ALL MY CHILDREN
introduced Rebecca
Budig (Greenlee),
Josh Duhamel (Leo)
and Finola Hughes
(Alexandra, now
GENERAL HOSPITAL’s
Anna), while Michael
Nader (Dimitri) and
Tommy J. Michaels
(Timmy) left.... Susan
Lucci (Erica) finally took
home the Lead Actress
Daytime Emmy (it was her 19th
nomination).... It was a wedding
bonanza as Stuart and Marian,
Alex and Dimitri, and Palmer and
Vanessa all said, “I do,” while Tad
and Dixie, and Liza and Adam,
remarried.... Liza gave birth to
Colby, and was furious to discover
that the baby’s birth father
was Adam (who had switched his
own sperm with donor Jake’s)....
Erica had plastic surgery after
being disfigured in a car crash
and hooked up with David....
Dimitri was presumed dead....
Ryan and Greenlee became
lovers.... Janet lost her grip on
reality again, as evidenced by
the return of “Mirror Janet”….
Agnes Nixon and Elizabeth Page
replaced Megan McTavish as head
writers; Jean Passanante soon
took over for Page.... At the Soap
Opera Digest Awards, Stuart and
Marian (Jennifer Bassey and David
Canary) won Favorite Couple, Cady
McClain (Dixie) was named Favorite
Return, Vincent Irizarry (David) won
Villain, and Cameron Mathison (Ryan)
nabbed the Male Newcomer prize.
After a 35-year run, ANOTHER
WORLD aired its final episode on
June 25, but not before welcoming
back Alice Barrett (as Frankie
look-alike Anne), Anna Holbrook
(Sharlene), Charles Keating (Carl)
and Mark Pinter (Grant), and introducing
Alicia Leigh Willis as Alli;
Kimberlin Brown (now Sheila, BOLD
AND BEAUTIFUL) also popped in
as mental patient Shelly.... Jake and
Vicky learned they were expecting
twins.... Cass and Lila tied the
knot, as did Felicia and Sergei, and
Amanda and Cameron.... Grant
faked his death, while Carl returned
from the dead for a joyous reunion
with Rachel.... Jordan took Amanda
on a time-traveling ordeal.
AS THE WORLD TURNS incorporated
AW faves Tom Eplin (Jake),
Stephen Schnetzer (Cass) and Jensen
Buchanan (Vicky), reprising their
Bay City alters. Elizabeth Hubbard
(Lucinda) quit, but was lured back,
while Tamara Tunie returned as
Jessica, Trent Dawson debuted as
Henry, John Loprieno was in and out
as Brad, and Anthony Herrera completed
another stint as James.... AW’s
final executive producer, Christopher
Goutman, was named to that post at
ATWT, succeeding Felicia Minei Behr,
and former AW scribes Leah Laiman
and Carolyn Culliton took over as head
writers, replacing the team of Lorraine
Broderick, Hal Corley and Addie
Walsh.... Hal and Barbara remarried....
Emily birthed her son by Tom, Daniel,
while Holden and Lily were reunited
with their biological daughter, Faith....
Margo was framed for baddie Alec’s
murder.... Carly was blackmailed into
a short-lived marriage to Brad; he also
exposed the true paternity of her son,
Parker (Hal, not John, was the daddy).
Jacob Young (Rick) quit B&B, and his
role was recast with Justin Torkildsen; Ian
Buchanan (James) exited; and Andrea
Evans joined the cast as Tawny.... Ridge
and Taylor welcomed twins Steffy and
Phoebe.... Eric remarried Stephanie....
Amber tied the knot with Rick, but when
her baby was stillborn, she passed off the
newborn son of her cousin, Becky, as her
own tot, Rick, Jr. ... Brooke and Thorne’s
relationship caused Stephanie to have a
stroke.... Ian Buchanan won the Digest
Award for Supporting Actor.
DAYS OUR LIVES hosted
the daytime debuts of Nadia
Bjorlin (Chloe), Kirsten
Storms (Belle, now GH’s
Maxie), Jason Cook (Shawn),
Farah Fath (Mimi), Jay
Kenneth Johnson (Philip)
and Matt Cedeno (Brandon);
John Aniston was back as
Victor; and Christie Clark
(Carrie), Roark Critchlow
(Mike) and Krista Allen
(Billie) departed.... John and
Marlena finally said, “I do,”
but Hope was turned into
Gina by Stefano and she kidnapped
John, then seduced
him. Meanwhile, Princess
Gina underwent plastic surgery
and took over Hope’s life.... Sami was
nearly executed for the murder of Franco
(who’d been offed by Lucas).... Austin and
Carrie divorced and she left town with
Mike.... Philip and Shawn both nursed
crushes on Belle.... Nicole broke Eric’s
heart and wed Lucas (for a $5 million
payday from Kate).... Sally Sussman was
out as head writer, replaced by Lorraine
Broderick, who was soon succeeded by
Tom Langan.... At the Digest Awards, DAYS
nabbed the prizes for Villainess (Alison
Sweeney, Sami), Female Scene Stealer
(Louise Sorel, Vivian), Hottest Female
Star Kristian Alfonso (Hope) and Female
Newcomer Patrika Darbo (Nancy, now
B&B’s Shirley).
GH took home Daytime Emmys
for Outstanding Drama, Outstanding
Writing, Lead Actor Anthony Geary
(Luke), Supporting Actor Stuart Damon
(Alan) and Younger Actor Jonathan
Jackson (Lucky).... Tyler Christopher
(Nikolas, who was recast with Coltin
Scott), Mary Beth Evans (Katherine,
now DAYS’s Kayla), Jonathan Jackson
and Kimberly McCullough (Robin) left,
while A Martinez came aboard as Roy
DiLucca.... Robin blabbed to A.J. that
he is Michael’s father. Carly wed A.J.
