The Return of Susan Banks!

This week saw the return of a character I never realized I missed so much--Susan Banks!

That Kristen is just mean, mean, mean.

Every time I watch Susan, I can't help but wear a gigantic grin across my face. Eileen Davidson does such a fantastic job transforming herself into this character.  I'm so glad she was able to dust her off and flawlessly re-capture Susan after all these years.  And for once the fans agree with me!

All 2000 of them.

It's been a really long time since I've gone back and RE-WATCHED scenes on Days.  Who knew it would take Susan to get me there.  I do feel like Days is taking a BIT of a step in the right direction lately.  It might just be that whenever Kristen is around, she invigorates the show, but I do feel like things in Salem are becoming more interwoven, and more interesting.  

I tell you what I'm still not into though...The Ridgeways.  They really need to let this branch of the show DIE, already...and take Rafe with them.  I feel bad for hating Rafe so much, but I can't help it. He's so awful!  Seeing him with Kate KIND of redeemed him because that relationship was a little screwed up.  Sleeping with Kate the first time made Rafe seem a little less heroic and a little more bad boy.  But now he's back to being all cookie cutter with Jordan...until he cheated on her.  You'd think I'd actually enjoy that turn of events, but no, it just made Rafe even more despicable. That's such a huge fuck up and it was SO easy for him to roll right back into bed with Kate.  I really can't see him and Jordan coming back from that ultimate fuck-up...but you KNOW the writers will try to get them back together.  In my eyes, it's too late.  That relationship is tarnished and imperfect.  I'm no longer rooting for Rafe and Jordan (not that I ever really was.), but Days doesn't seem to get that.  It might be realistic for Jordan to take Rafe back after such a screw up, and maybe that's what they're going for--realism--but this is fiction, Days! On the most ridiculous level! The heroes are supposed to have much more inspiring morals.

I feel like Days is too steeped in this "realness" and is afraid of going at all "fantastical" or "adventurous" anymore.  Maybe that's because of their shitty budget, but I think they could still pull off some fun storylines despite it.  Bringing Susan back in was a step in the right direction.  She's over-the-top and wacky...something Days is sorely lacking.  When Susan brought up premonitions and Celeste, it brought back memories of the Good Old Days, when out-of-the-ordinary was actually quite ordinary in Salem--for EVERYONE, not just Kristen.

Stavros Returns!

Well, Days missed a sweet ass opportunity to get back an old soap fave yet AGAIN.  But thank God for General Hosptial.  Where Days keeps fucking it up in casting, storylines, and overall production quality, GH consistently swoops in, nails it, and restores my faith in the Soap, proving that Daytime dramas can still be good--even GREAT!

Just add one Faux Bo to make a Happy Rory.

Ever since Stavros left the show, I have been hoping he would return again.  I actually haven't even seen the episodes in which he returns, however the reveal was spoiled for me by soap central on facebook...yet again.  I'm usually a week behind, so even these well kept casting secrets on GH are always spoiled for me on facebook.  But whatevs!  I'm just glad to have him back!

Soap Opera Digest has put out a poll regarding Stavros' return, and as usual I'm voting in the minority. Right now, only THIRTY percent of voters think Stavros' return was "Great!  Classic Soapy Drama!" You can include me in that 30% (even though I haven't SEEN the actual episodes--a minor detail). However a whopping 70% of voters "Hated It!  Way too over the top!" Well obviously I LOVE over the top.  (Ahem--Dr. Obrecht, anyone?)  Here's what I think about the 70%. In my opinion--which is the minority of course--I think the 70% are a bunch of dumbasses. They're the ones who are always on the message boards saying shit like, "Nina sucks! They need to fire her!  She's old!  I hate her! Silas and Sam should be together!" "I hate Nick Fallon! He needs to die FAST! Will and Sonny deserve to be happy!" Comments like this are downright absurd. I mean, really. Let's get rid of all the conflict and drama that makes this show interesting. Why don't we just turn on the TV and watch Sam and Silas stare at each other all day.

Very Boring.

So please, GH writers/producers, DO NOT LISTEN TO THE 70%! They prefer boring, they prefer monotony, they prefer comfort...which is horribly bland.  When the characters live happily ever after, that means THE END. Show's over! And I don't want the show to end! I want to root for my villains, cry with my heroes, and laugh when shit gets over the top!  I want a Soap Opera!

Crack is Whack!

Especially Morgan's!

I didn't ever think I'd be a blogger who posts stills of soap hunks looking hot, but that's exactly what I'm making this post about.  I just had to capture and share the utter HOTNESS that was Morgan Corinthos (Bryan Craig) last week on General Hospital.

Introducing the newest addition to General Hospital...Morgan's ass crack.

I'm always thrilled whenever the men of GH do shirtless scenes but this one took the cake.  I don't have much to say, but I do have a lot to drool over...

Thank you, Bryan Craig and GH DPs!

Prediction: Nina Clay--VAMPIRE!

So Nina Clay is miraculously alive! She's out of her coma and has come to Port Charles to re-claim her husband Silas. Will she succeed? Well, I don't really care about any of that, but what I DO care about this supposed SECRET she's keeping.

