December Once Again DOOL...

The "December Once Again" thread title came from this song by Expose =

Josh Flagg will appear on Days in May 2023.

DOOL?

R2 Interesting.

Xander looks like he is in over his head with Bonnie AND Justin.

Wonder how he gets out of all of this drama.

Didn't expect the nun to pop back up but they made it work.

Here's what's coming up -

The ex-priest sure is into adulteratin' and fornicatin' now. He must've found a NuReligion!

[quote] He must've found a NuReligion!

Eric's so horny now that it's time for Derrick to return and give it another go.

Can you imagine? I think that could make The Cock crash!

[quote] I think that could make The Cock crash!

They should Delve into that story line.

It would be worth it if Chambo showed his bussy or cock

More upcoming spoilers -

You gotta hand it to Sloan. She hasn't been in town all that long and has already snagged two prime cocks.

R12, I can barely stand to listen to that slow, special, touched fool talk for more than 30 seconds.

R12 is that Eric in his briefs? Yum

Maggie has been recast! Suzanne Rogers wanted to take a few months off!

....

Spit it out Hall...

I wonder what Grandma Mar Mar's favorite Christmas scene will be?

Probably something from Marelena's exciting teenage decade that started in 2000, but definitely not 2009.

Peacock means Marlena gets a working fireplace.

Gwen: I'm sorry you had to come through the back, but it's best no one sees you.

Leo: I've heard that way too often.

Will DeeDee choose when she set fire to the Salem Christmas tree and was revealed to be possessed?!

Is Chambo still as dumb as ever?

[quote]I wonder what Grandma Mar Mar's favorite Christmas scene will be?

It's got to be Doc levitating. One of the most iconic scenes in daytime. After that scene, Days shot from #5 to #2 in households and #1 in 18-49 and stayed there for a long time.

I want to see Grandma Mar Mar burn down the Christmas tree!

I hope this was shot in MHS's dressing room, and not her actual home. If so, how sad...

MHS?

R25 did Marlena levitate at Christmas though? Maybe she was just trying to put up some mistletoe?

I hope Dee chooses one from when she was a young stunner and introduces it as "A scene from quite recently in the show's history.."

Please, who is the stunner at the start of this vid who says he's leaving?

[quote] MHS?

Thanks to fellow DLers, she’s known as Meth Head Stacy.

As I recall Mar Mar levitated in mid December, prior to her burning the Christmas tree.

So, the levitation occurred in the Christmas season, but wasn't specifically part of the a Christmas storyline.

Marlena levitated on the December 23, 1994 episode.

Mardevil burning the Christmas tree was awesome. Doug and Julie (and the LAFD) were aghast!

She was going to shove this up Julie's ass

R33 you gotta love a Dlounger who knows his DOOL! I think she set fire to the tree weeks before as The Desecrator, it wasn't til afterwards she was revealed as the culprit.

I hope she doesn't choose some sappy family moment

R30 The guy at the start of the video is "Evan Frears /aka/ Christian Maddox" who was played by actor, Brock Kelly. "Evan-Christian" is Orpheus's (bisexual) son. (He had a relationship with Sonny.) I believe we last saw him after Jan Spears kicked him off the pier into the water and ran off with their baby.

I thought it was short-sighted of Ron not to make Jan's baby, Shawn-Douglas' kid.

[quote]I thought it was short-sighted of Ron not to make Jan's baby, Shawn-Douglas' kid.

I agree. That one really left me scratching my head. Why not connect the babyto the main family.

But then, its a soap opera. The paternity can be changed a few hundred times in the coming years. Just look at John Black's origin story.

I thought it was short-sighted of Ron not to have Evan-Christian breed Shawn-Douglas!

R40, that is in the Days bonus content section on Peacock Platinum. Hot scene.

Ugh! Asshole Pervertsudz is back posting at SON. He always comes back, unfortunately. The perv leaves dramatically forever, then always always comes back. He’s still whacking his grampa meat to dumbass Chambo. Now all we need is Icky Vicky Creepy Fuckton to reappear.

I wonder how the show is doing on Peacock. I did upgrade to Peacock Premium Plus ($10/month) so I could get my NBC affiliate - Paramount+ did this with CBS affiliates. No cable and antennas don't work at my house. The added benefit is I can see DOOL without commercials now. I think NBC/Universal should do their own skinny bundle with offering their other channels, like MSNBC and USA on Peacock.

Does Peacock have access to stream some "classic episodes"?

Off the top of my head, Marlena levitating (for which she deserved the Emmy), returning from the dead in 1991, being revealed as The Salem Stalker, her son dying from SIDS (for which she deserved the Emmy), her sister being killed by The Salem Strangler, her rape storyline?

Newer fans deserve to see the DOOL classics!

Please identify the hottie at the start of that vid!

See R37, R30/R45.

R37 sorry I missed your comment, thanks so much for ID'ing him for me. I need to put my specs on!

Thanks R46

Days is probably doing well by Peacock standards. But there’s no way they get anywhere near the number viewers that they got on NBC. They never make Nielsen’s streaming top 10 and a Peacock show has only made the top 10 once so far with Yellowstone. Doesn’t Peacock only have something like 18 million subscribers? That’s a low number.

I love a good Charlie Dale sighting. He really keeps Ava on her toes.

