I think you all get my point about this. Please, let's change the dialog and bring us something different and unique for once. Do we always listen to the same song over and over again, day in and day out? No - we would get utterly bored if we did.

Well, that about wraps it up for now, anything else that I wasn't thrilled with in 1999 is either to small to mention, or it was corrected within the last few months so I won't bother mentioning it at all. I hope this wasn't too harsh for some of you to read, but you know I always tell it like it is. And for those readers who are new to this column of mine, buckle up - it's only getting started. Next week - the Best Of, so don't miss it.

ISSUE #2: The Best and Worst - Part II
February 10, 2000

For starters, one of the things I love about this show is the fact that the show has a wide range of character ethnicitys. There are 4 core families, and 3 of these families are from different backgrounds. Caucasian, African American and Latin American, each with their own unique makeup and chemistry. Plus, they each are involved in major storylines. Not one single family is being used as "window dressing", and that I am thankful for. Whether or not we like the storylines they are participating in is a different matter, what matters is that everyone involved is needed in the story and is getting their proper airtime. Too many shows today use characters just to say, "We have (ethnic group) On Our Show". I'm glad that the writers took everyone and mixed them up within different stories and blended them together for a diverse show.

Next up is our teen scene, and more importantly, showing these kids actually attending school. Other shows have a younger cast, whereas they tell the viewing audience they are high school students. But do these other shows really show them in school with their friends? Speaking from experience, the only other soap that I watched never did that. I'm glad to see that these young adults actually go to school, attend classes and interact with other students, even if it is only once in a blue moon that we see them there. Along these same lines, I applaud the show for introducing a place like "The Young Center" on the show. It allows our teens of today to see that there are alternatives for hanging out on the street corners, and running around with the wrong kind of people, just to have a good time. Giving this type of example to the youth of today is a great thing, and shows us that the creators behind this show have other things besides sex, money and power on their minds when it comes to attracting that younger demographic.

I admit that in the beginning, most of the actors on this show weren't very good. This was probably because this is their first time on television, as well as the first time with everyone working together. They needed time to develop into their characters and become comfortable with one another. I must say that the performances of most of the actors has improved greatly, but I want to specifically give my kudos to the casting director for hiring Ben Masters and Kim Johnson Ulrich as Julian and Ivy Crane. Ben is absolutely marvelous at playing the snooty, upper crust, elitist Julian, and I for one get a tremendous kick out of watching him on screen. Kim Johnson Ulrich is dazzling as Ivy, the wife of the snob who despises her life of riches with the Cranes, but at the same time, knows she would be utterly lost without the money and power it gave her. Both actors pull off their characters with such believability and hysterics it is hard to not watch them on the television. The show definitely needed some mature actors who could pull the other actors together in certain situations and these two definitely fit the bill. Ben and Kim must be kept on the show - no matter what.

In the beginning, there was the hatred between Luis and Sheridan and their past experiences together. I am thankful that they have finally overcome their bitterness towards each other and that they are finally moving them to a romantic relationship. This show needed a strong romantic couple and I feel that Luis and Sheridan are it. No offense, but I don't see Ethan and Theresa being the supercouple of Passions, even though I am sort of rooting for an Ethan and Theresa hookup. Luis and Sheridan seems to be a more realistic pairing, because we now know the reasons behind Sheridan's insecurities, and the reasons as to what makes Luis so driven as a family man. We kind of knew from the beginning that eventually Luis and Sheridan would become romantic at some point, but what we didn't know was how wonderful these two people would be together. The chemistry of Galen Gering and McKenzie Westmore is one that is definitely going to put them into Supercouple status real soon. The show needed something like this and I'm glad that it finally started to happen during their trip to Santa Fe.

Now I know most of you are probably clamoring that this article is extremely short for a Best Of issue, but to be honest with you, there wasn't that much about the show that I liked last year. It's hard for a person talk nice-nice about things they really don't think are. The show has made some improvements and strides in the right direction; remember they only started in July. So I think this is a good start for me, and I look forward to doing my Best Of / Worst Of next year.

ISSUE #3: Dr. Strange Love
February 24, 2000

OK, it's time for me to pick one of the characters on the show and start to rag on them. And this particular person has been bugging me for months so my pen is really going to start flying today.

Dr. Eve Russell! What on earth is her problem (besides the obvious?) First off, she needs to take one of those little chill pills that she keeps giving her patient Orville, and start to calm the hell down. I cannot believe a woman with her (a-hum) background and training would be so damn rigid when it comes to her children and family. She claims that she loves her daughters and wants only the best for them, and that is wonderful, but at the same time, she holds them back and doesn't allow them to grow as young adults and experience what all that means. She shelters her daughter, Whitney, to the point where all this poor girl does is eat, sleep and think about tennis (I blame that on TC too). She has her so wound up that she doesn't even know what it's like to hang out with friends talking and laughing, because she has drilled it into her head that tennis is the only thing for her in life. What kind of life is that anyway? If she loves her and trusts in her ability and good sense, then back off and let this girl enjoy some things that you are depriving her of. If Whitney is as wonderful as you know her to be, she won't disappoint you and falter from her tennis instruction or workout regimen. She will make the Olympic Team, don't worry about it.

It's obvious that she loves Whitney more than Simone, and I still haven't figured that out yet. And trust me, both of these girls see how their mom treats them. Whitney is the perfect daughter, she knows right from wrong and would never do anything to upset or disrespect her parents. Simone, on the other hand is the wild child, the one who does her own thing and doesn't care what her parents think. Simone is not rebellious because she is a bad child, she does what she does because deep down, she probably wants the attention that Whitney always gets. To Simone, she is not special enough to deserve her mothers love and affection and that bothers me tremendously. Does Eve ever praise Simone for the things she does? Does she ever give her a little slack and let her be with her friends and tell her that she trusts her judgement not to get into trouble? No. Neither TC or Eve does these things with Simone and in the end, she may come to hate them for the way they have treated her. All I ever heard Eve tell Simone is that "I am so disappointed in you", or "I told you to stay away from that boy, why are you disobeying me?". The more Eve harps on Simone, the closer she is going to go to Chad. But this is a soap opera, so it's gonna happen anyway. I for one would be interested in seeing a Chad and Simone hookup, but we all know that it is going to be a triange with Whitney. She is probably the one who is going to end up with Chad and that is going to throw Simone's world up-side-down.

The other thing about Eve that really pisses me off is that she has taught her children that everyone in this world deserves a fair chance, and to never "judge a book by its cover". Well too bad the dear Doctor doesn't practice what she preaches, because since day one, when Chad Harris came to town, she has done the exact opposite. She doesn't know Chad and hasn't given herself the chance to get to know him, but from the beginning she has made it clear as crystal that he is "trouble", a street-kid, a thug, who will hurt her daughters. What kind of crap is that? In this day and age, if someone were to do that, it would be called discrimination, which is neither allowed nor tolerated. At first I thought that when Eve met Chad, she immediately knew that he was her illegitimate son (from her affair with Julian Crane all those years ago), but lately it seems that Eve has no clue who he is. She keeps asking Orville why she is to keep her daughters away from Chad. Now I find this completely strange, because why else would Eve not want her daughters around him - simple because of his appearance? She acts like Chad is a gangbanger, who came to Harmony to mess up her life and fool around with her daughters. She doesn't even believe him when he says he came looking for his family, that he believes he was born in Harmony and not Los Angeles like he has always believed. You would think that Eve, with her "high morals" and community standing would try to help him out and assist him in his search � but not Eve. All she cares about is him leaving town and never coming back. Even her husband TC, has given Chad a chance to prove himself; he hired him as an assistant at the local high school. He originally thought he had stolen a jacket of his when he first came to town, but soon learned that he actually bought the jacket at the local town flea market. So TC knows how to apologize and start over when he was proven wrong about a person - why can't some of that rub off on his wife?

But to top it all off, this entire thing bothers me because the character of Eve is nothing more than a two-faced liar who is not as upstanding as everyone thinks. She has a huge secret from her past and has shown that she will go to whatever lengths necessary to keep it a secret. Now don't get me wrong, I know this is a show and not real life, but if television shows want to portray positive images, especially of the African-American community, then Dr. Eve Russell needs a partial makeover. She needs to stop with the quick jumps to judgement about people she doesn't know (i.e., Chad). What kind of message is that to send to the teens of today if a parent such as Eve, a well-respected and educated woman dismisses a person based on their face value? She is so concerned with her daughters getting hurt by this person that she is in jeopardy of loosing them? And I don't mean to him, but to anyone they come in contact with. Maybe if she hadn't lied and covered up her past (i.e., her childhood), then her children would have more respect for the accomplishments she has achieved. Why not have her discuss her upbringing with her family, let them know that she came from a regular family, or even a poor family and show how she was able to achieve the things in life that she has. I don't know - this character just rubs me the wrong way and has from day one. I am not a fan of Dr. Eve Russell, and her entire attitude toward people really piss me off.

