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All My Children Has Moooooved

For my "All My Children" scoop fans, I want to let you know this blog has been moved to:

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I hope to see you there!

All My Children, 2/23/11

Finally--someone on daytime TV with realistic hair

     You really opened a can of worms this time, Amanda. Half of Pine Valley is affected by the “secret” phone call she made to the government in regards to Cara Castillo’s fraudulent status in the US. Tad had to let Krystal (his baby's mama whom he lives with) and Opal (his birth mother) in on his fib that he and Cara have been dating and are now engaged to be married. Both ladies were against the idea as now the government is going to be breathing on them, asking questions and such. I don't blame them. You don't mess with the government. Agent Trumbull, the lead investigator of the Pine Valley INS (..smirk..), contacted Amanda and threatened her that she had better meet him at Confusion (a flashy bar any government suit would surely conduct an interrogation in) or he would "come and find" her. No, he didn't mention her rights to have an attorney present, either. But, then again, I guess she's not the one on trial here...Is she, Tad???????? Amanda went and met Trumbull and did a very convincing routine, saying Tad and Cara have been private with their relationship, but that it's legit, and that she only called the government to lie about Cara. Amanda was just jealous of her husband's ex, so she wanted to make a phony phone call to the INS about it. Next she was going to crank call the White House (no, not really on that last bit). Trumbull eased off , but said that Castillo was still illegally in the US, so he would have to pursue his investigation. I hope Griffin is legal, or were they so busy with Cara that they overlooked his immigration status?    

     Why is Erica so dumb? I guess she can’t help herself. I mean, Kendall always acts out, too. It's like the Kane women can't control their compulsions. They say they want peace and calm and that they'll stay out of everyone's business, but they never seem to do just that. I don’t remember if Mona, Erica’s mother ever acted out. Maybe it really is in the blood. Even if it comes to destroying the one true man who wants to be with them. Jack still wants to marry Erica and he's waiting for her to choose their wedding date and for her to end her flirtation with Caleb. But, she seems bent on wrangling the Mountain Man (i.e., Caleb).   

     Liza gave Colby the reason for her sleeping with Damon: they were both sad and had had a bad day. It was only natural...Okay, Liza didn't say it like that, but pretty much that was the gist. Colby, rightly, told Liza that she has no mother and that she will never speak to her again. A distraught Liza confided in Tad and what did wise Thaddeus Martin say? He said Liza is growing up! I guess because thirty years later, she can talk about this openly with Tad, her boyfriend at the time who had slept with her own mother (in other words did the same exact thing to her that she did to Colby)? Didn't Liza's sleeping with her daughter's boyfriend two months ago kinda work in the reverse of that? And then, a consoling Asher told Colby he has something important to tell her. To which she said she doesn't want to hear today. Oh, Lordy, what will that be?

All My Children, 2/22/11



The last time Colby smiled at her mother. Ever.

      The INS believed Tad when he declared he and Cara are engaged to be married. When asked for proof of this, Cara pulled out the ol' engagement ring that hangs around her neck 24/7. The one Jake gave her years ago during their stint together at Doctors Without Borders; the one that ridicules Amanda every waking second. It lucked out that she's been clutching onto it. Who woulda thunk it? So, miraculously, INS was satisfied with their story, and so now Tad and Cara have a wedding to plan. Yay! A spring wedding. I knew Tad and Cara were a better couple than Cara and Jake. Oh, wait, what is that? Hold the phone? Jake doesn't know that Amanda was the one who ratted Cara out to the government? Jake still has to find out this information? Oh no. Poor Amanda. Not only will Tad be giving her those dirty you-are-scum sneers, but soon Jake will be too. It's inevitable.    

     Ryan filled David in on how Annie had been trying to kill Marissa and now-aha!-David's been caught on film helping Annie. Not a very doting daddy, are ya? Well, with a daughter like Marissa, who can blame him? But, David is set on making things right again. He told Ryan where Annie should be hiding out: none other than a cabin near a forest near Stowe, Vermont. Has anyone else been following (okay, and entering) the contest HGTV is running right now? A chance to win a mega-house in Stowe, Vermont? I have caught "All My Children" doing product placement over the last year, but this one is really interesting. Wouldn't that be awesome if they showed Annie and Emma hiking up Highway 108 right past the Dream Home?

     Madison has high maternity bills. She was finally hit with them. Why is she seeing an out-of-network provider? Surely, she has her pick of obstetricians at Pine Valley Hospital. She went to Greenlee to ask for help, and Greenlee suggested she have Scott help her. How can Scott afford to help her when he is working as an $8/hour clerk? But, Madison said she would rather work overtime hours instead, and Greenlee approved it. Greenlee does care.   

     Opal opened her big mouth and told Colby that her grandmother, Marian, had slept with Tad, crushing a teenage Liza back in the day. On a hunch, Colby asked Liza point-blank, "Mom, did you sleep with Damon?" To which Liza blubbered and said, "Oh, I guess you'll never talk to me again." End scene.

All My Children, 2/21/11

Pwoor Bwabee

     Aside from Cara Castillo breaking down in tears three different times in today's episode, this was actually a very action-packed show. INS questioned Cara about her other persona, Carolyn Finn. She, in front of Jake and Jack (Jake loaned her Jack as her lawyer), confessed her lifelong struggle with cancer. Not only were the drug lord's goons after her when Jake last saw her (when she was trying to protect Jake from them), but she also had had a medical relapse at that time. Her brother and her mother nursed her back to health. The INS seemed sympathetic, but her tears didn't sway them: they still wanted to take Cara back to Mexico. Jake intervened and said, "You have to protect her. The Mexican drug cartel is after her!" The INS said, "Take it to the judge." Meanwhile, sweet sweet naive Amanda confessed to Tad that she had been the informer; she was the one who had reported to the US government that Cara Castillo was also Carolyn Finn, a Mexican national (is it just me, or should Cara have the hint of a Mexican accent?). Tad, holier than thou art, belittled Amanda and basically said she is to blame if someone cuts off Cara's horse's head and mails it to Jake. Oh, and that she shouldn't breathe, because she'll just screw someone else's life up with that, too. B@st@rd.

