SODhost: Tom Eplin is here! Welcome, Tom!
TOM EPLIN: Hello and welcome everyone on my boat! I'm out working on it on one of my few days off!

CozyHammock asks: Tom, your courtroom scene when Jake confronted Vicky in front of Bay City was amazing! What that was like filming?
TOM EPLIN: We did it in one take, it was late at night. All I had to do was watch Jensen [Buchanan, Vicky] & I came up with all the right emotions.

Jake_Fan asks: Hi Tom, my name is Amy and I'm a big fan, now for my question: I recently read in SOD you're in contract negotiations. Has anything been settled yet or are you still negotiating??
TOM EPLIN: Nothing's been settled and I'm negotiating to the best of my knowledge, but that's not what I do. I'm not a great negotiator... It's hard to negotiate something you love to do. I'm pretty sure I got beat on the price of this boat, but it doesn't matter, I love it anyway!

Doys1 asks: Tom, is Jake going to get his sense of humor back and get involved in some kind of comedic storyline anytime soon?
TOM EPLIN: I didn't know he lost it! I'm naturally not a very funny guy, I take most of my humor cues from my fellow cast members. Eric Stuart [Chris] is probably the finest teacher of anything funny that I do.

SusyLeigh asks: What kind of boat, Tom?
TOM EPLIN: It's a 52 Hatteras, a sport fisher. I had a sailboat, but as everyone knows I broke my ankle. I have my family out on my boat every Fourth of July, so I sold my sail boat from my hospital bed, and bought this one because I can't put any lateral movement on the ankle.

Player63p asks: I love Jake's friendship with Paulina. Do you think she will help Jake see the truth about Vicky?
TOM EPLIN: Well, I think that we're getting a lot of story out of not getting the truth out of Vicky, so I hope she doesn't come into it just yet. But when the truth comes out, I do hope it comes from Paulina.

OllieOxenFree asks: Tom, is there any sort of McKinnon reunion coming down the road? Vince, Kathleen, MJ?...
TOM EPLIN: I've heard talks of it, but I'm sure that until my contract negotiations are final, no decisions will be made.

JADE_0703 asks: Tom, do you think Charles Keating's departure [as Carl] affected the morale on the show?
TOM EPLIN: Definitely affected the morale of the show. The whole Charles Keating incident was a misunderstanding on both sides and anytime a show like AW loses a person like Charles Keating it's a great loss. Especially for me, because I feel that I learned most of my better acting from Charles. But I feel that both sides didn't handle it well, I think it was a misunderstanding.

Player63p asks: How did you break your foot?
TOM EPLIN: In the scene where I was rescuing Marley. There was fire around us, I had a stunt girl in my arms, felt the fire, kicked the door in -- it was wet from where we had lit it and put it from rehearsing it -- hit the wet floor, stunt girl in my arms, hit dry wall and broke my ankle. It took one plate, six screws and a pin. But you didn't miss anything, because I went right back to work!

Jc2137 asks: Hey, Tom! I would like to know if you are anything like your alter ego, Jake?
TOM EPLIN: Not so much anymore. Jake's kinda mellowing in old age LOL ;-) Jake's loved one woman for pretty much most of his life... Well, I guess we've both been married a couple of times :) You try to think you're not... but after so long, the Tom kind of leaks into Jake and the Jake has kinda leaked into Tom.

JADE_0703 asks: Tom, will you get the chance to really sweep Vicky off her feet when Jake realizes she was telling the truth about Shane?
TOM EPLIN: Well, I don't know how much she can be swept off her feet, since she's a captive audience, she's waiting for that. Sometimes a reunion isn't as storybook as people would have it, because that's not what the story calls for. We've got stories that have as much if not more than a sweeping off the feet. There have been a lot of unfortunate cast changes in the last 8 months, but I believe that AW has more to entertain the people that watch it than we had before. We have a team in place that has the ability to do it, not that the others didn't, but everyone's very excited.

Rizz022 asks: Where are you from Tom?
TOM EPLIN: Originally from Hayward, CA. And I was conceived in Charleston, West Virginia.

Sunset43 asks: Tom, is it difficult being on the same show as your ex-wife?
TOM EPLIN: Not at all. Absolutely not. There was no reason... NBC came and asked me if there was going to be a problem, and I said no way. I have supported it the whole time. I am blessed with having two of the greatest actresses in Jensen and Ellen [Wheeler, Marley]. We left on good terms and came back on them. I'm jealous of the next guy that gets to work with Ellen. Acting comes first. I work everyday with two people whose families come first, but I'm sure acting's second. Ellen's great! My whole career has been like that, Judi Evans [Paulina], Anne Heche [ex-Vicky/Marley], Ellen Wheeler, Anna Stuart [Donna], right on down the line...

