Bold and the Beautiful has a stack of plots that is irritating viewers right now. And I tend to agree with most of the fan opinion on this. From RJ Forrester‘s (Brayan Nicoletti) abrasive attitude to Taylor Hayes (Rebecca Budig) happily never after just evaporating and a few other things on B&B that are just not proper. Not proper at all. And we’re going to discuss five of the worst plots on the CBS soap right now.

So, I see a lot of fans ranting on soap social media every day about the nonsense that we’re seeing on Bold. Some viewers are extremely ticked off. So, we’re going to talk about RJ, Electra, Taylor, Steffy, Hope, and some others.

Electra And Will’s Letter Situation on Bold and the Beautiful

So, the first thing we’re going to talk about is this whole thing with Electra Forrester (Laneya Grace) and Will Spencer (Crew Morrow) and the whole letter situation. And honestly, the whole scope of this storyline. We’ve seen how pouty that Electra has been. How she has no problem with somebody that she says is her friend living on the street eating out of dumpsters. And also, we’ve just seen her and Will and others that just won’t communicate clearly. And of course, we got RJ’s holier than thou bullcrap.

This could have all been cleared up if Electra had just asked Will why he ignored her letter or sent an email or a text or just had a conversation face to face or if Electra had actually listened when Will tried to explain that Ivy was lying about him. But Electra gave him no oxygen to even hear him. None of the people speak plainly and none of them listen. And on top of that, it feels like, and this is not just for this storyline, but across the board, almost every episode repeats the same exact conversation we heard the last time those people were on screen.

If they’re on Monday, and then we see them Monday, we see them Wednesday, same conversation again. And the main criticism I see about Bold is storylines don’t move forward. It’s repeat, repeat, repeat. And then every three episodes or maybe once a week, something moves forward a little.

We’ve been on the same calendar day on Bold for a week of episodes. If you look at the outfits that Electra and Daphne and others are wearing, it is literally not moving forward. I see this same criticism on most plots on B&B. Repeat conversations day after day and then you pile in unneeded flashbacks to make it even more stagnant.

Ivy’s “Not Proper” Thing on B&B

Another thing really bugging fans for a while now has been Ivy and her whole “It’s just not proper” thing. Brad Bell has done some bizarre rewrite on her. This is nothing like Ivy ever was before on Bold and the Beautiful. I don’t ever recall her even using the word proper before all the years she was on.

Ashleigh Brewer’s character has been twisted around to make her an uptight helicopter aunt manipulating Electra. And frankly, it’s not a well-written storyline. If you have to have a character acting totally out of character to make it work, that’s not good writing.

The whole storyline was not only dragged out, but after all this time, it’s frustrating to get a character that people actually used to like, Ivy, back on the scene, only to have her behave like an uptight, controlling weirdo. They brought her back, but made Ivy entirely unlikable. We were supposed to be getting her back to, you know, do something with Liam, maybe even with Thomas because they’re not related, something interesting.

Instead, she’s stalking Will and Dylan when she was supposed to be sick while Electra was out of town. And even now, Ivy remains unapologetic. She’s still rambling, hoping Electra doesn’t go back to Will. That’s on Friday’s episode after Ivy’s basically agreed it’s time for her to leave Forrester.

Everything With RJ Forrester

So, the next hot mess plot to talk about is everything with RJ Forrester since the recast with Brayan Nicoletti. It’s nothing to do with the actor. He’s fine. Handsome young guy. It is how Brad Bell is writing RJ. He used to be a much more likable young man. And he’s been a jerk from about five minutes after he walked through the door.

He was nice to Will for like a second and said, “Let’s not act like our dads Bill and Ridge. Let’s put that animosity behind us.” Will agreed. And then what does RJ do? He actually immediately started acting like his dad, Ridge Forrester (Thorsten Kaye).

Because RJ latched on to the idea of being with Electra. And that was back when she and Will were doing great. They were totally happy. And Brooke Logan (Katherine Kelly Lang) even told him, “Don’t go there. She’s with Will.” But RJ did.

And then he is just doubled down and tripled down. He’s 100% unlikable. He has not been a big hit with the fans. I think he’s the worst nepo baby that Bold and the Beautiful has ever had. And honestly, I think the writers need to completely rehab RJ if they ever want fans to like him.

Bold and the Beautiful Fans in an Outrage

Some recent comments on soap social media about him. This one I like. Can they please ship RJ overseas and bring back Thomas? Another said, RJ and Ivy are total garbage. And another said, RJ’s such a weirdo. Other comments flat-out call him a dumbass. Somebody else posted a long line of laughing face emoji’s over RJ saying his life hasn’t been as easy as Dylan thinks. RJ actually told that to a young woman who lived in her car and ate from a dumpster. What? Did he not get the jacket he wanted from Neiman Marcus? Come on.

Where are Deacon & Taylor on Bold?

Another thing bugging fans is the lack of follow-through, next steps, or any kind of closure on Deacon Sharpe (Sean Kanan) and Taylor. Everybody’s asking, “Where’s Deacon and Taylor? What happened?” Last we saw, they’re at Deacon’s place. They’re kissing. Sheila Carter (Kimberlin Brown) is stalking and smirking, saying she’ll be back.

You know, we had Deacon and Taylor finally get together, but they still didn’t actually get together. They didn’t make love. You know, they were interrupted before when Sheila came in with the knife. And then we had that, you know, them kissing on the sofa and then the Sheila cliffhanger. Will she kill them or won’t she? And then all of them disappeared.

So, are we going to circle back around to Taylor and Deacon? Has Taylor moved into Deacon’s little apartment? Did they get a house? You know, they didn’t even get a big pinnacle moment. Like, here we are. We can be together. He picks up Taylor in his arms, carries her to the bedroom, nothing. We got a very lackluster climax and then no climax. And they’re just on the back burner. Fans aren’t loving that.