At first, I thought it was something lame like she'd had her baby (which I bet it WILL be revealed that she carried her child to term), but that's not what I WANT it to be. I want her secret to be that she's a vampire!!

With make-up just like this.

It wasn't until Nina started asking about a certain "deceased" Clay brother that the thought crossed my mind, and I thought it was kind of funny that they'd even bring Stephen Clay up at all. The show seems to want to forget that they ever did the vampire storyline, which is terribly disappointing to me because I LOVED it. And what I am hoping SO HARD, is that Nina was brought out of her coma because she was turned into a vampire by Caleb.

I would die and go to heaven if they went this direction...but I know they won't. For one, I'm not sure how the vampire mythos works on GH, but Nina was all up in that daylight when she showed up at Danny's birthday party. Also, I feel like the fans didn't like seeing the supernatural on their soaps. That really disappoints me because I am a huge fan of the traditional soap, but I am also SO intrigued when they go supernatural. It's something new and refreshing for a soap that goes outside the usual rehashed "who's the daddy/rape/evil twin/back from the dead" stuff we get over and over.

That said, the supernatural doesn't ALWAYS work. Aliens are a no-no in my book. The Gemini Twins on Days were absolutely ridiculous when  they were thought to be aliens. Soaps can't do sci-fi.  But they can do ghosts, possession, and vampires. So GO THERE, GH!  Bring back Caleb!!! And have Rafe turned while you're at it! Give that boy a fun storyline!

Nick Fallon's Rogues Gallery

Ding Dong, the Nick is dead!  

And I'm actually pretty bummed about it. 

I guess it had to come to this, but I'm sad to see him go because I really enjoyed Nick Fallon as a character and villain. (It also doesn't hurt that I have a huge crush on Blake Berris).  I remember when he first came on the show back in 2006, I couldn't STAND him because he was SOOOO gay acting!  I couldn't buy him as a straight dude or as a potential love interest for Chelsea.  But see, I have a theory about all this that I hope is true.

Gay Theory Tangent:

Maybe its just that Blake Berris is gay in real life (I have no proof of this) and had trouble concealing his gayness from my gaydar, but I'd like to think that the character of Nick Fallon is actually gay.  I don't think the writers are good enough to realize this themselves, but I think that his struggle with his sexuality is what drives him to do all the fucked up things he does. They ALMOST explored his sexuality when they got into his prison rape reveal, but they never explored that aspect of it, they only played him up as a victim.  This terrible thing was done to him by a gay man and so this is why he's been lashing out at Will and Sonny.  They never hinted that it was his own disgust with himself that also added into that hatred. I think Nick's denial and disgust with his own sexuality is what truly motivates him, even if he's not aware of it himself.  It hasn't even crossed his mind that he could accept being gay and finding happiness with another man, so he's obsessing over these women and trying to force this ideal he has in his mind of what a man should be.  On a subconscious level, he sees how happy Will and Sonny are--how they have what he can't have--and that jealousy turns to rage, desperation, and hate.  It's not enough that he just finds a wife and build a family.  Nick has to destory those "happy gays" in the process and take their child away from them.  

So that's my theory on Nick's motivations, which I think would make for an excellent storyline...but now we'll never get to see it happen because Nick is DEAD...or is he?  I'm hoping they bring him back yet AGAIN somehow and they finally explore the story of his sexuality.  I would be so hooked if they did. But for now, Nick is dead.  Murdered.  But by who???

Let's go through our list of suspects, shall we?  Here are the folks that Julie listed off...

Sami Brady and EJ DiMera

Sami and EJ hired a hitman to do the deed, so neither of them actually pulled the trigger, making them the most boring choice as the guilty party. I hope their hitman comes to them and confesses that he botched the job. Someone else got to Nick first.

Lucas Horton

I could buy Lucas doing it, though I doubt it was him.  He's very protective of his son, but Lucas hasn't been involved enough in the storyline lately for it to really make sense.  I think the writers were just looking for as many suspects as possible, and Lucas fits the bill.

Kate Roberts

Kate was way too happy and nonchalant about Nick's murder for me to think it was actually her.  If Kate had done it, she would be acting a little more suspicious and be more focused on throwing people off her trail.  She seems relieved that someone else did the deed before she had to get her hands dirty.

Abigail Deveraux

There's no way Abby did it, and if she did, she's an idiot.  Nick exposing her affair would simply make her look bad to Sami.  That's the only person who would really hate or judge her for it.  Jenn might be disappointed in her, as would the rest of the Hortons, but EJ is a DiMera would be the one at fault in their eyes.  Abigail worrying about him DESTROYING her life is such an overreaction.  And I don't believe in a million years she'd go to such drastic measures to keep nick silent when she was bout to confess to her mother anyway.  If it turns out she did it, our writers are really fucking stupid.

Will Horton
I couldn't see Will stooping to that level, especially after he saw that Sonny had been planning on killing Nick himself.  Will wouldn't endanger Sonny, what with him having that gun in the house and everything. 

Sonny Kiriakis

I don't think that Sonny went through with it.  It's just not in his character.  The worst he would do is ask Uncle Vic to take care of it, but I don't see Victor having a hand in this at all.

