The Day The LIGHT Went Out

Also posted this on the Daytime Confidential's website in response to their entry - Live blogging: Guiding Light's Finale Episode.

It's like saying goodbye to a dear friend or companion. Not quite family for me. I saw GL through its last decade and like Harley the most. Watching through it's final months was weird. It never felt like it was ending soon. And I just basked in the joy of seeing Bill & Lizzie, Olivia & Natalia, and Shayne & Dinah in their stories. I was enjoying a lot on the show, except for Mallet & Marina and Reva & Jeffrey. Even when there was 1 month to go, it felt like farewell was a long way off. And even during this last week I wasn't yet moved to tears. I was just like, "Oh, this is happening. These two are getting married. And Alan's dying." No real emotion yet. Just seeing how it all wraps up. I was especially wondering how the Jeffrey story would wrap. What was hard was counting down the days. I had a little bit of tears after each show, thinking "There's 3 episodes left", then "2 episodes left". Today...I was fully prepared to be sad. And I was. I cried through the show. But I was left with a feeling of happiness as well as loss.

Everything was pretty quick. A lot was jammed in these last two episodes since we had to see how things would end for every character. A lot of happiness, as it should be. And everyone having babies, LOL! Of course Shayne & Marina would be together. I liked that. I'm surprised Mallet & Dinah was shown, but YES, they are back together! And Ricky & Mindy and Frank & Blake - love both! Lots of love going around! Wish we had more Otalia lovin - at least one simple, sweet kiss. I loved the Josh & Reva parts of all this because with them I had no clue what was going to happen. I loved how time moved up a year, and Reva met Josh at the lighthouse with Colin. It all goes back to the lighthouse. And Josh & Reva always. I was crying through the whole ending segment as Michelle Branch's "Together" played. I had been waiting 2+ years for Josh & Reva to get back together, and it happens in the finale. Makes it more special and tear-jerking. I feel bad for the Reva/Jeffrey fans, but I assume Jeffrey died after all. Maybe he and Edmund killed each other. Reva belongs with her Joshua...always. So, I'm happy with the finale. It'll really hit next week that this wonderful show is gone. I'll turn the TV on, and it won't be there. *sigh*

Also, have to give a shout out to my girl Harley. I wish she could have returned for this, but of course that couldn't happen since Beth Ehlers is at ABC. Harley could have gotten a mention when Daisy went off to college - like "Harley would be so proud of you." Frank or Buzz could have said that. Or Daisy could have talked to her on the phone. If Beth never left and Harley was a part of all this, I would have been crying more. I'd be sadder. She could have visited Gus's grave, and the GusH pairing could have been wrapped up in some way. Just my wishful thinking, but really, GL's ending (and great 2009 storytelling) has made up for frustrations I've had with the powers that be. We will never forget this legendary soap opera. It'll live on forever and always through us, the fans.

Guiding Light's Tribute In Entirety

Michael Fairman (www.michaelfairmansoaps.com) has released Guiding Light's full tribute/montage for the fans. This was originally created for the Daytime Emmys but due to time constraints was cut down. Thank you, Michael! Now, if only they didn't cut to commercial and some of the actors could have spoken. Wish we could see a fuller version of the actors on stage & thanking the loyal viewers. :)

Credit goes to Daytime Confidential for brining this to many fans' attention and to YouTube user soapinterviews (http://www.youtube.com/user/soapinterviews)

Guiding Light's Farewell Tribute

From last night's 36th Annual Daytime Emmys on the CW...

It could have been WAY better and longer!! GRR! The longest-running show got gipped. It was very moving until it was cut, and there were too many clips with the new production model. A lot of great moments, characters, & couples were not included in the montage. And as great as it was seeing the whole cast on stage, there could have been former cast members up there too. Some of the actors could have spoken and thanked all the viewers.

But it is what it is. Just be grateful that there was a tribute.

On the bright side, it was touching. Betty White did a great job mixing humor with sorrow. I'm glad they had a real fan speak. The montage was very well done. There was plenty shown as well as all the wonderful logos. A great song was used, but I can't say what it was. The entire cast looked radiant and appreciative of the tribute & the fans. Everyone stood for television's longest running show. At home in my room I stood too and was moved to tears.

