Apologies!

Lucas knows that Sami is hiding something, and yet he is still willing to push that aside in order to prove that he won't abandon her. How can she NOT tell him the truth?

I would like to apologize to everyone for not being able to post a column last week. Between a work emergency for me and a family tragedy for Melissa - life just simply got in the way. We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding. Unfortunately, because I've been working nights/weekends lately, I have not been able to watch DOOL in the past 2 weeks. I didn't even get a chance to read the recaps! I therefore had to cram 2 weeks worth of shows in to one evening and the result was a heck of a lot of Fast Forwarding! LOL. I hope I got all the details rights but if not - feel free to email me and point out the mistakes I've made. As a side note, Melissa may decide to take a bit of time off from the column to be with her family. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers.

I know that we are 2 weeks behind and I'll try to catch up on everything that's happened as best I can. Let's start with Sami. I have a hard time identifying with her at times. I'm a very pragmatic person so I can't understand people who work to make their life more complicated. And that is exactly what has happened to Sami now that EJ knows she is pregnant. She won't accept the fact that the jig is up. No matter what she tries to do, EJ holds her fate in his hands if she can't work up the courage to tell Lucas the truth. EJ has threatened her family, blackmailed her to do his bidding, openly admitted that he would take her child whether she liked it or not and now - he's told her to get an amnio to determine the paternity of the baby within 48 hours or he would tell Lucas the truth. Why can't she see that EJ is never going to stop? Celeste has told her the same thing twice now (the church & bathroom of the Penthouse Grill). Isn't that reason enough to tell Lucas? Come what may? What exactly is it going to take? I know that she claims to be afraid that Lucas would leave her again if he knew the truth. I understand that but, surely she sees that this time is different? He knows that she's hiding something and yet he is still willing to push that aside in order to prove that he won't abandon her. How can she stand there, look him in the face and NOT tell him the truth? It boggles the mind! Sami has convinced herself that she can fool EJ with phony test results. Right...and his middle name is "gullible". Not! Now that EJ spotted Celeste leaving the Penthouse Grill, you better believe that his Spidey senses are tingling. He's going to put two-and-two together very soon. What will EJ do next? Spoilers say that the truth will not come out until Lucas and Sami's wedding in May (conveniently timed for May Sweeps period). The good news is that Sami and Lucas will get married. Yes, you heard that right folks - I have it on good authority that Sami will finally become the bride she's always dreamed of being. But how long will the marriage last? What will Lucas do when he does finally learn the truth? And who is the father of Sami's baby? Is she carrying twins? Only the writers know for sure...

Speaking of her: My favorite actress has landed herself a primetime hosting gig. If you haven't heard yet...Allison Sweeney has been chosen to be the new host of the reality television show The Biggest Loser. Congratulations Ali! I am so excited - being a HUGE fan of both the show and Ali - I am very much looking forward to the next installment with her as the host. I would argue that there is nothing more inspiring on television at the moment than this particular show. I am constantly impressed by the contestants' ability to completely turn their life around. They may start simply, by exercising hard and learning how to eat properly. But they end up with a lot more than just a healthier lifestyle. They end up gaining self-confidence and self-respect and learning how to love themselves. The best part is not the weight that they lose, but that seeing what they have accomplished ends up affecting and inspiring the people around them. It's like this big circle of positive energy that keeps going around and around and there is nothing more heart-warming than that. Okay, I'm stepping off my soapbox now but I would recommend the show to anyone - if you weren't already watching that is.

Kate's little boo-hoo-woe-is-me sob fest to Lucas didn't convince me. It's just an act designed to win her way back in to Lucas's good graces. And I think he's starting to fall for it again. It's too bad because even though Sami put their 'feud' aside and convinced Lucas to invite his mother to their wedding - Kate will never stop trying to break them up. Ever. She's proven that. I have the tiniest bit of hope that she will soften a smidge when it comes out that EJ raped Sami, but I'm sure that Kate will find a way to make it Sami's fault. Knowing how much I hate Kate...imagine my surprise as I watched the scene between Kate and Philip in the church on Thursday. I had to rewind the scene to listen to the dialogue again. Did I hear right? Was Kate actually acting somewhat like a caring mother? Did she actually offer him advice about the custody situation that was in his best interest rather than hers? I heard her urge Phil to find a way to work with Belle and Shawn rather than throwing his weight around and generally acting like Victor. Well knock me over with a feather!!! It's too bad that we can't see a little more of this Kate as opposed to the mean, nasty, manipulative, evil, skanky Kate that we normally see. Once upon a time; I used to like Kate. Back in the day when Vivian was out to steal Victor from her, Kate wasn't as twisted as she is now. Perhaps Sheffer decided to soften her around the edges a bit? Nawwww...I'll believe it when I see it.

