Just Some Stuff for Sunday: General Hospital, Ed Sullivan, and Jeff Lynne
Stuff I liked the week of August 11, 2025
Good morning, Sunday Stuffers! It’s time for me to share the stuff I read, listened to, or watched this week that brought me a little joy or comfort.
Australian actor Tristan Rogers died this weekend at the age of 79. While that is some sad news, Tristan Rogers as Robert Scorpio in those early ‘80s General Hospital years was THE BEST. I’m putting the GH Ice Princess plot in a block quote in case you want to speed past it. But I’m telling you — that soap opera storyline was a highlight of my 12-year-old life back in 1981.
Robert Scorpio teamed up with Luke Spencer to find the Ice Princess, an uncut diamond that was more than meets the eye. Robert revealed to Luke and Laura Webber that he was actually an agent for the World Security Bureau and had to stop the Ice Princess from falling into the wrong hands. Luke, Robert, and Laura secretly boarded the Cassadine yacht, and they ended up on a tropical island where Mikkos Cassadine (bad guy) was waiting.
They went to Cassadine Island and Mikkos revealed he had plans to build a weather machine that would produce carbonic snow and freeze the world. He would first threaten world leaders by freezing Port Charles as an example to the rest of the world. B-actress Tiffany Hill was also on the island, as Cassadine brother Victor Cassadine's girlfriend. She was repulsed by this plan. She ran into Robert and she decided to help him, Luke, and Laura stop Mikkos. Meanwhile, back in Port Charles, the temperature was dropping and a blizzard took place. Port Charles was declared a disaster area (oh no!!).
Robert snuck into Mikkos' compound, then Luke and Laura snuck in as well. They set off an alarm, and as they were running to escape, they came upon an ice chamber, with frozen bodies in it. They were then captured, and brought before Mikkos. Luke told Mikkos he would help him, and said he would convince the WSB to surrender. But, during a radio transmission, Luke started to give away their location, at which point Mikkos angrily turned off the radio. There was a scuffle and Mikkos attempted to throw Luke into the ice chamber, but Mikkos was the one who ended up going in and dying. Luke was then able to turn off the machine by entering the password ICE PRINCESS, saving the world.
I still joke about evil weather machines when it gets cold and snowy out. Make your passwords strong, folks! (If that joke didn’t make sense, because you skipped the Ice Princess plot, that’s on you.)
So let’s get to it:
Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan on Netflix. Ed Sullivan broke barriers by booking Black artists on his Sunday night variety show. This documentary spotlights the TV giant’s legacy of equality. Packed full of good entertainment with a dose of history. My favorite combo.
Good Hang Podcast: Adam Scott. I know I keep sharing Amy Poehler’s new podcast, but it’s just so good. I love Parks and Recreation so much, and the Leslie and Ben storyline was so sweet and fun. Adam and Amy talk about Parks & Rec a bit, but the best stories revolve around Adam’s early introduction into showbiz. He’s from Santa Cruz, CA and he remembers when he was 13 and The Lost Boys was filmed in his friend’s comic book store. He got to see the two Coreys walk to their trailers. How cool is that?
Big Dumb Eyes by Nate Bargatze. I’m thrilled that comedian Nate Bargatze finally made it big. It feels like a good guy won. He’s a gazillionaire now and his new book is charming and funny. Clean funny. No swears other than I think he says “sucks” once, but he apologizes for it.
Wildflower on Hulu. One of the benefits of writing this Substack every week is people tell me all the great stuff they watched and read too. This week my sister-in-law, Stephanie, shared some of the feel good movies she’s liked recently. Wildflower is a 2022 comedy/drama starring Kiernan Shipka (Sally Draper from Mad Men) as honor student Christina who balances school, track, and teen life while caring for her mom and dad who have intellectual challenges. It’s based on a true story and it touches on themes of friendship, disability, and the unspoken weight of growing up as a young caregiver. It’s funny, touching, and has a great cast. Highly enjoyable.
Here’s yet another installment in my effort to revisit songs, bands, or music videos from the ‘80s and early ‘90s that merit a closer look. I just heard ELO’s “Rock n’ Roll is King” this week, and I was curious if there was a video. Never saw it before in my life. That I remember. Anyway, I guess Jeff Lynne had to cancel his last two July 2025 farewell shows due to a hand injury. He’s 77, so I hope he enjoys the retirement he so richly deserves. Also, about eight years ago someone posted the photo below on Twitter, and said this dog looked like Jeff Lynne, and I think I spit out my Starbucks. I still think it’s hilarious.
I’m currently sitting delayed in an airport and really needed canine Jeff Lynne so thank you