It’s a big week for fans of One Life to Live star Erika Slezak (ex-Viki). The six-time Daytime Emmy-winning star’s fan club turns an amazing 55-years-old under the constant care and development from Walter Miller.

To celebrate, there is so much more to see at ErikaSlezak.com, which includes a very heartfelt message and thank you’s from Erika herself; recalling how she met Miller and more and the start of the fan club back in 1971.

Erika expressed, “Hello to all my friends who have been with me now over 55 years. It’s absolutely amazing.  A charming and very young man approached me as I was leaving the studio during my first year on OLTL and asked me if he could start a fan club for me. I was very young as well and really knew nothing about fan clubs, etc., but he was so nice and sweet, so I thought, why not?”

The iconic actress went on to say, “And that was the beginning of a wonderful long friendship with Walter Miller, who has been so incredible in being in charge of the fan club and all that that requires. I am so grateful to him for all that he has done over the past 55 years and for our enduring friendship all these years.”

Overwhelmed by her loyal fans, who have been with her for decades, Slezak added, “I never dreamed that the club would last so long, and it is solely due to Walter and all the others who have contributed to the club and website — Angie Schneider, Kit Williams, Stephen Schofield, Vivian Mora-Robaina, Martha Julian, Mike Poirier, and so many others. Can’t quite believe that it has been so long — seems like yesterday. Thank you all for staying with us. And God bless!!”

Photo: ErikaSlezak.com

Now, ErikaSlezak.com has added dozens of new and updated links to rare videos, historical photographs, original newsletters, and treasured Fan Club memorabilia which includes:

Watch Erika Through the Years! The expanded Media section features decades of television appearances, interviews, rare videos, and special moments. Visit Emmy Awards to enjoy acceptance speeches and performance reels celebrating all six of Erika’s historic wins. And don’t miss Erika on General Hospital — 2025, featuring 61 video clips of her scenes as Ronnie Bard, plus photographs and interviews.

Rediscover One Life to Live! Explore Victoria Lord’s memorable storylines, including newly added links to original Fan Club newsletters covering Family Feud, Viki in Heaven, the Old West, Eterna, Viki’s Stroke, and Viki’s Heart. Visit Erika in Her Own Words for Erika’s own recollections preserved in the newsletters, and discover Agnes Nixon’s heartfelt messages in our Congratulatory Booklets.

Photo: JPI

Photographs, Clippings & Fan Memories! The reorganized Photo Gallery features improved decade collections, additional Lord family photographs, and wonderful new finds. The Clippings archive has grown to more than 500 newspaper and magazine items spanning six decades. Super Soap Weekend brings together Vivian Mora-Robaina’s memories, photographs, and ten video links! Our Fan Club Gatherings and Erika with Her Fans — Through the Years collections are now connected, making decades of memories easier to explore.

We Love Hearing From You! Visit the Comments page to tell about your favorite Erika or One Life to Live memory, and more.

A special thank you from Michael Fairman TV to Walter Miller for including some of our wonderful video interviews with Erika over the years! Make sure to check them out.

So, let us know, have you been a member of the Erika Slezak fan club throughout its 55 years? Have you checked out Erika’s website with all of its updated content? Miss seeing the iconic star on daytime? Hope she returns to GH as Ronnie one day soon? Let us know via the comment section.

There will be some fresh faces in Genoa City this fall when the character of Roxanne Barrington returns to town now played by Tetona Jackson, and Fareed Ward takes on the new role of Dr. Andrew Bishop.

The castings are the first revealed from The Young and the Restless’ new co-head writers, Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor, whose material begins airing November 11 on the CBS daytime drama series. TV Insider first broke the news.

The timing of a Roxanne return is intriguing since the original portrayer, Tatyana Ali is back in the pop culture zeitgeist currently competing for the Len Goodman Mirror Ball Trophy on Dancing with the Stars.

