Like Sand Through an Hourglass: Behind the Scenes of DOOL

[OnceSane]

Your Backstage topic!

[Apprentice79]

I would like to say that Galen Garing's wife likes to stir the pot about the show on twitter. She needs to stop because it is off-putting and unnecessary. I know that she loves her husband and that she is trying to make sure he is relevant on the show. However, she is going about it the wrong way. She puts these tweets out that take potshots at the show, she needs to be careful because it could affect his time on the show..

 

I have heard that Greg Vaughn and Ari Zucker had a brief affair before she hooked up with the guy that plays Dan..She is also rumored to have had an affair with the guy that played EJ..

[OnceSane]

I don't believe the rumors about AZ/GV or AZ/JS.

[methodwriter85]

Didn't there used to be rumors that Kyle Lowder was gay, and AZ was his beard? That could explain why they got divorced.

 

The vibe I get from the behind-the-scenes of DOOL is that it's not as dramatic and the cast generally seems to get along. I wonder if it's because the show is always on the verge of cancellation so it's hard to get a swelled head.

 

The drama instead seems to be from the Powers that Be. I can't believe the shit they pulled with Chandler. Well, I can given what they did to Matthew Ashford, but still- Chandler gave them enough time to marry WilSon off into the sunset, and then have Will return from his honeymoon with a different face. That's what they should have done. Not literally tell him on his last day that it was his last day because they had already found his replacement.

[Apprentice79]

The cast of Days do get along for the most part. They seem really cool with one another..They used to say that Kyle Lowder was gay and that Ari was his beard. They  also said the same thing about Brandon Beemer and Nadia....lol....I have never understood why the powers that be hated Matthew Ashford though, some say that he was an alcoholic. Chandler pissed off his bosses when he announced at the Emmy's, that he was not re-signing with the show, when his contract was up..He caught the show by surprise .I guess they did that to him out of spite. Plus, he did not get along with some people on set and perhaps that played a part in his abrupt dismissal. I remember Deidre Hall was very pissed about his dismissal, but was very careful with her words on tweeter to not ruffle any feathers with her bosses..

 

However, Freddie did not seem to be broken up about Chandler leaving the show. He sent out a generic tweet...Even though, I did not agree with his dismissal, it made sense to get a new Will on the scene before marrying them off.  I would have had Chandler's Will marry Sonny, if the writers intended to write both of  the characters out of the show with Arianna....I was always afraid of them doing just that..Since Chandler was the lead actor in Wilson and Freddie was the supporting player. Chandler leaving gave Freddie a chance to shine in his own right.... 

Edited March 8, 2015 by Apprentice79

[Tiger]

So what the hell happened with Peter Reckell?

I understand he refused to take a massive pay-cut, but the whole story with Bo taking his mom to an Alzheimer's clinic, then coming back to town but being off-screen, and then leaving town to go undercover in Stefano's organization was just so odd. Was he suppose to come back and then didn't?

[LeftPhalange]

Who are these people (besides Freddie) that Chandler supposedly didn't get along with?

[Apprentice79]

I  don't remember the names of the people off the top of my head, but, I do remember hearing rumblings of him not getting along with some other people on set...

[Rick Kitchen]

Jen Lilley and Meredith Scott Lynn (Anne) adore each other.  Yesterday was Meredith's birthday, and Jen tweeted:

 

 

Jen Lilley ‏@jen_lilley 2h2 hours ago

Happy bday to one of the most selfless, talented, & certainly funniest & most creative women I know @MeredithSLynn

[Rick Kitchen]

Peter Reckell tweeted earlier today:

 

 

We are talking again, trying to work out a deal for the 50! I need your love, support, and positive energy.!!!

[Apprentice79]

There is a video of them on Jenn's tweeter, it is  called reunited and it feels so good..Jen Lilley was in Boston recently filming a movie, so she was away from the set  for a bit and they posted a video of them reuniting in the makeup room...lol

[methodwriter85]

This from way back when, but the Phillip recast they had, who was a cast member on the Real World, had the typical smug "I went to an Ivy League" school attitude he had on Real World. Deirdre apparently went off on him for that attitude in front of the entire cast and crew, telling him she was sick of constantly hearing about Princeton this and Princeton that, and that from now on she better hear only perfect grammar from him. Kyle Brandt came off as an insufferable brat on the Real World and I'm not surprised he drove everybody crazy here, too.

