BY MEREDITH COOPER

THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL
Ridge makes his case to Eric of why he would be the better choice to take over as CEO of Forrester Creations than Rick. In return, Eric explains to Ridge his vision of how the company should be run and why. Feeling immense guilt, Caroline contemplates telling Ivy about the kiss she shared with Ridge. Rick compares Caroline and himself to Eric and Stephanie when he envisions taking over the family business.
Ridge encourages a flustered Caroline to not fight her feelings for him and to not settle for a life with Rick. Caroline refuses to put her marriage on the line by continuing to work on the collection with Ridge. Aly questions Hope’s reasoning for remaining in her marriage to Wyatt after learning that she is pregnant. Feeling the need to move on from Hope, Liam asks Ivy out on another date. Hope and Liam come face-to-face for the first time since she chose Wyatt over him. Quinn shows up unannounced for a visit with Wyatt and attempts to convince her son into allowing her into his family’s world. Wyatt puts Quinn in her place about the new order of priorities in his life. Hope and Liam share an emotional moment as they discuss her marriage and pregnancy. Hope is less than thrilled to come home to Quinn being in her house asking for forgiveness. Over a candlelight dinner, Liam and Ivy toast to embarking on a new romantic relationship together. Ivy presents Liam with a symbolic token to mark a new chapter of his life. Quinn pleads her case to Hope about deserving a second chance to be a part of her grandchild’s life. Wyatt is a man in the middle when Quinn asks Hope to settle their differences once and for all. Quinn implores Deacon to assist her with getting through to Hope. Hope makes it clear to Wyatt that she does not want Quinn to have any part in their or their child’s lives. When confronted about her odd behavior, Caroline confides in Ivy about the kiss that she shared with Ridge during one of their designing sessions.
THIS WEEK:  Katie has a warning for Ridge when he divulges his plan to gain the CEO position. Deacon and Quinn discuss where their relationship is headed and how to break the news to Hope.

DAYS OF OUR LIVES
Stefano has a mysterious request for Kristen. Chad and Kate are thrown a curveball as they plot to take down EJ and Stefano. Marlena gets shocking news from Roman. Rafe and Abe deal with a difficult case. Sami is hit hard by an unexpected delivery. Brady can’t help but bond with Kristen. Eric confronts Daniel about his connection with Kristen. Abigail struggles with conflicting emotions. Kate fears she and Sami could be in serious trouble. Theresa asks Brady if they can start over. Eric makes a surprising admission to Kristen. Jordan spies Chad in a vulnerable moment. Sami finally gets answers – but they are not what she expected. Clyde continues to court Kate. Ciara has a huge reaction when she learns about the changes in Hope’s love life. Aiden gets testy when Maggie asks too many questions about his life before Salem. Kate has a shocking warning for Sami. Paige tells JJ she’s ready for them to make love – but she doesn’t quite get the response she was expecting. Julie is blown away when she hears about Hope’s new relationship.
THIS WEEK: Eve flirts with Eric. Paige is confused and upset.

GENERAL HOSPITAL
At their meeting in Amsterdam, Patrick, Sam and Tracy are suddenly taken aback. Elizabeth starts to open up more to John Doe, and in the interim, makes a revelation about him. Silas discusses Nina’s progress with her physical therapist (Travis.) An awkward reunion makes Obrecht question this person’s true motive. Nathan and Maxie are reminded of the consequences if the two are caught around one another. Elizabeth continues to wonder if there is more to John Doe than there appears. Ignoring Sam and Patrick’s advice, Tracy decides to put everything on the line. Silas corners Nina about her recent activities. As Britt prepares to take her relationship with Nikolas to the next level, Brad warns what might happen if Nikolas ever finds out the truth about her deception. Franco involuntarily makes a declaration about Nina to Silas, while Sonny calls Shawn to move forward on their plans to destroy Franco. Nina warns Rosalie that she will reveal her secret if she does not help her with her next scheme. Jordan visits John Doe to see what he remembers about the night of the crash. Ava experiences terrible pregnancy pains and refuses to seek help out of fear of losing her life. Morgan and Kiki strategize on how to get Ava help while keeping her safe. Nina lashes out at Silas for all that has happened to her the past 20 years. In the interim, Nathan learns some overwhelming news about Nina and rushes to find her. Sabrina expresses her doubts to Felix that Ava caused her accident and comes clean about what she did with Ava’s pills. Michael is thrown with Franco’s request. Bobbie questions Carly if she wants to go through with the wedding. Franco continues to build the blocks for his overall master plan and seeks help from an unlikely source. Meanwhile, Sonny fine tunes his ploy against Franco by setting up a fall guy. Nina decides an improbable person may be of use to her in order to carry out her plot of revenge. Sabrina attempts to make her wrong right.
THIS WEEK: Silas informs both Kiki and Nathan about his run-in with Nina. Morgan puts Ava at ease.