Steffy And Hope Are MIA on B&B

The last thing to talk about is the fact that Steffy Forrester (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) and Hope Logan (Annika Noelle) are pretty much MIA these days. Bold fans are ticked about this, too. After Hope reconciled with Liam Spencer (Scott Clifton), we never see them. Basically, they show up to make commentary on other storylines, like talking about Taylor and Deacon or the Logan Fashion House. I was hoping to see Hope and Liam expanding their family, getting a place of their own. They don’t even show them in the cabin anymore. It’s Brooke’s living room.

Then, we got Steffy and Finn Finnegan (Tanner Novlan). We see them every once in a while, usually for sofa sex, and that’s it. They also were mostly side items in the Taylor, Deacon and Sheila drama and then they evaporated. I saw a comment on social media where a fan asked if anybody remembers Steffy and Hope. One fan asked, “Where is Steffy? She needs to kick her loser brother RJ’s ass.” That made me laugh.

So, I understand that Bold wants younger folks center stage trying to bring in a younger demo, but they also don’t need to neglect their other fans and their other characters. You know, Hope and Steffy and that generation should be center stage, not the barely out of their teens crew.

Roommates, what started as what families believed was a trusted community role has now ended in a courtroom verdict that has left a Ohio community with more questions than comfort, especially as the name Rushon Patterson II continues to sit at the center of a heartbreaking case involving a teenager’s final ride.

RELATED: Prayers Up! At Least 1 Dead, Multiple Reportedly Injured In Louisiana Mall Shooting (VIDEO)

Former Pastor Convicted In Fatal Church Van Incident Involving Teen

An Ohio jury has convicted Rushon Patterson II, 27, a former volunteer pastor, in connection with the death of 14-year-old Malachi Nichols-Williams, who died after falling from a moving church van in September 2025. Patterson was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and allowing a child to ride outside a vehicle, but acquitted of reckless homicide. Prosecutors said Patterson was driving a church van for Alive Now Kidz Church in Canton Township when he allowed Malachi and other teens to hold onto the outside of the vehicle while he drove through a neighborhood.

Pothole Impact Leads To Fatal Fall From Moving Van

According to testimony, most of the teens let go when they noticed a pothole ahead, but Malachi did not. When Patterson drove over it, the impact reportedly caused the teen to fall and hit his head on the pavement, suffering a skull fracture and severe brain injury. Malachi initially attempted to stand after the fall, and a pediatric neurosurgeon testified that there were early signs he might survive, but he remained on life support for three days before his mother, Pamela Nichols, made the devastating decision to let him go on September 9, 2025.

Mother Mourns Loss While Describing Pastor As Father Figure

In the aftermath, Nichols described Patterson as someone who had been like a father figure to her son and other children, saying she did not see him as a bad person, but as someone who made a tragic mistake. She also made the decision to donate Malachi’s organs, telling reporters she wanted his passing to still help others live on. Patterson now awaits sentencing on May 12 as the community continues to grapple with how a routine church outing ended in irreversible loss.

RELATED: Louisiana Mom’s Condition Revealed After Alleged Boyfriend Shamar Elkins Shot Her And Killed Their 3 Children (UPDATE)

Kristy Scott is keeping her summer curves in check with a lil’ help from a familiar face! On Thursday, the mega-influencer shared a photo from her gym session and Victoria Monét’s ex-boyfriend, John Gaines, was in it. For now, it’s unclear whether the link-up was strictly professional or something more, but it definitely turned heads on the ‘gram!

RELATED: Desert Heat! Kristy Sarah Turns Heads At Coachella With Look That Has Everyone Talking (PHOTOS)

Kristy Scott & John Gaines Pose In Gym Selfie

Divorce seemingly isn’t stopping Kristy Sarah from booking her gigs and hitting the gym in between! Yesterday, she shared a look at her day, which included a workout session with John Gaines. No word on how long they’ve been training together, but their casual selfie had her fans hype! In the photo, she’s throwing up her deuces, standing in front of Gaines while he flexes her biceps. They both had on black workout fits, from his durag to her glasses frame. She tagged him in the photo, writing, “GYM SESH” with a bicep emoji.

Social Media Reacts To Kristy’s Workout

In The Shade Room’s comment section there was a mix of everything. Some roomies kept asking WHO, needing a reminder that John Gaines is Victoria Monét’s ex-man and current co-parent for daughter Hazel Monét. Gaines and Victoria broke up in 2023, but didn’t reveal the news until 10 months later in September 2024. Their joint statement spoke of mutual affection and denied any rumors of infidelity.

“We both just have some fundamental growing to do that would be best done apart so we can remain the best versions of ourselves for our daughter,” the statement said, per PEOPLE. “It simply didn’t work out and that’s OK. We still think the world of each other and operate with love in every interaction for our family.”

Meanwhile, others had questions about the sweaty link-up and the history between Kristy Scott and John. Are they giving baewatch or trainer-client? Here’s a taste of the comment section.

@fortheyappers wrote, “Our good sis found her some REAL fine shyt 🤭👏🏾👏🏾.”

“These the kinda rumors I like being started😂,” @jessicapastry joked.

“In terms of looks, this is an upgrade. That’s a beautiful man,” @dayday45890 commented.

Meanwhile, @g0al.diggaa added, “This is literally Victoria Monet baby daddy he’s a trainer yall be reachinggggggg 😂.”

“Desmond somewhere cooking a meal, peacefully lol,” @tasha.raye313 wrote.

“That’s not a man, that’s a whole power supply 😭,” @faithdonna.z joked.

RELATED: The Tea Is Hot! Marissa Springer Claims Desmond Scott Was In Contact With Dana Tran During Their Time Together

By Robert Scucci
| Published 18 seconds ago

What do A Classic Horror Story, The Conference, and Oxygen all have in common? They’re all internationally produced, non-English speaking Netflix Originals that I wish more people knew about. Listen, I know that English dubs don’t emote properly, and subtitles may seem like a chore, but so is watching some of the stateside Netflix Originals like Time Cut, which is basically a 92-minute commercial for Olive Garden and Butterfingers masquerading as a teen horror flick.

