OLTL Says Goodbye

(ABC/Lou Rocco) ERIKA SLEZAK, JERRY VER DORN

After 43 years, "One Life to Live" becomes a part of television history as the people of Llanview say goodbye and Agnes Nixon's mission for "One Life to Live" draws to a close: stories about richly diverse people as their lives intertwined, as they interacted with one another...To explain the hopes and hardships, the goals, fights, and failures that are ultimately shared by all mankind no matter how disparate their lifestyles. The "One Life to Live" series finale airs Friday, January 13 (2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC.

Interview (Days): Renee Jones Takes a Look Back

As the old year draws to a close and a new one begins, I start to feel nostalgic, eager for a trip down Memory Lane. On this particular trip, I decided to take Renee Jones, who plays Lexie Carver on “Days of Our Lives,” down the lane with me. In part one of my interview with the gorgeous and talented actress, I asked her to reminisce with me about days past, and she was only too happy to oblige.

Daytime Dial: As you think back on the almost 20 years you’ve been on “Days of Our Lives,” what have been some of your favorite story lines to play?

Renee Jones: My favorite story line was Lexie finding out that Celeste was her mom and then trying to figure out who was her father — and then finding out it’s Stefano. That was a wonderful story line, and it went on for quite a few years — there were all these clues that lead to one thing to another, between the Parrot Man and all these different characters.

And then there was the whole baby-switch story line, finding out that the baby I was raising was Bo and Hope’s baby, thanks to my father. And then becoming attached to the baby and turning evil because I wanted to hold on to this child. The whole thing was maybe like a three-year arc, and it was the most exciting time for me as an actor because I got to play on so many different levels. It was the best story line that Lexie ever had, I feel, and the longest-running story line that she’s ever had.

DD: You mentioned Celeste, played by Tanya Boyd, and it makes me realize I miss her presence in Salem so much!

RJ: I know! I do, too. She brought such mystery to the show, and she was so exotic. I miss her so much. Recently I was switching my tapes from VHS to DVD, and I saw some takes between us and I thought: “Aww, I miss her. We were so good together, too.” Even though she was just five years older than I am, we were believable as mother and daughter.

DD: Speaking of mothers, now that Lexie is a mother to an autistic child, Theo, we’ve really seen her grow up and become a strong and caring woman, wife and mother.

RJ: An interesting thing that someone had asked me recently was, Isn’t it about time for Lexie to have another affair because that’s what she seems to do every couple of years? And I said that the thing that would stop her from doing that is Theo. She didn’t have a child when she did that in the past. Now her responsibility is to her child and making sure her child feels safe at all times, and her having an affair would not help the situation whatsoever. Another way that having Theo has changed Lexie is this whole situation with the mayoral race. If it were just a situation of me being pissed off at (her brother) E.J. because of how he’s being so underhanded against Abe, I would just wash my hands of him. But because Theo adores his uncle and his grandfather, I just can’t rip them out of his life, because it would affect him even stronger than a child who isn’t autistic. He’s so sensitive about things, and he likes to know that certain things are regular in his life. He’s definitely made Lexie more responsible.

DD: What can you tell me about the upcoming tensions between all involved in the mayoral race?

RJ: You’re going to see me having lots of talks with E.J., and it will seem like maybe my talks with him are getting through to him, that this is the kind of person he wants to be. Each time Lexie has a talk with him, it seems like it chips away a little bit at him and who he is, and it kind of softens the edges a little bit — although 10 minutes later he might go and do it again, but Lexie knows she softened him a little bit. I would love to keep their relationship intact, but I have to defend my husband.

DD: Lexie’s relationship with Abe is definitely getting stronger as a result of all of this. It’ll be nice to see a good, strong relationship survive all this election drama.

RJ: It’s so interesting, because I’ve had so many people, especially in their 20s, who say to me: “I want to see Lexie back with Tek or Brandon. The two of you were hot together.” And then you see people maybe mid-30s and older saying: “I’m happy to see you and Abe sticking together. I’m happy to see that somebody is sticking together.” They don’t know that as an actress, that can get boring.

DD: That’s true — it is a daytime drama, so we need some drama! Maybe just not the cheating-wife kind of drama.

RJ: Yes, if you can’t have me fool around on my husband, at least have me do something that’s fun and that I can get my teeth into. This election story line is something else that will get those acting juices flowing.