They need to make Mar-Devil a regular. I would be interested in her/him finding love, building a life in Salem. Deidre Hall can play both Marlena and Mar-Devil separately, like “twins”.

Nicole Walker is an amazing woman that any mans would be lucky to have.

I thought the title was referencing Kate Bush.

Nicole brought her special kind of beauty today.

That slut Sloan sure is getting lots of hot Salem cock.

...

Do any of the other characters know that Roman and Nicole slept together once, or is that something only the viewers know about?

[QUOTE] That slut Sloan sure is getting lots of hot Salem cock.

Sami will bust into that apartment to "save" Eric and find Eric willingly handcuffed to the bedposts. Traumatized all over again like when she saw Marlena on THAT conference table.

You just know that Eric must be a hot fuck. Sloan fucked him twice this morning and Eric hadn't brushed his teeth once.

Can anyone tell me how much screen time does Marlena get with her three kids? Is her relationship with Sami still strained?

Sami skipped town months ago, R59.

Marlena doesn't get a ton of screen time with Belle or Eric.

Too much, R59 . Too much.

Didn't that bitch Belle try to pull the plug on that old tart Marlena after her other daughter shot her?!

Screen time is determined by schedules which is sort of driven by budget. There was time when soaps just used characters as needed and it wasn't a big deal if an actor went over their guarantee. Now, if an actor goes over, it's a big problem. These shows are budgeted down to the penny. I would also assume that someone like Dee Hall is not doing 5 days a week anymore. She probably also has first in and first out in her contract. The coordinating producers has to make all those schedules work and sometimes that means Marlena is not going to see her kids that much.

Deidre Hall appeared in 55 episodes through the end of November, so she's averaging barely more than one appearance a week.

Dan Feuerriegel (EJ) and Billy Flynn (Chad) each had 99 appearances for the same time period, leading the DOOL pack.

I think Albert and Ron do a better job of balancing those things mentioned at R63 than the other shows. There is always a logical (or plot) rationale for characters to be gone. On GH, main stories are dropped for weeks at a time, then just picked up like someone was in the other room. Y&R and B&B just use the same core cast to tell stories over and over (and over and over).

R63 I thought Deidre was less than 5 days for ages now?

Is she still the highest paid? Don't know how much she agreed to return for in 2011 but she used to be Queen of soap salaries?

R64 is that based on Calendar year, or season? I thought their seasons started in September.

Calendar year, R64.

Drake Hogestyn and his workout buddy ... Dick Van Dyke.

[quote]I thought Deidre was less than 5 days for ages now?

She has been, I was sort using 5 days a week metaphorically. Days shoots 8 episodes a week. I believe they work 32 weeks and are dark 20 weeks. My guess is Dee probably works 1 or 2 days a week, tapes all of her scenes and then goes home. As for her guarantee, I would guess she has either a 1.5 or 2 day a week guarantee at this point.

And just to clear up something else I said above, in the past they cared if actors went over their guarantees, but wasn't as big a deal as it is now with even tighter budgets.

Were actors paid extra if they went over?

Yes, R71. Per SAG/Aftra I believe they got their rate plus extra. I remember listening to a podcast with with Steve Burton; he said that he went over his guarantee every year for something like 5 years straight. Then it all changed when they started cracking down on the budgets.

[quote] Can anyone tell me how much screen time does Marlena get with her three kids?

Marlena doesn't get a ton of screen time with any of her kids because it's getting harder and harder to make them appear younger than her. .. One imagines they may eventually have to deSORAS all of them with recasts.

R73 you flatter me!

I’d love to know how the major stars’ annual salaries compare today to the 1980s.

Has Alan Sarapa commented yet about the latest controversy???

[quote] I wonder how the show is doing on Peacock. I did upgrade to Peacock Premium Plus ($10/month) so I could get my NBC affiliate.

I guess that makes one in, one out, since I just cancelled the one-year free account that my cable company gave me last December, before The Cock could start charging me this week.

OK bye R78 .

I want to see Mar-Devil at Brady’s Pub, having a coffee, counseling Belle on Brady, with her yellow eyes, and deep demonic voice.

How about Mar-Devil pretending to be Grandma Mar Mar and training Rachel to be a demon spawn. She is Kristen's daughter after all.

Mar-Devil needs to go good.

The show's budget per year is $30 million which comes to $120 grand an episode (or $600 grand a week).

R65 That's absolutely true lol about all of them. GH has horrible pacing; they had Willow still in her first trimester for practically six months. Sometimes GH just seems like one long day for months at a time lol

How much does Dee Dee Halls make?!? Where are the salaries!!!

Sunset Beach used to have one day stretch over several weeks, so many dramatic cliffhangers

Sunset Beach used to have one day stretch over several weeks, so many dramatic cliffhangers

Dee Dee makes a million per episode, undobtedly.

I actually really liked Sunset Beach.

R75 Good question. I don't have the exact answer to that lol however, some did receive bonuses on top of their salaries. Soaps had bigger budgets back then, so 80's and 90's gave them significant increases. I do know that Susan Lucci earned a million dollars a year from AMC in the 90's until the mid 2000's, when the actors were asked to take paycuts on each network, even though some refused. These days, top earners make about 3k per episode on the low end and about 5k per episode on the high end, in terms of vets and popular recognizable actors who've been on their shows for more than a few years, beyond their first contract. Newbies typically have rookie contracts, earning about $1k per show. Recurring obviously only paid per appearance, while contracts are guaranteed payments of at least 2-3 episodes per week, even if they don't appear that particular week.

