Breaking News
Judith Chapman Confirms She Is Back On DAYS And As Leo’s Mom
Exciting news DAYS fans, those rumblings were true! Judith Chapman will be playing the trouble-making Leo Stark’s (Greg Rikaart) mother on Days of our Lives. And that reunites Chapman with Rikaart as mother and son.
As soap fans know, they played Gloria and Kevin Fisher on The Young and the Restless for many years together. Now they will be playing a new mother/son dynamic duo in Salem. But, just what kind of twisted relationship might they have, since Leo has given clues that she was a bad mom?
Soap Opera Digest revealed that Judith will play Diana. Her first airdate will be on January 29th. DAYS fans know Judith from her time as Angelica Deveraux from 1989-1991, and most recently when she returned to the show for the 2018 Halloween episode doing a guest-turn as Angelica AKA Satan in Hattie’s (Deidre Hall) nightmare.
Chapman confirmed her arrival on the Salem scene in a tweet today, stating “And I don’t have to keep the secret either Mitch Sandusky! What a GREAT way to start 2019… More articles to come in TV Guide Magazine and Soap Opera Digest… and to be reunited with my TV son.
Diana will have a past with John Black (Drake Hogestyn), which could cause trouble for John and Marlena’s wedded bliss.
So, excited to know Judith will once again tear up the soap-screen, but this time back on DAYS? Comment below.
Love that Judith is returning to Days, doesn’t matter her role – she is outstanding!!
Same here Nicole, Judith and Kevin already have played mother and son so well on Y&R, they are going to really chew up the scenery together on DAYS!
Connection to John Black? Diana? Is this Diana Colville?
Hmmmm–WOW, Scot!! Yes, could very well be Diana!!
And then Leo is Johns other son
Yes, and maybe she is John’s Other Wife. Sorry, couldn’t resist the reference to a very old Soap, that only old timers like me will know.
Rons a idiot….recasting her….Diana was a big character for 3years. They probaly couldnt afford Genie francis back.
[Mic drop]
Yas!
I’ll begin the discussion by saying that it’s a great idea using Judith as Leo’s mother. The best choice the show could make.On another topic, Why Ron are you writing Zander as a person who can’t fight? There is no way that Eric should have been able to pen Zander against the wall without him defending himself. Don’t allow this show to become one sided. Plus, I agree with everything DA Trask said about the police in Salem; there’s too much favoritism in that town. I would love for her to become the mayor ; not for just a few months, but for a while. I’m tired of them railroading Ben , allowing Gabi and Kate to walk without consequences , and whatever other crimes that exist.
i’m hoping Xander is really trying to toe the line.. keep his cool… remain under control… at all times… ie: Celia N JimH.. that Xander is wanting to prove to Victor that his allegiance will bring down Leo… who by all accounts tongue wagging Leo has a crush on. there are so many interesting plot points that this could all play out. Xander saves Sonny case closed … argh !?!?
I am already smitten and WANT Paul Tolfer’Xander on the show. he’s zany … dastardly… OK every physical attribute ON… etc from day 1 I saw the chemistry with the best of the best Victor Kiriakis… who wants nothing more than HIS FAMILY at the helm .. first family indeed… w/Xander PUHLEASE
also the fan following of the best mother/son duo .. is back on the air… legions of following… three actors who are beguiling so much hoopla and town mayhem could should and will ensue with this twosome… so.. no one truly wants either of them to take the fall. they are beloved enough…acting class stand in line. dang it
three misfits… three fired up presence… savor all of it
Xander / Leo / Diana – the grand dame of highest order Judith Chapman….
I LOVE THEM
The whole Leo hitting on Xander thing is basically yet another ReRon rewrite, in this case it’s just like when he had Brad trying to sleep with Mikey on GH. Mikey was completely hetero and not remotely interested, so eventually Brad gave up and went after Mikey’s uncle Lucas.
Of course Xander isn’t Mikey, so of course he’s going to find a way to play this thing to his advantage. I’m guessing he won’t actually go through with sex with Leo, but he will be able to make Leo think he did. Which probably means drugs of some sort will be involved.
I agree, I am ready for Xander, Leo and Diana in the mansion!
Blake, oh, Blake!!… so happy I’m not the only one who doesn’t like Sarah!!
Not a good match for Eric, at all….she seems desperate, if you ask me. That’s the problem with these shows….as soon as one of the characters has been hurt; feels used; has a cold ( LOL), he/she has the need to ‘do’ someone else…..
Sarah is not sticking to me—-I wish she’d go away.
What will happen when Nicole comes back? Been there; done that–
Eric needs to mourn. Leave the guy alone…..
Exactly, Patrick…..Xander needs to do something drastic to prove himself and be accepted by unkie.
