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Days Of Our Lives @ soapcentral.com 
I’m starting to become even more obsessed with Days than I already am. Scary, I know. But, someone’s got to do it so that the rest of you people, who actually have lives, can feel comfortable knowing that Days is properly being worshiped at all times. No need to thank me.
I'm starting to see Day's characters where ever I go. So, here are the celebrity and Day's cast member matches that I've noticed. Yes, I know that actors often change their hair/other physical attributes frequently. This isn't meant to be an all inclusive, no exceptions list. It's just my observations.
This one came to me when I went to see "The Dark Knight"
Celebrity: Christian Bale (Actor, Batman)
Day's Cast Member: Jay Kenneth Johnson (Philip Kiriakis)
The Olympics had to preempt Days, but I think that's only because Blake was pulling double duty.
Celebrity: Michael Phelps (Olympic swimmer)
Day's Cast Member: Blake Berris (Nick Fallon)
Maybe it's the hair....but this one is way to obvious.
Celebrity: Meg Ryan (Actress)
Day's Cast Member: Mary Beth Evans (Kayla Johnson)
This one started out with Tamara and Christie resembling each other, but then I remembered who they both look like!
Celebrity: Drea de Matteo (Actress, Sopranos)
Day's Cast members: Tamara Braun (Ava Vitali) and Christie Clark (Carrie Brady)
Classy, sassy, and very sexy!
Celebrity: Dianne Keaton (Actress)
Day's Cast Member: Lauren Koslow (Kate Roberts)
Maybe this is the reason I've always thought Max would make a great romantic leading man.
Celebrity: Johnny Depp (Actor, "Pirates of the Caribbean")
Day's Cast Member: Darin Brooks (Max Brady)
Agree with me? Have some of your own? Let me know!
Cheers,
Laurisa
Days is very lucky to have some of the best acting talent on daytime. So, I can imagine that with all that awesomeness running around, TPTB might get a little spoiled and not realize what a good thing they have and let some people go. But, there are those rare cases where a character's exit seems inappropriate at best. It leaves viewers baffled as to why the characters left at that time because there was so much storyline going on around them.
(Note, these aren't people who left because their contract was up or people who's characters just never really panned out. These are people who were shown the door and it just didn't make any sense.)
1. Martha Madison and Brandon Beemer (Belle Black and Shawn Brady)
When it happened: February 2008
How it happened: Belle and Shawn decided to take Claire and start their life over as a family by leaving Salem to sail around the world on the Fancy face IV.
Why is was so dang confusing: Where do I start? Belle and Shawn had just decided to start a life together. Belle had just enrolled in nursing school. Shawn had just been accepted to the police academy. Bo, Shawn's dad, was still in the hospital recovering from his life saving pancreas transplant. Chelsea, Shawn's half-sister, was still in the hospital recovering from being Bo's donor. Oh yeah, and John, Belle's dad, had just come back from the dead and given control over the entire DiMera Empire, despite not having any memory of his life before he "died".
2. Alina Foley as Claire Brady
When it happened: February 2008
How it happened: Claire left town with her parents to live the normal life of a toddler- traveling the world in a boat.
Why it was so dang confusing: Well, there's the boat aspect. Claire's been on two boats in her on-screen life. The first, Belle held her and jumped over board with her. The second, a huge storm hit it and Claire was washed right into the arms of a kidnapper. Right. Boats are totally Claire's thing! Above all that, Claire was the only character that could touch a soft spot in her robo-Grandpa's rough, pre-programmed heart.
3. Julie Pinson and Billie Reed
When it happened: February 2008
How it happened: Billie took a job in London, working for Victor Kiriakis's Titan office.
Why it was so dang confusing: Billie had just hit her stride as one of the most confident and competent women in Salem. She helped her brother Philip find his son Tyler. She helped her daughter Chelsea and her sorority sisters stand up to campus rapist, Ford Decker. And, she had just made peace with Bo and Hope and was looking forward to a (love) life of her own.
