As if daytime television, and soap operas in particular, needed another slap in the face, the Emmys aired on the CW this year. While the CW would not have been my first choice of networks to broadcast the Emmys anyway, I did not complain because at this point I was just glad to see that they were airing at all. However, the actual awards show gave me plenty of reasons to complain, reasons that had nothing to do with who took home an award.
Over the years I have grown accustomed to watching the Emmy red carpet pre-show on Soapnet regardless of the network airing the awards, so I was a little surprised that it was on the CW this year. I thought this might prove to be a positive change for daytime and expose soap operas to a wider audience, but I was wrong. The Emmy pre-show was disappointing this year, to say the least. Very few soap stars were interviewed on the red carpet, nominees or otherwise. It may not have seemed that way to those who have never watched the Soapnet pre-show, but by comparison the coverage on the CW was minimal at best. The majority of soap stars I saw last night were in the split-panel screen having their pictures taken.
When the actual awards show began I became hopeful that the broadcast itself would be better because it had a strong opening, but I was disappointed yet again. The highlight of the entire show turned out to be the 40th anniversary tribute to Sesame Street. Guiding Light received a tribute as well, but it was so short that if you were not anticipating it you would have likely thought they were one of the nominees for best drama series. This was not what I would have expected for a show that was on the air more than 70 years. Then there was the actual announcement for best drama series, an award that went to the Bold and the Beautiful. Apparently there was no time for an acceptance speech for this recipient because the credits started rolling immediately after their name was called. It seems to me that they could have left out Vanessa Williams's song and dance with former Dancing With the Stars contestant Gilles Marini so they would have had time for things in the show that were related to daytime televsion.
As far as the Emmy winners, there were very few surprises. The biggest surprise came in the Best Supporting Actor category, where there was a tie between Vincent Irizarry (AMC) and Jeff Branson (GL). Obviously I was hoping for a win for Bradford Anderson (GH), but given the fact that he was nominated for supporting actor and not younger actor his chances of winning were likely made more slim.
I was not expecting an Emmy win for Julie Marie Berman (GH) at all, but after seeing the clips she submitted in the younger actress category, it was a well deserved honor. I had all but forgotten about the courtroom scenes where Lulu tried to keep Johnny from taking the blame for Logan's death. Those scenes were definitely worthy of an Emmy.
I was not completely shocked that Tamara Braun (DOOL) won in the supporting actress category. In fact I kind of expected that there would be an upset in this category. I say upset not because her performances did not warrant an award, but because she was only on Days for six months. This hardly seems like an appropriate length of time for someone to be on a show and still be nominated in the supporting role category.
I thought that Bryton McClure had the best chance of winning in the younger actor category, so the fact that Darrin Brooks (DOOL) won instead was a little surprising, but not shocking. It is not unusual for actors who have recently left their respective shows to win an Emmy for performances they gave in their last year. And in this category there were two actors from DOOL that had recently left, and one actor from Guiding Light, whose show has of course been cancelled. So it would not have been terribly surprising for any of these actors to have won based on that alone.
In my opinion the Emmys for lead actress and actor went to the appropriate people. I thought that Jeanne Cooper (Y&R) might win again this year, but thought that if anyone was going to beat her it would be Susan Haskell (OLTL). Having seen performances by both of these women this year, I was pleased that Haskell came out victorious. As I said in a previous post she returned to OLTL as a replacement of her replacement and had some intense material to deliver, which she seemed to do without breaking a sweat, ultimately earning herself an Emmy.
Had Anthony Geary won in the lead actor category, it would have been his 7th win. I had predicted that he would win, simply because he always seems to be the favorite, but thought that Christian LeBlanc had a deservedly good chance of winning as well. As it turned out LeBlanc did the win the Emmy and rightly so. He turned in some stellar performances on Y&R this year and out of all the other actors nominated in this category he was perhaps the strongest competitor.
As predicted the winner for best drama series was the Bold and the Beautiful. This is quite a feat for the only half-hour soap currently on air. This was also the first time that this soap has received this award. It is just a shame that no one will ever be able to see the acceptance speech.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
On Target: GH
Everything seemed to start coming together on Friday's General Hospital. Jax finally did something right when he told Carly he knew where Michael and Kristina were and was flying to Mexico to bring them home. He even managed to leave Spinelli's name out of this conversation. Meanwhile Jason and Sam had already found Michael and Kristina, who were in the middle of trying to defend themselves against the obnoxious customers that had shown up at the resort. Michael had already been punched because he pawned a watch that belonged to one of these customers in order to pay for Kristina's plane ticket. When Jason arrived he was forced to pull out his gun to keep the fight from escalating and to allow Michael a chance to explain what happened. When Michael told him how he had pawned the watch Jason reimbursed the customer and let him and his girlfriend go. He and Sam then proceeded to make arrangements to bring Michael and Kristina home, but Michael had other plans.
While Jax and Carly were at the country club preparing for Jax to leave, Carly received a phone call from Jason informing her that he had found Michael. Unfortunately Carly's good news was overshadowed by the fact that Kiefer was nearby taking in everything that was happening. He even managed to pull an unsuspecting Molly aside to question her about what was going on with Kristina. Morgan pulled her away before she could answer any of his questions, which obviously did not deter Kiefer because he showed up later at Jax and Carly's house. While there he learned that Kristina was on her way home, which prompted him to call her and leave a message on her cell phone.
Kiefer's behavior throughout this storyline has been inconsistent to say the least. I know he is an unbalanced character, but it seems to me that if he was going to be written as the abusive, controlling boyfriend, he would have been more determined to find Kristina as soon as she left. I just do not buy the fact that he would be sitting at home all summer, periodically bullying Kristina's siblings about her return. If GH really wanted to play him up as the abuser I believe him to be I think he would have not only been bullying Morgan and Molly, but other family members as well, and on a much more regular basis. I also think he would have been traveling around actually looking for Kristina instead of lounging by the pool.
Unfortunately now that Kristina is coming home she is going to have a lot more to deal with than Kiefer because Claudia overheard Alexis and Sonny talking about Kristina being responsible for her accident. After Claudia called Jerry to track down Michael when she thought he caused her accident, I do not foresee her cutting Kristina any slack. This may very well be foreshadowing the Carnival tragedy that is supposed to begin next month where someone in Port Charles is apparently killed. On the other hand, Andrea Floyd seems to be plotting murder of a different kind. She overheard Robin and Alexis talking about the possibility of her guilt in the death of Brianna Hughes, the mayor's mistress. Patrick caught her listening to this conversation outside Alexis's office, forcing her to make her presence known. She then confronted Robin about her constant allegations toward her, and left the room with an ominous warning for her to back off. She was later seen at her computer researching poisons, then returned to Alexis's empty office.
Friday's GH certainly seemed to provide a frame for upcoming events. Many of the storylines that have been building for months seem to be unraveling. Viewers are likely to find out soon what Andrea Floyd is really up to, especially since portrayer Martha Byrne is about to finish her stint on the show. Then there is the mystery of who ran Claudia off the road. This may also be solved soon, but I think it will take a bit longer to straighten out than the Brianna Hughes case. I am beginning to think that Kiefer is somehow involved in Claudia's accident. If I am right it may take a while to prove that because both Kristina and Molly are enamored by him.
While Jax and Carly were at the country club preparing for Jax to leave, Carly received a phone call from Jason informing her that he had found Michael. Unfortunately Carly's good news was overshadowed by the fact that Kiefer was nearby taking in everything that was happening. He even managed to pull an unsuspecting Molly aside to question her about what was going on with Kristina. Morgan pulled her away before she could answer any of his questions, which obviously did not deter Kiefer because he showed up later at Jax and Carly's house. While there he learned that Kristina was on her way home, which prompted him to call her and leave a message on her cell phone.
Kiefer's behavior throughout this storyline has been inconsistent to say the least. I know he is an unbalanced character, but it seems to me that if he was going to be written as the abusive, controlling boyfriend, he would have been more determined to find Kristina as soon as she left. I just do not buy the fact that he would be sitting at home all summer, periodically bullying Kristina's siblings about her return. If GH really wanted to play him up as the abuser I believe him to be I think he would have not only been bullying Morgan and Molly, but other family members as well, and on a much more regular basis. I also think he would have been traveling around actually looking for Kristina instead of lounging by the pool.
Unfortunately now that Kristina is coming home she is going to have a lot more to deal with than Kiefer because Claudia overheard Alexis and Sonny talking about Kristina being responsible for her accident. After Claudia called Jerry to track down Michael when she thought he caused her accident, I do not foresee her cutting Kristina any slack. This may very well be foreshadowing the Carnival tragedy that is supposed to begin next month where someone in Port Charles is apparently killed. On the other hand, Andrea Floyd seems to be plotting murder of a different kind. She overheard Robin and Alexis talking about the possibility of her guilt in the death of Brianna Hughes, the mayor's mistress. Patrick caught her listening to this conversation outside Alexis's office, forcing her to make her presence known. She then confronted Robin about her constant allegations toward her, and left the room with an ominous warning for her to back off. She was later seen at her computer researching poisons, then returned to Alexis's empty office.
Friday's GH certainly seemed to provide a frame for upcoming events. Many of the storylines that have been building for months seem to be unraveling. Viewers are likely to find out soon what Andrea Floyd is really up to, especially since portrayer Martha Byrne is about to finish her stint on the show. Then there is the mystery of who ran Claudia off the road. This may also be solved soon, but I think it will take a bit longer to straighten out than the Brianna Hughes case. I am beginning to think that Kiefer is somehow involved in Claudia's accident. If I am right it may take a while to prove that because both Kristina and Molly are enamored by him.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Secret Summer: GH
On Thursday's General Hospital Michael prepared to get Kristina home safely by pawning a watch from an obnoxious customer so that he could buy her a plane ticket. Kristina had decided to go home the day before after she tried to contact Kiefer, who was supposedly with another girl. When Kiefer's cell phone rang he had a girl to answer. And even though this girl was apparently not the same one that Kristina thought he was with, Kiefer's stunt was still effective, and was ultimately the driving force behind Kristina's decision to go home. My question is did Kiefer know that Kristina was the one calling him, and if so, how? I am also having difficulty understanding why Kristina has all of a sudden decided that it is safe for her to go home considering that she still believes she was the one that ran Claudia off the road. Does she think that the investigation has just been dropped? And if Michael knows that there is a possibility that he is not the one who ran Claudia off the road, why isn't he returning home to support Kristina? All these questions were left unanswered even as Michael and Kristina's plan unfolded. They had a bit of a setback though when the aforementioned customer discovered that his watch was missing. He accused Michael of stealing it which led to an argument, resulting in Michael getting punched.
