Judge Judy time

It was a happy Father's Day for the Winters and Ashby clan but not so much for the Newman family, who were divided by the custody battle for Christian. Summer is home for the summer but seems more interested in finding a sugar daddy than attending the family celebration. Get the lowdown in this week's Two Scoops.

I can't imagine that Judge Judy would have awarded custody of Christian to Victor. I'm sure that she would have seen straight through him and realized that taking Christian away from his legal father, the only constant in his life, was a terrible thing to do to Christian. In fact, I can't imagine any judge anywhere removing a child from a home because of something that might happen hypothetically -- like Sharon going off her meds. In real life, it's difficult to get a child removed from its parents even when there has been abuse.

And, frankly, I doubt that, in a situation like this, a grandparent has any more rights than an uncle, especially if that uncle is named on the birth certificate as the legal father. As the legal parent, Nick would have been obligated for child support, had he and Sage divorced, even if he was proven not to be the father and did not want to pay it.

Really, really disappointed in Y&R for giving Victor the upper hand when I am absolutely sure that Judge Judy -- or any competent family court judge -- would not have wrested a child out of its home for such flimsy reasons. If being bipolar is a reason to remove children from a home, then my niece should have lost custody of her four kids long ago, but she hasn't because, like Sharon, she takes her meds. As much as I love Eric Braeden's performance, I absolutely detest Victor's actions. I detest how he treats people, and I detest that he always has a plausible excuse to justify his controlling behavior. What kind of monster separates a child from its parent?

Nick, of course, doesn't do himself any favors by flying off the handle. It makes him come across as a hothead, which he is, but much like my paternal grandfather, once he rants and raves and gets it out of his system, his good instincts kick in. There is no denying that Sharon has been a good mother; one only has to look at the character of Noah, Faith, Cassie, and even Mariah, to see how secure, loved, and well-adjusted Sharon's children are. That should have carried a lot more weight in the arbitrator's decision than it did, at least in my opinion.

I did catch one enormous lie that Sharon told, and maybe the judge did, too. It was when Brittany asked Sharon about her relationship to Nick, and Sharon replied that they had been friends for 20 years. By my calculations that should be 30 years, and here's why. When I started writing this column five years ago, Noah had just celebrated his 24th birthday -- so he's 29 now, which means that Sharon and Nick first got together 31 years ago. Add to that that Summer was 22 when she left home last year, and she was conceived after Cassie died, then clearly, Sharon and Nick have known each other much longer than 20 years. I know, picky, picky, picky, but I can't help myself! So, pardon me while I repeat over and over again, "It's only a soap!"

Speaking of Summer, I couldn't help but notice that she was too busy taunting Billy to attend any of her family's Father's Day celebrations. Just like Kyle, she went away, inexplicably did a 180, and returned to town a changed individual with parental issues where none had existed before. I'm sure we will eventually get an explanation, but not, again in my opinion, before Summer seduces Billy and wrecks her mom's relationship. Before she left town, I couldn't imagine that Summer would be even the slightest bit interested in Billy. Now she seems to delight in tormenting him. What happened to Nick's "Supergirl"?

If Summer continues to do the "come hither," I've no doubt that Billy will succumb to her charms, which will raise my hackles because it perpetuates another stereotype -- that men can't resist the feminine allure. I don't buy that. If men are that weak, then they shouldn't be in charge of anything, and if women are that potent, why aren't we running the planet? And if we are running it covertly, why aren't we doing a better job? Oops, I digress!

Johnny and Katie were also absent from the Newman party, and they weren't with Billy, either, so no Father's Day for him. Victoria was content to leave them with the nanny, but who knows, maybe they'll be SORASed into teenagers the next time we see them, which would be appropriate. If Nick's 49, then Victoria is in her 50s and too old for toddlers.

According to the previews for next week, Victoria is going to start receiving calls threatening to expose her secret. At this point, it's fair to assume someone knows about J.T. I wonder if J.T. was somehow alive when the ladies buried him, and he managed to escape, recover, and plot his revenge. Perhaps someone else knows what happened to J.T., or it's not about J.T. at all, but Victoria's guilty conscience might cause her to spill the beans about J.T.'s demise anyway. I suppose the calls could also be a trick by Paul and Christine to get information about J.T.

Father's Day was bittersweet for Jack. If Kyle was sincere in what he said to Jack, then it would appear that their relationship is back on track, with no clear explanation of what that business with Victor was all about. I'm glad that Jack is on a journey to find out who his father is. This would be an interesting story if it weren't destroying the Abbott legacy. I'm still hoping that Jack's DNA test was rigged.

And how convenient that all Dina's personal papers were stored by Hamilton-Winters in Genoa City and were available just when Jack needed them. It tickled me that Neil suggested that Jack's father might be Victor, and Jack told Neil that he had had that nightmare and had done the math, which, thankfully for Jack, proved that Victor couldn't be Jack's father.

Neil's family had the most successful Father's Day. No fighting, no arguing, even when Devon said that he and Hilary were a couple again. Everyone, including Lily, was gracious and accepting. It was very nice to see at least one family getting along and having fun in celebration of their patriarchs. Enjoy it while you can, Hamiltons, Winterses, and Ashbys. It's a soap, so happiness is fleeting.

To say the least, I am distraught to hear that Mishael Morgan, Hilary, will be exiting the show. I have come to love this character and the actress who plays her. It would be very easy to hate Hilary, but Morgan has endowed Hilary with a vulnerability that makes me root for her. I don't want to see either the character or the actress depart, but Morgan has stated that it is time for her to move on, and I wish her the very best. I hope to see her in primetime or on the big screen soon. I believe she has what it takes to become a big, big star. Mishael Morgan is an incredible actress.

Meanwhile, I'm hoping for a Hilary recast because I don't want to see GC Buzz canceled or Mariah lose her job. I don't expect Y&R to get that recast right on the first go-round because Mishael will be leaving some very high stilettos to fill. I expect Y&R to keep recasting until they get it right, just like they finally did with Billy -- yes, I know that some of you disagree, but face it, the Billy you liked best has moved on. I expect the same if Hilary is recast. I may always like Mishael best, but she is moving on, so I'll be content with another great actress who can own the part. She won't be the same Hilary, but she'll be a good one just like Jason Thompson, the current Billy.

Last week, I got a seven-week-old puppy to go with my six-month-old kitten. They have provided so much entertainment that I've barely seen any TV at all. Watching them chase each other and play tag is hilarious. The puppy is half the size of the kitten, but Darlin' Dolly Dog is more than a match for Blondie Cat, and when the puppy is full grown, she and the cat will be about the same weight and height.

This is fair warning to all my soaps and TV shows: if you can't entertain me as well as these sweet, loving creatures do, I may spend all my time watching them instead of you!! So, be warned.

Thanks again for letting me share my thoughts with you. As always, fellow fans, I welcome feedback about this column in the section provided below. I enjoy all your comments, even when you don't agree with me. Please return in two weeks for another edition of Two Scoops.

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