PacificCoastNews.com

“Passions’” alum Justin Hartley has done a lot of work since he left his role as Fox Crane in 2006, including a leading role as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow in “Smallville,” as well as a role as Will Collins in “Emily Owens M.D.” And now comes word of the actor’s next chapter: He’ll be playing the boyfriend of Melissa Joan Hart’s character, Mel, in ABC Family’s “Melissa & Joey!”

A rep for the show confirms that Hartley will be making an appearance in the upcoming season of the sitcom as Noah, Mel’s new boyfriend who has to temporarily move in with her when his apartment floods. The sped-up cohabitation definitely spells trouble for the pair, especially since Joey Lawrence’s Joe is always hanging around, too!

Look for the episode to air later this summer.

NBC

TMZ is reporting that former “Passions” star Brook Kerr (ex-Whitney Russell) and husband Christopher Warren, Sr., who are currently involved in a bitter divorce after 22 years of marriage, are being sued by their son Christopher Warren, Jr., who claims his parents stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from funds earned during his childhood acting career. The actor, best known for his role as basketball player Zeke Baylor in the “High School Musical” films, says his parents admitted to blowing through the money for “their own personal expenses.” TMZ reports that the total amount stolen remains unknown. “Chris is now suing his parents for all the money back … even though he’s still not sure exactly how much they took,” said TMZ.

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Lifetime

In yet another holiday film from Lifetime starring former soap stars, actors Claire Coffee (ex-Nadine Crowell, “General Hospital“) and Ryan McPartlin (ex-Hank Bennett, “Passions“) are headlining “Holly’s Holiday.” In the film, Coffee portrays Holly Maddux, a New York advertising executive who can’t help notice the window display she passes by on her way to work every day, the one with the perfect, hunky mannequin. When Holly slips one day on the ice in front of the store and hits her head, she wakes up to find a perfect gentleman by her side, helping her up. That gentleman is portrayed by McPartlin in the role of Bo. As Holly and Bo hit it off almost perfectly, Holly soon realizes that the pressure to be perfect all the time is not all that it’s cracked up to be as she has to make a choice between the perfect life she’s always dreamed of… and the real love that’s been waiting for her all along. The fim also stars Jeff Ward (“Body of Proof“) in the role of Milo Ames.

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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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The Pasadena Playhouse

“One Life to Live‘s” Matt Walton (ex-Elijah Clark/Elijah Kent) and “Passions” actress Erin Cardillo (ex-Esme Vanderheusen) have come together for a new comedy at the Pasadena Playhouse.

Beginning next month “Under My Skin,” a comedy that finds New York’s most eligible bachelor (Walton) and a single working mother (Cardillo) as they experience all the trials and tribulations of each others lives, hits the stage for a one month engagement (September 11 – October 7, 2012). The story tackles such hot topics as sex, love and healthcare.

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American Media, Inc.

(SoapOperaNetwork.com) — Although the likelihood was expected thanks to the loss of long-time soaps “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” in 2011 and 2012, which were preceded by the departures of “Guiding Light” and “As The World Turns” in 2009 and 2010, news broke on Thursday, March 22 that after 22 years in publication Soap Opera Weekly would end its successful run as one of the premier soap opera magazines. The final decision to end the mag was just one of many blows the soap opera industry has felt in as many years. Soap Opera Network takes a by the numbers look at Weekly and how its readership levels helped lead to its ultimate demise.

On April 14, 2011 news of “All My Children” and “One Life to Live’s” cancellations created headlines in nearly every trade magazine, newspaper and informational entertainment website you could think of. What the world didn’t know at the time was that same day (morning in fact) American Media, Inc. had signed a licensing deal with Source Interlink, owner of both Weekly and sister mag Soap Opera Digest, in which American Media would control the editorial, advertising, marketing and distribution aspects of both magazines. As part of that deal a number of staffers were let go from both Digest and Weekly, while those who remained were either re-assigned or part of the recent layoffs now effecting the demise of Weekly itself.