Photo: JPI

In story, Devon (Bryton James) and Roxanne were on-again off-again for several years from 2007-2013 until the character left town. Tatyana Ali actually picked up three consecutive NAACP Image Awards for her work on Y&R.

While a newcomer to daytime, Jackson has been a series regular on BET’s Boomerang, the CBS comedy series, Poppa’s House and had a recurring role in Freeform’s Good Trouble that also featured former General Hospital star, Bryan Craig (ex-Morgan Corinthos).

As for Fareed Ward, his new character of Dr. Andrew Bishop happens to be a medical colleague of Nate Hastings (Sean Dominic) and Stephanie Simmons (Vivica A. Fox). While Stephanie serves as chief of staff at Genoa City Memorial Hospital, Nate recently returned to medicine after undergoing surgery to repair a debilitating hand injury from an altercation with Devon.

Ward has appeared in several primetime series including: CBS’s CIA, FBI and S.W.A.T, the comedy series Will & Grace and Netflix’s Graveyard. He also had a stint on All My Children as a character named Larry.

Photo: CBS

Expectations are high for the the new co-head writing regime of two-time Daytime Emmy Outstanding Writing Team nominee, Jamey Giddens (for his work on Beyond the Gates and Days of our Lives), and for Dan O’Connor who at one time was the co-head writer of General Hospital and also known for his lengthy tenure at One Life to Live and more recently as part of the writing team at Days of our Lives.

It was back on July 29 that CBS and Y&R announced their replacements for the head writing gig after Josh Griffith decided to step down from the position he held since 2019.

So, what do you think about Y&R bringing back Roxanne and introducing us to a new doctor? Excited to see how they fold into Jamey and Dan’s stories? Weigh-in via the comment section below.

On Friday, October 30, Genie Francis will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award during the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards ceremonies. Ahead of her honor, Genie sat down with Extra host and Dancing with the Stars judge, Derek Hough to discuss her legendary soap career and enduring on-screen partnership with the late Anthony Geary (ex-Luke Spencer).

Speaking of joining GH as a young Laura Vining when she was just 14, Francis admitted,  “It was so scary, I mean you don’t know what you don’t know. If I really knew what I was in for I would have been terrified.”

Genie will be presented with her Lifetime Achievement Award by her husband of 40 years, actor and director, Jonathan Frakes.

Courtesy/CBS

Commenting on being the recipient of the Daytime Emmys highest recognition, Francis expressed, it’s “a wonderful feeling of accomplishment,'” and on receiving the award from her husband, “It feels incredibly safe and takes a lot of my nerves out of it because I know he’s another one who’s just not going to let me screw up, right?”

THE LEADING MEN THROUGHOUT HER LIFE: JONATHAN FRAKES AND TONY GEARY

Speaking of feeling safe, Francis echoed that sentiment when getting teary-eyed over reflecting on her time as the all-time soap opera super couple, Luke and Laura with Tony Geary. Genie reflected, “I’m going to cry. He (Tony) made me who I am today. I learned so much from this man. He was so loving and so kind. She added about the famous dance at Wyndham’s department store between Luke and Laura, “If I was in his arms I could do it.”

That sentiment carried on for decades with Geary. Francis even admitted to Derek Hough, a secret, “I wear Tony Geary’s cologne. I just remember hugging him and smelling him and I said, ‘Oh, it smells so good.’ And he told me what it was and he said, ‘It’s unisex. You can wear it.’”

Courtesy/Extra

Up until now, its hard to believe that Genie has only won once at the Daytime Emmys. It was back in 2007 in the Outstanding Supporting Actress category, where once on-stage to accept the gold statuette, she acknowledged Geary.

Genie continues to be humble regarding the impact and lasting impression she’s made on the soap genre saying to Hough, “I’ve never gotten my impact. I just don’t get it.”You can check out Extra’s segment with Genie Francis below.

Now weigh-in; are you happy and excited to see Genie being honored for her decades of work in the soaps? What has been your favorite storyline of Laura, or Luke and Laura through the years? Let us know via the comment section below.