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Y&R's Christian LeBlanc sad over Maura West's dismissal!

By Michael Fairman

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Three-time Daytime Emmy winner, Christian LeBlanc (Michael Baldwin) of The Young and the Restless spoke with CBS Soaps In Depth at this week’s Dancing with the Stars finale revealing he was very sad at the dismissal of two-time Daytime Emmy winner, Maura West as Diane on the number one soap.

According to SID, “LeBlanc confessed that he was just as sad as the rest of the daytime world. “Maura told me,” shares LeBlanc of his co-star, who was given her pink-slip last Friday, May 20.”

LeBlanc went on to say, “I stalked Maura most of these last few months trying to sneak into scenes with her. I wanted to work with her. I know I will work with her again because that’s how it works in this business. I will miss her. Maura’s a wonderful, wonderful actress. I cannot tell you how amazed I am at her skill. She knocks my socks off. I know the best will happen for her.  I’m trying to be nice to her so she’ll put me in her movies!”

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nice to hear maura west get support from other y&r actors.

however, no one has the guts to speak out against hack maria arena bell, who is responsible for mw’s firing and for not writing for her in the first place. no one has the guts to talk about the character assassination taking place all over genoa city.

One thing is certain, there is no job security at all in the Soap world. I had never seen Maura act before but was truly enjoying her as Diane. Guess you are at the mercy of Maria Arena Bell on that show. No more Diana, let’s try Genie. Well good luck Genie when all the actors from AMC and OLTL become available.

I watched maura on atwt and she is a good actress and this is sad as she brought out the mean and dirty in diana.

I knew I like Christian LeBlanc for a reason. Class act, man! It is refreshing to see that support. Maura West is gifted. (Yes, I am a fan!) And it is sad that she was let go. I do worry about the characters on the Y&R landscape and their evolution without regard to history, not to mention said characters clogging through repetitive plots.

I am stunned by this news about Maura West leaving Y&R. She is a wonderful actress who is so distinctive in her role as Diane.The writers gave her impossible material making her the most conniving bitch of all time. But, she took that role and knocked it out of the park.. And you were made to hate her. I don’t think she will have any trouble finding work day or night time. She would be perfect for Desperate Housewives, better than Lucci. Christian Le Blanc is a true gentleman to root for her. And he should know, being a multi Emmy winner. I’m not going to hope Y&R is going to reconsider. Stupid!!!!!!!

I beleived the Maura West played the role Very well,In fact i enjoyed watching her. Too bad they couldn’t see it that way…Good Luct

She should have been brought on as a totally new character. Thirty year difference between her and Eric Braeden, they have a problem over there. Eden Riegel is all wrong for the part of Heather the character of Malcom all wrong the recast talk to the casting Dept!!!!

I totally agree with you!! Eden Riegel and Malcolm’s characters are all wrong.

I absolutely love Maura West! She was my favorite character as Carly on ATWT. I think that she should have been cast as a totally new character. However, she couldn’t have played it any better. She is just a phenominal actress. Best of luck to her; although, she won’t need it.

Oh I certainly agree with you Emily. What a shocker & a shame to see what they did to Maura West. CBS are such Idiots!! I just love Maura West also. Nothing like her AMAZING Talent .. and I so miss ATWT and our CarJack. What a Magnanimous team with Maura West and Michael Park.

I agree with you, they should have cast her as a new character & I think, should have teamed her in a romance with Nick. They can’t replace Carly & Jack, but the Sparks certainly would have flew. I really thought at time’s that they were going in that direction.

They would have heated up the Y&R to a sizzle .. sadly they missed the boat on that one. The writer’s were just so indecisive that they blew a great twist and Love story … and sadly the amazing talents of Maura West!

CBS does it again .. right in the toilet.

Glad she’s leaving, not pretty at all.

well you must be blind then…

I can see perfectly and just because you think she’s attractive doesn’t mean that I have too, different strokes for different folks. Being blond doesn’t automatically make you attractive.

I’m a heterosexual woman, married with kids. I agree with Samalcis .. YOU MUST BE BLIND. MAURA WEST IS GORGEOUS.

not a bad actress but she didnt fit well with cast members.

I am not upset at all. I dreaded all her scenes. I understand how fellow actors may feel, but as a viewer, I thought she was an awful. I mean I am a long time viewer of Y&R, and she just was all wrong for that character. She had NO chemistry with anyone on that show! Her scenes with Nick made me want to gagm so I am so relieved that I will not be tortured anymore. She is better off. I also agree that Eden R. is terrible as this Heather. Some of these soap people should stick with their original roots! Adios Diane!

