All daytime dramas have their icons. Actors and actresses whose own names are as easily recognizable as the characters they portray. Constance Towers is one such actor. For nearly a decade she has personified General Hospital’s Helena Cassadine, one of the greatest villains in daytime history, igniting the imaginations and loyalty of daytime fans everywhere.

It is not just in the world of daytime that Constance Towers has left her mark. She has starred opposite such Hollywood legends as John Wayne in Horse Soldiers, Glenn Ford in Fate is the Hunter, Yul Brenner in the stage version of The King & I, and has appeared on numerous television shows such as Matlock, LA Law, Capitol and more recently Criminal Minds.

Daytime Confidential's Belinda, interviewed Constance Towers for TV Fan Online before Daytime Confidential was even a spec in Luke's eye. The interview is now being archived here at Daytime Confidential for all to enjoy for years to come.

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Meddine also gives a peak at what's to come on Y&R and, why it was her last stint as a daytime actress.

Young and the Restless star Christian LeBlanc recently sat down with Soap Opera Digest online to discuss his character Michael Baldwin's crazy family. In the interview, Christian speaks about how the Baldwin-Fisher clan came about and the special relationship Michael and Gloria share. Here is a little snippet of what he had to say about that, but be sure to check out the entire interview. 

Weekly: Your scenes with Judith are wonderful, and so is the dynamic between Gloria and Michael. Do you realize how special it is?
LeBlanc: Judith is brilliant, and Gloria and Michael's relationship is special. They never say they love each other. He never calls her Mother. It's always Gloria. When you're on a daytime show, it's like doing a play on Broadway. How do you keep yourself from being bored and make it fresh and new every day? I tell you, when I have scenes opposite those characters, Gloria and Kevin, I just don't know what to expect. I can't tell you what reading Judith or Greg will give, because they're that good. It keeps me interested, and that's such a joy.

Soap Opera Digest online recently caught up with Guiding Light's Robert Newman to discuss what’s going on with his character, Joshua Lewis. In the interview, Robert speaks about his lack of airtime, Josh's marriage to Cassie, and his feelings about Reva and Jeffrey's relationship. He has some interesting things to say about Reva's movie. Here is a little piece of what he had say about that, but be sure to check out the entire interview. 

Weekly: Will the movie ultimately pull Josh and Reva back together?
Newman: It's the same thing we've done many times before, where something continues to bond Josh and Reva, whether they are interested in being bonded or not.

SoapNet.com recently conducted an interview with ex- Guidng Light star Beth Ehlers. In the interview, Beth speaks about deciding to leave Guiding Light, her new character on All My Children, and working with Ricky Paull Goldin again. She has some interesting things to say about her reasons for leaving GL and why she stayed on the east coast. Here is a little snippet of what she had to say about that, but be sure to check out the entire interview. 

Beth: "My kids are at an age [6 and 9] where I want to be home more ... . I just don't have the luxury of shooting in Peapack [NJ, where "GL" shoots most of its location footage a few times a week]. ABC is just 10 blocks away from my apartment!"

For your lunch time pleasures check out the fantastic interview by Soap Opera Network’s Xavier Toups with former soap writer Sara A. Bibel. The scribe’s resume holds, The Young and The Restless, along with All My Children, as her old stomping grounds in the daytime industry.

Miss. Bibel has some interesting things to say about the genre that has been entertaining fans for years and also, has the scoop on how she got in the game as well as what storylines she was responsible for and ,what she has to say about those that didn’t quite make it to our screens.
Here’s a little taste of what she had to say:

Toups: Was there any storylines or events that didn’t happen but you wish it did happen and vice-versa?

Bibel: "Story plans change for all sorts of reasons, both from external suggestions and stories simply evolving from their original design. With that caveat... Continue Reading...

This month Days of Our Lives will place a spotlight on autism when it’s revealed that Salem police Commissioner Abe Caver (James Reynolds) and wife Dr. Lexie Carver (Renee Jones), will find out that their son has the illness.  This storyline has a great amount of sentiment for head writer Dena Higley especially since she too had a son that was diagnosed with autism at the age of three, just like little Theo Carver.  Days have paired with group Autism Speaks, the country’s foremost autism advocacy group in order to give an authentic and  accurate depiction as well as relaying information of families dealing with the disorder.

"We're telling the profound and life-altering story of a child with autism from his parents' point of view," said head writer Higley. "Their pain, their struggle -- and ultimately, their ability to find life-affirming hope in the midst of learning how to live day to day with this disability. This is a personal story for me...as my husband and I have walked in the shoes Abe and Lexie are now about to walk in."

 Background on Autism

Autism is a brain disorder that hampers a person's ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and i a person afflicted by it has extreme behavioral challenges. Autism is  diagnosed in one in 150 children in the United States, affecting four times as many boys as girls. The diagnosis of autism has increased tenfold in the last decade. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called autism a national public health crisis. There is no cure for autism.

"This storyline realistically portrays the emotional trauma that every family faces when a child is diagnosed with autism, yet it also opens a window for viewers to see the hope and achievements that are possible as a family pulls together," said Alison Singer, Executive Vice President of Communications and Awareness for Autism Speaks. "We are honored to work with 'Days of our Lives' and applaud the show's commitment to shine a bright spotlight on the autism crisis and its effects on the whole family." 

With all the crazy storylines that has been on DAYS since its inception I have to commend them with taking the time to build up a fantastic storyline in order to bring awareness to this growing crisis.

Guiding LIght's Caitlin Van Zandt(Ashlee) recently conducted an interview with TVGuide.com discussing her recent weight loss procedure. She speaks about her reasons behind the procedure and how fans can relate to her situation. Here is a small excerpt of Caitlin speaking about telling her personal story on national television, but be sure to check out the entire interview.

TVGuide.com: You're OK playing out this very personal story on national TV?
Van Zandt: When I told [GL exec producer] Ellen Wheeler I was having the procedure she couldn't have been happier. There was crying, hugging, love was in the air. Then she said, "How would you feel about doing this on the show?" I said, "I'd really love it if Ashlee lost weight in a heroin-cokehead-bulimia plot. That might get me some attention. But I guess this Lap-Band thing would be OK, too." Four days after the procedure, I was back on the set doing a love scene with John Driscoll (Coop).

For anyone thinking that The Powers That Be aren’t trying to woo fans back into watching their shows think again... Check out the latest article by Entertainment Weekly online  soap watch section. It has some interesting things said by The Young and The Restless'  executive producer Josh Griffith talking about pulling out all the stops, to lure viewers back into the fold along with the man everyone loves to hate or hates to love, President of ABC Daytime Brian Frons.

I do like the fact that daytime’s bringing the hottest stars onto their shows to grab viewership but maybe they can do that by I don’t know… WRITING FOR US!? Although I must say that All My Children’s attempt at rekindling viewership is working on me..

For AMC fans, you have a lil’ treat at the bottom of the article... A clip of tomorrow’s show with R&B singer Ne-Yo!