According to the latest Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) data Soap Opera Network has received, Soap Opera Weekly magazine had an average total circulation of nearly 108,000 between subscriptions and single copy sales in the second half of 2011. Single copy sales exceeded subscriptions by just over 5,000 issues. The magazine lost upwards of 40,000 subscribers compared to the second half of 2010, when its total circulation was nearly 146,000 between subscriptions and single copy sales. In November of 2011, in our report announcing the launch of Reality Weekly, we noted that Soap Opera Weekly had recently ceased providing subscriptions:

Dated November 14, 2011:

Although I do not personally subscribe to either Digest or Weekly, it recently came to my attention that Soap Opera Weekly no longer provides subscriptions for soap fans wishing to receive their Weekly at home as it and numerous other magazines have done since their inceptions. This was later confirmed as the magazine no longer provides an online subscription via the Zinio magazine subscription and tablet application service. Digest and Soaps in Depth (both ABC and CBS editions) continue to provide subscriptions, however.

With the magazine no longer providing subscription based readership, sales figures fell to just over 50,000 single copy sales based on the data average of the 15 issues sold during the first half of 2012, according to the ABC. This showed axed subscribers did not opt into buying the magazine at their local supermarket or grocer. By comparison, in the first half of 2001, when there were 10 soaps still on the air (“All My Children,” “As The World Turns,” “The Bold and the Beautiful,” “Days of our Lives,” “General Hospital,” “Guiding Light”, “One Life to Live,” “Passions,” “Port Charles” and “The Young and the Restless“), Weekly‘s total circulation was 372,000 on average between subscriptions (134,000) and single copy sales (238,000).

Soap Opera Weekly, which launched with its first issue dated November 21, 1989, with maven Mimi Torchin as its founding Editor in Chief, will present a final look into the world of soaps with its last issue dated April 10, 2012, according to an American Media spokesperson. Stephanie Sloane, in her role as the Editor in Chief of both Weekly and Digest, will close the books on the magazine.

AP

(SoapOperaNetwork.com) — Here is a comparison of the last five cancelled soap operas.

Note #1: Comparisons are to the shows penultimate week.

Note #2:  Passions‘ numbers are for the final NBC broadcast, not DirectTV.

Thomas A. Montalto/MontaltoPhotos.com

(SoapOperaNetwork.com) — As Soap Opera Network first reported yesterday evening, Lisa De Cazotte has been hired to fill the shoes of the departing Noel Maxam as Co-Executive Producer of NBC’s “Days of our Lives.” In a statement issued earlier today to the press, Co-EP Greg Meng confirmed that De Cazotte will be joining him as Co-Executive Producer and that, “[Executive Producer] Ken Corday is excited to have Lisa join the ‘Days of our Lives’ family.”

The change from Maxam to De Cazotte is effective immediately.

De Cazotte was the Executive Producer of “Passions” for the show’s entire run (July 5, 1999 – August 7, 2008). This reunites her with former “Passions” writers and current  “DAYS” Co-Head Writers Darrell Ray Thomas, Jr. and Marlene McPherson.

De Cazotte began her soap opera career as an intern for “One Life To Live” in the early 1980′s and worked her way up to Coordinating Producer before leaving in 1991 to join “Santa Barabara” as a Producer. When “Santa Barbara” ended in 1993, she joined “All My Children” where she was a Coordinating Producer and later Supervising Producer. In 1996, De Cazotte left “AMC” to help start NBC’s new soap opera “Sunset Beach” where she worked as a Producer and Supervising Producer. In 1998, De Cazotte was chosen to be the Executive Producer of another new NBC soap, “Passions.” After “Passions” ended, De Cazotte was name the Executive Producer for the second season of SOAPnet’s “General Hospistal: Night Shift” (July 22, 2008 – October 21, 2008). In 2009, she returned to “All My Children” as a Producer and worked there for a year.

Maxam joined “DAYS” as a Producer/Director in August 2007. In late 2008, Maxam was promoted to Supervising Producer. Beginning his daytime career with “The Young and the Restless” in 1997 as an Associate Director, Maxam directed a number of episodes at the drama series starting in 1999 until his departure in August 2007 to join “DAYS.” He was named Co-Executive Producer along with Meng in June 2011 in what producers called a “reboot” of the series.

