July 25, 2008
Oh my gosh! Today is my last day. After spending most of my summer here, I AM SO SAD to be leaving.

I just really want to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to the Weekly and Digest staffs. Every single one of them was kind, welcoming and supportive. This internship was so much fun. I learned quite a bit about magazine publishing, the daytime genre, and working in a office — all VERY important things to know for future jobs! Anyone who applies for an internship here will learn a lot and have the opportunity to meet some really amazing people (and if you're like me, you will become a much faster typer, too!). I am very thankful for my time here and plan on keeping in touch with many of the people I have met. I am really going to miss quite a few of them a lot. I still can't believe my time here is over.

But you know what's not over? Rex and Bo in 1968. So be sure to tune in!

July 24, 2008
Didn't you love the OLTL anniversary episodes? I sure did. One really great treat was the scenes between Mel and Dorian. I had never seen these two characters interact — and prior to Dorian pouring the alcohol down Charlie's throat, I had never even heard of Mel Hayes. The interaction between the duo made Dorian seem softer and far more vulnerable than I think I have ever seen her. My favorite moment was when she realized he was there and jumped on him in excitement. It was so innocent and fresh, especially for character as rigid and cold as she can be — I could not get over it. I loved when Mel demanded that Dorian stop living her life in Viki's shadow. We all know she won't listen, but it was great to hear! Also, I thought it was an interesting twist to have Mel try and get Dorian to admit that she had feelings for Charlie. For me, it came out of left field. My thought was if there was a triangle with Viki and Charlie, the third wheel would be either Roxy or Lindsay. Hmm... I have to say, when Dorian blew Mel a kiss good-bye and waved him off, I started to tear up. Major, major kudos to Robin Strasser and Stephen Markle. All the elements of the anniversary episodes were great, but the Dorian/Mel scenes went above and beyond.

July 16, 2008
Can we talk about shocking moments for a second? With the internet fan sites revealing anything and everything, it is very infrequent when there is a surprising moment on screen. I got to tell you, Langston and Markko announcing their intention to make a sex tape got me!

I don't remember if I read about it in the previews but for some reason that scene slipped my mind. Or I totally didn't believe it and therefore disregarded it as a rumor. Seriously! Had I not seen the scene, I would not have believed it aired. Especially for that couple — Langston and Markko?!? When I saw what Langston was wearing, I was so confused. Who was the promiscuous girl? And why do I have a bad feeling? Bad moved to shocking when the words "sex tape" were spoken. Langston and Markko? Sex tape? Why are two sixteen year olds making a sex tape?

I thought it was interesting that Langston had taken in upon herself, and enlisted Markko, to break up David and Addie. I know she is loyal to Dorian, but I feel like she would have talked to Dorian before making such a bold move. I really hope that David tells Dorian what Langston did. She is a sixteen year old girl and should not be behaving like this! Let's hope Dorian can set her straight. Plus Robin Strasser and Brittany Underwood have crazy mother-daughter chemistry, so a scene between them would be more than welcome!

To be honest, I didn't see a point to those scenes other than shock value — and you got me! Boy, was I shocked! Was there a recent moment on soaps that really blew your mind?

July 9, 2008
We now have proof that GH's Claudia is a hot mess. However, her telling Sonny about her being sexually molested does not change the fact that she was involved in shooting a 12-year-old boy in the head. I just really needed to say that. I mean, I feel bad for her, but it does not cancel her crimes.

I am so confused with this Zacchara family storyline. I understand that Claudia needed to confess and be all crazy, but why go to Sonny? Why not go to Nik or Jason? Or even Ric? But Sonny? She has only two connections to Sonny — one night of no-name sex, and that time she tried to kill him but got his son shot instead. Clearly he's the man to have an extremely personal conversation with....