Want some actual factual proof that Days is very avid in letting their stars go too soon? Head over to Tony's Blog. He's got some hard stats on how many soaps Days has canceled in comparison to the other networks. His findings are astounding!
Cheers,
Laurisa
As part of your ever faithful Two Scoops duo, Tony and I are always ready to share our thoughts on our favorite guilty obsession with you. We hope you'll do the same with us! We appreciate all the feedback that we can get!
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow: A Statistical Look at Canceled Soaps
With the constant rumors of NBC pulling the plug on Days (which I hope never happens mind you), I got a little curious as to how many soaps have been canceled and dug into my old, faithful book, “The Soap Opera Encyclopedia” (published in 1997). As the findings were pretty interesting, I thought I’d share them! Please note, the shows written into the first list were canceled after the book was published, but I wanted to add them to the total. The second list is the names of the shows just for giggles as some of the titles are pretty laughable!
Network: Number of Cancelled Soaps:
ABC 10 published + Port Charles = 11
CBN* 1
CBS 17
Direct TV 1 (Passions (again))
Dumont 1
Fox 1
NBC 34 published + Another World, Passions & Sunset Beach = 37
TBS 1
*Christian Broadcast Network
Network: Canceled Shows:
Please note, some shows were canceled on one network then picked up by another only to be cancelled again. I’ve added the airdates after the show to specify them as well as specifying if a show went through a name change.
ABC The Best of Everything; Dark Shadows; The Edge Of Night (1975-1984); Flame In The Wind (1964; renamed A Time For Us and ran from 1964 -1966); Loving (1983-1995; renamed The City and ran from 1995-1997); Never Too Young; The Nurses; Port Charles; Ryan’s Hope; A World Apart; The Young Marrieds
CBN Another Life
CBS The Brighter Day; Capitol; The Clear Horizon; The Edge Of Night (1956-1975); The Egg And I; The First Hundred Years; Full Circle; How To Survive A Marriage; Love Is A Many Splendored Thing; Love of Life; The Road Of Life; Search For Tomorrow (1951-1982); The Secret Storm; The Seeking Heart; Valiant Lady; Where The Heart Is; Woman With A Past
Direct TV Passions (2008)
Dumont A Woman To Remember
Fox Tribes
NBC Another World; Ben Jerrod; The Bennetts; Bright Promise; Concerning Miss Marlowe; The Doctors; Fairmeadows, U.S.A.; First Love; Follow Your Heart; From These Roots; Generations; Golden Windows; The Greatest Gift; Hawkins Falls; Hidden Faces; Kitty Foyle; Lovers And Friends (1977; renamed For Richer, For Poorer and ran from 1977 -1978); Miss Susan; Moment of Truth; Morning Star; One Man’s Family; Our Five Daughters; Paradise Bay; Passions (1999-2008); Portia Faces Life; Return To Peyton Place; Santa Barbara; Search For Tomorrow (1982-1986); Somerset; Sunset Beach; Texas; These Are My Children**; Three Steps To Heaven; A Time To Live; Today Is Ours; The World Of Mr. Sweeney; Young Dr. Malone
TBS The Catlins
** Please note, “These Are My Children” aired from January 31 to February 25, 1949 and preceded ABC’s “All My Children” (1970) by 21 years … AKA NBC did not rip off the title.
There are currently only eight soaps still on the air: All My Children, As The World Turns, The Bold & The Beautiful, Days, General Hospital, Guiding Light, One Life To Live and The Young & The Restless.
Big Name Stars on Days!? Nope, But A Guy Can Blog!
