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Guiding Light and All My Children Favorite, Marj Dusay Dies At 83

PhotoL JPI

She was a force to be reckoned with on the daytime soaps, and because of it ,fans and critics alike loved her performances as Guiding Light’s Alexandra Spaulding (1993-97 and 1998-99, and 2002-09) and All My Children’s evil Vanessa Bennett (1999-2002).  But now Marj Dusay, who played these roles and so many others in her illustrious career has passed away at the age of 83.

The news came via her step-daughter, Elizabeth Perine on facebook who revealed that Marj past away on Tuesday stating: “I’m so very sad to have to tell you that my stepmother Marj passed away peacefully yesterday morning in her sleep. She was quite a woman and had quite a grand life. She was deeply loved and will be deeply missed.:

But not only did Marj portray Alexandra and Vanessa on daytime, she also had stints as Myrna Clegg on Capitol, Vivian Alamain on DAYS and Pamela Conrad Capwell on Santa Barbara.

Dusay also appeared on TV in Facts of Life, The Odd Couple, Star Trek, Hogan’s HeroesMod SquadGet SmartMannixPhyllisBarnaby JonesHart to Hart and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and many other series.

Share your remembrances and condolences of and for Marj Dusay in the comment section below.  But first check out these scene from her work on Guiding Light!

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Loved her on Santa Barbara. She was a great actress. RIP

The lady had something special that she brought to each of her roles. She was always fun to watch even when she was evil. One of the greats of daytime.

She was also in 1969s Dan Curtis pilot… Dead Of Night: Darkness At Blaisdon…(spelling)

Oh, she was wonderful. Sad, sad day.

A daytime institution!
Vanessa was deliciously wicked. Was sad that she left AMC when Josh Duhamel departed, however that made for quite an exit story.

Her scenes opposite James Mitchell and Vincent Irizarry were always top notch.

RIP

So sorry to hear this. She was truly the best!

Oh, sad. She was one of my favorites ….always bringing her A game to every role. Condolences to her family.

She created one masterpiece after another after another. She was truly gifted and will be missed. My condolences to her family.

Truly underrated actress. Loved her in each role she played. She first entered my radar on a nighttime TV movie, “Murder in Peyton Place.” Remarkable performer (who could forget her scenes with her brother Alan died in the final episodes of “Guiding Light”?).

How sad. Rest in Peace, sweet lady.

I remember her brief stint on Capitol as Myrna Clegg following the death of Carolyn Jones. I loved her on Guiding Light and All My Children. She was a great actress and I’m very sad to hear of her passing. R.I.P.

So sad to hear the news. You forget that as you age so do those who you watched when younger and that is how I remember her on SB, Days and AMC. RIP dear lady.

Such very sad news. She did a terrific job on All My Children. May she rest in peace.

Golly! I thought of her as one of the Grand Dames of daytime TV; daytime royalty. She gave us so many wonderful performances and was always a calss act. Rest in Peace, Ms. Dusay.

She was always fun to watch, and somehow — I don’t know how — she managed to follow in the footsteps of the great Beverlee McKinsey and make Alexandra Spaulding her own. Different, of course, which is how it should be — no one wants to watch a pale imitation. But with a new spin on Alex, she was delightful. Rest in peace, and thank you for the entertainment.

Great actress. She was so dominating on screen. She reminded you of Susan Hayward. Another soap great leaves the scene.

Sad News. I forgot how well she played Alexandra until I saw the show clips and her statement to Annie Dutton: “You are NOT a natural born shark like me!” And we believed her! Condolences to her family. Miss GL so much.

One of the best. Really enjoyed her work. RIP!

Very sad news, indeed!!!! Miss Dusay brought a true touch of class and glamour to every soap grande dame role she inhabited, which she always portrayed with the greatest measure of style and aplomb! One was never disappointed when Marj was large and in charge of any fictional daytime locale because she clearly owned the place—-and on her own terms, to boot! She was also a very elegant, gutsy lady offscreen, as well! I fondly recall her vocal support for fellow Russell, Kansas native Senator Bob Dole in the 1996 general election…At the time, I remember thinking how brave that was for any actress working in an industry that was so hugely and blindly infatuated with all things Clinton, yet Miss Dusay never forgot either her roots, or the huge sacrifices that her hometown’s hero, Senator Dole, had made during World War II in which he was gravely injured, left maimed for life and persevered through to become one of this nation’s most influential and inspirational politicians. Due to their shared strong personal ties to the place from which they both hailed, Miss Dusay proudly and loyally campaigned for Russell’s courageous “local son” in his run for the highest office in the land. (By the way, she also tirelessly championed many Kansas state and city charities long into her successful acting career on both coasts.) Before that, I was already a major Marj Dusay fan, but from that moment on, she forever gained my admiration as a real woman of great character!!!!! She will be missed!

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George Cheeks, CBS President & CEO, on Timeline to Launch New Daytime Drama, ‘The Gates’: “We’re So Focused on Getting it Right”

March 2024 will be remembered in the TV and soap world when the news broke that CBS is prepping a brand new daytime drama. Many had thought a major network would never bring a new daytime soap into the world, given that the last time it was attempted was 25 years ago when the now defunct Passions bowed on NBC.

