SPECIAL 2007 PREVIEW EDITION FOR WEEK OF JANUARY 8, 2007

Two weeks ago, EP/HW Tim Lowery recapped 2006 and gave us a few hints of his goals and ambitions for Salem Lives in 2007. Now, here is a more detailed and exclusive look at all the major happenings that will hit in 2007:

"An unbelievable year is on the way," says EP/HW Tim Lowery. "It won't be as dark as the past few months have been and romance, adventure, and mystery will be very prominent. However, it does not mean lives won't be in danger so some Salemites better look out!!!"

Mysterious Cloaked Figure: This will be a huge story in 2007. This figure will make more and more appearances and the fans will be wise to take note of who he/she watches and targets. As we close in on Spring, we will do an interactive fan event that will draw the fans further into this mystery. It will be alot of fun and will build to a major umbrella event in the summer involving many characters. This is our big umbrella tale. The fans will begin to see everything tie into it. My co-head and I are just in the planning stages of this. It will something that fans will have the opportunity to figure out for themselves. Think of Passions online events/mysteries and that is where we are going. It's a way of drawing fans in to the happenings and they can follow some of our characters as they try to piece together one of the biggest mysteries in Salem history. More information will follow in the weeks ahead but, for now, keep an eye out and even look back at past episodes for MCF appearances. Beleive me, it will really come in handy later on.

Roman/Marlena: The Marlena story is HUGE. It plays into a tremendous umbrella story that we are building. Marlena's return was joyous to start but it could end being a nightmare for all her loved ones and for all of Salem. She is going to do some things that fans would never see Marlena do. Of course, the natural question many will ask is whether or not this is Marlena. There are many theories and that is the fun of it. As for Roman, he will have trouble living to see another day. Alot is going on with the Brady family and Roman is central, whether he lives or dies.

Victor/Stefano: Both men will lie low for awhile while also planning their next move. The war is not over by any means but both men have to regroup. The police are swarming and they need thing to quiet down before any further action can be taken. Stefano will return to Lexie and will also aid his granddaughter Cassie from afar. Both Stefano and Victor will be determined to figure out the identity of the MCF and the person's agenda. They see this person using their operations to their own gain and they aren't happy. The MCF is a threat to Salem and could very well be a threat to them so, in a way, Stefano and Victor end up inadvertently siding with some of their enemies in Salem to get to the bottom of this.

Bo/Hope: A desperate Hope tries to end Bo's alliance with Victor for the sake of their family but Bo can't help but be drawn to Victor's cause. It's about protecting his family and doing things by the book hasn't worked so far so this is the only option in his mind. Something huge happens with Bo in the first two weeks of the year. Fans won't beleive it. Bo and Hope will be keeping secrets from each other. The trust issues are still very much there even though it's been a year since Zack's death. Expect the blurry childhood memories Bo has been having to come into play big time in the New Year. There is something to those memories that could forever change Bo's life and future. The matter of Chelsea's true parentage is pivotal, as well.

Sami/Lucas/Carrie/Austin/Alan/Will/Kate: Carrie will have her baby in early February. She comes up with a plan that is something very uncharacteristic of Carrie and Alan plays a key role in it. The question of whether Alan has changed comes into play big time. There will be a huge twist after Carrie's labor. Someone else interferes and the fans will be left scratching their heads. It will drag two surprising characters into this plot. Meanwhile, the father of Carrie's baby will be revealed but will Austin and Lucas learn the truth? Will plays a key role in all this. We are not doing a Will/Alan romance. Will will learn who Alan is and will learn about his mother's rape years ago, which leads to a huge twist that really ups the ante and ties this story to another one in the canvas. The conflict between Austin, Carrie, and Lucas will be resolved to an extent but there will be some unfinished business there. Sami's redemption will be key as well while Lucas will be involved in something huge in the Spring. Plus, Kate is always lurking and she will continue to try to turn over a new leaf but, you know what they say, a leopard never changes it's spots.

Nicole/Eric: They are looking forward to the future. They will remain with us on recurring and will be nowhere near as prominent as they were in Fall but they are around. Nicole will have a hard time with the fact that Eric will be working and she won't. That's a bitter pill to swallow given she lost her job staying in Salem to be by his side. They will try to have children but it will be very trying on them as things won't go very well. Something happens in February that will thrust both of these characters into something bigger then they realize.

