Hello, welcome to Toronto! What kind of reaction did you receive from the fans at your events today?
It was a wonderful reaction. It’s a very unique situation that most actors don’t get. It’s a great thing to have. If you’re on a soap, you are in peoples lives forever. It’s a very close relationship that they develop.

Did you receive any feedback regarding the storylines? The coupling of Victor (Eric Braeden) and Sharon (Sharon Case) for example. Or, “Shictor,” as they’re referred to online?
Yes, a little bit of that. Oh, is that what they call them?! Shictor!

Yes, it’s not really a loving couple name.
Oh dear. There were a few questions about that. You know, what can I say? I don’t know what is in the writers’ heads. Hopefully, they have an idea where they’re going [with that storyline]. Hopefully there is a Point B to this Point A.

All I can do is to think back to when Bill Bell, Sr. was alive. He might have been criticized over a storyline, but only he knew where that road was leading. So once we got there, we all thought, “Oooh! That’s why that happened!” This is why Bill didn’t care if people were criticizing him. He saw the bigger picture. I’m just assuming that’s the same with Maria [Bell; current head writer and executive producer]. She knows where she’s going on this very unusual road – we don’t.

What is your opinion on this pairing?
I can’t really have an opinion yet because I don’t think enough of this story has been revealed. It’s just the very beginning. I don’t know, maybe they’re testing the audience to see how the audience feels about it?

I know Bill never did that. Bill didn’t care what the viewers thought. He had his vision and his story that he was going to tell and he was just going to tell it.

There’s so much interaction and feedback from the fans now compared to when Bill Bell, Sr. was writing. How would he have reacted to the message boards and Twitter?
He would not have paid any attention to it at all. He never read fan mail. He appreciated comments and feedback, but it never altered his story and what he was going to tell. Never. I don’t know if that’s good or bad, but that’s how he worked.

Nikki has reunited with Jack (Peter Bergman). Fans are more receptive to this because of the history between the characters, and of course, the conflict with Jack’s son Kyle (Blake Hood) since Nikki killed his mother in self-defense. What’s coming up with that story?
I think they’re getting us ready for something but I have no idea yet. We pick up the script and we’re reading it just as the viewers are tuning in.

Do you think Nikki was always meant to be Diane’s (Maura West) killer?
No. I don’t.

There was a “dark period” last year for you, Nikki and the fans. Nikki was sent to rehab for months, her red shoes came back to Genoa City to bludgeon Diane, and then her expensive suitcase left for London. You joined Twitter and the fans became aware of your status (or lack of status) with the show and then they finally brought you back. You must be thankful to that fan response.
Oh, absolutely! I thank them every which way I can.

This one friend I made through Twitter, drove all the way from outside of Toronto today for 2 and a half hours to meet with me. We had never met in person before and I don’t know what to compare it to. A decade ago, there was no such thing as Twitter. It’s so weird. I’m 56 years old and if somebody had told me that I would be on these things called Twitter and Facebook, I would have told them they were out of their mind!

I had so many people telling me to sign up and then when I finally did, I found my way to a couple of uber-fans and we became friendly. They kept asking me when I’d be on the show again; I truthfully told them that I didn’t even have any scripts. The next thing I know, there’s this huge campaign going. I wasn’t trying to stir the pot in any way and I had no clue that Twitter even had that power.

I thought these people were delusional to think that they could change a head writer’s opinion, or whoever’s opinion my exit was.. I know that I will never know the answer to that. I was absolutely stunned at the power that Twitter had. Without them, I would still not be on the show.

I was fired. I was not on that show anymore.

And they changed that. It’s shocking! I’m obviously relieved and grateful. I will forever be indebted to the many Twitter friends that I’ve met. They are true friends now. I’ve had a couple of them to my house. We have dinner together, we go out together. It’s like I have these new, young, friends from different parts of the country. Am I crazy? Or is this just the world these days?!

We’ve seen the remaining soaps’ budgets getting slashed in recent years. Many veterans including yourself, Eric Braedan and Jess Walton (Jill) have had these grueling public negotiations recently and now the show is letting Eileen Davidson (Ashley) go.
I just heard about Eileen. [It’s] terrible.