Oxygen, one of the best sci-fi flicks I’ve seen in a very long time, may be a French-language film, but you’ll get so sucked into its bare-bones story and claustrophobic setting that you won’t even realize you’re reading the dialogue off the screen, which forces you to pay close attention, making it impossible to escape the uncomfortable atmosphere it’s thrusting on its audience. 

An Uncomfortable Experience All Around 

As somebody who has the stomach for the goriest of horror flicks, Oxygen f*cked me up because I’m claustrophobic, and adding the vast nothingness of deep space to the equation makes the story all the more terrifying because there’s no masked antagonist or deep state conspiracy that the viewer is introduced to– we’re simply dealing with a single woman alone with her thoughts, and the highly intelligent AI lifeform that’s trying to guide her to safety. 

As its title suggests, the primary source of conflict in Oxygen is, in fact, a lack of oxygen. When a woman known as Liz (Melanie Laurent) wakes up shrink-wrapped in a tiny medical pod in an undisclosed location, she immediately finds herself hysterical because the only thing she knows is that she has about 90 minutes of oxygen to find out who she is, where she is, what kind of sick experiment she’s being subjected to, and who’s behind said experiment. Having access to a supercomputer named M.I.L.O. (Medical Interface Liaison Officer), Liz scrolls through vast databases in her attempts to remember who she is and how long she’s been locked up. 

Using the limited resources she has at her disposal in Oxygen, Liz slowly but surely uncovers the origin of the pod, but is misled every step of the way whenever she uses M.I.L.O. to contact the authorities, or any other outsider who may have intel on her situation. 

Merde

Losing her sense of self as old memories of her sickly husband Leo (Malik Zidi) begin to occupy the front of her mind, Liz places her trust in M.I.L.O., who isn’t necessarily a force of evil, but clearly has been instructed not to fully reveal the truth about her situation. Having to choose between putting herself back into hypersleep and risk running out of oxygen, or suffocating while searching for answers, Liz has to think fast in her disoriented state while she waits for the authorities to rescue her, but doesn’t have a compelling reason to believe that help is actually coming any time soon. Facing her own mortality as a literal oxygen clock is ticking right in front of her, Liz desperately tries to remember who she is, where she is, and whether she’s locked up voluntarily or against her will. 

A Powerhouse Solo Performance 

Melanie Laurent has all the respect in the world from me because filming Oxygen couldn’t have been a pleasant experience by any stretch of the imagination. Sure, the pod she’s in, which probably isn’t bigger than a bathtub, is probably more spacious than I think from a production standpoint, but it’s still an immensely claustrophobic setting that made me all the more anxious when I realized that there probably had to be camera and crew members on-site to make Oxygen possible.

Technicality outside of the on-screen theatrics aside, Laurent’s genuine portrayal of fear and isolation-induced confusion will have you sweating bullets when you realize that she’s alone and has no reason to trust anything she’s being told while searching through vast databases for her origin story. 

Oxygen Won’t Let You Look Away

To put it bluntly, Oxygen made my skin crawl, but its sense of urgency kept me from looking away because of how well-acted it is, which is commendable when you consider the fact that we’re talking about a lone woman conversing with a disembodied, artificially intelligent voice in such a limited setting. 

If you’re ready to challenge yourself with one of the best Netflix Original sci-flicks on the platform today, I’d strongly advise you to watch Oxygen in a wide, open space because if you don’t you’ll feel just as locked up and hopeless as Liz. 

Social media users are debating after Jay Cinco shared his thoughts on the current state of streaming, suggesting the industry may be losing momentum. His comments, particularly referencing Kai Cenat’s Streamer University, quickly sparked mixed reactions across platforms.

Related: Jay Cinco Sets The Record Straight After Lala Baptiste Faces Backlash For Her Reaction To His Proposal (PHOTO + VIDEO)

Jay Cinco Questions Streaming Industry’s Momentum

During a recent appearance on Raw Talk with Bradley Martyn, Jay Cinco shared his view of where the streaming industry currently stands. In a clip circulating online, Cinco said he feels the industry is “dying,” pointing to the impact of Streamer University as one reason. According to Cinco, the event led to a surge in viewership for many creators, which he believes may have skewed expectations and performance metrics.

Social Media Reacts

Jay Cinco’s remarks quickly sparked backlash, with some users disagreeing with his take while others argued he may have been misunderstood. Social media users wasted no time sharing their thoughts in The Shade Room Teens’ comment section.

Instagram user @casianrichard wrote, “If you not in the game you will not understand!! He’s not capping 💯”

Another Instagram user @_karyceonaa._ wrote, “He’s just dying as a streamer tbr, not streaming as a whole 😂😂”

While Instagram user @babydamewtf wrote, “😂😂 it’s cause the person who started streamer university not doing it 😂😂 they gon realize that Kai Cenat co-sign real ma”

Instagram user @mariah.bland wrote, “Streamers now a days are not creative that’s the issue. Kai has soo much creativity which brought the views, if streamers step outside the box then their numbers can be high too if that’s the problem they having.”

Another Instagram user @nolimitvinch wrote,
“Streaming is dying out but u streamed yo baby shower tho 😂😂😂😂😂😂”

While Instagram user @allaboutmayia wrote,
“His views definitely falling off bc he changed his content. He ain’t link up and collaborate with ppl fr hes always at home with his girl and nobody wants to see that sorry 😕🤷🏽‍♀️”

Instagram user @bryceee.2x wrote, “Must not like the competition”

Another Instagram user @ygdraco wrote, “He tripping I wanna go streamer u 😂😂”

While Instagram user @allaboutbrebre_ wrote, “Nah it became water down when rappers got on it”

Lala Baptiste Speaks Out In Support Of Jay Cinco

Cinco’s pregnant girlfriend Lala Baptiste stepped into the comments to clarify Cinco’s intent, suggesting his words were taken out of context.

“He’s literally off wine and worded it very wrong 😂 anyone who knows him knows he def wasn’t trying to discredit Streamer U,” she wrote. “He was talking about people expecting certain numbers because of that.”

