Ah, Jessica Leccia. She’s one of the most beautiful soap opera stars out there.

Recently, Soap Opera Digest caught up with this Guiding Light actress. Here are excerpts of the interview:

Soap Opera Digest: The last time we spoke, you were reveling in the bliss of GL’s big Emmy wins. Are you still riding the wave of excitement?
Jessica Leccia: I still get giddy to go in [to work]. I’m still very grateful to be there. I’m not sure that’ll ever go away. I try to stay humble, you know. I’m so happy to be there and it’s really a joy to go to work. I’m getting to know everybody more and more…and loving them!

Digest: This is your first recurring daytime role. Did anyone help you learn the ropes on the set?
Leccia: Kind of everybody. I actually thought it was strange how friendly everyone was [laughs]! You see the same people every day and you get kind of warm and mushy with everyone. Everyone was very, very helpful.

Digest: Do people recognize you from the show?
Leccia: No, not really. [At] the few fan events I’ve been to, obviously I’m recognized because those people are looking for me, but I’ve had some comments on how different I look from Natalia. I think that’s part of what it is. I maybe spend a little more time on my hair or wear more makeup than Natalia does. She’s exhausted, that one!

Digest: Do you think “Gush” fans have warmed up to Natalia?
Leccia: I think so far, people are still up in the air about it. This is a major couple we’re dealing with. I expect people to be up in the air for a while.

Digest: Do you fear she’ll always be viewed as an interloper?
Leccia: There’s no way of getting around that. There’s two people in love and there’s all this other business. It’s hard to be objective about that.

Digest: What’s it like playing a mother?
Leccia: Once I met E.J. Bonilla, I told him right away I have an 18-year-old brother. I was like, “Oh, my God, he’s exactly like my younger brother,” who I’m very used to mothering. It came a lot easier than I thought it would.

Here are a few highlights from a recent interview Soap Opera Digest conducted with All My Children hunk, Thorsten Kaye…

On Soaps’ Tendency to Rewrite History: “It’s not unavoidable, but I think for an outsider coming in, it’s a different way of working. You don’t know what’s coming and you don’t necessarily know what comes before you because that changes. That’s something that bothers me. I don’t mind the ride, but there has to be a cornerstone, there has to be a history to someone.

If something was a lie for the last three years, that kind of gets me. That’s why I left One Life to Live [where he played Patrick Thornhart from 1995-97], because they changed the past. And suddenly, you have no tools left.”

On Disciplining Four-Year-Old Daughter McKenna: “She’ll do stuff that I have to tell her not to do, like throwing things in the air. It’s terribly hard because our house is filled with cartoon art. I’ve got a big, eight-foot Chuck Jones bunny and one of the brooms from Fantasia and she doesn’t understand why she can’t play with them. They’re cartoony and she’s seen them on TV and so it’s a little tough to explain.”

On AMC’s Transition From Ex-Head Writer Megan McTavish to the Head-Writing Team Of James Harmon Brown And Barbara Esensten: “If somebody else is coming in, it’s like you’re between coaches or something. You go, ‘Let’s just try to get through what has already been established by the last one.’ We can’t just completely stop it and come up with something else because whoever’s coming in next will change it again. But I think over the next few weeks, it’s all gonna change.”

Brandon Buddy has played has played the role of Cole Thornhart on One Life to Live since October 10, 2006. But that’s pretty much common knowledge.

But here are a few fun facts that only the most die-hard of Buddy fans would have known before:

• He appeared in a music video for New York dance band Dangerous Muse for the song “The Rejection.” Brandon was initially picked for the part of a boy who rejects a girl because he’s interested in boys, but at the last minute, the director brought in a friend to do the scene. You can still catch a glimpse of a shirtless Buddy changing in a locker room scene, though.

• Because of his stepfather’s job, most of Buddy’s childhood was spent relocating from city to city, including a move to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, the hometown of co-star Forbes March (Nash Brennan).

• Enjoys playing football and baseball, and hanging out with co-stars in his spare time.