Fans are upset, and they should be. Sony puts the veteran actors through this stuff but can find the funds to bring in former ABC daytime stars? As well as stunt casting former primetime actors for guest/recurring parts. Nothing against Genie Francis (Genevieve), Debbi Morgan (Harmony) or Darnell Williams (Sarge), they’re wonderful performers. Y&R fans tune in to watch Victor, Nikki, Katherine, Jill, Jack and Ashley. How is Sony justifying these decisions?
It makes one wonder where they are going with that. I don’t know. It is concerning, because, Eileen of all people? If I was forced to whittle down the show to ten actors, Eileen would certainly be on that list of core, original people who are Y&R. They’re signature Y&R. Whatever kind of thinking made them decide this concerns me.

Maria’s taking the heat because she’s the head writer and executive producer. Is she to blame or are these decisions being made at a higher level?
I would have no idea. All I know is when all this was going on with me last year, Maria was nothing but kind and supportive to me and I appreciated that. I believed her. There’s no Hollywood bullshit there and I always appreciated that. Maria has never lied to me, nor has she ever played that game. I don’t know what the press is asking her.

She hasn’t spoken to the press.
I just heard that Eileen is going back to Days of our Lives? Is that true?

The rumours are there. Right now, I suspect it may just be wishful thinking. If we can’t have Eileen on Y&R, we’ll take her on DAYS.
It’s just bizarre to my sensibilities. I don’t understand it.

Do you think a last minute deal could be made to keep Eileen and Ashley in Genoa City?
I have no idea. I didn’t even know she was up for negotiations. Or maybe she wasn’t?! I mean, I wasn’t!

I will miss her desperately. I think it’s wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

What about Jess Walton’s six-month leave? Is it true she’s taking time off to be with family?
That’s true. To my knowledge, there’s no animosity between her and the show. I know Jess was happy that they agreed to let her have that time off. She is thrilled about her baby grandchild. Her son and my daughter went to high school together, so I know Jess not has just a fellow actor, but I know her as a mother. Jess is cool, she’s great! And again, no Hollywood bullshit there. If there was something going on [behind the scenes], she will tell you the truth and I haven’t heard anything like that from her.

That’s a relief.
Yeah!

We’re watching stories like Daisy and “Shictor” being played out right now, which are not only being panned by fans, but critics as well. Where are the Y&R stories that we’ve grownt o love? Where’s the scandal? The drama? The love? The pacing is horrible. Nikki and Victor will tell each other that they love one and another on Monday, but by Friday, Nikki’s with Jack while Victor has moved on from not only Nikki, but from Genevieve and onto Sharon by Friday.
Needs a little more time, huh?

Where’s the buildup?
I agree. We need to take the time we used to take and really develop something that people care about. And again, I don’t know the reason why they’re doing this. I don’t think it’s random. Obviously, a decision has been made by someone to make things go faster. But, if it’s too fast to be believable, then you’ve defeated the purpose.

When your husband, Ed Scott, was producing, I remember reading an interview that you did where you worked on some behind the scenes stuff as well, like choosing Nadia’s theme for when Cassie passed away. It was one of the most powerful moments on the show. How much input do you have these days to do that additional consultation?
Oh you know about that! I enjoyed doing that. I haven’t really offered to lately. I would love to do it if I were asked.

You were robbed of a Daytime Emmy nomination this year. I loved drunk Nikki.
Thank you.

What are your thoughts on the Daytime Emmy situation? The Emmys celebrate television and yet no broadcast network wants to air these awards.
Would you?

Considering…I mean this is rhetorical, have you SEEN the last [Daytime] Emmy shows? If you own a network, would you want to carry that show? No.

Given the opportunity, how would you produce it? What would you do?
Frankly, I haven’t really put that much thought to that possibility. But, I would try to get back the class, the appeal and the romance that made them so popular in the beginning. It’s just become such a farce.

Last year was a perfect example of “What was this? An infomercial for Las Vegas?” It was just so trashy. They’re trying to speak well about a genre and then they just trash it up and make it terrible.

It’s just become so unappealing. Nobody wants to go. Nobody wants to be there. I remember the old days, THAT was a huge event! They were still in New York, it was BIG! We were so excited and it didn’t matter whether you were nominated or not. Not just the awards, but the activities surrounding them as well. We had all these wonderful things. There were things to celebrate at that time. And now, it’s almost just an embarrassment because nobody either knows how or has any interest in giving it the glory and respect that it deserves.

Even with the shows themselves. Storylines would make people think. They would be so scandalous that it had people talking. I remember being a young boy and not being allowed to watch soaps because some of the stories were so scandalous for a kid.
So, the fact that it was scandalous is what made you watch as a young boy.