DD: On a personal note, I was astounded to learn that you recently turned 53! How do you stay looking so young, healthy and fit? Is there a secret pill, or do I need to start eating better, drinking lots of water and exercising?

RJ: That’s it. It’s the simplest thing — it’s what you put in your body. Big-time! If you put junk in your body — the chips and the sweets and the sodas — your outside is going to reflect what your inside is. I go through my time when I’m stressed and I want bad food, and so when I do indulge, I can literally see myself aging before my eyes. And I feel awful and sluggish, but then I get back on my routine — which is basically a lot of vegetables, fruit, chicken, fish and lean beef. I eat a gigantic salad every day for lunch. All the vegetables you can think of, I put together. I make sure I take my omega-3 fish oils, GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) and primrose oils. I just recently found out about omega-3 oils that you can put on your face, and it’s amazing. I put it on my face at night just a little bit before going to bed, and I just have this glow the next morning.

You’ve also got to rest. For me, I need eight or nine hours of sleep a night. If I don’t get it, it shows. Caffeine ages you fast. It’s amazing how it just dries your skin up. I allow myself a cup of black tea every day. I love it with Silk (soy milk) and honey. And, like you said, drink lots of water.

Interview: Alina Adams Brings Soaps Into the Digital Age

While you might not know Alina Adams by name (yet), you do know her by her body of work. She’s worn many hats in the soap-opera community, including writer, host, content producer, developer, etc. She’s authored soap-opera tie-in books “Oakdale Confidential,” “The Man From Oakdale” and “Jonathan’s Story,” and is also the woman behind the “Another World” website, which has carried the show on into the 21st century even though the NBC version was canceled in 1999. Alina is also the writer of Mindy Lewis Bauer’s Twitter feed (twitter.com/MindyLewisBauer), the writings of the popular “Guiding Light” character, who chronicles the ongoing drama that’s still happening in Springfield, after “Guiding Light’s” 2009 cancellation.

Perhaps most forward-looking of all Alina’s projects is the development of enhanced electronic books which, in addition to standard text, features video, music, graphics and links relevant to the story. An enhanced e-book can be experienced on tablets, iPads, smartphones and computers — all you need is an Internet connection and a free Kindle app. I spoke with Alina recently about electronic innovations and the future of soaps.

Daytime Dial: One of your first interactive projects in the genre was to bring “Another World” back via storytelling on AnotherWorldToday.com. How did you decide on the format in which to bring it back?

Alina Adams: TeleNext had put up reruns of “Another World” on hulu.com. It was 2009, exactly 10 years after the show had gone off the air. I suggested we do some out-of-the-box thinking. Instead of just telling people: “Here are some reruns. Watch these episodes,” we’ll update the story. Let’s work with the characters that were in the episodes that they were showing and use the episodes on Hulu as flashbacks, and combine text and video in a completely new multimedia format.

DD: And then when you incorporated Mindy with that by having her refer to “AW” on her Twitter feed, that was a great tie-in.

AA: Everybody loves a crossover! You could either pick up new readers — or in this case, new followers — or you won’t. It’s highly unlikely you would lose anyone as a result of it. So it’s a win-win situation.

DD: Mindy’s “Guiding Light” Twitter started as a promotion for the 25th high-school reunion of the Four Musketeers (Phillip, Beth, Rick and Mindy), and you guys decided to keep it going. Back then, it was affiliated with “Guiding Light,” but you’ve decided to continue it on your own since the show’s cancellation.

AA: TeleNext knows this is going on. They can’t officially sanction it, but they are not taking it down. It says right there on the profile: “This is no longer affiliated with TeleNext.”

DD: I also love the interactive quality of Mindy’s Twitter, where she asks her followers for advice on what to do in certain situations.

AA: Twitter is terrific that way. It creates immediacy and intimacy. And believe me, the fans definitely have their opinions on how things should be handled, and they aren’t afraid to voice it.

DD: Tell me about your enhanced electronic book “Soap Opera 451: A Time Capsule of Daytime’s Greatest Moments.”

AA: I reached out to the fans on transmedia — Facebook, Twitter, fan clubs, soap sites — and I asked them to tell me their favorite, most memorable moment from the beginning of soaps until now. I received a wonderful avalanche of responses. Once I compiled those lists, I went to either the actor, writer or producer who was involved in the scene, and I got the story of how the scene came together.

