Former beloved Days of Our Lives star Drake Hogestyn, who played the unforgetable John Black from 1986 until January 2009, has been cast in the new web series Reality Bytes as Jerry Parker. The series is being produced by General Hospital star Tristan Rogers, who also plays Trevor Rains. Hogestyn's son Ben has also been cast as Jacob Kaplan. Other actors joining the cast of Reality Bytes include One Life to Live actress Tonja Walker, Suzanne Neidland, and Jered Allan.

Reality Bytes revolves around the main character, Trevor Rains, who is a famous actor-turned-producer. He is brought back to the show that made him famous in order to save it from cancellation. Trevor quickly blackmails himself into a position of greater power within the network and pulls no punches to save the show.

To stay updated on the latest news regarding this new web series, visit the official Reality Bytes website, become a Facebook fan, or follow the series on Twitter. Congratulations to Drake Hogestyn in his new role!

Pictured: Drake Hogestyn as John Black

Jeff Katz / Copyright 2008 NBC Universal

Soap Opera Digest is reporting that Arleen Sorkin is returning to the show for a brief run in May as Calliope. The actress reportedly emailed Leann Hunley (Anna) and said, "You have to work with me. My brain is Teflon." She reported to the set on Monday, March 8.

Longtime DAYS fans recall that Sorkin played the wacky fashion designer Calliope Jones Bradford from 1984 until 1990 and made brief returns in 1992 and in 2006. She first arrived in Salem and worked for Liz Curtis in her clothing business and designed a dress for Anna DiMera, whom she became best friends with. Calliope was known for her wild hats and extraordinary wardrobe. She fell in love with Eugene Bradford and married him on December 31, 1985. Eventually, Calliope left Salem after hosting a daytime TV talk show and turned her show over to Jennifer Horton Devereaux.

Sorkin was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in 1988 and in 1989 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. She also won three Soap Opera Digest awards, two which recognized her outstanding comic performance. Many fans agree that Eugene and Calliope definitely brought much comic relief to the show. I am one fan who will definitely look forward to seeing her again.

Pictured: Arleen Sorkin (Calliope Jones Bradford)

Alberto R. Rodriguez / 2009 Getty Images

The baby-switching, backstabbing blackmailer many fans know and love as Nicole Walker DiMera is back this week. Chloe goes to visit her friend in prison to tell her Sydney's alive. Nicole has toughened up since her stay in prison and is not only desperate to get out of there, but she's also desperate to figure out who kidnapped Sydney. Will she ever be able to remember Anna? More spoilers for next week include:

• Brady proposes to Arianna.
• Melanie confronts Stephanie over keeping the letter from Nathan.
• Maggie tells Melanie her condition, myasthenia gravis, has returned.
• Daniel tells Victor that he's Melanie's father.

Coming Up:

• Max returns to town and bonds with Melanie.
• Daniel threatens Vivian.

Pictured: Arianne Zucker as Nicole Walker DiMera

Trae Patton / Copyright 2009 NBC Universal

Soap Opera Digest is reporting that John Callahan is reprising his role on Days of Our Lives as Dr. Richard Baker. This time, however, he'll be crossing paths with another character. His first airdate is Thursday, April 22.

Fans recall that Nicole manipulated baby broker and gambling addict Dr. Baker into switching Mia and Sami's babies. From that point on, he blackmailed Nicole into handing over more money in exchange for keeping her miscarriage and baby switching ordeal a secret. The last time we saw Dr. Baker was on the August 31, 2009 episode, when Rafe found him dead in the Dominican Republic. However, many of us were wondering if the doc was still alive, since we saw his finger move at the end of the episode.

No word yet as to how long Dr. Baker will stick around this time or who exactly he'll cross paths with this time around. Tune in Thursday, April 22 to see what Dr. Baker is up to!

Pictured: John Callahan as Dr. Richard Baker

Mitchell Haaseth / Copyright 2009 NBC Universal