And most relative to this blog - Of course Harley should/would be included in the montage. She was an integral character for close to 20 years. But she was only shown once, and it was with Gus. Not their best moment/scene/story... Their part was the electric kiss during the episode in which Harley's a super-hero. It was GL's collaboration with Marvel Comics. At least GusH was shown at all. And it was a kiss that proved they had a true spark together.

Credit goes to rockermom58 (via YouTube) for this clip: http://www.youtube.com/user/rockermom58



And credit goes to Daytime Confidential for the pictures: http://www.daytimeconfidential.com/2009/08/30/daytime-emmy-salutes-guiding-light

In My Life...The Light Shines

NOTE: For once, I'm going to be on a long ramble. It might only happen in this entry.

I've never truly considered Guiding Light to be one of "my" shows. I wasn't raised with it by my mom, and I still don't have a great grasp of its history. So, I'm not as heartbroken by its cancellation as more devoted, longtime fans are. I'm also not quite as driven to help save the show, unfortunately. I'll continue supporting it and watching it with every hope that another channel picks it up. And I did sign that petition (the link is posted in the previous entry). I am sad over the cancellation, but there just isn't as much emotional turmoil over it. I wish there was.

I was not stunned by the announcement of Guiding Light's cancellation. I "heard" it through Daytime Confidential, which also included the news of As The World Turns having a one-year renewal. GL has been the lowest-rated soap since Passions was canceled. DC has had various rumor reports & speculations of GL getting the ax and all its renewal info as well as the strong belief that the soap opera genre is nearing its end. I too believe that soaps won't be around ten years from now, and GL being canceled could very well be the beginning of the end. Plus, this cancellation comes after Days Of Our Lives firing Deidre Hall & Drake Hogestyn, major stars taking paycuts, and two years of reading about how GL keeps hanging on. It doesn't surprise me that something else sad & terrible would occur in the soap world, and this cancellation did seem inevitable.

It's pretty obvious that this cancellation greatly impacts the remaining seven soaps. Being a P&G soap, it most directly affects As The World Turns (the only other P&G show). And ATWT only has a one-year renewal, so it could be next. And then who knows what?! Usually, it's the soap in last place that's doomed, but of course there ALWAYS has to be a show in last place! Once GL's gone, it could actually be a three or four way tie. So, if it really is the beginning of the end, ATWT had better step up their game story-wise, and most of the other soaps will need to get their acts together too.

And that's my reaction to GL's cancellation and its ultimate consequences.

Guiding Light's cancellation is certainly depressing. Guiding Light has 72 years worth of history - on both radio and television. Thus, it has remained the longest running show in broadcast history - quite an honor for a soap opera. In a huge way, it is the "mother ship" of the other soaps. To lose a show with decades of history is earth-shattering and disturbing. GL is legendary, and it saddens me to realize I've only seen its LAST decade. I'm missing YEARS worth of storylines, moments, characters, and couples. To be honest, the last decade wasn't all that impressive. At least half of it was crap, I think, and the rest was pretty terrific.

Let's ponder back to what I've seen...

I began getting into GL in either 1999 or 2000 (thanks to my grandparents). I remember following Reva's clone story and seeing Beth with little Lizzie running or hiding from her abusive boyfriend. At some point I began watching a little at home, and then that grew. Some days I'd see GL and other days GH. Thankfully, in 2003 it began airing at 10 AM, and I began watching it every single day.

Harley is who I liked first and foremost. I loved her with Phillip and then Gus. (Duh!) I also liked Blake, Cassie, Reva, Marah (in the form of Laura Bell Bundy), and Michelle. I do tend to like a lot of female characters. I watched Richard & Cassie's royal wedding, which is something I'll always remember. They were a favorite couple as well as Josh & Reva, Blake & Ross, Shayne & Marina, and Phillip & Olivia. I think I also liked Danny & Michelle for a little while. And I've liked Dinah & Mallet, Jonathan & Tammy, Buzz & Alexandra, Coop & Ashlee, and probably more that I'm forgetting. But of course, couples and favorites fizzle and/or change. Currently, my favorite characters are Blake, Olivia, Dinah, Reva, Buzz, Daisy, Shayne, Josh, Lizzie, and Bill. My favorite couples are Olivia & Natalia, Shayne & Dinah, and Bill & Lizzie. I also like Frank, Marina, Phillip, Beth, and even the new James all to some extent. And I continue to have hope that Josh and Reva will reunite, especially because of the cancellation. How can the powers that be NOT put them back together in time for GL's finale?!