Really?? Wow, I’ve watched her on ATWT since the day she lit up the screen 16 -17 years ago .. meeting Jack ..her G-Man. There’s never been a more Magnetic & Sensual couple then Maura West & Michael Park ..Never So Many SPARKS.. and I’ve watched every soap out there. I’ve NEVER seen a better actress on a Soap, and sadly I know the IDIOTS at CBS & Y&R have made yet another huge mistake by letting her go. Maura a Two Time Emmy Winner & 2010 Most Outstanding Actress.
Where have you had your head burried??
With the garbage that the writers wrote for her, she still managed to flip that soap on it’s ear, and was the most exciting actress on that BORING Soap. I used to watch the Y&R .. boring .. the only reason I went back to it was to watch Maura West. …and I know by the Petitions that thousands of her fans followed, so Y&R just lost those thousands of fans, along with myself, as the Y&R gears back down to boredom after the wake of Diane. It’s the writer’s .. Terrible!! Alot of Talent on the Y&R .. the writer’s are the one’s who should be fired. Yawn!
I must give a HUGE Kudos to Christian LeBlanc. What a class act you are! Very Talented yourself .. and you certainly know talent when you see it. Maura is the Queen of talent. The only thing that I WAS praying for was the love angle between Diane & Nick .. I really thought at times that they were going to turn it into another (Carly & Jack ..aka CarJack) That show would have sizzled .. You can’t replace CarJack .. but they certainly could have had the hottest romance that the Y&R has EVER seen. It’s just shocking and sad .. Now the Y&R is turning back into the old boring soap. Christian Leblanc certainly saw how Maura West can be absolutely Electric. The Writers just had her all over the place .. crazy. When you’ve got a talent like that, you are Morons to ever let that slip away!
Maura will always hit the ground running .. her talent Unfathomed & Uncontested. Two Time Emmy Winner!!! Only CBS & Y&R execs can be stupid enough to let that kind of talent get away. CarJack forever!!!

Nice words from CLB. I thought he and Maura West shared strong chemistry in their few, brief scenes. Maura West is a great actress and I am sure she will land on her feet. She was horribly miscast as Diane and I agree that she should have been cast as a new character, ideally, a savvy businesswoman that shared an attraction with Michael and tried to intervene in Michael and Lauren’s marriage. That way, Michael and Lauren would get story that elevated the characters from the backburner. I am amazed by the writers’ inability to write decent story for last year’s Lead Actress at the Daytime Emmys. MW’s kind of talent should inspire writers.

Why is it that Maura West who is a real beauty, and a wonderful actress has not become a major motion picture star? She is every bit as good an actress as any of the top actresses of the big screen . And she is certainly more beautiful than any of them as well. First of all regarding Y&R, a new character should have been created for her, one that would have allowed her extraordinary talents to shine through. She is a great actress and one day she will land where she is suppose to be. One day, I believe that her short stay on Y&R was meant to be,simply because bigger and better things are instore for her great talent.

I love Maury West. I think that they should create a new role for her as Diane’s lost twin sister. Put her and Jack together, that would be great. If not, heads up any way Maury. You are a great actress and remind me of Mae West. I look forward to seeing you in other roles and I’ll follow you wherever you go.
Your loyal fan—-Marilyn

I agree Maura is my all time favorite regardless who she plays as,none better,I wish The Y&R would get rid of that nasty woman that plays as Phillis,now that woman is totally gross and the scenes of her and Nick really make me ill.

I would love to see Maura West at least do a Good Wife episode, Mad Men episode, or one of those new primetime dramas. I think she can do procedurals, which I don’t watch but she’s much craftier than a lot of the actresses on them right now. I can also see her doing a Sci-fi show. Those eyes of hers needs to used properly. She has the face for making Sci-fi even cooler.

I love Maura West. She is a great actress. Loved her on ATWT also. The reason most of you hate her is because of her character…hello??? That’s why she is a great actress because you see her as that character because of her talent.

Maura West is one of the most gifted actresses out there in daytime or primetime, and I think its a joke that she’s let go, and Julie Pace Mitchell (Sofia) is retained, she cant even cry convincingly!!…Everyone on the set of ATWT used to say school was in session when Maura and Ben Hendrikson (Hal) had a scene together…shame on the writers of YnR for dropping the ball on this one, but she’ll land on her feet!!

Shame on you at Y&R Miss West was very good for your show. She will be miss. She put new life back in the story line.

young and the restless have gone to hell. get a new writer please. all the women characters r being degrated. wont tune in anymore

Thank you, Christian LeBlanc, for having the insight and class to speak out on behalf of Maura West. Aside from being a hugely talented actress, she is stunningly beautiful and had great chemistry with every actor in the series but I would especially have loved more Diane/Michael scenes. Sad to say, Maura’s release only puts one more nail in the Soap coffin. The incompetence displayed by whomever made this egregious error should not be overlooked nor go unpunished. Shame on you!