Personally, I think that Eve was a prostitute, before she met TC. The other day, they aired an episode where her flashback showed her being given some pills from a faceless man, claiming they would "make you feel good." Well I think she looked like a hooker, and had to take drugs to make herself do the things that hookers do. Call me crazy, but I do have an over-active imagination most of the time. Now that would be interesting, don't you think? Poor girl has to work the streets just to survive, meets Julian Crane and becomes a steady "customer" of hers. Makes enough money to get out of that life and pay for her college education. Heck, maybe she isn't even a real doctor? Have you noticed that every time she examines a patient, all she ever does is look into their eyes, like she is checking their cornea reflexes? Looks like Eve is going to be another soap doctor who knows everything about everything in the medical field. When Miguel and Charity got electrocuted, she barely took a pulse and declared them OK, just because they started to stand up on their own two feet - she didn't even make them go to the hospital. And what about when they fell through the ice and almost drowned � she didn't do anything except a quickie once over and some warm hot chocolate!!! Give me a break.

So I've come to the end of my rant session - don't know how you felt about it, but I am interested in your feedback. Please email me and let me know your opinions. Also, if there is something specific you would like for me to talk about, by all means tell me. I will be more than happy to express my Views about almost anything.

ISSUE #4: Perfect and Pompous
March 9, 2000

For months now, I have been watching Julian Crane go from a completely domineering S.O.B., who only cares about his money, his name and his sexual appetite (in that order) and wasn't to thrilled to see him on the screen. But I have to admit that with the introduction of the voice of Alistair Crane, Julian has become a much more 3-dimensional character, and one that I enjoy watching now.

Julian started out as your typical rich, spoiled brat who never grew up from childhood. Always wanting to be just like his father, the respected businessman who people feared. And boy do people fear him. Nothing is more important to Julian than "The Crane Name" and all that comes with it. He has isolated himself from practically everyone and everything in Harmony, yet his family owns almost every business in town. Why is that? They own the bank, the Book Caf�, The Fish Cannery, and a bunch of other places we haven't been introduced to yet. His snobbery and comupance was annoying as hell, and at first I couldn't believe that anyone in today's world actually acted that way, but I'm sure they do.

Julian possesses a certain aura about him that makes him utterly superior to everyone else, however, he begins to crack a little around his wife, Ivy. The times when Ivy is at odds with her husband (which is practically all the time) are just small glimpses to what Julian is really all about. A man who for the most part puts on a good show around others, yet in reality, is nothing but an insecure man trying to compensate for his lack of integrity and compassion.

Now enter Alistair, the controlling patriarch of the Crane dynasty. When Julian's father talks on the phone to his son - his entire composure falls away and it becomes painfully obvious that Julian is nowhere near the same league as his dear ole dad. We have now come to realize that Julian is in competition with his father, and has always been. From a very young age, Julian has tried over and over again to win the respect and admiration from Alistair, but to no avail. He continually messes up the tasks assigned to him to keep his wife in line, to keep his sister in line, and to keep the secrets of the Crane family hidden. At every turn, something or someone interferes with his plans, and along comes Alistair to clean up and correct the situation. Each time that happens, it reminds Alistair that his son is not capable of running the family the way it should be. And Julian knows this too. Each time Julian makes one of his condescending faces or smirks towards his father (via the phone), it is another glimpse into the man beneath the shroud. And Ben Masters pulls it off to a "T". He has captured the essence of Julian Crane remarkably and I can't picture anyone else playing this character but him.

He has a rare ability to combine the comedy and the pomposity needed to make this character work. Ben Masters reminds me of another actor who also possesses that quality that alludes so many actors --- Kathleen Noone! That's right, I had to throw something in here from my Sunset Beach memories. For those of you who are SB fans, I'm sure you will agree with me that her portrayal of Aunt Bette was fabulous and worth every minute we had to wait to see her on screen. The same goes for Ben Masters - I actually look forward to seeing him interact with other people on the show now, and not just his family members (although those are very entertaining too). My two all-time favorite Julian moments (so far) are when he had to endure an evening with the Bennetts and the Russells, and poor Grace's "Tomato Soup Cake". How funny was that? But in typical Julian fashion, he completely ignored his guests, got smacked on his expensive port and went about his business. The other happened just a few weeks ago when he was away for the weekend with the former maid Suzanne, and all of the different sexual antics they played together. From a matador chasing a bull, to a pirate and his wench, Ben Masters was brilliant. His comedic timing was ON and I for one never stopped laughing the entire time he was in the screen. Who would have thought that the rich and snobby Julian Crane knew how to play those bedroom games (but then again, what else are you gonna do when you have that much money?)

With the Dr. Eve and Julian affair starting to come to light, I'm sure we will see a few more layers to Julian's demeanor. Will he be more of a bastard or will his heart finally be exposed as someone who is capable of caring or loving. Will he step up to the task and prove once and for all that he can handle himself as a Crane or will he disappoint his father again? These and many more questions will be answered so don't go anywhere.

ISSUE #5: Lovers in Limbo
April 6, 2000

I felt that it was time for me to discuss Luis and Sheridan and their possible future romance. I haven't really touched upon this topic because I wanted to really give it time to nurture and grow, both with me and for them. So, finally - after all these months - I'm getting down to it.

I LOVE IT!!! These two people are definitely the supercouple of the show. I know that when Passions first aired, Tabitha and Timmy were crowned the supercouple, but not for their romantic side, but rather their comedic side. And I must say they have been growing on me lately (but that is another story). I absolutely love the possibility of Luis and Sheridan getting together and tackling the mighty Crane family. These two people, were for the longest time, the only reason that I tuned in to watch the show. I could not relate to all the nonsense that the "teen-scene" was into, and I still have problems with it. However, the heat and tension that Sheridan and Luis generate every time they are together is well worth the suspense of "will they or won't they".

I was not a fan of Luis in the beginning, because every time he opened his mouth he said "I hate those Crane's", but thankfully, he has curbed that line of dialogue. After Luis and Sheridan went to Santa Fe, things really got interesting between them, and they only intensified after he saved her from the Martin Fitzgerald imposter. I thought they their relationship would have gone a little farther then it has, but on the other hand, I do like the way the writers are handling it (for the most part). There are some things that I don't like about it, but let me finish the good stuff. First off, the tango sequences are wonderful, it is a great way to show the audience how hot these two people can be, and it brings out the subtle feelings they have for one another. So much so, that everyone who sees them dancing knows that there is more to it then just dancing. When Luis and Sheridan had their first date, it was really sweet and they finally got to see each other for the decent people they are. No pretenses, no faking admiration - it was real. When he kissed her goodnight on the cheek, after buying ice-cream cones, I was killing myself - that was even better than if he had kissed her on the lips, it showed what a real gentleman he is. Finally, Sheridan picked a winner, a man who doesn't care about money and power they way that her family does. And then there was the next date, going to the pool hall. Sheridan was leery at first, but then fit right in with Luis' rowdy friends - and they had a fantastic time.

Through it all, there is Hank and Beth trying to figure out a way to stop Luis and Sheridan from falling for each other. Beth and Hank both have delusions of finding love with Luis and Sheridan respectfully. If Luis wanted to be with Beth, he would have been with her all these years, regardless of his family obligations. Maybe she should just truly be a friend to him and not push the issue with him so much about having another relationship. He has told her that he doesn't see them being together romantically, why is she not getting the hint?. And what on earth is Hank thinking when he feels that Sheridan is going to choose him over Luis (if it ever comes to that?) He has plainly said how he feels about living off a woman if she has money - it doesn't bother him in the least. The only thing that Hank and Sheridan have in common is that they have both traveled the world. Other than that, nothing! Sheridan is looking for a man who is more than just "worldly", a man who is mature. Just because Hank knows how to spend his days going from one place to another, experiencing life, doesn't mean he is the man for Sheridan. I think that Sheridan enjoys her rich lifestyle, but on the other hand, wants someone who she can settle down with in one place and have a "real" family" with.

What is bothering me about this is that everyone in town is against a Sheridan/Luis hookup, including Pilar, Luis' mother. It's bad enough that he put his life on hold after his father disappeared, so he could take care of the family. His brother and sister are pretty much grown up and can take care of themselves now, why shouldn't he find happiness with someone? Just because Sheridan is a Crane that means they can't be together? Nonsense! Luis is strong enough to stand up for himself with the almighty Julian, who we have learned is pretty spineless; his father really pulls the strings in that family. And we have seen how Sheridan can handle her family, especially Julian. She does need to learn however that her father and brother are only manipulating her and she cannot allow that to happen anymore. But when it comes to her family, she gives them the benefit of the doubt, but with Luis, she doesn't. That is something that needs to change with her if she is going to try and find a man to love her the way she needs to be loved.

Hopefully, by the end of the month, Sheridan will have found out the truth about Luis and her father's involvement and things will start to change for the better. But when that happens, you know they are going to put Hank and Beth right in the middle of it and then they are going to turn them into the scheming, backstabbers of the show. Right now, Hank thinks he has a clear shot with Sheridan if he were to ever see her again and is thankful to Luis for stepping aside. But once the show is on the other foot, he won't be so generous with his feelings, I'm telling you. And Beth, are they going to keep her relegated to the background as window dressing, or will she be given more of a juicy storyline? And from what I hear, a new character is joining the show as a police office, so either Luis finally makes Detective and they hire someone to fill his spot on the Harmony Police Force, or they bring in someone anyway (and it happens to be a woman) and this woman is Luis' partner, which will cause friction between Luis and Sheridan.

