Q: I was stunned when I heard that the character of Ava was being written off "Days of Our Lives." What gives? — Arletta, Memphis, Tenn.

A: You weren't the only one stunned. Tamara Braun who plays Ava, was also caught off guard. "I knew the character was short-term. But not as short-term as she was," she said recently. Braun did not learn her character was set to take off until she asked the producers how mach longer she was going to be with the show. The answer: two more days. Too bad this was a villainess with all kinds of possibilities. Drake Hogestyn (John) had great chemistry with her. No word on why the story line was truncated. Perhaps the return of chief villain Stefano (Joe Mascolo) leaves little room for an "I kill to get what I want" character.

Q: The scenes between Ben and Viki on "One Life to Live" were magical. What has the actor who played Ben been doing since he was killed off on OLTL? — Anne, Parsippany, N.J.

A: Mark Derwin, who was the original Mallet on "Guiding Light," is one of those fortunate actors who has been working since leaving his soap. Presently he is co-starring with Molly Ringwald (yep, the "Pretty in Pink" girl) in ABC Family Channel's "The Secret Life of the American Teenager." In order to shoot his OLTL scenes, which aired July 21 and 22, Derwin had to juggle his shooting schedule on his primetime gig. "It all worked out," says Derwin. Being back on the show was great — lots of friends to catch up with. He even had a surprise "hello, buddy" when he walked on the set and there was Jerry verDorn. VerDorn, who was Ross on "GL," and Derwin were up to their old jokes on OLTL. Derwin is known as a prankster except when it is time to shoot his scenes. Then it is business as soap opera usual.

Q: The actor playing Max's biological father, Trent, on "Days of Our Lives" looks very familiar. Has he done any other soaps? — RJ, Topeka, Kan.

A: Has he ever. Roscoe Born began his daytime drama career in the 1980s playing heroic but mob-connected Joe Novak on "Ryan's Hope." He went on to play the slimy religious phony and eventually psychotic killer Mitch Laurence on "One Life to Live." He recently played Kevin's brutal father, Tom, on "Young and Restless." Other soaps gigs include "Passions" (the warden), "As the World Turns" (Detective Adamski), "Guiding Light" (Peter Vreeland) and "The City." He also has lots of primetime shows under his acting belt. Born has guest starred on shows from "The Rockford Files" to the primetime soap "Paper Dolls" to "The Incredible Hulk."

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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