Jack/Billie: With Laura gone, these two will focus on their daughters' recovery. They will grow closer and we have a fun story planned for them. Jack will get a new boss at The Spectator that is a very familiar face and will be a treat to fans. Billie will also go back to law enforcement and we will have Jack and her working on mysteries together. It's similar to Jack and Jennifer but the dynamic is a little different. It's a slow building romance. They get involved big time in the MCF mystery.

Abby/Max/Cassie/Chelsea: Abby and Chelsea will struggle to recover. Abby and Max grow closer as Cassie becomes more and more Dimera-like by the day. Cassie will learn a stunning secret and will force Chelsea into her schemes. Cassie will also get shocking news and a huge turn of events will send all four of these characters in different directions.

Steve/Kayla: They will work on getting his memory back. Kimberly, Jack, and Shane will help here as well. Despite being helped along by loved ones, this will be primarily between the two of them. They are falling in love all over again and there will be mystery and adventure all around them. Part of the mystery will be a condition that begins to affect Steve. It seems like something of a health concern but it's something more and the cause and circumstances of it put them in the center of something that they surely don't want to be in.

Frankie/Greta: We are experimenting here. These two form a nice friendship and we'll see what develops. Greta will make a very important life decision that will be very pleasing and entertaining to fans. Frankie will also become more involved as he finds himself drawn into the MCF mystery.

Cal/Katherine: Cal makes progress in more ways then one when he ends up falling for his doctor. The passion between Cal and Katherine slowly builds as they work together to help him remember his life. This plot is slow-moving but it will begin to be featured more and more as it becomes clear someone has information that may very well help Cal get his real life back. However, that person is not exactly the person whose hands you would want critical information in.

Shane/Kimberly: He will have to deal with the aftermath of his covering up Carrie's whereabouts. The Brady's won't be happy. Things will also get interesting between him and Kimberly. Meanwhile, Kimberly has a huge secret that she is sharing the burden of keeping with someone else. it's something that will have HUGE repercussions for the Brady's.

Belle/Philip: Their return was joyous for their family but something else is going on here. Belle and Philip are trying to make their marriage work for the sake of their daughter but not all is right. Something happened in San Francisco while Philip was recovering, Meanwhile, Philip will have a hard time dealing with life after plastic surgery and all he has been through. He will become very involved with his father and the war on Stefano. He is a loose cannon and Belle seems to be falling apart on the inside dealing with him, her family, and all the goings on in Salem. Her life couldn't get anymore...or could it?

Caroline/Victor/Maggie: Maggie and Victor are reaching a new level in their relationship. Maggie is someone that doesn't judge him and is just there while Caroline picks on him and criticizes left and right. There is something there with him and Maggie and it will be explored. Victor and Caroline will find a kind of closure to their relationship as they realize they may not have known each other as much as they thought they did. Expect Victor and Maggie to hit a rough patch when Victor realizes things are getting too dangerous for Maggie to be around so he takes action to make sure she stays out of his life and business. Maggie will have a hard time dealing with not having Victor around and her inner demons again come into play. It seems safe to say Maggie's alcoholism is not quite gone yet...

Celeste/Abe/Lexie: Celeste will be a presence in many stories as usual but we will expand her a bit so she is more than just the town psychic. She will be there for Abe and the two of them will team up to find Lexie and bring down Stefano. Lexie will in and out for a bit. She is not a happy camper and being in that explosion in September and being shot in November has made her very bitter. She is definitely in touch with her Dimera self but it may be more then even Stefano can handle.

BIG CASTING NEWS: JAMES AND WYATT IN!!! MAJOR CASTING CALL!!! BIG STATUS CHANGES!!

The cast additions at Salem Lives continue as two former Passions stars, one a beloved daytime vet, have been tapped to join the cast this month. Dalton James (ex-Hank, Passions) joins the cast on January 8 as Dr. Rich Glancy. The role is recurring. "We needed a doctor on the canvas instead of just random doctors here and there," says EP/HW Tim Lowery. "I loved Dalton's work on Passions and was stunned when he exited the show in 2000. I think he will fit right on and, who knows, they could turn into something more then recurring."

The bigger news, however, is that long-time GH star Sharon Wyatt is joining the cast in the role of Renee McClure. Renee is the wife of James McClure, played by Roscoe Born who just recently joined the cast. Wyatt is best known for her role as Tiffany on GH and most recently completed a short lived run on Passions as Rachel Barrett, the long presumed dead sister of Katherine Crane (Leigh Taylor Young). "I have always loved Sharon," praises Lowery. "She is an amazing actress who I first fell in love with on GH. I was excited to see her go to Passions and was disappointed when her talent was wasted and she was cut. We love having her here and I can't wait to see her in this role." Wyatt's first apperance is not known at this point but sources hint that it will be in mid-January.