I was so inspired thanks to “DaysofOurLives1” fun message board posting, “What big named actor would you like to see on DOOL? As a recast or a new person?” that I took it and ran all the way to Blogville! Actually, I just didn’t want to waste too much space on the thread as I can be, well, wordy. I also added a common thread question, “Who would you like to see return?” Here are some of my random ideas:
First up: Actors Who Should Return …
Eileen Davidson as Kristen Blake/Susan Banks … Days brass missed a golden opportunity by not snagging her when she was dropped to recurring status on The Bold and the Beautiful and before Y&R picked her back up. Whereas Susan was always a little too much for my tastes, Kristen was such an awesomely awesome character! Besides, right now she could have one heck of a storyline – throwing her hat into the ring to gain control of the DiMera Empire, digging her claws into John when he’s vulnerable, and how would she interact with a gutsier, stronger Marlena? Then there’s E.J.! Sure, Eileen’s not old enough to be his mother in real life and it would be one heck of a stretch on the show even, but who’s to say Susan wasn’t older than Kirsten? They could recast Susan with a slightly older actress – problem solved! A good scapegoat if nothing else or perhaps me just grasping at straws!
Louise Sorel and Ivan G'Vera as Vivian Alamain Ivan Marais … seriously, Salem without them is a little less exciting! Now that Victor is around more, Kate is still cunning and Stefano has returned, Vivian needs to come back to and wreak some havoc! And, what would Viv be without Ivan!? Comic relief and mean to the core – a great combo Days has been missing!
Patsy Pease as Kimberly Brady … it would be nice to have her back in town to complete the “Brady Bunch.” Caroline could surely use her other daughter around and Bo could definitely use more support too. And perhaps Charles Shaughnessy’s Shane Donovan could follow to give E.J. a run for the “Most Charming Brit” title! Besides, he’s a CIA Agent and there is more than enough crime in Salem to keep him busy for years to come! Plus, he and Kimberly have been estranged for years so we could get to watch this former super couple fall in love all over again … that would be, well, super! Lastly, they have teenaged/twentysomething kids which equal a lot of storyline potential!
Martha Madison as Belle Brady … Loved her as Belle! Miss her as Belle! ‘Nuff said!
Semi-Plausible Re-Casting …
Michele Lee or Michelle Philips as Dr. Laura Horton and Don Murray as Bill Horton … how interesting would it be if the show revisited the famous Mickey/Laura/Bill love triangle now – and with stunt re-casting! Well, nowadays I should say the Maggie/Mickey/Laura/Bill quadangle. Ok, here’s the stunt: Don Murray and Michele Lee played husband and wife on Knots Landing until his character was killed off and her character remarried Kevin Dobson’s character Mac (AKA Days’ new Mickey)! Or, here’s more food for thought … Michelle Phillips came on KL as an old flame of Dobson’s character and caused problems for him and his wife! Lot’s of history to re-explore and lots of inside jokes to be had!
Swoosie Kurtz as Dr. Sandy Horton … Let’s face it, Salem needs some more Hortons and Sandy would be a great start. She’s a doctor, hello family footsteps, and she’s around the same age as a certain Mr. Roman Brady who desperately needs a love life! And, it would also stick it to Marlena a little if they got together as I believe her and Sandy were friends. Regardless, there is a lot of potential – Sandy returning and fighting for the Chief of Staff title, feeling entitled because it was her grandfathers. That might cause a rift in her budding relationship with Roman as his best friend’s wife, Lexie, is the current chief, etc. Much to work with! And, most importantly, the few Hortons already in Salem could finally relax around Christmas time as returning family members could hang their own dang bulbs!
Semi-Plausible Casting …
Kathleen Noone as Vivian Alamain’s sister Vanessa, Valerie or something else that starts with a V! … Louise Sorel is a hoot! Kathleen, a super hoot! Put these two together as squabbling, gold digging, mean spirited sisters and laughter is ensured! Storyline potential would be endless – they could team up to give the men in town a run for their money, vide for control of Titan, Viv could get a little jealous of her sis if she got a little too close to Victor, or, heck, they could even do a “Baby Jane” type storyline: Viv’s sis was a famous actress, Viv’s been visiting her while she’s been away from Salem, but is a little jealous of her sis until “Sister V” has an accent and Viv is forced to care for her! Again, endless possibilities and surefire hilarity! I can already see the uneasy expression on E.J.’s face if one of these two hit on him. Priceless!