If there’s good conflict now on the show, it’ll get people I know talking. Like, “Did you see what Adam did?” Or we look back to the past, like “Remember when Jack through a chair out of the window?”
You need to have conflict. Bill always used to say, “Conflict is the essence of drama.” And, he was absolutely right about that. You have to have conflict, but you have to have appealing conflict. Because, if you don’t care about those characters, then forget it! It’s over.

You have to have a combination of good writing and acting. Writers that will create characters that you care about, that you want to cheer for. Played by actors who can somehow transform themselves into another person. That’s not an easy find. It’s a tough call out there. It’s not easy to succeed as an actor in this genre because it’s so very different. There’s always this little extra push to dramatize things a little more than if it were reality, a film or a primetime project. We go that extra push, which people love. People really feel like they’re getting into that character’s heart and soul. They’re able to relate. They dream about it! They dream about our characters. It’s unbelievable.

It’s a unique and wonderful position to be in as an actor but really frightening right now with as what you said is going on. I don’t think that the correct executives are appreciating the genre anymore. I would like to know who is making these strange decisions. We’ll never be told.

Looks like the opening credits will finally be updated.
Oh are they?

Some actors have filmed their parts from what I hear.
Apparently, they’re not updating mine, or I would have known about it!

Well, this sucks.
Well, I’m already in there!

I heard they were revamping them altogether. Unless they were just adding the actors who aren’t in them.
I know nothing of it. Oh god, here’s another Twitter campaign! [Laughs] Should I worry?! We already went through this last year.

Have you enjoyed playing Nikki’s battle with alcohol as much as we’ve enjoyed watching it? I love drunk Nikki.
Everyone loves a drunk Nikki, including me! There’s something so enjoyable – and I know that’s an odd word to use, but there’s something very enjoyable about playing her drunk. I don’t really know why. It could be the juxtaposition, I guess. Here she is from the outside in: beautiful, rich, has everything – but, she’s broken.

Would you like to bring anyone back into Nikki’s life? Character-wise, dead or alive. Any actors you’d like to work with again?
I would love to have John Enos come back to play Bobby Marsino. I would love for Roberta Leighton to come back as Casey, Nikki’s sister.

Any storyline you’d like to act out?
I would love for Nikki to go stark raving mad! I mean truly crazy. Talk about fun! Now, that’s the thing that would top the drinking in my mind. Wouldn’t that be fun?

What would cause Nikki to go crazy? Victor would have to do something to push her over the edge.
Something that would drive her so far…I think that would be so much fun to play and I think the viewers would love it! There’s something compelling in, as I’ve said, that Elizabeth Taylor syndrome, where’s she’s got everything – but she’s got nothing. There’s something in there somewhere that is very Nikki as well.

Although apart, Victor and Nikki will always be connected. They’re a pairing that’s woven into the fabric of The Young and the Restless. What’s next for them? What are some of your hopes for them?
That’s the writers’ job to come up with something believable. I mean, that is always they’re challenge. Nikki and Victor have played this cycle over and over again and it’s very successful because people care about them. I would imagine just because I’ve watched the show for 33 years as well as played it – they’ve got to get back together! There’s nothing else they could do! They have to get back together, as for how, I don’t know. The writers have a rough job coming up with something that I hope will be good!

The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS and Global. Canadian fans can also catch up with the series online at GlobalTV.com, on demand or on their mobile devices. You can follow Melody Thomas Scott on Twitter, @MelodyThomasSco.

For the latest in television and pop culture, follow Jeevan on Twitter, @JeevanBrar.

Recent Y&R interviews:
Tracey E. Bregman (Lauren)
Michael Muhney (Adam)

]]> http://blogs.dose.ca/2012/05/16/interview-melody-thomas-scott-the-young-and-the-restless/feed/ 0 exclusive interview melody thomas scott jeevanbrar melody thomas scott sharon victor nikki nikki jack kyle melody thomas scott victor nikki eileen davidson jess walton ed scott eric braeden melody thomas scott bill bell classic victor nikki drunk nikki john enos victor nikki melody thomas scott http://blogs.dose.ca/2012/05/16/cbs-fall-schedule-2012-upfronts/ http://blogs.dose.ca/2012/05/16/cbs-fall-schedule-2012-upfronts/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 14:52:37 +0000 Jeevan Brar http://blogs.dose.ca/?p=10486 ]]> CBS has released its schedule for the 2012-2013 season. Two and a Half Men heads to Thursday (a move which hardly affects us), while 2 Broke Girls heads to the 9 p.m. slot on Mondays.