Meanwhile in Port Charles, Kiefer was continuing to ask questions about Kristina. He approached Sonny and Carly at the country club to ask them if they had heard from her, giving Sonny the opportunity to warn him against any involvement with Michael or Kristina. Then Kiefer, apparently having a death wish, proceeded to question Molly and Morgan about Kristina's whereabouts. Carly caught him talking to them and threatened to tell Sonny about him pushing Morgan around on the pier if he did not stay away from them. Obviously this is the least of what Kiefer has done to Sonny's kids lately, considering the way he hit Kristina a few months ago. I would hate to be in Kiefer's shoes when Sonny finds out that piece of information.
Elsewhere Jax was busy adding to the list of things he is keeping from Carly. He told Spinelli that he knew that he had been able to pinpoint Michael and Kristina's location and was only keeping it from everyone so that Sonny would not make matters worse for the teens. He then convinced Spinelli to only let him know where they were so he could find them himself, without Carly's knowledge. I know Jax keeps saying that he is only keeping secrets from Carly because of her high risk pregnancy, but at some point he has to realize that the stress of not knowing vital information about her son is worse than anything he could tell her.
Meanwhile in Port Charles, Kiefer was continuing to ask questions about Kristina. He approached Sonny and Carly at the country club to ask them if they had heard from her, giving Sonny the opportunity to warn him against any involvement with Michael or Kristina. Then Kiefer, apparently having a death wish, proceeded to question Molly and Morgan about Kristina's whereabouts. Carly caught him talking to them and threatened to tell Sonny about him pushing Morgan around on the pier if he did not stay away from them. Obviously this is the least of what Kiefer has done to Sonny's kids lately, considering the way he hit Kristina a few months ago. I would hate to be in Kiefer's shoes when Sonny finds out that piece of information.
Elsewhere Jax was busy adding to the list of things he is keeping from Carly. He told Spinelli that he knew that he had been able to pinpoint Michael and Kristina's location and was only keeping it from everyone so that Sonny would not make matters worse for the teens. He then convinced Spinelli to only let him know where they were so he could find them himself, without Carly's knowledge. I know Jax keeps saying that he is only keeping secrets from Carly because of her high risk pregnancy, but at some point he has to realize that the stress of not knowing vital information about her son is worse than anything he could tell her.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Tell Me More: My Antonio
For this edition of "Tell Me More" I want to know what your take is on VH1's "My Antonio" and Antonio Sabato, Jr.'s supposed search for true love. Do you think this is a sincere attempt at meeting someone special?
As with all of my posts, feel free to elaborate and write whatever you want, just remember to be respectful of other people's opinions.
As with all of my posts, feel free to elaborate and write whatever you want, just remember to be respectful of other people's opinions.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
A Dante Dilemma?: GH
Something occurred to me while watching Thursday's GH that I had not thought of before. I am beginning to wonder if Dante's superior is going to turn out to be a crooked cop, perhaps hired by Anthony Zacchara to take down the Corinthos organization. If he was hired by Anthony, what better way to get inside information on Sonny's business than to assign one of the best cops in the field to infiltrate the organization? He could then take this information to Anthony rather than using it to build a case against Sonny. This possibility would certainly extend Dante's storyline potential beyond him finding out that he is Sonny's son. It would also likely shake his faith in the entire legal system, perhaps even causing him to question his chosen career path on the right side of the law.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Saving Spixie: GH
Even though Maxie seems to genuinely love Spinelli, it is no secret that she has been looking for a way out of marrying him since he first tried to propose to her on the rooftop. However, Spinelli, in all his ways of expressing courtly love, may have finally discovered her Achilles' heel. On Wednesday's General Hospital Spinelli and Maxie began discussing the details of the wedding and the arrangements that would follow. Surprisingly enough Spinelli assumed that he and Maxie would begin their married life living at Jason's, an assumption that Maxie quickly rejected. Again, Maxie tried to use this disagreement as a way out of the marriage,but Spinelli was prepared to give her whatever she wanted in order to make her happy. Spinelli did, however, have a suggestion of his own, something that I am sure Maxie never anticipated. Spinelli told her that he thought they should wait until after the wedding before sleeping together again, a request that may make Maxie finally decide to walk down the aisle. Unfortunately I do not see them actually going through with the wedding. I just hope that their failed nuptials do not turn out to be the result of Spinelli's request causing Maxie to return to her promiscuous ways by cheating on him.
You and Me: GH
Even though I thought that the JaSam reunion seemed a bit rushed due to Jason's unusually speedy recovery, I thought that today's scenes struck just the right tone. I especially liked the fact that GH included their song, "Just You and Me" in these scenes. It added credibility to their reconciliation by reminding viewers of their history. It also didn't hurt that the radio became stuck on a relationship advice show, forcing them to think about everything they weren't saying. This also served as a creative way of providing information to those viewers who may not be familiar with GH or Jason and Sam as a couple. I am glad that the show is taking the time to make sure that all of their viewers are on the same page. Whenever soap operas do this it usually indicates that they plan to pay careful attention to detail as the storyline unfolds, a rarity these days.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Family Secrets: GH
I am quickly growing tired of the Olivia/Dante/Sonny storyline on GH. This is primarily because of Olivia's endless efforts to keep Sonny from finding out that Dante is his son. As I have said in previous posts, and as Jax pointed out a few episodes ago, it seems that Dante would be in more danger by not knowing that Sonny is his father. I think that all of Olivia's problems would be solved by just telling the truth. Obviously Sonny and Dante will be angry that she kept this from them but the fallout will be far worse if she lets this secret come from someone else, not to mention what will happen if they never find out. I could not believe that Olivia actually tried to guilt Jax into using his contacts to get Dante reassigned when she has the power to end all of this. This storyline has gotten ridiculous and it is making the Olivia character less believable. I think it is time to start wrapping up all of this nonsense and let Sonny and Dante finally learn the truth. Then we can get on with the business of them being at odds with Olivia for her years of covering up the truth.
Couples Cornered: GH
The moment that JaSam fans have been waiting for, and Liason fans have been dreading, finally arrived on Monday's GH. Of course I am talking about the kiss that was shared between Jason and Sam at the end of the episode. I have to say that I was somewhat surprised by the way the kiss happened. Even though everyone knew for weeks this was coming, it still seemed to come out of nowhere. I think that GH could have used another day or two of awkward JaSam moments before the kiss finally happened, at the very least that would have given Jason more time to heal. This storyline portrayed him as being far too injured for him to heal that fast and I thought his speedy recovery took away some of the realism of the scenes. Perhaps that is the reason why the JaSam kiss felt a little too rushed. I was prepared for a longer build up than what was presented. Having said that, the JaSam reunion itself was long overdue, especially given the fact that the Liason saga failed to deliver any real storyline for any of the actors involved.
One potential couple we won't have to worry about delivering storyline is Nikolas and Elizabeth, who just can't seem to stay away from each other. This was paricularly clear on Monday when they started kissing on Elizabeth's porch, giving no thought to what would happen if Lucky returned with the boys, or if the neighbors saw what they were doing. I am sure it is only a matter of time before something more happens between the two, and Lucky finds out, but in the meantime Rebecca is still in the picture. After Nikolas left Elizabeth's he went to see Rebecca, seemingly offering her a chance at reconciliation. It is difficult to say whether Nikolas was being sincere about this possibilty or if he is just using that as a way of getting revenge for the way she hurt him. Then there is a third possibility that he is simply using Rebecca because he cannot have Elizabeth. No matter what his intentions are, Rebecca will inevitably get hurt.
One potential couple we won't have to worry about delivering storyline is Nikolas and Elizabeth, who just can't seem to stay away from each other. This was paricularly clear on Monday when they started kissing on Elizabeth's porch, giving no thought to what would happen if Lucky returned with the boys, or if the neighbors saw what they were doing. I am sure it is only a matter of time before something more happens between the two, and Lucky finds out, but in the meantime Rebecca is still in the picture. After Nikolas left Elizabeth's he went to see Rebecca, seemingly offering her a chance at reconciliation. It is difficult to say whether Nikolas was being sincere about this possibilty or if he is just using that as a way of getting revenge for the way she hurt him. Then there is a third possibility that he is simply using Rebecca because he cannot have Elizabeth. No matter what his intentions are, Rebecca will inevitably get hurt.
Monday, August 24, 2009
My Antonio: Recap for August 23rd
The first rule of dating Antonio Sabato, Jr. is you don't reject him, he rejects you, at least according to the latest installment of VH1's "My Antonio." I grudgingly watched last night's episode of "My Antonio" in hopes that it would be an improvement on the first episode, sadly it was not. I cannot say that I am altogether surprised by that though, this is a reality show, and it is on VH1. And judging from their previous attempts at reality dating shows their standards seem to be even lower than those of other networks, but that is just one person's opinion. I did promise a recap though and a recap you shall have.
At the end of the first episode of "My Antonio", Antonio's ex-wife Tully arrived in Hawaii to let him know that she was still not over him. They were married when he was 18. He is now 36 and she has just now decided to let him know that she is still in love with him? I guess she was just waiting for the right time to tell him...like when cameras were present. So Antonio decides to have a private talk with her to let her know that he is not interested in a reconciliation but that she can stay if she wants to. Stay if she wants to? Of course she can stay if she wants to. She was brought on this show specifically to create controversy!
Later on there was tension in the house which had nothing to do with Tully's presence. Jennifer, the bartender, offered Sarah, the student, a waffle topped with cream cheese. Thinking this was an odd choice for a snack, Sarah immediately assumed that some of the women in the house were trying to make her look stupid. This started a chain of events that continued throughout much of the episode. This began with Sarah crying and saying that she wanted to go home, behavior that lasted most of the night. She even woke up Julann, the real estate agent, to cry on her shoulder. And when Julann was less comforting than Sarah thought she should be she ran out of the room calling her names, then ultimately left the house altogether. The next morning Antonio arrived wanting to know where Sarah was, but when Julann tried to explain to him what happened he seemed uninterested in what she had to say. This prompted Julann to decide to go home as well, but Antonio begged her to stay, so she did.
