ATWT: PHOTO PREVIEW

Oh, Brad (Austin Peck)... What mischief have you gotten yourself into now? Katie (Terri Colombino) and Jack (Michael Park) look mighty displeased!

Tune into As The World Turns this week to find out!

CHAPPELL CHAPEL

Olivia (Crystal Chappell) appears to be wearing a wedding dress. Wonder who she's going to marry?

Tune into Guiding Light this week and next to find out!

BACK IN BILOXI!

"Guiding Light" cast members Bradley Cole (Jeffery) and Michael O'Leary (Rick), along with production staff members, will lead the celebrity construction team project with the volunteers from Hands-On.

More at SunHerald.com.

"CASTING" A WIDE NET

That's one reason you might see Mary Clay Boland, casting director of CBS' As the World Turns, sitting next to you some night at a Broadway show. Boland, who has done casting for prime time television shows including The Sopranos, says she is overjoyed to find so much talent in the New York theater world. "I go to shows at least once or twice a week. As a soap casting director, it's a gold mine for me," she says.

Some casting directors, such as Guiding Light's Ron Deana (sic) even go outside the professional box, checking out college productions. "I found Tom Pelphrey, who went on to win two Daytime Emmys (sic; Pelphrey currently has three nominations and one win) on our show, in a play at Rutgers. And that was before he was even a senior," he notes.

Read all about the daytime/theater casting world at TheaterMania.com!

CHANDO CHAT

BuddyTV.com interviews Alexandro Chando (Maddie; ATWT), here.

DRISCOLL ON DVD

Five hours a week of John Driscoll (Coop; GL) not enough for you? Then check out Season 5 of the hit, primetime series, Dawson's Creek on DVD.

John played Blossom (no, not Mayim Bialik, another Blossom) on six episodes from 2001 to 2002, prior to landing in Springfield.

For more on John's primetime and daytime jobs, click here.

(And for an upcoming spoiler from May 2007, check out the photo above!)

A NEW HOME FOR SOAPS

Though not direct ATWT or GL news, PASSIONS' move from NBC to DirectTV speaks of a new market for the genre, which is good news for everyone.

The deal "opens up a great new model for other television programs to find new life on other non-traditional platforms," said Marc Graboff, president of NBC Universal Television, West Coast.

Read more on OrlandoSentinel.com.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: RICHARD ALLEN (WRITER; ATWT)

Richard Allen, radio-TV-film professor, and Adam Schiffer, political science assistant professor, shared their distinct views on celebrities in a media-crazed society and answered questions from several students among the nearly 50 in attendance.... As former head writer for soap operas, such as "Days of our Lives" and "As the World Turns," Allen recalled his boss's consistent demand to "come up with something people are going to be talking about over the back fence."

Complete story at DailySkiff.com.

PREEMPTION ALERT

KENS/San Antonio will preempt ATWT & GL on April 27 for their annual coverage of The Battle of Flowers. ATWT will air at 2:05 AM, followed immediately by GL at 3:05 AM the morning of April 28.

CIAO, CASEY!

Zach Roerig (Casey) says goodbye to Oakdale on Wednesday, May 2. Please enjoy our photographic look back at Margo and Tom's only child -- together, a fourth generation ATWT Hughes.

GHOSTLY GREETING!

You can't keep a good girl down in Springfield. Even if she is really, most sincerely dead.

2007 Daytime Emmy Award-nominee for Outstanding Younger Actress Stephanie Gatschet returns to Guiding Light as Tammy and continues to haunt Cassie beginning on Friday, May 4.

THAT WAS THE SOAP OPERA YEAR THAT WAS: RICKY PAULL GOLDIN (GUS; GL)

Will a second Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor prove Ricky "Goldin?"

Check out our photos of his work in 2006 and weigh in below on whether you think it's enough to beat the competition!

GL: PHOTO SPOILERS

Prepare for some major plot developments next week on Guiding Light!

See if you can figure out what exactly happens from the pictures above!

DOUBLE YOUR WHERE ARE THEY NOW FUN!

Catch up with two ATWT alumni!

Parker Posey (ex-Tess) and Roselyn Sanchez (ex-Pilar)!

CLEAR AS A (LAURA) BELL (BUNDY)

More on Laura Bell Bundy's (ex-Marah; GL) first starring role on Broadway in Legally Blonde, from NorthJersey.com!

A BARBARA BLOOMS AT CBS

Senior VP of Daytime Programs at CBS, Barbara Bloom, talks to TV Week. An excerpt:

TVWeek: What do you think about "Guiding Light" receiving 17 nominations in the same year it's celebrating its 70th anniversary on the air?

Ms. Bloom: I'm a huge fan of Ellen Wheeler, executive producer, and David Kreizman, head writer. I think they're an extraordinarily creative team and they work exceptionally well together. At the core of what they do is a passionate understanding of storytelling and character. They are exceptionally character-driven. They are extraordinarily respectful of their fans. They are constantly challenging themselves in many ways to reach out and engage their fans, which I think is exemplified particularly this year, not only the stories that they tell, but in their [online] Find Your Light campaign, where they're really reaching out to their audience. It is so moving when you go on their Web site and you see the postings that their fans have left about what their own light is. It's been an exceptional journey for the show to take that on, and to celebrate their 70th year by basically celebrating their relationship with their audience is really, I think, a snapshot into who Ellen and David are.

