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OPINIONMala's Masala
June 23, 2009 Speaking of which, today on Kamikaze GL, a naked Bill almost had his inseam measured by a blasé tailor who observed, "If you've seen one, you've seen 'em all." And then Lillian disagreed, citing her nursing expertise. No, I am not even kidding. I laughed so hard that I think I sprained something. Maybe more shows should take the "live every day as if it's your last" approach to writing? Or, you know, they could all just have dueling babies. Because my other favorite part of the show was when Reva brought Colin over to Marina's, asking if she could watch both him and Henry (aka The Awesomest Baby on Daytime). It's kind of ingenious, really. If one baby makes Marina and Mallet interesting, imagine what two can do? Too bad Reva returned for her kid before the episode was over. ATWT saw the return of everyone's favorite homophobic colonel, Win Mayer, and I couldn't help but crack up as Daniel Hugh Kelly puffed on that cigar and played the nefarious villain to the cheesy hilt. Poor Riley, he doesn't know what he's in for, getting involved with Col. Homophobe. And, yes, as if there's any doubt, I'm on Team Riley/Margo during this silly conflict with Casey. Jealousy has no place when someone is grieving the loss of their child. Casey looks like an utter git for trying to take Riley away from Margo and going off on Ali for calling him out on his pettiness. Even if Riley is up to something shady. But more on that at a later date! Johnny continues to be my favorite GH character, and JoLivia my favorite couple. Their scenes yesterday and today were hot, hot, hot! I just have one request: Can Claudia please knock it off with the cougar talk, as well as the "ho" and "skank" designations? No.1: Olivia's not that old. No. 2: Let she who is without sluttiness cast the first "whore!" Claudia is carrying a child that may or may not be Ric's and she has the nerve to cast aspersions on Olivia, who hasn't slept with anyone besides Johnny since she hit town over 6 months ago? Please! It's ridiculous.
June 22, 2009 And in other Y&R notes, today we also had the first stirrings of the much-talked about Rafe/Adam story, as Rafe told Adam he couldn't represent Newman and his aunt Estella at the same time. I totally sensed some sparks, that will no doubt light into flames when Michael Muhney takes over on the 25th and really gets the ball rolling. Regardless of what went down between Chris Engen and Y&R, I feel like this is a classic soap story that just happens to involve two men. I mean, how many times have you seen a daytime villain or villainness put the moves on someone to keep from getting exposed? It's a soap cliché! It happens all the time! The difference is that, this time, it's a man manipulating another man to cover his hide. And to really move forward with equal LGBT representation, we can't just tell coming out stories, safe stories of a gay teen's first love, etc. Soaps have to be unafraid to tell the messy stories, too. So, kudos to Y&R for taking a risk. I can't wait to see exactly how far Adam is willing to go to cover his tracks...and if he can ever come back from all this Ashley insanity. Of course, if Todd can become OLTL's leading man and GH's Ric can avoid getting killed off after the Panic Room, I'm thinkin' Adam probably has a long future in Genoa City!
June 18, 2009 In just a handful of months, I've come to enjoy not one but two Johnny pairings, and I have to tell you, this is just weird for me. It's not that I didn't like Johnny before, it's just he's the latest in a long line of 20-something guys on GH. So when Brandon Barash debuted in 2007, I told myself not to get too attached. But somewhere along the way, I got attached anyway. I kinda love this character. I love that Johnny is one of the few people in town who has Claudia's number and despite loving his sister, he doesn't let the two-bit schemer off the hook. I will not lie, I also loved him wading into the Spinelli/Matt antics at Jake's and efficiently taking care of the situation. I love the piano-playing, even though Jake's needs slightly more cheerful musical selections. (The classical dirges could send already depressed drunks even further into their cups!) I love how Johnny is with Maxie and Olivia. It's playful, it's fun, it's not about being each other's soulmates and skipping off to have babies...and it's smokin' hot. Jolivia's brief piano duet was sexy as Hell, as was Johnny "checking her engine" today. Fighting summer rerun season tooth and nail and desperate for something new to watch, I actually gave THE UNUSUALS a shot last week and this week — only to realize that the show got the ax from ABC. That sucks, because I really like the ensemble cast! Adam Goldberg and Harold Perrineau are straight up hilarious; I really enjoyed Joshua Cole as the more serious cop, Cole, and Amber Tamblyn and Jeremy Renner's Shraeger and Walsh had major partner chemistry — despite the fact that Amber will always be teen Emily from GH to me. LOL. That'll teach me to wait until the last possible minute to start watching a TV show! Last but not least, I am enthralled by Henry's hat collection on GL. I mean, the kid's cute enough as it is, with those big, dark eyes, but then he has all these jaunty hats and I'm a total ball of mush. Today he was sporting one of his favorite blue striped newsboy caps and I actually lost track of what my colleague Gabby was saying to me. She had to come around my desk to see what caught my attention. Yes, she agreed the hat was adorable. In fact, if I can find enough pictures of Henry's head toppers, you might see a Style sidebar in our GL pages coming up sometime soon. LOL. (You readers and my mother probably have the same refrain at this point: "Mala, just have some kids of your own!" Then again, what if I had my own kid and he/she looked terrible in hats? What then?)
