for those in the new york area and interested in such things there is a nice exhibition at the 'museum of the fashion institute of technology' called 'gothic.dark glamour'.

it's devoted to gothic fashions both historical and current.included are garments that run from victorian mourning costume to contemporary pieces from dior,rodarte,rick owens and alexander mcqueen among others.

a topic like this came up here before but it's interesting that d.s. is a "gothic" in everything but it's dress.the music is gothic.the sets are gothic.the plots are gothic.but the fashions are the same colorful,jaunty mod styles being worn across the boards in the late sixties and early seventies.not a "goth" look in sight which is remarkable for a series featuring vampires,witches,warlocks and ghosts.even angelique as a vampire was all white chiffon and golden curls.

the 'fashion institute' is located at seventh avenue at twenty seventh street.the show runs until february 21st.for information call 212-217-4558.

i was watching "the young and the restless" today and a major character had "died"(no she's not really dead but that's beside the point)and as is their wont in soap operas for the funeral(as they do for weddings)cast members past and present come out of the woodwork.

among the many mourners was julianna mcarthy a.k.a. mrs.johnson/abigail collins in the 1991 series.i'm not sure who she plays(i don't think she's presently an active castmember)but she was there.

if anyone's intersted maybe she's on it again this week.

i certainly hope this doesn't offend anybody because it sure entertained me...

i've been watching the late 1968 episodes.i just watched the episode(614)where joe is attempting to strangle barnabas with a drapery tieback and is interupted by mrs.johnson at clarice blackburn's histrionic best.it's too good for words.

the episode moves on to scenes with mrs.j.,her son harry,roger and liz and of course joe.something about the tone of this episode struck me...perhaps that it's gayest episode ever!

it positively oozed lavender.

jonathan frid only appears in the first few minutes so the rest of the episode is dominated by actors we now know to be gay:louis edmonds,joel crothers (i don't know about frid so we'll leave him out of the conversation).while it's doubtful any of them were publicly "out" at the time("such things" were not openly discussed)i was wondering if they were quietly out with each other.if there existed something of a backstage camaraderie between them on this point.a "sisterhood" so to speak.i imagine that after lifetimes spent on stage and screen both joan bennett and clarice blackburn were faghags of the highest order.was this an atmosphere in which they felt "safe" to be themselves?

i'm imagining some dishy backstage chat.crothers is shirtless for much of this episode and perhaps edmonds and slocum exchanged approving glances.maybe mostoller and vinnie loscalzo stopped by to chime in on how hunky that new don briscoe is.

actors aside the way that mrs.johnson and harry interact is very much the classic mother/gay son relationship.the stereotypical byproduct of the absent/dead father and the domineering mother(and mrs.j. was nothing if not overbearing).i know it's all a cliche but that's the subtext i read into it even if "such things" could never by spelled out in specifics back then.

on a totally different note what also struck me here was that,in the midst of the madness that was 1968,nothing supernatural happens in this episode.there was something vaguely "1966-ish" about it.it included much of the original cast and the big "cliffhanger" was roger calling the sheriff.it sort of had a naive charm in that the police were the biggest threat being posed here.

anyways i in no way mean this as a mockery.please know that it comes from a place of love for my spiritual forbearers.

(edited by admin)

the watching project is nearing the end of the vicki and jeff storyline.

but it always seems to me that there is a bit of happenstance in play here.

we know how things played out.alexandra left abruptly.she was replaced by betsy.jeff disappeared into the past and soon afterwards vicki joins him.

it's always assumed that the character of vicki was written out because alexandra's replacement had not proven successful.

but how was the vicki and jeff storyline originally supposed to have been played out?

we can assume that if alexandra hadn't left the character would not have disappeared into the past and would have soldiered on to the next catastrophe that awaited her.was jeff originally supposed to vanish or was he supposed to stick around and the plot continue?was he written out because once alexandra left the writers just wanted to wind the storyline and characters down?or was vicki supposed to have continued on without jeff?were jeff clark's days numbered no matter what?

it seems like it all ends rather abruptly.

much about 1968 annoys me but tonight i watched an episode that left me somewhat physically repulsed.

it's towards the end of the joe/maggie/vampirelique storyline.maggie and joe share a nicely played,if sad,scene at the blue when in enters the supposedly "suave" nicholas blair and procedes to smooth talk the vulnerable,clearly upset girl with a round of black russians and the usual blah,blah offers of "friendship" that the d.s. ingenues frequently receive from older "gentlemen" callers blah,blah...

later however he goes in for the kill,tells maggie he's falling in love with her,and plants a long,fat,wet kiss on her...the sight of this creep kissing a girl we all know and love totally disgusted me.

the whole nicholas/maggie plot rings as totally false for me.i don't but it for one minute.it seems in a way to have been written just to give kls something to do.and i don't believe for one minute mags would fall for this louse!

yes folks it's that time again...

time to wish our show a happy birthday.on a summer afternoon forty two years ago it all began.

i always watch episode one on this day.it gives me something of a spiritual connection to it.

i always find something new...for instance,in an effort to make joan bennett look as regal as humanly possible,she is carrying what appears to be a fan along with that gown and that hairdo and those jewels.REGAL!

but i always feel melancholy when i see vicki and maggie in this episode considering the tragedies they suffer later on.beauty and kindness are not always rewarded.

but i love this episode.

i've been watching the 1968 episodes.

there is a scene shortly after the death of doctor lang where jeff clark lets himself into lang's house to retrieve some files about himself(seeing as lang was blackmailing him blah,blah)and encounters barnabas sulking around the place.

so things play out this way.barnabas tries to order jeff out but when he refuses and basically challenges barnabas to fisticuffs b backs down sheepishly.later when jeff vows to return to collinwood to tell vicki of the good news he's discovered b lamely tries to tell him that vicki's a "clever girl" who needs more than a pretty face to satisfy her albatrossian virtuousness.jeff,well on to barnabas' thinly veiled game,in so many words tells b that he and vicki are in love and to "leave us alone!".finally all b can muster up is a garboesque "get out!".from start to end barnabas comes across as ineffectual and rather fey.

and all of this milquetoastiness from a guy who a scant six months earlier was threatening to put burke devlin six feet under for vicki's fine affections.i cannot believe he allows this whippersnapper to order him around in this way!

also i believe this is the first of the great 'jeff mauls vicki' episodes.when he returns to collinwood he spins vicki(who really looks quite lovely in a full-skirted,poppy red dress quite different from her usual number)in the air and then does a real job totally destroying her neat hairdo in a face-grabbing "i love you" moment.

i was watching an episode where kathryn leigh scott recited the opening voiceover.for a second i didn't recognize her voice("...paging doctor get-a-life...").

anywho this has happened before.i think that perhaps miss scott spoke the voiceover using her own speaking voice rather than speaking as "maggie" who used a slightly higher,more girlish pitch.

has anyone notied this with her or other actors?