Table of contents for February 15, 2016 in ABC Soaps In Depth

“We’ll have a big event, thanks to Alexis and Julian’s upcoming wedding,” of fers Passanante. “That will be a confluence of events, because several stories sort of collide at that time!” For more on those crisscrossing tales, read on! But be warned: This is definitely a story to skip if you want to remain spoiler-free! Will Jason Finally Remember? The month kicks off with Sam facing a potentially deadly situation, the details of which can be found in the In Depth Cover Story on page 22. “That will set in motion a series of events that are climactic for Sam, Jason and Liz,” previews Passanante. “There’s a neartragedy that comes out of this very complicated situation.” Adds Altman coyly: “It seems as if history just might repeat itself.” As far…

The latest comings and goings — and how they will change your shows! The In Depth Story: Although Ned loved Olivia, he just didn’t want to propagate the lie she was telling about Leo’s paternity, which was reasonable. “But now that’s all over,” points out Kurth. Julian learned that he was little Leo’s father within a week of the breakup, but at the time, Kurth was still under contract with NBC. However, just a few weeks after his GH visit, DAYS dropped him to recurring status — so why hasn’t Ned come back to reclaim Olivia? Kurth reports that he doesn’t know the answer but quips that it’s never too late for love. “Ned can just pop back in and say, ‘Hey, I just found out!’” he suggests. “‘I was…

As America’s election season is heating up, Parry Shen (Brad), too, is getting somewhat political, working on the satire Swing State. But don’t worry: Shen isn’t leaving GH! He found time to shoot the indie film during Brad’s ongoing story lull. The movie follows the trials of a liberal rock radio DJ who lands a short-term gig as a Conservative talk show host — only to get stuck playing a right-wing persona he doesn’t much like when his bit is a ratings goldmine. “I play Ryan Pollard, an executive of the media company that owns the show, who is excited to take the show national with his latest star,” sets up Shen exclusively for In Depth. “It’s a huge ensemble cast with a lot of great actors.” Once production wraps,…

Steve tries to strike a deal with Ava on Monday, February 1. But will he be able to save Kayla? And how will Joey react when he comes across his father and Ava in a compromising position on Tuesday, February 2? Hope finds herself drowning in family drama, but Rafe is there to help bail her out on Wednesday, February 3. As Steve goes all out to rescue Kayla on Thursday, February 4, Andre tries convincing Chad that they need to prove once and for all that Hope murdered Stefano on Friday, February 5!…

... And 1 Thing We Could Do Without...…

THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS’ Nick and Sage may be on high alert when it comes to the duplicitous Dr. Anderson. But what they seem to be forgetting is that the shrink has been masterfully manipulating Sharon for months now. And, rather than confront them directly, Dr. Anderson just might deploy her own minion — i.e., Sharon — by weaning her offher bipolar medication and whipping up her patient’s paranoia! “Sharon is a puppet [for Dr. Anderson],” concedes her portrayer, Sharon Case. “She really believes she’s a good doctor. So she does get spooked about needing to keep Sage away from the baby after Dr. Anderson expresses her concern. The last thing she would want is anything to happen to the baby!” While Sharon seems emotionally strong at the moment,…

Over the past year, we’ve watched as Anna suffered one loss after another, and we’ll freely admit that the exits of Robin, Patrick and Emma left us fearing for our favorite Brit’s future on the canvas. But once the trio left town, an interesting thing happened: Anna stopped being a mother and grandmother and confidante and actually was allowed to become, you know, her own woman once again! Her connection with Jordan was re-established, she and Robert began working on a new case and — between her dealings with Andre and the catand-mouse game she’s playing with Paul — she was once again being written as a butt-kicking heroine with sexual charisma to spare! Sure, we’re hoping Emma comes back to visit her beloved grandmother, but we’re actually hoping that…

