ONE LIFE TO LIVE NEWSLETTERS

A Magical Night With Catherine - Diane Casale 9/2/08

Once again the ABC party weekend has come and gone, and there are so many wonderful memories that always
go along with it. Over the past few years we are starting to make some new ones. There are so many actors that have separate fan parties throughout the weekend from both OLTL and AMC, and the one that always stands out for me is the event that takes place with our wonderful and beautiful Catherine Hickland. This has become the fourth year of having it, and attending it, and each year we have such a great time with her. First off I want to commend my friends Stephen Morga and Anne Marie Donnelin for once again putting together a super party. They do a great job, and they get better and better at it each year. Every year Cat always comes up with something clever and picks charities that always benefit from the money she raises, and this year was no exception. The charity this year was for Cat Haven Wild Animal Park - Conservancy and Sanctuary for Big Cats in California.

This years event was held at a fabulous restaurant called Connolly's. The room was spectacular and the food was out of this world. There were between 50-60 fans in attendance. Of course all the fans were treated to a goodie bag that had lots of great things in it, but the best always is when Cat shares her wonderful make up with us from her Cat Cosmetics make up line. It's beautiful stuff, we love it, and we love her for it (especially us DIVAS!), She had all of her terrific girls from her company right there with her to help out with the evenings events. Each year I try to go through some soap memorabilia of my own that I have to see what I can donate to the raffles to help raise money for the charity and this year I came up with some vintage tapes, a OLTL coffee bug, and two signed scripts, and they were all bid on without a hitch, so that made me feel great. We had wonderful "Free Lindsay" shirts that were made by my dear friend and photographer Jean Suppa, they were a big hit as well.

I called this a magical night as this year Cat's entertainment for the evening was a magician named Kent Axell, and he supplied laughs and did super card tricks. The art of magic, and the saying is true, "the hand is quicker than the eye". He sat at each of our tables and did tricks right in front of us and I sat right next to him and observed very carefully, and I was just as stumped as ever. This was a lot of great fun.

Of course she did have two very special guests that came to great the fans, sign autographs, pose for pictures and entertain us for the night as well, and they were AMC's Michael E Knight, and OLTL's Hillary B. Smith. Cat and Hillary did a little of their comedy for us and Michael is just the life of the party. The two of them have been guests of Cat's prior to this year's party, and everyone just loves them. Both made sure that no one left without an autograph or a photo taken with them. The stamina on the fans and the actors were resilient on this weekend, when you factor into the equation that the OLTL party was held during that same day of 8/16, and Cat's just a few hours later in the evening and Hillary was at the cast party all day as well, and Sunday was the AMC party, and Michael stayed with us at Cat's until the end, which was close to 11 PM, and than stayed for the entire AMC party on Sunday too. They are all so dedicated to what they do. It was such a fun night all the way around with good food, friends, and laughter. Most importantly $2800 was raised for Cat Haven, and that was the best part of all...The end of the evening was extra special as every fan there signed a banner that was made for Cat, and we all got up on stage with her and the banner, and once again, Jean took this excellent shot. It was a moment to always remember.

Again to Stephen and Anne Marie, for a well coordinated event, and a successful job. Bravo! Well done. I truly hope this gathering continues on for many years to come. Of course to Cat, beautiful, gracious, and just the kind of person you love to be around. I can never say enough positive beautiful things about her. To all fans who have never met Cat or attended this event, you don't know what you are missing, put it on your calendar for 2009!

The OLTL Fan Club Party 2008 - A Year to Remember! -- Diane Casale 8/30/08

OK, are you ready? Bree Williamson, Eddie and Kristen Alderson, Justis Bolding, Patricia Mauceri, John Brotherton, Brandon Buddy, Thom Christopher, Chase Coleman, Kamar de los Reyes, Beth Ann Bonner, Farah Fath, John-Paul Lavoisier, Catherine Hickland, January La Voy, Mark Lawson, Sean Riggold, Tika Sumpter, Jason Tam, Brittney Underwood, Hillary B. Smith, Austin Williams, Trevor St. John, A. Martinez, and Jerry ver Dorn!!

Got right to the heart of the matter! Is that a line-up or what? These were all of the actors that attended this year's OLTL fan club party. To complete the list author Gerry Waggett, author of the OLTL 40th anniversary Trivia Book was also on hand to complete the festivities. There were so many actors this year that separate introductions were not necessary and the cast collectively all walked out together, on a high and pumped up because of their 40 years on air and not to mention the super year they had ratings wise, and taking home the gold for the Directors Guild earlier this year, as well as all of the technical awards they nabbed, and most importantly the two big awards for Directing and Writing at this years Daytime Emmy's. It was a wonderful line up filled with lots of fun and great memories. The only people who were absent that are true devotees to the party every year were David Fumero and my Bob Woods. Both had family issues that needed to be attended to, and than fans understood completely, however their presence was certainly there.

My time spent in the green room prior to the party was a lot of fun as always. I was with Carol Dickson of course, our Fan Club President that again ran the party effortlessly and flawlessly,but than again, would we expect anything less? I had my friend Wendy Madore, Jerry V's fan club president and her assistant and photographer, Vikki Thompson along with me for company as well. I would love to commend Wendy and Vikki for doing a wonderful job to help recruit more actors to bowl in the upcoming Stars and Strikes event that will take place on 9/28. Not only did they get more actors to sign up for the event, but each actor that was there signed tee shirts to be auctioned and raffled off for the American Cancer Society, the charity that the bowling game is for. The following day they did the same for All My Children. It was a lot of work, but it paid off big time for both of them, and they did a super job. Look very much forward to the game in a few weeks, its always a great time.