Additionally, Jay Cinco too addressed the backlash himself, explaining that his comments were about perception, not against Kai Cenat.

“Not what I meant… I meant it messed up the perception of views (doing good enough), not as in a bad thing for the streaming community,” he wrote. “I praise Streamer U all the time… it changed lives. It just also made creators feel like they had to have crazy views… overly love on my end, never my intentions.”

He ended his statement with an apology, adding that he may have misspoken.

Related: Jay Cinco Reveals His Daughter’s Middle Name Will Honor His Late Best Friend (VIDEO)

By Robert Scucci
| Published 24 seconds ago

Everybody handles grief differently, but most of us are fortunate enough not to mourn a loved one while also dealing with an alien apocalypse. If you’re wondering how that might play out, you can check out 2018’s Starfish, a strange gut-punch of a film that, despite its disjointed storytelling, ultimately gets its point across. I call it disjointed, but part of me thinks writer-director A.T. White was intentional with his delivery, because grief is never linear, which makes a lot of sense here.

At its core, the film is about loss, but while our protagonist works through a range of complex emotions like regret and sorrow, there’s a much bigger threat waiting outside, and we catch glimpses of what might be the end of the world. These two storylines don’t always intersect cleanly, but I’m okay with that because of how beautifully Starfish is shot. Speaking strictly in visual terms, this movie makes me feel nostalgic for a moment that never existed. It’s a kind of second-hand sorrow that’s hard to put into words.

Aubrey’s Alien Odyssey

Starfish keeps things vague at first, but its themes roll in naturally, which further supports my assumption that White knew exactly what he was doing structurally. We meet Aubrey (Virginia Gardner) at her best friend Grace’s (Christina Masterson) funeral. One attendee mentions a collection of mixtapes Grace made that only Aubrey will understand, which sends her to Grace’s apartment, where she decides to stay for a while.

At first, Aubrey mostly mopes. She’s living in a space that used to feel alive, but now plays like a shrine to missed opportunities. We don’t learn much about Grace directly, but it’s implied that toward the end of her life she became increasingly reclusive and erratic, often ranting about conspiracy theories.

Aubrey begins seeing monsters outside that come and go without any clear pattern, and she’s eventually contacted over a walkie talkie by someone who claims he was close to Grace near the end. He tells Aubrey that Grace discovered a signal through radio waves that opened a gate, allowing an alien lifeform to enter Earth and wreak havoc.

Initially dismissive, Aubrey slowly realizes that Grace may have been telling the truth, and that she’s now expected to finish what Grace started. She finds a cassette tape addressed to her, with Grace explaining that there are seven more tapes hidden, each containing a song and a clue leading to the next. Played in the right sequence, these tapes could theoretically close the gate and stop the invasion that, from Aubrey’s perspective, has already wiped out most of the world.

Grief Rears Its Ugly Head In Beautiful Ways

My first thought while watching Starfish was that Grace was unbelievably cruel for sending her best friend on a scavenger hunt during an alien invasion right after her funeral. What becomes clear, though, is that this may have always been part of some larger design, as if Grace understood something Aubrey didn’t.

Aubrey, feeling closer to Grace than ever, throws herself into the mission, believing it has real global consequences. There’s also a strong implication that Grace’s consciousness is still present, communicating with her in real time.

Or, none of this is real. It could all be a manifestation of Aubrey’s grief as she processes the loss of someone taken too soon. I lean toward the idea that the invasion is actually happening and the world is collapsing, but the monsters operate on such strange rules that it’s just as possible they’re projections of Aubrey’s internal state and unresolved feelings about Grace.

One detail I’m still chewing on is the animated sequence that pops up when the monsters start closing in. It could be a budgetary workaround, since animation is cheaper than rendering large-scale effects. Or it could be a deliberate stylistic shift, signaling that Aubrey’s perception of reality is slipping as she struggles to cope.

Don’t Worry So Much About The Storytelling

The storytelling in Starfish can feel uneven, sometimes intentionally vague and other times hyper-focused, but the overall experience lands. It’s a film where the whole carries more weight than any individual piece.

Visually, it’s stunning. The grainy texture feels deliberate, not like a limitation. Colors are saturated but soft, and everything has this dreamlike quality even when the tone turns somber.

The standout element, though, is the music. The mixtape concept works well throughout, but I wasn’t expecting the final needle drop to be Sigur Rós’ “Ekki múkk.” That alone is enough to make even the most stoic person stare out a window and rethink their entire existence.

Equal parts gut-wrenching and hopeful, Starfish doesn’t follow a traditional path, but it still tells a complete story. Like grief, it moves in circles rather than straight lines, and that feels intentional. What it lacks in conventional structure, it makes up for by forcing you to feel exactly what it wants you to feel.

As of this writing, Starfish is streaming for free on Tubi.

General Hospital has some storylines that are really irritating viewers right now. From Jordan Ashford‘s (Tanisha Harper) car crash to Maxie Jones (Kirsten Storms) going MIA and some icky cousin loving on the ABC soap opera.

We’re going to talk about some of the plots that are just rubbing fans the wrong way on GH at the moment. First though, please click subscribe if you’re not already following us. Now, let’s get into what fans are really hating at the moment.

Jordan Ashford’s Car Crash

We’re going to jump right in starting with Jordan Ashford’s car crash. So, she and Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) are looking for justice when it is quite clear who caused the car crash. That was Jordan. Because she was driving distracted and honestly, she nearly killed whoever else was on the road that night, Isaiah Gannon (Sawandi Wilson), Brooklyn Quartermaine (Amanda Setton), Danny Morgan (Asher Antonyzyn), and Charlotte Cassadine (Scarlett Fernandez).

She may have interacted with more than one of them or interacted with one and then they veered and interacted with the other. We don’t even know the extent of the damage she did because Jordan couldn’t keep her hands off of Curtis and now basically she wants justice for her own stupidity.

General Hospital: Should Jordan be Charged?

