May 23, 2008
I'm really digging the idea of a Mallet/Marina pairing on GL. The sexual tension they share both on- and off-duty is fun and flirty. Plus, that steamy pawing and interrupted make-out sesh they had a few weeks back at Company proves they've got the chemistry (and necessary sense of humor) right, too. M&M are cute together, and since crazy Dinah is too preoccupied with taking over Spaulding to give Mallet some genuine TLC, I think it's fair for him to explore other options! Marina's had a rough time of it lately and needs a good man. Since the only other single young guy in town (Remy!) is currently flirting with disaster (Ava!), her gravitation toward Mallet makes perfect sense. I think there could be tons of potential and I love watching Dinah get all catty when she spies M&M together, so I'm rooting for it. I know they're partners at the PD, but that makes it all the more scandalous, naughty and totally fun to watch. I can't wait to see what papa Frank's reaction will be if M&M decide to make an official go of it.

May 16, 2008
I love it when GL mentions beloved characters who are no longer on the canvas. Maureen was given an appropriate nod recently and this week, longtime rivals Blake and Dinah (who both, mind you, have been each others stepmother in the past) shared a rare chat wherein they agreed about missing Ross. It was sweet and I'm sure viewers, like me, appreciate the sentiment. Still, I'd like to see GL do a little more. Why not throw in a few flashback scenes of the women to remind viewers of their relationships with Ross? And while they're at it, GL should toss in a waaaay overdue flashback of a classic Josh/Reva moment (or five). I was so incredibly disappointed that we didn't get to see any flashbacks or photos when Josh and Reva were reminiscing about their favorite stories from their pasts and trying to decide which crazy adventures should end up in Reva's movie. GL totally missed out on a great opportunity to dig through the archives and showcase what every longtime fan would LOVE to see: The infamous "Slut of Springfield" fountain scene ... their big 1984 Cross Creek wedding... It just doesn't make sense, especially considering this silly Reva Goes Hollywood storyline. If the show's going through the effort of casting two newbies and bringing Hawk back, then why not go the extra mile and reward viewers with a brief montage of fun flashbacks? B&B and Y&R do it all the time, and they do it well. Instead, fans will have to settle for the very uninteresting Mark and Jolene and watch as they painfully attempt to recreate the young "Jeva" chemistry on-screen themselves.

May 9, 2008
Fans of GL's Beth Chamberlin (Beth) probably already know that she recently released (and stars in!) a new exercise DVD, The Kettlebell Way to Your Perfect Body with top kettlebell expert/trainer Anthony Digulio. The workout routine uses the Russian weight technique, incorporating a series of fun and totally fat-burning exercises that Chamberlin swears quite literally transformed and sculpted her body from flab to fab in just 8 weeks flat. When Chamberlin first told me about the workout, I was wary. I mean, a fitness video?! Images of my grandmother sweatin' to the oldies with Richard Simmons immediately flashed through my mind. Apparently that sort of knee-jerk reaction is normal. "When [my husband] Peter got it, 'I said are you crazy?' " Chamberlin later shared with me. "But I literally watched his body change in a month's time, so I was like, 'I'm getting a kettlebell!' " And Chamberlin does look fantastic (but then again she always has) and she claims that she's never felt better about her body or looked as great in a bikini. So, when I just happened to be at the GL studio a few weeks back, Chamberlin talked up the kettlebells again and promised to send me a copy of the DVD, which I received a few days later. Admittedly, it sat on my desk here at the office for weeks until she phoned me to ask if I'd tried it out yet. I sheepishly said I hadn't and finally brought it home that night. After scouring my neighborhood sporting goods stores for a 10-pound kettlebell (they're popular; it took me 2 weeks to find one), I popped in the DVD and my boyfriend watched in amusement as I huffed and puffed and tossed that little weight around our itty-bitty living room. 40 minutes and a bucket of sweat later, it was over and I felt (surprisingly) incredible. Sure, it took a full two days for my weak legs to recover from all the lunging and squatting (okay I could barely walk), but last night I tried the DVD again and I must say that this workout-weary gal might just become a kettlebell believer — give me 8 more weeks and I'll let you know. Check out www.beacon-fitness.com for more info on the DVD and be sure to pick up an upcoming issue of Digest for more health and fitness tips from Chamberlin herself!

May 2, 2008
I have to admit, I'm glad the Gus drama is on its last leg. Here's hoping Harley digging through the rest of his belongings today, then sharing a surprisingly sweet moment with Natalia as she offered up Gus's old motorcycle jacket for Rafe signals the beginning of the end of her struggle to move on because I'm ready for some fresh storylines to unfold. Much to my own surprise, I'm kind of digging on the "Reva goes Hollywood" story (so far, at least). Hawk's return yesterday was a hoot and it's great to see some new faces in town with the addition of Carson and Jolene, who's already become a thorn in Josh's side with her creepy lurking and "method" preparations for her big screen turn as Reva Shayne. I love watching Reverend Josh squirm, especially when it comes to revisiting his wild past! Sure, the storyline is outta left field, but with all the sadness and drama that's been swirling around Springfield lately, the silly plot and added humor is a refreshing change of pace.