Here are a few memorable quotes from the actor:

“I sang in my shower before, but I’ve never done anything recorded like that.” — On being asked to sing in Prom Night: The Musical on the show, Soap Opera Digest, 7/3/2007

“She’s a looker. I was gonna go knock on her door and have a little chat, but I saw her security guard and I was [thinking], ‘That’s not a good idea. He would, like, kill me with one punch.’ ” — On nearly meeting pop star Nelly Furtado when she appeared on OLTL, Soap Opera Digest 1/23/2007

“I played until everyone got bigger than me [laughs].” — On playing football before playing jock Cole, Soap Opera Weekly, 12/12/2006

Emmy winning soap vet Heather Tom - previously on One Life to Live and The Young and The Restless - has joined the cast of The Bold and The Beautiful.

She’ll portay Brooke and Donna’s sister Katie Logan. (The role was played on and off since 1987 by Nancy Sloane.)

“She’s an awesome actress and B&B is very excited about getting her,” a source from the set said.

The actress - who left The Young and the Restless in 2003 after 13 years because she wasn’t happy with her lack of storyline and then joined One Life To Live in the recast role of Kelly Cramer - began taping last week.

Time to get excited, One Life to Live fans:

Tim Adams and Jason-Shane Scott (pictured) will be returning to the show in the fall.

Jason-Shane Scott created the role of Will Rappaport in 1998. And, as followers of the show know, the man had his fair share of drama during his time on the show, as any son to Lindsay Rappaport (Catherine Hickland) and any brother to the slain Jen Rappaport (Jessica Morris) would.

Since he left Llanview in 2005, Scott has appeared on Desperate Housewives, CSI and Scrubs. He should be back on the series some time in September 2007.

Adams, meanwhile, joined the cast as Ron Walsh in 2003. He portrayed the older brother of Marcie Walsh McBain (Kathy Brier).

Since leaving the show in 2005, this actor has appeared in shows such as Rescue Me and Law and Order. He should be back in October.

Other recent One Life to Live casting news includes the return of Farah Fath.

While the character of Eric Forrester has had approximately half a dozen wives, the actor that portrays him has been happily wed for 27 years.

Soap Opera Digest recently asked John McCook what the secret to such a relationship is…

Soap Opera Weekly: Congratulations on your “happily ever after”!
John McCook: Thank you. We’re very proud and very happy people. All three of our kids are wonderful and have their own lives. Our youngest is 16, and she’s still at home, of course. We’ve been very lucky, but we’ve worked hard at it. It’s taken a lot of effort.

Weekly: What’s your secret to a happy marriage and family?
McCook: Laurette and I have not had very many big crises in our relationship, but we’ve had had a few. Many years ago, when our first big crisis started, we were going to talk about it and the first thing that we said was, “This is not the end of anything. When we finish talking about this, we’re going to be together and everything’s going to be fine, but now we’re going to talk about this.” That’s really important to say to one another. We’re committed to each other.

Weekly: Do you feel like your happiness is a rarity in show business?
McCook: I don’t know. We know a lot of people who have successful marriages - not only in show business, but the parents of kids who go to school with our children. Most of our friends are not in show business. Most of our friends are out there in the education system and out there in our suburb. Yes, I see a lot of divorce. I know how hard it is for people to be together for years and years. It’s a challenge, so I respect anybody who’s in a relationship and works at it and makes it a priority.

Weekly: Was it love at first sight when you met Laurette?
McCook: Yeah, pretty much. I had been through a marriage before. Laurette had not, but we were both really ready to commit to this thing. We came to a place where we thought we would be terrific together. We decided to fall in love.

Weekly: How is she doing these days?
McCook: We have been very lucky that when we first were married Laurette was still working a lot. She did a lot of episodic television, and I had just finished doing The Young and The Restless. When Laurette was pregnant with Jake, our first baby, she didn’t want to work anymore. The lucky thing is that I worked enough that she didn’t have to, and that’s the way it’s been all these years.

She has taken great pride in her skill as a mom and as a wife and as a homemaker. At the time, she knows that she did do what she did, which is leave high school and go to the American Academy in New York and come out here and do a lot of television. She accomplished a great deal.

Weekly: Has she ever talked about getting her feet wet again?
McCook: Yeah, she’s thinking about it right now. It’s truly funny because Molly, our youngest, just got an agent; she’s starting to work a little bit and wants to be an actress. Laurette is right to the point where she’s going to throw her hat in the ring to have representation for commercials. She doesn’t want to do a series or try to get a big brass-ring job like that, but she thinks that she can go out and get some commercials here and there because she’s that right age: The attractive, energetic mom you see in commercials a lot.