     Well, Colby got a surprising phone call. Her ex-boyfriend, Damon--who is off in California doing the law school thang--phoned to say he had heard about Annie and the kidnapping, and so he was just checking up on her. I don't know if he knows Annie had also held Colby hostage, however. I don't even know if the police know this. I don't even think her family cares about it. Kudos to Colby as she actually lied to him and said her phone's battery was dying and she better hang up.

     Ryan and Greenlee again held their fists over Jesse, the Chief of Police's head and said, pursue David and his connection to Annie's running away. Jesse said, "Dar, okay, whatever you guys say. Why don't you come along on official police business with me and ask him about it?" Not very professional. Of course, it's technically FBI business, so really Jesse shouldn't be letting the love duo pressure him into doing what they say. However, no useful information was gained from the convo with David...BUT, Ryan was able to trick David with a tape recording of Annie's voice asking him where she was supposed to be going while on the lam. He was stupid and fell for it. (I wondered why her acting was really bad on the recorder.) He told her to go to "the cabin". Ryan stepped out from around the corner (they were at the infamous park) and smirked at him.
     JR tried to convince Marissa to move back into the Chandler Mansion with him and AJ, so he could bring the Chandlers all together and tighten the family bond. She was smart and told him no way, Jose. Hmm...I think she knows more Spanish than Cara does.

All My Children 2/18/11

Day 3 in a row of Tears = Drinking Game?

     Amanda did something sneaky. Perhaps, wives everywhere would dream of doing the same. She contacted the government to report Cara Costillo as an illegal immigrant. Later that day, however, Tad confided to Amanda that he, Griffin, Jake, and Cara were planning on making Cara's assumed identity--Carolyn Finn--appear deceased in Mexico. Amanda said "rut-ro" to herself. She then back-tracked internally and telephoned the agency she had narked to to say she had been mistaken. She did what any married woman would have done to protect her relationship by reporting the home-wrecker to the Feds. But, darn it oh darn it, she felt bad when Tad said, "Cara's life is in jeopardy here, Amanda. We need to fake her death." Amanda just cannot win. However, with that said, it was too late for Amanda to back-pedal. INS showed up at the hospital and arrested Cara for passport fraud. Alert, is it too soon for Cara's notorious tears?!
     Thanks to Ryan's insight, he suggested that Jesse should run video from the park where Annie may have been Valentine's night when she kidnapped Emma (that is, Emma, her daughter). (Could it be that Ryan is better suited to be Chief of Police than the actual Chief of Police?) Jesse ran the tape and was able to extract a still image of Annie and....David Hayward?! Uh-oh. This cannot be good.
     Bianca confessed to Kendall that she and Reese are filing for divorce. I guess she didn't call Bianca back after her meeting (see previous blog post from this week). Bianca is utilizing Marissa as her divorce attorney. Marissa warned Bianca that things could turn ugly as Bianca is intending on keeping full custody of their two daughters. Foreshadow.
      Reverend Ricky is no reverend at all! I was surprised that our endearing spiritual adviser is not a man of the cloth. I will see him in a different light now. An unholy light at that. He met one of his "associates" at the ever-popular park (the one with security cameras?) and let her know that he has Kendall under his thumb. Looks like Ricky was responsible for "offing" Zach. He displayed a few surreptitious dramatic poses of intensity in his revelation that he is a bad boy. I still prefer him over the bad-tempered Dr. Griffin Castillo.

All My Children, 2/17/11



Wait for it, wait for it...Aha! Turn on the waterworks!

     Why, Reverend Ricky, is your soul in mortal jeopardy?      After tossing and turning from bad dreams concerning her beloved Zach, Kendall coaxed the Reverend Ricky into driving her home to get something precious of hers. Upon arrival, the pair found Kendall's living room in a state of "shoot, somebody's been messin' 'round at yo' house". Chair cushions were flung haphazardly to the floor and picture frames were knocked cock-eyed. Griffin was not happy to see his patient had fled the hospital again, so he made his weekly housecall to take Kendall back. She obeyed after tidying up the room (and thereby destroying the clear indication of a crime scene), and Ricky stayed behind to await the arrival of Brot (AKA: the cops). Brot hypothesized it as the work of kids pulling a prank. Let this be a note to "the kids":  that isn't funny. And, while we're on the subject, neither is toilet papering trees. Ricky then returned to the hospital to tell the quickly-recovering-from-heart-surgery Kendall that kids probably wrecked her house, don't worry about it, this is normal (uh, I would think in her neighborhood this would not be normal). He then walked into the hallway and decided it was the perfect time to make a sneaky phone call alluding to the fact he may have murdered Zach and that he knows who messed up Kendall's living room (and I'm thinking maybe it wasn't kids, after all). The problem I have with this scene:  Ricky couldn't have made this incriminating phone call at Kendall's house or in his car?!
     Tad investigated Cara's deceased drug lord and found that his goons are still on the trail for her under her pseudonym, Carolyn Finn. With the simple change of her last name--aha!--she threw them off of her trail. No need to worry about distancing herself from Doctors Without Borders in Mexico--where they don't know a Carolyn Castillo who matches her exact description and has the same first name and M.O., and works at the same gig as Carolyn Finn. These criminals must really be bad at their job. Jake warned Cara at Pine Valley Hospital, but she raised her voice in soap opera finery and declared, "Oh, no, you don't, former love of my life! I will not stay here with you in Pine Valley!" Amanda overheard this from around the corner where she slunked in the shadows and immediately turned on her heel and raced home to telephone the government to report Cara and her illegal immigration status.
     The Feds are on the hunt for Annie. Ryan, driving the Chief of Police, Jesse, in his car, discovered Annie's abandoned car with Emma's stuffed animal left behind. And Madison was left to field phone calls at Fusion, because Greenlee was too busy sitting at Krystal's sipping her cafe de leche de mocha with sugar-free sprinkles.

All My Children 2/16/11



Now whaddya cryin' about?

