I have to say I am fairly shocked to hear that Don Diamont (Brad) is leaving The Young and the Restless. This has to be the first major flag on the play for the new Dream Team behind CBS's rejuvenated sudser.

Diamont has long been one of the biggest draws for the soap and fans were looking forward to finally seeing his relationship with Sharon (Sharon Case) explored. Then there is the fact that his adopted daughter Abby is rumored to be returning to town as a teenager soon, which would no doubt reignite Brad's bitterness toward Victor (Eric Braeden), whose sperm was famously stolen by Brad's ex-wife Ashley (Eileen Davidson) to produce the tyke. READ MORE

Set your DVRS soap nuts. All My Children's vacationing vixen Alicia Minshew, Guiding Light's newly-returned, hopeful soap-ssiah Grant Aleksander and As The World Turns diva du jour Elizabeth Hubbard will all be spoofing soap stars on tonight's episode of Life on Mars, when the crime drama's main character tune's in to watch his favorite show, according to Soap Opera Digest. Also look for Hubbard's former costar, Jennifer Ferrin (ex-Jenn, ATWT) to make a small appearance. Life on Mars airs on ABC. Check your local listings beeyouches and thanks ssjohn for the tip!

I would be willing to bet that the most terrible words for daytime executives is "lapsed viewer." One might think that "cancellation" would be at the top of that list, but when a show goes off the air it is essentially a period at the end of sentence with everyone eventually moving on to something else. One also might think "lost viewers" might rank high, but the top brass is keenly aware that the television world has changed; viewers who have exited stage right have either different things to do or are far more selective with their viewing choices, two things that often go hand in hand.

As it turns out, the "lapsed viewer" is the elusive "independent" or "undecided" voters of the daytime world. Not unlike presidential hopefuls, network executives, producers and head writers stumble all over themselves to reel these people in to a new show or back into the fold of an old one. Their efforts vary from sincere to misguided to empty lip service depending on their audience or agenda. READ MORE

Kendall

Greenlee