DisneyBoy

Well, hand it to them for bringing back people you wouldn't expect them to... I never saw her on the show, so have nothing against her. I'm just waiting for some more Susan Banks. Asking for too much? I hope not.

It'll be interesting to tune back into the show in the late fall and see if it has shaped up at all. Actors returning does not mean the scripts will improve. Considering how badly they've handled all the characters, the younger set included, the show can't hope to earn back the trust of the viewers or build anything interesting. I'm putting high hopes in Patch and Kayla's son to be the start of an interesting new generation of characters.

What now? Bite your tongue. I loved that her voice had character. Tara Strong is great, don't get me wrong, but I preferred Batgirl being less "pretty" sounding. Melissa had a strength to her, and so did the actress from Subzero (forgetting her name). I agree that the Dick/Babs love story went under-developed. All the DCAU shows under-developed the romances. Bruce/Selina were rather tepid and murky, though they got the most screen-time together. Dick and Babs only came together in Subzero which was after the initial dates (which we never got to see) and then we only got a quick flashback in Old Wounds to contextualize how serious they'd previously been. Sheyera and John in JL flirted at length, but their "together" period was skipped over entirely. Clark and Lois never even dated, but she apparently was "seeing" (?) Superman, hence their picnic in JLU in Season Two... Harley and Joker seemed to have the most developed romance, and even there...we don't see much...not that I wanted to see more than what we got!

I laughed and I think that's all that matters. Also - poor Nicole. The writing for her has seriously been dog's droppings, hasn't it? Well, I'm glad I missed those episodes...even though they sound super romantic. Oh sweet Lord, Jenn is the WORST. Who the hell CARES about Eric and Nicole and the papers? Don't you have housework to do, lady? Kids to raise? Badly? Get out of other people's lives, you harpy! Can you blame me for only showing up when Kristin's around? Let her have her way with all the characters, I say. I mean, if that's the only plotline they're going to give any of the women on this show, give it to good old Kristin Blake DiMerra and I might just watch. This fall - Kristin and Abigail! Then, Kristin and Will! And stay tuned for 2016's sizzling new non-consensual couple, Kristin and Roman! ...actually, I'm surprised they never tried that, after she "saved" him in the '90s - probably would have made John and Marlena's heads spin! Well there's a mistake. Hopefully it's temporary. Thought they would milk the Hope/Bo/Ciara/Aiden drama a bit. Maybe he gets killed when Clyde goes down? Oh wait, I forgot: Clyde is still on this show. *Hands to the ceiling* May Kate, Sami, Stefano and Aiden collectively pull the trigger that blows his damn head off. And may Abigail get the ricochet.

...it's scary how well you know me. Yup, I totally missed that. So Eric suddenly recovered from his post-rape anger disorder, dated Nicole, proposed marriage and THEN she *taking a guess based on some bits I saw on the show between Kristin arcs* learned that Nicole destroyed the rape evidence? No - wait - he was still trying to be a priest then, right? I'm guessing this happened between November 2014 and April 2015, right? I wasn't watching then. But I'm AMAZED Nicole and he became an item after he accused her of raping him and generally being awful and pathetic. *shakes head at Nicole* You and me both.

Um....ew. Just...ew. Too soon. I don't get how we could possibly be trying to encourage kids to focus on the positive and be their best selves and not bully, and then be like "Oh wait - two celebrities beat on each other? Great - DRAMA! Let's make a musical/Lifetime movie/television show". The music would have to be incredible to overcome the bad taste in my mouth. Ditto and ditto. Good for him. Love it when actors give back and transition to other things. So...I just heard selections from the 1984 table read of Carrie and found it really really fascinating. You can hear what works in the show and what doesn't, but you can also almost picture the investors going "Hmmm - maybe" and having no clue what kinds of havoc the set design, costumes, lights, choreography and direction were going to play with the material. And the woman playing Margaret White was terrific! Much more Betty Buckley than Barbara Cook.

Oh...please no. Just no! Who can take more of Abigail? Just kill her off already or send her away. She's THE. WORST. and should never become a parent. I checked into the show the other day for a few minutes and it is pretty much unwatchable. And John and Marlena weren't even on! Eric/Nicole in their undies declaring their love before getting roasted in a furnace..!?! Eric and Nicole haven't been in love since they first met in the 90s and after all the nastiness they've put Eric through/made him into, cripes...who could possibly want them together?!? And now Dan's going to propose? I think I said it about two years ago but I'll say it again - they need a serial killer storyline on this show and fast. If they want to save money, fire half their cast who can no longer be redeemed (Abifail, Will, Eric, Brady, Dan, Paul, Jennifer) and just MOVE ON.

I watched the PASSION commentary track and deeply enjoyed the frankness. Jere seems like a humble guy (was that his biggest role?) and his wife apparently calls Giorgio a slut. Ha! I can't imagine Bombshell working because I can't believe any woman could hit that last note in Don't Forget Me eight times a week. Poor Hilty struggled during the concert and had to mix it instead of belt it.

