http://groups.msn.com/SecondChancesTheLUMI...643133071830926

SOD Headlines

DAYS shocking Move Stuns the Cast

Deirdre Hall: "I Couldn't Stop Crying"

Plus Chloe's Return

Drake Hogestyn on Exit

Drake Hogestyn has been DAYS’s biggest champion for the past 21 years, Here, he opens up about it’s like to leave the set he’s called home since 1986.

SOD: Many of your co-stars have expressed their anger/shock/confusion to me over your exit. How did they react to you?

DH: Disbelief and overwhelming support, but would you expect anything less from the greatest cast in television?

SOD: What are your thoughts on your work schedule since John woke up from his coma? Were you disappointed by you lack of air time?

DH: The fans were disappointed that the John/Stefano storyline was never developed as they had hoped.

SOD: Do you feel you played all you could with John or was there more story to tell?

DH: I’ve enjoyed taking John through his many transformations, beginning with his initial metamorphosis in Miami, but as an actor, I believe there is always more to discover in your character,

SOD: How did it feel to clear out your dressing room?

DH: All the ‘kid art: I found brought me to tears. When [daughters] Whitney and Alexandra were little and would visit the studio, their interpretation of the world through crayons marked by the years gone by.

SOD: How would characterize the last year on the show for you?

DH: the time off from the show this year has given me the opportunity to connect with Victoria and my children on deeper level than I ever though possible.

SOD: What will you miss the most?

DH: Cast and crew goes with out saying. I’ll miss the ongoing relationship between John and Marlena and the opportunity to work with new producer Ed Scott.

SOD: There has been huge fan outcry over the news of John’s death. DO you have a message for the fans?

DH: There aren’t enough pages in your magazine to describe my relationship with my fans. They are mighty bunch, supportive, encouraging and very passionate. My hope is that I didn’t let them down in my performance and whatever tomorrow may bring, they will remain my life.

SOD: What will you do now?

DH: This week, I secured new theatrical representation, which paid off with auditions for ENTOURAGE and a producer meeting for NIP/TUCK. We’re taking publishers for a book I’m completing and exploring all other opportunities.

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So its truly official now, huh?

Can't say that I'll miss him.

Now Dee can actually shine for once.

Whatever. I'm not believing it 'til I see John's body a-lyin' in his coffin...and even then, it'll probably turn out to be a body switch.

Well, I for one am starting to tape the show this week because of this story. Here's hoping Ed Scott makes this upcoming sweeps one to remember.

I have disliked Drake's acting style and disliked John since I started watching, but I'm sure he will do a good job with this turn of events. It is quite sad when a longtime actor loses his or her job.

I still don't quite believe this.

Maybe I will get my wish and Wayne Northrup will come home to Salem.

Thanks for posting this Toups, you totally made my day!

Not to hijack this thread, Tishy, but please PM me... I'd love to plug Somerset with an interview.

Now back to the thread... even though Drake's doing an exit interview, I still have trouble believing this is for real. If it is, then Days better get ready for a big drop in its ratings. I have a feeling no good will come of this.

I feel slightly ambivalent about John's leaving, but leaning a little towards sadness over such a long time character leaving. Time will tell if this is really true.

Marlena and John have been such an important pair in the history of Days, that it will seem very strange without John. I hope that Marlena really gets some meaty material out of this. She deserves it.

Edited October 10, 200718 yr by ArizonaDaze

Not to hijack this thread, Tishy, but please PM me... I'd love to plug Somerset with an interview.

Now back to the thread... even though Drake's doing an exit interview, I still have trouble believing this is for real. If it is, then Days better get ready for a big drop in its ratings. I have a feeling no good will come of this.

I disagree. If the effect (and I mean this as Devil's advocate) is that the show can afford better sets and do more remote shoots, and Hogan can tell the splashier stories he probably wants to tell, it could do wonders for the ratings. But we'll have to wait and see.

DAYS is losing a huge part of itself, and I hope they're ready for the consequences. John Black has been a big part of this show, and a DAYS without him is going to be very different.

This does leave me to wonder what they're going to do with Marlena. John and Marlena have been a team package for so long, that one without the other, is going to be weird to see. Yes, I know that John went on without Marlena in the 80s when Deidre left, but they weren't technically written as a team back then. They were still individual characters. But after Reilly's writing and the writing that followed, J&M hav been written as a couple. And based on what we've seen in the past few months, Marlena wasn't even on for John's accident that sent him into a coma. She wasn't on for Sami's rape/pregnancy. Do we honestly think that she's going to be on for John's death?

I think not.

Drake has never been my favorite actor but he really does have a lot of history on the show. It is sad to see him go. And I have to agree with the fans who complained about his lack of involvement in the Stefano storyline. The return should really have been centered on John/Marlena instead of Sami. Big mistake which hurt Days and the vets.

I am not sure how this will affect the ratings. I think a lot of the John/Marlena fans have already stopped watching the show. Maybe they will get a spike because Marlena might be given some decent material and she may be utilized. I have a horrible feeling that she won't be given the proper amount of airtime. I can see other characters like Belle or Sami being focused on more instead of Marlena.

I'd like to play devils advocate, but something tells me the J&M fans leave and don't return. That's something you can't afford in this age of depressed ratings.

But let's see what happens first. I smell a rat.

The return should really have been centered on John/Marlena instead of Sami. Big mistake which hurt Days and the vets.

Word!

One of Hogan/Meg's biggest mistake was to have Stefano return and not put him in a storyline with John/Marlena. This vendetta should've never been about Sami/EJ/Santo/Colleen.

I still can't believe Hogan/Meg didn't want to use two of the biggest stars to ever appear on the show. HUGE MISTAKE and they're paying for it right now.

These writers better wake up and realize that they have to use the biggest stars on the show.

Word!

One of Hogan/Meg's biggest mistake was to have Stefano return and not put him in a storyline with John/Marlena. This vendetta should've never been about Sami/EJ/Santo/Colleen.

I still can't believe Hogan/Meg didn't want to use two of the biggest stars to ever appear on the show. HUGE MISTAKE and they're paying for it right now.

These writers better wake up and realize that they have to use the biggest stars on the show.

There are has been so MUCH wasted potential with this storyline, it's ridiculous.

I'm of two minds on this, and always have been.

On one hand, John and Marlena are both incredibly embarrassing jokes at this point and have dragged down a serious attempt at DOOL for a long time IMHO.

OTOH, they are iconic and their characters and the actors' performances, though campy and ridiculous, are part of the foundation of DOOL, with lots of longtime fans who, even if they are not big on the couple, key into them to recognize Days for what it is.

So I think this will really hurt the show, even if John and Marlena were jokes. It should not have been hard to keep them playing support.

I still don't believe it myself.

I too think he deserved better if so. If its true then why did he get pink slip? I mean the actors who play: Roman, Abe, Lexie, Will, Maggie, and number of other actors are all on contract and yet barely appear onscreen? I am not advocationg any of there firings either yet from a financial stand point they'd balance each other off. Which brimgs me to a bad reason I think Days did this....

I fear Days will suffer a AMC and by that I mean AMC killed Ethan off in sweeps ratings period just to spike their ratings and it worked but it was very temporary and it backfired by a group of fans being so ticked off they fled the show and I think Days will suffer the same fate. Plus, where does this leave Deidra Hall now?

This seems to be more about Hogan writing Days in melodramtic way instead of character sl way and he's had more bombs, more times Sam's baby in way, more over the top stuff then character driven sl stuff to prove it.