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OLTL's Erika Slezak on Zimmer, Passanante, her bandage & more!
Courtesy/ABC
The November newsletter is out from One Life to Live’s six-time Daytime Emmy winner, Erika Slezak (Viki Banks) on her website www.erikalslezak.com In it, there is a brand new Q&A with the legendary actresses which addresses many of the changes in front of the camera and behind-the-scenes in recent months at OLTL! Here are just a few excerpts!
Erika on former ATWT head scribe, Jean Passanante on the OLTL writing team : “Jean has been working since June (I think), which is when “As the World Turns’” production shut down. They had that much in the can when they went off the air in September, because they had finished shooting somewhere at the end of June or early July. So she came to us then, and yes, she has just been wonderful. She is a breakdown writer but she sits in on all of the meetings, and apparently has had some very good ideas. The whole Echo story, which I love, was Ron’s idea. Jean is very, very intelligent and very savvy as to this business. And so she knows how to direct things and where to go. I think she is going to be a great addition, and already has been one to the writing team.”
Erika on working with Kim Zimmer in the reigniting of the Echo/Viki feud: “It is delightful – absolutely delightful. You know, I said to her, “I can’t wait to hear that big ol’ laugh of yours!” She’s just a joy and she is so professional. She knew exactly how to do it and what to do. It was a little different for her because she has spent the last couple of years practically on location. She said, “Oh, it is so nice to have a studio.” And she’s just been wonderful. We have had a lot of scenes together – very fun scenes. She’s been working with Robin a bit and they’re having a great time. The whole thing has just turned out well. She and Brian Kerwin get along brilliantly. Yes, the whole thing is just working out really well. I like the story – I like where it is going. It gets much more complicated, of course, as time goes by, but I like it.”
Erika on the bandage Viki was wearing in recent scenes above her temple: “That was real life. I had a little pre-cancerous thing, and I’m not sure what it is called – a lesion or something. It was a little bump on my right temple that wasn’t going away. I spoke to the dermatologist and he cryogenically tried to remove it – they freeze it with this stuff, and anyone who has gone to a dermatologist knows what it is. If it didn’t go away after freezing, they would have to biopsy it. So, a couple of weeks later, it hadn’t gone away, so they biopsied it and said it was a basil-cell skin cancer, which is a pre-cancerous condition. In order for it not to advance and become cancer, they removed it in what was a very simple procedure.”
Make sure to read the rest of the newsletter with Erika on her thoughts on Terri Colombino coming to Llanview, (Erika screen-tested all of the Aubrey’s) and how she feels that the show is not in danger of cancellation anytime soon, with all the upgrades the show has made in production quality while pairing down the budgets at the same time to ensure its future.
It looks like the current run of Lucas Adams (Noah) and Tamara Braun (Sienna) on The Young and the Restless is coming to an end, after the Monday, August 3 edition of the CBS daytime drama revealed that Noah and Sienna are leaving Genoa City and heading back to Los Angeles.
In the storyline, Noah informed his mother, Sharon (Sharon Case) and half-sister Mariah (Camryn Grimes) that he and Sienna made the decision to move back to the West Coast to put distance between themselves and Matt Clark (Roger Howarth). Although Noah did not say it was a permanent move, he did assure his mom that once Matt is hopefully gone from Genoa City they could return.
However, as previewed already on the video teaser for this week’s episodes of Y&R (see below), it appears Noah left Genoa City’s The Shadow Room to be run by a returning Danny Romalotti (Michael Damian). So with that, coupled with today’s episode, it would appear the move could wind up being more permanent.
Photo: JPI
COMINGS AND GOINGS
Adams made his Y&R debut on November 4, 2025 as the successor to Rory Gibson who last played Noah on-screen in April of 2023. Earlier in 2025, Gibson took over the role of Michael Corinthos on Genera Hospital replacing Chad Duell, who stepped away from the part after 15 years.
Braun who played Adam’s mother on Days of Our Lives when she was Ava Vitali and he was Tripp Dalton, first appeared on Y&R back on October 14, 2025, where we soon learned she had become Noah’s lover as the new character, Sienna Bacall. It should be noted, Adams was on contract with the number #1 soap, while Braun has been on recurring status.
With Josh Griffith now exited as head writer of The Young and the Restless, and the newly announced co-head writing team of Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor having taken his place and starting their new tenure this week, it will be interesting to see how the duo resets the show, and if a Noah and Sienna return is in the cards for the future or not.
So, what do you think about the seeming departures of Lucas Adams and Tamara Braun from The Young and the Restless? Weigh-in via the comment section. But first, check out our recent live chat with Tamara and Lucas on the Michael Fairman Channel.