Later that same day Antonio had a surprise for the women. He had contacted a hypnotist to come and hypnotize them, supposedly to make everyone more open and honest. Julann was the only woman who chose not to participate, a decision that would later be met with criticism from Antonio's mother. And while Antonio himself did not get hypnotized, he certainly seemed to be entertained by watching everyone else get hypnotized. In fact the entire session turned out to be less about promoting honesty and more about what people could be made to do while under hypnosis.
On elimination night the women met with Antonio and his mother and waited to see if they would be safe for another week. Each of the women were presented with a covered dessert dish. If there was a lei in their dish they were safe, if not, well, they might be sent packing. The two women who were not, er, lei'ed last night turned out to be Julann and Jessica, a dancer, who has rarely been seen on the show. Ultimately Antonio decided to send Julann home, you know the one he begged to stay the day before? He decided to give Jessica another chance, encouraging her to become more involved in, for lack of a better word, fighting for him. Take note Jessica you have to sling a little mud to make it on this show. Just make sure you don't get any on Antonio in the process or you might be sent home the way that Julann was.
At the end of the first episode of "My Antonio", Antonio's ex-wife Tully arrived in Hawaii to let him know that she was still not over him. They were married when he was 18. He is now 36 and she has just now decided to let him know that she is still in love with him? I guess she was just waiting for the right time to tell him...like when cameras were present. So Antonio decides to have a private talk with her to let her know that he is not interested in a reconciliation but that she can stay if she wants to. Stay if she wants to? Of course she can stay if she wants to. She was brought on this show specifically to create controversy!
Later on there was tension in the house which had nothing to do with Tully's presence. Jennifer, the bartender, offered Sarah, the student, a waffle topped with cream cheese. Thinking this was an odd choice for a snack, Sarah immediately assumed that some of the women in the house were trying to make her look stupid. This started a chain of events that continued throughout much of the episode. This began with Sarah crying and saying that she wanted to go home, behavior that lasted most of the night. She even woke up Julann, the real estate agent, to cry on her shoulder. And when Julann was less comforting than Sarah thought she should be she ran out of the room calling her names, then ultimately left the house altogether. The next morning Antonio arrived wanting to know where Sarah was, but when Julann tried to explain to him what happened he seemed uninterested in what she had to say. This prompted Julann to decide to go home as well, but Antonio begged her to stay, so she did.
Later that same day Antonio had a surprise for the women. He had contacted a hypnotist to come and hypnotize them, supposedly to make everyone more open and honest. Julann was the only woman who chose not to participate, a decision that would later be met with criticism from Antonio's mother. And while Antonio himself did not get hypnotized, he certainly seemed to be entertained by watching everyone else get hypnotized. In fact the entire session turned out to be less about promoting honesty and more about what people could be made to do while under hypnosis.
On elimination night the women met with Antonio and his mother and waited to see if they would be safe for another week. Each of the women were presented with a covered dessert dish. If there was a lei in their dish they were safe, if not, well, they might be sent packing. The two women who were not, er, lei'ed last night turned out to be Julann and Jessica, a dancer, who has rarely been seen on the show. Ultimately Antonio decided to send Julann home, you know the one he begged to stay the day before? He decided to give Jessica another chance, encouraging her to become more involved in, for lack of a better word, fighting for him. Take note Jessica you have to sling a little mud to make it on this show. Just make sure you don't get any on Antonio in the process or you might be sent home the way that Julann was.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Suffering a Loss: GH
GH's Claudia is unquestionably one of the most complex soap characters. She can make you hate her one minute and feel sorry for her the next. For instance, I hated that she requested Jerry's help in tracking down Michael when she thought he ran her off the road. In fact, I am still having difficulty comprehending what possessed her to do that, but that is a topic for another day.
Despite of all her shortcomings it was impossible not to sympathize with her when she lost her baby, especially since she had to watch the fetal monitor as the baby's heart got weaker. Regardless of Claudia's reasons for getting pregnant in the first place, it is obvious that she grew to love her child like a real mother. So it is understandable that she would need time to grieve following her miscarriage, a concept that seems to have escaped everyone around her.
On Friday's GH, both Sonny and Johnny were quite cold in telling her she needed to just move on. I know in their world human life is expendable, but this was Sonny's child so one would think he would be at least a little sad about the loss. I will say this for Sonny, once he got out of his own head and finally started listening to Claudia about how she felt he was much more sensitive to her suffering. He even arranged it so that he and Claudia could help pay for another child's education, an indication that he no longer wished to get out of the marriage.
Despite of all her shortcomings it was impossible not to sympathize with her when she lost her baby, especially since she had to watch the fetal monitor as the baby's heart got weaker. Regardless of Claudia's reasons for getting pregnant in the first place, it is obvious that she grew to love her child like a real mother. So it is understandable that she would need time to grieve following her miscarriage, a concept that seems to have escaped everyone around her.
On Friday's GH, both Sonny and Johnny were quite cold in telling her she needed to just move on. I know in their world human life is expendable, but this was Sonny's child so one would think he would be at least a little sad about the loss. I will say this for Sonny, once he got out of his own head and finally started listening to Claudia about how she felt he was much more sensitive to her suffering. He even arranged it so that he and Claudia could help pay for another child's education, an indication that he no longer wished to get out of the marriage.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Hidden Truths: GH
On Friday's General Hospital Jax questioned Olivia about the conversation he overheard her having with Kate in regards to Dante being Sonny's son. He agreed to keep this a secret but not before asking how Dante's life would be more compromised as a result of knowing who is father is, a question that has plagued me for weeks. Of course Olivia was somehow able to avoid answering this question.
At this point I think Olivia is actually more afraid of Sonny knowing that she kept this secret from him than she is of Dante being killed. It is quite obvious that Dante's life is in greater danger because neither he or Sonny know that they are father and son. I am not sure how much longer this truth can stay hidden though. As I said in an earlier post, Jax knows Dante already, but only as Dominic. That was until the end of Friday's episode, when it seemed as though Jax was beginning to come to the realization that Dante and Dominic are one in the same.
During the conversation that Jax had with Olivia she foolishly remarked about the similarities between Dante and Sonny, similarities that he likely noticed when he saw Olivia, Dante, Carly, and Morgan talking at Kelly's. At some point I think that Carly is likely to notice these similarities too. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that she will discover Olivia's secret all on her own. Which begs the question of how she will react when she finds out that Jax kept this from her. Moreover, how will she react when she learns that Jax knew who was responsible for Michael's shooting and kept that from her as well?
At this point I think Olivia is actually more afraid of Sonny knowing that she kept this secret from him than she is of Dante being killed. It is quite obvious that Dante's life is in greater danger because neither he or Sonny know that they are father and son. I am not sure how much longer this truth can stay hidden though. As I said in an earlier post, Jax knows Dante already, but only as Dominic. That was until the end of Friday's episode, when it seemed as though Jax was beginning to come to the realization that Dante and Dominic are one in the same.
During the conversation that Jax had with Olivia she foolishly remarked about the similarities between Dante and Sonny, similarities that he likely noticed when he saw Olivia, Dante, Carly, and Morgan talking at Kelly's. At some point I think that Carly is likely to notice these similarities too. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that she will discover Olivia's secret all on her own. Which begs the question of how she will react when she finds out that Jax kept this from her. Moreover, how will she react when she learns that Jax knew who was responsible for Michael's shooting and kept that from her as well?
Friday, August 21, 2009
Stuck on You: GH
I guess it must be time for a soap opera makeover. Lulu walked into the hospital on Thursday seeking help after she glued her hand to her head. Having introduced such a random scene can only mean one of two things, either Julie Marie Berman is getting a haircut and the writers wanted to find a way of acknowledging that, or Lulu is about to be involved in a love triangle with Matt and Dante. I mention the love triangle theory because as Lulu was waiting for someone to help pry her hand away from her hair Dante arrived and continued to make flirtatious advances. Resisting, Lulu told him she had plans with Matt who was ultimately the one to come up with a way of getting her hand separated from her hair.
Personally I think the idea of a Matt and Lulu pairing is inspired. I really cannot say that I like the idea of her and Dante. They do not have enough chemistry. Moreover Lulu needs someone who is not involved in Sonny's world for a while. I got tired of all the angst that was Lulu and Johnny. It would be refreshing and a nice change of pace to see her with someone who is the polar opposite of her ex-boyfriends. It is also about time that GH gave Matt a love interest. His mild flirtation with Maxie is clearly going nowhere at the moment and he has been on this show long enough to finally be paired up with someone.
Personally I think the idea of a Matt and Lulu pairing is inspired. I really cannot say that I like the idea of her and Dante. They do not have enough chemistry. Moreover Lulu needs someone who is not involved in Sonny's world for a while. I got tired of all the angst that was Lulu and Johnny. It would be refreshing and a nice change of pace to see her with someone who is the polar opposite of her ex-boyfriends. It is also about time that GH gave Matt a love interest. His mild flirtation with Maxie is clearly going nowhere at the moment and he has been on this show long enough to finally be paired up with someone.
Secrets and Lies: GH
Thursday's GH was all about secrets and lies as Jax found out about Dante, Kate revealed the truth about her suspicious activity with Crimson, and Elizabeth and Nikolas vowed to never act on their feelings again.
A distraught Kate went to Jax and informed him that she had taken money from Trevor Lansing to help bail out the magazine and that the nature of this exchange amounted to money laundering. She also revealed that for months Giselle, her competition, had known about this exchange and was blackmailing her and had recently threatened to expose her secret. Later on, when Jax was out of the room, Kate confided in Olivia about this potential catastrophe. As the two were talking the subject turned to Dante, and Olivia's need to tell the truth about Sonny being his father. And of course the door was open while they were having this conversation so when Jax came back he overheard everything from outside the room. The only thing he is probably not aware of is the fact that Dante and the man he knows as Dominic are one in the same. By the end of the episode he told Olivia that he overheard everything she said. How is it that these two always manage to be in the right place at the right time to hear information that no one else knows? How many secrets can they keep?