So Billie developed some kind of home security system (if this isn't the lamest of lame ideas for Billie...well...I can't think of anything lamer. Unless she became a rodeo clown maybe). Normally I would trash this storyline to death - mostly because Billie really isn't my favorite character - but I'll give her a bit of a break since I ended up FF through most of her scenes. From what I gathered; Billie pitched her home security idea to EJ and he's agreed to back her. After some gentle manipulation on the part of EJ, Billie came up with the bright idea to test the home security system in Bo's house (Billie made EJ promise not to use the security system for his "nefarious purposes". And if you believe that one Billie...have I got a bridge for you...). Bo refused to support Billie, given that EJ was involved (someone is using his brains at least). So Billie then joked to EJ that they needed a small burglary to convince Bo to change his mind (hardly something a 'friend' would say) and EJ naturally decided to hire Willow to do exactly that. Will-Ho agreed to do so...just for the money of course...and managed to set Bo and Hope's house on fire at the same time. By accident so she said. Oh sure, who would have thought that carelessly setting down a lit candle directly in front of the curtains would start a fire? A brainiac this girl ain't. Lucky for her, Willow just happened to have Chelsea's brush in her purse - I guess for just this sort of occasion - and left it behind, hoping to frame Chelsea for the fire. It was all for nothing however as EJ turned the tables on her and stole the check that he had given her in payment for the so-called burglary. And now Willow is left with nothing. Poor thing. Whatever will she do? (Am I overdoing the sarcasm just a tad?) Unfortunately, Billie and Bo fell for hairbrush thing hook line and sinker. I don't really blame them for jumping to that conclusion - but given that she's never set anything on fire before now...I'm a little surprised that Hope was the only one willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Can I just squeeze in a comment about how much I love Hope Brady? Everything she says and does is just so great and right on target for the character that it makes me think that Kristian Alfonso must be writing her own dialogue. LOL. I am happy to say that the 'real' Hope Brady is back and not a freaking moment too soon.

I really had to laugh at the way the truth came out about Billie sleeping with Nick. After all the whispered conversations and covert looks, Billie just jumped to the conclusion that Nick had spilled the beans to Chelsea and yelled out the truth. Wow. Major lapse in judgment Billie - again. What ensued was some fairly decent acting as Billie and Nick desperately tried to explain while Chelsea cried, yelled and basically refused to listen (though I didn't blame her). She told Billie that she meant nothing to her, packed a suitcase and walked out the door. She's not too happy with Nick either. In fact, she's back to hating him again. It's too bad because Chelsea and Nick made a very cute couple for about two seconds before they broke up. Their big happy grins were infectious and I found myself grinning away with them. Chelsea is being incredibly hypocritical about the whole mess however. As many people have pointed out - Billie included - Chelsea has done much worse to a lot more people in Salem and yet she has been forgiven for the most part. Billie has always been he only one to stand by Chelsea's side through all of the messes that she created but the one time that Billie screws up; Chelsea cuts her off without thought. I don't agree with Billie sleeping with Nick but the reality is that Chelsea was not dating Nick at the time and both Billie & Nick are consenting adults. Chelsea really has no business being upset - jealous sure...(and I think she is tremendously hurt and jealous) but nothing was done to her. So she really should just get off her high horse and get over herself. Spoilers tell us that Billie will be kidnapped or disappear somehow so I'm sure it won't be until that time that Chelsea starts to realize how much Billie means to her.

Guys...don't send me angry emails but...I don't have much to say about Belle & Shawn's storyline. The premise is so ridiculous that I could literally fill a whole column about them alone. But as Melissa said in her last column, this is a soap opera and in order to enjoy it; we have to let it go and enjoy the ride. I have no clue how much longer this island stuff is going to drag on or what the purpose is of the new characters - Gabby and Duck - but I am assuming that it will last at least until May Sweeps period. The only saving grace is Martha and Brandon's chemistry together as Belle and Shawn. I know that a lot of people either love 'em or leave 'em; and I happen to be one of the people that like them. I'm finally back onboard with this couple - for the first time since Kirsten Storms and Jason Cooke occupied the roles - and I'm eager to see their relationship develop. I assume that Gabby has been introduced in order to throw a wrench in to the plans however. I don't know if Shawn and Belle, as a couple, are strong enough for another girl to come between them again. I only hope that Belle will fight for Shawn this time instead of standing back as she did when Willow came along and playing the poor hand-wringing victim.