Either way - it's definitely not going to be smooth sailing for our dynamic duo. But then again if things were always so easy, they wouldn't be a supercouple, would they?

ISSUE #6: Will They or Won't They
April 14, 2000

So, I guess that my requests for feedback and suggestions have started making their way out to you, my readers. I have been asked to talk about another lovelorn couple on the show, and that is Ethan and Theresa. So Rick, a.k.a. sugarfoot_01, this one's for you.

When the show first aired, and I saw the promo's with Theresa talking about her wedding day and her husband, and how much in love they were, I thought 'Hey, this could be interesting'. Then a tiny piece of vital information was given, and that was that her "husband" didn't even know she existed yet. Little did we know that the man of her dreams was the handsome and wealthy Ethan Crane. So each day we tuned in to see how the show would come together and how this beautiful girl would try to win the heart of her man.

Well, it's been 9 months now and Theresa is nowhere near getting her man to fall in love with her. First she disguised herself as an ugly duckling-type of girl so that he wouldn't discover it was her who had caused all of those unfortunate accidents that befell him. When that was finally over with and she revealed her true identity (Thank God!), they soon started a nice friendship. Ethan became more of a friend to her then we all had originally thought, and Theresa's feelings for him deepened even more. All the while, her mother and best friend Whitney were trying to convince her that there would never be anything romantic between the heir to the Crane throne and the poor girl from the wrong side of the tracks. But Theresa wouldn't hear of it.

Now jump to present time, and Theresa is stuck planning her dream wedding with Ethan for Ethan and his fianc�e Gwen. How funny, in a sense, that the one thing Theresa wants in the entire world, she can't have. And to top it all off, she has to give that one thing to another woman! First off, let me say that I sometimes enjoy the Ethan / Theresa storyline. It is entertaining at times, but the way things are going now, it looks like she will never win the heart of her man. Why? Because she was stupid enough to tell Ethan that the man of her dreams was someone else. She took this pretend boyfriend to such extremes, that when finally confronted with his real identity, Whitney, the lifesaver, came in and presented a friend of hers as being the elusive boyfriend. Now that Ethan has seen him up close and personal, he is trying to help Theresa win him back. Poor Theresa, never coming up on the right end of the stick. But to tell the truth, I don't know if a Theresa and Ethan pairing would be that great right now. No matter what Theresa does to show Ethan what type of girl she is and how special she is, he doesn't see it. All Ethan sees is Gwen, the woman of "his" dreams. This buck-toothed, dyed-blonde, snobby, woman who looks down her nose at the slightest thing, if she doesn't suit her needs.

Now hold on a moment, I know that a lot of you are Gwen Hotchkiss fans, and I for one think that her character is appropriate for the show. Remember, she does come from blue-blood, just like Ethan, and pairing him with anyone other than "his own kind" wouldn't have drawn the attention of viewers in the beginning. But the more I think about it, the more I don't Theresa and Ethan together, at least not now. Come on, how can Ethan not see that Theresa really is in love with him? He is an educated man with a law degree (I have yet to see him use that degree he earned), so why on earth are his eyes closed to the fact that there is another woman out there with intentions on him? Part of me does want to see what it would be like if these two characters did get together, and the eventual turmoil it would cause both the Cranes' and the Lopez-Fitzgeralds, not to mention Gwen Hotchkiss. But there is something missing with these two people, a spark maybe. Theresa needs to talk to her older brother Luis about "the spark", because he sure does have it with Sheridan.

Part of me does wish that Ethan would dump Gwen and go for Theresa. She is extremely sweet, beautiful and fun to be with. All things that Ethan definitely does need in a woman. Let's face it - I have yet to see Ethan and Gwen do anything fun together, all they seem to do is have sex whenever they get the chance. What kind of relationship is that? Other than that one time he wanted to take Gwen up to the family cabin for the weekend (the one where Ethan and the girls are now), they haven't done anything enjoyable as a couple. Remember, Ethan has done more "couple" things with Theresa; the ballet, ice-skating; the weekend cabin; etc. The other reason I would like to see these two people get together romantically, is so that they can shove it right up Julian's nose and tell him to go 'pound salt'. Serves him right for being so high and mighty, and stuck up about everything and everyone around him. Could you imagine if for one minute that Ethan did actually sleep with Theresa and Julian found out about it? Oh lord, the poor boy would never be able to show his face in Harmony again, because we know that Julian would probably hang a banner in the middle of the Town Square proclaiming his son to be Man of All Men! How embarrassing.

Anyway, I guess what I am trying to say is that unless something major changes in the storyline with Theresa, Gwen and Ethan, I don't see any romantic relationships happening with the Prince and the Pauper Girl anytime soon. And it is a shame, because Ethan and Theresa do have some good chemistry together, but they need more then chemistry right now to have their love blossom.

ISSUE #7: Playing for Keeps
April 27, 2000

OK, ever since I posted my little message at the bottom asking you to email me with suggestions on future topics, they have slowly but steadily been coming in. This week I have been asked to write about the Kay/Miguel/Charity triangle. Well, it would be my pleasure, because I have quite a bit to talk and vent about. So let's get to it. Thanks Duante!

Maybe it's because I am a thirty-something, middle-class working woman, but for the life of me I can't believe that someone as young as Kay is so coo-coo in the head over a guy. I'm not just talking about being in love with him where she can't see straight, but rather actually have these delusional thoughts about getting rid of Charity, her own cousin, with such viscous and evil attempts. Come on, Miguel is not the last guy on earth, and Lord knows that Charity is not all that, even though she has captured his heart for the moment. But for Kay to go to the extremes that she has gone is downright crazy, borderline obsessive and psychotic (in my book). Let's examine these incidences, shall we?

Kay did start out with her obsession of eliminating Charity in a normal, teenager way. She tried to make her look stupid and silly by having her wear some ugly monster costume at the high school Halloween Party. But as we all know, it didn't work, because thanks to Jessica, she told Miguel to switch costumes with Reese. In the end, Kay wound up spending the entire night dancing and kissing Reese, not Miguel. Next came her sneaking into Miguel's bedroom late one night so that she could finally tell him how much she loved him, but instead found Charity in his bedroom! What a shocker, folks.

That's when things started turning ugly with Kay. She purposely told her na�ve cousin to go skating over on the area of the pond where the ice was extremely thin, in the hopes that she would fall in and die. Well, it almost worked, except when Miguel saved her, he fell in. Kay was beside herself with grief thinking that she caused it because of her selfishness. Luckily, both he and Charity were saved and the world was right again. When the two teen lovebirds started getting closer, she tried to make her cousin go absolutely crazy with this bird statue that was floating around town. When she thought she had finally had Charity committed to the sanitarium, things again didn't turn her way and Charity was released back into society.

Now the ski trip has taken place and Kay thinks she can finally do away with her by sending her down a very dangerous ski run, knowing full well that she doesn't know how to ski. Thinking that the poor girl will be either lost for several days or never to return, Miguel is all hers (yeah, right). But instead, an avalanche hits and Miguel is the one who is hurt, not Charity. In the heat of the moment thinking that she has lost Miguel forever, she tears into Charity, blaming her for everything and declaring her love for Miguel. Only in stupid Charity's eyes, she sees it as the love of a friend, nothing more. And once more, Miguel and Charity came through this disaster with flying colors and are growing closer and closer with every passing day. So what is next for the dear demented Kay? Maybe she will poison Charity's soda pop one night, or put a live tarantula in her bed before she goes to sleep? Or better yet, get her drunk, take some nasty pictures of her and email them to Miguel. Wait a minute - doesn't that scenario sound familiar? (he-he).

Well, one thing is for sure, Kay needs to take a step back and realize that right now, she has no chance of getting Miguel into her heart or her bed. He is too hung up on Charity to notice what time of day it is. Maybe Kay should take a lesson from Theresa. Even thought Theresa is obsessed with Ethan, she is not psychotic over him to the point of wanting Gwen dead! Maybe spending some time with Miguel and getting him to see the good side of her, the sweet and romantic side of her might start to make him open his eyes a little. Hey, it's starting to work for Theresa, why not Kay. And if I have to hear Miguel call Kay "My Buddy" one more time, I'll scream. Come on now, guys don't call their female friends "buddies". They are just friends, like anyone else would be. Miguel makes it sound like they go to the bar to drink beers and shot pool together. That is a buddy. And another thing, why is this storyline even called "a triangle" when only 2 of the 3 people involved is romantic with each other? Its not like Miguel loves both girls and can't choose which one he wants to be with? But then again, if it wasn't called a triangle, what would it be called � One Romantic Story with a Girl Who Wants To Break Them Apart? I don't think that would work, do you? Lastly, as for this innuendo about Kay being the middle child and wanting attention from her parents, I don�t' buy it for a minute. First off, her older brother Noah, is away at school somewhere and hasn't been introduced on the show yet. So for right now, she is the oldest and not the middle child. Granted, Jessica is the baby of the family and has mommy and daddy wrapped around her little finger, but Kay is the queen bee for the moment. I don't think the writers should have jumped into the "middle child syndrome" right from the start with her. How can someone claim they suffer from middle child syndrome when there is only a younger sibling in the picture and not an older sibling? When they bring Noah onto the scene, then they can explore that part of her character. Right now, they need to come up with something that makes me believe in why this girl does what she does because frankly, not getting the attention she deserves is not flying with me yet. (You can tell I'm not a middle child).

