The Last Father-Daughter Dance: A Short Story

The Last Father-Daughter Dance by Lisa Wingate
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Perfect.

View all my reviews

54!

 That's right! With the purchase of the official recording of the 2025 London revival, I have 54 recordings of Evita! Nothing compared to some collectors, but I think it's pretty impressive. The best part, in my humble opinion, is that I have recordings of every professional production I've seen. My favorite of which will always be the 20th Anniversary National Tour. I hope to continue seeing this amazing show, and collecting recordings as long as I live.

Getting Difficult…

 Visitors may have noticed my lack of current soap content lately. There's a rather unfortunate reason for this. I'm not particularly enjoying what's on my screen at the moment. Before I go any further, let me be clear. This post is not a reflection of the work of the incredible acting companies of Beyond The Gates, or General Hospital. They do their absolute best with the material they're given. I'm talking writing and pacing.

BTG's second anniversary is fast approaching, and storylines from the debut episode are still unresolved. There's no excuse for this. Sure, I know Proctor and Gamble soaps have a tendency to move at a bit of a slower stride, but the goal of keeping people tuning in can't be lost. Along that same road, antagonists must be held responsible for their dastardly deeds. Dana, Joey, Haley, and Heather are absolutely free of consequence. What's the point of investing countless hours if villains never get what's coming to them?

To cut down on being repetitive, I will say that is also my biggest gripe with GH. Willow and Drew have been wreaking havoc for years, with absolutely no consequence. The reasons described above are why I stopped watching Passions.

In contrast, I'm watching All My Children from 2002, and am just as invested as I was first time around. Storylines progress at a decent clip, acting is mostly top shelf, payoffs are worthy, and writing is intricate, sensible, and smart. Don't get me wrong, nothing is perfect, but it's head and shoulders above BTG and GH.

Can't see myself tuning in much longer if something doesn't change.

Evita: 2025 London Revival Cast Recording

What to say of the 2025 London Revival Cast Recording. We will start off with the few positives. The orchestration is gorgeous, and the quality is incredible. Do I wish the original Broadway orchestration had been used? Absolutely, but you can't win them all. Anyway, every second sounds lush, vibrant, and is immersive. Another plus. Vocals are top notch. Rachel stands out, of course, but, everyone is in top form.

Here in lies my biggest issue. Everyone sounds beautiful, but there is absolutely no emotion, with the exception of an occasional scream. There is a glaring preoccupation with perfection, that doesn't allow the power of the material to shine. As a child, one of the things that made me fall in lifelong love with this work is the gut wrenching realness, and incredible raw emotion of the original Broadway recording. I defy anyone to not get choked up listening to the closing moments. In complete contrast, this newest recording is gorgeous, but almost entirely vacant. The material deserves better. An inexcusable disappointment.

As a much less important final critique, what the living hell is with this cover art. What happened to the classic image? Could this be any lazier? Gross.
 

Ahoy!

Photo Credit: Latisha Todman

Expansion!

 

Photo Credit: Latisha Todman

The New Bedford Whaling Museum is finally expanding! So excited to see new treasures. Going to be awesome! 

Stunning!

Photo Credit: Jill Rock

Unsettling…

 

Photo Credit: Latisha Todman

Never Forget…

Random, But Cool…

 

Photo Credit: Latisha Todman

Gorgeous!

 

 

Photo Credit: Latisha Todman

No filters! 

Lucille

Lucille: The Life of Lucille Ball by Kathleen Brady
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Didn't know much about the life of this amazing legend, so the listen was entertaining and informative. Quite inspirational as well. Decent narration.

Beautiful 40th Anniversary Edition!

 

Photo Credit: Jill Rock

Saw this online a while back, and knew I had to have it. A new collectible edition of one of my all-time favorite books. Don't particularly care for the fact that the new artwork seems to be inspired by the miserable remake, but it's still awesome to have on my bookshelf. 

Goofy And Adorable!

 My sweet boy could always be counted on to be caught in a ridiculous moment.

Quote Of The Moment…

 "The art of wrestling is making people feel things."
-Becky Lynch

More!

 

Photo Credit: Jill Rock

Was looking around my computer room recently, which also serves as the home of the majority of my wrestling collection, and realized there are a few things I never shared on the blog. So, here they are. Have no interest in playing the card game, but it's still an awesome collectible.

Newest!

 

 Photo Credit: Jill Rock

Daniel and Eric were at Savers  quite a while ago, found this guy, and thought I would give him a good home. He's so cool, and very well behaved so far. We'll see what happens when he's introduced to his brothers and sisters around Christmas.

Quote Of The Moment…

 "I don't value connection if it doesn't allow me to be my full self."
-Keke Palmer

Cautious Optimism…

Daytime Confidential is reporting that Jamey Giddens and Ron Carlivati have been tapped to write the All My Children movies for Lifetime. I think this is an incredible, inspired, informed choice. Both gentlemen respect the history and legacy of this iconic show, and have been fans for years. I have no doubt that these two will deliver.

With that out of the way, I don't know what to think about this news in general. As I always say when writing posts about possible revivals of my favorite show, I'm scared to hope. Every time something seems concrete, or at least as if the right direction is being moved towards, the rug gets pulled. To be fair, the higher-ups at Lifetime seem to be entirely on board, and incredibly enthusiastic, which I will take as a good sign. That's more than can be said about any previous attempts.

From what I gather, there are four movies in the works. And, apparently, as of now, the first two will focus on the Santos and Kane families, and be current day. Susan Lucci and Eva LaRue are already said to be signed on. I'm sure, if/when everything moves forward, we'll be hearing more casting news. Would like to see cameos from Bianca and Kendall. Of course, if that happens, I would need Eden, but would be fine with either Sarah or Alicia.

I could ramble for hours about my hopes and dreams for this project, but will just say that I'm excited despite knowing better, and cautiously optimistic.
 

Quote Of The Moment…

 "Anticipation is born of hope."
-Soren Johansson (From The Book A short Stay In Hell)

A Short Stay in Hell

A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Horrible narration only slightly tracks from the strange enjoyment I found listening to this unique tale. Have a feeling several listens are required to fully form a solid opinion.

After Words

After Words by Nina Mitchell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Resilience, fortitude, and persistence on full display. Good narration.

Time Out

Time Out by Claudia Rowe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

inspiring story of redemption, and the power of second chances. Good narration.

The Button

The Button: Missing collection by Wednesday Martin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Can genuinely say I never thought I would listen to an audiobook about female reproduction and pleasure, but found it very interesting, and informative. Decent narration.

Catching Murphy

Catching Murphy by Wilson Ring
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Heart wrenching, harrowing story, with a feel-good ending. Good narration.

YAY!

So happy I finished my reading goal for the year. Anything I read now is just icing. Who knows, maybe I'll make it to 200! That would be something. Going to be an amazing journey no matter the final tally.

The Stones, the Crows, the Grass, the Moon

The Stones, the Crows, the Grass, the Moon by Walter Kirn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Haunting. Exceptional. Good narration.

The Woman in the Strongbox

The Woman in the Strongbox by Maureen O'Hagan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a fascinatingly tangled web. Absolutely gripping. Wish it was a full length book. Decent narration.

SummerSlam Fun!

 

 

A couple of weeks back, Kyle, his friend John, and I got together to watch the first night of SummerSlam 2026. Show was decent, company and conversation were fantastic. Definitely an awesome way to spend an afternoon. As you can tell by the first picture, Oliver was definitely the centerpiece of the festivities.