There were other people Claudia could have turned to. Nik already knows the extent of her crimes; wouldn't it make more sense for her to show him more of her true colors? And on the other side of the spectrum, Jason witnessed Claudia go all "big sister" on Spinelli, a striking contrast to "whore" and "slut." But if we were really going for destructive and crazy, why not go to Ric? He's Trevor's son, so how perfect would it be for Claudia to prove her father right by sleeping with father and son? I think it would be great for there to be a storyline between Claudia and Ric. The elements are there. Ric is bitter and angry because his mother abandoned him and left her son with a cold, hurtful man. Claudia is bitter and angry because said hurtful man AND her father both harmed her, physically and emotionally. The duo has daddy issues, anger issues, violence issues, issues with their brothers, their parents...the list is ongoing. Claudia and Ric would be a really interesting pair to be explored, but first she needs to get away from Sonny. He has enough "lady" problems.

And a bit off-topic: Although I loved the Noah/Patrick scenes in the OR, it kind of got me thinking — If I ever have surgery, I really hope the doctors are not a father/son pair. I also hope that the son doesn't blurt out to the father that he's going to be a parent. How can the Drs. Drake focus on the brain in front of them AT ALL?

July 8, 2008
Clearly hanging out with the mob has messed with Lulu's head on GH. I don't even know where to begin with this. What happened to her smarts?

Lulu watches (for a while, might I add) as Logan beats up on Maxie. She is a safe distance away, a whole building away, and at this moment safe. Now I'm pretty sure she had her phone in her pocket — I was shaking my head in frustration at this point, so I forget — anyway, she gets her phone out when she is inside the penthouse and ANSWERS it when Logan calls. Yeah, that's great. You know he saw you and you stay in the penthouse to chat on the phone? Great plan.

Then she calls Lucky. Okay, I kind of understand this one, he's her brother and a cop, but she gets no answer. HOWEVER, then she calls Maxie. You remember Maxie, right? The girl she watched get beat up and pass out on the floor? Lulu calls Maxie, while still standing in the middle of the penthouse. Still sticking to the plan, apparently. And then Logan arrives. Lulu runs and grabs a knife. I mean, it's not like she lost her phone. WHY HASN'T SHE CALLED 911 YET? Clearly the mob has taught her the PC "truth": The PCPD is good for nothing, and the mob are the only people who can save you. Too bad Lulu's own dark hero was supposedly meeting with his father....

Ugh.

July 7, 2008
Where is the love, Llanview? Where is the love?

While watching ONE LIFE TO LIVE last Thursday, all I could think was where is the love? When it comes to summer, all I really want is one great love story. Is that so much to ask? I am not feeling the love, ONE LIFE.

Given the cliffhanger on Thursday, we can kind of see the ends of Bo/Lindsay and Clint/Nora on the near horizon. Clint specifically told Nora not to tell Bo about Lindsay's secret. There is no love for the Buchanan boys.

Keeping it in the family, Jessica/Tess has recently buried her husband, and I can't imagine them bringing her on a love interest without a large amount of backlash. I am not sure how long we will have to wait for Jess/Tess to get a love story, but I am thinking not until after the new baby is born. Twin sister Natalie is in a relationship, but not a good one. I know that Natalie and Jared are in love, but the price is too high for this love story to be considered romantic. Natalie has given up EVERYTHING to be with Jared, and meanwhile he has only gained. I'm sorry, but that is not romantic or appealing at all. (Okay, it's kind of appealing — but only because of the smashing chemistry between Melissa Archer and John Brotherton!) Meanwhile, Mommy Viki is on the outs with Charlie. Can she forgive him for lying? Can he prove what Dorian did? For the sake of this couple, let's hope!

