Bitchy Review: Let's Stay Together

Let's Stay Together is another of the newest half-hour shows in the revamped BET programming schedule, and much like Reed Between the Lines, meh. I'm not feeling it too much. I was interested in some of the previews when I found out that Kyla Pratt was joining the show as a cousin of two of the main characters, but she didn't have much screen time so it felt like a blink-and-miss premiere to me. I joined the show at the premiere of the 2nd season so I don't really know what the 1st season had to offer, but I hope it was better than tonight's premiere. lol

Much like I said with Reed Between the Lines, I think Let's Stay Together is trying to bring back programming of old with a little bit of today's concepts, but to me it falls a little flat. The show focuses on three sets of couples, most of whom are somehow related, trying to make their various relationships work when presented with different obstacles. Again, the cast isn't the problem--most of them are veteran actors and I've enjoyed half of them in previous roles. For me, it's the writing. Today's episode featured a cameo by Kandi Burress and my lawd! I have to give her a slight pass because she's really a singer, but oh my damnit she cannot act. It felt like her acting impacted the actress she shared her cameo with, because their exchange felt super scripted and super forced. Again, the jokes fall flat. There are a couple of moments that I chuckled or smirked, but I can't say I actually laughed throughout the episode and the only time I can remember coming close it was only because one of the characters was acting straight nigga in public. lol The plot itself really wasn't all that good and I walked away dissatisfied.

I really wish BET would get their writing together and come up with better material for these actors. The network has many talented names on their payroll, and I personally believe they deserve to have better material and plotlines written out for them. The sets are stiff and look too prop-like, some of the characters still seem a little stiff with the plot itself and the storylines they choose to make the focal point of the episode just can't carry it because they're no more than side story potential to me. Let's Stay Together could be a fantastic show and would help me begin to enjoy watching BET again--I haven't enjoyed watching the channel in almost if not over 10 years, so that should show how long I've been dissatisfied. I'm waiting, almost with baited breath, for some quality Black programming that isn't a reality show.

As I mentioned in my review of Reed Between the Lines, I do miss the cheesiness of yesterday's Black programming. I miss the simple plots, however they were simple in a way that was still able to carry the show. Today's simple plots are just that--simple. And not in a good way. The casts of both of these shows are young, sexy, and it would be nice to see them do a mix of yesterday's themes with a modern twist on it. As much as I miss tv themes of old, times have changed and I realize television needs to reflect that so we as viewers can still relate. That's not even my problem. My problem is that those people who write these plots don't reflect it. While I SEVERELY doubt Clair Huxtable would ever suggest spicing up her life with Cliff by acting out a scene from a porn, I doubt Cliff would even watch it. So yesterday's plot with Charles & Stacy doing that reflects a normal and modern problem affecting couples now--one of the two usually watches some sort of pornography and in an effort to not only get them to stop but bring some variety to the bedroom, the other will emulate it. I have no problem with that. My problem is that it didn't stand out; it wasn't done in an interesting way.

Bitchy Review: Again, this cast of actors and actresses is not my problem. It is the writing. I think BET has the potential to strike gold with their tv programming; not only is it not reality-driven like many other channels but it prominently features Black actors and actresses, something I believe more sitcoms are in need of these days. Even with times changing, the amount of diversity in programming unfortunately has not. With the big acquiring of The Game from The CW Network in addition to these new programs, BET stands to gain so many Black viewers and bring back old viewers by doing something new and exciting. The writing material on these shows, unfortunately, is killing it.

Bitchy Review: close but no bitch. 2 (out of 5)

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Bitchy Review: Tyler Perry vs Spike Lee Debate

I felt the need to hop on this train just for a second about Tyler Perry. Over the past couple of years, he and Spike Lee have had quite the war of words over the sort of movies they put out. In short from what I understand, Spike Lee questions the quality of the movies that Tyler Perry makes. Speaking in revenue terms, the latter is a very successful actor and writer; his Madea movies have all been hits at the box office and were hits before when they were plays. However, Tyler Perry has also done something that few African-Americans in cinema these days hardly do--being credited as producer, actor, writer & director. Yes, many Blacks in film these days are multi-talented, I'm not taking that away from them; Tyler Perry has many talents in film and making these movies gives him the opportunity to showcase such things. So I figured, I've got an opinion and since everyone else is saying theirs, let me try to sound at least somewhat educated about my facts about this before I give mine.

Let's look at this debate from both sides. My boyfriend leans more towards the Spike Lee way of thinking in that a Black man in drag hardly makes for groundbreaking cinema, not to mention paints the Black community as a whole in a bad way. My siblings are more of the "it's just comedy, why not enjoy it if its funny" opinion, choosing not to let these movies paint or shape them into any sort of stereotype people have come up with. And I can agree with both.

Movies like Big Momma's House, White Chicks, the Nutty Professor (which I still feel was ingenious for Eddie Murphy to do and play every character in that family LOL) and now the Madea series make a man in drag the focal point of the movie. Granted, the reasons are different--Martin Lawrence's character was in drag undercover as were the Wayans brothers, Eddie Murphy was simply playing the mother of the lead character and Tyler Perry's Madea quite frankly cannot be done justice by having another portrayer--but nonetheless the main character or supporting character to the main were all played by men in drag. Black men in drag. It has long been a part of Black tv to have that token gay character or that one character fulfilling all of the stereotypes and "That's so-and-so!" moments; you can take that all the way back to In Living Color, for a slightly less current example. The Wayans brothers made that one of the foundations of their show with the Men on..... skits. And don't get me wrong, they were all hilarious. I loved them. But with that said, I understand what Spike Lee is saying in a general sense; making men in drag a foundation or a fallback in Black cinema is not only what keeps general perception & acceptance of Black films lower than it should be, but because of that it presents the Black community as a whole pretty badly to harsher critics. What I think Spike was getting at was that there are many talented Black directors, producers, and writers out there today, he himself being one of them. It doesn't do the Black community justice to flock to these sorts of films instead of the ones that are actually saying something impactful, or funny without being idiotic. Black film shouldn't become synonymous with drag or Madea-style movies, and if we do have a voice we should use it in a more effective way and not using the microphone to always display senseless activities. I do believe that in smaller portions or doses it is hilarious and even though it seems rather common these days I still find it funny, it does begin to get rather tiresome to watch yet another Black actor don a wig and pop his neck better than some women I've seen do the same. I love Black comedies that don't fall into a box but the truth is these days, there are too many boxes for those comedies to fall into and the majority of them fall into the same one. This same plot and go-to shouldn't become the standard for Black movies, but unfortunately it has and has become expected.