By the time AMC was canceled Susan Lucci was supposedly the highest paid actress on American soaps with Dee making no where near what Susan was making. Alison Sweeney is alleged to have at one point surpassed Dee to become the highest paid actor on Days.

R91 I remember there allegedly being a rumor claiming that Deidre was angry when she accidentally found out that Allison was getting pair more than her.

We can probably guess that both Dee and Drake took big salary cuts when when they returned in 2011 compared to what they'd been making in 2008 when they were both fired to trim the budget. And by 2015, the Sony wikileaks seemed to imply that MAGA Sami and James Scott were the top earners at that point.

[quote]By the time AMC was canceled Susan Lucci was supposedly the highest paid actress on American soaps with Dee making no where near what Susan was making.

Lucci had taken a big salary cut in the last years of AMC. But she was still probably making more than anybody else.

What would you estimate the salary to be of a big name like Eric Braeden or Maurice Bernard?

Didn't Dee agree to return in 1991 for a then-unheard of fee of $1million per year, TV movies and an ensuite dressing room?

Was her return a huge deal at the time? I saw clips and she looked a lot younger than when she left. That 4-year coma must have rejuvenated her!

Was it a mistake making those Gemini twins the biological kids of Kate and Roman instead of Marlena and Roman? Or Marlena and Stefano?!

It was one of the biggest deals in soap history, R96. It was for over a million a year, plus other perks for Days alone. The NBC portion of the deal included primetime movies of the week and she was going to get her own Days of our Lives spin off and a producer credit, it was going to be called Manhattan Lives. As we know the spin off never happened, but she still collected the money for the holding deal attached to it.

The Gemini Twins story went through so many rewrites, that they ended up being the children of Kate and Roman by default. The network wouldn't sign off on the original story and then got cold feet, then there were writing changes.

I do laugh that people think Ron is over the top when Gemini Twin Cassie's murdered body was discovered in a piñata during the Melaswen storyline 20 years ago.

R98 I mean was her return a huge event in 91?

What would the network not sign off on? Any idea what the original or proposed rewrites were?

Btw I though the actor playing Rex was a stunner

[quote]I mean was her return a huge event in 91?

It was huge. The ad campaign for her return must have cost and arm and a leg. There was a fucking billboard in LA, maybe in NYC, but I'm not sure about that one. After it was revealed to be Marlena, there was a huge "I'm Back" campaign.

The show got a ratings bump for her return, but it wasn't until "Marlena in the hole" and the affair did her return really pay off for the show, thanks to Jim Reilly with some help from Sheri Anderson. The show just sort of ignored the elephant in the room, John and Marlena, until Reilly was hired and it turned everything around.

Yes, Eric Winter, who played original Rex, was fucking gorgeous.

So it was a new writer that brought in the John/Marlena affair? Did the original Roman actor agree to return as Dee was coming back?

Can anyone with a great memory answer if they ever tried to explain how Marlena survived the plane explosion which left her "dead" in 1987? I understand she was shown being forced into a plane which exploded but cannot find any clips of her exit anywhere, which is surprising. I'd love to see it.

Was this just ignored upon her return? Also surprised they took so long to use her time missing for anything other than "she was in a coma".

Tripp looked so good in today's episode & his new butch attitude

giving it to both EJ & Nicole was also a turn-on. More of this Tripp, please.

Corbin Fisher Tripp!

Matt had a design it yourself major in Scatology at Harvard U.

R106 What the Hell are you talking about?

The weekly promo which implies that gays are fairies at the end =

Why were they called the Gemini Twins?

Dee’s sister always gave U-Haul vibes.

That promo is hilarious.

Yeah, that was a pretty good promo!

R89 Sunset Beach actually took Manhattan Lives (aka Body & Soul, the other title they considered) place in the NBC daytime lineup, for NBC (mid-95/throughout 96 is when the development process started) wanted a third soap in their lineup to compete with CBS & ABC (who both had four at the time). It came down to revisiting Manhattan Lives and an Aaron Spelling show, which Aaron initially wanted named "Never Can Say Goodbye." Two of the main reasons why they didn't go with Manhattan Lives is because Jennifer was featured prominently in the 1995 version (and not in the 1992 version) and because of the Melissa scandal, which led to them recasting with Stephanie Cameron after Melissa, reportedly at the request of her husband Scott, refused to return to work, breaching her contract. They didn't want to have a recast Jennifer featured so heavily in their spin-off, so that was an issue; however, they could've written her out or featured her less prominently. Another reason, and a bigger reason, is because NBC was drawn to the glamour of the Spelling produced prime-time shows, so they wanted to have their own with Sunset Beach (their own Spelling produced prime time serial, Malibu Shores, had failed in early 96; Randy Spelling and Megan Ward from that show ended up on Sunset Beach). If not for Sunset Beach, there would have been Manhattan Lives.

R95 Rumor is that Eric Braeden is getting 5k per episode, making him currently daytime's top earner after the budget cuts from years ago. Maurice should be somewhere between 3k-4k; the Bell shows pay more than GH & Days.

