Days: Another person is going to be fired..

[Ponz]

I'm with Steve in thinking these latest firings are connected to Mascolo & Davidson. It all went quiet for a couple of months and now there seems to be a sudden panic to slash the budget again. We heard about Jones the same week the news about Davidson broke...I doubt that is coincidence. The fact that TPTB are axing characters Hogan claimed would be part of his long-term stories suggest that this relates to a NEW development behind the scenes...not the original budget cuts.

If this is true, it's a foolish strategy. It makes no sense axing one fan favourite to accomodate another. All that does is create resentment towards the actor being brought in. If they can't afford Joe or ED, they need to get over it and work with the actors they have.

[KLN]

On the internet, you're right. But 80% of soap viewers don't patrol soap message boards like we do and for the most part, know nothing about behind-the-scenes goings on.

I'd trade Jones for Davidson in a HEARTBEAT. In fact, if they decided to keep Jones and not re-hire Eileen just to keep Jones, I'd be PISSED.

There's only four Days actresses who I wouldn't accept being fired for Eileen (not because I like them better -- they're just Days staples who I love equally) and that's Deidre Hall, Ali Sweeney, Lauren Koslow and Kristian Alfonso. To me, those four ARE Days of Our Lives.

[EricaKane4life]

You can completely rule out Maggie Horton.

She will have to take over when Alice dies, which is probably soon.

[SteveFrame]

Kenny I agree with you on many levels but not on all.

First off even the people who don't peruse the message boards have opinions. My daughters peruse all over the Internet, but never go to a soap board. They have loved Days since they were very young. They are now 19 and 21. Even after I quit as I have said before they would still tune the living room TV to Days or if they were in my bedroom on the Computer they would turn my TV to Days and still do. They don't even like me to tell them what I know from reading and visiting the boards. But I have heard them say many times that they can't believe Days is getting rid of people they know and love for these others - they esp. talk about Willow and Brandon Beemer. Neither one of them are in the Brandon Beemer fan club. They have said many times that Jason Cook coulen't act his way out of a paper bag, but they loved him.

To people who don't know what is going on, they still jump to conclusions about the performers who are leaving, and most of the time it is that the show got rid of them. So even those fans will make those type of conclusions too.

And I am sure there are many of them like my daughter who are wondering what is going on over the last few months. They have seen so many people that they know and are familiar with leave, and all of a sudden there are all these new faces running around.

Now they are going to be facing more departures. And then other faces coming on too. It is too much and people will draw conclusions whether they read the boards or not.

If Corday or whoever is making these decisions to get back Mascolo, Davidson or Sorel (I include Sorel because of that random out of nowhere poll), I personally think it is a bad move right now. If there hadn't already been the loss of several cast members, and several new faces hadn't come on, I would say it would be great. But it is a big mistake right now.

As I have said before since June, Days has brought back Steve and Kayla and introduced them to a new generation (in essence they are new to many), EJ, Stephanie, Willow, Nick, Benjy (introduced again to a new generation), given us a new Shawn, now a new Philip will come, and then rumors of Connor. That will be 10 new faces in town.

Then you add the departures of familiar Shawn, Jack, Jennifer, Frankie, Carrie, Austin, and now Stephanie and Lexie.

That is a lot of change for a show in transition.

And as to the last comment about you would gladly give up Lexie for Kristen - that is one fan bases opinion. And that is the problem with this move at this time. I am sure tylerbo would tell you that he would if it came down to Sorel or Davidson and they could only afford one, he would want Sorel. So it comes down to no matter what he does he will anger someone. But I just feel that no matter who he angers it is just a bad time to make the move.

[PhoenixRising05]

It's all a matter of opinion. Most people I know that watch Days are dying for Louise, Joe, and Eileen or even one of them to return. It's all a matter of preference and what you enjoy watching and the like.

I agree that many general fans don't know why a person leaves but I do know for a fact that many soap fans do in fact find little things out here and there. I mean they can go to a supermarker and see the mag and if someone is leaving there is usually a headline (especially if it's Days). Most fans now are in the know in some way or another. Not all but most and they may not know every little thing but I do think they know enough to decide if someone leaves on their own or is fired. I used to think the same way but I know a few elderly people, for example, and they don't get the mags or go online and they knew about Cook quitting and Missy Reeves quitting. They saw it on the mags at the market.

