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Soaps In Depth staffers have been on the phone with Daytime Emmy Award nominees all day, offering our congratulations. Here are just a few of our interviews, so keep checking back for more updates!

"I was so surprised, I couldn't believe it," confesses Genie Francis, nominated in the Lead Actress category for playing THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS' Genevieve. "I feel like I've had tremendous good fortune with this new show, and I'm thrilled to be part of them." Headwriter Maria Arena Bell phoned Francis this morning to share the news of her nomination. "We get up very early over here. The kids go to school at 7 a.m., so we were all up when I got the call. It was a very nice surprise. I really did not expect it." For her reel, the actress submitted the scenes where Genevieve tells Jack about her daughter that died and needing to get a divorce from Colin. "It was a very long, heartfelt speech and it ends with them sleeping together for the first time. Genevieve came on so angry, and bitter and driven for revenge, but that scene told the audience why."

It's been a while since John McCook (Eric, THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL) was last nominated, but he's kept a sense of humor about it! "[My wife] Laurette said, 'Finally, you get another nomination!' I said, 'Well, I'm glad I wasn't holding my breath! I'd be long dead!'" In all seriousness, the actor adds that his submission of scenes between Eric and Stephanie where he brings her a gift, hoping to get more intimate with her, were quality ones. "He talks in very adult terms about his needs. I was very glad to have scenes that talked about something adult. The adults on our show talk a great deal about the young people, and that's okay, but let's keep being interested in these adult characters."

Although she's taken home Emmys in the Younger and Supporting Actress categories, B&B's Heather Tom (Katie) will be competing for Lead Actress for the first time. "The category change makes this year very special for me," she confesses. "I kind of debated whether I should or shouldn't, and I was like, 'I've been on daytime for 22 years and if I can't compete in Lead at this point, I should just hang it up!'" Returning home from an early-morning yoga class, Tom found out that her scenes following Katie's heart attack had done the trick in bumping her up on the category ladder. But as far as being the first to win the Trifecta, Tom says she isn't putting the cart before the horse! "I'm just happy with a nomination!"

For Elizabeth Hendrickson (Chloe, Y&R), a live video chat played a part in how she learned of her nomination. "It wasn't airing here [on the West Coast] yet, so my mom called me on FaceTime. But they didn't finish all the announcements on TV, so I had to go on-line to see the rest. Thankfully, my name is really long so it stands out! My eyes went to that directly and I couldn't believe it! I was screaming my head off!" For her scenes, Hendrickson submitted the episode in which Chloe learns of her daughter Delia's cancer. "Now, we only get to submit one show. This year, I had this amazing show that had a full arc, everything wrapped up in this sweet little package. I guess the Academy always loves a good cancer story! My biggest competition, I know, is Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth, GENERAL HOSPITAL) because her baby died!"

Naturally, Y&R headwriter Maria Arena Bell is thrilled to see the soap nominated in the Best Drama, directing and writing categories. "I'm very happy for the acting nominees we have -- Genie, Christel [Khalil, Lily] and Lizzie. It's great to see Debbi Morgan (Harmony), Darnell Williams (Sarge) and Missy Egan (Chelsea) all nominated because it honors their work on ALL MY CHILDREN. They so deserve it." Of course, the scribe was disappointed for her colleagues who were not recognized. "There were certain standouts this year that I was surprised weren't nominated," she confesses. "To have a year where you don't see Michelle Stafford (Phyllis) or Peter Bergman (Jack)... [Thomas Scott, Nikki] had a brilliant year with the alcoholism with her special show, that we submitted as one of our Best Drama shows. She has never been more brilliant. The list goes on and on of people I wished I'd seen nominated. They tried a new system this year; it got some new names in there. I hope that those actors who I'd hope should have been nominated know that they helped bring to life the nominations we received for show, writing and directing."

While Shelley Hennig (ex-Stephanie) has moved on from DAYS OF OUR LIVES and now stars on The CW's hit drama THE SECRET CIRCLE, she hasn't forgotten her daytime roots. "I woke up to an excited voicemail from the DAYS hair and makeup room," she says. "What a nice surprise! DAYS was my first TV family, and this nomination reminds me of that. I'm also in great company with my friends Molly Burnett (Melanie), Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (Steffy, B&B) and Christel Khalil (Lily, Y&R). So happy for the all the DAYS nominations as well!"

Fans of AS THE WORLD TURNS remember Kristina Sisco as Oakdale ingenue Abigail, but now going by her married name, Romero, the Emmy-nominated actress has dabbled in directing and recently completed her first novel!