Weekly: How has grandfatherhood been treating you?
McCook: Oh, that’s been wonderful! Becky’s little girl is beautiful. She’s going to be a year old next month. She stays with us a lot on weekdays when Becky’s working, so we’re spending a lot of time with that baby and it’s a blessing. It’s really wonderful.

Weekly: Has being a grandparent gone as you expected?
McCook: No, it’s totally different. I thought I would be a doting old [man] who held the baby on his knees, but it’s much more active than that!

Farah Fath is returning to daytime, but the former Days of our Lives actress isn’t returning to her former home.

Fath, who started her daytime career in 1999 as Mimi Lockhart, remained with the show for nearly eight years, exiting in March. But now she’s jumped ship and landed on another show on another network. Yes, the actress will begin work on ABC’s One Life to Live later this year.

“I believe I stated earlier that my goal was to be working again by the fall,” Fath said in a statement on her official web site in May. “Well I am back to work this September. Goals CAN be achieved! I have inked a multi-year deal with the ABC soap opera One Life to Live.”

While rumors of Fath’s addition have been circulating for a few weeks, they had been centered around the character of Sarah Roberts. However, that role has already been filled by Justis Bolding.

“I was considered for [Sarah] but the execs have decided to write a role just for me,” Fath said. “Which is why I won’t start taping for a few months. I am SO honored and excited.”

Though a Guiding Light spokesperson remains tight-lipped about the news, soapcentral.com has learned that Emmy winner Tom Pelphrey (Jonathan Randall) has returned to work on the show.

The first airdate is not yet known for Pelphrey’s on-air return. But the actor has already taped his first scenes; they’re expected scenes to air later this month. For now, Pelphrey’s return is slated to be only short-term, with the actor once again exiting the show this fall.

Nevertheless, Pelphrey’s return is apparently a big deal for the CBS soap. In September, Simon and Schuster will publish a book that chronicle’s Jonathan’s life after he staged his death. The book, “Guiding Light: Jonathan’s Story” will be available from all major book retailers.

The release of a book surrounding a soap opera storyline is nothing new. As The World Turns, which, like Guiding Light, is also produced by Procter & Gamble, released a tell-all book, “Oakdale Confidential,” last year.

Other soaps have also published books. All My Children’s fictional Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) released a real-world autobiography, “Having It All” and One Life to Live featured a whodunnit story that was based on a book called “The Killing Club” that was penned by one of its characters.

General Hospital and Passions have also featured book tie-ins.

It’s unclear at this time which came first: the idea for “Jonathan’s Story” or Pelphrey’s decision to return. It’s also unknown right now whether or not the show would have recast Jonathan if Pelphrey had not agreed to return or if the book and storyline would have been scrapped.

Pelphrey joined the cast of Guiding Light in September 2004. He received a third consecutive Daytime Emmy nomination this year. In 2006, Pelphrey was named Outstanding Younger Actor.

The series premiere of General Hospital: Night Shift - the companion piece/spin-off/alternate reality series to General Hospital - gave SOAPnet its largest-ever audiences in both total viewers (one million) and women 18-to-49 (498,000).

The show also proved robust against its basic cable competitors, placing number-two in the aforementioned key demo.

Want another healthy sign? Night Shift improved upon SOAPnet’s year-ago audience by a mere 341 percent in total viewers, as well.

As previously mentioned, Alan Thicke is headed back to The Bold and The Beautiful, reprising the role of talk show host Rich Ginger. The actor appeared previously in 2006.

Thicke first appeared on this show in August 2006. The hosting style of his character surprised Donna Logan, who appeared on the program after being signed as the spokesmodel for Forrester Creations. This time around, is back on the scene with two new guests on his show: Phoebe and Stephanie Forrester.

The duo appears on his show to promote Forrester Originals’ newest product.

Thicke isbest for his role as Dr. Jason Seaver on the 80s family sitcom, Growing Pains. But his gig on The Bold and the Beautiful isn’t that much of a stretch; he’s previously hosted his own talk and entertainment shows, Thicke of the Night and The Alan Thicke Show.

Thicke is also the father of pop-slash-R&B singer Robin Thicke. His first return epside will be August 6.