My sentiments EXACTLY.
Maura is an amazingly talented actress, beside’s absolutely gorgeous!!
I would have loved to have seen her with Michael, but I really like Michael & Lauren .. they just need to both start showing their darker sides like back in the day. I would have liked to have seen her have a onetime long love with Nick .. we know how Maura can make those scenes sizzle, and the longing looks that go back to her G-Man Jack on ATWT.
Y&R made a huge mistake with that one. Seems like they were testing it .. and they let it go. The writers were and still are all over the place. They don’t seem to know what they are doing next??
It’s just horrible sad because I feel exactly the same as you .. just one more of our beloved Soaps headed for the axe, until there aren’t anymore left.
People need to Boycott CBS execs wife Julie Chen .. she is the one who made sure hubby gave ATWT the axe just to get the 2pm slot for her new show “The Talk” If people don’t start protesting all of these talk shows & reality shows taking over the afternoons .. then soon all the Soaps will be gone. Just Sad

I must give a HUGE Kudos to Christian LeBlanc. What a class act you are Christian! Very Talented yourself .. and you certainly know talent when you see it. Maura is the Queen of talent. Y&R certainly had plenty of opportunity to spice up your character with Diane, or in many ways. You’re an amazing talent, and Y&R is not writing for those talents at all. Not only with you Christian, but with all of the cast at Y&R .. They’ve written the show into the boring doldrums.

Christian Leblanc certainly saw how Maura West can be absolutely Electric. The Writers just had her all over the place .. crazy. When you’ve got a talent like that, you are Morons to ever let that slip away!

Maura will always hit the ground running .. her talent Unscathed & Uncontested. Two Time Emmy Winner!!! Only CBS & Y&R execs can be stupid enough to let that kind of talent get away.

Gosh do I hate Maria Arena Bell. I really do.

What is Maura West doing now? She was such a great actress.
Maura really kept everyone on their toes.

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Susan Flannery and Ian Buchanan Visit the Set of ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’; Daytime Emmy Winners Reflect on Show Then and Now

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Susan Flannery and Ian Buchanan

The one and only Susan Flannery (ex-Stephanie Forrester) dropped in to see her former co-stars on The Bold and the Beautiful at their Sunset Las Palmas Studio in Hollywood, along with her good friend and another B&B co-star Ian Buchanan (ex-James Warwick) on Tuesday October 20.

It was the first time in a very long time that The four-time Daytime Emmy winning actress was reunited with Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke), Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (Steffy), executive producer and head writer, Brad Bell, Jennifer Gareis and even her TV sister, Alley Mills (Pam, B&B now Heather, GH) showed up for the day too!

Flannery played the Forrester matriarch from 1987 until 2012. It was then that after playing the part of Stephanie for 25 years that Susan made the decision to retire from acting and in one of the most heartbreaking sendoffs, passes away from lung cancer in Brooke’s arms in November of 2012. During her B&B tenure, Flannery won 3 of her 4 Daytime Emmys, the other being for her first soap role as Laura Horton on Days of our Lives back in 1975.

Susan and Kelly

Photo: Bell-Phillip TV

As for Ian Buchanan, he played Dr. Warwick, psychiatrist, from 1993 to 1999.  He returned for other runs in 2014 and 2017.  Buchanan took home his Daytime Emmy in 1997 for his work as James. Soap fans also remember, Ian as mobster Duke Lavery on General Hospital, and Dr. Greg Madden on All My Children,

Both Susan and Ian shared their thoughts on coming back to The Bold and the Beautiful, for Susan 14 years later since he exited and for Ian close to 9 years since his last appearance below.

Susan said, “It’s definitely like coming home in a way, even though it’s not the same studio. It’s really lovely to see old faces and old faces with new faces. It takes you back mentally. You start remembering what it was like back then, even things like how much your feet would ache at the end of the day from wearing six-inch heels. It was just lovely to be back and see everybody.”

Susan Flannery and cast

Photo: Bell-Phillip TV

Ian expressed, “It’s a mind trip, you know. When I was sitting looking at the big Forrester set, it was like stepping back in time, almost. It takes you back mentally, and you start remembering what it was like when you were here before.”

“It’s lovely to see all these people again, even if you don’t know everybody,” explained soap vet Buchanan. “There’s something really special about coming back and seeing the show and the people who have been part of it for so long.”

So, happy to see Susan and Ian with some of their former castmates? Do you think Stephanie and Brooke is one of the greatest frenemy stories in daytime history? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Beyond the Gates

Tabitha Brown and Kandi Burruss Guest Star on ‘Beyond the Gates’ for Dani’s ‘Welcome to Your Life’ TV Special; What Could Go Wrong?

