Comments through
July 11, 2003
(I’ll take the spoilers behind Door No. 2, please.)
This week it occurred to me
how much watching General Hospital has changed my life in a physical way.
Reasonably sane and reasonably vain, I enjoy clothes, makeup and hair that
allow me to live my life and feel presentable. What’s changed since soaps
entered my life is my perception of what looks good. A t-shirt can be
from Target and boast the latest picture or logo on the front but it must
fit. Skirts can be worn any day of the week just for the heck of it.
Make up has become my friend and I support my local lipstick company.
Years ago, when I worked in marketing outside my home packaging meant a
great deal. As a stay at home mom, looks slid to the bottom of the sock
drawer for later. When later, I didn’t know, but later when it mattered.
Watching soaps and seeing women who look beautiful Monday through Friday
(they even wake up wearing lip gloss) made me realize a few years ago that
later is now and feeling good about myself matters. So I have my hair
trimmed. I don’t feel guilty buying a top or jeans that fit well. And I
may be Mommy-the-Taxicab and housecleaning, but usually I’ll be driving
and vacuuming with at least a minimum of makeup. Am I vain? Yes, a bit.
Is putting on make up in the morning and planning my casual, but updated
wardrobe worth the effort? Definitely. My husband appreciates my
efforts. I still have days when baggy shorts and a loose shirt are like
comfort food, but not often. I have General Hospital to thank for
raising my standards and making me realize that feeling good about the way
I look is an acceptable mindset.
  
A pinch of this, a little of that and wha-la!
Instant glamour queen.
OK, I have to confess.
Everything I wrote in the above paragraph is true. However, it’s late,
the kids are in bed, my husband is working, and I am writing my thoughts
wearing baggy, blue and black plaid pajama pants with a big red t-shirt
and make up that’s pretty much worn off except for the black smudges under
my eyes. Apparently, like the carriage that changes back to a pumpkin at
the stroke of midnight, vanity evaporates after 9 p.m. and comfort rules.
Can you believe the nerve of
that woman? First, she made a play for the master bedroom and after being
relegated to the guest bedroom, she riffled through Sonny and Carly’s
personal items going so far as to don one of Carly’s dresses to see if she
could entice Sonny into hate sex. Sonny handled the situation in his
usual manly mature way – by ripping the dress off her. Unabashed Faith
spun Sonny’s reaction to a woman he despises wearing his wife’s clothes by
following Sonny around the room and trying to rub against him in her black
Frederick’s of Hollywood undies. “A man doesn’t rip a woman’s dress off
unless he wants what’s underneath.” “You want me more than you’ve ever
wanted her.” “You are on fire and I can feel it. And you can’t fight
this any more than I can.” I was cracking up. She brazenly made her play
pushing Sonny’s buttons like a pro until she made the mistake of touching
the master’s hair. I guess it’s hard to be deep when you’re speaking
through clenched teeth so Sonny knocked her hand away and grabbed her head
and made a grand statement, “Don’t.You. Touch. My. Hair.” Ooh, eloquent,
Sonny.
 
Dirty Dancing - sing with me now, “Do you love me?
Now that I can dance?”
It began with a simple
kidnapping by Sonny’s brother to steal his pregnant wife’s child - one bad
guy, one kidnapping. Got it. But the layers keep stacking up. Alcazar
figured out what Ric did and wants to use the knowledge of Carly’s
whereabouts to force Sonny to allow him to run drugs. Faith’s faking love
with Sonny so she can make betrayal strides towards Alcazar for the FBI.
Sonny’s playing along so the FBI will search for Carly. Jason’s
investigating Alcazar because Sonny’s insisting, but trying to focus on
Ric because he knows Ric has Carly. Michael knows Ric did the bad deed
but only Jason believes him. I just thought I’d do a quick review because
the layers are about to stack even higher this week and I don’t want
anyone to lag behind on the who did what to whom and why sidetrips.
 
