I am bereft, heartbroken, and unable to imagine my world with this void. This friend has been there all my life as one of those friends you take for granted, you assume will exist, whether you pay close attention to their issues and their dramas, or not.

Perhaps you know my friend? CBS soap opera As the World Turns?

Laugh if you will or snicker politely behind my back once I’m gone, but here is show that has hung in there longer than most friends of mine (it started in 1956, waaaay before my birthday).

No matter what state I lived in, what school or job I was involved in, what goofball man I dated, if it was 1pm, ATWT was there.

Bob, Kim, Lily, Holden, Lucinda, Tom, Margo, Carly, Jack, Katie, Simon, Lisa, Barbara and James reincarnated how many times?, they all came with me.

ATWT, please know your fans will miss you and your never-ending dramas. Except that now, sadly, there is an end to the drama. This Friday.

Please know that your stories have entertained, amused, distracted, aggravated, and touched me. Some days, I didn’t want to watch but I didn’t want to miss it either.

After Friday, I will miss it. Every afternoon.

I wrote to a community chat board about ATWT, and here are some memories people have about ATWT:

I so hurried home in high school to watch this with my mom. I continued watching as much as I could for the next few years.

My late mother was a devoted watcher. She told me it started when I was a baby (1955) and she would watch it when she was feeding me.

My hubby (50) remembers watching it from his highchair with his mom.

I have fond memories of good smells coming from the kitchen and these shows on in the background. I am sorry to hear ATWT will be canceled! Many of the characters seem like old friends to me and I would like to think they will always be there!

We will miss you, old friends.

Thanks for all these years of creativity, stories, outrage, fun, and friendship.

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So, Kenley, Korto and Leanne made it to the finals of Project Runway. What did you all think of their shows? The whole final episode felt anti-climatic to me, and I’m not sure why. First off, Tim stepped in to judge when JLo couldn’t make at the last minute (is that the real story, a hurt foot? what’d she do, trip over a twin getting tummy time?), so right away you knew Kenley was screwed. Maybe the next contestant will think twice before sassing Tim, sweet, smart, helpful Tim.

Kenley‘s outfits were….colorful, with a nautical rope theme (naturally!), so let’s call it S.S. Seuss. Some I liked, some looked silly to me, and some were probably nicer than appeared on tv. I think we just don’t get the real feel of these garments a lot of the time. And apparently some of Kenley’s were identical to other designers’ work. Oops. I must give her credit though, because during the season I felt she repeated herself in her designs, but her collection pieces were not all the same.

Korto‘s line, let’s call it Puffy Sleeves, looked similar enough to be cohesive but different enough to be interesting. I think her stuff was too flowy to win. Flowy IS a word. As of now. Remember that German woman with the flowy Miami clothes from a couple of season’s ago? Also cool, flattering, but flowy. Flowy will not win in NYC. They don’t do flowy. Not sure why, maybe it’s a safety issue. Muggers could grab you when you tried to get away?

Leanne‘s collection also had movement, but not flowy. No, hers was more rippley, than flowy, so let’s call it Accordion. I thought her theme was overdone and pieces looked too similar, in an accordion kind of way. I liked it the first couple of times…. Also, I had a suit skirt with regular pleats once, and I would be more able to change my oil filter than properly iron that thing. Never again. Hey, maybe we need to call Leanne’s collection Oil Filter? And even though it was based on the Willamette River, that great muse, her outfits looked very New Yorky. Yes, also another word. Once again, the TV does not capture the real quality, I believe. Did you notice the judges calling her clothes “blue”?? I don’t know about your tv, but on mine (circa 1999, lo def) they looked green, not even close to blue.

So, to sum up, if I would be more likely to wear it, not a winner. I’m just not sophisticated, in a clothes kinda way. Judging from all the tears (it was the first ALL WOMEN finale! YAY!), you know those contestants really slaved to show their work. Kudos to them all, especially to Leanne, a PNW girl! She does have a distinctive eye and definite talent. I’ll be interested to see what she does with her winnings. Who did you all like? What’d you think?

And, more importantly, is it time for a new Top Chef season yet??

