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Sep 6, 2000 04:00 AM ET
- by Soaps
Dear Soaps,
Please give your insight on the John Black story line(s) on Days of Our
Lives. Is it me or am I the only one who notices that anything that can
happen has happened to John. First he was Roman Brady, then Father Black,
then a mercenary, then a pilot, and now he imagines that he's a doctor. No
telling what else he was/is. Is there no end to this? Will he ever be
"normal" and quit trying to be The Pretender? — Cyndi
Dear Cyndi,
Days viewers have indeed needed a scorecard and graphics to keep track of the multiple jobs and identities held by John Black over the years. One reason there have been so many changes is that there have been so many head writer regimes since Drake Hogestyn (John) joined the show in 1986. To his credit, Hogestyn has tackled each new challenge and brought believability to the each and every new situation. Because the character can't remember much of his past, it provides the
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Sep 6, 2000 04:00 AM ET
- by Soaps
Dear Soaps,
Did Melissa Leo ever appear on All My Children in the role of Linda Warner, Cliff Warner's sister? Thank you. — Jakewha
Dear Jakewha,
Right you are! Leo (who went on to become a regular on Homicide: Life on the Street) was on AMC as Cliff Warner's kid sister from 1984-85. Linda arrived in town with her no-good boyfriend, Chris, who had been shot in a robbery. She wanted her goody two-shoes brother to help but not report the crime. Cliff gave in but paid for his kindness with the suspension of his medical license. Linda's other claim to fame was snapping pictures of a drugged Nina in wicked Zach Grayson's bed. Zach then tried blackmailing Cliff with the photos…that is until Marian Colby murdered Zach in self-defense. (DD)
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Sep 6, 2000 04:00 AM ET
- by Soaps
Dear Soaps,
I read your column regularly and I am surprised that more mentions aren't made about the best soap ever, The Edge of Night. I would love to see a mystery soap like that return to TV. Are they planning on airing this show on SoapNet? It was an ABC show. What were the teenagers names on the show (I think her name was Jody and he was a drama teacher) and was the show cancelled for poor ratings or did they just want to open the time slot from 1/2 hour to 1 hour for local programming? — Bstone
Dear Bstone,
Who could forget the intricate mysteries and the savvy crime fighters featured on daytime's only crime melodrama, The Edge of Night. Born from the mind of Perry Mason writer Irving Vendig, The Edge of Night strayed from the traditional soap format, presenting year-long mysteries that were solved by several core characters and a revolving door of secondary characters in each new story. Live shoot-
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Sep 6, 2000 04:00 AM ET
- by Soaps
Dear Soaps,
I am trying to figure out who played Brandon (Lujack) Spaulding on Guiding Light when he came back years later and said he was his twin. Thank you. — Vickie
Dear Vickie,
The actor, Vincent Irizarry played Lujack from 1984-86 and then returned to GL from 1992-96 as Lujack's never-before-known twin brother, Nick McHenry. But Nick never claimed to be Lujack's twin. Their mother, Alexandra Spaulding, was the one who worked to convince Nick that he had to be her son. Of course, Nick's girlfriend (and Alex's nemesis), Mindy Lewis, also played a role in keeping it secret — she was afraid of losing Nick if he learned about his parentage. You can now catch Irizarry on All My Children. He plays Dr. David Hayward and was most recently involved with Erica Kane (Susan Lucci). (DD)
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Alex Mendoza has taken over the role of Joe Scanlon on Port Charles. His first airdate is Sept. 25. Mendoza's credits include guest roles on Pensacola: Wings of Gold, Charmed, Beverly Hills, 90210 and JAG. David Gail, who assumed the role in July 1999, has vacated the role citing personal reasons.
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It's official. Melissa Reeves is returning to Days of Our Lives, the show that made her a household name. "She is returning," confirms her manager. "The deal just happened." Reeves played the role of Jennifer Devereaux from 1985 to 1995.
Since leaving the show, Reeves has starred in the TV-movie Half a Dozen Babies with her husband, Scott Reeves (Ryan, Y&R). Reeves has auditioned for several other daytime and prime-time projects, but this marks her return to the soap canvas. Look for Michael Logan to have exclusive details in an upcoming issue of TV Guide.
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Recording artists O-Town, the Making the Band boy band, make their daytime debut Sept. 18 on All My Children. The fab five — Trevor Penick, Jacob Underwood, Dan Miller, Ashley Angel and Erik Estrada — are invited by Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) to perform their hit single Baby I Would at Bianca's (Eden Riegel) homecoming party.... Hayden Panettiere (Lizzie, GL) has been cast as Nicole Kidman's daughter in the upcoming film The Panic Room.... Panettiere can also be seen on the silver screen this fall in Remember the Titans with Denzel Washington.... Ryan Phillippe (ex-Billy Douglas, OLTL) stars in the new feature film The Way of the Gun. Phillippe plays Parker, a career criminal who kidnaps a surrogate mother (Juliette Lewis) who is carrying the child of a wealthy couple. He and his partner (Benicio del Toro) hope for a n
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As the World Turns: Daddy's home! Tony Musante has been cast in the recurring role of Joe D'Angelo, Rose's father. Musante mostly recently starred in the HBO drama series Oz and the feature film The Deep End of the Ocean with Jonathan Jackson (ex-Lucky, GH). Musante begins on Sept. 6.... Matt Kautz plays Bucky, beginning Sept. 7.
Bold and the Beautiful: Preston Brant plays Scott on Sept. 5.... Michelle Artigas appears as Helen on Sept. 6 and 7.... Victor Alfieri (ex-Franco, Days) returns as Giovanni beginning Sept. 11.
Days of Our Lives: Step back in time! Chelsea Butler and Dyllan Christopher appear as young Belle and Shawn on Sept. 14. Butler portrayed Belle before Kristen Storms assumed the role.
Guiding Light: Wesley A. Ramsey has been cast in the role of Sam Spencer, Olivia's reckless younger brother. Look for him to stir things up beginning Sep
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Joie Lenz, who has played the tumultuous life of her alter ego, Michelle Bauer, on Guiding Light for the past two years, will be leaving the role in early fall. While her fans may be disappointed to see her go, Lenz's departure is a positive beginning for the 19 year-old actress. "She'd like to get into film and more television, and that can be tough on a soap schedule" says her manager, Nancy Carson. "She made a two-year commitment to the show. She started in high school, and was able to go to her prom and all those things you can do while on a soap, but now it's time to move on." Making the decision was not an easy one for Lenz. "She loves the show," says Carson, "but she'd like to do more." Danny's return to the family business may be the catalyst for Lenz's exit as Michelle goes forward with her plans for divorce. Could Rebecca Budig or Rachel Miner, who both played Michelle before Lenz, be toying with the idea of reprising the role? Budig, who cu
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The wait is over as Nora returns to Llanview this week. Nora awakes from her unconscious state in the convent, with no idea where she is or how she got there, but certain she has to escape. "Nora gets dressed in some nun's habit and leaves the convent. You don't know where she's going," says her portrayer, Hillary B. Smith. "The next thing you see is Sam and Nora's house, and everyone's there accusing Lindsay of doing something to Nora. All of a sudden, Todd shows up and he's got Nora with him." Family and friends are ecstatic to see that Nora is alive and well, but their happiness is short-lived when it becomes evident that Nora has lost her memory.
"Todd's basically a stranger, taking me to a strange house filled with strange people. They look at me like I've come back from the dead," says Smith with a chuckle. "And I don't remember anything until Hank walks in the door. And I'm like 'Oh yes, thank God you're here. Take me out of here. These people are wacky.' He takes me
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