LYNDA HIRSCH ON SOAPS -- GOSSIP by Lynda Hirsch on Creators.com

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LYNDA HIRSCH ON SOAPS -- SUMMARY BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL: Steffy turns to Taylor for comfort when she tells her mother about Ridge trying to talk her into signing annulment papers so Hope and Liam can get married. Ridge secretly informs Brooke that he doesn't think that Hope and Liam …Read more. LYNDA HIRSCH ON SOAPS -- GOSSIP In the mid 1980s, I received a press release from "As the World Turns." The show was trumpeting that the daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston and the niece of Dionne Warwick was going to appear on the show. Who was she? I thought. In …Read more. LYNDA HIRSCH ON SOAPS -- Q AND A Q: How did the fundraiser that Bradley Bell, the producer of "Bold and Beautiful," held for President Obama go? — Arleta in Mill Valley, Calif. A: The event was held on Feb. 15 at the main Spanish style house of the Holmby Hills …Read more. LYNDA HIRSCH ON SOAPS -- SUMMARY BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL: Fresh from liberating himself from Steffy, Liam and Hope promise to spend the rest of their lives together. Steffy has not lost hope of a future with Liam, thinking that he just needs time away to realize she is the one for him. …Read more.

LYNDA HIRSCH ON SOAPS -- GOSSIP

The splendid James Mitchell (Palmer, "All My Children") died last week at 89. The actor had suffered from COPD for several years. His death came just weeks after his appearance on "AMC's" 40th anniversary shows, which aired Jan. 4-5. Mitchell was an eloquent man and a gentleman. He and I bonded over our cars; we had the same make. When he learned I was driving the sports car in snowy weather, he would always call and say, "You must put that car on blocks, my dear. It is not safe in the snow." He was right — the car once did a 360 in a storm.

"AMC" plans to incorporate the actor's death with the death of his character in March. In the past few years, the show has had to do that too often. From Phoebe to Myrtle, "AMC" has had to say goodbye to so many of its beloved stars.

Corday Productions, Inc. and Sony Pictures Consumer Products have partnered with Sourcebooks, an independent publisher, to create a line of books based on "Days of our Lives." The book line will include nonfiction and fiction titles, novelized stories of the characters fans have seen on television for the past 44 years, as well as insider accounts into the origin and history of the hit daytime drama.

"Community is at the heart of the future publishing enterprise," said Dominique Raccah, publisher of Sourcebooks, in a statement. "We're incredibly excited to be working with Ken Corday, Corday Productions, and Sony Pictures to create a line of books, and more, directly for the millions of fans that are the Days of Our Lives community."

"Days of our Lives," which premiered Nov. 8, 1965, has aired 11,000 episodes.

I got to be in three. The fan base is constantly seeking inside information and ways to interact with the show and its characters even after the hour ends, and Days of our Lives Publications will provide them with extended stories, inside histories and many other ways to enhance their experience.

"I am thrilled to be working on such an amazing project that will give our loyal viewers the ability to understand my family's journey through theatre, radio, and television to the creation of Days of our Lives," stated Ken Corday, executive producer of the show. "These books go one step further into revealing what has made this show, its actors, and its characters thrive and survive for 44 years. Not only will readers gain insight into behind-the-scenes stories, but they will also learn the history behind this staple of a show."

Days of our Lives Publications will launch with "The Days of our Lives: The Untold Story of One Family's Dream" and "The True History of The Days of our Lives" (Sourcebooks; May 2010). Written by Corday, the son of Ted and Betty Corday, the founders of the daytime drama, this story is the first insider memoir of the family that conceived the show, believed in it and struggled to create and produce it. Fans will discover for the first time the true stories that drive the fictional ones.

Sourcebooks will follow with a series of novels based on the show's characters in fall 2010, along with a 45th Anniversary Treasury. There will also be an exclusive Web component to accompany the line.

"Days" is distributed to international audiences in Canada, Europe, Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East. Last week, I got a 44-cent royalty check when the episodes I was on aired overseas. You've got to love those royalty checks.

To find out more about Lynda Hirsch and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.