— but fell into bed with Sonny.... When
Ned married Chloe to try to help her
keep her company, Jax and Alexis tied
the knot to support their ruse.... Nikolas
learned that Stavros, not Stefan, sired
him.... Bobbie and Luke grieved for
their beloved aunt, Ruby, whose death
was scripted after her portrayer, Norma
Connolly, passed away.... Lucky’s loved
ones mourned his apparent passing in
a fire, but really, he’d been snatched by
Helena and Faison.... Liz and Jason
bonded.... Bobbie’s former love Roy
returned from the dead.... Sparks flew
between Felicia and Luke.... GH won
Digest Awards for Favorite Show, Lead
Actor Anthony Geary, Younger Lead
Actor Jonathan Jackson, Younger Lead
Actress Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth) and
Hottest Male Star Steve Burton (Jason).
GUIDING LIGHT introduced Crystal Chappell
(Olivia), Bradley Cole (Richard), David Andrew
Macdonald (Edmund), Orlagh Cassidy (Doris) and
Laura Bell Bundy (Marah); Paul Wesley replaced
Jesse Lee Soffer as Max; Jordan Clarke (Billy)
returned; and Hunt Block (Ben), Signy Coleman
(Annie), Marj Dusay (Alexandra), Frank Grillo
(Hart) and Wendy Moniz (Dinah) were out.... Josh
and Reva married for the second time, Danny and
Michelle for the first.... Vanessa offed Ben, and
Dinah accidentally shot Hart dead.... Cassie gave
birth to Hart’s son, Roger Joshua (called R.J.),
while Harley and Phillip (who slept with Beth when
they were trapped together after a plane crash)
became parents to baby Zach, and it was revealed
that during her missing years, Reva had married
Richard and born a son, Jonathan.... Michael
Zaslow (ex-Roger) was the posthumous recipient
of the Editors’ Award at the Digest Awards.
Photo credit: Jim Antonucci
Linda Dano joined the ONE LIFE TO
LIVE ranks as Rae in a deal with ABC that
included crossover visits to AMC and
GH, while Robin Christopher reprised
her AMC character, Skye, and Mark
Derwin (Ben) debuted; Laura Koffman
(Cassie) and Stephen Markle (Mel) were
out.... Ben courted Viki.... Nora welcomed
baby Matthew, who she believed to be
sired by Sam.... Mel perished in a plane
crash, widowing Dorian.... Asa remarried
Renee, while Max and Blair eloped.
Renee learned that Max was lying about
being her son with Asa, but kept mum for
Asa’s sake.... Dorian struck Jessica with
her car, causing her to lose her baby....
Megan McTavish was named head writer.
PASSIONS, the brainchild of Creator/
Head Writer James E. Reilly, debuted on
NBC on July 5, with Lisa de Cazotte as EP.
Its original cast included Jesse Metcalfe
(Miguel), Galen Gering (Luis, now DAYS’s
Rafe), Lindsay Hartley (Theresa), Travis
Schuldt (Ethan), McKenzie Westmore
(Sheridan), Juliet Mills (Tabitha), Josh Ryan
Evans (Timmy), Ben Masters (Julian) and
Liza Huber (Gwen).... Tabitha brought doll
Timmy to life.... Theresa fell hard for Ethan,
who was romantically linked to Gwen....
Sheridan and Luis’s romance began.... Faith
was killed in a fire started by Tabitha.
Michael Dietz
(Joe) and Jennifer
Hammon (Karen)
checked out of PORT
CHARLES; Marie
Wilson was in as
the new Karen and
Kimberlin Brown
began playing
Rachel.... On the
lam from Ferncliff,
Julie gave birth to
Christina; Lucy and
Scott took the baby
in.... Chris and Julie,
and Victor and Mary,
wed.... Baddie DV
Bordisso turned out
to be Scott’s bio
dad.... The show won
Digest Awards for
Lead Actress Lynn
Herring (Lucy) and
Male Scene Stealer
Kin Shriner (Scott).
Before SUNSET BEACH aired its final episode on
December 31, Sydney Penny temporarily replaced
Susan Ward as Meg, Eddie Cibrian (Cole) exited, and
Sean Kanan did a stint as Jude.... Ben and Meg, and
Michael and Vanessa, said, “I do,” in a double wedding....
Gabi cheated on Ricardo with Antonio, then
left Ric at the altar.... Evil Derek strangled Tim before
twin Ben shot him dead.... Annie revealed that Trey was
really Cole’s son, not Greg’s, while Benjy was revealed
to be Tess and Derek’s son, not Maria and Ben’s.
YOUNG AND RESTLESS welcomed
back Eileen Davidson as Ashley (replacing
Shari Shattuck); Beau Kazer (Brock)
and Veronica Redd (Mamie) also returned.
J. Eddie Peck (Cole) and Sandra Nelson
(Phyllis) departed, while David Tom
(Billy) and Ashley Bashioum (Mackenzie)
debuted. Ricky Paull Goldin was cast
as Gary, and figure skater Tara Lipinski
played Marnie.... Sharon got custody of
Cassie from Alice.... Mac turned out to be
Katherine’s granddaughter.... Victor was
presumed dead, then rescued.... Jack and
Brad took over Newman Enterprises, and
Jack wrested Jabot away from Victor....
Sharon Case (Sharon) won the Daytime
Emmy for Supporting Actress, and the
Younger Actress trophy went to Heather
Tom (Victoria, now B&B’s Katie). At the
Digest Awards, Lauralee Bell (Christine)
won Supporting Actress