Of course there are plenty of characters and couples I've disliked for whatever reason, but I'd like to stay positive here. Plenty of characters & actors have come and gone in my time too: Eden, Maryanne Carruthers, Catalina, Tory Granger, Richard, Sandy, Alan-Michael recast, Coop, Jonathan, Crystal Hunt's Lizzie, Aubrey Dollar's Marina, Nicole Forrester's Cassie, Stephanie Gatshet's Tammy, Joan Collins' Alexandra, etc.

And let's not forget the countless moments & storylines I've witnessed!

Moments - There are a ton that occurred, but only some I remember. I mentioned Richard & Cassie's royal wedding - a true gem for me. I saw Olivia and Cassie's mud fight, which is pretty famous. Something that truly shocked me was Reva helping Richard die by taking him off life-support. The first time Olivia and Phillip had sex - extremely hot! I still have Josh & Reva's third wedding on tape; at least I saw one of their weddings. I remember seeing Blake & Ross get married again around Christmas time, and they were outside gazing at the stars afterwords - very sweet! Of course I never missed the annual Bauer BBQ from 2001 onward. Sometimes it felt like I was really there and that it was a real life event to be excited for. My favorite year was 2001 because there was all kinds of fireworks with Richard returning to Cassie from life-or-death drama in San Cristobel and Phillip finally discovering Harley's pregnancy (with BF Rick's baby). Even though I didn't like them much, I know I watched Danny & Michelle get married twice. One time it was during the Bauer BBQ. When the real Jonathan came to town and had it out with Reva, it was explosive. I remember Lizzie causing a pregnant Olivia to fall down the stairs at the Beacon Hotel lobby.

Storylines - There are good ones and bad ones here. I was first hooked on Reva's cloning story, which I know isn't one of Reva's greatest. It was absurd, but I couldn't turn away especially since the clone had Reva locked up. I also recall Reva's time travel into a painting and her being a psychic - both equally ridiculous. Ross and Blake's battle with the obsessive, crazy Tory Granger was pretty thrilling. The "Garden of Eden" murders was crap, and it should have been better. At least it involved Gus & Harley doing the investigating. Phillip's shooting in 04 was extremely memorable; that was a huge story for the Spaulding & Cooper families. I enjoyed it every step of the way. I liked watching Richard vs. Edmund for San Cristobel's throne, and I remember Cassie being locked in a tower and the car accident that left Reva blind & Cassie's baby stillborn. I was always so hooked on Jonathan & Tammy's story, especially once everyone learned about them being a couple and later them dealing with Lizzie pregnant with his baby. And then there was Reva's cancer, which was enthralling & horrible at the same time. It was a fairly good socially relevant story, but it meant the end of Reva & Josh and the beginning of Josh & Cassie (yuck).

Most importantly of what I've seen: everything Harley Davidson Cooper (and Gus too). Important to me at least, in my years of watching GL. And even years that I wasn't watching, thanks to the wonderful Ilena1970 (from ClassicGL Yahoo group) for working hard to make clips of not only Harley but anything & everything Guiding Light.

