'Days of our Lives' Digital Series to Feature Billy Flynn, Kate Mansi and Austin Peck

Fans of Days of our Lives will soon be able to go beyond the show’s broadcast stories when the daytime drama series launches its new original companion series, Days of our Lives: The Digital Series.

The first season of the new digital series premieres Thursday, August 1, on The DOOL App with an eight-episode arc titled “Chad and Abby in Paris.” The first three episodes will be available immediately with the remaining five episodes released weekly thereafter. The episodes will also be available on the NBC app and NBC.com one week after streaming on The DOOL App. Each episode will be approximately 6-10 minutes in length.

The DOOL App, which was recently launched as an all-access platform for fans of Days of our Lives, is the first and only app exclusively dedicated to a daytime soap opera. The launch of the digital series marks the first time a daytime drama series has spawned an original streaming series to complement the broadcast show.

Trent Dawson Reunites 'As the World Turns' Cast for 'The F' Benefit

Photo Credit: Sue Coflin/Max Photos

In 2017 an original play written by As the World Turns alum Trent Dawson, "The F," was produced at Manhatten Rep. in New York City. The play struck a chord with theatre-goers and is now being made into a film.

"The F" follows a real-time argument between Josh and Amanda. In this dark comedy, a New York subway platform becomes the stage for two lovers to battle about the truth: Did he or didn’t he? Who’s perception is real and who is delusional? A strange commuter seems to have the answers to their problems, but will either of them listen to her?

Dawson brought together a number of his former ATWT co-stars to perform "The F" live on stage at a benefit for the film on Friday, June 22. (Click here to support "The F" via the film's GoFundMe page.)

Check out more photos below from the benefit, which included Dawson (ATWT's Henry Coleman), Martha Byrne (Lily Walsh Snyder), Austin Peck (Brad Synder), Terri Conn (Katie Peretti Snyder), Anne Sayre (Mitzi Matters) and Eric Sheffer Stevens (Dr. Reid Oliver).

Christie Clark on Her January 11th Return to 'Days of our Lives': "I Love That Carrie Has Turned Into the Woman That She Is"

Leann Hunley (Anna), Deidre Hall (Marlena), Christie Clark (Carrie), and
Austin Peck (Austin) in an upcoming scene on Days of our Lives.
Photo Credit: NBC/Sony Pictures Television

Christie Clark and Austin Peck are returning to NBC soap opera Days of our Lives as Carrie and Austin Reed on January 11th, and the actress spoke to Glamour about the return story.

[Warning: Spoilers ahead.]

Appearing in "six or seven episodes" this visit, Carrie will be involved in a storyline with her mother Anna, played by returning Emmy winner Leann Hunley.

Carrie has to come to Anna's rescue, and Clark loves it.

"To have Carrie be the strong, clever, independent woman that could wrap things up and take care of her family and get a result is huge," she tells the magazine.

She also hinted that another return could be on the horizon.

"I think there's a huge chance," she says. "You know, they've never been in Salem without Sami, and it's a different thing and it would be exciting to experience that."

Austin Peck and Christie Clark Returning to 'Days of our Lives' as Austin and Carrie

Austin Peck and Christie Clark. Photo Credit: JPI

Austin Peck and Christie Clark recently shot a return visit to NBC soap opera Days of our Lives, reprising their roles as Austin and Carrie.

“Days of our Lives is the gift that keeps on giving for me,” Clark tells Soap Opera Digest. The actress began playing Carrie as a child in 1986 (replacing Andrea Barber in the role), and was last seen in Salem in 2012. “Thirty years of fun, drama and love in the afternoon!!”

Look for Austin and Carrie to appear in early 2017.

NEWS: 'Hollyoaks' in Crisis? Plus, Terri Conn, Matt Bomer, Karla Mosley, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Stephanie Davis, Belinda Owusu, 'Degrassi'

Morgan Theresa Peck

Terri Conn and Austin Peck welcome baby girl
Terri Conn and Austin Peck (ex-Katie and Brad, As the World Turns) welcomed their second daughter together, Morgan Theresa Peck, on July 18. The couple's first girl, Keira, was born in 2012, and they both have children (her daughter Julia, and his sons Roman and Aidan) from previous marriages.