For example, after Linda Dano tells you about what it was like to shoot the intervention scenes on “Another World,” there the scene is — you can click a button on your tablet and watch it. I developed the idea as a fan and as a consumer. If you’re reading a book that’s telling you about something great that happened, you want to see it right then, and we now have the technology to make that happen.

Read more about Alina Adams and her innovations for the future of soaps at alinaadams.com. And if you need a belated gift for the soap lover in your family, go to amazon.com and order “Soap Opera 451” for immediate download.

Interview (Days): Deidre Hall Knows Beauty

We all know Deidre Hall as the brilliant and gorgeous Dr. Marlena Evans on “Days of Our Lives,” who she’s played for the better part of 35 years (with a few years off here and there to work on different projects). And in those 35 years, plus the time she spent as a model before that, you can bet she’s learned a trick or two about beauty. So she and longtime friend Lynne Parmiter Bowman have written all their beauty nuggets down for the masses in the book “How Does She Do It? A Beauty Book.” (Available at amazon.com. Or you can go to deidrehall.com for details on how you can order an autographed and/or personalized copy.)

Daytime Dial: What made you decide that now was the time to write a beauty book?

Deidre Hall: Lynne and I wrote “Kitchen Closeup,” and that was fun. But what I know is beauty. It seemed a little bit daunting at the time, writing up a beauty book, but then it just all really came together, and that was it. I figured, I’ve done 35 years in front of a camera, so, if I haven’t learned a thing or two about beauty, then I should just pack up my tent.

DD: You collaborated with Lynne to write this book — how did your partnership in writing come about?

DH: It doesn’t feel like working with her, and that’s the truth. We talked earlier about having spent so much time together [while working on “Kitchen Closeup”] sitting around the kitchen table and her stirring and me writing, or her writing and me stirring. We’ve shared these kinds of health issues and food issues for so long that it was natural to write that book.


And then it was natural to write the beauty book, because we also spent that amount of time in front of a mirror. “Oh, what’s that color? Where did you get that? I want one of those!” It’s what women do. Women share the wealth. And we’ve spent a lifetime doing that. And finally we thought, “You know what, we seem to know a lot about things that people don’t seem to really know about.” And so that’s what it was. It was fun, fun to put it down on paper, and it was a labor of love.

DD: One of the things I like about the book is that the advice and tips you give are good for twentysomethings, thirtysomethings, fortysomethings and beyond. Was that a goal of yours, to reach out to many age groups, or did you have a specific group in mind when you set out to write this book?

DH: Part of our conversation in writing the book was saying there’s nothing for women over 50 out there! They care! We all care! Why are there not beauty secrets for women who have sagging skin and lined skin and dry skin and that sort of thing? We wanted to make sure that that was also included in what we wrote.

DD: I know some people, myself not included, are critical of plastic surgery, saying that it’s “cheating” in some way. What are your thoughts on plastic surgery?

DH: I love it! I love that we have an option of changing the way we look if it makes us feel better. And it’s just as simple as that. There’s no judgment on it. There is no criticism of it. It’s a wonderful option for people who want to take it. The No. 1 surgery in this country is breast augmentation. Women spend more on that than any other surgery combined.

DD: While this is a beauty book, it’s also a good self-esteem booster for women, kind of empowering. Was that one of your intentions when you were writing it?

DH: We didn’t set out to change women. We just set out to sit down with them and say: “Honey, come here. I want to share something with you.” Wow, that’s a complicated question. We know that women at their very core like to share the neat stuff. So, that’s what we meant to do. Just share with women everywhere the things we’ve learned over many years.

Interview: Catching up with Claire Coffee

Claire Coffee, photo by Whit Anderson

Daytime fans will remember Claire Coffee for her two-year stint on “General Hospital” as Nadine Crowell, the nice sister of crazy nurse Jolene. Now she is pulling double lawyer duty: as a demon lawyer on NBC’s “Grimm” and a regular lawyer on TNT’s “Franklin & Bash.” I spoke with her recently about her roles, and the vast difference between the two.

