Let's start with Sheffer's take on the DiMera clan, that dynasty of deviants who've been stirring up terror in Salem since the '80s. "When I first got this job," Sheffer says, "everybody told me, 'You need to bring back the DiMeras.' This is the perfect time for that. I want to reward longtime Days fans by tapping the show's history of romance and old-school villains."

And here we all thought Hogan was anti-DiMeras. The DiMeras are not a cartoon-villain family. JER wrote them that way. If Hogan writes the family as they were written in the 80s, and the way B&C wrote Tony in 2002, it will be believable. The DiMeras are needed in Salem. I don't care what anyone says. The DiMeras (first class), the Hortons (middle class) and the Bradys (lower class) are what makes up Salem, pure and simple.

"Our problem, at the moment," Sheffer says, "is I don't know if [Mascolo] is willing to come back for a short span. We have to think about what to do about that. The first thing we'll do is make sure there's another generation of the DiMera family on the canvas. We need to start passing down those attributes that have been so successful to the next generation. The [younger] generation on this show is sitting around doing nothing."

I'm not upset about Hogan's plans for Stefano's return to only be short-term. Sure, Stefano could be useful in Salem, but he is right. It is time to pass down the torch to the next generation. Could we really believe Stefano would waste his time ruining the lives of Salem's younger generation (Abby, Max, Chelsea)? No. Stefano wouldn't give a damn about them. That's why we need younger DiMeras. It's more believable. That's the biggest problem with JER's Tony. Why would Tony screw with Belle, Shawn and Philip? Not believable.

British actor James Scott (ex-Ethan, All My Children) has charmed Days fans as Sami Brady's mysterious friend, EJ Wells. It will be revealed this fall that EJ is a member of the DiMera clan and he's also the Gloved One who's been skulking around Salem.

"He's not going anywhere," Sheffer says. "To me, he is the next generation of the DiMera family. I think it will be a huge surprise as to who he is, how he's connected and what he's been doing. I won't tell you exactly who he is. Kudos to [former Days head writer]Jim Reilly for bringing on this character and for setting up what I think will be a great mystery. That's all his stuff, not mine. The way it's going to play out is mine."

I don't really like the idea of EJ being the Gloved One, but it's ending this ridiculous storyline that is clearly JER's doing. LOVE LOVE LOVE EJ being a DiMera. Predictable? Yes. Who cares though! I just hope EJ is a brand new son of Stefano. I don't want him being Elvis. I can't even think of Eileen Davidson being James Scott's mother. DON'T DO THIS HOGAN!

"Yeah, Jan Spears," Sheffer acknowledges. "One of the other versions of that story had Tek as the gloved hand. But there are only two people involved in that gloved hand business, EJ and Patrick. John and Bo will figure out their connection."

Jan Spears would have disappointed me. I suspected Tek and wish they would've went that route, but I guess EJ and Patrick are what we're stuck with and it's ending the storyline so go right ahead.

"You can say this," Sheffer winks. "Benjy is a DiMera and Benjy will be back. EJ Wells is not Benjy, though. We will see Benjy for the first time around the end of October. Benjy will be pivotal in what's happening in the months to come."

I'm glad EJ is not Benjy. I'm also very surprised that Benjy is coming back to Salem. That's a total shock to me. I never saw that one coming, at least not this soon. October is going to be a huge month for the DiMeras. All of Stefano's children are going to come together. I hope the show brings back Thaao to play the REAL Tony. I love the thought of Stefano, Tony, Lexie, EJ and Benjy sharing a scene in the DiMera mansion. Oh and I can't forget Celeste. She belongs in that room too!

"Kate and EJ are gonna start f---ing," Sheffer teases. "EJ is everybody's type. And why wouldn't he want her? She's a sexy woman! This also gives Kate her chops back. No more Roman and Victor - none of that. When Lauren Koslow (Kate) walks into a room, she just bowls me over. She's sexy, she's a great actress and she will be very, very busy."

LOVE EJ and Kate. I've been wanting this ever since their first scene together when James Scott came to DAYS. I always envisioned Kate with a younger man. Lauren Koslow is smoking. She looks like the type that would have a boy toy. I loved Kate with Nicholas and I'm going to love her with EJ. Making him a DiMera only intensifies the situation. First Daddy Stefano got her, now EJ's getting him some, LOL.

I wish Joe Mascolo was coming back more long-term. I guess there's still hope. I can see the reasoning in bringing him back just short-term to "pass the torch," but I REALLY want to see the reasons behind the Brady/DiMera feud explored. And to me, what better time than now and what better writer than Hogan and his team to go this direction? That would be my hope....Other than that, this all sounds great!!