     Annie has got the chase going! Marissa, JR, Asher, the PVPD (Pine Valley Police Department), Ryan, and Greenlee are hunting the crazy gal down. She left Ryan a voicemail saying she and Emma are a-okay and that Annie and JR should have been the ones who had gotten married. This, after Ryan found a makeshift fairytale storybook she made in the Chandler cottage. Apparently, cocky Ryan knows best as he told JR that JR had screwed everything up and that he was incapable of keeping control of Annie. What a schmuck. Run, Annie, run!     
     Kendall convinced Bianca to call Reese to ask her to come home to Pine Valley to see her and their daughters. Reese was in a meeting, so she told her she would call her later after work. Bianca pretty much thinks they're over, but she told Kendall that she would give her wife until that night to see if she called or not. That way she would know for sure if the relationship is over. So what if Reese calls tomorrow morning instead? She may get home late, after all...
     Griffin and his cozy-schmozy sister, Cara, are each other's Valentine this year. Kinda unsettling...but, you know, they're close. He brought her a box of candy and then he proceeded to jab his meaty fingers into each chocolate to find which had caramel in it. But, guess what? No, she didn't eat the chocolates. But, it turns out Kendall does the...wait for it, wait for it...same exact thing! Soul-mates. I sure hope Reverend Ricky doesn't do the same with his sweets as that will further complicate matters!
     Jake spoiled a romantic (sure to have been packed with extra PDA ("P" standing for "private" in this case)) Valentine's night with his wife, Amanda, by telling her that Cara still has feelings for him and wears her wedding ring on a chain around her neck. Great timing, Jake. Then, he was paged (as always) to the hospital. He left, and that left Amanda with one thing on her mind:  confrontation. She confronted tough girl Cara at the hospital about this. Cara refused to remove the wedding ring as "it reminds me of tough times I got through." Yeah, alright. Cara told Amanda she is still waiting for her government clearance to allow her to return to the third world country she practices in, and that she will certainly be leaving. Jake is now confused about the whole thing and confided in Tad. But, after talking to his big brother, he returned home and he and Amanda did finally get that Private-DA.
     Tad found Cara sitting on the bumper of an ambulance and soothed her teary heartbreak. I'm beginning to think this actress was hired for her constant ready-for-tears crying.

All My Children 2/15/11



Wedding cake created from scratch in estimate of two hours

     Under JR's instruction, Asher kept Colby a prisoner at the cottage. Asher had removed the handcuffs, but a prisoner she remained. Bored out of her mind, he decided they should play poker...strip poker was her idea. When it came to Colby, who had been running on a winner's streak, losing a hand, Asher told her she needed to remove her shirt and not her jeans or socks, which I would have thought would have been the next step. However, she said alright and told him to cover his eyes as she undressed...But, the joke was on Asher! Oh, ha ha, because Colby gently plucked his and her car keys from the table (he didn't hear them clink together, I guess) and grabbed her purse and his shirt and she hurried out the door and jumped into her car at lightning speed. Colby fled to Krystal's Restaurant thinking her mother would be there instead of at home. (Good guess.) Liza begged Colby to contact the police to report the kidnapping and Colby said she would...when she was safely in California with Damon.      Greenlee and Ryan continued their wedding reception taking family photo ops with Spike, sans Emma, who must have been missing for quite a long time as Jack and Krystal left the reception before she had been spotted again. Sucks being the adopted kid. JR left Ryan a voice mail message warning him to keep an eye out for Annie. He listened to this message moments too late as Annie had already snatched her daughter and high-tailed it out of Pine Valley, thanks to the help of David Hayward.
     Marissa is okay, folks. JR managed to rouse her from her gas-affixiation, and the pair went on the hunt for Annie. In searching for her, Marissa confirmed JR and Annie's secret relationship. She was angry and said "Oh, you lied because you knew I wouldn't let you near my son." Wait. AJ is hardly her son. I wish JR would say that; I wish he would remind her that she had no doings in AJ's creation. In fact, she just met him two years ago. Arggghhhhh...
     Now, onto the elephant in the room:  Krystal was able to sucessfully bake and decorate a three-tiered wedding cake for Greenlee and Ryan on short short short notice...say, she had maybe two hours to cater the reception food and the professional cake. Not only is she a bartender, she is a cook, and she is a wedding cake baker. A quick one at that.
     Reese ditched Marissa on their wedding anniversary. Looks like it's over for Binks. Maybe Bianca will fly out to see her and give it one more go, even though she was posing as a poster child for breakups and, in turn, was counseling Erica on healing her own relationship with Jack.

All My Children 2/14/11

"Listen, hun, can you get my makeup bag, so I can just stand here? Then, I'll need you to polish my heels."

      Marissa will be alright:  Annie told JR she was locked up in the Chandler attic. He asked Annie to check herself into the psychiatric hospital and then he ran in an attempt to rescue unconscious Marissa. She was unconscious because of a gas leak, not because of Annie's knocking her out as previously reported.
     Annie hid at Confusion while the Lavery Wedding party bantered over Krystal's delightful-smelling catered food and photography. Greenlee just couldn't get her own makeup bag, so she sent Annie's young daughter, Emma, to fetch it (already, her step-mother is making her do her bidding). Emma did as was told, probably thinking why me??, and found her mother hiding out, beckoning her to come hither. Good. Finally her actual mother will have her to herself and not her adoptive father and his newly-wed spoiled Greens.
     Scott lied and told Ryan that he had fathered the fetus in Madison's womb. Greenlee owes him big for that one. This is sure to break her and Ryan up sometime in the future.
     Oh, and Greenlee and Ryan got married. By Kendall's flirtatious State Farm reverend, Ricky.

All My Children 2/10/11

There is another person in the room...Pregnancy secret no more!