I've seen Harley with all her major pairings: Alan-Michael, Josh, Mallet, Phillip, & Gus. (To me, Dylan and Cyrus were merely flings.) My knowledge of her with Alan-Michael is still a bit fuzzy. And I didn't see all that much of her with Josh, but they were a brief couple. I know her relationships with the other 3 extremely well. My fondest memories of Mallet & Harley are: their first "I love you"s at Cross Creek, their first time living together at Happy Homes while undercover, almost eloping & then "honeymooning" on a cruise, their surprise wedding, secretly working & being together to bring down Jenna Bradshaw (when she was a jewel thief), and all their love scenes. They were truly in love, and I don't get how Mallet would cheat on her. Mallet really was the love of Harley's life (until Gus). My most delightful memories of Phillip & Harley are: their humorous journey of realizing they're in love, their wedding & honeymoon in New York City, them helping Jenna scam her criminal ex (Jeffrey), their official first date, their love scenes, and the birth of their son Zach. They had the makings of a long-lasting couple because they started out as friends. Their relationship was very fun...until ex-wife Beth returned to town. It's tragic that once they ended, they fought a lot & battled for Zach. My most wonderful memories of Gus & Harley: pretty much everything, LOL! I really look back fondly on their entire relationship (with the exception of 2007 when they were completely decimated). Their ups & downs provided great drama, for the most part. I'd love to live through it all over again. Some standout moments/stories: their first real date, their wedding in 05, their non-wedding in 04, their fights, their love scenes, deciding to live together, the 2002 custody battle for Zach, Gus delivering Jude, getting engaged, and their first "I love you"s, and discovering that Gus is a Spaulding. They were true love, and no one ever loved Harley the way Gus did.

Of course, I've also enjoyed Harley's relationship with her family and friends. Her friendships with Jenna, Blake, and Cassie were the best. She and Jenna were a team for a good bit, and it seemed like the two of them had always been best friends. Later, it was a trio with Harley, Cassie, & Blake. Seeing them get together for drinks or whatever was always a blast. Throw in Reva and you've got a funny foursome. It's Harley's family that truly defines her. Frank raised her, and it was the two of them for so long. I admire their relationship so much. Then they both had to deal with each parent re-entering their lives. Then gradually you add in Marina, Coop, and Harley's kids. And let's not forget Lucy, but I don't know much about her. Being a Cooper means you've got plenty of relatives, and you're also Greek.

My favorite shining time of Harley's life was when she was the number one suspect in Phillip's shooting. That was when she and Gus were front & center. They drove the story on GL for a good 9 months (approximately), and I couldn't have been happier. It was turmoil to see Harley get arrested for the shooting, but everything resulting from that was phenomenal to watch. I truly enjoyed her trial and seeing her struggling with whether or not she shot Phillip because it was good drama & angst. And Gus & Harley wanted to be together, but something always blocked them on that path of being a couple again. This whole ordeal ultimately led to them being on the run, which truly brought them back together. Really, this whole adventure made them closer & stronger. What especially makes this particular story special for me is how much I learned about Harley, Gus, and their love for each other. Harley is not an optimist, and she is very brave for her family. It doesn't faze Gus how much Pepto his drinks. Gus would do anything for Harley, and he lives for her. I literally could see in their eyes the depth of their love for one another. It's that prominent and powerful. I'm grateful for that storyline.

Now to the rest of its 70+ years... Like I've said, there is so much Guiding Light history I'm missing and haven't seen. A TON! But I do know some major things besides events of Harley's past. Reva was presumed dead twice, once from driving off a bridge. I saw a clip of Reva proclaiming herself the "slut of Springfield". I also saw a clip of Rodger raping his wife, Holly. I know about the popular "Four Musketeers" (Phillip, Beth, Rick, & Mindy), especially since they just had a reunion. I know how shockingly devastating Maureen's death was. Phillip isn't really a Spaulding, but he's still Alan's favorite son. Reva married Josh's father & brother before him, but really, it's been Josh & Reva always. Dinah killed the man she loved instead of Cassie. I know about crazy Annie and that she was an excellent villain for Josh, Reva, and anyone who messed with her. Most importantly, I know that the Bauers were one of Springfield's first families. There use to be a lot more of them driving front-burner storylines, and now how would anyone know that?

In closing, I hope to learn & see more of Guiding Light's amazing multitude of characters, couples, and storylines. I'll watch clips on YouTube or wherever, and I have a copy of Guiding Light: The Complete Family Scrapbook that I plan on reading. It's sad that I've only seen GL's final decade, and I really do wish I had more attachment to it. But just because I didn't fully grow up with it doesn't mean I don't adore & love it dearly. I'll always cherish my time with this show. I pray that its CBS cancellation doesn't mean the end and that another channel or the Internet picks it up.