Sorry I know this is about DOOL however an instance in recent years came to mind. When Hunter King returned to Y&R as Summer, the rumor is that she was brought back by then Executive Producer/Headwriter Mal Young, with a 480k yearly salary. Mishael Morgan (then Hilary Curtis) balked, for she was denied a pay increase by Mal which resulted in her refusing to resign her contract, so he killed Hilary off.

These are all of the proposed Days Of Our Lives spin-offs:

One centered around Doug & Julie.... Dan & Marlena.... Roman & Marlena..... Mickey & Maggie. However, a main reason why none were greenlit was due to NBC believing that a spin-off would deflect viewers away from the original.

Keeping Up with the Joneses aka Sunny-Side Up aka Calliope...A "comedic soap" starring comedy duo Eugene Bradford & Calliope Jones-Bradford, relocating from Salem to Sunnyside, Queens, where Calliope grew up. Her family, which included her dentist father, two sisters, and a beautician grandmother.

Pacific Lives..."Rather than simply borrow popular DAYS characters, set in the Pacific Rim from Hawaii to Japan, would have made stars out of the rarely seen barely mentioned Horton family members like Tom Jr., his daughter Sandy, and siblings, Bill and Marie."

Manhattan Lives aka Body & Soul...."One of the perks included in Deidre Hall's 1991 contract was the opportunity to develop, and executive produce, a series of her own for NBC. Manhattan Lives would have been set in the eponymous New York City borough, where Dr. Marlena Evans would relocate her psychiatric practice. Several beloved characters from DAYS, including Tony and Anna DiMera would have been featured as well." Marlena would have been joined by step-daughter Carrie Brady, she would gain a vivacious and outgoing gal-pal (the aptly named P.T. Barnum) and Marlena would find herself drawn to a wealthy Donald Trump-esque tycoon and his son."

(A triangle for Deidre with a father and son as the centerpiece of the show)

Thanks R113 , I really appreciate that kind of backstage/inside information. In hindsight, I'm not disappointed that we didn't get a Days spinoff, regardless of who would've been on it. I also really enjoyed Generations, which I believe was another NBC owned soap. Any info on that show? Their cast was pretty amazing.

R117 You're very welcome. Ironically, Generations wasn't originally going to feature an African-American family so prominently. Creator Sally Sussman-Morina said that it was then NBC head Brian Frons' idea to make one of the central families Black, so Sally made alterations. Generations was critically-acclaimed however poorly-rated, for they aired opposite number one rated Y&R (similarly to how Santa Barbara aired opposite General Hospital in most markets, resulting in low ratings for them as well).

At R116, I meant a spin-off starring Don Craig & Marlena, not Dan lol

Again, thanks R118 . For years, I was (still am) a ride or die Santa Barbara stan, because it was probably the first soap I started from episode 1. I still think it produced some of the greatest stories and couples in soap history. But when it was bad, it was bad.

What other Marlena storylines were scrapped?

Ava sets off of a bomb, none of them make it out on time, they're all only a few feet from the bomb. How much do you want to bet Ava is the only one who dies?

I'd prefer Nicole go before Ava.

Wasn't there rumors about them also possibly wanting to do a Sami and EJ spinoff?

I like Ava better too, but they'll NEVER kill off Nicole. Ron uses "Ericole" break ups and reunions to create drama.

Is Tamara Braun leaving the show voluntarily, or did they fire her?

in one of the promos, Nicole is wearing a cast on her arm... I'm assuming we gets that after the bomb

Yeah R127 like when she was trapped in that warehouse fire but magically only got burned on the non-visible parts of her body. And then the burns went away.l

Santa Barbara was a wonderful show. The critics loved it, the industry loved it, and everyone wanted to work on it. The problem with SB was that it went over the heads of most of the soap viewing public and they could not translate all of that goodwill into ratings. They tried dumbing it down and making it more "soapy", but it just wouldn't work, and they started hemorrhaging what viewers they had. For all you SB devotees it's still playing in Europe and Africa to wonderful ratings.

[quote]So it was a new writer that brought in the John/Marlena affair? Did the original Roman actor agree to return as Dee was coming back?

Yes. Jim Reilly, who had worked on the show previously, left to do Guiding Light. Jim was part of that golden early 90s era of Guiding Light with Nancy Curlee and Stephen Demorest. There were some "issues" with Gene Palumbo and we'll leave it at that. He left and they brought in Dickie Allen and Beth Milstein to fill in, not sure about what was going to happen with Palumbo. Eventually they brought in Sheri Anderson alone and then Palumbo was able to return. But he left again. Sheri did not want to make a long term deal, so Corday reached out to several writers, including Jim. Jim presented them with a 500 page bible and was hired at the end of his GL contract. Jim work with Sheri through the end of her contract and she helped him massage some of his ideas. Sheri really knew the show.

Jim pitched:

1) The affair/triangle with John, Marlena, Roman. Who's the Daddy and Sami's change from sweet to evil.

2) The return of the Dimeras

3) The Kate Roberts story. The original story was Jennifer was going to be drawn to Austin and Jack was going to be drawn to both Kate and Billie. And then it would come out that she was Billie and Austin's mother. Some of this changed because the show needed money to bring back the Dimeras, plus Eileen Davidson. Matt Ashford, Crystal Chappell, and Michael Sabatino were let go to pay for Stephano, Tony, and Kristen.

4) And a teen story with Carrie and Sami fighting over Lucas. Sami's bulimia and rape.