Rafe Hernandez

Sure Rafe hates Nick, but Nick wasn't trying to take the baby away from Gabi, so murdering Nick doesn't seem likely.

Gabi Hernandez

I could absolutely see Gabi doing it, and I'm so glad it was revealed that Gabi isn't REALLY as stupid as she was coming off.  She was only going along with Nick's advice because she was afraid of him.  With Gabi leaving the show in the near future though, it doesn't look good for her.  Her exit might involve her confessing to the murder and being shipped off to prison.

Jordan Ridgeway

Julie listed Jordan, but it's obvious she didn't do it.  There is no motive there whatsoever.  However it's possible the writers will throw us a curve ball and it turns out that NICK FALLON is the one she's been running from!  I highly doubt the writers would get that creative though, but even if they did go this route, Jordan couldn't have shot Nick because she was with Allie the entire time. 

Ben Ridgeway

So Ben doing it would be absolutely stupid.  He met Nick all of two times and punched him out for harassing a girl he hardly even knew.  So Ben had better not be Nick's murderer...UNLESS...this isn't the first time he's killed! 

Here's my wild and crazy prediction that the writers would NEVER go for, but it is probably the only direction they could take that would make me actually care about the Jordan Ridgeway mystery.

Jordan seems to be running from someone from her past who is frightening and dangerous.  Ben knows who it is, but the audience is still guessing what Jordan's deep dark secret is.  I think that Jordan is in the witness protection program and that she's hiding out from a psycho ex-husband or her psycho father, who is repsonsible for killing many of Jordan's closest family and friends.  But here's the twist!  What Jordan doesn't realize, is that little brother Ben has been behind the murders the entire time!  DUM DUM DUM!  He's a psycho serial killer and he killed their own father for being abusive to Jordan!  He even killed Jordan's husband just for yelling at her that one time because she burned the roast!, So now Ben has come to Salem to continue "protecting" his sister and ALL women from the evil men who would use and abuse them!

Not likely.  But I would LOVE a new serial killer storyline.  We had the Salem Strangler, Salem Slasher, Salem Stalker, and now--the Salem Stabber??  Salem Smotherer?  Salem Stinker?  Who knows!  But Days is in desperate need of a new Serial killer in town.  Serial killings = ratings.

But moving on from Ben, lets take a look at who WASN'T there in Horton Town Square when Nick was shot.  Who else wasn't accountable?  Maybe--MARLENA EVANS!?

Marlena killed Nick!  She's always the least one you'd suspect, but she's got just as much motive as the rest of the family!  Nick was trying to take her great grand baby away!  So Marlena shot him dead!  Because she's POSSESSED by Satan! 

I could never get this lucky.

No matter how much I clamor for it, the Devil will never return to Salem.

Does ANYONE give a shit?

I LOVE it!

The Jordan Consensus

Digest Poll: How Do You Feel About Patrick and Robin's Breakup?

How do I feel about Patrick and Robin's breakup?

I LOVE IT!

However I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority.

General Hospital fans LOOOOOOOOOOVE their Robin.  And I get it--she's been on the show since she was a little girl.  But I've only been watching GH since February 2013 so I don't have that history with the character that other fans do.  When I started watching, Robin was dead, Patrick had been slutting it up with the Britch, and Sabrina was still a geeky little intern.

I admit, it did take me a second to warm up to Sabrina's storyline because it seemed kind of cliched.  We've seen the geek girl transformation into a bombshell thing before (Chloe Lane, anyone?), but I quickly became invested because of the excellent antagonist Sabrina had to play off of: Britt. Watching Sabrina and Patrick fight to be together despite Britt's schemes warmed me up to their romance and they quickly became my favorite couple.

So when it was annonced that Robin would be brought back to the show, I knew it meant the breaking of Sabrina's heart and I was NOT happy about that. I was rooting for Robin to come home, but was hoping that somehow Patrick would stay with Sabrina, but I just KNEW they wouldn't take that route.  And to be honest, he kind of had to go back to Robin.  If he had turned his back on her, it would have been the douchiest move ever.  The breaking of Sabrina's heart was inevitable and when her wedding day was ruined, I was a sobbing mess for her.  It only made me MORE Team Sabrina.

Luckily for me, Robin's return was short-lived. She left Port Charles and I am happy about it.  Yes, I said it! I'm happy she's out of the picture! I voted "It was overdue.  If Robin's not on the show, Patrick should move on."

Days Exits

So it has been announced that James Scott (EJ) will be leaving Days, and I only just noticed that it looks like Blake Berris (Nick) will be leaving the show as well.  That's almost everyone involved in that storyline! Sami, EJ, Nick, and Gabi will all be exiting the canvas.  So when the dust settles, we're pretty much left with Will and Sonny...and Kate (the only one I'm rooting for).

I'm ready to say goodbye to EJ, and I'm ready to say goodbye to Gabi, however I'm totally sad to see Nick Fallon go.  Maybe its because I have a super big crush on him, but I really do think he's one of the only interesting villains to come out of the show in the past 5 or so years...which isn't saying much, but STILL. He will be missed.

