October 25, 2007
Michael Dietz, a recurring actor on the soap opera Passions who plays Esme's sexy toy turned corpse, Jake, is temporarily putting his acting skills in the backseat while he pursues work behind the cameras. In an interview with Soap Opera Digest, the 36-year-old actor gives the rundown on his hectic life outside of daytime TV.
For nearly two years, the Passions star has been working as a producer and has even formed a company with partner Richard Friedman in order to launch Lucky Butterfly Productions. A Los Angeles based independent motion picture and television production group, Dietz's company aims to provide innovative and quality entertainment in both traditional and new media. At present, it spans various fields, including a number of feature films and several reality television shows.
October 18, 2007
Danica Stewart and Kam Heskin, popularly known for their roles on Passions, are now starring on NBC's first online soap opera, Coastal Dreams. The show, which premiered on October 2, is a 24-episode series that centers on two beautiful women, whose plans for fun on the beach is interrupted by deadly danger.
Stewart, the third actress to portray the role of Jessica Bennett on Passions, currently plays Zoe, one of the lead characters on Coastal Dreams. According to the actress, filming the online soap is very different from working on Passions, given that they had to shoot 24 episodes of Coastal Dreams in just a span of four days.
September 25, 2007
Jamie McMurray, a NASCAR race car driver who competes full-time at the NEXTEL Cup Series, is making his daytime television debut on the soap opera Passions, a gig that he claims made him more uneasy than driving on the racetrack.
“You don't want to be the one who screws it up [for] everyone who is doing the scene. You don't want everyone to do their lines perfectly and then go, 'Uh, why did he mess it up?'" McMurray told Soap Opera Digest. The 31-year-old professional racer will make his cameo appearance on Passions on September 26.
September 19, 2007
Music is another thing that keeps Eric Martsolf preoccupied besides his work on the soap Passions where he plays Ethan Winthrop. In fact, he has just released his self-titled contemporary pop rock album, which is available for grabs at his MySpace site and from iTunes, and will be soon offered for download through various digital sites, including Napster and Rhapsody.
"It has a bit of an '80s element to it," the Passions actor explained to Soap Opera Digest. "It's funny, because you're hearing that all over the radio right now with bands like The Killers. I'm an adolescent from the '80s and was in an '80s cover band for years, so I had to throw some of that into my album."
September 12, 2007
Heidi Mueller, cast member on Passions, has some revelations that will hopefully entice the viewers to remain loyal supporters as the long-running soap moves to Direct TV on Wednesday, September 17. In her live blog session on the NBC website, she talks about her character and what's in store in the upcoming episodes.
Created by James E. Reilly, Passions is a soap opera that centers on the various romantic and supernatural adventures of the residents of the fictional coastal town of Harmony in New England. It stars Eric Martsolf (Ethan), Ben Masters (Julian), Kim Johnston Ulrich (Ivy), Dylan Fergus (Noah), Galen Gering (Luis), and more.
August 2, 2007
Passions fans, get your free fix while you can. Next month, on September 7, NBC will air its last network episode. NBC has sold the rights to Passions to DirecTV, who will be begin airing new episodes on September 17, on channel 101. In January, NBC announced that they would cancel the soap which has been running for eight years. At the time, NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly assured fans, "We are going to be looking very, very seriously at keeping Passions alive. The fact is, there are loyal viewers of this show who love it and show up every day. And in a perfect world, we'd like to keep the brand alive. There may be another network."
July 28, 2007
Kyrie Maezumi was known as Maya Chinn on the soap opera Passions. Throughout the show, her storylines were often associated with Noah Bennett. She was romantically involved with him in the past and, together, even witnessed a murder committed by Spike Lester. But her reluctance to disclose the crime to the police eventually put a wedge in their relationship. Later, it was revealed that she had been working with a criminal mastermind known as the Dragon Lady and had been enlisted by Alistair Crane to take part in a devious plot centered on Noah. Towards the end, she was killed in Rome due to an earthquake tragedy. Despite her death on the show, she remains to be visible on the big screen with her upcoming movies.
July 28, 2007
Marianne Muellerleile gave life to Norma Bates on the NBC soap opera Passions. She was introduced as the owner of the Bates Motel who was disturbed and delusional for talking to her deceased father and secretly keeping his skeleton. Her rage and fury surfaced when Tabitha Lenox and her companion Timmy discovered and accidentally destroyed Norma’s father’s remains. This prompted Norma to a series of attempted murders, chasing Tabitha and Timmy throughout the show. She was also noted for her scheming adventures with her partner in crime Edna Wallace, whom she met at a psych ward. Next year, she’ll be taking on a role apart from her mentally insane character as she graces the big screen with a romantic comedy movie.