Monday
8 p.m. – How I Met Your Mother
8:30 p.m. – Partners
9 p.m. – 2 Broke Girls
9:30 p.m. – Mike & Molly
10 p.m. – Hawaii Five-0

Tuesday
8 p.m. – NCIS
9 p.m. – NCIS: LA
10 p.m. – Vegas

Wednesday
8 p.m. – Survivor
9 p.m. – Criminal Minds
10 p.m. – CSI

Thursday
8 p.m. – The Big Bang Theory
8:30 p.m. – Two and a Half Men
9 p.m. – Person of Interest
10 p.m. – Elementary

Friday
8 p.m. – CSI: NY
9 p.m. – Made in Jersey
10 p.m. – Blue Bloods

Saturday
8 p.m. – Crimetime Saturday

Sunday
7 p.m – 60 Minutes
8 p.m. – The Amazing Race
9 p.m. – The Good Wife
10 p.m. – The Mentalist

Coming up this midseason: Undercover Boss, Friend Me, Golden Boy and The Job from Mark Burnett.

CBS didn’t think that Rules of Engagement was important enough to make a decision about its status during upfront.

So far, my best bet pick from CBS is Partners which stars Sophia Bush, Michael Urie, David Krumholtz and Brandon Routh probably because it fits in well with HIMYM and 2 Broke Girls. Krumholtz and Urie play best friends architects, Charlie and Louis. After Charlie proposes to his girlfriend (Bush), Louis’ attempts to be supportive wreaks havoc with his own relationship (with Routh’s character).

Check back throughout the week for details about the new shows, photos and videos.

Previously:
NBC’s new fall schedule
Fox’s new fall schedule
ABC’s new fall schedule

Monday
8 p.m. – Dancing with the Stars (The Bachelor in January)
10 p.m. – Castle

Tuesday
8 p.m. – Dancing with the Stars - Results (How to Live with Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life / The Family Tools in January)
9 p.m. – Happy Endings
9:30 p.m. – Don’t Trust the B—- in Apt. 23
10 p.m. – Private Practice

Wednesday
8 p.m. – The Middle
8:30 p.m. – Suburgatory
9 p.m. – Modern Family
9:30 p.m. – The Neighbors
10 p.m. – Nashville

Thursday
8 p.m. – Last Resort
9 p.m. – Grey’s Anatomy
10 p.m. – Scandal

Friday
8 p.m. – Shark Tank
9 p.m. – Primetime: What Would You Do?
10 p.m. – 20/20

In November:
8 p.m. – Last Man Standing
8:30 p.m. – Malibu Country
9 p.m. – Shark Tank
10 p.m. – Primetime: What Would You Do?

Saturday
8 p.m. – Saturday Night College Football

Sunday
7 p.m. – America’s Funniest Home Videos
8 p.m. – Once Upon a Time
9 p.m. – Revenge
10 p.m. – 666 Park Avenue

Check back throughout the week for details about the new shows, photos and videos.

Previously:
NBC’s new fall schedule
Fox’s new fall schedule 

Monday
8 p.m. – Bones
9 p.m. – The Mob Doctor

Tuesday
8 p.m. – Raising Hope
8:30 p.m. – Ben and Kate
9 p.m. – New Girl
9:30 p.m. – The Mindy Project

Wednesday
8 p.m. – The X Factor

Thursday
8 p.m. – The X Factor (Results Show)
9 p.m. – Glee

Friday
8 p.m. – Touch
9 p.m. – Fringe

Saturday
8 p.m. – Fox Sports Saturday

Sunday
7 p.m. – NFL OT
8 p.m. – The Simpsons
8:30 p.m. – Bob’s Burgers
9 p.m. – Family Guy
9:30 p.m. – American Dad

Coming up midseason: American Idol, Hell’s Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, Cops, The Cleveland Show, The Following and The Goodwin Games.

Check back throughout the week for details about the new shows, photos and videos.

