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Erika Slezak Posts Annual Holiday Letter! Shares Heartfelt Words On Turbulent Times Of Revival's Of OLTL & AMC!

By Michael Fairman

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Courtesy/ABC

Courtesy/ABC

You may need a hankie for this one, folks, because it comes from the icon of One Life to Live, Erika Slezak!  Today, Erika posted her 2013 holiday letter on her website, which has become an annual tradition for her fan club.   In the 2013 version, the six-time Daytime Emmy winner addresses the hopes and the despair we all went through with the revivals of One Life to Live and All My Children online and the sad quick ending, that as of now has left both shows shelved.

What made this letter so poignant is that Erika shared how wonderful it was to be back with her OLTL family again, and stepping into the shoes of Viki, even if for a very short time.  Erika also pays tribute to the fans for making this all possible in the first place.   Read Erika’s letter below, that we are sure long time fans of Llanview will want to check out!

ERIKA:  “Dear Friends: Well, this year has certainly been one of ups and downs; we started last January with such high hopes for the revivals of One Life to Live and All My Children and things seemed to be going so well when we started production in March. Unfortunately we produced only 8 weeks of shows, and then everything fell apart. Our boss, Jeff Kwatinetz, is still trying to bring both shows back, but personally I think that will be a very difficult feat to pull off. As things stand now, production on both shows has been shut down, so there will be no more OLTL or AMC, at least not in the near future. But we never give up hope! In any case, I loved being back at OLTL; I loved being back with all my friends on the show and we had a wonderful time although it was short lived. Still, I am very grateful for that brief opportunity to have played Viki once more.

Personally my life has been very busy and very good. It’s wonderful to be home and enjoy all the pleasures of home life. I am hoping that in the next year I will be able to find work elsewhere but if that doesn’t happen right away, I will be grateful for what I had.

Once again, I want thank Walter Miller for his unflagging support and for keeping this little club afloat. I also want to thank AJ, Kit Williams and Stephen Schofield. Walter and Stephen spent a lot of time in correspondence with Jennifer Pepperman, our most recent producer, and were invaluable in assisting her with photos and background information on OLTL and Victoria Lord. And in particular, I would like to thank all of you for your incredible support during our online phase. This would never have come about if it hadn’t been for you, and the entire cast and crew of OLTL is extremely grateful.

I wish all of you a very happy and healthy holiday season and all good wishes for the New Year. We never know what the future holds, so perhaps I will see you all again from the screen or the stage or wherever.  Merry Christmas! With Love, Erika”

What did you think about how Erika shared her excitement and disappointment at the ups and downs of bringing OLTL back from the dead if not for just a short time? What would you like to see Erika do next, if playing Viki on OLTL is no longer an option? What were your thoughts when you read her letter?  Comment below!

 

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Such a classy lady and I can see her on The Bold & The Beautiful as a Forrester relative or maybe a cousin of Stephanie & Pam. Just wishful casting!

I always thought ABC was nuts to let her go. How many Emmys and how big a following? She’s be a natural for an American remake of the British show New Tricks or a judge/attorney on one of its many crime shows. Sad.

I always thought she kinda resembles Susan Flannery!

she’s a class act. I adore her. ….and I miss her and OLTL

Me Too!!!

Beautifully written letter.

It was wonderful to have OLTL back, even if for a short time, better then not at all.

(( life is not always fair ))

“Life is not always fair”? Um, you act as though Miss Slezak was whining or complaining when she was actually being the gracious class act that she is.
Thank you Miss Suooo for that insensitive comment.

su0000000 – still the master of defending ABC and Ron and sniping at OLTL stars and fans.

Love you too Erika…
Your class and dignity (and some great acting skills) always brought me enjoyment.

I miss seeing your TV family every day and even watch OLTL 2.0 on HuluPlus.

I’m not giving up hope for your return.
Thanks for all the memories.

There is only one solution to this problem… OPRAH!!! She has a network, connections, money, and she is a soap fan. Our soaps never belonged on the internet.. they belong on t.v.! Even if you made them a half hr. each… they belong on a network. Let’s all make a plea to Oprah to revive our precious soaps the old fashioned way and put them on her network!!! PLEEEEEEEEEEEEASE Oprah! We miss them!