On the flip side, movies that have to show the harsh life in society or those films that make you think had their heyday back in the '90s. Boyz In Da Hood, Juice, Above the Rim, Jason's Lyric, Do The Right Thing (not all of which Spike Lee produced, I'm just naming some Black movies with more serious plots) were all impactful movies on our society, if not to showcase how things really happen in some of our communities, but the '90s were about saying something, about sending a message and using your voice. In recent years I'll say that movies, especially Black-produced ones, tend to lack that. Sure, the stars and the writing or directing team will say what the movie is trying to portray, and I won't take that from them. However, many Black movies these days are comedies, and the majority of them feature characters like Madea. If not following that format, Black movies these days predominantly follow the same format more or less; the same skeleton so to speak. I respect Tyler Perry for prominently featuring a love for God and moral themes like the importance of faith, trust and respect in the characters' relationships, I do. There's nothing wrong with that. But I have to admit, integrating those themes typically follows the same skeleton as well. Some tired, Black woman is mistreated and then dumped by her man, usually someone very successful and very arrogant, for the typical younger chickie. Out of nowhere when she's at the end of her rope and questioning God, some handsome man comes along and sweeps her off her feet, therefore restoring her faith in God and giving her the happy ending she's always wanted. And yes, sometimes that happens and it's wonderful. But many times, it just doesn't. It provides false hope to those who really resonate with some of the women in these movies, not to mention simultaneously paints men in a good and bad light. At the other end of the spectrum, there's a good Black man, being mistreated by his loud, overbearing, oftentimes obnoxious wife and he's just trying to make sense of everything and find his way. Again, yes that's true and it sucks. It also paints women in a bad light and feeds into the stereotype that many people are all too eager to agree with, that Black women are loud and rude. Some of us are, but not all of us identify with those women and don't want to be forced into doing so. With that said, the moral quality of the movies tends to get lost in the mix of everything else going on in the movie--the sassy grandma, the stereotypical characters and statements, the seemingly same skeleton for every film--and at that rate, other than the morals shown in the film, what else is the movie really saying?

I understand both points of the argument and now that I am reading what I have written so far, I can see that most of what I have said so far is in favor of Spike Lee's side of the argument, but I can also argue Tyler Perry's half and will do so now. Yes, those movies I listed in the previous paragraph had their heyday in the '90s. Yes, that was an effort by Black stars and producers to give the community a voice. Yes, they were successful efforts. At the same time, not every movie needs to touch your very spirit's essence to be enjoyable. Not all of Tyler Perry's movies even involved Madea--the Why Did I Get Married? movies were wonderful, and there was no Madea in sight. Likewise with The Family That Preys, which was not only a deep movie, but Tyler Perry did not have a starring role unlike some of the other films he's made and again, no Madea. Sometimes with the stress and everyday pressures of life, you need something funny to lighten your spirits. You need a watercooler topic that doesn't make others think about the troubles within your lives and movies with Madea typically solve that problem. Madea, I can see, is a mix of various women in Tyler Perry's life, something he has admitted to before. And sometimes when she is saying certain things or behaving a certain way, I can't help but think "Oh my god, that reminds me so much of so-and-so!" or "Oh hell, I've said that before!" It's senseless humor; its meant to make you say things like that. But it isn't meant to make you question the very existence of your life. It's meant to stress things in your life that Perry feels should be present--faith, respect, and trust in God. Overall, I believe many of those movies are meant to stress the importance of family and related values, and the power of love. I can't knock that any day. They're movies that you feel comfortable watching with your kids, teaching them the importance of things that ultimately can help you shape them into being better people. It's not done in the same manner as movies of maybe my childhood, but if the movie's concept is effective in at least one life who am I to complain? The same message can be played out in different ways and people respond to it in different ways. To each their own, I say.

Both of these directors/producers are very talented. They both have the opportunity to relay a message and say something impactful. In very different ways, I feel that they achieve those goals. Tyler Perry goes the family route, while Spike Lee's messages are more in your face. I respect them both for what they do. I do not agree with all of Spike Lee's opinions nor do I enjoy all of the Madea films, but in this particular debate, they both have something to say, say it to who the theme speaks to, and are as a result very successful. Why don't both of you focus on being the voices for our community and ensuring that as a whole, we are presented at both our worst and best if we have to go to extremes? Why not use your voice to revitalize the way we appear and kill the stereotypes? Why not display the very best that Black films and actors/actresses have to offer? Both of these men are responsible for putting several stars on the map or giving their careers a boost--Denzel Washington, Ossie Davis and Giancarlo Esposito all appeared in Spike Lee films and received career boosts as a result. Tyler Perry, to his credit, regularly employs Black actors and actresses, something I feel is commendable when the film industry, as diverse as it claims to be, doesn't give Black actors & actresses quite the same acclaim unless they're playing someone of distinct disadvantage, facing some sort of obstacle, or playing sidekick. No, that's not always how it goes but many times it is. Kimberly Elise, Idris Elba & Angela Bassett all played parts in Tyler Perry films and still work regularly as well. Both of these men scored big time with a couple of casting marks--Spike Lee scored Nelson Mandela in Malcolm X, and Tyler Perry got 2 in 1 with both Cicely Tyson & Maya Angelou in Madea's Family Reunion. There is no comparison to be made because they both have done well in their craft, but mainly because the only point for comparison is that some of their target audiences are both Black. That is where the similarities end, and that is where this debate will end as well. Use your voices for good--people are listening to you and depending on you to give the rest of us a face, a voice, a story. Don't waste your time fighting over who is better or who has the better message and respect one another for both of you being able to achieve what so few Black men are able to do. You don't have to like each other's work, but you represent our community in film. Continuing to argue and throw shade at each other in the press only helps to further the impression that, in Spike Lee's own words, represent coonery and buffoonery. You're both entitled to your own opinions, but you're both doing something many others cannot. Use your voice for good--not to throw shade at each other.

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Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all of you; I hope you all enjoyed the '11 holiday season and are now enjoying that it has come to an end. lol I certainly am. I can't lie, I was quite the Grinch this past season and couldn't be happier that it's over; it was much more trouble than it ended up being worth so I am very pleased to get back to the normal swing & flow of things.

As I'm sure you all know by now since I haven't updated you all in awhile (I swear I have about 8 blogs in draft now trying to cover it all since September!), there are many outs going on for the soaps that are left. I've said it many times before and I'll say it again, soaps are on their way out. And as popular as General Hospital and Young & the Restless are, I already know they will no longer be on my screen in 5 years, if they make it that long. Unfortunately, the death of soaps has already hit its apex. By the end of this month, One Life to Live will be gone as well, leaving 4 soaps still on the air. In some parts of the country, it'll be 3 because the programming in some places has also taken General Hospital off the air and replaced it with something else. Is this a sign of things to come in the (near?) future? Time will tell.

Brian Frons has been ousted as the head of ABC Daytime, therefore bringing that era and time to an end, which especially doesn't look good for GH, being the last daytime show still running on that network. I wasn't too fond of Brian Frons, but he kept my soaps on the air years after some said they'd be cancelled, so to him I am grateful for that. He saw the omission of soaps from CBS and delayed it happening to ABC for two years, so again I am grateful. However, there were so many changes on those soaps for the two years I had them that I am angry they went out the way they did. Unlike I did with All My Children, I don't think I'll be going back to One Life until the final episode, just to tell it goodbye, like I did with ATWT & GL. I tried watching One Life, but I couldn't get through an episode; if not for the confusion at returning to it after an almost two-year hiatus then because I just didn't like what I was viewing. The actors were not even the problem, it was the storyline--as usual. Some things never change. Actually if I'm being completely honest, I'm having the same problem with GH, not to mention all the outs at a time where they should be hanging onto their cast is essential. I can't sit through an entire episode anymore; I'll be lucky if I make it to the first commercial break. And that makes me sad; even when I had stopped watching OLTL & AMC, I always watched GH and now I just can't do it.

