Days Of Our Lives
Dena Higley Takes Leave Of Absence From Days of our Lives Co-Head Scribe Duties!
Wednesday Daytime Confidential reported that they are hearing from multiple sources that Dena Higley has taken a leave of absence from Days of our Lives citing personal reasons.
Higley along with Josh Griffith were named the co-head writing team that would restore DAYS to prominence during its critical upcoming 50th year anniversary season.
Their stories are said to kick-off on air next week on August 19th.
Apparently, there is no date set for an imminent return of Higley, and that Sony may shift a scribe from The Young and the Restless to assist Griffith with writing the Salem canvas.
What do you think of the news that reportedly Higley had left the building for the time being? Share your thoughts below!
I think all head writers are living on the constant edge of being let go..
It is a good thing to get a ”leave of absence” it is much better than being let go..
It gives a good writer time to get a second breath and new perspectives..
writing a soap is quite stressful, it is highly demanding..
All writers after a demanding run should get 2-3 months off every 2 years..
when they return they will be ready to go!
NOT HAPPY
“angered” is the first thing that came to mind
I realize their are “people” behind the scenes
this does not bode well for the gala premiere ?
so much has been written; said, about the 50th plus anniversary
“not happy” is putting it mildly
OK this duo have written past November, 2015… just saying
all the excitement of waiting… has put an asterisk or question mark?
Boy oh boy oh boy Patrick. What a hot mess daytime soaps are in! Sighhhhh!!
I agree Patrick but after some googling and conscious thought I think DH decided that to take away the autistic characteristic of Theo after aging him just didn’t sit well with the fact that she has an autistic child and understands the ups and downs from chilhood to adult. Theo is now written as a highly functioning autistic teen which more or less means that need never be mentioned again and it had to heartbreaking for her..on that note I am sad of that development and on another i’m sort of ok with her leave..Days has a mountain to climb..and writers who can only write for hill climbers don’t need to be there..get what i mean. I know you of all people do.
@Laurie.
Hello… double on the sigh
yeah, it’s a little deflating isn’t it
especially when their are only 4 left… and all the drama “behind the scenes” is happening on “my” (our) shows… General Hospital and Days of OUR Lives
ie: General Hospital
Michael Easton: geez louise! this actor did not deserve this… but It clearly came to mind that he was being let go to make way for Rebecca Buddig’ Hayden. who gets a 4 year contract?
here’s my feel down time… for all the glorious actors who have graced our screens… damned TPTB… I”m allowed to feel this!
Ron Carliovati: changing of the guard… new head writers ! oye! fan outcries… as I’ve always done in the past…. focus on the quality of actors who share screen time.. till better scripts come along…. collectively , I still say.. DAYS of OUR Lives has the best cast as a whole.
Michael Easton: I really thought he generated intrigue with Maura West… but, could easily see why Rebecca Buddig snowballed… I have never seen a character REEL so much energies… she makes me MAD… livid.. that she lords over Nikolas and Liz… I hope these two find a way to work with her. what a threesome this could be.
– DAYS of OUR Lives –
1. New Writing Team STARTS “showing” August 20, 2015
1a. Dena Higley takes time off for personal reasons…. I am selfish enough to state that I hope … with all the hoopla going around… with the resurgence of DAYS… that she gets back in good health and the team of Higley and Pratt… carry
2. Freddie Smith. Guy Wilson simply has to go… be killed off or recast … I hope that this couple remains on the canvas… or DAYS production gets a new character for Paul.
anyway… all the summer heat, vacation, baseball… have left, my soaps in shambles… i’ve managed to keep up with GH… but… DAYS is a mess… therein… i’m going to start anew August 20th… !!!!
“Dena Higley” please come back to DAYS SOON
ie: Higley / Pratt
should be Higley / Griffith… DAYS new headwriting team
I just hope everything is okay and she returns back soon!
Josh Griffith is more than capable of writing the show alone.
ok-
What would have blown the soap away would have been the teaming of;
Pratt & Griffith — Y&R
and
Griffith & Carlivati — GH
I totally agree. I was sad to see him go at Y&R because he was never really given the chance to shine, thanks to JFP. Maybe he’ll get that chance on DAYS.
