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| September 1, 2010: Eat, Drink and be Merry --- that was the theme at this year's Festival of Arts Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach. "Where Art Comes To Life" is how they describe this production but the truth is, you cannot possibly describe it - you simply have to see it with your own eyes. Saturday night was a special "Gala Benefit" hosted by Mario Lopez with donations going to support the Festival of Arts. If you have never been to one of these annual events, you are really missing out on a spectacular performance. A special thank you to David Mirisch and his staff for inviting us to the dinner and show, and to all of the wonderful board members, patrons and artists who we met. A big thank you to our dear friend Carol Reynolds for introducing us to the coolest little Inn at Laguna Beach - the Capri Laguna! Great rooms, amazing ocean views, beautiful beach and all topped off by the wonderful hospitality of General Manager Ibrahim Guirguis and Carlos who made us feel so welcomed! If you go there tell them Joseph sent you! |
 August 26, 2010:My Two Wives!!! Weird as it may sound I'll be with both of my wives on Saturday, October 23, for an NBC Reunion Gala. My wife, Patricia, a former NBC exec., is on the planning committee for the event, and Lauren Koslow, Kate - my wife on the show, will be co-hosting the event! This may get a little tricky but it should make for a very interesting evening! |
| July 22, 2010: She will be missed! This week the final episodes featuring the lovely actress Jessica Tuck aired. Jessica played Madeline Woods, a lady from Stefano's past who tragically was killed this week when she and her son, Chad, got into a nasty argument on the pier. Madeline had yet to tell the "secret" about her mysterious past with Stefano and Kate but I promise you, it will be a real shocker when it is finally revealed. I personally am going to miss her - she is a real professional and wonderful person. We had a great time working together and I wish her all the best. Who knows, maybe Stefano's and Madeline's paths will cross again some day! But for now, Ciao! |
| July 15, 2010: Hello from beautiful Whidbey Island! -- While the show was down for a quick summer hiatus, we flew up to Seattle, WA, then took a ferry over to Whidbey Island to visit family and friends. From the luscioius green landscapes to the spectacular views of Puget Sound - this is a gorgeous place. My sister-in-law and her husband, Kathy and Dennis Shanley, were awesome hosts who treated us to great parties, fantastic 4th of July firework shows over the ocean, to delightful wines from the local wineries. But mostly they showed us around this amazing island. Dennis's brother Ted and his wife Jan hosted an incredible bar-b-que on the 4th at their gorgeous home high atop a cliff overlooking the ocean where we watched the cruise ships heading out from the ports in Seattle....Awesome! A great time, from the great food (the best fresh mussels and crab I've ever had), to the quaint little towns, to the wonderful folks who live on the island and are more than happy to tell you all about their incredible island! Photos to come! Ciao for now. |
| June 29, 2010: Farewell Frances! --- I watched some of the wonderful tributes to Frances Reid (Alice Horton) that are currently airing and it really made me realize how much we all will miss her. The writers, producers, cast and crew have done an amazing job of honoring her legacy throughout the storyline. It’s too bad that Stefano could not be part of the on-screen tributes but as Joseph Mascolo, I will cherish my wonderful memories of a fine lady and a true professional. This is definitely the end of an era for The Days of Our Lives! |
| June 17, 2010: Stefano meet Stefano -- I was thrilled when our costume department told me that they were bringing in some men's suits from Milan, Italy for Stefano to wear on the show, but I was taken aback when the gentlemen arrived to show us the suits and introduced himself as Stefano! No joke, that was for real. Hmmm must be a sign that these were truly the suits meant for Stefano -- DiMera that is! |
| June 10, 2010: Great fun on our east coast vacation! Always great to spend time with my mother who still looks terrific. Once again we were treated wonderfully by the gang at the Courtyard Marriott in Farmington, CT. Had great dinners and visits with friends and family in West Hartford. Visited good friends Anna & Louie Florio in Brooklyn, NY --- thanks so much for putting up with us! And even caught one Broadway show, La Cage Aux Folles, and had a great visit with Kelesy Grammer who does a sensational job starring in the production (he's been nominated for a Tony award!). Checkout the photos! |
| May 26, 2010: Hiatus Week! Got some time off so we are going back to visit my mom, friends and family on the east coast - Connecticut and Brooklyn! We were in Lake Arrowhead on Saturday and woke up to an inch of snow on the ground! when we came down the mountain we were in an actual snow storm! Now on the east coast it's 90+ degrees and humid!!! A big "hi" to a great lady at a little restaurant at the Dulles airport - thank you Joyce for introducing us to Maryland Crab Soup! Please send the recipe! |
| May 17, 2010: The Director In Me: With the fast pace of our shooting schedules getting faster and faster due to the various budgetary constraints, I came up with my own way of getting a "do-over" of a scene I'm not feeling particularly great about. As soon as I feel that a scene is not going in the right direction, I suddenly start swearing and blend that right into my dialiogue. After a couple of times of doing this, the director will call out, "you want to do that scene again Joe?" and we'll try it once again! It's just my little way of having some sort of quality control over "Stefano." |
| May 11, 2010: Beware of false Joe Mascolos! I'm getting lots of comments on my website from people who claim to be "chatting" with me on Facebook or Twittering with me. Don't be fooled! Please know that I don't do either of these so whomever is talking and twittering to you - it's not me! I am not that computer savvy and I'm not that "modern" - geez, I don't even have a cell phone. I'm just trying to hold on the Renaissance with both hands! |