The outs are coming out left and right since September, and they are ALL prominent characters. Some are leaving by choice and others are not, but they are all still actors & actresses in frontburner storylines and will be missed dearly. Just off the top of my head, let me see who I can remember hearing about.
Lexi Ainsworth (Kristina) was let go a couple months ago;
Nathan Parsons (Ethan) was recently let go but apparently ABC or GH hasn't made a formal announcement;
Jonathan Jackson (Lucky) has already disclosed that he'll be leaving when his contract expires;
Kimberly McCullough (Robin) has also confirmed that she'll be leaving the canvas soon;
and Kirsten Storms (Maxie) has not yet returned from her medical-dictated exit and from what I hear, the replacement Maxie just isn't cutting it;
I'll be checking back at Soapcentral.com today to see if I left any others out.

It's disheartening to hear that these characters have/will be leaving at a time where maintaining the cast and viewership is so important to the survival (for however long, we already know when they decide to cancel the soap it'll be in favor of "current" programming trends, not because of viewers or fans) of the soap. I don't really think its smart to possibly alienate the fans and viewers right now and letting these people leave or overworking them to the point where they have to leave for their own sake, which is the case with Jonathan Jackson, isn't a way to keep us around. In the midst of the drama surrounding soaps now, the soaps still on the air should be thriving and growing, sticking together more than ever in fact, to show us that they're still trying to hang on. I really don't mean to sound apocalyptic on you all, but as a lifetime soap viewer all of this is rather disappointing.

From all appearances, the Prospect Park deal with OLTL & AMC has fallen through, as we have not heard any more about it in over a month. Not much has come out about the deal since hearing that they were interested in continuing the soaps online, then finding out that several actors/actresses from OLTL and three castmembers from AMC signed on to the web shows. Prospect Park has been all but silent about any developments made since the final show of AMC & the months leading up to the final show of OLTL; another move that I don't feel is particularly smart. Viewers are still saddened over losing these shows and not being able to see these characters and people that they practically grew up with--why would you not want to keep them in the loop after giving them hope? Furthermore and more importantly, why would you give us hope after ABC gave the axe, then go silent only to reveal without really revealing later that you don't intend to continue through with your plans? We would understand if you kept us in the loop about the process you have to go through with the actors/actresses and getting them to sign on, or the sponsors you have to contact to help fund the shows, or whatever else goes on behind the scenes to get the ball rolling. The thing is, you didn't do that. You told us you'd be reviving the shows and even gave us an anticipated premiere date, then put that date on ice, then put the entire concept on ice. No real reason given, just one bit of news every so often. Is this how you endear yourself to people waiting to give your website tens of thousands of hits a day so we can watch our shows? I personally think its a crock of [expletive]. You shouldn't offer to pick up the show, shouldn't even publicize interest, until you have everything else in place. We understand this is a new web network, and we understand that this concept in general, soap operas making the move from a television network to an Internet network, is a new one. However, we don't like our chains being yanked and we're sure the castmates that already pledged loyalty to not only keep a job but help said web network, don't appreciate it either. You have castmates like Susan Lucci waiting to find out more because talks have almost completely halted. One, that doesn't make sense as you should be talking to them more than ever right now, what you're doing right now isn't even a way to ensure they return; they could go out and find other jobs and wouldn't be permitted or even available to return should a deal finally go through. For the castmates who actually did commit already, they can't wait forever either. They've got families to feed and careers to continue building, whether its as the character we are familiar with or on completely new horizons. Doing what you're doing is only ensuring that these soaps will not return in the manner we're used to, with some of the same faces, if it ends up returning at all. People that may have at one time been committed or interested will start looking elsewhere as the days continue to pass without any word, which leaves you even more characters short. If that dwindles down enough to where you have no large star power to promote the return of the show, what do you have? You either have a completely new show that just happens to have a historic name and nothing else linking it to what we used to watch, or you have nothing at all. Which I'm beginning to wonder wasn't the plan all along once you realized this was far from a done deal and since it seems as though you can't hold up your end of the bargain. I can say though, this definitely is not a way to ensure the fans return if they've given up on it. So in short, Prospect Park, time is ticking. Get it together.

Ugh. I suppose my open letter/rant to Prospect Park is done for now. I'm glad I got most of that out; it had been sitting there for 3 months. lol

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Bitchy Review: Braxton Family Values, Season 2

The much anticipated second season of BFV premiered last month, and about halfway through the season, I can say that I definitely haven't been disappointed. One thing I like about this season is that we can still see the sisters dealing with the aftermath of last season; its consistent and unlike other reality shows, the editors know us viewers haven't forgotten last season and apparently neither has the family, so we get to see how they deal with each other now.

Things are a little frosty, if I'm not mistaken, between the sisters collectively. I noticed that they took more time to hang out and do more things together last season than they do this time around. However, with the success of last season I know opportunities sprang forth and it has taken the sisters a little further apart from each other than they were last season. Toni made the decision near the end of last season to move from Atlanta back to LA where Tamar is, but since Tamar has a short-term radio gig in Chicago, the only one out there with her is Towanda, who was roped into taking back her old job, temporarily. Trina is still in Atlanta but she's doing her own thing and hangs out with Towanda when the latter isn't in LA with Toni, and as we all know, Traci is still in Maryland. So understandably, they don't have every episode together as they did before; this new season shows all of the sisters as they branch out on their individual journeys. Since the Braxtons album is on ice, presumably because Toni said no which caused Tamar to follow suit, each sister has made the steps to do something different for herself. Trina is working on a solo project and without the support of her sisters recently graduated from college, Traci, minus the support of her sisters as well excluding Tamar's pushing for Traci to move in order to open her salon, made the decision to go back to cosmetology school and open her own salon, and Towanda when she isn't running around doing Toni's errands is still trying to get her acting career off the ground and her marriage out of the pot. Toni is going through a transitional phase of firing Vince as her manager and picking up new management, and Tamar is still riding the high of last season with short-term radio opportunities, her ever present solo album project, and it was recently announced that she and Vince will be getting a spin-off of their own to debut sometime next year. Who's surprised by that. And that wasn't really a question.

UPDATE: 1/5/12
 This season doesn't disappoint with the drama factor--not even 10 episodes in the season and we already saw that Toni made the painful decision to fire Vince as her manager which set off a huge argument with Tamar, we watched her get a partial hysterectomy last week which brought her parents in the same room again (and there was no laying it low and spreading it wide from last season.....btw that even now was f'n EPIC), Mama Evelyn let Tamar know she wouldn't tolerate her walking out while Evelyn was talking and she'd 'slap the piss out of her' the next time she did it, Tamar & Traci went to therapy to figure out their issues with each other to help them stop fighting, Gabe tracked Trina's phone and got told about himself, Trina revealed that she did indeed have an affair (so Gabe's spidey senses were not created out of guilt or being a dog after all), Towanda was given a moving truck for her birthday (her family had been staying with Trina & Gabe's family and had shown no intention of moving), it was revealed that Toni's been seeing her ex-husband Keri, and Vince is showing even less tolerance than last season for Tamar's antics. lol It's been entertaining the whole way through; on one hand I hate that its only an hour because I want to see more, but on the other hand I can't wait for Thursdays to come back around so I can see what happens next. This is the first reality show in a VERY long time that I've been interested in as a whole, not just for a person or two on it. They don't do all the scratching and fighting that makes the other reality shows successful nor do they have all the drunken foolishness--although sometimes the makeup and hair is NOT on point, lemme just say that lol--and they do seem to genuinely care about each other's success and well being, even if they do act a bit self-serving at times.

