Living On The Edge
ATWT's Lily takes a TURN for the worse this week when Dusty rejects her. "That's the last straw for her stability," says Martha Byrne, who shares a sneak peek in the January 22 issue of Digest, which hits stands Tuesday. The issue also includes a preview from OLTL's Kathy Brier, who shares details of the Marcie's comeuppance. "She kind of goes into denial," shares Brier. For the full story, pick up Digest.

Triangle Trouble
GL's Harley has her eye on her niece's man, but this week Marina one-ups her with the news that she's engaged to Cyrus. Don't expect Harley to just give up. "Their feelings for each other are not going away," Beth Ehlers tells Digest in the January 22 issue, which hits stands Tuesday. Another daytime drama queen, B&B;'s Donna goes to great lengths to push Eric away. "She's sacrificing her happiness for the good of her family," tells Jennifer Gareis. For the full story, pick up Digest.

Monica's Meltdown
As Dr. Monica Quartermaine, GENERAL HOSPITAL's Leslie Charleson has faced cancer, infidelity, loss of children, but now she faces what might be her biggest struggle yet — alcoholism. "There's a secret flask Monica has been sipping from," Charleson explains in this week's Weekly. Pick up the Jan. 22 issue of Weekly to learn the details of what happens when "Monica's hand starts shaking" in the operating room.

Comings and Goings
"I'm so excited to be working with them again," enthuses AMC's Rebecca Budig whose high-profile return to Pine Valley takes place on Wednesday, January 16. Two days later, Debbi Morgan's Angie hits the screen. The actresses tell Digest what's on their minds in the January 22 issue, which hits stands Tuesday…. DAYS's Judi Evans (Adrienne) and Julie Pinson (Billie) are exiting Salem. Follow the story in the January 22 and January 29 issues of Soap Opera Digest.

She's Back
Crazy Margaret Cochran is back on ONE LIFE TO LIVE and right in Blair's face this coming week. "I was told Margaret's appearance will not be a dream," hints Kassie DePaiva (Blair). Tari Signor returns as Tommy/Sam's biological mother on Jan. 17. For more on what the appearance does to Blair pick up the Jan. 22 issue of Weekly.

Danger Zone
Things go south for Theresa when she goes south of the border on PASSIONS. Her on-screen mom Eva Tamargo (Pilar) previews the story in the January 22 issue of Digest, which hits stands Tuesday. The issue also includes news of an Andrea Evans (Rebecca) rumor.

Hannah Dies
Zach's ex-wife Hannah dies Monday, Jan. 14 and ALL MY CHILDREN's Thorsten Kaye (Zach) talks all about it in the Jan. 22 issue of Weekly. The actor is charmingly candid about Stacy Haiduk's (Hannah) departure and other happenings in Pine Valley. "The weirdest part about that is I was holding on to Hannah, she let go, and I looked up and Greenlee looked completely different. Obviously, Hannah's death took a bigger toll on her than it did on me," quips Kaye, alluding to the return of Rebecca Budig as Greenlee. Kaye also writes a limerick about Aidan. (Is there anything he can't do?) It's all in the current Weekly on stands now.

Sarah Brown Update
When Sarah Brown (ex-Carly) returns to her GENERAL HOSPITAL stomping ground it will be as Claudia Zacchara, Johnny's sister. Brown will be back in Port Charles for at least a year, though no first airdate has been announced.

New Love
AMC has cast film actor and director Mario Van Peebles as Susan Lucci's (Erica) new love interest, Senatorial candidate Samuel Woods. He'll make his debut on January 29. Erica taps him to be a guest on NEW BEGINNINGS and, says a show rep, he "will soon become her worst nightmare that may turn into a romance."

After The Storm
Look for B&B;'s Storm to depart on January 11 and he's not the only Logan out of the picture — at least for now. William de Vry tells Digest about his exit and the aha! moment when he knew Storm was Stephanie's attempted murderer and gives a hint at what might be ahead. Check out the January 15 issue for the story.