Maybe it's because I FF a lot of their scenes (too many repetitive conversations) but I don't really know what's going on with Steve and Kayla. From what I could tell, he was back in the asylum and he blamed her for that somehow. Though he acted erratic, I think that he was purposely trying to hurt Kayla in hopes that she would leave him. Thus keeping her safe from EJ. He's definitely being controlled somehow by EJ, but some part of him is still trying to protect her because he loves her so much. Though the storyline itself may not be holding my interest; Stephen Nichols and Mary-Beth Evans continue to make it worth watching. So now Steve's escaped from the hospital and he's turned to the one person he thinks he can trust - Billie - to help him get out of town. Spoilers say that he is going to end up kidnapping her or at the very least, prevent her from returning home. Given the spoilers for Monday's show; it looks like their car goes off the road. Maybe Billie gets injured in an accident and can't go home? Poor Kayla, there she is worried out of her mind about her husband (who she thought was dead for 20 years) and bravely confronting EJ by demanding that he reveal Steve's whereabouts; and meanwhile, Steve is running out of town with his tail between his legs because he's scared of a DiMera. That sucks. I want Steve to come back and fight the good fight. EJ can't possibly win every time. Can he?

Um...where's John? Did he go back to the hospital? I know that Kayla removed his kidney but then what? What did I miss? What about Marlena? Was she even aware that John was kidnapped from the hospital or that Kayla removed one of his kidneys? I feel so lost. According to EJ, Stefano has returned to Italy. Uh...Ooookayyyy. So he only came to Salem to steal John's kidney?? This storyline is so weird. It feels disjointed and almost like an afterthought. What was the purpose of all this? I think that TPTB would have done better had they not brought 'Stefano' back at all. I don't know about you guys but seeing a hand poking out of a hospital bed every now and then, is not very interesting to me. Let's get on with it or drop it already.

Uhhh...buh-bye Mimi! It's too bad that she was written out so quickly and unceremoniously, but there it is. Won't Belle be surprised to hear that her best friend left town without saying good-bye to anyone? Not that Mimi would have been able to reach her...but still. Oh well, I will certainly miss Farah Fath & Judi Evans - both of whom are stellar actresses and who always gave their best onscreen; sometimes despite the material they were given. Lucky for us, it seems that we will be graced with Judi Evans presence once again, though thankfully not in the part of Bonnie Lockhart. According to an article that I read, Judi Evans will soon be returning to Days in the role of Adrienne Johnson Kiriakis. For those of you who may not know...Judi Evans originated the role of Jack Deveraux & Steve Johnson's younger sister Adrienne. See below for full story. The Scoop on Judi Evans' Return as Adrienne Johnson Kiriakis Judi Evans, will soon return to "Days" as Adrienne Johnson Kiriakis, the role she played from 1987 to 1991. Evans' first day back as Adrienne is March 30, and the character will appear on your TV screen on May 1. Says Evans, "It's been 15 years since Adrienne's been on the canvas. She left Salem with Justin [Wally Kurth, who plays Ned on "GH"] and their three children. She was pregnant with their fourth. They were going to live in Dallas, Texas, where Justin was starting a company. All I know about the upcoming story is that I'm coming back to help my brother, Steve. I'm kind of going in blind!" Evans realizes that newer fans may not know who Adrienne is. "Adrienne started out as a damaged person," Evans says. "Through the help of her family and her husband, she became stronger. She was always strong, but she had been raped by her father, whom she shot and killed. Adrienne lost the memory of doing that, and Steve took the rap. Right before Steve was sentenced, she remembered what happened. Of course, Adrienne was exonerated because it was self-defense. Later, Adrienne met Justin. She's a very loving, good-hearted woman, and family is very important to her." Says Evans, "I'm looking forward to what Hogan Sheffer has in store for Adrienne. He can go anywhere with this character. One reason I was so disappointed about leaving was that I had barely gotten a chance to work with Hogan's material. I'm really looking forward to having a chance to do that this time." How exciting! I'm definitely looking forward to Adrienne's return, especially now that Jack is also due back. Hopefully the two of them will succeed in helping Kayla to rescue Steve from the DiMeras. I hope that Adrienne brings Justin with her as well. I've always loved Wally Kurth and since he is no longer playing Ned Quartermaine on GH - he may be interested in resuming his role as Justin Kiriakis on DOOL.

