Reunion On GL
Don't miss the huge, fun and funny Bauer barbecue that starts today on GUIDING LIGHT, which features most of the cast, plus the returns of Michelle, Danny and Mindy (Nancy St. Alban, Paul Anthony Stewart and Krista Tesreau). Yes, that means there's another Four Musketeers reunion. Happy Fourth of July!

ATWT Casting News!
Soap Opera Digest has learned that Stuart Damon (Alan, GH) is reportedly joining the cast of ATWT in a new role. He joins fellow GH/PC pals Jon Lindstrom (Craig), Julie Pinson (Janet), Lynn Herring (Audrey) and Marie Wilson (Meg). Since the show is so far ahead with their taping schedule, look for the actor to debut sometime around September.

SOAPnet Announces New Shows, Renewals
Brian Frons, President, Daytime, Disney ABC Television Group, announced the new series recently picked up by SOAPnet and the return of the critically acclaimed BEING ERICA.

HOLIDATE, originally a one-hour special, has now being expanded to a 10 episode series. Each hour-long episode features two women who switch lives and date men in each other's towns. The women will communicate with each other as they hunt for true love. Series premieres July 29.

BANK OF MOM AND DAD, based on a BBC series, shows what happens when mom and dad move in with their twenty-something and thirty-something daughters who are in financial hell. Financial expert Farnoosh Torabi helps each woman plan a road map for the future. Ten episode series premieres Sept. 30.

BEING ERICA, season two, returns early 2010.

Dios, Mio! OLTL Actress Swap!
After a report appeared on Daytime Confidential's Web site, a spokesperson for ONE LIFE TO LIVE confirms for www.soapoperadigest.com that Saundra Santiago will replace Patricia Mauceri as Cristian and Antonio's mother, Carlotta. Santiago was last seen in Llanview as Isobella in 2004 and fans will also remember her as Danny's Mommie Dearest, Carmen Santos on GUIDING LIGHT. Setside sources say that Mauceri, who has played Carlotta since 1995, had problems with an upcoming arc that involves Cristian in Fish and Kyle's emerging gay storyline.

B&B Casting News
Look for Victor Alfieri (ex-Franco, DAYS) to return to B&B on July 16 as L.A.'s favorite sexy photographer, Giovanni.

Driscoll On Y&R
After weeks of rumors and "no comment" from YOUNG AND RESTLESS, the CBS soap confirms that John Driscoll (ex-Coop, GUIDING LIGHT) has been cast in the role of Phillip Chancellor IV. His first airdate is July 16 when the character returns to Genoa City.

GH Casting News
Sebastian Roché (Jerry, GH) is heading back to Port Charles this summer. The gig is short-term, but expect the elder Jacks to stir up some serious trouble in July. In other news, daytime newcomer Lexi Ainsworth (Kristina) has been upped to contract status.

Twitter-Patted
On the June 24 episode of GENERAL HOSPITAL, Matt suggested Maxie follow him on Twitter and search for "Dr. Matt Hunter"? Guess what? You can, too! A spokesperson for GH confirms that Jason Cook is indeed tweeting as his character. Fans can also follow the real-life Twitter accounts of Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis), Brandon Barash (Johnny), Greg Vaughan (Lucky), and Sarah Brown (Claudia), amongst others.

OLTL Casting News
Michael Lowry, best known for playing Dr. Jake Martin on ALL MY CHILDREN from 1997-2000, has been cast in a recurring role on ONE LIFE TO LIVE. No first airdate yet. Lowry's other soap credits include Les on AS THE WORLD TURNS from 2004-2005 and Dr. Hillman on BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL in 2006.

In The Nick Of Time
Broadway actor Nicholas Rodriguez (Tarzan) has been cast as Nick on ONE LIFE TO LIVE. His first airdate is August 14. He'll be involved in the Kyle and Fish, aka Kish, storyline.

The Adam Switch Begins
Chris Engen fans better tune in to today's (June 24) YOUNG AND RESTLESS because it's the last day he'll air as Adam. Tomorrow, Michael Muhney (VERONICA MARS) takes over the role.