Bringing it over to the Mannings, all we are seeing is destruction. Todd is currently raping Marty's mind. It is awful and sinister and totally sickening to watch. Whenever I watch a "sweet" moment between Todd and Marty, I get the chills — and not the good kind. I don't like the idea of a rapist claiming his victim once again. Speaking of Todd and Marty, I think it might be the beginning of the end for their kiddies. Cole has expressed interest in suing Starr for custody of their baby — which I fully support and encourage, btw! — but there is no way that this duo can stick to their word AND stay together. Starr does not want to be a teenage mommy. I can't blame her, but Cole does want to be a dad to this baby. I cannot see him giving up custody of his baby to somebody else. The only way for them to each get what they want is by breaking up. Cole can play daddy, while Starr plays normal teen. But Cole and Starr can't play these things while still dating. Plus, I think a trial will break them up either way. They both seem to be willing to fight for what they believe in, and they may be willing to fight dirty. Remember Marcie kidnapping Tommy/Sam? You know, because THAT's not mentioned every day. But Starr could bring up Cole's problem with steroids! This case could get personal and dirty REALLY quickly. So, no romance here. Starr's mommy, meanwhile, is being tested with John. I kind of like them, but I can't see John and Blair having some big romantic story, especially with Marty still around. I am not sure what the end game is here, but if I were a betting woman, I would not put my money on Blair and John.

Two couples that are together are Talia and Antonio, and Sarah and Cristian. While these couples are currently on an adventure, the story is not about their relationships. Sarah's story is clearly about her mother, and — as revealed in a GREAT cliffhanger on Thursday — Talia's is about her father. It is actually a fantastic breath of fresh air to be watching a story about parental relationships that does not have to do with custody or meat hooks.

That leaves us with Rex and Gigi. If you watched the Daytime Emmys, you know that OLTL is banking on Starr and Cole and Rex and Gigi to draw viewers in this summer. Starr and Cole clearly have a great, soapy story, but Rex and Gigi seem to be the couple to root for. "Believe it will happen" it read for Gigi in the commercial; "Believe it's not the end" it read for Rex. Is this our great romance of the summer? I might believe it, if it felt like they EVER shared a scene. Now, I know this isn't true, but I feel like Gigi and Rex haven't shared a scene since Rex and Adriana's wedding. I know that have shared a few, I specifically remember the BE board meeting, but there has only been one longing glance that I can recall. And shirtless, daddy-playing Brody was hugging Gigi at the time! It was soapy and fun, but give me more! If this is the couple I am supposed to root for, we need more scenes with them. I mean, before the wedding, I totally thought Rex was in love with Gigi, but after marrying Adriana and still not doing anything, I am not so sure. Something needs to happen for me to connect with this couple again — which means they need to share a scene!

And speaking of Brody, does the man own a shirt? Not that I’m complaining...

June 30, 2008
Today on GH, we saw Patrick take some form of medication. I am a little curious about what it was. I know it was alluded to that it was for Anna kicking his butt, but I don't think that was it. Maybe it was for a headache from fighting with Robin? Nope, I don't think that was it, either. I actually think it was part of his HIV protocol.

Originally, Robin planned on getting pregnant by going to a sperm bank. No matter who the father of her baby was, though, Robin had every intention of being artificially inseminated. When Robin and Patrick had sex, the condom broke, and she became pregnant. That means Patrick was exposed to HIV. Now, this happened in December, and the baby is due in October, so who knows what timetable the writers are using. Six months could really mean either June or July. Back in January, Robin overheard Dr. Julian tell Patrick that his test results came back negative. Even still, patients are advised to stay on protocol and have another test in six months. Was Patrick taking that pill a subtle reminder that this is an HIV pregnancy? And that he was exposed?

I was very confused a few weeks ago when Robin was diagnosed with an incompetent cervix; it was never mentioned that this could have been from HIV, or that HIV could or could not compromise her condition. Yet, a few months ago, after Claudia refused to allow Robin to treat Johnny, Patrick and Robin discussed briefly how they could handle having an HIV+ baby. It was not a very detailed conversation, and it played heavily on the hypothetical and the faith they have in one another. It seems like HIV, for this story, is meant to be emotional and not medical. Shouldn't it be both?

And assuming July, and not June, is the sixth-month test for Patrick, will we get a scene like last time, where he and Robin were sitting on the Scorpio couch, waiting for the call? Is the possibility that he could have HIV even a thought in Patrick's mind this time around? I sure hope so! I personally think he has a lot more riding on this test.

Although I am surprisingly enjoying the story thus far, I am curious where it will go from here. I am wondering if after we deal with both Patrick and Robin's abandonment issues when it comes to their parents, if then we will then move back into the medical issues.