Liam has been giving us some good crazy lately, but his stay in Salem has been entirely too short.  He's already wrapping up his run on Days and it is such a shame!  Days seems to constantly bring new (and old) faces onto the show for short "stints".  They never think in the long term, and I think that can be unfortunate when they get a great addition like Liam or Kristen.  Luckily in Kristen's case, they recognized the gold she brought to the show and are bringing her back for more.  Its unfortunate that because of Days filming schedule, folks like Liam probably finished filming his storyline before his episodes ever even aired!

I think Days needs to stop filming so far in advance.  They have no reactionary time to adjust to crappy storylines or poorly received actors--and vice versa to know when they've struck gold.  We get characters like Jordan pushed into the canvas who present us with yawn inspiring romances that nobody cares about, and by the time the writers receive all that negative feedback, its WAY too late to fix things!  The damage has been done and viewers are forced to watch months more of this garbage--or NOT watch more of this garbage and tune out.  By the time the show is able to make adjustments and try to fix the damage they've done, its entirely too late. They're taking a huge risk thinking people will just stick it out with the bad times.

Fortunately for them, I'll always be watching no matter what...however I'm not most viewers.  And I'm certainly not the 18-49 female demographic they're so desperate to hold on to.  (I'm the 30-year-old gay male demographic--way more valuable).

It Was All A Dream...

Sammy and EJ turned in some of their best performances last week in a very special episode of Days.

Too bad it was ALL A DREAM!  

I should have known better, but Days really did fool me this time.  The first tip off should have been that Sami and EJ weren't yet at the altar.  You know this affair shit ain't gonna hit the fan until the VERY LAST POSSIBLE MOMENT.  Sami isn't going to find out about this affair until she's in her wedding dress.  In fact, I'll bet they wait to reveal it until she makes her final exit from the show.  This SUPER ORIGINAL storyline will probably be what finally sends Samantha Brady packing.

So I really was suspicious from the get-go that this episode might be a fantasy. But as I was watching it, I was pulled into the illusion that what was happening was in fact real.  The main reason being that twenty minutes into the show, EJ hadn't snapped out of any daydream!  I thought, "they wouldn't wait THIS long to reveal that this had all been fake, would they?"  I should have recalled Abigail's visit to the doctor when EJ had her child aborted--OH WAIT--just kidding, that was all a dream.

Days has already pulled the episode-length dream sequence on us before, but the reason I was fooled by this Sami and EJ sequence was because this episode seemed like a "special" episode of Days of our Lives.  It was unusual in the fact that for the first twenty minutes, EJ and Sami were the only characters to appear on canvas.  I figured that this was done intentionally by the writers because they wanted this episode to be a monumental turning point for EJ and Sami.  It was so big that they felt the need to dedicate an entire hour to these two characters and this one scene.  Kind of like that episode of Family Guy with just Stewie and Brian.

A Very Special "Days of our Lives":

"Sami & EJ"

So the uniqueness of the episode kept me fooled.  But as the story progressed, I start to worry more and more that none of it was real.  I kept waiting for Sami to pull out a gun and shoot EJ, causing him to snap out of his dream.  But no, the story just kept moving right along and I went with it.  It wasn't until we left the DiMera mansion that I started to worry.  Crazy twists were being thrown at us that didn't seem plausible.  The first being that Abigail really WAS pregnant.  The 2nd being that Jennifer walks in and gets involved (which I'm glad they did, but it was definitely a tip off--too much happening all at once). And then the final element that truly pushed things out of reality was Sami causing Abigail to fall from the stairs.  When that happened, I kept waiting for that flash back to reality to happen, but at the same time I was thinking, "would they REALLY put me through an entire episode of make-believe?"  And the answer was "Yes."  Yes, they would.

This was so disappointing for me.  I was so enthralled by this episode and had it all been real, I would have loved to have seen how it all would have played out.  I felt the same way about the forced abortion sequence.  These fantasies are often more interesting than the actual storyline!  It's a sorry state of affairs when the only episodes I like on the show are the ones that aren't even REAL.

So I've just got to say a big FUCK YOU to the writers for tricking us like this!  It's just a waste of time to watch these scenes you think are real and then a HUGE let down when it turns out it was all a dream.

The only saving grace?

Dat Ass.  

The Horton-Kiriakis Wedding

It's been a couple of weeks since the episode aired, but I wanted to make sure I made an entry about it. I'm very proud of Days for this milestone, but I've been a little underwhelmed with the entire Will and Sonny romance. Adding a new Will into the mix only months before the wedding didn't help.  A friend warned me that I would be crying during the wedding, but I was pretty sure I wouldn't just because I've never been a huge fan of Freddie Smith, and now this new Will is so jarringly different from the old Will that I fail to care about their romance for any reason other than it's gay.  So when I finally did sit down and watch the wedding episode--I CRIED!

I ate my words and surprised myself when I cried during the wedding. That said, however, the crying had NOTHING to do with Sonny and Will. I still hate em. What made me cry was everybody else at that wedding.