Some of the highlights of the day were seeing my Brandon Buddy, (hugs and kisses of course), being picked up in the air like a pair of barbells by Sean Riggold, catching up with Thom Christopher whom I have always absolutely adored, and seeing his lovely wife Judith who remembered me from back in the day of Thom's first run of Carlo/Mortimer on OLTL, I was impressed, she is a dear sweet lady. I met Dawn Williams Austin's mom which I was thrilled about as I had met his dad Bob earlier this year at a softball game in Brooklyn, nice kid, nice family. Kristen and Eddie greeted me with warm hugs along with their super mom Cathy, and the best was talking with John Brotherton. For anyone who has not met him to date they are really missing something. He is one of the friendliest actors that has ever been on OL. John brought his wife Alison, who I so enjoyed meeting, and also kept no secret as to who is voting for in this years presidential election, Barack Obama sporting a shirt that said "Barack & Roll" that was really "COOL", a word that John uses quite frequently. He also has a birthday in August, the 21st to be exact, and with me on 8/22 and Mom on 8/20, that puts us all together. So I had bought a card for my mom that I had John sign at the party, and with all the great gifts she received, I truly believe this was her favorite gift of all. Jared and Natalie are her favorite couple on the show, and if Melissa was not on her honeymoon in Mexico I would surely have had her sign it along with him as well. Of course I made sure I gave him a card from Mom and I, and he was very happy with that, just adorable he is with a sparkling personality. Thanks John for everything! Wendy and I both posed for a picture together with Jerry. He is such a super guy, and of course he filled my baseball void with not being able to talk to Woods about our favorite sport this year, however, the plus with Jerry is that he is a Met's fan true blue just like me. So much fun with all of the cast members. Farah and JP look so happy together and I am happy for them being a real life couple and also the new super couple on OL as Rex and GiGi. I am just beginning to get to know her, but JP is one of my all time faves, and he so fan oriented that its always a pleasure to be around him.

Meeting Gerry Waggett was really a treat for me. I had him sign my book of course as I brought it with me to the party to have more cast members sign it, as I had mine way back in June when I went to the Anniversary Panel discussion at the Paley Center which you have all read in a prior post in this newsletter. He was impressed that I already had the book, and where it was that I got it. The book is so much fun, you should all go out and purchase a copy if you do not own one yet, a definite keepsake for true OLTL fans. We exchanged emails, so we look forward to talking with each other in the very near future.

This year the Q&A session was hosted by Kamar and Beth Ann, they did a super job, and I picked the two of them to do so, they kept it rolling right along.

The autograph sessions seemed to go off without a hitch and the fans all seemed happy that they were getting just what they came for. This year was nice because we used a smaller room at the Marriott Marquis, The Astor Ballroom, and it was more personal because of its size and it worked out really well.

So all in all you can see this day of August 16, 2008 was filled with lots of wonderful things to compliment the anniversary.

At this time I would like to thank all of my friends that were there and that once again I had a great time spending time with. Some I am with always, and others a little less, and others once a year, so here we go. Judy, Sandra, Jean, Randi, Clarence, Steve, Anne Marie, Dolores, Phil, Gina, Donna, Michelle, and of course Wendy.

If I missed anyone you know you are not forgotten, my list just gets the best of me sometimes (and old age)

My one dear friend Jeanne Cerrone was missing this year, as she had a prior commitment, but just like Woods and David her presence was surely amongst us all.

Again to Carol and staff for making this fun, well executed, and certainly this year was a year to remember, a lot of sentiment was prominent at this party...a milestone for all.

Its a Gas, Gas, Gas!!! -- Diane Casale 8/30/08

1968 was a very good year for a lot of things, music was at its best ever including first and foremost the "British Invasion" and it was also the year of inception for our OLTL. The Vietnam war without saying was the most horrible time of our lives border lining everything that has happened since 9/11 and now what is still going on in Iraq. While we have many mixed emotions about the 60's, I want to commend Ron Carlivati and the writing team of OLTL for entertaining us with the whole 1968 storyline. Again, during these shows no stone was really left unturned. It was a mixed bag of fantasy and reality and quite entertaining. War was so often addressed repeatedly between the past and present. OK so the time travel thing was a stretch, getting struck by lightening and having the end result of being shot back in time, 40 years into the past, but it was a great way to take us back to 1968 where it all began for OLTL. This has been a year of years and so much has been done for the anniversary and its just been a much enjoyable and entertaining ride.

Rex being Bo and Bo being Asa was wild. I especially loved the way current characters were used to play past ones to refresh memories and teach newcomers of the show a little bit about the rich history of Llanview.

The acting and the make-up jobs alone were terrific. I truly loved John Brotherton's portrayal of young Clint, and if you look back into the archives of OL, and see pictures of Clint Ritchie's Clint, from the start, with the slick hair, long sideburns and glasses, they recreated that wonderfully in John. What about the extreme makeover that was done on Melissa Archer as Maria? Dark skin, eyes, and hair, almost didn't recognize her, along with January La Voy playing her mom, it was a great match. That part of the story was very much a history lesson for viewers where Asa did get rid of Maria and the show explained the inception of Cord Roberts.It too was great to see John Loprieno return briefly as Cord, when the show shot back to 2008. Phil Carey's return is always a huge delight, and was glad he was able to come back to film some shows. I too really loved Lea DaLaria playing Madame Delphina in the present and Professor Del Fina in 68. Male and Female, and again lots of fun.She is a great actress for sure, and I love to watching her. Farah Fath getting to play the dual roles of Gigi and Emma Truman, Spencer's mom with Austin Williams (Shane) by her side as horrible little Spencer was so clever. Farah had a real good prime role during all of this...The Good Day Cafe with Jeremiah, oh did I love John Rue, long hair and making brownie pies to get "High", so good....Catherine Hickland as Olympia, and what about Peter Bartlett as Chuck Wilson Senior? To see him in cowboy boots with that southern twang was so great. Last but not least all of the Woods clan. Loyita playing Rene' and Tanner Woods playing Bo when Bo was going off to Vietnam. That was really well done when they brought him in as a means to separate the past from the present as that was the age Bo should have been going off to Vietnam so than history would not be changed or re written. It was just excellent. The music, the costumes, the voice on the radio of DJ Cousin Brucie, and turning on the TV and seeing a clip of a news broadcast from 1968 talking about the Vietnam war. It was so full of history and fun at the same time, and of course a love story where Rex and Gigi found their way back to each other. It had it all. Bravo again to the big Ron C for coming up with this gem of an idea.

As I said the song selection's like "Love Child" by the Supreme's to represent Maria's baby Cord, and just hearing my Rolling Stones "Jumpin' Jack Flash", like I said in a nutshell, the show was a "gas, gas, gas"...

PEACE TO ALL AND TO ALL AT OLTL.