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Project Runway this week last week had recent college graduates getting a makeover by the designers. Pardon my yawn, but this episode was a little on the D-U-L-L side. No shrieking moms. Huh? “We wondered who was going to get the head of lettuce,” one designer said when Leanne’s pair of graduate and mom was a little difficult. But they calmed down and were boring after all. And what is a “head of lettuce” anyways?? Watery and flaky? Green and tight? Flavorless and skinny?

Most boring was Joe. His suit looked like a drunken law school graduate’s suit, not a young graphic designer interview outfit. And I ought to know. Bye, Joe.

Kenley is getting boring in her own way, too. Her own way, all the time, her own way. Reminds me of a certain Kid I know and live with…. She finally has a youngster to mold and what does she do? A mini-me. Way to stretch.

Jerell‘s was fine and all (I liked the top), but….yawn….where are the drag queens when you need them?

Or at least Blayne or Stelllaaaaaaah.

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Designers this week had to team up with losers previously ejected designers to make an “avant garde” outfit inspired by one of the two team member’s zodiac sign.

Did anyone else notice that THERE WERE NO VIRGOS at all????? (yes, that’s my sign—you think I use spellcheck? Nah, just a Virgo) Could this be coincidence? I call ZODIAC DISCRIMINATION from the producers. Let’s get a class action going. Any other Virgos want in? I can’t hear you. Virgos are not really “class action” types, I guess.

Given the LACK OF VIRGOS, it was a struggle for me to watch this episode. All those Scorpios and their irrational temper tantrums. What Virgo can take it??

One thing made me very happy this time. Taking a page from Trump, they eliminated TWO designers this week. Yay. Quite VIRGO-ish of them, you might say.

The other thing that made me happy was seeing little Christian again, last season’s winner. Say what you will about him and his taste, he makes great tv. I mean, FIERCE tv. I wanted more of those prior season designers. Were you happy to see any past faves? Were they more talented than this season’s crowd?

As for this season’s designers, we said “adios” to Blayne and Terri. Blayne and Stella came up with….what? A Greek, leather strapped goddess being attacked by a giant python made of rainbow tissue paper? As I write this, I’m realizing that Kid would probably LOVE that outfit….

Might I add, however, that for all the crap I have written about Blayne, he was remarkably gracious upon his exit. Way to be, Blayne. Terri, on the other hand, seemed bitter. Hey, didn’t I say she should be bitter a few weeks ago? Well, it showed. And poor little Keith, still ouching from his ouster, got tested by the universe by being paired with Terri. Isn’t it amazing that alone a designer does fine, but add a difficult partnership and WHAM, crapola comes down the runway?! How does strife negate the original designer’s talent? Is talent so tenuous?

Kenley, who didn’t LISTEN TO TIM, barely missed an exit. What was that dress? Is she doing a Tim Burton movie? I kept seeing Helena Bonham’s face on top of that dress. Her partnership was hilarious, though. She just merrily stomped on Wesley, and he raised his eyebrows behind the scenes about her absurd outfit.

Leanne, IMO, should have scored a third win in a row, but I think they decided to spread the winnings around a little. Jerell‘s outfit was good, but I thought Leanne’s was better.

Who do you think should be next out? Personally, I’m less attached to all of them now that I know none are Virgos. Yeah, we’re very clique-ish, that way.

What about Tim? Maybe he’s a Virgo? He looks like a Virgo. I’m off to Google it….

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This week the designers used Diane Von Furstenberg (spellcheck wants me to use “Guttenberg”–ha, make an outfit for Steve Guttenberg) fabrics to make an outfit, in order to promote her new line and American Express. Is anyone else tired of the product placement going on this season?

I was hoping for another COLD fashion diva judge like last season (who was that Italian with the attitude?), but Diane seemed practically normal. In a crazy, rich bitch, fashionista way. Well, maybe they are better than all the rest of us. They certainly look more put-together. I wonder with the plastic surgery if they have no choice but to look down their noses at us?

Cutting to the chase, Leanne did an excellent job and won (she totally wasted her immunity from last week). Even I would wear her outfit (not sure that’s a compliment).

Kenley, the weeper, was crying BEFORE the challenge even began. Does she seem a little…oh, how do you say…nutso? Laughing uncontrollably one show, then crying jags. She seems to be cracking under the pressure.

I thought she’d win this one given the “backstory” of the new clothing line was a 40′s feel (or get kicked out! Now that would be good tv!). She might have won if she’d just made more than a dress when all the others were cramming 3 and 4 piece ensembles together. Okay, sloppily, yes, but they were.

