Thanks, fans!

For taking the time out of your busy lives to share your thoughts and opinions.

This is the time of year I set aside to lift my goblet to you, my fellow faithful fans. For taking the time out of your busy lives to drop me a line, or several paragraphs, to share your thoughts and opinions. And for answering my oft-asked question: Am I the only one who ...? Obviously I'm not. Anyway, I sincerely appreciate you all so much, more than I can say. You often say exactly what I'm thinking, and even when you don't, I still enjoy reading your particular take on what's causing unrest and uproar in our favorite fictional town. Your emails are often the highlight of my day, making me giggle, grin and laugh out loud. We Y&R fans are an opinionated bunch, and proud to be so.

Next week, I'll share what I found best about The Young and the Rest. And as many of you fans might suspect, given my current disenchantment, it is likely to be the hardest column of the year for me to craft. Wish me luck.

The week after that I get to talk about the Worst, and as I'm sure you can imagine, I expect I won't find that duty nearly so difficult.

But this week is for you, fans. So I'm turning the lock and momentarily silencing my sarcastic tongue. The Soapcentral stage is all yours. Here's to you!

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JM - My fave soap has just become totally annoying! I'm with you Nita on the Nikki snoop dog look. And topping out the irritating list would have to be: Gloria, NiPhy (giggle, slurp), Dru and Neil (can't get over my Mesta grudge with him). Who killed Carmen, who cares?! Then my one true fave character Paul, who FINALLY is getting a storyline, gets stuck with that homely Bardwell sidekick/Farrah hair as a possible love interest. And what is with the Lauren the baby freaker? Help - someone let me out of these storyline nightmares and give me my fave soap back!

CABC - Well, once again you nailed it all on the head Nita, we really don't have to say too much. However, what they need to do, is send the test tube baby away with the mother, and if they want Vic to have another child, bring back Victor Jr., a real Newman. I always found it rather dysfunctional to have Brad raising a child who belonged to Ashley and Victor (too much confusion). I totally agree with you about Nikki! She truly needs to be knocked off balance. I really do NOT like this snob role she's playing. N/P - what's the depth of the relationship? Writers, can we please get more of a balance with all the dirt being dished out here on Jack and Sharon? This is totally ridiculous! Newmans, Newmans, Newmans, and more Newmans, King and Queen of GC they can do NO wrong! I truly want to jump through the TV and punch Nikki in her face every time she turns that damn nose up at someone. Really, BACK off my man Jack, and let him throw a punch or two. Please leave Sharon with what little dignity she has left and keep Brad, (OH YEA, we don't know who the hell he is George) away from her. Colleen/J.T./Reliquary/ doomed s/l's - back to the drawing board.

NAN - I appreciate you. Just a few observations for some of those who don't quite get the reason for Amber's appearance in GC. Please keep in mind that Amber and Sheila were very close. Having Amber enter GC allows the writers to continue to abuse us with the possibility that Sheila is alive and well. The doubts that have been planted in our heads over the past months, breathe Sheila. It is not odd to find Jana living so close to Lauren. Perhaps Jana is Sheila's daughter. Sheila did have three children, one was a girl. Sheila did give the photo of Phyllis to the plastic surgeon. Jana also had an odd job as morgue photographer. She could have learned this from her mum. Was it me, or did someone else notice the overreaction of Lauren when Amber tried to hold Fen? No wonder Lauren is losing it. Good grief. First she has to deal with Michael lying to her, putting the birth of their child in jeopardy. Secondly she has to put up with both Gloria and Kevin moving into her home. Why didn't Michael and Lauren pay for an apartment for Gloria & Kevin? They both have jobs. I'm sure they could have paid them back. Phyllis, as we all know, has been acting strange since coming out of the grand jury room. If Phyllis is in fact Sheila, God only knows what Bardwell knows. Why else is he so hell bent on convicting Devon? And why is Phyllis so damned hateful to Dru? When Lauren's mother shows up this week and doesn't get along with Gloria, Lauren will probably take off. And yes, go to CA to visit her friends, the Forresters. During this time she will also learn some important information relative to why Amber has shown up all of a sudden and gain additional insight into Sheila's so-called death. I would love to see Lauren stay on in CA and help the Forresters re-launch the new company. She is very talented and does have familiarity with fashion. I hope Phyllis dies during childbirth and the baby turns out to be Jack's. I also hope we learn that Nick knew this and deliberately withheld this information from Jack out of hatred. If the baby does turn out to be Jack's, Nick will continue to have Sharon believe it's his. JMO

