EastEnder's Jamie Foreman's Given A 6 Month Contract Extension!

I hope you all like yourselves some Derek Branning because EastEnders has extended actor Jamie Foreman's contract for an additional six months! This means Foreman will continue to film with the series until October, at which point his contract will either be extended or his character will be written out.

Are you excited or disappointed by this news? Let me know in the comments below.

Emmerdale's Maxwell Caulfield Cast in Web Soap DeVanity!

As season 3 of the hit web series DeVanity goes into production, the series has announced that former Dynasty and Emmerdale star Maxwell Caulfield has been cast in the role of Richard DeVanity!

I absolutely adored Caulfield's portrayal of the evil bigamist Mark Wyle on Emmerdale and was saddened when I heard that he was going to be leaving the program and the series choice to kill him off (Home Farm hasn't been the same without him!) but Caulfield was an amazing actor and I am sure that he will do a brilliant job on DeVanity and definately be another reason to tune into this show week after week!

What do you think of this casting news? Does Caulfield fit what you have in mind for someone of Richard DeVanity's standards? Let me know in the comments below.

Sebastian Roche Books Return To Criminal Minds!

Great news for fans of the CBS drama Criminal Minds. Soaps in depth is reporting that former General Hospital star Sebastian Roche has booked a return as the Interpol agent Clyde Easter in the series explosive two hour season finale!

While I haven't caught Criminal Minds just yet, it is definitely on my list of shows to catch at some time and I am super excited for Roche and wish him the best of luck!

The two hour season finale airs at 9 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. CST on Wednesday, May 16,  only on CBS.

Felicia Jones Returns To General Hospital Today!

Since 2008 Fans have been clamoring for Kristina Wagner to return to General Hospital in the role of Felicia Jones, and today they get their wish as the fan favorite returns to Port Charles to shake things up!

Now the only question is can her husband Frisco (played by Jack Wagner) be far behind her? I guess we will just have to tune in to find out.

Patsy Palmer's (Bianca's) Last EastEnders Episode For 6 Months Airs Today!

EastEnders star Patsy Palmer last EastEnders episode for 6 months will be airing today (April 27th)! The actress is taking a 6 month sybatical to be with her kids, and will hopefully return to the soap later this year.

Are you sad to see her go? Do you want her to come back? let me know in the comments below.

Good-Bye Jax: Ingo Rademacher Fired from General Hospital!

Sad to say: It's Official. General Hospital has let go of Ingo Rademacher, who has played Jasper Jacks (better known as Jax) for 15 years. This doesn't come as a total surprise. With the constant rumors these past few months of Jax being written off, Ingo's dwindling screen time (despite his onscreen family being given a front burner story) and Nelson Branco's tweet a few days ago about an upcoming soap mag cover story announcing the departure of Brenda and Jax, well...the writing was on the wall. Ingo gave a statement to Soaps In Depth ABC regarding his departure:

"It is with mixed emotions and regret that I write this note to you, my fans and colleagues. After 15 years on GH portraying Jax I must say goodbye. I'm fired."

To read the rest of his statement, click here.

Ingo's most recent leading lady, Laura Wright (Carly) tweeted her support:

"I am so sad about the news of Ingo leaving- I hate this and i think it is a huge mistake- I am a big fan of Jax and Carly"

Ingo/Jax through the years

No doubt many General Hospital viewers agree with Laura, I certainly do. I love Jax - he's always been a great counterbalance to Sonny and the mob element on the show. Indeed, I think one of the things fans like most about Jax (and what made the Jax/Brenda/Sonny triangle so popular back in the day) was that he is the antithesis of Sonny. If Sonny was darkness, Jax was lightness. Sonny was trouble, Jax was fun. Sonny was the pitbull, Jax was the puppy. Sonny was the thug, Jax was debonair. Sonny would throw barware and call women whores, while Jax was their Prince *sigh*

Sure, I admit I didn't like the writing for Jax at times. Guza had a habit of destroying characters who went up against Sonny and Jason (Tony, AJ, Ric, Alcazar, Claudia, Faith) - though Jax isn't being killed, he couldn't completely escape Guza's poison pen. Despite the sometimes crappy writing, Ingo was always fantastic. Able to do the light romantic stuff as well as dark drama, he's always been a pleasure to watch. Ironically, even on the backburner, he's delivered some fantastic performances. Jax's concern for his daughter, his breakup with Carly and his continued hatred for Sonny have given Ingo a chance to shine again (if briefly.)  Even in scenes with Vanessa Marcil Giovinazzo, Ingo has very subtly played the lingering feelings Jax has for Brenda. (Unfortunately, I have no idea what the h*ll VMG has been playing, but that's another story...) Ingo's gift (and perhaps his curse) is that he makes it look so easy, almost effortless. He's not flashy and doesn't chew up the scenery. He's just good, damn good. And he makes us believe everything Jax says and feels.

I'm pretty sure they'll give Jax a happy ending. Riding off into the sunset with Brenda most likely. I'm glad for Jax, and I know that Ingo will move on to bigger and better things. But for me, and many GH fans out there, Port Charles is going to be a darker place without Ingo and Jax.

Want to wish Ingo well and let him know how much you've enjoyed him on GH over the years? Tweet Him!