Update: Here are some trailers from the new Fox shows:

Previously:
NBC’s new fall schedule

GEORGE STROUMBOULOPOULOS TONIGHT (CBC)
Monday: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Art Hindle
Tuesday: The Dictator (Sacha Baron Cohen), Ken Finkleman
Wednesday: John Irving, Nahlah Ayed
Thursday: John Edward, Tony Campolo
Friday: Danielle Duval (also, Best of the Week)

LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS/OMNI1)
Monday: Kelly Ripa, Adam Scott, Tenacious D
Tuesday: Brian Williams, El-P
Wednesday: Betty White, Best Coast
Thursday: Conan O’Brien, Regina Spektor, John Meyer
Friday: Julie Chen, Beach House

TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO (NBC/CTV2)
Monday: Kourtney, Kim & Khloe Kardashian, Donny Deutsch, Karmin
Tuesday: Wanda Sykes, David Hasselhoff, Santana
Wednesday: Joel McHale, Jarod Miller, Bobby Brown
Thursday: Hugh Laurie, Robert Griffin III
Friday: Sherri Shepherd, Julianne Hough, Tenacious D

JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE (ABC/CHCH/Bite)
Monday: Repeat (May 8: Johnny Depp)
Tuesday: Repeat (April 26: Dave Salmoni)
Wednesday: Rita Wilson
Thursday: Matthew Morrison, Beth Ostrosky Stern, Delta Spirit
Friday: Jason Mantzoukas, the Cult

LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON (CBS/Global)
Craig goes to Scotland this week.
Monday: Mila Kunis, Michael Clarke Duncan, Rashida Jones, David Sedaris, Ariel Tweto, the Imagineers
Tuesday: Visits to Arbroath with Scotland First Minister Alex Salmond, Rashida Jones, the Imagineers
Wednesday: A visit to Cumbernauld with Michael Clarke Duncan, the Imagineers
Thursday: A visit to Glasgow & Edinburgh with Mila Kunis, the Imagineers
Friday: VA visit to Glamis Castle with David Sedaris, Ariel Tweto, the Imagineers

LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON (NBC/CTV2/MuchMore)
Monday: Gordon Ramsay, Willie Nelson, Jeff Musial
Tuesday: Mariska Hargitay, Nick DiPaolo, Tenacious D
Wednesday: Taylor Kitsch, Tony Hale, Pat Martino
Thursday: Arsenio Hall, Paul Weller
Friday: Tom Selleck, Krysten Ritter, Garbage

LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY (NBC)
Monday: Artie Lange, Chely Wright, WE Are Augustines
Tuesday: Jake Johnson, the Glitch Mob, the Ting Tings
Wednesday: Judah Friedlander, “The Imposter,” Dr. Dog
Thursday: Peter Berg, “Ballplayer: Pelotero,” Young the Giant
Friday: Repeat (April 3: Jay Rock)

CHELSEA LATELY (E!)
Monday: Craig Ferguson with Brody Stevens, Sarah Colonna, Josh Wolf
Tuesday: Cameron Diaz with Moshe Kasher, Arden Myrin, Brad Wollack
Wednnesday: Brooklyn Decker with Dan Levy, Fortune Feimster, T.J. Miller
Thursday: Giada De Laurentiis with Natasha Leggero, April Richardson, Ross Mathews
Friday: May 10: Adam Lambert

CONAN (TBS/Comedy Network/CTV)
Monday: Repeat (Jan. 10: Chelsea Handler)
Tuesday: Bill Maher, Gregg Allman, Hannibal Buress
Wednesday: Liam Neeson, Marc Maron, Brody Stevens
Thursday: Brooklyn Decker, Rufus Wainwright

DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART (Comedy Central/CTV/Comedy Network)
Reruns all week. Highlights include Sacha Baron Cohen on Tuesday.

THE COLBERT REPORT (Comedy Central/CTV/Comedy Network)
Reruns all week. Highlights include Lena Dunham on Monday.

Monday
8 p.m. – The Voice
10 p.m. – Revolution

Tuesday
8 p.m. – The Voice
9 p.m. – Go On
9:30 p.m. – The New Normal
10 p.m. – Parenthood

Wednesday
8 p.m. – Animal Practice
8:30 p.m. – Guys with Kids
9 p.m. – Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
10 p.m. – Chicago Fire

Thursday
8 p.m. – 30 Rock
8:30 p.m. – Up All Night
9 p.m. – The Office
9:30 p.m. – Parks & Recreation
10 p.m. – Rock Center with Brian Williams

Friday
8 p.m. – Whitney
8:30 p.m. – Community
9 p.m. - Grimm
10 p.m. – Dateline NBC

Saturday
Encore programming

Sunday
7 p.m. – Football Night in America
8:15 p.m. – NBC Sunday Night Football

Sunday’s after football:
7 p.m. – Dateline NBC
8 p.m. – Fashion Star
9 p.m. – The Celebrity Apprentice
10 p.m. – Do No Harm

Midseason: The returns of Smash, The Biggest Loser and Betty White’s Off Their Rockers. Some new comedies, including Save Me, 1600 Penn and Next Caller. New dramas include Infamous and Hannibal.