Edited March 9, 2015 by methodwriter85

[QuelleC]

OT but speaking of Real World Sean Duffy is still a House Representative in WI.  He spawned 7 kids with Rachel also of The Real World and together they work to destroy Wisconsin.  He hasn't been heard from much since he complained about his $174,000 salary in a town hall meeting a few years ago.

[LeftPhalange]

Did Kyle Brandt quit or did he willing leave?

[Petunia13]

I thought they wrote him off. But could be wrong. I like the other Philip and enjoyed that whole scene of the younger group then.

[LeftPhalange]

It won't let me edit my post for some reason. I meant to say did Kyle Brandt get fired or did he willing leave.

[Petunia13]

Ha I knew what you meant!

[Black Knight]

Kyle Brandt left on his own - I vaguely recall him giving some interview about how he expected to move on to better pastures.

 

I liked his portrayal of Philip, although part of that was probably because I hated Shawn so much (at least in Shelle - I found him more tolerable with Mimi), and KB could be very funny sometimes with his public comments. He could also be an ass, like he was on RW, but overall it seemed like he had toned it down a little in the interim between RW and DAYS.

[Apprentice79]

I liked his version of Philip as well..I liked him with Belle. He was the one that got his leg blown up due to Sami's machinations as Stan....lol That storyline was awesome..I was watching it the other day with Will the mop head...lol I used to frequent a board, where they gave raven-haired Will that name. I also remember we used to say that Will should be the first gay character on Days.. He and Bryan favored each other as father and son. Even though that actor who played a younger Will was wooden, he gave him an earnestness and sweetness that made sense with Chandler's adult version. I felt bad for him when Kate revealed Sami's lies at her wedding to Lucas and he  told his mother, 'you always ruin everything Mom'..I felt bad for Will and wanted him to find happiness away from Sami....His resentment of his mom was evident back then..Even though Kate and Lucas were also responsible for his bad childhood. In his mind, Sami was always the troublemaker and therefore he  holds her mostly responsible for his troubled life as a kid....

Edited March 10, 2015 by Apprentice79

[Apprentice79]

I know that alot of people think that Will shooting EJ was a retcon. That is not true. The head writer at the time said Will was always  going to be revealed as the shooter, but, they wanted to delay the reveal until he was an adult to maximize the drama with the eventual reveal. They felt that showing a pre-teen committing  attempted murder on-screen would have been too traumatizing and troubling for the viewers. He said all this in a podcast, he  also  hinted that alot of backstage politics kept him from fulfilling his vision for the show. He loved the vets, and wanted to use them more, but Corday would not let him do so...Corday stifles alot of the writing team that come to write for the show. That  is why there is always alot of turnover in the writing department at Days...

Edited March 10, 2015 by Apprentice79

[bobcat1946]

Always Sami fault with Will.  He prefers his grandmother Kate over his own mother when Kate is the one who destroys everything she touches.  In his eyes Kate and Lucas can do no wrong.  They are right up there with his perfect princess cousin.,

[Apprentice79]

To be fair bobcat1946, all his life he has seen Sami's lies and machinations exposed for all to see. That has to hurt to see your mother causing others grief and you pay for it because you are just a kid that cannot defend himself. Sami passed him off as Austin's child in her quest to steal him from Carrie. He was used as a pawn from the day he was conceived and that has followed him all his life.  I don't think Will is privy to what Lucas and Kate has done as well. Does Will know that Kate and Lucas put Sami on death row? I don't think he knows the depth of their games like us the viewers...Will has reasons to dislike his mother and Sami has even acknowledged that...

Edited March 10, 2015 by Apprentice79

[TigerLynx]

Sami believed Will was Austin's son for years.  She only found out a few months before everyone else did that Lucas was Will's father.  Kate and Lucas continued to do a lot of shady things besides sending Sami to death row during Will's childhood to, so Will should hold all three of them responsible instead of just blaming Sami.

 

Most of the cast of the show seem to get along with each other.  Ken Corday is the biggest problem.

[Apprentice79]

I stand corrected. Sami slept with Both Austin and Will around the same time. Even back then people were saying that Will was really Lucas' son and not Austin's.I always felt that Austin should have remained a father figure in Will's life, even after his true paternity was revealed..They bonded as father/son very early in his life and Austin named him after Billie. I always liked the rivalry between Austin and Lucas over Kate and Carrie. Will could have added another interesting layer to their dynamic...This show never think about characterizations, everything and everyone is just a plot point...

[boes]

I stand corrected. Sami slept with Both Austin and Will around the same time. 

 

I know this was a typo but I admit to loving it.  

 

OH THAT SAMI!