I have watched this soap for years as gay people and relationships have for the most part been ignored. The most visibility I can remember the gays ever getting was when Harold was around at the Spectator and Jack was pretending to be gay. Traditionally, the show had always shied away from the subject, so to see these characters I've watched for years--especially Lucas--embrace a gay couple and so completely support their love and this commitment they're making...it's huge. And it absolutely struck a chord with me--thus the tears. Lucas gave a beautiful speech, as did Caroline and Justin.  As cheesy as it sounds, it was as if I was finally acknowledged by my television family.

So it was my own relationship with the show that got me emotional--certainly not Will and Sonny. In fact, whenever Will would open his mouth I would roll my eyes, groan, and stop paying attention. I just can't get into him! I feel terrible for the poor actor who had to fill the old Will's shoes, but I want him to go away.

Good Show, Dr. Olbrecht!

I'm usually about a week behind in my watching (I ain't paying for no Hulu Plus), so today I watched last Tuesday's episode of General Hospital--and it was WUNDERBAR!

Cue me crying.

Dr. Olbrecht--of all characters--made me well up, and I did not see that coming. Her relationship with Britt is one of the most fascinating relationships on the show and I've got a huge soft spot for those hardened characters that don't like to show emotion but often care more deeply than anyone realizes. So when Dr. Olbrecht finally let that motherly side come through, I was all choked up. For a character I'd always found kind of cheesy (in a good way), and more comedic, Olbrecht showed us what a huge range she has. And Britt did an amazing job herself, adding tremendously to the emotional impact of these scenes. I practically wanted them to get away with Ben. Good villains are so much more attractive to watch than holier than though heroes.  Days take note!!!

I'm not completely full of praise in this episode though!  There's been a lot of "smacking" urges to hold back when it comes to Lulu.  Her character is driving me bananas.  She's dumb as a box of rocks sometimes, but maybe I haven't been watching the show long enough to know that this is just the way her character is.  Did she REALLY want to head over to be with Dante on their rescue mission so she can fuck things up yet AGAIN by getting in the way?  She already blew it with the telephone call when she couldn't keep her dumb trap shut.  Thank God Anna was there to talk some sense into her.

Despite Lulu's bird brain, this was overall a terrific episode. I applaud GH for finally getting me to cry while watching my soaps again. I also got emotional when Sabrina was rejected on her wedding day (I'm Team-Sabrina all the way), but Days has not been able to tug at my heart strings since Lexie died, and before that, Alice. I'm hopeful that Will and Sonny's wedding might get me...but I'm not holding my breath.

Justin, We Hardly Knew Ye...

Justin Gaston is ALREADY out as Ben on Days of our Lives! So no more of this...

Damn it.

We barely got to know him, but he seemed pretty capable as an actor and BOY was he delicious. I'm curious as to why they already got rid of Justin, seeing as how he must have left the show before his episodes started even airing! It couldn't have been poor reception from the fans!  If that were the case, I think Jordan would have been out a long time ago.

Good news is, Justin is being replaced by someone equally dreamy. Mr. Robert Scott Wilson:

I approve.

I did not get a chance to catch him as Pete on the AMC reboot (never watched the show), so we'll see if his acting chops are as fantastic as his looks. I'm guessing he's to become a love interest for Abby, who deserves a hot steamy romance of her own. I was never crazy about any of her storylines, but Kate Mansi is a phenomenal actress and deserves a great storyline. The EJ stuff has been fun, but I want her to find a romance that isn't tainted with affairs or lies. I pray that Ben will bring her excitement and adventure--something the Days canvas has been sorely lacking in the past few years.

AJ is OUT at GH!

News hit the internet this week that Sean Kanan is out at GH.  This news was followed by snarky comments and tweets from Ron Carlivati, and even former AJ, Billy Warlock.  Whose side am I on?  Well, everyone's.

Apparently, the decision for AJ to leave was a mutual decision made by Sean and GH producer Frank Valentini. Sean wasn't happy with his storyline, so they decided it was time to write him out.  Shawn told TV guide:

"I was utterly thrilled to be brought back to GH for the 50th anniversary and really enjoyed working with Frank Valentini, but I was not over the moon about the writing. Doing stories about panic attacks and relish was not what I thought I'd signed up for."

His criticism was maybe a little unprofessional...but I can't say I disagree with the guy. When I started watching GH, the Pickle Lila storyline was just starting up and I can easily say it was my least favorite plotline (my favorite being the Vampire storyline--duh!) The panic attacks, which didn't really seem to be a huge focus, were also kind of lame and didn't take his character anywhere. Lately however, we're getting a much more engaging AJ storyline with Connie's shooting and Eva's attempts to murder him.  He was finally becoming more involved and there was no relish anywhere!  But I guess it was too little too late for Kanan, so he's out.  And I understand his position if he wants to go back to B&B, but I also understand Ron Calivarti taking offense at Kanan's statement.

Calivarti took to twitter, expressing:

"His comments are like school in the summertime.  No class."

Also not the most professional response, but I can't disagree here either.  I'd be pretty peeved if someone insulted my writing that publicly.  And as a fan, I gotta say I side more with Ron Calivart since his writing is what's got me glued to the show. So while I agree that Sean's storylines weren't the strongest, I still gotta stand by Ron. Kanan kind of sounds like a diva to me.

Also tweeting in on this news was Billy Warlock, former AJ from 1997-2005, whom I am a fan of due to his work as Frankie Brady on Days.