June 16, 2009 I tuned in to AMC for Jake and Amanda's wedding, which was an adorable laugh-fest, and the birth of Amanda's son, which was a six-hanky sobfest. That baby was so cute, so tiny and sleepy, and Chrishell Stause knocked the goodbye scenes with him out of the park. I also really adore her chemistry with Ricky Paull Goldin. This is one of those cases where an actor is brought on for one thing but takes off in a completely different way. Goldin came on with Beth Ehlers from That Show I'm Not Mentioning Until Later, ostensibly to try and recapture their Gus/Harley couple spark, but it's Jake and Amanda that really caught fire. They're funny and romantic — and Jake totally rocked those orange-pink scrubs! Less pleasing to the eye was Dorian's meltdown at Markko's graduation party on OLTL. I was horrified, and if you know me and my hot buttons, I think you know exactly why. So, getting dumped and drunk turns Dorian Lord into an over-privileged bigot? Come on. Sure, I remember it being pretty painful when Carlotta was her maid and then gradually shifted over to the Angel Square storyline, but was it anywhere near this outwardly offensive? Thinking Markko's parents were the help?! The way she belittled Shaun and his "little friend" and then talked down to Moe and Noelle?! I wanted to hide under my desk. Sure, Dorian's stuck-up but her daughters Adrianna and Langston are both half-Latin, and I just think that was a poor, poor direction for the writers to take her. I actually cheered Langston yelling at her and shoving her in the pool. On the bright side for OLTL, I got up to speed on the Kyle/Fish storyline this weekend (what there is of it) and can safely say that if handled correctly, it has potential! I love the contrast between serious, job-oriented Fish and major screw-up Kyle. I love that there's clear UST (Unresolved Sexual Tension) between them, and I can't wait to see more. Plus, I've loved Brett Claywell since he played Tim on ONE TREE HILL. Now, to the obligatory GL squee. Rafe's reaction to Olivia and Natalia's uber-chaste love affair was spot-on. His bewilderment at his religious mother purportedly going against everything she taught him was completely understandable. It wasn't as simple as, "Ew! Mom! You're gay?!" It was, "Are you still the woman who raised me?" And that's a question he's going to have to find the answer to in his own time, realizing that, yes, Natalia is still the woman of faith and virtue who taught him right from wrong. However, I did have to laugh at Frank slipping Rafe booze after all was said and done. I think one of my favorite parts of "Kamikaze GL," (see Joe's blog for the explanation of THAT) is that do-gooder Frank is turning into such a bitter, cranky rebel. It's about time!
June 12, 2009
June 11, 2009
June 10, 2009 And the fact that Adam's incriminating bloody towel made a reappearance yesterday certainly didn't help! Ew. Ew. Ew. There are just some props that nobody needs to see repeatedly. For instance, I have not-so fond memories of this ratty brown blanket that was used in practically every GH love scene for a while. It was usually at Wyndemere, but you'd see it pop up all over town...like it was some sort of sentient sex blanket that creeped from place to place. During Rebecca and Nikolas' recent stable romp, I half-expected to see it again, but was relieved that their sex blanket was a different color! Of course, my relief then melted into horror as Rebecca followed in Y&R's Jack's footsteps and ran off to canoodle with Ethan, still wearing the same clothes from her Nikolas session. Ick. Can we put a moratorium on same day sexcapades, please? Or at least engage in a shower and a change of outfits? Now to switch to a less traumatic topic, how cute were ATWT's Luke and Noah and GL's Olivia and Natalia yesterday? I mean, okay, Joe and I were hard-pressed to figure out how Otalia were supposed to bake 50 dozen cookies (that's 600!) in THAT kitchen, but all that domestic adorability with little Emma made us stop obsessing over the minutiae. And Noah and Luke being all excited about Noah's documentary and then trying to figure out what was up with Riley was just perfect. I actually cracked up when Riley wondered why Colonel Mayer treated Noah poorly and Luke draped himself around Noah like a scarf and dramatically drawled, "Obviously because he's gay." Plus, it was a nice switch when Noah was the suspicious one and Luke unconcerned. "You like everybody!" Luke gasped. You know what, with a few exceptions, I kinda like everybody, too. Especially ATWT's newbies Riley and Hunter!
June 5, 2009 I already like the chip on Kristina's shoulder and how she needled Jason and enjoys playing her absentee dad and neurotic mom against each other. Actress Lexi Ainsworth is cute — but she looks younger than 16. Having her debut dispassionately asking Jason if he wants to "hook up" and then stripping to her undies to distract him from Michael hiding in her bedroom (where, presumably, HE can see her in her undies, too) is just WRONG on so many levels. And speaking of "wrong," how about those icky incest vibes flying around between Kristina and Michael? Sure, the script writer made sure to include several instances of them both calling Sonny "Dad" and using words like "brother" and "sister," but that was canceled out by whoever directed Drew Garrett (my new favorite!) to play Michael flirty and that line where Michael observed Kristina turned into a "babe" while he was in the coma. :::shudder::: STOP THAT. Not to mention, again, the underwear. I don't know about anybody else's relationships with their siblings, but I tend to believe that the only time a brother should see his sister's underwear is in the laundry basket! Garrett and Ainsworth are great together, and immediately clicked, but using Kristina's debut as a way to sexualize a young girl and hint at a potential Mikey/Kristina pair-up left a really bad taste in my mouth.
June 4, 2009 I think he's fantastic. Mad props to casting director Mark Teschner, because not only does this kid physically look like a Carly/AJ/Jason hybrid, but he can more than hold his own in a scene. I mean, he commands attention from a hospital bed, across from veteran actors like Laura Wright (Carly), Steve Burton (Jason), and Maurice Benard (Sonny)...and that is huge. Today, as Michael raged at Robin in full-on "Anger Boy" mode, I cringed for her but felt for him. As he opened up to Jason about wanting to get out of the hospital, I really felt his frustration and fear. I wanted to take him home and feed him soup and tell him everything was going to be okay. It's hard for me to get used to newbies and recasts — especially given how GH tends to have a few young men join the show every year — so I tend to try and reserve judgment until new faces have been on a while. But Garrett knocked my socks off almost from the get-go. I really can't wait to see his Michael unleashed on Port Charles. I'm also really enjoying Johnny and Olivia's no-strings, extended hook-up. Since GH seems determined to keep Maxie in Spinelli's orbit, I'm glad they're at least utilizing Johnny's newfound flirtatious streak and he's getting some home cooked pasta to boot. Plus, Olivia has been on the show since last fall and it's about time she got a little lovin'. The fact that it drives Sonny crazy? A huuuuge bonus! Hee!