Daytime Dial: “Grimm,” which is a modern-day retelling of “Grimm’s Fairy Tales,” is very inventive and super scary. What about the show caught your attention and made you really want the part of reaper/assassin/lawyer Adalind Schade?

Claire Coffee: I think the look of the show is so neat. They combined a lot of elements that people are familiar with, but it’s also kind of police procedural with fairy-tale elements. I just really like the whole idea of the show. I like the genre of television in terms of what I want to watch myself. As for my character, I really wanted this one because I’ve never gotten to play any sort of supernatural character before. I’ve played lawyers before, and she’s a lawyer, but I’ve never played an evil witch who has fight scenes and kills people. I got to put some new special skills on my resume through this job.

DD: What’s good about this concept is you have so many Grimm’s tales to choose from — conceivably, the show could go on for decades!

CC: That’s what’s so great. I’ve been reading a lot of the “Grimm’s Fairy Tales,” and I think the ones that we are all familiar with are certainly the best of the bunch, but there are hundreds. They are all very moralistic tales. In the morals of the stories, the characters die or get killed or eaten constantly. It’s not for the Disney Channel — that’s for sure.

DD: Can you give me some clues as to what is coming up later in the season?

CC: The show’s going to be exploring this new world that Nick (Burkhardt, played by David Giuntoli) is coming to and the politics of this magical realm — who’s good and who’s bad — and the unpredictability of not knowing where people stand.

DD: Now, what about “Franklin & Bash”? I know you recently started shooting for the second season.

CC: I do know a little bit about what’s going to happen. Fun times ahead; that’s all I can say.

DD: You play lawyer Janie Ross in “F&B,” but I’d say she’s a different kind of lawyer altogether from your “Grimm” character.

CC: Oh yeah — I wear similar suits, but the bad guys are VERY different.

DD: It must be fun for you to get to play two completely different characters like this, at the same time.

CC: It’s really fun. It’s fun to have two jobs, first and foremost. I’m very grateful for that. I feel very lucky that both sets are so pleasant to work on, with people who are really cooperative and have a great sense of humor. That’s a plus.

DD: You are living the dream of almost every girl who grew up in the ’90s by starring with Mark-Paul Gosselaar and James Van Der Beek.

CC: Including myself! It’s too bad I didn’t get a job like this when I first came to town — or maybe it’s a good thing, because I probably would have lost my mind. Mark-Paul and James are similar in that they’re total pros. They know how to work, but they also know that it’s all about the team, and they are very good at being helpful. It’s funny, they get mistaken for each other a lot. We did a joke about that on one of the episodes.

DD: What are some funny moments on the set?

CC: There was one scene where my character and James’ character, who plays my boyfriend, get in a fight, and I run off and the camera holds on James. He says: “Can we please just not hold on this tight angle of me watching a girl walk away?” Because all of “Dawson’s Creek” you could make a montage of Dawson looking, weeping, watching a girl walk away. That was pretty funny.

Interview: Catching Up With Tim Griffin

Tim Griffin is one of those actors who you’ve probably seen in just about everything. The classic “Everyman,” Tim has been on "General Hospital," "24," “Party of Five,” “Grey’s Anatomy," "Cold Case," "Bones," Lie to Me" and ”ER.” He's also starred on the big screen, most recently in “Abduction,” “Fair Game,” “Super 8,” and “The Men Who Stare at Goats.” And now, you can catch him weekly on NBC’s “Prime Suspect” as Det. Augie Blando. I spoke with Tim recently about Det. Blando and how much fun he and the rest of the cast are having working on “Prime Suspect.”

Daytime Dial: When you first heard that the British hit “Prime Suspect” was going to be remade for American audiences, were you a bit apprehensive about how fans would receive the new show?

Tim Griffin: It wasn’t really until we started doing the initial press work that I realized, “OK, this is a sacred institution,” because I was a huge fan of the British series, too. It’s almost like a trial by fire that you have to go through. Can it be envisioned, reimagined with an American voice? Our partners are the original producers of the original “Prime Suspect,” so we have that entire canon of scripts at our disposal, and we have Peter Berg [as the executive producer and director]. It’s like its own new animal.”

DD: That’s very smart to do it that way, rather than trying to remake the British series, verbatim, you create your own niche with the original as your guideline.