     I thought this would be a juicy episode with the wedding of the love birds, the tension between Jack and Erica and Caleb, the pending arrival of Reese, psycho Annie, and Madison's dark secret. It was alright. Let's start off with Amanda asking Jake to tell her about his previous wedding to Cara. Why the hell would she ask him to tell her this tidbit of glory on Valentine's Day? And why would she want to help Greenlee get ready for her wedding when she hadn't even been invited to it? I think the writers are purposely making Amanda denser each time we see her. This way, it will be a no-brainer when Jake runs back into Cara's stick-like arms.
     Tad popped into JR's abode a few times to prompt him to have Annie committed. Did we all wonder why JR slept with her (okay, I'm assuming they had a stellar night due to the fact she slinked down the staircase the next morning donning a red silk robe) when he had caught wind that Annie had kidnapped his sister the day before? And was I the only one who knew she'd find the committal papers in the study/living area cabinet? Why did she think he'd have the ring hiding in a chair? Don't guys proposing usually have the ring in their pocket? I guess she really is crazy. Gotta love that wicked Marissa was tricked into going up into the attic by crazy Annie, though. And Marissa gets knocked unconscious really easily, doesn't she? She didn't even hit her head when Annie pushed her. I don't even think she hit the wall. She just sort of dropped to the floor.
     Because Madison was having stomach cramps at the Confusion wedding site, Greenlee blurted out to Ryan that Madison is pregnant. Stupid stupid stupid! Scott will probably say he is the father (if Greenlee promotes him from clerk at the hospital now that she owns the whole building), but did she really have to make this announcement...to Ryan...here...on their wedding day?! She couldn't just let Madison say, "Oh, my appendix hurts"?
     Bianca gushed to the Mountain Man (Caleb) about her wife, Reese, flying in to see her. I don't think the Mountain Man is interested in the wiles of this alternative Parisian couple. Bianca invited him to dinner with them and Erica and Jack. Of course he said no. Awkward!
   

All My Children 2/9/11



"Yes, my roots are coming in. I'm pregnant, okay?"

     Valentine's Day is "tomorrow" in Pine Valley and a wedding is a-foot. Greenlee was set on postponing her long-awaited day in order to have her BFF, Kendall, attend. But, Kendall told her and Ryan, "You have our blessing to go ahead for tomorrow. Mine and Zach's." Zach was rolling around in the afterlife (or on some deserted island) shouting, "Not without me, you don't!"...Okay, that last part is only a guess.     
     With some fast thinking on his part, Asher saved the day. He received a text message from "Colby" (really, it was written by psychotic Annie), saying she was in New York with her dad. Aha! A wonderful slip as Colby was supposed to see her father in Chi-town. Way to listen to details, Asher. Asher found a handcuffed drugged Colby in the Chandler cottage and promptly telephoned JR. I was relieved JR didn't cut him off and say, "I'm busy, Asher. This can wait until next week." Is it just me, or did really dramatic moments (such as a kidnapping) used to last more than two days? This kidnapping saga could have been drawn out if the writers of "All My Children" really wanted to. But, then they probably would have dragged it out like they did when Aidan had kidnapped Kendall for a month. That was really painful wasn't it?
     Annie had borrowed JR's car and was the responsible party (or irresponsible!) for slamming into Kendall's ambulance on her way for emergency heart surgery. So, rather than the police running to JR's residence to bring him down for hit-and-run questioning, Tad did the duty. Well, he just went to JR's mansion and said, "The cops traced the car to you." He didn't do the police station thing. Gotta love how crooked the Pine Valley Police Department is. And when Tad asked JR if he was turning Annie in for the hit-and-run, JR told him he was hoping she'd commit herself to a psychiatric hospital. Ooh, this sounds juicy. Can't wait to see the blow-up that happens when Annie catches onto JR's knowing she kidnapped his baby half-sister. Maybe it will delay Greenlee and Ryan's wedding.

All My Husbands on "Oprah"

Erica's 8 husbands

     Yesterday on "Oprah", Oprah Winfrey surprised Susan Lucci in reuniting her with the eight actors who have played her husband on "All My Children" over the last 40 years. It was touching to see them and I am thrilled Oprah was a big enough fan of the show to have done that ("was" instead of "is" as I don't know if she is still a fan, so I didn't want to misquote). It was a little unnerving to not recognize some of the men, but alas, that is what age does to you. Dimetri's face was a little thin and deflated (he's the one in the red shirt and hat). But, Walt Willey (Jack, the one in gray guffawing) looked the usual. Go figure. (Get it? It's cuz we see him every day, hahaha...ha).
     I wish ABC would run past episodes from years past (we're talking from the last 41 years) instead of reruns from say, four months prior. I don't really need to be reminded of David flaking out in the courtroom again...I want to see Cliff and Nina or Myrtle. What I would give to see Myrtle and her little dress shop again!!! Watching this reunion show yesterday on "Oprah" reminded me that "YouTube" has old episodes of "All My Children". Maybe when I am bored this weekend, I'll watch a few. I am very nostalgic and seeing the old gang again is like attending a family reunion I actually want to go to.

All My Children 2/8/11



Siblings before Bariatric Surgery

     What a sap Jake is. So, Cara "finally" told him the "truth" about why she "really" left him. Apparently, a drug cartel lord died on her operating table back in the day when she and Jake worked side-by-side, husband and wife in the warzone, thereby causing a worried Cara to push her husband away. She said she needed to do this so the "muscle" behind the deceased drug lord wouldn't think to go after her recently-wedded husband. She did this, making Jake think she had run off with a lover (which, we later discovered was actually Griffin). This is a bit dramatic of a story. From all of the drug cartel/mafia movies I have seen, I don't think a woman saying she was suddenly sick of her husband would trick these bad guys. If they were really after her, why didn't they go after her lover/brother?...but, ayway, Jake believed it. I can't help but think I would have been less accepting of such a left-field tale.     
     Jack finally dumped Erica (he is off to Crystal's for a late-night meal, blech!). Like mother, like daughter, Erica just does not keep her nose clean. Jack was angered and pushed to his final straw when he realized Erica contacted the governor to review a suddenly healthy David's case and perhaps, grant him clemency. The mad doctor deserves it, after all; he did just save a heart patient via telephone. C'mon, people! You can't just forget all of the despicable things this man has done to the entire town! And, really, how did he go from almost being shoved off the hospital building's roof helpless and ill to walking around lickity-split like he hadn't just spent months in a coma with a gun shot wound?
     Poor Amanda interrupted the deep moment between Jake and Cara and we saw that the poor dame is ill. Her voice was raspy and she looked a little peeked under that thick layer of makeup. She had to swap spit with Jake...I wonder if the actor was regretting that.