He wrote a full year of mind numbingly boring stories at Y and R. What he wrote had nothing to do with JFP. One of his Friday cliffhangers had Avery baking cupcakes!! Real enthralling drama there!! I hope everything is okay and Dena can return to work soon.
Aden..
those stories, Ava cupcake queen was written by GH’s new writers Jean and Shelly not Griffith..
Why not just have one of the other writers from Days move up in to fill in.. Melissa Salmons or the Cullitons.
That was my thinking too. Isn’t Lorraine Broderick still part of the writing team? She and Josh could do a stellar job as co-head writers.
I thought the same thing. Wasn’t Lorraine Broderick head writer for Guiding Light during it’s hey day and also head writer All My Children.
Are you seriously kidding me? She should have never been brought back and i’m sure her way of telling story..along with her ideas for story..got her shown the door again before her material even hits the air..poor DAYS cast and fans…this is going to be a total bust for the 50th and it hasn’t even started yet.
No…Poor competition!
You better preach. Not sure how a TWICE fired writer is gonna bring anything diff to the table. Thats why Ken Corday drives me crazy. The fired EP, a few years later becomes a HW. This is just bananas. I dont get Corday. He tosses people out trashes what they’ve done, then rehires them a few years later. Not sure why people keep going back.
As much as I love Matthew Ashford, I dont want to see him back cause they always end up doing wrong by him, and he clearly has no real support from Corday.
Best wishes to her, hopefully everything is okay.
Bring in Ron!
Something is fishy here. Why is Ron C. Rumored to be coming in? Dana out while they try him on for size???
Rumors always fly when things like this happen. I’m not saying there’s nothing to them, but they might be founded on absolutely nothing, too. Carlivati was part of the writing team when Griffith was headwriter at OLTL; that alone is enough to start the rumor mill cranking.
Maria Arena Bell would be perfect for Days as head writer , i would have added Kay Alden and Claire Labine too and of course i would keep Josh Griffith. Don’t know why but i feel Days needs to get back to its Bell roots . Don’t forget that the late William J Bell wrote many of Days ‘s stories in the 60’s and 70’s .
the story is a mess anyway, they hardly are keeping ratings up, they are bringing old faces to make it up to the fans who are really pissed off with the whole story line nd the marvellous actors let go for no reasons, so good Riddance Days, i dont think the soap will be renewed , its already sinking
They should just hire Ron Carlivati as head writer.
THAT would bring me back to DOOL.
No no Ron will Kill Days Of our Lives, Ron needs to go away and move to an island. Let him stay there. lol
I do hope Ron will end up somewhere, but his style is wrong for Days.
Actually, I think his best chance for working in soaps again may be that his replacements at GH will crash as badly as my instincts (and their past performance, or at least, Passanante’s past performance) tell me they will, and GH hires him back in a year or two. I think he’s wrong stylistically for Y&R and wrong for Days, and though I’ll bet he could write B&B very successfully, I don’t see Bradley Bell going anywhere.
I wish Dena well and hope whatever personal issues she is dealing with are resolved quickly so that she can resume her duties on Days.
why do they keep bringing in new actors when they don’t use the ones they have a lot more with awesome stores? we don’t see Lucas John and afew other vets Days has had for years.Now we have to deal with writers coming and going 🙁
I hope Dena is okay but I wouldn’t be upset if she’s no longer the head writer since the show wasn’t great when she was HW before.
Why not make Lorraine Broderick head writer? She was on GL and AMC and did great work on those.
For the love of God- get Ron C ASAP. Gh was dumber than dirt to lose him- but his style could be just what Sakem needs right now. His style is very similar to James E Reillly- campy but with appreciation for vet actors. I loved Ron on GH and One Life. I’m starting to think that Corday just doesn’t care about his show anymore.
Ron – please!!
Breaking News
Steve Kent Reportedly OUT as Sony Pictures Television VP in Charge of DAYS and Y&R
On Friday, reports surfaced that Steve Kent, Senior Executive Vice President of Programming at Sony Pictures Television, is no longer with the company and overseeing the Sony soap operas, Days of our Lives and The Young and the Restless.
