On "Days of Our Lives", Hegyes appeared in four episodes in 1985 as Bernardo, a Viper gangmember and friend to Pete Jannings. In the storyline, Bernardo was originally hired to burn down the restaurant Shenanigans but later turned good. He ended up being killed trying to protect Pete.

     Though Hegyes also starred on the detective series "Cagney & Lacey" (as Det. Manny Esposito) and, in later years, guest-starred on shows such as "NewsRadio" and "Diagnosis Murder," Hegyes was best-known for his role as Juan Epstein -- full name: Juan Luis Pedro Phillipo de Huevos Epstein -- on the 1970s sitcom "Welcome Back, Kotter" from 1975 to 1979. Perpetually scheming and always ready with a self-written note signed "Epstein's Mother" to explain his school absences, Epstein stood out among a group of characters that included the super-cocky womanizer Vinnie Barabarino (played by a young John Travolta) and hip but beleaguered high-school teacher Gabe Kotter (played by Gabe Kaplan).

     Hegyes' last acting role was in the film "Hip, Edgy, Sexy, Cool" in 2002. He also appeared with most of the original "Kotter" cast members for a reunion at the TV Land Awards in 2011, as a commemoration for the series' 35th anniversary. The actor, born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, leaves behind a two children, Cassie and Mack, and two step-children, Sophia and Alex.

CELESTE RETURNS TO "DAYS"

     Beverly Todd has been cast as Celeste Perrault, Lexie's mother. Her first air date will be Wednesday, April 4. Tanya Boyd, who originated the role of Celeste in 1994 and played her on-and-off through 2007, had scheduling conflicts and could not reprise the role this time around. Todd's first big break came on the daytime soap "Love of Live" from 1968-1970. She went on to appear in one of the most famous TV miniseries of all-time, "Roots." Some of her film appearances include "Baby Boom", "Lean on Me" and "Crash." In recent years, she has guest starred on "House", "The Closer", "Criminal Minds" and "Grey's Anatomy." She is a four-time NAACP Award nominee. Todd is also an event writer/producer and founded "Hollywood Sisters", which celebrates black legends of entertainment and provides scholarships to students pursuing higher education in the arts. Todd, 64, was born on July 11, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois.

KAYE STEVENS, "DAYS" STAR OF 1970's, HAS PASSED AWAY

     Singer and actress Kaye Stevens, who appeared as Jeri Clayton on "Days of Our Lives" from 1974-1979, has died. She had been battling breast cancer and blood clots, according to Gerry Schweitzer, a close friend. Ms. Stevens died on Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at the Villages Hospital, north of Orlando, Florida. She was 79.
     Stevens is credited with helping to put the town of Margate, Florida on the map. The community's developer, Jack Marquesee, hired her to do the first commercials for Margate in the mid-1950's. She went above and beyond, often mentioning the town during her TV appearances. She once quipped on "The Tonight Show" that the entrance and exit signs for Margate are back to back. As a token of appreciation, the city named a park for her at the corner of Copans Road and State Road 7. Stevens lived in the west Broward community until 2004, when she moved to Summerfield, north of Orlando.
     Stevens was born Catherine Louise Stephens in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on July 21, 1932. Her family eventually moved to Cleveland, Ohio where a teenage Stevens got her start as a drummer and singer. She later married bandleader/trumpet player Tommy Amato, and the couple performed throughout the eastern United States (they would divorce after a seven-year marriage). During a gig in New Jersey, Stevens was discovered by Ed McMahon, Johnny Carson's longtime "Tonight Show" sidekick, which led to new bookings. Her big break came when she was playing a lounge at The Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas. Debbie Reynolds became ill and was unable to perform in the main room. Stevens filled in and was an instant hit. Stevens would later perform with Rat Pack members Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Joey Bishop. During the Vietnam War era, Stevens performed for American soldiers in the war zone with Bob Hope's USO tour. She also sang solo at venues such as Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas and the Plaza Hotel's Persian Room in New York City.
      She played Jeri Clayton on "Days" from May 1974 to April 1975 and again from April 1976 to June 1979. In the storyline, she was the mother of Trish Clayton and a singer at Doug's Place. Towards the end of her "Days" run, Marlena Evans stopped Jeri from killing herself and, soon after, Jeri left town. Stevens never signed a contract with "Days", preferring to recur while she persued other opportunities. While appearing on "Days", she was a TV game show staple, appearing on such shows as "The Match Game", "To Tell the Truth", "Hollywood Squares" and "Password." She also acted on such shows as "Chips" and "Police Woman" and appeared in six movies, earning a Golden Globe nomination in 1964 for "The New Interns."
      In a 1976 article, Stevens stated that she decided to leave "Days" the first time in 1975 because she was making $14,000 a year on the show, instead of the $25,000 she would usually get for just one singing performance. But her love for "Days" brought her back to the show a year later. Stevens felt she "had acquired a family" when she was on "Days" and noted that "when I opened my act here in Los Angeles earlier this year...co-stars Susan Seaforth Hayes and Wesley Eure wept during my entire act. [Executive producer] Betty Corday even got out of a sick bed to come see me sing and dance." 
      During the past two decades, Stevens left her acting career behind, started her own ministry, and began performing Christian and patriotic music. She staged benefits to help build St. Vincent Catholic Church in her longtime home of Margate, Florida. She leaves no immediate survivors.