"It does sound like I've been all over the map," she admits with a chuckle. "But for me, it's all the same, because I've always wanted to tell stories. When I went out to California after ATWT, I enrolled in USC and got my masters in writing. So it's always been a passion of mine."

Calling Extra is the story of 13-year-old immigrant Elsie Lutz who finds herself wrapped up in the infamous newsboy strike of 1899 after her father is arrested and she's left to fend for herself on the streets of Manhattan. "There were kids who lived in New York City who worked for a living and in such impoverished conditions," she explains. "They were doing all they could just to make pennies to get through the day."

The tenements of a turn-of-the-century Big Apple may seem a far cry from Oakdale, but Romero says she'd been working on her debut novel for years and was actually inspired by her love for the Disney movie (now-turned-Broadway-musical) Newsies!

"I always wanted to know more about the actual event of the newsboy strike," she says. "So for my undergrad, I did a little research and wrote a short story. At USC, my professor taught a historical fiction writing class, and I started to flesh it out and got a lot of positive response. So I spent the next few years doing more research and fleshing it out even more."

Romero laughs and adds: "I know way more about 1899 than one person probably needs to know!"

For more, make the jump!

Hillary B. Smith (Nora, ONE LIFE TO LIVE, ex-Margo, AS THE WORLD TURNS) debuts Friday, March 9, on THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL this week as Dr. Stacy Barton. She'll be helping one couple work through some intimacy problems, but if the actress had her druthers, she'd get to help the whole dysfunctional cast of characters! "Dr. Stacy is a therapist that specializes in relationships," Smith explains. "I'm hoping the whole town falls apart in some total sexual crisis, so that every single person needs to come to her [for counseling]! I think she should have the dirt on everybody!"

Having been a fixture on the cast of OLTL for almost two decades before its January cancellation, Smith had no qualms or nervous energy about trying a new soap on for size. "I've never done a Bell show," she explains, referring to B&B and its sister soap, THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS. "But I've certainly watched them both, from their inception. It's definitely a different feel and tempo [than I'm used to], but I've been a big fan for a long time."

Smith would encourage her loyal fans from OLTL to give the show a look-see, too! "Oh, absolutely. I put a message on my website to my fans, inviting them all to come and tune in!"

THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL welcomes Phyllis Diller back to the fold on Thursday, March 8, and Friday, March 9, when she turns up to play her madcap alter ego, Gladys Pope. Now that the laugh-a-minute beautician is certified as a justice of the peace -- she'll help one couple tie the knot this time around -- her portrayer wouldn't mind many happy returns. "Now that I'm back in the flow and jiggling around like a young hussy, I'll be looking for more weddings on the show," jokes the 94-year-old comedienne.

A gal pal of Sally Spectra, Gladys hasn't appeared on the show since Sally's portrayer, Darlene Conley, passed away in 2007. But when Diller's own pal, B&B co-creator Lee Phillip Bell, suggested she make a comeback, the actress was game. "She was pretty important in getting me back to the role," says Diller. "And I just love doing it!"

When asked if Mrs. Bell has the same outrageous sense of humor as she does, Diller let loose with one of her famous laughs. "No!" she proclaimed. "She's too pretty!"

GUIDING LIGHT alumna Tammy Blanchard (Drew) has been hard at work for the past year performing in the hit Broadway musical How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying -- even gaining a Tony Award nomination for her supporting role! But that hasn't stopped the actress from taking on additional work as well, because she has two television appearances in March!

First up for Blanchard is a pivotal role on the season finale of A GIFTED MAN, "In Case of Heart Failure," airing Friday, March 2, at 9 p.m. on CBS. She'll guest as Louise, a patient with a potentially fatal disease whom Kate discovers has a special connection to Michael, played by series star Patrick Wilson. "It turns out, she has Anna's heart. She's a really important character; she leaves a nice cliffhanger to the end of their season," Blanchard tells Soaps In Depth. "It leaves some questions for the audience whether or not Michael's wife is gone forever because of what happens to me. Working with Patrick Wilson was so great, I would do it again in a heartbeat!" Working on the medical drama reunited Blanchard with executive producer Neal Baer, with whom she worked in her 2001 guest appearance on LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT. "He said he wrote the part with me in mind," she marvels. "That was just a blessing."

Read more after the jump!

There has been a lot of buzz about the demise of soap operas, but a new documentary just might bring the sad reality into the same world as Brad Pitt, Steven Spielberg and other big time Hollywood names! Called Soap Life, the docu-film is about the changes taking place in the world of daytime television, and with over 70 interviews featuring fans, stars, producers, directors, writers, bloggers and fan club leaders, it could show the world what's really happening in daytime.