According to Soap Opera Digest, a set side source reported that Kent’s last day was last Friday, April 12th, which was one day after what would have been his final appearance in his Sony VP role at the Days of our Lives 15,000th episode on set celebration.
During that ceremony, Kent gave a brief speech giving kudos to DAYS for its incredible milestone. Days is a co-production of Sony Pictures Television and Corday Productions, while Y&R is produced by Bell Dramatic Serial Company in association with Sony Pictures Television.
Photo: JPI
Kent started his soap opera career as a producer for CBS’ defunct Capitol and then as the supervising producer of NBC’s Santa Barbara from1984 to 1993.
Photo: JPI
At Sony, before his role overseeing the soaps, Kent was Senior Executive Vice President of International Productions for Sony Pictures Television International department.
If reports are true, the question becomes who has taken over his position, and would oversee DAYS and Y&R from the Sony side? Share your thoughts on this developing story via the comment section below.
Breaking News
(WATCH) 2024 Daytime Emmy Nominations Special Live!
After exciting morning for your favorite daytime stars when they were revealed to be nominees for the 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards comes tonight 10th annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Special.
Beginning at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT, several of the nominees will talk with Michael Fairman on their reactions to the news they have been nominated for a Daytime Emmy, share what scenes they submitted that landed in the top five or six in their respective performer acting categories and much more.
Scheduled to appear are: Days of our Lives nominees, Tamara Braun (Ava), Eric Martsolf (Brady) and Linsey Godfrey (Sarah), The Young and the Restless nominees: Allison Lanier (Summer), Michelle Stafford (Phyllis), Courtney Hope (Sally), Bryton James (Devon), The Bold and the Beautiful’s John McCook (Eric), General Hospital nominees, Finola Hughes (Anna) and Alley Mills (Heather), and The Bay’s Mike Manning (Caleb).
Photo: JPI
The 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be broadcast live on CBS and streamed on Paramount+ on Friday night, June 7th and emanating, once again this year from the Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
Photo: JPI
For a full list of this year’s nominations click here.
Now, watch below as the stars chat it up as we celebrate their Daytime Emmy Nominations. If you have a potential question you might want posed to any of our guests, drop it in the comment section below and we just might ask it on air.
Breaking News
51st Annual Daytime Emmy Award Nominations: CBS Soaps Score Most, Eric Braeden, Dick Van Dyke, Guy Pearce Receive Nods
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) have officially announced on Friday, the full list of nominees for the 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.
While Thursday brought with it four reveals of the nominees in the Outstanding Daytime Drama, Talk Show Host, Lead Actor and Actress categories (as presented by various entertainment news programs), today’s nominations include all the other categories not previously announced.
The Daytime Emmy Awards telecast is set to be presented live on Friday night, June 7, at 8 PM EDT /delayed PT, on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+. This will mark the 18th time that CBS has broadcast the Daytime Emmys.
Photo: JPI
In addition, The Daytime Creative Arts & Lifestyle Emmy Awards will be presented on Saturday, June 8 at t9 PM ET/6 PM PT and streamed on The Emmys apps and at watch.TheEmmys.tv. The ceremonies will take place at the Westin Bonaventure Los Angeles.
Television icon, Dick Van Dyke has received his first-ever Daytime Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Guest Performer category for his touching portrayal of Timothy Robicheaux on Peacock’s Days of our Lives. The nomination makes Van Dyke the oldest Daytime Emmy nominee in history at 98-years-old. In addition, motion picture and TV star, Guy Pearce, is also nominated as Guest Performer for his longtime role as Mike Young in the reboot of Neighbours.
Speaking of Neighbours, the Australian soap opera also received its first ever Daytime Emmy nomination for Daytime Drama Series now that its a revival can be streamed on Amazon Freevee. In addition, The Young and the Restless iconic, Eric Braeden (Victor Newman) received his first Daytime Emmy nomination in more than 20 years in the Lead Actor in a Drama Series category.
Photo: AmazonFreevee
In the Daytime Drama series categories, CBS’ The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless each scored 12 nominations more than any other show. Leading the acting nominations was B&B, who landed 7 performers in the various categories, a first in its 37-year history.
