BubblingKettle

I've been wondering the same thing. I noticed it with the last recasting and thought it was odd. They didn't do "The role of Valerie Spencer is now being played by..." on the day the new actress took over the role. Maybe they think the alternative is to have the other person in the scene address the character by name in the first line of dialogue? I'll blame nostalgia--I like the recasting to be announced by the booming voice at the start of the scene.

I was sucked in. It was a lot of nostalgia and a little bit of camp, and that made for fun watching. I thought Woody nailed it. Sure, the accent was strong, but so was Archie's. We were just used to Archie's. Carol O'Connor was an expert at face-acting, with the side-eyes, pained expressions, and exasperated head tilts. And I think Woody did a good job with the mannerisms. Jamie Foxx played it up a bit, but I didn't mind it. He was giving me flashbacks of Sherman Hemsley shifting his weight from one foot to the other. As I watched, I thought about how younger people are probably not getting how significant and special the original shows were/are. It might be fun to see them do this with Newhart -- either of his series. And WKRP in Cincinnati.

This show was entertaining, and I genuinely laughed several times. (The Boyz II Men-themed couple's message!) Damon Wayans Jr always has superb comedic timing, and the actress playing Claire seemed to have it down too. I was so excited to see Deacon from King of Queens. The fact that the show is based on a true story gives things a cute twist.

Dante looked scrumptious in that tux. It was so great to see some vets all in one episode, and I adored the flashbacks -- Dr. Hardy and Audrey, Lee, blonde Bobbie and unpermed Luke, Lila and Edward, Robin and Stone. The flashback clip of Alan was an odd choice -- they should have used a clip that featured Alan, Tracy, and Monica together (and no, not the "he bought it for you" line). Bobbie's talk with Maxie was good -- no harping, no guilt trip, and a callback to BJ. Jason gets on my nerves much of the time, but his warm moment with Monica was nice. I wish the end of the episode featured the vets having a toast, though, instead of Sonny. I wanted the warm-fuzzies of nostalgia, not the irritation of propping.

This was one of my problems with it, too. My other thought was that I would have liked less of the kids. The magician boy and his acting annoyed me. I want to believe that Zach Braff is better than this.

Joey, the young man in the middle, was a cross between Peewee Herman and Frankie Valli. The Underground Railroad question would have worked well on Jeopardy Kids Week. Actually, it may have been too easy for Kids Week, too.

If Laura was a candidate listed on my mayoral ballot, I have to admit that I'd have to think twice. Aside from the fact that she has no experience in politics or civic engagement, she always seems miserable and pissed off at life. Her attitude is always like "haaaarrumph." I think I'd prefer a less irritated mayor. (Plus she was in a comatose state and confined to a chair for years! Lawd, we had to look at the back of someone's cheap-wig-wearing head for what felt like a decade.)

Sorry, I guess I misheard "ties" for "eyes"! But it's funny because the point remains --- I don't think we've ever seen Jason wear ties of any sort! I vaguely remember him wearing a dress shirt once, but I think that's as far as he went in that direction.

Maura West needs to ditch that hair color. It is so incredibly unflattering on her. It makes her skin take on a more orange tone and it downplays her eyes. Blonde really suited her, and this brassy/rusty mistake just confirms it even more. If they don't lower the volume on the music in Kelly's, the MetroCourt, and the bars...grrrrrr! I don't know which is worse, the hipsterish crap in Kelly's and the bars or the nasally/synthesizer hell in the MetroCourt. And the music isn't even used as ambience. It's completely laid over the dialogue. LW's boyfriend/COO Peter is a very shitty actor. The GH stylists obviously dislike him, too -- they're obviously having a good giggle at the swoopy bangs and mandarin-collared shirt they gave him. They should have used the guy who plays Eric, Cassandra's bodyguard. He has a more stately appearance, at least. Thank you, Maxie, for taking that security blanket away from Sam. While trying to prove a point about their oh-so-close bond (barf), Jason rhetorically asked Carly, "Who picks my ties?" Jason, when the hell have you ever worn a tie? Carly responded by saying something about the color of his ties. Uh, 'scuse me? Color?

I was really enjoying Tanya. too. But it seems like she has vanished into thin air! It was so odd for her to be absent for those major moments with Abi's situation. Hopefully, she'll be back on screen next week.

The Christmas day episode... I knew it was going to be dramatic, but it was so much more than I expected! I think I still have a rapid pulse from that last scene.