All My Children 1/31/11

     Oh dear, I can't stand Ryan Lavery anymore. His actions have made me feel sorry for David now. How can we root for a "good guy" when he does something a "bad guy" could so easily do? He wheeled a injured David to the roof of Pine Valley Hospital--with the help of the acting-chief-of-staff, Jake. Jake confirmed David was not well enough to be discharged and taken back to prison, but still, he granted Ryan permission to torture him. Great doctors and great hospital.
     And did I mention I hate Crystal? She and her slimy daughter can now go off to Hickville, or wherever they came from, and good riddance!

Tad and Cara

     Now here's a thought:  Tad and Cara as a couple...Do you like it? I think it makes more sense chemistrywise than she with Jake. Also, Jake and Amanda are the most PDA couple on "All My Children", so I find the writers of the show hard-pressed to pull these two apart. Anyway, when I saw Friday's episode where Tad and Cara were bantering back and forth in their PI-pretendin' ways, I found this couple a plausible idea.
     I'm just sayin'.

Marissa, Bleccccchhhhhh!

     Forget Damon leaving Pine Valley.
     How about chucking Marissa out the door? This character is worthless to the town. If she left, would there actually be any substantial loss? Gasp! Must I admit it:  The new Marissa is worst than the original one. New Marissa is a snide snot and I was so tempted to post a photo of one of her snooty expressions, but I refrained as I could not stand looking at her. Poor Annie has to suffer from her snobbery and holier-than-thou attitude.
     And now Annie is going crazy-crazy. How perfect for JR. His character can now easily wipe her off and try out the new Marissa, who, even though a b*^ch, is much better-looking than her predecessor. When Marissa walks out the door, her character can go arm-in-arm with her skeezy parents, Crystal and David.
     What to make off Cara being so close to her emotions? I swear, if I see another quick-to-tears reaction from her, I'm gonna have to see her medical license revoked, and she and Annie sharing a room in the mental ward.
     I am so happy to see the cast with their new makovers. I am glad Tad got that shag cut. He looks good.

All My Children 1/20/11

Drunk or closed?

        Erica pushed Jack away again, saying she was returning to the hospital to speak with David; she wanted to plead with him not to press any charges on Kendall for shooting him. Jack was annoyed when she declined his coming with her, so instead of his following Erica, he went to Kystal's Restaurant. There, he opened up to Krystal about how much farther he felt Erica was getting away from him. Literally and figuratively.
     JR encouraged Marissa to spend the night at his estate as she wanted AJ to peter-out his energy there and sleep. She declined at first, but JR suckered in staying as he would be an understanding ear for her to dwell on her poor relationship with her father, David.. Later, when Marissa was making her way to Pine Valley Hospital to let Jesse know she would be acting as her father's attorney, (She never learns--at this point, you'd think she'd push David out of her life as she only discovered him a few years ago...and has he never let her down? He's practically a stranger.) JR was sitting in the den reading over his final divorce decree. He ignored a cell phone call from Annie. Annie, stop calling him! He's no good and his platinum winter hat-inspired hair-do is enough to keep you away.
     Griffin spotted Kendall again in David's hospital room. (Really, is it any wonder Zach was always angry with her obsessions?!) Griffin told her to leave him alone and mentioned the incident where she thought about suffocating David while he was in his coma. David hadn't known about this before the rough doctor brought it up, but with this new information, David started to realize Kendall had no recollection of her shooting David. If David was shot in the back and was wrestling Ryan at the time of injury, how did he know Kendall had shot him? Hmmmmm....(Back to our new doctor, after constantly being involved in her personal affairs, Griffin told Kendall to see a "shrink" for her woes! Uh, now he decides to butt out?)
     Erica pleaded with David to keep Kendall in the dark and to let her family move on with life. Smugly, he said he liked seeing her in this position. Dun dun duunnnnnnn!
     Oh, and Ryan proposed to Greenlee.

All My Children 1/18/11

Erica in her medieval riding garb

     Erica did a naughty thing...she did a dumb thing...she did a Kendall thing. Upon David Hayward's awakening from his coma, she told him her fabricated story in which she ended up shooting him in order to save Ryan from being shoved off the edge of the apartment building rooftop. David replied, "Oh, no, you don't. Kendall shot me." Jesse arrived and ordered Erica to leave the room. He wanted to immediately interrogate the coma patient. However, Dr. Griffin Castillo came along and trumped Jesse ordering him to leave his patient so David could rest.
     Erica then told Caleb about David's memory. Perhaps, if Erica hadn't given David any information, he wouldn't have had such a sudden return of memory. Just sayin'. Way to go, Erica. Jack, perturbed with Erica only telling Caleb about David's recovery (and not bothering to spread the word to him), confronted Caleb at the hospital telling him to keep from his woman, unbeknownst to Erica.
     Kendall encouraged Bianca to invite Reese to Pine Valley from their homestead in Paris. Bianca is still keeping quite mum on her marital troubles. However, she allowed Kendall to believe that Reese may be coming to Erica and Jack's wedding--if that ever happens.
     Amanda is an idiot. Sorry, but for what reason did she have to confess to Griffin and Cara that she was the one impersonating Cara with INS? They would have never known if she hadn't eavesdropped and filled them in on her trickery. Griffin, who has an ENORMOUS chip on his shoulder, told her that if she were a man, he would punch her. How charming. I don't think his is the first time he has threatened a woman.
     Cara, meanwhile, hurried to the Pediatrics Department in answer to a page. It was there she found a demanding couple ordering Jake to keep their daughter inpatient for a common illness. Jake told them she'd be fine recovering at home as she is in remission with Leukemia and not in any danger. Cara's tears were quick to flow as she scolded the couple for overprotecting their daughter. Griffin, always to the rescue, came by and whisked her away.
     And our vulnerable Natalia. She must be a heavy sleeper because she didn't feel Brot move around in their bed as he awoke (and he shook the bed like a wild tide knocking down a lifeguard stand on the shore), nor did she feel him kiss her, nor say he would be back. He went to Crystal's Restaurant to pick up a burger and shake for her. However, when Natalia woke up and saw he was gone, she fumed with embarrassment and anger. But, no big deal; this was short-lived. She met Brot at Crystal's and he explained she was a darn heavy sleeper. Nothing a little PDA couldn't fix. They are hunky-dory again...Oh, and Jesse doesn't give a crap about the police commissioner's disapproval of Brot and Natalia's relationship.