Attention DAYS Fans!
Mark your calendars: NBC has announced that the Second Annual "Day of DAYS" fan event will take place at CityWalk at Universal Studios Hollywood on Saturday, November 7 (the day before the show celebrates 44 years on the air). The whole cast is scheduled to attend, including: John Aniston (Victor), Kristian Alfonso (Hope), Nadia Bjorlin (Chloe), Molly Burnett (Melanie), Shawn Christian (Daniel), Bryan Dattilo (Lucas), Casey Deidrick (Chad), Galen Gering (Rafe), Mark Hapka (Nathan), Shelley Hennig (Stephanie), Jay Johnson (Philip), Renee Jones (Lexie), Lauren Koslow (Kate), Eric Martsolf (Brady), Joe Mascolo (Stefano), Peggy McCay (Caroline), Dylan Patton (Will), Peter Reckell (Bo), James Reynolds (Abe), Suzanne Rogers (Maggie), James Scott (EJ), Taylor Spreitler (Mia), Alison Sweeney (Sami), Josh Taylor (Roman), Felisha Terrell (Arianna) and Arianne Zucker (Nicole). The event will feature meet and greets, autograph signings a Q&A session, raffles and more. For more information on this complimentary event, log on to www.nbc.com/days.

ATWT Casting News!
Don't look for Judi Evans (ex-Adrienne/Bonnie, DAYS; ex-Paulina, AW; ex-Beth, GL) to join Wally Kurth at DAYS. Soap Opera Digest got the exclusive with Evans, who is joining the cast of AS THE WORLD TURNS on August 26. "I need to get back to New York; I have a 20 by 20 storage unit full of furniture that I have to clean out," Evans laughs. "I was going to go this summer anyway, so it was very out of the blue and it was certainly welcome. I'm looking forward to working with Chris Goutman [executive producer, who she worked with on AW] again and I can't wait to see Julie Pinson [Janet; ex-Billie, DAYS]. I miss her!" Details of her character, Maeve, and who she'll interact with are being kept under wraps for now.

Vote for Tuc!
With his Funny or Die trailer for THE SENTIMENTALIST making the rounds on the 'Net, Tuc Watkins (David, OLTL) is garnering some major buzz. The People's Choice Awards Web site is asking what Watkins' most memorable role so far is for their week-long Buzz poll — and we savvy soap viewers know the answer, don’t we? Head over to www.pcaVOTE.com to make your feelings known!

Watch the fake trailer for THE SENTIMENTALIST, a hilarious spoof of quirky detective shows, here. (Warning: this clip does contain adult language and may not be safe for work.)

More DAYS Casting
Look for David Leisure, last seen as Y&R's Roger, to join the cast of DAYS as the new district attorney. "He'll have a few cases on his plate," says Executive Producer Ken Corday.

DAYS Casting News
Catherine Wadkins, last seen as crazed widow Mary Bishop on GENERAL HOSPITAL back in 2004, is headed back to daytime as yet another — you guessed it — crazed widow. Wadkins is slated to appear on DAYS OF OUR LIVES on August 3 and 4, after her character's husband, Carlo, turns up dead. She'll share scenes with Jay Kenneth Johnson's Philip.

Herring In Oakdale
Lynn Herring (ex-Lucy, GH/PC) gabbed with Digest and Weekly about her new role as ATWT's Audrey, Henry's mom. "The beauty of it is, Henry is such a unique character," she smiles. "Kin Shriner [ex-Scott, GH/PC; ex-Keith, ATWT et al] had known him when he had done the show and said Trent [Dawson, Henry] was so much fun. [Audrey] comes off sympathetic, then she kind of comes off dastardly, so the juxtaposition is awesome to play." For the full interviews, check out both magazines.

GL's Ed Is Back!
Peter Simon (Ed) returns to GL next week when Phillip goes to the doc for a consultation. "The backstory is that Phillip got sick while he was away and he went and got treatment," explains Grant Aleksander about his alter ego's surprise visit. "He had some sort of infection, so the doctor gave him some antibiotics and the symptoms seemed to go away. Now it's returned, and it's worse than when he got it before." Uh oh...

Rick On Return
Rick Hearst talks to Digest about leaving the role of GH's Ric and returning as B&B's Whip on July 17. "When B&B called, it was for a contract role, so I had to decide if this was something I wanted to do that wouldn't leave GH in a lurch," he says. "If this had not worked out with B&B, I would've continued to be on recurring with GH, but still invest in other opportunities." For the full story, check out the new Digest.

