WEEK OF NOVEMBER 5, 2007 EDITION (NOVEMBER SWEEPS EDITION)

SPECIAL FEATURE: NOVEMBER SWEEPS PREVIEWS

"I know we say this all the time but November is HUGE," says EP/HW Tim Lowery. "We have a nice blend of romance, adventure, action, and drama that is coming. The fantastic events of November will give way to an even better December. The next 8 weeks change everything, much like last year at this time. Stories are amped up and it's very much a case of miss a day, miss alot. This month will culminate in a cataclysmic event that brings nearly all of Salem together. It's gripping and very intense drama that will have fans on the edge of their seats."

Orpheus/Sami: "Orpheus is in disarray following the reveal of Stefano as his father. He still has his plans for revenge but he is a bit in shock and that is holding him back just a bit. An encounter with Kate may snap him out of that and may spark chaos in more ways then one. Meanwhile, Sami has all but given up hope that she will see her loved ones again. Also, look for Anna to get involved here when she sticks her nose where it doesn't belong."

Bo/Hope/Steve/Kayla: "The events Of Halloween have an affect on everyone, including Hope. While still being weary of her her past feelings for Steve resurfacing, Hope decides that she needs to learn the truth about her time with Steve at Maison Blanche. The two return there with Tony's help and make a shocking discovery that leads to the real truth behind their past being revealed. By the end of the month, fans will see what affect the past will have on them and just how far the feelings between them will go. It just may be a case of the past not being completely in the past. Meanwhile, Bo and Kayla's frustration with their spouses will grow."

Billie/Jack/Elizabeth/Alex: "Elizabeth's death changes everything. Jack and Billie shared a close moment on Halloween but Elizabeth's death causes a major rift between them that is even worse then the one they were dealing with before Elizabeth's death. Jack makes a shocking discovery that will lead him and Alex on a journey by month's end, one that will become like an obsession for Jack. This will cause futher problems for him and Billie, who will have her own issues when she gets the shock of her life."

Forrest/Abby/Max: "Forrest makes a shocking request of Abby, which leads to a defining moment between her and Max. Meanwhile, Abby's loved ones race against time to "save" her and will learn the truth about Forrest, much like Abby has, by month's end."

Lucas/Joelle: "Elma's death turns Joelle from a woman desperate to provide for her mother and child into a woman filled with rage. She now wants to destroy Lucas and take him for all he is worth. A intense confrontation at the end of the month leads to a stunning move by Joelle. Meanwhile, a mysterious presence continues to lurk and Will begins to take notice."

Alyson/Nicole: "Jean's is in a coma in the aftermath of Myers' reign of terror. Alyson, who was already coming out of her shell, is driven to the brink when Nicole crosses the line once again. Fans will see a whole new side of her. The frustration and anger insider her boils over and she begins to make others around her the doormat, rather then herself. Things will go from bad to worse for Nicole this month and will really get bad at month's end, driving her to take some desperate measures."

Roman/Marlena: "Roman gets the shock of his life and may finally get the change at redemption and revenge. Meanwhile, Barbara wants Marlena to push things to the next level in her therapy but Marlena's focus is on her loved ones, especially around the late part of the month."

Abe/Lexie/Celeste: "Lexie is prepared to fight for Theo and to cut all ties to Abe and Celeste but, is she merely putting up a front to cover up her hurt? Meanwhile, things may not be quite over for Abe and Celeste..."

Stefano/Cassie/Greta//Tony/Patricia/Anna:"Cassie worries worsen when Greta is finally able to talk to the police about the hit and run. Stefano tries to assure her that it will be ok. Tony and Patricia will strike up a deal and Tony may, ultimately, send his own daughter to prison. Meanwhile, Tony uses Patricia to make Anna jealous."

Doug/Julie: "Doug is determined to leave Salem but why hasn't he yet? Julie and others begin to question this and Doug begins to wonder himself why he can't bring himself to leave. Could there be hope for Doug and Julie? This month begins to give fans an inclination of whether that is the case."

Belle/Philip: "Things begin to soften between them but there is still alot of damage there."

BREAKING NEWS: SPECIAL SUNDAY EPISODE OF SALEM LIVES PLANNED FOR NOVEMBER SWEEPS!!!

For the first time in the history of Salem Lives, the blog will air a special Sunday episode on Sunday November 18. The episode will be posted around 8PM EST that night and will center around a gala event thrown by Victor Kiriakis (John Aniston) and Maggie Horton (Suzanne Rogers) to honor the new hospital wing dedicated in Sami (Alison Sweeney) and Eric Brady's (Jensen Ackles) memories.

"This episode will be similar to that of the classic Days primetime episodes in the 90's," says EP/HW Tim Lowery. "It will have a primetime feel to it because, essentially, it is a primetime episode. We are only calling it a Sunday episode because we post our episodes usually in primetime so we can't call this a primetime episode really." (laughs)

Sources say the episode will involve most of the cast and will feature several critical plot twists. "It's the centerpiece of sweeps for us," Lowery admits. "There is a storm that causes a blackout and then passion will ignite, a family will get the shock of their lives, and a shocking revelation will take place. It's huge and it sets up what is to be one of our most gripping, intense weeks ever."

Again, the special Sunday episode event is Sunday November 18 and the episode will be posted around 8PM EST. The episode will be of a longer length then usual but Lowery assures fans it will be worth it. "It's an episode no one should miss," Lowery enthuses. Sources also confirm the episode will also include an exclusive promo of the big week that will follow the episode. "Fans will already be hyped but that will hype them even more," Lowery promises.