And since two of three cars on the road that night were secretly repaired, Carly Spencer (Laura Wright) took care of the teenagers and Tracy Quartermaine (Jane Elliot) took care of Brooklyn’s. We could see Isaiah just railroaded and blamed unjustly basically because Curtis is salty about him existing.

In the end, the PCPD is searching for the person to blame, and that person is in General Hospital all swaddled in bandages. Even though Brooklyn did have a glass of wine, that likely didn’t put her over the legal limit. She was driving in her own lane. She was obeying the traffic laws. If anything, Jordan should be charged with reckless driving.

Now, here’s a couple of fan comments. Let’s see. One person said the other driver was in their lane unlike Jordan. And then somebody said, “God, Curtis and Jordan are both so insufferable.” And another said, “Jordan’s acting like she didn’t steal Porsche’s husband and now she’s a victim because her face is banged up in a car accident she caused.”

Danny And Charlotte Cousin Romance

All right, another plot. Let’s talk about just the ickness of the cousins. Danny Morgan and Charlotte Cassadine need to keep their lips off each other. Fans have been on fire about this from the time they first kissed because they are blood-related. They’re cousins, not first cousins, but still.

Danny’s grandma, Alexis Davis (Nancy Lee Grahn), is a Cassadine and her dad, Mikos, is brother to Victor Cassadine, who is Charlotte’s granddad. So, those two brothers are both of their granddads. So GH tried to rationalize it when Danny was doing research into the family tree, but there’s no denying they’re blood related and it’s giving fans the ick. And if you have to do that much research on the family tree to see if you can date a girl, you probably shouldn’t do it.

You know, one fan posted on soap social media, “Why isn’t one of Charlotte’s reasons for not being with Danny is that he’s her cousin? You can gaslight and twist history all you want. The audience is never going to ignore or forget that.” And another one said, “Stop acting like it’s weird for people to find this weird.”

What Happened to Maxie Jones?

So, the third problematic plot right now is what happened to Maxie Jones. She just disappeared not long after she came out of her coma. I don’t think Lulu Spencer (Alexa Havins) or Spinelli (Bradford Anderson) or anyone has explained where Maxie’s gone to. She should be front and center in this not Nathan storyline. Also, the way Maxie just abruptly woke from her coma fully dressed, walked out of the hospital room like she’d only been there since last Tuesday was extremely far-fetched for fans.

Also, the insta decision that Maxie made between Spinelli and Nathan. That was just way too quick. She chose Spinelli with hardly any drama. And Maxie’s couple of reunion scenes with Nathan were brief.

There should have been a lot more to that. And she also backed down and gave Lulu and Nathan her blessing pretty quickly. None of that is sitting well with fans and they feel let down by it. Here’s one fan comment that pretty much covers the sentiment. All the hype over Maxie’s return and now she’s MIA. I feel like they should have her figuring out it is not Nathan.

General Hospital: Kirsten Storms is Off Contract

Also, by the way, a couple of trashy Facebook pages and one website known for just absolute clickbait lies posted some fake news about Kirsten Storms being fired. Now, she is off contract. She is on recurring status, but she’s not fired. Nobody has confirmed that, if she is actually fired.

That’s just the luck of a guess because there’s no official info, not even from inside sources that I’ve got that other people have that actually are journalists. So, what I heard from our source is they are talking to Kirsten about storyline requirements and they may consider a recast if Kirsten just isn’t available. You know, there are some medical issues there. She has moved to Nashville, but as of now, she’s just on recurring and they just don’t have her front burner. So, we’ll see.

Dropped Plots on General Hospital

Now, let’s talk about something else that’s bugging fans, and that’s dropped plots. Things that they fail to circle back around to, like making a big deal out of baby Phoebe’s mom being in expensive clothes, and then also at the same time having no ID. I think she had an expensive handbag.

That went nowhere. Like, they just brought it up and forgot it. We also had them refer to the big boss in the cult fusion project as a woman. Then they completely changed it. And also, nobody’s looking into where not Nathan was for the past seven years. They just kind of dropped it and acted like it’s fine for somebody to just crawl out of the grave with no explanation.

General Hospital: Faison in the Dark

Also, they’re kind of ignoring the fact that Faison didn’t know that Nathan existed, yet somehow he knew about and raised his twin, Cassius Faison (Ryan Paevey). Maybe they’re going to say that Faison didn’t know there were twins and she gave birth to Cassius and he left the room with a kid, then she popped out Nathan and took him to Madeline. I don’t know. The math isn’t mathing. So, I don’t know if they’re going to try and do a full retcon or just expect us to go okay. So, a fan comment on that tickled me. They said Cassius is Nathan but meaner. So, I like that.

Fans Dreading Drew’s Recovery

One last thing to talk about is something fans are dreading, and that’s Drew Cain (Cameron Mathison) coming out of his locked-in syndrome. I mean, a ton of fans were hoping he was just going to die when he got shot. So, the plot they’re most upset about really is that he survived, that Willow Corinthos (Katelyn MacMullen) bungled the murder of her husband. One fan said, “General Hospital is so much better when Drew can’t speak, walk, or move his hands.”

What’s funny is, you know, a lot of fans don’t want to see Cameron Mathison’s character back on his feet. But so many other fans really hate Nina Reeves (Cynthia Watros) and Willow. So, another fan said, “Let’s not start feeling sorry for Drew now. Let’s not forget why he’s there. He slept with Nina and then Willow – he used Wiley.” and they said “He came for Michael Corinthos (Chad Duell). He took Scout from her family.”

General Hospital: No Redemption for Drew?

And if our leaker is accurate, they said that Drew is going to be immediately back to being his usual toxic self once he has recovered from this locked-in. And obviously with Liz sniffing around this and mentioning it to Kai, who already knows there’s something suspicious going on.

I think it’s going to be over during sweeps. And him being toxic and not learning a lesson. I mean, that sounds like Drew. He’s so unlikable and that’s why fans didn’t care he was shot and I don’t think they’re going to want him back. So, hopefully GH is going to listen to fans, but they usually don’t. So, I’m not going to hold my breath waiting. We’ll see what happens.