GoneMad_BackLater asks: Tom, Jake hasn't been spending much time at The Herald these days, and neither has Amanda. Who's holding down the fort?
TOM EPLIN: Well you know when you're as talented as Jake and your real job is that you're a daytime actor, these things take care of themselves. Plus the hiring of Chris, he's able to take care of everything while I put my love life back in line! Gosh that was a good question!

Breenin asks: Tommy, I love you, And you have deserved Emmy nominations for so many years, especially the last one, keep up the good work.
TOM EPLIN: Thank you very much. There's nothing I would like more than to have an Emmy.

MushyT asks: Do you guys still go to work this week even though the show isn't on?
TOM EPLIN: Yes we do. Sometimes these weeks where we're preempted allow us to get a little ahead of schedule.

Gete25 asks: Tom how far is Lassiter from Bay City?
TOM EPLIN: Depends on what day you're watching ;-)

MSandner asks: Tom, do you think there is much, more history for Jake and Paulina to uncover about each other?
TOM EPLIN: Of course there is. The key to a good daytime show is to have actors like Judi Evans because it generally adds backstory just to the way she plays the scenes in addition to what they give her. Judi's one of those actresses who can play anything they give her. She's incredibly talented.

Ford_56 asks: Tom, do you like working with Jensen?
TOM EPLIN: Oh where, is this question coming from? Other than the fact that she has smelly feet... ;-) She's been the best to me, good to me personally, I like to think I've been there for her. A true professional and more than that I can call her a friend. Like doesn't even come into the equation. I love working with Jensen.

Sweetbabyface98 asks: Can we have a hint as to what will happen on the boat?
TOM EPLIN: On my boat?! LOL... I thought someone was watching out their window! ... I think a lot of questions will be answered. Vicky will get exactly what she went there to get. And I think it's going to be the end for the Lila lie.

>JADE_0703 asks: Will Jake go back to making Grant's life a living hell when Grant moves in on Vicky?
TOM EPLIN: God I hope so! There's nothing more fun than aggravating Mark Pinter!

L1S2 asks: Will Grant and Donna get what is coming to them??
TOM EPLIN: That's the way soaps work, if they're done well everyone gets their comeuppance in the end, but Grant is such a good villain, you might have to wait a while. Mark plays such a good villain that it's kind of hard to give him what for in the character.

Kimc12 asks: Tom, You make me laugh almost every day I watch you. Thank You for those humorous scenes!
TOM EPLIN: Thank you very much.

ALSPAWN asks: Are the writers going to try and bring back the motorcycle riding badboy Jake that tried to take over Cory Enterprises?
TOM EPLIN: They just tried to bring back the one who could fight & saved Marley and he broke his ankle! So I think the motorcycle's gonna have to wait, but they're trying to bring back the old side of Jake and incorporate the new side.

CEW47 asks: AW is my favorite soap. I was very disappointed to hear rumors of cancellation. Any truth to that rumor?
TOM EPLIN: There are absolutely no truths to the rumors for cancellation. AW is in the process of negotiating a long-standing contract with me, and they wouldn't be doing that if there were any chance of cancellation.

Chompie1 asks: On a normal day how long are you in the studio?
TOM EPLIN: Pre-break or post-break? It used to be 12 hours a day, but now it's 4 or 5, they're being very good to me. Most daytime actors are working 10 to 12 hours a day.

Matt1holly asks: How come Jake is so naive when it comes to Marley?
TOM EPLIN: Because they write it that way and I prefer to play it that way. I want to do whatever makes the storyline work, an entirely smart character would make a boring soap character.

JenniferLoveYouKnowTheRest asks: Hi Tom you rock! I know you have been down here (Newfoundland Canada)a couple of times any chance of returning we love you down her:)
TOM EPLIN: Any chance I can get to get back to Canada is a chance I would embrace instantly. I love Canada!

Me_Cooly asks: Tom, what is your greatest accomplishment in working as Jake?
TOM EPLIN: That I get to sit here at 7:30 at night and answer questions about a character I created from nothing more than black marks on a white page. I mean we're all sitting here talking aabout a character that it took 35 people to create. It's a pretty amazing thing for a kid who was selling cars.

Keenai asks: Tom. Your sense of humor is obvious.... any off show offers to do comedy?
TOM EPLIN: Never.