Here's to Guiding Light - the longest running show in history and one of the best damn soap operas ever created! GL ALWAYS!

Guiding Light CANCELED!

Sorry for not posting this sooner. I wasn't even thinking about my blogs when this news came out, which was about two weeks ago.

Daytime Confidential, along with other various news sources, reported that Guiding Light is canceled, and the news broke on April Fool's Day. Very disrespectful and in poor taste, as most people agree. Its last air date is slated for September 18. This decision comes from CBS's top network executives, not Proctor & Gamble. The people at P&G are working to find a new home for it, and fans are doing everything they can to save it (calling, writing, signing petitions, etc).

Obviously, this news is tragic for longtime fans and viewers. It also hugely affects the entire soap opera genre and television as a whole. Guiding Light has been on radio and TV for a total of 72 years and continues to be the longest running show in broadcast history. It's the legend and top dog of the eight current soap operas, but unfortunately, it has been last in the Nielsen ratings for quite some time.

The past year, GL has been struggling with its new production format, and for the past 2 or 3 years, in my opinion, the writing has suffered greatly. That spelled doom, and I believe it received a one-year renewal to pick itself up. The production has gotten improvements, but the writing was still terrible. And now that time is up, the writing is pretty great again. The show is enjoyable again with the return of Phillip, death of Coop, Shayne & Dinah pairing, etc. Though, it is too little too late for the writing, which is what truly would have saved the show and gotten people to tune in.

All hope is not lost, and reactions keep pouring in from actors, viewers, and podcasts. There are numerous sites to check out to read further on this news and to support Guiding Light:

Keep The LIGHT Shining Blog - Here is where you can find out how where to write, who to call, and how to join the campaigning to keep Guiding Light on the air.

Keep GL On Air Petition - The MOST IMPORTANT petition you could EVER sign!!

BuzzWorthy Radio's GL Episode - A special show devoted to Guiding Light with insight on its history, what happens next, and how fans can continue supporting it.

DC Podcasts: GL Is Canceled & GL Cancellation Reactions - Daytime Confidential's brilliant coverage of the sad news.

Daytime Confidential: How Should GL End? - Report from Nelson Branco's Suds Report on some very pivotal people's opinions of how GL should end if it's not picked up somewhere else.

For more Guiding Light coverage, reactions, and even some actor interviews: visit DaytimeConfidential.com. That is my Number 1 source for everything Guiding Light and all soap opera news.

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A "Quickie"

Oh, what a hot one this is!

This hotness is of a very unexpected love scene from July 2006. NO ONE saw this coming! What happened to GusH during this episode was the discussion of working together as detectives again. They were at Company for a while, and then they bickered in their hotel room. Very funny stuff! And the scene before their lovemaking, Harley said, "You know what's a mystery to me? How it is after all this time...I just want you more and more." Then there was kissing. This episode had a closing montage of everyone, and to our sweet surprise we got this quick hot sex scene. The word "wow" is the only way to describe it besides "hot". So, of course I had to create a wallpaper of this because I LOVE the love scenes!

I had a set of pictures to work with, and since it was a short scene, I didn't have too many to use. I pretty much displayed the whole sequence in two rows. They all flow together almost seamlessly. I wanted them to be side by side like they are. There's a collage-effect to it.

Each picture is 100% steamy! My two favorites are the top left corner one and the one below that - the two steamiest moments, in my opinion. That first one is the very beginning of the scene, and it's the hottest embrace I've ever seen. The second one is when his hand is sliding down her back to her hip - wow!

The background is red because it suits the hot sex in the pictures. So does the black of the two lines, which are there to fill space. I chose a pale pink color for the text since the red is so dark. And I made the text huge because I really wanted it to stand out. I call this the "hot mini love scene" because of how short it was (about 20 seconds). Way too short but SO FREAKIN' HOT!

Also, there was a song playing during the entire closing montage. It was "Over My Head (Cable Car)" by The Fray. But it totally doesn't fit the love scene or GusH at all.

