The only reason I am embedding this is because I ADORE the "pause" capture that YouTube randomly selected:



To be perfectly honest, I have no idea what happens in this promo beyond the hi-fucking-larious Hillary B. Smith/Tina Sloane scene. It doesn't matter how many times I watch it, that's the ONLY thing that sticks out in my mind. (That's probably not a very good thing, is it? Whoops.) Well, that and Michael Sabatino's "My boots!" Heh.

Seriously, with no words, those two brilliant women steal the entire promo. I must say, it's wonderful to see Tina break away from the lovely Lillian & be seemingly every inch the glamour-puss. And isn't her house gorgeous? But all of that is a moot point ("a moo point," says Joey Tribbiani). WHAT. THE. HELL. is Hillary doing to her?!?!

I am dead. No, really. DEAD.

The general response to this promo pic/screencap is that Nora is either holding Tea back or comforting her. Or, perhaps, a little bit of both.

So, is it wrong that my first response upon seeing this picture was that Nora is actually using Tea as a human shield? No? Okay, then. Heh.




I really love how in a crisis, the citizens of a soap will always rally together no matter how unlikely the combinations seem. Nora & Tea? So not friends. Nora & Todd? LOATHE each other. And that's putting it mildly. But here they find themselves, fighting on the same side. Weird. But not actually. This is what happens when a child is at stake.

Man, I love soaps. Hee.

And that is all I had to say. Seriously. I suck.

*** Before this post rambles on, let me just say that I hope my flist had a lovely Thanksgiving. I really hope that it was far less painful than mine. I hate my body weight and have longed for death ever since. Also, my poor liver was sad because it got shafted -- too much food left almost no room for alcohol. Poor, poor liver. :-( ***


I have not updated since the lights went out on Guiding Light. Meaning, I haven't updated since September 18, 2009. *blink* The worst part about that? I really have nothing to update. You ask where I've been and all I can say is, "I was hiding under the porch because I love you." In two months time, I have done nothing interesting, save for a little karaoke. Heh. I am the most boring person on Earth.

In light of THAT Earth-shattering revelation, I am just going to blather on about my pop culture interests as of late, some of which are quickly turning into full-blown obsessions. Ruh-roh. The fangirl's heart wants what it wants, I suppose. On with the show...


( An asinine amount of television... )

Wow. I watch far too much fucking TV. And that list doesn't even cover HALF of what I watch. Ack.

So, yeah. That's my life. It's pathetic, I know, but it's mine and I own it. With pride. Heh. Now, I will just leave you with two little bits of insane joy before I go away... to watch more TV. Ha.




And because I never go to a party without a gift...

( A random batch of icons filled with soapy goodness... )

"You managed to find something worthwhile in me, something salvageable, even when I couldn't. This is gonna sound really crazy, but I used to picture what it would be like to live with you...

... Anyway, I hope you don't mind, but I'm gonna come visit every once in a while.

I surely am gonna miss you."

Is Guiding Light perfect? Certainly not. Even during its various "lightning in a bottle eras", to quote the legendary (and very missed) Jerry Ver Dorn, GL had its flaws. At various points in time, those flaws were more pronounced than others, but when it was good? It was spectacular. The last "lightning in a bottle" era is, arguably, the early-to-mid '90s. And that's when I discovered this amazing show.

Guiding Light has been a part of my life, on and off, for roughly the last 17 years. That's more than half my life. I have known many of these characters longer than I have known some family members and most of my friends. I am realizing that this is very much like a death in the family. I am at a loss, and I don't quite know how to say goodbye. The idea that, come Monday, Blake or Vanessa or Phillip or Josh or Reva or Olivia will no longer be available to me is rather unfathomable. The idea that Rick won't be around to kill another patient is confusing. The idea that Alexandra will not be around to skewer anyone at the country club leaves me empty. The idea that Holly will no longer be able to stop by Springfield to discuss love with her daughter (or push her in a pool) is heart-breaking. How does one SAY goodbye to a small but significant part of more than half their life?

My answer is to go back and embrace that which I loved. REALLY loved. I decided that the best way to honor GL's memory and incomparable contribution to pop culture would be through a retrospective of some of my favorite moments. What you will find here is really just a sampling of some of the moments that I have truly embraced over the years. A large sampling, but a sampling, nonetheless. If I had access to more, you would find more here. But, alas...

At certain points in my life, Guiding Light has meant more to me than I could ever adequately express, and now that we find ourselves at the end, I realize that the overriding feeling I will be walking away with is... love. I love this show. Even still. Is there a lot that I would change about these last few years? Of course. But, I do not have the power to do that, and so in the end, I just want to hold the respect, gratitude, adoration, and excitement close to my heart. I can forget the missteps (even the worst ones), because in the grand scheme of things, they don't matter. All that matters is what this show gave me, which was grand entertainment, and the legacy it will leave. The rest of it? Forgotten. And more importantly, forgiven.