TG: Right. That’s when it’s successful. If you look at shows like “The Office.” You can’t get more beloved than Ricky Gervais and the original “Office.” But I’m a huge fan of the American “Office.” I did “Leatherheads” with John Krasinski for four months. I think he’s one of the funniest people on the planet, and he’s not even one of the funniest people on that show. It’s just like they’ve created this quirky animal that’s so them. I can’t imagine it not set in Scranton, Pa.

And it’s the same thing with our show. This thing was such a perfect fit for Manhattan Homicide, but I think it’s also brilliant as a fan of the show. It’s not like they just used the title “Prime Suspect” and threw away the entire canon. There was an episode where the remnants of a murder in a storage facility were discovered, which was registered to the killer’s mother. Well, that’s right out of the original “Prime Suspect,” where you had this crazy, Joan Crawford-type mother who’s protecting her son. The son seems completely normal on the outside, but he’s got something about him — both Helen Mirren’s character in the original and Maria Bello’s character in our show can see something is off with this guy. When I see that, I can tell as a fan of the original show that they used that plot device, but they retold it in such a way that it’s almost like you’re not even aware that you’re watching sort of a tribute to something that came before. I am very happy that they are our partners, and that we have access to those brilliant cases and scripts.

DD: Tell me about your character, Detective Blando.

TG: The funny thing is, this wasn’t even the part that I was originally read for. And now looking back on it, I can’t imagine playing any other character. He is sort of like the class clown of the squad. All of these people have a dark humorous streak to them, because there is no way to do this job without a sense of humor. It doesn’t mean I’m any less effective as a homicide detective, just the guy who will always employ my natural personality. As an actor, I am normally brought in to do the heavy dramatic lifting or just outright comedy, so it’s nice to do a nuanced character like this. I’ve rarely gotten to do something that really sort of blends both. I don’t know if it’s because they saw that character in me or they tailored the character to fit my personality. It’s probably a little bit of both. I originally read for Kirk Acevedo’s character, who was originally named Detective Carter, but I can’t imagine anybody else playing Detective Calderon.

DD: The entire cast that Peter Berg has assembled for “Prime Suspect” is really phenomenal. What is it like working with them?

TG: We were amazed that they had assembled that cast, because normally you’ll get a couple of luminaries — you’ll get an Aidan Quinn and a Maria Bello, and they’ll populate the rest of the show with nonthreatening pretty people. But Pete was adamant that he wanted every single character to hearken back to shows like “Hill Street Blues” or “NYPD Blue,” where everybody has a distinct voice. So they went out and hired probably the most accomplished cast I’ve ever been a part of. Pete Berg and Alex Cunningham were given carte blanche to hire the best actors. Hopefully they’re not sitting there thinking, “We should have gotten more pretty people.”

DD: What is life on the set like?

TG: We had an episode that aired a few weeks ago where we’re trying to destroy the killer’s ironclad alibi. He checks in at this restaurant at, let’s say, 10 minutes past the hour. He makes a call from his phone, and then it’s surmised that he might have made it from the restaurant to the murder site where he dumps the body. Is it physically possible to do this with New York traffic? Maria speculates, what if he ran it? Then they have me, Kirk (Acevedo) and Maria all run the route. That was such a fun day. We were all just riffing on each other all day long, and then we go into a bar afterward and have a few cocktails.

DD: You’ve been fortunate to have had quite a varied acting career so far. Has that been your intention, or the luck of the audition?

TG: I will tell you, I didn’t go out to do it intentionally. I think it comes with the volume of work that I’ve done. I do strive to not be pigeonholed. But I’ll tell you, there are certain characters that if you are going to be known for something, you’d better be proud of it, and this is one of those characters. Hopefully in five years I won’t be like, “If one more person calls me Augie, I’m going to punch him in the face.”

You know who I love, who I feel is absolutely brilliant? Jared Leto. I am a huge fan of all of David Fincher’s films, and when I saw Jared in “Panic Room,” I was like, “This is the kid from ‘My So-Called Life’?” Can you imagine if that was the only thing he ever did, and everybody called him Jordan Catalano? When I saw the video for “The Kill” (by Jared’s band, Thirty Seconds to Mars), I was like, this better not be that pretty boy. Do you really have to be an amazing rock ‘n’ roll musician too? There are certain people who are just ridiculously talented, and God bless him, he’s one of them. Let him go conquer every arena in the world. I’m just going to stick to acting.