CORI - it was interesting to get your take on what happened a year ago, and it was Michael and Lauren's wedding, the best night for Y&R because that was the night that not only did they get married, but it was the first time together for Nick and Phyllis, the supercouple of Y&R one year later. It was also interesting to see some respond with why can't Sharon appreciate Nick, someone who is rich, handsome and adores her. Her list of misdeeds would be much longer than his, so things were in shambles before he started his affair with Phyllis. He became friends with Phyllis, was able to share deep thoughts with her and eventually it turned to attraction and deep love. Now, while most people really enjoyed his affair with her, no one would think that after 10 years of a chemistry-less, baby, destructive relationship with him and Sharon, there would come this beautiful, smart, exciting woman who would change his life forever, who would make him happy and smile and enjoy his life. Although they have been mostly filler for the last few months until the baby is born, I am sure they will be front burner with plenty of angst and problems in the new year. I hope this couple faces everything together, and stays stronger than ever. I do believe that the bad girl/good guy combination is where they should go with this one. And, together with the beauty of MS and JM together, their raw chemistry and sex appeal are really beyond anyone's imagination, they can bring back the supercouple!

SHIRLEY - I agree with most of the feedback, except that I always liked the old Lily. But, oh dear god! Writers, get rid of Gloria! She is the most obnoxious character to ever grace a TV screen and I am so sick of her getting away with her disgusting behavior. Eileen gets fired and they bring that Amber character in? Colleen needs a good kick in the butt, and I would love to see Jack get the upper hand, just once. I know he is a scuz, but I always liked him. I agree that if Katherine is killed off and Sheila comes back I am done with this soap! I just saw something on TV that said Phyllis dies in labor. Well, that will end it for me. I don't know what these writers are thinking! This Carmen murder is a waste of time, and Bardwell couldn't find his way out of a paper bag! God, he is boring! And, of course we all know that Katherine had another child, maybe a twin to Jill, a boy? Or as someone else mentioned maybe Phillip never died? And this Amber chick? She is homely and cannot sing worth a crap! Take her away! Love Neil and Dru! I could take anything the writers do if they just got rid of Gloria! She deserves anything Jack and Ashley do to her. I would love to see somebody crack her across her smeary, greasy, lipsticked mouth. I still hate Kevin, he is so creepy looking! Ugh! More Katherine and Jill, no more Gloria, and maybe, just maybe the show would improve a little.

ANNIE K - Love your column as you are right on target. Not watching much of Y&R these days because of the boring storylines and God how I hate Gloria and now Lauren is a whining baby; Colleen stinks, etc., etc. Like Kay and Jill and what happened to Larry?

BETSY - Nita, I've opted this to be my Editorial Week. If every actor were zapped that ALL the fans didn't like, um, we'd be watching a blank screen. I take each show on its own merit. Some are better than others. I prefer when a sense of humor shows up or I get a tear in my eye (sometimes needing a Puff or 3) or even when I yell at the screen (Colleen's doing a good job of that at the present) - or some emotion the actors have managed to wrangle from my heartstrings. But, that's me. The fact that each show is now taped with no practice is pleasingly evident. There's a lot more spontaneity even an occasional "oops" - like in the viewers' lives. Unfortunately, the genuineness of the storylines has been lost, but not by the actors. Key messages have been usurped by speed and need to attract new viewers. I surely don't want to go back to the 70's when one event happened a week and everyone talked about it for the next 2 weeks. That was plumb awful. Somewhere in the middle would be nice - like maybe equivalent to Sweeps Months? I hopefully believe the writers are stirring the pot right now with the plots and the actor merry-go-round so that new stories can be built off what's happening. If that's not it...sigh...what a waste. I don't like that they are firing or replacing actors. Stability is what has kept Y&R #1 for so many years. Creativity has kept us watching. Changes can and must happen, but only within some indefinable boundary - just like in real life. While 98% of us aren't as rich as any of the families depicted in GC, they all have the same problems we, the mere Commoners, have. Okay, maybe not the stripping part, but, you know what I mean. Pre-SoapNet, we could handle an occasional suspended reality (it's a soap!). Now it's an every day occurrence. Y&R previously rose above that. It's the quintessential in-depth story - like a long summer book that carefully wraps up all the loose ends. Instead of repeating any news from one character to another (which there seems to be more of lately), why not fill that space with answering some loose ends? Because, then, if fans miss a show, they may miss a key clue. What a great way to build a solid fan base!