Elsewhere Elizabeth met with Nikolas to discuss their need to keep their distance from one another as much as possible, a difficult task considering that Lucky has decided to play brother of the year and make sure Nikolas spends as little time alone as possible. This is undoubtedly GH's way of making sure that viewers observe the close bond between Nikolas and Lucky so that when Lucky finds out about him and Elizabeth the fallout will be that much more heartbreaking. This formula has been seen on soaps for years and it always works! It is the perfect way to showcase the wounded party and set up his or her next storyline.
On a side note Dante continues to have trouble separating his professional life from his private life. He met Johnny at Jake's and when the conversation turned to Johnny's relationship with Olivia, Dante impulsively punched Johnny out. For a cop that thinks he is so good at navigating undercover assignments he sure has a difficult time keeping a level head. I guess he gets that from Sonny!
A distraught Kate went to Jax and informed him that she had taken money from Trevor Lansing to help bail out the magazine and that the nature of this exchange amounted to money laundering. She also revealed that for months Giselle, her competition, had known about this exchange and was blackmailing her and had recently threatened to expose her secret. Later on, when Jax was out of the room, Kate confided in Olivia about this potential catastrophe. As the two were talking the subject turned to Dante, and Olivia's need to tell the truth about Sonny being his father. And of course the door was open while they were having this conversation so when Jax came back he overheard everything from outside the room. The only thing he is probably not aware of is the fact that Dante and the man he knows as Dominic are one in the same. By the end of the episode he told Olivia that he overheard everything she said. How is it that these two always manage to be in the right place at the right time to hear information that no one else knows? How many secrets can they keep?
Elsewhere Elizabeth met with Nikolas to discuss their need to keep their distance from one another as much as possible, a difficult task considering that Lucky has decided to play brother of the year and make sure Nikolas spends as little time alone as possible. This is undoubtedly GH's way of making sure that viewers observe the close bond between Nikolas and Lucky so that when Lucky finds out about him and Elizabeth the fallout will be that much more heartbreaking. This formula has been seen on soaps for years and it always works! It is the perfect way to showcase the wounded party and set up his or her next storyline.
On a side note Dante continues to have trouble separating his professional life from his private life. He met Johnny at Jake's and when the conversation turned to Johnny's relationship with Olivia, Dante impulsively punched Johnny out. For a cop that thinks he is so good at navigating undercover assignments he sure has a difficult time keeping a level head. I guess he gets that from Sonny!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Close Calls: GH
At the end of Tuesday's GH Jerry headed back to the abandoned church where he had left Jason to die; and by the beginning of Wednesday's episode he had already discovered that Jason had fled. He then went back to the room where he had left Sam, only to find it empty as Jason and Sam were hiding in a crawl space. I am not sure how they knew Jerry was coming or how Sam was able to hide Jason quickly enough to prevent them from getting caught since none of that was played out for the viewers. I hate it when soaps do this. They spend months and months airing pointless scenes that really have nothing to do with anything then when you actually want details they skim over them, but I digress. After Jerry left the room Jason became disoriented and thought he was back in Hawaii with Sam as he struggled from the side effects of an experimental drug, elements from a previous JaSam storyline. Sam played along as she continued to give Jason water and he eventually said those three little words that every JaSam fan has been waiting to hear...I love you. As Sam "played along" and reciprocated it was obvious she meant it and viewers could surely tell that somewhere deep down Jason meant it too.
Meanwhile at Wyndemere, Elizabeth and Nikolas were only seconds away from getting caught by Lucky, but they stopped kissing just in time to avoid being discovered. And while Lucky remains hopelessly in the dark about the connection between his half-brother and would be wife, Nikolas and Elizabeth are finally showing signs of guilt and remorse. It was as if they needed to see Lucky within minutes of one of their encounters to even remember that what they were doing would eventually cause him pain. I really hope that Lucky finds out about them soon. Afterall he is supposed to be a cop so let's hope that he does not have to find out about this from Lulu, although it would be nice if she had a storyline.
Elsewhere in Port Charles, Spinelli had been summoned by Jax and Carly to trace an e-mail they received from Michael and Kristina. Sonny and Alexis eventually arrived, obviously wanting that same information. As Spinelli attempted to trace the location of the device the e-mail had been sent from, Sonny and Jax began to argue about who was going to find the kids. Realizing that if Sonny went to look for them his enemies might follow and put everyone in danger, Spinelli hid the results of the trace which revealed their whereabouts. He then sought Diane's expertise in modifying his will, convinced that Sonny would kill him if he found out about what he did, but confident that Jason would bring home Michael and Kristina before that happened.
Meanwhile at Wyndemere, Elizabeth and Nikolas were only seconds away from getting caught by Lucky, but they stopped kissing just in time to avoid being discovered. And while Lucky remains hopelessly in the dark about the connection between his half-brother and would be wife, Nikolas and Elizabeth are finally showing signs of guilt and remorse. It was as if they needed to see Lucky within minutes of one of their encounters to even remember that what they were doing would eventually cause him pain. I really hope that Lucky finds out about them soon. Afterall he is supposed to be a cop so let's hope that he does not have to find out about this from Lulu, although it would be nice if she had a storyline.
Elsewhere in Port Charles, Spinelli had been summoned by Jax and Carly to trace an e-mail they received from Michael and Kristina. Sonny and Alexis eventually arrived, obviously wanting that same information. As Spinelli attempted to trace the location of the device the e-mail had been sent from, Sonny and Jax began to argue about who was going to find the kids. Realizing that if Sonny went to look for them his enemies might follow and put everyone in danger, Spinelli hid the results of the trace which revealed their whereabouts. He then sought Diane's expertise in modifying his will, convinced that Sonny would kill him if he found out about what he did, but confident that Jason would bring home Michael and Kristina before that happened.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
All is Fair: GH
As soon as Lucky explained to Rebecca that he told Nikolas the truth about her out of "sibling loyalty" I knew those words would come back to haunt him. And after Tuesday's episode of GH it looks like that might come sooner than later.
Things heated up rather quickly for Nikolas and Elizabeth after she gave him a much needed dose of reality concerning his behavior since Emily's death. Little did they know Lucky had just arrived at Wyndemere to check on Nikolas. I wonder how Lucky is going to feel about sibling loyalty after he discovers what Nikolas and Elizabeth have been doing behind his back. Again, as I have said in other posts, I find it very strange that neither Elizabeth or Nikolas have thought about how their actions might affect Lucky, not to mention the kids.
Meanwhile the search continues for Dante's love interest. After meeting Lulu at Jake's a few weeks ago he must have decided that she was too much trouble because he ended up leaving that same bar with Rebecca yesterday. Unfortunately for Dante that turned out to be strike two because when they arrived at his apartment, which just happened to be Rebecca's old apartment above Kelly's, Rebecca began to cry over her break-up with Nikolas and subsequently passed out. I think that if GH wants a love interest for Dante they should bring Nadine back. I never really felt like that character was able to materialize and I think she and Dante could be a potential match.
Things heated up rather quickly for Nikolas and Elizabeth after she gave him a much needed dose of reality concerning his behavior since Emily's death. Little did they know Lucky had just arrived at Wyndemere to check on Nikolas. I wonder how Lucky is going to feel about sibling loyalty after he discovers what Nikolas and Elizabeth have been doing behind his back. Again, as I have said in other posts, I find it very strange that neither Elizabeth or Nikolas have thought about how their actions might affect Lucky, not to mention the kids.
Meanwhile the search continues for Dante's love interest. After meeting Lulu at Jake's a few weeks ago he must have decided that she was too much trouble because he ended up leaving that same bar with Rebecca yesterday. Unfortunately for Dante that turned out to be strike two because when they arrived at his apartment, which just happened to be Rebecca's old apartment above Kelly's, Rebecca began to cry over her break-up with Nikolas and subsequently passed out. I think that if GH wants a love interest for Dante they should bring Nadine back. I never really felt like that character was able to materialize and I think she and Dante could be a potential match.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Picking Up the Pieces: GH
On Monday's GH viewers finally learned what happened to Sam last week when Jerry handcuffed her to a chair and sold her to another man. Apparently she was not another one of Jason's hallucinations. She had instead found her way to him after she was able to escape her buyer by charming him into taking her handcuffs off, hitting him over the head with a lamp, and stealing his car. Once she found Jason she took him back to the room where she had previously been held and attempted to clean up his bullet wounds and keep his fever down.
This is all leading up to the moment that JaSam fans, like myself, have been waiting months for. This week's episodes should finally provide a resolution to all the speculation about a Jason and Sam reunion. I really hope that GH lets them reunite without pulling the rug out from under the fans like they did when everyone thought he and Elizabeth were going to start a family. There were a lot of disappointed Liason fans when that happened and I for one will be disappointed if they let the same thing happen to JaSam.
This is all leading up to the moment that JaSam fans, like myself, have been waiting months for. This week's episodes should finally provide a resolution to all the speculation about a Jason and Sam reunion. I really hope that GH lets them reunite without pulling the rug out from under the fans like they did when everyone thought he and Elizabeth were going to start a family. There were a lot of disappointed Liason fans when that happened and I for one will be disappointed if they let the same thing happen to JaSam.
Shattered Dreams: GH
If you thought Nikolas was a wreck when Emily died, that was nothing compared to the way he reacted after learning the truth about Rebecca. Nikolas turned cold as he confronted Rebecca about her original intentions to con him and the Quartermaines out of their fortune. And after he kicked her out of his house it was as if he had lost Emily all over again as he proceeded to destroy every object in sight.
After Rebecca left Nikolas's she headed over to the Quartermaines' where she confessed her plans to take money from them. Monica and Edward were surprisingly understanding, although Edward reminded her that she still owed him ten thousand dollars. Later on Emily found Lucky at Jake's bar where she slapped him across the face for telling Nikolas the truth about her. Meanwhile Elizabeth was at Wyndemere pulling Nikolas off the balcony and trying to calm him down.
I am having a difficult time figuring out where this storyline is going. It seems as though Nikolas may be turning darker, truer to his Cassadine heritage. At the same time there still seems to be an ongoing attraction between him and Elizabeth. This was apparent once Elizabeth was able to to persuade him to get off the balcony and their eyes met as she tried to comfort him. If Nikolas follows in the footsteps of previous Cassadines I cannot imagine that he and Elizabeth will ever be together. It is more likely that Elizabeth will be the one to pull him away from the edge and save him from himself.