I don’t think these soaps are dead. We have to many fans who expressing their loyalty and now believe more see how valuable they really are. Really believe its not over and we need to keep reminding networks this too. don’t watch anything were they should and did have soaps. Networks need to see how valuable they are.

I would be thrilled and so proud to see Erika both onstage and onscreen. So sad that OLTL is gone again… but if Jeff K can pull off the seemingly impossible, truly, power to him. Until then look sharp entertaiment industry-there is a superb amount of talent here.

I will follow Erika, Kassie and most of the OLTLers anywhere, but I’m still hoping for more Llanview.

Such a wonderful lady miss the soaps every day. I cancelled Hulu and am so sad. I heard that Opeah was interviewing the soaps stars. Do you know a date and time for that .

I think Erika is pure class and style. I look forward to seeing her in her next venture.

She truly is the classiest woman out there. Love her, and hope that I can see her lighting up the screen again soon. Whether it be online, daytime, prime-time or big screen.

Erika is such class. I miss OLTL, sad to think it may never live again.

OLTL and the uber- talented, Erika Slezak are the best. PP WAS DISAPPOINTING to be sure. However, cast and crews gave it their all.

For a long time I have thought that Erika Slezak and Robin Strasser should do the Neil Simon stage play “The Odd Couple” the female version. I see Erika as Olive Madison and Robin as Florence Ungar. If I was rich, I would put my money up for that!(if they were willing)

I would love to see them together on stage in either a comedy or a drama.

That’s a really good idea.

Such a lovely lady!!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Erika!!!

I’m dry-eyed, but that was a great letter. Like alot of the OLTL and AMC actors, she’s walking the fine line between having hope that the shows will be revived again some day, and realizing how slim those chances are. That’s not an easy position to be in and it doesn’t erase the fact that right now, the shows are not in production and she’s out of a job, like alot of her colleagues. I wish her well and hope we will see her again on our screens again soon.

Erica, you and the rest of the cast of OLTL will be so missed,I pray the show comes back and if not it has been a great ride growing up with you all. XOXO

Erika is a class act. She always has been and always will be.

DITTO!

Cast erika slezak as the new dina abbott , on the young and the restless. she would be great as dina.

That is lovely idea, ricardo. I like it, but would such a New Yorker/East Coaster relocate to LA? Still, I wonder if a short-term front-burner storyline for the Dina Abbott character is possible… perhaps a secret terminal lillness and she returns to Genoa City to make amends with her children, or to drop a bombshell secret on the city’s upper crust that shifts alliances somehow?

My hunch is Miss Slezak will be on the Broadway or off-Broadway stage. She would be a delight to see on the boards.

It was a dear letter she penned to us. I miss ONE LIFE TO LIVE and her character, the grace for the program all these years. Even at its lowest times, Miss Slezak and her alter ego Viki shone brightly.

I personally think it’s time to say good bye to AMC and OLTL as we knew them. PP will never be able to run them on a long term basis. The only who can is ABC but they don’t want to have anything to do with daytime soaps except for GH.

I would like ABC to get the rights back from both soaps and merged them into a weekly primetime series with key actors of both shows. Llanview and Pine Valley are sister towns in PA. They would very well blend into an unified TV show. It would something like Revenge or Nashville which are quite successful.

PP was creating a soap opera for TOLN and when AMC and OLTL were canceled PP took them over instead of creating their own soap..
Perhaps they will gather actors from both the soaps and continue on with creating the soap they were working on.. 🙂

I’m grateful for the many decades of both soaps that had ..
all things come to an end, even or lives on earth will end..

OMG, suoooooooo, that is sooooooo profound.
It’s one thing to lay down and die of old age, but in OLTL’s case they were MURDERED at their peak. I’m not grateful for that AT’ALL.

Llanview and Pine Valley are sister cities in PA. Port Charles is in NY. In any event, let the AMC/OLTL characters be on GH! But things need to be worked out.

Yes would love to see her on bold and beautiful too but will always be oltl for me

Thank you Erika for this beautiful letter and for always being such a beautiful and gracious lady. We miss you and the entire OLTL family.

Love her and still hoping both iconic soaps return. They deserve it. Erika is definitely a class act! Adore her!

As always a class act , I hope and pray we will see her back as Vicky and both shows will live on !