5) He also wrote an interesting story about Abe, that never took off. They brought in Jonah instead.

A lot of it made it to the air in a modified form, mostly because of network requests and there were some actor issues. Crystal Chappell had some issues with Dee Hall and her love interest, Robert Kelker Kelly. But none of that is any big secret. Also, Vivian was going to play a bigger role in the Dimera storyline, but she was shifted to the Kate/Victor story.

R121 I think 'Manhattan Lives' was being planned as a sophisticated one-hour weekly show with a decent budget.

There were rumors of another show being launched in 1996 with Marlena based in San Francisco. This came up during the Woman in White storyline, because Marlena spoke of leaving Salem and relocating West during this time.

As part of Jim's deal extension with Sony, there was a discussion of spinning off Aremid as its own show. I think a bible was written. But, as we all know, NBC made a deal with Jim to fix Sunset Beach and develop his own show, which became Passions.

[quote]The problem with SB was that it went over the heads of most of the soap viewing public and they could not translate all of that goodwill into ratings.

For me, the problem was that the show was wildly inconsistent. Pretty much everything to do with the Capwells and Lionel & Augusta Lockridge was gold, pretty much everything else sucked.

Do you know any details of the story Reilly pitched for Abe?

[quote]Do you know any details of the story Reilly pitched for Abe?

You saw a part of it when Jonah became a vigilante. Abe was going to go undercover, not telling anyone what he was doing, except Roman, to bring down the organization bringing drugs into his neighborhood and people would be shocked at how much Abe had changed. This would have pushed Lexie and Jonah together. They did Lexie and Jonah, but the network wouldn't allow the Abe going undercover part.

I wonder what favor Leo will want from Xander for helping him out of his jam this week...

R134 open access to his coinslot

Pervsudz is all hot and bothered over his grandson Chandler. Its gross and disgusting.

Meanwhile has been revealed that Cass Winthrop has moved from Bay City and is now on Salem City Council

Wait until Councilman Cass finds out Dr. Rolf has Frankie Frame in his lab!

Why was Stefano so obsessed with Marlena?

Stefano was a breast man.

Good Grief R140! Did Dr Rolf take that pic before he put her in a coma?

Damn! Them’s some fine tittays Doc has!

Damn! Them’s some fine tittays Doc has!

Does anyone what episode will feature the flashbacks of Victor K?

I think the 26th is the last ep with Victor but I'm not sure if they have announced the tribute episode yet

The episode where Stefano imagined himself motorboarding the Queen of the Night is Classic DOOL.

Is that pic of Marlena real? ^^

Yes, R147.

R147 Yeah, there are many nudies of Marlena on the Internets. She used to be a pinup model.

Wow lucky John!

It was SO stupid to mention Cass Winthrop. That FAT slob Jamey was behind it. AW is fucking canceled! Asshole Giddens. Cannot stand him.

Luckier Don!

They were still firm and perky back then!

Maybe backlash against her nudies from the puritanical Daytime Emmys cost Dee her rightful awards

If things get racy on The Cock, maybe Dee can eventually submit for an AVN Award.

That'll show NATAS!

Dee didn't even take her socks of for her latest levitation scene, so I doubt she'll be getting her bra unhooked and skinny dipping with John

[quote] so I doubt she'll be getting her bra unhooked and skinny dipping with John.

Dee would probably do it with Ben or Alex or whatever they're calling RSW now. He'd undo her Christmas flannel jingle those big bells.

RSW looks really gay in that photo.

BOMB GOES OFF ON DOOL, MARLENA IN JEOPRADY! So excited. I'm staying up all night and then logging onto Peacock at 6am when Monday's episode gets dropped.

Who is joining me? We can live-blog our reactions on here.

Don't be alarmed! In the Christmas preview they released last week, they show John serving a smiling Doc what looks like strawberries and whipped cream in bed. .. Marlena's in her silk pajamas, so it looks like she's ready for some action!

R156 who's that horny bit of stuff with Doc?

RSW is 10x hotter and sexier than dumbass Chambo, who took 12 years to finish college. lololololol

I finally watched OP's video. That was great (and a lot of work). Makes me wish the remaining shows would just run classic episodes the whole week between Christmas and New Year's. I'm looking forward to the 12 DAYS of Christmas this weekend (and to watching A Very Salem Christmas again).

R162 what's your favourite Marlena memories?

I like righteously indignant Marlena during her years feuding with Kristen over John. Classic catfight @ minute 18.

R160 That's Queen Dee with the King of Salem, Robert Scott Wilson.

That photo must be a few years ago, Doc was still blonde. I like that she's gone gray

It's silver, R166 , sterling silver.

Did Stefano just say "fuck it" and stop pursuing Marlena or did he go to his grave trying to steal her away?

Ava was fine and stable, then Nicole started sniffing around her man and got him. This is the end result. All of this is that slut Nicole's fault. She deserves to end up with 3rd tier EJ.

A bomb went off, but all injuries were the equivalent of falling off a bike and skinning one's knee. The Lord was watching over them in that chapel. Or maybe the spirit of Susan Banks protected them.

did anyone die? What happened to sister Moira

No one died. No one was even seriously injured. The priest and nun magically disappeared.

This bomb made the tunnel disaster look like the peak of realism. I think Ava just put a cherry bomb in that device.

