News that Days of Our Lives supervillain Stefano DiMera wouldn't be coming out of his coma caused fans of the iconic character and his portrayer Joseph Mascolo to quickly mobilize. Soon after came the announcement that the Phoenix would indeed rise again from the ashes and more pointedly, from the coma Marlena (Deidre Hall) put him. Recently Luke and I had the chance to speak with Salem's most famous puppet master Joseph Mascolo, aka Stefano DiMera himself, about his history-making run on Days. We find out what led to the decision to put Stefano on ice and why Mascolo firmly believes it was the fervent outcry of his friends (he doesn't like to use the word fans) who demanded The Powers That Be thaw Stefano out. In the revealing interview Mascolo weighs in on how he feels Stefano should deal with his enemies-namely Marlena, his onetime "Queen of the Night" and John, his ultimate Pawn. We find out if he's worried about whether or not Victor Kiriakis (John Aniston) has become the new kingpin of Salem and if he believes The Phoenix should find love this time around. We also compare and contrast the role of Stefano with Mascolo's memorable turn as Ridge Forrester's biological father Massimo Marone on The Bold and the Beautiful. You'll never guess Massimo and Stefano's surprising link! This is an interview Days and Bold and Beautiful fans won't soon forget. We hope you enjoy listening to this industry giant as much as we did.