Yes, I had tears while reading Erika’s lovely letter. I love and admire this woman so much, and it truly hurts my heart to think we will not see her playing Viki anymore. I’m still holding onto the hope that someday OLTL and AMC will be back in production, and that we’ll be able to enjoy and appreciate all the hard work that the talented cast and crew on both shows are known for. Merry Christmas Erika!

Always a treasure to hear her thoughts. Thank you so very much Erika

Wish I could seen those episodes…secretly wished Oprah would have picked up those shows…sure would have boosted ratings for all!!!!

W-O-W…a totally beautiful and heartfelt letter!!!!! Thank You Miss Erika…you will ALWAYS BE A CLASS ACT in my book!!!!! Good Luck to you in all of your future endeavors!!!!!!

Peace.

Is there anybody better than Erika Slezak? She is one of a kind. A great actress, graceful lady, and major team player. ABC needs to do some serious soul-searching and admit they made a big mistake and bring Erika and One Life to Live back to ABC where they belong!

Dearest Erika,
Words cannot express how thankful I am for the joy you and the other Llanview residents have given me for more than 40 years. I was blessed to have OLTL in my life since the age of 8!!! I will NEVER forget the years of your lives you all gave to bring OLTL into my home and family. It was such FUN :o)
Sincerely and with much Gratitude,
Phyliss

I could cry all night. I think of the last few episodes of OLTL in Jan. 2012 & am still just absolutely floored that the show was ripped away from us in the middle of such fantastic stories-there was so much to look forward to. My days have never been the same without my Llanview friends. Love Erika & everyone else from the show. Miss you all.

As always, very gracious. She is such an awesome lady, inside and out. I hope to see her again on OLTL soon!

Ms. Slezak is wonderful and her letter, like her interviews over the years, addresses everything with intelligence and class. She and Viki Buchanan have meant so much to me over the years. I really, really, hope someone again rewards the cast, crew, and fans of these two incredible shows with another, permanent resurrection. What’s happened is baffling and painful. Best wishes to Erika and all at AMC and OLTL.

I wish Days would write a part just for her, hopefully a long term front burner one. She could play a heroine or villain-perhaps a nemesis of Stephano. Too much talent for one of the other soaps not to pick her up. The tragedy is OLTL should never have been cancelled, I will never get over it. THE ABC BOYCOTT CONTINUES!

Maybe they can bring one more new soap back and have all the people from both shows in it!

I dearly loved Erika (Vicki) I will miss OLTL and AMC terriably.Fingers crossed that someday we will see the permanant return of our iconic soap operas.

you can feel the love coming thru her words in the letter – such a gracious woman!

She is so classy there just isn’t anyone like her on daytime anymore

Maybe Erika could come on GH… As a different character or not. She will always be Viki to me! Erika was always my #1 favorite on OLTL…RV & RC should put her on GH it would be an added bonus to the show.. That’s just an idea that crossed my mind…I will miss her a lot. She was the heart & soul of OLTL!!!!

Erika: I still miss OLTL and especially “Viki”. I hope that someday OLTL will come back in some form. There are still a lot of fans out there who are waiting for this. I watched OLTL for years, but I have not bothered to get into another soap as OLTL was the only one that I cared to watch. I am still waiting for Viki and Clint’s remarriage…Thanks for sharing the holiday letter with your fans.

The best actress in daytime ever…hands down! Erika is missed! Hello Ron? Hello Frank?? Why not bring her on to GH? She could be Heather’s sister and then she could be Franco’s Aunt and this way she could be back with RH. Imagine the fun of putting her up against the Q’s…there’s so much they can do with her! Just a thought 🙂

I don’t know….. Look what they’ve done to Roger. I want my favorites on TV and in great roles.

She could be more Nikki Smith then Viki 🙂

I believe that there will never be a replacement for the original OLTL, and Vicky.. Erik was the best at what she did, and the original cast made OLTL what I remember.. I am happy the online is over with, it could not meet my standards. I loved to see OLTL brought back on ABC or any network with most of the original cast members.

I so agree…. the online vesion was nothing but an embrassment in my opionion…it only picked up in the last few episode…. just could not stand all the loud techno music in the Shelter scenes.. it just drowned out all the dialogue.

Please ABC do us right and bring them back properly.