So, I think this storyline needs a little tweaking in order for it to become a great triangle, with a downright awesome villainous. They are trying to make Kay out to be the only "bad bitchy girl" on the show and I don't think it is working that well because she is a teenager. Yeah, OK, they are having her team up with Tabitha for some of her dastardly things, but nobody on the show knows that Tabitha is a 'bad girl', so its wasted. Maybe if they bring Beth Wallace (you remember her, the girl from the Book Caf�) back and give her more of a storyline with Luis and Sheridan, they can have Kay go to her for some advice. Then maybe it could be more entertaining and believable. I guess I'm rambling right now, but I don't see things changing with this storyline for a very long time - no matter how many visions Charity has of Miguel marrying Kay!

ISSUE #8: Teen Terror
May 18, 2000

How many of you out there were really pissed when Kay opened her big, fat mouth and told Whitney's parents about her weekend away with Chad Harris? Come on, raise your hands!

I knew it - all of you. Well I'm here to talk about that and let you all know how friggin wrong that was. Kay is an out-of-control teen that will go to any lengths to get what she wants, and doesn't care who she hurts in the process. Look at what happened after she blurted out this damaging news? Her best friend Simone totally wrote her off and informed her she wasn't her friend anymore (granted it didn't last that long). When that happened, all Kay could see was her plan to get Miguel away from Charity crumble and go right down the drain.

Kay is a manipulator and abuser who only thinks of herself. She has proven that time and time again. Her friends aren't always the ones to get hurt, her own family members have come very close to being hurt by her actions as well. First she wouldn't tell her own mother about her twin sister being alive and well (or something like that) because she wanted Charity to stay away. And then there were all those times that she tried to get Charity away from Miguel, by having her get hurt in some fashion. This girl is twisted, and for such a young girl too. We usually don't see this type of monster in someone so young, they usually reserve that for the older, maturer actors. But in this case, Kay definitely needs some counseling or things are going to go from bad to extreme with her.

And have any of you noticed that she hasn't done one single thing to help Simone get Chad to like her? I mean really, telling her to go meet him at the Jazz Club doesn't count as help - Simone is lucky she didn't get caught. But every time Kay wants something, she throws it up into Simone's face about helping her win Chad. Kay is so wrapped up in her own fantasy world that nothing or no one matters but her. If it doesn't concern her or Miguel, she is not interested because they have no way of helping her advance her plans to win Miguel. How sick is that? And poor Simone, so damn loyal and na�ve that she doesn't see what Kay is really doing to her by not helping her. And in her excitement to try and get Chad's attention, she has made herself come across as a dumb, little girl who has no chance in hell of having Chad like her romantically.

I admit that this storyline has gotten a little better this past week now that Crystal, the singer, is in town. I was getting ready for a very long, hot summer with this back and forth with Eve's secret past. Finally, things are starting to pick up and I hope they continue to bring more interesting twists and turns. I think Crystal is a great addition to the cast, I would love for them to make her a recurring character on the show, and not just a guest star that sticks around for only a week or two. But back to my original thought.

Kay Bennett needs to be knocked down a peg or two on her ladder of superiority. I would have thought that when Miguel almost died, she would have finally realized that her dirty deeds were way over the top and that she would start to atone for her ways. But obviously that isn't going to happen, instead her attention is even more focused than before. And what really gets me is that nobody in her family, other than Jessica, notices what she is up to or how she acts. Only Charity is as sweet and innocent as she seems, and there isn't room for two goody-two-shoes in town. I was really glad when Whitney stood her ground with Kay and let her have it because she opened her big mouth to her parents. I just wish that Simone had more of a backbone when it comes to Kay. She needs to start being a little more independent of her friend and start thinking and doing for herself. Otherwise, Simone is the one that is going to get really screwed up, and wait until things between Chad and Whitney heat up!!! On man, talk about someone going off the deep end. We ain't seen nothing yet.

ISSUE #9: Just Visiting
June 5, 2000

How disappointed was I to learn that Crystal was accidentally murdered? Not that I didn't really expect it, but it was still something that I don't think should have been done. Passions has been on the air for almost a year now, and there are still the same faces and characters as when they first started (minus Frank Lomax). The show needs to do something to pick up the pace of their current storylines.

We have all been sitting by, patiently watching the characters unfold, coming into their on with the scripts and dialogue. Now here we are, 1 year invested into the show and there really hasn't been any dramatic happenings. When someone finally comes along to spice things up and add some intrigue, boom! She gets killed by some stupid French hitman. James Reilly is supposed to be the king of daytime writing - well why hasn't he put the show into 2nd gear with some of its storys and characters?

We knew from the outset that the town of Harmony had lots of secrets hidden beneath the surface, and that is one of the things that brought us to this show. However, nothing major has really happened - no revelations have come to the surface. We all knew that Eve had a dark secret that she wanted to keep hidden, but pretty much all of us had guessed what it was long before we saw it on TV. And as soon as it was confirmed that Eve and Julian had an affair over 20 years ago - we all knew that Chad would be the illegitimate son she gave up for adoption. Now Crystal appears in town holding all of her secrets and just as soon as she is about to reveal them - she is killed. Thankfully, she wasn't whacked by Eve or Julian - that would have really been stupid. So now the "paternity" of Chad Harris is going to drag on longer and longer.

The same can be said for Ivy and Sam and their untold lovestory. How many of you can honestly say that since finding out Ivy and Sam did "the nasty", you believe that Ethan is really their son and not Julians? Come on � admit it. From the first you knew that Ethan could not be Julian's child because they are as different as night and day. And that look on Ivy's face every time she made a comment about Ethan's upbringing. But to date, nothing has really happened to bring that to light. Yeah, sure - Ivy has threatened Eve with exposing her secret, but nobody has a clue that anything is going on in that beautiful blond head of Ivy's. Other than Julian, who is suspicious of everyone, Pilar is the only person who knows the truth (and where is Pilar anyway?).

The writers need to bring some different people to the show, and for more than just 2 or 3 weeks of airtime. People with some depth and character that can stand the test of time for a month or two. I understand that Gordon Thomson is joining the show as a recurring character, and seeing as how he plays an FBI agent, my guess is that he will be involved in either the Sheridan & Luis storyline, or the murder of Crystal. Whatever his part, I pray that they use him to his fullest ability and that I get to look at his handsome face for at least 3 episodes per week for several months.

Tabitha and Charity hasn't really progressed that much either. Yeah, Charity has started coming into her powers and Tabitha keeps trying to bring her over to the dark side - but the way things are going, this could happen for another 2 or 3 years before that happens, or before Charity becomes "a woman" and obtains her full powers of goodness. Some of Tabby's adventures have been entertaining, and Timmy is a living doll (no pun intended), but things are not progressing as I think they should be. It's the same thing over and over. Tabitha tries to kill Miguel, he is miraculous saved, Charity blames herself, and the world is right again for another day. Kay's manipulations are getting worse and worse and she is turning into a real bitch of daytime. Simone is just hanging onto everything she says and does, and really doesn't have anything to call her own. The same can be said for TC Russell. He refuses to tell anyone what it was that happened to him all those years ago that made him give up his tennis career. He won't tell his wife, and he won't tell his best friend Sam, even though Sam told TC about his affair 20 years ago. We can only guess at this point that Julian Crane made arrangements to have TC physically hurt so that his career would be over, and Julian could go on to win the big tournaments.

This summer promises to bring a lot of these storys to fruition (according to the powers that be at Passions and NBC). I for one am sick of Sheridan and Luis fighting all the time and just want them to admit their feelings to each other once and for all. Then they can have them tackle the next obstacle that will be in their way. I want this silliness of Charity always have premonitions of doom and gloom to stop because frankly, it's getting old and boring. I want to see things with Ethan and Theresa really heat up and force Ethan to choose between Gwen and Theresa. I want to see what dirty criminal past Hank Bennett has. And I really want Chad to find out that his parents are Eve and Julian. That in itself will rock the town of Harmony right to its foundation.

Call me crazy, call me stupid, or just call me a pain in the *&@, but I want something more than what I have been getting for the past 6 months. And please, for pete's sake - do not turn this summers shows into the Teen Scene II. I don't think I can take it if they highlight the kids again for the majority of the summer months.