Lindsay Hartley as Tony DiMera’s Long Lost Daughter … Something about this just seems right! Lindsay could definitely pass as Thaoo Penghlis’s child and Tony was gone long enough to have a daughter her age. I would pull a twist with this casting though – I’d bring her on a virginal, sweet, innocent type character, you know, opposed to the wild child, hellcat type most of the younger characters have been introduced as lately. She would be kind of an “Isabella Toscano” of the new millennium and there could be a lot of men ready to fall for her … Max, Philip, Max, Eric Brady or Brady Black (if they get smart and bring them back), Max, Lucas, Max or even Nick … or Max. She would be horrified by her family, yet curious about them and their evil ways. AND, she would be the eldest grandchild of Stefano so it’s assured he’d have big plans for her!
Never Gonna Happen BIG Name Re-Casting Ideas …
Leslie Nielsen as Dr. Thomas "Tommy" Horton, Jr. … To recast the eldest Horton child would be tricky. He’d have to be mature, have a certain honest “Horton” quality to him and a personality big enough to be the new keystone of the family – yep, that’s Leslie Nielsen! Actually, he’s probably one of the few actors who could pull of Tommy’s return. Why? Because Tommy simply disappeared years and years ago without any real explanation! According to several internet sources, the last time he was mentioned was in 1982 when Alice remarked he was living in Hawaii! SO, work with me … comic genius Nielsen, Hawaiian shirts and showing up at the next Horton function as if nothing is odd about it. That could all add up to side-splitting! Plus, he could be retired, have extra time on his hands and likes to hang out at the Brady Pub where he and feisty Caroline fall for each other! The “Awe Factor” would be off the charts AND talk about the ultimate Brady/Horton union!
Vivica A. Fox as Nikki Wade … before Lexie stole Abe’s heart there was Nikki Wade! Now called Kiki, to avoid confusion with Nicole Walker, she returns to Salem and goes after Abe. To her, he’s the one who got away and she wants him back! Drama for the Carvers is always great as it thrusts the talented actors who play them to center stage and it would be nice to see a “foxy” woman chasing Abe. This would also be an interesting recast as Renee Jones actually played Nikki until that part was cut and Nikki left town. Luckily, Renee was later brought back to fill the newly created role of Lexie!
Never Gonna Happen BIG Name Casting Ideas …
Robert De Niro as Santino DiMera … now, I admit, Days’ history would have to be re-re-re-written to go back to Stefano being the “seventh son of the seventh son,” but who better to play one of his brothers than Bob “Vito Corleone” De Niro!? He could be Andre’s father and out for revenge against Stefano for causing his son to become so evil and contributing to Andre’s untimely death! Ewe, shivers just thinking about it! Evil vs. Evil and another log on the DiMera vs. DiMera fire!
Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Paul Sorvino, James Caan and Woody Allen as the remaining five DiMera Brothers (Sergio, Silvio, Salvatore, Sonny and “Stogie”)… First, let’s just hope Mama DiMera didn’t have a lisp, but, to address the odd choice, yes, I said Woody Allen. Listing him was basically for personal amusement, but how funny would it be to see a table full of some of Hollywood’s most clichéd mobsters AND Woody Allen!? Right!? He would be brother “Stogie,” a nickname of course, who always smokes a huge cigar and isn’t taken all that seriously. Anyway, these five tag along with “Santino” to out Stefano as head of the Familia … and the entire set up was organized by … by … wait for it … Kristen Blake who wanted it all for herself and brought in the heavyweights to do the lifting for her!
Bea Arthur as Martha Evans … to my knowledge Mama Evans has never been to Salem. She’s been talked about, but never actually cast, so, casting her would have to be big! Bigger than a “Partridge” big. Bea Arthur would fit the bill! Marlena, when she’s not kidnapped or acting all gushy, has a fairly go-getter, independent woman streak and she had to learn that somewhere … and where better than Bea Arthur!? As Maude, Arthur caused tons of TV brass to go prematurely gray and pushed more envelopes than a postman. She’s gutsy and out spoken, sarcastic and witty – Bea can do it all! And, I bet, as Martha she could whip the Evans Girls back into shape! I can already imagine her telling Sami, in that deep voice of hers, “Knock it off already and pick one of those two.”