All My Children 1/17/11

What does NTSB stand for? And isn't the Pacific Ocean lovely?

     Isn't it always the man who breaks the woman's heart? Damon left our poor Colby, weeping as she begged her cheating boyfriend to stay. He told her not to worry about who he cheated with and said, "Goodbye." I guess the actor misses the old Marissa (his real-life girlfriend) and needed to follow her to her dental appointment. Suh-nappp!
     Tad told a wallowing Liza to let Erica off the hook. Even though she thinks Erica shot and, therefore, put David Hayward into a coma, she told Erica she is dropping the charges against her. Erica thanked her, but didn't seem too relieved as I think many of us would have been in that case. Erica then visited David's hospital bed telling him he will no longer bother she and her family. He then awoke, uttering her name.
     Not as exciting as a waking David, Erica also let Opal in on her secret of kissing Caleb. But, she insisted to Opal that there is only 1% attraction on her part and 99% on his. Eh, he's okay, but Jack is so much better.
     Ryan returned to the beach and spoke with a man who may be masquerading as a plane specialist (we don't know who he really is yet). He told Ryan the plane crash was an accident and Ryan accepted this. Greenlee surprised him on the beach and gush gush, they sweet-talked each other, but you know what? I couldn't hear them, because of the rushing ocean tide. Man, California is gorgeous in the winter!
     Kendall checked out a-okay with Dr. Castillo:  He gave her a clean bill of health and she can now proceed with her normal life, sans Zach. Also, he must be a counselor in addition to a heart doctor, as he told her she needs to start sleeping in her own bed instead of the couch and move on in her life without Zach. Where is that State Farm Reverend Ricky when we need him?

All My Children 1/14/11

"Hmm, isn't the stakeout over?"

      JR has decided it best to postpone the final divorce proceedings between he and Marissa. She was shocked by this. Annie was shocked by this. I was shocked by this. It makes no sense, unless he wants to stay married to this new actress who plays once-sweet Marissa. But, he told her it was best to wait until later in the week, so she can heal more from her "burglary" injury. He then relayed this to Annie, who freaked once he was gone. Why is Annie still "dating" him? Now that Scott is out of prison (record time, that release), perhaps our insanity-driven Annie will come to what sanity she has left and move out of her hotel room and into Scott's arms. What  delight it would be to see Scott move in with her into the JR-paid hotel suite! I am hoping for it. Poor Annie. She still has my friendship and loyalty.
     Ryan will be leaving for California shortly to find out more details to Zach's crashed airplane stats. He is now questioning whether or not Zach's death was the result of murder and not a fateful mishap as widely believed. Who cares? Zach is gone. Let's move on with our lives. (On a side note:  I can't wait to see him play the shifty doorman in the upcoming "Occupant"!)
     Jesse's boss, the police commissioner, caught a glimpse of Broc removing his jacket and a pacing Natalia as her closed the door of the stakeout-paid hotel room suite. The commissioner, foaming at the mouth, called Jesse and told him they needed to have an immediate meeting regarding this down-at-the-station!
     Shocker of the show (more of one than JR's divorce delay):  Natalia is a virgin...wait a second, she was a virgin as Broc dove in and broke her maidenhead. What? No one waits until marriage anymore?

All My Children 1/13/11

"This is my favorite tee-shirt. My gold chain is tangled in it."

     The Pine Valley Police sent detectives Casandra and Brot to the Chandler mansion to investigate the burglary masquerade concocted by crazy Annie. They were supposed to be on a stakeout, but, apparently, they're the only two cops who can deal with this type of crime. A second ambulance had to be called out to the residence when the first one had engine trouble. Casandra told JR this, but I don't think he really cared. Annie called her BFF Amanda and told her to bring Jake to the scene so he could examine Marissa. Jake looked at her bruised forehead and said she should spend the night at the hospital, but with JR's promising to watch her at his home instead, this was deemed acceptable to Jake. The hospital has lots of other suckers who are willing to spend days upon days inpatient at PVH (see Kendall). This, of course, botched JR's plans of whisking Annie away for a ski trip in the Swiss Alps.
     Scott Chandler has become more like his brother-through-adoption, JR. Remember when Scott was sickeningly sweet and would do no wrong? Hence, the reason why he confessed and got himself locked up in prison? Well, it seems the prison system has turned him into a shady character. He was able to text message Greenlee back and forth in the prison's visitor's room to demand she come visit him. When she did, he told her he wanted her at tomorrow's parole hearing. If she came, he promised to woo messed-up Madison. She reluctantly agreed, but did not mention Madison's pregnancy to him. Madison, however, told him herself...because she was nervous and blurted it out. Why was she visiting Scott at prison, you ask? Because he wrote her a letter! That was quick. Why not text-message her? That's even quicker! Why was she wearing the same gold-chained blouse she wore the other day when she was at the prison? Because she is out of clothing options? Perhaps, the baby bump has already progressed a bit and she only has a few things that still fit her. Or, perhaps, All My Children's wardrobe department failed to catch this snafu. Who needs details anyway? Not Pine Valley.

All My Children 1/12/11



"Please leave our establishment, sir!"

      Tad had a conversation with Damon at Krystals' Restaurant where Damon told him that rather than dealing with Colby and the lack of admitting he slept with her very own mother, he would be leaving Pine Valley. Damon then hurried out of the joint in a huff. This caused Tad to blow up and in doing so, he threw his cup of (water? Or, maybe something stronger...) across the room, almost striking Cara. None of the patrons found this surprising or insane. No, there were no stares, no whispers, no "Oh my God, what are you doing?! Somebody, call the cops!" Cara was taken aback, but after bandaging Tad's hand (he must have squeezed the glass before flinging it, I guess), they were hunky-dory. Her eyes were watery like she was about to cry during their talk which was nothing more than Tad's saying, "I should hate you, but I can't. You are just too lovable!" I'm paraphrasing here. But, that was the gist. I dunno, she's an emotional gal. Tad offered to buy her dinner, but Damon barged back in saying he wasn't moving away after all, so Cara was cheated out of a meal, thusly, causing her to forget to bring food home to her new digs at Kendall's.              
     Colby told JR she shouldn't be working on any projects at Chandler Enterprises with Asher as Asher was the reason for her recent spat with Damon. However, charming big brother JR convinced her to do it for him as he really needed to get away (with Annie, we assume at this point). Annie, who is falling back into her old paranoia (love it, love it!), caught the tail-end of JR talking to someone on the phone and then she caught him meeting Marissa at Confusion. Annie's demented mind started spinning and she envisioned Marissa endearing herself to JR and telling him to forget Annie. Then, later, Annie walked into the Chandler Mansion's living room/study (the security in this joint is awful. Is the cook the only servant in the mansion? And does she leave during the day?), and discovered Marissa there. While Marissa fondled a photo of JR and his son (their son?), Rapunzel Goldie Locks Little-A AJ, Annie imagined her tramping around the room in a lacy red number. Annie, upset, shoved the door back, thus knocking Marissa to the floor unconscious. Can we be so lucky that she died?