FYIFYIFYI Birthday Girl: Stafford blows out the candles on September 14. Big Premiere: Stafford’s acting debut was on FOX’s teen soap, TRIBES, in 1990. Almost MELROSE PLACE: The actress was a regular on Aaron Spelling’s short-lived primetime soap, PACIFIC PALISADES, as was Finola Hughes (Anna). Happy Anniversary: The Emmy winner will celebrate her third year playing Nina on May 1. While GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Nina has been taking Crimson — and herself! — to the next level, portrayer Michelle Stafford has been finding new balance in her life. The daytime vet has a new baby at home and a new beauty line, Coco Luxe, on the market. She’s also back to work on her Web series, THE STAFFORD PRO JECT, and trying to find a home for her former NickMom on-line…

When it comes to putting people in their place, GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Carly is just about as good as it gets. But it’s a different story for portrayer Laura Wright — especially when she knows Carly’s gunning for Rebecca Herbst’s Elizabeth! “She’s the hardest,” admits Wright, “because Becky’s so sweet and tiny. I’m like, ‘Great, here comes the gigantor mean lady!’” After a decade on the show, Wright can spot a Carly attack coming from weeks away. “I always say to Becky, ‘I just want to apologize now, because I’m sure they’re going to have me scream your head offsoon.’” Considering the situation with Liz and Jason, we suspect Wright’s been apologizing a lot lately! But for the record, what Wright’s really saying is: Sorry, not sorry. “I actually have a…

FYIFYIFYI Birthday: April 18. Birthplace: Los Angeles. Puppy Love: Scott has two dachshunds, Luca and Lola, and a rescue dog, Reilly, a mixed terrier from the South Los Angeles Animal Shelter. Environmental Awareness: The actress has raised more than a million dollars for Save The Earth Foundation. Most people would be a little bit leery over sharing their home with a ghost or two. But not THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS’ Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki), whose paranormal encounters earned her a spot on the Lifetime Movie Network’s supernatural series, THE HAUNTING OF, which stars psychic/medium Kim Russo. “I’ve lived with spirits my whole life — I always thought it was normal,” insists the soap vet. “I always had unusual things happen as a child, which only involved me, no one…

GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Duke & Anna When Anna lost her beloved husband, Duke, the first time, she thought she’d never recover. But, as if to prove just how cruel fate could really be, history repeated itself so viciously that she could practically hear it saying, “Nya nya!” ONE LIFE TO LIVE’s Al & Marcie Although Al contracted a fatal illness while helping Marcie out of a dumpster — that’s not trash talk, it really happened — their love proved to be so strong that his soul wound up wooing her anew from the body of another ill-fated youth, Michael. (For better or worse, Llanview had ill-fated youths to spare.) LOVING’s Steve & Trisha After Steve was shot in a bank holdup — which never would have happened if on-line banking had…

GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Lisa LoCicero (Olivia) knows what’s important GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Lisa LoCicero (Olivia) and husband Michael Patrick Jann have a baby and a teenager in the house. But there’s always time for romance. Well, sort of… “I always feel like there’s not enough time, whether it is for romance, answering E-mails or going grocery shopping,” LoCicero admits. “But you have to keep the romance a high priority — or else what is the point of the rest of what we do?” By “romance,” LoCicero’s not talking about rose petals floating in a candlelit bathtub. “I don’t think real-life romance is much like what you see in soaps,” she says. “It’s when your partner gets up first thing in the morning to make you coffee, and you get to sleep in…

Like many men, GH’s Parry Shen (Brad) is on the fence about Valentine’s Day. “I probably fall in line with the skeptics who say the holiday was created just to sell more cards,” he admits. “But at the same time, I’m also probably not as romantic as I could be, so it’s nice to have a forced day where it’s like, ‘Hey, this is where you’ve got to step it up!’” Shen contends that he’s not a sentimental romantic, like his GH character. “Brad wears his heart on his sleeve,” he observes. “I’m not into big, public displays of affection, and I definitely won’t be serenading anybody — although I did! I actually sang ‘Wherever You Will Go’ at my wedding to my wife, Kim, as a surprise. “Oh man,”…