Great Expectations
Happy news for real-life couple Kyle Lowder (Rick, B&B) and Arianne Zucker (Nicole, DAYS): The duo, who married in August, 2002, are expecting their first child in December. "Yay!" exclaims Zucker. "Her pregnancy will not be written into the storyline," confirms Executive Producer Ken Corday.

It's A Girl!
AS THE WORLD TURNS' Maura West and Scott DeFreitas (Carly and ex-Andy) have welcomed a baby girl, who joins her four older siblings, Benjamin, 13, Joseph, 9, Katherine, 7, and Basil, 2. And soap fans can thank West's soap pals, not the stork, for breaking the news! Martha Byrne (Andrea, GH; ex-Lily, ATWT) beamed on Facebook, "Congrats Maura and Scott on their baby girl!!" while Cady McClain (Rosanna) Twittered the good tidings: "Maura had her baby!!! A beautiful little girl."

The couple named the baby Birdie West DeFreitas. She weighed in at 7 lbs 13 oz and is 20 inches long. "Mom and baby are doing great," reports a spokesperson.

Fairchild Back On Soaps
Morgan Fairchild (ex-Sydney, THE CITY; ex-Jennifer SEARCH FOR TOMORROW) briefly returns to daytime to play Beverly Hills socialite, Dottie, who is friends with Stephanie (Susan Flannery) on BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL. In scenes that will air on August 10-14, Dottie will help instigate a fashion show competition between Forrester Creations and Jackie M.

DAYS Casting Scoop!
Soap Opera Digest has learned exclusively that daytime vet Wally Kurth (ex-Sam, ATWT; ex-Ned, GH) is set to reprise his popular role as Justin Kiriakis on DAYS. The actor was last seen in Salem in 1991. His first airdate is August 10.

Visit AMC Set And Meet Jacob Young
Make your soap dreams come true for a great cause and bid on the chance to visit the set of ALL MY CHILDREN where you'll get an exclusive tour from Jacob Young (JR, AMC). The auction, which benefits the Actors Fund — a nationwide organization that helps all professionals in the performing arts and entertainment industry — is taking place on eBay. To start bidding, click here.

The winner and a friend will travel to the AMC set, meet and greet with Young, and take advantage of some photo ops while you're there!

ABC Daytime And SOAPnet Go Musical
ABC Daytime and SOAPnet are going into the concert business. Specifically, according to a statement from the network, that includes sponsoring country singer Sara Evans' national tour, integrated in-show performances (Hello, Lionel Richie!) and on-air campaigns, including musician interviews and "integration of songs in on and off-air marketing campaigns."

Evans first performance under the ABC Daytime/SOAPnet umbrella will be Sunday, June 13 at the ABC All Star Block Party at the CMA Music Festival.

Warlock Goes To Church
Billy Warlock (ex-Frankie, DAYS; ex-A.J., GH; ex-Ben, Y&R) stars in Ivan Hurzeler's short film in the Netflix Find Your Voice Competition (www.netflixfindyourvoice.com). Out of thousands of submissions, Ivan Hurzeler's feature film project, Church, was chosen as one of ten semi-finalists. The five projects with the most votes will continue on in the competition that will award one filmmaker a $350,000 production package to make their feature film.

Ivan and his screenwriter, Cami Delavigne, decided to make the short starring Warlock to show their ability at telling stories on film. That short, Hatchet Man, shares its themes with Church, the feature. Cami, who co-wrote the upcoming Blue Valentine, starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, found inspiration for the 3 minute Hatchet Man in real life: an employee at a big New York ad agency secretly filmed a cheating couple. The X-rated video made it onto the Internet, causing a massive scandal.

Billy Warlock plays the aggressive boss in Hatchet Man. He sends Ted to fire the mant responsible for the shocking video. Unfortunately, Ted finds himself in a scary mess with boss Billy Warlock breathing down his neck. Who shot the video? Who's gonna get fired? Billy delivers the verdict — with unexpected results.

To see and vote for Warlock's project, go to www.netflixfindyourvoice.com.

Richie On OLTL
Music superstar Lionel Richie will perform on ONE LIFE TO LIVE this summer. He'll sing "Just Go" off of his latest album of the same name. Jeremih, whose single "Birthday Sex" is currently No. 1, will sing with him. Richie and Jeremih will perform at Ultraviolet, the Llanview club owned by Rex. They are taping their performance today, June 12.