Guiding Light has been a "home" of sorts, and now it's time to move. But before I do, I leave you with some moments that drew me home in the first place. It is THESE moments that I will always remember. Fondly so.

And with that, I say "thank you so very much" for the heart, soul, drama, tragedy, turmoil, fairytales, hijinks, stellar performances, pitch-perfect writing, indelible characters, and... love. Only love.

Thank you, Guiding Light! Goodbye, farewell, and amen.


( Thank you for (pretty much) 72 glorious years! )



Favorites Icons:


( See if you can guess my favorites... Heh. )

Follow me on Twitter: @Casalie77

Now that my Holly!high has worn off (sort of), I am left with a grand feeling of utter resentment and bitterness. Allow me to elaborate, won't you?



Holly Norris is, arguably, one of the Top Five most iconic characters in the history of Guiding Light and Maureen Garrett, one of the most beloved actors. The Roger/Holly thin-line-between-love-and-hate saga is epic. I would hazard a guess in saying that it was the most complex and fascinating mature relationship ever developed on a soap opera. Yeah, go ahead and try to prove me wrong. I dare you.

Holly & Roger were soulmates who could never be together because they were just too toxic a combination. Their love was fiercely passionate, but their war was passionately vicious. This is the moment that revolutionized daytime and solidified Holly & Roger's standing in the annals of the medium.



( Holly & Roger )


( Holly & Olivia )


( Holly & Blake )


I bet you're still wondering about the bitterness and resentment, aren't you? Well, here goes...

Guiding Light will end its illustrious run on September 18, 2009 after 72 years in existence, making it (forever) the longest running scripted drama in the history of television. To put Holly's impact into perspective, let me note that Maureen Garrett has touched four decades of that run. FOUR DECADES! And yet, Maureen Garrett was given only one episode to return and say goodbye. ONE EPISODE? Not only is it insulting to Maureen Garrett and Holly Norris, but it is a clear and offensive disservice to the fans.

( ... A slap in the face that carries the ultimate sting )


And without further or do... Icons up for grabs:

[Btw, allow me to note that my feelings about Otalia have not changed. I am still very much at the point of finding it necessary to mock them just to get through the day. That said, it cannot be denied that Crystal Chappell and Jessica Leccia are two amazingly beautiful women who make icon-ing them much too easy. The "art" practically creates itself. Okay. That said, must go mock something...]

( You just KNEW this was coming... )

Wow. This took DAYS. No, really. I've been making a few each day. Until tonight. Tonight, I dove in head first and made a TON of these icons. You may notice, by the by, that a few icons are reposts. That's for community purposes. That's all.

Here, you will find ER, Guiding Light, and a few random icons. GL is self-explanatory. But why the ER craze? Why NOW, you ask? Maybe it's because I've been rewatching on TNT and falling even more in love the second time around. Maybe it's because Photoshop and I had not met yet back in the day. Maybe I'm just crazy and/or weirdly obsessive. It's probably some combination of all three, I suspect. Whatevs. It's fun. Heh.

Many thanks to my Sweetness, bbunny, for her captioning assistance, her annoying prodding, her cheerleading, and her general awesomeness.

One important note: Some of the GL icons were made from Twitpics taken on set that have surfaced in recent days. Credit goes to @alicatcuz, @PSUbrat, and @swisher65 for those. Thank you ever so much for your enthusiam, generosity, and general inclination to share! It's MUCH appreciated. :-)

On with the show...

Preview:

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( So much pretty, one might explode! Click it. Cliiiiiiick it. )

Use 'em or lose 'em, give credit where credit is due, comments are lovely, and most importantly? Enjoy!

After rewatching on TNT the ER episode where Lucy dies, I was having a conversation with a friend [@nypdliz on Twitter] about the brilliance of that episode and how Laura Innes/Kerry Weaver was our mutual favorite. I also brought up the fact that it just baffles me how Laura & Alex Kingston never got their due for ER. It CERTAINLY wasn't because they didn't deserve it -- "All in the Family" is proof that they absolutely DID. The 'why's' of the matter are forever a mystery...

But, I digress. Yesterday, I was also thinking about how absolutely beautiful Laura Innes is and how ER never really allowed her to be. Yes, Kerry Weaver was the "party pooper", the hard-ass, the boss, the bad guy, but that doesn't mean that she has to temper her beauty, does it? Hmmm...

So, in honor of Laura's beauty that so rarely gets the chance to shine, I thought I'd make a few icons. There are a couple of randoms there too. (The schizophrenia is still present...) The "creepy" one? That's a friend of mine. She jokingly asked for an icon of herself. So, I made her one. From our weird double-exposure picture that she lovingly refers to as her "alternate reality self". Heh.