I loved everything but the EJ/Kate thing. Gross. I just don't like Kate. I liked Sami and EJ together. I like EJ period. I want to see him with the younger women of Salem. Give them a sexy love interest. I would like to eventually see him with a woman as sexy as he is ruling the Dimera empire in a classy but evil way.

I would expect there to be a casting call out for Benjy as well as one for the woman Shawn takes up with and what about Philip and Mimi's surrogate. They never even mention her. There will need to be someone to play her part, too. I've been searching but haven't found any leads on these additions to the cast.

I have always suspected the Bradys were responsible for the Brady-diMera feud, not the "evil" diMeras. I think that was the story Brash and Cwikly wanted to tell. If Hogan ever touches it I suspect it might go in the same direction.

I am very glad he said Steve and Kayla will be very involved with Benjy. That's important. Other shows or writers would've merely paid lip service to Steve and Kayla's connection to Benjy and then dropped it. Given Hogan's love for Mary Beth Evans, that should not be a problem here.

Then maybe Benjy is the good DiMera. With Kayla and Stephanie in danger and Steve trying to save them, it would be a good time to bring Benjy in.

Making EJ into Kate's boy toy destroys him as a romantic male lead IMO. The guys playing Patrick and Tek aren't that bad, but their characters weren't properly developed and now it is too late to take either of them seriously.

EJ and Kate are business partners and quite often there are sexual pairing between female and male business partners when working closely together which doesn't mean either of them won't have a life outside of the office. Merely a release of tension and a meeting of minds. (I read a lot LOL)

I have always suspected the Bradys were responsible for the Brady-diMera feud, not the "evil" diMeras. I think that was the story Brash and Cwikly wanted to tell. If Hogan ever touches it I suspect it might go in the same direction.

That would be awesome! I just want to see it resolved at some point, and with Hogan writing I think it would be an amazing story to tell. So much history to dig into and so much potential as well.

This is disgusting. I love James Scott but this boils my blood.

Months have been spent building up Ejami and now Hogan comes on and tears them down, puts Lami back together, and to boot puts Oxford Grad EJ with a Grandmother Hooker. How does he expect the majority fan base which is Ejami to react? No cut and run here!

The only people who like this pairing are Lumi fans and you know it.

Ok, I was anti-Dimera before reading that. The focus on the future is perfect, and a new generation of Dimeras reminds me of the wasted Cassie and Rex, so that's cool.

And I'm all for Kate with EJ. Frankly, I think it's a brilliant way to salvage Kate as a character to hook her up with a Dimera, and it just fits Kate more than Roman did (though I like her vs. Vivian for Victor). I also hope it's a nice way to have characters interact romantically, or just sexually, without having to put them in a long-term trueloveforever kinda deal.

Actually it's mostly his focus on the new generation of Dimeras that interests me, because it bodes well for a show that hasn't invested much serious thought in its younger characters, imho. It'll be fun to see how exactly that plays out.

I think Joe may sign a 2-3 year contarct, but only be on for 3-5 months at a time. That's how it was when he first came on. Stefano would arive in Salem, wreak havoc for 3 months, and then dissapear. If he is written like that, wonderful. I would enjoy that. Also, E.J. would probably become the head of the family in his absence. It makes sense.

And....everyone, calm down. He said those two would be screwing. How are some people seeing that as they will be a long-term couple? Who knows how Kate will react when she finds out E.J. is a DiMera? This is not the same DOOL, where characters are put together and are stuck like that. It may be handled kinda like Steve's relationship with Billie is being handled right now. You know those two are not going to stay together. It's just somewhere for Steve to go until he gets his memory back in the great story that is coming his way.

Give it some time, everyone. And let the stories unfold. If we don't like them, trust me, they will know.

And this time........they may just listen.

Wow-what is with all the anti EJ/Kate stuff?

First off, they are only having sex so this is not going to be a supercouple. Secondly, Lauren Koslow and the character of Kate are not old. She steamed things up with Nicholas and her pairings with older men only work for so long. I can't see this as bad thing. Plus, it adds something big to the Sami/Kate dynamic as Sami clearly had a thing for him and let's remember Kate had sex with Stefano and now she is moving on to the next generation.

I can't beleive all the Kate/EJ backlask-that surprised me. I would think people would be happy they are not going the predictable route and are giving Lauren something other to do then just meddle. As for Sami/EJ. they would make a great couple but LUMI will win out and they built Sami/EJ to endanger the lives of Sami's loved ones. It was clearly never meant to be a love story and if people took it like that then...well...sorry .