Ric tells Carly he’s sorry. Alcazar tells Carly how
sorry Ric is.
Neither of them lets her out of the room.
With both Courtney and Carly
away from Jason and Sonny, they are forced to hold the same conversation
repeatedly. Jason insists, “Sonny, Ric kidnapped Carly. We need to go
after Ric.” Sonny angrily responds, “Forget Ric! It’s Alcazar.” It’s
like a loop in filming that keeps replaying. The color of Jason’s t-shirt
changes but the words remain the same.
 
Jason: Ric took Carly and you’re gonna be sorry you
didn’t listen.
Sonny: Forget Ric. You are not being rational. It’s Alcazar.
Yada, yada, yada.
Maybe Jason can become better
acquainted with Dillon at the PCPD since Dillon’s holding down a chair for
running away with Georgie and Scotty caught Jason in the act of listening
to headphones in a van. If Dillon pays close attention, he can learn how
to really steam Edward with a few blank looks.
Don’t weep for me, Georgie.
I am Rebel Without a Cause.
Tough guy with cell phone and credit cards.
Apparently, it’s open bra
season on soaps. I’m trying to move with the times and while I value
modesty, I don’t consider myself a prude. Cleavage and plunging necklines
are a good thing, mainly because I yearn for a chest able to pull off a
cleavage or plunging neckline. But bras worn with strapless tops or
dresses as a fashion statement, oh and the bedhead look, slips worn as
tops, and underwear peeking out, belong in the fashion dumpster for fads
that flopped. Feel free to disagree but these are my least favorite
trends of the moment.
Press the button Liz! It’s
your house. There’s a strange button in the bookcase. Press the darn
button! Even with a headache, how long does it take to decide to press a
button?
For the button impaired.
When Carly and Sonny finally
reunite, I’m thinking they’ll have claustrophobia in common.
Do you think Ric waits until
Liz leaves and then dashes into the panic room for Carly’s dirty laundry?
Carolyn wrote a great column last week about nubies and how we should
cut them a break because they are…well, new. I agree and that’s why I
rarely comment on nubies or new characters unless I have something nice to
say. This week will be the exception. On Friday we had the unique
experience of seeing a nuNubie in Lydia. My passing thought was that she
came across like a perky red-headed Chloe with a snotty attitude. Then I
noted the testosterone overload at GH as Lydia and Lucky traded insults,
Nicholas returned from his blood test and Zander and Emily came by after
the chemo treatment. All three men immediately moved to Emily like she
was a magnet and left Lydia standing alone. I thought, “Gee, sucks to be
Lydia.” Not bad so far, right? But then Lydia and Lucky kissed in the
elevator and I saw Lydia’s tongue as she kissed Lucky. Twice. Eeewwww!
Part of me felt sympathy for this actor who was handed a kissing scene on
her first day with unfamiliar costars. The other part of me didn’t enjoy
the way she played it. I do not want to see French kissing on my
afternoon soap! Not that I am opposed to the practice as a rule, I just
don’t think it plays well on screen. Romance makes me happy - graphic
demonstrations turn me off. Don’t mess with my rose colored glasses.
 
Emily enters the vicinity and draws all the
testosterone to her.
Lydia experiences MAD - Male Attention Deficit.
 
Perky but
snotty Sleezy
Note to hair and makeup – if
Emily comes on screen and the first thing I notice is how much lipstick or
gloss she’s sportin’, maybe it should be toned down a little. Emily and
Zander kissed and I found myself checking Zander’s mouth to see how much
lipstick he was wearing instead of watching the scene.
 
