Lori Latusek
What Show I Cover: PASSIONS
My Title at the Magazine: West Coast Assistant Editor, SOD
First Soap I Ever Watched: GH
Shows I've Covered: PASSIONS has been my baby since October 1999. It is the first and only soap on my beat.
How I Got Hooked on Soaps: Being GH fans, my mom picked my sister up from school early so they would be home in time to watch Luke and Laura's wedding. During summer breaks, my sister and I would watch the ABC line-up. When I was in fifth grade, she turned the TV off a few minutes before it was over and told me to do my homework. I thought she was cruel, but I calmed down when I realized I was only missing the credits. Love you Christy!
How I Got This Job: My mother asked me to name my dream jobs. Among things I no longer recall, I said, "Write for Soap Opera Digest." A week later, no joke, I met Tom Stacy at a restaurant and found out he had my "dream job." After winning him over by telling him GH was my soap ( he covered PC at the time), I was hired as an intern...then a few months later, was promoted to a part-time assistant...then to a full-time editor. My mom says it was fate. I say she sounds too much like Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald. But I must admit, it is pretty ironic.
Favorite Storylines of All Time: As for GH, I will always remember having my heart break while watching B.J. die and Maxie receiving her heart. Sobbing, I called my friend Sean (who was a Y&R fan at the time) and made him watch it with me over the phone. He's been addicted ever since. As for PASSIONS, there have been so many fun, romantic, out-there things that I've seen over the past five years; it's like being forced to choose a favorite child, so I'll pass. But I will tell you that my all-time favorite PASSIONS moment was the hysterical scene with Theresa (Lindsay Hartley), Gwen (then-Natalie Zea) and Ethan (then-Travis Schuldt) snapping into dance, singing the theme song, "Breathe," while Theresa was in labor with Little Ethan. I thought the cast was pulling a joke on the producers, but they decided to air it. Turns out, that's just the wacky world of PASSIONS, and it was part of the script. When I'm having a bad day, I pop that scene in the VCR, gather my co-workers and laugh like it's my first time watching it.
If I could be any soap character, I would be: Well, the women on PASSIONS are way too tortured when it comes to love, so I'll have to go with THE OC's Kirsten. I love her relationship with her husband. Besides being a cool mother, she's a confident, successful businesswoman and lives in a beautiful home with her hysterical son. Oh shoot, but that means it would be incestuous for me to kiss Adam Brody (Seth)! Is it too late to change my answer?

Devin Owens
What Show I Cover: THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL
My Title at the Magazine: West Coast Feature Writer, SOD
First Soap I Ever Watched: THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
Shows I've Covered: see above
How I Got Hooked on Soaps : While visiting her sister in Chicago, my mother was introduced to Y&R and by the time she got home, she was hooked. Since it was summer and I was home from school, Mom would explain to me who the characters were as well as give updates on what was going on with their storylines (Katherine jumping off a cruise ship and washing up shore on an island in 1980 was going on then). I kept telling Mom that I wasn't interested but that didn't stop her. Before I knew it, I was pretending to read a book every time Y&R came on so I could watch. I soon confessed that I was hooked and became a dedicated viewer. The following year, Mom returned home from visiting her sister and was now turned onto ATWT. And, of course it didn't take long before I was too. Mom stopped at just two soaps but do you know that from just watching the promos on GL and CAPITOL, I soon figured out who was who and their ongoing stories that I started tuning into those soaps too? I was heartbroken when CAPITOL ended but watched B&B from the very beginning. How lucky am I that I am now covering that show for Soap Opera Digest and have been doing so for over seven years.
How I Got This Job: I was living in Seattle when I found out that SOAP OPERA DIGEST (then a bi-weekly mag) was going weekly in 1997 and needed to expand their West Coast office. I sent writing samples and my resume to the New York office and was soon contacted by their West Coast Bureau Chief for an interview. I flew to L.A. just to take the interview (for the position of editorial assistant) and was offered the job the following week. Within two weeks, I packed up and moved to L.A. to start my new career.
Favorite Storylines of All Time: Douglas Cummings is Kim's stalker (ATWT), Thorne shoots Ridge (B&B), Baxter McCandless is still alive (CAPITOL), Alexandra and Roger team up to get Mindy out of Nick's life (GL) and Tyrone posing as the white Robert (Y&R).
Favorite thing about the job: Getting to know the actors. They are, for the most part, genuinely nice, caring and interesting people.

Tom Stacy
What Show I Cover: THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
My Title at the Magazine: West Coast Feature Writer, SOD
First Soap I Ever Watched: ANOTHER WORLD and EDGE OF NIGHT
Shows I've Covered: PORT CHARLES, GENERAL HOSPITAL, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
How I Got Hooked on Soaps: Between my mother, grandmother, sister, aunts, and high school gal pals, I may not have watched the soaps on a regular basis growing up, but from hearing them dish, I knew all the plotlines from every show.
How I Got This Job: I thought I had applied at Reader's Digest. (Just kidding!)
Favorite Storylines of All Time: I got hooked on KNOTS LANDING during college, and my favorite story of all time is when Jill tried to kill Valene and make it look like suicide. There may not be such as thing as the perfect crime, but that came as close as I've ever seen.
If I could be any soap character, it would be: I know it sounds cliche, but how can you top Y&R's Victor Newman? He's a self-made man who's smart, wealthy, powerful, a caring father and has loved a harem of beautiful women. Sigh.... now I'm depressed.
Favorite thing about the job: Between set visits, interviewing actors, attending dinners, parties and award shows and being paid to watch TV at work, I just can't decide.

Janet Di Lauro
What Shows I Cover: DAYS OF OUR LIVES, GENERAL HOSPITAL
My Title at the Magazine: West Coast Editor, Weekly
First Soap I Ever Watched: ANOTHER WORLD
Shows I've Covered: DAYS OF OUR LIVES, GENERAL HOSPITAL, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, SANTA BARBARA, SUNSET BEACH, GENERATIONS, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, PASSIONS (***FYI: I have covered all the West Coast soaps at some point, although just DAYS and GH, now.)
How I Got Hooked on Soaps: My mom hates them, but my friend's mom loved them and introduced me to soaps as a kid.
How I Got This Job: Mimi Torchin telephoned and offered it to me.
Favorite Storyline of All Time: Bo kidnaping Hope from her wedding to Larry and Howie Hoffstedder posing as the missing bride.
If I could be any soap character it would be: Either Y&R's Jill, because she embodies smart, vibrant womanhood and only gets better with age, or AS THE WORLD TURNS' Lucy, because she gets to work opposite Grayson McCouch (Dusty). Enough said.
Favorite thing about the job: The unpredictability factor. You never know whom you're going to meet or what story you're going to work on next.

Deanna Barnert
What Shows I Cover: PASSIONS, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS and THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL
My Title at the Magazine: Assistant Editor / Reporter, Weekly
First Soap I Ever Watched: Grew up on the CBS line up, but PASSIONS was my first addiction.
Shows I've Covered: PASSIONS, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, PORT CHARLES.
How I Got Hooked on Soaps: I took a lunch break at 2 p.m. one day and caught PASSIONS — from then on, all my breaks were at 2 p.m.!
How I Got This Job: I applied, interviewed and we just happened to be looking for someone with my skills to cover PASSIONS.
Favorite Storylines of All Time: I've loved everything that's come from the arrival of Michael's family on Y&R, Kevin and Gloria.
If I could be any soap character, it would be: B&B's Brooke — she's gotten together with all the hot Forrester men!
Favorite thing about the job: The gift bags at events! And having the inside scoop on future storyline.