June 3, 2009
June 2, 2009
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It's not just you, Mala. I also have been disappointed in ATWT's misuse of Ameera as a generic complication for Nuke. She is a unique character who presents an opportunity to show daytime audiences something truly different. ATWT should use her background as a jumping-off point to tell uncommon stories and showcase Tala's appeal.
Since school hasn't been a concern for...um, a couple of years, and I also work here, how about a few things I would change the channel from some other soap to watch? Let's start with: 1. AMC's Jesse/Angie 2. ATWT's Henry/Vienna 3. Marcy, Marcy, Marcy -- as in Rylan's Lizzie. Don't worry, soap fans, this is far from an exhaustive list.
My favorite soap moment this year was when Luke and Noah finally shared another kiss at Old Town.
Mala I can't agree more with your comments on Jerry, Sebastian Roche and Jerry and Alexis and whoever your unnamed colleague is that thought the kiss in the Haunted Star was one of the hottest they've ever seen I completely agree! What can we do to get a joint interview with Nancy Lee Grahn and Sebastian Roche in your magazine! I'd totally buy that and I'll bet they'd be hilarious together. I've heard good things are coming up for "J-Lex" and I am all too happy about it. They are a sexy, mysterious treat and one of the best things GH has going for them right now!
Mich, J-Lex has definitely turned into one of my only reasons for tuning into GH these days. They are really fun to watch and Grahn and Roche just look like they're having a blast.
I completely agree with you on Grahn & Roche.They are actually the only reason I'm still hanging onto GH right now. They have electric chemistry and I think the possibilities are endless for Jerry & Alexis. I too, would love to see her "Cassadine" side come out to play here. I'd also love a joint interview with them in the magazine. I would definitely buy that one!
I share your love for Sebastian Roche and am a full-fledged, card carrying member of the Jerry and Alexis fan club (or cult). They make such tremendous music together. They both radiate passion and angst... perfect soap couple! I'd love to see a joint interview with both. Can you inagine the fun with THAT interview!
I have been waiting for the Jerry/Alexis story for well over a year now. The first day he grabbed her arm at Wyndemere to keep her from leaving the room I knew that they had IT. It's about time that GH started using them. I'd love a joint interview.
Mala, girl you are a GENIUS! I love it! Jason Morgan returns to Jason Quartermaine! OMG!!!! It's brilliant....so, can u move to LA and get a writers job on GH to make it happen? lol
DAYS so they break lucas out of jail to pair him with chloe and they break sami and ej up to get our hopes up of reuniting sami and lucas just to disappoint
Mala, J-Lex is one of the best things about GH these days. Nadine and Nikolas are getting hotter, but the mob stories are getting old fast. The mob needs to be run out of Port Charles and the hospital needs to be front and center. Night Shift is well-written and entertaining. I can't help but wish that the Night Shift writer would take over for the day shift.
Why hasn't anyone blogged today? I am missing the current blogs by the editors of Digest. Pleasea write something! I want to hear someone's opinion today!
If it helps at all, I'll have a new entry up tomorrow! :)
Loved reading your JUST ASKING! blog entry and learning more about you. I always wondered how actors had such witty answers to these questions and now I know it takes time.
I agree with your post on 12-11-08, except, I'd rather have Chloe/Clark than Clark/Lois. My GH Christmas List: 1. Richard Dean Anderson returns as Jeff Webber, giving Liz some family other than Audrey. 2. The Baldwin family is brought back to the canvas. Bring back Gail & Lee! Lord knows Monica and Scotty could use someone in their corner. 3. AJ Quartermaine returns with his fiancée Keesha Ward, and with no knowledge of what's been going on since he left with the Quartermaine fortune in 2003. The AJ that came back was an imposter! Just imagine the drama that would unfold. Plus, Jason could apologize to AJ's face instead of his grave! 4. Sam joins the police force and marries Lucky. The police force stops being an embarrassment. 5. Everyone stops dumping on Kate and starts dumping on Carly. My GL Christmas List: 1. Instead of rehashing Marina/Shayne or going with Dinah/Shayne (ew!). Pair up Shayne Lewis & Ashlee Wolfe! I imagine plenty of snark and heat. 2. Lizzie & Bill raise Sarah.
You're SO right about B&B's Bridget! I fell for Bridget and C.J's relationship back when Jennifer Finnigan was Bridget. Bringing back C.J. for Bridget has been a wish of mine for years. And I liked the one scene that Bridget and Owen shared. Why did the show have to tease us with that and not further that relationship?
Why hasn't anyone blogged today? I am missing the current blogs by the editors of Digest. Pleasea write something! I want to hear someone's opinion today! thanks
Oh Mala, sorry to disagree with you, but I didn't see what you saw AT ALL! First, Reese was plastered to Zach. Didn't you notice her constant need to keep touching Zach as he listened to Kendall's heart? What? She couldn't give him som privacy? But that's nothing new with Reese who prefers Zach's company to Bianca's. And I'm sorry, Zach's dialogue did NOT indicate he was petrified about Kendall's condition. What he said was he's afraid the heart he arranged to be placed into her is no longer the heart he fell in love with. In other words this isn't the same Kendall for Zach. Zach wasn't concerned about Kendall's condition, he was concerned about HIMSELF. This was so much at odds with the frantic Zach we saw on Monday who would do anything to save Kendall. As for Bianca, once again, she was wandering around randomly and not being around her fiancee who feels the need to be attached to Zach's hip. Nice to see Bianca is so broken up over Josh'
Mala, I couldn't agree more with what you had to say about Johnny and Maxie in your 2/4/09 entry. I never saw that kiss coming, but it was definitely a fantastic surprise. I've always enjoyed watching Brandon and Kirsten together, and these latest scenes were just proof of how great Johnny and Maxie could be together. I just cannot stomach the thought of Maxie and Spinelli in a romantic relationship. She loses her wonderful sass and snark around him and becomes annoyingly dependent. They sacrfice her for the sake of "Spixie" and making Spinelli look like her white knight. Maxie needs a guy who doesn't put her up on a pedestal, but rather one who will stand right next to her and be her equal. She's a tough cookie and for the longest time I have thought that she and Johnny would be incredibly well-matched. Now, if only I wasn't so set on Matt and Maxie...