GH’s real-life couple, Bryan Craig (Morgan) and Kelly Thiebaud (ex-Britt), are adorably in love. And Craig, who proposed in Bali last summer, isn’t afraid of making big gestures. In fact, the actor seems to really enjoy this whole romance thing! “My favorite Valentine’s was the time I made a really elaborate poster board for Kelly,” he proudly smiles. “She had to do a scavenger hunt and find these hearts around the house. Then it brought her to this big board that had a ton of hearts on it, and each heart had something I loved about her on it.” And that list goes on and on. “I love so much about Kelly. She’s just a great human being with wonderful qualities. She’s so caring and supportive. I can’t say enough,”…

Christen Young, the wife of B&B’s Jacob Young (Rick), has the sort of effortless grace and beauty reminiscent of England’s Princess Kate, to whom she bears a passing resemblance. The actor says he’s heard that comparison before. “She is just such a class act, and so beautiful,” he agrees of his lovely missus. “I have to pinch myself sometimes. “You think about what marriages are supposed to be and your expectations of them, but ours has, by far, exceeded every expectation of what I thought marriage could be,” continues the actor (once GH’s Lucky). “I’m a very lucky guy.” Young says he is inspired seeing what a great mother his wife is to their kids, Luke, 7, and Molly, 2. (The couple are expecting a third child, a daughter, in…

One Life To Live Following the conclusion of AS THE WORLD TURNS, where they’d fallen in love while playing Brad and Katie, Austin Peck and Terri Conn were thrilled to land on ONE LIFE TO LIVE as Rick and Aubrey. “The long-term story was going to somehow hook up our characters — that was the goal,” Peck reveals. “But they never got to that because of [the soap’s cancelation].” While sad to again be saying good-bye to friends, the couple, who wed in 2011, went on to share much more. Seventh Heaven Not only did marriage mean blending their two existing families, but also, Conn and Peck have since had two more children together. Now taking up seats in their minivan are two boys and three girls, the youngest of…

THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL Katie overheard Brooke profess her love to Bill. Brooke assured her sister that she would never act on those feelings, but Katie was steamed! Bill was blindsided by his wife when he attempted to give her a special token of his love. Katie laid down strict new rules for his future dealings with Brooke. Wyatt helped Steffy get her mind offLiam. He later presented her with a gift she was wary of accepting because of the emotional baggage it represented. Having reverted to her scheming ways, Quinn forcibly prevented Liam from having any contact with Steffy, who couldn’t understand why her man had deserted her. Bill might want to simply duck for cover, because a battle is brewing around him! THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS…

As first reported exclusively at abc. soapsindepth.com, GH has tapped daytime newcomer Matt Cohen to play the contract role of Dr. Griffin Munro, the pal Lucas called to take over brother-in-law Sonny’s case in Patrick’s absence. “He’s a neurosurgeon, the new doctor around GH,” Cohen tells In Depth, adding that Dr. Munro might be able to succeed where Sonny’s other physicians have failed. “Griffin comes from a bit of a troubled past; I think Sonny understands that. These guys may connect on some level, possibly find comfort in the emotional similarity between the two of them.” While GH marks Cohen’s daytime debut, the actor is no stranger to drama, having played one of the leads on SOUTH OF NOWHERE, the popular high school serial that ran from 2005-’08 during Nickelodeon’s…

Olivia finds herself with an unexpected supporter in Nina, who dubs Leo’s mother inspirational on Monday, February 1. How will Michael react to the somewhat troubling news he receives from Felix on Tuesday, February 2? Morgan’s medications have an unexpected effect that push him right over the edge on Friday, February 5. Anna is caught off guard by a visitor on Monday, February 8. Alexis and Julian receive a most unusual wedding gift from his sister, Ava, on Tuesday, February 9. Nathan finds himself uncomfortable around one of Maxie’s friends on Thursday, February 11. That same day, Liz winds up being comforted by pretty much the last person on earth she would have expected!…

