In a bombshell announcement, Days of our Lives enduring and ever-popular star, Kristian Alfonso (Hope Williams) has decided to make her exit from the NBC daytime drama series after more than 37 years in her role.

Kristian made her debut as a teenaged Hope Williams in 1983 and quickly rose to popularity and became soap-famous; along with her on-screen romance to Bo Brady then played by Peter Reckell. Together as one of soaps most all-time popular duos and separately, Alfonso has remained one of soap opera’s most notable performers.   There were only two times throughout her time in Salem, that Kristian took breaks from the show; during one of them she starred on CBS’s Falcon Crest.

According to Deadline who broke the news; in a statement to the outlet, Alfonso shared, “I feel blessed and honored to have been invited into people’s homes for over three decades. However, it is now time for me to write my next chapter.”

And it appears its already a wrap for Alfonso, who will not be returning to the series when the show is planned to return to production in the fall and come early September.

Kristian added:  “I will not be returning to Days when it resumes production in September.  I’ve already filmed my last episode several months ago.”

In a heartfelt post on her Instagram account, the actress gave special thanks to the late Betty Corday (mother of DAYS EP Ken Corday), and of course, her millions of fans who loved her as Hope throughout her time on the soap.  You can read it in full below.

 

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#❤️ #😘

A post shared by Kristian Alfonso (@kristianalfonso) on Jul 6, 2020 at 3:00pm PDT

So, what do you think about Kristian Alfonso’s exit from Days of our Lives?  Are you heartbroken to see her go? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

As fans and colleagues of General Hospital and former One Life to Live star, Mark Lawson (Dustin, GH) know, he often posts on his Instagram account at-home workouts from his garage including: exercises with: kettlebells and free weights. In real-life, Lawson is a fitness guru, as well.

In one of his most recent posts over the holiday weekend, Mark used the constant chatter of a potential return of Dominic Zamprogna to GH to reprise his role of Dante Falconeri (which would pit Mark’s school teacher alter-ego Dustin at-odds with Dante, for the love of Lulu (Emme Rylan)) to charge up his workout routine! So what’s a guy to do?  Bicep curls!

Next, fueling his workout in a hilarious send-up, Lawson, as he is curling dumbbells remarks: “You want Dante back? Dante, Dante, Dante … Dominic,Dominic,Dominic … It’s all you talk about.  It’s all you care about, but what about Dustin?  What’s up with Dustin?  Where’s good guy Dustin? School teacher Dustin, who never shot nobody.  Never hurt anybody and all he wanted was a girlfriend.   All everybody talks about is Dante, Dante, Dante. Dominic, Dominic, Dominic.”

You can watch Mark’s IG post below!

Then let us know, if you hope there will be some healthy soap opera competition for the love of Lulu down the line between Dustin and Dante, if Dominic returns to the show.  If he does return, would you be Team Dustin or Team Dante? Share your thoughts via the comment section.

 

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Dante Dante Dante. #anactortrains #trainasif #healthycompetition #goodguydustin #dustinislosingit

A post shared by Mark Lawson (@themarkmlawson) on Jul 2, 2020 at 6:55pm PDT

We loved her as Evangeline Williamson on One Life to Live, and the Broadway world loved her in her Tony Award-winning role as Angelica Schuyler in the musical Hamilton, which today bows on the filmed version on Disney+.  Of course, we are talking about the fabulous Renee Elise Goldsberry who has talent abounds.

In Hamilton, Goldsberry performs a showstopper “Satisfied” as Angelica makes the ultimate sacrifice giving up the man she loves Hamilton played by Lin-Manuel Miranda) to her sister for her sister, Eliza’s (Phillipa Soo) happiness.

Now taking the version of this memorable moment in the theatre and bringing it to life on film also makes for an exciting performance and piece of creative work.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times out today, Renee talks about executing this number in the show just right: “There are things that are technically challenging about that number: on top of the words, there’s the movement and the fact that we’re doing the previous number in reverse the whole time. It was a lot of things to juggle, but that was never hard, that was all intellectual. Even the rap was relatively easy. The most challenging part to sing is that final toast.This is an extremely well-written song. Every word is crafted to analytically take this woman on an emotional, life-altering decision for these three lives. That decision was such a monumentally painful and beautiful thing to do that by the time I’d get to that moment in which she makes that decision, I was so devastated that it was hard to sing that toast. She’s conflicted because, clearly, she wants to stay around this guy, she recognizes his brilliance, but she gets that Eliza is the one. So I imagine this woman having to give this toast to this community, in spite of the pain she felt.I was always worried that somehow or another, I wouldn’t be able to live up to the brilliance of the end of that song because emotionally, I was just trying to manage it. It took me maybe until Broadway to feel OK about it.”

When asked how she felt about seeing “Satisfied” in the movie version of Hamilton available everywhere Friday on Disney+, Goldsberry added: :Seeing it from the audience’s point of view for the first time, I realized there was a whole ‘nother level of storytelling that was going on, separate from me. I mean, Howell Binkley’s lighting design!  And Andy Blankenbuehler’s brilliant choreography, which I could always only see in my peripheral vision. It’s a huge number with the entire company onstage just killing it and basically turning back time with their bodies, and I’m standing in the middle, talking out like a deer in the headlights to the audience about a burst of things that I have to grapple with immediately. I’m very grateful that he made my job much easier.”

Watch a clip of Renee’s performance in the film version of Hamilton below.

Now, let us know if you are planning to watch the highly-anticipated Hamilton over the fourth of July weekend via the comment section and if you are excited to see Renee in her award-winning winning in it?