So you’re likely wondering what the title of this post means. Well it has to do with the reason I haven’t posted in a while. The nice expletives has to do with the computer problems I’ve been having the last little while. I had to practically do a reinstallation of most of the programs I use to record the show and to screencap for the gallery. The other thing that has been happening is this, I’m planning on fulfilling a dream of mine and to do a commentary channel on Youtube. I had hoped to be up and running this week, but due to the computer issues that timeline is going to be delayed. I’m hoping to get that going soon and when I have all the kinks ironed out on my computer enough to allow me to start uploading, I’ll post here and let you know. I hope you will come over and listen and leave some comments and I’m hoping you’ll subscribe. For now though I know you want Tamara so here she is.
Category: Ava Vitali
Just like the title says, today was a great day to be a Tamara Braun and Stephen Nichols (Steve Johnson) fan. I was very proud of both Tamara and Stephen today. Their scenes were riveting to watch and although I’m not entirely sure I believe Ava, Steve got suckered in. Loved it.
- [376] SCREENCAPS: DAYS OF OUR LIVES 01/12/2016
Ava tells Steve (Stephen Nichols) about the baby. Here’s the promo. Enjoy.
First of all, my apologies for no updates since before Christmas. A little explanation. As most of you know, my mom passed away in May of last year. For the most part I’ve been coping well, but with Canadian Thanksgiving in October, and with the Christmas holidays and New Years, I’ve been a little blue. It hit me like a ton of bricks Christmas Eve and I was just not up to doing anything regarding any website. I hadn’t even updated my Stephen Nichols site until yesterday. So please forgive the oversight. Secondly, I’m in the process of putting together a project I’ve been wanting to do for a while, but with my mother’s health issues for the past three years taking precedent, I just hadn’t thought to dream of doing it. Now with her passing and the almost eight months since her death, I’ve started to get the itch to do it. I’m not going to say anything at present about it, but when I do have it almost ready I’ll announce it. I hope you will come along for the ride. I know this has been a dream of mine for a very long time and with the possibility of finally realizing it, it’s making 2016 start out with a bit of hope. So now onto the state of Tamara and her Ava Vitali. Are we going into Lisbet Salander (played to perfection by Noomi Rapace) territory here? Perhaps a bit of Stig Larsson’s eponymous dark heroine from his Millennium Trilogy? In the last episode we got to see what’s been hiding underneath all those super sexy outfits Tamara has been given to wear. On her lower back was a coiled snake with its tail pointing down to the base of the spine, or as what it’s known as the Kundalini Spot in Tantric Yoga. I’m not sure if this is where DAYS is going to go, but I’m hoping it has something to do with the power of what the snake represents. There is an article on a website that goes into the deeper symbolism of the snake, and you can find it here: Snake Power. Whether or not they are actually going to deal with it is another thing, but the deeper part of me is hoping the symbolism of the snake in that part of it does represent vitality and immortality, it’s my hope that Ava will be a force to be reckoned with for a while and that Steve (Stephen Nichols), Kayla (Mary Beth Evans) and Joey (James Lastovic) will have to deal with Ava for a while to come. I also love the aspect of secrets, and Ava is full of those.
- [291] SCREENCAPS: DAYS OF OUR LIVES 12/24/2015
- [247] SCREENCAPS: DAYS OF OUR LIVES 12/25/2015
- [253] SCREENCAPS: DAYS OF OUR LIVES 12/30/2015
- [259] SCREENCAPS: DAYS OF OUR LIVES 12/31/2015
- [307] SCREENCAPS: DAYS OF OUR LIVES 12/24/2015
My bad for not having these up over the weekend. The only excuse I have is that I’m in a post Star Wars: The Force Awakens catatonia. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. So I have today’s caps up in the gallery. So what are we thinking of Ava so far, and what is she up to? Tamara of course looks amazing and I’m loving her wardrobe. I’m trying to find out where some of the pieces came from, particularly the top and sweater she had on today. I love that combo. Also too there’s that red dress she had on the other day in the scenes with that guy in the park. There is a site out that is covering the clothes worn on the soaps by the various actors. This site is called I’m a Soap Fan and the webmaster has gone to great lengths to find out where you can buy these outfits. So far all she has on the site is the black and white sheath dress Tamara wore in her one day return to GENERAL HOSPITAL as Carly Corinthos, and the beautiful black and gold robe she wore as Ava on DAYS OF OUR LIVES just last week when she was making herself up to look sick. Please feel free to go to the section on Tamara by clicking the link I’m going to provide in the sidebar. There you can keep track of some of the things Tamara is wearing on the show.
Tamara has given her first interview since her return to DAYS OF OUR LIVES to Soap Opera Digest. Here she discusses coming back to DAYS, her role as Taylor in 2011 and reuniting with all her soap family on the show. She says some really sweet things about James Lastovic who plays the grown Joey Johnson. Can this woman be any more perfect?
- [005] MAGAZINE SCANS: SOAP OPERA DIGEST 12/21/2015 – SIREN SONG
Siren Song
Why Tamara Braun Returned To Days For A Third Go-Round
By Robert WaldronSoap Opera Digest: What was your reaction when DAYS called and asked i fyou would like to come back as Ava?