Here's what Billy had to say:

"I must say if it's true about SK I am truly bummed. Not just for him but for AJ as well. SK was a great AJ! Go B&B."

He then added:

"Believe when I say I'm not lobbying. It's just how I feel. That character has never been given a fair shake."

That's all fine and good, Billy, but there goes your shot at being asked to come in and take over the role any time soon.  I would actually love to see Billy come back as AJ, though I'd really rather him go back to Days. But I'm guessing AJ is going to die from complications relating to his surgery.  Which will of course mean that...we haven't seen the last of AJ Quartermaine.

Days of our Lives Needs an "All-New Days NOW!"

That's a little comic book reference there for you, but I'll try to keep this strictly soaps.

So I haven't been enjoying "Days of our Lives" lately and it really bugs the hell out of me.  I'd really love to march into the production offices, raise some hell, shake things up, and fire some folks.  But unfortunately I'm reduced to bitching about things to the internets.  I try not to be too negative when I post any comments on Hulu because I see a lot of people go on there that are just ridiculous and offensive and that's not cool.  Also, there's enough people out there being negative and I feel like I should try to point out what the show is doing RIGHT or what I've been enjoying in the hope that some exec or writer will read my post and say, "Oh, okay lets do more of this." They can't just keep hearing about what is wrong all the time.  They've got to hear what's working too.

So while I try to stay more positive on the public forums, here on my blog--not so much.  I will never go on about some actor being UGLY because that's just mean.  I get really pissed when these posters go on about how OLD someone looks or makes a mean comment about the damn blue streak in Kate's hair.  Really? Who gives a shit if she has a blue streak.  These are criticisms that are personal and usually mean spirited.  I don't dig that.  So I won't be commenting on physical features in a negative way.  But maybe on wardrobe...

So I basically wanted to go through and do my very own version of "it's a brand new days!" kind of like they did back in 2011.  This would be my 50th Anniversary Revamp of the show if I were in charge.  Get rid of some characters that don't work, and bring in some old ones that have been sorely missed.  There are also certain storylines that I am tired of, even though I still like the characters involved.  But lets start with who gets the axe...

Leaving:

Jordan Ridgeway

Easily my least favorite character right now, and paired with Rafe, it's puke city for me.  Together they are insufferable.  From their contrived common interest in sports--that I don't buy for a second--to their groan inducing banter.  I' m out.  In the history of mis-matched couples with zero chemistry, they're up there at the top.  I long for the days of Brady and Madison!  That's how horrible they are!  And I feel like I'm the only one who thinks this way!  A recent Soap Opera Digest poll showed that the majority of fans voted "YES! They're adorable together!"  I about threw the copy I was reading at the check-out lady when I saw that. My vote had obviously been: "No way!  They're boring."  Since I couldn't vote: "They should die in a fire."

Rafe Hernandez

It's a two for one deal.  But who am I kidding?  Rafe will never leave the show.  He signed his contract in blood for eternity.  That, or he works for peanuts.  I didn't mind Galen Gering as Luis on Passions, but I have never really gotten into him as Rafe.  Every once in a while I'll find him interesting when he pairs with an unlikely chick--like Nicole or Kate.  But now that he's with Jordan...Time to be put out to pasture.

EJ DiMera

I know I'm probably alone in this, but I have to admit I think its time for EJ to go.  That, or he needs to completely move past this Sami relationship.  I've always thought that Lucas was the man for Sami.  They've got a much more interesting dynamic.  EJ and Sami just can't get it right.  Maybe that's the fault of the writers, but I'm so sick and tired of the whole, "someone fucks up, someone lies about fucking up, sami drops a piece of evidence off at Ciara's, someone gets caught, someone swears they'll never tell another lie, someone takes them back, rinse and repeat.  It's getting old.  If they had him truly fall for Abigail, that might save his character, but so far it seems like their affair was just lust.  So it's either stick him with Abigail or just have him never wear a shirt again.  (Fun fact: James Scott is the dreamiest son of a bitch in the world.)

Theresa Donovan

I was excited to have Shane and Kim's daughter come onto the canvas, but I honestly don't want her on it if she's not bringing her parents with her.  (how disappointing was Shane and Kim's big two day return).  The actress who plays Theresa is talented enough, but the character is so awful and unlikable that you can't even root for the bad guy (and I do love to root for the bad guy.  see: Britt Westbourne, Dr. Obrecht, Eva Jerome, any brilliant villain on GH).

Recast:

Will Horton

I'm sorry but I'm not feeling this new Will.  Chandler really made that role his and created an extremely lovable and sympathetic character.  I'm having trouble getting on board with Guy.  And the writers really jumped the gun on their engagement.  Maybe if it had happened before the recast it would be easier to swallow.  But as it is, I needed time to see these two actors experience more together as a couple before taking a big step like getting engaged.  It came too soon when I was still adjusting to Will having a new face so I felt nothing when Sonny proposed.  Or rather I was like, "ALREADY?!"  You just met!