HENRI - Why is everyone hell bent on Jack's secret coming out? Why aren't Gloria, Kevin and Michael's lawbreaking exploits being revealed? Why does Victor have to be victorious? Let Jack win. Nikki and Phyllis need to remember their not so lily white pasts. Phyllis the murderer, liar, cheat and resident ho. Nikki the ex stripper, "model", escort, sleep with anything that moved and other sordid messes. Bring the old Y&R back please!

LYNDA W - Nita - I love your column and your observations and comments are right on and I so totally agree with everything you say. I too am appalled with how they are slamming the Sharon character and whitewashing Phyllis and Nick. I am so surprised that not one character (like Dru maybe) has made no snide remarks about the age difference between N & P. It is like it does not exist. I am really sick of Glodigger portraying the victim ranting about being left penniless by the bad Jack and Ashley. GMAFB. When is it going to come out that it is her fault NOT JACK'S that Jabot just about went under? I guess she is the writers' new darling and can do no wrong no matter what illegal thing she does. My last comment for now is that I did not find the first Lily believable as Dru's daughter then and I do not find her believable now (I really like Davetta though.) Keep up the great comments Nita. Merry Christmas

LIZ - well Nita just for once you should pull your head out of the sand and get a look at your dear Jack. He got Victor to sign his papers when Victor was already under in preparation for his operation, now how nice was that? Besides, he did a job on his Dad again. While you are wondering about why Victor is out for Jack, why are he and Ashley still staying in John's house? Jack got married and still stayed with John. Speaking of money-bags, Jack stole John's money that he wanted Gloria to have. Jack is a spoiled old boy who needs his clock busted for real. He earned it.

DEE - Since everyone is telling the writers how to fix the show, here's my take on things that will make the viewers happier. First of all, please recognize that a major part of the unrest has to do with casting. First, the Colleen character is being given a lot of air time. The problem with that is that the fans hate the actress that's playing the part. The storyline itself is thin but it would be better tolerated if the actress was appealing. This one isn't and as soon as she appears, you can hear the FF button being pounded all across the country. Next, nobody really cares about the Victoria character because the current actress has never made us believe she IS Victoria. She's had so many great scenes and all we do is say "boy, what would Heather Tom have done to that scene". She's pretty and a good actress, but no replacement for Heather and so we don't care about the character anymore. Next, bringing the Billy character back was a brilliant idea, only the actor was unattractive, totally inept and played the part in the most obnoxious way possible. David Tom would have been a keeper and could have brought new dimensions to the Abbott family's storyline. Finally, the Reliquary storyline has always been unbelievable and does not deserve the air time it's being given. Nobody cares. We don't believe that Brad Carleton, the money hunter, could have ever lived the life this character has lived while also being "George" all these years and being hunted and in hiding. Stop it. Stop it now. Also, stop making the police so inept - nobody could be stupid enough to adamantly believe that an 18 years old deaf boy could murder a woman, hide her body, and then transport it to the property of the two people he loves and who have literally saved his life. Stupid. The Bardwell character is just fine and I can envision great storylines for him in the future, but his intelligence and stubbornness shouldn't be written to be so utterly ridiculous. So I guess my bottom line is give us actors who can make us care about the character, and drop boring and unlikely storylines. That'll be a start.

LAURA S - Thanks for an awesome column - couldn't agree more. It used to take me the full hour to watch - I'm lucky now if it reaches 20 minutes due to FF button. Happy Holidays and keep up the wonderful work!