I don't get the attraction between Abby and Max, and I don't see any chemistry either. Am I the only one? What do you guys think? I was surprised that Max actually realized his love-them-and-leave-them attitude though. Who would have thunk it? Anyway, like it or not, it seems that these two are headed for a 'lovematch' and I have a feeling that Aunt Maggie will soon be making a call to dear ole dad Jack to rat them out. I'll bet that Jack comes racing back to Salem in order to stop any further developments between Abby and Max. The only problem however, is that if we don't buy in to the idea of Max and Abby a couple to root for - are we going to care about the inevitable "schemes" that Jack will come up with in order to split up them up? I am happy for any storyline that brings Jack Deveraux back to Salem though, so I'll reserve judgment and wait and see what happens.

Random...I am enjoying the budding friendship between Chelsea and Sami. If ever there were two girls who had something in common to bond over - it's these two. ...Why does the actress who plays 'Gabby' look familiar? Anyone recognize her? ...Though I still love EJ as a villain, he is becoming a bit too omni-present for me - he's everywhere, all at once! ...Now that Celeste knows about EJ and Sami, the story has become a lot more interesting. Tanya Boyd always brings a little something extra to any scene she's in. ...Why would Chelsea agree to let EJ sit down at the table? Does she even know the guy well enough to chat with him about anything? At least she put him in his place... "Doodlebug" finally got a name! Welcome Ciara Alice Brady! (It's pronounced See-er-a) Very pretty I think... You know...maybe it's just me, but it seems like Days has been idling in neutral position lately. It's like TPTB forgot to pace the stories between Sweeps Periods properly. Almost as if what we're seeing onscreen is a deliberate recycling of dialogue and scenes until May comes along and they can let loose with the cliff-hangers, reveals, deaths, births; etc. At least - that's what I'm hoping will happen because something seriously needs to happen. And soon!

Reader Feedback: Thanks to everyone who wrote in! I love reading your comments and feedback about the show and this column - so keep them coming!

From Babs: "I too am sick of this Shawn and Belle run away story. This is too much! What are they going to do be survivors on Gilligans Island? This is ridiculous. I thought that this new writer was going along great; I think he must have let one of the assistants write this garbage. He had better take back over control. He is slinking back to the old stupid days. John was on a respirator, Steve unplugs it and takes him over to EJ and now he is plugged back up? How can this happen? I like Steve and Kayla but this tarot card and Steve rolling his EYE back is getting old. I also HATE WILLOW! She is the pits. I only hope that she is the next one to bite the dust. She will probably leave town and then re appear in a few years after Shawn is happy and bring her demon seed to stir up things. What happened to Mimi's baby and where is that story? If Mimi, and Bonnie leave what happens to that baby? I hope Victor wakes up and goes in search. Maybe Philip will wake up and remember he has his own child. Anyway, thanks and take care, babs"

From Shelby: I just wanted to add that though I agree with you about Sami making the same kind of mistakes, though I would like to just see something new happen to her this time. Why do the writers constantly force the "big reveal and final humiliation" on this character? Why doesn't Sami get a good kidnapping from the obviously evil bad-guy (ahem, EJ) who is obsessed with her?? Her mother, Marlena, is the original damsel in distress. EJ raped her but I think he does love her in a way. I can see him doing something crazy like Stefano did to Marlena (like lock her in a golden cage perhaps?). I personally want to see Lucas put in a position of learning the truth too late because Sami has disappeared. Lucas is such a noble good guy...give him more to do that argue with his retarded mother!! I hate Kate too by the way...she doesn't change or grow. Her mission in life is to hate Sami and that is about all the character development the writer's of the show can come up with. It's sad really. I don't think Hogan is making much of a difference as evidenced by the same old, implausible used before storylines. *sigh*".

From Shirley: "Willow is more than a dumb ass!! She is the most disgusting thing ever to hit a soap!! And yet here she is being stuffed down our throats. I have stopped watching till she is gone. When John and Marlena come back I will watch again. I hate the storyline they stuck them with and I cannot stand the new Shawn, he is weird looking. And I hope Kate gets hit by a train!!! I despise the E.J thing I can't stand him. I wish Bo and Hope were given more air time. I love them!!! And oh, please. Could they have Sami just once tell the truth and Have Lucas understand? And have the baby be his? Sigh, too much to hope for".

From Michele: "thanks for your commentary on days and the unbelievable situation with Shawn and Belle, it was dead on. My sister was the first to point out how disgustingly annoying Willow is, I kind of just thought it was her own peeve until I saw her myself and she imbedded herself under my skin somehow ... but I want to warn you ... don't be surprised if Days doesn't try to make her and Philip a bad couple gone good ala Leo/Greenlee, Sami/Lucas ..."

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