"The wife of our executive producer, John Grossman, who owns the production company NYPS, is a big fan of GENERAL HOSPITAL, and her whole thing was, 'You have the ability, so let's do something to save the soaps,'" explains producer Matthew D'Amato of how it all began. "We started doing research, and we sat down with a few actors, producers and directors, and said, 'Is this is a good idea? Could this work? Should we pursue it?' And we looked it up online and didn't see anything like this, so we thought it would be important to get started."

And the main goal of the film, D'Amato explains, is to generate enough buzz about the possible end of soaps to possibly prevent it from happening. "Hopefully this will get enough attention to help the genre, because we don't want to see it fade away," he says, adding that it's tentatively scheduled for a June 2012 release date at film festivals and possibly on networks such as Showtime. "We do want to see it at festivals, and we do want to see it on networks [so] people who aren't soap fans can watch the film and kind of relate to it, hear the stories and maybe want to pick them up or maybe do something about the genre. We have contacts we can send it to in order to get it out there, so hopefully it will get bigger and bigger!"

For more information on the project, visit www.facebook.com/soaplifedoc. To see a video about the project, visit www.youtube.com/user/SoapLifeDoc.

In the two years since GUIDING LIGHT ended, Robert Newman (Josh) has had a successful run in theater, traveling across the country performing in productions of beloved musicals like Annie, Man Of La Mancha and, earlier this year, Curtains. "Life goes on, and as a by-product, careers go on," the actor tells Soaps In Depth with a laugh. "Most of my time in the past couple of years since GL has been on stage. That's where I love to be. I've had a great run of some outstanding roles, and they've all been successful."

In his latest project, Newman is starring opposite Broadway star Tovah Feldshuh in Gypsy at the Bristol Riverside Theatre in Bristol, PA. "Gypsy is a musical that's been around forever. Tovah is the leading character, Mama Rose. She's the ultimate stage mother. She drives her two daughters' careers to the point where they end up walking away from her," explains Newman, who plays Herbie. "He signs on as the girls' agent/manager, and he's also pursuing Rose and looking to settle down with her, marry and have a family."

Read more after the jump!

AS THE WORLD TURNS fan favorite Jake Silbermann (Noah) has a lot invested in the new Off-Broadway play Derby Day, which opens this week at the Clurman Theatre. His new theater company, The Camisade Theatre, is presenting the dark comedy as their first production! "We're flying by the seat of our pants," Silbermann tells Soaps In Depth. "I'm producing this as well as acting in it, and forming a theater company in the process. It's been a little difficult."

Set in a luxury box at the Oaklawn Racetrack in Hot Springs, Ark., Derby Day tells the story of the Ballard brothers, and how a day of drinking at the racetrack and revealing family secrets might just tear them apart forever. "They are "celebrating" the death of their abusive father, whose presence is looming throughout the entire show," explains Silbermann, who plays ex-con Johnny. "He's had such an impact on these three mens' lives, and we see this cycle of violence and how it goes from generation to generation."

The dark comedy does have a bright spot, however. "These three guys are just trying to do well with their lives. They hate themselves, they love each other, they hate each other. They've got a lot of history that they're not really equipped to deal with," he continues. "There are moments in the play that have me cracking up. A drama really becomes a dark comedy when it has a certain amount of laughs, and we cover that. It's a really funny, but sad, play."

While Silbermann knows what to do on the stage, the behind-the-scenes work was a new animal for the actor. "Malcolm Madera is another actor in the play who is co-producing this as well. We were naïve enough to think it would be an easy thing," he says with a chuckle. "We worked on a play together last year and became good friends. He knows the writer, Samuel Brett Williams, and we approached him to commission something for us. We were describing what we wanted, and he said, 'I actually have something written that seems right up your alley.' As soon as I finished reading it, I said 'We are going to do this play.'" The three men went on to found the Camisade Theatre Company.

Derby Day begins previews on Wednesday, November 30, and officially opens on Friday, December 1. The show will run through Saturday, December 17. For the full performance schedule or to purchase tickets, visit www.Telecharge.com. For more information on the play and Camisade Theatre Company, visit www.CamisadeTheatre.com.

The holidays are coming early for Dylan Bruce (Chris, AS THE WORLD TURNS; Brian, THE BAY) this year! The actor stars in Love's Christmas Journey, a Hallmark Channel Original Movie premiering tomorrow night, Saturday, November 5, at 8 p.m. EST.