ISSUE #11: Revelations, Finally
July 14, 2000

My sincere apologies, I know it has been a long time since I have written something for this column. Between having the site hacked into and loosing almost all of the information we have, to being extremely busy at work, my time has been stretched to its limits. But I am back this week, and would like to talk about the Revelations At Sea plotlines.

First of all, I have to scream from the rooftops: "HURRAY!!! THERESA FINALLY TELLS ETHAN THAT SHE LOVES HIM!. This has got to be the longest running storyline on the show, and I for one was getting tired of hearing Theresa proclaim her love for a man that has no idea how she feels for him. Only recently did Ethan start to have conflicts within himself about his love for Gwen and possible love for Theresa. But now Gwen knows the truth about Theresa, and Ethan also knows the truth. What will Gwen do when they get back on dry land? Will she tear Theresa's hair out, or will she call off the wedding? I personally, think the wedding should be called off, or at least postponed until everyone figures out what they are doing. Now I wouldn't commit to the idea of Theresa and Ethan marrying just yet, but I definitely don't want to see Gwen and Ethan marry. I don't think that she truly, deeply loves him the way 2 people should. Just because they have been together since childhood, or because their families think it would be good for business, do two people get together and marry. I could go on and on, but there are other things I want to talk about.

We also have learned that Ethan really is in fact the Son of Sam (no pun intended here). We have all known for ump-teen years that Ethan was not Julian's offspring, but Sam's, thanks to his romp in the hay with Ivy, on her wedding night to Julian. But for Ivy to admit to it after all this time is a true revelation. Not for the simple fact that she is admitting the truth, but because this woman is throwing caution to the wind and not fully realizing the consequences of her actions. Sam will find out within the next few days that Ethan is his, and this will put Ethan's "Crane" standing in jeopardy, because Julian is starting to sniff around again and uncover what she is up to. This will be extremely tricky, but entertaining no less, when Ethan finds out the truth. That could also have an impact on the Gwen / Ethan romance, because I for one don't think that Gwen will want to marry Ethan if he is not a Crane. Theresa won't care if he is or is not a Crane, that's how much she loves him.

Now onto some spicy stuff, it seems that Hank has been hired to be the "hitman" who kills Sheridan. He keeps getting phone calls from some bad guys wanting him to do bad things. Now the caller tells him he has to kill Sheridan, and all of a sudden, he agrees to it. Where the hell did that come from? Hank has been trying to dodge these people for months, and now he agrees to murder the woman he wants to get romantically involved with? What on earth did I miss? And with Luis on the job, I guarantee you he is going to start to suspect something in Hank, he has been acting really goofy around his best bud lately. Luis is a really smart cop, with good instincts, so pretty soon, somebody is going to mess up and the dirty will start flying.

And poor little Charity - not so sweet and innocent after all, huh? Getting dumped on with a can of fish guts will really make people flip out. But that is exactly what Tabitha was hoping for, to turn Charity into an evil person and bring her over to the dark side. Finally, something in this storyline has happened also. I was getting really tired of seeing the same old stuff with no results. Tabitha tries her damndest to lure Charity over, while Charity remains pure and good. And it's about time that Father Lonigan showed up, where has he been? The funny thing about this Charity situation, is that Tabitha really does have a hold on her now, thanks to that ugly pendant of hers. Charity will start causing more and more destruction without even knowing it. And Kay, is playing right into Tabitha's plan, assisting her in making Charity go crazy. She just better be careful or else Kay and Simone will be getting things they never bargained for.

All in all, it was a good couple of weeks on Passions - things finally picked up speed with their front-burner stories, and it looks like things aren't going to slow down all that much just yet - so be careful � if you blink, you might miss something.

ISSUE #12: Love Hurts
August 18, 2000

That�s right boys and girls � love hurts! Big time. It also is a great and wonderful thing, as long as there are no complications or headgames going on. And how often does that happen? Passions is a show that is centered on exactly that � passion. And love is a form of passion (in my book anyway). You have people who are secretly in love with someone that they are not married to, or are not supposed to be with, and that is what is causing all of this hurt.

Take Theresa for example. She is head-over-heels in love with Ethan Crane, has been since she has been a little girl. Does Ethan love her the same way? At first no, he only thought of her as a good friend. But the more time they spent together having fun and talking, the more his friendly affection grew and turned into real love. The problem here is that he won�t admit it, because he is suppose to marry Gwen. Now here is where the �hurt� part comes into this whole thing. Ethan will not tell Gwen the truth about his feelings for both her and Theresa because he doesn�t want to hurt anyone. If he tells Gwen the truth, he will hurt her and make Theresa happy. If he tells Theresa that he doesn�t love her, she is the one to get hurt and Gwen continues to think that she is living in a fairy tale world. The problem here is that Ethan is marrying Gwen for the wrong reasons (for the most part). He probably does love her, but I don�t think it is true love. He said it himself just the other day, he is supposed to marry her because they have been together for so long, and that is what people expect. To bad he is following in his mother�s footsteps (albeit he doesn�t know it) and is trying to convince himself that what he is doing is the right thing. I tend to disagree. I�m not saying that he should run off and marry Theresa right this second, but he should postpone the wedding to Gwen and explore his feelings with Theresa to see if it is in fact the real deal, or just an infatuation.

Then there are the Russell girls and that hunky Chad Harris. One sister loves him and doesn�t care who knows it, while the other sister has the Ethan Crane syndrome � constantly denying her feelings for him. Whitney claims that all she needs in her life right now is tennis. B-O-R-I-N-G! Come on, she is always making goo-goo eyes at him and thinking about him, just admit it to Theresa and make the two of you happy. So here is where the hurt part comes in. If Simone finds out that Whitney really is in love with Chad, or if Chad finally admits his feelings for Whitney, Simone gets her heart broken. And I�ll bet anything that Kay will convince Simone to try and break up the two lovebirds, just like she is trying to break up Miguel and Charity. Simone is not emotionally ready for love, she is still way too immature to handle it. Look at how she is acting with everyone now that Chad has stayed at their house because of his injury? She won�t give the poor guy 5-minutes to himself to rest. She is constantly going into him and talking to him (when he�s unconscious no less). Just a little too possessive, don�t you think?

Let�s see, who else is there. Oh of course! Sheridan and Luis. The problem with them is that they won�t admit it to each other or anyone else, but everyone around them can see how much they want to be together. Sam is constantly telling Luis to stay away and keep it professional, while Ethan is telling Sheridan that she can�t trust Luis because of his hated for the Cranes. The only person who wants to see them get together is Theresa, and only because it would help her to get with Ethan. Hank is cute, but unfortunately stupid for not seeing that Sheridan is just not interested in him romantically. Yeah, she goes to him when she wants to prove a point to Luis about being independent. But unfortunately she just keeps leading Hank on to think that they have a future together. Poor guy, why not go after Beth from the Book Caf� (where the heck has she been, anyway?) Those two would make a good couple. She would work full time and support Hank (just what he wants) and he would give her children (just want she wants).

I could go on and on about the people who are hurting over love in Harmony, but this would get to be about 10 pages long and I just won�t do that to you. But when you get right down to it, practically everyone in town is hurting over love. Love that they want and can�t have, love that they have and don�t deserve, or love that they haven�t found yet. And then there�s Julian�s twisted love � which I can�t even start to explain. One thing is for certain � love, of any kind is definitely something that most people want in there lives. Love of a child, spouse, or friend. But at some point, it does start to hurt. And you know the saying, �You only hurt the ones you Love!�

ISSUE #13: The Turning Point
September 7, 2000

Well, finally!!! The show has begun to reveal some juicy things after all these months. This show has nothing but secrets, and I am very glad that a few of them are being told.

Now I for one have believed and known for the longest time that Ethan really does love, and is in love, with Theresa (just as I'm sure most of you believed it too). But unless we see and hear it for ourselves on the show � it doesn't count. This past week Ethan proclaimed his love for Theresa, hoping that she would not die. I'm glad that he finally owned up to his feelings and stopped telling Chad to "mind his business". But I am disappointed to hear Ethan proclaim his love for Gwen too. In my opinion (because this is MY column), I don't for one second believe that Ethan is in love with Gwen. Maybe he is, but I honestly don't see it. We never heard Ethan talk about his love for Gwen until just now, and it wasn't really that believable. He has always said that they have been together since they were kids, they were always going to marry one another, it has been expected of him, blah blah blah. One of the reasons I don't believe Ethan is because we have never seen him and Gwen together in any kind of romantic or fun situations the way we always saw Ethan and Theresa. If he loves Gwen as much as he says he does, then why didn't they do more things together? All Gwen has ever done this past year is go away on business trips for her father (which is another sore point for me). I think the last time they did something as "boyfriend and girlfriend" was going skating at the local pond back in January.

I can see the pain in Ethan's face as he prepares to come clean with his feelings for both woman, and I'm sure that none of us would want to be in that predicament. But to finally admit his true feelings and postpone the wedding to Gwen is long overdue (Oops, did I just give away a little spoiler info?). I personally hope that his feelings for Theresa grow and in the long run he chooses her. Only because Theresa completely and honestly loves Ethan for himself and who he is on the inside. Gwen loves Ethan because he is a Crane and by marrying him, she will have tremendous power and influence, more so than Ivy ever did. And that in itself really pissed me off a few weeks ago when I heard her say that to her mother. I had just wished that Ethan or Ivy had her say it too, but no such luck.

