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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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51st Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Set to Be Announced

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences revealed on Wednesday via X, that this year’s 51st annual Daytime Emmy Nominations are set to be announced in full on Friday, April 19th at 12 pm ET/9 am PT.

However, four of the top award category nominations will be revealed on Thursday, April 18th across four entertainment news programs to kick things off.

Those include this Thursday episodes of Access Hollywood, E! News, Entertainment Tonight and Extra. Over the past few years, NATAS has often let the syndicated entertainment news program handle the duties of revealing the top actor and actress in a daytime drama series, but we shall see which categories the shows unveil this year.

Photo/AP

As previously announced, the 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be presented in ceremonies on Friday night, June 7th on CBS (8 – 10 PM, ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+*.

The awards will be back at The Bonaventure hotel in downtown Los Angeles, where (the delayed due to the actors and writers strike) 50th annual Daytime Emmy Awards were held back in December of 2023.

Look for the full nominations to be posted right here at Michael Fairman TV and you can follow along on Friday on the Daytime Emmys social platforms as well.

Photo: AP

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.

The 51st Daytime Emmy Nominations will honor the work and achievement from the calendar year of 2023.

So, who would you like to see in the running for gold when the Daytime Emmy nominations in the key acting and show categories are revealed? Share your thoughts below.

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CBS Orders Michele Van Jean Soap Opera ‘The Gates’ to Series; Set to Debut January 2025

Great news! Soap fans are getting the first new daytime drama in 25 years with the news today that CBS has moved Michele Van Jean’s The Gates to a series order.

In addition, the show is set to bow in January 0f 2025, which means that it appears that the new soap will replace The Talk, which was just canceled and will end after its upcoming 15th season in December of 2024.  No specific time period, or exact premiere date has been set as of yet.

In the premise of the The Gates it follows lives of a wealthy Black family who live in a luxurious gated community.

Photo: CBS

The Gates has Val Jean as its writer, showrunner and one of its executive producers. Soap fans know Val Jean’s work best for her work on the writing teams of General Hospital and The Bold and the Beautiful.  Taking to X, Michele shared: “It’s go time” citing the news on the show coming to CBS in 2025 via Deadline.

Sheila Ducksworth, Leon Russell, Derrick Johnson and Kimberly Doebereiner will serve as executive producers on The Gates production team. The soap has been in development through a the joint venture between CBS Studios and the NAACP, which was established to help elevate a diverse range of voices and increase the visibility of Black artists.

The series will be produced by the CBS Studios/NAACP venture in partnership with P&G Studios, which is a division of Procter & Gamble, who used to be very big in the soap opera game.

Are you excited to know that we are truly getting the first new soap opera in over two and a half decades added to a network TV line-up? Comment below.

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‘The Talk’ Renewed For 15th and Final Season to End in December; Does Its Cancellation Make Room for ‘The Gates’?

Things just got very interesting over at CBS daytime with the announcement today that The Talk is going to end its run on the network after its 15th season, and that season looks to be shortened as the series will come to its conclusion in December of 2024.

In a joint statement, Amy Reisenbach, President, CBS Entertainment and David Stapf, President, CBS Studio, shared, “The Talk broke new ground when it launched 14 years ago by returning daytime talk to CBS with a refreshing and award-winning format. Throughout the years, it has been a key program on CBS’ top rated daytime line-up as it brought timely, important and entertaining topics and discussions into living rooms around the globe.”

Reisenback and Stapf added, “It goes without saying that hosting and producing a year-round talk show is no easy task, and we express our sincere gratitude to our amazing hosts Akbar Gbajabiamila, Amanda Kloots, Natalie Morales, Jerry O’Connell and Sheryl Underwood, our Executive Producer/Showrunner Rob Crabbe and the hardworking producing team and crew.

Photo: CBS

Giving props to those who co-hosted or worked on the show through the years including: Sara Gilbert, Julie Chen Moonves, Carrie Ann Inaba Leah Ramimi, Marissa Janet Winokur, Holly Robinson Peete, Eve, Aisha Tyler, and Sharon Osbourne, the joint statement added, “We also want to acknowledge our former show hosts and colleagues who contributed throughout the seasons. We truly appreciate the skill, creativity, and dedication everyone involved brought to the show every day.  And of course, we thank the numerous guests who appeared, and the millions of viewers who tuned in daily. For the final season, we plan to celebrate the show and give it the proper sendoff it deserves when it concludes in December 2024.”

While no firm decision or announcement has been given at this time, it seems most likely that The Talk’s time slot could be given to the new soap opera in development The Gates from CBS Studio Ventures and from longtime soap opera writer. Michele Val Jean.  As previously reported, The Gates features the lives of a wealthy Black family who reside in a posh, gated community.

Photo: JPI

The Talk was originally the brainchild of Sara Gilbert, who had developed the show when it launched back 2010 and it replaced the beloved As the World Turns which went off the air after 54 years when CBS canceled it.

So, what do you think of The Talk being canceled? Will this make room for The Gates to begin to air in its spot beginning in 2025? Share your reactions to the news via the comment section.

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