DEZ - I can see the monument for the Abbott family being erected in the Genoa City cemetery now. Right between the Brooks and Foster families. How sad! What are these writers thinking? I've watched this show from the beginning, but I too am finding it hard to endure an hour of what the writers have done to my once favorite show. I can't stomach the Phyllis/Nick crap. Please, Mr. Bardwell, try her for Sasha's murder & attempted murder of Paul & Christine. And when you finish that trial, Gloria should be next in line. Send Colleen back to New York soon please! The attempt to whitewash Michael Baldwin didn't last long. Once a snake always a snake. Snapper, Greg, Mrs. Foster, Stuart Brooks, Leslie & Laurie PLEASE COME HOME! We need you!

CHRIS - I have put off emailing you to give you my opinion about the Young and the Restless. When are the storylines going to end? Can we get a new one going? The Y&R is so boring, all I do is fast forward my tape. It is so maddening to see the teenyboppers all the time saying such unimportant and dumb lines, even the grown ups are so boring. Phyllis is so stupid for supposedly being a working smart woman. What kind of example are you giving pregnant women about when they don't deliver on time to try all kinds of stupid things to induce labor? It was horrible enough when your one choice was abortion. Your storyline is just stupid. Did you hire new writers? When are you going to get Phyllis out of the picture? Sick and tired of her and another thing, nobody ever works, they are all either at the gym, coffee house, at the club house etc etc. Everyone has the cell phone implanted in their ears. So maddening to see everyone always talking on the cell and answering with their names instead with 'hello', if they didn't want to talk to them they wouldn't be dialing their number. I have girl friends who also taped now have quit watching such stupid entertainment. I just might do the same thing myself. I've been watching since the day they started. Only reason I've been hanging on is to see if you will improve. You need to get rid of some of those people like Gloria, Phyllis. That phony accent girl, whatever her name is, is when I fast forward every time she comes out. Victor acts so dumb even his lines are so boring ever since he goofed at the awards. And that is my opinion. I will keep taping it awhile longer, just hope I don't do too much fast forwarding.

KRIS - I would like to take a moment to complain about the ridiculousness of Colleen. What is so difficult to understand about confidentiality? She continues to insist that J.T. is lying to her - and everybody that she talks to about this fails to make this point. I could understand if she was simply asking J.T. not to take cases that affect her, but she seems to think she's entitled to be in everybody's business. I don't think so!

SHIRLEY - Hi Nita, well, I just watched my last Y&R. Gloria getting her own way, yet again, is more than I can stand. I do not think I have ever hated a character this much in all my years of watching soaps. I want her gone! These ghostly visits from John Abbott are nothing short of ridiculous! This woman is shallow, selfish, dishonest and just plain evil! Was he that stupid? She is nothing but a money grubbing witch. couple this with this god awful Amber person and I cannot stand it any more!

ROSLYN - I was so happy to see Dru and Neil in love again. He may have been blinded temporarily when he was stalking Carmen, but now that he's seen the error of his ways, I forgive him. Dru was changing under the stress of her marriage breaking up. The character's behavior was typical - she was in pain. Now that the crisis is over (the marriage issues) could we have Malcolm back? Neil has to finish the issues of Lily's paternity by confronting his brother. No family would ignore something so serious. Finally, could we please have at least one more African American family on the show? Devon needs a love interest. He's such a cute actor. I'd love to see him with someone as pretty as Davetta.

NINA - I have watched Y&R since I was a young girl. My grandmother loved all the CBS soaps, so I grew up watching them with her. It saddens me that none of the shows are good anymore. Y&R was the best show on daytime TV, but what has happened? The writers seem to start storylines, and then not finish them. Gloria tampering with the face cream, and Victor cutting out snowflakes. Then the characters that they are bringing in; Amber, Kevin's girlfriend with the different color hair every episode, and the original Lily. She could not act the first time she was on the show, and there is no change. Davetta was a better actress, and she was more believable as a child of Malcolm and Dru. Jack and Sharon are a good match. Sharon needed something to do besides stay angry at Nick. Phyllis and Nick make a cute couple, and they have great chemistry, but they could make them do more than kiss and carry on all the time. Gloria and Kevin make me ill, as their characters keep getting by with all this illegal stuff and no consequences! I too think that after all of these years, Jack should win one battle against Victor. Also, enough with having Jack see his father whenever he is up to no good. You killed the man off! Make up your mind! What has happened to the Y&R writers? I am like so many other Y&R fans. Bring back my show or I am going to have to stop watching!