Yeesh - I hope your wrist has healed :( No joking matter, that! Forgive my stupidity but what is "A Musical"? While we're talking about Chita (or is it just me?) I found some crazy old footage of her manically dancing about in Chicago. She looks like a sped-up cartoon! Lady sure is something', ain't she? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohzf2t4Hhe8

ROTFL. Oh my lord. Why did I have to be in public when I read that?

Whoops! *forehead slap* Never was a big Seinfeld fan. Ha - sounds like a booze thing :) But a great thing too :)

Ha! That's hilarious :) Also: who is Elaine Benes? ROTFL - seriously? I've got to watch me the commentary track now. I mean, I'm not sure how much I'll get out of it, since I've only seen the show once and haven't revisited it since (this was like two years or more ago), but hearing Donna talk about Fosca being a bitch is basically worth the price of admission, no? Good luck with the roundup on the blog Aradia!

Nope! Yooou are noooot alooooone! Oh I'm going to quote you forever on the "Rape Well". Laura?? Laura "You used a LASER on my memory, Kristin!" Laura?? Mother to Mike, former mental patient and sleeper-with of Jack?

If the show was originally performed in French (and I think I read somewhere that it was...right, Les Mis historians?) then I'd be curious to hear what their version of Cockney English was. If it was her Descending From the Ceiling in a Bedsheets number, then no...she didn't use an accent, at least when she sang. I could never decide who I found more gross - Fosca or Giorgio. Everyone just seemed selfish, which is a pretty big oversimplification but still a central part of the show. Each of the three main characters just wants love on their own terms. Fosca is rather grotesque but very compelling. I would have to agree that she probably sweetened up because she got what she wanted. She's kind of like the Phantom, minus the catharsis at the end. He lets Christine go, he lets Raoul go, he stops himself from more killing (though Christine certainly gave him reason to stop). Fosca just...argues her way into Giorgio's pants by prostrating herself before him and refusing to let him leave. It's demented and makes sense given her circumstances, but still - demented and hard to root for or enjoy or find something worthwhile in. At least for me. Honestly, I just don't quite get the appeal of that show. Care to fill me in, or do I basically have it in a nutshell? Okay, then - I have it! WITH YOU. Buckley is the big reason why Carrie is compelling to me, and here Eve Was Weak is incredible. I'm assuming you've seen this link already, but if not, watch in terror: ....and I think I just started replying to comments on Page 1 by accident. *looks up from reply box* Whoops! JEALOUS. But you probably guessed that :) Yay! Glad you got to see her too. I saw her in Mystery of Edwin Drood back in...2012 was it? She was having a lot of fun, but everyone in that cast was. Was hoping to see her in something more mysterious. Thanks for the spoiler-free review. I tend to be picky in my own ways too - plot matters and when something isn't connecting 100% it can bug me. So I'll just tell myself that it wasn't such a big deal that I missed this show and will catch it later *fingers crossed*. Someone threw out the thought of Betty Buckley doing a version someday. Do you see it, Aradia? I have to admit, Chita looked terrific in her makeup and wig and white outfit from the playbill cover I saw.

Sensation is a pretty mixed bag. It seems like a lot of the writers are going by their recollections or impressions of the character. Sometimes an "era specific" story will seemingly crop up, but then the artist won't draw the character as they appeared at that time, or there just won't be the page count to let the story properly breathe and unfold. People have also been pissed that so many tales focus on Diana fighting Batman villains, and that whenever a male character shows up in a story, he's usually being a sexist jerk. There have been some bright spots, but also a lot of "hun? Okay." I hope the book gets a bit tighter and lets various eras be represented as well as new visions. But hey - it's better than having to read the mainstream stuff! ...though to be fair, I did hear that the Superman/Wonder Woman book did have some fun romantic stuff in there and enjoyed exploring them as a couple. Still not enough for me to get over her new attitude/origin/outfit, though. And I have no clue where things stand with Steve Trevor in the new continuity. I've heard he popped up a few places but didn't really get a stable status quo. Did any of you read Wonder Woman '77?

Definitely need new families. The old ones have been ruined by lousy writing. There isn't a single character whose motivations/arc really make sense anymore. It's the land of hypocrites. With some new likeable characters to root for, it would be a whole different show.

Bummer. Well good for him for putting pen to paper at least. Couldn't have been easy. Saw an interview with him about the book and it seems like it was a difficult thing for him to do that may have freed him up a bit. So...has no one here seen The Visit, or did I just miss the comments on it? I'm seriously thinking of of going this weekend, but don't want to walk away feeling like I could have skipped it/watched a bootleg (shouldn't really be indulging myself and going in the first place).