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

Cornelia Frances OUT Again at Home and Away

It's official, Cornelia Frances, has once again wrapped up her filming stint at the Australian soap Home and Away. The actress has expressed a desire to stay, and I really don't understand why the writers and producers don't keep her. She is an Australian soap vet (having served on Home and Away, Sons and Daughters, and others) and yet she is treated as a yo-yo constantly coming and going, when there is so much story to tell with the character of Morag.

Are you sad to see her go? Or do you think Morag's place has come and gone? Let me know in the comments below.

Tom Casiello Leaving Young and the Restless!

Emmy winning writer Tom Casiello has announced he's leaving The Young and the Restless. After a long and successful career in soaps, he's decided to move on. Read his touching good-bye message here.

Casiello has been with Y&R since 2009 and held writing positions at ATWT, OLTL, and Days, as well as interning at Another World. He was also a contributor to Sam Ford's "The Survival of Soap Opera" (review coming soon!). During the 2008 writers strike, Casiello became a fan favorite in the soap community after starting a blog discussing soaps and his experiences as a writer and a fan.

That's when I discovered Casiello - his blog and subsequent interviews on various podcasts allowed fans to get a glimpse at what goes on behind the scenes at their favorite shows. No juicy gossip or snarky b*tching, just an explanation of things from the perspective of a soap industry insider. He humanized TPTB (shaming me into not calling them "TIIC" anymore), making it clear that everyone wants what's best for our shows. During one interview, Casiello explained a story decision that was made for Days' Hope (I've forgotten the exact story/plot), and while I still didn't like it, I finally understand why it was done and that TPTB weren't "dumb" for doing it but in fact had a good reason for going in that direction. While the details of that interview are vague, one thing has stayed with me - that I should try to see things from TPTB's perspective instead of demonizing them.

Through his blog posts, interviews, tweets and facebook comments Casiello has proven himself to be not only a talented writer, but a thoughtful, kind and fair minded human being. Casiello has a love of the genre and a genuine affection and respect for the fans, and that was appreciated by all of us. While I'll be sad to see him leave the daytime soap world, I wish him much success in his future endeavors!

**Btw, one particularly awesome blog post of Casiello's was Soap-Opera Writing 101. If you want to write for soaps or are just curious about the process, I highly recommend you check this out. It's a step by step example of how it's done (using an aired Sami/EJ scene as a guide). Read it here.

Update: Since this was posted, it has been announced that Tom Casiello has been hired as part of the WWE writing team. Good Luck Tom!
-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

Roger Howarth Returns to One Life to Live!

Roger vs. Trevor - Bring It!

Hey guys! As everyone in the Soap World knows, Roger Howarth is returning to One Life to Live!! This is arguably one of the most anticipated returns in OLTL history and I for one am excited (worried, but excited). Soap Opera Network is reporting that Roger starts taping in May (Read their piece here.) Btw, Kudos to Soap Opera Network for being the first to tell soap fans that Roger would be coming back (in August). They took a lot of heat for it but they didn't back down and it turned out they were right. Good for them!

This news lead to about a million questions: Will Roger be coming back as the Real Todd Manning? If so, who is Trevor St. John's Todd? Does this mean TSJ is out? Does this mean OLTL isn't being cancelled after all? Or is this a sign that OLTL is ending? Will there be casting cuts to afford Roger's salary?  TPTB are keeping their lips sealed and don't expect that to change. In fact, I'm guessing that they're going to be leaking a lot of fake spoilers out there to throw people off. I've been critical of Ron Carlivati over the years. I find him to be a talented but uneven writer and his OLTL has been a struggle for me to watch. That said, Roger's return is Must See TV for me, and I'll be tuning in!

Pros: Roger is a talented and popular actor, possibly returning to his signature, Emmy winning role - the Buzz is Huge! No matter how they write it, his return is going to stir sh*t up and everyone wants to know what's going to happen. Chemistry, Chemistry, Chemistry - Roger has it with everyone. Roger vs. Trevor - Bring It!

Cons: TSJ fans are pissed. Roger's return almost definitely means other actors are going to be let go ($$$). A big return does not necessarily equal big ratings (see GH: Vanessa Marcil/Brenda, Jonathan Jackson/Lucky). Letting Susan Haskell (Marty) go before Roger's return? Big Mistake. If TPTB are just thinking about the short-term shock value of the story, instead of the long-term implications, this could be disastrous. Carlivati wrote Tina's Return (poor Andrea Evans!) It may be too late for OLTL :(

Expect a Roger vs. Trevor poll soon!
-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

Bombhead is Back! Lee Otway Returning to Hollyoaks

It's official Hollyoaks fans, Bombhead IS BACK! At least for a short while as actor Lee Otway is set to make a triumphant return in the new year. The speculation is that it is for Lee Hunter's wedding to Leann but we will just have to wait and see if that is right.

I only saw Bombhead over the summer on the online spin-off "Hollyoaks Freshers" But I loved the character and Lee's performance so I am looking forward to his return, hopefully he will come back on a more permanent bases sometime in the future.

Do you guys want Bombhead back? Let me know in the comments below.

Melissa Suffield (Lucy Beale) Axed From EastEnders

It really isn't a good time to stir up trouble on the EastEnders set. Just ask Melissa Suffield who was just let go from the BBC1 soap after she allegedly ignored numerous warnings from bosses about her "unruly behaviour".

For more on this story head on over to digitalspy's coverage here.

What do you think of this axing? And isn't it funny how EastEnders/BBC1 has no problem telling its viewers "THIS IS WHY" whereas ABC is still keeping mum on the Drew Garrett debacle?