Mala - I couldn't agree more with your March 18 blog about Johnny and Maxie. I have loved the potential between these two characters since...well, he blazed his way into Port Charles. I was giddy when they gave each other the eye at the apartment but since the garage scenes during the crisis, I have to admit, Johnny and Maxie have helped me fall in love with General Hospital again and I wasn't sure that was even possible. That dialogue you quoted made me melt into a puddle and I can't help but root for these two complicated, reckless but vulnerable souls to find love in each other! I'm so glad you are seeing the same thing!
Hey Mala! I could not agree more with your 3/18 blog on Johnny and Maxie. They have so much spark and chemistry I can't help myself for falling for them. They both light up with each other and they are exactly what I want for a soap couple. They challenge each other and give as good as they get. I just pray they give them a fighting chance and get them out of their "existing ties" so when they are together it is about them and only them. I have been loving the lines that they are getting from the scene you quoted which gave me goosebumps to Johnny telling her he thinks she spends way too much time with Spinelli (I agree), then him questioning just what is an essential person...did I sense a little jealousy from Johnny? I am actually excited to watch again and it is because of them.
Thank you so much for writing this Mala! I too am very excited about the possibilities with JoMax and really hope they are given a chance. I believe their chemistry is off the charts but what makes them even more exciting is the moments of depth we get flashes of. With the few gems such as-the because your you(thanks for highlighting that exchange) and the time she was crying over Georgie's acceptance letter all that time ago- I really believe GH has something special here if the writers take advantage of it. Thanks again!
i completely agree. these two are unbelieveable, their chemistry, there everything! i am praying that these two get together, the writers better not screw it up, these two are amazing!
I am disappointed you are advocating a self-destructive pairing such as JoMax based on nothing but sleaze, lying, & cheating. Spixie is a beautiful story that could bring young love & romance back to GH at a time when fans are leaving the show in droves. Last week's JoMax limo kiss garnered a whopping 1.9 rating, & according to one Spixie fansite literally hundreds of Spixie fans called the comment line vowing to turn off their TVs on Wed. 3/18 which they did. Wed. 3/18 ratings were 1.8, the lowest rated day on any ABC soap last week...costing GH to trail behind AMC & OLTL in week's total viewers. When the soaps are gone, magazines covering them will be gone too. I am cancelling my 15-year subscription to SOD for their supportive JoMax letters & editorials, & I can stop buying SOW as well. Spixie's magic is their deep, honest, mutually respectful, unconditional love. Once you've tasted a flute of the finest crystal of the Dom Perignon that is Spixie, anything less is a Dixie cup of rot gut.
Spinelli & Maxie's love story is the only story I want to see. Spinelli and Maxie are perfect for one another. There is so much passion, chemistry there that TPTB would be silly to not actually go there after a full year of investment for it. Bradford & Kirsten work beautifully together. The story between low self esteem bestfriends becoming lovers is extremly believable. They are my root for couple...always!
I love Spinelli and Maxie together. I've loved their story for the past year and I want to see them grow as a couple. I think Maxie freaked out after she said ILY and she's acting out now. They have a sparkle and caring that I want to see more of. They are in love with each other and now there are all these obstacles in their way - JoLuWin. I want them to have a serious adult conversation about how where they're going. Together. Long live Spixie!
Personally I have no interest in seeing Maxie paired with Johnny and getting mixed up with his "dark" yet amazingly bland self. I will always want Maxie with Spinelli. Theirs is a beautiful story of two lost souls who find acceptance, happiness and love with each other. It is a true romance. Bradford Anderson and Kirsten Storms are a match made in heaven, and I would love to see what they can do with a full-fledged romantic relationship for Spixie.
Seeing Johnny and Maxie together makes me physically ill. It has made me dislike both characters. Sure they are being self-destructive, but I don't like that it's going to hurt two good people (Lu Lu and Spinelli) in the process. I wouldn't mind the Spixie angst so much if we had gotten some actual romance beforehand. It's been torture having all these Spixie kisses lead nowhere! Then Maxie says she loves Spinelli, but the next day jumps Johnny??? WTF??? I had really hoped that these four characters could have been close friends. I had always enjoyed their scenes together. Now I just feel uncomfortable watching them.
Bold and Beautiful storyline with Rick and Steffy is makibg me sick to my stomach. Enough with the kissing already. Rick is just using Steffy, and he is being an arogant, selfish brat. Maybe he should go back to Paris and let Steffy and Marcus find theit way back to each other. Someone needs to knock him down a peg or two, or tell Steffy that he threatened her father,if she knew the whole truth she would give him up. Rhonda in Ohiovbfdg3
You are spot on. GL is great and I hope they find a home after they leave CBS. I love Otalia, Bizzie, and the Spaulding family dynamic is about to really take off again. I want to see GL continue these great stories.
"Guiding Light" **has** to find a new home -- it's too good to be taken off the air! I came to GL a couple months ago for Otalia but have been sucked into the other stories, too, especially Bill & Lizzie, who are just as adorable as you described (though I haven't seen today's episode yet; yesterday they were wonderful!) and I'm a big fan of Remy and Christina. Add my love of Doris, Phillip/Beth, Josh, Dinah and Shayne and this show really has me hooked; is there any "light" on the horizon about it finding a new home? Two million viewers is nothing to sneeze at!
