Days Of Our Lives Summer Promotion Ad

Days of Our Lives has focused heavily on family storytelling for years. Their promotional ad this summer reflects family, relationships and love. It the perfect time of an ad like this as the 4th of July holiday approaches. Check out the latest promo from Access Hollywood.

Days Of Our Lives Mark Hapka At Fatboy Furniture Promotion

Days of Our Lives actor Mark Hapka (Nathan) helps Fatboy USA furniture president Pam Masters introduce the Fatboy Furniture Bean Bag Marimekko Chair.

Fatboy Furniture products have been seen on reality shows The Real World and Big Brother.

Casting Updates

Photo: ABC

Here's a look at some casting news in the world of soaps.

Wally Kurth(pictured above) is returing to Days of Lives in the role of Justin Kiriakis. Kirth was also known to soap audiences for his roles on As The World Turns and as part of the legendary Quatermaine Family on General Hospital. Expect Kurth and Justin to set foot in Salem this August.

As her current soap sets to leave the air in September, Crystal Chappell will be leaving the Emmy winning Guiding Light to return to Days of Our Lives as Carly Manning.

Popular television actress Morgan Fairchild will have a guest starring stint on The Bold and The Beautiful this summer. She will share scenes with the show's mariarch Stephanie Forrester played by Susan Flannery.

Former Port Charles and General Hospital actress, Lynn Herring will appear on As The World Turns at the end of July as the mother of Henry, played by Trent Dawson.

Judi Evans Luciano, formerly of Days of Our Lives is set for headed for As The World Turns for a short term as well. She is set to play a character known as Maeve. Luciano's daytime resume is impressive having been on Another World and on Guiding Light. Look for the Maeve character to arrive sometime in August.

And Baby Makes Three

Congratulations are in order for Arianne Zucker (Nicole, Days of Our Lives) and her husband, Kyle Lowder (Rick, Bold & The Beautiful) are expecting their first child later this year. Her pregnancy will not be written into her Days of Our Lives storyline according to the shows executive producer, Ken Corday.

Geminis and Cancers: June Birthdays

Adrienne Frantz

Born this month:

Ar ianne Zuker Days of Our Lives June 3

Eileen Davidson The Young & The Restless June 15

Peter Bergman The Young & The Restless June 11

JR Martinez All My Children June 14

Jake Silbermann As The World Turns June 1

Leslie Kay The Bold & The Beautiful June 13

Adrienne Frantz The Young & The Restless June 7

Carolyn Hennesy General Hospital June 10

Greg Vaughan General Hospital June 15

Steve Burton General Hospital June 28

Lawrence Saint-Victor Guilding Light June 14

Susan Haskell One Life To Live June 10

Tika Sumpter One Life To Live June 20

Days Of Our Lives Weekly Promo: Week of May 25

Daytime Emmy Nominations Announced

The Daytime Emmy Awards nominations were announced this morning in New York City. The ceremony will be held on Sunday, August 30th and broadcast on the CW. Ugly Betty Actress, Vanessa Williams will be the host. The full list of nominations will be announced later this evening at a party hosted by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The Daytime Drama Categories are listed below:

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
All My Children
Days of our Lives
The Bold and the Beautiful

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR
Thorsten Kaye (Zach Slater, AMC)
Peter Reckell (Bo Brady, DAYS)
Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer, GH)
Daniel Cosgrove (Bill Lewis, GL)
Christian LeBlanc (Michael Baldwin, Y&R)

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS
Debbi Morgan (Angie Hubbard, AMC)
Maura West (Carly Tenney, ATWT)
Susan Flannery (Stephanie Forrester, B&B)
Susan Haskell (Marty Saybrooke, OLTL)
Jeanne Cooper (Katherine Chancellor, Y&R)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR
Vincent Irizarry (David Hayward, AMC)
Jacob Young (JR Chandler, AMC)
Van Hansis (Luke Snyder, ATWT)
Bradford Anderson (Damien Spinelli, GH)
Jeff Branson (Shayne Lewis, GL)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Melissa Claire Egan (Annie Lavery, AMC)
Alicia Minshew (Kendall Hart, AMC)
Julie Pinson (Janet Ciccone, ATWT)
Tamara Braun (Ava Vitali, DAYS)
Bree Williamson (Jessica Buchanan, OLTL)

OUTSTANDING YOUNGER ACTOR
Cornelis Smith, Jr. (Frankie Hubbard, AMC)
Darin Brooks (Max Brady, DAYS)
Blake Berris (Nick Fallon, DAYS)
EJ Bonilla (Rafe Rivera, GL)
Bryton McClure (Devon Hamilton, Y&R)