After Rebecca left Nikolas's she headed over to the Quartermaines' where she confessed her plans to take money from them. Monica and Edward were surprisingly understanding, although Edward reminded her that she still owed him ten thousand dollars. Later on Emily found Lucky at Jake's bar where she slapped him across the face for telling Nikolas the truth about her. Meanwhile Elizabeth was at Wyndemere pulling Nikolas off the balcony and trying to calm him down.
I am having a difficult time figuring out where this storyline is going. It seems as though Nikolas may be turning darker, truer to his Cassadine heritage. At the same time there still seems to be an ongoing attraction between him and Elizabeth. This was apparent once Elizabeth was able to to persuade him to get off the balcony and their eyes met as she tried to comfort him. If Nikolas follows in the footsteps of previous Cassadines I cannot imagine that he and Elizabeth will ever be together. It is more likely that Elizabeth will be the one to pull him away from the edge and save him from himself.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
A Missed Opportunity: Soapnet's Cancellation of Port Charles
Before Twilight or True Blood, there was Port Charles, a spin-off of General Hospital which featured vampire themes throughout much of its existence. Perhaps being ahead of its time Port Charles never garnered a strong following and remained on the air for only six years. Having never been a fan of this particular subject matter I became a fan of Port Charles near the end of its run on ABC. I found it to be more than what it seemed to be on the surface. Instead of Port Charles being a dark, far-fetched, mythical soap, I felt that the writing attempted to go deeper than that to portray the classic battle of good versus evil and the internal struggle that everyone faces to choose right from wrong. However, by the time that Port Charles peaked my interest the show had already switched time slots from daytime to only airing during the wee hours of the morning, at least in my viewing area. And I suspect that when that switch occurred fewer people watched than before.
It is a shame that this show was never able to reach its full potential because I believe that if it came out today it would be a phenomenal success given the recent trendiness of vampire novels, shows, and movies. That is why I do not understand Soapnet's decision to suddenly stop airing classic episodes of Port Charles. Soapnet began airing this series following ABC's decision to drop it from their line up. Then just prior to the huge success of Twilight, Soapnet stopped airing Port Charles and it has not returned to their schedule since. This decision continues to baffle me considering what airing this show now could mean for the future of soaps.
Vampire themed entertainment continues to invade pop culture and there seems to be no particular age group that has taken an interest in this topic. This recent trend also shows no signs of slowing down given the fact that Kevin Williamson, famed creator of Scream and Dawson's Creek, has created a new show dubbed The Vampire Diaries from the novel series of the same name. This show stars not one, not two, but three former soap stars including Zach Roerig (ex-Casey ATWT), Paul Wesley (ex-Max GL), and Kayla Ewell (ex-Caitlin, B&B). This will undoubtedly draw the attention of soap opera fans who have seen these actors in their favorite soaps. These fans will also be more likely to want to watch more of their favorite soap stars in other shows with the same theme. This is where Port Charles comes in. If Port Charles is airing in syndication on Soapnet, fans of soaps will likely tune in even if they never watched it when it first aired. And since many of the actors that were on Port Charles are now working on other soaps there will likely be an increased interest in those soaps as well. Moreover people who are already fans of Twilight, True Blood, or The Vampire Diaries will likely seek out any show that contains similar material, including Port Charles. Taking that into account it is not such a stretch to imagine that these fans would be more likely to view other shows in which former Port Charles cast members are currently starring. This would cover General Hospital, As the World Turns, One Life to Live, and All My Children, all shows that could use a ratings boost. Given the fact that soap operas are in danger of extinction I would think that a network that is supposedly in the business of promoting soaps would take advantage of any opportunity to expose them to a whole new audience and renew the interest of their current one.
It is a shame that this show was never able to reach its full potential because I believe that if it came out today it would be a phenomenal success given the recent trendiness of vampire novels, shows, and movies. That is why I do not understand Soapnet's decision to suddenly stop airing classic episodes of Port Charles. Soapnet began airing this series following ABC's decision to drop it from their line up. Then just prior to the huge success of Twilight, Soapnet stopped airing Port Charles and it has not returned to their schedule since. This decision continues to baffle me considering what airing this show now could mean for the future of soaps.
Vampire themed entertainment continues to invade pop culture and there seems to be no particular age group that has taken an interest in this topic. This recent trend also shows no signs of slowing down given the fact that Kevin Williamson, famed creator of Scream and Dawson's Creek, has created a new show dubbed The Vampire Diaries from the novel series of the same name. This show stars not one, not two, but three former soap stars including Zach Roerig (ex-Casey ATWT), Paul Wesley (ex-Max GL), and Kayla Ewell (ex-Caitlin, B&B). This will undoubtedly draw the attention of soap opera fans who have seen these actors in their favorite soaps. These fans will also be more likely to want to watch more of their favorite soap stars in other shows with the same theme. This is where Port Charles comes in. If Port Charles is airing in syndication on Soapnet, fans of soaps will likely tune in even if they never watched it when it first aired. And since many of the actors that were on Port Charles are now working on other soaps there will likely be an increased interest in those soaps as well. Moreover people who are already fans of Twilight, True Blood, or The Vampire Diaries will likely seek out any show that contains similar material, including Port Charles. Taking that into account it is not such a stretch to imagine that these fans would be more likely to view other shows in which former Port Charles cast members are currently starring. This would cover General Hospital, As the World Turns, One Life to Live, and All My Children, all shows that could use a ratings boost. Given the fact that soap operas are in danger of extinction I would think that a network that is supposedly in the business of promoting soaps would take advantage of any opportunity to expose them to a whole new audience and renew the interest of their current one.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Now What?: GH
On Friday's General Hospital Jason's gunshot wounds were taking their toll as he began having guilt-ridden hallucinations pertaining to Michael's disappearance, forcing him to try to dig his way out from underneath the pile of rubble that Jerry left him in. During one of these hallucinations in particular, Jason had a vision of Michael holding a volleyball, significant because Michael and Kristina had happened upon jobs at a beach resort. These hallucinations were seen consistently throughout Friday's entire episode, leading up to Sam coming to Jason's aid by the end of the show. However, it remains to be seen if Sam was actually there or if she was just another figment of Jason's imagination. Viewers have not seen her since Jerry handcuffed her and sold her to another man so no one really knows if she was ultimately able to escape. Hallucination or not, this is likely to be the moment when Jason realizes that he still loves Sam and it is about time!
Meanwhile in Port Charles, Nikolas was learning the truth about Rebecca, leaving Lucky to fear that Nikolas may assume a darker persona like all the Cassadines before him. I was not watching General Hospital when previous Cassadine generations were featured on the show. All I know is what has been revealed about them the past three or four years, but after watching Friday's episode I would have to say that viewers are likely to see a different side of Nikolas in the coming months.
Meanwhile in Port Charles, Nikolas was learning the truth about Rebecca, leaving Lucky to fear that Nikolas may assume a darker persona like all the Cassadines before him. I was not watching General Hospital when previous Cassadine generations were featured on the show. All I know is what has been revealed about them the past three or four years, but after watching Friday's episode I would have to say that viewers are likely to see a different side of Nikolas in the coming months.
My Antonio: First Impressions
I just finished watching a sneak preview of the premiere episode of My Antonio on vh1.com. My Antonio is a reality series centered around former General Hospital star Antonio Sabato, Jr. and his search for true love. Judging from the first episode this show is not unlike most other reality shows in that the person who is most willing to demean and humiliate themselves will likely stick around the longest.
My Antonio takes place in Hawaii and at the beginning of the first episode Antonio dives off a boat into the ocean and swims ashore to meet his potential mates. Almost immediately after introducing himself to the women Antonio pulls one of them aside, talks to her for about thirty seconds, looks at her hands and feet, decides that he is not attracted to her and sends her home. Antonio's fascination with hands and feet seems to be a running theme in this show, at least in the first episode.
Later on the women meet Antonio for their first "challenge," which they soon find out involves them literally climbing a mountain for him, a challenge made even more difficult by the fact that most of them are wearing dresses. Antonio tells them that he wants to see how physically fit they are so they have to climb a mountainside and reach the top where he is waiting. He points them to what amounts to a pile of dirt where they have to dig to find tennis shoes (to protect their feet) before attempting to climb. The only word I can think of to describe this scene is embarrassing. The fact that so many women would climb a mountain in a dress in hopes of impressing a man, celebrity or not, is sad. No self-respecting woman would be willing to demean themselves in that way. And what kind of man wants a woman who does not respect herself?
Later that night Antonio and the women are lounging by the pool, presumably so he can have the chance to get to know each of them individually, you know in their swimsuits. He seems to connect with nurse Brooke, a Southern girl who by all accounts seems to be the most level-headed of all the women there. In my opinion she is also the one that VH1 hand-picked because they thought the viewers would identify with her. Antonio also talks to Sarah who is a student. She is the one that viewers will either be annoyed by or feel sorry for, maybe even a little bit of both. Antonio approaches her because she is standing by herself away from the group, and when he starts asking questions about her she cannot really give him any answers and starts to cry. She tells him that she is just nervous as he tries to comfort her. As it turned out Sarah was not the only one that needed comforting poolside that night after Antonio's mother showed up to survey the group of women vying for a chance to be with her son. She gives Antonio her input and points to one woman in particular that she thinks is all wrong for him. Taking his mother's advice he sends Interior Designer Courtney home.
The next day Antonio shows up where the women are staying, bearing gifts to pamper their hands and feet. He makes a second attempt at talking to Sarah who runs away from him, forcing him to follow her through the entire house. Once he catches up to her, conversation proves rather futile because she still cannot seem to tell him anything about herself. Soon after Antonio leaves, inviting the women to join him for dinner later that night, where Antonio's mother will also be seated.
At dinner Antonio's mother begins interviewing various women at the table. While talking to one of the women, Sarah begins laughing. Antonio's mother stops the conversation to ask her why she is laughing. Sarah tells her she is nervous so Antonio's mother starts questioning her. Again Sarah is unable to tell her anything about herself and begins to cry, telling them that she does not have a mother as she walks away from the table. More exhaustive drama ensues when Antonio's ex-wife shows up claiming that she wants him back.
Like most reality shows My Antonio was clearly created with the intent to showcase a lot of drama. It is obvious even from the first episode that VH1 primarily casted women with diva -like personalities in an attempt to promote tension and confrontations. It also appears that the creators of this show wanted it to have a "soapy" quality based on the fact that all the drama seems somewhat contrived. As a longtime fan of soaps I can tell you that if I wanted to watch drama that seems a bit too contrived I would still be watching Y&R.