The four-hour -- set your DVRs accordingly! -- film also stars daytime vets Greg Vaughn (ex-Lucky, GENERAL HOSPITAL; ex-Diego, THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS), Natalie Hall (Colby, ALL MY CHILDREN) and Charles Shaughnessy (ex-Shane, DAYS OF OUR LIVES), along with Academy Award nominees JoBeth Williams (Brandy, GUIDING LIGHT; Carrie, SOMERSET), Sean Astin and Ernest Borgnine. "It's a Western that takes place in the late 1800's," explains Bruce, who plays Deputy Michael Strode in the film, the latest installment in Hallmark's series of films based on the Janette Oke book series Love Comes Softly. "Greg's character goes missing. Natalie plays his sister. She comes to town and a romance blossoms between our characters."

Bruce was quite impressed with Hall's ability to juggle filming Journey as well as taping the final weeks of AMC on ABC last summer. "She was doing double-duty. I don't know how she did it," he marvels. "She's a sweetheart."

Aside from Love's Christmas Journey, Bruce is hard at work filming Season 2 of THE BAY (www.thebaytheseries.com), where he plays Brian. Will his marriage to Zoey go off without a hitch? "Brian's stubborn," Bruce maintains. "He's going to make it happen."

While Bruce has gone on to work regularly in Hollywood post-ATWT, he fondly recalls his time as the offspring of iconic characters Bob and Kim, who were played by fan favorites Don Hastings and Kathryn Hays. "I miss them both a lot," he shares." Don is great and so hysterically funny. You don't think he'd be that way because he played the patriarch but he is. Kathryn is a sweetheart. I'd get all time the time from her [Kim's signature line], 'Listen, kiddo!' I think she added them herself if they weren't always in the script. She'd put them in anyway!"

Alina Adams has done it again! The New York Times best-selling author of AS THE WORLD TURNS and GUIDING LIGHT tie-ins Oakdale Confidential, The Man From Oakdale, and Guiding Light: Jonathan's Story, has just released her latest soap opera-themed tome, Soap Opera 451: A Time Capsule Of Daytime Drama's Greatest Moments. The enhanced E-book -- which can be obtained by downloading the free Kindle app from amazon.com to any Internet-enabled device -- will allow readers to have a truly interactive experience as they read about 45 of daytime drama's greatest moments as voted on by industry insiders and fans alike.

"People sent me by E-mail, Facebook, and Twitter their memories of the scenes that meant so much to them. Then I went to the actors, writers, and producers who had been part of those scenes to ask them how they came together," Adams explains of how the compilation came together.

In the book, readers can hear Linda Dano recount playing Felicia's intervention on ANOTHER WORLD, Eden Riegel relate her memories of Bianca declaring her sexuality on ALL MY CHILDREN, Michael Corbett regaling the tale of David Kimble's death on THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS by trash compactor and more... and then click on provided links provided to see video clips, leave comments, or find out what the actors are doing now. "You can read about the scene, watch the scene, and contact the actor and [share] your thoughts!" Adams enthuses. "In that way, the book will not become stagnant because all of those pages will be constantly updated."

Having spent 30 years watching all of the great serial dramas that have come and gone, as well as those still on the air, Adams promises that there will be a little of something included for every fan. "There's a lot of talk about where soaps went wrong and what can we do to fix them. Those are completely legitimate questions and things that people should be asking in order to save and reinvent the genre," maintains Adams, who has also penned a slew of mystery and romance novels. "But I also wanted to talk about what soaps did right and ask: what were these moments that really had people glued to their TV sets? Because sometimes we can learn a lot from [identifying] and emulating that."

Soap Opera 451 retails for $9.99 and is text-to-speech and lending enabled. You can purchase the book here, and find out more about the author at www.alinaadamsmedia.com. And to learn how her history as a soap fan led to a career in the industry, keep your eyes open for a Look Who's Watching feature in an upcoming issue of Soaps In Depth!

When THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS' John Driscoll (Chance; Coop, GUIDING LIGHT) decided to pop the question to his long-time girlfriend, Beth Nelson, he considered a series of venues. "I thought maybe I would propose on the beach, having her family come out and surprising her. Then I figured maybe we'd go back home to Virginia. Then I thought, let's go to New York to the restaurant we had our first date at," he shares with Soaps In Depth.

Yet when Nelson, who works for an air lease company, needed to go to Paris for an air show, the actor realized that he couldn't ask for a better location. "She was going to be there for four days, where she had to work one day," he says. "We decided to turn this into a mini-vacation. She had no idea, but I thought, 'Oh, my gosh, this is the perfect time to do it."

