Well, there are a few different things I want to talk and/or vent about - so bear with me gang.

First, when the hell is Annie going to get her just desserts? Not inheriting her dear departed daddy's money did absolutely nothing to make her wake up and smell the coffee. She continues to be a royal witch towards the Richards family, especially Olivia, and is convinced that she is going to inherit all of Gregory's money. Well my money is on the children, especially Trey, to inherit everything. There is no way I will believe for one second that Gregory was stupid enough to NOT make an iron-clad will and finally take care of Annie once and for all. I wouldn't be surprised if he still left something to Olivia, considering that she is the mother of his children - but I won't hold my breath. Annie's outbursts towards Olivia are completely uncalled for and she is acting like a spoiled little brat who is upset because she isn't getting her way anymore. I truly wish that Annie would be forced to have a serious life change (at least for a while), she has sponged off of her daddy, then her Aunt Bette, and then Gregory. Let's see what happens when Greggie's last will and testament if finally read in a few weeks.

Next up on my list of things is Tess. How phony is this chick? It's not that I don't like the storyline, it is different and interesting, but unfortunately the actress portraying Tess the Nanny is not pulling it off as well as it could be. I completely lost interest in her when she had sex with Tim under the pier. Now don't get me wrong - I personally would love it if a really good looking guy swept me off my feet (so to say) and did the "deed" with me on the beach in the moonlight. However, am I the only one who saw through this stupid ploy, just a week or so before, Tess was still re-buffing Tim's advances. For Pete's sake - she wouldn't even kiss the guy for several weeks. Are they to expect us to believe that Tess blurts out that she has fallen in love with Tim after he confronts her about Benjy's kidnapping? Especially when they haven't even gone out on any real romantic dates, and Tim hasn't tried to romance Tess in any way? I did not fall off the back of the turnip truck yesterday - please give me more credit than that. The only thing I am confused about is who is using whom more? Meaning: Is Tim using Tess to break up Meg and Ben, because Tim still loves Meg and wants to be with her? We know why Tess wants Ben and Meg apart (the million dollars) but I, for one, do not believe that Maria would even think of doing something like that, regardless of how much she loves Ben. There are too many loose ends in this entire Tess situation and I don't think that the writers have done a real good job in giving us a clean and flowing story. Hopefully they can fix things soon before it gets too out of hand.

So I ragged all over Annie and Tess, and I know some of you will not like what I just said because I am too harsh or mean-spirited (those are the chances I take as a journalist - LOL). Anyway, now comes the part where I am extremely saddened and depressed because the cutest of the cutie patooties is leaving our beloved show. Eddie Cibrian will not be renewing his contract to play Cole Deschanel come November. They show is loosing one of its best and most versatile actors and I for one and very disappointed. But on the other hand, I wish Eddie much success in his future career as a leading man in Prime Time Television. For those of you who may not know, Eddie has signed on do to a new fall series for NBC (at least he is staying with the same network). The show is called Third Watch and comes from the creators of ER, so we all know that this show is going to become a huge hit. I'm sure that most of you will agree with me that he will be a big success with his acting career (and let us not forget about his musical career too.) His album with the group 3 Deep should be coming to America later this year and I for one am looking forward to hearing it get radio airplay. Eddie - I wish you all the best and will miss those dimples something fearce!

Also leaving the show is Sherri Saum, vacating her role as the up-and-coming journalist Vanessa Hart. She too has signed on to do a prime time show, only this one is for HBO. It is unclear at this point whether the character will be re-cast or not, but I too, wish to thank Sherri for the past 2 1/2 years she has given the show, and wish her much success. It is sad that she is leaving, after receiving a Daytime Emmy nomination for Best Younger Actress. But it seems that when an actor wins some kind of award for their work in soap opera, they seems to either get let go from their shows, or they choose to leave on their own. If you don't believe me, go back several years and see all of those people who have one Daytime Emmy's or Soap Opera Digest awards. You will see that more than half of them are no longer with the shows that they won the award for. Anyway, I am also sad because that leaves Michael Bourne (Jason George) as the only African-American actor on the show. Anybody know where Dr. Tyus is? Like I said in my previous column, they need to bring someone else on and give the show a boost. Hopefully someone read my thoughts about a relative of Michael's joining the show - but let's wait and see.