Love, Love, and More Love

I am very proud of this wallpaper because I just think it is so clever & creative. I'm so in love with it! I came up with this one because of that kissing picture. It was ALL about that one picture because it was new at the time. It's from the fall of 2006 when Harley was still CEO of Spaulding Enterprises (not for much longer, though). Also at the time, there were not many kissing scenes. It was kind of a GusH drought period. So, when this long, deep kiss occurred, I had to do something with it.

I believe I placed the picture first. I just wanted one huge photo because it was just one little scene. One was all that was needed. I know I didn't want it to take up the whole canvas. So, I created that big heart beside it. I wanted it red, which is to me the color of love. And I wanted a very light-colored background. The "Gus & Harley" text is black to contrast with the other brighter colors going on. And I added some effects to the heart - the white outline and the way it kinda jumps off the page. It's a lovely heart for an in-love couple that was GusH.

Somehow I came up with the brilliant idea to put the word "love" everywhere. Genius, in my opinion. Either I thought that up or I started with one "love" and the rest just followed. And as you can see, I used different colors and fonts. I know I used the aquamarine-blue twice. Didn't notice that till the wallpaper was finished. I didn't want the "love"s to cover Gus & Harley. I wanted them to fill the background and some spaces around & in the heart. The two stars are there to take up space that bothered me, lol. Those two background spaces needed to be filled. And I also didn't want the "love"s too close together. I think they cover the wallpaper beautifully, affirming the love between Gus & Harley.

Reunion Love Scene

This goes with the previous wallpaper. There was a beautiful, passionate love scene during the second reunion episode. And after that, of course, there was a sweet afterglow. Love scenes are important to us fans, so I had to create this wallpaper.

After an emotional roller coaster, Gus & Harley rediscovered each other & reaffirmed their love. It was what we fans hoped to see. It cemented the reunion, meaning it made the reunion more official to me. They were completely back together for good. Nothing would tear them apart again (or so they thought at the time).

I had a set of pictures from the love scene. So, I used what I thought were the best pics. My two personal favorite moments are her kissing the back of his neck and him unhooking her bra. Both are just so damn sexy! It was a very soft, loving, and slow lovemaking. Simply fabulous!

I did a little experimenting with the background. I wanted to "make" my own background. I chose the colors gray and light pink to match Gus's sweat jacket and Harley's bra. I think I began with the thin pink light around the edge of the canvas, and then I filled the background with the gray. And I drew lines of pink. Without even realizing it, I created a checkered pattern. Seriously, I didn't even know I was doing that until it was almost finished. I didn't intend to make that pattern. It just came out of me somehow. And I don't really like it 'cause it'd not perfect. But oh well.

The most beautiful song played during this love scene - "There You Are" by Martina McBride - Gus & Harley's wedding song. I was so pleased yet a bit surprised that GL's powers-that-be remembered their wedding song. It matched the pace of this love scene magnificently. And so, I wanted to put a bit of the song in this wallpaper. I wracked my brain trying to find the lyric that fit best. What I've chosen symbolizes Harley searching for Gus, and she found him at night.

And finally, for some reason I wanted a black box for the bottom text. I know I didn't want the text to be just sitting out there like the song lyrics. I wanted it to be in some sort of shape to make it stand out. I think black fit the best with the light background colors. So, we've got white on black to remember when this love scene occurred.

Glorious Reunion

This was the big payoff we fans were waiting for during the whole Gus-being-presumed-dead story. Practically THREE WHOLE MONTHS of Gus and Harley apart, and then Harley finally found Gus. And the scenes displayed in this wallpaper occurred. It was a beautiful reunion, and it lasted two whole episodes. So, I had a good bit to cover. There's a variety of pictures to represent all that went down between them.

On the left side, the hug shows they're glad to have one another back. And I think it occurred after they hashed out some of what they went through without each other. Next to that one they're gazing into each other's eyes as they're about to make love. To the right of that one is pretty much the moment when Harley found Gus (at an asylum where Alan was hiding him). The bottom left is the wonderful kissing before their love scene. The bottom center is when they almost made love but were interrupted. Next to that one shows Harley supporting Gus as he explained his ordeal. And the lovely middle photo is from their afterglow. Lots of pivotal moments!