Check back later this week for details on the new shows, how many episodes they’ve ordered on your returning comedies and hopefully some videos (just posted) and photos from the upfront presentation.

Here are some videos (so far my favourites are Guys with Kids, Go On and Animal Practice):

Hi Tracey, welcome back to Toronto!
Thank you!

What was the inspiration behind your new line?
I’ve been calling it my “Heart & Soul” collection, because I love that the pieces have a feeling of “days gone by.” These are the kinds of pieces that I wear every single day.

With the heart, does love have something to do with it?
Always!

Is there someone special in your life that inspired this collection?
Yes, there is someone special in my life!

Talk to us about the Tree of Life piece, which you had shown to fans on Twitter before your appearance on The Shopping Channel.
There’s something not only about the tree of life and what that means to everybody, but also a family tree. What your family means to you and so, my family means so much to me, so I’m absolutely in love with this piece. It’s already sold out.

My collection is very eclectic. There’s a lot of detail (workmanship and engineering) to each piece. I have a lot of input with the design process. The Sterling Silver Gemstone and Diamond ring for example, it’s got white agate or black onyx. The white agate is such an incredible stone that looks like a moon stone. It even has peach undertones. It’s gorgeous! It reminds of a ring that Elizabeth Taylor would have worn. It’s very Hollywood Glamour.

Can you give us a preview of your next collection?
The next collection will have elements of this one, but we also push the limits and try to do something different. We try to think about what am I going to be wearing for that season? What’s happening with the other designers? What’s going on? What’s the next thing in fashion? We’ll debut the new collection on July 7th. We’ve been working very hard on it.

Let’s move over to Y&R, Lauren’s been caught with the gun!
Yes, and showcasing her fabulous jewellery!

Where’s this storyline with Daisy headed?
I’m not quite sure! It’s like life! I never know what’s going to happen tomorrow until I read the script.

There’s been a lot of backlash with the Daisy (Yvonne Zima) character.
Yeah, I know.

Right now, the only good thing about having Daisy on the show is that Lauren gets a storyline out of it. The writers obviously have to know about the negative reaction that the fans are having to the Daisy character, yet she’s still on the show. Are they simply trying to recreate the Lauren/Sheila rivalry with Daisy?
I’m not quite sure. The good news is that, at least this time when Daisy did come back, the storyline has branches. Everyone is being affected. It’s changing a lot of things. I think that a lot of things are going to happen that nobody expects.

A possible marriage between Daniel (Michael Graziadei) and Daisy perhaps?
I cannot confirm or deny! All I can say is that a lot of other people will be brought into this storyline and lives will be changed.

Michael Damien’s coming back as Danny.
Yes! He was back for about a week. It was so incredible to see him.

Do Lauren and Danny have any scenes together?
A nano-second where we kind of run into each other and talk — along with Cricket (Lauralee Bell). Michael and I have been keeping in contact.

As for Lauren’s husband, Michael’s (Christian LeBlanc) been spending a lot of time with Avery (Jessica Collins).
I know! Can you believe that? That bitch! [Laughs]

Fans are worried that the show is setting up a triangle between Lauren, Michael and Avery.
I do not know what’s going to happen. I think Christian and I are just thankful to have a storyline. Even if something like that did happen, we would welcome it only because then you would get the opportunity to see this triangle and then have them put their relationship back together.

There are plans to age Lauren and Michael’s son Fen this summer.
Yes, he starts airing in a month. I’ve already taped my first scenes with him and he’s adorable. Max Ehrich is his name. They just aged him to sixteen. I turned to Christian and said, “Boy, those last six years really packed a wallop!”

Will we see the same scenario where the kid comes back and has issues with the parents? Adam, Ricky and Kyle all came back with daddy issues.
Yeah, but you understand that most fairytales have horrible mothers or dead mothers. I’m like, finally, we at least get the dad’s now!