He’s a wily one….so, he needs to play his cards right. Leo is smitten. Xander can use this to his advantage–question is; will he go through the bed “tumbling”?
Knock, knock ….who’s there? Unkie Vic?….or, will Sonny simply walk in? Coitus interruptus? LOL.
I thought Eric pinning Xander against the wall was stupid also. Plus we’re not cheering for Eric lately, he’s wrapped up with the horrible Sarah lately and they are annoying AF.
Blake, am agreeing with all you say, especially Sarah. She’s the same twit she was on B&B. She’s like a pesty gnat, you’d like to swat away. Also, its hard to believe she’s Maggie’s daughter. I think the best one was the gal, Brady found on the beach in L.A. I don’t know the other daughter. She doesn’t seem like much of a doctor either. Probably got her license off of the internet.
Ugh….
Never liked her
And uh…. “Diana will have a past with John Black”??
Is this to imply that this character is supposed to be Diana Colville, the character played by Genie Francis in the late 1980s? Because that would be a completely ridiculous excuse for a recast (ReRon strikes again)
Diana was also pregnant when she left Salem, if a Devil remembers correctly. So that implies that Leo would be John’s kid?? John has two long lost sons, both of them turn out to be gay and both interfere with Will & Sonny’s relationship?? What are the odds of that actually happening??
To be fair (and of course, the Devil is never fair), what are the odds of just about anything that takes place on a soap happening in real life? 🙂
Love your name, SonniSolita! I’ve been watching Guiding Light clips on youtube. What a great character and actress!
LOVE THIS!
Diana’s last name wouldn’t happen to be Colville, would it? As for Leo, he is such a scum that i bet Diana will turn out to be a sweetheart and it was always Leo who treated her badly. I’m just glad Judith will be on our screens again. She is one actress who should always be employed because she is so good.
Judith Chapman really does need to stay on soaps. Y&Rs lost is Days gain.
Always like Judith glad to see her back on Days.It was just awhile ago I saw her on the Young and the Restless boring show.I usually dont watch it but Judith was on that day.She makes a great villain .I can’t wait to see what is going to happen when she comes back.Always been a fan of hers.Welcome home Judith
Awesome news! I love Miss Chapman, have for years. And always a big fan of Mr. Rikaart too. They work so well together. Y&R’s loss and DOOL’s gain. Please DOOL, keep the two vital and in the Salem mix. Don’t let DOOL turn into GH, bloated with too many characters and repetitive tropes.
Uh, you do realize who it was who bloated GH with “too many characters and repetitive tropes.”, right?
Yep, it was ReRon. And he did so, by doing exactly what he’s doing now in Salem… bringing in a bunch of new people from other soaps and making THEM the focus of the show, rather than the actual Days characters.
I do. My hope though is DOOL learned from GH and uses the excitement of new people and familiar actors to propel stories for legacy characters. It can be done. But you are very wise, Satan (!), in your assessment. We could be traveling the same wonky Port Charles highway to nowhere now in Salem. I just hope not.
Ron isn’t bloating Days, in the year and a half he’s been with the show he’s great at keeping all characters on the air and in a story. And like all soaps have done in the past when characters, especially contract players leave is when he brings on other characters. Example is Abby and Chad are leaving the show in a few weeks, and that’s when Diana and Jordan are returning to the show. Plus we know Jordan is just for a short term visit, not sure about Judith Chapman though. I’d love for her to be on contract. Plus a lot of actors are on one year contracts: Greg Rikaart, Kyle Lowder, the actor who plays Ted.
Nice to see Judith working…what a loss for Y&R though. Wish she AND Greg were back. Y&R has lost SOOOOOOO many of the greats. Hard to watch these days.
But not hard to watch these DAYS!
So excited to have Judith back on my soap!! She’ll be divine with Greg.
Ron C has a way of tying the show’s history into new characters he introduces well. He did that on GH (to varying degrees of effectiveness) and he’s already proven his ability to do that on DAYS. So Diana having a past with John, meaning she will likely be revealed as Diana Colville, jives with his writing style.
But the real goldmine here is that Judith and Greg will be playing mother and son again! Gloria and Kevin were a highlight of Y&R, and a dynamic that has been sorely missed since both characters were written out. Leo has already caused so much chaos for the Kiriakis family, and if Judith really is Diana Colville, her past with Victor is sure to continue the chaos for months to come!
But Dianna as played by Genie Francis was a heroine, not a bitchy type that Judith does so well. In the same way that Rex was a stand up guy and not a cad as he’s played now by Kyle Lowder. I don’t think I like that they are returning characters in with actors who had previously been in different roles. It sure gets confusing. I would have liked Angelica to come back from the dead and turn out to be Leo’s mother. Her initiials were on one of those doors AD…but I guess that will be Andre Dimera instead.
