1) The scenes with Noah and Luke were agonizing to watch, and I wouldn't want it any other way. Emotionally, Noah is a lot like my boyfriend while I am closer to Luke, so you can imagine the sofa-squirming during this episode.
2) Lucinda and Barbara. What a treat to see these two vets act the hell out of those scenes. Also hooray for the first proper Noah and Lucinda scene, which brought a silent tear to my eye.
3) Reg. An ordinary, realistic gay man. And how great was it for someone to finally ask what's up with Noah's marriage to Ameera?
This is not the best soap on the air -- right now, that's probably ONE LIFE TO LIVE. But today's show demonstrated the superlative acting and fine characterization that makes AS THE WORLD TURNS my favorite soap.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
HARSH REALITY INTRUDES
As entertaining as ONE LIFE TO LIVE is nowadays, the scenes of Dorian firing people, complete with "You're fired" boxes and last paychecks, can't help but bother the Unemployed Household a bit. In a different way, I am saddened by the blind item in the last SOAP OPERA DIGEST which stated an actress who "hasn't caught on with fans" will be fired. I like everyone on OLTL, and today's cliffhanger made me fear that Talia or Sarah is getting a bullet in the head. I think Talia's days are numbered and Beth Ann Bonner will unfortunately become another I WANNA BE A SOAP STAR alumni who never becomes a soap star. Good thing Brody was wearing a tank top or else this blog could degenerate into unemployed misery.
GENERAL HOSPITAL was less depressing to me, because no one was getting laid off and Spinelli called Claudia "Daughter Of Darkness"! I wrote a few blogs back about how GH could just endlessly pair Spinelli with every character possible and I would be amused, and my theory was proven by the scenes with Spinelli and Claudia. I say have Claudia strike up an odd friendship with Spinelli; it would actually give her character one redeeming quality!
GENERAL HOSPITAL was less depressing to me, because no one was getting laid off and Spinelli called Claudia "Daughter Of Darkness"! I wrote a few blogs back about how GH could just endlessly pair Spinelli with every character possible and I would be amused, and my theory was proven by the scenes with Spinelli and Claudia. I say have Claudia strike up an odd friendship with Spinelli; it would actually give her character one redeeming quality!
JOLENE!
I think I'm the only person who is haunted by the opening of THE HAPPENING, not because of any creepy shit onscreen but because the first person you see, the woman reading on the bench, was so familiar. A few minutes later all hell is breaking loose on screen and I'm thinking "Of course! (or "Claro!" if you think in Spanish) it's Jolene from GUIDING LIGHT!" I like to imagine Jolene working with M Night Shyamalan on her day off from filming Reva's life Dogme'95-style in Springfield. Maybe she can work with him to film the story of Reva's clone?? It would be creepier than LADY IN THE WATER, that's for sure. But if M Night films a sequel to THE VILLAGE, he can tell the story of Reva in Amish country. Or if he does a sequel to UNBREAKABLE, he can film Harley's brief stint as The Guiding Light. Or he can just film a sequel to THE SIXTH SENSE, since Cassie is always seeing Tammy's ghost. Or he can remake SIGNS with Josh as the pastor. Or....
Thursday, June 12, 2008
WHO'S KATY PERRY?
I felt like Chris Rock at the Oscars talking about Jude Law when I switched on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS today. Who is Katy Perry and why has she taken over the show? I have never heard of her but from the way Amber and Jana were acting it made it seem like every youth in America was texting each other about Katy Perry while simultaneously looking up her Twitter page and downloading her song from iTunes to their Crackberrys.
Whatev. I've got some Angie and Jesse to watch, which is vastly more compelling. Debbi Morgan and Darnell Williams really sold the scenes of Angie pleading with Jesse not to go back to work on the police force even though we know Jesse has to become a police chief or else there's NO STORY. Still, ALL MY CHILDREN is to be commended for showing Angie's distress.