Days of Our Lives puts EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel) and Dr. Wilhelm Rolf (Richard Wharton) plotting and planning to revive even more dead DiMeras. So, is Abigail Deveraux DiMera (AnnaLynne McCord) the next recipient of Rolf’s miracle medical serum once they iron out the kinks?

I think after the chat today between EJ and Gwen Rizczech, it sure seems like there’s a stack of person pods with many dead DiMeras waiting to be revived. So, we have a lot to unpack about who else is going to be dragged from the grave.

EJ And Rolf Happy About Lexie’s Progress

All right, so we’ve got EJ and Rolf pretty happy about the progress that their pod person, Lexie Carver, has been making. So this week, we saw Gwen super excited, thinking they’re about to cash in on the big payday from the investment that she made in this twisted science lab.

But EJ told Gwen that Rolf is concerned. Even though Lexie reached her hand out for her son Theo Carver‘s (Cameron Johnson) hand, they’re not seeing the level of brain activity and other signs of awakening consciousness that they are hoping to see with Lexie by now.

Days of Our Lives: EJ’s Bigger Plans?

So even though EJ’s focus is solely on his sister Lexie at the moment, I suspect EJ’s got bigger plans in the works. He explained that Lexie was the most viable patient to revive right now. So, her resurrection also was part of their dad, Stefano DiMera’s final wishes.

Now, we know that the Phoenix always felt really bad. Because Lexie’s inoperable brain cancer was caused by toxic fumes in the underground DiMera tunnels. That’s because years ago, Andre DiMera kidnapped Lexie, held her down in the tunnels long enough for her to be exposed to these toxins that wrecked her health and killed her. But hopefully with Rolf’s serum mixed in with the Versix, it’ll work a miracle for Lexie.

Now, I do expect she’ll finally wake up in May sweeps. I don’t know how long she may survive or not. But if you remember, the Versix by itself is what saved Bo Brady from the brink of death. And that was from a two-year coma. And he had that extreme sepsis.

Could Abigail Be in a Pod?

So Rafe Hernandez (Galen Gering) and Cat Green were also recently talking about EJ’s secret lab and the person pod they found during Stephanie and Jeremy’s rescue. And Rafe suggested that EJ and Rolf might be reviving Chad DiMera‘s (Connor Floyd) late wife Abigail when they discussed who might have been in that pod.

So Lexie’s not on their radar. Not only that. But new Chad, played by cutie Connor Floyd, also speculated that his brother EJ may be trying to bring Abby back from the dead. In fact, he confronted EJ about it and Chad was grilling him about the pod.

Days of Our Lives: Clyde Knows the Truth?

Now, we know that Abigail’s body was never recovered. Her grave was empty. They searched for her remains. They never found them. And do you remember what hillbilly mobster Clyde Weston said? Before he was shot and put in a coma by Cat’s mom, Clyde hinted that he knew where Abigail was. Now, he didn’t say dead or alive. But it was a hint that he knew.

So, even though EJ denied everything, Chad’s still got his suspicions right now. And he was told back when she was stabbed to death that Abigail was too far gone to use Rolf’s serum. That was back in 2022. Now, that could have been a lie or it could have been a case of EJ and Rolf couldn’t bring her back at the moment. But they hoped that they would have the medical know-how to bring Abby back in the future someday. So, they, you know, didn’t ever see her in the grave. They put her in a person pod and, I don’t know, buried sandbags or something.

But apparently Clyde somehow knows the truth of what happened to her and why Abby was not in her grave. Plus, there’s the fact that EJ and Gwen have ties to Abigail, which makes it intriguing. And of course, after Cat Green pretended to be resurrected not-so-dead Abigail, obviously Chad should be very skeptical.

Abigail And EJ’s Affair

And let’s not forget that Abby and EJ had a torrid affair back in 2014. That was when they were swapping actors around and Chad had left Salem for a bit. And Abby and EJ leaned on each other for emotional support and it turned into a full-blown physical relationship that happened even though EJ was engaged to Sami Brady at the time and EJ’s affair with Abby intensified.

They had all these secret hookups. There was that infamous sexy shower scene at the gym that Sami nearly interrupted. And if you remember, Abigail was obsessively infatuated with EJ at the time. And Abby tried to stop him from ending their affair.

Unfortunately for them, EJ and Abby’s affair was exposed in an article written by Will Horton. And when Chad returned to Salem that year, when Billy Flynn made his debut, he punched EJ for the betrayal and he confronted Abigail. Eventually Chad and Abby reconciled and there was no further funny business between her and EJ. And now we have new Chad and we could be getting a new Abby.

New Actress Hired At Days

Actress Sophia Mattsson who used to be on General Hospital, she’s a really good actress, blonde, statuesque. She was recently hired at Days of Our Lives with lots of speculation about whether she might be resurrected recast Abby. I saw some chatter that Sophia was going to play a new character. But I haven’t seen it in official channels and they could start her out as somebody with a different name with amnesia who later turns out to be Abby. There’s a lot of ways to go, you know, to get around that even if they did say that, trying to keep the mystery coming. So, I do think she’d be a good fit to be Abigail.

And Sophia Mattsson makes her debut early next year, which is long enough for them to work out any kinks in Rolf’s person pod and the medication protocol so they can start bringing back whoever is in the other person pods. So right now EJ has the hots for Cat. So does Chad. But with Rachel Black blabbing all that stuff to angry Thomas DiMera, you know, they’re not together right now. But we probably will see Chad and Cat together in the future.

Could EJ Brainwash Abigail?

So, if EJ sees Cat getting close to Chad, he might get jealous. And don’t forget, Rolf can brainwash people while they’re under his care. Remember, they did that with Stefan DiMera when he came out of the whole thing hot for Chloe. Because Leon bribed Rolf to mess with Stefan’s head so he wouldn’t pursue Gabi Hernandez (Cherie Jimenez).

So, if EJ’s salty about Chad and Cat, I wouldn’t put it past him to do something similar with resurrected Abby if they are bringing her back. You know, she was really into EJ back in the day. So, I could see him deciding to be vengeful and keeping Abigail for himself to screw Chad over.

