One Life To Live - NEWS ROOM

Soaps.com had the opportunity to chat with One Life to Live's John Brotherton (Jared Banks) this morning about his upcoming appearance on the 2010 Soap Cruise: The Third Voyage!

First and foremost, John is extremely excited about taking part in the Soap Cruise and has been ever since he heard about the very first cruise. After crossing paths with those in charge of the cruise, John jumped onboard, if you will, when he was presented with the invite. "I was interested in the cruise from the get go and was thrilled when I was asked to be a part of it - I jumped at the chance!"

While chatting about the Soap Cruise, John reminisced about his first and last cruise and the fun he had on it. "I went on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera when I was seventeen and in my senior year in high school. It was the best time, a lot of fun. I haven't taken a cruise since but have always wanted to."

For those who don't know, John is married to actress Alison Raimondi, who appeared on One Life to Live as a single mother in 2008, as well as a desk clerk on Days of Our Lives in 2006. Having traveled together to such places as Aruba, where they spent their honeymoon, and Peru, Alison will be joining John on the cruise in January 2010. "We're outdoors people, always down for a good time. Whether it's a road trip or spending time on the beach, we do a little traveling."

Over talk of who they'll be looking forward to seeing on the cruise, John shared, "Alison and Bree [Williamson, Jessica Brennan] are great friends, so we’re looking forward to relaxing with Bree and her husband Michael. The four of us get together a lot. I can't wait to see Bradford [Anderson, GH's Spinelli], he's a character. I run into Cameron [Mathison, AMC's Ryan] at the gym a lot, he's great. I don't really get a chance to mingle with the actors from the other networks but am looking forward to meeting them for the first time."

Fans have a lot of interactive events to look forward to on this year's cruise, such as Karaoke and a cool talent show. Though John admitted that he can't sing, he divulged, "My wife has a great voice, so she'll probably get up there and sing." In regards to the much anticipated talent show… "I don't have too many talents to display, but I'd like to put together a couple scenes for and with the fans." I couldn't resist reminding John about the onboard casino. "I love to play Poker - Texas Hold'em. In college, I lived in a house with eight guys, and we played it all the time." Knowing fellow castmates John-Paul Lavoisier (Rex) and Farah Fath (Gigi) are big Poker players as well, John filled me in on a little gift Farah gave John-Paul. "She bought him this great Poker table. We've played with them a time or two, and they take the game very seriously - a little more than they need to." [John laughs]

The cruise is going to be docking in Cozumel, Mexico and Key West, and since Alison has been there before John is content to let her do the planning. "She's the planner and researcher. I plan to have the time of my life, lying in the sun. It'll be January in New York [an abundance of cold and snow], so it'll be nice to be out in the open sea. I love the water, can't get enough of it. I plan to let loose, have a fun trip, relax, sightsee with my wife, find a great restaurant and submerge myself into the local culture."

Fans, if you're going on the Soap Cruise, you can bet that John will be a blast to get to know, as his excitement for the event, and the opportunity to cruise with the fans, was definitely apparent!

Be sure to check out what John told me about his Daytime role, as well as the scoops he divulged, in the One Life to Live News Room!

Stay tuned, as I'll be bringing you John's answers to our Soaps.com readers' questions next Monday!

- Amy Mistretta