Jasonlrdg4

"The Gilded Age" is a great series, showing the differences between old money and new money in late 1800s New York. I feel that next season should have Agnes and Bertha in more scenes together.

It was also great to see the black middle and upper-middle classes on screen. There was an episode where Marian visited Peggy's neighborhood. Her expression was one of surprise, like she had never seen well-to-do black people before. It was both funny and sad. I am betting we will see more of Peggy Scott's family next season as well.

I also have a strong feeling that Larry Russell and Marian Brook are going to be involved romantically next season.

People have talked about 'Generations' and its problems over the years. I just wanted to point out the positives. One of them being that it was a major network's first honest attempt to make a soap opera with black characters in the forefront of the story. They were not maids or chauffeurs or domestic servants, but they were in business. The Marshalls had a successful ice cream business that was made with the sweat and blood of a black man, Henry Marshall, despite having a limited education.

Ruth Marshall, Henry's wife, grew up as the daughter of the maid of Rebecca Whitmore. She had a very difficult experience, but she turned that resentment and became an ambitious person. Ruth brought the Whitmore estate, and the problems she faced in doing it, which I thought was a very good storyline, which represented to her that she finally made it big. Vivian, Ruth's mother, was Rebecca's housekeeper who worked for her for years and remained friends ever since. Rebecca's oldest daughter, Laura, wasn't close to Ruth growing up and the feeling seemed mutual.

For me, I liked the way the writers introduced the viewers with voice-overs. Also I like how the characters' backgrounds were shown through the writing. I guess the problem was that people weren't' that excited about a family who owned an ice cream business That would have been more of a plot for a sitcom on primetime than a daytime soap opera. Plus some it its characters could have been more developed in its short run.

All in all, "Generations" is an example of black success on television, even though its overall aim didn't make an impact.

"About Fifty" is a very real to life movie that deals with the fears of being fifty and over.

To be honest, when I saw the film (today on my laptop), I truly had different expectations on how certain things would turn out in the movie. However, I thought that the storyline turned out good regardless.

Martin Grey and Drew Pillsbury, who played Adam and Jon, delivered good performances. I really found their interactions with each other had a brutal honesty and played well into the issues that men their age face (health issues, dating, and divorce). I also enjoyed the golf aspects of the movie and I can see how the sport ties into these guys getting older.