Cupid will need plenty of arrows

For a couple of the lovely ladies who live in Genoa City, it's been a darn good hair week.

For a couple of the lovely ladies who live in GC, it's been a darn good hair week. Phyllis got a haircut (or took out those extensions) although her new blonder look pretty much negates her sometime nickname of "Red." Not that Phyllis looked at all old the other way, but the straight, shiny hair shaves years off her already youthful appearance. Soon she'll look younger than her son. Jill also looks to have gotten close and cozy with a cosmetologist's clippers as well. I thought both cuts were very becoming. The ladies weren't the only ones who recently made hair changes. Nick's locks are considerably darker these days, which to my eyes, made him look uncannily like his Newman sister.

Okay, enough about hair; on to the show. Romance is definitely in the cold, crisp November air of Genoa City. Cupid is hovering high in the clouds, her arrow poised to pierce the hearts of several love-starved GC citizens. First, Nick and Phyllis. Although I never imagined the two of them making a convincing couple (until recently my fingers stayed crossed that she and Jack would rekindle their romantic fire), I have since changed my mind and am actually warming to the idea of their pair-up. For a number of reasons. One, Jack has become monotonous and one dimensional in his unquenchable thirst for revenge against most beings named Newman, and one Carlton in particular. His constant rants and unrelenting obsession have made him sound like a broken record stuck in the same old boring, groove. I have long been fed up with it and him; it can only be a matter of time before Phyllis is fully fed up too. And about that vendetta. Even though everyone on both sides works very hard to paint a convincing canvas of colorful competition between their companies, I just don't buy it. Especially for Newman. After all, despite its executive staff's entire concentration on it lately, cosmetics is a very small portion of the Newman pie. And though from week to week, Genoa City is either a big city or a tiny town, whatever its size it should still contain enough residents for both cosmetic lines to be profitable. After all the times Jack has boasted of Jabot's superior products and its enduring presence in the marketplace, I hardly think die hard Jabot consumers will just suddenly abandon their beloved Jabot products just because Sharon's blonde goddess-like painted countenance is simpering at them from the packaging of a competitive line. Of course, Phyllis may not have time to get fed up. Because Jack's knowledge that she did no damage to Newman's computers could be enough to extinguish the small spark burning between them. And Sharon is the final reason I'm rooting for a Nick/Phyllis romance. Her eyes, and the rest of her, have wandered outside her marriage one time too many for my taste. Yes, it's true Nick also made an infidelity mess or two outside his marriage so don't think I'm painting him with a more forgiving brush because I'm not. It's jut that by my measuring stick Sharon's missteps were worse than his. First, I can't think of a lower level to stoop than to make a play for your darling's Daddy. And no, I'm never going to forget that because it was just plain nasty and trifling. And we all know how she yearned for and daydreamed about Diego even while clasped closely in her husband's arms. At least Nick couldn't have cared much less for Graceless Turner. But that's all muddy stagnant water under the bridge. As it stands today, Sharon is now infatuated with Brad basically because she didn't like the way her husband mourned alone for Cassie. Of course, Brad "eye ever on a better matrimonial prize" Carlton could be there to lend a dry and sympathetic shoulder. It wasn't his daughter that died!

As for Nick, though Sharon was his first and only real love, they've had a long run together. It might be time to let him sample someone else. Besides, if Sharon is so unbearably unhappy with the man she's married to and so sure Brad is a better one, I say, let them have at each other. They have at least one thing in common. Both came from nothing and managed to marry into much, much more. Since Sharon is so convinced the grass is greener and tastier on the side Brad and Abby are standing on, let her gallop over the fence and start munching. Especially since it seems like the only time she feels like playing Mom is when she can play it with Abby. She better think carefully before she commits however. Brad is only likely to be around until a heavier laden gravy train pulls into his always open station.

About now, some of you might be wondering how I began talking about Nick and Phyllis but wound up with Brad and Sharon. Well, up until Abby's only partly happy birthday, Victoria seemed destined to be the next mare chomping at the bit to play in Brad's stable. Unfortunately, I have a feeling her hopes are going to remain unfulfilled. All because the previously well-adjusted to her parent's separation, Abby, is now showing obvious, though coincidental signs of distress. Suddenly she wants her parents back together in the worst of ways. And in her childlike eyes, Victoria is the odious obstruction barring the way. I guess Abby's adult enough to figure that out, yet too much a child to see Sharon as an equal threat to a happy state of Carlton and Carlton matrimonial harmony. Anyway, Abby's resistance is sure to force a halt to Brad's hot pursuit of Victoria. And where else are his dark eyes to wander instead but toward Sharon, the woman he secretly wants anyway? If that happens, looks like Victoria will be left shivering alone in the cold. Oh well, there's always J.T.. It's not as if Mac's broken heart couldn't be healed with a Kevin-concocted salve.