OUTSTANDING YOUNGER ACTRESS
Merdeith Hagner (Liberty Ciccone, ATWT)
Rachel Melvin (Chelsea Benson, DAYS)
Kirsten Storms (Maxie Jones, GH)
Julie Berman (Lulu Spencer, GH)
Emily O'Brien (Jana Hawkes, Y&R)

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES WRITING TEAM
All My Children
The Bold and the Beautiful
General Hospital
One Life to Live

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES DIRECTING TEAM
All My Children
Days of our Lives
One Life to Live

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION/SET DECORATION/SCENIC DESIGN FOR A DRAMA SERIES
All My Children
Days of our Lives
The Bold and the Beautiful

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CASTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
As the World Turns
Days of our Lives
General Hospital

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN FOR A DRAMA SERIES
All My Children
One Life to Live
The Young and the Restless

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MULTIPLE CAMERA EDITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
All My Children
As the World Turns
The Bold and the Beautiful
One Life to Live

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN HAIRSTYLING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
The Bold and the Beautiful
General Hospital
Passions

NOMINATIONS AT A GLANCE

All My Children: 12 nominations: 7 acting, 2 technical, plus Directing, Writing and Series
Days of our Lives: 9 nominations: 5 acting, 2 technicalm plus Directing and Series
General Hospital: 7 nominations: 4 acting, 2 technical, plus Writing
As The World Turns: 5 nominations: 4 acting, 1 technical
One Life to Live: 5 nominations: 2 acting, 1 technical, plus Directing and Writing
The Young and the Restless: 5 nominations: 4 acting, 1 technical
The Bold and the Beautiful: 5 nominations: 1 acting, 2 technical, plus Writing and Series
Guiding Light: 3 nominations: 3 acting
Passions: 1 nomination: 1 technical

ABC: 23 nominations
CBS: 17 nominations
NBC: 9 nominations

Days Of Our Lives Weekly Preview

Week Of May 11th

Kelly Monaco and Shelley Henning To Judge 2009 Miss USA Pageant

Kelly Monaco Shelly Henning

Daytime Stars To Judge 2009 Miss USA Pageant
Kelly Monaco (Sam, GENERAL HOSPITAL) and Shelley Hennig (Stephanie, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) will be two of the 12 celebrity judges for the 2009 Miss USA Pageant. The Pageant will be broadcast live on NBC on Sunday, April 19 (7pm ET). Hennig was named Miss Teen USA in 2004.

Patrika Darbo in Johnny Depps's "Rango"

DAYS OF OUR LIVES alumnus Patrika Darbo (ex-Nancy) will be mingling with the likes of Johnny Depp and those notorious DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES. The actress has been cast — well her voice has — in the upcoming animated Paramount film, Rango, also starring the voices of Depp, Isla Fisher and Abigail Breslin. The film tells the story of a household pet (Depp), who goes on an adventure to discover his true self. The film is set for a 2011 release.

Meanwhile, look for Darbo to guest on the Feb. 8 episode of the ABC hit DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, in scenes with Eva Longoria.

Days Of Our Lives Renewal and Shake Ups

The drama at Days of Our Loves seems to be happening behind the scenes as the struggling soap gets renewed by NBC for 18 months, a length that is considerably shorter than the previous 5 year renewals that NBC has given to the soap that created super couples Bo & Hope, Doug & Julie and popular vixen, Sammi Brady.

It has been reported that a condition of the deal is that the show strip their budget considerably with almost means shake ups in the cast. The first casualties of the new budget are the soaps resident veterans and super couple paring of John and Marlena. The actors who play them, Drake Hogestrn and Deidre Hall have been let go.

In commenting on the shocking but necessary firing of Hall and Hogestryn, executive producer Ken Corday tells Soap Opera Digest magazine, "It was a very tough decision to make. They have been wonderful for a long time. It's not about their work. They're obviously brilliant and have a very large fan base. But there is never an end when a couple leaves happily ever after. They're not dead. Characters have left and come back [before]".

Except other changes to the shows canvas which will be pared down a great deal as well as the shows production staff.

Days Of Our Lives, renewed through September 2010, airs weekdays on NBC.

Days Of Our Lives Renewed Through September 2010

The network currently shells out $1.7 million-$1.8 million a week in licensing fees for its longtime soap 'Days of Our Lives.

NBC has inked a deal with Sony Pictures TV to extend its run of daytime sudser "Days of Our Lives."
But in a sign of uncertain times for the daytime soap biz, the Peacock's pickup runs just 18 months. The previous renewal pact between Sony and Corday Prods. had a five-year term.