Read more after the jump!

Soap fans rejoiced when word spread that the cancelled ABC dramas ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE would find a new home on the Internet thanks to Prospect Park. "I was brought up on TV, so if I had an option, I'd watch shows on TV," admits THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS' Lauralee Bell (ex-Christine). "But I watch my kids, and they grab their computer when they want to watch something. It's funny. It's a whole different mentality today. I talk to so many people who watch Y&R now on the Internet."

Bell knows something about what she speaks. After all, not only is she the daughter of one of the pioneers of daytime, the late Y&R and THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL creator William Bell, but she's spent the last couple of years exploring the Internet by launching two Web series, FAMILY DINNER and JUST OFF RODEO. "Do I think soaps have this brand new survival by being on the Internet? Absolutely!" she declares. "For all we know, they may get a different kind of viewer or bigger viewership. It's trial and error at this point. I know a lot of people who have a TV in the same room their computer is, and they're watching a lot of stuff off their computer."

Read more after the jump!

Cable network CMT -- as in Country Music Television -- is making its first foray into made-for-television films this week with the movie To The Mat, starring GUIDING LIGHT alum Laura Bell Bundy (ex-Marah) and Rick Schroeder. Penned by Sweet Home Alabama's writer, To The Mat tells the story of a laid-back former wrestler trying to keep his clan's wrestling school above water, and the high-strung Wall Street consultant hired by his mother to help save the family's business.

"She gets this project in Georgia, thinks she is saving this prep school from financial ruin. She does it as a favor to her boss," Bundy tells Soaps In Depth of her alter ego, Janice, who immediately clashes with Schroeder's Aaron. "They have this animosity towards each other because he doesn't think she needs to be there, but his mother does, and she's getting married in three months and just wants to get out of there."

CMT hand-picked the Nashville native for the project, based on her popularity as a country music career. "They realized that their viewership likes to watch movies and I was so honored that they asked me to be in their first one," she shares. "According to some of their CMT statistics, my video "Giddy On Up" did very well for them. So they thought, our audience is familiar with her and she also happens to be an actress... I think that's how it all came about. I have a great relationship with the folks over there.

"It was fun, and I was the lead in the movie which I had never done before," she adds. "I am as literally in every scene. It was a lot of work. We shot the film very quickly. But Ricky is great. He thinks like a director because he has been in the business for so long. So it was really fun to kind of learn from him in that way."

To The Mat debuts on Wednesday, August 17, at 8 p.m. EST.

Several stars from THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL will be appearing at the 2011 Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach, CA, this weekend! On Saturday, August 6, Scott Clifton (Liam), Don Diamont (Bill), John McCook (Eric) and Heather Tom (Katie) will be at the Festival Of Arts for B&B night, signing autographs and meeting fans prior to the 8:30 p.m. Pageant of the Masters show.

A ninety minute show of "living pictures" -- where art comes to life with real people posing to look exactly like their counterparts in the original pieces in an extraordinary live performance -- the Pageant of the Masters is a must-see event happening nightly through August 31, complete with an outdoor amphitheater, professional orchestra, original score, live narration and intricate sets. There are also over 150 unique booths of artisans and jewelers. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.foapom.com.

The smash Broadway hit musical Hairspray will be at the Hollywood Bowl on August 5 through 7, starring Harvey Fierstein and Marissa Jaret Winokur from the original Broadway cast, Drew Carey, AMERICAN IDOL Diana DeGaro, teen heartthrob Nick Jonas, HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL hunk Corbin Bleu, John Stamos... and THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL's Kristolyn Lloyd (Dayzee)! "I'm playing one of the Dynamites. There's three women in the show that are kind of like The Surpremes," Lloyd tells Soaps In Depth. "They sing all the songs and they have some of the really good musical numbers. They also asked me to play one of the young African American teenagers in the play, also, so I'll be in all of those numbers, too."

Last summer, Lloyd performed at the Hollywood Bowl in their production of Rent, and she's thrilled to be back on the stage for Hairspray. "It's really cool, getting to work with Corbin and Nick and Harvey. He and Marissa are the originals from the Broadway show, so I'm really looking forward to that. It's going to be lots of fun!"

Read more after the jump!

THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS' Sharon just may have a chance of staying out of jail -- in the form of her new attorney, Avery Bailey Clark, who's being played by daytime vet Jessica Collins (Dinah Lee, LOVING.) "I was always open to returning to daytime," the actress tells Soaps In Depth. "But it had to be for the right role. This one happened really quickly. Y&R called me and I read the part and I was interested in the character immediately. The timing was right. I felt this was a good fit for me."

Collins, who is on contract with the soap, had only taped about four episodes when she spoke to us, so she's still learning about Avery. We asked if she might be related to Matt Clark, the former Y&R bad boy, played by Eddie Cibrian, who raped Sharon. (Viewers were recently reminded of Matt in the July 4th Sharon-centric episode.) "That's the first I've heard of that," chuckles Collins about a Matt/Avery connection. I don't know much Eddie and I look alike but that's never stopped anything in daytime!"

Any familial dynamics Avery may -- or may not -- have will unfold over time. Meanwhile, there's a more pressing question: will Avery get Sharon's guilty verdict reversed? Collins hopes so. "These are the types of cases -- no pun intended -- that Avery lives for. She's dedicated her life to righting the wrongs of the system. She's started up an Innocence Project. She's not in it for the money. She's not a glamorous lawyer. She's a bit on the clunky side. I describe her more as a 'broad' than a lady."

Watch for Collins to make her Y&R debut on Wednesday, July 27.

Joanna Johnson reprises her role of THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL's Karen Spencer beginning Friday, July 22, when the beautiful blonde comes to town to for her brother and sister-in-law's vow-renewal ceremony. While you could hardly consider Karen and Bill to be the tightest of siblings, Johnson says her alter ego, as part-owner of Spencer Publications, has an interest in seeing her brother domesticated, so to speak. "Spencer stockholders are happier with a married, settled Bill than they were with 'Bachelor Bill,'" she explains. "So Karen is invested in this marriage working, because it's good for business!"

Read more after the jump!

If you live in the Washington, D.C., area, there's a hot ticket in town: Follies, the Stephen Sondheim musical, is currently playing at The Kennedy Center, and it's a smash hit! The play stars Broadway veterans Bernadette Peters (Gypsy), Danny Burstein (South Pacific), Jan Maxwell (Lend Me A Tenor), Elaine Paige (Sunset Boulevard)... and GUIDING LIGHT's own Ron Raines (Alan)! "It's just been thrilling to be a part of it," Raines tells Soaps In Depth. "The talent it's brought out is just amazing."

First on Broadway in 1971, Follies follows a group of musical-revue performers reuniting at their former playhouse for one last bash before the crumbling theater's demolition. "It was inspired by two real theaters that were torn down, and parking lots were made in their space," explains Raines, himself a vet of The Great White Way (Chicago, Show Boat). "That's when a lot of the historical preservation [of theaters] started kicking in. But the play was inspired by that kind of action.

Read more after the jump!

As fans rally in an attempt to save their soaps, one thing that comes up time and again are questions regarding ratings. In an attempt to answer questions regarding how audience size is measured and what is -- and, perhaps more importantly, isn't -- counted when it comes to figuring out how many eyeballs a show is attracting, we went straight to the source. Here, Scott Brown, Senior Vice President of Strategies and Digital Platforms for the Nielsen company answers your most pressing questions!

While the entire conversation can be read below, two pieces of information -- answering topics most often asked of us about ratings -- are worth commenting on. The good news: According to Brown, shows viewed via TiVo or DVR within three days of their original broadcast are included in the overall Nielsen numbers. (It should be noted that as with all Nielsen information, this only applies to shows that are DVR'd or TiVo'd by those in the Nielsen pool, as detailed below.) The bad news: When it comes to shows viewed on-line -- whether via Hulu or a specific network's site -- only count if the on-line version contains the exact same commercials as the network broadcast. Why is this bad news? Because anyone who has ever watched their favorite show via an on-line site knows that in general, there are far fewer ads featured during on-line airings. Currently, none of the soaps which can be viewed on-line feature the same ads as the network broadcast, meaning that those viewing their shows in non-traditional formats are not being counted in the all-important Nielsen ratings.

For the full details on our chat with the folks at Nielsen, read more after the jump!

It's been nearly two years since GUIDING LIGHT stars Robert Newman and Kim Zimmer taped their final scenes as Josh and Reva, but the talented actors have been reunited on the stage in the murder-mystery musical Curtains! A co-production between Houston's Theatre Under The Stars and The Papermill Playhouse in New Jersey, the cast of Curtains wrapped up their Texas performances earlier this month and make their Garden State debut on Wednesday, April 27.