Days of Our Lives: Chad Pushes EJ

Especially since the moment that Connor Floyd took over the role, we had Chad getting pretty aggressive with EJ in a way that he wasn’t usually when Billy Flynn was in the role. They had mellowed his brothers. But now new Chad is pushing really hard at EJ.

So, I think it would be especially interesting to have Abigail DiMera come back. And I think it would be interesting to have Cat and Chad as a couple by then and then EJ maybe having Rolf brainwash her and then staking a claim on Abby from the moment she wakes up from the person pod. That could be super super soapy. So, we’ll see how it goes.

By Chris Sawin
| Published 29 seconds ago

From David Lowery (The Green Knight, A Ghost Story), Mother Mary is a psychological drama-thriller driven by eloquent dialogue and compelling performances from Anne Hathaway and Michaela Cole. Lowery says he was inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) and Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour, while Anne Hathaway says she based her performance on Beyoncé and her film/live album Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé specifically. David Lowery went on to say that he could see Mother Mary being Taylor Swift in 10-15 years.

Mother Mary (Anne Hathaway) is a pop music icon. Her performances feature intricate costumes, a mesmerizing stage presence, and some of the catchiest and sexiest pop music of recent memory (the film’s score is by Daniel Hart, while the soundtrack features original songs from Jack Antonoff, Charli XCX, and FKA Twigs). Her concerts exceed typical musical expectations as many compare her performances to prayer or Holy Communion.

However, a traumatic experience caused Mother Mary to step away. She is planning her return to music with a new song and wants a new dress that matches her second coming. But nothing seems to feel right with the biggest issue being that her current costume designers have been making her the wrong dress. She turns to Sam Anselm (Michaela Cole), a globally recognized costume designer.

Sam used to work for Mother Mary, and the two were close friends, but something happened that not only caused them to drift apart but also made Sam hate Mother Mary and her music with venom. It transcends the concept of a personal grudge and evolved into this vile animosity that permanently stained the soul. Sam eventually learned to move past it, but it has always been there.  

Now they have four days to make the perfect dress for a groundbreaking headliner and opening date, but the palpable rift between them could lead to complete and utter turmoil.

The First Half Is All Dialogue

At just under two hours, the first half of Mother Mary is almost entirely back-and-forth dialogue between Mother Mary and Sam. There are breakaway moments that showcase the music, which is the film’s biggest draw.

Even though you’re just watching two people talk, that first half is the strongest part of the film. The relationship between Mother Mary and Sam hints at something deeper than friendship. They could have been lovers or even soulmates, but the film only hints at that, and it’s smarter for it. They weren’t just close; they had an unbreakable bond that was broken by someone blinded by the spotlight.

Michaela Cole Is Catty As Sam

Michaela Cole is so unbelievably catty as Sam. Whatever Mother Mary has done has done her so wrong that she is unforgiving and deliciously relentless. She is bitter that she still cares for Mother Mary. The dress and her making it seem to serve as some sort of ending for their time together. It could be a hate dress or something Mother Mary takes at the end of these four days, only to never see Sam again. But it’s a swan song in some capacity in Sam’s eyes, even if it’s meant to be a new beginning for Mother Mary.

Sam’s hatred is articulated through Cole’s magnetic British accent, and these detrimental insults are interwoven into casual yet unwavering lines of dialogue. Cole’s on-screen presence is just as commanding as she barely blinks, is consistently wide-eyed, has these blindingly bright white perfect teeth, and has a bottom lip that slightly curls and quivers when she speaks. She’s a bad bitch that’s been scorned so bad that she wears a mask to cover up the fact that she’s inconsolable.

Anne Hathaway Actually Sings Every Song And Cries Every Tear

Anne Hathaway’s transformation into Mother Mary seems exhausting. The character is to the point that music, the one thing that has brought her fame and that once made her happy, is now a chore that makes her feel nothing but emptiness and fatigue.

Hathaway sings every song in the film, which is impressive enough, but she also cries nearly every time she’s in a scene with Michaela Cole. Crying sucks, and doing it long enough gives you a headache or makes you want to take a nap. Mother Mary took 14 months to film. Even if that’s on and off, that’s still a lot of crying.

Mother Mary has created a new dance for one of her songs for her upcoming tour, and Sam asks her to perform it (without music, but we’ll come back to that). This dance looks like it hurts to perform as it’s full of pulsating, violent gyrating, stomping, and thrusting like Anne Hathaway’s life depended on it.

This dance is the equivalent of rhythmic possession. Hathaway throws her body against walls, furniture, and the floor like she’s trying to smack something out from the depths of her insides. It’s an exorcism in a way, and the story makes it feel like that even more.

Phenomenal Music That Sounds Like A Lost Madonna Album

Sam refuses to hear any of Mother Mary’s new music. The event that triggered Sam’s disdain for her has resulted in a streak that Sam doesn’t want to break. Charli XCX wrote the majority of the film’s soundtrack with help from her husband George Daniel, the drummer of The 1975. Despite the soundtrack’s influence from modern pop music, it sounds like a lost album from Madonna’s prime. With all of that said, the music is phenomenal.

Mother Mary keeps trying to show Sam her new song, but it’s never actually showcased in the film. It’s like we never hear it, and everyone in the film speaks about it and talks about it like it’s the greatest song that ears have ever heard, a la “Tribute” by Tenacious D. If it’s the song that plays over the end credits, it’s forgettable, which is even more depressing since the rest of the music is so good.

It All Falls Apart In The Second Half

Mother Mary falls apart in the second half. Once it begins to explain why Sam turned sour on Mother Mary and what happened to make Mother Mary step away from music, the film gets weirdly simple and bizarre in a way that is unbelievable.

This deeply personal and musical drama becomes a ghost story, with a red fabric symbolizing death and rebirth. The red fabric connects both women as it terrifies Mother Mary, yet serves as a form of redemption for Sam. It’s the cause of Mother Mary’s musical absence and the essence of Sam’s vengeful view of life.

