♥ Home Run 2004 ♥ 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." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stars We Love They are well-mannered, gracious, thoughtful and good sports. They always make time for the fans, go above and beyond to deliver a good quote or pose for photos and know how to brighten up our days with thank-you notes and flowers. Here's our salute to the actors who always make us smile. Accommodation Station: Sure, he may be one of DAYS' most popular stars, but Drake Hogestyn (John) is one of the most easygoing, least demanding actors on soaps. He never has demands for photo shoots and traveled almost an hour out of his way to attend SOAP OPERA DIGEST'S Preview 2003 shoot. The actor, who lives in Malibu, didn't mind staying late and getting caught in rush-hour traffic - to him, it's all part of being a team player. SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 2/10/04 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ Performer Of The Week Drake Hogestyn (John, DAYS OF OUR LIVES): For the past eighteen years, DAYS has played to Drake Hogestyn's strength as a heroic leading man, tossing him physical power plays in which John saves the day. During the startling week of Alice's death, Hogestyn proved that he's more than capable of going beyond "the spy who loved me" fare. We could almost see the blood drain from John's face when he realized that Marlena had gone to kill Alice, the sweetest lady in Salem, and he could have stopped her. There was a palpable numbness and a sick-to-his-stomach ache. Even then, Hogestyn allowed a desperate glimmer of hope to shine through in his eyes: Maybe it wouldn't come to pass. Throughout the week, Hogestyn had a variety of scene partners. Although he approached each encounter differently, the unifying theme was his delivery - muted tones, as though John was struggling to find his voice and accept the painful truth: His beloved Marlena was the serial killer. With Alison Sweeney's hysterical Sami, he was a calm father trying to restore order, even as she hurled angry accusations at him. In scenes with Kirsten Storms' Belle and Kyle Lowder's Brady, he took a softer, more compassionate tack because he had the unenviable task of telling them about Marlena. With Kristian Alfonso (Hope) and Peter Reckell (Bo), he was defensive, searching for an out for his wife. But it was Hogestyn's confrontation with Deidre Hall (Marlena) - six months in the making - that was truly electric. John entered the penthouse, soaked from running there in the rain. His body language - uncharacteristically relaxed shoulders, tentative steps - registered acceptance that she had lied to him. John's face showed the rest: Sadness, when he told her that he knew she was guilty. Compassion, when she confessed. Shock, when she stole his gun and forced him out on the terrace. There, he delivered one last, emotional plea. "I still love you, Doc," John declared, holding back the tears, voice breaking. "You don't want to kill me, but you think it's too late...it's never too late for love like ours...it's eternal." Hogestyn is rarely given the chance to show John's vulnerability. After these affecting episodes, we're left wondering why. SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 5/4/04 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ Nice Breakers In this column, we salute those actors who go that extra mile for us and their fans. On Call: Here are some short takes on accommodating actors... Baseball buff Drake Hogestyn (John, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) delayed going home to see the start of game one of the Yankees/Red Sox American League Championship Series so he could take care of a phone interview from his dressing room. SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 12/7/04