March 17, 2010
Why is DAYS's Stephanie portrayed as such a loser in love? She seems to have everything going for her (especially that great first name), yet it's all about Melanie all the time. Nathan treats Steph like crap while still pining for his ex and Philip got over her pretty quickly to marry Melanie so soon after his and Steph's breakup. (Not to mention that when her relationship with Max went south, he took up with her pal, Chelsea.) As a Brady, Stephanie is a core character, so we expect more for her. And I certainly expect more for actress Shelley Hennig, who has proven time and again that she deserves meatier material than the sloppy seconds she's been getting lately.

February 23, 2010
How is it possible that I haven't talked about season 2 of SOAPnet's awesome series, BEING ERICA? It has the same premise as season 1: With the help of trusted shrink, Dr. Tom, Erica Strange goes back in time and relives incidents in her past in order to gain perspective on her life. Her friends are fun, her workplace is wacky and her family is a combo of the two. It's easy to jump in, so if you're not watching, be sure to tune in on Wednesday nights. A bonus: talented leading lady Erin Karpluk also happens to be on my new favorite show, LIFE UNEXPECTED, on The CW. (It airs on Monday nights, but you can catch the rebroadcast on Wednesday night, too.) In other "what I'm watching" news, I'm getting hooked on GOTHAM, the Web series helmed by Martha Byrne (ex-Lily, ATWT). The episodes are quick (5 minutes or so each), so don't worry about having to take a lot of time to catch up. Plus, it's like a who's who of daytime, with familiar soap faces popping up in every episode. Check it out at www.gothamtheseries.com.

January 11, 2010
DAYS did a good job keeping the bombshell that Anna is secretly working with EJ, huh? Looks like EJ is reverting back to his old ways, which only makes sense after the dual betrayals by Sami and Nicole. But really, torturing Sami like this is just ... so mean! Hasn't she been through enough with that baby? And I think Suzanne Rogers (Maggie) is doing such an amazing job as the grieving widow Horton. Though it's sad to lose a character who had been with the show since the beginning, seeing the well-played aftermath of Mickey's death makes it a worthwhile move.... Switching gears to Oakdale, I have totally enjoyed Sage's Miss Snowflake sham to reunite her parents. The reactions of Jack and Carly when she was doing her, uh, talent dance was just hilarious.... And finally, is it just me or do OLTL's Ross, Eli and Ford bear too much of a resemblance? I often find myself wondering who's who.

January 1, 2010
DAYS's Bo — kind of a jerk? That's the question I'm wrestling with after seeing his kiss with Carly and his reaction to Hope confronting him about it. Yes, the Bradys are estranged, but they are neither legally separated nor divorced. Bo kissing another woman while still married would be considered cheating by most, yet he seemed annoyed that Hope was upset about it and then blamed her for moving out. Um, okay. I have tried to play along with Bo inexplicably keeping Carly's (non) secret from Hope and its implications (what, you suddenly can't trust your wife not to blab?), but it really just seems to me like Bo is trying to justify having his cake and eating it, too, which is not cool. Bo and Hope's relationship has been one of the more consistent love stories in Salem. What is happening now just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

December 24, 2009
I have to admit, I am a total sucker for the Horton tree-trimming tradition on DAYS. I got chills just seeing the box of ornaments, much less how choked-up I got when they started hanging them on the tree. I have watched this show for 25 years and I look forward to the Christmas episode every year. I even got a pang when Stefano invited Anna to spend the holiday with them and told her that he was thinking of Antony. Is it wrong that I got upset when she told him to drop dead? I knocked DAYS in my last blog for ignoring Thanksgiving, but they more than made up for it with this heartwarming episode. And special mention to GH's fabulous Christmas episode. Seriously, they get me every time. Happy Holidays, everyone!

November 30, 2009
First DAYS blew off Halloween. And that's okay. I mean, AMC and Y&R made up for the loss, but to not address Thanksgiving in any way was just a bummer. I look forward to the holidays on soaps, where everyone buries the hatchet for a day, but there's lots of family drama going on anyway. I still remember the days when soaps aired original episodes on Thanksgiving (and getting to my aunt and uncle's in time to watch GENERAL HOSPITAL was always a priority). Since DAYS is big with Christmas, I'm sure they'll be the traditional ornament hanging at the Hortons, but I can't say fall has been a festive season in Salem.... Switching networks, I really liked Jack's journey during the "Never Surrender" tour on ATWT. I have a soft spot for "CarJack" but I couldn't help but muse that Janet catching Jack and Carly in bed together and hurrying off seemed very familiar. Maybe it's because when Julie Pinson (Janet) was playing Billie on DAYS, Hope caught Bo and Billie in bed together in a motel ... and left quickly. Déjà vu, indeed.

November 23, 2009
I have to admit that I got a little choked up and nostalgic watching the segment on LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY where Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos documented their return to AMC as Hayley and Mateo. I covered AMC back in the day when Mark first joined and I remember Kelly saying to me "Have you met my Mateo?" in a way that made it sound like something more than her telling me about a regular ole co-star. Kelly and Mark were always cooperative during interviews and Kelly was just the most hilarious story-teller, always on, very entertaining, very cool. It’s great to see that despite the incredible success they’ve achieved, they’ve never turned their back on their soap roots. Wish we could say the same for all of daytime’s alums.... If you haven’t seen it, check out the link at here.

November 4, 2009
Something that always makes me crazy on shows is that houses don't seem to have guest rooms (except for Emma's house on ATWT; that place apparently has enough bedrooms to hold the whole town of Oakdale). When DAYS's Carly needed a bedroom, Bo put her in his and Hope's, explaining that it was the most secure room in the house and had shades on the windows. Um, really? They have a child currently living there, never mind Shawn and Zack who did at one point, but their room is the most secure in the house? There wasn't a spare bedroom upstairs where Carly could bunk? I know the whole point was for Hope to catch Carly in her bed, but it just seemed so convoluted.... And I just want to give a shout out to the AMC hair/makeup/wardrobe departments for the Halloween episodes. I LOVED the costumes and everyone looked amazing. Special mention to Y&R, whose costumes were fun, too.