Perhaps its because I'm a long-time viewer that I have no patience with the Sheila shenanigans. As I've mentioned before, I was a faithful fan when Sheila originally went after Lauren. Unfortunately, though the methods of attempted eradication have changed, what is happening now is pretty much "saw that, back then." Then as now, Sheila wants to steal Scott, or his affection, from his mother. The only difference is this time Sheila's hiding cowardly in the shadow of disguises instead of repeatedly confronting Lauren face to face. But I guess I should be grateful for small favors. Sheila could have drugged Michael and announced herself with child. Or even worse, Scott. Though that situation would have definitely fallen in the nasty "eeewww" category, I guess it would have been no more tasteless than the cesspool entries of having stolen swimmers squirted inside oneself, women who bed fathers and sons or men who bed sisters, mothers and daughters. Okay, to be fair, J.T. is actually the only man so far who has sampled both mother and daughter. I guess it wouldn't be fair to paint Brad with the mother daughter brush until I actually see him wake up tangled in the sweaty sheets with Victoria and hear her ask: Was it better with me or my Mother? I know, that was so tacky, but I couldn't stop my fingers from saying it. But hey, if the scribes can write that stuff with straight and serious faces, then I have the right to poke fun at it.

But one final comment about Sheila. Depending on whether you're a fan or a foe, you will be sad or glad to know the rumor mill is rumbling like mad about whether her stay in our fair city is going to be extended or cut short. Since I'm a foe, naturally, I'm hoping it's the latter. She'd definitely be easier for me to bear if I didn't have to bear her forever. But we all know by now it's best not to believe everything shouted in cyberspace or guessed at in print, so like all of you, I'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Gloria is so endangering my very last nerve. Is there anything that might convince this woman to let a true word roll off her forked tongue? She lies about absolutely EVERYTHING and never misses a beat before doing so. So what if Michael thinks Jennifer and Tom might have had something to do with the attempt to fatally shorten Lauren's life? Despite all Gloria's gushing about how much she adores Lauren, if she refuses to get overly concerned about what Tom might do to her own flesh and blood, she's certainly not to lose any sleep over what might have or could still happen to her son's wife to be.

Of course, the way things are going, I doubt Tom will have a chance to cause much more harm to anyone. Empty coffers have given Gloria the courage to tell Tom not only where to go, but exactly how to get there besides. And despite every threatening form of coercion he could think of to use on Gloria, Kevin, Mac, Lauren or Michael, no one seems to be crumbling under any of Tom's attacks. His only remaining piece of leverage is the poison-dipped necklace and if he's foolish enough to try to use it against Sheila, well, something tells me it will soon mean the end of him. Talk about killing one stool pigeon with one Sheila-pitched stone! Tom's unexpected demise could solve several nagging problems. One, the secret of his still legal marriage to Gloria would be forever buried with him in his grave. And even though Gloria's bigamous marriage to John would not technically be legal, it wouldn't matter since no one who might want to dispute it would ever be the wiser. Tom's death would mean the golddigger would never be unmasked.

Two, Michael and Ashley would never have to live with any guilt they might one day feel for knowing they sent an innocent man to prison. And on the flip side, neither would ever have to worry their two guilty faces would wind up looking out at the world from the locked side of a jail cell, if Tom somehow stumbled upon the truth of their plot against him.

And finally, it would give us a "Who Killed Tom" scenario with a possible suspect list which could include Michael, Kevin, Gloria, Tom, John, and perhaps even Paul. (Fan, Renee, John knows about Terrible Tom, but not that they are still legally married. Michael wanted to help Gloria tell him the truth, but Gloria refused and Tom wound up telling John the tale his way, leaving out the part about their being married) About the only person who probably wouldn't be suspected is the person who most likely would have committed the crime: Sheila. Unfortunately, the very bad news is that ending Tom's existence would most likely lengthen Sheila's. It's too bad. If someone has to go, I'm sure no one has to guess whose hands I'd most like to see handcuffed behind her. And if I had my druthers she's be trussed like a turkey and attired in a secure strait jacket beside, on her way to a mental ward even she couldn't escape from or bargain her way out of.

It should be interesting to watch her try to wiggle her way out of Scott's publishing contract. Speaking of which, that settles it. I'm moving to Genoa City immediately. Where else but Genoa City can a completely unknown writer like me find someone eager to publish my first efforts on my first try. Traci did it. So did Cole and Nina. And now Scott is on his way to hauling down six figures. Well, at least he was until Brenda got wind of his good luck. But Scott isn't the only one she has to worry about. Like a ferocious mother lion, Lauren is determined to defend her cub and is when last we saw her in the middle of Sheila's hotel room, perusing the first pages of her son's novel. By the way, what was up with that silly scenario? Raise your hand high all fans who would have slipped that manuscript in your satchel and skedaddled out of there? I know, I know, if Lauren had done so, she wouldn't get to meet Sheila/Jennifer/Brenda face to face and still not recognize her (which is sure to be the way things go)!