I’m ALL for that – those stupid endless “Shelter” scenes were annoying and tried to take the place of true storyline which they did not. I am hoping both One Life to Live and AMC return, somehow, but my secret wish is that ABC will take them back and either present them as half hour programs (Like “Bold and the Beautiful”) or combine them into one show, called Pine Valley or Pineview or Landview or Scooby Doo I don’t care I just want the shows back. I don’t know if I can honestly say I want them in the hands of Prospect Park as I did not think the online inceptions were that enthralling or compelling, but in fairness they weren’t given proper time On-line to truly prove themselves.

She is so wonderful! Classy lady. Still shocked everyday with the soaps that are left on tv while OLTL is gone.

She is a class act all the way! Would watch her on any show she appeared on but would love to see her on General Hospital.

I love her, she was the very best thing about the On-line version of ONE LIFE TO LIVE to me, and brought life to every scene she was in. I don’t think either One Life or ALL MY CHILDREN got a fair chance to find their footing as on-line presentations. I too am hoping against hope that both shows can return (I’m all for combining both shows into one creation since Landview and pine Valley are near each other anyway) – right now, it seems only a dim possibility though.

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Susan Flannery and Ian Buchanan Visit the Set of ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’; Daytime Emmy Winners Reflect on Show Then and Now

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Susan Flannery and Ian Buchanan

The one and only Susan Flannery (ex-Stephanie Forrester) dropped in to see her former co-stars on The Bold and the Beautiful at their Sunset Las Palmas Studio in Hollywood, along with her good friend and another B&B co-star Ian Buchanan (ex-James Warwick) on Tuesday October 20.

It was the first time in a very long time that The four-time Daytime Emmy winning actress was reunited with Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke), Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (Steffy), executive producer and head writer, Brad Bell, Jennifer Gareis and even her TV sister, Alley Mills (Pam, B&B now Heather, GH) showed up for the day too!

Flannery played the Forrester matriarch from 1987 until 2012. It was then that after playing the part of Stephanie for 25 years that Susan made the decision to retire from acting and in one of the most heartbreaking sendoffs, passes away from lung cancer in Brooke’s arms in November of 2012. During her B&B tenure, Flannery won 3 of her 4 Daytime Emmys, the other being for her first soap role as Laura Horton on Days of our Lives back in 1975.

Susan and Kelly

Photo: Bell-Phillip TV

As for Ian Buchanan, he played Dr. Warwick, psychiatrist, from 1993 to 1999.  He returned for other runs in 2014 and 2017.  Buchanan took home his Daytime Emmy in 1997 for his work as James. Soap fans also remember, Ian as mobster Duke Lavery on General Hospital, and Dr. Greg Madden on All My Children,

Both Susan and Ian shared their thoughts on coming back to The Bold and the Beautiful, for Susan 14 years later since he exited and for Ian close to 9 years since his last appearance below.

Susan said, “It’s definitely like coming home in a way, even though it’s not the same studio. It’s really lovely to see old faces and old faces with new faces. It takes you back mentally. You start remembering what it was like back then, even things like how much your feet would ache at the end of the day from wearing six-inch heels. It was just lovely to be back and see everybody.”

Susan Flannery and cast

Photo: Bell-Phillip TV

Ian expressed, “It’s a mind trip, you know. When I was sitting looking at the big Forrester set, it was like stepping back in time, almost. It takes you back mentally, and you start remembering what it was like when you were here before.”

“It’s lovely to see all these people again, even if you don’t know everybody,” explained soap vet Buchanan. “There’s something really special about coming back and seeing the show and the people who have been part of it for so long.”

So, happy to see Susan and Ian with some of their former castmates? Do you think Stephanie and Brooke is one of the greatest frenemy stories in daytime history? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Beyond the Gates

Tabitha Brown and Kandi Burruss Guest Star on ‘Beyond the Gates’ for Dani’s ‘Welcome to Your Life’ TV Special; What Could Go Wrong?

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Kandi Burress, Tabitha Brown, Karla Mosley

As previously announced, Beyond the Gates is bringing chef, author and actress Tabitha Brown and Grammy Award-winning songwriter, singer and actress Kandi Burruss to Fairmont Crest in a special episode of the CBS daytime drama airing Thursday, October 22.