Is Fen going to resent Lauren for shielding him by sending him away to live with Scotty in Toronto?
I have no idea. He was adorable when we worked together and didn’t seem to have any mommy issues! Hopefully that’s coming!

What about Scotty? Does the show have any plans to bring back Lauren’s first-born son?
Nothing on that yet. You never know from regime to regime what their thoughts are on that. I know they didn’t want to bring Scotty back but they definitely wanted to age Fen.

Speaking of the show’s current regime, the ratings finally went up the other week when Lauren pulled a gun on Daisy. Do they look at which characters are featured when the ratings do go up?I’m not quite sure how they write and what they write.

The show is finally updating the opening credits. We know you’re on recurring, but any chance you could sneak in?
I’m not in them! But, I do get to do the station breaks [the bumpers].

What would be the dream storyline for your character? It can be anything! You can bring back characters who are dead, bring back any actors. Go for it.
You know what, I would love to do a storyline where there was a big family caper. The Baldwin-Fisher caper!

Back to the Daisy situation. One thing that the fans can’t understand is that Lauren has dealt with psycho’s in the past like Sheila…
Yes, and Shawn Garrett…

So, she shouldn’t be this scared of a little girl…
I think she’s scared because she feels powerless over her. Daisy got out of jail, nothing seems to be able to stop her and what has put her over the edge is that she’s now stalking her son. When Daisy said, “Oh, I’ve been watching Fen and I love the clothes that he wears,” that through her over the edge.

The show tapes about 5-6 weeks ahead, is the Daisy character still around?
Yes, she’s still on the show.

Will Fen be brought into this storyline?
I’m assuming at some point, yeah.

Anything else you can tease for the fans?
I think that having Fen back will add a lot to the mix!

To check out Tracey’s jewellery collection, visit The Shopping Channel. The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS and Global. Canadian fans can also catch up with the series online at GlobalTV.com, on demand or on their mobile devices.

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I’ve actually known all the housewives since before the show even started. I’ve probably known Jody since I was about fifteen years old and I’m forty now. I’ve known Ronnie for a good fifteen years, Mary for about ten years and Reiko for five. One degree of separation with Kevin Chase!

Christina and I met ten years ago. We met through a mutual friend of her last husband. The four of us used to travel together and the two of us became close when we had gone down to Scottsdale for a polo tournament that her (then) husband’s company had sponsored. One morning, we both got up early and headed over to the pool where we both looked at each other and ordered a Bloody Mary. It was about 8:30 in the morning and that’s when we realized we’d probably be best friends forever.

It’s just as easy to hang out with Christina on camera as it is off camera. I’m not really nervous at all when it comes to being on TV. I had already done some other shows before this one. I appeared on a makeover show and then I had a friend here in Vancouver who had a reality show called Dussault Inc., so I had been on one episode of that.

I had been watching the other Real Housewives shows secretly! I started with The O.C., of course. Then, I worked my way through New York and Atlanta. The Beverly Hills one is my favourite. My favourite housewife on there is Lisa Vanderpump! I like her cheeky English wit.

As for tonight’s episode, I’m used to bull**** but this was my first time riding a mechanical bull. I’m pretty much game for most things and I don’t mind getting dressed up as a cowboy! It was pretty fun, although I was a bit sore after. I’ve ridden horseback all my life so I wasn’t nervous to get on something like that, but you do tense up and you hold on really tighter than you think you would.

Regarding the feud between Mary and the other girls, I wasn’t at the Kiefer so I don’t really know how it all sort of escalated to where it was at Ronnie’s party. Mary’s a friend of mine and I think she’s quite sweet. As far as if it was warranted or not, I wasn’t there to hear the bickering that went on between her and Jody or Ronnie.

The venue was not an appropriate place for Jody and Mia to confront Mary. I wouldn’t go to someone’s birthday party and attack one of the other guests. If you have issues with people, I think that there’s a time and place that is appropriate to bring it up. I wouldn’t start a fight at someone else’s birthday but I think that Jordan did a great job at telling Ronnie that, after being friends with Mary for so long, it would probably be better to take the high road and invite her. It was pretty adult of Jordan. He’s a grown man now.

More on The Real Housewives of Vancouver:
Top 5 WTF moments from episode 7 (On Canada.com)

Previous cast blog:
Episodes 1 & 2 - Christina Kiesel
Episode 3 – Jody Claman
Episode 4 - Reiko MacKenzie
Episode 5 - Mary Zilba