♥ Ongoing Days 2006 ♥ Note on soap magazine publication dates and content of articles/interviews regarding multiple soap stars: Many of the monthly or every other month (and sometimes quarterly) magazines back in the 1980's would be on the newsstands a long time before the date on the actual magazine. We've noticed, for instance, that DAYTIME TV magazine did an interview with Drake in late 1986 about his upcoming wedding, which was scheduled for December 1986, yet the interview didn't appear until the July 1987 issue several months later. Therefore, it might be a bit confusing to read about his "upcoming" wedding in an interview dated July 1987 when you happen to know he was married in December 1986. We've tried to date the articles to match the date on the magazine, regardless of when the events talked about took place. Hopefully it will make sense as you go along! We've also edited some of the articles/interviews to just include John's storyline, since this is a Drake/John website. We've left out comments and sections about other actors or storylines unless they're involved with John's storyline. This too should be very apparent and clear when we've done that so it makes sense and you don't have to skim through a long article to find the "John parts." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ Through The Years Back in 1995, proud papa Drake Hogestyn (John, DAYS) suspected Ben might enter the family business. "Our conversations on the phone as father and son have always been, 'How are you?' 'Good.' 'How are you?' 'Okay.' 'Everything good?' 'Yeah.' 'You?' 'Yeah.' 'Love you.' 'Love you, too.' Click. When he was preparing for his first scene with Tony Geary (Luke) on GENERAL HOSPITAL, we spoke for an hour, eleven minutes and seventeen seconds." Tom Stacy, SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 1/24/06 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ Three-Hundred-Sixty-Five DAYS SOAPNET Makes Calendar Boys And Girls Of The Stars DAYS calendars are nothing new. There have been three before. But Greg Meng, the show's Executive in Charge of Production and Senior Vice President of Corday Productions, wanted the Fortieth Anniversary Edition to be something special. So he partnered with the folks at SOAPNET. "He'd seen a lot of our still photography and liked how we were trying to do things that were a little different," recalls Sherri York, SOAPNET'S Senior Vice President of Marketing. With photographer Aaron Rapaport signed on, the February shoot was sure to be a success. "The reason I chose him was his more natural feel and fashion sense rather than the typical soap opera (look)," Meng reveals. Gathering on the NBC lot, the actors featured in the calendar felt right at home - the shoot was staged in Alice's bar. But don't expect typical, smile-and-pose shots. This calendar is all about glamour and excitement! "The whole idea is just that there's this fun spirit and pairings of people that you often see together, engaging in a way that you don't often see them engage," York hints. Because the purpose of the calendar is to celebrate DAYS' milestone, some memorable pictures from the show's past are also included. "It's sort of a history page," Meng reveals. The result of this group effort? A keepsake that's sure to make fans smile! It certainly did the trick for York, who admits, "I'm just giddy about this project..." Deidre Hall (Marlena) and Drake Hogestyn (John) had no trouble showin' the love! "We had the actors sit in different positions so that we could get a good shot," Meng explains, "but their interplay was so genuine that you could tell that these people are good friends..." DAYS OF OUR LIVES FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTOR'S MAGAZINE, 1/30/06 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ Question And Answer: Drake Hogestyn (John Black: 1986- ) What was your audition like? Drake Hogestyn: At the time, I was auditioning for a show called CRAZY LIKE A FOX, and the same casting director also cast DAYS. She said that I was right for CRAZY LIKE A FOX, but it was going to be canceled. Instead, she told me about a role on DAYS. As she described the character, I said, 'Hold on.' I reached into my briefcase and pulled out the book THE BOURNE IDENTITY by John Ludlum. (OOPS! This is wrong. Typo alert! The author's name is Robert Ludlum, not John Ludlum.) I asked, 'Are you talking about Jason Bourne?' She said, 'Exactly. But we're going to call him John Black.' When did you feel like you had John figured out? Drake Hogestyn: After I played John for a few months, they revealed that he was Roman. Then, after about seven years, Deidre (Hall, Marlena) left to do OUR HOUSE. (OOPS! This is wrong. Typo alert! Deidre left to do OUR HOUSE after about seven months, not seven years.) Later, she came back, and so did Wayne Northrop. He had tremendous success playing Roman, so in a sense of fair play, I felt it was only right that he reprise the role. Therefore, that spun me back into John, and we were able to finish what we started. Wait - so you made the decision that John wasn't Roman?! Drake Hogestyn: Al Rabin (the Executive Producer at the time) said, 'It's