I love the show, I love the drama and I love the Braxtons. I can't wait to watch tonight's episode; so don't forget BFV is on every Thursday on WEtv, at 7pm sharp! Be there or getyourlife.com!

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Bitchy Review: Reed Between the Lines

So this new show Reed Between the Lines is one of the newest in BET's revamped programming lineup and it stars Tracee Ellis Ross & Malcolm-Jamal Warner as the Reeds, and after watching most of the 1st season I have to admit that I just can't get into it.

Black television viewing options as a whole have been relegated into stereotypes in this day and age, while others try and struggle--I believe this show being one of them--to bring back the classic theme that Black sitcoms focused on. Black movies have either been relegated to religious-type movies where the damsel in distress ends up with a former hoodlum and they discover God in the process (which happens, I'm not knocking it) with some sassy grandma in the background--just look at examples like Family Matters and any of the Madea movies--or they try to bring back the days of old, Cosby-type shows. More embarrassingly, for those "actors and actresses" that don't have the chops to make it into either type of flick I just mentioned, they end up in some ghetto, amateur, straight-to-bootleg film full of tired stereotypes, worse acting and even worse camera skills.

As much as I miss the cheesiness of the classic Black sitcoms I watched as a kid, sad to say, the magic just isn't there anymore. And not because I don't enjoy watching them now as an adult, but because the same people who created those sitcoms are not creating the current ones. The dynamic, the target audience, and furthermore the vision that these people have today has changed. Everything today follows a prototype, often an overused one, or some sort of "joke skeleton" that they feel is entertaining for people to watch. Reed Between the Lines struggles to bring back a Black sitcom that the entire family can enjoy, and not because any of the actors are bad--I loved TER on Girlfriends and MJW will always be Theo to me. lol They're all wonderful actors and I liked that they brought in a veteran tv actress like Anna Maria Horsford. In later years she's gotten roles that didn't really do anything for her, like Friday After Next. I enjoyed her in the first one, but because I feel the dynamic of the Friday franchise changed after the first movie, I didn't enjoy it at the same level. And that's what kids know her for today, being the mom in the Friday movies. People don't remember anymore that she was Dee on The Wayans Bros back in the 90s after Friday or that she was on Amen back in the '80s. It's nice to see that she has a steady and stable role again and not only in a movie that has become a sad shadow of the basis it was originated on.

I don't find the show particularly funny or entertaining. I wouldn't tell my siblings or even my spouse that the show is on, mainly because I don't think they would enjoy it either. I know for a fact my bf would not. Maybe something's wrong with us, I don't know. What I do know though is that for the cast they have brought in, they aren't giving them much material. They had a two-part episode that I just watched earlier tonight with Sean Patrick Thomas (Save the Last Dance, Barbershop) playing the part of Ms. Helen's (Anna Maria Horsford) son returning from his 2nd overseas tour and discovering that he was suffering from PTSD. In the episode, he takes an innocent worker hostage during a flashback and puts a blade to his throat. PTSD is affecting so many people in our country today and so many soldiers can relate to that exact plotline, a proud soldier finally coming home after serving time overseas and having to carry those shadows and demons around for the rest of their lives, trying to return to normal function and pretend nothing's wrong. They could have done alot more with that role, explored it so much better than they did. SPT is a good actor and could have done excellently with more material. While he was holding the worker hostage, the guy was cracking jokes in the meantime that were falling so flat a pancake had more bounce. Seriously. It wasn't entertaining. Afterwards, when dude's mother entered the room and saw the guy on the floor, there was no alarm on her face, not even when she saw her son over him with a blade. That makes no sense on any planet. Even though this episode was not only about him returning with PTSD and even being a two-parter could not be the focus of the entire show, it still had the potential to be an excellent side story and in my opinion the writers dropped the ball. Like to the ground dropped it. lol

The jokes in this sitcom fall flat--I wondered during half of the episodes that I watched if some of their "jokes" are even meant to be funny--the main point of the episode is sometimes no bigger than what a side story in a normal sitcom should be, and honestly, I don't see that much chemistry between Tracie Ross and Malcolm Warner. I see more of a good friend vibe than a passionate husband and wife. I do like that Carla is different from Joan--Carla is alot less neurotic and "bam!" than Joan, however Malcolm's character reminds me too much of Theo after he watched his daddy for too long--reminds me of an adult Theo, which is probably why I can't remember this character's name. lol

Bitchy Review: I want to like this show, I really do. I'd love to support more Black ventures in film and tv. I enjoy that they employ smaller-name actors; you never know where someone will be in 5 years and its nice to put these people on the map. I think its also a good thing that veterans of tv are sharing space with the younger actors; they could probably learn a lot from these people which will benefit their careers lately. But as a whole, I don't think I'll be watching the 2nd season of this show.

Bitchy Rating: 2 (out of 5)

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In Tragedy & Triumph......AMC Series Finale

After 41 years of history, tears, laughter, birth, death, anger, happiness, marriage, divorce, thriving, failing and surviving, All My Children finally came to a close today. It was great to see most of the characters I love back on the canvas one last time, sharing in all of the happiness and good news. Stuart's alive, Frankie found out he and Randi may be gaining a new addition to their family, Brot & Natalia announced their engagement, Angie's sight was restored, Joe & Ruth moved back to Pine Valley as did Adam & Brooke, Jamie came back to town for a visit, Chandler Enterprises and the Chandler home were saved, Adam asked Brooke to marry him, Dixie & Tad are getting married (again) and we can all go home happy, right?

Wrong. Two--no, scratch that--three members of PV society were very unhappy at the Pine Valley Rebirth/Sendoff celebration. The most notable one was JR, who to date has lost everything in his life. I felt rotten for him. When I heard that Alexa Havins was reprising her role as Babe, I was sure that she'd be one of Orpheus' shining stars and she could retrieve her family, save JR from the brink and they could ride off in the sunset together. How let down I was to realize that not only was she on my screen for no more than 30 minutes, her entire purpose was to tell JR that she was indeed still dead. Honestly, I think that pushed JR over the edge more than anything else; in recent days his fleeting hope that Babe was one of the ones David had saved was keeping him going. With confirmation from the subject in question, he knew all hope of getting the love of his life back was gone. Marissa already has his son (btw it really grinds my gears that she now says she's his mother -_-), he won't listen to Tad or Dixie (who he previously wanted to make proud), can't stand the sight of Adam after all the rejection Adam's handed down to him, the man's really been reduced to nothing but a picture on a mantel, the town's scum. How far the mighty fall. JR has always battled his demons, but this time, especially with the confirmation that Babe was not an Orpheus patient as the icing on the cake, he gave into those demons and spent much of the final episode either brooding at the airport between confrontations or lurking in the Chandler tunnels with that gun, a bottle in his hand and cynicism dripping from his words.