Queen Latifah as Mia Carver … Abe needs at least one family member Lexie is guaranteed not to sleep with, so how about a sister for him? Now, I wouldn’t cast her as a long lost sister, just one that has never mentioned as it would cut down on all the overdone revelation drama. Mostly, she would be fun, funny and fabulous! She would also cause tons of drama for Lexie as she wouldn’t put up with her sister-in-law’s tendency for affairs, snap Abe into shape when he’s being stubborn and enjoy flirting with all the men is Salem! A sassy gal for Roman perhaps? An obstacle for Tony and Anna? She could be a cop as well and team up with Hope, Charlie’s Angels minus a third! Yet again, endless possibilities.
James Franco as TBA/Hot Ex-Marine Friend of Philip’s … someone young, handsome and talented like James needs to come to Salem and steal Chelsea’s heart! Nick was good, Dr. Dan was ok, but Chelsea needs an “everyman” that combines Nick’s heart of gold, do-gooder ways with Dr. Dan’s tall, dark and handsome, adventurous streak. And, if they keep him away from her mom and grandma, there could be tons of potential there … adventures with Philip, she could help him get over his nightmarish war days, he could slay DiMera dragons for her and even help her with the kids in the hospital, because, really, what’s cuter than a guy playing with children?
Lucy Liu as TBA/Long Lost Kiriakis Heiress … Sure, Victor has had random children pop up before, but Bo and Isabella turned out to be saints, this girl – the sinner! She would be a chip off the old Kiriakis block – power hungry, vengeful and determined. Storyline possibilities … a control feud with Philip, revenge against Victor for leaving her mother, Kate would instantly hate her, and, as a woman who wants it all, she would certainly go after a man if he’s available or not. James Scott and Lucy Liu anyone? The screen would catch fire and so would Sami and Nicole’s tempers!
Jim Sturgess and Keira Knightley as Andrew and Jeannie Donovan … British and beautiful, just like their “TV dad” Charles Shaughnessy AKA Shane Donovan. Even though I wouldn’t rally too much for more twentysomething storylines, some new characters might add a little spice to the mix. Andrew could have a deep, dark “closeted” secret and Jeannie could be in love with Chelsea’s new man, the suggested Hot Ex-Marine Friend of Philip’s! Ok, I need to work a little harder on these ones, but ideas are brewing!
Paul Walker and/or Chad Michael Murray as Brady Black and/or Eric Brady … the actors are both blonde and beautiful, but more importantly, the characters simply need to return! Eric more so, but a new and improved Brady with an edge (and not so sing along) would be cool too. Lot’s of trouble is already brewing for either of these characters to jump into, but there could be a lot of new storylines ahead for them too … Brady relapsing, Eric falling for someone like Morgan, getting back together with Nicole, becoming a cop like his dad, etc. Side note, those two actors were the first blonde ones I thought of, but Days could conceivably steal John-Paul Lavoisier (Rex Balsom) away from One Life to Live – he would make a great Eric recast! Also, aren’t there Passions hotties out of work now? Wake up Days casting department! I know, I know … the budget! Right.
Christopher Walken as RoboJohn of the Future … I don’t know why, but this made me laugh – John gets a glimpse into his future via Celeste and she warns him if he stays on his robotic path, he’ll end up alone. Cut to a scene of him, fifteen/twenty years later. He’s in the DiMera Mansion, alone in a white tank top eating cold beans out of a can and talking to the now faded picture of Marlena. Walken is so hysterically creepy it could work!
Larry Hagman as a “J.R. Ewing” type … sure, it’s shameless stunt and type casting, but it could be awesome! Hagman is great and you can tell he has so much fun playing a bad guy. So why not bring a rich, tycoon to Salem to drill for oil? Bo and the other Green Thinkers would immediately campaign against him, but a man of his stature would’ve had to run into Victor and/or Stefano at some point too … and probably Kate if you know what I mean! Lot’s of layers to that onion could be peeled away and, just for giggles, lets say he brings his granddaughter with him to stir up trouble for Max and Stephanie. Alexa Havins, ex-Babe on All My Children, would be perfect for the role, yet, there could be a problem – would Max go for someone who’s not a member of his family? Not sure.