GRAHAM BROWN, FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE IN MAJOR ROLE ON "DAYS", PASSES AWAY

Born Robert E. Brown in New York City on October 24, 1924, he was a boxer before becoming an actor. Mr. Brown is survived by a daughter, a grandson and a sister. (Portions of the obituary are courtesy of Variety.com)

LISA RINNA RETURNS

     Lisa Rinna, who originated the role of Billie Reed in 1992, is set to return to "Days" on March 9, 2012. She will be on contract as she has been in her past two stints with the show. After leaving "Days" in 1995, she returned briefly for six months from July 2002-January 2003. Since leaving "Days", Rinna has become a household name, with a two-year stint on "Melrose Place", a 4-year stint as the co-host of "Soap Talk", appearing as a competitor on "Dancing With the Stars", doing red carpet coverage for TV Guide Network, and even having her own reality series with her long-time actor husband, Harry Hamlin. Rinna released this statement to The Hollywood Reporter: "I am so thrilled to be back and excited to be acting again. I have done reality shows, talk shows and I thought, what a great way to come back and play a character that I love to play so much. Feels very full circle -- like a new old chapter."

"DAYS" VET DATTILO REPORTS FOR DUTY!

     SoapOperaDigest.com has reported that Bryan Dattilo (Lucas Horton) will be returning to "Days" on February 29, 2012. Dattilo, who debuted in the role in 1993, left the show last year when Lucas was shipped overseas to Hong Kong. Lucas is Kate's son, Austin/Billie/Jennifer's half-brother, Will & Allie's father, and has had a long-time on & off romance with Sami. Executive Producer Greg Meng released this statement: "We are very excited Bryan Dattilo, who has been greatly missed on the show, is back in Salem. The reset of 'Days' is about bringing core families back together, rekindling old romances, and sparking new ones."

FOR THE RECORD..."DAYS" ONCE AIRED OUT OF ORDER    

     The first (and so far, only) instance of a "Days" episode being aired out of order has been found! Episode # 1797, which was set to air on Friday, December 22, 1972, had this mandate listed on the script: If there is a preemption on December 19, this episode will be held and aired on Tuesday, December 26. As it turns out, the preemption did occur (it was the Apollo 17 Final Flight Splashdown space coverage). "Days" didn't want to risk airing the Christmas episode (# 1798) set for Christmas Day 1972 a day late, so instead, they held the December 22 episode (# 1797) and aired it on December 26. So, in the official airdate order, the record now shows that "Days" aired episodes 1798, 1797, 1799 and 1800 during Christmas week of 1972.
     Ten years ago, "Days" also put this plan into action, in case there were any preemptions in the weeks leading up to Christmas 2001 (episode # 9207, the special Christmas retrospective in which the actors appeared as themselves). No preemptions ended up happening that year, so # 9207 aired as planned on Christmas Day, 2001. 

JAMES SCOTT SETS NEW "DAYS" RECORD IN NOVEMBER 2011....QUICKEST TO APPEAR IN 1,000 EPISODES IN "DAYS" HISTORY

RECKELL SETS ALL-TIME MONTHLY EPISODE LEADER RECORD!

     Congratulations to Peter Reckell (Bo), who is now the all-time "Days of Our Lives" leader in monthly episode appearances! Reckell's September 2011 lead marks the 45th time he has led the monthly rankings. He passes Macdonald Carey (Tom Horton), who led the rankings for 44 months during his tenure with the show from November 1965 to February 1994. It is the first time Reckell has led the monthly rankings since August 2009.
     Tying Reckell for the lead in September 2011 is, fittingly, Kristian Alfonso (Hope). This is Alfonso's 37th time to lead the monthly rankings. She last led the rankings in April 2008.
     This is the 16th time that Alfonso and Reckell have led the monthly rankings together, and the first time since June 2006. They have led the monthly rankings together in November 1984, January 1986, May 1990, August 1995, September 1995, November 1996, October 1998, September 1999, April 2000, December 2001, April 2002, May 2002, April 2004, April 2006, June 2006 and September 2011.