Already Leaving:

Sami Brady

I'm sad to see Sami go, but to be honest she's not as much fun as she used to be when she was more into her schemes and less into her family.  It was great seeing her team up with Kate to try and cover up Nick's "murder," but we don't get that Sami as often as I'd like.

Gabi Hernandez

Gabi never grew on me but I never hated her either. She was just there. There she is. Sleeping with gay dudes.

Returning:
Here's who I'd love to see come back to the show.  There's a lot of em.

Robert Kelker Kelly

As he proved when he came back to GH for the 50th anniversary, Robert Kelker Kelly is still HAWT!  He was the first Bo I ever knew and I would totally be cool with them re-re-casting him in the role again.

Lisa Rinna as Billie

If they bring back Faux Bo, they gotta bring back Lisa as Billie. Her last return was such a disappointment, but I completely blame the writers on that one.

Genie Francis as Diana Colville

They'll never do it, but this would be a dream come true for me.  Diana needs to come back to Salem with a big shock for John.  "I was pregnant when I left town!"  A plot device done do death but I'd buy any reason to see her return, no matter how cliched.  I would love to see Diana's reaction to all the things that have happened with John since she left. She was right there at the start of his identity crisis and never knew him as anyone but Roman.  And for Diana to finally meet the fabled Marlena Evans?  I'd just die of bliss.

Nadia Bjorlin as Chloe Lane

I always loved Chloe, but they need to get her back to who she used to be.  She was once as saintly as Jennifer or Kayla.  Let's see more of the feisty cancer survivor and less of the needy manipulator.  With Chloe, I'd love to see other folks from her generation return as well.  Brandon Beemer as Shawn would make sense since they're together in real life.  Mimi, Rex, and Philip are all great choices.

Stephen Nichols as Steve Johnson

PATCH!  One of the greatest male soap characters of all time.  He needs to come back and rebuild his relationship with Kayla.  All while getting involved in some mad-capped adventure.

Billy Warlock as Frankie Brady

With Jack gone, the only other guy out there for Jenn is Frankie!  I'm pretty tired of Jenn and Daniel.  I like both actors but their romance has never been the strongest.  But then whose has???

Wayne Northrop as Roman Brady

I do love Josh Taylor, but he's never been "ROMAN."  Wayne Northrop is Roman.  I'd love to see Josh step back from the canvas for a second, have them bring back Wayne as Roman, and then re-introduce Josh back to the canvas reprising the role of Chris Kositchek.  In 2005, they brought Wayne back as new character Alex North...but I don't know what the hell they were thinking with that one.

Jason Brooks as Peter Blake

While I doubt they'll ever invite Peter back (due to his alleged real-life affair with Jennifer), giving Jenn an old nemesis is exactly what she needs to spice up her life.  If not Peter, then maybe Colin Murphy or Lawrence Alamain.

Michael T Weiss as Mike Horton

The Best and greatest Mike Horton.  I would love to see him come back and resume his duties at the hospital.  He had a great chemistry with sister Jennifer, and if they could dust off the contact information on the chick who played Robin Jacobs, I'd welcome her back with him.

Kelly Sullivan as ANYONE

I was really hoping they would cast Kelly as Eve because I absolutely loved Kelly as Connie on GH.  A true talent, Days seriously needs to nab her up for a role.

Special 50th Anniversary Guests:

Eugene and Calliope

While I wouldn't necessarily need them back full time, it would be a great thrill to see these old faces come back to the show for a guest spot.  Eugene had such a special friendship with Marlena.  It would be a treat to see them on screen rekindling that old relationship.

Liz Chandler

Who better to come back and sing their hit "Friends and Lovers" for Shane and Kim? Maybe she could bring real-life son Robin Thicke with her. That'd boost ratings. Throw in some gigantic stuffed animals and a twerking Miley Cyrus and we've got a show that'll knock the Nurse's Ball on its ass.

Staying:
Hope Williams, Jennifer Horton, Abigail Deveraux, Sonny Kiriakis, Nick Fallon, Marlena Evans, Maggie Horton, Victor Kiriakis, John Black, Kate Roberts, Sami Brady, Stefano DiMera, Caroline Brady, JJ Deveraux, Abe Carver, Eric Brady, Nicole Walker, Kristen DiMera
Even given shitty storylines, these are all characters I love to see on screen no matter what.  They've either been on the show for forever, have amazing talent, or they're fun to see without their shirt on (or any combination of the three).  But for the love of god, some of these characters are trapped in some wretchedly awful storylines.  Get them new ones!


Retire These Storylines:

Father Eric
Love Eric...hate the priest aspect.  Unless some bitches plan on getting possessed by Satan, there is no need to make Eric a priest.  That was the most boring storyline they've ever given Nicole and now unfortunately its reverted to the old "Nicole lied to hold on to a man--how long till she gets caught!" schtick.  Maybe Ciara will find photographs of Nicole shredding the evidence that would have proven Eric's innocence.

Drug Addict Brady
I get that it's a serious problem.  But it's been done a million times.  I can deal w/ the occasional drug relapse that might result in a wild plot twist (murder/rape/showing some skin/getting a little homo).  And maybe the Brady situation will build up to something that epic...but they're taking way too long getting there.  It's gross enough he's making out with his cousin.  (I don't buy the convenient, "Turns out we're not Brady's after all!" revelation.  John lived as freaking Roman.  It's still weird.)