April 25, 2008
Was anyone else disturbed and, well, disgusted by Doris and Ashlee's exchange earlier this week when La Wolfe was talking about post-op side effects with her soon-to-be incredibly shrinking daughter? Don't get me wrong, I love that the show is doing is storyline, and I absolutely adored watching Doris get all mother hen on Ashlee, showing some genuine concern and sympathy as she inquired whether Ash was taking proper precautions after the surgery. It was nice to see her finally have an interest in Ashlee's life (albeit for the entirely wrong reason) and it was fun to watch their playful banter return. Plus, Ash seems to be in good spirits — for now at least — and it's about time! Caitlin Van Zandt still brings some of the best comedic moments to GL, so it's nice to see that come into play again. However, GL could've spared us viewers some of the gruesome details of what happens to one's body after lap-band surgery, only because serious dialogue about the procedure while Ashlee was considering it basically never happened (like how Ash NEVER talked to a mental health professional beforehand to discuss the emotional/psychological implications involved). I understand that GL is trying to maintain a sense of responsibility by informing viewers about the effects, but it's a hard pill for me to swallow now especially because they didn't do that from the beginning. And, frankly, the last thing I want to hear while I'm eating my morning oatmeal and watching GL is this:

Ashlee: It's fine. Just my incisions are a little sore.
Doris: Any pain at all, redness, swelling in your legs, or vomiting — anything like that?
Ashlee: Not yet.
Doris: Okay. Just making sure you don't have any belly pain. You know, the fluid pain might leak from the cut.
Ashlee: Do you want to feel something weird? Yes, you do.
Doris: Oh, my God, what’s that?
Ashlee: It's an air bubble.
Doris: An air bubble? That's gross.
Ashlee: I know. Well, it's not that bad. Because they pump full of air and do their business, and then they suck it out, but some is left over....

Eww!

April 18, 2008
This week, I caught up with Krista Tesreau (ex-Mindy, GL; ex-Tina, OLTL) for our Where Are They Now section in the 5/13 issue. I won't give away too much (you'll have to pick up Digest for all the details), but I will say that she's definitely got a full plate these days with two little kids and a handful of infomercial appearances. One thing that didn't make it into the issue, however, was a funny conversation about how much she's changed since leaving daytime, and — aside from a growing brood — apparently, not that much ... even her wardrobe! Tesreau shares, "When I left GUIDING LIGHT, they were generous and gave me several of [Mindy's] clothes, but I left the show technically back in 1989, so I took the wardrobe that I thought would be the most classic and I still have a black wool skirt that's hanging in my closet now and has the tag that says "Mindy" written on it," she laughs. "So, last week I was getting ready to go out and I was like, 'Golly, what am I going to wear?' And then I thought, 'Oh, my God! My black skirt! My old faithful from GUIDING LIGHT!' And sure enough, I put it on and it fit me the exact same [laughs]!"

April 4, 2008
Did anyone else catch the split-second conversation between Lillian and Vanessa Thursday on GL? The old pals into each other and lamented Gus's death, then Vanessa mentioned that times like these were hard, especially for them, adding "I think about her every day." What a great shout-out to Maureen Reardon, who died in a car accident back in 1993. It was a great nod to GL's history, which is a rare thing to find in Springfield these days!

March 26, 2008
I'll admit it, sometimes I get jealous of soap stars who often have random weekdays off, especially when it's the first week of Spring (yay!), they're out enjoying the weather and I'm stuck behind a desk under artificial lighting (boo!). Case in point: Yesterday was a bit chilly but still an absolutely gorgeous, sunny day in New York — the first in months. After escaping the office for lunch, I returned to get a call from Marcy Rylan (Lizzie, GL), who was in a car with her BF and headed for an afternoon of thrifting in Brooklyn (she was hunting for a cute pair of vintage eyeglasses). I groaned with jealousy when she told me, and I grudgingly imagined them singing along to the radio together, windows rolled down, with their hair just blowin' in the wind. Sigh! Then I remembered that she's usually up for an early 8 a.m. call time at the studio on most days, while I happily hit the snooze button until well after then. Funny. I really can't complain ... even if I do have a serious case of spring fever.

March 20, 2008
It's been a short week for GL because of the NCAA tournament, but I was excited to finally see Ashlee back on screen! Where the heck has she been? I'm curious if that awkward exchange she had with the store clerk while she was trying to purchase a dress (where it was so bluntly stated that they didn't have anything bigger than a size 12) has any legs for a potential new storyline for Ash. If so, it'll be interesting to see which direction GL decides to go. Will it be the "I'm gonna get fit and healthy" route — new Springfield does have gym, after all! — or could Ashlee go spiraling into a clichéd eating disorder/diet pill mess? Here's seriously hoping it's not the latter.

I'm also not sure if I can buy into this ridiculous Coop/book deal story. I mean, when was the last time we actually saw him writing or even discussing his interest in writing? Last year? I'm not convinced it's the most plausible way to make me care about boring Coop again (or his romance with Ashlee for that matter), but according to insta-lit agent Blake, the kid's got talent. "It’s Dave Eggers, only better." Ha! Fiery La Marler's presence is already making things more interesting ... and entertaining.

March 13, 2008
I know I'm in the minority here (judging from our latest HOT OFF THE NET poll results!), but I'm going to miss GL's Will. I know, I know. He's nasty, evil and deserves to be shipped off, right? I suppose, but how boring are things going to be now that he's gone? What's Cassie going to do with all her free time now that she's not freaking out about Will and his "unusual" behavior? I'm even willing to admit that I wish GL had made him even more sinister before he got the boot for good. Will's behavior was already so delightfully campy (in that horror movie kind of way) that he should've gone out with a bang. Instead, he shed a few tears as he parted with Cassie, gave a little shrug and was simply led away. YAWN! Associate Editor Lauren Flynn and I have become big fans (some might even say obsessive) of the creepy little guy since he first showed up in Springfield, and we're both totally bummed that he won't be wreaking havoc on Josh's do-good psyche or Reva's beloved Cross Creek anymore! The fact that Seamus Davey Fitzpatrick just happened to (expertly) portray Damien in The Omen makes Will give us, well, an extra dose of the willies. But when you're a soap editor who watches sexy daytime love scenes, mobster shoot-outs and more paternity snafus than you can count, sometimes throwing a little terrifying hellion into the mix makes for unusually good soapy fun.