I don't like the idea of firing to bring others back but a good deal of Days' exits were by actor choice. Missy left on her own and Billy wanted out. Jason left on his own and so did Kyle Brandt and if Farah leaves it's her choice too. The rest were Days' choice but it wasn't all on them. Most people I know (and I know alot of Days fans) whether they are mag or online board readers or no find out some way about exits. That is just in my experience but perhaps everyone observes something different.

I agree this is no coincidence. I think Days was done cutting and then Eileen came up and boom. I feel really bad for Hogan because he has to change plans and has to take the flack. I am just going to wait and see who gets cut and how it plays out before I condemn Days and proclaim its future to be bleak.

[SteveFrame]

Phoenix, I think I failed to get one of my main points to come across. One of my main points I wanted to make is the newness of all these people.

Days right now needs to pull in lapsed viewers. They don't need too they have got to have them back. They have got to do that in order to survive. New viewers are needed too, but soaps are just not attracting new viewers that much these days. So lapsed viewers are the key.

Lapsed viewers have got to have something familiar to lure them back. Steve and Kayla was a good move in a sense, because it did bring back some of those, but then the writing went south and a lot of the momentum was lost. There was no tension created to keep some new viewers who came in to see what the buzz was about - there was nothing to make them want to keep tuning in.

Sure bringing back some other faves is going to help, but what about lapsed viewers that are not familiar with these. When they come back there are just too many new faces around, and too many familiar faces that are gone. Days picked up a lot of new and lapsed viewers during the SSK story, and then JER and Corday ran them off. Some of the characters these people are familiar with are not there anymore.

I just feel that whether some of the actors left of their own accord or not, right now is the wrong time to bring back on anyone that is going to put another new face out there that many new fans are not going to know, or have to get to know all over again.

That is just my opinion, but it is partly based on what I have seen in the times I have watched, from listening to my daughters, and from looking at mistakes other shows have made in the same category with new faces.

[Ponz]

I agree. If we're talking about a straight trade of Jones for Davidson, it's a smart move. I don't put Jones in the category of a fan favorite anyway. But now there are strong rumblings that an "ICON" will be the next to go. That suggests that it's panic stations behind the scenes and they're about to do something really dumb to accomodate ED or Joe.

[sungrey]

And considering this is NBC we're talking about, that network and dumb go hand-in-hand.

[Mason]

I would definitely be willing to trade Jones (as much as I love Lexie/RJ) for Davidson, on any day. But I don't want to see a whole slew of my favorites fired JUST to make room for Eileen and/or Joe. It's not right.

[Cheyenne]

^^ Agree with you! The madness has got to stop somewere.

[JER Soaps Fan]

I have to wonder--shouldn't part of the blame go on THE ACTORS who allegedly are coming back? I mean, if these actors didn't demand such an UNGODLY paycheck, the show wouldn't have to make more "cuts." Frankly, I say blame the PRODIGAL ACTORS. Yes, if more and more significant cuts come, fans WILL grow hatred for Eileen and Joe. I'm already seeing red.

[darraholic]

I like both alot and if Renee is going to go then Eilleen better come back or I'll be pissed. I really would of liked to have seen them as sisters.

[Ridge]

Hogan most certainly deserves some flak for what is going on. You can't have "MAJOR" transitions like these cast cuts and have nothing appealing on screen. DAYS is not really interesting right now, which is a strike, and the many firings is another strike, making it a loss-loss for DAYS. That's not good. Honestly if DAYS was must see right now I wouldn't care much about who is getting the boot because I care a lot about DAYS overall than specific actors (and this does include KA, but only to an extent), and right now DAYS is not progressing. If GH can have a mega sweeps, why can't Hogan do it? He is sooo talented after all?? This would certainly help to forget about all this bull crap going on behind the scenes.

Also regarding the firing for hiring, we don't know that at all. After all, there has been NO confirmation at all that Joseph Mascolo or Eileen Davidson are returning.

The show has been in talks with Joseph to return for over 2 months now. I mean really, 2 months! Do salary negotiations take that long? Hogan said he wanted Stefano short term, but perhaps that is what Joseph doesn't want, and I don't want that either because then all Stefano will be is a ploy, a plot movement, just like GH did with Genie. If you are going to bring back characters you have to write them with purpose.

[Queen_Nubia]

Oy....the suspense is killing me....almost reminds me of when everyone thought Drake was fired from Days a few years ago.

Man, the boards were of fire...

[Angie79]

I remember reading that it is Corday that doesn't want Joe for the long-term, but that Hogan does. Joe only wanted to come back if it was going to be long-term.