Meanwhile, three casting calls have gone out for the rest of the McClure family. Salem Lives is looking for three young actors, preferably with experience, to play the roles of the McClure children. The first role is James Jr, who is 17 and is strong and independent like his father. The second role is Jonathan, who is 15 and, like James Jr, has a real sense of honor about him but also has a bit of a wild streak in him. He can be very unpredictable at times. The third role is Angelica, who is 13 and also likes to be called "Angel." She is a straight A student and a member of the junior high cheerleading team. She is the whole works. Sources say that Salem Lives wants the roles cast by this Friday January 12.

In other news, Salem Lives has seen it's fair share of status changes over the holidays. Jensen Ackles and Arianne Zuker (Eric and Nicole Brady), who returned in May 2006 and signed on for a short-term run, are now staying on as recurring characters. "They were supposed to be gone," explains Lowery. "We pushed the story up and everything because both had other plans but we managed to work something out and kept it quiet because of the story with Eric near-death. They won't be featured prominently but they will be around and involved so we will still have them, which I am happy about after the story they just went through did not go as well as planned. I hope to do better by them."

In other status changing news, Alexis Thorpe (Cassie) has now been placed on contract. "That really is no surprise," laughs Lowery. "She was working like a contract actress as we used her quite a bit. I never planned on using her but, back in the summer, I just kept finding more and more for her to do and here we are. She has big story coming up and she is a Dimera in every sense now. I feel she should be here for the long haul so she is contract now." There are also rumors that Billy Warlock (Frankie) and Tanya Boyd (Celeste) will be placed on contract. "I can't comment on that," admits Lowery. "Billy was on contract before but we took him off on September because we knew we weren't using him that much for a bit. He does have alot coming up but I'm not sure what will happen. Alot depends on how people take to him and Greta (see above). As for Celeste, she will remain on recurring. We were about to put her on contract back in September but the story we had planned got dropped with so much other things going on. I think it will happen at some point but not now."

WHO'S IN?/WHO'S OUT?

IN

Dalton James (Dr. Rich Glancy): James, who is best known for his role of Hank Bennett on Passions from 1999-2000, joins the cast as a doctor at University Hospital who first interacts with Cassie (Alexis Thorpe). He first airs on January 8. The role is recurring.

Sharon Wyatt (Renee McClure): The role of James' (Roscoe Born) wife has been cast. Wyatt is best known for her role as Tiffany on GH from 1988-1995 and most recently portrayed the short-lived role of Rachel Barrett on Passions. Wyatt's debut date is unknown but sources hint that it's sometime in mid-January.

STATUS CHANGES

Jensen Ackles and Arianne Zuker (Eric and Nicole Brady): The actors, who returned short-term in May 2006, will remain on as recurring characters.

Alexis Thorpe (Cassie Dimera): Thorpe, who returned in July 2006 and has been recurring ever since, is now on contract.

PREVIEWS AND PEEKS INTO WK OF JANUARY 8, 2007

-How far will Bo go?

-Caroline pushes Maggie to cut herself off from Victor.

-Marlena snaps at Sami and Belle again.

-Abby and Chelsea learn the truth.

-Cassie has health concerns.

-The Marlena mystery takes some more stunning turns.

-Philip threatens Belle.

-Kimberly comforts a worried Kayla as Steve tries to hide his pain.

-Lucas's words please Sami and Kate but anger Austin.

-Alice gives Maggie heartfelt advice.

-Cal and Katherine see another side of each other.

-James is bothered by a call from family.

-Victor and Bo's plans are twarted.

-The MCF strikes again.

-Caroline reaches the breaking point.

-Hope is on Bo's trail while Maggie is on Victor's.

-Stefano makes one last stop before leaving Salem.

-The police close in on Victor and Bo.

-Marlena takes action.

RED LETTER DAYS!!!

Monday January 8, 2007: Will Bo go through with his shocking act? This episode is MUST SEE!!

Thursday January 11, 2007: Hope and Maggie are hot on Bo and Victor's trial as the police begin to close in.

Friday January 12, 2007: Caroline pulls a gun on Victor. Later, all hell breaks loose as the police open fire. Who gets hit?

Next Week: Sami tells Austin she knows about him and Carrie. Lucas surprises Austin. Cassie gets shocking news. Chelsea's secret is out. Abby and Chelsea begin therapy. Kimberly is keeping a secret. Steve loses it. Marlena goes wild.