JR has been handed a life of hell, much of it a precursor to the hell he put himself through later. I thought if anyone could have used the good news, it would have been him. But it added to the drama that he didn't receive it, or his happy ending, and finally unraveled. At first I thought he would have busted out from the tunnels and made a dramatic entrance, a la Annie when she stabbed Erica a couple years ago. Later in the episode it was seen that he intended to shoot someone in attendance that night, which was practically the entire town. The camera shots from that angle went to Tad, Dixie, Marissa, Bianca, Erica & Jack, but more times than not landed on Adam. When he returned to town this week, JR was furious with him, but that anger skyrocketed when instead of continuing to try to help him, Adam tossed him to the wolves, saying that being on his own would be good for him. At that point, JR gave up and not even Babe's ghost was able to help him through. It was sad to watch. And in true AMC, cliffhangers' fashion, that gunshot was the final sound we heard from Pine Valley. Who he shot, we do not know and probably will not if the Prospect Park-produced AMC doesn't get off the ground.

The other notable unhappy PV resident was Erica, who was finally left high and dry by Jackson. Didn't see that coming, huh? If ANY resident in town was going to get their happy ending, most would bet 9/10 that it would be Ms. Kane herself. Wrong again. Erica, the eternal dreamer, chose yet another stage in her career over her love and life with Jack and he finally had enough. I always found Jack to be so debonair, so handsome and sophisticated, and I loved his last line. "Frankly, Erica, I really don't give a damn what you need." After being Erica's lapdog, the one to always run after her when she'd made another misstep or when her pride was getting in the way of her feelings, for 24 years (as long as I've been alive), Jack reached his breaking point. Opal warned her time and time again as did both of her daughters, but the premise of living out the dream of turning her life into a movie and standing at the corner of Hollywood and Vine instead of Main St. and Pine, was too much for Erica and she put her plans with Jack on the backburner again, expecting him to just be quiet and deal with it as he'd always done. He wasn't. He realized she continued to stall because underneath it she didn't want to be married to him, that her career was still more important than their love, and seemed relieved when she finally admitted it. She begged and pleaded, but it was the same selfish rhetoric Erica has become infamous for. There was no consideration for Jack's aspirations and goals; she just assumed her goals were their goals when in fact they weren't. They were only shared goals because he loved her and wanted her to be happy. The problem was that he was no longer happy with the arrangement and was tired of putting what he wanted behind everything Erica wanted. For the past 41 years, all Erica Kane has thought of was herself and the final episode was no different. Sure, she loved Jack as much as she could, but look at how quickly she hopped on that plane after she got it in her head that Mike Roy was still alive. Jack stood by her through all of her crazy ideas, all of her life's changes, even married and divorced her throughout the 24 years they shared but still never got what he wanted, which was just to be first in Erica's life. I can't blame Jack for finally having had enough. But right up until the end, Erica was determined not to lose her love and her final words were to Opal, when Opal told her she lost out and couldn't retrieve it this time. With the dogged determination Erica has become known for, she said, "Watch me," and stormed out after Jack.

She stormed out, the shot rang out, and in Soprano fashion, the screen faded to black.

I was so angry over the cliffhanger that I couldn't even cry when I realized my show had finally come to an end. Besides that, I'd spent the past 54 minutes crying off and on anyway. lol I can't say that the ending was terrible; I think I understand the angle the writers were coming from. Do something unexpected, have an unexpected ending, especially if this indeed is not the true ending to the show. Make the viewers come back for more, make them eager to see who was shot in those final seconds when the show returns. However, judging by some viewers' posts on media websites about the final episode, that ending may have lost more viewers rather than gained them. It was seen by some as a disrespectful move on AMC and ABC's parts, because they wanted a traditional, happy ending soap that tied everything together and allowed the viewers to give the characters a proper final sendoff. This ending I'll admit left more questions than answers, which again might have been the writers' angle, kind of closing the ABC door and opening the Prospect Park one. I don't agree with it myself, but I'm still undecided as to whether I'll go to the web version, partly because I don't know that I'll remember lol, but if I do I'd like to see them pick up where ABC left off. I wonder how that'll work since Jacob Young already committed himself to B&B and its unlikely many of the veterans will return. We'll see.

Tad's speech, the last long bit of monologue that he or the show would have, broke me down and it got even worse as I saw various castmembers either holding back emotion or wiping tears. Regardless that the party was used as a "rebirth" of Pine Valley, it hung over me like a cloud, not to mention it was rather obvious that this was really the end and alot of Tad's speech were feelings Michael Knight agreed with as well. (If he didn't agree and there was no personal stock in there then he's just amazing. lol) I don't think the writers could have picked a better person to close the show with. As the camera panned to show the cast during the speech, I couldn't help but cry as it finally hit me that this show I came quickly to love, with this cast of people I adored and not just for the characters I loved (and despised), truly and honestly was coming to an end. It hit even further when just after the replay of AMC went off on SoapNet, they showed a commercial for Brothers and Sisters, debuting on Monday in AMC's old replay timeslot. It was as if AMC was being wiped completely off the slate and relegated to an old box in a dusty closet.

I'll admit that I left Pine Valley over a year ago because I was unhappy with the plotlines, but I don't think this should have been the end. There were still so many avenues to explore, so many more dishes to delve into (I promise this isn't a plug for AMC's replacement The Chew. lol) and the story itself just looked so rushed and unfinished. This was a premature ending, if you ask me, and for me there were so many holes in the story that those things stood out to me more as the hour came to a close. Regardless of that, an era truly ended today. Many a career was started here, and many will be closing their careers here as well. I would like to thank the cast, crew, producers, writers, cameramen, all of the employees who helped make AMC what it was over the 5 years I was a fan for providing me with something to watch. Thank you for showing me more than just love in the afternoon and hanging on with confidence after the slow death of soaps began. This show was as much a part of my day as a meal, the characters played a part of my life like old friends whose updates I read like Facebook posts on my news feed. Every time a soap has reached the end of its run, I feel a little emptier when I think about the future of television, because with the death of each soap the evidence that times are changing, another phase is beginning and with that evolution the death of something has to occur in order to free up the space. I'm just sad that its soap operas that have to die in order to make way for the rotten replacements each of them have gotten. I find it so hard to believe that its ridiculous game show remakes, even more talk shows and more reality trash that people want instead of quality, hour-long shows that have been around longer than half their fanbase. These shows are rooted in history, they entertain, they grow as we grow. And the producers of these networks feel we'd rather see another reboot of Let's Make a Deal or The Chew instead? Ok just for a second, I'll be a turncoat and admit that if The Chew wasn't taking the place of my show, I'd probably watch it. But seeing that it is, I can't do it. Yet. lol

In summary, AMC made sure to go out with a watercooler ending and left me not only frustrated, but realizing to never expect anything, never to rely on expecting anything. We as fans expected a hunky-dory, Guiding Light style ending. But at the same time, especially with the possibility of the show living on, there was drama in Pine Valley right up until the end, which culminated in the revival of Mr. Rubber Tree Plant himself, Stuart Chandler, there was no way the show could end peacefully. The show chose to make their finale a celebration of life and what it has to offer, good and bad, the bad being behind and the good being on the horizon for everyone's futures. Today's finale focused on life, new adventures, the beginning of new chapters, and the celebration of the new that the town was getting ready to encounter. Instead of "dying" today, Pine Valley was reborn.