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Kandi Burress, Tabitha Brown, Karla Mosley

As previously announced, Beyond the Gates is bringing chef, author and actress Tabitha Brown and Grammy Award-winning songwriter, singer and actress Kandi Burruss to Fairmont Crest in a special episode of the CBS daytime drama airing Thursday, October 22.

In the episode, Dani’s (Karla Mosley) best friend Pamela Curtis (Cady McClain), arranges a “Welcome to Your Life” television special for her. As it turns out, Brown will play the show’s host, Tia Allen, while Burruss takes on the role of Dani’s first modeling agent, Kalista Kilroy, who turns the celebration of her life into a bad trip down memory lane.

Dani’s parents Anita and Vernon (Tamara Tunie, Clifton Davis), sister Nicole (Daphnee Duplaix), and daughters Chelsea (RhonniRose Mantilla) and Naomi (Arielle Prepetit) all join the show to celebrate and support her but also witness how things so south. Also appearing in the episode are Molly Figueroa as Tatum Stewart and fan-favorite Anita Williams (Tunie) impersonator Jackie Tyree!

Beyond the Gates

PhotoL JPI

THE 411 ON TIA AND KALISTA

Speaking with TV Insider, about their soapy experience in Fairmont Crest, Tabitha Brown previewed about her host with the most, “Tia is very professional, but she’s a girl’s girl. She is a protector of women and wants to tell their stories in a beautiful way, but she also wants to make sure they’re seen in a very good light.”

However, Burruss previews that Kalista arrives with a score to settle. “She’s spicy,” shared the recording artist. “I always love playing somebody that has come to start trouble. It’s always fun to play a villain of sorts, but Kalista feels like she’s been done wrong and she’s hurt by what she feels has been done to her. So Kalista is stirring up trouble, but she feels justified putting Dani on blast. Kalista is ready for some payback.”

Beyond the Gates is produced by CBS Studios, as part of the CBS Studios/NAACP Venture, in partnership with P&G Studios, a division of Procter & Gamble. Created by head writer Michele Val Jean, executive producers include Val Jean, Sheila Ducksworth, Julie Carruthers, Tracey Thomson, Leon W. Russell, Derrick Johnson, Anna Saalfeld and Lela Coffey.

Beyond the Gates is broadcast weekdays on CBS (2:00-3:00 PM, ET/1:00-2:00 PM, PT) and is available to stream on Paramount+**.

So, looking forward to this special episode of Beyond the Gates when Dani is put on a blast during a blast from her past and Welcome to Your Life TV special? Share your thoughts via the comment section.

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Days Of Our Lives

‘Days of our Lives’ Reveals Kyle Pryor Cast as Dominic Marino

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Kyle Pryor

For months now, Days of our Lives has teased the character of Dominic Marino. In recent weeks, viewers learned that Marino is on the down low working with Sami Brady’s (Alison Sweeney) apparent fiancé ‘Dante Vitali (Franco LoPresti), and that he is the never-before-heard-of child of Stefano DiMera (the late Joseph Mascolo) and Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall)!

Up until now, the Peacock streaming soap opera has never revealed his face, but that all seemed to change on the Tuesday, October 2o episode of DAYS. In story, Dante met Sami’s parents for the first time, Roman (Josh Taylor) and Marlena.

He shows them a photo of Dominic, which he happened to have on his own phone and even commented he kind of looked like he could be Marlena’s son. The photo, which has quickly made it around Soap Twitter/X, revealed that British-born actor Kyle Pryor is the man in the photo and eagle-eyed viewers actually located said photo on Pryor’s Instagram.

Dominix

Photo: Peacock

Deadline revealed Pryor started taping at the end of 2025 and will first be seen in the role, on air Monday, November 2.  In addition, Days will celebrate its 61st Anniversary with two special episodes featuring Dominic’s arrival, as well the returns of Tony and Anna DiMera, played respectively by Thaao Penghlis and Leann Hunley, on Friday, November 6 and Monday, November 9.

Those in the know, are are that Pryor previously held series regular roles on Australia’s Home and Away, and the UK’s Hollyoaks and guest starred on Emmerdale. In an ironic twist, Pryor appeared in the series Spartacus: Blood and Sand which is the same action series his apparent TV brother, Dan Feuerriegel (EJ DiMera), once appeared in before coming to DAYS.

So excited to see Kyle Pryor take on the role of Dominic Marino as Days of our Lives sets its anniversary story to kick-off with is arrival in Salem? Share your thoughts in the comment section. And in case you missed our latest conversation with Conner Floyd (Chad DiMera) he weighs-in on how Dominic’s appearance will shake things up in Salem. You can check that out below.

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