Looking Good at 40! - - by Diane Casale 8/10/08

I am writing this to say how much I truly enjoyed all of the great things that Ron Carliavati thought up to entertain us in celebrating the 40 years of OLTL's inception. The shows in which Viki died and took her elevator ride to heaven were just brilliantly done. Remember Viki did die a go to "Eterna" years ago, so this was very appropriate for the anniversary episodes, and it was great to recreate the storyline in a fresh new manner. Seeing Agnes Nixon open the show and knowing that even though she is the creator of OL, it was her first time ever appearing on camera in Llanview, and that was exciting. So many wonderful memories and actors from the past were a part of this and seeing Erin Torpey, Mark Derwin, and Stephen Markle brought back some of the wonder highpoints of the show. So romantic were "Blondie" and Ben...playing pool at Cross Roads and dancing to "I've Got a Crush On You, Sweetie Pie", made you get lost once again if only for a brief while in that beautiful relationship shared by the two of them. How clever was it for Erin to play "baby Megan" all grown up? Remember, she was Jess and Will's little girl who died at birth. I loved the idea, especially when Jessica Tuck was not available to return, having the idea of the mature "Baby Megan" was so smart. Megan Gordon's character lived on in the episodes regardless, as she was mentioned quite a few times as being the owner of the TV station in heaven where this was taking place, so all bases were covered, genius!!

Seeing Stephen again just made me think of the powerful character that Mel Hayes was on OLTL, and if it were up to me, and I had a say in bringing back a past actor permanently it would be Stephen for sure. Mel Hayes was really only on the canvas of OL for about two years, however during that time he added a lot of depth and complexity to the show with his alcoholic ways and his wild reporting work for The Banner, needless to say that he always kept Dorian in check, probably the only person who ever did. Personally, Mel is just one of my favorites of all time. Gee, if he were around now, just think about it, Mel and Charlie could be AA partners and pals, and it would be interesting knowing how their respective women felt about each other. Would have made for some interesting story telling, don't you think?

Showing the original opening of the show in black and white with nothing but the words "One Life to Live" on the screen and a log burning on the fire, made me think back to coming home from school and watching OL with my sister in our room when we were 8 & 9 years old...

What wonderful memories...I saved my tapes of the shows that aired, however I just wish at least a whole week would have been dedicated to it, two shows was just not enough. OLTL is the best show, and it holds a spot near and dear to my heart, and has been a huge part of my life growing up...

Job well done and again having Ron at the helm when the show turned 40, made him just the perfect person to write these two well thought out and well executed shows. BRAVO!!!

Great to be Leo's!!! -- By Diane Casale 8/1/08

    There is so much to write about as far as the 40th Anniversary shows are concerned and our blast back to the past for the 1968 saga, but here on August 1st it dawned on me that not only is the Fan Club party weekend just two weeks away, but August is also a time for me to be extra busy with a lot of birthdays during the month. Friends yes, however, my sister, Mom, and I all share August birthdays.

    My mother over the past year loves OLTL even more than ever since Ron has done the best job ever to make the show unbelievable, but she has certain favorites in Llanview as we all do, and John Brotherton is her absolute favorite.

    He too is an August baby, and while most of you fans I am sure know when his big day is, I have to share this with the fan club members, are you ready? OK, Mom's is 8/20, and mine, 8/22. So here is the big pay off,
John's is 8/21!!!! How in sync is that? A hunk, pitted between Mom & I...What more can the Casale girls want?

    I will get around soon to writing and sharing my thoughts on OL's 40 years very soon, but his one being that it's August 1st just had to be printed right away!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!!!

The Paley Center -- by Diane Casale 7/6/08

On June 10, 2008 I had the privilege of attending the panel discussion that took place at the Paley Center in NYC to honor OLTL for what they are shortly about to achieve, being on the air for 40 years, July 15 to be exact.

This was something totally different and a once in a lifetime event to go to. I was invited by The Paley Center through this fan club newsletter and was able to bring a guest so I took my friend Jean Suppa with me.

The auditorium it was in, held a few hundred people, some Paley members and others fans of OLTL of course.

The moderator for the evening was Donna Hanover who did a splendid job of asking the panel very clever questions and kept it moving along at a fast pace.

It started with a film montage of many highlights from OLTL, and we got to see a lot of old faces, and clips of storylines that made this show the ground breaker that it has become.

The actors who took part in the discussion were Kristen Alderson, John-Paul Lavoisier, Hillary B. Smith, Bob Woods, Robin Strasser, and Erika Slezak. A wide variety of talent that have been at the core of OLTL for quite some time. Executive Producer Frank Valentini and head writer (now Emmy winner) Ron Carlivati were on hand as well as creator Agnes Nixon. What an honor it was to see Agnes. She is a daytime Icon, and of course is also the creator of ABC's All My Children.

The night basically consisted of everyone telling stories of their own experiences over the 40 year history of the show.

There were a lot of laughs that took place, and wonderful tales about such dearly beloved actors such as the late Michael Zaslow and Lee Patterson, respectively. So many fond memories of this rich history.

Frank supplied a lot of the information on how the show is put together, and Ron was just so intriguing to listen to as he told the story of how he was a lawyer, and because of his partner in practice at the time who was writing a book that eventually became a best seller, he decided he wanted to write as well, so gave up his profession and pursued his dream, and wanted to write for OLTL. Ron has been with the show for a long time writing in the background, and over the past year has been promoted to the head of the helm which we all know. He had a dream, and it came true, and what an inspiration. I have heard so many stories from people who have inspired me over the years on OLTL, but this story is my ultimate tale of inspiration hands down. Especially since that's always been my dream.

When I was chatting with Ron, I mentioned the idea of the titles of each show everyday as being just downright clever, and he said he cannot take the credit for that solely, it was his idea use them onscreen, however it was Frank's creation of sorts because each new script every day had a title to it, and Ron suggested using them as headers. So they were both equally clever in coming up with this idea for each episode daily. It has been one of my favorite recent additions to OLTL, I just love it.

The biggest moments for me that evening were getting to meet Ron in person and getting to talk to a man whom I consider to be a genius, he was so pleasant and fun, and just loves everything he does.

The actors as well love their jobs. They always have, but now with Ron in the driver's seat, they are always surprised at what the show is going to have in store for them. Of course Erika, Robin, Bob, and Hillary, always have had lots of story written for them over the years, but John-Paul, and Kristen in particular are really loving their storylines more than ever, so much excitement in their voices as they spoke.