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Use 'em or lose 'em, give credit where credit is due, comments are lovely, but most importantly? Enjoy!

This is the most random batch of icons. Ever. For reals.

Mostly, I was just going through pictures of my crush list (which is still growing) and drooling over Michelle Forbes, and this was the result. Crazy, no? Eh, well. Have at it.

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Use 'em or lose 'em, give credit where credit is due, comments are lovely, but most importantly? Enjoy!

First: If you've been tagged, you must write your answers in your own LJ. Replace any question that you dislike with a new, original question.

Second: Tag eight people. Don't refuse to do it. Don't tag who tagged you.



Tagged:
krisnreine
bbunny
dutch38
softeranswer
kelbelle
kayryn
serenatadeamor
aka_katya




( The overwhelming hotness really makes you want to click, doesn't it? Go ahead. You know you want to. Click it. Cliiiiick it. )

So, I decided to attempt a very different style. It was rather exhausting, but I think I am pleased with the results. Largely. Sort of. TBD.

This go around I was not snarky. For the most part. Any snark you may find is more tongue-in-cheek. Heh. I just wanted to roll with the pretty. And I wanted to further play with my new Photoshop actions that I discovered at DeviantART thanks to krisnreine. I ♥ you, my Princess, for creating the monster that is me. ;-)

Mostly Olivia. But there is one random icon. See if you can spot it. Ha.

Also? Take note of my extra-speshul icon I made especially for me. *points to icon* What can I say? Olivia loves me.

One more thing before the big show? You'll notice a lot of icons from 3.3.09. That's because that particular hug is my favorite. Soft, gentle, comforting, sexy... It has it all, and it gets me every time. So, I thought it finally time to play with some of those caps. [/backstory]

Preview:

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( More experimentation under the cut... No, not THAT kind of experimentation. Out of the gutter! )

And by GOOD, I mean Doris. Heh.

Mainly Doris, with a little Olivia thrown in. This post is road!trip-rrific.

#001 is for dutch38... all others are up for grabs, however.

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Various Actions used. All found at DeviantART.

Use 'em or lose 'em, give credit where credit is due, and most importantly? Enjoy!

I actually branched out this time. Beyond Guiding Light, you ask? Of course not. Just to other characters besides Otalia. Heh.

Preview:

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( More pretties... )

[Full title quote: "She's probably just somewhere reflecting or fasting or having a vision or something. That's what religious people do." Doris, FTW!]

CAUTION!! EPIC OTALIA RANTING AHEAD! TURN AWAY NOW IF YOU ARE ONE OF THE TWO PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY STILL BELIEVE IN THEM!!

No? Still here? Willingly? Well, okay then. On with the show...

I have to get this off my my chest because it's eating me alive. But, I fear, once I'm done, I'm really done. Am I going to stop watching Guiding Light before the finale? No. Will I be nearly as invested as I once was? No. Will I be epically angry, bitter, and disappointed until September 19th? You bet your ass. And rightfully so.

Recently, some friends -- jetgirl78 and softeranswer, specifically -- have posted some really great and insightful thoughts on their journals, and to both of them, all I can offer is a great, big, massive WORD!! Really, based on what they've said, this entry is largely unnecessary, but I worry that if I don't get it out I might kill some people. Or at least, punch them in their uteri. Heh. I said uteri...

But I digress...



( Echoes knocking on locked doors // All the laughter from before // I'd rather live out on the street // Than in this haunted memory )

And with that, I think I'm done. For good. I say "think" because I will be around through September 18th, but I'll probably be seething far too much to do anything but grunt and nod. So, you can totally look forward to THAT, m'kay? 'Kay.

Now, be good little Otalians and pass this on to everyone and their grandmother. Because grandmothers like Otalia too. Well, the gay ones, anyway.

So I had to get rid of the anger somehow, and technicolor venting seemed to be the better bet over blindly trashing everything in my wake.

The result? These icons that have drained me of my will to live. Only not really. Just my will to snark. For now. Ha.

Preview:

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( More snarky goodness... )

Use 'em or lose 'em, give credit where credit is due, but most importantly? Enjoy!

So this a rant on possible spoilers. There's also a little rave-ing too. Shocker.

First, I must thank Blake (my new girlfriend for life, because she's totally open to swinging that way). My request was not only acknowledged, but it was fulfilled. OMG. Color me surprised. Not that I would have expected anything less of Blake. Not only does she not have a leg to stand on in the judgment department (ha!), but she's quite open-minded and just naturally giddy over love in any form. She proved all of this today. She also proved that my adoration since the '90s has not been in vain:

"You can't be serious? You're not shocked? You're not upset?"
"That you chose Olivia over me? A little upset... Oh, stop it. Do you know how rare it is to find anybody to love? We're here for a very short time. I gotta tell 'ya... Next time, if I am lucky enough to find that, I am gonna grab it with both hands and I am gonna scream it to the world."

