john and marlena…gone forever?

So growing up I was an avid ABC soap opera fan.  All My Children, One Life to Live and General Hospital.  Not by choice necessarily but because my mom watched them.  She taped them every day.  On a VHS tape.  Watched them either during days she didnt work, or after work when I was home.  It was a nice escape, but I always felt like I was into them because I had to be.

Then I start Freshman year of college, and all my dorm associates are watching Days of Our Lives in the common room.  A show I had never watched, but I remember the first plot line when I started being around the time that Marlena was possessed my the devil.  Then came lady in a cage.  Then so much more genius.  Kyle from the Real World started acting as Phillip.  Bella changed.  Shawn changed. Patch came back. Vivian left. None of this happened in this order, but I used to keep up for sure.  Even after I moved to SF, I would TIVO it and watch it somewhat regularily.  The great thing with soap operas is that they basically re-play the entire episode from the day before that day…nothing really ever happens.

Anyway long story short…Days of Our Lives for a brief 10 some-odd years was actually pretty important to me.  I even read the updates daily if I missed the episode.

This blog is written with great sadness in news I just found out.  On Wednesday, “Days of Our Lives” announced that it was firing two of the soap’s biggest stars: Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn.  What the eff is Days of Our Lives without John and Marlena?  I guess because of who they are, they require more money…so they got rid of them before they had to get rid of more newbies.  But check out these stats according to imdb.com They are on the first page of credits, and have both played multiple roles. (ususally different versions of themselves.)

Deidre Hall- Dr. Marlena Evans. (581 episodes, 1976-2008)

Drake Hogestyn- John Black (466 episodes, 1986-2008)

For shame.  Good thing I dont “really” care anymore anyway.  I stopped watching years ago.

Im sure someone will miss you…i mean..they have their own wiki. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Black_and_Marlena_Evans

Three hour time suck

So i am obsessed with So You Think You Can Dance.  The unfortunate part about this obsession is it has been monopolizing my mid-week after work time.  (Thanks to Mick for being so understanding). Two hours on Wednesdays and one on Thursday for the elimination, and Im stuck on my couch watching Twitch and Kerrington and Matt and Courtney and all of the other dancers wearing awesome costumes and moving in ways I could only dream of.  I mean seriously.  Splits and twists and grace.  I am by far not the most graceful person in the world, and I would love to be that bendy.

Seriously.  These kids are super talented.  You get a hip-hop guy doing the tango, and a contemporary artist doing the fox-trot and thats entertainment.

During the results show, they pull in “professional” dancers in one genre to kill time.  Last week it was this asian hip-hop dance troup, and they performed this killer routine to Blackalicious’ Chemical Calisthenics, and I had never heard the song before.  Loved it, and so at least I can say that even though this show is sucking my valuable time away from me…I got new music out of it.

These are not the contestants.

I didn’t watch the show last seasons.  I may have been better off.  With no new programming this summer, the reality shows are pulling me in, but this is the only one that Im finding I cant live without.  If only someone would shoot Mary in the face and destroy her toothy grin…then I’d be ok.

time to relax

So i just cant believe its only tuesday.  This week is turning out just as anticipated, everything happening at once.  Its challenging, exciting, and making me feel like a grown-up, but man is this exhausting.

Is it sad that the only thing I want to do is sit in front of the TV and watch American Idol?  I have no idea who I want to win.  All I know is that its Dolly Parton night.  Man, her breasts are something.

That is all.