Quinn is pleased as punch when on Monday, February 1, she discovers that her scheme to get Wyatt what he wants — namely, Steffy — is coming to fruition. On Tuesday, February 2, Sasha lashes out at Julius for treating her like a second-class offspring. Still sore over Nicole’s attempt to get her fired, Sasha uses an evening alone with Zende to her advantage on Wednesday, February 3. On Thursday, February 4, Bill and Brooke discuss Katie’s irrational behavior of late. Liam finds himself plagued by many questions after Quinn explains her unique perspective on their past interactions on Friday, February 5.…

… or did it take Julian an absurd amount of time to clue in to the tensions between Alexis and Olivia? Shouldn’t a man as besotted as Julian claims to be with Alexis have noticed how uncomfortable she was being made by his babymama’s behavior? For that matter, Olivia hasn’t come offparticularly well in the scenario, either, playing the part of a bull in a china shop at every turn. When Julian and Olivia made the downright adult decision to raise Leo in as civil a fashion as possible, we applauded them even while suspecting they were deluding themselves. The situation is rife with enough dramatic possibilities that the players need not be reduced to broad comedy that winds up making all three of them look immature.…

Being an entrepreneurial, single soap-star mom with a new baby has its challenges. “In the last four days, collectively, I’ve had maybe eight hours sleep,” Stafford readily admits. “It’s more work with two kids, but that’s no surprise.” Luckily, Stafford’s firstborn is helping out. “My daughter, Natalia (pictured), is 6, and she just loves [her new brother, Jameson] so much. If she were 2, there might be a bit of weirdness. But she’s been amazing. She always kisses him and wants to cuddle him.” Jameson started to flash smiles at his adoring fans back in December. He even gave his mom’s boss a seal of approval. “I was on the phone with [executive producer] Frank Valentini the other day, and I look down and the baby was looking up at…

GH owns a piece of Kin Shriner (Scotty) — and decades after handing it over, the actor has his eye on getting it back! “There’s an orange pinball machine at The Floating Rib, and it actually belonged to me,” he explains. “I sold it to ABC when they were building my firehouse set in Port Charles. They needed fun stuff, and now it’s lived on… I hate to say it, but probably longer than me, that damn pinball machine!” The sexy woman on the front of the game is the first thing Floating Rib guests see when they walk into the dive bar. It’s been witness to a lot of Port Charles drama, too! Shriner suspects his cast-mates barely even notice the old thing at this point, but he definitely…

Scott enjoyed spending time with psychic/medium Kim Russo while filming THE HAUNTING OF and would recommend the experience to everyone. “If nothing else, it’s an opportunity to speak to your loved ones who are on the other side,” she points out. “It really is a very comforting feeling to know that your loved ones are safe, happy and watching over you. I’ve never had them include anything negative. If they are hearing warnings from the other side that you should change some things in your life or can guide you in the correct direction, I want to know about that! I always tell the medium to not withhold anything! That really is their job in having this wonderful gift. Better than a psychiatrist!”…

FYIFYIFYI Birthday: December 31. Hometown: New York, NY. Generation Next: Yet another boy has joined the Diamont clan. The actor’s nephew, Drew, welcomed a son named Remy earlier this year. “Another boy!” laughs the actor. “We’re so excited he’s part of our family.” Now that college football season has come to a close, THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL’s Don Diamont (Bill) can take stock of the many weekends he spent this fall on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, IN, cheering for Hoosiers football and his son, Zander, a backup quarterback for the team. “It’s always so much fun to be at the games,” says the actor, who flew back and forth from L.A. to immerse himself in the football festivities, from tailgate parties to the post-game celebrations. “There’s…

When asked how his sense of romance compares to DAYS OF OUR LIVES’ Justin and GH’s Ned, portrayer Wally Kurth just laughs… a lot! “Justin was from another planet!” the soap-hopper says as he catches his breath. “He was incredibly demonstrative and sensitive. He was in love with Adrienne, and he was committed! Fireworks and the whole deal. He was buying out Blondie’s and writing a song just for her. That was pretty amazing.” So amazing that it got Kurth in a bit of trouble. “I had so many friends I grew up with say, ‘Wally, you’re killing me! My wife watches the show and thinks I’m supposed to be as romantic as you are!’” he recounts. “I was like, ‘Dude I’m not writing it. I’m sorry.’” While his buddies…

THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL’s Karla Mosley (Maya) spends so much time at work staging “romance” that she admits she doesn’t need all the bells and whistles, flowers and chocolate, in real life. “I’m so not the ‘Hallmark holiday’ kind of person,” she says, “but my husband [Jeremiah Frei-Pearson] really is. He’s definitely the more traditional of the two of us.” To celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, Mosley’s hubby may make a reservation at an upscale vegan restaurant in New York City. “They always do an amazing menu every year. Jeremiah is a meat-eater, but he’ll make the sacrifice for me on Valentine’s Day,” the East Coastbased actress smiles. Though they’ve been married since 2009, Mosley and Frei-Pearson have known each other for much longer — practically since they were…

This Valentine’s Day, THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS’ Melissa Ordway (Abby) has every intention of being an audience member with her husband, Justin Gaston (ex-Ben, DAYS), at the live stage version of Dirty Dancing. “One of my Christmas gifts was tickets at the Pantages Theater [in Los Angeles],” she reveals. “And since it’s playing over Valentine’s Day, that’s what I’d like to do. I’m so excited. It’s one of my favorite movies, so I really think it will be awesome to see it on stage!” Aside from the musical, Ordway says that she expects Valentine’s Day to be pretty traditional. “We usually talk about what we want to do, which is usually having a nice dinner and spending time together,” says the blonde stunner. “We’re on the same page and…

If all goes as Y&R’s Daniel Goddard (Cane) plans, when Valentine’s Day rolls around this year, he will drop sons Ford, 10, and Sebastian, 7, offwith family, and he and wife Rachael will hit the road — or, at least, try to go offto a retreat by themselves. “One of my mottos is, ‘Go somewhere that you can get there and back on a tank of gas!’” he chuckles. “All I know is that I want to go away and just be with Rachael. “It’s one of those things that, when you have kids, juggling life and work, you always find yourself putting the children first,” continues the hunk. “You worry about their upbringing, their well-being, whatnot. It can become overwhelming. When they go back to school, they have exams…

FYIFYIFYI Her Personal Channel: www.youtube.com/user/OfficialDeidreHall. Did You See Her? Hall appeared together with Galen Gering (Rafe) and Martha Madison (Belle) in the recent Hollywood Christmas Parade. No More Actors In The Family: “It’s to my great relief,” the mother of two says. “It’s not that [my sons] couldn’t be brilliant [in showbiz], but you’re judged on things other than your real value.” Good For Giggles: Hall strutted her comedy chops in CLUB 5150’s third episode (www.prettytheseries.com/club-5150.) Recently, Deidre Hall (Marlena) presented DAYS OF OUR LIVES memorabilia — including an original script from the famous storyline during which her beloved alter ego was literally possessed by the devil — to the Smithsonian’s Museum Of American History. The actress has done, seen and played a lot of things in her lifetime, but…

Suspicious Minds Dylan joins Nick and Sage in getting a bad vibe from Dr. Anderson and begins to suspect “that the circumstances around Christian’s birth were odd, and Anderson was in the thick of it!” reveals head writer/executive producer Charles Pratt Jr. A Villy Reunion? Billy’s near-death experience had a profound effect on him, so he pledges to win back Victoria. But that may not be easy! “Victoria’s lingering trust issues must be overcome,” notes Pratt. “Victoria herself is the only impediment to this couple’s happiness.” Phyllis Wants Revenge! While Jack seemingly has again declared a truce with Victor, his missus isn’t as forgiving! “Jack has a wife with a vendetta against Victor,” reminds Pratt. “Watch what Phyllis has planned!” Rick Wants Ridge Out! Headwriter and executive producer Bradley Bell…