With This Ring
Daytime Emmy-winner Josh Duhamel, who starred as Leo on ALL MY CHILDREN before striking it rich in LAS VEGAS, is engaged. The actor popped the question to girlfriend Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas. Duhamel was formerly engaged to model Kristy Pierce.

Brannon Back To Soap World?
Former GH star Chad Brannon (ex-Zander) and wife Carly welcomed a baby boy, Hudson Allen, on December 18. Digest caught up with the proud pop on Christmas Eve. The bundle of joy isn't the only news in the actor's life. "I am very excited, I just signed with new agents, Rebel Entertainment Partners. I am just stoked," shares Brannon, "I am looking forward to what is going to happen this next year as far as on-camera stuff film and TV stuff. My voiceover stuff is just cranking, it is just a huge blessing. It is just continuing to keep me super, super busy. I am up for some pretty big voiceover things right now actually. We will just wait to see what will happen with that." And the actor may be heading back to soaps, in a sense. He explains, "Here is a funny thing with the voiceover deal. I am up for possibly being the voice of SOAPnet, which is very funny. I think it is between me and one other guy. We are seeing what is happening there. It may have ended up going the other way since I was busy with baby. It is pretty crazy. I have been in there for three different callbacks. They have been great people to work with. So anyway, I could end up being the new voice of the network. We will see if that happens or not."

Jesse and Angie Return to AMC
ALL MY CHILDREN confirms the return of Debbi Morgan and Darnell Williams as Angie and Jesse Hubbard in January. Morgan first airs on Jan. 18 when the doctor returns to Pine Valley Hospital to consult on a mysterious illness that is killing Greenlee and another secret patient. Williams is first seen on Jan. 25.

"We started as kids and grew up and got married.... We always have such a soft spot in everybody’s hearts," Morgan told Soap Opera Digest in an exclusive interview. For more on the couple's exciting return to Pine Valley pick up the current issues of Soap Opera Digest on stands now.

"Angie and Jesse made an eternal imprint on ALL MY CHILDREN viewers, and many fans will not believe he's alive. We will continue to build upon the history of this core family and rekindle what made them a supercouple," Brian Frons, president, Daytime, Disney-ABC Television Group said in a statement.

Budig Returns to AMC
Rebecca Budig will return to ALL MY CHILDREN in January as Greenlee Smythe, the role she created in 1999. Budig talked to Soap Opera Weekly before she even inked the final deal with ABC daytime. "I was having lunch with Brian Frons (president of ABC Daytime) ... And he just mentioned something about AMC to me. The next thing I knew there was an offer."

PASSIONS Canceled Again
After NBC canceled PASSIONS last year, the sudser received a reprieve in September when it moved to the satellite channel DIRECTV. However, it looks as if the show may have to find a new home again. Liza Huber (Gwen) posted a message on her official Web Site www.lizahuber.com, "Hi Everyone. Yes, it is true that Passions will finish taping at the end of March 2008. We will start airing 3 days a week on DIRECTV which should last through summer of 2008. It has been a wonderful ride (although Gwen has completely lost her mind!) and I want to thank all of you for your amazing support for Passions through the years! Much love, Liza."

However, a spokesperson for the show and representative from DIRECTV stress that it isn't the end ... yet. "PASSIONS isn't going off the air," says the spokesperson. "In fact, additional episodes were just picked up. It's going to be on at least through August."

"The show just got an additional 52 episode pickup, taking it through the end of the summer," explains Caley Cronin, Manager of Public Relations at DIRECTV, though she admits its future is murky. "We'll see what happens after that," she says, "but it's going to be on the air for many months."

A New Casey at the Bat
Billy Magnussen has been hired as ATWT's Casey Hughes, who has been in jail since previous portrayer Zach Roerig exited on May 2. The actor is currently starring in The Ritz on Broadway and is a recent graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts — alma mater of Jennifer Ferrin (ex-Jennifer) and Cassandra Creech (ex-Denise).

Marston Officially Off OLTL
ONE LIFE TO LIVE has confirmed that Nathaniel Marston will not be returning to the ABC soap. The show issued the following statement on November 8:

"Nathaniel Marston has been a valuable member of the cast of ONE LIFE TO LIVE bringing Michael McBain to life for legions of fans. He leaves the show with our sincere appreciation for his many contributions and our support as he addresses personal challenges. We wish him well."