Well, so much for what I thought of the some of the week's entertainment. Up next is how some of you saw things. Like I always say, this is your space too. You all take your valuable time to share your opinions with me, so the least I can do is pass them along. So here they are, just the way you wrote them.

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CAROL - Did anyone catch that sly little grin Brit made when the door closed behind her when leaving the Chancellor estate?

GENNA - I agree with you about Gloria and I am so disappointed in the way the writers are playing her. I was hoping that Michael and Kevin would have a chance to start fresh with the possibility of joining in the Abbott family with their mother. Terrible Tom is awful, but there was no reason for Gloria to cave to him. I had hoped that she and John could have been together for good. She is a great actress and there are so many really good storylines they could have done for the two of them. I have also been watching to see Phyllis and Jack get remarried but the writers have screwed that up to. Frankly, I am bored stiff by Sheila and her insanity and Tom is just dead weight on this show. I also think one story that is developing and could be great is the attraction that Devon's mother has for Neil. Drew has it coming and it would give us all great joy to see her get hers finally. And I would like to see Paul save the day for Ashley and Michael and Kevin. I hope that the writers realize that there needs to be a lighter side to this show. It needs a balance.

FREIDA - Phyllis helping Nick is from out of nowhere. Just like Nick at Michael's bachelor party! I'm glad Nick is back at work, maybe he can stop (Up and coming) Brad from taking over NE, but will he stop him from taking his (poor lonely:-) wife? I guess these are the questions to keep us watching. I think Bobby is still alive, but realized he was not ready for a family. The pampered princess did not have time to think about a funeral, she was too busy trying to find a meal ticket. J.T. and Mac won't last and Kevin may be the one to rescue her from loneliness when J.T. realizes he really belongs with Brit.

LAURIE - I agree with a previous opinion from Lon, why, if Brittany was leaving the show anyway, did they not have her and Bobby going into the witness protection program. I can't stand the whole Sheila story, I will be glad when it is over. It looks to me like Tom will be killed off, Michael will be blamed and Sheila did it. I would like to see something happen between Scott and Mac. Love that Nick is back at Newman, hopefully things will really shake up there. I wish Victor would start running things again.

RENEE - Maybe you or your readers can help me understand what happened. Wasn't John told about Terrible Tom? Doesn't he already know that they were still legally married? How did this piece of information stay a secret? Does Michael not know? I thought the whole reason for going to John was to eliminate any leverage he held over Gloria? What gives? When I read that she gave him the bail money I was just exasperated. I was willing to accept them as a couple (with the new Gloria) because I thought they made a cute couple. But now that she has again thrown herself into the fire I have no sympathy for her at all. How foolish. John will never forgive her for this one, and I can't blame him. Parting thoughts ... Hate J.T. and Mac together, Sharon still makes me sick. Why is she moaning and groaning now? She's a slut lusting after Brad, although I don't know why. Tom needs to leave and take Sheila with him. The whole I'm so evil thing is just tired. There is nothing to keep me interested. I was so bored with Lauren's rooftop hallucinations. I like Lauren and Michael, but if they don't get rid of Sheila I will miss the wedding. I fast forward whenever they are on. Kevin, get him a nice woman. He has made great strides in being a good guy. That is until his mom screws up his good work. Keep writing Nita and I'll keep reading

GENE - I love the column and want to say you are on point on something. The show has gone dark over the last year that I beginning to not like it at all. Victoria is beginning to be weak and pathetic. Where is her backbone? Brad is a smarmy, know-it-all jerk. I hope Victor comes back into NE and straightens him out. I am for a Nick and Phyllis pairing. Brittany has become unrecognizable over the past year.