Interview ( Days): Christie Clark Is Counting Her Lucky Stars

As viewers of “Days of Our Lives” have been noticing, old faces are new again. With the influx of veteran actors reclaiming their space in Salem in recent months, one can’t walk through Horton Square without tripping over Jack, Marlena, John, Austin or Carrie. Christie Clark, who returned in September to her role of Carrie Brady-Reed, is thrilled to be back home on the set — a little older, a little wiser and ready to have some fun.

Daytime Dial: What made you decide that this was the right time to come back to “Days”? I know you came back earlier for Alice, but what convinced you that now was the time to return with more permanence?

Christie Clark: Well, (executive producers) Greg (Meng) and Noel (Maxam) are manning the ship, and they have a ton of heart, and they really want to make the show succeed. You can tell there is something different in the air this time around. It’s really inspiring to work with, when the writing is good and the character development is great. It inspires all the actors and trickles down, and it’s just positive energy galore at “Days” right now. All the actors are inspiring me to do good work.


And now we have 15 weeks off a year, and it used to be that we would work crazy hours, like 70 to 80 hours a week. We would get to work at 6 in the morning and sometimes leave at midnight. Now they are kind enough to bulk my shows into three days, so I get to spend time with my family in San Francisco on my days off.

DD: I know you have young children, so it’s great that they are able to accommodate you to be able to see them a lot.

CC: Oh, yeah. It’s a dream job. I’m eating humble pie now, because I have two or three days of being a little soap star and cruising in my two-seat convertible, and then I fly home and I’m back on diaper duty and dishes. Right now I’m living what all the people who watch “Days of Our Lives” are living, and I’m just counting my lucky stars.

DD: You and I are the same age, and I started watching “Days” around ’90 or ’91 — right after high school — and to me, those were the glory days. And looking back, you can see that was a really great time for the show, so I was really excited when I found out all these people were coming back to recapture the magic of that time. What were your thoughts when you heard about that idea?

CC: I am right there with you. I feel like it was the glory days too, but that’s because I was working a lot, and I was enjoying those story lines. But so many people come up to me and say that “I started watching it in early ’91-’92 and my whole sorority or my whole sewing class watched it.” People would get together as a group and watch it and talk about it. And it seemed popular then, so when they approached us about getting all that back — the romance and the light and the airiness and the beauty — of course I was all for it! I love working, so if they are going to try to touch on when I thought it was the best, then great! Sign me up!

DD: What were those first few days back like for you — stepping on the set and seeing everybody again?

CC: It was a trip. It's like a funny dream being back in the same place and with the actors that you worked with 16 years ago. Like with Patrick (Muldoon, who plays Austin). We feel the same age, we feel that it's been no time at all, but that was a long time ago! It's weird, but hopefully we've grown up a little bit and matured a bit. It's like riding a bike. I was nervous the first day, thinking, "Can I memorize these lines again?" And that muscle memory is still there for memorizing lines, and it's still the same faces in the crew. Like, Jackie is still on the boom; Mike and Johnny are still behind the camera. People never leave "Days," because it's such a good job. And I'd say 85 percent of the people who work there now, I know them and have worked with them for 20 years.

DD: Now we have the story line of Carrie defending John, which has her at odds with Austin, who isn't so sure of his innocence — because we need some drama. What can you divulge about how it will take its toll on their relationship?

CC: It's something that Carrie's never seen with Austin before, because he had a terrible upbringing, and family has always been a big thing for him. And for him to suddenly not see that and not react the "right" way is irking Carrie, and it breaks her heart. I just want to shake him to wake him up and say, "What are you doing?" So that definitely creates friction, but it doesn't break us up — at the moment.

DD: And it doesn't help now that Austin is living with Sami.

CC: That doesn't help at all! I don't like that one bit!

DD: They have always had this rivalry, Sami and Carrie. When you first came back and everybody is all grown up and mature — I was afraid that you weren't going to have that rivalry again. So, I'm really glad that we're starting to see that emerge. The path is being set.

CC: There's just been too much bad blood. You can't just forget it, and the writers are doing a wonderful job of acknowledging that. I think in the past I've come back, and I have completely forgiven Sami. To me as an actor it's like, "I can't do that!" And now these writers are really doing a fabulous job of expressing that rivalry. I tell Austin: "I don't like you staying with her. I don't trust her." I want to trust my sister, but I don't yet.