your decision.' My wife was very pragmatic. She knew there were two core families, the Hortons and the Bradys. She told me, 'You are Roman Brady. With that, is security. As a mother feeding these babies, that means something to me.' I appreciated what she said. But I also had a lot of confidence in my own ability. I saw it as a challenge. I thought if it was handled correctly, the audience that had been following Roman around would also be pulling for John. So I told Al, 'Let's give it a shot.' Speaking of the missus, how does your wife handle having a soap star for a spouse? Drake Hogestyn: I've known Victoria since I was fifteen and she was twelve. She knows me as who I was as a kid. She's followed me through the twists and turns and has been my biggest supporter. She's thankful that I have a steady job. Has there been a story that fans have responded especially well to? Drake Hogestyn: God bless the fans. They've been in John's corner since he arrived. Each time I got a new leading lady, a new audience came on board. (John Ritter's widow) Amy Yasbeck (Ex-Olivia)...Genie Francis (Ex-Diana)...Eileen Davidson (Ex-Kristen)...Basically, the way I look at it is, I was riding on the shirt tails of all these fabulous leading ladies. What's been your favorite plot? Drake Hogestyn: It was in Maison Blanche. When Stefano realized that John was starting to remember things, he threw him in a dungeon and started the brainwashing all over again. We played that out for about five weeks. Since John's food was being poisoned, I took it upon myself to not eat and lost about twenty-five pounds. That was one of the times when the fan mail spiked, because they thought the character was dying. Joe (Mascolo, Stefano) and I felt like we were doing a miniseries. How did you react to FRIENDS naming Joey's DAYS character after you? Drake Hogestyn: I was flattered. But it kept me from doing any guest roles on FRIENDS. Other cast members did, but if they brought on the real Drake, it might have broken the fourth wall. DAYS OF OUR LIVES FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTOR'S MAGAZINE, 1/30/06 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ ABC Gossip GENERAL HOSPITAL Take Him Out Of The Ball Game: Considering that his pop, Drake Hogestyn (John, DAYS OF OUR LIVES), played professional baseball and was drafted by the New York Yankees, did Ben Hogestyn (Lucas) consider entering that particular, uh, field? "I did play when I was young," he states. "(Drake) coached or assisted-coached a few of my teams that I was on growing up. I really enjoyed that sport, but water polo is my true passion. I was on the swim team in high school, which was okay, but that was really my training for water polo, which I'm still active in." Was Drake disappointed? "Nah," replies Hogestyn the younger. "He has always been really supportive of all my choices." SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 3/28/06 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ Behind The Scenes, Drake And Ben I've interviewed Ben Hogestyn (Lucas) on a number of occasions since he joined GENERAL HOSPITAL last fall, so he no longer gets my speech I give to actors whom I haven't done features with. But, when I sat down with both him and pop Drake Hogestyn (John, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) for our interview and photo shoot for SOAP OPERA DIGEST'S Father's Day issue, I mentioned to the men that if my eyes happen to drift to the tape recorder during our talk, I'm not losing interest in the topic at hand. On the contrary, I'm just checking on the equipment, and then I recounted the story of my first GENERAL HOSPITAL set visit many moons ago, where I got a number of great interviews, only to discover upon leaving that the tape had jammed and I lost most of them. A reporter's nightmare come true! We proceeded, and somewhere around our third question, ace photographer Jeff Katz bid the boys adieu, so I stopped the recorder and decided to check the sound level as they said good-byes, just in case. Nothing! I changed the batteries and tried again. Nothing! I replaced the tape with a new one. Nothing! Holy horrible déjà vu! Of course, I could do it the old-fashioned way and take notes, but on multiple subject questions and answers, the off-the-cuff banter is usually what makes the piece so much fun. As I tried to conceal my panic, Ben disappeared and returned moments later with a microcassette recorder and a blank tape from his car. "Maybe you can use this," he said with a smile. "I use it to run lines from time to time." Several gasps, hugs and sighs of relief later, our interview proceeded and a raucous time ensued. Whether it's Salem, Port Charles or Malibu, those Hogestyn boys truly know how to save the day, on-screen and off! Read "Hog Wild" in the 6/20/06 issue of SOAP OPERA DIGEST. Tom Stacy, SOAP OPERA DIGEST INSIDER, 6/8/06 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Random Quotes We Can't Believe They Said That! "He's still the best storyteller I know. You ask him one simple question, and he'll go off for twenty minutes. He's usually swabbing his ears with cotton as he's telling you - and very excited." DAYS' Christie