Today's Soap Star Birthdays

Lee Grant (ex-Rose, SEARCH FOR TOMORROW) - 81 Charles Cioffi (ex-Kirk, ANOTHER WORLD; ex-Claudius, RYAN'S HOPE; ex-Ernesto, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) - 73 Deidre Hall (Marlena, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) - 61 Andrea Hall (ex-Hattie, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) - 61 Nolan North (ex-Chris, PC) - 38 Scott Clifton (ex-Dillon, GH) - 24

The Latest in Soap Videos: Halloween Edition

Here are some classic Halloween episodes where our favorite fictional characters got all dressed up. ALL MY CHILDREN 1996: Bianca arrives from Seattle, Janet surprises Marian and the cops close in on Grady. ANOTHER WORLD 1993: Carl's victims and their loved ones - including Cass, Felicia, Lucas, Rachel, Michael, Jake, Kevin, Sam, Amanda, and Kathleen - have a plan in motion to nail Carl before he can leave town, a plan revolving around the Halloween party being held at Brava. GENERAL HOSPITAL 1990: Tracy and Ashton celebrate the holiday and plot like only they can. AS THE WORLD TURNS 2000: Craig throws a costume gala where Lily is having a hard time adjusting to her old life knowing Rose had taken her place.

The Recast Series: ATWT's Casey Hughes

I'm starting a new series of columns on characters that have been recasted numerous times over the years and where the previous actors are now. I'm kicking it off with Casey Hughes from AS THE WORLD TURNS, inspired by seeing Zach Roerig as Cash on FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. On AS THE WORLD TURNS, Margo found out she was pregnant with Casey Robert Hughes the day after she pulled the plug on her father-in-law Casey Peretti, at his request. After a fairly uneventful pregnancy (aside from being on trial for murder for part of it), Margo gave birth on Valentine's Day of 1991. 1 Cruise Russo-Zirkel (1991 to 1999) - Russo-Zirkel, who was named after Tom Cruise, was eight months old when he was cast as newborn Casey Hughes. He played the role on a recurring basis for several years before the character was aged for the first time. He does not have many acting credits since leaving ATWT but did appear in the Michele Maher film, Garmento, in 2002. Earlier this year, Russo-Zirkel graduated from Warren County Technical School and began attending Farleigh Dickinson University this fall where he is majoring in 3D animation. 1 Joseph Cross (1999 to 2004) - Cross has been the most successful of all the Casey recasts. He had a film career before ATWT including a roles Jack Frost and Northern Lights. Since leaving ATWT, he has made numerous television and film appearances. He plays Dick Pabich in the new Gus Van Zandt film, Milk, based on the live of Harvey Milk, California's first openly gay elected official. He has upcoming roles in the films Son of Mourning and The Last Film Festival. 1 Ian Boyd (2004) - ATWT was not Boyd's first soap role. He played a young Jake McKinnon in flashbacks on ANOTHER WORLD in 1998. Also prior to ATWT, he appeared in the film, It Runs in the Family, with Michael Douglas and Rory Culkin. Since leaving the soap, he has appeared in a couple of films, Bird in Hand with Greg Shamie and The Motel with Jeffrey Chyau. 1 Peter Vack (2004) - Since leaving ATWT, Vack has appeared on television LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT and HOPE & FAITH and in several films including Love/Death/Cobain, The Treatment and A Perfect Fit. He also had a voice over role in Bully. His next film is Consent, from writer/director Ron Brown, in which he plays the lead role of Joshua. 1 Zach Roerig (2005 to 2007) - When his contract was up in the spring of 2007, Roerig offered to work on the show through the summer but ATWT turned him down. He took an offer from ONE LIFE TO LIVE to play the role of Hunter instead. Since then he has moved to Los Angeles and appeared in the films Dear Me, Assassination of a High School President and Official Selection. He can currently be seen as cowboy Cash Warren on FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. Ironically, FNL's Scott Porter filled in for Zach Roerig as Casey for one week in 2006 when Roerig was in L.A. filming an Aaron Spelling pilot. Now they are starring on the same show. 1 Billy Magnussen (2008) - Magnussen debuted as the post-prison Casey in January of this year. He graduated from North Carolina School of the Arts and then made his way to New York landing a role in "The Ritz" in late 2007. In addition to his ATWT role, Magnussen has kept busy this year taking roles in the fims Blood Night and Happy Tears.