Shut up, Carly. Her speech to Sam about choosing the one “that really gets you” was so irritating. She started off by saying that loving two men simultaneously is normal. Of course she’d say that; she has pined for Jason forever. Gross. Carly knows that if Jason had shown an interest in romancing her years ago, she’d have been the one with the closet full of black leather jackets. But even more annoying is her presumption that Drew doesn’t truly love Sam. Carly, you don’t know shit, and you’re blinded by your adoration of St. Jaysus. Sure, I’ve moaned about some of their monotone-mumbling scenes and the endless weeping, but I haven’t doubted that Drew genuinely and deeply loves Sam. And maybe it’s just me, but I’m not getting “l want you back” vibes from Sam in her interactions with Jason. However, that may be the actress’ personal feelings coloring her delivery. Drew is the one who interacts like a human, keeps up relationships with his kids (or Jason’s kids), and puts Sam before Sonny and Carly. So Carly, he “gets her,” you smug shit-stirrer.

I was so glad to see a genuine replica of 80's hair on Erica's roommate. I get mildly annoyed by Erica's modern-day hair, because I can tell you from firsthand experience that girls in the Philadelphia area sported hair that was very poufed and sprayed...and poufed some more...and sometimes crimped. I was impressed by Barry and Adam's raps and videos. Can Beverly stop it with the toileting talk?!

I hope someone burned some sage in that studio after they taped the tonight's episode. There was definitely some bad juju up in that place! But even with all of the Bankrupts and Lose a Turns, the contestants had really good attitudes. I especially liked Anthony.

I got the chills from tonight's eery coincidence x2 -- Pocahontas in the Jeopardy Round, Al Franken in the Double Jeopardy Round, "Pocahontas" and Al Franken in this evening's world news reports. And the Aloe Blacc item was dumbed down to new levels. The clue was something like, "This 'I'm a Man' singer has Aloe in his name..." They could have made it something like, "This 'I'm the Man' singer's first name will remind you of the plant that soothes sunburnt skin."

Yes, I agree! I was sure it was FRIED ZUCCHINI. Granted, that's not the most common menu item either, but I think it might be more common than baked. I was genuinely worried about Grandpa after Pat revealed that $1 million prize card. Bless him, he was just completely gutted. I enjoyed earlier in the game when he said, "Now I'll have to pay tax on that." when Pat announced their winnings. He wasn't trying to be funny, though. He was mildly bothered. I've enjoyed this week's episodes. I have a soft spot for the grandchild-grandparent relationship (I was very close to my grandparents), and some of these pairs have been unintentionally adorable. WIDE BOULEVARD?? Give me a break. That gingerbread house!!!

Jason peering through the skylight --- totally Angel Jason/Savior Jason imagery. {eyeroll} I have to admit it, though -- my attention didn't stray when he slo-mo descended into the dining room. And that says a lot, because this show never holds my full attention. But that scene was bursting with embedded comedy. Oh, and LW gave good face during her first sighting of OG Jason. After the bad guys were disarmed at the party, Griffin doesn't immediately dash over to help Liz. He eventually makes it over to her and uses a few tissues to apply pressure to the GSW. Those two actions made me wonder (again) where the show's medical advisors are. Laid off? They stopped caring? Then, St. Jason#2 swoops her up, and Griffin - the doctor - sheepishly follows behind. Godforbid someone other than Jason, Jason, and Sonny gets any credit for being a hero, leader, or helper. Dante was looking good at the party. So much improvement since the days of Mop Top Hair Shop Dante. Back when Anna and Andre had their fun dancing scene, wasn't there some talk of Andre's work with the WSB? (I could be misremembering..my attention really does tend to stray while I'm watching GH). But if Andre actually did speak about some connection to the WSB, then could he possibly be working undercover and embedded in the Clinic Aides Gang? I don't want Andre to be a bad guy. The term "foundling hospital" must be an inside joke of the writers. I can't think of another reason for it.

When Betsy told Franco/Bobby that he threw the other kid down the stairs, Franco reacted with shock and horror and said something like, "What kid would ever do that? I'm such a messed up person." And I wondered if we're supposed to forget that Golden Child Jake tossed Sam down the basement steps. Yes! Didn't we just have to sit through the "I can't work for you" speech again -- complete with misty eyes from Carly and words of understanding and compassion from Sonny? Stupid. Since they made him say, "let me do my job" instead of something with less commitment tied to it such as "I'll do this, Sonny," then maybe Jason's going to betray Sam by continuing his hitman job in secret. And it may be the writers' way of setting up a "Jason-Jason gunplay.....don't kill him, he's Jason!" scene. Also, they need to find a BOGO haircut place and drop Nelle and Betsy Frank off there.

Uh, it's Dillon with an I. Wait, Kristina is working towards her MBA? She already earned her bachelor's degree? Maybe I forgot. Or maybe this was another stupid hoodwink from the writers because they noticed viewers were displeased with the age difference between her and Parker. (?) Jason/Pt#6 was supposedly getting frequent ketamine injections, yet he was able to HulkSmash all the time? The Superhuman Jason shit is so tired.