Next is Sheridan and Luis, and the supposed murder of a man we all predicted to be Martin Fitzgerald. Now I did for the most part believe up until now that the person under the bloody sheet was Martin. But now my feelings have changed and I do not believe it is him. First of all, now that Sheridan has remembered the events of that night, why is it she has not remembered the moment where she actually stabbed the man? She remembers seeing a shadowy figure, then blood on her hands, and then the body under the sheet. If she has remembered all of that, why not the actually murder itself � if she is the person who committed it.

I am starting to believe that it was either Alistair or Julian who killed this man (not Martin) and made Sheridan believe in her subconscience that she did it. Then to make matters more twisted, they sent her away to psychiatrists to convince her that it was just a dream. No wonder this poor girl is mixed up and confused so much. Her father and brother are the ones to blame for what happened in the past, not to mention are the rotten things they have done to her as an adult that she doesn't even know about. The next Turning Point in this plot is the fact that Sheridan has finally admitted her feelings for Luis and her hopes of having a relationship with him (and family). My surprise was in the fact that she admitted it to Eve Russell, but then again, she is a doctor and is willing to help her discover the truth about her nightmares. It is very sweet to see Sheridan's soft and tender side about Luis and the hopes she had of being with him. All we need now is for Luis to admit the same about Sheridan, and maybe we can finally have a love connection. But I'm sure that won't happen for another year or so (knowing how this show loves to have things happen very slowly), but I do know that Sheridan finally tells Luis about what she had overheard him say on the phone that night down at the wharf (or really what his imposter said). If that is the case, then a bunch of things are going to happen with these two people and it should bridge that huge gap they have with each other.

But will it make her realize what her father and brother are willing to do to her when it comes to protecting the family name? Will she finally tell them to go to @#$%* (you-know-where), or is daddy Alistair going to smooth talk her some more and make her feel like she really is loved? Horse-hockey!!!! This definitely is heating up now, but how hot it gets � I don't know. One thing is for sure, the torrid past that Eve is hiding is probably going to come to the fore-front again, thanks to her refusal to help Alistair keep the truth from Sheridan. I do believe that Alistair is going to make Eve pay for what she did, and with that payback, comes her husband and daughters finding out about her lies. Then that will lead to Julian's involvement with her, and Chad's parentage again. And the hits just keep on rolllin'.

So basically, I am glad that things have started to come to a head on this show because it has been over a year and we really haven't found out that much about the storylines and plots. Things needs to keep changing and getting more interesting to hold my attention, and I'm glad that they finally have done that. It was getting to be a real snoozer there for a while, don't you agree?

ISSUE #14: Evil Has Arrived!
September 21, 2000

Well, I can't believe I am actually going to write this article, but I am. I have to admit that I have been a little entertained by what has been happening with the Evil Charity storyline of late. At first, I thought that having a 300 year old witch, a doll who came to life, flying angels, and all of that stuff was just plain stupid. However, most of the fans of the show love these characters. (Personally I don't know any of them.) None the less, things have gotten very interesting now that Charity has been dabbling with the forces of the dark side.

What is really funny and entertaining about Charity's transformation, is that when she is under the spell of the pendant, Tabitha is completely scared of her! Who would of thought, tough-ole Tabby afraid of little Evil Charity. I do get a few good laughs when I see them together, and Timmy completely puts it over the top with his performances as well. This new side of Charity has allowed Molly Stanton to finally spread her wings and do something different with her character. I was getting utterly tired and bored with Charity and Miguel and all of this sappy-sweet garbage. Even Tabitha and Timmy were annoying me, granted, I never really got into it from the beginning, but for how long can we sit and watch Tabitha try to bring Charity to the dark side and constantly fail at her attempts? The show has been on the air for over a year and it was looking like she was going to be trying for the next 5 years. Think about it, once Charity does convert to the dark side for good (at some point in time) what will Tabitha and Timmy have to do? Nothing! Their entire mission is to lure Charity over to the evil forces, and once that is accomplished � that entire storyline, and those characters are finished (in my opinion).

At least now, Charity is starting to dabble in evil, and doesn't realize that she is even doing it. Then to mix in the fear that Tabitha and Timmy have towards her makes it pretty enjoyable. But I'm sure that this is going to go on for quite a while. And let's not forget about Aunt Grace. Her twin sister Faith had powers for good, so that means Grace has them too. But because of her amnesia, she doesn't remember that she has them or how to use them. I'm sure that things are going to get pretty weird for these people as time goes on, I just hope they don't get totally stupid and slide off track with the hochus-pochus!

I am curious to see how and what they are going to do with Robin Strasser's character next month. I believe she is going to play some sort of evil witch, who has been fighting with Tabitha for hundreds of years. Tabby considers her an enemy, and knowing what a wonderful actress Robin is � I am really looking forward to see her on screen. I would like to see Tabitha interact more with some of the other people in Harmony and not always the teenagers. And for once I would love to see her in a situation and not have her doll Timmy with her! That is getting to be just a little too stupid looking, even for a soap. Leave the poor thing at home with his Martimmy's for pete's sake!

ISSUE #15: When Will Love Win Out?
September 28, 2000

So here we go again. Both Sheridan and Luis are being stubborn and pig-headed with each other, and will not pursue a romantic relationship with this "lie" hanging over their heads.

Now I'm not saying that either one of them should have caved in (that would have been nice, though), but come on. We have been waiting over 1 year to see some real sparks fly between these 2 people, at least let them get somewhere before halting them in their tracks. I totally understand Sheridan's take on things and not wanting to get hurt again. She's been lied to time and time again by every man she ever cared about, and doesn't want to go down that road a second time. However, the thing doesn't make sense to me is that Sheridan was willing to forgive and forget if Luis admitted he said those terrible things. She told him that they could be together, and that ugly lie of his would be utterly and completely forgotten about, that she would never bring it up again. Yeah, right!!! What woman do you know would NEVER bring back a past indiscretion to a man, especially if they were having a fight? I personally would be the first one to throw it back in his face if he got me pissed off enough. If Sheridan was so determined to stick to her principals, then why did she make that type of suggestion to Luis? Doesn't she know by now that he is the most upstanding, honest, loyal man she has ever met? Luis made a good case for himself when he reminded Sheridan about all the times he saved her life from the drug dealers, and now he had plenty of opportunity to take advantage of her and didn't. Deep down she knows that Luis couldn't possibly say those things, but she saw him with her own eyes � and that is what she keeps going back to. It's not like someone else told her that they heard him say it, she heard it herself.

And Luis could have very easily accepted Sheridan's offer and lied to her about that night (it would have been the first time he did that), but he is so stead-fast in his beliefs that he wouldn't surrender to her. I'm was a little surprised that he didn't proclaim something like, "I'm going to get to the bottom of this and find out what is going on." That was a shocker to have him accept things for now. But come on, why not let them get together some more, go out on another date or two before pulling the plug on it now.

It also amazes me that Luis was ready to commit to Sheridan to a real relationship, yet in the same breath, condemn Theresa for having feelings for Ethan Crane. So it's not alright for his sister to be in love with a Crane, but it is for him? What kind of double-standard rule is he living by? He sees how easily it was to fall in love with Sheridan, why couldn't he admit that it was possible for Theresa too? And it's funny that he doesn't even know or suspect that Theresa has been working for the Crane's this whole time.

I am happy that Ethan finally admitted to being in love with Theresa, and will (supposedly) call off the wedding, but I was really looking forward to have something dramatic happen with Luis and Sheridan also (and not just the nightmares stuff either). It kills me that these shows, and their writers, really like to take a seriously long time before anything happens. I know there is a method to their madness, but it makes me nuts that things don't move faster than they do. After watching (and loving Sunset Beach) for 3 years, you would think that the folks at Passions would have picked up on a few of the Don'ts from the Do's and Don'ts list, but I guess I was wrong.

Let's just hope that Sheridan and Luis make some sort of major headway within the next 2 months, and I'm not talking about him something happening because he is guarding her for the FBI either. I'm talking some serious lip-locking.

ISSUE #16: A Wedding Explosiont
October 12, 2000

"Explosion" I don't think is a strong enough word to use, considering what Ethan has done. He completely destroyed his relationship with Gwen for Theresa, and in the process, started what will probably be an avalanche with his father and grandfather.

After spending so many months with Theresa, and almost loosing her in an accident, Ethan finally admitted his true feelings for her. But with all of these emotions coming forth from Ethan's mouth, the only thing he did not do was tell Gwen right away that the wedding was cancelled. He tried and tried, but was constantly interrupted. Why he waited so long though, I'll never understand. Who in their right mind would tell their bride-to-be on the night before their wedding that the wedding was cancelled? Especially if this is something that you have wanted to do for several days now.