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL is not to be commended, because that shot of Jack Wagner in extreme close-up backed by a heavenly light was WAY too much! I understand that Katie was dying and thought this was the afterlife(!) but REALLY! As with the fake flashback to Katie's Dogfight Acne Prom, I get the feeling the B&B team are pissing themselves off-camera. Stop this, guys -- this is how PASSIONS ended up being nothing but a collection of piss-takes and got CANCELLED. I will say I did like the business meeting scene because it is fun to see the Forrester family all together, working hard to bring down Donna. I was flipping back and forth between this and AMC, so I might have missed something, but shouldn't Pam have been in that scene, snarking away as she served coffee?
Just when I thought ONE LIFE TO LIVE couldn't get any better, it DID! Tina's return is fab -- Andrea Evans is sinking her teeth into this in a way her last role as Rebecca in PASSIONS didn't allow her to. Plus, I loved her way adorable dog, amusingly named DavidVickers! Susan Haskell's return as Marty was also welcome; Susan would have been my pick to replace Martha Byrne as Lily in ATWT but I'd rather see her return as Marty. And if all this wasn't exciting enough, thugs burst into Ramsey's apartment and killed him! (And his doorman! Poor Francisco!) Well, if Susan Haskell isn't replacing Martha Byrne on ATWT, what do you want to bet Hunt Block will reprise his recast role as Craig Montgomery on ATWT? I love the hell out of Scott Bryce, but if they're going to bring back Craig as someone else, Hunt Block is the only choice.
Speaking of good actors, let's have a moment to praise Bradford Anderson. I am a huge Spinelli fan but the character would not work as well if played by a lesser actor. Notice the end of today's GENERAL HOSPITAL, when Spinelli is dressed to impress and going by his first name of Damian (along with hilariously dodgy Jax-esque accent.) Giselle just swooned, and so did I! Or cast your mind back to the end of NIGHT SHIFT's first season, when Spinelli expressed a genuine sense of shock that Jolene threw herself in front of a bullet meant for him. Bradford Anderson should really have the Emmy nomination that Y&R's Bryton McClure inexplicably acquired. Let's hope for a fairer Emmy ballot in 2009.
Whatev. I've got some Angie and Jesse to watch, which is vastly more compelling. Debbi Morgan and Darnell Williams really sold the scenes of Angie pleading with Jesse not to go back to work on the police force even though we know Jesse has to become a police chief or else there's NO STORY. Still, ALL MY CHILDREN is to be commended for showing Angie's distress.
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL is not to be commended, because that shot of Jack Wagner in extreme close-up backed by a heavenly light was WAY too much! I understand that Katie was dying and thought this was the afterlife(!) but REALLY! As with the fake flashback to Katie's Dogfight Acne Prom, I get the feeling the B&B team are pissing themselves off-camera. Stop this, guys -- this is how PASSIONS ended up being nothing but a collection of piss-takes and got CANCELLED. I will say I did like the business meeting scene because it is fun to see the Forrester family all together, working hard to bring down Donna. I was flipping back and forth between this and AMC, so I might have missed something, but shouldn't Pam have been in that scene, snarking away as she served coffee?
Just when I thought ONE LIFE TO LIVE couldn't get any better, it DID! Tina's return is fab -- Andrea Evans is sinking her teeth into this in a way her last role as Rebecca in PASSIONS didn't allow her to. Plus, I loved her way adorable dog, amusingly named DavidVickers! Susan Haskell's return as Marty was also welcome; Susan would have been my pick to replace Martha Byrne as Lily in ATWT but I'd rather see her return as Marty. And if all this wasn't exciting enough, thugs burst into Ramsey's apartment and killed him! (And his doorman! Poor Francisco!) Well, if Susan Haskell isn't replacing Martha Byrne on ATWT, what do you want to bet Hunt Block will reprise his recast role as Craig Montgomery on ATWT? I love the hell out of Scott Bryce, but if they're going to bring back Craig as someone else, Hunt Block is the only choice.
Speaking of good actors, let's have a moment to praise Bradford Anderson. I am a huge Spinelli fan but the character would not work as well if played by a lesser actor. Notice the end of today's GENERAL HOSPITAL, when Spinelli is dressed to impress and going by his first name of Damian (along with hilariously dodgy Jax-esque accent.) Giselle just swooned, and so did I! Or cast your mind back to the end of NIGHT SHIFT's first season, when Spinelli expressed a genuine sense of shock that Jolene threw herself in front of a bullet meant for him. Bradford Anderson should really have the Emmy nomination that Y&R's Bryton McClure inexplicably acquired. Let's hope for a fairer Emmy ballot in 2009.