My Antonio takes place in Hawaii and at the beginning of the first episode Antonio dives off a boat into the ocean and swims ashore to meet his potential mates. Almost immediately after introducing himself to the women Antonio pulls one of them aside, talks to her for about thirty seconds, looks at her hands and feet, decides that he is not attracted to her and sends her home. Antonio's fascination with hands and feet seems to be a running theme in this show, at least in the first episode.
Later on the women meet Antonio for their first "challenge," which they soon find out involves them literally climbing a mountain for him, a challenge made even more difficult by the fact that most of them are wearing dresses. Antonio tells them that he wants to see how physically fit they are so they have to climb a mountainside and reach the top where he is waiting. He points them to what amounts to a pile of dirt where they have to dig to find tennis shoes (to protect their feet) before attempting to climb. The only word I can think of to describe this scene is embarrassing. The fact that so many women would climb a mountain in a dress in hopes of impressing a man, celebrity or not, is sad. No self-respecting woman would be willing to demean themselves in that way. And what kind of man wants a woman who does not respect herself?
Later that night Antonio and the women are lounging by the pool, presumably so he can have the chance to get to know each of them individually, you know in their swimsuits. He seems to connect with nurse Brooke, a Southern girl who by all accounts seems to be the most level-headed of all the women there. In my opinion she is also the one that VH1 hand-picked because they thought the viewers would identify with her. Antonio also talks to Sarah who is a student. She is the one that viewers will either be annoyed by or feel sorry for, maybe even a little bit of both. Antonio approaches her because she is standing by herself away from the group, and when he starts asking questions about her she cannot really give him any answers and starts to cry. She tells him that she is just nervous as he tries to comfort her. As it turned out Sarah was not the only one that needed comforting poolside that night after Antonio's mother showed up to survey the group of women vying for a chance to be with her son. She gives Antonio her input and points to one woman in particular that she thinks is all wrong for him. Taking his mother's advice he sends Interior Designer Courtney home.
The next day Antonio shows up where the women are staying, bearing gifts to pamper their hands and feet. He makes a second attempt at talking to Sarah who runs away from him, forcing him to follow her through the entire house. Once he catches up to her, conversation proves rather futile because she still cannot seem to tell him anything about herself. Soon after Antonio leaves, inviting the women to join him for dinner later that night, where Antonio's mother will also be seated.
At dinner Antonio's mother begins interviewing various women at the table. While talking to one of the women, Sarah begins laughing. Antonio's mother stops the conversation to ask her why she is laughing. Sarah tells her she is nervous so Antonio's mother starts questioning her. Again Sarah is unable to tell her anything about herself and begins to cry, telling them that she does not have a mother as she walks away from the table. More exhaustive drama ensues when Antonio's ex-wife shows up claiming that she wants him back.
Like most reality shows My Antonio was clearly created with the intent to showcase a lot of drama. It is obvious even from the first episode that VH1 primarily casted women with diva -like personalities in an attempt to promote tension and confrontations. It also appears that the creators of this show wanted it to have a "soapy" quality based on the fact that all the drama seems somewhat contrived. As a longtime fan of soaps I can tell you that if I wanted to watch drama that seems a bit too contrived I would still be watching Y&R.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Lifting the Veil: GH
Things began to unravel on Thursday's General Hospital as Lucky decided to tell Nikolas the truth about Rebecca, Robin continued her investigation of Andrea Floyd, Kiefer revealed his true colors to Morgan, and Johnny witnessed a conversation between Olivia and Dante.
After having a conversation with Elizabeth, Lucky decided that he needed to tell Nikolas that Rebecca came to Port Charles in pursuit of Emily's fortune. Lucky's timing in revealing this information could not have been worse for Nikolas and Rebecca because Nikolas had just made the decision to introduce Spencer to Rebecca then take them on a trip to his native Greece. Speaking of Nikolas introducing Spencer to Rebecca, I thought the way he did that was a little odd. Anyone who has been watching GH since the Emily character was on there knows that Spencer and Emily were close so one would assume that he would need to be prepared before introducing him to her doppelganger. This idea obviously escaped Nikolas because he let Spencer stare at Rebecca for what seemed like an hour before Rebecca finally explained to him why she looked so much like Emily. Nice parenting Nikolas!
Robin decided to take Emma along to "help" in the investigation of Andrea Floyd, hoping that she would attract the attention of Mayor Floyd's neighbors, thereby providing an opportunity for them to share what they knew about the Mayor and his wife Andrea. After stopping in front of the Mayor's mansion Robin crossed paths with one of the Mayor's housekeepers who informs her that the Mayor and his wife had marital difficulties, citing that Andrea knew about the Mayor's affair with Brianna Hughes prior to her death.
Kristina's abusive boyfriend, Kiefer finally showed his true colors to someone other than Kristina and Molly. While Morgan was walking by the pier Kiefer confronted him about Kristina's whereabouts, even going so far as to shove Morgan into a rail when he denied knowing where Kristina was. That is when Dante showed up and pulled Kiefer off of Morgan warning him to stay away from him. Dante then drove Morgan home where he explained to Carly, and a visiting Olivia, what happened. I have to say I was kind of baffled by this scene because while Morgan was explaining to Carly what happened he referred to Kiefer as Kristina's boyfriend and called him by name. Carly should have immediately recognized Kiefer as the person Michael got into a fight with at the country club, yet she seemed to have no recollection of ever hearing about this person before. Having said that I really like the fact that GH is putting Dante in a lot of scenes with his half-siblings, it adds subtext to the storylines.
After being summoned by his father who insists that he choose between the Zaccharas and the Corinthos organizations, Johnny tells Spinelli that he wants his help in destroying his father's power once and for all. Following this meeting with Spinelli, Johnny somehow ends up in front of the same laundromat where Olivia and Dante, are having an intense conversation about his investigation into the Corinthos organization. Johnny later confronts Olivia about what he witnessed.
While watching Thursday's GH I was disappointed that I did not get to see what happened to Jason after Jerry shot him, but overall I think that this episode did a nice job of foreshadowing upcoming events.
After having a conversation with Elizabeth, Lucky decided that he needed to tell Nikolas that Rebecca came to Port Charles in pursuit of Emily's fortune. Lucky's timing in revealing this information could not have been worse for Nikolas and Rebecca because Nikolas had just made the decision to introduce Spencer to Rebecca then take them on a trip to his native Greece. Speaking of Nikolas introducing Spencer to Rebecca, I thought the way he did that was a little odd. Anyone who has been watching GH since the Emily character was on there knows that Spencer and Emily were close so one would assume that he would need to be prepared before introducing him to her doppelganger. This idea obviously escaped Nikolas because he let Spencer stare at Rebecca for what seemed like an hour before Rebecca finally explained to him why she looked so much like Emily. Nice parenting Nikolas!
Robin decided to take Emma along to "help" in the investigation of Andrea Floyd, hoping that she would attract the attention of Mayor Floyd's neighbors, thereby providing an opportunity for them to share what they knew about the Mayor and his wife Andrea. After stopping in front of the Mayor's mansion Robin crossed paths with one of the Mayor's housekeepers who informs her that the Mayor and his wife had marital difficulties, citing that Andrea knew about the Mayor's affair with Brianna Hughes prior to her death.
Kristina's abusive boyfriend, Kiefer finally showed his true colors to someone other than Kristina and Molly. While Morgan was walking by the pier Kiefer confronted him about Kristina's whereabouts, even going so far as to shove Morgan into a rail when he denied knowing where Kristina was. That is when Dante showed up and pulled Kiefer off of Morgan warning him to stay away from him. Dante then drove Morgan home where he explained to Carly, and a visiting Olivia, what happened. I have to say I was kind of baffled by this scene because while Morgan was explaining to Carly what happened he referred to Kiefer as Kristina's boyfriend and called him by name. Carly should have immediately recognized Kiefer as the person Michael got into a fight with at the country club, yet she seemed to have no recollection of ever hearing about this person before. Having said that I really like the fact that GH is putting Dante in a lot of scenes with his half-siblings, it adds subtext to the storylines.
After being summoned by his father who insists that he choose between the Zaccharas and the Corinthos organizations, Johnny tells Spinelli that he wants his help in destroying his father's power once and for all. Following this meeting with Spinelli, Johnny somehow ends up in front of the same laundromat where Olivia and Dante, are having an intense conversation about his investigation into the Corinthos organization. Johnny later confronts Olivia about what he witnessed.
While watching Thursday's GH I was disappointed that I did not get to see what happened to Jason after Jerry shot him, but overall I think that this episode did a nice job of foreshadowing upcoming events.
2009 Daytime Emmy Awards
The Daytime Emmy Awards are coming up at the end of the month, August 30th to be exact, so I wanted to take a moment to look at the list of nominees and offer my predictions of the winners and welcome yours. Let's begin with the lead actress category. This year the nominess are Jeanne Cooper (Katherine, Y&R), Maura West (Carly, ATWT), Susan Flannery (Stephanie, B&B), Susan Haskell (Marty, OLTL), and Debbi Morgan (Angie, AMC). Jeanne Cooper won last year and has followed up that win with a lot more storyline on Y&R so it is possible she could win again this year, but Susan Haskell may give Cooper a run for her money. Out of all the other nominees I think that Haskell is the one to most likely beat out Cooper for this year's Emmy. Haskell returned to OLTL this year to replace her replacement. This was a long awaited return and she dove right in with some intense material without missing a beat. Ultimately I think that Jeanne Cooper will pull out another win, but I would not count out an upset that involves Susan Haskell taking home the award.
Moving on to the lead actor category, the nominees are Thorsten Kaye (Zach, AMC), Peter Reckell (Bo, DOOL), Daniel Cosgrove (Bill, GL), Anthony Geary (Luke, GH), and Christian LeBlanc (Michael, Y&R). Anthony Geary won in this category last year and he always seems to be a favorite to win, but in my opinion he does not appear on GH enough to even be nominated in this category. Geary takes lengthy summer vacations and is off canvas for longer periods of time than most of the other actors on the show. As a result he rarely has a storyline that seems worthy of being on the front burner. Having said that, he is still likely to walk away with the Emmy again this year. Since GL is ending in September, Daniel Cosgrove might pull out an upset and win this year, but I think it is a long shot. The only actor I can see to really give Geary some competition is Christian LeBlanc. LeBlanc has the ability to take whatever Y&R throws at him and make it believable. And after the year that the Y&R writing staff has had that is saying a lot. I think he is really the only actor in this category that could stand toe to toe with Geary in terms of winning the Emmy this year, but I still believe Geary will come out on top.
