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1967: Dark Shadows' Barnabas gave Maggie a music box.

1984: Guiding Light's Nola wanted help from The Wizard.

1985: Santa Barbara's Eden was unhappy after her interrupted wedding.

1996: Victor clashed with Jill in a primetime Y&R episode."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1952: On Young Widder Brown, after leaving the Tea Room in a black rage, Dr. Anthony Loring drove out to the farm of Uncle Josh for some comforting advice.

1953: On Love of Life, Vanessa Dale (Peggy McCay) attempted to help her nephew,...

1967: Dark Shadows' Barnabas gave Maggie a music box.

1984: Guiding Light's Nola wanted help from The Wizard.

1985: Santa Barbara's Eden was unhappy after her interrupted wedding.

1996: Victor clashed with Jill in a primetime Y&R episode."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."

― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1952: On Young Widder Brown, after leaving the Tea Room in a black rage, Dr. Anthony Loring drove out to the farm...

1976: Ryan's Hope's Faith was finally rescued.

1981: Gh's Jeff accused Heather of lying about Steven Lars.

1984: Days' Eugene thought he was losing his mind.

2003: Gh's Alexis threatened Scott with a letter opener."Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results."

― Machiavelli

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1969: On Dark Shadows, Barnabas found Maggie sewing in the drawing room, wearing the blue 19th century dress.

On this date in...

1953: On Love Of Life, Vanessa's (Peggy McKay) attempt to help nephew Beanie nearly backfires.

1996: At the 23rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, winners included General Hospital (Drama Series), Charles Keating, Erika Slezak, Jerry verDorn, Anna Holbrook, Kevin Mambo and Kimberly McCullough.

Celebrating a birthday today are:

Victoria Wyndham (ex-Rachel, Another World; ex-Charlotte, Guiding Light) - 66

Beau Kazer (ex-Brock, The Young And The Restless; ex-Bunny, General Hospital) - 60

Ed Fry (ex-Larry, As The World Turns; ex-Adam, Another World) - 52

Nazanin Boniadi (ex-Leyla, General Hospital) - 31...

At a videoconference meeting today in New York and La, AFTRA’s national board unanimously voted to approve joint bargaining with SAG for the Primetime Television Contract and the SAG TV/theatrical contract. The move comes a month after SAG’s national board voted, by a tally of 82% to 18%, to “seek engagement with AFTRA in a joint bargaining agreement for negotiation of the Television/Theatrical Contract.”

Assuming SAG and AFTRA sign a formal agreement to bargain jointly – which seems highly likely – the negotiations with the AMPTP (studio alliance) will be conducted under the terms of the Phase One agreement that had been used for decades, with the notable exception of the most recent negotiating cycle, in 2008-2009. That’s good news for an industry that can ill-afford another strike or year-long stalemate.

In addition, a non-disparagement agreement will be in place, which should help keep tempers from flaring publicly, particularly...

Mark Zimmerman and John Connolly spent the last few years carrying on the work of their late friend Patrick Quinn. When Quinn stepped down as president of Actors' Equity Association in 2006 to become executive director of the union, Zimmerman, then Equity's 1st vice president, stepped into the vacated position. After Quinn died of a heart attack that year before he could assume his new role, Zimmerman helped recruit Connolly, a former president of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, to take the directorship. Quinn, Zimmerman, and Connolly had been close, going back to their days as young actors on the Philadelphia stage. For a grieving organization, it felt appropriate to place Quinn's legacy in the hands of his trusted friends.The torch-bearing came to an abrupt end late last year. On Nov. 30, Equity announced that Connolly had decided not to seek a second term and would step down immediately.