Category Archives: Arianne Zucker

Daytime Emmy Nominations!!!

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A big congratulations to Days of our Lives for 17 Daytime Emmy nominations. The show was nominated for several awards, including outstanding drama, directing team, hair, makeup, editing, music, technical direction, stunt coordination, art direction, casting, costume design (for drama series).

Peggy McCay, aka Caroline Brady was nominated for lead actress in a drama series. She did a great job making the Alzheimers story line personal and relatable, and she has been cracking me up at the strip club lately.

Arianne Zucker, aka Nicole Walker was nominated for supporting actress in a drama series. It is hard to call AZ/Nicole a supporting actress, as she is part of the heart of the show, and she is one of my favorites. Even when Nicole is acting crazy (read: most of the time) I can’t help but root for her. Zucker has chemistry with almost anyone, and she sells even the most ridiculous of lines.

Freddie Smith aka Sonny Kiriakis and Chandler Massey aka Will Horton were both nominated for outstanding younger actor in a drama series. I think both actors have done an amazing job with their story line, taking their characters beyond just being seen as gay, and making them more complex and interesting. Chandler Massey won the Emmy in this category last year.

See all the nominations here.

It’s easy to forget all the hard work that goes into making a show like Days. I am happy to see so many people recognized, and I wish there were even more. The Young and the Restless, General Hospital, and Sesame Street all got more nominations than Days this year. CBS got twice as many nominations as NBC. But who’s counting. Congratulations and a big thank you to everyone who makes a show that bring so many people so much joy (even if most of the time we complain about it, we still love it enough to watch every day :) )!

Irrational Musings

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So at this point my husband (TheOtherDiMera) and I are at an impasse regarding the Nicole/Jen SL. I know Nicole lied. Repeatedly. For no real reason other than desperation and selfishness. But I also think Jen was out of line inserting herself into that situation, and treated then pregnant Nicole inappropriately. But seeing Jen apologize to Nicole yesterday made me come around to an ok resolution of that SL. Even if it was wildly unnecessary for everyone to pressure Nicole to the point of a suicide attempt and complete mental breakdown. I think Salem (and especially Abby!) may, (to use Jennifer Aniston terminology- she is Victor’s real life daughter after all), be missing a sensitivity chip.

I know my love of Nicole is just as irrational as my dislike of Jen, but who said opinions of DOOL had to be rational, right? I blame the out-of-the-park acting of Ari Zucker, who seems to be able to make me root for Nicole no matter what she does.

Sure, Nicole lost everything. But why not confront her about it in front of everyone. Abby, any salt to throw in her wounds?

Meanwhile, Kristin is back and John is back to being a complete idiot. “Kristin had no way of knowing I would be at the cabin.” Really, John? REALLY? She is a DiMera. You think they are incapable of eavesdropping and having people followed? Pa-lease. Eileen Davidson is rocking it in her return role, though, and even gave me a few moments pause as she laid out her most sympathetic arguments for herself. I honestly don’t know where this SL is going, and I love it.

Nothing to see here. Just two ex-enemies sleeping in on a couch in a remote cabin. What happened to the bed in the Horton cabin btw?

In the younger set, Gabi and Nick are head over heals, which makes it a perfect time for Gabi to find out she is prego (this has been obvious since the day she and Will rekindled their bone-mance). Gabi went from insisting that Nick accept Will and Sonny to not really caring that he finds homosexuality wrong pretty quickly. Nick’s homophobia doesn’t make sense to me for his genius character with a heart of gold. Tad was much more believable as a homophobe, and now he’s playing matchmaker with Will and Sonny. Makes perfect sense.

Meanwhile Abby seems to be the only person in town who doesn’t know what Gabi did to Melanie or why, and everyone (except Chad) seems to have put that whole “I knew Melanie was kidnapped and where she was and didn’t tell anyone” thing behind them. I do kind of love how they are bringing back things, like Abby’s virginity, which they seemed to clumsily walk away from earlier on.

Poor Abby, pouring her heart out to Gabi despite Gabi deserving “worst friend ever” honors.

Meanwhile Sonny and Will broke up because Lucas needed a story line to be involved in, and Sonny doesn’t want to tell Will about his sexual past. Okaaaaaaay. This is just tension building before Will finds out Gabi is preggers, right?

We’ve all done things we aren’t proud of. I’m pretty sure it’s in our DNA.

Overall, I’m engaged and interested in where everything is going. Eric will be coming back soon, there are rumors of a TBD character making a return, some hotter guy is coming in to play Cameron, and I am loving Salem. Even if my opinions are irrational, at least the show is interesting enough to have irrational opinions about, amiright?

Nicole, Jennifer, and the Little Dude

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I usually am the first one in line for some Salem justice. Comeuppance is something I look forward to and relish. But it turns out when the shoe’s on the other foot, I am less of a fan. When it’s Sami or Stephanie who did wrong and needs to pay, I am watering at the mouth with anticipation. But when grieving Nicole decides to scheme in the wake of losing her child (again!), I can’t help but wish she would get away with it.