In the supporting actress category the nominees are Julie Pinson (Janet, ATWT), Alicia Minshew (Kendall, AMC), Melissa Claire Egan (Annie, AMC), Bree Williamson (Jessica, OLTL), and Tamara Braun (ex-Ava, DOOL). In this category I think it really comes down to Melissa Claire Egan or Bree Williamson. I am a little surprised to see Bree Williamson in this category because she has had so much material on OLTL this year that I would have thought she would have been nominated for best lead actress. However given how competitive the lead actress category is, being nominated for best supporting actress probably gives her the best shot of winning. I think it is going to be a close race between her and Melissa Claire Egan because both of these actresses have had challenging material in front burner storylines. They are likely to receive competition from Tamara Braun so it is possible that she will beat out both of these actresses. I saw some of her performances as Ava on DOOL and they were every bit as impressive as her performances as Carly on GH. I am just not sure if she should be eligible for an Emmy considering that she was not on DOOL for very long. Perhaps there should be a category for guest appearances or something.
Hands down the choice for best supporting actor should be Bradford Anderson (Spinelli, GH). I do not even care who the other nominees are he should win, but just to be fair the other nominees in this category are Jacob Young (JR, AMC), Jeff Branson (Shayne, GL), Vincent Irizarry (David, AMC), and Van Hansis (Luke, ATWT). In this category I think it is really going to come down between one of the most underrated actors in daytime and one of the most overrated actors in daytime. In my opinion Bradford Anderson is one of the most underrated actors in daytime, simply because his character has a comedic flair. I also think that Van Hansis is probably one of the most overrated actors in daytime. I have seen his work but I cannot understand why he always seems to be the consistent favorite in this category. On the other hand I did not understand why Kristoff St. John (Neil, Y&R) won the award last year. Van Hansis will probably win this year, but I am really hoping for a victory for GH's resident techie.
The nominees for younger actress are Emily O'Brien (Jana, Y&R), Meredith Hagner (Liberty, ATWT), Rachel Melvin (ex-Chelsea, DOOL), Julie Marie Berman (Lulu, GH), and Kirsten Storms (Maxie, GH). This category seems to be somewhat of a toss up. I think the Emmy could go to any one of these actresses. Rachel Melvin may have somewhat of an edge considering that she is no longer on Days and actors are sometimes able to pull off a win their last year on a show. I think that Kirsten Storms has really done some good work on GH this year. There has been noticeable growth in Storms's acting and her character has really evolved so she could take home the award. Overall though I think that it is anyone's guess as to who will win in this category.
I have to say I am not familiar with the work of most of the nominees for younger actor so none of them really stand out for me as far as who I think should win. The nominees are Cornelius Smith, Jr. (Frankie, AMC), Darin Brooks (ex-Max, DOOL), EJ Bonilla (Rafe, GL), Bryton McClure (Devon, Y&R), and Blake Berris (ex-Nick, DOOL). Here we have two actors that have left their respective shows and one actor whose show ends in September so any one of these actors may have a good shot at winning this year just based on that. If I had to guess who would win I would say that Bryton McClure has the best chance. He always seems to be the favorite going into the Emmys and I believe he has won before.
And finally the nominees for best daytime drama are All My Children, Bold and the Beautiful, and, Days of Our Lives. In this category I would say that it really comes down between AMC and B&B. DOOL does not seem to have much luck at these awards ceremonies so it would be really shocking if they won. Again, if I had to pick a winner I would say that B&B will walk away with the Emmy.
*I want to hear from you. Do you agree with my predictions? Who do you think should have been nominated that wasn't?
The 36th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will air on August 30, 2009 at 8/7c on the CW.
Moving on to the lead actor category, the nominees are Thorsten Kaye (Zach, AMC), Peter Reckell (Bo, DOOL), Daniel Cosgrove (Bill, GL), Anthony Geary (Luke, GH), and Christian LeBlanc (Michael, Y&R). Anthony Geary won in this category last year and he always seems to be a favorite to win, but in my opinion he does not appear on GH enough to even be nominated in this category. Geary takes lengthy summer vacations and is off canvas for longer periods of time than most of the other actors on the show. As a result he rarely has a storyline that seems worthy of being on the front burner. Having said that, he is still likely to walk away with the Emmy again this year. Since GL is ending in September, Daniel Cosgrove might pull out an upset and win this year, but I think it is a long shot. The only actor I can see to really give Geary some competition is Christian LeBlanc. LeBlanc has the ability to take whatever Y&R throws at him and make it believable. And after the year that the Y&R writing staff has had that is saying a lot. I think he is really the only actor in this category that could stand toe to toe with Geary in terms of winning the Emmy this year, but I still believe Geary will come out on top.
In the supporting actress category the nominees are Julie Pinson (Janet, ATWT), Alicia Minshew (Kendall, AMC), Melissa Claire Egan (Annie, AMC), Bree Williamson (Jessica, OLTL), and Tamara Braun (ex-Ava, DOOL). In this category I think it really comes down to Melissa Claire Egan or Bree Williamson. I am a little surprised to see Bree Williamson in this category because she has had so much material on OLTL this year that I would have thought she would have been nominated for best lead actress. However given how competitive the lead actress category is, being nominated for best supporting actress probably gives her the best shot of winning. I think it is going to be a close race between her and Melissa Claire Egan because both of these actresses have had challenging material in front burner storylines. They are likely to receive competition from Tamara Braun so it is possible that she will beat out both of these actresses. I saw some of her performances as Ava on DOOL and they were every bit as impressive as her performances as Carly on GH. I am just not sure if she should be eligible for an Emmy considering that she was not on DOOL for very long. Perhaps there should be a category for guest appearances or something.
Hands down the choice for best supporting actor should be Bradford Anderson (Spinelli, GH). I do not even care who the other nominees are he should win, but just to be fair the other nominees in this category are Jacob Young (JR, AMC), Jeff Branson (Shayne, GL), Vincent Irizarry (David, AMC), and Van Hansis (Luke, ATWT). In this category I think it is really going to come down between one of the most underrated actors in daytime and one of the most overrated actors in daytime. In my opinion Bradford Anderson is one of the most underrated actors in daytime, simply because his character has a comedic flair. I also think that Van Hansis is probably one of the most overrated actors in daytime. I have seen his work but I cannot understand why he always seems to be the consistent favorite in this category. On the other hand I did not understand why Kristoff St. John (Neil, Y&R) won the award last year. Van Hansis will probably win this year, but I am really hoping for a victory for GH's resident techie.
The nominees for younger actress are Emily O'Brien (Jana, Y&R), Meredith Hagner (Liberty, ATWT), Rachel Melvin (ex-Chelsea, DOOL), Julie Marie Berman (Lulu, GH), and Kirsten Storms (Maxie, GH). This category seems to be somewhat of a toss up. I think the Emmy could go to any one of these actresses. Rachel Melvin may have somewhat of an edge considering that she is no longer on Days and actors are sometimes able to pull off a win their last year on a show. I think that Kirsten Storms has really done some good work on GH this year. There has been noticeable growth in Storms's acting and her character has really evolved so she could take home the award. Overall though I think that it is anyone's guess as to who will win in this category.
I have to say I am not familiar with the work of most of the nominees for younger actor so none of them really stand out for me as far as who I think should win. The nominees are Cornelius Smith, Jr. (Frankie, AMC), Darin Brooks (ex-Max, DOOL), EJ Bonilla (Rafe, GL), Bryton McClure (Devon, Y&R), and Blake Berris (ex-Nick, DOOL). Here we have two actors that have left their respective shows and one actor whose show ends in September so any one of these actors may have a good shot at winning this year just based on that. If I had to guess who would win I would say that Bryton McClure has the best chance. He always seems to be the favorite going into the Emmys and I believe he has won before.
And finally the nominees for best daytime drama are All My Children, Bold and the Beautiful, and, Days of Our Lives. In this category I would say that it really comes down between AMC and B&B. DOOL does not seem to have much luck at these awards ceremonies so it would be really shocking if they won. Again, if I had to pick a winner I would say that B&B will walk away with the Emmy.
*I want to hear from you. Do you agree with my predictions? Who do you think should have been nominated that wasn't?
The 36th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will air on August 30, 2009 at 8/7c on the CW.
No Way Out: GH
While Michael and Kristina were busy making their escape from Jerry's guard, Jason was at Jerry's mercy, trapped under a pile of rubble that formed when a walkway collapsed overhead. Jerry somehow managed to crawl out from under this pile and find Jason's gun in the process. In fact the majority Wednesday's episode consisted of Jerry taunting Jason while Jason attempted to finally get Jerry to admit Claudia's involvement in Michael's shooting. By the end of the episode Jerry had not only shot Jason twice with his own gun, but left him trapped without being any closer to the truth about Claudia.
Elsewhere in Port Charles, a jealous Ethan confessed to Lucky about what Rebecca's intentions were when she first arrived in town, giving Lucky the choice of whether or not to tell Nikolas. However, Lucky might want to think twice before doing that because I have a feeling if Nikolas dumps Rebecca his first phone call will be to Elizabeth.
Elsewhere in Port Charles, a jealous Ethan confessed to Lucky about what Rebecca's intentions were when she first arrived in town, giving Lucky the choice of whether or not to tell Nikolas. However, Lucky might want to think twice before doing that because I have a feeling if Nikolas dumps Rebecca his first phone call will be to Elizabeth.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Flight or Fight: GH
Watching GH's Michael figure out that he and Kristina are a part of one of Jerry's twisted games it is evident that there is nothing damaged about his brain. He was able to put the pieces together almost immediately and come up with a plan that would allow them to escape. There were some nail biting moments at the end of GH as he set this plan into motion, attempting to knock the guard out only to find himself nearly outmatched. This would have certainly been a good time for one of his uncontrollable rage episodes to kick in. Meanwhile Jason was in a fight all his own with Jerry. After a long game of cat and mouse that involved Jason and Jerry attempting to shoot one another, they found themselves in hand to hand combat only to have what appeared to be a walkway collapse on them. Whatever happens next I hope this fight does not end with Jerry attempting to fake his own death again.