Their were a lot of funny stories told about jokes that Bob plays on his cast mates, and Erika told everyone about certain actors of the past and what they would do to remember their lines. Anthony Ponzini was one that used to write his lines on his hands, and Lee Patterson used to write things on masking tape and tape them to an object that they would use in a given scene. In fact once, a scene involved a car, and Erika said almost his entire dialogue was taped onto the dashboard. Getting back to Woods, the one thing they talked about is something that I have known about him for years, and that is the fact that he still photo copies his scripts in the smallest form that he can, and keeps it in his pocket. I have known this since day one and on a recent visit to the studio I was with him in the copy room talking with him as he was shrinking it down. That is so funny, he carries it with him everywhere!!! Needless to say Robin spoke of her dear friend Erika and the best of friends they are in reality. Same as Hillary and her cast mate Catherine Hickland. That of course was stated to fans who somehow believe their really is some kind of rivalry, we all know some folks like that, don't we?

Listening to the eloquent Ms. Nixon speak of her beloved OLTL was just so moving, and she reminded everyone that for the first time she is going to be in front of the camera as a guest on one of the many shows and surprises that Ron has in store for the 40 TH anniversary week.

There was a Q&A session that took place by Donna with the fans in attendance, and that was quite interesting. We sat in the second row, and I had the chance to sit next to Loyita, Bobs wife. She is a sweetie and also a part of the show's anniversary. It was nice catching up with her, and Bob was happy to see me. His two favorite girls were sitting together (me #2 of course),that was lots of fun.

On July 15, a OLTL trivia book written by Gerry Waggert will be released for sale, however that night all of the people that attended received an advanced copy. I already have about 30 signatures on it, and will keep going till I get them all.

It was a wonderful night and experience for me. This was something like I'd never done before. I have supported OLTL for 40 years through all the ups and downs, the writers and producers, good stories and bad, and the rise and fall of the ratings. It has and always will be my favorite daytime show, a huge part of my life. For better or for worse I am dedicated and can say that without conviction.

Happy 40 OLTL! What an achievement and honor it is for this gem of a show, the best of the best.

A Heavy Heart for OLTL -- by Diane Casale 6/22/08

Another year has come and gone for the always much anticipated Daytime Emmy Awards.

This year I am not going to critique the show or even point out the many things that I always see wrong in this presentation like I always do, especially when we all know how I feel about the voting process, as it never seems to change much from year to year. Even though they claim it has been perfected, I fail to see it. The favorites are always nominated, and the same snubs are pretty much there repeatedly, that it has almost become predictable. If you are a fan of a certain show, you almost know which actors and dramas are going to always be there.

This was the year for OLTL. Us viewers and fans know that undoubtedly and the critics alike know that as well. It has been the biggest buzz in all of daytime this year, and a much highly praised show for a long time now.

With that being said, I am very disillusioned by the fact that this almost perfect show was not honored for Outstanding Daytime Drama. As much as I know that OLTL has always been a show that has taken the back seat to so many others for so many years, I have to admit for the first time I thought the NATAS was going to do the right thing this year for sure. So when the award was about to be announced, 95% of me was expecting to hear "One Life to Live", while the other 5% of me was waiting for the other shoe to drop, and hear "General Hospital", "Guiding Light", or "Young & Restless", and that 5% of what I was afraid of in the back of my mind once again prevailed. "The Winner Is General Hospital".

I will never understand the process as far as that goes. I have said over and over again, that to me writing and directing is what makes for the best drama. Other shows have gotten it all over the years, why not OL? It was a tough blow to take when the brilliant acting performances that we had seen all year were totally shut out of the nominations, with the exception of our stellar Brian Kerwin, our only acting nominee, and he was not even honored with the prize, so sad.

None the less they did take home 6 out of 13 Emmy's, and for that they should be proud. I know that when Jill Mitwell accepted for the directing team, and Ron Carlivati accepted for the writers, in their guts I am sure they figured too, that they were going for the sweep.

I know how hard Ron has worked to turn this show around, and he has, beyond a doubt, and remember I am very close to Stage Manager Alan Needleman, and I know how hard and what late hours he has put in with the directing team over there for the past year. Remember earlier this year Alan, Larry Carpenter, and the team did win the prestigious DGA award, which again was well deserved.

Winning these two huge awards, along with Costume Design, Lighting Direction, and taking the gold home for two original OLTL Songs "Chemistry" and "Little Star", they do have a lot to be proud of in their own right.

When I saw the tears of enjoyment in Alan's eyes, I understood exactly how he felt, and when I heard Ron's words, about the show turning 40, and he turning 40 as well this year, I felt again exactly what he was feeling with the overwhelming excitement in his voice.

It is the best show on daytime, regardless of the blow it had to take in the shadow of GH taking home the top prize.

They make me proud, and for what they did win, they deserved, however they deserved so much more. It once again was another heartbreaker for OLTL and OLTL fans.

ABC 8 CBS 6 by Diane Casale 6/16/08

Once again this year I decided to attend the annual softball game for the Tammy Rice Rubin Foundation held in Brooklyn, NY at the field of Mid Wood High School. It's always fun to watch which actors show up and enjoy a day of great softball for a good cause. The one thing about this years game that set it apart from previous years, was the early heat wave of nearly 100 degree temperatures that we were experiencing on June 7th and some of the days before and after that. There were not as many fans this year as other years, and the weather being the primary reason with good cause. It was unbelievably hot and brutal. The people who were there know just what I am talking about. Of course I was down on the field to cover this for the newsletter, and I ended up staying in the dugout where it was 100 degrees and 150 on the field!!!

The actors that played, have to be commended for coming out on the hottest day of the season thus far.

All four NY Soaps are involved in this every year. Various actors from GL such as Caitlin Van Zandt, and Nicole Forrester came out to lend a hand with actors from ATWT such as Michael Park, Dylan Bruce, and Agim Kaba amongst others and the one sole person that came out in support of AMC was Amanda Baker (Babe), she was a real trooper, what a gamer!!! OLTL had a great turnout, Brandon Buddy, Sean Riggold, Kevin Spiritas, Farah Fath, Austin Williams, John Paul, Brittney Underwood along with her adorable boyfriend Eddie, Kamar de los Reyes, a great guy that plays every year, Derek, actually he has a name on the show some times and that is Billy when Rodi's is featured on the show, he is the bartender. He has played this game the past few years.