[Apprentice79]

I remember reading somewhere that the actors don't really get a chance to rehearse anymore and they don't do retakes to save money. They have to do everything in one take. That is ludicrous  to me. The cast of days tape 7 shows a week. That is maddening to me..I have to wonder if that affects the quality of their performances. Even the big stars in the movies and prime time television get to do retakes in order to maximize their best performances. Can you imagine Meryl Streepe working under these type of austere conditions..I think not! James Franco did a stint on General Hospital a few years ago and he was stunned by the rigorous schedule of daytime and the pages of dialogue that these actors have to memorize everyday. He even said that being on General Hospital helped him become better at memorizing his lines...He had a lot of respect for Soap actors and that endeared him to me....I  tend to be a bit more forgiving of daytime actors when they don't give a good performance because if that.....I just just wish  that they had better writers that respected daytime, the actors and the fans. I like the cast of Days, they seem to be very cool and down to earth...Diedre Hall and Lauren Koslow seem to be very close as well...

Edited March 12, 2015 by Apprentice79

[TigerLynx]

Yes, they are expected to do everything in one take.  It does allow for ad-libs though.  Chances are if you like a throw-a-way line by one of the actors/actresses, it was something they threw in themselves.

 

As in Sami's, "Thanks for throwing me into the kiddie pool, EJ."

 

The first time Sami/Lucas broke the bed, it was an accident, but AS and BD just went with it, and it became a thing for Sami/Lucas.  It's to bad the current writers couldn't be bothered to check out Sami/Lucas' history.

Edited March 12, 2015 by TigerLynx

[TigerLynx]

I thought both Ali and James said it did not have anything to do with storylines?

 

 

James Scott hated the cheating SL.  He has considered leaving Days before, and this SL made his mind up for him.  He was tired of the repetitive SLs, and JS believed this SL destroyed the core of who the EJ character was.  He said if he ever considered doing a soap again, he would want to have some input on how the character was written.

 

When Sami/Lucas were paired at the end of 2006, they were going to keep them together. The idea was for Sami to stop scheming, but always find herself involved in some kind of mystery that she brought Lucas into.

 

However, there were a lot of people writing into Days wanting Sami/EJ. Ken Corday did not like Sami/EJ. So he decided to pair Sami, Lucas, and EJ up with other people. AS and BD were disappointed because they had liked how their SL was supposed to go, but they both did their best to sell their new pairings.

 

Then after AS spent three years developing Sami/Rafe, Ken Corday decided to bring Carrie back along with the Sami/Carrie rivalry. However, Carrie couldn't be the bad guy so Sami had to completely OOC cheat on Rafe so it would be okay for Carrie to pursue Sami's husband. That didn't work. Six months later after trashing Safe and Ejole, Ken Corday had Austin and Carrie written out again. Ken Corday planned to put Sami back with Rafe. The network ordered Sami to be paired with EJ, and Ken Corday did so in order to get Days renewed. Once he had the renewal, he ordered Sami/EJ destroyed again. And like always EJ gets to ruin Sami's life, stab her in the back, and then blame her for what he did.

 

At that point, AS had had enough, and she gave notice that she was leaving. She's tired of Sami being EJ's punching bag.  AS liked when Sami was bad, was causing trouble, and her schemes would backfire, but she didn't like being the bad guy when she didn't get to scheme and plot and have fun doing it.  She also said the non-stop drama of Ejami was exhausting to play all the time.

 

AS favorite SLs in the last year were Kate/Sami teaming up for revenge and Kate/Sami/Gabi throwing Nick in the river.

 

The Chocolate Series AS is developing with Hallmark is a mystery series.

Edited March 14, 2015 by TigerLynx

[Apprentice79]

Ken Corday needs to retire. I have no doubt he is behind the destruction of both Will and Wilson..He is truly an idiot...

[annabel]

James Franco did a stint on General Hospital a few years ago and he was stunned by the rigorous schedule of daytime and the pages of dialogue that these actors have to memorize everyday. He even said that being on General Hospital helped him become better at memorizing his lines...He had a lot of respect for Soap actors and that endeared him to me....

I guess you didn't see any of that travesty. Before, I had no real feelings about James Franco one way or the other, if he showed up in something I was watching, fine, but I didn't actively seek him out. Now I refuse to watch him in anything and I even dislike seeing him in still photos. It was a total vanity project, and though of course he was not responsible for the storyline his acting was hammy and over-the-top. It was a huge relief when it was over.

Edited March 14, 2015 by annabel

[Rick Kitchen]

Kate Mansi had to have emergency surgery, but apparently she won't miss any episodes.  http://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/days%E2%80%99s-kate-mansi-update

[LeftPhalange]

I think she should take 18 months off to rest. Don't want to rush the recovery process. 

