While millions of fans may love the tantalizing tales of the Forrester’s and the Logan’s on CBS’ ”The Bold and the Beautiful,” many of them may not think twice about what it takes to make the world’s most watched daytime soap opera come alive each and every weekday. In a new book released earlier this month by Sourcebooks, entitled “Becoming Bold & Beautiful: 25 Years of Making the World’s Most Popular Daytime Soap Opera” with foreword by the soaps “core four” Susan Flannery, John McCook, Ronn Moss and Katherine Kelly Lang, the hardcover release provides detailed insight from the 1987 debut year of the soap to present day. Included throughout are over 200 photographs featuring cast and crew members on Stage 31 of CBS Television City in Los Angeles, and on location in Malibu, Cabo San Lucas, and Aspen.

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Michael Nader (“All My Children“), Matt Cedeno (“Days of our Lives“), Jade Harlow (“Passions“), Roark Critchlow (“Days of our Lives”), Bruce Michael Hall (“Passions”) and Kelly Ripa (“All My Children”) are just a few of daytime’s brightest soap stars of recent past, and they have come together for “Soap Sessions Merry Download, Vol. 2,” a compilation CD where some of your favorite stars sing (or speak) some of your favorite holiday classics.

Swirling Records released “Sessions” on October 1, 2012 as an MP3 Album on Amazon.com with a price tag of $8.99.

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For more than 10 years fans of daytime soap operas have been coming to Soap Opera Network to find out how their favorite soap was faring in the weekly ratings report. From time to time we would also provide analysis of how they stacked up when compared to their broadcast counterparts in the talk show and game show genres, but we’ve never looked at how the broadcast soaps (and to a lesser extent the broadcast talk and game shows) compared to syndicated television. Not that it wasn’t easy to provide a comparison, it was just never something we found necessary. In recent months, with the introduction of several syndicated talk shows including “Katie” and “The Steve Harvey Show,” which together took over the 3:00 PM slot from “General Hospital” in much of the country this past September after “GH” moved to 2:00 PM, and the second season without “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” things have changed. Recently, Broadcasting & Cable came out with a report that showed how syndicated programs might be a solid alternative to our soaps in the key demographics when it comes to Madison Avenue buying advertising time. While we wouldn’t want advertisers to give up on our favorite shows, B&C does provide a solid rationalization and even highlights the value of soap operas when it comes to the all important key women demos (Women 18-49, Women 25-54, etc).

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On Saturday, November 17, 2012, Gene Bua (“Somerset,” “Love of Life” and “How To Survive a Marriage“) passed away after battling Parkinson’s disease for the past 13 years according to a posting on the actor and his wife Toni‘s website Bua Acting for Life. ”The great Master Teacher and my hero and Lion King for 47 years, Gene Bua, passed into the Light on Sat. Nov. 17th at 1:40, after battling 13 years of Parkinson’s and yet still going on to teach, write songs, be a mighty friend, and enjoy much of his life. I am surrounded by his power, love and radiance as I walk through these coming days with as much Grace as God will allow me. Very much love to you all,” said Mrs. Bua of her husband on the website.

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Just over a week before she airs for the final time after 25 years portraying Stephanie Forrester on “The Bold and the Beautiful,” CBS has released a video montage of  Susan Flannery as she got the ultimate send-off from cast and crew of the popular daytime soap opera with some help from other CBS Television City employees, including those from “The Young and the Restless,” “The Price is Right” and “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.”

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On the Monday, November 19 episode of “How I Met Your Mother,” entitled “The Stamp Tramp,” Joe Manganiello (“True Blood“) returns for another stint as Marshall’s (Jason Segal) old law school classmate Brad. In the episode, Marshall finds out Brad lost his job as a lawyer two years ago after his company downsized. Hoping to help Brad out, Marshall cleans him up just in time for a job interview at Marshall’s firm. Unfortunately for Marshall, Brad screws things up and Marhsall has to do damage control with his boss.

Richard Cartwright/Fox

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It’s the semi-finals as ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” pays tribute to Michael Jackson and the 25th Anniversary of his “Bad” album. The “Dancing” tribute airs days before the network presents “Michael Jackson: BAD 25,” a documentary special directed by Spike Lee.

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Stephen Colbert is a news junkie, but he’s also a soap fan as evidenced by numerous skits and jokes he makes in reference to them. The recent sex scandal plaguing Washington, D.C. is no different as the host of Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report” told the tale of the soap opera that is “General’s Hospital,” referencing the ABC soap “General Hospital” in name and even logo. With a cameo appearance by “All My Children” star Susan Lucci, the skit will likely soon become legen – wait for it – dary, in the words of “How I Met Your Mother‘s” Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris).

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Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

According to a report by Soap Opera Digest, ABC’s “General Hospital” has let actor Erik Valdez go nearly six months after joining the cast of the drama series in the role of Trey Mitchell. The character is the son of Kate Howard (Kelly Sullivan) and the recently departed Joseph Scully, Jr. (Richard Steinmetz). The character was married to Kristina Davis (Lindsey Morgan) in August. Their marriage was annulled in mid-October.

No final air date has been set. ABC does not comment on actor contracts or rumors.

On Wednesday, November 14, 2012, the world of soaps lost a true legend in Barbara Esensten, who passed at age 75. Esensten co-created “The City” along with her more than 20 year long writing partner James Harmon Brown. The duo worked together on such shows as “Dynasty,” “All My Children,” “Days of our Lives,” “One Life to Live,” “Port Charles” and “Guiding Light.”

In a posting on Esensten’s facebook page, former “Guiding Light” head writer Jill Lorie Hurst said, “I think you know how much I love you and one of the many reasons is how much YOU loved your wonderful family – Mike, the kids, the grandkids – that great house of yours – and your good old partner Jim Brown. You were such a good boss/girlfriend and you always smelled so good. I miss you already.”

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