All My Children 1/11/11

"What? Is this your kid, or mine?"

    
     Basically, let's look at the obsurdity of a doctor being sent to live as a nurse in a patient's house as Griffin connived his sister, Cara, into doing for Kendall. Because of Kendall's many hospital stays, apparently she has earned herself a live-in doctor...and she was sorta forced into it as he wouldn't let her check out of the hospital unless she agreed to this arrangement.
     Amanda is paranoid as ever about Cara hanging around. And she should be as Cara keeps staring at Baby Trevor and daydreaming about her own romantic past with ex-husband, Jake. On a side note, Kendall went into one of her sons' rooms to see some surprise he had for her and in leaving the room, she asked Cara look after Trevor. The baby was lying in a pack and play. If Amanda is in the other room getting her purse, then I am sure Trevor will not get into much trouble in the short time span it will take for her to return. Mothers and daycare workers do it all the time. If there were any hazards with a pack and play, then I am sure Graco would have had a recall on their hands. I know potatoes, puh-tot-toes!
     So,Tad has told Damon not to devulge details on who exactly he slept with. And, in turn, Tad has asked Colby why does she care who Damon cheated with? Um, well, Tad, because how do I know the skank is gone, and how do I know it wasn't this lady at Crystal's Restaurant, or maybe my best friend from boarding school? Why wouldn't she want to know? As the victim of adultery, she she be given the facts; not just Damon admitting he had sex with some other chick. Tad is in the doghouse with this one, I'm afraid. He also made Liza feel bad--real bad--about her sleeping with his son, Damon. Whateva, Tad! You ever cheat on somebody? Yeah, thought so. Don't cast any stones, pal.  

All My Childen 1/10/11

Should I burn it or wash it?

     Okay, I was wrong. "All My Children" beefed up the writing and it resulted in Damon and Liza rockin' the casbaugh. I could see Damon's motive for doing this:  he was upset and he had just caught his girlfriend kissing on the guy who had kissed her previously. But, Liza? What was she thinking? Was there ever a spark of sexual chemistry between the two?! Ugh, ugh, ugh. No! This scene should have stopped at the kiss and then later down the road, we could have seen this pair hook it up...This was just too soon. And Damon running into Tad at the infamous park. (This is the most popular park in Pine Valley. I couldn't tell you the last time I ran into someone I know at the local park.)...Damon told Tad at first that he had slept with someone other than Colby and Tad just kinda smirked and said something about how young people today have complicated lives. What?! Okay, that's a good way to excuse cheating. Then, when Damon came "even cleaner" to Tad and told him Liza was the one he had slept with, Tad told him to keep it a secret. The same thing had happened to Liza when she was young (Tad had slept with her mother, Marian), and he knew it had screwed her up, so it was better to keep this secret from Colby. I am happy the writers didn't just blurt this secret out to anybody in addition to Tad. Let's keep a juicy storyline going, people.
     Madison ran into Greenlee (again) at the hospital and gave her the idea of putting the blame of her impregnation on someone else. Interesting, as this will be just what Scott Chandler needs. He gets a job if he says he fathered Madison's baby (conjugal visits, baby!)...   I am beginning to think Scott is the only prisoner at this prison and he frequently roams the visiting room.
     Kendall was greeted with Chinese food from her BFFs, Ryan and Greenlee. I found it amusing that the ladies only took bites of carrot from their professional-wielding Chinese sticks. It's rare to see Kendall eat anything at all. Highlights from this meeting:  Ryan gave Kendall Zach's will; Ryan was surprised with the news that Zach's casino was never sold; and, Kendall offered Madison a work-at-Kendall's-home gig for at least a month. I swear, Madison may be pregnant, but she has all the luck when it comes to job offers.

All My Children 1/7/11

"I am an actress!"

     The best fight I have seen in a long time on All My Children happened today between Colby and Damon. Damon caught Colby and Asher in a lip-lock and he exploded. I haven't found Colby to be the strongest actress, but this performance was very well done--for both young actors. Damon later told a consoling Liza what happened between them. And he (like Madison) declared he needed to leave town because of it. This consolation ended the episode with a surprising (or perhaps, not so surprising, as it seemed bound to happen with this close-working pair) kiss--Damon initiated the kissing. I have a feeling that on the ext episode Liza will pull away and ask what was that?!
     Kendall's blood pressure is down, but not "down where I'd like it," per Dr. Castillo, so who knows when she'll finally be able to leave the hospital? Kendall has spent a great deal of time over her life confined to a bed. Poor rich girl....On another note, comatose David mumbled, "Kendall" once Jack and Erica left his hospital room, with no one hearing this...unless the security camera in his room has audio--then, someone may have heard it in the control room. Anyone else find it bizarre that the woman who confessed to shooting David was allowed to linger in his room?
     Annie confronted war-waging Marissa. She told her she overheard Marissa suggesting JR fire her. Annie lied and told Marissa there was nothing going on between she and JR and maybe, just maybe, Marissa will start believing that little fib. I think Marissa needs to go back to her naive sweet-seeming ways. Maybe she wasn't just a massage therapist a few years ago when she was working at the brothel...

All My Children 1/6/11



"Well, this is interesting."

