Sometimes being right feels wrong. Last week I suggested that Ed Scott's being unavailable for an interview was not because he was busy or did not want to talk to me, but because trouble was brewing backstage. As of this week, Scott is no longer producing "Days of Our Lives." He went toe to head with "Days'" new head writer, Dena Higley, and he got the boot. Scott was charged by the Writers Guild for rewriting Higley's scripts and allowing an actress to rewrite her lines. What a crime. Producers have always reworked scripts. As for actors rewriting lines, can you say Tony Geary? When he first played "General Hospital's" Luke, he was always improvising with the blessing of the show's then-producer, Gloria Monty.

Some actors, like "All My Children's" James Mitchell (Palmer), would never change a word. Mitchell once confided, "I hate it when actors change the writers' words. As an actor, you are paid to make the words work no matter what you think."

As for Scott, lots of fans hope he returns to "Young and Restless," which he produced for over 20 years. With Paul Rauch's consulting days at Y&R lasting a nanosecond, it just might give Y&R fans what they want. Hogan Sheffer, who was "Days'" head writer while Scott was producing, is now co-writing over at Y&R. Yes, just think Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.

As for "Days of Our Lives," here is their official statement on the change of guard: "I have decided that it's in the best interest of the show's future to make this change in order to improve 'Days' both visually and emotionally," said Executive Producer Ken Corday. "We at 'Days' are grateful to Ed Scott for all of his contributions and amazing energy over the past year. Gary Tomlin brings a long successful history of being an actor's producer and a writer's producer to our cast and crew and I know the viewers will see the immediate results of this change for the better."

"I'm very happy to be back at 'Days' where I began behind the scenes in the early '80s," said Gary Tomlin, the new co-executive producer. "It's wonderful to be given the opportunity to work with Ken Corday."

Tomlin's career on daytime serials began in 1973 when he was cast on NBC's "Search for Tomorrow" as Bruce Carson. He joined the Corday family for the first time as co-head writer for "Days" in 1980-1981 and has since served as head writer for "Another World" and "One Life to Live." In 1997, Tomlin rose to executive producer of NBC's "Sunset Beach," then on to "One Life to Live" in 2001, when the series received its first-ever Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Series.

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.

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