NBC's current deal for "Days of Our Lives" was set to expire in March, which means the new arrangement will keep the soap on the network only through September 2010. However, it's understood that another year will be triggered if certain perameters on the show are met. That would keep "Days" on the air through September 2011.

Shortened renewal comes as the economics of daytime TV -- particularly soap operas --continue to sour. NBC has gradually eliminated most of its daytime sudsers, most recently moving "Passions" to DirecTV (before eventually pulling the plug on that show altogether).

The reup also comes despite rumblings from NBC Universal topper Jeff Zucker a few years ago that "Days of Our Lives" might not be renewed at all. More recently, Zucker hasn't been as vocal about a "Days" cancellation, although the short renewal could signal that NBC's long-term daytime plans may not include sudsers.

It's unclear whether NBC also negotiated a reduced license fee for the show. The Peacock was most recently shelling out $1.7 million-$1.8 million a week for the show.

As part of the renewal it's understood that the show, led by exec producer Ken Corday, will be making some onscreen changes as well, including some cast shuffles.

Season-to-date "Days of Our Lives" is tied for third place in the daypart among women 18-49 and is tied as the No. 1 show in women 18-34.

SoapNet holds same-day repurposing rights for "Days," which is also available for download via Apple's iTunes.

The soap is celebrating its 43rd anniversary.

source: variety.com

Soap Opera Writer James E. Reilly Remembered

The recent passing of head writer James E. Reilly has stunned the industry. His longtime friend and agent Jonathan Russo, who confirmed Reilly's death to Soap Opera Weekly, "We spoke an hour or two hours a day for almost 15-20 years. We did the math, 27 years. He was a towering figure in the industry. He deserved my time and attention. He wanted it and we were friends. We liked to catch up," Russo shares. "He never ran out of thoughts or ideas. He never repeated himself unless it was intentional so he didn’t lose viewers. He never had other people submit story ideas ever. He sat down and laid out and presented stories and layouts for 2 shows. This is an amazing accomplishment," Russo adds.

Ken Corday (Executive Producer, DAYS): "The DAYS OF OUR LIVES family is deeply saddened by the recent passing of James E. Reilly. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. Jim was not only an ingenious storyteller who changed the landscape of daytime drama, but he celebrated life with passion, humor, and an appreciation for the best it has to offer. He was an inspiration for us all...and will be greatly missed."

Lisa de Cazotte (executive producer GH:NIGHT SHIFT, former EP PASSIONS): "Jim Reilly was not only a legend in our industry, but he was a great friend and mentor. His creativity, sense of humor and genius will be sorely missed. There will never be another like him and I am deeply grateful for the years we spent working together on PASSIONS and for the joy he brought to my life."

Days Of Our Lives Fan Event

SAVE THE DATE FOR A "DAY OF DAYS"!

STARS OF NBC'S DAYTIME DRAMA 'DAYS OF OUR LIVES' TO MEET FANS AT CITYWALK AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD THIS NOVEMBER!

Who: Stars of "Days of our Lives" (see below)

What: DAY OF DAYS
Meet & Greet, Q&A and many more exciting activities with your favorite "Days of our Lives" stars!

Where: CityWalk at Universal Studios Hollywood
1000 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608

When: Saturday, November 1, 2008 - 10:00am

Admission to event is free!

Meet all your favorite Days of our Lives stars, including:
Kristian Alfonso
Blake Berris
Nadia Bjorlin
Darin Brooks
Molly Burnett
Shawn Christian
Bryan Dattilo
Kevin Dobson
Mary Beth Evans
Galen Gering
Deidre Hall
Shelley Hennig
Leann Hunley
Drake Hogestyn
Jay Kenneth Johnson
Renee Jones
Lauren Koslow
Eric Martsolf
Joe Mascolo
Rachel Melvin
Stephen Nichols
Thaao Penghlis
Jim Reynolds
James Scott
Alison Sweeney
Arianne Zucker

The event schedule includes:
10-10:30 a.m. - "Day of Days" Introduction
10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. - "Meet & Greet" with the cast of "Days of our Lives"
1–2 p.m. - Lunch Break
2–3 p.m. - Q&A Panel with the Stars
3–3:45 p.m. - "Days of our Lives" Trivia Challenge
3:45 – 4:00 p.m. - Event finale including the selection of a grand-prize raffle winner and a sneak peek of future "Days of our Lives" story lines

Throughout the event fans will also have the chance to win raffle prizes, be selected as a "Days" star look-alike and win exciting "Days of our Lives" merchandise.

For more information on CityWalk at Universal Studios Hollywood go to www.citywalkhollywood.com.