But that red fabric is ejected from one character in the film and spends the rest of the film inside the other. It ruins one’s life while serving a new purpose for the other. It feels like it’s trying to be guilt, regret, and nostalgia all in one, but it gets lost in the fabric’s flowing representation.

Ruined By Red Fabric

Mother Mary has a fantastic soundtrack, passionately captivating performances from Michaela Cole and Anne Hathaway, and beautifully poetic dialogue that grips you throughout. But a piece of flowing red fabric ruins all of that.

There’s genuine art in Mother Mary that’s hidden behind a transparent red veil. The film ends as if you’re letting a piece of fabric drift away in the wind; its journey is endless and unpredictable, but also forever changing. The concept may be fascinating on paper, but its intention to soar in the clouds falls flat while losing whatever life it once had.

Mother Mary comes to theaters nationwide on April 24.

Ben McKenzie knows it’s a bit surprising when fans hear he’s been investigating crypto for the last few years. Best known as teen heartthrob Ryan Atwood from The O.C., the actor, 47, also has an economics degree — and when he first learned about cryptocurrencies, alarm bells went off.

In his new documentary Everyone Is Lying to You for Money (in theaters now), producer/director McKenzie takes on the current crypto craze and outlines why he believes it’s a full-on scam. “You are not dumb for not understanding crypto,” McKenzie exclusively tells Us Weekly. “They try to make it sound complicated to confuse you. It’s just a scam, it’s just a mania, it’s just a crime and we don’t have to put up with it.”

Below, McKenzie talks about his money habits, life with “gracious and supportive” wife Morena Baccarin, new TV plans and which O.C. character should star in a crypto-based reboot:

Are you typically a saver or a spender?

We are in middle age and have three children we’re raising in NYC, so I would like to say that I’m a saver. We spend, however, an enormous amount of money, because it’s just the cost of living in New York. So, an aspirational saver, a practical spender.

What did your parents teach you about money?

One of the things they taught me is the value of owning your own home, which, unfortunately now, is increasingly near impossible for [the] younger generation. My wife [Morena Baccarin] and I are privileged to be able to afford it.

What was your first job ever?

Delivering pizzas for Mr. Gatti’s, a chain in Austin. It was a good job, man. I could listen to my music in my car, 16 years old, and people would tip. I go back and forth on whether having an official job at a young age is a good idea. It depends on the situation, but certainly, having respect for money and understanding the value of it for both good and ill is something we’re trying to convey to our kids.

What was your first show business gig?

I got in the union by very happenstantially auditioning for a voiceover for a Diet Dr Pepper commercial. It was my first-ever voiceover audition and it was one line. It was about the Holland Globetrotters, as opposed to the Harlem Globetrotters, because the joke was Diet Dr Pepper tastes like Dr Pepper but without the calories. And the line was “You the man, Hooter.” That one line got me into [SAG]. Because it was a national commercial and because of the union [and] their protections, I was able to get by on that and waiting tables and doing all sorts of other jobs until I got The O.C.

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Morena Baccarin is looking back at her most exciting getaway with husband Ben McKenzie and their three kids. “My most memorable vacation is Japan with my kids and husband [Ben],” Baccarin, 46, exclusively shares in the latest issue of Us Weekly while discussing her latest film, The Wrecking Crew. “The culture, the food, everything was […]

Do you remember the moment you first felt financially secure?

When I booked The O.C. pilot… At the time, it was a life-changing amount of money. I had a $500 car. I was crashing at a friend’s apartment and I needed the cheapest car I could find… It was a 1986 Cadillac Deville, 228,000 miles on it, no AC and no radiator, really. And when I got the series, I decided to buy myself a car. So the picture I have is of the Cadillac and the Infiniti splurge. That was the symbol of the fact I had made it.

What was your best investment?

You’re gonna think this is cheesy, but it’s my relationship with my wife. It is so hard in life to do it on your own… I’m just deeply grateful for meeting her and for her being brave enough, foolish enough, to marry me. Best investment by far.

What’s your wife’s interest in cryptocurrencies on a scale of one to 10?

There’s no negative!? Morena is so fantastic in the movie… she’s kind of a surrogate for every woman in the world. Because I cannot tell you how many women have told me that they have some guy who keeps telling them about crypto; it’s a very male phenomenon. So, Morena’s interest in crypto is zero, as is my kids’, but she has been so gracious and so supportive letting me do this crazy thing.

Have you thought about what kind of project would appeal to you to do next?

I want to get back into television, because I really do miss the camaraderie and collaboration that happens in both the development process, but [also] the shooting of it. Writing a book is quite lonely. Making a documentary [is] really kind of lonely, too. So I missed that. I’m developing a series, but I don’t know that I can say much more about it. It’s a legal drama, political thriller set in New York.

Which O.C. character do you think would most likely fall for a crypto scam?

I love Tate Donovan personally, but it’s totally Jimmy Cooper. I mean, obviously, right? SEC investigation in the show, definitely hawking crypto. And what would be interesting about doing that, not that I’m proposing it, per se, is [to look at]… Tate’s such a lovely, likable guy that it’d be interesting to examine that, right? The rise and the fall. [You] feel for him and feel for the family. So, yeah, when we get The O.C. reboot going, we’ll have to work on Jimmy Cooper’s crypto endeavors.

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What do you hope the impact of the doc will be?

I hope people will be entertained. Everyone knows somebody who’s invested in cryptocurrency, but the point of the doc is not really to speak to [the] five to six percent of the population that’s really into it. The point is to speak to the rest of us, the 80-plus percent of the country that’s never bought crypto. The vast majority of the public is very skeptical of it, because all they read about is the crime and the corruption and the people who lose their money.

I want to express to those people that it’s not you, it’s them. We’re in a bad place right now where crypto has worked its way into our system via the president’s newfound love of crypto and dismantling of regulation and all of that. That’s very dangerous, but we do have the power, if we hold our representatives to account, to change the tide of history and to put this thing back in its place where it belongs.