This year Laurie Caccioli hung with me in the dugout instead of being on the field announcing the plays, it was even too hot for her, but once again another trooper like Amanda Baker who decided to take over the festivities and announce the game was none other than Beth Ann Bonner, who did a great job as she was sporting a tank top that said "Boy Beater", well sort of that is, she crossed out "Boy" and put "CBS" in its place and that's what it turned out to be in the long run, ABC were the CBS BEATERS!!!! Too funny.

So many highlights took place that afternoon and one of the being the singing of the National Anthem by Kevin Spiritas who also has plenty of singing credits as he does lots of theater, what beautiful voice he had.

The pitchers for the networks were Agim for CBS and Kamar for ABC. They usually are the two that represent the teams each year. One of my biggest highlights was getting to talk to Austin Williams for such a long time, he is a great kid, a super actor, and a hell of a baseball player, really this kid is good. His dad Bob was a delight to talk to and he is so proud of Austin, hope at the fan party I get to meet his mother Dawn. Austin plays on his own team when he is not acting, and you can tell. While the actors try to take it seriously and play to their potential each year, Austin was really serious about it. By the way he is a Yankee fan, but I'm used to that, right? LETS GO METS!!!! He is so proud to be a part of OL and he really loves his job, and he said he hopes he plays Shane forever!!! Talked with JP for a long time. He along with a few other actors after the game was over were going to attend fellow cast mate John Brotherton's wedding (Jared), that was a cool thing, don't ya think??? Sean and Brandon, my Boy Toy and my Body Guard are always so much fun to be around, lots of kisses and hugs from the sweaty smelly crew, but hey I was one of them!!!! The game pretty much consisted of CBS in the lead the whole game, but in the bottom of the 9th ABC pulled it out, two on, my boys, Brandon & Sean, and two outs, and the score at that point was 6-5 in favor of CBS, that was until Eddie (Brittney's beau) hit an exciting game winning walk off 3 run home run!!!! How about that? An exciting finish...You can tell it was too hot as these scores are usually blow outs like 20-22!!! They were just playing with a little more caution, and definitely a little more beer!!!

This game was a great fun even in the heat and the actors that gave it their all were so well respected and received by the fans, and money was raised for a great charity with various auction items as well as studio tours...

At this time I'd like to thank my friends Judy, Amelia and her daughter Lisa for braving the heat as spectators, my friend Jean Suppa, doing all of her wonderful photography down on the field as I was taking my notes and chatting with actors, and to Meredith and Mara who work for the Soap Opera Weekly out there braving the heat, and to their counter part my long time life long friend Bryan Beckley who works for the Soap Opera Digest, all of his loyalty to soaps and hard work finally paid off in giving him a job that he loves! He was running around getting his quotes from the actors. Job well done Bry, and we have had a lot of good times together over the years...

Great time was had by all, and maybe we all came out of this about 10 lbs lighter!!!! Now that's a really good thing. Look forward to next year.

One more thing, I told Derek I'd plug him and tell OLTL to give Billy the Bartender some more screen time, held my end of the bargain!!! Hope it works. See you all in Brooklyn next year!

Paul Glass -- Diane Casale 5/31/08

Music is such a big part of my life as like so many others, and the proper music picked for movies and television alike to accompany certain scenes makes viewing an extra special event if its done right. I have mentioned OLTL's music director Paul Glass in the past for using some fabulous music in some of our episodes and also for bringing on some of the best recording artists currently out there to perform at Ultra Violet and Capricorn.

We have seen such people as Mary J Blige, Nellie Furtado, One Republic, Timbaland, and most recently Snoop Dog. I am not that big a fan of rap music, but Snoop Dog was really fun to watch, and liked the selection of songs he did as well. I also loved the way his appearance was incorporated into the show as having a past in Llanview and being friends from way back with Bo Buchanan. Took us back into the rich history of the show (thanks to Ron Carvalati) when Bo did his soap within a soap on Fraternity Row....that was great, and reworking the OLTL theme for the two days of 5/8 & 9 of OL by Snoop was interesting. Paul Glass picked the prime artist to guest star on the show as he is a long time fan of OLTL, so needless to say it was equally a big thrill for Snoop as well.

The other artist I want to give a plug to in this article is one that has become a new favorite of mine thanks to Paul and OLTL, and his name is Griffin House and the CD is titled "Flying Upside Down". During the same week that Snoop appeared, a song was featured earlier in the week on 5/5, and people just went crazy over it. "When the Time is Right Don't Hold Back". People were buzzing about the song with the beautiful lyrics and haunting melody all over the message boards until my dear friend Lisa, a devout OLTL fan from LA, clued me in as to who it was, as she was just as blown away by the song as I was. I ended up going to Amazon online right away, and read up on Griffin House and this CD had gotten 5 stars, a perfect rating. Needless to say I ordered it, and the rest is history. The whole CD for me are songs that I listen to repeatedly and practically have them all embedded into my brain at the current time. Just excellent. Natalie and Jared, and Viki and Charlie, stand out in my mind each time I hear "When the Time is Right"...

Music is so important and Paul Glass provided fun and recaptured a little history along with OLTL's writing team with Snoop, including introducing the new temporary theme song, for an extra added bonus, and most importantly, he turned me on to a wonderful new artist in Griffin House. This is a CD that is not one of the ones you buy that only has one or two good tracks on it, its excellent from beginning to end, check it out, you won't be disappointed...

So to sum it all up, as in the famous words of Snoop..."Llanview, What it Do?" A hell of a lot thanks to Paul Glass...

Sean on Shawn...My Body Guard!!!!! -- by Diane Casale 5/31/08

I am writing this little piece cause you should always expect the unexpected in life no matter what, however when you are in NYC you never know what, or in this particular case who is going to cross your path. One day as I was hanging outside at the OLTL studio with my friends, we had the chance to see Richard Belzer getting out of a car right in front of 56 West 66 TH Street. He was heading towards the Central Park area, and was in a bit rush, but did pose for a photo for us, and as he was hurrying off, looked at us and said "You Only Have One Life to Live Ladies!!!" So funny. For those of you who are fans of Law & Order SVU, you know exactly who it is that I am talking about...so many people joining Llanview these days that I really thought that he was joining as well!!!