Ethan needs to grow more of a backbone, but he has gotten much better at standing up for things. Look at how he acts towards Sam Bennett, the Chief of Police, and his real father? Haha, he wouldn't be so pompous with the Chief if he knew who he really was. Anyway, he should have told Gwen immediately about his intentions to not marry her, he should have put his foot down early on and demanded to speak with Gwen when this first happened. The prolonging of the inevitable just made things worse. And now he has to get Theresa back and tell her what he did, because she thinks he was only using her (typical soap opera storyline), then he has to try and smooth things over with Julian, Ivy and Alistair. He will definitely be able to convince his mother that what he did was the right thing, but Alistair will never in a million, zillion years come to terms with it. I guarantee you that between Alistair, Julian and that witch Rebecca, they are going to hatch a plan to permanently ruin the love that Ethan and Theresa share, and to get Gwen back in the picture with Ethan.

But knowing Ivy the way I think I do, she will do whatever she can to prevent her father and father-in-law from executing whatever scheme they hatch. I'm a little surprised she hasn't told Sheridan about the Luis imposter, but the year is not over, so anything goes.

And for what it is worth, I do really feel bad for poor Gwen. The girl had her heart broken into a thousand pieces on the eve of her wedding. As it turns out, her mother was right all along and she was blinded by her love for Ethan. But then again, could you blame Gwen for being the trusting person she was in the end? Ethan proved to her over and over again how much he loved her, she really had no reason to doubt what he was telling her. She was the one he has been sleeping with all these years, Theresa is still the sweet virgin as before. Well, maybe not sweet, but you know what I mean.

The key to this entire thing lies in the laptop that Theresa has. She scanned the evidence of Ethan's paternity, before Ivy burned them at Pilar's house. And Theresa misplaced her laptop once when she was in the Bahamas with Ethan, something tells me she is going to loose it again. And again, Julian will be the one to find it and discover the truth it holds. When that happens, Harmony is going to explode like a thousand volcanoes.

ISSUE #17: Stand By Your Man!
October 19, 2000

WOW!!! What else can I say about last week's shows other than Wow. Everyone and everything was absolutely amazing. It's really hard to pick just one topic or person to talk about in this column so I don't know if I will be able to do it.

I don't know about you guys, but I was never really a big fan of Gwen Hotchkiss in the beginning. Not that I'm saying she grew on me over this past year, but she did become more of a central character with this entire storyline. Granted, we did hear her say many times how much she is looking to become the mistress of the Crane mansion and have all of that power and money, more so than Ivy Crane. For that, I did not like her at all, but I give her credit for hanging in there and fighting for what she wants and loves, i.e., Ethan.

With her heart getting broken and being humiliated in front of her family when Ethan called off the wedding, I was actually shocked with her reaction to it all. Shocked because I honestly didn't expect her to react the way she did � slapping the crap out of Ethan (I don't think Travis Schuldt expected that one). Gwen threw it all out there for everyone to see and feel, and finally, finally understood what her mother has been saying all these months about Theresa. But we know that Theresa is not a gold-digger, she truly loves Ethan. Now that she knows he is not a true Crane, she still wants to be with him, whereas if Gwen were to find out � she would probably walk away from him in a heartbeat.

What kills me is that nobody seems to give a damn about Ethan's feelings and what he wants in life. Alistair, Julian, Ivy, and Rebecca all want him to marry Gwen simply because she is a Hotchkiss and it would mean a great deal of money with their families "merging". I can't believe that arranged marriages still take place in this modern day and age of ours (even amongst the most elitist of people). Ethan is exactly like his father when it comes to love, he wants it in his life without any other strings attached.

Now Theresa, believing in fate, is so head-strong that she honestly thinks that Ethan will be with her forever and ever, and Gwen will just move on to bigger and better things. But we have all seen the wrath of Gwen Hotchkiss, and she is not giving up without a good fight. I think this triangle is going to come down to 2 things. First, Ethan finding out that he is not a true Crane, and second, that Gwen is really more in love with the money and power she would inherit by marrying a Crane, then being in love with Ethan. I don't doubt that she loves him, but her eyes completely light up and sparkle at the mere mention of her ruling the house as Mrs. Ethan Crane. If only Ethan had heard and seen that several weeks ago, these 3 people wouldn't be going through this torture right now. Theresa adores Ethan, for richer or poorer, and will not stop until she has Ethan's heart 100%. She's at about 65% right now according to my calculations, so these next few weeks (really months in soap land) will be really interesting.

I for one and rooting for a Theresa & Ethan pairing, because when he is with Theresa, he is his "real" self. There is nothing pompous and obnoxious about him and he is just like everyone else. He enjoys the same things that Theresa does, and has a lot of same experiences from his childhood and she does. If Ethan were a true snob, he would not be hanging around with Chad Harris or have any association with him. Thanks to Theresa (and Chad) they have both been able to allow Ethan to be a down-to-earth person, and enjoy the other things that life has to offer.

ISSUE #18: Hokus Pokus
November 10, 2000

I don't know if there's room in this little town for 2 witches, but boy do I like Hecuba. She's witty, flamboyant, and devilishly evil in a different way than Tabitha.

My first thoughts about Hecuba before I even laid eyes on her was, "Oh, no. Another witch joining the show (albeit for a short time), this is going to get boring real fast." I say this because even though Timmy and Tabitha are entertaining to a degree, I don't see how they will be able to stay on the canvas for a very long time. At some point, Evil is going to win our over Good �or- Good is going to win out over Evil. But watching Hecuba weave herself into the lives of the residents of Harmony is going to be quite entertaining. She can charm a man to drink a glass of water while he is drowning!

What's even more interesting is that Hebuca was able to show several of Harmony's residence about their past/future with her magical mirror. All of these things Tabitha herself has known herself but is unable to accomplish because she no longer has her powers. Showing Julian the image of Ivy and Sam making love was perfect to send this obnoxious jerk over the edge, but at the same time, trying to charm the pants right off of her (literally). Hecuba is a sly one that's for sure, and it will be interesting to see her interact a little more with Tabitha and get into their past history. I for one am curious to know more about the past of a lot of Harmony town folk. Could it be that Hecuba knows all?

Why is Alistair afraid of Tabitha? What exactly happened between the Crane's and the Bennett's all those years ago? There are still a lot of juicy secrets left to be told, I hope Hecuba brings some more of them to the surface. Now that the evil pendent has been destroyed and Evil Charity is no more, what's next for this girl? Is another pendent going to be made and slung around her neck? I don't know but I hope that at least Miguel will start to realize something is not totally right with Miss Innocent.

Most of the storylines are definitely taking off in the right direction, they just need some more interesting situations to happen to really capture the audience. If Tabitha was somehow to regain some of her powers, maybe things would not be so dreadful with them. All we ever see is her carrying her doll around eaves-dropping on conversations and working her way into their surroundings.

ISSUE #19: Dial "P" For Murder!
November 30, 2000

I don't know about you guys, but I am absolutely enthralled with the storyline of Sherian's Murder. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not glad that they decided to "kill" her, but rather that the writers have finally done something to really grab the viewers and pull them into the story.

First, let me just state for the record, I Do Not Believe That Sheridan Is Dead! Why do I say that? Easy, because I don't think the writers and producers of the show would purposely kill off the hottest actress that they currently have, let alone ruin the sexiest and most exciting couple on daytime television today. But this isn't your ordinary, run-of-the-mill murder. Nope, this is a twisting and turning storyline that is making this viewer change her mind each and every day as to what really is going on.

First I was astonished that Sheridan would be the intended victim in all this, I know the internet polls on who would be the victim were pointing to Charity. Then the actual murder was dragged out for about a week with Sheridan pleading for her life to Hank, the hired hitman. Once it was declared that Sheridan was dead, and Eve performed the autopsy � I cried my eyes out. Then I stopped and saw how Julian and Alistair were reacting to her murder and I began to wonder. Alistair usually knows everything that is going on his Harmony, especially in Sheridan's cottage. Why is it that he was not "upset" about learning of his dear daughters death? And Julian, he too didn't seem to give a damn that she was now gone from their lives. All these men could do was figure a way of working Sheridan's death into Ethan's possible future with Gwen Hotchkiss. How disgusting can two people be, especially when it concerns a family member?

Then I took it one step further and my twisted mind starting thinking that it was all a setup. Just like when they hired the "Luis Imposter", they went ahead and hired an imposter to play Sheridan, knowing that someone was going to kill her. But then how would Alistair know that the hitman would be coming that night, and wouldn't he know it was Hank Bennett? Lots of questions, I know. Anyway, I'm thinking that an imposter was hired to pretend to be Sheridan, after Luis left the cottage to go to Washington with the FBI man. Like maybe Sheridan went into her bedroom to change her clothes after Luis left, they drugged her and knocked her unconscience, switched with the pretend Sheridan, and then Luis came back a few minutes later to say goodbye again (because he didn't want to leave her in the first place). Now this "new" Sheridan is playing the game and acting like the real Sheridan. Are you with me so far?