Rosie O’Donnell revealed that she plans to head back to a seat at the table of ABC’s morning talk show The View.
The announcement came during Monday’s episode of The Tangle Podcast where she shared she will participate in “in whatever way they want” her or “just as a guest” for its upcoming 30th season.
The View’s season 30 will kick-off this fall in September. O’Donnell explained, “They’re bringing back all the hosts, I think. And, you know, I’m pretty proud of that show, what it’s become and how it really speaks to the people and to politics.”
Photo: ABC
ROSIE ON HER PREVIOUS GO-ROUNDS ON THE VIEW
As fans of The View know, O’Donnell famously had two different one-year stints on the talk show in 2007 and again in 2014- 2015. She often feuded with then co-host Elizabeth Hasselbeck.
However, during her discussion with host, Kyle Ridley on The Tangle Podcast, O’Donnell also noted she often had tense moments with longtime moderator and anchor, Whoopi Goldberg.
O’Donnell also expressed, “Many, many people got the short end of the stick there. It was, you know, it was a factory where people were being churned in and out and their tenuous security, nobody got to be calm. It also was a show at the time that was run by a man. A show created by a woman, for women, about women, and the man was deciding what we should talk about. And that didn’t sit right with me, you know.”
Back in 2023, Brooke Shields had asked Rosie on her podcast, Now What? with Brooke Shields, about how she felt on her two stints at The View and all the controversy that surrounded it. Rosie at that time, stated, “I know this, it’s not the best use of my talent to get in a show where I have to argue and defend basic principles of humanity and kindness. It was not something I’d ever do again.”
You can check out the clip with Rosie and Kyle Ridley discussing her return to The View in some form for its upcoming 30th season below.
Then weigh-in: Would you be excited to see Rosie, even for a one-day or a week guest stint on the upcoming celebratory season of The View, or not so much? Let us know via the comment section.
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General Hospital Fan Club Weekend brought out many of your favorites to the four day event; with the main cast gathering on Saturday, August 1. Fans near and far attended the weekend held this year at the Burbank Marriott Hotel. Whether it be the main cast event or the smaller more intimate events featuring two or three cast members a great time was had by all.
Some of the cast participating in the main cast event included: Cyrus Hobbi (Yuri), Gary James Fuller (James), Bradford Anderson (Spinelli), Viron Weaver (Wiley), Paige Herschell (Jacinda), Chris McKenna (Brennan), Josh Kelly (Cody), Kayden Brenna Tokarsi (Scout), Cassandra James (Terry), Laura Wright (Carly), Dominic Zamprogna (Dante), Carolyn Hennesy (Diane), Rick Hearst (Ric), Adrian Anchondo (ex-Marco), and Chloe Lanier (ex-Nelle).
In addition to, Van Hansis (Lucas), Cameron Mathison (Drew), Ryan Paevey (ex-Cassius), Easton Rocket Sweda (Leo), Maurice Benard (Sonny), Kristen Vaganos (Molly), Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis), Kate Mansi (ex-Kristina), Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth), Cynthia Watros (Nina), Kristina Wagner (Felicia) and more.
Take a look at some of the snaps from the main event arrivals below:
Photo: HutchinsPhoroi
GH’s Rick Hearst with on-screen daughter, Kristen Vaganos, plus Nancy Lee Grahn, and Kate Mansi.
Photo: HutchinsPhoto
GH’s Maurice Benard on-hand to meet the fans.
Photo: HutchinsPhoto.com
Jack Brennan in the house … Chris McKenna.
Photo: HutchinsPhoto
Adrian Anchondo, Van Hansis and Anchondo’s boyfriend, Days of Our Lives, Colton Little.
Photo: HutchinsPhoto
GH’s Josh Kelly and his gal, the former Nelle Benson of Port Charles, Chloe Lanier.
Photo: HutchinsPhoto
Who is James’ father? Not Cassius or Spinelli, actually. Actors Gary James Fuller, Ryan Paevey and Bradford Anderson!
Photo: HutchinsPhoto
One of General Hospital’s newest cast members, Kayden Brenna Tokarski attends her first GHFCW event.
Check out some more arrival images featuring: Laura Wright (Carly), Cassandra James (Terry), Carolyn Hennesy (Diane) and more in the gallery below.
Michael Fairman TV will be adding more images to this post in the day ahead.
So, were you glad to see so many of your GH favorites attending this year’s General Hospital Fan Club Weekend? Let us know via the comment section.
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Someone who calls Jean Passanante intelligent has to be as stupid as JP. JP along with CG destroyed the wonderful LURE love story on ATWT. Let’s see what Erika Selza has to say when JP will ruin OLTL and bring it down just like she did for ATWT.