Residents of Pine Valley can expect the arrival of a new doctor in town as McKenzie Westmore joins the cast of All My Children.  The 31-year-old actress will be making her debut on the ABC soap in December as a psychiatrist who is expected to be involved in Annie‘s (

James E. Reilly, renowned head writer for Days of our Lives and Passions, passed away this weekend at the age of 60.  According to Reilly‘s agent and friend for over 25 years, Jonathan Russo,  Reilly had been recovering from cardiac surgery when he died suddenly in the hospital.

Fans who have been missing the romantic-paranormal soap opera Passions can soon find comfort in the recent hiring made by Days of our Lives.  According to Soapcentral.com, former Harmony residents

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

Danica Stewart and Kam Heskin, popularly known for their roles on Passions, are now starring on NBC‘s first online soap opera, Coastal Dreams

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

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.

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.

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

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.