CONGRATULATIONS, MARY!

     Congratulations to Mary Garripoli (Mary, the DiMera maid) who has been named Teacher of the Year in her school district! When not in Salem, Mary is a special education teacher in Glendale, California.

CATCH THE "DAYS" MINI-PLOTS IN AUGUST & SEPTEMBER

     Co-Executive Greg Meng explained the "Days" mini-plots to Soap Opera Digest: "We are incorporating what we're calling 'mini-plots,' and the first one aired August 1. It is a little surprise element, and there is going to be one integrated into each show. There's more in store: The mini-plots will develop over time. You'll have to watch us now to see how they and we change leading up to September."  The mini-plots (flashbacks of "Days" scenes) air at the half-way point of the show, and are replacing the "hourglass insert" for the next two months, so make sure not to fast-forward through that commercial break! The last mini-plot aired on Friday, September 23.

46 YEARS AGO..."DAYS" IS BORN

46 years ago, on July 13 and 14, 1965, "Days of Our Lives" taped its original pilot, which ended up never being aired.

Writer: Charles Gussman.
Director: Joseph Behar.
Cast: Macdonald Carey (Tom Horton), Mary Jackson (Alice Horton), John Clarke (Mickey Horton), Marie Cheatham (Marie Horton), David McLean (Craig Merritt), Ron Husmann (Tony Merritt), Charla Doherty (Julie Olson), Burt Douglas (Jim Fisk), Ed Prentiss (Minister & Narrator), Marilyn Fox (Nurse).
Opening Theme Epigraph: "Each day is a little life. Every waking and rising, a little breath. Every fresh morning, a little youth. Every rest and sleep a little death; and the sands are running through the hourglass."

When the pilot was picked up by NBC as a series, the pilot was re-shot on October 29, 1965, with several key changes: Mary Jackson was replaced by Frances Reid in the role of Alice Horton and the opening theme epigraph was shortened to: "Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives." Dick Colla also stepped in to replace Ron Husmann as Tony Merritt (a role Husmann would later replace Colla in, in 1966). And writer Charles Gussman was replaced by the duo of Peggy Phillips & Kenneth M. Rosen.

The unaired pilot is just 30 of the 90 minutes of "Days" that were prepared for broadcast and never made it to air. In January 1994, just weeks before the special prime-time episode "Winter Heat" was set to air, "Days" was preempted for the Los Angeles earthquake on January 17, 1994. As with all national preemptions, the "Days" episodes were pushed back a day, but the prime-time episode still had to air on the evening of February 4, 1994. Because of this reason, episode # 7208 and episode # 7209 were edited into one one-hour episode, with 30 minutes of each episode being edited out and never being aired.

HORTON TOWN SQUARE

     The "transition" episodes written by the new writing team of Marlene McPherson and Darrell Ray Thomas (episodes # 11679 and # 11680) were taped on Tuesday, July 12 and Wednesday, July 13 and will air on Friday, September 23 and Monday, September 26. Along with the returns of fan favorites Matthew Ashford (Jack), Christie Clark (Carrie), Deidre Hall (Marlena), Drake Hogestyn (John) and Patrick Muldoon (Austin), as well as appearances by Bill Hayes (Doug) and Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie), these special episodes will also feature a brand new set: Horton Town Square. Reports from the set seem to indicate that the new set will be dedicated to the memory of Dr. Tom Horton and Alice Horton (original cast members Macdonald Carey and Frances Reid), and that there will be many mentions of Tom and Alice in the episodes. Also, for the first time since the new budget took effect at the beginning of 2009, the studio is taping past 6PM. Up until 2009, it was common for "Days" to tape well into the late night hours, but due to budget constraints, the show has not taped past 6PM in the past two-and-a-half years. More information will be posted as soon as it is available.

THE "NEW" DAYS IS SET FOR SEPTEMBER 26, 2011!

     Executive Producer Ken Corday is resetting "Days of our Lives" with the simple yet successful formula of centering the show around romance and the characters fans know and love. "It's time to make a more positive, romantic, and intriguing show driven by the power of heroic love. I'm very excited about the new adventure we are about to take which is based on the show that my parents created 45 years ago."
     "Days of our Lives" initiated a strong direction of change by appointing a new head writing team consisting of Marlene McPherson and Darrell Ray Thomas. The successful writing duo plan to change the direction of the show as they tell contemporary stories based on the solid foundation of the "Days" history of family, romance, and intrigue. McPherson and Thomas commented, "New fans will find many reasons to stay, and longtime fans will find many reasons to return." Launching with a grand event in the fall, big surprises will be coming to Salem.
     Co-Executive Producer Noel Maxam, who has been a producer on the show for four years, and Co-Executive Producer Greg Meng, who has been Executive in Charge of Production for over ten years, will work together as a team. "The new writing team has already generated much excitement with the compelling stories they have written, and we plan to translate those stories to the screen with a refreshed look," commented Greg Meng.
     Ken Corday commented, "I am confident these changes will bring back excitement and anticipation to our family of fans as they tune in each day to see what happens. You won't want to miss a single episode of the new 'Days' ahead!"

