Inside Salem: The Days of Our Lives Podcast

The popular daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives officially has its own podcast. NBC has launched the first official podcast for its daytime drama. Inside Salem will provide Days fans with exclusive content such as cast and producer interviews and behind the scenes set visits. The podcast episodes are a half hour in length and the podcast is hosted by Michael Fairman.

The first episode has guest appearances by Robert Scott Wilson (Ben Weston), Mary Beth Evans (Kayla Brady), and James Reynolds (Abe Carver). I have been a fan of Days of Our Lives since September 2017 and I really enjoyed listening to this podcast. If you are a fan of this soap opera then this podcast is for you. The podcast will be available every other Friday on NBC.com or the NBC app and can also be heard on all other Podcast providers such as Itunes and Google Podcasts.     

https://www.nbc.com/days-of-our-lives/exclusives/inside-salem?utm_campaign=2018-podcasts&utm_term=dotcom&utm_source=podcasts&utm_content=days-podcast&utm_medium=nav-bar&_branch_match_id=585930206874882618

Halloween 2018 Movie Review

Hello everyone with Halloween just a day away I thought I would give you my review of the new Halloween film. The film takes place in Haddonfield Illinois 40 years after the original film in 1978. One twist with this film however is that it sends the message that all of the Halloween sequels to the original never happened including the story in Halloween 2 that Michael Myers is Laurie Strodes brother.

            The film opens with a pair of podcasters who are going to meet Michael and Laurie for a crime piece that they are doing. The podcasters visit Michael and they decide to bring Michael’s signature mask with them which appears again later when Michael escapes and kills the podcasters as he makes his way back to Haddonfield Illinois for Halloween. Several victims are caught in Michael’s path including Laurie’s granddaughter and her friends. I thought Jamie Lee Curtis gave an outstanding performance in this film as Laurie Strode, who has isolated herself away from the public and turned her house into a shelter.

I really enjoyed the film and found it very entertaining and the film had a lot of aspects of the original film as well as many twists and turn moments.  If you are a fan of the Halloween films I highly suggest you check this movie out.

My First Pride Fest

On Sunday, June 24^th, I went to my first pride fest. I not only went to pride fest, but I also had the opportunity to participate in the pride parade with a family member who use to work for the company that had a spot in the parade. I loved seeing all the support and excitement of all of the St. Louis residents who came out to support the LGBTQ community. As I was riding in the parade I couldn’t stop looking at all the people clapping, cheering, and holding signs of support such as love is love, or spread love not hate. During that time nothing else mattered and we were all there to support each other and it was okay for us to be who we are. Being in the pride parade was such a wonderful moment that I will always treasure. When I came out at 21 I always had this goal of going to pride fest because it was a way for me to celebrate who I am and I am so glad I was finally able to attend.

I know that identifying as part of the LGBTQ community is becoming more accepting, but when you actually see that support and love where you live it’s truly amazing and has made me extremely proud to be gay and I can’t wait to attend next year.

Friends throw party to celebrate a friend’s transition from female to male

I came across this story a few days ago and I felt that because its pride month it was worth sharing. Corey Walker, celebrated with his friends on May 24^th to kick off his Journey of transitioning from female to male. Walker tweeted photos of the celebration and he received 61,000 likes and many positive reactions and comments. Walker said “ It was really exciting," I'm glad I had the party because I think this transition should be a positive thing and having the support that I had was encouraging." Walker says the idea for the party came about when he threw a party for his former partner who was also transitioning. Walker says "I kind of put my own personal transition on the back-burner to be supportive of him," Walker explained. "When it was my turn to transition, my friends thought that I deserved the same."

Corey’s friends decorated the room in blue and white with signs that read “It’s a Boy!” the party took place on the same day that Corey took his first dose of testosterone. Walker has set a date for top surgery on July 19^th and hopes that sharing the images will inspire others to support their loved ones who are also transitioning. I think this is a really cool idea and it’s a wonderful way to show support. I will have a link to the article down below.

Thanks for reading

Tom

https://goodmorningamerica.com/living/story/friends-throw-boy-party-celebrate-buddys-transition-female-55512081

PULSE

Today marks two years since the attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. I remember that day so clearly because the day before had been my 26^th birthday. I had a weird feeling for the whole day, but I couldn’t describe it. I was happy because it was my birthday, but I just felt off. Later that day I received a call from my best friend saying she was going to take me out for a surprise with her boyfriend and another friend of ours. When my friend arrived at my house with everyone she told me that we were going to a gay bar. I was very excited because even though I had been out for a few years I never really went out to the local LGBT bars in the St.Louis area. When we arrived at Just John’s we all had a few drinks and chatted for a while. I was having a good time, but I kept having that weird feeling I felt I needed to be more vigilant than usual. I kept looking at all the exit doors and the other people in the bar.