However, The Gates is definitely in development and moving forward with some major players associated with it including: Michele Val Jean as The Gates writer, showrunner and one of its executive producers, and Sheila Ducksworth from NAACP Venture

Now, for the first time since its announcement, George Cheeks, the president and CEO of CBS and chief content officer for news and sports at Paramount+, spoke on the project that will feature a Black family as its central focus who live in a wealthy gated community.

Photo: NAACP

Speaking with Vulture, and when asked if The Gates is really something that truly has a chance of getting on the air, Cheeks clarified, “It’s super real. And just to give you a little bit of the backstory,  when we hired Sheila Ducksworth to run the NAACP Venture, she and I had multiple meetings talking about what different genres she was going to lean into, and we talked a lot about daytime.”

Cheeks added, “One of the things that the data made very clear to both of us is that daytime soap operas over index with Black women, and yet when you look at soap operas, it’s usually sort of a white-led family with supporting characters that reflect more of our society. So we just thought, wouldn’t it be interesting to flip that and make the core anchor family a Black family, and then make the other characters reflect more the broader scope of society?”

Photo: JPI

The CEO gave props to Michele Val Jean,  and how Ducksworth came to the table with the former B&B and GH writer. “She found this great writer, Michele Val Jean, who’s been in the soap opera space for 30 years. She came up with a pitch, and we loved it,” shares Cheeks. “We brought Procter & Gamble into it as well, because if there were going to be (product) integrations, we could do it more holistically and organically. All of that is to say, we did a lot of work on the front end to put this together. So while yes, it’s development, it’s accelerated development.”

When prodded on the timeline of when The Gates could come to full fruition, Gates related, “The actual timeline and when we’re going to do it is still uncertain, because we want to get this right. I mean, there hasn’t been a new soap opera launch since I can’t even begin to tell you when. But we have great success with Bold and the Beautiful and Young and the Restless, and so we think we’re the right folks to be launching a new soap. I wish I could tell you more about exact timing, but we’re so focused on getting it right, and that will dictate when we’re ready to launch it.”

The CBS exec also shared that whether The Gates will wind up an hour soap or half-hour is not yet determined, but that it is being developed as an hour show.

So, after reading what George Cheeks, the CBS President & CEO had to say about ‘The Gates’, are you even more excited for what looks to the first new network soap in 25 years? Comment below.

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Robyn Bernard, ‘General Hospital’s’ Terry Brock, Dead at 64

Former General Hospital star, Robyn Bernard, who played aspiring singer Terry Brock has died. She was 64-years-old.

Bernard’s body was found Tuesday in San Jacinto, California. A Riverside County Coroner told TMZ they identified the actress’ body using her fingerprints after deputies responded to a death investigation call on Tuesday March 12th.

Sources told the outlet that Bernard’s body was found in the wee hours of the morning. The cause of death has yet to be determined.

Photo: ABC

Bernard joined General Hospital back in 1984 as Terry Brock, the daughter of the abusive D.L. Brock (played by David Groh). Robyn remained on the ABC soap opera for six years before making her exit in 1990. At one point, Terry’s stepmother would become Bobbie Spencer (the late Jackie Zeman) when the nurse married her father.

Terry was involved in the Laurelton Murders storyline and after first setting her sights on Frisco Jones, wound up with killer Kevin O’Connor. Later, Terry was blamed for several murders and in the end killed Kevin in self-defense. In addition, Terry had a relationship with Dusty Walker played by none other than Shaun Cassidy.  She eventually left Port Charles after landing her own recording contract.

Photo: ABC

The last time GH Fans may have seen Bernard was in 2014, when she appeared at the GH Fan Club Weekend Past Cast event. Robyn is pictured below with the late Susan Brown (ex-Gail) at the fan gathering. She has been out of the limelight for several years.

Photo: JPI

In addition to her role on GH, Bernard was featured throughout her TV career on primetime’s Simon & Simon, Tour of Duty and The Facts of Life.

Share your remembrances and condolences for GH alum Robyn Bernard and her loved ones via the comment section below.

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51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Announce Broadcast Date on CBS

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) revealed on Tuesday, that the 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be broadcast live on Friday night, June 7th (8 – 10 PM, ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+*.

This year will mark the 18th time CBS has broadcast the Daytime Emmy Awards, which is more than any other network.

The 2024 Daytime Emmys will take place at the Westin Bonaventure in downtown Los Angeles. Back in December of 2023, the delayed 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards were also held at that venue. The June 7th date for the upcoming ceremony will be the first time in several years that the event is scheduled a few weeks earlier than normal; excluding last year’s revised date to the actors and writers strikes.

Photo: NATAS

Lifetime Achievement honoree, nominations, host, and additional information will be announced in the coming weeks.

In a statement, Adam Sharp, President and CEO of NATAS noted, “We eagerly anticipate our return in June as we once again partner with CBS to recognize the exceptional and talented individuals who make daytime television great. We’re thrilled to kick off our second half-century of the Daytime Emmys.”

The Daytime Emmy Awards have recognized outstanding achievement in television programming and crafts since 1974, 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.

Photo: JPI

The 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will once again be produced by NATAS and Associated Television International (ATI), which produced Daytime Emmy Award ceremonies on The CW in 2009 and on CBS in 2010, 2011, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Adam Sharp and Lisa Armstrong are executive producers from NATAS, while David McKenzie is executive producer from ATI.

So, glad to know that the 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards honoring performance and shows in the 2023 calendar year, will be held in early June this year, and once again broadcast on CBS? Comment below.

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