As you can tell, this is another collage. I wanted the pictures to take over almost the entire wallpaper. I didn't want a background. Together, the pics make up a brown color/glow. Also, I created this wallpaper shortly after these episodes aired. And I had to make this because it's such a monumental part of GusH's history. I left an empty square for the text. I wanted it to say what this collage is of & when it occurred. I chose a navy blue & a pale yellow because they go together nicely, and to me they symbolize nighttime, which is when this reunion took place.

The Perfect Year

Now we have 2005, which was a wonderful yet hectic year for Gus & Harley. It's one of my favorite years, making it the perfect year to me. Sooooo much happened, and that explains the colorful, patterned background. I chose pink for the painted line because it's such a pretty color, suited for all the "pretty" moments of the year.

2005 is the "year of true love" because with everything that happened to GusH I saw just how in love they were. Starting with their initial story - Harley going to trial for "murdering" Phillip - I witnessed the powerful love between these two people. They toyed around with getting back together, but you could see the love in their eyes. It was magic. And when they finally were a couple again, it was everything fans wanted. Gus and Harley were pure brilliance and true love.

Like I already said, A LOT happened during this year. And this wallpaper attempts to highlight some very happy times. There were moments here and there during Harley's trial. They had good times when they went on the run to New York City, one of which is when they made love for the 1st time in almost a year. They got engaged again and were finally married. And another happy time was when they returned from their honeymoon. You could tell they were newlyweds; they were eager for more alone time, hehe.

The sad photo of this wallpaper was during the trial. You can tell it's sad because of Harley's face. Had to put it in here to represent the seriousness of the trial, and it was a moment to remember. They hid away under a desk/table to pretend there was no time and no one could find them. The funny photo next to the sad one is when they "toured" around NYC. It was a very cool montage of them walking everywhere, and in this moment he was rubbing her foot but then pretended that it stunk. LOL! Gus - so funny!

My two favorite pictures (even though I really do like them all):
1) The top right corner where they're kissing with his hand on her neck - they weren't really back together but that was one hot kiss.
2) The top left corner where they're kissing in bed - FREAKIN' HOT! Gus is hot!

I did make a 2006 wallpaper, but it's depressing. It's not one to write about. But you can check it out here: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v714/kateh8/GusH/2006collagecopy.jpg

Tough Year

Now we have a more serious 2004 collage. To out it simply, it wasn't the best of times. So, the drabby grey color touches on the bad parts, and the blue color brightens it up a bit without overdoing it. There were some happy moments throughout the year, which are shown in the collage. It wasn't a completely depressing year, and it isn't their worst year. (That would be 2007.)

Having said that, 2004 was a good tearjerker. It's the "year of trust & rough spots" because GusH went through a VERY heavy ordeal. They finally went through something internal (if you will) that ultimately broke them up. And they were apart for a good couple of months. It was a terribly heartbreaking break-up in the summer, and the rest of the year they missed each other. Though, when Christmas came around, they inched closer to reuniting. So, there were MAJOR rough spots. And the whole "internal" problem revolved around trust. Harley couldn't trust Gus anymore. Very sad!

In this wallpaper I wanted to show the two major holiday moments - the Thanksgiving dance (bottom right corner) and Christmas kiss (the only one where they're kissing). Besides them, it was important to show other sweet moments while they were still together. The two photos that represent the rough spots are the wedding shot and the one on the left where their foreheads are together, fresh from a kiss. It was on their (non)wedding day that they had the huge break-up fight. And the second pic happened just days after they broke up; they sorta almost reunited. Thus, we've got romance and tough times for this year.

My two favorite pictures:
1) The Christmas kiss - LOVE IT! It was the longest kiss EVER! I'm not kidding.
2) The bottom left corner where he's resting his head on her - VERY NICE! She sat in his lap, and at the end of the scene she told him how she'd woo him. Yum!

Beautiful Year

Here we have the year 2003 with a blue background and a sea green color. I believe I chose those colors because they are really calm, peaceful, and in a sense elegant. They go along with the loving theme I attempted to display, I think.