FFS, do Curtis and Jordan ever stop talking about whether or not to have a relationship?! I am so sick of hearing the same damn conversation from them. On Friday, they were on the docks, Jordan starts saying that she really wants a relationship, Curtis asks if she really means it...then Jordan's pager goes off, and she says we have to hear about this dead horse AGAIN when they meet up at Kelly's later? Before she jogs off, she cheekily tells Curtis that she's enjoying playing this game with him. I AM NOT ENJOYING IT. And this storyline can jog on. (Along with...maybe all of the other storylines too?) And not to be outdone, we had to hear about Morgan some more. At the hospital, on the docks, haunting our dreams... And another broken record --- the professions of love between Nina and Valentin. Yet another --- if I have to look at that blasted picture of two (contemporary-looking) boys that Franco keeps whipping out, I swear!! Sam's crazy-eyed protests about sending Jason to a nursing facility are so irritating. The common thread among all of these storylines is that the writing lacks any sort of depth and creativity. There was a bit of effort made for Monica and Bobbie's conversation earlier in the week, but I guess that sapped the writers' energies for anything else. Episodes like last week's make me glad that I watch other soaps for my soap fix.

I just caught up on last week's episodes, and these are my random thoughts: Carly in the chapel: "Bring Jason back...especially for his wife." Oh please, Carly. You want him back for YOU. Are we supposed to forget all the years we've had to listen to you sniping or guilt-tripping with 'Jason's my best friend/I'm Jason's best friend'? Shutup. Jason in the hospital. Again. Who cares anymore? Even with the melancholy violin incidental music and Sam's non-stop crying/low-volume mumbling, it's like watching test patterns -- boring and annoying. I'm not kidding; I genuinely wonder if there are viewers out there who are touched by those scenes and feel sympathetic towards any of the characters. OMG at Jake having an airbrushed headshot of 1990's Jason Quartermaine. There's something comedic about shows using obvious headshots as photos that are around the house or as caller ID. Volonino's must get a monthly cash infusion from Sonny to stay in business. The place is always deserted. With some extras and some stationary bikes and ellipticals, it could be a good setting for scenes...Lulu and Maxie having a gossip sesh, Curtis and Jordan having an actual conversation -- one that doesn't have to do with Auntie Stella or the late Thomas, Kiki and (she needs a friend). And they could make Kristina study to be a physical therapist and do internship hours there working with various characters who have ailments (like her dad and his bum knee, Jason and whatever's wrong with him, whoever falls down the stairs or has a car accident, etc.).

I just finished catching up on the week's episodes. My random thoughts... On Wednesday's episode, Carly was the 85th person to hit Like on Michael's selfie with Nelle. Carly's creepy interest in the photo aside, Michael has 84 friends?? What? I understand that KeMo has mild hearing loss in one ear. However, it may be time for a trip to the Miracle Ear shop because her monotone mumbling is barely audible. I can't see how the sound guys/gals on set aren't asking her to please speak up. She threw them a couple bones during the shooting scene; she managed to increase her volume for a handful of her lines (no less boring, though). And when BM speaks, he sounds like he has spit pooled around his bottom teeth. Sure, the Assman Landers story is pretty lame, but I have to say that I thought KS acted those scenes well this week. Her facial expressions and her timing were realistic. To add a little "friend" flavoring to the Alexis-Diane scene, they should have had Diane inject a little realism (on-screen, so viewers know it actually happened) and say something like, "I'm sorry, Alexis, I wasn't thinking. You're under stress too and the BAR is the last place I should have asked you to come to. And, I'm drinking in front of you. We're friends; be honest with me." Then, either Alexis could say she's fine with it and not feeling tempted, or Diane could say she doesn't need the booze and get club soda, or they could have a 'friend' moment and head over to Kelly's for some ice cream. Jake looks much better with a big boy haircut.

I just saw a commercial about The Bold & the Beautiful's week of episodes set in Monaco. Viewers get to see sunshine-rich shots of characters on luxurious yachts, beaches, etc. Meanwhile, we get to see that janky park....well, we get to see the 3'x3' section of it that they shoot so the raggedy chainlink fence and staff trailers are cropped out. :/

I've been so slammed with work lately, and I finally got to turn on JJ today. Too bad I had the displeasure of tuning in to see Aida Nunez and her sneaky smirking face and evasive answers. She was missing half an eyebrow, but the half that was there even managed to give off a jerky vibe. I was surprised JJ didn't get sick of her smartmouth tone and toss her out.

I was so tickled by the fact that the bomber/photobomber was played by Raj from "What's Happening!!" Poor Catherine and Marjorie. But I did get a kick out of Selina claiming that Skype was acting up because Catherine's voice sounded very whiny...but Marjorie's sounded normal.