In a statement, Adam Sharp, President & CEO, NATAS expressed, “We are happy to once again honor the creative talent both in front of and behind the camera of America’s favorite Daytime programs. We look forward to celebrating the icons who enliven the days of audiences across the country.”
Photo: JPI
Brent Stanton, Head of Daytime, NATAS added, “Producing the Daytime Emmys is a labor of love for all of us at NATAS. The huge popularity of these shows continues to be must-see viewing for their fans.” NATAS also revealed that Lifetime Achievement Honorees, Hosts, Presenters, and Silver and Gold Circle honorees will be revealed at a later date.
The Daytime Emmy Awards recognize outstanding achievement in television programming honoring work in a variety of categories, including daytime dramas, talk shows, instructional programming, hosting, culinary, and legal/courtroom programs. In 2021, NATAS and the Television Academy jointly announced plans to realign the Daytime and Primetime Emmy Awards to be organized by content genre, as opposed to program airtime.
The 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be produced once again by NATAS and Associated Television International (ATI). Adam Sharp and Lisa Armstrong are executive producers from NATAS, while David McKenzie executive produces from ATI.
Congratulations to all the men and women in front of the camera and behind the scenes for their recognition as we take a look at who will be going for gold come June. Here are the nominees below starting with the Daytime Drama Categories.
Photo: JPI
OUTSTANDING DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES
The Bay
The Bold and the Beautiful
Days of our Lives
General Hospital
Neighbours
The Young and the Restless
OUTSTANDING LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES: ACTRESS
Tamara Braun, Days of our Lives
Finola Hughes, General Hospital
Katherine Kelly Lang, The Bold and the Beautiful
Annika Noelle, The Bold and the Beautiful
Michelle Stafford, The Young and the Restless
Cynthia Watros, General Hospital
Photo: JPI
OUTSTANDING LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES: ACTOR
Eric Braeden, The Young and the Restless
Scott Clifton, The Bold and the Beautiful
Thorsten Kaye, The Bold and the Beautiful
Eric Martsolf, Days of our Lives
John McCook, The Bold and the Beautiful
Photo: JPI
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES: ACTRESS
Jennifer Gareis, The Bold and the Beautiful
Linsey Godfrey, Days of our Lives
Courtney Hope, The Young and the Restless
Allison Lanier, The Young and the Restless
Emily O’Brien, Days of our Lives
Photo: JPI
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES: ACTOR
Robert Gossett, General Hospital
Bryton James, The Young and the Restless
Wally Kurth, Days of our Lives
A Martinez, The Bay
Mike Manning, The Bay
Photo: JPI
OUTSTANDING GUEST PERFORMANCE IN A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES
Linden Ashby, The Young and the Restless
Ashley Jones, The Bold and the Beautiful
Alley Mills, General Hospital
Guy Pearce, Neighbours
Dick Van Dyke, Days of our Lives
OUTSTANDING WRITING TEAM FOR A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES
The Bay
The Bold and the Beautiful
Days of our Lives
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless
Photo: JPI
OUTSTANDING DIRECTING TEAM FOR A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES
The Bay
The Bold and the Beautiful
Days of our Lives
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless
OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DIRECTION
General Hospital
The Jennifer Hudson Show
The Kelly Clarkson Show
The View
Photo: ABC
OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL DIRECTION, CAMERAWORK, VIDEO
The Bold and the Beautiful
Days of our Lives
Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade
The Kelly Clarkson Show
OUTSTANDING CASTING
African Queens: Njinga
Days of our Lives
General Hospital
Start Up
The Young and the Restless
OUTSTANDING ART DIRECTION/SET DECORATION/SCENIC DESIGN