Soaps In Depth caught up with Zimmer and Newman as they rehearsed the musical-within-a-musical, which follows the unraveling of a Boston theater company on opening night after the leading lady is murdered. Newman stars as Det. Frank Cioffi, who is called in to solve the crime, and Zimmer (now ONE LIFE TO LIVE's Echo) is the show's brassy producer, Carmen. "It's got all that's involved backstage of putting on a Broadway show," shares Zimmer. "It's an awful show because the star is dreadful. She ends up being murdered, so the beautiful young ingénue has to step into the role, and she's brilliant. But murders keep happening. Robert plays the detective who comes in, who's also a frustrated actor who would love nothing more than to be a part of the Broadway show."

Read more after the jump!

Almost three months after his son's tragic death, THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL veteran Daniel McVicar (ex-Clarke) has found a somewhat surprising way to reconnect with him: appearing in Italy's L'ISOLA DEI FAMOSI -- a celebrity version of SURVIVOR. The B&B veteran had already been in talks to join the reality show's cast when he received the tragic news that his son, Hank, 22, had been killed in a car accident on January 3. After thoughtful consideration, McVicar, still in mourning, decided to go ahead and partake in the program. "This gives me, in a way, a chance to go camping [again] with my son," he tells Soaps In Depth. "Hank and I hiked [California's] Mount Whitney together and also went up Half Dome at Yosemite. The wilderness at Yosemite was a favorite place of mine to go with him. Hank was a fine camping companion and a guy who knew how to both hike and keep on hiking."

While the show airs in Italy, McVicar says that the program isn't actually set in the country. "We don't go to an Italian island," he clarifies. "[We're] doing it from Honduras. Unlike America's version of the show, we shoot in real time."

Is McVicar concerned that the cameras may be too intrusive as he continues the private mourning process? "I'm hoping to build a place of peace [where] the cameras will leave me alone," he says. "It's very strange that this show is in front of me. It was in my stream before [Hank's] accident and it's in my path after it. It's there for a reason and I'm going to find out what it is."

GUIDING LIGHT's Hayden Panettiere (Lizzie) has landed a movie that has been ripped right from the headlines! Later this month, she'll be starring in the title role in the Lifetime TV original film Amanda Knox: Murder On Trial In Italy, opposite Marcia Gay Harden as her mother, Edda. This thrilling biopic details the real-life story of the American student who was tried and convicted last year of the brutal stabbing of her British flatmate, Meredith Kercher, in Italy. "I just saw it for the first time -- I loved it! It's beautifully done," Panettiere reveals. "It definitely maintains the balance that I was hoping for of not really knowing whether she was innocent or guilty."

While Panettiere herself couldn't decide whether Knox had committed the crime, she was deeply affected by what the jury and the public did with the information. "[Amanda] was convicted of killing her roommate and sentenced to 26 years in an Italian prison," the actress explains. "The media frenzy that circled this and what they turned this girl into was unbelievable. They took everything about her that was youthful, innocent, and pure and just used it against her."

For more on the film, which airs Monday, February 21, at 9 p.m. EST, check out our interview with Panettiere in the new CBS issue of Soaps In Depth, on sale Monday, February 14!

Lauralee Bell (Christine) doesn't have a lot of time to relax these days. Not only has the actress been popping up more and more on THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS as her alter ego spearheads several investigations (including Genoa City cop corruption and Skye's "death"), but Bell continues to explore the Internet as a platform that melds entertainment and business. Her latest project is JUST OFF RODEO, a four-minute web comedy series, which allows viewers to actually purchase the fashions worn or products used by the characters.

"This is one of those [projects] that has been in my brain way too long!" she laughs, noting that when she finally launched it, she received an email from her brother, William J. Bell, president of Bell-Phillip Television, reminding her of that fact. "Bill said, 'I remember sitting on the couch with you 10 years ago, and you talking about this!'" she shares. "Back then, it was so far out of the norm, but now people are used to buying clothes on the Internet."

Read more after the jump!

She's won two Emmys and survived two bouts with lung cancer. Now, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES star Kathryn Joosten (Karen) will chat candidly with THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL's Stephanie and Nick about her real-life battles with cancer on Monday, February 7 -- the day the soap airs its 6,000th episode.

"I'll tell you, the cancer community is so excited that B&B is tackling this topic," says Joosten, who's also played GENERAL HOSPITAL's Ida and the President's secretary on THE WEST WING. "Lung cancer kills more people than breast cancer, prostate cancer or colon cancer, but it also has the biggest stigma. It's not just smoking that causes lung cancer, but that's the way the world views it."