ABONY - I am a dedicated viewer of the show and I have been since I was like 5. I don't interest myself with other soaps, because they always seem to have the same plots and the same characters going through the same situations day after day, month after month. Y&R is above all out of that league. Lately though it seems as if some one is lacking in the writing dept. First let me state by saying that the Sheila thing is just extraordinary, and she really knows how to make a soap interesting, but she has been tormenting poor Lauren forever, and it is time she received some of her own medicine. It is not fair to Lauren or Scott to never receive happiness. I just want for Sheila to finally be found out and let her move on to someone else. Phyllis had better not be tampering with the Newman site when Nick all but cleared Daniel of his crime, and accepted her friendship, and especially when Jack has already used her before for what he wants. I hope John and Katherine find out about what he wanted Phyllis to do and get on his neck, because he is doing everything he tried to have Victor jailed for. Brad is slick, cunning and an asset to Newman. Nick decided to just up and leave Newman, and Brad comes in and saves the day, now he wants to come back because Brad has a few shares in Newman, and he doesn't want another young man to come in and take his nonexistent place. What happened to all that family time with Noah he was talking about? If they think Victor is just sitting back waiting for a ticking bomb and threading his fingers, they have another think coming. He did not keep that company running on stupidity. If Gloria does not stand up to Tom and quit coming up off of Kevin, I am going to bust. She needs to be a wife to her husband and teLl him the truth, so she can get the monkey up off her back. Get a new Victoria, this one sucks. She is so sad all the time. The other Victoria was not a pushover in the least, and if she likes Brad well let her have him, she deserves a man finally. So what if Nikki had him, she has sure had her fair share of the men on Y&R. They need to bring Bobby back, because he gave Nikki a great storyline, and I am so sick of them acting as if Abby can't know about her parents, people get divorced everyday and kids live through it. It is best to tell the child the truth and get on with it. She appears to be a smart child. As for the big people on Y&R, keep Lily kicked to the curb, she was a sappy actress, and you need a beautiful black girl like me to play her role, because I can give you everything you need. REMEMBER: the girl doesn't have to be light toned for her to make a wonderful actress on your show.

KAY - There was no funeral for Bobby M, because he's not dead. Did you see the expression on Brittany's face when she left? She went to meet Bobby. How about that?

SANDI - O.K. I know this is a Soap Opera, but can the writers make it look somewhat 'real'? Two CEO's and they seem to be sharing one office? Nita, I know Nick has redeemed himself with you from past actions, but I don't think a CEO of a top corporation walks around with such negativity ALL the time -- every time he is on the screen! Dru even mentioned it while talking to Sharon (but then Dru should talk the way her and Phyllis were at each other's throats all the time). Every scene with the launch showed Nick with a scowl on his face. This is getting old very fast. I did like the interaction Nick and Phyllis had and she did remind him of what he did to his father and Nick's response. Did Gloria finally get a spine and tell Tom no more money? I did think it was a good reason for him to 'hold the line' by sending him back to jail if he tries to talk to John, but Glo is not that smart to come up with it on her own. Kevin is the only sensible character these days. I am glad his character has changed for the better given how he started out with the show. J.T. investigating computer hacking and asking Kevin about it was way out there. Don't you think he needs to talk to Paul about it first and get some experienced people on this possible hacking instead of talking to Kevin? And Abby's birthday party at the coffee house, I almost fell out of my chair! I was with Glo and Phyllis; even the AC Club would be better than the coffee house as they have a toy room where most 7 year olds would want to be. Do Abby and her friends drink coffee these days?

TARA - I, too, think it's weird that Brad and Victoria have been sharing the office. Now what, is Nick going to be joining them, as well? And Victor is consistently staring from the wall at everyone. Creepy, to me! Nick's dark scowl is beyond old to me. I loved that Sharon dropped that zinger on him ("you're the one who's changed") and walked away! Can you believe Brad had the cahunas to go THERE with him by mentioning that he was there for Sharon while Nick was grieving?! Bold! Gloria deserves to be slapped. I am, however, a bit surprised at how pissy John is getting about this money business. And since when do you get bail money back? You do NOT! I like her, but dang, enough is enough. Tom would have to show me a gun or SOMETHING before I just gave in. Actually, when she breathed that little sigh of relief once he flounced away from her, I just shook my head...just putting off the inevitable. She's on the verge of getting caught. Kevin gets both a thumbs-up and a thumbs-down from me this week. Thumbs-down for helping Gloria (fraud, was it?) and thumbs-up for him kicking that kid looking at porn out. And, finally, he's starting to get a break from people. Even Drucilla noticed he has turned over a new leaf...who knew? Thank God, Michael is starting to unravel this whole thing. The whole Sheila thing is getting old. I like her, but they just drag these things out for too many months. And, FINALLY, Scott is starting to get it. Maybe now we can pick up some speed and get this over with once and for all. What is happening with Mackenzie? The old Mackenzie (bless her heart, why did Ashley Bashioum have to leave? A side note, she's from here in Minneapolis) would have not looked at Tom all scared and freaked out. She would have put his ass in his place and told him to get out of her coffee house. I don't like this girl and I agree with Nita that she isn't anything like her old character. Oh, did anyone else almost hurl when they saw Ashley and Tom kissing during his daydream? I wanted to retch!

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You fans are the best. Keep those comments coming. See you in the City!