Around 10:30 pm we decided to call it a night and my friends dropped me off and I went to bed. When I woke up on June 12^th a little bit before 7 am I pulled out my phone to check my social media accounts. As I was scrolling through Twitter I kept seeing news reports about a shooting at an Orlando night club. I turned on CNN and my heart sank. On the screen in bold black letters were the words shooting at Orlando LGBT nightclub. It was at the moment I realized why I felt so off. When news broke that 49 people had been killed I was very sad because each one of those people was somebody’s loved one, child, Mother, Father, Sister, Brother, and friend. I also was in a state of shock because it could have happened in Just Johns or at any of the other LGBT night spots.

One thing that I have taken away from what happened at Pulse is to never take life for granted and to also embrace who I am and be proud of that I am Gay. A semester after the attack happened I decided to join my school’s LGBT organization which really helped me branch out of my shell and I met some amazing people during my time there. My heart continues to go out to the survivors, their families and the families of those who lost a loved one. My hope is that one day all of these hateful things will stop.

 

Thank you for reading,

Sincerely, Tom          

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH EVERYONE!!

It’s officially June which means it’s officially Pride month. Whether you identify as part of the LGBTQ Queer community, or you support us I wish you all a happy and safe Pride month.

Sincerely,

Tom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roseanne Cancelled by ABC

ABC has cancelled  the hit reboot Roseanne after the star Roseanne Barr made a comment on twitter this morning about Valerie Jarrett who was a former Obama aide saying that she looked like the offspring of the Muslim Brotherhood and Planet of the Apes. Roseanne deleted her tweet and followed up with an apology that said “I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me-my joke was in bad taste. I am now leaving Twitter.”

ABC’s Entertainment president Channing Dungey said the following statement “Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show”.  It has also been reported that Wanda Sykes, who worked on the show’s first season as a consulting producer announced that she will not be returning for the show’s next season. Sara Gilbert, series co-star and executive producer also spoke out against Roseanne’s comments saying “Roseanne’s recent comments about Valerie Jarrett, and so much more, are abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show. I am disappointed in her actions to say the least. This is incredibly sad and difficult for all of us, as we’ve created a show that we believe in, are proud of, and that audiences love — one that is separate and apart from the opinions and words of one cast member.”

 

I have been a fan of the original series for many years and like many other fans I was very excited when I heard Roseanne was coming back with new episodes and I really enjoyed the first season and I was looking forward to the second season. I was not happy with Roseanne’s statements she went too far and should not have said that.  What we need right now is more love and acceptance not hate and insults.  I feel bad for the rest of the cast and crew who have worked so hard to put this show together. I really hope that Roseanne learns from this mistake and thinks before she posts. I’m not sure what ABC will put in Roseanne’s place given that the show is done and was a huge hit for the network. Please remember to be kind to each other especially when using social media.   

The Chew cancelled Good Morning America expands to 3 hours

On Wednesday news broke that ABC has decided to cancel the daytime cooking show The Chew which has aired on the network for 7 seasons and 1,454 episodes. ABC has also decided to expand its morning news program Good Morning America (GMA) to a third hour starting in September and the third hour of GMA will air at the 1:00 pm Eastern Time slot. According to the Hollywood Reporter GMA has been America’s number 1 morning show for over the past 6 years.

 Ben Sherwood, co-chairman of Disney Media Networks and president of Disney-ABC Television, said in a statement announcing the move. “We believe there is great opportunity for viewers and advertisers in expanding to a third hour.” As for General Hospital fans the ABC soap is still in the lineup and isn’t going anywhere at least for now. While I have never watched The Chew I do feel bad for the fans and people who worked on this show for 7 years. I like the idea of GMA expanding to a third hour, but I feel it should be placed in the morning rather than in the afternoon. I personally would like to see All My Children and One Life to Live return, or at least have ABC show rebroadcasts of the episodes, but it doesn’t look as though ABC will do that any time soon.