And the last person who I fear may be leaving, but it is not confirmed yet, is Sam Behrens. His portrayal of Gregory Richards is absolutely fabulous, we definitely love to hate him. But then there are times when he does show his vulnerability and we actually feel sorry for him for the pain and loss that he has had to deal with in his life. Sam is on an extended vacation while his contract is being re-negotiated this summer. I sure hope that TPTB at the show do whatever they can to bring Sam back. I really don't think the show would be the same without him. He is not only a core player, but if he were to not return, we would not have the "patriarch, rich-man, father figure" that every show must have. Let's face it, AJ Deschanel is not that type, although I wish that he would have more scenes with Gregory, and I don't mean in a personal matter with Olivia. It would be very nice to see AJ and Gregory actually battle over business and get a little mud on each other. The writers alluded to that when AJ first joined the show, but that fizzled out pretty quickly, and I for one was very disappointed. Sam, oh Sam … please don't go. I remember you from General Hospital when you played the lovable lawyer Jake. You are an asset to SB and we the viewers don't want to see you leave.

So, I think I have said my peace for this week. I do want to mention that TPTB at Sunset Beach definitely did one thing right in these past weeks. They renewed Susan Ward's contract, so we can all expect to see her beautiful, yet tear-filled face, back at the beach once she finishes filming her outside film project. YEAH!

Well, it's time for me to head indoors now, I'm roasting out here on the pier today - the sun is extremely strong and I don't want to burn my little buns off.

ISSUE #21: Love On The Rocks
July 17th, 1999

That's Right! Neil Diamond said it best in that song of his. Love on the Rocks … ain't no surprise. Well, we have been waiting for something like this to happen for a long while now. I'm referring to Casey and Sara and their doomed relationship. They, or should I say Sara, has been playing cat and mouse with trying to keep Casey from finding out about all of her manipulations (with a little help from Tim no less).

I think I said this before, but it is worth repeating. Why is Sara so paranoid, and self-conscious about her relationship with Casey? She has always insisted that Casey is really in love with Meg, or at least has stronger feelings for her than just friendship. Now I know that a man and a woman CAN be platonic friends without having anything sexual be a part of it. And Sara did have that affair with a congressman last year, so why is she always obsessing over her sister stealing her boyfriend from right under her nose? I cannot believe this type of story just yet, when they haven't explored the Cummings' past to make us see what went on. Don't get me wrong here, I know that this type of situation happens every day, but I just wish that the writers would let us in on what Sara and Meg's relationship was like while growing up in Kansas. They did hint a little that Meg was always the good daughter, the one who got all the boys, and the one who was Miss Popular in school. But there has got to be more to it than just that, in order for Sara's jealous tendencies to surface in such a strong manner. Something very specific had to have happened with Sara to make her insecurities be so intense when it comes to Meg.

But she should have told Casey a long time ago because she knew that this would happen some day. With Casey now finding out about Sara's lies and tricks to keep him away from Meg has really blown up in her face. But (and this is a really big but!) she has been right all along about Casey being in love with her sister. We all knew this; it was so obvious every time Casey ran off to save Meg (remember that flashback scene when Casey and Ricardo were trying to find Meg up at the cabin when she was with Derek?) Or to help Meg when she was upset over Ben, or to be with her when she needed a shoulder to lean on? Come on now, he practically wiped her mouth after she ate her meals and helped her get dressed in the morning.

