Just a couple of weeks ago, all was fine and dandy in Days of Our Lives-world. Or so it seemed. The big fan shindig at Universal in Hollywood seemed to signal that the status quo was holding that the lone NBC soap still in production would be able to use the 18-month renewal granted by NBC to climb in the ratings and return to past glory. Now comes the shocking news that NBC has fired Days of Our Lives' two biggest stars, Deidre Hall (Marlena) and Drake Hogestyn (John). By the way, Deidre and Drake were at the fanfest. You think they knew the pink slips were on the way? Um, no.

This is all about money, folks, and instead of seeking other ways to trim costs, Executive Producer Ken Corday and company have used a hatchet and chopped off the top salaries. Don't be shocked to hear that more is coming. That could be Peter Reckell and Kristian Alfonso -- Bo and Hope -- the other iconic romantic couple on the show, right after Marlena and John.

In a statement, NBC said, "Days of Our Lives' has decided to rest the characters of John Black and Dr. Marlena Evans. After a year of separation, John and Marlena will finally reunite before exiting the canvas in early 2009." Well, isn't that nice. They're going to get a happy ending. There has even been talk of them returning some time in the future.

That, I'm sure, will probably not happen. I'm sorry to say this because I love the soaps, but Days of Our Lives is on shaky ground and it's getting shakier. NBC pretends to support daytime drama, but it's a facade. They canceled Passions last year and Days of Our Lives, despite being on the air since 1965, is the next to go. The only hope for Days is finding a new home, perhaps if SoapNet were to expand into production. NBC would rather expand another hour of Today than continue to support Days. This 18-month reprieve will be like a death march.

Back to Deidre and Drake. I'm really ticked about this for a number of reasons. Deidre Hall is the face of Days of Our Lives. She earned the right to leave on her own terms. Firing her is a colossal smack in the face, and considering her loyalty to the show, completely uncalled for. As for Drake, this is the second time Days has fired him. They did it in 2007 and then had to bring him back when the fans revolted. He deserved a better fate. He's a great ambassador for the show and always has been. This is indicative of how cold show business can be. NBC has shown no respect to these stars. There were other ways to save money; for starters, the cast could be cut from the bottom up. Dropping the big stars is a mistake.

The fans will revolt again, you wait and see. Days fans are among the most passionate in daytime and they will be heard. As for Deidre and Drake, I predict they both will be employed again very soon. They're too popular for another soap not to snatch them up. Drake could fit in nicely with the testosterone-driven storytelling at General Hospital and Deidre could find a happy home at The Bold and the Beautiful or The Young and the Restless.