Any Pregnancy
Unless they can put a new spin on it other than "Who's the Daddy?" or "My One Night Mistake" no one needs to get pregnant on Days ever again.

See now, General Hospital has been really successful at using a lot of contrived and cliched soap devices, but they're at least putting a fun spin on them and really using them to shake things up.  The whole Maxie pregnancy storyline that then led into Britt's pregnancy storyline has provided so many great twists and turns that I'm able to get past the "who's the Daddy" aspect because that's only a part of it.  The writers are taking their time revealing bits and pieces to the puzzle, with each reveal changing the playing field somehow.  First it was Maxie miscarrying the surrogate baby and keeping it a secret.  But then she got pregnant with Spinelli's baby!  Then she decided to try to pass the baby off as Dante and Lulu's!  But then everyone found out!  Oh but it doesn't end there!  Looks like the baby Britt impregnated herself with was Lulu and Dante's all along!  But Lulu and Dante don't know it!  And blah blah blah, I won't recap the whole convoluted plot. Point is, I'm absolutely hooked on the story and care about what's happening to all of the characters involved in it.  The stakes are high and when Britt is exposed, she is going to have to give up Ben and that is going to break my cold jaded heart.  I will be crying without a doubt.  It kind of reminds me of the John/Hope/Lexie baby switch storyline that Days did back in 2002.  There were a lot of layers to that situation that made it a fun ride.  And when Hope gave up JT?  One of the saddest episodes ever.  I miss those Days.  And that's why I'm loving GH so much.  It reminds me of the old "Days."

It's About Time I Started Blogging...about Soaps.

As a long-time soap opera watcher and a dude with lots and lots of opinions about my stories, I've been thinking about starting a soap blog for some time.  And there's no time like the present to get that blog rolling, so here goes...

I've been watching soaps for years, though I admittedly don't watch them all.  To me, that would be impossible.  Even if I didn't have a full time job, there's no way I could commit to even the four soaps that are currently airing on US television.  Because once I commit, I COMMIT.  I've been watching Days of our Lives since the 90s and almost never miss an episode, not matter how bad it gets.  Not only do I keep up with the current episodes, I also go onto youtube and go back to watch old episodes that I missed from the 80s!  (Check out spiesoftheheart's channels and bradyclanfan if you ever want to relive some 80s greatness.)  It wasn't until recently that I finally branched out and decided to give a second soap a chance--that soap being General Hospital.  The reason I chose General Hospital?  Two words--Diana Colville (better known as Genie Francis aka Laura Spencer).  I'd absolutely fallen in love with Diana when I went back and watched her storyline.  So when I'd read that Genie was going to be coming back to GH for its 50th anniversary, I said--okay this is it--I'll take my Diana however I can get her and if that means trying a new soap, so be it.

When I decided to give General Hospital a shot, I figured I'd just watch the Laura scenes, and skip everything else.  There's no way I could catch up with all the other storylines.  But man was I surprised at just how quickly I got sucked in.  As a disgruntled Days fan who hasn't truly enjoyed the show for at least the past ten years, I figured all soaps had succumbed to the same budget cuts that seemed to limit the show's story telling abilities.  The sets got shittier, the cast shrank or became recurring, and because of these limitations, the writing in turn suffered as well.  So when I started watching GH, I was shocked to discover that a soap could still be written in a way that kept me coming back day after day, every episode ending in a cliffhanger, keeping me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened next.  General Hospital seemed like it actually had a BUDGET!  The sets were great, using various locations with spectacular lighting.  They actually had A PIER.  I can't remember the last time Days used the pier and the last time it actually felt like a pier and not a cheap soap set.  There's no more fog, there's no more light reflecting off the water, and the lighting washes everything out, creating zero depth.  It's glaringly noticable.  But I digress...  What I'm getting at is that I was blown away by the quality of General Hospital.  The writing was superb and the actors were phenomenal and EVERY STORYLINE had me engaged.  I couldn't possibly stick to just watching Laura's scenes.  In fact, her scenes became the most boring!  Aside from Stavros' return (love me some Faux Bo), they did absolutely nothing with her storyline, which is disappointing because I do still love Diana.

So here I am, over a year after I'd started watching General Hospital, and I can't believe that it has already surpassed Days as my favorite soap.  I wouldn't say its become my ALL TIME favorite soap, but right now GH is blowing Days out of the water.  And while I love that I've found another soap that I can really get into, I'm super pissed that Days can't be this good!  They just can't get it together no matter how many writing shake-ups they have!  What's up with that!?  Is it really the budget that's the problem?  Is it the cast I'm not crazy about?  The writing?  Or a combination of all of the above.  There's definitely a reason it's the lowest rated soap right now, even though its ratings are higher than they've been in years...somehow.

So I plan to be posting as often as I can to get my thoughts out on both Days of our Lives and General Hospital.  And I hope that someone out there might find my rantings and musings interesting and could maybe chime in once in a while with their own opinions.  I've certainly got a specific vision of what I think my soaps should be.  And that's what they are--MY SOAPS!  Don't nobody forget it!