WRITER'S CORNER (SPECIAL HALLOWEEN EVENT EDITION)


THIS WEEK MARKS THE EIGHTH EDITION OF THE WEEKLY SL INSIDER FEATURE, "THE WRITER'S CORNER." EACH WEEK I, TIM LOWERY (BETTER KNOWN AS PHOENIXRISING05), AND MY FELLOW SALEM LIVES HEAD WRITER, PATRICK L. EWING (BETTER KNOWN AS ROMAN), WILL TAKE TIME OUT TO ANSWER QUESTIONS FROM READERS AND ANYONE ELSE THAT DECIDES TO CHECK OUR FAN FICTION BLOG OUT. WE WILL TAKE TURNS ANSWERING QUESTIONS EACH WEEK. THESE QUESTIONS CAN BE QUESTIONS ABOUT CASTING, WRITING, PAST STORIES, CURRENT STORIES, OR WHATEVER COMES TO MIND REALLY PERTAINING TO SALEM LIVES. PLEASE REMEMBER TO PM US QUESTIONS DURING THE WEEK FOR US TO ANSWER AND ALSO REMEMBER YOU CAN POST QUESTIONS VIA COMMENTING HERE IN THE BLOG. IF WE RECEIVE NO QUESTIONS, ROMAN AND I WILL JUST ANSWER QUESTIONS BASED ON REACTIONS TO EPISODES AND DISCUSSIONS WE HAVE HAD WITH OTHERS. SO, WITHOUT FURTHER ADIEU, HERE WE GO:

THIS WEEK'S WRITER IN THE HOT SHEET: PATRICK L. EWING (ROMAN) DISHES ON THE HALLOWEEN EVENT THAT ROCKED SALEM!!

SLI: You wrote the entire Halloween week event. How do you feel sitting at the end of that?

A: Tired as hell. (laughs) I now see what folks go through when they write all that stuff by themselves and have great respect for them. My only hope is that once readers sat down and read each episode, they enjoyed it. I think it was a crossover that worked but it was also written to push story. That was the main reason to write it. It should be the main reason to write anything.

SLI: Hardly anyone died. Why is that?

A: Oh, the body count was high. No huge players did. We still have a blog to write. (laughs) You don’t kill off characters in something like this if you have story to tell. Also, you don’t kill off characters just because, because if you decide to bring them back, THEN it looks like some cheap stunt. They were not killed off now.......but stay tuned.

SLI: How will November Sweeps be effected?

A: The ball keeps on rolling. Things will happen that will push story for the next year. All of our stuff is planned out way before hand. Only small points are handled on the fly. But, everything that is written must make sense and, when it doesn’t, it will be discussed and then agreed upon that something that doesn’t make sense won’t happen again. What is about to happen will make sense. Trust me.

SLI: The cursing has been way up on the blog. Will that continue?

A: It will be used when needed. It is always used to enhance each character who uses it but every character won’t curse now. Alice will not flip out and just start using expletives just because. It’s out of character for her. That’s how it will be done from now on.

SLI: What is coming up during November Sweeps?

A: Boy...(laughs) Do you honestly expect me to tell you anything? (laughs) I guarantee........this November will be romantic, exciting, emotional.........and it will give the readers what they want.

COMINGS AND GOINGS

GOING

Kathryn Joosten (Elma Young): The recurring actress's run ended a little shorter then expected when it was revealed her character met her maker at the hands of Micheal Myers on November 2. "I'm sad we didn't get to use her in a more active role," sighs EP/HW Tim Lowery. "She's great and all we really did with her was have her lay there. The plan was for more but things happen and, sadly, we had to end her run."

PREVIEWS AND PEEKS INTO WEEK OF 11/5/07

-A Defeated Salem Tries To Recover.
-Jack Reaches His Breaking Point.
-Maison Blanche Receives Two Mysterious Visitors.
-Can Her Family Stop Abby In Time?
-Two People Take One Step Closer.......To Each Other.
-Shocking news Reaches Salem!

Next Week

-A Father & Daughter Bond.
-A Life Changing Discovery Is Made, And.........
-Salem Prepares For A Huge Gala!


Catching Up With: Michael T. Weiss

SLI sits down with the actor who played Mike Horton during DOOL’s popular 80's period and asks him if he would like to come to SL, what happened after The Pretender went off the air, and what he thinks of the state of daytime television.

SLI: Thanks for sitting down with us. Question one. Would you do a stint on SL if asked?

MTW: Well, thanks for having me. They already have a great guy who plays the role and right now, it seems that they have no story for Mike on their show. If asked and no one else is available, sure, it would be great fun.

SLI: What did you do after The Pretender left the airwaves?

MTW: Became a bum. (laughs) No. One of the things that you really have to realize being in this business is that things happen. I loved that show and the fans did as well. It should have went on longer than what it did and, when it was cancelled, it was a blow. I did some theater work and am now looking to get back on the horse television-wise and see what’s out there. I have heard the rumors about bringing the show back on another network. All I have to say to that is.........stay tuned.

SLI: What do you think of the state of daytime television?

MTW: (Sighs)You know, I’m going to try and be nice here. The industry needs a serious make-over. I truly believe that fans are just about sick and tired of seeing some of the crap they have been seeing. Also, I don’t know why there is such a dependency on pushing the younger actors at the expense of veterans that have been with shows for many, many years. There is a daytime network president at ABC who has shown some serious disrespect to the vets on those shows and has made statements that have pushed away long time viewers. How he keeps his job is beyond me.

Daytime T.V. can be fixed. If they would look at some of the blogs that are being written, by fans mind you, they can see what people like and don’t like. All this stuff with vampires, serial killers, and DOOL becoming "Soap Of The Living Dead" has pissed them off. The arrogance needs to leave the hierarchy of daytime television and, when that happens, soap fans will come back in droves. They just have to have something good to come back to.

SLI: Thanks for your time, Michael.

MTW: My pleasure.