HOT WRINKLIES
The fact that the oldies of AS THE WORLD TURNS, Bob, Kim and Susan, have such a sexy history together makes them Wrinkly Hot. Billy Magnusson will be Wrinkly Hot, too, in about 50 years. Now he is just HOT.
On a more serious note, the scenes today between Noah, Luke and the Snyder family were so awkwardly real to watch I find it hard to write about them. My boyfriend and I didn't discuss it much; it felt like we had broken up too. This made me realize that while I look at soaps for escapism, I also watch them because the long-term soap opera medium allows you to invest in characters deeply, perhaps more deeply than in any other dramatic form. While the events of today's episode were painful, it was amazing that ATWT made me feel this way.
On a lighter note, the mildly entertaining Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle THE SIXTH DAY was enlivened for me by a cameo from Jennifer Gareis! I like Jennifer on THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL a lot; she's game for anything and has successfully made the transition from supporting character to leading lady. Of all the Logan family, Donna is the least aggravating and that's high praise these days!
On a more serious note, the scenes today between Noah, Luke and the Snyder family were so awkwardly real to watch I find it hard to write about them. My boyfriend and I didn't discuss it much; it felt like we had broken up too. This made me realize that while I look at soaps for escapism, I also watch them because the long-term soap opera medium allows you to invest in characters deeply, perhaps more deeply than in any other dramatic form. While the events of today's episode were painful, it was amazing that ATWT made me feel this way.
On a lighter note, the mildly entertaining Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle THE SIXTH DAY was enlivened for me by a cameo from Jennifer Gareis! I like Jennifer on THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL a lot; she's game for anything and has successfully made the transition from supporting character to leading lady. Of all the Logan family, Donna is the least aggravating and that's high praise these days!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
LISTEN TO ME, SOAPNET!
On THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, Brooke and Nick hovered over the dying Katie like concerned parents..which once again underscored the fact that Nick is old enough to be Katie's dad, and then some. Is this B&B's idea of celebrating Father's Day?
ONE LIFE TO LIVE packed A LOT into today's episode. Adriana left! Marty AND Tina came back! Kevin Spirtas joined the cast! And Brody wore nothing but black track pants. Yet, all these events did not overpower a show in which every single scene and character were of interest to me today. I wish every show was as balanced.
GENERAL HOSPITAL is another show that commanded my complete attention. How punch-the-air great was that scene where Spinelli was defended by Stone Cold, Max and Milo, guns drawn, accompanied by Diane, the one woman I know who gives lawyers a good name? And Spinelli got an apology from his racist attacker, for him and Leyla, and took money from the jerk to donate to the Red Cross! This would never happen in real life, which is why I enjoyed it so much. Screw NIGHT SHIFT; I want a GH spinoff focusing entirely on this crew. Seriously, who wouldn't want to see more of these characters? You've got comedy, action and sex appeal. Add Maxie so you have a hot chick and this spin-off would be unbeatable!
ONE LIFE TO LIVE packed A LOT into today's episode. Adriana left! Marty AND Tina came back! Kevin Spirtas joined the cast! And Brody wore nothing but black track pants. Yet, all these events did not overpower a show in which every single scene and character were of interest to me today. I wish every show was as balanced.
GENERAL HOSPITAL is another show that commanded my complete attention. How punch-the-air great was that scene where Spinelli was defended by Stone Cold, Max and Milo, guns drawn, accompanied by Diane, the one woman I know who gives lawyers a good name? And Spinelli got an apology from his racist attacker, for him and Leyla, and took money from the jerk to donate to the Red Cross! This would never happen in real life, which is why I enjoyed it so much. Screw NIGHT SHIFT; I want a GH spinoff focusing entirely on this crew. Seriously, who wouldn't want to see more of these characters? You've got comedy, action and sex appeal. Add Maxie so you have a hot chick and this spin-off would be unbeatable!
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
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
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