When asked for further details — when the role will be recast, Marston's last airdate — a spokesperson for the show said this was the only comment that would be issued right now. Insiders say the role will be recast ASAP (with the writers on strike, a hasty rewrite to explain Michael's exit would be problematic).

Marston has not been back to work since his Oct. 20 run-in with the law.

Marston landed in Bellevue Hospital after allegedly attacking three people in midtown Manhattan on October 20 at 4:30 a.m. Published reports say Marston assaulted his victims with a metal crate, breaking one of their legs. The incident resulted in the hospitalization of Marston, Police Officer Sean Turner and at least one of the victims. It occurred at 45th Street and 10th Ave.

In October 23 editions of the New York Post, Marston said that "cops arrested the wrong guy." He added that he "was mistakenly taken into custody as the attacker."

Marston is to appear in criminal court of the City of New York February 4, 2008. The formal charges are as follows:
• 1 count Assault in the Second Degree
• 3 counts Assault in the Second Degree
• 3 counts Menacing in the Second Degree
• 3 counts Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree
• 1 count Resisting Arrest

This is not Marston's first run-in with the law. He was arrested in October 1999 on criminal mischief charges after punching an ATM machine. He was also temporarily recast for a few episodes last November for reasons never made public.

Writers Strike Update
The Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers were unable to come to terms. No agreement has been reached on issues such as residuals and distribution of shows, and writers went on strike Monday, Nov. 5. What will this mean for daytime? Soap operas have been working to stockpile at least several weeks' worth of scripts in anticipation of a potential strike. The last writers' strike, in 1988, which ran for five months, did not result in a hiatus for soaps. However, without experienced script writers many suffered in quality. At first most stories were dragged out for as long as possible, then plots lurched forward that did not leave shows in the best of shape. This strike hits soap operas harder than other TV shows because prime-time shows can run repeats and daytime cannot. As GH Head Writer Robert Guza, Jr. said to Digest in the 11/6 issue, "There is definitely concern for how daytime would survive a long-lasting strike."

Knight Time for Bruening
Justin Bruening (ex-Jamie, ALL MY CHILDREN) has been cast in NBC's two-hour movie KNIGHT RIDER, based on the popular series which starred David Hasselhoff (ex-Snapper, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS) from 1982-'86. Bruening will play the son of Michael Knight (the Hasselhoff character) in the TV film. Coincidentally, Bruening has already played the son of a Michael Knight, specifically Michael E. Knight's (Tad) son on AMC. Here's another tie-in: Catherine Hickland (Lindsay, ONE LIFE TO LIVE) was married at one time to both Hasselhoff and Knight.

If the movie is a hit, there could be a new series in the works.

Family Tragedy
A memorial site has been established for Michael Tylo Jr., the son of Hunter Tylo (Taylor, B&B) and Michael Tylo (ex-Blade, Y&R; ex-Quint, GL). The 19-year old Tylo drowned at the family home in Nevada on Oct. 17, according to the Associated Press. The cause of death reportedly was listed as accidental drowning.

According to Usmagazine.com, Sarah Mildebrandt, Investigative Supervisor at the Clark County Coroner's office, said, "The cause of death was drowning due to seizure disorder."

Hunter Tylo was in Los Angeles at the time of the incident, B&B; representative Eva Demirjian told the AP.

Soap Opera Digest and Soap Opera Weekly join the actress's fans in offering our deepest sympathy to Tylo and her family.

PASSIONS Online
Now PASSIONS fans — even those without DIRECTV — can keep up with their favorite soap in total Harmony. NBC.com/passions is offering a subscription service that will allow viewers to watch all new episodes online for $19.95 per month. New episodes can be accessed through the site for up to eight weeks so fans won't have to miss a single moment. Additionally, DIRECTV has added four new episodes of the interactive PASSIONS LIVE! series to their "101" channel, allowing viewers to call in and ask questions of their favorite PASSIONS stars.