DD: You have two daughters in real life, and you on the show do not have any children. I think you are the only female of childbearing age who doesn't. Last we heard, you guys were going to try to start a family. Has there been any discussion of your trying to do that, or is that something that is way in the future?

CC: I think they will definitely do something with that in the future — there's been a good amount of practicing.

DD: And you've got to catch up with Sami. She's got like what, 12 kids by now?

CC: I know — she's got four! It's crazy! I've got some catching up to do. Maybe I'll bust out some twins to kick-start the whole thing.

Interview (Days): Sarah Brown Returns to Daytime

Sarah Brown is no stranger to daytime soap operas. The 36-year-old award-winning actress has been a part of many of daytime’s casts, including “General Hospital” (as two different characters at two different times), “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “As the World Turns.” Since she’s made her mark at ABC and CBS, it’s only natural that the time has come for her to conquer NBC and join “Days of Our Lives.” Sarah made her debut a few weeks back as Sami’s new boss, Madison James. I spoke with Sarah recently, and she told me all about her new role.

Daytime Dial: I was very excited to hear you’d be coming back to daytime, especially in a role like that of Madison James. What can you tell me about your character?

Sarah Brown: Madison is a tough cookie. She’s got a very strong sense of who she is and what she’s in town to do, which is take over the world, basically. She’s come to Salem, and she wants all of Kate Roberts’ business (Countess Wilhemina Cosmetics). She’s a tough CEO in the sense that she’s a businesswoman. She knows, she researches, she does her homework, and she speaks all the languages that she possibly can to help develop strong relationships between herself and her distributors. She works all the time. She doesn’t really have much of a personal life. She’s there to work and to succeed and to build and grow her business bigger and bigger. She’s smart enough to know how to deal with both women and men in the business world.

DD: How did the “Days” cast welcome you to the fold?

SB: They just made me feel so at home. I came into the make-up room, and every person in there that was working or not working took the time to say, “Hey, we’re really excited you’re here,” “Welcome to ‘Days of our Lives,’” and “You’re going to have fun here.” Everyone here is wonderful. It’s a great place to come to work.

DD: In your daytime career, you’ve played lots of different types of characters. So far, what do you like best about playing Madison?

SB: I love that she’s a fashionista. I like wearing pretty clothes when I go to work, because I run around in my jeans and T-shirt all the time, so I like having that time in my day where I get to get all made up, put on pretty jewelry and be super girly that way. It’s fun because when you are running around in your day-to-day life, sometimes you forget to do that or you don’t have time.

I also really like the idea of playing a businesswoman who is conducting legal business and sort of getting to shine a light on how the world is changing around us, and how women are more and more in a position of power — how they handle it, how they are treated and how they have to work twice as hard all the time and be twice as good at everything they do in order to be taken seriously.

DD: Now, what about these sparks we are seeing between Madison and Brady?

SB: She can’t be all business. Nope, there’s got to be drama and romance, romance, romance. Yeah, there’s a big spark between her and Brady. It’s there immediately and it stays, and it’s underneath everything while they’re trying to run this company. Right now she’s more interested in building her business and building her company, but she’s super attracted to this person she works with. I think it bothers her a little bit. And it causes some problems for her, both personally and professionally.

First Day on the Set of Dallas

Interview (Days): Jack Is Back — And He Wants Jennifer!

As part of the rejuvenation and regeneration of “Days of Our Lives,” yet another familiar face has returned to Salem, and “Days” enthusiasts couldn’t be more excited. Matthew Ashford has returned to town, after being held prisoner in Afghanistan while working on a story, and plans to reclaim his life — ex-wife Jennifer and daughter Abigail included. Of course, it won’t be easy, as nothing is on soaps, but I’ve got my money on Jack Deveraux’s ability to charm his way back into his family’s life. I spoke with Matt recently about his return to Salem.

Daytime Dial: I know you’ve kept busy doing other projects and televisions series, so how did it come about that “Days” producers were able to lure you back to the show?

Matthew Ashford: I had gone in some years back and had a good conversation with the producers at that time, and they were very upfront. They told me, “We really like you, love your work,” and all that good stuff, but they didn’t have anything available for me at the time. They were actually trying to clear the deck a little bit anyway. I appreciated the honesty, because it’s better than them saying things they think you want to hear, but then nothing comes of it. I understood that, so I kind of moved on.