Emily thinks, “Hmm. Still have hair, need more red
lipstick.”
Zander looks at Emily’s lips and wonders how much red
will end up on him.
“Zander, I am so, so sorry I
hurt you.” And Zander replied, ”No, I’m sorry.” And I responded, “No,
you’re both sorry.’ Don’t get me wrong, a few days of happiness between
Zander and Emily thrills my sappy soul. However, Emily’s elaborate
hurtful ruse to push Zander away should have been scrapped when Zander
deduced from all the hospital visits and fainting spells that drug
addiction wasn’t the correct term for Emily’s problem. Unfortunately,
that didn’t happen. Plus, Zander’s being way too understanding
considering his hot temper and snap decision making self. And they’re
both sorry for kissing and making up right in front of the window at
Kelly’s knowing Gia was sitting inside witnessing her feelings for Zander
being tossed into the waste basket.
Sigh. Lost the prince, lost the bad boy.
That would be principled,
nice nuGia as opposed to snotty, blackmailing,
I’m-too-sexy-for-mere-earthlings Gia. I like nuGia but she should be
given a different name and considered a new character because the chick I
see on screen bears no resemblance to the character first introduced - not
in personality or looks.
Hey Lucky, remember Summer?
Beautiful blond woman who took a dive off a cliff on Spoon Island? The
woman whose death you vowed to avenge? The kicker here being that the
recently visible devil may care, smiling Lucky with Lydia draws me
immediately whereas the whiny, angsty Lucky I’ve seen for the past few
years leaves me cold. What if nunuLucky and nuGia get together and the
big reveal will be that their names are really Bob and Sally, two
completely new characters? While we’re at it, let’s pretend that whiny
Lucky and haughty Gia went away to an exclusive charm school in
Switzerland founded by Helena using her unique brainwashing techniques.
Isn’t Ned sternly parental
with Skye? “Skye, if you do one more thing that might hurt Kristina, I’m
going to tell you that you won’t be able to see Kristina. Again. And if
you do anything else that I don’t approve of, I’m going to tell you to
stop or you won’t be able to see Kristina. Again.” That about covers
Ned’s handling of Skye’s vendetta against Alexis.
Ned, I promise to behave for at least the next 15
seconds.
Could some nice person e-mail me and tell me
Why Alice was wearing turquoise and a hat?
I read a funny spoiler at
wubs.net this week. Courtney confronts
Faith. Oh
goody, Courtney confronts Faith for about the 800th time. I
hope she brings her right hook to the party. Maybe Faith can bring her
snake and her nany-nany-boo-boo-I’m-sleeping-with-Sonny fancy pants
sleepwear. Let’s invite Liz in her tough girl biker chick clothes and
Emily can participate in her Jason’s-my-big-brother protective bubble. It
might go something like this…
   