I like Ava. I’d really like her to not be in this mess.

I like Ava too. Not sure why Tamara Braun is leaving. By choice or the show cut her?

The problem is that RC can only write a villain at the extreme so where can they go with Ava after all she has done?

Spoilers for the week -

Great "Sloan" interview starts at 58:00 =

Remember that wedding massacre? Who was getting married?

R168 As I recall, Stefano switched teams and had a plan to fuck Sonny.

This was going to be an Old Bear with his Chubby Cub story.

What happened to Sr. Mary Moira and the priest? No mention of them.

Hot Daddy Dr. Extra finally got to utter a line. He also plays Hot Daddy Cop at the Salem PD.

How does Nicole the Hole survive every time? She is like a cockroach in a nuclear bomb.

I like EJ and Nicole together - 1st relationship I've been able to stand with Nicole involved.

Was Sister Mary at the memorial? If so, super weird that she vanished in the explosion with no one even referencing her...

I do kind of enjoy NuEJ with Nicole because he's being impish and sweet...but in terms of their character history, it's on par with Nicole wanting Xander. Nicole is a mother who needs to think of her daughter and the example she's setting by shacking up with creepo men who treat her like trash. She walked away from EJ the moment Sami came back to town because she didn't want any part of their drama, right? She should do so again here.

Nicole flying solo for a while and getting her shit together would be so nice.

Why is Marlena being put in constant danger lately? She's "dying" by the end of the month anyway, so why stick her in an explosion now? It's grim as fuck.

I really need more shirtless Xander in my life. Sweet Jesus, he's delicious.

Is Susan even staying dead? Do our secret sources over at the production have any insider info there? Stacey's so awful as Kristen (and so is the writing) I'd have rather seen Kristen die than Susan....

90% of these are DOOL related -

💒

Ha ha R180 , I think your extra also plays Hot Daddy Shopper in a wig in Horton Square, frequently.

That big fat fucking pig CaseySHutch thinks the he should be Days headwriter. lolololololololololol The fat pig is delusional.

That horny looking RSW in that plaid shirt with Dee ^^ needs to show his wares!

When Bonnie, Justin, Sonny and Alex were sitting in the living room, I just pretended that Bonnie was Adrienne and that made me happy

I'm glad Ava's sanity is being called into question. I'd hate to lose Tamara Braun from the canvas. Besides, Charlie may finally convince her to really murder Nicole.

I don't know what they did to Tripp today, but he looked really good. I still don't understand why they can't make his character work.

R192 Because they won't let Tripp go gay... just always unlucky with women! Will was eyeing waiter Tripp up and down in the one scene they had together ready to pounce!

I’m catching up on last Thursday’s show. I don’t know what the fuck is happening.

It’s good, but it’s wacky.

I like it when the gay male characters show a slight interest in a shirtless character. I like Zach Tinker, but he always tries to act so well behaved as Sonny when RSW is parading around in a towel.

Tamara Braun's last episode was today.

Chandler reportedly deleted his social media.

Time for Stacy Haiduk to exit.

R196, they’re playing cousins.

[quote] Is Susan even staying dead? Do our secret sources over at the production have any insider info there? Stacey's so awful as Kristen (and so is the writing) I'd have rather seen Kristen die than Susan....

Stacy is just terrible period.

What’s your point, R200? Smoking hot is smoking hot! 🔥

Is this Eric and Nicole shit getting a bit old now?

Nothing, and I mean NOTHING beats Eileen Davidson vs Deidre Hall!

[quote][R196], they’re playing cousins.

They're playing half-brothers, not that that makes a difference to R196.

[quote]Tamara Braun's last episode was today.

I'm assuming she was let go so the show could make a down payment to pay for Reckell, Alfonso, and Burton. But it was a total wasted opportunity. She actually had chemistry with EJ and Johnny. That would have been an interesting triangle.

I doubt Kristian is even still there. Burton as well. The dude that plays Rafe should be banned from daytime.

[quote] A bomb went off, but all injuries were the equivalent of falling off a bike and skinning one's knee. The Lord was watching over them in that chapel.

They could've had at least one throwaway character die.

It would have been nice if Nicole bit the dust. Talk about a useless character.

In an interview Stephen Nichols stated that working with Jeanne Cooper reinvigorated his passion for acting that he had lost.

...who's she?

EJ running to shield Nicole's body when they thought the roof was going to cave -- so gallant! What a gentleman!

I'm sure Braun will be back after Alfonso and Reckell finish their runs.

I'm finally on the get rid of Stacy as Kristen train (I had been avoiding it). Her breathy delivery is exhausting. Melinda Trask needs to exact her revenge for Kristen killing Hailey.

Isn't Nicole out by Spring? I'm ready for that, too.

R198 How 'bout his OnlyFans? Is that still up?

Chambo couldn’t take the criticism about his smirking through scenes all the time.

Charlie = FAG.

I know you're not supposed to say this because she's a legend and just a really likeable person, but Jackée Harry is really bad on this show. She's the type of actor who needs lots rehearsal and director's notes. You're just not gonna get that in the hurry up and shoot world of daytime.

I can't believe Marlena was blown up yesterday and she and John are already fucking.

r217

I'm with you... she's way over the top(and not in the good way) and way too many storylines have been about her and Chanel who we barely know

I actually don't mind Chanel all that much and with Trip coming back, maybe they'll try them out together. I don't like the Allie character, she's just dull and not interesting.