INTERVIEW: Y&R's Eric Braeden

1 In a new interview with TV Guide Canada's Nelson Branco, Braeden speaks out on past writing regimes, his tortured childhood, politics, those damn Emmys, and why he hates divorce. On Amelia Heinle as Victoria: “I agree with you that I often sometimes wonder how Heather would play certain aspects of this storyline in which Victor banished his family, but Amelia has done a fine job. She’s a different Victoria, but I enjoy her interpretation. Heather and I talk all the time. What a smart, smart girl! I miss her, for sure.” On the U.S. Presidential election: “Hillary Clinton was by far the most capable of them all and the best candidate of them all. However, her downfall was ironically due to her husband, Bill Clinton. In order to right his wrongs, he wanted to give her the presidency, which was a romantic and beautiful gesture, but alas, that’s what led to her downfall and failure. You see, as a woman, she couldn’t have a man pull the strings. That worked against her. It’s a tragedy. Shakespearean even. Of course, I will be voting for Barack Obama.”

Jones and Frantz "Pledge to Vote"

1 B&B's Ashley Jones and Y&R's Adrienne Frantz attended "One Vote Counts: Pledge To Vote" hosted by Brooke Burke and Rock The Vote at Les Deux last night in Los Angeles. Jones also managed to make an appearance at a Vogue and Step Up Women's Network fashion event at Bally in Beverly Hills. 1

The Lates in Soap Videos: Guiding Light Election Edition

Here are some classic GUIDING LIGHT scenes from previous election cycles. ROSS'S DREAM: Trapped in traffic with Fletcher, awaiting the senate election results, Ross falls asleep and enters a dream world where first Gilly and then Jenna appear in his limousine. ELENI SINGS: During Ross' senate campaign, people have gathered at the diner and Eleni is urged to sing. DORIS VS BUZZ: Doris makes a scene, claiming Buzz stole the election. Mallet drags her away. BLAKE VS JEFFREY: Jeffrey tells Blake that he too is running for mayor and she thanks him for his help.

PREVIEW: Tonight's GREEK Mid-Season Finale

1 Lauren Conrad’s guest star appearance airs as part of the mid-season finale of ABC Family’s hit series GREEK. In the episode, in which Conrad appears as herself during a dream sequence with Casey and Ashleigh, Casey is faced with a tough decision when she learns that Max (Michael Rady) is planning to head off to Cal Tech for grad school and she is offered an opportunity for an internship. So, in her time of indecision about how to spend her summer, she seeks the wisdom of one who faced a similar decision, Lauren Conrad. Meanwhile, the pledges are put to the test during Hell Week and Rusty is determined to face the humiliation no matter what he is forced to do. What exactly will the Kappa Tau’s require of their pledges and what will Rusty do to go above and beyond? What does the future hold for Casey? Can “LC” help point her in the right direction? Find out in the mid-season finale of GREEK on ABC Family on Tuesday, October 28 (9:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT). This episode entitled “Hell Week” was directed by Michael Lange and written by Roger Grant.

ATWT Casting Notices

AS THE WORLD TURNS has put out a couple of new casting notices lately, one for "Joe" and the other for "Johnny". The "Joe" casting script is the old Aaron/Alison scene where she finds the DVD of her having sex with Dusty. The show has used this script before in the casting process. The "Johnny" casting script is for a little boy in a scene with Lucy. The show must be looking for a child actor to play Craig and Jennifer's son.

CW Remaking MELROSE PLACE

1 Now that a new version of 90210 is posting decent numbers for the CW, it was probably only a matter of time before the net dusted off MELROSE PLACE as well. Insiders confirm that the CW and CBS Paramount Network TV are exploring the possibility of revisiting MELROSE, much in the same way it recently returned to Beverly Hills' famed zip code. MELROSE PLACE was a spin-off of the original BEVERLY HILLS, 90210. Both shows helped rejuvenate Aaron Spelling's career in the 1990s, turning the TV icon once again into one of TV's biggest hitmakers. The two shows were even paired together on Fox's Wednesday night schedule during MELROSE'S first two years of existence, before MELROSE became a Monday night staple. MELROSE PLACE ran on Fox from 1992 through 1999, and notably turned into a hit sudser after Heather Locklear joined the cast as the scheming Amanda Woodward. Show also starred Grant Show - most recently seen on CBS Par's "Swingtown" - as well as Courtney Thorne-Smith, Andrew Shue, Thomas Calabro and Josie Bissett. The show also further the careers of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES stars Marcia Cross and Doug Savant. MELROSE later cast members included Rob Estes - who now stars as the father on the new 90210. Sources stress that the MELROSE discussions are still early. But network and studio execs have been quipping about such a move ever since 90210 scored big opening numbers on the CW.