Poor little Spencer didn’t even get to give Emma a kiss good-bye! Nikolas’ son hasn’t been seen much of late, but his portrayer, Nicolas Bechtel, certainly has been busy! Since late November, the young actor has been working on his upcoming Disney Channel comedy, STUCK IN THE MIDDLE, premiering Friday, March 11, at 9 p.m. EST! In the new series, Bechtel is Lewie (formerly announced as Danny), one of six siblings to the titular middle sister, Harley, played by Jenna Ortega. But before that launches, the young star will be seen in the FX drama THE PEOPLE V. O.J. SIMPSON: AMERICAN CRIME STORY, premiering Tuesday, February 2. Bechtel takes on the role of a pre-reality TV Rob Kardashian, with FRIENDS alum David Schwimmer playing his father — and Simpson’s defense…

Billy makes an important decision that could impact his future on Monday, February 1. Dr. Anderson’s intentions become a bit clearer when on Tuesday, February 2, she makes a pretty bold move on Nick! Chelsea has spent a lot of time lately worrying about Adam, and on Wednesday, February 3, she warns that he’s playing with fire. Victoria has no idea that Billy’s keeping her in the dark about something on Thursday, February 4. And on Friday, February 5, Nick takes Sharon into his confidence.…

YOU WIN SOME.. GH’s Michael finally got past his anger toward Sabrina… YOU LOSE SOME... … only to learn that she’d skipped town! It’s no secret that a big chunk of the audience hated Valerie the moment she slept with Dante. That’s to be expected when you’re a spoiler for a popular couple. What’s less expected is how much we’ve been loving Valerie’s feisty side. While Lulu was sneaking around with her ex and cooking up plots against her cousin, Val was scoring points with us by doing her darnedest to keep Dante at arm’s length while occa-sionally telling offfolks like his butt in sky m o m. There have been times when Val has shown more of the legendary Spencer spunk than has Lulu! And while we still think…

One Life To Live Though to us soap fans, Patricia Elliott will always be ONE LIFE TO LIVE’s Renée Divine, the one spitfire feisty enough to tame irascible Asa Buchanan, the actress was also a Tony winner (for A Little Night Music), a primetime star (THE ADAMS CHRONICLES) and even a B-movie babe (The Green Slime). She was also the classiest of acts. But don’t take our word for that. Let’s let her former soap castmates sing the praises of the grand dame. Remembering Patricia Elliott 1938-2015 John Loprieno (Cord): “On one of my returns to the show, I mentioned how thrilled I was to see Pat’s name in a textbook I was teaching from at Moorpark College. She was the original Mrs. Sorken in a wonderful little one-act play…

Bad Boy Someone get Brandon Barash on contract, stat! I’m ready for a Johnny/Lulu affair!! Jennifer Vandall Butler via Soaps In Depth Facebook page Going Dark Do not like the Nikolas-as-a-bad-guy storyline and do not like Hayden. Hate that Emma is leaving. She was great. Carol Hasty via Soaps In Depth Facebook page A Fine Bromance I love the scenes between Billy Miller and Bradford Anderson. It gives such meaning to the Jason/Spinelli relationship. Krissy Randazzo Moriarty via Soaps In Depth Facebook page Time To Pay The Piper! Elizabeth was wrong. She needs to admit it and try to make amends instead of justifying her actions and placing blame on everyone else. She needs to pay for what she’s done [to Jason and Sam], then maybe she can be redeemed.…

Many soap actors find shooting major events like weddings and holiday balls tedious work. The long days standing or sitting around while cameras catch every bit of action can get boring. But Marc Anthony Samuel (Felix) is not one of those actors. “I love shooting our group shots, where several bits of action are going on,” he says. “Not only are you in the scene, but as other people are doing their work, you’re almost an audience member. You get to watch what they’re doing, and it’s entertaining.” During the Elizabeth/Jake wedding debacle, Felix was on baby-sitting duty, and Samuel got a kick out of watching the bride’s animated boys bounce offthe walls of the church. “The kids had me cracking up,” he admits. “I was not annoyed by them,…