I agree that GL is the hottest it has been in a LONG time! Sexy new couples like Otalia, Bizzie and Dinah and Shayne, along with old favorites like Reva and Josh, Beth and Phillip, Vanessa and Billy! And I can't wait to see what happens at Frank and Natalia's wedding next week!!!
This was a HUGE day for Otalia fans and we loved every minute of today's show. CC and JL rocked those scenes today and I can't wait for tomorrow. It's great to see Otalia getting so much positive press. I hope that GL will find a new home so we can continue to watch Otalia and GL.
Guiding Light is on fire and Crystal Chappell is the best there is. I hope and pray GL can stay on the air somewhere, because I would go through serious withdrawals if I couldn't see her on my screen again.
So far this week, Guiding Light has delivered in some many ways. The angsty Otalia build up continues, but today we finally had some outpouring of truthful emotion. GL's other stories are keeping the audience entertained, but we're on the edge of our seats to see what happens between Olivia and Natalia.
OMG!!! Crystal was unbelievable today. The whole show is SO good these days. It is the highlight of my day. When did that happen? If Crystal doesn't get an Emmy for the current storyline, I will be devastated. Thank you for your comments.
Mala, If Crystal does not get performer of the week or something then something is seriously wrong. She was on fire today! Guiding Light is seriously must see soap. This is so old school soap opera and I'm glad their are still editors like yourself who appreciates good old fashioned storytelling. Thanks for always caring and writing and blogging about Guiding Light
Guiding Light..OMG..off the charts awesome!! Crystal Chappell..the best..the very best there is!! Find this show a home P&G..you have a gold mine on your hands and whoever picks up GL will not be sorry for an instant.
When do we start the Emmy campaign for Crystal Chappell? And how can I help? Because she has consistently given the best performance in soaps today - what amazing range she has! - and it's about time she gets recognized for that. C'mon, Soap Opera Digest, I've only just started buying your mag for Otalia but I'll do whatever you want if you can make this happen...:)
I am still scraping my heart off the floor after Otalia today. What an amazing story - CBS must be full of complete morons to decide to cancel this show. It is the only show on television that can render me a complete emotional mess by 10am. Simply amazing, I can't wait for tomorrow. Thanks for all your great GL/Otalia posts!
Crystal Chappell was absolutely amazing today!!! Guiding Light and the Otalia story line are rocking the house everyday...THIS is must see TV people! Crystal and Jessica are wonderful together!!!
Thanks, everyone! I'm really, truly engaged by GL and Otalia right now and you're all absolutely right: Crystal Chappell and Jessica Leccia have been phenomenal. Can't wait to see tomorrow's scenes!
man, if crystal chappell doesn't kill me with all the crying and angst and emmy-worthy acting, the thought of september 18th getting closer and closer surely will. for the love of all that is good and right with the world, this show needs a new- and better- home. it's quite obvious the show is hitting on all cylinders right now (otalia especially), so what's the problem? could it be the lack of promotion by CBS, the weird airing schedule by local markets, the antiquated ratings system? uh, yeah, i think so. regardless, whatever network is smart enough to pick this show up will be getting a steal. a gold mine. a cash cow. all they have to do is tell us what they want us to do to keep GL & otalia on the air and we'll do it. but P&G products? done. order SOAPNet? done. watch on-line, live, on demand, order through iTunes? done, done, done and done.
Cristal is too good to be true. Otalia is soap at its best. Guiding Light must keep shining
Thanks for highlighting what outstanding work Crystal Chappell has been doing. She's always delivered no matter what the story line or how strong or weak the writing. But, right now, with Ellen Wheeler and Jill Lorie Hurst at the helm creatively and with a scene partner like Jessica Leccia, Crystal is doing the finest work of her career. I won't allow it into my consciousness that September marks the end of the road for Guiding Light and the Otalia story line. The show on all levels is too good and there has to be some wise network executives at other outlets out there who are seeing this phenomenon and are smart enough to pick up the show.
OMG! Crystal just shattered my heart into a thousand pieces. That was seriously the best last five minutes of a soap that I've seen since Tony put his head to BJ's chest on GH in 94. Crystal is truly in a class by her self. Nice blog btw. I so agree about how GL has you on a high and GH leaves you wondering why do you even bother watching it.
Thanks for the great comments on Guiding Light and Otalia! Wasn't Crystal awesome!! No one can touch her in the game today!!! I just got my heart beating again and its been 30 minutes since I saw that scene!! CBS has made the mistake of the lifetime letting this show, this story line and these terrific actresses go!! Everyone on GL rocks!! Someone find the cast and crew a new home, soon!
Today was the day we've been waiting to happen for over a year. And even knowing it was coming, no words could ever do justice to the last five minutes of today's show. I think every Otalia fan needs a reboot! Kudos to JLH, EW, CC, and JL. And thank you for continuing to support the Light!
Commenting in Haiku: Chappell perfection The eyes bring it home, no doubt Master method class
Just back up the brinks truck and hand CC all the emmys that will be handed out during this years show. I have never been such a shaky, blubbering mess over a show. GL just has to find a new home. I want to see Otalia live on forever.
The last 5 minutes of Guiding Light today was W.O.W!! Crystal Chappell knocked it out of the park and she delivered an Emmy performance!! I have never been so invested in a television storyline ever. Otalia is the best romantic love story on TV period. Thanks for covering them, Mala.
Todays Guiding Light was amazing. Crystal Chappell is brilliant. Those last five minutes brought physical tears from me. Guiding Light has to find a new home- its to great of a show not to!!