Then Luis leaves again for real and Hank is there to protect her. He pulls his gun, shoots her and leaves after she is dead with Pierre. Luis returns to find her dead body and the rest is history. Cut to Sheridan's body lying in the coffin at the church, and her finger starts to twitch, with a voice-over of her saying, 'Where Am I? Why Can't I Move?' Now for the past week we have been hearing and seeing Sheridan talk from her coffin and twitching her finger to get Luis' attention, but to no avail.

For a moment, I almost thought that Agent Freeman from the FBI was in on my little conspiracy theory, because when Luis saw Sheridan on the pier the night of her murder, she disappeared. When Luis questioned Agent Freeman and asked if he had seen her, he said No. But the only way for her to leave the pier would have been to pass right by the agent-man. He claims that nobody passed him, especially Sheridan Crane. So if this is a scam of sorts, maybe the agent knew that the hitman would make the attempt on Sheridan's life on that night and arranged for her to be switched with an imposter, in order to flush out the drug cartel and hitman. Something like being in the witness protection program. Complete secrecy would have been in place, that's why Luis was not told about it, and now he is suffering the loss of the woman he loves.

I know that some of these theory's of mine might be a little far-fetched, but you have to admit, they do sound plausible. So, is Sheridan really dead? I think not. Was she kidnapped by her father and replaced with an imposter, in order to break up the budding relationship with Luis? Maybe. Was she kidnapped and made to look dead in order to get Ethan back with Gwen so they would marry and their families could complete the business merger? Possible. One thing is for sure � this entire storyline is going to keep me glued to my seat until the end of the year. That is when (supposedly) Luis and Sheridan will be reunited, according to a lot of online rumors. I can't wait to see what both Sheridan and Luis do if they find out the truth that her father/brother was behind all of this, and then find out about the Luis imposter too. Talk about a murder, I'm sure both Luis and Sheridan will want to kill somebody then.

ISSUE #20: A Tail Of Two Women
December 15, 2000

Ethan, Ethan, Ethan. What am I going to do with you? You are stringing two woman along by their noses, prolonging their pain and wearing my patience thin.

First, you fall in love with a woman that your family didn't want you to fall in love with. I can totally understand that, Theresa is a good person who adores you head to toe. You tried to deny your feelings for her for months until finally you thought you were going to loose her forever. Talk about bad timing (the girl practically dies before you tell her you love her?). Then you keep this little tidbit of information from your family, and Gwen (your fianc�e) until the night before your wedding. Big mistake! You should have told her as soon as it happened, instead of putting things off for so long. Also, if I may say so, you should have told your mother Ivy, everything, right from the get-go. You know how much she loves and adores you, and that she only wants the best for you. Maybe if you had let her in on this little situation all those months ago you might not be in the predicament.

Anyway, you've finally admitted the truth to everyone, yet you still haven't made up your mind on which girl you will choose. I know this is a hard decision to make, but let's go --- be a man already. I think you are letting family money dictate your actions and that is wrong. I understand that you love Gwen (why I have no clue), and you have always pictures spending the rest of your life with her. But open your eyes and take a good look around. Gwen may love you, but she loves your money more. She is just like her mother, although I have to admit that she is not as money grubby now as she was about 2 months ago. Her mother is a terrible influence on her and you need to make sure that she stays out of your relationship with Gwen.

As for Theresa, the girl who has loved you from afar since she was a little girl. You may not realize this now, but some things aren't what they seem to be with her either. Yes, she does love you unconditionally, and doesn't give a flying fart about your money. But she has kept a few little things from you, and is still keeping something from you right now. Albeit, it is not her place to tell you about one of her little secrets. You know deep down that you are a better person when you are around Theresa, a more real and honest man, and you completely enjoy the time you spend with you, regardless of what you are doing. That is the difference between Gwen and Theresa. With Gwen, it is all stuffy shirts and cocktails at the club rubbing elbows with people you really don't give a damn about. With Theresa, it is going to the arcade, watching a movie with a tub of popcorn, or just walking through the park on a beautiful sunny day. Things that you never do with Gwen.

Face it � you've got one major decision to make here, and you better make it fast. I think you should choose Theresa, regardless of what your family and her family and Gwen's family have to say. They will get over it, and find another rich man to marry Gwen into and merge their two businesses together. How many times do you find real, true love in your life? Step up to the plate and smack that ball outta here.

ISSUE #21: It's About Time!
December 22, 2000

I finally and honestly can say that Dalton James did a great job last week with his portrayal of Hank Bennett. Now I know this might sound harsh to some of you, but I have never really been impressed with his portrayal of this character. He seems like he wasn't right for the part after 1 � years of playing him, something just wasn't right, ya know? Granted, I don't think too many fans out there even like Hank because he was after Sheridan, and everyone wants her to end up with Luis.

But with the abduction of Hank and the others last week, he suddenly grew a backbone! He was talking back to those drug guys, Roger and Pierre, and mouthing off to them at every turn. All the while, praying to God that Sheridan would be able to last in the coffin without enough oxygen. It seemed that Hank was infused with the spirit of his brother Sam, the rough and tough, take charge Police Chief.

Hank had nothing to loose at this point, being held hostage by those two goons. He didn't care what would happen to him, he was only concerned with Sheridan's life and making sure she was rescued. He knew that Eve Russell would be able to save her because she was in on the plan with him. But then Eve was kidnapped. and Hank's fire started to dwindle down to nothing. But he kept on with his verbal assaults towards Roger and Pierre, not even thinking about what might happen to him or the others.

Even after being taken aboard the boat and on the verge of being killed, he continued to try and free himself and rescue Sheridan, fighting all the way to the end. Once the Rescue Squad arrived, there was no stopping him now, he told the truth about the fake death of Sheridan and rushed to save her from her grave. Hank Bennett finally became a good guy, even if for only a few moments, because of his determination to help rescue Sheridan. But an even bigger "kudos" to him for thinking up this plan in the first place, this crazy, idiotic plan to bury Sheridan alive and fake her assassination in front of the drug cartel. That took a lot of guts and nerve, knowing that eventually it would come out in the open about his shady past (which we are about to discover any day now). To even ask Sheridan to do the things she agreed to do was risky and both fool-hearted. I don't think I would agree to something like being buried alive inside a coffin. Dalton James portrayed Hank in a tough, yet vulnerable way this past week, and showed everyone that he is a good guy who has made some very bad choices in his life, and these choices have finally come back to haunt him.

ISSUE #22: Give Me A Break!
December 28, 2000

This past week, there were a ton of great things that happened. Unfortunately, there were also some really stupid and inappropriate things too that just really pissed me off.

First, how insensitive is Julian Crane? Can he be anymore of a cad (I can't use curse words, remember.) I mean, come on. He finds out that his sister just might be alive in her grave, and he does nothing to help rescue her. We know that Julian only cares about one thing and that is money. Correction � two things (sex), but Sheridan is his flesh and blood. How can he just stay in the mansion drinking sherry and act like nothing is going on? It boggles my mind to see him act completely heartless towards a family member. But then again, he probably saw it as a stroke of luck that she was dead, because that would stop his relationship with Luis. Boy is he going to be in for a big surprise.

Next up on my list is Eve Russell. Why is it that the only doctor in town can't seem to perform the most simplest medical tasks on a person in need of medical attention? I'm referring to her not even trying CPR on Sheridan when she was pulled out of the coffin. Her husband and Sam performed CPR on her when they rescued her from the icy waters when she was thrown overboard by the drug dealers. Why can't she do the same for other people? She is constantly claiming that she has to examine people and give them medical attention, yet all she does is feel for a pulse and maybe she for a heartbeat. I think her doctor skills needs a lot of work. Same goes for when Chad was shot trying to save her life. Did she put a pressure bandage on his wounds? Nope. All she did was stroke his head and tell him to hang on. Over and over again we see Eve Russell NOT being a doctor when it is time for her to be a doctor. I can list several instances that she did nothing more then take a pulse, but that list would be way to long for this column. Shame on your Dr. Russell.

And what about Ivy Crane. Regardless for what she feels for her husband, she still does nothing when she finds him in bed with Rebecca Hotchkiss! Remember when she found him in bed with the maid? She almost shot him dead. Why didn't she do anything when she found the scheming Rebecca in his bed? That makes no sense to me what so ever. And then, to add insult to injury, she lets Rebecca know that she knows about it, and practically gives her blessing for it to continue. That is just crazy, and I for one would not stand for it. No husband of mine will cheat on me until the day we are divorced. But then again, this is Julian Crane we are talking about. He can do whatever he pleases and the wife must obey his word. If that means that she cannot have an extramarital affair, then the same should apply to him, too.

It amazes me that with the way soaps are written today that the writers continue to put such stupid things in the scripts. Now I understand why Julian was portrayed the way he was, it's part of his character. But for Eve Russell to be so blatantly idiotic when it comes to her duties as a doctor, is just beyond me. The writers really need to do something about her. When the day comes that she starts to perform surgery on someone is the day that I go to medical school myself. I've said it before and I'll say it again � soaps need to be just a tad more realistic. There are still things that I can understand be written with the campiness and absurdity of it all (take a 300-year old witch for example), but when it comes to things that we ourselves experience, they need to be more attentive about it.