Chappell Back On DAYS
TVGuideMagazine.com reports that Crystal Chappell is returning to DAYS OF OUR LIVES this fall. She'll bring back the character she created 19 years ago — Dr. Carly Manning Alamain (Katerina von Leuschner). Chappell played the role from June 1990 to October 1993. Chappell met Michael Sabatino on the NBC soap when he played villain Lawrence Alamain. The two married in Jan. 1997. They have two sons Jacob, 9, and Dylan 5 1/2.

However, insiders add that the job-hunting Chappell had put out some feelers to YOUNG AND RESTLESS as her former boss Paul Rauch is currently the head honcho at the No. 1 soap.

Chappell has played on GUIDING LIGHT since 1999 and is currently involved in the very popular Otalia storyline. Chappell will begin taping in September (when GL is finishing taping) and start airing in October. Chappell's other soap roles include Maggie on ONE LIFE TO LIVE from Oct. 1995 through September 1997 and a brief, but notable, appearance on SANTA BARBARA as Jane in 1990.

Chappell has won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 2002. She's been nominated four additional times, which includes this year in the Outstanding Lead Actress category.

For full interview with Chappell, go to www.TVGuideMagazine.

DAYS Casting Scoop
Y&R alum Rachel Kimsey (ex-Mac) has been hired at DAYS as Meredith, who has a past connection to Galen Gering's Rafe. She will first air July 17. In other news, Nick Stabile (ex-Mark, BEACH) will make his Salem debut on June 25.

And Baby Makes Three!
Jessica Leccia (Natalia, GL) and her husband Brian Malloy welcomed their first child, Ivy Lola Malloy, on Wednesday, June 10. The baby was born at 9:10 AM and weighed in at 8 lbs 6 oz.

Y&R Star Launches Second Book
Elieen Davidson (Ashely, Y&R) released her second book today, June 10, titled Dial Emmy for Murder. You can find it on both Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. Davidson's first book, Death In Daytime, was released October 2008.

A third book is already in the works. "Some of the characters will go book to book," Davidson explains. "It was almost a natural thing to do. I'm just getting to know these characters and it's been an interesting process. The more I write them, the more I can explore them."

Y&R Spoiler Alert
Tammy Barr has been cast in the role of "Young Patty" on Y&R. According to an email from the actress, "The Young and the Restless has been bringing back previous characters and storylines and with the airing of episode 9180 on July 2nd fans will see that Mary Jane is really Patty Williams (Paul's sister and Jack's ex-wife).... Tammy will be in flashback scenes playing a young Patty in Mary Jane's dream sequence."

Woods To ATWT
Michael Woods (ex-Dr. Ackland, PASSIONS; ex-Alec Wallace, AS THE WORLD TURNS) has been cast as Jay, a man with a past connection to Audrey (Lynn Herring). He begins airing again on ATWT July 31.

She's Ba-ack!
Fan favorite Lynn Herring (ex-Lucy, GH/PC) returns to daytime — and while she's in New York, it certainly isn't Port Charles. She'll play Audrey, the avaricious mother of AS THE WORLD TURNS's beloved martini-swilling gambler, Henry. Herring first airs on the East coast sudser July 24. The short-term gig reunites her with former PC co-stars Jon Lindstrom (Craig; ex-Kevin/Ryan, GH/PC), Julie Pinson (Janet; ex-Eve, PC) and Marie Wilson (Meg; ex-Karen, PC).

AMC's Chrishell Stause Extends Again
Chrishell Stause (Amanda, AMC) has re-extended her contract to remain in Pine Valley through the end of the year. "Pilot season isn’t starting up until January, so I am not technically going to be missing out on a whole lot, business-wise, and just a few months of my life will actually mean a lot to the storyline," she tells Digest.

Soap Creator Dies
Katherine Phillips Hughes, daughter of legendary soap creator Irna Phillips (GUIDING LIGHT, AS THE WORLD TURNS etc.) died May 12 in Brentwood, Calif. She was 65. Born and raised in Chicago, Phillips Hughes eventually created a soap of her own — A WORLD APART — for ABC in 1970. The series was inspired by her own life as a child adopted by an unmarried soap opera writer. Patrice Kahlman, the heroine of the short-lived series, was played by Susan Sarandon. Hughes is survived by a brother.