Julia Roberts as herself … this one was already posted, but since she’s a confirmed Days fan a cameo wouldn’t be the most outrageous thing ever thought of, but, of course, I doubt it will ever happen. Yet, it would be awesome! Perhaps she could bump into E.J. and remember him from some posh party in Europe or see Hope and say something corny like, “You’re such a pretty woman! Where did you get that jewelry?” Heck, she could even eat at Chez Rouge and bond with fellow redhead Maggie, Big Red to Big Red style. Endless possibilities!
Bo and Hope, now there’s a love story for the ages! A “princess” meets a rough and tumble rebel with a heart of gold, they wed, have a kid, wed again, have another kid, wed again and … gee … there’s a pattern there! Nevertheless, this daytime dynamic duo helped add a “fancy” face to the 80’s super couple phenomena and, like a fine wine, they’re only getting better with age! So, to celebrate their most recent trip down the isle, I’ve listed some of the special touches that made their vow renewal all that more, well, special! But, before we look at the present, let’s do a quick run down of their other marriages …
1984: Oak Alley Plantation! This wasn’t an “official” one, but Bo and Hope exchanged vows to one another then sealed the deal – they made love for the first time!
1985: The real deal – Hope and Bo tie the knot in a lavish “Royal” English Wedding! Most of the cast and crew flew to the UK for the big event and it was reported that Kristian Alfonso liked the dress she wore as Hope so much that she actually borrowed it for her real life nuptials in 1987.
2000 (June): Bo and Hope have a quickie, hospital bedside wedding in order to beat the birth of their second child! Only Shawn Douglas and a few hospital employees were present, well, until baby Zack popped out.
2000 (December): Technically, this wedding was more of a vow renewal as the couple was already wed in June. Regardless, Hope put on a white dress, Bo a tux and they marched down the isle at St. Luke’s to pledge their love for one another – again!
And now for some random 2008 Vow Renewal Info …
Hope’s Something Old, New, Borrowed and Blue:
Something Old: First, Maggie gave Hope an antique handkerchief from the Brady Family’s hope chest.
Something New: Next, Kayla presented her with a new bracelet from Baron’s Department Store.
Something Borrowed: Then Julie loaned her a necklace that belonged to their late mother, Addie Horton (yes, they’re half-sisters)!
Something Blue: Finally, Chelsea handed Hope a lacey blue garter!
By the way, if you’re curious about where that entire tradition came from, feel free to click here for the info I obtained after a little Google searching!
The Rings:
Hope’s ring was an exact replica of the one she lost at sea several years ago (I don’t particularly remember this happening – rewrite? Is my mind going? Not sure). Regardless, Bo lured the same jeweler out of retirement who forged the same ring for Hope! The only difference is that he added the date of their most recent nuptials next to the original date.
Bo’s ring was also pretty special as it belonged to Shawn Sr.! All together now, “Awe!” Caroline confidently handed it over to commemorate this new beginning for Bo and Hope.
The Words:
Although Caroline read the following passage on Alice’s behalf as she couldn’t attend the ceremony, it was Sir Walter Scott, a Scottish novelist and poet, who wrote the words that Alice read to Tom on their wedding day and each anniversary that followed.
True love's the gift which God hath given,
To man alone beneath the heaven.
The silver link, the silver tie, which heart to heart, and mind to mind,
in body and in soul can find.
That’s it folks! I hope everyone enjoyed this little shrine to everything Bo and Hope. Make sure to check back next year around this time for new information on their newest vow renewal or wedding!
Be it Blogs or Two Scoops, Laurisa and I are always up to something so make sure to check out the latest column each week or, if you've missed an article or two, head on over to the Archive Section! As always, we appreciate your feedback!
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