I have uttered some of the exact same statements. So, from the way I see it, Blake is not only my girlfriend for life, but my soulmate. Birds of a feather, and all that jazz. Also, I will provide her with the sex she so desperately craves. A lot of it. Ahem.

Second, I must question Blake's ideas. A luncheon, Blake? A LUNCHEON?? Really? Not only does this make her an old fart (™ jetgirl78), because the Blake of old totally would have thrown "a cocktail party @ the country club", but why does Otalia's coming out have to be a big spectacle? I'm with Olivia on the debuting-at-the-Bauer-BBQ idea. No pomp & circumstance. Just two people in love showing up together. "Together, together." They can let the town collectively know that they are a couple, and then that's it. The deed is done. And they can move on.

Alas... This is not to be the case. It was a good idea while it lasted, Liv.  Meh.

( Spoilers & speculation that deserve ranting because they are just outright fuckery. For reals. )

Btw, there's now this fuckery. WHAT THE FUCK?! No really. GT, I'm kind of over you now. No matter the reasons and no matter that she's actually been one of EW's most ardent supporters, this is a completely shitty move. Shitty!

Oh, on a truly final note (I swear!), watch this. JUST DO IT. (™ Nike)  You just know Blake is thinking, "Yep.  I could go to there."  Heh.

Seacrest, out!

( An ETA that makes this entry largely unsuitable for children. I mean it. Seriously. )

This is for all those soap fans out there on my flist (all three of you, ha). Copy & paste into your journal, replacing my answers with your own.

Here goes nothing...

1. Favorite current soap? Guiding Light


2. Favorite all-time soap? Guiding Light. The best and most consistently pleasing memories are associated with GL. I don't think it'll ever be eclipsed.


3. Favorite current soap couple? Otalia (Surprise, surprise...)


4. Favorite all-time soap couple? Roger & Holly/ Nexis/ Otalia


5. Favorite current soap character? Olivia Spencer


6. Favorite all-time soap character? Holly Norris, Roger Thorpe (before 1995), Olivia Spencer, & Alexis Davis (before they killed the character circa 2001)


7. Favorite current storyline? Otalia


8. Favorite all-time storyline? Roger & Holly's obsessive love-hate relationship/ Holly's breakdown & clinical depression/ Maureen Bauer's death/ The Blackout/ Cliff House/ Holly-Ross-Blake triangle/ Blake has twins with 2 different dads/ Crazy!Annie frames Reva for her miscarriage/ Buzz & Jenna fall in love/ Otalia/ Stone & Robin losing the battle with AIDS/ Monica's breast cancer/ Maxie gets BJ's heart/ Ned-Katherine-Eddie Maine-Lois/ Bo & Nora's unusual courtship & wedding/ Brooke & Edmund's His Girl Friday romance/ Noah & Julia fall in love/ Bo & Hope reunite (circa 1996)


9. First 'ship? Brooke & Edmund (without fandom) and Nexis (with fandom)


10. First soap? All My Children


11. First fandom? Nexis (Gatekeepers, FTW!)


12. Best fandom? Otalia. SO massive, SO global, and SO passionate.


13. Most hated soap? Passions, because it was just stupid. And The Bold & The Beautiful, because it takes itself seriously and it's shit. Except for Susan Flannery.


14. Most hated character? Austin Reed, but that's only because Austin Peck constantly sent me into a blind rage with his blackhole of talent.


15. Most hated storyline? Three words: Nursery. Rhyme. Stalker. Fucking HELL! Sebastian was no walk in the park either. Ack. Character assassination at its finest and most ambitious. Kill me.
    
    Also? Alexis' PPD and subsequent killing of Alcazar (as her sister, WTF?). That absolutely killed Alexis for me. She became a raging paranoid bitch who could not accept help and who trashed anyone and everyone who tried. My vitriol was SO intense, I ended up having a very emotional, abusive break-up with the show because I just. could. not. stand. her. anymore. It took a looooooong time for me to even be able to look at Alexis again, let alone willingly watch her. It wasn't until Christmas Eve 2006. Her apology made me sob like whoa, and I finally let it go. Now, we're homies again. Heh.


16. Popular story/character/couple that you just don't understand? Austin & Carrie on DAYS. He. Could. Not. Act. EVER. THANK GOD Carrie ended up with Mike. Ugh.


17. Sorely missed opportunity? Alexis & Diane. A mature Otalia, perhaps? Hee.

Yes, I made this up. Yes, this sucks. Yes, you should just shut it and do it. Heh.