GL is now the only show I refuse to miss. I'm a big Otalia fan but I'm enjoying the other storylines too. I hope GL finds another home soon as they are delivering some great entertainment.
"Oh, my heart" exactly! It literally hurt after that episode. That ending!
Otalia is the best storyline on daytime; the writing is supreme, the acting is unbelievably good, and the chemistry between CC and JL is heart-stopping. Keep it up GL and I truly hope you find a place to land. Thank you for the support of my favorite duo on daytime of all time. buggy
I had that exact same theatrical moment at the end of GL 4/14!! Otalia continues to be one of the best love storylines written today. Crystal Chappell was absolutely wonderful today and I look forward to Jessica Leccia's continued brilliance with Natalia. I hope our show finds a new place to rest its head at night. Keep the Light Shining!
CC was truly amazing yesterday. I just do not tire of singing her praises! Give the woman an Emmy, for crying out loud! Oh, and save GL, since it's... i don't know... the best show on TV right now!
Mala, thank you for the article about the shameful way that today's current soaps have put most of their minority characters into their own "soap bubble world" within the fictionalized world on most soaps. I'm not sure what exactly happened, but over a decade ago, there was twice as many minority characters on screen, then there is now. It's just shameful, but I don't think or feel that a campaign will change anything, because it's up to the writers of these shows to create storylines that will somehow intertwine all of these characters into the fabric of the show. I'm not against Bonnie being involved with Dusty at all, but will Derek somehow leave town in order for Bonnie to be single and available for her new upcoming romance with Dusty "The Savior of All Oakdale Female Folk" Donovan?! Also, I just love how a certain group feels like they're being "blamed" for the lack of storylines for fictional characters of color. Those folks need
With the majority of the soap auidence being African American women. Why is Y&R still so lily white? Shouldn't this show represent the it's viewership? i mean we have an African Amercian president. African Americans sell covers of mainstream magazines. Vogue had two covers back to back with Michelle Obama and then Beyonce. What's the deal with Y&R and soaps in general. Daytime is racist and they know it and they refuse to change even though the facts and numbers point to AA's as the main audience. I'm trying to wrap my head around this. So love to hear your thoughts. Y&R has been on a decline ever since Victoria Rowell left the show. The Winters have been ghettoized over the last 1 and a half. The show has bumped Bryton to Recurring. We have a barely seen Roxy and Olivia comes in for a brief moment to give advice. Then they fire The Actress and keep the model who can't act. Now that doesn't bold well for future storylines. We have started an ongoing series on my soap we
We are also doing on an ongoing series on diversity in daytime. @ the site here: http://timeaftertimeonlinedrama.webs.com
GH: Sonny, front burner. Dr. Lee, Nurse Epiphany, Robin's therapist; all recurring and seldom seen There is also the beautiful Dr. Elaine Winters who does not get any story, was put on recurring status...Detective Cruz who just disappeared, the clerk of Asian heritage at Metro Court who they cut. The African American orderly who disappeared... IMO, Soaps have lost the African American audience which contributes to their decline...we don't trust them and aren't coming back for the "most part" they have permanently lost this audience... They will not put African Americans in lead story for the most part...just wallpaper to give the look of diversity to support the other actors. They are basically bit day players on GH.
Again, I agree with your new blog about what GH's doing with the history of Luke (and his epic former storyline with the love of his life, Laura). It's very clear to me that TPTB really don't give a crap at all, about the history of characters and storylines that made viewers interested in their shows in the first place. The viewing audience isn't at fault for why this genre is slowly dying out. It's the people in charge of it, that are guilty.
The Luke/Ethan mess has revolted this 25 year viewer more than I am capable of verbalizing. This is just another, more shocking example of GH's thumbing it's nose at the longtime audience they obviously no longer court. Once you finish destroying the stories that have kept fans connected to a show, it ceases to exist for them. What the hell happened to the character of Luke? When did we see him lose his soul,because it's most certainly gone. Was it when he drunkenly rutted with Holly while his wife Laura was waiting at home with their son Lucky? The son who most assuredly inherited her heart. Whoever's brainchild this story was should be ashamed.
I love Guiding Light and most especially Otalia. Crystal and Jessica are bringing their very best to this storyline and their best is genius. Jill Hurst and Ellen Wheeler are brilliant for all they do. Guiding Light must be saved.
After this last week-end, then coming and reading this I realize, I could'nt really care less about your opinion anymore. It is just like oh, ok, whatever!
While the whole Ethan is Luke's son storyline is stupid it would of been even dumber to try and tell us that Lulu was still born in 1994.
I agree Drew is commanding and really can't wait to see more of him. Olivia and Johnny are different; not sure yet about them. But I think if anyone deserves some loving it's Matt. He's been on the show almost a year! I think it's time to give Matt a real romance!
Drew Garret is great as Michael!! already love him, did you see the way he had those tears flowing with Robin!!! NuKristina um yea, shes going to take some time to get used to. Maybe it was nerves, but she needs to put more effort, so that I can really feel her emotions. Right now she just seems like a brat with no heart.
Does it make me a bad person to say that I would love a Michael/Kristina hook-up. First of all, the Carly and Alexis drama is all there. Secondly, it would bother Sonny to no end. I mean, all along I was rooting for cousins, Morgan and Molly, to drive the drama - but hey! I'll take the chemistry where I can find it.
mala, you are a better person than I! i just cant get into any of the s/ls on atwt-the adam/riley is way too rushed for me granted i dont know who adam was, but nor do i want to its funny i can tune into y&r or days on soapnet and not know anything about the show, but i am intrigued and actually watch cant say the same about atwt unless its a paul day
THANK YOU MALA! I totally agree with you. It's like they are afraid of offending viewers. They are offending me by not showing the kiss! If people don't like what they show, they can tune out, it shouldn't be up to the writers to censor the content of the storyline based on what they think viewers won't like. Heterosexual couples are half naked all of the time. Show some gay action! Thanks again Mala for writing what I was thinking!