 

Feel free to leave a comment below on this post  

           

Roseanne Reboot

The Roseanne reboot premiered tonight on ABC with an hour long episode. One thing that viewers will notice is the fact that the show did not shy away from political humor. The first half hour addressed a hilarious political feud between Roseanne and her sister Jackie over the fact that both women voted for a different political candidate, a topic as we all know that has led to many discussions among families since last year. One thing I really enjoyed seeing was how the topic of expression was addressed with Darlene’s son Marc who wants to wear girl’s clothes, a topic that Roseanne and Dan do not like and are worried for the safety of their Grandson. I also liked how the show was able have Sarah Chalke, who played Becky when Lacy Goranson went to college as the intended mother of the Baby that Becky plans to carry when announces that she is going to be a surrogate.

 

I really enjoyed the premiere a lot and felt the show went off to a good start. I didn’t watch the original series until I was much older because when the original series was on I was a child. I am looking forward to the next episode and finding out more about what the characters have been up to. You can watch the new season of Roseanne Tuesday nights on ABC check your local listings for show times and I believe tonight’s episode will be available on Hulu as well as ABC.com later tonight.

https://slate.com/culture/2018/03/the-roseanne-reboot-reviewed.html

Best Buy to pull CD’s from its stores this summer

You may have heard by now that Best Buy has announced to music suppliers that it will pull all CDs from the stores as early as July 1^st.  While I should not be completely surprised by the announcement given that we now have more options available when it comes to listening to our favorite artists’ and songs such as Apple Music, Pandora, and Spotify, I will admit that when I first heard the news I was stunned. The first CD I bought was Britney Spears’ first album Baby, One More Time at the age of 9 and even to this day I will still by CD’s by some of my favorite artists. To me there’s just something exciting about going to Best Buy or my local music store to Browse or buy CD’s.  

An Article from National Public Radio (NPR) sates that in 2015, music streaming has resulted in the first increase in the music industry’s global revenues since the year 1999 by $500 million. The article also says that in 2016, streaming services became the primary way that Americans listened to music. In fact, The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry has estimated that 112 million people worldwide now pay for access to streaming services and that those streaming services have contributed toward a 20.5 % decline in downloads and a 7.6% decline in physical revenue in 2017.

Best Buy generates only $40 million annually in CD’s and while they are pulling CD’s they will continue to sell vinyl for the next two years because of a commitment they have made to venders. As for other stores, Target has announced that it wants music to be sold on a consignment basis and currently, Target takes the inventory risk by agreeing to pay for any goods that are shipped within 60 days and must pay to ship back any unsold CDs for credit. With consignment, the inventory risk goes back to the labels. For now it seems that Best Buy is the only store making the decision to pull CD’s from its shelves.

As I said earlier, I am not completely surprised because streaming is now the primary way that we get access to our entertainment not just with music, but also our favorite television shows and movies. This announcement also makes me wonder how long it will be before DVD’s and Blu-rays are pulled from the shelves as well. What are your thoughts on the announcement? Feel free to comment below if you would like I will also have links to the articles as well.                

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/02/06/583666258/best-buy-to-pull-cds-from-its-stores-according-to-report

https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8097929/best-buy-to-pull-cds-target-threatens-to-pay-labels-for-cds-only-when

Genie Francis dropped to recurring status on ABC’s General Hospital.

Over the weekend news broke on several soap and entertain publications that soap opera icon Genie Francis has been dropped to recurring status on General Hospital. Francis was told the news in late 2017 that she would be dropped to recurring status in 2018. Frank Valentini, the soap’s Executive Producer wanted Francis to appear in only 12 episodes. It is reported that Francis was devastated by the decision and refused to agree to appear so infrequently on the soap.

This decision has also come as a surprise to the writers at General Hospital who had planned a long-term storyline for Francis’ character Laura Collins with Laura running for mayor of Port Charles. That storyline has been altered when the decision was made. Genie Francis has played the role of Laura off and on since 1977 and many soap fans tuned into to Luke and Laura’s wedding in 1981 which is the most watched episode in soap history and gave the show 30 Million viewers during that episode. In addition to General Hospital Francis has also been on other popular soaps such as All My Children, Days of Our Lives, Loving, and The Young and the Restless. Arthur Toretzky, Genie Francis’ agent, confirmed to Entertainment weekly that Francis has been dropped and said “She did not want to leave the show as a series regular, it was not her choice to leave.” Francis also commented on the news of her GH firing saying “ I would like to thank all of my wonderful fans for their support. It has made me feel so much better.”