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Saturday Morning Reviews---Game Day Weekend

I'm really excited for this morning's shows. I love game days and especially since my Packers are actually in the bowl this year, which I am absolutely THRILLED about, I can't wait to see what's going to be on the menus this morning. So I checked the guide and its not really an all-morning thing like they used to do with most of the shows being a new variation on the day's theme; there are a few episodes focusing on game day but there are also a few of the shows that don't. I guess I can deal with that. lol Now you already know I may not watch them all; FN even though I'm trying to get back into it, just isn't pulling my interest these days. But you have my word to try and stick it out today.

5am: According to the guide, Tyler's Ultimate is kicking off the morning with his ultimate po'boys. Now I'm not a fan of oysters myself and the po boy is an oyster and shrimp one, but I guess I'll watch. lol We're at the halfway mark of the show and the seafood is cooking and he just started on the sweet potato matchstick fries. After cutting the potatoes via mandolin, you make the matchstick by cutting those pieces into small strips, then dunking them in ice water to remove alot of the starch. Then you fry em up. I wouldn't necessarily use it with sweet potatoes; I'd use it with regular potatoes myself, but its still a good strategy to use. I wanna find a way to use this Creole seasoning in something, it has onion & garlic powder, cayenne pepper and paprika, as well as the regular s&p. Tyler made a little flour season mix for the oysters and shrimp to fry in, didn't really hear what was in it besides flour but I did see some color so I'll assume its got the Creole seasoning mixed in with it. The pie is done, its a sweet potato pie with a praline crust; I'm not a big pie person but I gotta admit it does look pretty good. That wrapped the epi, my favorite ging chef is next.

5:30am: Bobby's Grill It! features wahoo, which is some kind of Hawaiian fish. His guest today is a newswoman from Green Bay (I swear that must have been a coincidence) who relocated to San Diego and she's doing a more tropical theme for her version with the fish, while Bobby's grilling it and making a sauce for it with a North Italian salad on the side. She's making a blue cocktail; he's making a Bellini. They have pretty good chemistry together; he's not really trying to overtalk her like some of the other guests and she seems to be holding her own. I'm surprised I haven't heard him mention ginger yet; right now some anchovies and garlic are cooking up in the pan. I'm definitely NOT an anchovy fan and have never cooked with fresh fish so this epi is kinda lost on me personally. I wonder what capers taste like. Rest of the show was just the grilling of the fish and veggies, the finishing touches of the cocktails are finished and now she's sampling Bobby's crostini. Never would have put plum and ricotta together, but doesn't seem tooo bad. Both cocktails look good; I'd try them if I was a drinker. The wahoo sandwich she made looks great and so does Bobby's with the sauce on top. In short, good show.

6am: Big Daddy's on now, with a new epi featuring a stromboli, buffalo chicken wraps and a surf and turf. The show has a new opening, I personally prefer the other one but I digress. The chicken is being marinated in buffalo sauce and then tossed in flour, before frying up in the pan. Instead of using wings, Aaron used boneless chicken breast, which I like. I don't care for wings, but I can def do boneless chicken breasts. The chicken's going to be wrapped in lettuce with a salsa made of scallions, jalapenos, red peppers and tomatoes, topped with olive oil and s&p. Not a bad salsa. I love this menu personally. I'd make this stuff in a minute and the kids would eat it up. After adding the chicken, he topped it with a ranch with blue cheese crumbles. The stromboli is next and it looks great already. I'm hungry. >.< It's being layered with pepperoni, salami, looks like mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and deli-sliced ham. He's very generous with the meat and I love it; Subway cheats like hell when they're putting the meat on your sandwich. It looks like its being rolled in a premade pizza dough with egg whites on the ends. After rolling and tucking in the ends, place on a greased pan, top with olive oil brushed over the top and bake for 25 mins at 400. It's an excellent game day recipe; I am in total flove with it. I'm not big on surf and turf but the previews of the burger look huge and not half bad at all. These folks might make a convert of me yet. lol 1 lb of deveined shrimp with the tails off is processed until the consistency of ground meat, and Japanese breadcrumbs, eggs, and olive oil are mixed with some hot sauce, Old Bay, fresh minced garlic and pepper to combine everything together. Some greenage--parsley, scallions and jalapenos--are put in the bowl with the shrimp mix and then the other pound of unground shrimp is added to the bowl. I think that was a good method to make sure the burgers hold their consistency and shape while they're cooking but still have actual pieces of shrimp in there. I can do without the groaning and moaning being made while Aaron's doing all of this, but you take the good and the bad right? Excluding the shrimp burgers because I'm a little skittish with seafood, I'd make this entire meal. G is next.

6:30am: G's putting a twist on bar faves, but it still comes off as classy and kinda gourmet-ish. Not complaining though. I think she's making the cinnamon chocolate fudge. It looked like...it looked wonderful. @_@ OMG the choco's melted and its all in a big ball being spread out so it can set in the fridge, I'd rather eat myself to a tummyache and just have the bowl. That's just me. Next are the twice baked potatoes with proscuitto, cheese and mushrooms and I'm eager to see what they're about. I'd put a little twist on it myself and do like fried potato skins and top em with those things. Either one could work for me. After baking them once and taking the potato out of the skins, its combined with butter, the mushrooms, onion and garlic and I think put back into the potato skin and baked again. These mozzarella balls seem like a mix between hush puppies and cheese sticks, which I don't mind at all. I FLOVE cheeeeeeeeese. ^__^ lol Putting the egg and breadcrumb mixture on the cheese and frying them twice creates that thick breaded coating you see in the bars and junk. I loves it. I'm not sure what chutney is, but I'll watch it anyway. 8 cloves of garlic are going in it. -_- No tanku. I remember telling you about my traumatizing garlic tale last weekend, so again...no tanku. All in all, not a bad show. I really only remember the @_@ fudge though. My memory's selective. I sowwie.

I fell asleep around 7 or so...so yet again, I get a fail in morning reviews. Thankfully, FN changed their lineup and since the cooking shows stop at 10 and for the most part aren't that good anyway, I guess my mornings of reviewing cooking shows are over. And good riddance, because I wasn't very good at it. Oh well, trial and error. lol 

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Bitchy Review: Tatum and Ryan: The O'Neals

So I just found this show on the OWN Network last Sunday and it hasn't been so bad. The general idea behind the show is that Ryan O'Neal and his daughter, Tatum, are trying to reconnect with each other after decades of not speaking. Tatum is carrying old hurts with her from her childhood that her father put on her, including various forms of abuse and the affair (?) he had with Farrah Fawcett, in which she felt as though she was left behind and forgotten about. I gotta say, Tatum's had it hard, although the root fault of the matter is up in the air for me. She battled heroin addiction and alcoholism through the years that she was at the impasse with her father, and now clean and sober, she would like to confront the demons of her past and find peace with her dad.

Ryan, the father, is trying to reconnect with his daughter and try to regain something that was lost all of those years ago. He feels as though Tatum is out to get him, throwing out accusations that he says are not true, and holding onto grudges that are decades old, making him feel as though its not feasible for their relationship to significantly move forward. After a blowup in Washington after dedicating Farrah's infamous red swimsuit to the Smithsonian, the two are not on speaking terms and Ryan's feeling about the entire situation is that there is little to no hope of the situation improving because of Tatum not apologizing for the argument.