AD should be Alexandria DiMera(Lexie Carver)!
That actually would be an interesting twist. But Renee Jones retired from acting. And the last thing we need is yet another ridiculous ReRon recast.. Who would ReRon cast as Lexie? I’m guessing some blonde actress from OLTL??
DAYS must do everything possible to get Renee Jones to return, but if she says no a thousand times, Victoria Rowell. If that can’t happen, leave Lexie linger.
If they still did recast announcements on the show they could say “the role of Diana Colville is being recreated by Judith Chapman”, the way they did with Marj Dusay on Guiding Light when she was recast as Alexandra Spaulding.
Ive wanted to see Diana colville back since she left in 1989….rons ruined it by recasting…he might aswell just bring her in as some random new character. Total fu**ed up ron
Judith Chapman! What a treat!
Great to hear the rumors are true. I think Judith will be wonderful on Days right now, especially as Leo’s mother. Imagine her going at it with Adrienne, Maggie and Marlena. And hopefully flirting with Victor and John. Can’t wait for this!
This is fantabulous!! Mother and son re-unite!! Yeayyyy! Love both these actors….in the hope that their connection as mother and son will be as strong and entertaining as “Gloria” and “Kevin”….this I “gotta” see!
Also, I am soooo enjoying Xander and Leo–hilarious!!
We now need Doug Davidson as David Banning
Was hoping when he opens the door, she will say “hello angel”, Gloria’s name for Kevin. Never thought a character I’ve liked so much, could become one, I can’t stand watching. Guess it shows what a great actor Greg Rikaart is. Hope I spelled that right.
Hi, Violet,
If you remember, we all detested Kevin when he first came to GC…..he was truly a devious meanie–then, he ‘grew’ into a good guy….with an edge. The same may happen with Leo and Xander. I love both these actors, so I hope they stick around.
You spelled the name right…..Greg has become such a household name for Y&R watchers, the spelling comes naturally…..especially for me; I butcher every newcomer’s name ….especially the character-name. I’m still not sure about Jack’s new love ( he’s almost forty years older—-sad, sad state of affairs!!–I don’t get it). Carey? Carol? LOL.
AWESOME NEWS!!!!!!!!!!
Judith Chapman is one of the best actresses out there. Why she has not been cast in more movies and primetime is beyond me. She delivers her lines with charm, wit and trueness. But her acting is not just the words and the emotions. She uses her body as we would with hand gestures, winks, turns, sauntering in and out of a room, etc.
For me that’s a true actor/actress. Right now too many on daytime specifically are being praised for speaking their lines beautifully but there is no emotion in their body language. You see it because while they say the words they are just standing there. They show emotion but don’t move with it. Ms Chapman does. She comes in, points her finger and calls you out as Gloria on Y&R. She dismisses you with a twist of an arm. She encourages you with a wink of the eye.
All those things make the simplest of lines effective. Any actor can scream. Any can cry. Some can preach. Few can make a statement perfectly with body language.
Y&R and the just left Mal are missing out on the amazing talents of people likeChapman who aren’t on contract and move on. While the chance to come back to Y&R because days isSony as well. We saw it with Eileen Davidson.
Days, use this actress to the benefit of your show. Don’t make her caricature. Have a plan that last longer than one story. It will only benefit days and the fans. And PLEASE don’t just make her Greg’s character’s sidekick. Let ms Chapman shine bright!
Diana Colville left Salem thirty years ago. A lot can happen to a person in that time. If Diana Cooper is Diana Colville, I’m all for it. Why would anyone have a problem with John Black having two gay sons? My partner comes from a family of four boys and three of them are gay. Real life is often stranger than fiction.
Two gay sons wouldn’t be all that unusual. Both of them being used as dopey plot points to break up Will & Sonny is the ridiculous part.
Love Judith Chapman she was fantastic as Gloria on Y&R, that is their loss and Days gain, so sorry I will not be seeing her on Y&R anymore.
I read somewhere that she’ll be back eventually. Probably when Jack needs her most.
Breaking News
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.
Let the countdown begin! #DaytimeEmmys nominations are coming this Friday at noon ET, with a special sneak peek tomorrow on @accesshollywood @enews @etnow @extratv! pic.twitter.com/aL5PFYXBCL
— Daytime Emmys (@DaytimeEmmys) April 17, 2024
Breaking News
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.
It’s go time! #TheGates
CBS Orders ‘The Gates’ To Series; Daytime Sudser To Debut In January https://t.co/75KJZWyh3l
— Michele Val Jean (@MicheleValJean) April 15, 2024
Breaking News
‘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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