Friday's episode of "Bold and Beautiful" was preempted for a news conference. The west coast viewers saw a re-broadcast of an episode that was shot in Monte Carlo. On Monday a fresh episode, the one that was to air Friday. will air nationally. News comes first when it comes to breaking into a program.

It is no surprise that Richard Simmons is suing the tabloid press for stories about his transitioning into a woman. Having known him for decades, I also know it was not easy. I also know he is not doing it for the money. Throughout his life, Simmons has taken his own negative situations and used them to help people. As a young man, he weighed over 250 pounds. He went on crash diet. He lost over 100 pounds; he also lost his hair and his health. He did not want anyone else to go through that, so he formulated a diet and exercise plan for real people to lose weight. He opened a weight loss studio in LA called "Slimmons." Several "General Hospital" stars attended his classes. He was brought on for a guest shot. He was so popular with viewers that he had a four-year run. Then he became the weight loss guru for America. He would go on talk shows and make fun of himself, but he always got his message out — lose weight in a safe way and life your life.

There has always been a public and private Simmons. A few years ago, he got out of the spotlight and started to cocoon in his beloved Beverly Hills home. His peace and quiet recently turned into a media circus and all the stories began. Simmons kept quiet for quite some time. When he decided it was finally time to speak, it was hard, because he did not want to appear as if he thought transitioning was something to be ashamed of. He has always supported the theory that people should live their lives as they want, as long as it does not harm anyone. He did hate the tales that claimed he had been taking hormone treatments, because this was not true. He feared that a lawsuit against press that claimed he was going through a sex change would mean he thought the process was shameful. He does not. He is just not doing it.

He's back. Three-time Emmy award winning Chandler Massey (Will) is back at "Days of Our Lives." Massey left the show in 2015. When the actor decided to leave the show, the producers let him leave early and hired Guy Wilson. Sadly, Wilson was not accepted by the audience. It was not his fault — they dressed the character like a goofy teenager, made him hateful and handed him awful storylines. Is Will alive? No word on that. We do know the actor is already on the set and he will first appear on air in September. In October, Allison Sweeney, who plays his sometimes "mommy dearest," is returning to Days for a two month stint. Her work will start airing in October. Constance Towers (Helena, "General Hospital") is headed back. The villainess is not done causing trouble for the citizens of Port Charles. Arianne Zucker (Nicole, "Days of Our Lives") has agreed to extend her stay. She is still exiting, but when asked to stick around to give her character a great send-off, she said YES. She will probably air until late December. Spinelli is headed back to "General Hospital." Bradford Anderson, who created the character, will be playing him. Last time the computer genius was back in town, Blake Berris took over. Anderson was filming an episode of homeland.

Roger Howarth (Franco) and "General Hospital" have reached a contract agreement. It appears that Lindsey Godfrey (Caroline) and "The Bold and the Beautiful" parted ways. We last saw Caroline last October. Once a frontline character, she went from to back burner to no burner.

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