| May 10, 2010: Macho Men Martini Hour - Here's a little secret I'm going to let you in on. About once a week, when I have a later call so that I know I'll be working until the late afternoon or evening, I'll let the camera guys know that I'll be hosting our weekly little "get together." This means that when the last scene is shot, the 3 camera operators (who just happen to be guys) and I meet in my dressing room - which is conveniently off by itself, away from the sets, and the hubbub of all the chaos and production - and I make martinis for the four of us. Naturally, I am talking about "real" gin martinis, not these whimpy trendy vodka martinis that are so popular nowadays. It's a great opportunity for all of us to unwind and talk about the world problems or whatever else comes up in conversation. It's a great bonding experience and one that we all look forward to! |
| May 5, 2010: Okay I'm really trying to stay on top of the blog postings. Had a great time the other night at Ken Corday's book signing party. As you probably know, Ken (executive producer of "Days of Our Lives") has written a book aptly titled "The Days of Our Lives." It was a great opportunity to visit with some of the "old timers" like Director Wes Kenny, and Producers Shelley Curtis and Al Rabin and of course many of the past and present cast members. It was especially nice to see Drake Hogestyn (John Black) because I really miss working him - he's a great guy and dearly missed. Haven't read the book yet, so I don't know what he has said about the infamous Stefano! I'll keep you posted! |
| May 3, 2010: Way to go Calvin Borel!!! We watched the Kentucky Derby Saturday and now we are inspired to make plans to be there next year! I was there many years ago and had a great time! Love the tradition, the "pomp and circumstance," and, of course, all the parties that go along with the event. In case you missed it - Jockey Calvin Borel became the first jockey to ever win 3 Kentucky Derbies in 4 years! |
April 28, 2010: |
| March 29, 2010: Thanks to all of you who are watching the show and taking the time to let us know how you feel. The folks at NBC have apparently paid attention and renewed the show for another year. I guess in these tough times for our daytime dramas, that’s pretty good news. You’ve all been so patient with the Sydney kidnapping story, but this week, finally, Stefano discovers that his son, Elvis, is behind the whole horrific plot. Things are sure to get exciting as that storyline unfolds! Stay tuned! Ciao for now. |
| March 17, 2010: Happy St. Patty's Day! Thanks to everyone out there for the birthday wishes you sent my way! I had a small celebration with my wife on the show, Lauren Koslow (Kate), on the set with the crew and makeup group. Her birthday is a few days before mine. Then I was able to get up to our house at the lake and celebrate with my real wife, Patricia. It was a great weekend with friends and family. Now it's back to work. Hope you are all enjoying the show! If you have thoughts you'd like to share - please let me know and let the show know too by checking into the blog at the Days of Our Lives website! Watch out for those leprechauns! |
| March 10, 2010: I had my first scene with Arianne Zucker (Nicole) since she left on pregnancy/maternity leave and it was great having her back to spar with once again. I’ve always enjoyed working with her. I’m amazed by how quickly she came back to work and how wonderful she looks – motherhood certainly agrees with her. I haven’t seen her baby girl in person as yet, but from the photos she looks adorable. So keep watching to see what’s in store when Nicole returns to stir up more mischief in Salem! |
| February 28, 2010: Hey there - not much to report this week. It's been a busy work week and we've been watching the Olympics most nights. It's incredible what these athletes are doing! I don't think that the gold medal winners of 10 years ago could win against this new breed of athlete - they are like super-humans! Anyway - hope you've all been enjoying the games as well. It's great to have events like this that bring our country together for a moment in time. I wish our politicians could get a message from these folks who come from all parts of the world to compete, yet there is a sense of support and respect the competitors have for one another. Oh well, a man can dream! |
 February
17, 2010:Hi everyone. As you probably know by now, we lost a true “Days of Our Lives” legend last week. Frances Reid was a lovely lady and a consummate professional of her craft. When I first met her I was impressed with what a classy lady she was and with her background in theater. We shared many stories about our days in the theater. On the set she used to tease me all the time about the “evilness” of Stefano DiMeara. She’d say, “How can you be so nice in real life and play such a bad boy on the show every day?” And she would laugh at Stefano’s ‘funny little accent.’ I’d say, “Well that’s what they pay me to do! But I’ll tell you what, when you stop making those delicious donuts that you make, I’ll stop being a bad boy.” Because she made the best homemade donuts that she’d bring to the set and I just couldn’t resist eating way too many of them. Well she never stopped making the donuts and I never stopped the ‘funny’ accent. She was a lovely woman and she will be missed greatly. Ciao Frances! |
February
2, 2010: 2010 has started out great so far, although I cannot believe that it is already February 2! But I need to back up just a bit. I want to send a big thank you to everyone at WPXI, the NBC affiliate station in Pittsburgh, PA. They invited me to participate in their annual Macy’s Holiday Parade and I had a wonderful time. The people at the station were terrific and I met with hundreds of enthusiastic “Days” fans. Their warm reception was truly overwhelming. Also, I had the privilege to volunteer my time with a wonderful organization called Operation Gratitude. The group makes up “goodie boxes” and sends them to our troops overseas. So, along with hundreds of other volunteers, we spent an afternoon boxing up all sort of goodies that will be sent to Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places around the world where our military members are serving. It was a great feeling to know that we had a small part in thanking our soldiers for their hard work and commitment. And, because my wife’s grandson, Private First Class Cody Vick, is with the Army stationed in Iraq, it had a very special meaning for us. I’m posting a couple of photos from our day working with Operation Gratitude. As you can see, my fellow castmates Jay Kenneth Johnson (Philip Kiriakis) and Taylor Spreitler (Mia McCormick) also volunteered their time to support our troops. On a personal note, I had a wonderful holiday season with my family and friends, and because the show was on hiatus for two weeks, we got to spend ten days up at our place in Lake Arrowhead. It didn’t snow but there was snow on the ground and it was beautiful. Ciao for now -- until we blog again! |
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