2003 is the "year of beautiful love" because they were committed and pretty much cemented to each other through the whole year. They never broke up. They stood by each other's side. They said "I love you" a lot throughout the year and had a bunch of loving moments. Although they did have some arguments or rifts here and there, they were together THE ENTIRE YEAR. And that says something, in my opinion.

One thing it says is that it was a great year. Let's recap: they discovered who Gus's real parents are, Harley was in the hospital after being shot with Gus always being by her side, they had the hottest love scene in the history of love scenes, they became engaged, they kinda solved a case together during the summer, they worked against and with one another on a case with a side-bet, and they had some romance at the Springfield Inn. It was all good stuff! And it was a year of endearing love.

My two favorite pictures are:
1) The top right corner where they're gazing at her engagement ring - such a romantic time, them getting engaged at home.
2) The one in the dark where they have their shirts off against the wall - HOT LOVE SCENE titled The Wallbanger.

Romantic Year

Here is the 2002 collage, number two in the series. I skipped 2001 because, like I said in the previous entry, I hardly have any pictures from that year. I certainly don't have enough for a collage to represent the whole year. So, here we have lovely 2002.

I picked a multicolor background because multiple things happened to GusH that year. And somehow I decided to paint a black line to go around the actual collage. That's something I did with the rest of the series, and I have realized that those lines aren't necessary. They're just crooked lines that make the whole thing look a bit sloppy, in my opinion. They make the pictures not line up right together. But what's done is done, and I might make more year-by-year collages in the future without the lines/borders.

I've also come up with phrases to sum up each year. I think 2001 might be "A year of hatred and work" or something like that to reflect on how they were forced to work together and they hated each other. Or something to point out that it was the year they first met. Once 2002 came, the hatred vanished and true feelings shined through.

2002 is the "year of new romance" because it was the beginning of the year that they got together romantically, and they became a couple. They went through so many romantic milestones - first official date, first Valentine's, first time (sexually), moving in together, first time saying "I love you", etc. It was a huge year for them! And it was a happy, exciting year for their fans. Those early days were really their golden days - the days before they had any serious problems. Of course, later in the year they battled people who were against them, but they pulled through stronger than ever.

Obviously, we don't need to do tallies anymore. So, here are my two favorite pictures right now:
1) The top right-corner one from the "living in sin" scene - so sweet!
2) The one right next to my 1st favorite where he's cupping her face & kissing her cheek - very hot!

GusH Celebration

This is the first in a series of collages. I didn't intend to create a series; it just happened. And I'm glad it did. It all started with this, which is a simple collage of Gus and Harley's years together from 2002 to the beginning of 2006.

I have always wanted to create a collage. None of my previous wallpapers would be considered collages, but most of my subsequent ones definitely are. It was 2006 in the time of Gus being gone and presumed dead that I created this. With there being a terrible absence of GusH I wanted a wallpaper of them through the years.

I kept the background white and painted a fat red line to serve as a border around the pictures. The pics overlap one another a little. You'll see in the next collages that I did away with overlapping; my perfection set in. As I placed each picture, there left a small space. Somehow I thought up the phrase, "A Celebration of Gus & Harley". Very sweet little phrase, I think.

Now about the photos... 2001 isn't represented because I hardly have any pictures from that year. So, it's skipped. And there wasn't much GusH romance during that year anyway. 2006 is represented by just one photo from Harley imagining Gus (the one where her eyes are closed, and Gus is touching her chin). I think it was suppose to serve as hope for a GusH reunion, sooner rather than later. As for the others, there is a touch of everything, mainly love. There's romance, joy, sex, wedding, fun, and a tiny bit of seriousness with the bottom left-corner photo. And of course you'll notice all the kissing, which is something that Gus & Harley do best.

How about we take a tally of the years from most to least?
2005 - Five
2002 - Three
2003 - Three
2004 - One
2006 - One

I personally believe that 2005 and 2002 are the best years of Gus & Harley's life together. 2003 is a close third. So, I think that explains the tally. 2004 was a bad year with a bad break-up, and 2006 was just starting.

I'll pick two favorite photos even though I love them all:
1) From the Fall of 2005, the one where they're in bed with the green blankets - too funny!
2) From July 2005, the top left-corner where she's in his arms - such a happy moment!