Well back in May when I took a trip with Carol Dickson to visit my friends at OLTL on the set this time, I was there for a good part of the day, and saw so many actors coming and going. At around 4 PM that day I hailed my cab to get back to Port Authority to start making my way back to NJ. Once in a while when I have time whether I am alone or with friends, there is a little Irish pub at Port Authority called McCanns and its a good place to kill time when you are waiting for your bus. So I did what I usually do and went in and ordered something to eat and have a drink, and take in the days events and relax, and as I am sitting there I see someone who is unmistakable in appearance coming in my direction. It was none other than Sean Riggold, Shawn, the body guard on OLTL. He saw me and came right over to me, hugged and kissed me, and asked what I was doing there, and I told him I hang out there a lot and as a matter of fact I had just gotten back from the studio. He was laughing as that day he was not working on the show of course and he was doing his other job. Everyone forgets now that his real job other than becoming an actor in recent years is that he is a BODY GUARD!!! That's been his real job for years and actually what got him the part as the body guard on OL to begin with. He was working when I saw him, he had a client with him that he was guarding for the day. That I found to be so fascinating as I never see him outside of Llanview and if I do its at a soap event, so really I was seeing him playing Shawn, but for real this time...Playing Sean...

Turns out he is friendly with one of the owners of McCanns, and stops in there a lot to say hi, and order some food to take out...how funny is that??? He was leaving to drop off his client, go to work out, and than getting ready for his next day of work, again being the BODY GUARD...

He is such a doll, so friendly, and is becoming quite the popular person with the fans these days of OLTL.

You never know who you are gonna see and where...he was fooling around with me and said we should just hang together and have a few shots!!! Getting drunk with Sean, bet that would be a hoot...

It was just one of those things, that was unexpected, and I just wanted to share this little escapade of mine with all of you...

What's My Line?: by Diane Casale 5/25/08

Back in the Saddle...The One In The Middle...Mothers Of Invention...Alive & Kicking...Wedding Bell Blues...Hold Your Horses...Uncle-Cest Is Best!!! These are such catchy little titles that we are now seeing at the opening of everyday's OLTL episodes after the show's opening . There were so many people that didn't even notice this in the beginning as when on tape lots fast forward the opening credits, but I noticed it the first day in the beginning of this month of May, starting with "Back in the Saddle" At the time I thought that perhaps it was just going to be temporary or maybe even just for that week, than much to my delight I was told that this would go on indefinitely. Genious!!!!

Every day when I tune it I can't wait to see what the show is going to be called, as each phrase or line always fits just what the episode is about, and also involves all of the cast members that are featured in that particular days show....

OLTL has turned out to be not only the best soap on TV but surely has turned out to be the most clever...I am so loving what Ron Carvalati just keeps churning out, all of these fabulous things, and surprises...again another reason to watch OLTL and Emmy's here we come, I can feel it. Every time I think its the best that it could be it just gets better if that's possible...

"The Home of Sun N Fun" by Diane Casale 5/18/08

I am a New Jersey gal born and bred, and one of the things I love most about my wonderful state are the beautiful beaches we have to offer here, and I love the Jersey shore. People from all over come to NJ just to visit our beautiful vacation spots. In my life, I practically grew up at the beach. I have wonderful memories of Seaside Heights New Jersey. Spent most of all of my years from a child, up until the present down there on the boardwalk and beach. Big memories of my Dad to go along with it. The beach and boardwalk at Seaside were a huge passion of his. We rented an apartment down there on a street called Kearney Avenue for 3 weeks at a time every summer in July and August, and it was always filled with friends and family, some old and some new over the period of years there.

I have so been enjoying the episodes that OLTL is currently airing in which they used Seaside Heights as the location shoot to represent the part of Virginia where Cole and Starr have run away to. I was looking at all of the things that have been such a big part of my life, The Casino Pier, The Fun Town Pier, and the best place to hang out always, Lucky's Arcade. The beach and boardwalk looked so beautiful and brought back so many happy times throughout the years of my life.

I had been at the studio back in April the day that Brandon and Kristen were leaving for Seaside for the shoot. They were really looking forward to going there and as luck would have it that weekend was near 80 degrees here in NJ, so they hit on some prime off season weather.

Watching them on the Tilt O Whirl ride and playing the balloon water races was another blast from my past, and seeing the Sky Ride in the background of almost all the boardwalk scenes was so heartwarming. Took that Sky Ride so many times in my shore life!!!

It is such a special place to go and I know the crew that was involved in filming this was thrilled to be a part of it. I heard they opened some of the stands early down there and the piers of course for them, not only for the tapings, but for their enjoyment. Glad too as besides Brandon and Kristen, that Michael, Kassie, and Trevor were a part of it, and they got to have some fun combined with work, and hard work at that.

Some of the segments that I really loved were the ones filmed at night when the sun went down, they were absolutely beautiful....the lighting and camera work was just breath taking in those particular scenes. Again so many nights spent on the beach to watch the sunrise...I could feel it as I was viewing these shows, as if I were back in time and reliving it all over again...

No better place to be than the Jersey Shore in the summer and having OLTL there just makes it all the more special. The acting jobs were just incredible by my gang that took part in this, and I called the article what I did because when you cross over the bridge heading towards Seaside's beach, that is exactly what the sign reads and has read forever, "Welcome to Seaside Heights, The Home of Sun N Fun"...if you've never been there you owe to yourself to take the trip...so much fun for everyone, and so many wonderful memories for me...and now new ones, thanks to my friends at OLTL...

*ONE LIFE TO LIVE FANS

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Lucky 13 -- Diane Casale 5/3/08

Superstitious people always believe the #13 is a sign of bad luck. I am not a superstitious woman by any stretch, and I think its wonderful that our fabulous OLTL has earned 13 Emmy Nominations. This may very well be their lucky number, and deservingly so. We all know that it has been brilliant beyond belief for quite some time now, and the fact that we have all three major categories, Writing, Directing, and Best Show is such an honor. I am proud of Alan Needleman and his stellar group of directors, and to the highly talented writing team headed by master scribe Ron Carvalati, and all of the technical nominations that have been acknowledged this year. Music, Sound, Casting, Hair and Make Up, just to name a few, are all of what goes into this outstanding soap that we watch every day, and I would love to see them make a clean sweep for once, wouldn't you?

