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 Light At the End of the Tunnel

As critical as I am of Pratt's early plans for Pine Valley, I will give the man credit for pointing out the obvious: Adam (David Canary) and Erica (Susan Lucci) should be front and center.

These Emmy Award Winners have carried the show through some of the darkest times (I think a shout out should go to John Callahan (ex-Edmund) who made the drivel of the late '90s bearable with his natural charisma). Also, they are the head of two of Pine Valley's most complex and well liked families.

Maybe this refocus will give some other actors a time to shine. I would love to see some of the extended Chandler family return full time to the canvas, like Marian or Scotty. In terms of the Kanes, they have the talented Colin Egglesfield (Josh Madden) sitting on the the sidelines when he can easily become Pine Valley's next heroic lead.

So thanks Charlie for this little gift. Don't let us down.

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.

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.