Congratulation to Eva LaRue

Soap Opera Digest is reporting Eva LaRue (ex-Dr. Maria Grey) is engaged to businessman Joe Capuccio, with a wedding date slated for 2009.

This will be LaRue's third walk down the aisle. LaRue's second husband was then onscreen husband John Callahan (ex-Edmund Grey). The couple announced their separation 2004. They share on beautiful daughter, Kaya McKenna who LaRue like to tag along to many red carpet events.

A Goldfish Never Forgets

Adam (David Canary, l.) and Erica's (Susan Lucci, r.) relationship is like no other pair of ex's in Pine Valley.

Kudos to the writers today for Adam Chandler (David Canary) and Erica Kane's (Susan Lucci) little interlude in prison. Esensten and Brown had given these two veterans some great material together with this insider trading storyline, but it is great to see them together talking about something other than business.

Today's scenes especially played homage to the history of the characters. It wasn't clear if Adam was looking for absolution or if misery really likes company, but he was quick to bring up the fact that Erica could not criticize him for keeping Tad Martin away from his daughter because she did the same thing.

In 1997, Erica intended to raise Maddie Grey as her own daughter after kidnapping her from Maria (Eva LaRue, l.) and Edmund Grey (John Callahan, r.). Both did it in the name of love, Adam's for Krystal Martin and Erica's for Dimitri Marick; but, it was not divine intervention that would set Erica straight. Erica's own guilt forced her to admit to her crimes.

Just like a decade earlier, Erica has found herself in prison. Isn't it funny how history has a propensity to repeat itself? Especially in the Valley.

"I think it was easier to kill her, get her out of the way and move on"- Sydney Penny, SOD June 4, 2008

Sydney Penny breathes her last breath as Julia Keefer on May 27th. Only adding to All My Children's list of poorly written returns, Julia dies leaving her adoptive daughter, Kathy Keefer, orphaned again, sort of.

In honor of Penny's run on the show, let's take a look back at some of Julia's many memorable moments:

Julia Saves Maria from the Falling Chandelier (1994): Isabella and Hector Santos sent Julia to Pine Valley hoping she would be inspired to do something with her life by living with her successful big sister, Dr. Maria Santos soon to be Grey. The sisters did not exactly have the best relationship. Their animosity was a mix of their parents high expectations, and Julia's jealousy.
The greatest turning point for the sisters came about after a tornado ripped through the Valley Inn. Julia spotted a chandelier dangling on its last wire right above Maria. Without hesitation, Julia pushed Maria out of the way only to have her face ripped open by the crashing shards of glass.

Louie Greco rapes Julia (1994): Julia found her true self while living with her future husband, Noah Keefer, in Center City. Noah didn't care that Julia was disfigured, he saw the true beauty inside of her.
But their happiness was cut short when drug dealer Louie Greco broke into Noah's apartment and raped Julia. Julia found her way back to Wildwind, turning to Maria for help. Julia's road to recovery was marred by obstacles including learning she was pregnant with Greco's child and having an abortion, to the mental anguish she felt by even only looking at the man she loved, Noah.
Penny's performance as a recovering victim of rape garnered her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress.

Noah and Julia go on the Run in Jamaica (1996): To escape charges for Greco's murder, Noah and Julia became fugitives in Jamaica. After faking their deaths, the couple had a reprieve to admit their love for each other.





Julia and Noah Marry at Wildwind (1996): Edmund Grey opened Wildwind to Noah and Julia upon their return to Pine Valley. In a wedding inspired by Disney's Cinderella (Disney/ABC's media cross promotion at its best), Julia and Noah married in the Gothic castle in front of all their family and friends. The costumes were all custom made and inspired by the film.
The evening was truly a spectacle of daytime. Julia (and Penny) truly looked like a princess marrying her Prince Charming.
The details and grandeur of the event makes it one of the most memorable weddings in All My Children History.

Julia and Maria Reunite in the Wildwind Bar (2002): After six years apart, Julia and Maria come face to face in the Wildwind Barn. Only, Maria is an amnesiac and hiding her lover Aidan Devane from Edmund, and Julia has spent the last years of her life deep in the Witness Protection Program.
Just when Julia begins to think her all too rare visit was futile, Maria casually mentions the scar that used to be on Julia's face. For a second, the sisters look into each other's eyes and it is as if no time has passed at all.

Let's Party Like its 1997!

SOD Online's feature this week is a quiz about All My Children in 1997. My favorite memory from that year has to be the feud at Wildwind between waring ladies of the manor Dr. Maria Grey (Eva LaRue then-Callahan) and Erica Kane-Marick (then and always-Susan Lucci).

It makes me sad to think Wildwind can become a thing of the past now that Sydney Penny (Julia Santos Keefer) is rumored to be on the chopping block. Those halls many memories of love, life and death.

Sidenote: Can the SOD Online editors be more lazy? Did anyone do the rearch and realize the picture they used in the feature of Lucci and Michael Nader (Dimtiri Marick) was actually from their remote shoot in Hungary in 1992. I am sure there are many lovely, and more timely photos in their vast photo collection.

I won't even begin to talk about the number of emails I have sent the online editor pointing errors in their stories.

Heck, if they're hiring, I'm looking.

Welcome Home Dixie

This week Soap Opera Digest has exclusive photos from Dixie Cooney's (Cady McClain) return to Pine Valley as Adam Chandler's (David Canary, pictured r. with McClain) ghostly vision. The man who once made her think she was going insane, gets a taste of his own medicine for keeping one of the Valley's biggest secrets.

Let's hope they make it clear Dixie is Adam's vision and not a ghost, like they did with Maria Grey in 1998 when Eva LaRue returned for a handful of episodes after Dimitri Marick (then Michael Nader) saved Edmund Grey (John Callahan) from the aqueduct. ABC may be trying to write their wrongs, but to this long time fan they are just digging a deeper hole.

McClain's first airdate is May 2.