[Petunia13]

Then, after all that reflection, move on to prime time and film.

[General Days]

There is a video of them on Jenn's tweeter, it is  called reunited and it feels so good..Jen Lilley was in Boston recently filming a movie, so she was away from the set  for a bit and they posted a video of them reuniting in the makeup room...lol

 

 

I couldn't find this. Do you have a link, please?

[Rick Kitchen]

Jen Lilley posted this to her Twitter

 

 

They're celebrating Steve coming back to the show.

Edited March 20, 2015 by Rick Kitchen

[Rick Kitchen]

This week's SOD is dedicating the whole thing to Days's 50th anniversary, with interviews with a lot of the cast.

[annabel]

Stephen Nichols is coming back? Is he off Y&R? I cannot deny that I would rather have him back on GH as Stefan, I never really cared much for Patch, and the "sweetness" crap drove me up a wall, probably because I have never cared much for MBE either, though I have liked Kayla more whenever we see her than I ever did before.

[Apprentice79]

I just have to say that I love the bromance between Guy and Freddie. They are super close. They are close to Christopher as well. They just posted a picture of them along with Christopher going to the GLAAD award where Days is nominated for an award. Freddie looks good with facial hair. I wish he would wear it on the show. I don't understand why the show insists on the men looking like pre-pubescent boys. Some men look good with facial hair and Freddie is one of those men. If Sonny ever goes to the dark side due to Will, facial hair would achieve that look..lol...

Edited March 22, 2015 by Apprentice79

[Apprentice79]

Here is a picture of Wilson/Paulson at The GLAAD award in Beverly Hills.. The power of 3!

Edited March 22, 2015 by Apprentice79

[Apprentice79]

Here is another picture of the trio..

 

[Apprentice79]

Here is the man that Sparkle and Will are fighting for...lol...

 

 

[OnceSane]

I'd fight for him, he's adorable.

[Apprentice79]

To my Wilson fans on here, a little gem from last night GLAAD media awards..Freddie and Guy were seated together....

 

 

[Tiger]

Why can't the folks at Days dress and style Will like Guy does in real life? His appearance is almost night and day.

And they definitely need to let Jackson have some scruff. I think Jackson is supposed to be younger than Freddie actually is and the scruff gives him that 'approaching 30' look, but it looks damn good.

[Petunia13]

I'd fight for him, he's adorable.

He's the hot one in that triangle.

[tribeca]

 

Jason Brooks can't come back as long as Melissa Reeves is on the show

 

 

 

Why is this exactly?

Edited March 23, 2015 by tribeca

[Rick Kitchen]

Why is this exactly?

 

They had an affair that almost ruined her marriage.

[QuelleC]

Didn't it get her fired too?  Then her homophobic comment a while back didn't make things any better.  I used to like her spunk back in the day with Jack.  She and Nicole should be running Jack's paper together (with Will as a reporter).  But no, we have to see her show up once every week or two to do PR so she can be with Failure 24/7. Why do we have to have Sonix when the Salem Spectator should still be around. I don't read all the interviews but I understand Jen Lilly is quite religious as is MR in her mormonism, but JL while uncomfortable with some aspects of Theresa, doesn't bring it to the show.

Edited March 23, 2015 by QuelleC

[TigerLynx]

Scott Reeves (MR's husband) demanded that she end the affair and leave Days, or he would divorce her.  So MR broke her contract with Days, left, and Days wrote out Jennifer using another actress.  In order to get MR to return as Jennifer, the show had to agree that Jason Brooks could never return.  I don't understand why MR was allowed to return after breaking her previous contract.

 

Jen Lilley is a good actress who shows up and does her job.  Some of the rest of her castmates should take notice and learn to be as professional as she is.

Edited March 23, 2015 by TigerLynx

[Apprentice79]

Her husband caught her having sex with him in her dressing room and all hell broke loose. She left the show the same day without any warning..You can also find the lawsuit filed by the show against Melissa Reeves for breach of contract on the internet....The show really were going after her, they put every harrowing detail about the affair on paper. Apparently, people knew about the affair on the show and turned a blind eye..To be fair to the show, she was in a front burner storyline and she was the draw because Jack was recast with another actor and Peter was a newbie.  I also remember that Melissa's salary on the show was $500,000 a year at the time...I also heard that her husband made her confess her indiscretion in front of their congregation at church..How humiliating if that is true....Her husband seems like an ass...