Stephanie Davis fired from British soap Hollyoaks
British actress Stephanie Davis has been fired from UK soap opera Hollyoaks after turning up for work drunk, her spokesperson has confirmed. Davis, who played Sinead O'Connor, was sacked with "immediate effect" by bosses at the Channel 4 network last week. Fans of the show were left shocked, and rumors about her departure swirled until her spokesperson confirmed on Friday that it was due to alcohol.

The statement reads, "Stephanie's contract was terminated following warnings for lateness, attendance and after a final incident in which she turned up to set unfit to work because of alcohol consumption."

Hollyoaks in crisis: Drunk actors, feuding stars and plunging ratings - is Channel 4 soap facing axe?
With the well-publicized sacking of Stephanie Davis coming shortly before it was revealed the Channel 4 soap's stalwart Helen Pearson has been banned from driving after being caught over the limit, the show is seemingly in crisis.

Falling ratings, more behind-the-scenes drama than on any other soap, and with outlandish sensationalist plots that would be more at home on a US soap, the show is clearly struggling.

Karla Mosley

You Should Really Be Watching The Bold and the Beautiful's Transgender Storyline
Maya's story is handled with sensitivity without (too much) sensationalism. If they still give out Daytime Emmys, throw all of them at Karla Mosley. Mosley — who is not transgender, which we could obviously quibble with but that's perhaps missing the bigger picture — said playing Maya has been "incredibly exciting" but admitted to misgivings.

“I was excited, and nervous at first,” Mosley told Janet Mock on So POPular. “Soaps don’t have a great history in handling transgender characters. Twenty years ago, the headlines were ‘So and So is A Man.’”

Instead, we get to go through the entire coming out process with Maya, from accepting her own truth to coming out to Rick, her family and eventually the world.

Magic Mike XXL star and Guiding Light alum Matt Bomer schools reporter on gay stereotypes
"I don’t know. I mean, why would I ever try to boil down an entire community into a yes-or-no question? Would you feel comfortable if I said ‘Are women harder or easier to please?’… One of the things, I think, you learn from this movie is that everybody is different and it’s all about communication and a dialogue between individuals. Get rid of the labels, get rid of the shame, get rid of the stigmas and just be your most authentic self."

20 Things You May Not Know About Clueless
Sarah Michelle Gellar was offered the role of Amber, but had to turn it down when her soap opera All My Children refused to allow her time away.

Belinda Owusu making another visit to EastEnders as Libby Fox
Owusu will be making a brief come back to the soap for two episodes in 2015, however it's been hinted that her reappearance will be something more significant than just a visit to Albert Square.

"It’s great to be back again! I'm always excited to see how Libby has grown and be back with the Fox family!" she said.

Netflix's Degrassi: Next Class will cover issues affecting a new generation, including a focus on social-media hazards like sexting and cyber-bullying
Linda Schuyler, executive producer of Degrassi at Toronto-based Epitome, said the company had planned the show’s reboot before approaching Nick and other distribution partners about the new concept. “The audience we’re speaking to now, some of them weren’t even born when we started ‘Next Generation’ in 2001,” she said. “That was talking to the millennials. Now we’re talking to this new Generation Z.”

Degrassi: Next Class will cover many of the serious, real-life aspects of teen life the show has become known for, ranging from homophobia to racism and substance abuse to violence. In addition, the show’s plotlines will examine how social-media services like Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and others are affecting teenagers.

“If you’re reading about it in the news, it’s on Degrassi,” said Schuyler, who is married to Stohn. “These kids are trying to figure out dating protocols and safety protocols.”

The Week In Interviews: William deVry, Alex Fernandez, Terri Ivens, Elyse Levesque, Brad Maule, Austin Peck, Victoria Rowell, Marnie Schulenburg, Colleen Zenk

It was a busy week for interviews at We Love Soaps and we also kicked off Season 5 of our web series, WE LOVE SOAPS TV. Check out this week's new interviews below.

