A few quick thoughts and news bites, all related to Guiding Light:
AND BABY MAKES THREE: Congratulations to Jessica Leccia (Natalia) and husband Brian Malloy on the birth of their daughter, Ivy. (Since many Otalia addicts call Natalia “Dimples,” don’t be surprised to hear them warmly refer to Ivy as “Baby Dimples!”)
Crystal Chappell (Olivia) sent word via Twitter about Ivy’s arrival. Hope mom, dad and baby are doing well!
ELEGY AND IRONY: Rumor has it that the return of one major GL character ties into a dramatic storyline with another major character being seriously ill. (Savvy Internet surfers may be able to put 2 and 2 together, but I’ll leave it to your imagination for now.)
If the rumor is true, a beloved character will be ill and share tragic news with family and friends: s/he only has three months to live. Which, ironically, is the remaining length of time Guiding Light will play on CBS.
Nelson Branco at TVGuide Canada suggested this story for Reva a few months back. (Reva isn’t the character mentioned in the current rumors.) If GL does have a major character die, I think it may be a beautiful way to underscore the end of the show and let fans grieve the loss of an old friend. Of course, Reva recovered from her illness, and if GL gets a reprieve (and a new home), the ending could easily be reworked, so it’s probably smart on that front, too.
THE CLOCK IS TICKING: Speaking of Twittering, a few members of the GL cast Twittered from the set of the Bauer barbeque, and an unexpected name popped up on the guest list: Morley Safer. It appears 60 Minutes is doing a piece on GL, its history and its cancellation. Despite the circumstances, I’m optimistic about this.
I hope 60 Minutes shows GL a great deal more respect than The Early Show, a program that treated the cancellation like a big joke (and gave a big, unfriendly elbow to the Save The Light rallygoers). Most news programs take soaps out of context, playing snippets of over-the-top moments out of context. But I’m hoping that 60 Minutes talks about the history of soaps, especially as they existed on CBS. After all, the profits from soaps supported the unprofitable news operations at EVERY network for years!
SEX AND THE CITY PEAPACK: I loved the scenes between Crystal Chappell and Liz Keifer today; they had me sore from laughing, but also cheering these two. Olivia and Blake have so much in common, and Blake was a perfect ear to hear Olivia’s frustrations. The scenes in the, ahem, gift and novelty shop had me in shock. Was I really in Springfield? And I was glad Blake mentioned Ross, if even for a second, and acknowledged that not a day goes by that she doesn’t miss him. (Yes, I know, it’s three Liz Keifer mentions in a week. No, I’m not her new press agent!)
A | THOUSAND | OTHER | WORLDS 
Hmmm…Michelle and Ed are returning? Is Ed going to die? Do I want to watch this? NO.
GL has been hilariously raunchy/naughty this week, with Josh and Olivia’s banter regarding his wanting her “muffin,” as well her trouble getting her “engine” started. Why GL didn’t go for a quick hook-up, one that Liv would feel guilty about afterwards, I don’t know. As a mature woman exploring her (bi?)sexuality, testing her attraction to men would seem natural. (It reminded me of her aborted make-out session with Bill several months ago.)
As far as Blake and Olivia in the “novelty” shop…Blake seems to have forgotten that Jeffrey, not Ross, was her last lover, but it’s good to know that she’s takin’ care of business! Hope Olivia uses her newly-purchased cordless battery-powered handheld blender to mix up her muffin batter soon…
Ant, I will say that I don’t believe it’s Ed that’s sick. I’m intrigued by the rumors, and think it may be a really great idea AND a solution to will-the-show-live-or-won’t-it.
The spoiler about the returning character and the sick character has totally thrown me. Even if the show ends in September, as I’m expecting it will, I’ll find that particular development too heart-wrenching.
I said I wanted more Liz Keifer, and we got more Liz Keifer. And she kicked butt today.
Very happy for Jessica, hubby and baby.
The part about Ed’s return…I’m wavering between two characters being sick. Both would be heartbreaking to see die.
Later in the episode, Blake clarified about how she uses such devices to not make mistakes. Jeffrey would fall into the mistake category in my book. I didn’t take it that she saying that she hasn’t had sex since Ross died, just that without him, she resorted to artificial means instead of getting involved in a meaningless physical relationship even if she did have offers.
I felt they were using it to compare Olivia having the real thing with Natalia to Blake who had that kind of relationship with Ross until he passed. Around this time 15 years, Blake and Ross first got married, not that I think they show may have realized that when writing this scenes.
BL, I think all of us will be upset about who may potentially die. But considering the circumstances and the fact that GL is in better hands these days, I think it might make for a powerful ending.
I hope 60 Minutes does indeed show GL respect. In fact, I think a long-form documentary (like the Ken Burns takes on jazz and baseball) about the history of soaps would be a very worthwhile project for some enterprising documentarian, with additional critical analysis on the current state of soaps and its future.
I think some of the things GL has done and even a few things said or left to the imagination are absolutely hilarious. Glad they have decided to let it all hang out. It just makes it even more true to life than it has been. What a great way to leave CBS.
I am so happy for Jessica and Brian. Welcome to Ivy, aka Baby Dimples.
I think Phillip is the one who is sick. Don’t know why, just a gut feeling.