Stella, who made an odd magician/Brit/biker outfit, was out and clearly relieved. She merrily said, “My ego is way too big to be here anyway.” Yup, her ego wrapped in leather takes a lot of space.

I’m gonna miss her hammering.

Meanwhile, Joe and Suede better snap to it. They seem to be edging closer to the exit door each show. Like, finally.

And what was that long shot of Jerell in his striped underwear?? I figure the camera man or producer is in love with him (and his little Peter pan caps), don’t you?

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I was JUST telling a friend that my favorite challenges are the ones that they have to make an outfit out of garbage. Then lo and behold, we get this challenge: use all the recyclable parts of Saturn cars! Yay me!

Designers all headed for the seat belts (so you can be safe! as Dora would say…and maybe the contestants).

I think it was a toss-up for best this week, Leanne or Korto. At least Korto’s could actually be worn while driving a car.

However, Leanne’s dress while probably hard to sit in, had stuffing added to keep the hip poufs out. Points for high fashion safety air bags? We regular women have our own, built-in poufs. But they don’t enlarge upon contact, unless it’s contact with Ben & Jerry’s Super Fudge Chunk….

Anyway, Korto won. Keith lost. Finally. While exiting, his voiceover said how bummed he was to get the boot as he’s stuck in Utah and this was his big chance. Is he not allowed to leave Utah? Some parole deal we don’t know about? Maybe there’s an anger management thing? It looked as if he and guest judge Laura from Season 3 almost got into a fight.

“ExCUSE ME??” she said. I could imagine her talking to one of her six kids. “You talkin’ to ME? HUH? HUH?” She is a New Yorker after all. And I’m pretty sure she could take him in a fight.

At the end, we debated in our house about who should have won–Leanne or Korto. Did you debate, too?

(oh, not that I’m saying the Hubs would ever watch a show like this….)

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[spoilers ahead!]

First off, TERRI SHOULD HAVE WON again. She might be getting bitter about it. I would. Hell, I am.

Joe may have crossed his own personal prejudice to make a good outfit, but so what? Do they award for Nice Result While Freakin’ Your Homophobic Butt? I think not, people.

Although it was funny to see the shock in his face when he first met his queen. “I’ll just have to approach it like I’m making a Halloween costume for my daughters,” he confessed later. After a comment like that, we all know what Joe’s gonna have to approach after this season: therapy.

And why can’t they be like Trump and fire TWO designers? Really, Keith AND Daniel should be gone by now. And between the two, they keep Mr. Fringe? All his stuff just reminds me that I need to go to the car wash.

I leave you with my favorite queen quotes (including those from Tim):

“I don’t need to rely on COSTUMES! Have you SEEN me?!”

“I can crack a rib overnight. Come ON, Stella!”

“I feel a little barnacle-y.”

“It looks like a pterodactyl out of a gay Jurassic Park.”

“You can tell her you’ve been to a different rodeo.” (I’m still confused about that one)

A Final Note: did anyone else notice how much giggling Kors was doing?? WTH??

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This week the contestants in Project Runway had to work in teams of two to make an outfit for Brooke Shields’ character in Lipstick Jungle. Lipstick Jungle didn’t get canceled?

First off, Jerell woke up or landed from his planet or perhaps, his teammate Stella lassoed his ass back down with her leather (“leatha!”) straps. Whatever it was, Jerell made what I thought was the most appropriate outfit for the task and should have won.

Kenley, with all her loud opinions, actually helped her team leader, Keith, to improve the shape of the dress they made (but Nina was right that it looked more cocktail than office). Although Kenley bugs me with her flower-in-the-hair-40′s-retro deal, I couldn’t help enjoy her burst of laughter when Daniel proclaimed for the 43rd time thus far, “I have very high end taste!” (or did he say, I have hiney taste?).

Me thinks he doth protest too much!

As for Blayne, WTF?? I think he has not worked in an office or been around women of…*throat clearing*…a certain age. We are not wearing those shorts to the office, dear. I personally would not wear them in a house. I would not wear them with a mouse. I would not wear them here or there. I would not wear… You get the idea. (I’m all literary today!)

I’m pretty sure Blayne’s gonna be Exhibit A in the future class action lawsuit proving excessive tanning can fry your brain cells.