- William deVry on Returning To Daytime TV in GENERAL HOSPITAL
- Alex Fernandez on His Busy Year On TV in DEVIOUS MAIDS, DALLAS, THE BRIDGE & KILLER WOMEN
- Terri Ivens on the Set of TAINTED DREAMS with WE LOVE SOAPS TV
- Elyse Levesque on Her Career, Future Dreams and New Role on CEDAR COVE
- Former GENERAL HOSPITAL star Brad Maule Is Staying Busy with Many Projects Including a New Western Swing Album (Part 3 of 3)
- Austin Peck on the Set of TAINTED DREAMS in the Season 5 Premiere of WE LOVE SOAPS TV
- Victoria Rowell on THE RICH AND THE RUTHLESS & Getting Back To Her Comedy Roots
- Marnie Schulenburg on the Set of TAINTED DREAMS with WE LOVE SOAPS TV
- Colleen Zenk on the Set of TAINTED DREAMS with WE LOVE SOAPS TV

You can always check out our interview archive here.

                 

Austin Peck on the Set of TAINTED DREAMS in the Season 5 Premiere of WE LOVE SOAPS TV

To kick off Season 5 of our web series WE LOVE SOAPS TV, we traveled to the set of upcoming dramedy TAINTED DREAMS and spoke with Austin Peck during a shoot at Blondies Sports Bar in New York.

Peck stars as Max Hillstone in TAINTED DREAMS, an actor who plays Erik Robar on the soap-within-a-soap PAINTED DREAMS. The former DAYS OF OUR LIVES and AS THE WORLD TURNS actor previews his new web series character, tell us how he stays in shape, and shares what he's watching on YouTube.

Check it out below:

Austin Peck Joins TAINTED DREAMS

Austin Peck has joined the cast of the NYC Brand Productions series TAINTED DREAMS. He will play Max, a sexy, self-absorbed, womanizing soap star in the show, which is a scripted “soap within a soap” set to blow the lid off the behind-the-scenes shenanigans of producing a daily drama.

Peck is best known for his roles as Austin Reed in DAYS OF OUR LIVES and Brad Snyder in AS THE WORLD TURNS. He also played porn producer Rick Powers in ONE LIFE TO LIVE.

WLS Review: "The Irish Curse"

A play about five grown men lamenting their small penis sizes has potential to go in several directions.  If too funny it could appear juvenile, but if too serious it could present too morose and sullen.  Fortunately, the new Off-Broadway play "The Irish Curse" manages to stir a clear course from either extreme, alternatively managing to maintain a delicate balance between gut wrenching heartbreak and sidesplitting humor. 

The action takes place in the basement of a church, where an affable priest holds a support group for three men with limited endowments.  When a fourth member (Roderick Hill) joins the group, he inadvertently takes the emotional climate to new levels, allowing each man to reveal his heartache, sacrifices, disappointments, and resilience in unforeseen ways.  Along the way the audience is privy to the secret anguish and fears that nearly every man experiences including, “Am I big enough?” “Am I worthy of being in a relationship?” “Do I measure up to others?” “Would my life be different if my penis was larger?” Toto, I don’t think we’re in Oakdale anymore.

ON THE RECORD: Austin Peck

Austin Peck burst onto the soap scene in 1995 taking over the role of Austin Reed in DAYS OF OUR LIVES from Patrick Muldoon. He played Austin for eight years during two stints with the show. Since early 2007 he has played Brad Snyder on AS THE WORLD TURNS, a role he will be leaving later this year. Over the years, Peck has made a name for himself starring in numerous commercials, primetime television shows and several feature films.

On Friday, September 25, his latest film, The Blue Tooth Virgin, will be released by Regent Releasing/Here Films. In the movie, Peck plays Sam, an aspiring screenwriter, who asks his friend David, a successful magazine editor, to read this latest script. When David (Bryce Johnson) doesn't appreciate Sam's work, it causes a riff in their friendship. The film also stars Amber Benson, Karen Black, Roma Maffia and Lauren Stamile.

Earlier this week, Peck went "On the Record" with We Love Soaps about his background, his soap experiences, and why he was drawn to the role of Sam in The Blue Tooth Virgin.



For more information on the film, visit http://www.thebluetoothvirgin.com.