CASTING NEWS: Jason Cook Joins GH

Jason Cook (ex-Shawn) reteams with fellow Days of Our Lives alum Kirsten Storms (ex-Belle) on General Hospital this June. Jason will be playing a doctor. No word yet on much else, but stay tuned for further details as they come.

A Note From Marj Dusay

(Sorry about the all CAPS, but I am posting this as she wrote it, and it would take too long to type again ;) !)

PERSONAL APPEARANCE ALERT!!!

HI THERE, ALL YOU WONDERFUL DYED-IN-THE-WOOL FANS WHO ARE HANGING IN THERE WITH ME!  

I'VE BEEN INVITED TO APPEAR AT THE APPLE BLOSSOM FESTIVAL IN THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY IN WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA.

CHECK THIS -- MY TITLE (LA-DEE-DAH) IS "COURT AMBASSADOR IN THE QUEEN'S CORONATION". THIS YEAR'S QUEEN IS THE DAUGHTER OF FOOTBALL STAR JERRY RICE.

SINCE MY OWN FATHER WAS A FOOTBALL/BASKETBALL/TRACK COACH, I AM ESPECIALLY PROUD TO BE A PART OF THIS.

THE EVENT BEGINS ON FRIDAY MAY 2ND AND CONCLUDES ON SATURDAY MAY 3RD WITH THE GRAND FEATURE PARADE.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, YOU CAN CHECK OUT THEIR WEBSITE AT www.thebloom.com

SO JUST IN CASE ANYONE IS FLOATING AROUND THAT AREA, COME SAY "HI".

THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT.

MARJ

SPOILERS for ATWT, B&B, Days, GL, Passions, Y&R

AS THE WORLD TURNS
This Week:
* Emily takes on a new assistant that has Margo seeing red.
* Katie and Brad go back to their old days.
* Ameera follows her heart.
* Carly puts her foot down with Jack.
* Holden uncovers Lily's secret stash.

THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL
This Week:
* Rick shocks Brooke when he makes a startling revelation.
* Ashley is fearful of accepting Storm’s gift.
* Pam vows revenge when Donna crosses the line.
* The judge makes his ruling in Baby Jack’s custody case.
* Stephanie makes a generous offer to Eric and Donna

DAYS OF OUR LIVES
Next Week:
* Bo blames himself for taking away Chelsea’s ability to have children.
* Kayla suspects that Ava’s father and doctor are drugging Ava.
* Max finds Stephanie with her captor and tries to talk him down.
* The truth about Brady’s whereabouts is revealed.
* Morgan challenges Philip when he calls her father a spineless jerk for being manipulated by John.
Thursday – Abe and Lexie realize they’ve hit a rough patch in their marriage, and Lexie suggests counseling.
Friday – Sami and EJ ask John and Marlena to vouch for their marriage at the immigration hearing.

GUIDING LIGHT
This Week:
* Olivia makes a decision about her marriage to Jeffrey.
* Harley and Cyrus come to a painful conclusion.
* Ashlee pushes herself too hard.
* Beth is shocked by Alan's reaction.
* Mallet learns news about his job.

PASSIONS
Next Week:
Monday, April 28
* Pilar realizes Gertrude’s true identity!
* Sheridan makes Fancy worry about Pretty.
* Julian struggles to follow his doctor’s orders.

Tuesday, April 29
* Juanita is arrested.
* Luis and Fancy have a romantic date.
* Esme recruits extra help to tend to Julian.

Wednesday, April 30
* Theresa will finally be able to reveal herself to Ethan!
* Evil targets Noah and Paloma.
* A beloved couple gets engaged.

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
This Week:
* Michael makes a decision about his lawsuit against Jack.
* Jeff is shocked as Gloria “adopts” an impulsive plan to improve her karma.
* Lily gives Cane an answer to his proposal.
* Phyllis and Sharon clash over the creative direction for Restless Style.
* Angry about Sabrina’s affair with her father, Victoria decides to cut her out of Reed’s life.

SPOILERS! Week of April 21st

AMC: Angie's daughter Cassandra heads to Pine Valley (played by Yaya Dacosta from America's Next Top Model).
ATWT: Carly and Holden form a friendship as Lily leaves Oakdale (Martha Bryne leaves).
B&B: Stephanie shocks Eric by giving him and Donna her blessing.
Days: Ava's reign of terror is over when she is arrested.
GH: Nikolas cuts off ties with Ian and appears to start a new chapter in his life with Nadine.
GL: Ava gets some surprise news when she visits the doctor's office.
OLTL: Jared challenges Natalie to prove she doesn't love him.
Passions: Little Ethan pulls a prank on his wicked stepmother by dyeing her blue.
Y&R: Jeff and Gloria consumate their marriage.