I want to also congratulate Brian Kerwin for his natural enjoyable portrayal of Charlie Banks/Balsam for nabbing the best supporting actor nomination, I was thrilled he got in, I love him and the character... I am pulling for him 100%, as all of our other actors who were on the pre-nomination list were shut out again, to the same old cast of characters that get nominated every year. I feel for them. Woods, Jerry, Kassie, Cat, Erika, JP, Kristen, Michael, Robin, Brandon, Eddie, Brittney, Jason, Bree and anyone else I may have forgotten on the list who were so deserving of being on that ballot, and it was so disappointing for me not to not hear their names announced on the View on 4/30/08.

As I said same old same old every year, which brings to mind Jerry verDorn. Why is it that Jerry would be nominated for GL as Ross Marler and even win repeatedly in past years, (not that he wasn't great...) and now he is playing the role of a life time in which I wrote about in another article as Clint Buchanan, and gets a total snub? CBS always over rules and I just don't get it, but none the less, on 6/20/08, I will cross all 10 fingers and 3 toes for sure to hear the top 3 awards go to OLTL along with that lucky 13...Congrats to you all, and I wish you guys all the luck in Life...One Life, that's the only place to be these days...

Catching Up With Some Favorites -- by Diane Casale 4/23/08

For the first time in a long time I took a trip to the OLTL studio on 4/16/08, and of course got to see a lot of my favorite people whom I hadn't seen in months. On this particular day, I hit on a good one in which it happened to be a day that Tim Stickney was back taping some RJ Gannon shows, and also Tuc Watkins was there doing some upcoming shows featuring David Vickers of course.

I love these men on screen and off. Tim is now living on Ontario and is doing a play that he wrote, directed, and stars in, and talked to me about that and the difference between living in NY and Canada. It was funny here it is April and we have been going through a pre-mature heat wave here and there when he arrived in Ontario they still had snow on the ground, needless to say he said this was a big adjustment for him. His play will run through November at which time he may decide to come back home to the city, but right now he is not sure what he will do. Coming back to OLTL when he can he really enjoys and I really enjoy having him back when he is available!!!

Now on to Tuc Watkins. Once again he was back to recreate David Vickers and who knows what he was taping that day. He was kind of hush hush about it. I am thinking that since soon we are going to see the shows involving the truth coming out as far as him being Asa's real son, maybe he is getting ready to tape some stuff with Andrea Evans as by June she will be back as Tina, and remember they were married at one point in time on OLTL.

When I saw him he was back to film 8 new episodes and than of course was going back to California to do some more Desperate Housewives.

OLTL has been so good over the past year we know that, and current characters and storylines are just terrific, we all know that bringing back RJ and David just adds to the shows excellent cast and always brings out the shows rich history.......I hit on a good day......It was a pleasure seeing them both, as they are two of the most down to earth and friendly guys ever.....

Reality -- by Diane Casale 4/23/08

I know soap fans watch soaps to get lost in the fantasy of them all, however I have looked at our shows as a reality check more often over the past few years than others, primarily because of all the things that have happened in our society over recent times. I am a realist at heart, and the fantasy world of soaps these days is really not the place I want to be. I am writing this in voicing my opinion on Starr Manning's pregnancy on OLTL. There are so many viewers out there that are not enjoying the fact that the character is pregnant at the young age of 16. I for one think it was a great way for the show to go as this is so true and so realistic. I have no children of my own, however my nephew Curtis is now 16 himself, and has a girlfriend whom he has been with for a few months now, and not only are they a "real" couple like Cole and Starr, they spend a lot of time together and talking about sex. Unfortunately this is the way life is now. When I was 16 many moons ago, the word "sex" was suggestive enough, just by mere mention!!!!

At the age of 16 I believe that kids are a lot smarter today than back in my day, however they still are kids deep down, and sometimes act on impulse and feelings. Lets not forget that Starr and Cole made love without thinking of the consequences that could follow afterwards, as they thought they would never see each other again, and they did think for the moment. No protection of any kind, hey they didn't think they needed it, and I do believe that is so true with teens today, some think it can't happen to them.

OLTL is doing a great job as their is a core teen audience that tunes in to the show each day, and seeing two people that they look up to, are maybe setting examples and rules for them to live by.

Yes its a soap, and people cannot deal with some character portrayals, but in this case it is so close to being real, why close your eyes to reality?

I want to commend both Brandon Buddy and Kristen Alderson for doing an excellent job. Their love story is so heartfelt, and they really do love each other, so when they made love it was something that meant something, it was not just SEX.... Once again in reality impulse and emotions are what causes teen pregnancies, more so than true love...either way thinking logically is so important..

Excellent storytelling, and a real wake up call to parents and teens alike...

THESE BOOTS WERE MADE FOR WALKING -- by Diane Casale 4/24/08

You know what a big fan and long time fan I have been of Jerry verDorn since his days of Ross Marler on Guiding Light, and I was thrilled beyond belief when he joined our OLTL family a few years back. In fact if you remembered it was like something I just could not believe was happening, kind of like I felt this year when the Mets landed Johan Santana!!! Jerry's into it like me, a NY Mets Fan, and a die hard at that!!! OK so we agree on baseball, he even sent me a little card when we landed Santana, which was a thrill for me to say the least, but the thrill for me now is getting to see Jerry finally take off in the role of Clint Buchanan. The fact that he is heading up BE and walking in the shoes of "Pa" Asa is just terrific. He is getting a little mean spirited all of a sudden and I'm liking it, I'm liking it a lot. Wearing those great suits and sitting at the huge desk, he looks so comfortable there, doesn't he?

On GL Ross was a "nice" guy, and don't get me wrong, so is Clint. But as the saying goes, "blood is thicker than water" and you are seeing the Buchanan blood running through his veins, with a little vengeance at times, and he is becoming the true typical heir of Asa. His little schemes with Lindsay are oh so good, naughty, but good, and oh, when that truth comes out, what is Bo gonna think? Nora? Natalie? Good Stuff, but maybe No More Mr. Nice Guy!!!

OLTL is bringing out a side of Clint that we have not seen in years, and Jerry is giving us something to watch, and a part that he is really sinking his teeth into.......

This role was meant for him...Walking in Daddy's footsteps... That's just what he is doing...and "One of These Days These Boots Are Gonna Walk All Over You..."