Okay: question time. For those who saw The Visit - is it absolutely worth going out of your way to see? Is the singing amazing? I read a review (The Guardian?) that said the piece isn't 100% there yet. For me, if the singing isn't out-of-this-world-gotta-see-it and the story/script could still use a polish, then it wouldn't be worth it, to me. Example - the new production of Side Show. People were raving like mad about how it was "must see!!!" when it clearly wasn't. A good show? Yes. A show that's not likely to pop up again on Broadway? Definitely. But not a religious experience, or something really moving and well-done. (<- open to debate, I know, but honestly, there was plenty of fat in the show and choices made simply to be different.) Chita's voice, from what I remember, isn't exactly in the best shape. If there aren't some amazing singers/songs and the story could be improved upon, someone here please tell me so I don't go nuts trying to see it before it closes. Much Obliged!!

Thanks! Yes - the Dance-a-thon is definitely one of those that made me scratch my head as well. If Dean had been there for two years but was busy with other things, then fine, but it's like he was completely unaware. And Lorelai's determination to beat Kirk was never even hinted at prior. Couldn't something like that be bantered about during a Diner scene? I know that Amy probably had a million things on her mind, but all the "annual" town events started to feel like retcons at a certain point.

Well ewww. I can't believe Mr. Buff Aussie will have come and gone and Clyde will STILL be around. The actor is playing the part fine, but there's a limit to how long we can bare to see him on screen. Let's hope the new writers spend whatever time Clyde has left on the show completely and utterly destroying him or something.

Again - is Clyde going to be around during the 50th? Is it possible he will end up facing down Stefano and Sami for killing EJ? (Not that EJ didn't already have it coming, mind you!)

WOOT! Yup. You said it. I just hate how they seem to resist doing things that would please the audience, like wrapping up unfinished storylines or character arcs. They bring Kristin back and show her with a baby, but she doesn't get a single scene of tenderness with the child? This miracle child she spent her entire adult life hoping to finally have? Instead, she's just wearing a Real Housewives dress and swirling a glass of wine and scheming. Seriously? Ugh. To say nothing of the "trip" out the window. Is it true that Eileen Davidson had to insist on a Susan subplot in order to agree to return to the show following the Eric Rape storyline? You'd think they would have known they could use Susan in some capacity, since Eileen enjoyed the character and her son EJ is now a leading figure on the canvas. But nope - the actor has to practically beg them to do the obvious. Susan's couple of scenes were crowd-pleasing to be sure.

That's the sad truth, ain't it? I've spoken with people with firsthand experience of how hard it is to break into Hollywood simply because of their Asian heritage. It's as though casting directors just don't see them as leads. Very strange. Well I ended up watching the opening monologue (if that's what we're calling it) and the winners of best leading man and woman in a musical. I didn't care for Kelli's speech, though I think she's amazingly talented. I felt lousy for Chita - I thought she had this in the bag, it being her last go and all. But Kelli certainly has earned this. So...I have a problem that's resurfaced. And it is Dreamgirls. I am once again re-listening to Jennifer Holliday's two big songs from the show practically every day, and I can't help it. Have you guys heard her final broadway performances of "I Am Changing" and "AIATYING"? They're incredible. Unfortunately, I haven't seen any other soundboard recordings or broadway bootlegs. I hate the cast album - everything is so truncated. Has anyone here seen any OBC soundboard bootlegs or audience-recorded bootlegs? Please let me know. Need some variety here :) And being able to listen to a good quality full version of Steppin' To The Bad Side with Ben Harney would be great. Say, has anyone seen a bootleg video of the OBC (or one of the other casts from the 80s) that provides a clear view of what's going on during Steppin'? The only bootleg of the original cast up on YT isn't from an angle that really allows you to understand what's happening with the performers on the bridges/ramps. This commercial gives a slightly better look, but it isn't much: Man, I love that funky bass during the "Dreamgirls" tune.

Boo - I liked creepy/sassy Ciara as-is. I'm thrilled to learn Sami will get a scene with Stefano. At this point, as much as it might be appropriate for Marlena or Roman or John to kill Stefano for all the stuff he's done, I'd much rather see Kate or Sami (or both!) get to pull the trigger. They're just better actors and Stefano has done stuff to them more recently. And if Stefano has - as some suspect - done something to Caroline that could bring her close to death, it would make sense Sami would return, quickly get to the bottom of it, and just off the monster once and for all. Hopefully, it won't be as abrupt a death as Kristin's was. A memorial for EJ would be gross. I get that people here hate Kristin something fierce, but compare her with EJ and you at least have a tie. Both raped people, both tried to kill people (I think) and both were skeevy. Personally, I hope that Sami gets some scenes with Stefano where they both learn Clyde was responsible for EJ's murder. Is the actor playing Clyde going to still be on the show for the anniversary stuff? Has his contract expired?

Anyone else skipping the Tonys on purpose? I haven't seen ANY of the shows and kinda of want to watch it after I have, so I won't be spoiled by the performances between the handing out of the awards. How long is Chita doing The Visit? I've got to see that!