These are the players.
Pretend they’re strolling in the park.
Faith and Courtney come face to face in the park.
Faith: Hello, little bunny. Do my lover and your lover know someone left
the cage door open?
Courtney (eyes narrowed): Do Sonny and the FBI know you’re out trolling
in the park?
Faith: That’s the difference between grown ups and little girls. Grown
ups stroll and little girls troll because they don’t know what to look for
in a man. I, on the other hand, having experienced your brother as well
as…let’s say other delights...know the difference between the real thing
and playing house with my brother’s trained dog.
Courtney (eyes narrowed, stepping closer): Sonny never slept with you.
He wouldn’t touch you if you paid him. He loves Carly, which you will
never understand because you don’t know about love, only sex.
Faith (smiling and stroking her transparent cover up): Think what you
like little bunny. But if Sonny and I don’t have anything meaningful, how
come I can describe the inside of the master bedroom? In vivid detail.
Want to know what your brother keeps in his underwear drawer?
Courtney (eyes narrowed and fists clenched): You’re a liar, Faith. (Hey,
it’s not my fault Courtney doesn’t get the snarky lines.)
Liz in her biker chick clothes and Emily in her protective bubble stroll
up.
Liz states: You don’t scare me Faith! (She screams when Faith shakes her
with her trusty snake-in-a-bag.)
Emily steps out of her protective bubble to shake her finger in Faith’s
face declaring in her whisper voice that drives me crazy sometimes: If
you touch me or my friends, Jason will kill you.
Emily turns to Courtney with tears in her eyes and says still whispering:
I am so, so sorry. (I don’t know what she’s sorry for, but that’s Emily’s
favorite line.)
Courtney, fists ready to swing, moves to stand beside Emily and it’s a
face-off between the MOB Moll with a snake and Charlie’s Angels of
daytime.
Aren’t spoilers fun? They
grab my imagination and send it swirling into spasms of happy dances. Two
other spoilers that entertained me this week were posted at
GHH2. I’d say some justice is fixin’ to roll over Ric. “At
Martha's Vineyard, Ric gets tossed down a flight of stairs, courtesy of
Sonny,” and “Ric gets a turn in Carly's place, thanks to Jason.”
Deep inside me a particle of hope must reside vainly
wishing that Ric might be redeemed. The only way I can see it happening
is if Sonny and Ric connect on some deep
tortured-in-childhood-that’s-why-I’m-a-screwed-up-immoral-miscreant sorta
way. The world of soaps revolves around empathy and so far, Ric’s empathy
bank is way in the red. Sage said a while ago that rumors are floating
around regarding Ric’s father making an appearance so I am curious to see
how the brother relationship evolves. Not that I’ll trust Ric, but it
tickles my funny bone to think of Sonny, MOB kingpin control freak,
dealing with a sister who won’t listen, a mentally unstable brother,
Michael, a baby and Carly. What’s that phrase? What doesn’t kill you
makes you stronger. Better eat your Wheaties, Sonny.
And now, it’s time
for NIGHT, NIGHT
JOHN BOY.
She carefully climbed
into bed and pulled the blanket to her chin. So far, so good. If she
could keep her rebellious stomach calm, maybe she could sleep through the
night. Trying not to allow hopelessness overwhelm her, she wondered how
she was going to survive another day with a brave, unfrightened face. The
charade was becoming harder and harder to maintain and a part of her
wanted to scream and never stop. She tried to focus on the love but found
the faces of her family hard to visualize. She would not cave in. Though
the walls surrounding her seemed to be closing in, she determinedly
planned her next move. Let the games begin.
Pausing in the act of
washing her face, she smiled at the sound of a baby crying. One little
baby had the inhabitants of the whole house jumping at her every whim. It
had been years since a child ruled the roost, and she found herself
appreciating small events like Edward cooing over the pram and family
members smiling and talking baby talk. Turning off the bathroom light,
she tiredly moved into the bedroom throwing her dressing gown over the
back of a chair. The bed would be empty again tonight as duty always came
first. Mentally making a list she reviewed her busy schedule for the next
day as she faded into sleep.
Satisfaction
sweetened his mood as he considered his position. Through very little
effort of his own, he would soon be in a position to force his hand. He
found himself liking this place and enjoying the inhabitants of Port
Charles. Considered aloof and cold, he used his reputation to good
advantage, but underneath the hard exterior a passionate man existed. A
few beautiful women had crossed his path and without emotion, he
considered who he would like to grace his bed. There would be a woman
soon, he thought as he closed his eyes and settled onto the richly
appointed bed.
Lots of activity swirled
around my house this week including a storm on Wednesday afternoon and
workers in my backyard building a deck. Plants happily soaked up the
rain, the boards and various materials are looking more like a deck each
day and sometime during the activity on Wednesday, my cable went kablooey.
No GH for me. Though I have SoapNet and I was able to tape the episode on
Saturday, taping only works if one sets the VCR correctly - which I
didn’t. So, if I made any way off comments, it’s probably because I
missed an important story changing scene on Wednesday. Feel free to
enlighten me. May your electronic devices all work properly and may your
cable company promptly repair all equipment. Happy July. Thanks for
stopping by.
http://www.internetbumperstickers.com
Photo credit for this week:
http://groups.msn.com/GHWorld3/shoebox.msnw
Mama said there’d be days like this.
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