It's the show the Pop Confidential crew can't stop talking about, Showtime's hit dramedy Shameless. On today's Pop Confidential podcast, Andrew Stearn, president of John Wells Productions, and one of the executive producers of Shameless, joins Jamey Giddens, Luke Kerr, Jillian Bowe and Regan Cellura to talk about his company's bombastic adaptation of Paul Abbott's long-running British series.

The PC gang couldn't wait to dish with Stearn about the series Regan compares to crack, because it's so addictive. Tune in to hear them find out from Stearn what first attracted John Wells Productions to the original U.K. series about the wonderfully dysfunctional Gallaghers.

Stearn reveals the journey his team went on to adapt Shameless for the U.S. market. You won't believe which broadcast network the project was originally slated for before it was pitched to HBO and then finally Showtime.

Find out how John Wells and Stearn got an actor of William H. Macy's caliber to basically lie down on the floor in a drunken stupor, as the unrepentent Frank Gallagher for the Shameless pilot. Stearn also gushes about how the rest of his stellar cast came together, from Emmy Rossum (Fiona), to Justin Chatwin (Steve/Jimmy), to Shanola Hampton (Veronica), Steve Howey (Kev), Ethan Cutkosky (Carl) and all the rest, Shameless boasts arguably the best ensemble on television.

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According to Soap Opera Digest, former Santa Barbara actress Gina Gallego will appear on Days of Our Lives as Warden Smith. Gallego will take over the role Stacy Haiduk was slated to play. This move will reunite Gallego with former onscreen rival Robin Mattson, who played Gina to Gallego's Santana on SB.  No word on her first airdate.

EW.com is reporting that Wanda De Jesus, who played Santana Andrade on the much-missed Santa Barbara, has just joined the new Dick Wolf drama, Law & Order: Los Angeles. She will play the captain of the Robbery Homicide Division, Arleen Gonzales. De Jesus joins the previously cast Regina Hall, Skeet Ulrich, Corey Stoll, Alfred Molina, and Terrence Howard.

MSN interviewed The Young and the Restless executive producer Paul Rauch, who is celebrating 50 years in daytime, and asked him about his storied career and his current job at Y&R.

Do you think that sort of out-of-the-box thinking is what it will take to "save" daytime?

It's now a business of hanging on, more than anything else. Though I have to say, this show is not hanging on: We're building on our ratings! We're considerably up over last year in this last week [March 15-19] in the 18-49 category.

Why do you think that is?

Because Maria is making great story and the show looks great on the air. That's basic, right? It is kind of about magic, but it's not magic, because the people know what they're doing.

What was it that got me first?

Was it the opening flurry of Guiding Light's logos throughout it's 72 year history or was it the show's last "Only Love" opening featuring the most of the current cast as it had never done before? Whatever it was that first triggered a torrent of emotions that ran through me, this is what happened on Guiding Light today:

In the wake of Alan Spaulding's death, Fletcher whisked Alexandra away to see the world. Doris pulled strings and got Ashlee into a writer's program at Berkeley; Daisy and Ashley went to California together for school, while James stayed behind and bonded with his father. Mindy informed Billy that she was moving back to Springfield. Remy and a newly pregnant Christina got married in the quickest wedding in soap opera history. Olivia & Natalia settled on a name for the baby — Francesca, named after Frank. Maureen played matchmaker for Matt and one of her pretty school teachers. After weeks of online dating, Frank & Blake finally hooked up for their date, with seemingly all of Springfield stalking him. Beth gave Phillip, who once had great dreams of being a writer, a journal in which to put his every thought.

Finally, there was everything involving Josh (Robert Newman) & Reva (Kim Zimmer).

It wasn't what happened "today" that was most important; it was what happened "one year later" in Springfield that truly mattered. As I sit a home, with the television now turned off and with more than a few tears in my cynical eyes, I cannot help but be amazed that I bore witness to what I believe was one of the greatest series finales of an American institution as has been produced during the long — and now endangered — life of a uniquely American genre. READ MORE

We Love Soaps: My understanding was that your reason for leaving Santa Barbara the last time had to do with a story line twist for Augusta where she would get involved with a certain character
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