In the episode, Dani’s (Karla Mosley) best friend Pamela Curtis (Cady McClain), arranges a “Welcome to Your Life” television special for her. As it turns out, Brown will play the show’s host, Tia Allen, while Burruss takes on the role of Dani’s first modeling agent, Kalista Kilroy, who turns the celebration of her life into a bad trip down memory lane.

Dani’s parents Anita and Vernon (Tamara Tunie, Clifton Davis), sister Nicole (Daphnee Duplaix), and daughters Chelsea (RhonniRose Mantilla) and Naomi (Arielle Prepetit) all join the show to celebrate and support her but also witness how things so south. Also appearing in the episode are Molly Figueroa as Tatum Stewart and fan-favorite Anita Williams (Tunie) impersonator Jackie Tyree!

Beyond the Gates

PhotoL JPI

THE 411 ON TIA AND KALISTA

Speaking with TV Insider, about their soapy experience in Fairmont Crest, Tabitha Brown previewed about her host with the most, “Tia is very professional, but she’s a girl’s girl. She is a protector of women and wants to tell their stories in a beautiful way, but she also wants to make sure they’re seen in a very good light.”

However, Burruss previews that Kalista arrives with a score to settle. “She’s spicy,” shared the recording artist. “I always love playing somebody that has come to start trouble. It’s always fun to play a villain of sorts, but Kalista feels like she’s been done wrong and she’s hurt by what she feels has been done to her. So Kalista is stirring up trouble, but she feels justified putting Dani on blast. Kalista is ready for some payback.”

Beyond the Gates is produced by CBS Studios, as part of the CBS Studios/NAACP Venture, in partnership with P&G Studios, a division of Procter & Gamble. Created by head writer Michele Val Jean, executive producers include Val Jean, Sheila Ducksworth, Julie Carruthers, Tracey Thomson, Leon W. Russell, Derrick Johnson, Anna Saalfeld and Lela Coffey.

Beyond the Gates is broadcast weekdays on CBS (2:00-3:00 PM, ET/1:00-2:00 PM, PT) and is available to stream on Paramount+**.

So, looking forward to this special episode of Beyond the Gates when Dani is put on a blast during a blast from her past and Welcome to Your Life TV special? Share your thoughts via the comment section.

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Days Of Our Lives

‘Days of our Lives’ Reveals Kyle Pryor Cast as Dominic Marino

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Kyle Pryor

For months now, Days of our Lives has teased the character of Dominic Marino. In recent weeks, viewers learned that Marino is on the down low working with Sami Brady’s (Alison Sweeney) apparent fiancé ‘Dante Vitali (Franco LoPresti), and that he is the never-before-heard-of child of Stefano DiMera (the late Joseph Mascolo) and Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall)!

Up until now, the Peacock streaming soap opera has never revealed his face, but that all seemed to change on the Tuesday, October 2o episode of DAYS. In story, Dante met Sami’s parents for the first time, Roman (Josh Taylor) and Marlena.

He shows them a photo of Dominic, which he happened to have on his own phone and even commented he kind of looked like he could be Marlena’s son. The photo, which has quickly made it around Soap Twitter/X, revealed that British-born actor Kyle Pryor is the man in the photo and eagle-eyed viewers actually located said photo on Pryor’s Instagram.

Dominix

Photo: Peacock

Deadline revealed Pryor started taping at the end of 2025 and will first be seen in the role, on air Monday, November 2.  In addition, Days will celebrate its 61st Anniversary with two special episodes featuring Dominic’s arrival, as well the returns of Tony and Anna DiMera, played respectively by Thaao Penghlis and Leann Hunley, on Friday, November 6 and Monday, November 9.

Those in the know, are are that Pryor previously held series regular roles on Australia’s Home and Away, and the UK’s Hollyoaks and guest starred on Emmerdale. In an ironic twist, Pryor appeared in the series Spartacus: Blood and Sand which is the same action series his apparent TV brother, Dan Feuerriegel (EJ DiMera), once appeared in before coming to DAYS.

So excited to see Kyle Pryor take on the role of Dominic Marino as Days of our Lives sets its anniversary story to kick-off with is arrival in Salem? Share your thoughts in the comment section. And in case you missed our latest conversation with Conner Floyd (Chad DiMera) he weighs-in on how Dominic’s appearance will shake things up in Salem. You can check that out below.

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