Y&R Sneak Peek

Here's what you can expect during May Sweeps on America's No. 1 rated soap:

· During the month the May, a new marriage is not far off. Will it be Nikki or Victor who walks down the aisle first?

· As Adam acquires new power at Newman Enterprises and Sabrina acquires Victor’s heart, Victor appears primed to abandon his first family in order to found a new Newman dynasty.

· Lily throws herself into her career after suffering an emotional loss.

· Jeff and Gloria continue to fight their passionate feelings for each other, as Jeff finds himself drawn to Jill.

· The impending release of Adrian’s book threatens to destroy his relationship with Colleen.

· Sharon and Phyllis clash at Restless Style, putting Nick and Jack in the middle of their conflict.

· Upset by Victor’s business decisions, Victoria makes a shocking decision about her career.

· Adam’s ex-lover arrives in town with an agenda that could reveal David’s secret.

· Brad continues to undermine David and positions himself as Jill’s ally.

10 Questions With ATWT's Marnie Schulenburg

Q. When did you first know you wanted to be an actress?

A. I always knew I wanted to be a performer. I started dancing when I was in kindergarten and singing in elementary school. I didn’t begin vocal lessons until seventh grade, but I was always in my school choirs, participating in shows and dancing before then. I was mainly focused on singing and musical theater until I went to college, and I fell in love with Shakespeare, Moliere, Euripides, Tennessee Williams and many other amazing playwrights.

Q. What were some of the early things you did (acting-wise)?

A. Well, the first play I was ever in was “Nounsense,” a play written by one of my fifth-grade teachers, and it was sort of like a “Schoolhouse Rock!” show, which taught correct grammar, sentence structure, etc. It was very cutesy and a lot of fun.

Then I got involved in All-Cape Theatrical, a musical program for kids 14 and up. I learned a lot about performance through that program.

Q. How did you get the part of Alison on “As the World Turns”?

A. I went in for a general meeting with Mary Clay Boland (“ATWT” casting director), and we talked about how I just moved to Astoria, Queens, a couple months before and that it was about an hour and half subway ride away from the studio. So, she was nice enough to let me read something since I had come all the way out there. I then did a cold read of a scene she had, and I guess she liked it, because she then called Executive Producer Chris Goutman down to see me do the scene. Well, the rest is history! I started full time about two months later. But first I shot an episode on “The Young and the Restless” and a series of Web episodes to reintroduce the character of Alison to the “ATWT” audience.

Q. Who do you have the most fun with?

A. I don’t know if there’s one person in particular, because everyone is so different and fun in their own ways. Of course it also has to do with who I work the most with, which is Agim Kaba (Aaron), and for a while Jen Landon (Gwen) and Jesse Lee Soffer (Will), who I had so much fun with to the point where I would break at the end of a lot of scenes because I couldn’t keep a straight face with them.

Q. What do you like most about playing Alison? What can you relate to about her?

A. I like how lovable she is. She has such endearing qualities, and the writers have been doing a great job creating little quirks for me to play. And I love her silly sarcasm! I think that is what I relate to the most. I can be very sarcastic, as a matter of fact, and Alison can be very similar to the point of being blunt, but never maliciously mean.

Q. You’ve been on “As the World Turns” for a little more than a year now; how has it been so far?

A. I absolutely love being on the show! Every person who works on the show is incredibly talented, passionate and caring. The show is perfect for me – it’s challenging, it keeps me acting (which I love), it keeps me in New York, which is where I want to be, and it allows me to do small theater and musical theater projects on the side.

Q. Who have you learned the most from?

A. I have learned a lot from all the actors on the show, because everyone has their own style and process to connect with the character they are playing. And I have learned what works for me now by watching and growing with them.

Q. What is a favorite or funny special moment you can remember from filming “ATWT”?

A. There were so many amazing and challenging moments for me since I joined the show, but one of the few very silly moments for me was during a scene I did with Jen and Jesse. One day I just could not stop laughing on all my tag lines, which are the last lines of a scene. It had been a long day, and we had one last scene after lunch to finish, so everybody was ready to go right away. I was busy joking around with one of the cameramen. I was in a different room of the set we were shooting on, and I didn’t even hear the stage manager say “ACTION!” I finally noticed the silence and that Jen, Jesse and Agim are saying their lines in the other room, the room that I was supposed to be in to have an intense moment with Agim. So, I slowly walked in hoping I could play it off like I was entering late. But it was too late for all of us, because all their eyes looked at me as I nonchalantly entered, and I could see they were all on the brink of laughing, wondering what the heck I was doing. It was pretty ridiculous!