Clark (Carrie) on Drake Hogestyn (John). SOAP OPERA WEEKLY, 6/13/06 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ Hog Wild Daytime's Only Father/Son Soap Stars Weigh In On Boyhood, Biking And Bonding Drake Hogestyn met his wife, Victoria, when they were kids, but life took them down separate paths. By the time they reunited years later, Victoria had daughter Rachael and son Ben from a previous marriage; she and Drake then had daughters Whitney and Alexandra. Drake and stepson Ben bonded quickly, as they put it, "For our own survival." Now that Ben has joined the cast of GENERAL HOSPITAL as Lucas, the Hogestyn boys have a whole new area of familiarity to share. SOAP OPERA DIGEST: Drake, what was Ben like growing up? Drake Hogestyn: There aren't enough adjectives. Bright. Inquisitive. Athletic. Joyful. An old soul. He had a voracious appetite as far as reading material and comprehension. He had a unique ability to talk to adults on their own level. Cutting edge. He was a trendsetter among all the kids. Not at all inhibited. A guy's guy. You'd have a great time if you went out with him and the girls would have an even better time. Ben Hogestyn: Pass! Drake Hogestyn: I don't have guy friends who I'll hang out with and go to ballgames with. That's all Ben. He's my best friend. SOAP OPERA DIGEST: Being the only men in a house full of women must have contributed to the bonding experience. Drake Hogestyn: Yeah. It was girl, boy, girl, girl, so once the balance swung, that was it. SOAP OPERA DIGEST: Do you share any favorite father/son activities? Drake Hogestyn: Anything outside the home (laughs). Ben Hogestyn: Motocross. Paintball. Every type of sport. Drake Hogestyn: He taught me how to snowboard. He got me off skis and kicked my ass. Ben Hogestyn: We've got that same passion for anything that goes fast. Cars. Bikes. You name it. SOAP OPERA DIGEST: Drake, you were a professional baseball player. What did you think when Ben came home and said, "I found my sport of passion. It's water polo." (Ben laughs.) Drake Hogestyn: I said, "Let's go out and buy some water polo balls and teach me the game. What's a foul?" I didn't know anything about it. As much as I taught him about baseball, he taught me more about water polo. SOAP OPERA DIGEST: Fast-forward a few years and Ben decides he wants to act. What was your initial response? Drake Hogestyn: "What took you so long?" He landed a soap early out of the gate, which is impossible! We're very proud of him. A lot of the attributes he carries in his acting, I wish I had. One of them is that sense of calm, that sense of stillness, which you can't teach. (Acting) is another great bonding thing. I'm going to miss our times sitting in the garage going over his lines because I saw some of his work with Brad Maule's (Ex-Tony, GENERAL HOSPITAL) death scenes, and it made me sad because he doesn't need me to run lines or talk about structure or points of view. He's off and running now. SOAP OPERA DIGEST: How did you feel when Ben changed his name from Schieferstein and took your name professionally? Drake Hogestyn: Really proud. I've always considered him my boy. I got done doing SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS (in 1982) and I was called back to my hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana, doing the CBS (publicity) tour, but my real thrust was to see (his now-wife) Victoria. She had just gone through a breakup and I was hoping that she had one leg and lost all her hair. (Ben laughs.) Drake Hogestyn: She opened the door and she looked just like I remembered her from eight years earlier, and she was holding him. He was a baby, just a squirt. She asked if I wanted to hold him and I said, "Yeah." I walked over to the hallway mirror and I was looking at him and I thought, "He should have been mine," and she said, "He can be (laughs)." And he is. I've always considered him my son. Ben Hogestyn: The first time he saw the name was when I brought him to an independent film that I had done and he saw it in the credits. Drake Hogestyn: That brought a tear to my eye. SOAP OPERA DIGEST: Do you watch each other's work? Drake Hogestyn: I do because my wife has it TiVo'd. We have the season pass for GENERAL HOSPITAL. SOAP OPERA DIGEST: Does she TiVo DAYS as well? (Drake shakes his head "no." Ben laughs.) Ben Hogestyn: I knew this was coming. Drake Hogestyn: As long as I have made a living as an actor, thanks to DAYS OF OUR LIVES, this is all fresh again because it's her son. She hangs on his every word. The world stops when Ben's on, and that's good to see. Not only that, the daughters are so excited and even their friends are so excited. SOAP OPERA DIGEST: So, you're old hat now, Drake? Drake Hogestyn: Oh, yeah. But it's a whole new generation that's rolled over and vicariously, I feel their excitement. SOAP OPERA DIGEST: Drake, now that Ben is on his own, do you miss him around the house? Drake Hogestyn: Let's put it this way: These days, I watch a lot of AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL, AMERICAN IDOL, and GILMORE GIRLS. You know where I'm going, right? If you want to bond with the rest of your family, this is