Now Casey has dotted, almost obsessed, on being honest and truthful throughout this entire time with Sara. It seems that he doesn't practice what he preaches, and I think he should take a refresher course over at the Mission in Honesty 101. He has told Sara a million times that he loves her, and that Meg is only a friend. Well, now we know that he is a big, fat (cute) liar. He has been lying to Sara for months and months, so I'm wondering what is going to happen when he is finally confronted with this little news flash in the next week or so? Is he going to finally admit to Sara what he has been denying all along, or realize that he will never be with Meg because she does not love him? But are Casey and Sara now forever doomed, or will they eventually find their way back to each other? And most importantly, do we, the viewers, want to see them together at all? Now all of the blame cannot be dumped on top of Casey and Sara both, but most of it can, about 80%. The other 20% goes to Tim and Tess, primarily Tess. She is a conniving; lying witch who is manipulating everyone around her, including that little brat Benjy. But she is another article to write.

So, as it stands now, Meg thinks that Ben slept with Maria up at her private little house, and has proclaimed that she and Ben are broken up for good. Ben spotted Meg and Casey kissing under the pier, and believes what Sara told him about the two of them. Now Ben is going to turn to Maria in his hour of need. But Ben still doesn't love Maria, and he probably never will. So it looks like Maria is going to get hurt all over again by the same man. But there is also going to be another person in all of this who is going to get hurt, and big time … and that person is Tim Truman. Yes, Tim - he is going to get his little heart stomped on because it looks like he has really fallen for Tess. And it is obvious (to me anyway) that she is only using him for the information he has on Sara, as well as his scheming ways to assist in breaking up Casey and Sara.

So, it looks like it is going to be a long hot summer folks. Let's hope that in the end, those who deserve it, get their just desserts.

ISSUE #22: Death Doesn't Become Him
July 23rd, 1999

I know most of you are probably wondering when I was going to talk about Gregory's demise - or Frannie's murder? Well, I wanted to wait a little while because I knew there would be a lot to this portion of the storyline, because of so many characters being involved.

So Francesca was murdered, by Gregory, because she was 1) obsessing over Cole and threatening to take him away from Caitlin. Not that Gregory minded, but Caitlin told her daddy to "take care of her" 2) because she had double-crossed Gregory in her plan to break up Olivia and AJ for 5 million dollars, and 3) because she had kidnapped baby Trey, who is Gregory's son (he thinks). Let me say that part of me was surprised as heck to find out Gregory was the murderer, and part of me wasn't. The part that wasn't surprised thinks that way because of all the things that were happening in his life, and no man of his stature and wealth would allow Francesca to continue breathing. On the other hand, I was taken back because out of all the suspects, Gregory was the only one who did not make it obvious that he could have been guilty. You all now what I'm talking about, just remember all those scenes with Olivia, and Annie, and Caitlin - when asked about Francesca's killing. Every single one of them had the word "GUILTY" stamped not only on their foreheads, but their chests and butts too.

So let me get back to my original thought, which was why Gregory killed Frannie. I would say that those were more than enough reasons to shoot somebody (in daytime television). People have been whacked for less in past years. I think that this entire story was great - giving the viewers a choice of 8 different suspects as to who the real killer was. Each with their own motives for doing in the dear damsel. Francesca interacted with every single player during her last few months, building up to this wonderful plot. I was a little sorry to see her go, she was a wonderful vileness and there has been no one since her.

But I'm here to talk about Greggie. It was amazing to watch him completely crumble and fall apart when Caitlin realized he was the killer. And he did it because "He Loved Her". We all knew Gregory was not a nice person, that he was down right despicable at times. The way he finally allowed his real emotions to take over was worth the wait. However, in the same token, Gregory is a little psychotic when it comes to his daughter. I thought that it was pretty scary, not to mention sick, when he professed to Caitlin how much he loves her and that he did what he did for her. The way he spoke and looked at her in the grotto was not healthy behavior. It was as if he was speaking to his lover, not his daughter. I think that scared Caitlin even more, that this man she grew up to admire and trust completely actually believed that he was in the right. It gave me the feeling that for the slightest instance, Gregory blamed Caitlin for the murder, meaning if she hadn't asked her father to "take care of Francesca" he would not have done what he did.