Q. What are some exciting things coming up for Alison that you are allowed to disclose to me?

A. Well, things are going to come to a climatic halt with Matt and Alison since she knows the truth about who he works for. Also, she’s going to focus on her future and career like Dusty wanted her to.

Q. Your brother, Gus Schulenburg, and other New York actors founded the Flux Theatre Ensemble, which you sometimes participate in. Can you tell me a little about the group?

A. Gus and several other actors started working together two and a half years ago and decided to form Flux Theatre Ensemble. They have a yearly season of shows, and they also spend Sundays work-shopping new plays. This way, actors have an outlet if they are too busy with working means-to-an-end jobs, and the playwrights get to hear their work out loud. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.

Abs of Steel

Excuse me as I toss yet another handful of M&M's in my mouth as I write this, but Beth Chamberlin (Beth, Guiding Light) inspires me. At the age of fortysomething(?), she has a workout video, and she has a rock-hard stomach to prove she actually did the work! I've never heard of this type of aerobic and strengthening activity before, which involves a "kettlebell," but after seeing her abs on the video's website, I'm ready to give it a try.

The Kettlebell Way To Your Perfect Body is a total fitness workout led by America's foremost kettlebell expert, Anthony Diluglio and kettlebell enthusiast, Beth Chamberlin. For more information visit http://www.beacon-fitness.com/.

SPOILERS! for ATWT, B&B, Days, GL and Y&R

AS THE WORLD TURNS
This Week:
* With three of her former husbands beside her, Katie heads to the altar with Brad.
* Carly rails at Jack for breaking her rules.
* Paul becomes Meg's hero.
* Lily keeps yet another secret from Holden.
* Aaron and Sofie decide to take things slow.

THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL
This Week:
* Storm’s actions turn creepy.
* Ridge puts his relationship on the line to protect Ashley.
* Bridget gives Katie a stern warning.
* Both Brooke and Taylor want to be Jack’s mother.
* Rick declares war against Nick.

DAYS OF OUR LIVES
Next Week:
* Ava plans to keep Kayla’s baby as her own.
* Chelsea’s readmitted to the hospital with a severe secondary infection from the operation.
* Philip tries to warn Morgan about her father’s dealings with John.
* EJ accuses Sami of being jealous of Nicole.
* Nicole arrives at the DiMera mansion for her date with John.
Thursday – Marlena gives John another reason to live and kisses him.
Friday – Stephanie is kidnapped at knifepoint by a mysterious man.

GUIDING LIGHT
This Week:
* Natalia refuses to give up on Olivia.
* Cassie and Cyrus make a huge mistake.
* Marina and Mallet contemplate the next step.
* Ava continues to spin her web of lies.
* Lizzie puts on a brave face.

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
This Week:
* Victoria learns the shocking truth about Victor and Sabrina’s affair. How will she react?
* Gloria surprises everyone when she gives up ownership of the Abbott Mansion. Is this a genuine good deed or part of another scheme?
* Lily tries to connect to Dru’s past in making a decision about her pregnancy.
* Nick agrees to a business arrangement with Sabrina, only to learn Victor has the upper hand in the deal.
* Lily’s pregnancy causes a rift in Neil and Karen’s relationship.

Michael Graziadei to Guest-Star on Criminal Minds

Michael Graziadei (Daniel Romalotti, The Young and the Restless) is set to guest-star on an episode of the CBS hit crime drama, Criminal Minds. The episode is titled "In Heat," and Hotchner (Joe Mantegna), Rossi (Thomas Gibson) and their team travel to Miami to catch a serial killer whose conflicted sexual identity fuels his crime spree. During the trip, J.J. meets up with a former colleague who turns out to be more than a friend.

Watch Criminal Minds on Wednesday, April 30 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Fan Favorite Returns to Port Charles

Been wondering where Anna's been now that her daughter, Robin, is pregnant? Well we've been too. General Hospital finally answers this when Finola Hughes returns on April 25th.

Most likely this will be another short stop for the Anna Devane character, but we'll take what we can get. Anna was last seen with Patrick's father, Noah (Rick Springfield), when the two fell into a whirlwind romance.

Now if we can only get the soap to invite Tristan Rogers (Robert Scorpio) back ...