Though Diamont’s closet is bursting with IUemblazoned merchandise, when it comes to the NFL, he has no clear allegiance. “I grew up as a fan of the L.A. Rams during the era of Roman Gabriel, Deacon Jones and Merlin Olsen,” he notes. “That was the only NFLteam I ever had any emotion tied to, so I never really had a ‘team’ after they left L.A.” Instead, Diamont tends to cheer on whichever team seems to be succeeding in the face of adversity. “This year, I’m a Patriots fan, just because I thought that entire ‘Deflategate’ [targeting quarterback Tom Brady] was just trumped up and overblown,” he says. “I was also rooting for the Cincinnati Bengals and their quarterback, Andy Dalton, because that guy had some real knocks against him, but…

GH’s Kin Shriner (Scotty) is celebrating his third Valentine’s Day with girlfriend Tricia Smith. While the first two went pretty well, he may just have to up his game this time. On the couple’s inaugural Valentine’s Day, Shriner had a big daytime event and didn’t think to… well, think ahead! “I’d come from Jon Lindstrom (ex-Kevin) and Cady McClain’s (ex-Dixie, ALL MY CHILDREN) wedding and was without a reservation,” he recalls. “And as you know, with this holiday, there’s no last-minute business. You’ve got to book ahead, or you’re out of luck!” Shriner didn’t have luck on his side, per se… but he did have a trick up his sleeve. “We went to this restaurant, Fabrocini’s, where one of the specialties is Chicken Shriner,” he recounts. “Because I’ve eaten there…

Brian Landow, the beau of Y&R’s Tracey E. Bregman (Lauren), is promising to surprise her this Valentine’s Day with something special. “Expectations are going to be high!” she laughs. Even so, the petite beauty insists that she’s less about big, splashy overtures and more about keeping things down-to-earth. “For me, all holidays are about being together,” she shares. “My favorite Valentine’s Day would be going to a movie and then having a nice, quiet dinner. “That’s not to say I’m against presents!” she adds. “But it’s more about fun. Just the two of us having a fun night out rather than it being about some big, grand production!” Bregman likes the fact that her main squeeze is making the initial plan — “That’s nice, because it’s just classic romance,” she…

GH’s Emme Rylan (Lulu) and her man, Don Money, are big believers in date nights. “We do the get-completely-deckedout dates throughout the year,” she says. But not on Valentine’s Day. They’ve turned America’s most romantic — and crowded! — night into a family affair with their sons, Levi, 4, and Jackson, 6. “We don’t do anything alone, because we’re scared,” quips Rylan, whose first two holidays with Money didn’t exactly go as planned. Year one, Rylan organized an “intense” couples massage… not knowing he’d never had a normal massage! “The therapists hold onto ropes and basically kick the crap out of you,” she says. “We were screaming, and he was so traumatized. He was like, ‘Oh my God, it’s over!’ But afterwards, he said it was the most amazing thing…

DAYS’ Martha Madison (Belle) and her husband, AJ Gilbert, have a lot in common. They love food, they love travel, and they really love each other! “We met in 2003 when I was the opening general manager for his restaurant, Luna Park L.A.,” she reveals. “He just had a vibe about him that was fun and sexy, but he’s also got a side that’s very unafraid and in control.” The actress says that what she was most at-tracted to was Gilbert’s brain. “He was so brilliant and just generally a very smart and even-keeled man,” she says. “He had this ‘I got it’ kind of confidence going on.” Apparently the restaurateur also knew a good thing when he saw it and subsequently gave Madison the full-court press. “My sisters would…

When you’ve played a character for four decades, you’ve seen a lot of friends and castmembers come and go. For Hall, DAYS’ 50th anniversary party was the reunion of a lifetime! Amongst her favorite faces to see again was the man who’d once played Marlena’s love, Roman. “I saw Wayne [Northrop] when I first walked in,” the actress recalls. “That was my first shriek of delight!” Hall likened the experience to being at one’s own wedding, surrounded by the people who’ve meant something to you throughout life. “You look around and each time your eyes land on somebody you love, it’s like you need an hour with that person,” she sighs. “It’s completely overwhelming, and a delicious way to spend the night.”…