LeatherLynne asks: Tom, are we ever going to see any more Chris and Jake scenes, I love those! You two are great together! :)
TOM EPLIN: Eric & I talk about that all the time, I hope they do that shortly. With Eric, I've had the most fun I've had in many years. I hope they put something together, because he's a lot of fun to work with.

Spiral26 asks: Who was your role model growing up?
TOM EPLIN: Always my father. I always wanted to be like my dad.

Breenin asks: I always thought that AW and Claire Labine would make a good coupling, you praised her at the SOD awards, two years ago, what do you think? You would have a Brooklyn thing.
TOM EPLIN: Well you know, I'm sure that Claire's been approached, well I'm not sure, but if there was a way to make it happen it would happen. The team we have now are producing some great stuff, so hang in there, there's stuff coming that's stronger than it has been in years.

Jaketheman5 asks: Tom, Do you enjoy working with the children?
TOM EPLIN: I love working with the kids! There have been very few people that I didn't enjoy working with. I'm demanding and difficult to work with, so anybody who likes me, I like them back :)The kids love me.

Dubeach asks: What kind of sports do you play?
TOM EPLIN: Right now I don't play anything. I've been kickboxing for the last couple of years.

Dubeach asks: Do you have a prediction for what team will win the world cup soccer '98?
TOM EPLIN: No I don't... great question... I don't predict who wins anything, I just kick back and enjoy watching them.

PeacefulPenguin asks: Will Jake and Vicky reconcile and then have a child together? Steven and Kirkland could use a little sister!
TOM EPLIN: I hope so. It'd be nice to see them get back together... I think there's some time and some story between now and then to cement some emotions in concrete before we do that.

Another_world_fan asks: Tom I heard you have two planes is this true?
TOM EPLIN: I only have one now.

LeatherLynne asks: Tom, do you have any kickboxing advice? Like what to eat before you go to a class? I take a kickboxing class and I usually don't eat before I go but then I get sooo hungry!
TOM EPLIN: My trainer left today and the last thing I get is hungry when he's training me. I love to eat.

Jaketheman5 asks: Tom, do you own a computer?
TOM EPLIN: Yes, I do. But it's made for navigation for my boat, so I don't go online... if that was the question :)

Jake_Fan asks: Tom I was wondering if you're involved with anyone at the moment?
TOM EPLIN: There's someone I've been seeing for the better part of 3 years. It's on again/off again, but most of my life is like that.

CowErin asks: Tom do you have any children of your own because you really look like you love those children on the show and that you would be a good father.
TOM EPLIN: I have no children of my own and I would love to be a father.

OnLineAddiction asks: Tom- I love watching you act. Your best work was in the courthouse when you found out about Vicky - and the tears. It was great. You need to send that in for the clip to win the Emmy, mark my words you will win. You are great.
TOM EPLIN: Well, unfortunately, the Emmys are voted on by my fellow actors and they have to nominate you first, so I rely on my fellow actors first and foremost.

Janie_jbj asks: Tom, what's your favorite food?
TOM EPLIN: I love all foods. There's not a food that I don't like. Let's see, today I've had McDonald's, Italian... if you've watched the show for any amount of time you know that Tom loves food.

Lori_720 asks: How long have you been flying and what kind of plane do you have?
TOM EPLIN: I soloed in 1978, I could legally fly before I could legally drive. I own a Cessna 310.

Dubeach asks: Are you Italian?
TOM EPLIN: No, I have some Italian blood in me, but I don't consider myself Italian. I'm a Heinz 57.

Fierycurls asks: Does anyone on the show still talk to Anne Heche?
TOM EPLIN: I talk to Anne Heche and Anna Stuart is a great friend of Anne Heche's to this day. In fact Anna attended the NY premiere of 6 Days/7 Nights. And I just sent a script to Anne for a friend. If you see Anne on any talk shows, you see that she still speaks highly of her time on Another World.

MSandner asks: Tom, which marriage of Jake's was the hardest to film? Paulina, Marley, or Vicky's?
TOM EPLIN: Getting punched by Paulina was right up there!

Crackle_POP asks: Hiya Tom, what type of music do you listen to?
TOM EPLIN: I have the most eclectic [taste in music]... lot of blues on the boat, George Winston... at home, I listen to a lot of Motown... sounds from the Sony Playstation ;-) I've got that in surround sound.

KathyM_JaKaTo asks: hey sweetie ... do you have any pets?
TOM EPLIN: I have four fish, one dog, a stray cat, 500 plants...