JPI

(SoapOperaNetwork.com) — EXCLUSIVE! Sources have confirmed to Soap Opera Network that “Days of our Lives” has fired Co-Executive Producer Noel Maxam. His replacement will be former “Passions” Executive Producer Lisa De Cazotte.

This comes as a shocking development as Maxam was named Co-Executive Producer this past June, along with Greg Meng, who will remain as Co-Executive Producer.

De Cazotte was the Executive Producer of “Passions” for the show’s entire run (July 5, 1999 – August 7, 2008).   This reunites her with former “Passions” writers and current  “DAYS” Co-Head Writers Darrell Ray Thomas, Jr.  and Marlene McPherson.

De Cazotte began her soap opera career as an intern for “One Life To Live” in the early 1980′s and worked her way up to Coordinating Producer before leaving in 1991 to join “Santa Barabara” as a Producer.   When “Santa Barbara” ended in 1993, she joined “All My Children” where she was a Coordinating Producer and later Supervising Producer. In 1996, De Cazotte left “AMC” to help start NBC’s new soap opera “Sunset Beach” where she worked as a Producer and Supervising Producer. In 1998, De Cazotte was chosen to be the Executive Producer of another new NBC soap, “Passions.”   After “Passions” ended, De Cazotte was name the Executive Producer for the second season of SOAPnet’s “General Hospistal: Night Shift” (July 22, 2008 – October 21, 2008). In 2009, she returned to “All My Children” as a Producer and worked there for a year.

De Cazotte is a graduate of Fordham University and has 4 Daytime Emmy nominations.

Stay tuned to Soap Opera Network as more details become available.

(SoapOperaNetwork.com) — October 8, 2011 marks the tenth anniversary of Soap Opera Network, an online magazine celebrating the world of soaps past, present and future.

Soap Opera Network began as an online message board on the then popular ezBoard (now called Yuki) platform by two individuals that wanted to start a more industry based discussion forum for fans of the soap opera genre with the idea that not only could one discuss the comings, the goings or the general news of the day, but have the opportunity to learn more about the names, the faces and the minds of the people that help make daily dramatic serials happen year in and year out. At launch, soap operas “All My Children, “As The World Turns,” “The Bold and the Beautiful,” “Days of our Lives,” “General Hospital,” “Guiding Light,” “One Life to Live,” “Passions,” “Port Charles,” and “The Young and the Restless” were on the schedules of television networks ABC, CBS and NBC.

In November 2002, Soap Opera Network left ezBoard and became its own .com service.

Thanks to elaborate databases such as a ratings archive (how soaps rated over the years), episode count archive (who appeared in episodes of a soap opera each and every month and year), its end credit archive (who wrote, directed or produced each episode), including a listing of episode writers and directors along with profile pieces on more than 80% of the writers, producers and directors, Soap Opera Network has cornered the market on information surrounding the inner workings of the soap opera format.

Over the course of its ten years, Soap Opera Network has interviewed a number of daytime’s biggest stars and behind the scenes personnel including Susan Lucci, Erika Slezak, Melody Thomas Scott, Maurice Benard, Steve Burton, Sarah Brown, Hillary B. Smith, Robert S. Woods, Ilene Kristen, Ken Corday, Cameron Mathison, Cady McClain, Eden Riegel, Judith Light, Bradley P. Bell, Brian Frons, Maria Arena Bell, Sherri Shepherd, Daniel Goddard, Greg Meng, Marlene McPherson, Darrell Ray Thomas, Nancy Curlee, Melissa Archer, Kristen Alderson, Julie Pinson, Ron Carlivati, Frank Valentini, Linda Dano and many more.

Current Soap Opera Network staff is as follows:

Xavier Toups, Co-Founder
Errol Lewis, Editor in Chief; General Hospital Editor; Days of our Lives Editor
Angela Rosa, Managing Editor; All My Children Editor
Scotty Gore, Managing Editor; One Life to Live Editor
Venus Stone-Cutter, The Young and the Restless Editor
Gehrig Burnett Jr., The Bold and the Beautiful Editor