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
Jack Abbott’s world is rocked! Victor receives the results of Faith’s paternity test and tries to call Nick, but the phone goes to voicemail. Nick confides in Avery that he is worried that all the progress Sharon has made is slipping away. Victor returns home and Nikki isn’t there. He pours himself a drink and notices that the bottle of vodka is moved and appears emptier than before. Mariah arrives and confronts Victor about Sharon’s secret. Abby shows up at Victoria’s office hoping to hear that she and Billy have gotten back together. Abby believes that everything would be different had Delia not been killed. Victoria argues that her problems with Billy started way before Delia’s death. Stitch arrives and informs Victoria that he is getting a lawyer to protect his rights if he turns out to be the baby’s father. As he begins to leave, Victoria impulsively pulls him into a kiss. Meanwhile, Chelsea is frustrated that Billy can’t seem to handle the fact that she was married to Adam. She realizes that a piece of Billy is missing with Delia gone, and that is all Adam’s fault. Chelsea believes that Billy is using Adam as an excuse to end things with her because he is still hung up on Victoria. Meanwhile, Traci, Abby, Ashley, and Jack worry about where Billy might be, as they don’t want him to be alone on the anniversary of Delia’s death. Later, Victoria surprises Billy with an essay Delia wrote. Billy and Victoria get emotional as they read it and end up in each other’s arms. At Chancellor Park, Esther and Jill cry together, thinking about Delia. Devon shows up at Hilary’s hotel room and says that he loves her and asks if she still loves him. She answers him with a kiss as they move towards the bed. Joe Clark asks Cane for help with a real estate deal and for a lawyer recommendation.
THIS WEEK: Joe tells someone on the phone he is getting ready to make a move on the properties with Crimson Lights being one of them. Devon wants to stop lying to Neil, but Hilary says it would devastate him.

By Esther Callens

There is none like vocalist Alicia Olatuja. She has impressed audiences both in theater (musical) and opera. Now with the release of Timeless, her album, she is stepping off into other genre, all the while showing just what vocal prowess she really has. It is no secret that she is rapidly acquiring a very huge fan base. She is magnificent!
Timeless presents the versatility that Olatuja possesses. It does not matter if she is performing a simple melody (“Truth In Blue”, album opener) or a complex refrain (“Serrado”, track 3), her pitch is perfect and range is awesome! She pours a lot of emotions into her interpretation of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” and “Human Nature.” “The One”, an original, is her passionate R & B tune backed with a marvelous sax and heavy percussion in part. The set closes with her beautiful delivery on “Amazing Grace.”
Timeless is a collection of perfect originals and bright arrangements – a truly elegant recording!
St. Louis Missouri native Alicia Olatuja is a classically trained Mezzo-soprano. She is a Vocal Performance graduate of the Manhattan School of Music Masters Program. Her debut recital was at Carnegie Hall and professional debut was in the World Premiere Opretta Corps of Discovery at Opera Memphis. She has graced numerous venues with her flawless vocals that include the Kennedy Center, The Fringe Festival (Edinburgh, Scotland) and many others. Of significance was her performance at the 2013 Presidential Inauguration Ceremony where she literally floored the audience. That defining moment heralded “A star is born!” She has shared the stage with Christian McBride, Bebe Winans, Chaka Khan and many talents. She is also a voice teacher, vocal producer and teaching artist for the Brooklyn Arts Council. Her new title, Timeless is set for a mid-October release.
Track listings: Truth In Blue; Human Nature; Serrado; Stay gold; Love Me Still; speak the Words; In The Dark; Somewhere Over The Rainbow; The One; Amazing Grace.
Album Personnel: Alicia Olatuja-lead and backing vocals; Michael Olatuja-acoustic and electric bass; Jon Cowherd-piano and organ; Ulysses Owens Jr.-drums and percussions; David Rosenthal-guitar; Christian McBride-acoustic bass (tracks 3 & 6); Gregoire Maret-harmonica (track 4); Christian Sands-piano (track 8); Jaleel Shaw-tenor sax (track 9); Laurence Hobgood-arrangement (tracks 4 & 5).

By Esther Callens

Award winning author, Jacqueline Woodson allows young readers to step into her world with her latest book. Brown Girl Dreaming presents her poignant memoirs of an innocent child that grows up in a world filled with unimaginable surprises. Written through the means of lyrical poems, Woodson paints a vivid picture that is not soon forgotten.
Brown Girl Dreaming, relays what it was like for Woodson to be raised up during the 1960s in the South and North. She tells of being a little African American girl that is living, caught in two very distinct worlds. Not long after she turned 1-year-old, her family unit split leaving her father in Columbus, Ohio. Her mother gathered her and her siblings and went home to Greenville, S.C. It was here that she learned of a grandfather with a garden filled with “Sweet peas and Collards” that takes her to the “Candy Lady House” and a grandmother that cooks biscuits, hot combs hair and tells of Noah’s Ark.  She also heard of students marching, white only bathroom and the words –colored, Negro.
Years later in New York, the willow trees and crickets are replaced with sidewalks and big old buildings. However, Woodson finds a best friend named Maria, school, libraries filled with books and writing occupying her time. It is remarkable! Brown Girl Dreaming is Jacqueline Woodson at her finest. It is a wonderful work of realism that is written beautifully.
Author’s bio: Jacqueline Woodson has won several lifetime achievement awards including the Margaret A. Edwards Award in writing for young adults, the St. Katherine Drexel Award, and the 2012 Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Reader’s Literature, as well as being shortlisted for the 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Award. She has received three Newbery Honors for the books After Tupac & D Foster, Feathers, and Show Way. She won the Coretta Scott King Award and the LA Times Book Prize for Miracle’s Boys. She won a Caldecott Honor for Coming on Home Soon, and the Jane Addams Peace Award for Each Kindness and has been a National Book Award finalist twice for Hush and Locomotion.