It started up not too long ago, Jack’s name had been coming up in dialogue — Jack’s doing this; Jack’s doing that — but still no call on my end. Then kind of out of the blue, I get a phone call and they ask: “Are you around? What’s your schedule? What’s your level of interest?” And I was interested. They said: “We have a story that we are interested in writing. We think there’s some really exciting things we can do with the character of Jack.”

DD: As an actor, that’s always good to know.

MA: Exactly! That’s what I’m looking to hear. They have written some really fun stuff, some very challenging things, and that’s what brought me back. There’s a lot of great stuff coming — they have definitely been true to their word. They are interested in the character of Jack. It’s a far more complicated playing field now with Jennifer and this Dr. Dan, and Abigail is now a grown young woman who has her own wants and needs. So coming to terms with that, and then there’s other people in town that I’m just starting to get to play with, which is all very, very cool.

DD: I never did buy the story that Jack was “on a walkabout” to find himself. I knew he had another, better reason for leaving his family. I’d say being held hostage is a good reason. Now that Jack is back, what does he hope to accomplish?

MA: He’s come back to regain his life. That’s the reason everybody comes back to Salem, to regain their life. He has always wanted Jennifer, and I think he’s honest and sincere when he says that. Melissa (Reeves, who plays Jennifer) just returned to the show with the passing of Alice, and I think the audience was like: “Yeah, we like this. We like seeing her again. She’s got roots here, and we like those roots.” I just think those characters are important. They are important to the story. They’re important as characters.

DD: Jack has a way of coming back into Jennifer’s life just when she has decided to start over and commit to another man …

MA: That’s kind of funny, isn’t it? How’d that work out? I would think that would be highly annoying to any girl. At least Jennifer has never used the word “stalker,” but I guess you could say in some way he’s a wife stalker.

But he’s back to find his life in Salem again. The writers want to dig into the who, what, when, why and where of everybody, and they’re not afraid to look at old story lines and go from there. But they also are bringing to it a new look, a fresh perspective and excitement and energy, and they are willing to look at things a little differently. I’m excited to say that there are things that will be brought up and you will say, “Oh wow, I didn’t think we’d get into that.” And we are, and it’s good.

DD: With this return to its roots, “Days” fans old and new are very excited to see what’s in store for them, and for their favorite characters.

MA: It’s very good because a longtime viewer will say: “Yes! I remember that!” And a younger viewer might say: “Well, that’s kind of weird. What’s that all about?” But hopefully it will be told in such a way that the younger viewer and the longtime viewer will be able to come together. And that is what I think is the smart thing to do: Let people enjoy their passion for the show together. When Ken Corday talks about how this is a family show, it’s every generation of people sitting down together saying, “Yeah! I like that,” or “That was really important when I was your age too.” It’s all very exciting.

DD: It also must be exciting, and complimentary to you as an actor, that “Days” wanted you to return to help roll out the new/old “Days of Our Lives.” Looking back, you’ve been involved in most of the more-fun and fan-favorite story lines.

MA: I just think we found a level of communication and trust, and that, for us, was paramount. Some of the other stuff was window dressing. Oh they (Jack and Jennifer) were on a cruise, or stuck in a cabin in a snowstorm, or in a train, or in a Wild West show, or wherever the heck we were. I think the important thing is the connection between these characters with all the roadblocks they threw up in between. So, yes, I’m eager to do that. I think we have had some wonderful scenes already. It doesn’t mean that they are happy. It doesn’t mean that the scenes are easy, but there is definitely a connection. I’ve had to rely on Missy very much as we’re jumping back into this, and she’s been wonderful in supporting me. Just jumping in, it takes two to tango, and fortunately she’s been very supportive and very helpful.

DD: Jack always seems to be getting himself into something — please tell me that won’t change.

MA: Oh yes, I hope he continues to get into something. I hope he never gives that up. He’s always trying something. Some people say you can’t be goofy and bumbling and also be taken seriously, but I hope we don’t have to make it a strong distinction between the two, because he’s overcoming obstacles. Like I said, I just hope that he gets into things seriously, really gets in the middle of it.