ARTICLE: Soap Stars to Take Part in ‘Daytime Stands Up: A Benefit for Stand Up To Cancer … We All Have a Story’

[Errol]

Starting at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT on Thursday, May 16, some of daytime’s biggest and brightest stars from today and yesterday are set to come together for “Daytime Stands Up: A Benefit for Stand Up To Cancer … We All Have a Story,” a three-hour livestream event hosted by Alan Locher (“The Locher Room”) and Michael Fairman (Michael Fairman TV).

The event will feature musical performances and stories of emotional on- and off-screen experiences with cancer. Additionally, there will be special celebrity guests who will also join the effort to encourage viewers to support urgently needed research and new cancer treatments.

“Daytime television invites viewers into the private lives of characters, often bringing important issues like cancer screenings into living rooms and around water coolers. Soaps debuted the first cancer storyline in 1962 – years before the topic was discussed in the mainstream, and it left an indelible impact: a whole generation of women who scheduled a potentially life-saving Pap smear for the first time,” said Daytime Stands Up host Alan Locher. 

“For so many viewers, this brought the issue front and center,” added co-host Michael Fairman. “Today, it’s become almost impossible to avoid; but there is hope with cancer research, thanks to organizations like Stand Up To Cancer.”

The livestream will start with an eBay silent auction featuring cast meet-and-greet experiences, one-on-one video calls with a daytime star(s), autographed memorabilia and more. 

Stand Up To Cancer

The silent auction will run for 10 days, from May 16 through 26, for soap opera fans to bid on a wide range of items, including a meet-and-greet experience with the cast of  “Days of our Lives,” along with an autographed script from the cast of “The Young and the Restless” and signed merchandise from the cast of “The Bold and the Beautiful.” Additional auction items include a one-on-one video call with “General Hospital” stars Cynthia Watros, Maura West and Laura Wright, along with Robert Newman (“The Young and the Restless,” “Guiding Light”), Vincent Irizarry (“All My Children, “Guiding Light”), Colleen Zenk (“The Young and the Restless,” “As The World Turns”), and others yet to be announced. Full details on auction items will be shared on Stand Up To Cancer’s website during the livestream.

The event itself will feature cancer survivorship stories from Cameron Mathison (“General Hospital,” “All My Children”) and Colleen Zenk as they reflect on the impact of publicly sharing their diagnoses, and Eric Braeden (“The Young and the Restless”) will talk about his own real-life cancer journey as well share his memories of beloved former co-star Meg Bennett, who passed away from cancer last month.

Special tributes to beloved soap stars who’ve lost their cancer battles will also be highlighted by close friends and family, including:

• Jackie Zeman, who portrayed nurse Barbara Jean “Bobbie” Spencer on” General Hospital” for 45 years – shared by daughters Cassidy MacLeod and Lacey Gorden
• Elizabeth Hubbard, who played the memorable Lucinda Walsh on “As the World Turns” and Dr. Althea Davis on “The Doctors” – shared by her on-screen daughter Martha Byrne and real-life son Jeremy Bennett
• Jerry verDorn, who played Ross Marler on “Guiding Light” and later Clint Buchanan on “One Life to Live” – shared by widow Beth verDorn and friend and former co-star “Guiding Light” co-star Liz Keifer.
• Andrea Evans, who played Tina Lord Roberts on “One Life to Live” and Rebecca Hotchkiss on “Passions,” among other soap roles – shared by her husband Stephen G. Rodriguez and daughter Kylie Rodriguez
• Kamar de los Reyes, who played Antonio Vega on “One Life to Live” – shared by former co-stars Michael Easton (now at “General Hospital”) and Trevor St. John (now at “The Young and the Restless”)

Additional talent slated to participate in the virtual benefit include (subject to change): 

• Eddie Alderson (“One Life to Live”)
• Kristen Alderson (“General Hospital,” “One Life to Live”)
• Elia Cantu (“Days of Our Lives”)
• The Day Players band, featuring “Days of Our Lives” castmembers Carson Boatman, Brandon Barash, Eric Martsolf and Wally Kurth (also on “General Hospital”)
• Kassie DePaiva (“Days of our Lives,” “One Life to Live”)
• Don Diamont (“The Bold and the Beautiful,” “The Young and the Restless”)
• Linsey Godfrey (“Days of Our Lives,” “The Bold and the Beautiful”)
• Leo Howard (Days of Our Lives”)
• Lesli Kay (“The Bold and the Beautiful,” “As The World Turns”)
• Eden McCoy (“General Hospital”)
• Kin Shriner (“General Hospital,” “Port Charles”)
• Michelle Stafford (“The Young and the Restless,” “General Hospital”)

SU2C Co-Founder Sue Schwartz, SU2C President and CEO Julian Adams, Ph.D., and SU2C Health Equity Committee Member Elizabeth Jaffee, M.D., will also participate to discuss the importance of early detection, exciting scientific breakthroughs, and the ongoing work to make screenings and treatment equitable for all.

“This year, an estimated 2 million people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer, presenting an opportunity for the public to stand with us and rise to the occasion,” said Adams. “We’re thankful to Alan Locher, Michael Fairman and our friends from the daytime television community, who will raise critical funding to honor those we’ve lost – and to propel new scientific breakthroughs for current and future patients. Everyone has a story, and we’re grateful to all of you for sharing yours.”

For over 15 years, SU2C has leveraged its relationship with the entertainment community – which includes more than 1,100 celebrity ambassadors – to generate public donations, increase awareness and fund cutting-edge cancer research. SU2C research has contributed to the development of more than 10 scientific breakthroughs that have significantly impacted the field and provided new treatment options for breast, colorectal, lung, melanoma, pancreatic, pediatric and prostate cancers.

Make sure to tune into “Daytime Stands Up: A Benefit for Stand Up To Cancer … We All Have a Story” on Thursday, May 16, LIVE from 8:00-11:00 p.m. ET/5:00-8:00 p.m. PT, streaming simultaneously on StandUpToCancer.org and on YouTube via The Locher Room and Michael Fairman Channel.

You can also watch the stream below (when available).

For more information on “Daytime Stands Up: A Benefit for Stand Up To Cancer … We All Have a Story” and the silent auction, visit StandUpToCancer.org/DaytimeStandsUp.

Note: The post Soap Stars to Take Part in ‘Daytime Stands Up: A Benefit for Stand Up To Cancer … We All Have a Story’ appeared first on the Soap Opera Network website.

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[Maxim]

This is great! Brava!