Scene And Heard

Now that her daughter, Olivia, is a year old, Melissa Ordway (Abby, Y&R) has been enjoying the many firsts with her little one. “She’s so amazing,” marvels the actress. “She’s been saying a few words and she’s on the verge of walking, which is terrifying. She’s trying so hard whenever she stands up. The other day, I told her good-bye and she threw me a kiss, so she’s coming along very nicely.” Ordway says husband Justin Gaston (ex-Ben, DAYS) will be the disciplinary parent. “I’m such a pushover,” she sighs. “In our household, I’m the bottom-feeder. Even the dogs have control over me. It’s bad. Really bad. Justin is very protective and wants to make sure everything is safe. He can see potential hazards for Olivia even before I do. He’s an amazing dad.”

GH devotee Stephen A. Smith (Brick) is a Sonny fan, first and foremost, but his enthusiasm for Carly runs a close second. “I love me some Carly Corinthos, and out of all the Carlys there have been, my favorite of all time is the one that presently plays Carly, Laura Wright,” he gushes. “She’s just amazing. She makes every scene work! She’s a very powerful actress and as somebody in sports, somebody known for my passion, I can see that she brings that to the screen every time she’s there. To me, when she’s on, you don’t turn the channel because she’s going to say something or do something, maybe even just with a look, to make her presence felt and captivate everybody.” Getting to know Wright behind the scenes has been a joy for Smith. “I love her personality and the way that we interact personally when we’re together on the set. I love her style. She’s got some [Washington] Redskins fans in her family and we always talk about that whenever I’m with her. She’s just a beautiful person.”

Prior to Kate Mansi’s (ex-Abigail, DAYS) Daytime Emmy win for Outstanding Supporting Actress, she had a chance to visit her old Salem stomping grounds, where she participated in a Facebook live chat with fellow nominees James Reynolds (Abe) and Billy Flynn (Chad). The chat was hosted by Emmy winners Mary Beth Evans (Kayla) and Eric Martsolf (Brady) on a set that has very personal meaning for Mansi — the DiMera study. “It was the same stage where I did my first screen test ever, and also my last scene,” shares Mansi. “It felt very surreal.” The actress says her return visit was like “coming home. I loved seeing everybody.” Topping off the jaunt, Mansi had a chance to catch up with her former TV mom, Melissa Reeves (Jennifer). “It was so good to see Missy and catch up!” smiles Mansi.

Jim O’Heir was excited to hear from his former B&B castmates after nabbing the Outstanding Guest Performer Emmy as frequent flier Matt. “Rena Sofer [Quinn] was not at the ceremony but she sent me a text right after they called my name! She’s so sweet,” he raves. “Monica [Horan, ex-Kieran] was doing a play in Philadelphia but I heard from her, too. She said that I stole it from her. That Monica ... she’s not to be trusted.” O’Heir adds that he was excited to be called back for a second plane ride as his alter ego when the soap headed to Australia. “I always feel sad for the actor who has to be between us,” he chuckles. They’re just stuck there. What I love about B&B is that amidst all the drama going on, they bring in characters like Matt and Kieran, who are so wonderfully big-hearted, obnoxious and sweet that you like them, but you also want our middle-seat victim to just say, ‘Stop it! These are close quarters!’ When Matt forced his sweaty neck pillow on Sally, it was so gross, but Courtney [Hope] did an amazing job with that bit.”