Lastly, we had Kelli and Daniel‘s design. Ick. If she just would have left out that green, lacey crap, it would have helped. But her outfit was cheap, dated and unoriginal. However, it was almost worth it to hear Kors say slutty-slutty-slutty real fast.

And Daniel, her teammate, took no responsibility (“I don’t care” “It’s her design”) which seemed to help him in the end, in fact. Way to save your scrawny butt, D! Especially after making that horrid skirt.

Did you agree with Kelli getting booted? I thought Blayne was a goner. I think the weeding-out process is going just fine here, though. We could still stand to lose a few more. I’m lookin’ at you, Daniel! As Tim would say, Keep up the good work, people!

[Did you see next week is DRAG QUEEN designs??!]

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The guest judge, Apolo Ohno, seemed to have good comments at the end, but when the challenge is to design for female athletes, I wondered why they didn’t get a FEMALE ATHLETE to judge. Are their publicists just not as good as his? Apolo is sorta cute, in a hobbit-y kind of way, but wasn’t he a WINTER Olympian, anyway?

[At least this week, I understood the challenge right away. Last week, at first I thought they were all going to have to use green-colored fabrics. Odd choice, but whatever. Then they discussed hemp and other ECO-friendly fabrics. Ohhhhhh. Environment, NOT Kermit.]

This episode reminded me of when they gave designers normal to large sized models as clients last season. Several contestants were all, “I’ve NEVER designed for this siiiiiiize. (eyes roll) I guess I’ll drape.”

This time, several designers were all, “I do chic, not sportswear. Gag-a-matic!” (eyes roll)

Daniel made a boring cocktail dress after Kenley suggested he ditch the cape he was working on. He almost got the boot. Thanks, Kenley. Good tip. (She might be cute as a button according to SOME people-you know who you are-but I’d think twice on her advice.)

If you’re named Mary, have a flock of sheep and like clubbing, Jerell made a great outfit for you. What planet is he on anyway? And he put himself on the chopping block because he did NOT LISTEN TO TIM. Tim said the scarves alone were very “Lucy Ricardo” and not in a good way. So what did Jerrell do? Added a giant silly hat. (“My first hat!” he said. Let’s hope it’s his last. And what random Peter Pan thing was on HIS head??)

AGAIN, PEOPLE: LISTEN TO TIM!

Joe‘s outfit was cool, I thought, but with all his bragging you KNEW he wasn’t going to win.

When Jennifer finally got the boot for an outfit that made NO SENSE for the challenge, she said she thought she had brought a different perspective to the competition with her surrealism.

Did anyone ever get surrealism from her? No? Of course, my idea of surrealism is melting watches and floating umbrellas. Maybe her surrealism is being SO real that it’s SURREAL?! Ouch, I think I just hurt myself.

Most remarkable, however, is that the winner was the Liberian woman, Korto. SHE got the American concept best and blended it with her style.

I felt the top three were real close this week, but Kors clearly sneered at Joe’s, so that knocked him down to third.

Whose did you like best? Have you noticed the women seem to be dominating this season? Woo hoo!

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My ears bled last night when Tim Gunn said “Holla!” Did yours? I think he thought he was ordering a sandwich, bless his heart.

Suede, Mr. blue mohawk man, Wendy thinks that Suede should either SHUT UP or learn about first person pronouns. Wendy does not like his running commentary in third person; it makes Wendy crazy and Wendy might jump off a ledge one Wednesday night.

HOWEVER, did you notice that Suede said “my” last nite? Yup. Wendy knew he was faking.

[Even writing this way for a few sentences makes Wendy unhappy.]

Leanne gets a gold star this week for listening to Tim and making what Wendy I thought should have been the winning outfit. Are ya with me on this?

I mean, Kenley‘s had more of the artsy-fartsy thing going on, but hello, does any woman want a dress that purposely makes her butt bubble out like the turkey in the Macy’s parade? Did anyone like this dress?

Then we have Emily, the loser. And what’s sad about her loss is her utter lack of awareness at the yuckiness of the dress she made. Nina called it: Carmen Miranda, Emily, Carmen Miranda.

Only worse. And without fruit for snacking.

Or did you guys like that dress and now I’ve insulted you? Did you think Emily should have gone home?

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