what you do. At least we've finally gotten away from the malls. Ben Hogestyn: But I still drop by the house a lot. Drake Hogestyn: He does. SOAP OPERA DIGEST: Is there a famous father/son combination you'd say is similar to your relationship? Drake Hogestyn: Kirk Douglas and Michael Douglas? Ben Hogestyn: Charlie and Martin Sheen? Charlie and I wouldn't be into the same themes, necessarily (laughs). Actually, I think the relationship between Danny Glover and Mel (Gibson) in LETHAL WEAPON would probably be closer. Drake Hogestyn: Yeah. Remember Danny Glover saying "I'm too old for this sh##" and he keeps getting sucked into it? I can understand that. It's been refreshing to get a motorcycle and then drop it on myself. (They both laugh.) I wouldn't have gotten a motorcycle if Ben wasn't into bikes, and I wouldn't be calling my wife to help lift it off me. SOAP OPERA DIGEST: Besides the need for speed, what else do you two have in common? Ben Hogestyn: A perfectionist attitude. Drake Hogestyn: Yeah, I hate that. Ben Hogestyn: We're both driven. We're opinionated about certain things. Curious. What else? Drake Hogestyn: Too many things to mention. SOAP OPERA DIGEST: Ben, what's something that Drake has instilled in you that you've taken out into the world? Ben Hogestyn: Be honest. Be yourself. To the casual observer, he's very cool. But he's much deeper than that in his dedication to family and to work. Whatever you undertake, make sure you're passionate about it and give it a hundred percent. Live by example. Watching how special (his parents) are with each other, treating each other with respect. Live life to the fullest and enjoy each and every moment because it could all be gone just like that. Drake Hogestyn: As I said, Ben's my best friend. He's the one who has pulled me along. For everything I may have showed him or introduced to him, he's taught me so much more. Tom Stacy, SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 6/20/06 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ Late-Breaking News The Latest Buzz At DAYS In the 6/20 issue, we reported that an announcement about DAYS being picked up until 2009 and AS THE WORLD TURNS Emmy-winning scribe Hogan Sheffer being named Headwriter was imminent, but weeks passed since that issue was printed and there was not a peep from the studio. Multiple announcement lunches were scheduled, then canceled. At press time, another luncheon was scheduled for June 16. "There were some last-minute details that had to be worked out," says a setsider. In other DAYS news, in the story about Drake Hogestyn (John) and Deidre Hall (Marlena) being sidelined for the summer (6/27 issue), we stated that Hogestyn's contract expires at the end of this year. In fact, the actor re-upped with the show in 2004 for three years. We regret the error. But the story set off a firestorm among fans of the popular pair. "Until I read in SOAP OPERA DIGEST that Deidre Hall has re-signed her contract and that John and Marlena will get a new storyline, I'm taking an indefinite break from watching (this) show!" emailed one. While a source reports that the show was trying to write the duo back in as soon as possible, when asked if there is a return date for them, the spokesperson for the show responds, "No." As for any news about Hall's contract, the representative says, "No comment..." SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 7/4/06 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ RoundUp SOAP OPERA DIGEST: What was the first line you spoke on your show? Drake Hogestyn (John, DAYS) Drake Hogestyn: The first scene, I walked into a warehouse on the docks. Bo and Patch (Stephen Nichols) were up front talking and this guy says to me, 'Oh, you're new here. If you're looking for a job, you might want to talk to them up there.' And I looked to them and then had a flashback of the slide projector show of subliminal images that Kiriakis had been inputting into (John) and then started hearing bits and pieces which freaked (John) out. I had a long piece of exposition and I just drew a blank. So, the guy gives me the line, and I look at him and go, 'I'm outta here (laughs).' And I turned around and walked out the door. Al Rabin, our Executive Producer, came down and went, 'Why did you decide to lose this whole speech?' I said, 'This character's based on Jason Bourne. He's got no past, no memory. Therefore, it struck me that he would be a man of very few words.' I don't know if he saw the bead of sweat run down my temple, but he looked at me and said, 'Very nice!' SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 7/4/06 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ RoundUp SOAP OPERA DIGEST: What is your barbecue specialty dish? Drake Hogestyn (John, DAYS) Drake Hogestyn: Steak. I don't mess around with it. I just slam it on there with some salt and pepper - a good cut is the most important thing. But lately, because (daughter) Rachael is marrying a chef, we've been rolling up tri-tips and stuffing chicken and wild animals and putting them on there just to see what happens and then try to eat them (laughs). SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 7/11/06