Bomb Shelters Plus Waiting Tables Equals A NEW CAREER!!! -- By Diane Casale 3/20/08

Only in soaps can life sometimes be perfect, am I correct?

Lets see, all of you out there who know me pretty well know that I have nearly 30 years of administrative experience in the work world. I worked 24 years for the same company in advertising, and they went bankrupt. I than worked for a Lightening company for 2 years that was sold to a China Operation. When I tried to find a new job under my "administrative" title, I am finding out now that most big companies want college degrees. I do not have one, worked since I got out of high school and I am self taught. I do have a part time administrative job at the moment, but I want full time...benefits and all the perks that come with it... Since watching OLTL over the past few weeks, something dawned on me. Working for BE would be a great gig wouldn't it? It also dawned on me that I would not even have to have a college degree, all I would have to do is work as a waitress in a diner like Gigi Morasco did!!! A Paris Texas hash slinger turned executive secretary, for BE none the less!!! Hell I could have done that.....

If that whole story thing wasn't enough to drive me nuts, the ultimate is on AMC, and all it took for Kendall Hart Slater to get a book published was to keep a journal while hubby Zach was trapped in a bomb shelter for weeks...who knew? Maybe I should lock Vinnie up some where for a month and some one will give this struggling writer who has written her fingers to the bone for the past 15 years to entertain the fans and actors alike of our respective shows a JOB and BIG BUCKS....the Kudos and accolades have been wonderful over the years, but I want the cash and the notoriety that comes along with it!!!

No disrespect to the writers of OL or AMC, or to Farah Fath or Alicia Minshew for that matter. They have to make the story interesting and the girls have to do what is written for them. But here I am in my own reality, and Gigi has what I want in the work world, and Kendall has my ultimate dream, to write....get my drift?

I am going to end here cause its time for me to apply at my town diner to get my administrative job, and going to get Vin to see where I can lock him up for a while....I sure have my work cut out for me...I'll let you know if my luck turns around...I want what Gigi's got, but Kendall's? Now that is really my dream....

T he moral of this story is.....Bon jour and Bombs....are the keys to my success!!!!!

LLAN-VIEW -- Carol Dickson 3/17/08

***I miss Addie. She was such a fun addition to the cast.

***Trevor was phenomenal as Todd when he discovered Cole and Starr. His mental meltdown was so frightening I couldn’t take my eyes off of the screen.

***Great to see Lindsay involved more. She brings such a sparkle to the screen whenever she is on.

***Miles needs a storyline. He is too good to waste.

***Hunt Block’s portrayal of Ramsey is great now. He was too over the top at first but now he is the perfect villain.

***Jared, Jared, Jared….the casting director certainly made a fabulous choice with John Brotherton. He and Natalie are a fabulous match.

***Bob Woods and Jerry verDorn are perfect as Bo and Clint. They certainly have lots of chemistry on screen.

***Dorian and Viki are such a delight to watch. The bitchiness and the innocence are perfectly portrayed.

***When is John going to get a love interest? Is Marty going to show up alive for May sweeps?

MOTHER KNOWS BEST--By Diane Casale 3/1/08

I am writing this article today as I want to share with you a thought that my mother had as we were watching OLTL one night recently and before this storyline with Allison Perkins wraps up in the not so distant future I wanted to give you my mom’s theory which sounds very logical, good and a great way to focus on two characters that are very popular together.

Here is what she thinks: Allison Perkins was brought back to expose the “Secret” that she has. Well, we all know about the baby switch that she had done years ago, making Jessica not the biological daughter of Clint, but rather the creepy Mitch Laurence. So here is the secret mom thinks Allison has. Ready? There was a brief scene at St. Ann’s a few weeks back that put this into perspective all of a sudden in which Ms. Perkins mumbled something about being a pro at “switching” things. That’s when my mother very casually said, Barbara Garrick was brought back to let everyone know that when Allison switched the babies years ago, she did not switch them the way she said she did. Natalie really belongs to Mitch and Jessica to Clint; that’s the big secret. I just looked at her and let her keep going. She then proceeded to say if this is the secret then it is all acceptable that Natalie and Jared can pursue a relationship as they are not related. As we all know they are not related anyway but this would clear the way for Jared to continue on with his Buchanan heir stunt and still get the girl!!!

How good of an observation is that? We know the fans love the chemistry between Melissa Archer’s Natalie and John Brotherton’s Jared. Should this happen, this storyline can go on for years and years to come. Everybody’s secret can remain just that until the writers decide to blow the whistle. All the happy people in Llanview will be stunned….Charlie keeping the lie from Viki, also keeping his secret from Rex, and Natalie and Jared!!!!

Just think of all the good storylines that could happen down the road where this is concerned. You all know that eventually the person who could blow the lid off of all of this is David Vickers and you no doubt know that Tuc Watkins will be back at some point in time for sure.

Just think, when David comes back if Natalie and Jared and Viki and Charlie are all blissfully happy, WOW!!!! Not only that but what would happen to Nigel who kept this secret the whole time? What will Rex do when he finds out Charlie Balsam is really Charlie Banks? Explosive!!!

Let just say mom’s theory is correct, do you think OLTL brought Barbara Garrick back purposely to rewrite history like she thinks and did it because it’s a way to rectify an official pairing of Natalie and Jared? If so a great way to raise the ratings even more!!!

If this is what OLTL did do it was a brilliant move; if not, and if this does not come to pass, mom had a great idea. She takes after me. Mother and daughter should be writing consultants for the show!! How about that? So while this may be an old adage or a cliché this is one time I have to say, “Mother Knows Best.”

The Dynamic Duo -- by Diane Casale 2/24/08

While all of you fans who read this newsletter online know that I am always on the proverbial “soap box” so to speak about OLTL and how much praise I hold for this show that has been tremendous over the past year plus, nothing is perfect. While the storylines have been really good and the acting and directing top notch even during the writers strike, I am a little worried about the lack of story for one of my favorites in Llanview and that is David Chisum. Miles Laurence needs to be front and center again. Just because the character has been redeemed of sorts, does this mean the writers can not think of anything to write for David? He is very popular with the fans, on screen and more so off. He is so friendly and personable as I have gotten to know him pretty well since he came on to OLTL. Because of the wealth of the character of Miles, there could be so many options and possibilities for this role.