If y'all are bitching about this show, you must not be watching the other three.

I thought everyone watches B&B?

Why is EJ suddenly so into Nicole? Even if you leave out their past, tortured history....doesn't he realize its a bit WEIRD that she went from Rafe to Eric and now to him so quickly?

r222

he's the same though... He left Sami and went right to Nicole

No one ever calls soap characters on their toxic behavior like that

He left Sami but at least he had good reasons to leave....Nicole is just a flake.

But EJ is grooming Nicole. First he gets her to move in, then he lies on the same bed with her -- twice. Then he tries to get her to shower with him.

The lezzies are bring down this show along with Jackee can’t act Harry. Take a page from Y&R. They back burnered their lezzies because even the lezzies who watched couldn’t stand them. Allie and Chanel = no one cares.

"Challie" is clearly just a pit stop until these two are placed with men. They won't even commit to saying Chanel is bi -- she is "bi fluid".

That reminds me, I need to go to the store to buy antifreeze fluid for my car.

Nicole with nuEJ is the most personality I've seen from Zucker in years. Eric and Sloan are hotter than hell. And they are in bed every day.

[quote]Eric and Sloan are hotter than hell. And they are in bed every day.

I like this Eric. He's doing what he was mean to do, fuck for sport.

bi fluid is oozing out. Could be an infection. Chanel needs to go see Kayla, STAT and get that checked out.

The blast was strong enough for the church roof to cave in, but not strong enough to cause serious injury to anyone.

It sprained Nicole's arm, mussed Marlena's hair, split EJ's forehead and sullied everyone's outfits.

The blast was strong enough for one of the crew members to climb up on the lighting grid and scatter a $6 bag of Quikrete over everyone.

Stupid dumb fucking Chambo quit insta after his acting choices were questioned. Thin skinned dumbo.

R235 It's not like he had been posting anything to his social media anyway.

I enjoy NuKristen better than OldKristen. After all that the character has done, SH is playing her the correct way.

So does anyone know if Abe or Paulina will remain in the political arena?

I miss seeing Anna & Charlie on a regular basis.

What do you think are the odds that Andre will return now that the Orpheus Squad has been dealt with?

Susan Hayes intros scenes from 1971 here, which include a very young Susan Flannery.

I like how Rex pops in for visits(just like in real life) but what about Cassie??

Thanks for posting R238 . I only started watching DAYS in the 80's but that scene resonates. How amazing that the love story of Doug and Julie, and Bill and Susan, has played out on TV all these years.

Chloe looked good today, not so Botoxed. Stuff must have settled.

Of course vain old Susie chose one from 50 years ago. She does look good for her age though.

[QUOTE] So does anyone know if Abe or Paulina will remain in the political arena?

Abe + Paulina = snoozefest

Day 2 features a naked (gay) Brady and the REAL Kristen - ED.

I want Eric to fuck me !

Who doesn't R245 ?

R244: Love that clip! Also, the prominent lyrics of "fall on your knees"! O Slutty Night!

R245 so do I

Derek should return... I can imagine him and Leo getting a double dildo

While, personally, I think Will is unrecastable, Spencer Neville could have made me forget about Chandler.

Speaking of Spencer Neville, he was just in a nissan commercial I just watched

SO Eric will kidnap Rachel to stop Kristen?

Kristen sounds like the World's Worst Marilyn Monroe Impersonator.

A slut AND a bad actress.

⏳ DOOL !

DOOL?

Ugh I can't see the video at r244. What clip of Brady and Kristen (aka Eileen) is it?

They really need to get rid of Kristen for real. Brady's stuck swirling the toilet as a character as long as she's around. And with Chloe going and Nicole going, it begs the question: who will Brady make the new "love of his life!" ?

I cannot believe that neither driving a car off a cliff and it bursting into flames, nor standing in front of a bomb as it explodes is enough to kill Ava. What the hell is she made of?

I'm so pissed off that Victor's last scenes will be with freaking Leo of all people. He needed scenes with Brady, whom he never speaks with anymore. Or Philip. Or John.

:( After Boxing Day...no more Victor on Days. That just sunk in :(

Didn't Victor have a stroke after catching Kate getting her cooter stuffed by another man?

R254 the video is the Love, Actually scene from A Very Salem Christmas, which came out on Peacock last year.

Sorry- that was meant for R256 .

So I'm guessing the biggest star will get to be the last day of Christmas or the Christmas day one? Did the cast argue over who gets the best spot or did it automatically go to The Queen Of Daytime?

Today's episode was pretty perfect. Very DAYS. Jules and Carver sleeping all over everyone was hilarious and sweet.

damn it was cold in that studio

Well, she did put on a sweater. Eventually.

[quote]So I'm guessing the biggest star will get to be the last day of Christmas or the Christmas day one? Did the cast argue over who gets the best spot or did it automatically go to The Queen Of Daytime?

Thank you and Merry Christmas. Top-billed Suzanne Rogers

R264 oh honey, not you. Sorry 💞

This is one of my favorite episodes of the year. Hanging those ornaments just gets to me every year. Go ahead call me Mary!

Doug is still feisty, but you can see that he's showing his age.

Loved Julie versus Gwen over the desserts and that Gwen didn't get an ornament.