Mala, I think I will be forever confused why you would root for Carjack (after they've been destroyed by stunts like Carly pretending to die and luring Jack to Montana) and not root for Spixie. Spinelli & Msxie is the ULTIMATE drawn out love story that has kept me tuned into GH. I would say root for Liason also, but I wouldn't want you to go through that pain that GH has put us through.
MALA,you Roooccck!! I love reading your blog, it's the first thing I check when I check out the website.
I agree with you about the chaste lesbian and gay characters on daytime. Those against gay and lesbian characters won't even acknowledge that true love can exist in same sex relationships. They will tune out. Why try to pander to them by not showing kissing and love making? There are a lot of other straight fans like you and me who simply respond to good writing and storylines for both straight and same sex couples. Are Olivia and Natalia ever going to kiss?
Mala, you certainly hit the nail on the head about GH's Sonny and his women. I agree with everything you said, except the part about getting back together with Kate--that re-write didn't work for me. Why does every woman that comes to town HAVE to be with Sonny? They become sniveling idiots. They protest his advances and then become his biggest cheerleader. If I have to hear one more woman say what a good man and father Sonny is I'm going to scream. It's time to change the story and the dialoge.
Mala, you are my favorite blogger on this site. As much as I adore Maurice Benard as an actor, you are RIGHT ON about Sonny. He needs to be written differently so Maurice doesn't have to keep playing the same ol' song over and over. When Sonny went through the bipolar storyline, I thought it was a chance for change for the character. The whole Emily story was icky but as Mala said, it was different. Claudia-Sonny could have worked if they hadn't made her completely psycho from the start. They could have bonded over their similar horrific childhoods, etc. Sarah Brown makes me watch Claudia and it's a shame she and Mo won't get to make that marriage a romance, which it could have been. GH is a mess, still. LOVE the new Michael but he's headed down a bad path due to the writers. ARGH! Love in the afternoon? Hell no. Not anymore. Which is why the audience continues to disappear....
Thanks for the recent comments, everyone! I'm glad you're enjoying my posts. Margaret - I'm suggesting Kate as an option because I figure it saves future women from being trapped in the cycle. LOL. Might as well go back to one that he's already been through it with!
I love Jolivia. I do not want to see another woman that is feisty, strong and independent sacrificed at the alter of Sonny Corinthos. Johnny and Olivia are fun to watch and the best new couple on GH in a long time.
On GH, I don't even want Sonny with Kate. Kate always treated Carly like trash and let's face it she did take Michael without Carly's permission to the warehouse. In the end though, I am sick of the whole drama surrounding Sonny and his women. I am tired of watching new woman X come to town and assume Sonny's marriage broke up because Carly failed yada yada yada. For an intelligent person Kate was dumb not to realize who shot Carly in the head so now she is forgotten, Karma. Sonny has no empathy for carly and the kids it is all about him, I don't care anymore.
I agree with some of your post. Sonny's love life has become a bit repetitive but I don't think there's anything wrong with Sonny and Olivia. I like them. I think they have chemistry. And of course Johnny's being nice he's sleeping with her. I bet Sonny will be nice too when they start having sex. Johnny and Olivia have no future. There's way more story potential with Solivia.
I agree with you 100% about Sonny. Claudia is such a looney character,I feel the writers are making Sonny so totally abusive and ugly (Sonny understood Michael when he shot kate, today he screamed at Michael who may not have even run Claudia off the road). One reason ratings are tanking is that Claudia and Sonny do not work as a couple and no one wants to watch them. To have Olivia and Sonny together the writers are already rewriting Skate which is als turning away viewers. Skate's ratings were anywhere from 40 to 60% better than current ratings. I say that Kate is the only character that can make Sonny watchable again and they should keep Johnny with Olivia.
I understand about Sonny and his women but I think Olivia is different. Solivia have chemistry and Liv can hold her own with Sonny. Jolivia is just sex and that is all it should be. What future would they have none? They should do Solivia but keep Olivia strong. I want Johnny with Maxie I love those two together. I wouldn't mind seeing Claudia with Dante either.
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Yes Johnny and Olivia are so swoon worthy, I love how she has given him a free pass for Michael's shooting, I love how she's reliving her life with Sonny through Johnny, and Sonny is the great big bad mobster but Johnny is just misunderstood. To bad she wasn't around for Johnny's part in Michael's shooting And as for Sonny feigning sympathy. You mean sympathy for the wife that poked holes in condoms to get pregnant in the first place that put Sonny in the position to lose another child, the woman that has Jerry out now trying to kill Michael, you mean that woman and wife Mala, what show do you watch or are you so skewed in your opinion over the perfeciton of Johnny & Olivia that the story itself loses you. Try at least some honesty
Was it ever actually established that Ashley delivered the baby and Adam burned it in the fireplace? I just remember that he burned the bloody bathrobe and towels. I don't think even Adam is capable of burning a fetus ... that would be too sick, even for him. I just assumed that Ashley has been carrying around a dead fetus all this time ... which is still dark, but not quite as twisted. Wouldn't it be nice if Dr. Taylor was lying to Adam about her miscarriage ... and that she is actually still pregnant? He could have done so to keep Adam from trying to hurt the baby again ... guess I'm an optimist!
That's a good point, Elise, I guess we don't *really* know what specifically Adam burned in the fireplace, but I pretty much assumed that he'd gotten rid of whatever it was that she bled out. If she'd still been carrying a fetus inside of her, I think she probably would have had more medical issues, given the blood loss, etc. And before Dr. Taylor fiddled with the sonogram, there was absolutely no motion and no indication of a mass on the screen. It'd be a great twist if he was lying altogether just to stick it to Adam and she really is still pregnant, but the horrorshow of the fall down the stairs and Adam's clean-up...man, I will never get that out of my head!