Smellk asks: How is it working with Lisa Peluso [Lila]? She seems like such a wonderful actress.
TOM EPLIN: Well Lisa is a wonderful actress, I've known her for years. She's a great addition to the show. But I don't work with her as much as I work with the other girls, but it's great having her around the studio. We have the best women in daytime.

Player63p asks: Tom, what kind of dog?
TOM EPLIN: An Akita.

Kirby_a asks: Does your character's occupation as a newspaper owner ever get you interested in the printing business?
TOM EPLIN: Not at all. I am interested in one business and am gainfully employed in it.

Lori_720 asks: What do you like to do in your off time to have fun and relax?
TOM EPLIN: I'm doing it right now. I'm sitting on my boat, with a beautiful sunset, with my friends around, taking care of the boat.

BethLloyd asks: Do you enjoy the city?
TOM EPLIN: Not really. I have an opportunity to live in the city and I choose to live on Long Island.

Janie_jbj asks: Do you like to ride a bike like Jake does?
TOM EPLIN: Yeah, the original Jake on the bike came from my love of motorcycles. The original bike that was driven by Jake was my own bike.

TLH_1989 asks: Do you like Jake and Vicky better as friends or married?
TOM EPLIN: I like working with Jensen. It doesn't matter how they're putting us together.

LrodD91 asks: Do you enjoy fishing?
TOM EPLIN: I like it a little bit, but I don't like to kill the little fishes. I like eating them in a restaurant, but I don't like to kill them. I do some fishing off my boat, but not a lot.

Tardan asks: Tom, how about Jake running against Grant in the next mayoral race?
TOM EPLIN: Nah, it's boring being the mayor. I like doing the relationship drama. I like doing that, there's not too much of that.

Galaxy9800 asks: Do you and Jensen try to make each other laugh while taping?
TOM EPLIN: No, that just comes out of it. Very rarely... Jensen and I take our work as seriously as possible, sometimes the laughs come out in the middle but as rarely as possible.

Ruby79 asks: Does Jensen still call you "stinky"?
TOM EPLIN: Because of my fetish for smelling clean? I have this hygiene fetish. I smoke so I worry about what I'm wearing smelling like smoke. She doesn't really anymore.

Cammy04 asks: Tom, how did you like dressing as woman for the show?
TOM EPLIN: Hated it. Worst part the shoes. Any woman who would wear a shoe like that has to be crazy. Men's shoes are just better.

JenniferLoveYouKnowTheRest asks: What is your favorite place in the world to visit?
TOM EPLIN: My favorite city is Montreal. My favorite place to visit is anytime my family is around... that's why we're working on the boat. I'm taking, my mother, my father, my brother, my sister, their respective spouses, and children out on the boat for a few days. You have a nice home and friends and family and that's the place to be.

Kimc12 asks: Do you and Jensen really eat junk food while taping?
TOM EPLIN: No, not really. I mean, my weight problem stems from good food, but neither one of us are really junk food eaters. But we enjoy doing it for the scenes.

Tardan asks: Tom, what do you watch on TV?
TOM EPLIN: The only shows that I watch are NFL Football and X-Files.

MSandner asks: Tom, who would you like to work with more that you are not currently working with?
TOM EPLIN: I don't want to change anybody. Not one person.

Player63p asks: What is your favorite football team?
TOM EPLIN: I have two -- Cincinnati Bengals and the Oakland Raiders... some [of you might] know that my best friend is the Quarterback for the Bengals and I grew up with the Raiders.

TLH_1989 asks: Do you and Jensen usually follow the script or do you improvise?
TOM EPLIN: Very rarely improvise.

Bigred4_98 asks: Love the new casual look, will it continue after you are completely mobile?
TOM EPLIN: I'm pretty mobile right now, but I hope it does! I'm having a good time!

Pebbleluv asks: Tom, what do you think will become of Jake and Vicky?
TOM EPLIN: I think that their the rooting interest couple of the show. We shall see :)

Crackle_POP asks: Tom, do you believe in extraterrestrial life forms? UFOs and such?
TOM EPLIN: Not only do I believe in extraterrestrial life forms, but am almost convinced that my parents are extraterrestrial life forms. Based on my upbringing, I am convinced that they are here and colonizing.

SODhost: Thank you, Tom! And thank you all for joining us.
TOM EPLIN: I want to thank everyone for checking in tonight. I really appreciate your support especially with all the turmoil that has gone on recently. I really believe we're going to bring you a show that's worthy of watching.