Maybe I should back up. I can’t stand Jen. Without Jack, she is boring, nosy, and judgmental. And lately, she has taken all of these qualities to the extreme (except maybe boring), in her full on assault on Nicole. Plus I have a hard time separating the actress from the character sometimes, and Melissa Reeves Chick-Fil-A comments left a sour taste in my mouth.

Meanwhile, despite her whorish and manipulative ways, I love Nicole. I like an underdog, and Nicole is certainly that. But it seems like every few years Nicole tests my loyalty. Last time it was the whole Sydney debacle. This time it’s blaming Jen.

But the worst part for me is that Jennifer really did act inappropriately this time. If Nicole had said after she actually lost the baby “Jennifer was yelling at me and wouldn’t let me leave her house, then my baby died” that would have been true, and Jennifer would have looked like an ahole. Jen was out of control with the way she talked to prego Nicole. But no. That wasn’t enough. Nicole could have said that Jen was yelling at her and they struggled and Nicole fell down the stairs. That would have been true. But no. Instead she told an unnecessary lie that will certainly be figured out and lead to Jen being the victim of crazy Nicole. Sigh.

We all know what’s going to happen, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it. Maybe they will surprise me, but eventually everyone will find out Nicole lost the baby before she fell down the stairs. Jen will be vindicated even though she was running around town acting like a raving lunatic. Lame.

Retro FriDAYS: Love in an Elevator Edition

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Elevators are a great plot device – mostly when they get stuck. You would think Salem County’s elevator inspector would be on thin ice with all these accidents. Here’s a look back:

Going… down?

Carly lives it up while they’re going down

I missed the Kaman days. Looks like they were pretty entertaining.

Remember when this happened?

Ejole!

Belle, my belle

I don’t know who Shelle is, do you? (Editor’s note: TheOtherDiMera didn’t watch back then, but MrsKiriakis did. Shelle=Shawn and Belle)

Finally, a compilation with some you’ve already seen, and some you haven’t.

Retro FriDAYS: The Proposal

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For a show centered around the love lives in Salem, it only makes sense that marriage (or at least a stab at it) would be part and parcel. This week’s Retro FriDAYS takes a look at hopeful men, and sometimes apprehensive women.

Roman gets down on one knee for a woman used to getting on both of hers.

Seeing Jack makes me sad. So much more they could have done bringing him back.

For all the LUMI lovers

And a ride into the sunset

E.J. has gotten pretty good at this. Here’s highlights.

This feels like ancient history, even though it was earlier this year. Also a reminder of how all over the place writing has been this year.

Oh, and this

And in between there was this

We’ll all pretend this never happened

Daniel + Nicole = ??

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I have a problem. When I form an opinion, even about something as stupid as the pairing of Daniel and Nicole on DOOL, I tend to assume everyone agrees with me. Until I hear otherwise. And I always hear otherwise.

I was (predictably) shocked to see on facebook, twitter, etc. that there is a lot of love for the pairing of Dr. Dan and Nicole. My reaction to learning that people feel differently is also pretty consistent: I think to myself “Why do I feel that way? Do I have any reason at all (and I don’t always have a reason other than “my gut said so”).”

I think the answer is this: I heart Nicole, I am indifferent about Daniel, and I love drama. Pairings come and go, but not THAT often, so when they do, I want a little more than “you’re hot, let’s make out, suddenly we’re a couple for no reason.” I get that people become “couples for no reason” all the time. They like each other, they date, they play a little basketball and have a little down and dirty time in the hospital, and poof! They’re a couple. But this is Salem we’re talking about.

Maybe I just don’t see yet how the pieces are going to fit together. Rafe is single and Nicole is into him (she SO doesn’t primp in the mirror for room service). EJ is her baby daddy, Rafe is her fake baby daddy, Daniel is… really attracted to his patients? Into women in distress?

A few people have pointed out that they have chemistry. I don’t deny it, but I kind of think Nicole has chemistry with everyone, and when Dr. Dan has his shirt off, there aren’t many complaints.

So am I missing something? What do you guys think about this out of the blue pairing. Is this all really because deep down I want EJ with Nicole, even though I know it’s wrong? Ok, you caught me. But why Daniel? Why not Rafe? Or.. idk… anyone else?

Retro FriDAYS: Victor’s Ways With Women Edition

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One of the most delightfully complex characters on Days, Victor is also one of the most audacious: “So I stole your eggs howevermanyyearsago, who cares right?” He’s lucky Maggie’s too nice to try what so many other women have in the past. We could (and probably will) make a Retro FriDAYS about all his marriages at some point, but today we focus on his tumultuous relationships with the fairer sex…

Will Caroline shoot Victor? (in 1986)

Kate helped set all this in motion to put Victor six feet under

Victor tells Nicole how it’s gonna be in this clip

So she gets her uppance the only way she knows how: Erratically and half-assed

Oh yeah, and then she was behind this

Vivian makes Victor so mad he…