While I personally have not been a regular viewer of General Hospital for a few years now, I think Frank’s decision to do this is outrageous not only to Genie Francis who helped save this well-known soap from cancelation in the mid 70’s, but also to all of the fans who have watched and supported this soap and Genie through the years. As a soap fan this really upsets me because we only have 4 daytime soaps left on the airwaves. General Hospital, Days Of Our Lives, The Young and the Restless, and The Bold and the Beautiful. If this is Frank’s idea of helping the show grow he is going about it the wrong way and this decision in my opinion could cause GH to lose longtime viewers. While it is too early to tell if Francis’ firing has made an impact on the soap ratings wise one thing that is clear is that fans are not happy about this decision at all and in my opinion this isn’t the direction the soap should be headed especially because General Hospital will be celebrating its 55^th Anniversary in April of this year.

I really hope Frank reconsiders his decision and places Genie back to a series regular, but if he does not this is the perfect opportunity for Days or The Young and the Restless to reach out to Francis and reprise one of her roles. If you would like to contact General Hospital and let them know your thoughts you can do so by calling the General Hospital comment line 323-671-4583. General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC check your local listings for air times. What are your thoughts about the decision? Drop a comment below if you wish.

Thanks for reading

Sincerely,

Tom        

 

 

 

Grey's Anatomy episode 1800-799-7233

Thursday was the return of the hit medical drama Grey's Anatomy. After what felt like a long winter break Grey's Anatomy returned with a very special episode entitled 1800-799-7233. The Episode picks up where we left off in November where Jo ( Camilla Luddington) runs into her abusive ex- husband Paul (Matthew Morrison).  I thought this episode was amazing and did a great job addressing the subject of Domestic Violence not only by having a PSA about Domestic Violence, but also having the phone number for the National Domestic Violence hotline as the title of the episode. I really give credit to Shonda Rimes and the entire team and cast for doing this storyline because in my opinion this subject does not get enough attention and to me a lot of  shows tend to stay away from this subject because it could be to triggering or hard for an audience to watch. I really enjoyed watching Jo Stand up to her ex- husband during the episode because she was finally able to make her voice heard and put an end to the pain and fear she had been carrying with her since she came to the show and you can really feel the emotion Jo had during the episode. I really enjoyed the scenes with Jo and Paul's girlfriend Jenny ( Bethany Joy Lenz) as Jo told Jenny about her relationship with Paul and the abuse she suffered from him. I also loved the moment when Jo gave her number to Jenny as a outlet for support.  Next Thursday episode continues with this storyline where Paul is injured in an accident and is suddenly a patient at Grey-Sloan Memorial.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence there is help available 1800-799-7233 or  visit http://www.thehotline.org/ 

Nashville season 6 final season

Tonight was the beginning of the 6th an final season of  the beloved series Nashville.  I am going to keep this post short because I don't want to give away any spoilers to anyone who hasn't seen tonight's episode yet. while I am extremely bummed that season 6 is going to be the last season of this amazing show! tonight's episode was very strong the cast and crew did an amazing job the music was flawless as always. I am looking forward to seeing what this season has in store for everyone!

If you saw tonight's episode please feel free to drop me a comment how are you feeling about the show? do you think it should have been cancelled ? what was your favorite part ?



Thanks,

Tom

13 reasons why

Last week, I started watching the Netflix original series 13 Reasons Why and last night I watched the last two episodes.   For those who don't know 13 reasons why is about the story of Hannah Baker, who was the subject of bullying and betrayal brought on by students at her high school and because of this she decides to take her own life by committing suicide. She leaves a series of 13 tapes which explain the reasons why she ended up ending her life. I know public reaction to the series has been somewhat negative given the subject matter  of suicide and dark scenes in the show, but I really felt that this was a good series and it really addresses the issue of bullying and the subject of rape which I know is a very hard topic to address, but I felt the series did a great job addressing these topics. I also like the fact that if the episode is going to have scenes that maybe hard for some viewers to watch their is a warning message placed at the beginning of the episode to let the viewer know what the content is going to be. I found this series hard to watch at times not just because of the subject matter, but because of the pain that Hannah felt especially in the shows last two episodes, but overall the show was really well done and the cast was amazing.

I did enjoy this series and I am looking forward to checking out the book as well as season 2 of the series when it is released. Below is a link to the website that is introduced at the beginning of the series.
http://13reasonswhy.info/#usa


 thanks for reading

Tom  

Happy New Year everyone

Hey everyone !

I hope you all had a wonderful New Years Eve what did everyone do? I spent the New years eve watching the Twilight Zone Marathon. I don't really have any new years resolutions, but I am going to use 2018 to focus on the positive things that are happening in my life and find ways to enjoy myself and try to distress more. if anyone would like to share what they did, or what their 2018 resolutions are for the new year please feel free to do so in the comments. I hope this year is amazing for everyone and I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you along the way.

Thanks for reading

sincerely,

Tom