Legendary head writer James E. Reilly (DAYS OF OUR LIVES, PASSIONS) passed away on October 12. He was 60. Jonathan Russo, Reilly’s agent and friend for over 25 years, said Reilly had been recovering from cardiac surgery when he died suddenly in the hospital. His beloved sister Cathy Robinson was by his side. “James Reilly was one of the most profoundly lovely human beings in our industry. He was a towering person in our industry who had a tremendous faith in God and Catholicism, as anyone who watched PASSIONS knows. Everyone will miss him,” added Russo. — Source

It’s that time for the The Dankies Awards at soapcentral.com.

Our favorite girl is up for several categories. Emily is up for “Outstanding Supporting Actress,” “Outstanding Younger Perfomer,” “Most Attractive Female Star,” and “Outstanding Overall Performer.” Fancy Crane is up for “Favorite Character” and Lancy is up for “Favorite On-Screen Couple or Duo.”

You have through Sunday, March 09th, 2008 to cast your votes. Cast your votes here. You must be a registered member of soapcentral.com to vote.

At the conclusion of voting, the winners from each category for each soap will compete against each other to determine the best of all the soaps in 2007. Voting for that special all-soaps edition of the Dankies begins Sunday, March 16th, 2008.

According to cruisewithpassions.com, the “Farewell to Harmony” fan cruise has been postponed until early fall.

Good news Passions fans! We understand that many Americans are feeling the economic crunch, and are just getting through post-holiday debt, so we have decided to reschedule the “Farewell to Harmony ” Passions fan cruise to allow more fans the opportunity to cruise with Eric Martsolf and his co-stars! With new episodes of Passions scheduled through the summer, the early fall “Farewell to Harmony” cruise will now be the ultimate opportunity for loyal Passions fans to say goodbye to their favorite stars. Watch the cruise website in the next few days for an announcement of the new date.

The Passions Fan Cruise is excited to announce Emily Harper (Fancy Crane) as an additional host of the “Farewell to Harmony” cruise on Carnival Elation, April 1, 2008 from San Diego!

Emily joins co-hosts Eric Martsolf (Ethan Winthrop), Eva Tamargo (Pilar Lopez-Fitzgerald), and Colton Shires (Little Ethan Crane) for the five-night cruise to Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada.

On this five day journey to Mexico, Passions fans will get to spend time with their favorite actors. “It’s a way of celebrating the show before it ends,” explains Martsolf. “We thought, ‘Let’s take a cruise and find a way to say thanks to the fans.’ We thought it would be the perfect venue for it. It’s five days and nights and we’re doing everything to various cocktail parties to all kinds of activities. We’re doing a Harmony prom, for which we’ll have formal pictures, so fans will get a chance to go to the prom with Ethan and Fancy and everyone else. We’re doing a variety show and I’m actually going to do a set or two with the band. It’s going to be very laid back and we’re going to have a lot of fun. It’s just about relaxing and celebrating the nine years that Passions has given.”

For more information, visit us online at www.cruisewithpassions.com.

I have added four pictures of Emily at the Passions Halloween Party. Thanks to Karrie and Shannon for providing these.

The clips for September 26 through October 4 have been added to the video archive. Thanks to Karrie for providing these.

I have added the following to the gallery:

006 x October 2007 Photo Recaps

Want to watch Passions? Can’t get DIRECTV? Starting October 1, fans of the daytime drama will be able to keep up with all the action in Harmony, no matter where they are, through an online subscription service available for $19.95 a month at www.nbc.com/passions. Every new episode from The 101 will be posted daily to the site and housed for 8 weeks, ensuring that fans will have plenty of time to keep up with the plot.

For more information, visit here.