My feeling on both of them is that I do see where Ryan feels that Tatum is victimizing herself a little in the situation between them; in this particular episode when Tatum went to another therapist to discuss her issues with her father, I don't feel that she accurately (at least what was shown to the viewers, anyway) described what happened with him at the restaurant. Instead of saying that she was coming at him in a particular way which may have caused him to become annoyed, it came off more as though she was saying she simply tried to have a conversation with him and he didn't like it so he left. It's shown on camera that he left when he couldn't handle anymore; it wasn't that she tried to speak to him about just anything and he just up and walked away from her. The way it sounded when she was telling her therapist victimized her in this situation and I don't feel that depiction is 100% accurate, so that annoyed me a little.

I don't doubt the validity of the accusations she puts at Ryan's feet, as a child of abuse myself I can't really say for sure whether or not any abuse happened because I wasn't there and I hated it when someone didn't believe my claims. Unless there is substantial proof that the abuse really did not happen, I can't bring myself to say the person is lying about it. Ryan, however, does not believe that he abused Tatum, so he feels like she's accusing or attacking him unjustly. Tatum recently released a book in which she talked in depth about her childhood experiences and the pain she was subjected to by her father, which brought their longstanding issues with each other into full visibility. The premise of the show is to help them reconnect and the journey that they are taking to get to a place of peace with each other. From what I have seen, its had its ups and downs, just as any journey with forgiveness would have, and I do think they could stand to learn a few things about each other on the way, but all in all I commend their efforts. Exposing these hurts and wounds on television also takes guts; not just money like some would say. I'm sure that's part of it, but you have to remember that they are also exposing and telling things that for decades was not privy to public knowledge. That takes courage and again, I commend them.

Bitchy Review: In short, both of these people have been scarred in some way by their past, more so Tatum because of what she experienced. Ryan got the scarred reputation and as a result, became estranged from Tatum for many years. I think its very mature of them to try honestly to put these things aside, forgive and move on with their relationship to what they feel a father and daughter's relationship should consist of. It's important to note that they use therapy to help sort out their issues; I think many more families and relationships could be reconciled if there was an impartial 3rd party to help them out. However, I also believe that they hold on to the grudges a little as they simultaneously seek to forgive for them. Forgiveness, I am learning, doesn't work that way and I hope that they both learn that, otherwise the therapy, the journey, therefore the show in itself, is moot and will do nothing but constantly put salt in wounds that are obviously still open. I don't know if there will be a 2nd season of this show, but I would like to see them move past everything and begin to rebuild. Hats off to them both; its never an easy journey to truly forgive and rebuild something that was shattered and remained that way for decades. It's a mature thing to do and I wish them the best.

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Bitchy Review: Braxton Family Values

This new reality show on We just aired its second episode yesterday and it is centered on the lives of the Braxton sisters, their individual journeys as well as the one they take as a family. Unquestionably the most recognizable of the family is Toni, whose recent financial struggles and divorce have landed her in the news; this show is documenting as she reinvents herself and starts a new chapter in her career. Her four sisters, three of whom are her backup sisters, also have their place in the show. The one that stands out the most of the four others to me would be the youngest, Tamar, who is without doubt an attention hog. More about that later. I believe Traci is next in line after Toni; Traci was one of Toni's backup singers but left the industry entirely to be a wife and a mother. Towanda is one of the backup singers and as of the last episode, was getting ready to give her husband separation papers. Trina is another of the backup singers who also is part of another cover band and as of the last episode, was confronted about her recent behavioral shift and increased drinking. Then there's the baby, Tamar, who is the other backup singer and if I remember correctly had a little stint as a solo artist herself. She's married to Toni's manager, which as I'm sure you're aware causes some strife as Tamar strives to once again establish herself as a solo artist instead of just being known as one of Toni's backups; however it looks like her husband is still doing his job as Toni's manager and doesn't look too open to the idea at the moment.

The first episode was more of an introductory episode, introducing us to the sisters and where they're at in their lives; the latest episode focused on Trina, in reference to her recent DWI arrest, behavioral shift and increased drinking. Trina is shown as 'enjoyin the drank' anyway, but according to her family the usage has increased in recent weeks, which boils down to her unhappiness in her marriage, where I believe mutual infidelities were committed. Earlier in the week Tamar spoke with Trina's husband, where she came to the conclusion that Trina's husband was definitely a contributor to her sister's behavioral shift, which prompted them to call the family's therapist for help. Because of her sudden anger at her sisters when they went to visit her at her other band practice under the idea that she was the lead singer and they walked in when she was doing backup so they confronted her about it, her sisters thought it would be best to schedule an intervention of sorts. Like most who are cornered into an intervention, Trina was upset and felt her sisters were sticking their noses where it didn't belong and at first seemed to be very closed off by the questions posed by her sisters and therapist, but it came out later that she was dealing with alot of pent up anger and frustration because of the events unfolding in her life at the time. There was a little focus on Towanda, who is also going through marital problems with her husband, who from the little bit I saw appeared to be a dick who doesn't listen to a word she says, seemingly perfectly content with her being the breadwinner and having her needs neglected for his own. The last bit about her showed her telling Toni she was going to give him separation papers, hopefully to show him that she can and will leave, encouraging him to change his ways. There was a little bit about Mommy Braxton's blackberry dumplings and how she was making for a cook-off, which apparently nobody liked but her; I found that a little funny. They didn't want to hurt her feelings, but they all hated them. The next episode previewed Toni talking about how everything was a segue into the Tamar show, and then it cut into a clip with the 5 at dinner and Tamar was talking about her sisters' husbands and basically how none of them were any good, which seemed to be upsetting all of her sisters.

I gotta admit, I'm not too fond of Tamar. She seems too loud, too over the top, and quite negative when it comes to others' ventures because she's so focused on her own and what she wants. I want to like her, I really do because she's pretty funny too, but she has to grow on me, I guess. Toni seems pretty much the way I pictured her, calm and more peaceable, a softspoken person. Granted, alot of attention has been on her other sisters, but from what I have seen, she's likeable. Trina seems confused, like she's in a fog about what to do in her life. Towanda seems calmer, a bit more fun-loving but grounded, although she seems to be battling a little of her own confusion as to what she should do. Traci by far seems the calmest, probably because she's not in the industry with her siblings and doesn't have as much stress as they do. In short, they're a likeable bunch, entertaining and completely individuals, but centered on their family at the same time. It's a good thing to see in the wake of so much unhappiness in families and divorce. Hearing that they have their own family therapist brought a raised brow from me, mainly because I'd never heard of that before, so that showed me that some growing had to be done to get to that point, but because she's still on call it shows that they're committed to being a better and closer-knit family. It's a refreshing thing to see nowadays, when most troubled families or families with individuals battling their own demons prefer to sweep the issues off the rug or go on in dysfunctional bliss, either because they don't want to deal with the issues under the rug or are afraid to confront them all. This family looks like they're open to dealing with them in order to stay together and I like that. If we weren't a gubment family, I'd suggest we get a family therapist too. lol

I like the show. It's entertaining, focuses on more than just one person, and allows us to see a little more of what really goes on, what I mean by that is that its not The Hills type of reality, its just reality. I've heard that We is no stranger to making things worse than they seem because they do it with Bridezillas, but they get viewers and show what happened to lead up to these previews and allow us to discern these situations for ourselves. If a drama-filled preview is what gets viewers to watch, then that's their tactic I guess. It works, so I can't hate entirely. This show is filled with drama, but its normal family drama from having so many personalities and lives functioning in such close vicinity all the time. If you like family shows, the Braxtons or hell even just one of the sisters, I say continue watching. If you're not fond of attention hogs, the sometimes misleading previews or overbearing relatives or if it reminds you of your own family and you're looking for an escape, Braxton Family Values probably isn't for you.