Then there is Gregory's supposed death. Now we have all seen this before, when Annie escaped jail for supposedly killing her father, and hid in the crematorium. Everyone thought she had burned up in the coffin, but Ben was actually hiding her from the police trying to clear her name. That was pretty funny and I can almost bet that this time around, Gregory hiding out from his family will be much more interesting and suspenseful. Granted, he is not trying to clear his name, but rather get vengeance on Annie and Cole for trapping him and making it come out that he was the real killer. And if you thought he hated Cole before, you ain't seen nothing yet because he is even more obsessed with getting revenge on Cole for taking his daughter and son Trey away from him. How long will he be able to live in that cave with no food? I guess as long as Ben survived in the warehouse when Derek held him captive. Remember that Ben was there for about 3 weeks (real time) without eating or even going to the potty!

Unfortunately, this story is going to be drawn out a little while longer, due to the fact that Sam Behrens is in contract negotiations with the head honchos of the show. That means that we won't be seeing as much of Gregory as we would like for the next few months. Even with Gregory's seemingly unredeemable behavior, I'm sure there is a way that the writers can bring Gregory back into the fold that would not only be plausible, but believable to the viewing audience. It has been done on other shows I'm sure - just look at Stefano on DOOL. Now I don't watch the show, but I've heard that he was a real S.O.B to the 4th power, and he is still walking around Salem, causing trouble. Why can't it happen to Gregory? Maybe he should be institutionalized for a while, due to a mental breakdown. He can claim temporary insanity and after a few months, return to his life and family (or what may be left of it).

With Eddie Cibrian, Sherri Saum already confirmed to leave the show at the end of the year, and Clive Robertson admitting that he has been unhappy with the role of Ben lately, this is not the time to be letting one of the strongest actors leave the show. If anyone is to leave, it should be Brad and Amy, the two useless twits. SB was fortunately to be given a 6-month extension on their show, the powers that be need to make sure that the most important and talented players remain with the show, if they want a life past 12/99. Besides, I think that Gregory and Cole give us some wonderful moments on camera, whether they are practically biting each others heads off, or in one of Annie's twisted dream sequences - joining forces to torture her mercilessly.

So it looks like it will be another wait and see period, wondering what will happen with Gregory. My guess is that they will bring him back into the fold because Eddie Cibrian is leaving and his character will not be recast. That would be just too much talent to lose and a big gap in a soap family, a gap that in my opinion would not filled to easily.

ISSUE #23: There's A Change In The Air
July 28th, 1999

A while ago, I received a "feedback" message from one of my loyal readers asking me to "stop being so negative" about the show, it's cast members, it's writers, etc. etc. So Celina (I hope you're a loyal reader?), this one's for you, because I now have something pleasant and wonderful to say about the show.

I'm sure that a lot of you have agreed with me that the show, for the most part, was just too slow in bringing out their storylines. I mean how many times can we hear the same person say the exact same line over and over again ("If Caitlin ever found out that we slept together!") But now, thanks to some behind-the-scenes magic the show if finally picking up speed and becoming very interesting with all of its plots.

First, let me start off by saying that Shawn Batten (Sara) is one of the best actresses I have ever seen on daytime television. She truly makes the character completely believable when it comes to her insecurities about Casey, the now de-funked boyfriend. She puts herself right out there in front of the camera and lets all of that raw emotion come through, and turns what could be another "sappy-sobbing" scene into one of the most heart-wrenching ones to come along in a while. When she sits on the couch crying over loosing her boyfriend, they are most definitely real tears. But what I am really trying to talk about here is that the Casey/Sara/Tim/Meg situation has finally come to a head and blown up all over the beach. No more lies, no more manipulations, and no more threats. Now whether Casey and Sara should be together is a debate all on its' own which I won't even start here, but the writers managed to bring Casey and Sara to a full boil within a few days. Things are much more interesting now that everyone's feelings are out in the open.

