Folks, I'm warning you now, all the news this week is bad. 

First, the really horrible news. Despite what we heard just a few weeks ago, that Bold & the Beautiful's Darlene Conley (Sally) was expected to make a full recovery from her surgery while battling stomach cancer, the worst has happened. Monday, January 14, we lost the talented Darlene. She was 72. "Darlene understood better than anyone that each moment of airtime was precious," said Bradley P. Bell, executive producer and head writer of B&B. "She constantly entertained us with every move, every breath, every inflection of her voice. Whether she was the villain, the damsel, the sexpot, or the comedienne, Darlene was brilliant. An extraordinary actress of film, radio, stage and television, my family had the privilege and honor of Darlene gracing our shows for three decades. She was truly one-of-a-kind. We will miss her beyond measure." A Mass of Resurrection will be held for Darlene Conley on Saturday, January 20, 2007 at Our Mother of Good Counsel Catholic Church, located at 2060 N. Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles. Arrivals start at 10:30 am with an 11:00 am start time. As Darlene loved her fans, and always reached out to them, the funeral will be open to the public. In honor of Darlene, we'll be running her biography again in the Spotlight section.

Second, though an official announcement has yet to be made, Passions is expected to end its eight-year run on NBC later this year. The cast and crew of the NBC soap were told on January 16th that the show had been cancelled. While Passions has remained at the bottom of the ratings throughout its run, there are bright spots that could allow the show to live on somewhere outside of NBC. NBC wants to make the Today show four longs long, meaning that they had to make an hour available somewhere for local stations and since daytime isn't doing so well, they made the decision to cut the soap. (Today is NBC's most profitable show.) NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly noted, "The daypart has just gotten extremely tough financially. You know, it was a moneymaker for us for so long, and now the margins are just brutal and that's all the way around. That's not unique to NBC. And unfortunately, we do need to make money on these, and we certainly can't lose money. The economics just mandate that we [cancel Passions]." Passions is unique in NBC's daytime lineup in that it is owned outright by the network. Owning the show means that NBC doesn't have to pay licensing fees to another company in order to broadcast the show. (All four of CBS's soaps are owned by other entities while all of ABC's soaps are owned by Disney, which is the parent company of ABC.) It is this ownership that provides a glimmer of hope for Passions fans. Passions remains a popular option for young women, a much sought after demographic for advertisers. It is this appeal that has led many to believe that NBC will try to find a way to keep Passions alive. At present, there are at least two viable options. First, for the Internet savvy youth market, NBC may try to make Passions into an Internet-based soap where fans could tune in online to watch the show or possibly pay to download new episodes via any number of online multimedia services; recently-aired episodes of Passions are currently available for viewing on NBC's web site and for purchase on Apple Inc.'s iTunes. Another option would be to allow another network to broadcast the soap. Variety reports that NBC might be shopping Passions to Disney-owned SOAPnet. A deal might allow a 30-minute version of the show to continue on. It is unclear at this time exactly when Passions will end. NBC's contract with Passions ends in June, but the expanded version of Today will not air until sometime in September. Passions'  execs are hoping NBC will give the show clearance until August. Psst...it's unlikely that Days of Our Lives will continue past 2009, when its contract expires with NBC.

Finally, in a stunning casting move that is sure to send longtime fans packing, Cady McClain (Dixie) will exit All My Children in the weeks ahead. The actress' one-year contract with the show expired and AMC exces made the decision not to renew the actress' contract. While this is not the first time that McClain and the show have parted ways, it will more than likely be their final split -- Dixie will fall victim to the Satin Slayer. "It is true, I have been killed off," McClain said in a message on her official blog. A final airdate for McClain has not yet been announced by ABC. It is expected to come during the first week of February.

All My Children Jill Larson will reprise her role of Opal in the upcoming weeks (for Dixie's funeral?)

As the World Turns Robin Mattson begins her new role of Cheri February 12. Cheri is expected to give Emily a run for her money.

General Hospital Former Port Charles alum Kiko Elisworth (Jamal, right) is set to take over the role of Stan in a few weeks.

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