DAYS' 40th Anniversary Party

DATELINE -- November 11, 2005
By NAKITHA B.

On November 11, 2005, Kristian -- along with MANY of castmates past and present -- celebrated the 40th anniversary of Days of our Lives at the Hollywood Palladium. It was a red carpet affair where the fans were able to greet their favorites as they entered the 60s-themed Salem International Airport. Upon entering, guests were greeted by airline stewardess and pilots dressed in era-appropriate costumes. The walls were covered with rare photos of the cast, each labeled as "Your Salem Travel Agent." It was really cute to see some of the actors in rare and funny moments. One of Kristian's gorgeous dresses from the Princess Gina storyline was highlighted on a mannequin for everyone to see.

Inside, Days stars were everywhere, and it was especially exciting seeing those familiar faces from the past like Stephen Nichols (ex-Patch), Mary Beth Evans (ex-Kayla), Arleen Sorkin (ex-Calliope), John DeLancie (ex-Eugene) -- and on and on! I chatted with many different people. We were then ushered into another part of the building to await going into the ballroom. Finally, the curtains were moved back and we were able to go inside to the ballroom. The tables had beautiful satin-covered chairs and elegant place settings. At almost every table there was at least one Days actor, either past or present.

I finally spotted Kristian sitting at a table with Andrew Massett (ex-Larry Welch), Stephanie Sloane (editor, Soap Opera Digest), and Garry Allyn (Kristian's hairstylist and close bud). As usual, she was going a mile a minute and her main concern was getting to check out the food on the scrumptious buffet. She beckoned Stephanie Sloane to come along and get in the line with her before it got too long. As we know, Kristian wouldn't ever want to miss out on something delicious to eat!

After everyone got their plates and sat down to eat, the actors mingled and caught up with one another. Some hadn't seen each other in years, so this was definitely a family reunion of sorts. Kristian was full of energy and flitted all over the room like a hummingbird from person to person. After a while the music started to play, and the party really began to liven up. I went over to chat with Kristian, Garry, and Andrew for a bit. Kristian popped up from her seat again and again, especially when she would see someone she hadn't seen in a while.

"Where are you going now?" Andrew laughed at one point. "Sit down."

"The dessert table," Kristian replied. "They have chocolate." But of course. ;o)

From time to time, Kristian would chat with someone and dance at the same time. Sometimes she danced in a circle, sometimes in a line, sometimes from side to side.

Soon Lauren Koslow (Kate) joined us at the table where we were treated to a video of 40th anniversary greetings from different stars in daytime and primetime. This was followed by a blooper reel from the show with some really funny scenes . . . many of which featured Kristian! Afterward, Ken Corday and Frances Reid (Alice) spoke. It was a sweet and emotional moment because as we all know, Frances is the last remaining original cast member at the beautiful age of 90.

Kristian kept running the circuit and finally I got her to stand long enough to take some pictures for me. Of course, as you can see, Kristian was the life of the party, and she seemed to have enjoyed herself a lot.

Congratulations to Kristian and the show for this milestone, and here's to 40 years more!