Yes, either way, it is TOTALLY a horror show, as you so perfectly described it. I am personally hoping that Adam can be redeemed. I, like you, saw a spark with him and Ashley. If he burned the baby, I just don't know how he can be brought back from that! Anyway, here's hoping that there's an end in sight to this particular storyline!
I totally agree with you, why is Adam gaslighting Ashley? She has been nothing but good to him, and this is the way he's treating her? Adam's story, and Mary Jane's story, have to be the strangest stories I have ever seen on Y&R.
Mala, don't story lines have to be edited? How did the pairing of Marty and Todd in a therapy session go unnoticed, didn't anyone consider this to be bizarre? That, to me was for sure a "what were they thinking" moment. Do the actors not get to voice their opinion about the characters they have played for years and say this is a stupid story line, or are they happy to have a job and don't care about insulting the intelligence of dedicated viewers?
Mala, I have to FF this Todd (if he really is Todd). Tea and Blair should join forces to kick his butt. He either acts like he's 14 or he's a snoozefest. Why would either of these great women want him?
Thank you for the Adam link. I was not watching the show then, and I cannot think why they would want to save this character?! The cast is bloated with him, Allie, Casey, Hunter, Meg etc. They need to do a housecleaning and write for the interesting characters they have like Pem, Ro, Craig, Babs, Henry, etc.
Thank you, Thank you, thank you Mala! Seriously Thank God for your comments about this Sick redemption story for that disgusting Rapist Pig Adam! In my 20+ years of watching soaps, no story has offended me as much as this one has! I was screaming as loud as you were at the horrible absolution of Adam for physically and sexually abusing women! How dare ATWT do this! How dare they insult the fans intelligence about what we all saw happen on the screen just two friggin years! This complete re-write and whitewashing of what Adam did is so appalling and wrong! What exactly is the message ATWT wants to send to women who are attacked? It's your own fault what he did to you because you somehow caused your own attack. So you should go apologize to him b/c you asked for it? ATWT is officially more misogynistic than GH is now! The writers are insulting are intelligence if they think we didn't see with our own eyes what Adam did. Adam was a psycho before Maddie hit him over the head! He framed Will & attacked Gwe
Please include Luke Spencer in the "men who have hurt women" history. The powers that be turned Luke's rape of Laura into a great love story which still goes on to this day.
Please include Luke Spencer in the "men who have hurt women" history. The powers that be turned Luke's rape of Laura into a great love story which still goes on to this day.
Regarding the Adam situation: I was more pissed off when they brought Adam back the first time, and turned him into a creep. I hate that they screwed with his character simply to create drama for the teen set, Maddie/Casey & Will/Gwen, who I wasn't interested watching in the first place.
Mala, the Bank Of Mom & Dad seemed like it was going to be worth watching, NOT! Until you pointed it out I did not pay attention that all the previews I have seen were with daughters. I did think that the show was going to be for college daughters, one daughter was 33. This show won't last and I don't like Holidate. I wish they would bring back Soap Talk, One Day With Wally and I Want To Be A Soap Star.
And now, a Christian/TRUTH point of view on all of this. a) Homosexuality is an abomination, NOT a love story. Guiding Light was cancelled when its lesbian "love story" was its most popular, and most low-rated storyline ever. b) People CAN be redeemed through Christ Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. Although no entertainment media today would ever bring forth the glory of God as a healer, it can be done. If written correctly, Adam on ATWT finding God and redemption could be an AWESOME story. c) General Hospital should split off into two shows. The first would be the mother show, called GENERAL HOSPITAL...the one we knew and loved until 1996. The second show, could be called Night Shift 14, or General Mafia, or The Sopranos 2, or The Jason and Sonny Killing Show, or anything else that glorifies murder and crime. It makes me physically ill that this show has chosen to feature two blood-thirsty murderers as the show's main heroes since 1996. Oh, I forgot, they're hot and misunde
I just knew that the PR idiots from ABC Daytime would go down the same route of touting "The Real" crap for Jonathan Jackson's return. It's a blatant slap in the talented face of Greg Vaughn, who kept the character of Lucky Spencer alive on GH for 7 years. Yes, you can be glad that JJ agreed to return to GH, but there's something called TACT that can and should be used, when promoting his return. It's just tactless and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but it's business and that's certainly what Frons and ABC Daytime are all about at this point.
Thank you Mala for raking ABC over the coals for this lowball tactic. I know JJ was very popular, but so is GV. Changing the role of Lucky is NOT going to fix the problem of ratings. If ABC were so concerned about ratings, why not bring back Laura since Luke has a new son and maybe throw Scotty in there as well? Also, the Q's would be a welcome change from the Sonny and Jason hour. I don't see the appeal of the mob although I do LIKE Sonny, he doesn't deserve the whole show. The viewers would come back in droves if ABC would show more of what the fans really want to see.
There are no words how GH has alienated many viewers I post with. Its like GH is purposely driving viewers away. They didn't take notes re: their real Greenlee? Wasn't that a monumental flop? So now what? its the original Lucky? The horrid scribing of Elizabeth dragging out vets I haven't seen in the longest time (even taking pics for Laura) to herald a man who slept w/another woman in their bed, she's not being deserving...on the very same parapet saying the very same thing to a different man from one year ago. 'THE SAME STORYLINE.' I've never liked how Elizabeth Webber is written with any of the Lucky's. She reverts to a Spen-Stepford wife...no matter which actor plays him. The misogynistic writing morphs into various forms, when will she be written w/a positive focus & get some of that sunshine w/rainbows Jason's romance is getting w/their "special scribing to make" them look so good. The Q/A w/L.Wright bragged they do romances well..I'm not seeing
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