Tamara Braun: I was excited. I lvoed playing Ava the first time around because whe was such a complex character with many layers to be explored. Playing Ava allowed me to delve into territories I had not delved into on-screen before, so it was a joy for me when I originated the character. [Then-Co-Executive Producer]Ed Scott really trusted me and allowed me to fly with her. When they were interested in bringing her back, I was so curious to see what they had in store for her. Why now? Where has she been? What has she been up to? What’s happened in her life? My imagination started to churm. I loved Ava, I won my Emmy for her, so I was very interested.Digest: Did DAYS tell you the story that was planned?
Braun: They told me the idea they had. I had questions about specifics and the writers were open to exploring and answering those questions. What I was told and what became of the story was different, though. But that’s a soap. One day, you are an upstanding citizen and the next, you are a criminal. The reverse can happen, too. Sinner to saint. Saint to sinner. It’s forever changing and full of surprises.Digest: What excites you about playing Ava again?>
Braun: Jumping into her skin to see what it feels like. Seeing how she’s changed, grown, stayed the saem, evolved or not. her psyche is so different from other characters I have played on daytime. Her psychological wounds run much deeper and the effects of those wounds manifest in unique ways. There’s a lot to discover and rediscover.Digest: What was your first day back like?
Braun: Pure joy! People were really surprised to see me back. I was asked not to say anything and so I didn’t. Therefore it was a surprise. Everyone was so welcoming and happy. It made me feel quite loved. It was great to see so many faces from the past and to meet some wonderful new people, too.Digest: Who did you see on your first day?
Braun: Stephen Nichols [Steve], Mary Beth Evans [Kayla], Kate Mansi [Abigail], Kristian Alfonso [Hope], Galen Gering [Rafe], my lovely makeup artists Nina [Wells] and Deidre [Decker], Richard [Bloore], Jammie [Harris], and Adam [T. Talbot] in wardrove. [Co-Executive Producer] Albert Alarr, of course, and Steven Williford was my director on my first day back. I had the pleasure of working with him and experiencing his brilliance on ALL MY CHILDREN in New York when I played Reese. I was so excited to be working with him again. It was a quick first shoot day for me but it was fun. I felt so appreciated and welcomed. I was shocked at how warm and the welcome was. I guess since I have only done short stints on DAYS in the past, I never really felt I earned that sort of family status you gain while working for long periods on shows. But the way I was received made me feel like a part of the family. I was so incredible.Digest: What was it like for you to get back into Ava’s head after playing Taylor in 2011?
Braun: I never thought of Taylor with my playing Ava.Digest: There have been a lot of changes at the show since you were last there in 2011. What are your thought on the current atmosphere? Do you notice an excitement?
Braun: There is so much positive energy there; it’s wonderful! People seem happy and they are prepared to work and are excited about the work. I absolutely noticed an excitement. I commented to friends and my family about how the energy there seemed to have changed for the better. It was a pleasure to be a part of.Digest: What is it like for you to bbe working Stephen Nichols again?
Braun: Oh please! Wonderful! A joy! A gift! Stephen cares so much and he is kind, thoughtful, always prepared and funny! Hecan be silly and so we laugh a lot. You didn’t ask about Mary Beth, but I have to mention her, too, because she is such a doll, a real woman’s woman No BS. And talk about laughing a lot? Honestly, working with the two of them is a treat. I’m so grateful to work with them because they are terrrific people. I just adore them both.Digest: How is it working with James Lastovic (Joey)?
Braun: Okay, let’s talk about James. Seriously, I wish I knew what air date it was to tell you do look out for, but he just blew my mind one day. Absolutely blew me away. I was talking to everyone about it and asking if they saw his scenes. He has such a wealth of available emotions that I did not realize was in there. He possesses an honesty, simplicity and sensitivity that I don’t see that much in actors his age who are just starting out. I really enjoyed working with him and can’t wait to see his work in the future. On top of being a compelling young actor, he is an incredibly kind and gentle soul. Such a pleasure to work with him.Digest: You’ve played several diverse roles in daytime. What appeals most ot you about the genre?
Braun: Having a place to go to daily and do the work. Being an actor is a tough business. Most of us really want to do the work and use our craft. Except for theatre and daytime, yo udon’t get the opportunity to do a lot of work in one day. Sometimes daytime can be difficult because the pace is so fast that there isn’t time to get it “right”, or to have another take, but it’s rar that you don’t have something substantial to do in this medium. there is always work to be done, new avenues to explore. Even with the pace the way it is not (which can be nuts), you know that “tomorrow is another day” and you always have nother chance to improve and work your muscles.SURPRISE PARTY
Braun kept in touch with Kate Mansi (Abigail) in her time away from Salem, but didn’t tell Mansi about her return to the show. “I was asked to keep things quiet about returning so I did. I was sitting the makeup chair and did’nt want to bother anyone. All of a sudden I hear, ‘Tamara, is that you? Oh, my God, Tamara, what are you doing here? Are you back? Why didn’t you tell me.’ I got up and went over to her and gave her a big hug and saw that was tearing up. I think she was a little hurt that I didn’t tell her about my return but I was just following instructions from the powers-that-be! She also thought I saw her sitting in the makeup chair, which I hadn’t. she’s a sweetie pie and my has she grown as an actress!”
