WEDDING DRAWS A SOAP VET BACK TO ‘GUIDING LIGHT’

Robert Newman, who played Joshua Lewis on “Guiding Light” from 1981-84 and 1986-91, has returned to the show in the same role.

In the story line, Josh went off to Europe in search of his supposedly deceased wife, Reva (played by Kim Zimmer), when he was positive that he spotted her in a TV travel piece about Italy. There is bound to be some friction between Josh and Harley Cooper (played by Beth Ehlers), since they were engaged at the time Josh went off to search for Reva.

Josh returns to “Guiding Light” for the nuptials of Julie Camaletti and Dylan Lewis (played by Jocelyn Seagrave and Robert Englund).

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She may play a junk-food junkie on “Days of Our Lives,” but off screen you would never catch actress Alison Sweeney, who as Sami Brady is suffering from bulimia, eating a cheeseburger deluxe. And for good reason!: Sweeney is a bona-fide vegetarian.

“I’ve been a vegetarian for about three or four years now,” says Sweeney, who made the decision to give up meat for one simple reason: “I think eating meat is unhealthy.”

“I read a lot of articles about (vegetarianism) when it first became popular,” she explains. “Then, a few years ago, I watched a special on television that showed exactly what they do to meat and to animals. ... I’ve never had the desire to eat meat since.”

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Claire Labine, who co-created and co-wrote the multi-Emmy winning soap “Ryan’s Hope” with Paul Avila Mayer and has won numerous awards during her career as a soap-opera head writer, has taken over the head-writing reins at “General Hospital.” Unless Labine has changed her style during her years away from the daytime scene, there will most likely be a lot of changes in the future for “General Hospital.”

Where “General Hospital” has always focused attention on stories involving suspense and intrigue, “Ryan’s Hope” was always geared more toward romantic and family-oriented stories. Labine has always been good at developing characters to their full potential, something that has been lacking on “General Hospital” of late.

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Last Friday, Sam Groom was set to began a short-term role as the late Joseph Orsini on “All My Children.” Joseph was the father of Ted Orsini, played by Michael E. Knight (who also plays Tad Martin). Groom’s character will be seen in a series of flashbacks.