sheffer credit for that one until proven otherwise.

VAGUELY SOAPY EMPLOYMENT!

I am thrilled to announce that tomorrow I begin full time employment with full benefits at a local art museum! Appropiately, it is the same museum that Victor and Sabrina went to in THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS in March, IIRC -- think "street lamp installation" if you have a hard time remembering!

Speaking of Y&R, I caught the last half of the show this morning and had "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" stuck in my head all day even though I hate Devon and am confused by his InstaFamily. Does it make any dramatic difference that Ana is Yolanda's daughter and not Tyra's? What concerns me more is the question of whether Jana still works at Sabrina's art museum. Am I now Jana?!?

I was pleased to Beth Ehlers in uniform on ALL MY CHILDREN today and happy at the potential of scenes between her, Jesse and Angie. As Beth is ushered in, I hope AMC continues to cut the dead weight that make me switch channels to THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL. Very glad to read in SOAP OPERA DIGEST that Cassandra and Samuel are gone, baby, gone!

I would love to write all night about today's viewing but I watched loads o'soap today and have got to get to bed soon! So here's a quick rundown:

I like Marcus and Steffy on B&B a lot, so you see? New characters or recasts can be good! Just usually not on AMC! ONE LIFE TO LIVE amuses me with their DONNIE DARKO-esque time travel storyline, while any scene between Ilene Kristen and Brian Kerwin is just pure gold. DAYS OF OUR LIVES had Stefano terrorizing everybody, and it made for some good viewing. Scream Anna DiMera scream! GENERAL HOSPITAL had some good Maxie/Spinelli scenes, but too much Zaccharing and Lulu whining led me back to Springfield, which had some really good Reva/Alan/Lizzie material. Caught up with the last two episodes of GOSSIP GIRL reruns, which were the best I've seen yet -- Jake Silbermann had a nice walk-on and Eric was memorably outed by uber-bitch Georgina. Also caught up with Tuesday's and Wednesday's AS THE WORLD TURNS. Tuesday's was a small masterpiece. I think other shows should look at that episode to see domestic soap at its best. Wednesday's was unintentionally hilarious becasue The Unemployed Boyfriend and I feel so sorry for Neal because Carly keeps giving him the runaround, but we think the actor is AWFUL. This leads to us screeching 'CAAAAAARRLLLLYYYY' at each other for about an hour. Sorry, Michael E. Rodgers, we know you're trying your best as Neal!

You know you love me.
xoxo

GOSSIP GIRL WITH AN ENGLISH LIT DEGREE

It struck me tonight while watching yesterday's GOSSIP GIRL rerun that GOSSIP GIRL is pretty much a trashy, flashy version of one of my favorite movies, METROPOLITAN. Both chronicle the romantic adventures of a group of upper class Upper Eastsiders, but METROPOLITAN is dry, witty, and rather wonderful -- like conversation sparked by a really good bottle of champagne. GOSSIP GIRL is loud, garish, and also wonderful in the fastness of its plotting and the gorgeousness of its characters -- METROPOLITAN barely has a plot to speak of and most of the cast look like real people, unlike the freakishly attractive cast of GOSSIP GIRL. GOSSIP GIRL is like binging on a box of Lady Godiva chocolate washed down with some tacky, colorful cocktail that has an umbrella in it. It may be good in the short run, but it is the champagne-inspired times that really linger in your memory. (Quick! Someone stop my metaphor!)

You know you love me.
xoxo

I AM VICTOR NEWMAN'S WIFE

...because I interrupted my soap viewing today to go to the museum that Victor and Sabrina were canoodling around a couple of months ago. You know, the one with the street lamp installation? I find it ironic that I turned off THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS to visit a place seen in Y&R. From the bit of show I saw today, I was surprised to see Tammin Sursok as Colleen, since it felt like she was written out six weeks ago. Did the producers rehire her after her Emmy nom? Great, now we'll have NuColleen speaking with a quasi-Australian accent forevah. And she has an annoyingly large forehead, too.

I watched a rerun of GOSSIP GIRL tonight and was startled by the omniscient narrator, Gossip Girl, getting involved in the action by sending Blair an email of Nate with Jenny. This opens up a can of worms -- instead of being a chronicler of the Upper East Side, Gossip Girl is now a Blair-hater. If that's the case, then who is Gossip Girl? No one in the diegesis of the show can be this all powerful! I like to think it's the marginalized gay, Eric, wreaking vengeance on all those heteros who monopolize the air time.

XOXO
You know you love me.

YOU KNOW YOU LOVE ME

...is what Luke should have said to Noah, in person, before pulling him into a swoony kiss. But Noah was such a a-hole today, I don't think that anything could have prevented Nuke meltdown. There were fine performances by Van and Jake, and AS THE WORLD TURNS was very well written today. I liked how the Nuke breakup was a parallel to the Lily/Holden, Brad/Janet and Carjack seperations. I LOVED the scenes where Holden and Lily yelled at Lucinda and Holden called Jack to talk about Ameera and wound up talking to Carly; having everyone involved in the Nuke story makes for a more dramatically interesting show. My personal jury is still out on Noelle Beck, though. She's a good actress, but she's not the insecure, vulnerable Lily we know and love. While today's episode was very good, the set-up for it was inept. It never, ever looked like Winson killed himself. It looked like he just escaped by swimming away. A quick bit of dialogue, such as Lucinda saying "I'm sorry Noah, but it looks like your father is dead." could have made Noah's rage today more believeable.

I watched GOSSIP GIRL as well tonight, and for the first time I was able to enjoy it unironically! As an ex-New Yorker, I was struck by the on-target references to the Angelika, BAM, Limelight and the Tunnel. Chace Crawford looked hot dressed as the Phantom Of The Opera. The introduction of Vanessa finally gives us a character to make snarky comments about the other characters' upper class crap, so the show manages to incorporate a self-critique. (How pomo!) GOSSIP GIRL will probably never move me like my daytime soaps do, but it's diverting nighttime eye candy. Try to catch it on TV in High Def; it's too pretty to watch on ITunes or regular DVD.

Also saw a campy, but interesting film from 1958 called SCREAMING MIMI that starred a young Phil Carey! The future Asa Buchanan plays a hard-boiled reporter who finds himself embroiled in a mystery involving strippers (Gypsy Rose Lee, nonetheless), statues and psychiatry. It's not on DVD or video, so try to catch it on TCM like I did. SCREAMING MIMI was remade as the classic Dario Argento giallo BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, which is on DVD and comes recommended. BIRD...stars Tony Musante, who was Joe D'Angelo (Rose's adopted Dad who had a friendship with Emma) on ATWT! Hooray! My blog comes full circle!

xoxo