Great post Roman LOL-I do think Joe may do that but from the sound of it I wonder if it may not be as concrete as that. Maybe Stefano will kinda be a recurring character and return here and there, which is bascially the same thing I guess.

We all know you don't like people over 40. This is why PSNS is tanking, get with it!

Agreed Kirk but don't try telling RionPassions (who thought Vendetta rocked) that because it doesn't work .

After watching the scenes with EJ/Chelsea this week, I think Hogie is eventually going to pair those 2 up. Remember how in other spoilers from one of the mags, Hogie said that Kate was going to teach Chelsea a thing or two on how to get what she wants or something like that? I could see Hogie putting EJ and Chelsea in a lot of scenes together, allowing them to get to know each other, during this brief relationship b/w Kate and EJ. I don't think EJ messing around with Kate and then eventually having a relationship with Chelsea is as nasty as Carrie sleeping with Lucas and his brothers Mike and Austin.....\

On the EJ front, I wonder if he is Tony and Anna's child? Carrie has been talking about her mom a lot the past few months AND do you remember when Carrie first saw EJ? Didn't she ask him if they had met each other before b/c he seemed familiar to her? I wonder if that was a throwaway line or something more......

All in all good spoilers....

Well, if I don't like a character, then I don't want the character paired with my favorite. It's as simple as that. Kate has had the sex romps countless times. She needs romance. EJ's a slimey scumbag.

Sorry some of us don't have blinders on. We're not going to love everything DAYS dishes out. It's called having an opinion. Yeah, we should watch this before we hate it. But you should also watch this before you love/like it. I love the show, but some of you have blind faith, and it's kind of ridiculous at this point, especially in regard to a show that's known to disappoint.

As for Sami/EJ. they would make a great couple but LUMI will win out and they built Sami/EJ to endanger the lives of Sami's loved ones. It was clearly never meant to be a love story and if people took it like that then...well...sorry .

The problem is LUMI shouldn't win out and certainly not as the default choice. I was a LUMI fan from way back. I was watching when a fifteen year old Sami walked in on Lucas and some singer making out back in 1983. I have been there, done that, bought the T-shirt, washed it thousands of times and finally cut it up and used the rags to wax my car. Lucas and Sami as a couple have never been half as popular as Sami the character, and at this point in Salem history, their ship has sailed and sunk.

Over the past two decades, I have suffered through much manure - the devil possession, the alien twins, Bo and Hope as bounty hunters, Jack dying over and over again, Sami playing the same storyline annually for over a decade, half the cast getting killed off and living on some bizarre island, and as all recent Days fans know, I could go on. I had heard that the new HW was great and my hopes were up, but the bits of information that are coming out week after week make me feel like the light at the end of the tunnel is an on-coming train. Jack and Jennifer are leaving. Carrie and Austin are leaving. Max is being put a triangle with Mimi and Abby. (Abby and Max is okay with me, even though I like Max and Chelsea, but Max and Mimi? If I was the new HW, on day 1 Mimi would leave Salem, and Belle would miscarry. That whole quad needs to be demolished.) The Dimeras are coming back. (I never missed them.) EJ is a Dimera. (?) Lucas and Sami are being put back together. (See T-shirt as car rags analogy.) Bo and Hope are being but back together. (I am a Bo and Hope fan since way back too, but this Hope I don't recognize. There is no spunk, there are no curves, and she has been treating Bo like gargage for nearly a year. I am no rush to see them get back together, and a Bo/Billie pairing where Bo puts Billie first would be fine with me.) Steve & Kayle will be in a big story with John & Marlena. (Days' most subtle actors saddled with their least subtle actors, brilliant - NOT!) Now EJ and Kate is yet another bad spoiler on this list, it destroys the first interesting new adult male on the show since Patch starting lurking around Bo and Hope's loft twenty years ago. (How many of you know that Patch was the one at Hope's bedside when she miscarried her first baby with Bo?) Once a man hooks up with a 50 year old ex-hooker who framed her grandson's mother for murder and was happy to let her be executed for it, he certainly can't be paired with her victim, her daughter, or her granddaughter. I repeat, the character will be wasted.

....and let's remember Kate had sex with Stefano and now she is moving on to the next generation.

Eh, let's not, because that was never part of the storyline. That's not to say it didn't happen, but to say it did is only an assumption.

That's the only part of the TV Guide column I didn't like. The lack of fact checking is so rampant in the press.