Burlington Daze Event '07

Dear Prevuze,

Well, we did it again. Just in time Labor Day Weekend we managed to attend the Daze event in Burlington, MA and let me tell you, the troops were out! It was mobbed. Luckily Mom had her walker (code name Charlie after Grandad) and we got jump the line. Women were actually standing on their chairs to get a better view.

It started out organized, with everyone in an assigned seat. As you will see, that degenerated into chaos in a short time. When writing I will use their character names to avoid confusion.

Maggie was obviously happy to be here. She was very charming and it was revealed that she used to be a Rockette at Radio City Music Hall. She also sang a version of “Crazy” that was quite different. When asked about Mickey and Alice she responded that Mickey had had a stroke, but was doing pretty well. Alice is still a spry professional. Her comment was “Don’t get in her light. She’ll let you know it!

Once we were all settled in our seats, the panel discussion began. This was definitely different than last year. In attendance were EJ, Maggie, Steve, Adrienne, Jett and Bart. Some interesting tidbits were revealed. A love scene between Steve and Kayla will take place in early October. Steve also commented that Kayla pointed out to him that while filming one episode he got up off the couch and adjusted himself. She called it “Strumming the Banjo.” We’ll all have to watch for that one! Speaking of Steve, one woman said that her mother tells her that her first word was “Patch.” She tried all day to get her to say “Dada” before her father came home, but there was no chance.

Everyone was pleased to see Bart there, arisen from the dead. When asked about this possibility, he suggested rather an evil twin named Biff who becomes the sex stud of Salem. So far no comment from the writers. This guy has a GREAT voice! He sang a jazzed up rendition of Happy Birthday that was quite impressive. He also sang “Fever” and gave everyone a little hot flash—and not just those attendees who were menopausal.

Several of the cast members commented on a changing of the guard at NBC that has brought big changes to the future of Days and the feeling on the set. They all maintain that people will be pleased with the difference in both storylines and attitude. They all assured us that Days will continue to exist and that even if NBC does something stupid, which no one anticipates, the other networks are interested in the show. So, we will continue to be around. Steve suggested that those who are interested go to the TV Guide website and check out the celebrity blogs. He has one that discusses the effect of the new management.

It was at the tail end of the panel discussion that the event degenerated. Since the event was for charity, specifically the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and most of the cast members have family members who have suffered from diabetes, they wondered how they could raise a little more money beyond our attendance fee? It was suggested that a shirtless hug from Jett might be worth a little extra bonus. Chaos ensued with cast members collecting money from the audience and people lining up for pictures with Jett. Since autographs and pictures were supposed to be included with your ticket, this caused a little discontent in some circles. Steve attempted to get the women to form a straight line, wait their turn, and be civilized. Yeah, right, that’ll happen! He became a little irritated when things went awry. What did he expect with a room full of horny women and a half-naked stud. Jett is NOT shy. He was even presented with a copy of Playgirl to autograph—he was the cover model. Even the other cast members hadn’t seen this before.

Finally order was restored and the cast took a 15 minute break while everyone fanned themselves back to normal. There were tables set up around the room where cast members would sign autographs. Unfortunately, there was no indication of who would sit where. With 15 minutes to kill, everyone simply chose a line. When the cast returned chaos returned when it was discovered who would sit where.

Once again Mom and Charlie came to the rescue. We were in line for Steve and I thought perhaps Mom could sit behind where he was, wait for us to reach the front of the line and join us with Steve. INSTEAD we were again allowed to jump to the head of the class and horn right in—much to the chagrin of the ladies behind us.

Our final stop was at EJ’s table. We considered asking to jump this line, too, but decided against it. By then it was nearly 3:00 and we were starving. So, a picture of him alone had to suffice. Besides, he’s better looking than any of us, so why bring home photographic proof of it?

At this point we decided we had had enough of this good time and went to lunch. Leave the waiting in line to younger people who can stand for long periods of time. We wanted iced tea and a sandwich. I think we got the better end of the deal.

See you next year.