BO ON TOP

     On February 11, 2011, Bo Brady became the leader in "Days" episode appearances! Along with Robert Kelker-Kelly's 595 episodes, Peter Reckell appeared in his 3,287th episode on February 11. This was Bo's 3,882nd appearance on "Days", passing Marlena Evans' former record of 3,881 episodes. No other character has yet to appear in 3,400 episodes besides Bo or Marlena.

11111...

The 1/11/11 episode of "Days of Our Lives" is the fifth time in "Days" history when the date has been comprised of the same numbers. Here's a look back at each episode:

6/6/66: Episode # 148
Cast: Tom, Marie, Craig, Julie, David.

7/7/77: Episode # 2937
Cast: Greg, Bob, Phyllis, Amanda, Neil, Robert, Rebecca, Brooke, Trish, Mary, Dougie, Dave, Gus, Mrs. Hanover.

8/8/88: Episode # 5801
Cast: Kimberly, Shane, Caroline, Steve, Roman, Kayla, Frankie, Diana, Eve, Calliope, Benjy, Street Vendor.

9/9/99: Episode # 8626
Cast: John, Hope/Gina, Bo, Kate, Billie, Stefano, Eric, Greta, Nicholas, Kurt, Julie, Doug, Victor, Rolf, Young Greta, Paul (Physical Therapist), French Waiter, Clerk # 1, Clerk # 2, Official, Gravedigger # 1, Gravedigger # 2.

1/11/11: Episode # 11500
Cast: Caroline, Sami, EJ, Stephanie, Lexie, Chloe, Daniel, Nicole, Melanie, Stefano, Rafe, Nathan, Chad, Carly, Kayla, Johnny, Parker, Moving Man, Nurse.

"DAYS" RENEWED THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2013!

     UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. November 8, 2010 NBC has picked up its daytime drama "Days of our Lives" which is celebrating its 45th season today on NBC -- for two more years through the 2012-13 season. The announcement was made today by Jeff Gaspin, Chairman, NBC Universal Television Entertainment. "Days of our Lives" remains vitally creative through the years as it continues to draw new generations of viewers, especially among its loyal female audience" said Gaspin.
"NBC salutes the series on its 45th anniversary and we look forward with great anticipation to working with the production team for the years to come. This important and enduring series is an iconic part of NBC's history as well as that of daytime drama, said Bruce Evans, Senior Vice President, Current Programming, NBC Entertainment. "The creative team, cast and crew work hard each day to ensure that "Days" continues to remain fresh and relevant to its legions of devoted fans across the country. 
     "With great joy, I am pleased to announce the best news any soap opera could receive. "Days of our Lives" has been picked up through September of 2013, said Ken Corday, executive producer of "Days." "We extend our greatest gratitude to NBC for blessing us with the gift of such an amazing commitment. We continue to be big believers in the serialized daytime drama and we're thrilled that our great partners at NBC have renewed "Days of our Lives," said Steve Mosko, president, Sony Pictures Television. An iconic global brand, "Days" entertains millions of loyal, engaged viewers, on television and online, in the US and around the world.
     "Days of our Lives" (Monday-Friday, 1-2 p.m. in most markets; check local listings) first premiered as a half-hour drama in 1965 and expanded to an hour 10 years later. Today, it remains a consistent favorite among viewers of daytime television serials and is currently tied for #4 for the season among all daytime dramas in women 18-49, tied for #2 in women 18-34 and tied for #1 among girls 12-17, according to Nielsen Media Research. Through six weeks of the 2010-11 season, "Days" is averaging 2.6 million viewers. In its 45 years, "Days of our Lives" has garnered numerous Emmy Awards and nominations, as well as multiple Soap Opera Digest and People's Choice Awards. "Days of our Lives" is set in the fictitious Midwestern town of Salem. The core families are the Bradys, the Hortons and the DiMeras, and the multi-layered storylines involve elements of romance, adventure, mystery, comedy and drama.

"DAYS" IN HIGH DEFINITION

"Days of Our Lives" began broadcasting in High Definition on November 9, 2010, the day after the series' 45th anniversary.