Joosten is a former nurse who came into acting later in her life, and while she's perfectly at ease playing a wide array of characters, she felt equally comfortable assuming her own identity for the show. "It was quite natural," she says. "I talked to Susan [Flannery, Stephanie] as though we were sitting in my own living room. I felt very at home on the set."

While Stephanie's prognosis remains to be seen, Joosten is happy to report that she's cancer-free. "I still stay on top of it and have exams every three months," she says, "but I'm fine. I'm in great shape."

Gladiators and sex and slaves, oh my! Yep, that's what THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS alum Marisa Ramirez (ex-Carmen/Ines) has been thinking. If you tune into STARZ' SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA -- the prequel to the cable network's popular SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND series -- you'll find out why. "I play Melitta, Lucretia's [played by Lucy Lawless] personal servant," Ramirez says. "I was in New Zealand for three months shooting five of the six episodes."

While the series delves into the past to relate what happened prior to Spartacus' time, the racy nature of the first drama remains intact in this spin-off. "My costume is pretty much a curtain -- it's material draped around me that the wardrobe person just cut and cut and cut until there wasn't much left!" Ramirez grins.

In addition to having to change her accent -- "The Valley Girl/East L.A. one had to go away!" she laughs -- Ramirez also had to do something else for the first time: nudity! "My soul took a big hit," she confesses. "It's not really life-changing, but once you do it, it's something you can never take back." Fortunately, the scenes, which take place with her character's gladiator spouse, Oenomaus, weren't gratuitous. "It's art... I was pleased with it," she states.

SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA premieres Friday, January 21, at 10 p.m. EST on STARZ. For more information, visit www.starz.com.

Susan Dansby -- the four-time Daytime Emmy winner and Writers Guild Of America Award recipient who was responsible for penning the final two years of AS THE WORLD TURNS scripts -- has been snapped up by THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS. "I'm going to Y&R around February 6 to start writing," she tells Soaps In Depth of what will be a six-week trial. "I'm told Y&R has been doing this a lot lately. They put few writers under contract; [instead] they bring them in and see if they get a feel for it or not."

The opportunity to start putting words into the mouths of beloved Y&R characters like Victor and Nikki has Dansby "incredibly excited and incredibly nervous. History plays such a huge role in Y&R, so I really needed to learn that," she admits. Luckily, Dansby has someone on speed dial who can help! "My mom watched [the show], so she was my first phone call when I got this deal!" she says with a laugh. Although she says that she never requests specific writing assignments, Dansby -- a recent cancer survivor -- is intrigued by the possibility of creating dialogue for Lily that will reflect their shared experience.

Dansby certainly heads to her new job with a strong daytime background: In addition to writing for ATWT, she's also worked as a director on GUIDING LIGHT, GENERATIONS, GENERAL HOSPITAL and PORT CHARLES. However, the online buzz is that viewers are curious to see what unique things she'll bring to Y&R... and more specifically, the African-American characters on the show's canvas. "I think the conversation got started about the disparity between what's on the camera and who's working behind it," she explains. "I think there's a new sensitivity."

This week on THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS, Sharon, Nick, Michael, Adam and Phyllis hit the Big Easy when the would-be future Mrs. Newman follows her ex to Louisiana. In their off hours, Y&R cast members Sharon Case (Sharon), Joshua Morrow (Nick), Michael Muhney (Adam) and Michelle Stafford (Phyllis) had a built-in tour guide thanks to New Orleans native Christian Jules LeBlanc (Michael). Thanks to some proper planning, the cast and crew were able to take in the sights of the historic city.

"When you see your hometown through other people's eyes, it's amazing," marvels LeBlanc. "It was a blast. I had a ball. The whole shoot was the perfect combination of cast and crew and patience and people who loved food and the city."

Prior to the show's taping, LeBlanc participated in a breast cancer run in Thibodaux, one of many charity events that the stars participated in while in Louisiana for the location shoot. "Michael, Josh, Michelle and Sharon were all great," LeBlanc praises. "It was great to help out where we could."

In addition to taking his colleagues to the Crescent City's typical tourist attractions, LeBlanc made sure that some good eats were had by all! The actor shared his love for mom-and-pop restaurants. "We went out to the lakefront to a wonderful place called R&O's. The 'O' is for Miss Ora," he explains, adding that he ordered the house specialty of French fries and brie for everyone. LeBlanc had no sooner turned around from greeting Miss Ora then he discovered that his pals had completely devoured the delicious dish! "I was never so proud of my Y&R brethren," he jokes.