Also, a nitpick, but when Julie was mentioning her grandkids, she forgot about Scotty. Justice for Scotty!

Finally, I know it's not popular here or on Twitter, but I want Missy Reeves back as Jennifer.

^^Homophobe blocked at r266.

Cady was at least better today than in her last few appearances as Jennifer.

[quote]Finally, I know it's not popular here or on Twitter, but I want Missy Reeves back as Jennifer.

I agree. When “Jennifer” hugged top-billed Suzanne and said “Aunt Maggie”, it didn’t hold the same emotion as if Mrs. Chic-Fil-Hate had delivered the line.

r269

I agree as well... I like Cady but she is just not Jenn

Why is DOOL so looked down on at the Emmys? It's a crying shame to see the likes of Susan Lucci with 22 nominations when our Dee Dee Halls only has 3.

Dee’s perky bosoms of yesteryear are plastered all over the internet. Slutdom isn’t rewarded.

There was no internet when Dee was last nominated, 1985

You’re logic isn’t appreciated, R273.

Missy had to stand in front of a congregation at some whacka-doodle evangelical church and admit every detail of her affair with Jason Brooks and wait for them to pass judgment on her. If she hadn't done that, Scott would have taken her daughter away. She gave into the brainwashing because her options were limited. Before that time Missy was nothing like she is now. She was fun and open and a friend to all. Just a delight. I miss that Missy. It is sad what became of her, but she is hardly the only right-wing, Trumper, Jesus freak, conservative in daytime. Daytime is filled with them.

Julie vs. Gwen was awesome. She needed a new adversary after Gabi.

I was (am?) a Missy Reeves fan from her Santa Barbara days, but I don't care who plays Jen anymore. The sentiment was there, and that was enough.

I appreciated that Jack wanted to lay some pipe, as John did the other day.

[quote]Why is DOOL so looked down on at the Emmys?

IMO, Days has always been the brain candy soap. Even when Bill Bell was writing it. In the soap world, the Emmys tended to gravitate towards the more serious shows, except during the period in the 80s when GH was winning - but that was more about it being innovative and the ratings than anything else.

In the 60/70s it was psychological and incestuous

In the 80s it was James Bond

In the 90s it was Supernatural and Gothic

In the 00s - 20s it was sort of an amalgam of all it's greatest hits, just on a budget.

The show has gotten some Emmy love over the years, but it was never an "Emmy Show". They weren't doing episodes just to win Emmys like the ones we all know. Plus the Daytime Emmys are a fucked up process.

Based on today's show Lani is getting out sometime next year.

Has the actress given any signs that she is willing to return to the show on some type of basis?

[quote] Did the cast argue over who gets the best spot or did it automatically go to The Queen Of Daytime?

We already saw Brady's yesterday.

R278 She was okay with recurring before and the show still canned her and put Lani in the slammer.

There's absolutely nothing on Sal Stower's IMDB since she left DAYS, so she may welcome a chance to come back. She's not a very good actress but I miss her and Eli on screen.

If they come back R281 what could TPTB do with them that they haven't already done?

^ Lani could find religion in prison and decide to become a nun -- vowing to seek redemption for raping Jumpstreet JJ by devoting the rest of her life to doing good works. Sister Mary Moira becomes her mentor.

Meanwhile, a frustrated Eli rejoins the Salem PD. He and Shawn-Douglas are assigned to handle an undercover stakeout at The Spot where a string of back alley muggings have recently taken place. Told to play boyfriends who are looking for a threesome, the dynamic duo soon discover that they have much more in common than ever imagined and. They quickly determine that their boyfriend act could be greatly improved with a little method acting, so they move in together.

Oh gawd, Smirky Chandler is back Monday. Eyeroll.

NuJennnifer is absolutely awful. She sounds like she's still on excessive doses of medication. Never thought that I would admit this, but I'd take Melissa Reeves anyday of the Nu Box of Rocks.

Melissa Reeves is a million times better than Cady.

Dee chose this 1992 Christmas Scene.

John was robbing the cradle with teenager Dee!

R288 R289 fucking video not available in the UK, could you summarise Dee's choice please?

R290 A very young and naughty Marlena sneaks out of the house (leaving Roman) so that she can go give John Black a Christmas present.

It's quite romantic. Marlena says something breathy, John smells a fart.

In the end, John ends up with a ladies watch. Unfortunately, naive Marlena already had it inscribed, so John can't exchange it.

John then gives Marlena a personalized, sexy thong chain that she can keep adding sparkly bling to as she matures.

Lol R291 thanks! Love some throwback Doc!

The best part of the Christmas episode was seeing them finally acknowledge CHASS with a tree ornament!

Although, It may have been more fitting if they'd hung two, twin globes, side-by-side ... but still, even this addition was a nice touch.

Who is CHASS?

Sorry John & Marlena stans, but Drake Hogestyn is one of the worst actors on this show. He uses a bunch of canned facial expressions and cocking his head at Marlena as a substitute for acting.

Don't be sorry to us, R295 . It's Christmas and you seem like an asshole.

r295

I don't think anyone ever said Drake was a great actor but he was very different as Roman... his personality shifted completely as John Black

Now R296 is calling me asshole, because I pointed out facts?

I'm done with this thread.

nuthread

R294 CHASS dominates many scenes. The camera loves CHASS.