Next we have the Ricardo/Gabi/Antonio triangle and whether their sinful tryst will be uncovered. Well it most certainly has (by Ricardo) and because his heart couldn't handle the vision on his mothers TV, he had a stroke, which left him paralyzed (for now). But better yet is the fact that Ricardo now completely and utterly hates Gabi for what she has done. It is amazing to watch Hank Cheyne (Ricardo) lay there in bed not being able to move a muscle, and to see the look in his eyes as he watches Gabi tell him that she loves him and wants to be with him forever. You can feel not only his pain at knowing the two people who he loved the most on earth both betrayed him with each other, not to mention the fact that you feel the struggle that he is enduring not being able to verbally communicate with everyone around him. The fantasy visions he is dreaming about are a great touch, because we know that we all (or at least the woman) have done this at least once in our lives. Dreamt about the person we thought we loved being with another person - and the heartache is causes. This is definitely going to be a long, hot summer.

Onward, shall we. Next up is Ben/Maria/Meg and everyone else who is involved in this story. Now I must admit I am not thrilled that Ben slept with Maria, but I will say that it has given the story a little boost in the roost (if you know what I mean). For the longest time, Ben was just wandering around telling Meg that he loves her, but that he can't do anything about their situation right now. As well as defending Benjy's little crappy attitude towards Meg as being "he's just a 5 year old". Well ya know what? Not good enough Ben. No 5-year-old should be speaking to anyone the way he does. Now Ben is trying to cope with the fact that Meg not only left him, but he spotted her making out with Casey under the pier telling him that she never wants to see Ben again. And to make a long story short, he sleeps with Maria because he had nowhere else to turn. Meg sees this and flips out (who wouldn't) and goes running off yet again. It seems that there is absolutely no way that these two people will ever be together, and happy at that. But now these characters have something really good to sink their acting teeth into and to make this love triangle one of the best there is. And if I know my show the way I think I know my show, the writers will come up with a great way to reunite these two lovers once and for all, putting away all the speculation about which woman Ben loves and wants … Meg or Maria. Debate #2 coming up.

With Gregory's last will and testament about to be read, things are really heating up over at the Richards' house. Annie is about to get her bubble burst when she finds out that Gregory yet again has made some sort of stipulation in his will which cuts her right out of all the money. This will trigger the paternity of baby Trey, and we all are dying to know who the real father is once and for all. This story, above all the others, needs to finally come to a close for good. I for one can't wait and am looking forward to seeing Gregory return to the shores of the beach very soon to reclaim his life (and maybe even his son). This will definitely open up some interesting scenarios for our lovely Richards' and Deschanel clans. Anything other than Trey will be a welcome site for my sore eyes.

Oh, and did I neglect to mention the Brat Pack? That's right, I'm still not crazy about these 4 individuals, especially Amy, with all her wanna-be vileness actions trying to get Sean to love her. Did I mention it is going to be a long hot summer already? It looks like with Sean and Amy finally getting between the sheets, things are not going to be so rosy anymore for Emily once she finds out, if she finds out. The jury is still out on this particular storyline, but anything is better than what they are doing now - so I will reserve judgement until I have had a chance to review all of the evidence.

And for all of the other characters that I haven't specifically mentioned, I'm sure things will be getting more interesting for them too. Remember we have Sean Kanan joining the show as Jude (another cutie). And maybe, just maybe, Aunt Bette will finally get a man to sink her teeth into. All in all, it looks like it is going to be a really good couple of months for our show, let's hope the ratings reflect these wonderful changes, thereby prompting the money men at the network to renew Sunset Beach for good, not just for another 6-month extension.