Spixie in Crimson: GH
After watching Tuesday's General Hospital it seems that Maxie may have to marry Spinelli whether she wants to or not. It was obvious that she accepted his proposal because Mac forbid her to do it, but when Lulu told Kate about the engagement she insisted on marketing the Spixie wedding for Crimson. Speaking of Kate, what a waste of talent it is to have Megan Ward only appear on the show once every few months or so. I am amazed that they could not find a storyline to place her in that keeps her on screen more than that. I remember watching her on Season 1 of Party of Five and thinking that they should have extended her storyline rather than killing her off. Perhaps she and Johnny will pair up once Olivia gives in to Sonny's advances. Wouldn't that make for an awkward work environment at Crimson?
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Engaging Spixie: GH
Fans of GH's Maxie and Spinelli, or Spixie as they are affectionately referred to, received a treat on Monday as Maxie finally accepted Spinelli's proposal, or did they? Spixie's long anticipated engagement was bittersweet because in the minutes leading up to Maxie's acceptance of the proposal she was hoping that Mac would forbid it so that she had an excuse not to marry Spinelli without breaking his heart. That plan fell apart when Mac ultimately did what Maxie wanted and she insisted that she could marry whoever she wanted, including Spinelli. She then accepted Spinelli's proposal but it was clear to everyone in the room that she only did so out of spite. Spinelli was the only one who was blissfully unaware of what had just occurred.
As a fan of Spixie myself I am unhappy with the way this is playing out. I was hoping that Maxie would either whole-heartedly accept Spinelli's proposal or he would agree to momentarily put that aside until she was ready. With the way things are going now Spinelli is going to get his heart broken and Maxie will be regarded as the same shallow flake she used to be.
As a fan of Spixie myself I am unhappy with the way this is playing out. I was hoping that Maxie would either whole-heartedly accept Spinelli's proposal or he would agree to momentarily put that aside until she was ready. With the way things are going now Spinelli is going to get his heart broken and Maxie will be regarded as the same shallow flake she used to be.
Caught In a Trap: GH
The plot thickened on Monday's General Hospital as Jerry took Sam hostage and revealed his plan to trap Jason. While Sam was calling Jason to give him directions to a location specified by Jerry, Michael remembered hearing Jerry's voice while he was in the coma. Michael's instincts then took over and he persuaded Kristina to continue their journey without Jerry's help. Meanwhile Jason was on his way to find Sam and Jerry after Sam warned him over the phone that Jerry was setting a trap. This trap may turn out to be only a small part of Jerry's diabolical plan as Michael and Kristina discovered that they were essentially being held captive when they were met with a guard outside the door as they were trying to leave. Jerry's plans for Sam became even more twisted after he locked her in a dark room and handcuffed her to a chair, where she was later informed that Jerry had sold her to another man.
While all of this is likely to turn out to be one of Jerry's elaborate plans to kill Jason I am still having difficulty understanding why Jason is such an important target for Jerry. It is not as if Jason were the only person to try to kill Jerry. He has made quite a few enemies all over the world. Moreover Jerry was out of town when Claudia called him and was presumably conducting business away from Port Charles, so why is the idea of killing Jason all of a sudden so appealing to him? And why did he decide to stop blackmailing Claudia? I am still waiting for the truth to come out about her involvement in Michael's shooting.
While all of this is likely to turn out to be one of Jerry's elaborate plans to kill Jason I am still having difficulty understanding why Jason is such an important target for Jerry. It is not as if Jason were the only person to try to kill Jerry. He has made quite a few enemies all over the world. Moreover Jerry was out of town when Claudia called him and was presumably conducting business away from Port Charles, so why is the idea of killing Jason all of a sudden so appealing to him? And why did he decide to stop blackmailing Claudia? I am still waiting for the truth to come out about her involvement in Michael's shooting.
Monday, August 10, 2009
New Lows for Y&R
As you may have read in one of my earlier posts I have decided to stop watching Y&R due to the fact that the writing has made the show unwatchable on many different levels. I have not watched the show in well over a month and from what I have been reading on various message boards I am not alone. Many longtime fans of this once beloved show seem to be very unhappy with the quality of the writing and have either decided to stop watching altogether or complain to as many people as they think will listen, or both. In reading through several of these complaints I discovered that Y&R's writing sunk to yet another low when they decided to not only kill off Victor's dog, but actually show the dog as he was dying after being poisoned. Again, I have not been watching the show but if what I have read in these postings is true, then Y&R is going to have their work cut out for them if they ever decide to restore the integrity and quality of their writing. I cannot imagine why anyone would think cruelty to children or animals would be entertaining. I was repulsed by the fact that Mary Jane kissed Summer after eating a peanut butter cookie in order to provoke her peanut allergy and now it seems that animals are being tormented as well. As I expressed in yet another post, soap opera history dictates that children are generally off limits to villains. I would now like to add that this same rule applies to animals as well. No one wants to watch a soap opera in which helpless children or animals are the target of a villain. And if Y&R continues with this type of writing, I feel confident that no one will be watching it either.
Out of Character: GH
I am not sure I like or understand the direction of the writing for GH's Lucky and Elizabeth. This is a couple that presumably reconciled months ago, yet we have seen very few scenes where the two of them have been together. I am also not sure I like or understand how they are being written as individuals. I was always under the impression that Lucky was basically a decent guy but lately every time he is on screen he comes across as kind of a jerk. I first noticed this when he openly laughed at Spinelli just before his performance at Jake's. This just seemed unnecessary to me and totally out of character. Lucky's unusual behavior continued this week when he and Ethan made the impromptu decision to beat up Dante because he was talking to Lulu, laughing and giving each other high fives the entire time as if they were high school bullies. Never mind the fact that Lucky is a police officer and could face serious consequences if he were charged with assault. I guess he momentarily forgot that fact or just thought the rules did not apply to him, either way this is not consistent with Lucky's past behavior, his addiction to pain pills aside. Then there is Elizabeth who after months of trying to make a relationship with Jason work decided that it was not worth risking her sons' safety for and ultimately reunited with Lucky. Now she has all of a sudden developed this strange flirtation with Nikolas, Lucky's half brother. I'll admit that the idea of a Nikolas and Elizabeth pairing is intriguing especially given the fact that Emily was Elizabeth's best friend, but this storyline seems to have come out of nowhere. However, what bugs me the most is the fact that Nikolas and Elizabeth are acting so nonchalant about their attraction to one another. Prior to Lucky and Elizabeth's quasi-reunion, Nikolas and Elizabeth shared a kiss to make Rebecca and Lucky jealous, but much to their surprise they enjoyed it. And earlier this week the two found themselves alone at Jake's talking about that kiss and the possibility of future kisses. Granted, they were drunk and obviously alcohol impairs one's judgement, but it surprised me that there did not seem to be even a small part of them that thought about how their actions could affect Lucky, not to mention Elizabeth's kids.
Truth Be Told: GH
As much as I love GH's big reveal that Dante is a cop, it makes Olivia's reasons for keeping the secret that Sonny is his father seem less credible. Before Dante ever arrived in Port Charles Olivia stated that she did not want Sonny to know that they shared a son because she did not want Dante pulled into Sonny's world. Okay that is fair enough, but when said son is an undercover police officer that is trying to bring down Sonny's entire mob organization, keeping a paternity secret seems trivial at best. For Olivia to be so worried that Sonny will kill Dante if he ever finds out that he is secretly investigating him, she sure seems determined to hide the fact that they are father and son. If her reasons for keeping this secret in the first place were to ensure Dante's safety then why is she still keeping this secret knowing that telling the truth could now save his life?
Monday, August 3, 2009
A Tangled Web: GH
The more I follow the storyline of Claudia's car accident the more I am convinced that none of the key players were responsible for that crash. I am positive it is not Michael and I am hoping that it is not Kristina, even though all the evidence seems to point to her. I would rather this character not be as involved in this particular storyline as she is. I think that GH should have stayed on course with her having an abusive boyfriend because you cannot address an issue as serious as this by just dabbling in it then brushing it aside. It is something that needs to be examined in a responsible way by shedding some light on the subtleties of abuse. Still, I do not believe that Kristina was the one who ran Claudia off the road, nor do I believe it was Alexis. The pieces of evidence are fitting together too neatly for it to be any of the primary suspects. Jerry would be an obvious choice, but I do not even think he is responsible for this particular accident. In much the same way that the text message killer was revealed, I believe the party responsible for Claudia's accident will be someone one would least expect, perhaps Andrea Floyd, the mayor's wife. My reasons for believing she may have run Claudia off the road begin with the fact that she is obviously determined to destroy Alexis and what better way to damage Alexis's credibility than to frame her for a crime she did not commit? Then there is the strong possibility that this character will only remain on canvas for a short period of time. Any storyline that involves her committing a crime would be the perfect way to write her out of the show once her time there has ended.
Acting on Impulse: GH
For weeks I predicted that GH's Claudia would miscarry, however I never could have predicted that she would not only blame Michael but actually seek revenge and attempt to use Jerry Jax to carry out that revenge. I know that Claudia has never been the most rational person. Her tendency to act before thinking gets her into more trouble than it gets her out of, but where is the logic in this plan? One might assume that it was Jerry, not Michael who caused Claudia's accident because out of everyone in Port Charles he had the most to gain from running her off the road. I am surprised that Claudia did not immediately reach this conclusion herself considering the lengthy game of cat and mouse that she and Jerry have been playing. It would not have even been necessary for Claudia to get pregnant in the first place had Jerry not been blackmailing her, so I was shocked that she would even think to rely on him to find Michael. She may as well tell Sonny she is responsible for Michael's shooting and get it over with, or better yet tell Carly because Sonny has not exactly been thinking clearly lately either. I could not believe the way he treated Michael when he found out that he might have been responsible for Claudia's accident. Even if Michael had caused the accident, which I seriously doubt he did, the fault ultimately lies with Sonny. Sonny is the one who purchased the car knowing that Michael is still having major impulse control issues. Moreover when did Michael learn to drive at all? He was not even old enough for a learner's permit when he went into the coma a year ago and now he is barely 16. Blaming Michael for any car accident would be like leaving your dog alone in a room full of food, then yelling at it for eating the food.
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