     I hope Kendall is no longer contagious, because Dr. Castillo thought it necessary to wheel her to David's hospital room where he has been for about a month trapped in a coma. If I were staying in the hospital (and I wonder how high her hospital bill must be as it's been a couple days now) and had had a nightmare about the man who had "killed" my husband, I would be beside myself in terror if my cardiologist took it upon himself to force me to see him. And you know, experts have said comatose patients can actually hear what is being said around them; so, when Kendall started accusing David of killing her husband and well, saying not so flattering things, I felt for him. Why would Dr. Castillo subject his mentor, David, to this hostility?
     I liked Liza when she first came on the scene. I liked her until she turned into Robo Attorney At Law. She is like JR in the sense that both show a lovable side (she with her mentoring of Damon as her paralegal and JR in his relationships with people he actually loves), but then they also show a rotten side (she with any defendant and he with Caleb). Anyway, today she and Damon discussed her broken relationship with Colby and Colby reenforced her distrust and distaste for Liza, her mother. Blah blah, boring boring. But, what wasn't boring was the kiss between Colby and Asher. I thought it was strange that she came pouring into the den (or whatever room that is) saying she didn't want to discuss her day with Asher and yet she stayed there with him. She was restless, flinging herself around on an armchair as he sat idly on a nearby ottoman. She asked if the cook (good ol' Lacretia) had prepared anything for lunch--Shouldn't she have gone into the kitchen to get food?! Anyway, the kiss was inevitable. But, what wasn't necessarily in the cards was Damon walking in and catching them in the act at that moment. So, good cliffhanger, "All My Children"!
     Erica denied her attraction to Caleb to Bianca, even though Bianca has caught them eyeing each other before today. Bianca has all the time on her hands to monitor this couple as she doesn't ever seem to be working at the Miranda Center.
     Annie caught JR lying to her...again. She saw him and Marissa at his 3-month remission checkup (I don't think there are any other doctors in PV except for the ones at the hospital). Why was Annie at the hospital, anyway?
     Okay, that's all for now. My 6-year-old son is telling me to get off the computer so he can play on the computer. Later!

All My Children 1/5/11

"Now, I'm going to give you my serious expression."

    
     Well, because ABC interrupted the last 15 minutes or so of "All My Children" today, I don't know what our daily cliffhanger turned out to be. If I had watched this episode when it originally aired, I suppose I could have caught the end on the Soap Network...Ah, well, I seem to always be a bit behind. Que sera sera--what if I didn't have cable? I wouldn't be able to watch the end. So there!
     Well, Dr. Castillo certainly must have no other patients in Pine Valley Hospital as he made an appearance to "check on" Kendall like three times on this one day. Maybe Kendall was his most critical gig of the day. I thought it a bit harsh when he snapped at Greenlee who was pleasantly asking if he might be interested in Madison. I think he may be interested in Kendall, after all--he and that reverend fellow from the All State Insurance commercials.
     Another busy man was Ryan. He visited JR and Scott, and Greenlee...always getting his holier-than-thou nose in everything. That crazy guy! Speaking of busy, how is it that Scott, who is in prison, can have SO MANY visitors? Sheesh, if that is how our prison system is (maximum security or minimum), we have problems.
     A sick Amanda mentioned to Annie how she was lucky Jake was trading his shift with someone else as she didn't know how she'd be able to handle herself today...even with an overpaid nanny to mind their baby, whom we haven't seen for a few weeks. Even though she was deathly ill, she managed to run to Krystal's Restaurant to pick up "Krystal's Famous Chicken Soup" and some meds. If she was that ill, why couldn't Jake run and do that...and do they not have any food in their own house?
     Annie stole the sickly idea from Amanda and feigned an illness for the benefit of raking in JR for some much-needed attention. After JR came running to Annie's hotel room, Marissa called to check on him only to tell him (with VERY MUCH CONCERN) that he couldn't be near a sick person because he is in remission. Annie, however, came clean to him after the phone call.
    In summation, I am not liking the new Marissa nor the new Scott....the acting so far leaves much to be desired....and Frankie, well, he needs acting lessons too.

All My Children 1/4/11

"Please stop clutching my arm! I am trying to sleep."

    
     Ryan is still outside of the loop. He still has no clue that Madison is pregnant...with his baby, nonetheless. On today's episode wesaw Madison chat briefly with her BFFs Randi and Frankie, which led her to the conclusion that hey, Pine Valley is my home and I finally have friends here! So, unwittingly perhaps, she phoned her latest arch-rival Greenlee to fill her in on the news that she'd be staying in PV, after all. So long, New York dreams!
     Ryan, meanwhile walked lovingly into Kendall's house to find his beloved Greenlee asleep on the couch, cradling a trying-to-pretend-he's sleeping Spike. While he was watching this familial scene, Annie was in his condo babysitting her daughter, who was ringing in the New Year asleep in her bedroom. JR stopped in to say hello to Annie and Annie told him she was looking forward to becoming his wife in 2011...did he even propose? Uh-oh, don't put the cart before the horse (one of my favorite expressions that has carried along with me from last year)!

     And sickly Kendall told a protective Erica that she felt like she was blocking something out...hmm, perhaps, the fact you shot a man and then pinned it on yo' mama?

All My Children 1/3/11

"Ugh, what's going on over on that roof?!"

     Happy New Year, Pine Valley! Well, well, well, we start 2011 with a bang, and I am liking it! I loved how the New Year rang in with Erica and Caleb kissing each other at the stroke of midnight. Now that was good writing...HOWEVER, the plot twist of Kendall being the one who actually shot David seems a bit contrived and made up last minute. Oh, and did I mention, she seems to have forgotten she did it and allowed Mother to take the fall for it? Too far-fetched. I don't like it....don't the detectives fingerprint all evidence in a murder case? Wouldn't Erica AND Kendall's fingerprints be all over the gun? They both have criminal records in Pine Valley, so surely, the forensic computers would have found matches to both women.

     Poor Kendall and that rough cough. I have been coughing for two months and my cough is still harsher than hers. I almost posted today's photo as Kendall's collapse, but when I saw the New Year's kiss, I thought, now that would be a sweet picture (sorry for the glare...on the photo, not on my face, hehe).

     I could say more about how creepy Liza is getting with her obsession with David, how much I truly adore Jack, and how silly I found Erica's voice-over letter to her mother, but I think we'll just stop for now. I have another episode to watch.

     Until later!