Bitchy Grade: (out of 5 bitchy stars) 3 stars= just bitchy enough

Btw, here's the Bitchy Grading System for new tv show reviews:
1= baby bitch
2= close, but no bitch
3= just bitchy enough
4= a lil too bitchy
5=total bitchfest!

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Well, it's happened.

The death of soap operas has finally hit ABC, where yesterday it was announced in a shock move that both AMC and OLTL have been cancelled. It surprised me, especially considering that AMC just finished reassuring its viewers that the show wasn't going anywhere, but let's be honest. We all knew this was inevitable; although I do wish it wasn't done at the same time. So when February of 2012 hits, we (provided there are no more cancellations) will be down to four soaps. Y&R and B&B on CBS, btw who even watches Bold and the Beautiful anymore???, GH on ABC and DOOL on NBC. Pretty lonely, don't ya think? Ten years ago, soaps were thriving. There were 9 soaps. There are now 4. By the time I have kids and we're watching tv together during the day, soaps are going to be ancient history and that makes me very sad. Soaps have been part of my life in some way as long as I've been alive, and even when I'm not actively watching I still try to keep up on at least the character ins and outs. It's still hard for me to accept that in five years, there will probably only be 2 soaps, if that, on the air. YR is still highly successful and still pulls in alot of viewers, as does GH. I guess the glory days of the other soaps are behind them according to ABC, since their viewership continues to drop as the years pass. I thought ABC scored a major coup when it was announced recently that Roger Howarth (ex-Todd, OLTL) would be returning to the show. For years now its been floating around that ABC was trying to pull him back in, and with the cancellation of ATWT last year, the rumors got even stronger since he hadn't been signed to another soap. The possibilities with that and Trevor St. John (Todd, OLTL)'s storylines are massive, and although they dropped the ball by letting Susan Haskell (Marty) go right before Howarth returns to the show, I still think they can do alot. The possibility of having St. John's Todd be an imposter is still there, and I think it would be so interesting to see Marty's reaction at hearing that the real Todd is back and actually being face to face with the person who really raped her as opposed to the person she thought did it for the better part of the last 5 years. The show has the potential to really do something big before it goes off the air next January, so if anything I would suggest that they start trying to bring characters back to tie up storylines and in essence, the entire show, before it goes black.

As for AMC, I don't know what they have going on because my own interest has waned, but I suppose as far as characters coming in or going off, its been pretty quiet, which I guess? is a good thing, but I do wonder how they're going to tie everything together and end the show in the next five months. I think it sucks that AMC goes off the air four months before OLTL does, because that leaves them less time to really do anything as a good storyline takes about that long from start to finish, but I probably will come back sometime during the summer so I can see how the show will be ending. Same with OLTL though, I think AMC should start bringing back characters, just to tie up the story and give Pine Valley a fitting sendoff. Of course, it wouldn't be a proper end to the show if there was no Adam, or Joe and Ruth Martin, so they better bring them back. Honestly, if schedules permit, I'd suggest trying to bring back a few recently departed characters; let us fans say goodbye to them one last time. It's kinda okay if a character leaves the show but there's a door open to their return sometime in the future, but if the show itself is ending, I think it would be better to bring them back and let us have the final goodbye as well. Viewers need that, as crazy as it sounds. They need the opportunity to say goodbye to the characters and the town they've gotten used to. I know some people are like 'yeah, whatever' but honestly, sometimes fans and viewers cry when the show's been cancelled. You're taking a piece of our childhood away, taking away these people and these towns that we love and have loved for years. Why wouldn't we feel some kind of way about it?

Alot of fans say that the move to LA began to put the nails in AMC's already lowered coffin, and while I think it did contribute in a big way, I don't think it killed the show entirely. I kinda think the move to LA made it obvious that the show was going to die regardless and the move to LA was more of a strategic last ditch effort to save it. I think we lost out on alot as a result, since a few characters did not make the move and the show lost all of its already casted children (ironically LOL) from the New York set, but if I'm being completely truthful, I think the show was already on its last legs when the move was made. Cutting costs with the new sets in LA just pushed that date back a little. I don't know when others stopped tuning in, but after the whole Satin Slayer, Reese and Bianca and Babe's death, I just lost interest. By the time the show made the decision to move to LA, I wasn't watching anymore. Every time I have gone back, I wasn't interested enough to stay. So can I say in retrospect that the move was a good idea? I don't know. I think it might have saved the show from meeting its maker by a year or two, but we already knew this day was coming because of the past two cancellations and AMC's constantly falling ratings. With that said, I suppose as a whole, its probably past time to start saying goodbye to daytime. GH is still going strong, as is Y&R. I don't know about DOOL, but considering that NBC hasn't pulled the plug as of yet, I'll assume its going well. However, within the next five years, unfortunately I don't see those being around either. The sun has set on the era of daytime soap operas, reality tv and talk shows are taking over. Supposedly this is what the viewers want. I mean, how many friggin talk shows do you need?? It's bad enough that every and I mean just about EVERY channel has some form of reality show, some channels have entirely geared their programming around it! TLC is now a reality channel, as is MTV, VH1, Food Network, E!, Style, should I keep going? You have to take our soaps as well? I'm sick of reality. It would be awesome if all the soaps got their day on SoapNet, but even their programming is shifting within the next year or so. If all the soaps got to keep going and just be shown on the Soap channel, I wouldn't mind. But like I said, the dawn of daytime is over and reality has set in, seemingly here to stay. Apparently people can't get enough of looking in on someone else's life and we're going to be introduced to multiple sets of people trying to get their time in the sun, their 15 minutes of fame. Irritating. Immensely irritating. And you're killing our soaps for this. In a word, its bullshit. I hate reality tv, for the most part, and I definitely don't think you should kill an ERA, ICONIC, LONG-RUNNING programming for friggin REALITY SHOWS!!!! Soaps are our escape! That's what they were made for! Let us have it! You've already killed two other, ICONIC, LONG-RUNNING soaps, and what pray tell took their place? LAME ASS GAME SHOWS. @_@ And now, you're making us say goodbye to La Lucci and the ever fab Erica Kane and the awesomeness that is Erika Slezak, Miss Viki Davidson herself, and for what? TALK SHOWS. You already have talk shows, ABC, your entire morning is talk shows and everything following it is news---more talk. And for some reason you feel you need more on top of that? You really need it so much that you'll kill soap operas, shows that are older than probably half of your damn staff? Get real. -_- Can you tell I'm mad about it? lol

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