African Queens: Njinga
The Drew Barrymore Show
General Hospital
The Kelly Clarkson Show
The View
The Young and the Restless
OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN/STYLING
African Queens: Njinga
The Bold and the Beautiful
The Jennifer Hudson Show
Sherri
Photo: WarnerBros
OUTSTANDING HAIRSTYLING AND MAKEUP
African Queens: Njinga
The Drew Barrymore Show
Sherri
The View
The Young and the Restless
OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SONG
“Shine” General Hospital
“Unexpected Truth”Unexpected
“We’re Home” Reconnecting Roots
OUTSTANDING DAYTIME TALK SERIES
The Jennifer Hudson Show
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Tamron Hall
Turning The Tables with Robin Roberts
The View
Photo: ABC
OUTSTANDING ENTERTAINMENT NEWS SERIES
Access Hollywood
Entertainment Tonight
Extra
OUTSTANDING CULINARY SERIES
Be My Guest with Ina Garten
Family Dinner
Selena + Chef: Home for the Holidays
Valerie’s Home Cooking
What Am I Eating? with Zooey Deschanel
OUTSTANDING LEGAL/COURTROOM PROGRAM
Hot Bench
Judy Justice
Justice For The People with Judge Milian
The People’s Court
We The People with Judge Lauren Lake
Photo: Disney/ABC
DAYTIME TALK SERIES HOST
Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, Ana Navarro, The View
Kelly Clarkson, The Kelly Clarkson Show
Mark Consuelos, Kelly Ripa, Live with Kelly and Mark
Akbar Gbajabiamila, Amanda Kloots, Natalie Morales, Jerry O’Connell, Sheryl Underwood, The Talk
Tamron Hall, Tamron Hall
OUTSTANDING CULINARY HOST
Lidia Bastianich, 25 Years with Lidia: A Culinary Jubilee
Valerie Bertinelli, Valerie’s Home Cooking
Eduardo Garcia, Big Sky Kitchen with Eduardo Garcia
Emeril Lagasse, Emeril Cooks
Sophia Roe, Counter Space
Buddy Valastro, Legends of the Fork
OUTSTANDING DAYTIME PERSONALITY – DAILY
Frank Caprio, Caught in Providence
Kevin Frazier, Nischelle Turner , Matt Cohen, Cassie DiLaura, Denny Directo, Will Marfuggi, Rachel Smith, Entertainment Tonight
Deborah Norville, Steven Fabian, Lisa Guerrero, Ann Mercogliano, Jim Moret, Les Trent. Inside Edition
Robert Hernandez, Star Jones, Divorce Court
Judge Judy Sheindlin, Whitney Kumar, Kevin Rasco, Sarah Rose, Judy Justice
What do you think about the nominations for the 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards? Who do you think deserved to get in that did? Who do you think got snubbed? Who are you happiest to see receive a nomination? Let us know via the comment section below.
Make sure to be with us live starting tonight Friday, April 19th at 8pm ET/5pm PT for the Michael Fairman Channel’s 10th anniversary edition of its Daytime Emmy Nomination Special 2024, featuring some of the just announced daytime drama nominees.
Steve Kent Reportedly OUT as Sony Pictures Television VP in Charge of DAYS and Y&R
(WATCH) 2024 Daytime Emmy Nominations Special Live!
51st Annual Daytime Emmy Award Nominations: CBS Soaps Score Most, Eric Braeden, Dick Van Dyke, Guy Pearce Receive Nods
Stephen Schnetzer Talks On His Return to Days of our Lives and Working with Susan Seaforth Hayes In Emotional Episodes
51st Daytime Emmys: Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa Receive Talk Show Host Nominations
General Hospital’s Steve Burton Reveals the Emotional Scene He Almost Could Not Get Through
Stephen Schnetzer Talks On His Return to Days of our Lives and Working with Susan Seaforth Hayes In Emotional Episodes
DAYS Alum Tanner Stine to Appear in ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ Starring Nicholas Chavez
51st Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Set to Be Announced
51st Daytime Emmys: Outstanding Daytime Drama Series Nominations
(WATCH) 2024 Daytime Emmy Nominations Special Live!
51st Annual Daytime Emmy Award Nominations: CBS Soaps Score Most, Eric Braeden, Dick Van Dyke, Guy Pearce Receive Nods
General Hospital’s Steve Burton Reveals the Emotional Scene He Almost Could Not Get Through
Y&R’s Hayley Erin Previews Her Role in Horror-Thriller ‘New Life’
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