Complete story, here.

OAKDALE SOUND OF MUSIC

Trumpeter Jack Cortner has been an integral part of New York’s vibrant music scene for over forty-five years, primarily as a composer and arranger writing for Broadway musical theatre, commercials and television. While you may not be familiar with his work in jazz, you have probably heard his music if you’ve ever seen the popular soaps The Edge of Night or As The World Turns or watched the familiar ABC-TV’s Monday Night Football. Cortner has written the themes for all of these shows.

More, here!

SOAPY ARC

Loved it or hated it, ATWT and GL's Daytime Dollars campaign was enough of a hit within the marketing industry to be named an Interactive Media Award winner.

Daytime Dollars was "a glowing example of sweeps done right," MarketingSherpa said in a statement. "The demographic was perfect, the multimedia approach to getting the word out was fabulous and the email follow-up campaign was high-impact. Most important to our judges, the marketers measured their success based on a business result (in this case, measurably higher ratings for selected TV shows) and not just on sheer volume of list growth."

For an inside look at the campaign and its impact, click here!

JUST JESSE...

Jesse Lee Soffer (Will; ATWT) has a brand new Daytime Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Younger Actor (his second in a row!) and a brand new hot-shot to go with it.

And for those who like trips down memory lane, check out the photo of a very tiny Jesse groovin' down the aisle as the youngest Brady boy in the feature film, A Very Brady Sequel!

HERE SHE IS....

The mysterious woman from Gus' past! (We all knew there had to be one, didn't we? And Eden didn't count).

Jessica Leccia joins the cast of Guiding Light as Natalia Rivera on Wednesday, April 25.

TWO EMMY NOMINATED HUNKS... WHO CAN ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE?

Outstanding Lead Actor Nominees Michael Park (Jack; ATWT) and Ricky Paull Goldin (Gus; GL) will host the East Coast Emmy Pre-Party and Concert on Saturday, June 2, 2007 at the Triad Theater, located at 158 W. 72nd Street in New York City.

There will be two performances at 9:00PM and 10:30PM.

Ticket Price: $100.00 + Two Drink Minimum.

Guest performers will be announced at a later date.

For tickets, please visit www.rickypaullgoldin.com or send a check or money order to:

RPG Productions
ATTN: 2007 Emmy Concert
1775 Broadway
Suite 720
New York, NY 10019

(Please Include a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope)

For questions, please email events@rickypaullgoldin.com

LARRY HAINES (STU): SEARCH FOR TOMORROW

Larry Haines spent the largest chunk of his acting career on daytime soaps. He played Joe Roberts on the radio version of Guiding Light in 1950 and 1951. Then, later in 1951, Haines took on his defining role, Stu Bergman on Search for Tomorrow, and played it until the show went off the air in 1986. He also played Neil on Loving from 1994-1995.

Haines made sporadic primetime appearances on such shows as Kojak and Hawk, as well as two memorable guest-shots (as different characters in different years) on Maude (photos above).

The first season of Normal Lear's series about Edith Bunker's outspoken cousin is currently on DVD, though you'll have to wait for Seasons #2 and #3 to come out, in order to check out Haines.

In the meantime, view a vintage episode of Search for Tomorrow on the AOL/PGP Classic Soap Channel any time you like, by clicking here!

MANDY BRUNO (MARINA; GL) NOT ON HER OWN....

As the Daytime Emmy nominated actress (2006) takes on the role of Eponine in Broadway's Les Miz! (A part once played by ATWT alumnae Lea Salonga, the ex-Lien Hughes).

Read full story, here!

SOAPS TO THE RESCUE

Despite perennial breast-beating about the soap-opera genre going the way of the network Western (so long, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Rawhide, Little House on the Prairie and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman; Deadwood doesn't count, it's on Showtime), all over the world, people still see soap operas as the ultimate genre for getting the word out about key societal issues ranging from:

Teaching Life Skills to Debt to Immigration to... Bad Grammer?

BUILDING IN BILOXI

More pics and quotes from GL's trip to help build homes in Biloxi....

HAYDEN HELPS

According to MediaLifeMagazine.com:

Thanks to (Hayden) Panettiere, "Bring it On: All or Nothing" aired record numbers among teenagers last Sunday at 8 p.m. on ABC Family.

The movie averaged 1.5 million viewers 12-17, including 1.2 million female teens, and boosted ABC Family to its best-ever weekly average in that demographic, 389,000. It was the network’s most-watched movie ever in those demographics, and it more than tripled the network’s average on the same night a year ago among teens....

The “Nothing” role may have been particularly interesting to “Heroes” fans, as Panettiere also plays a cheerleader on the NBC show. Her “Heroes” character is able to heal herself and has already come back from the dead once.

Panettiere already had a small but loyal following from her stint on CBS’s “Guiding Light” from 1996 to 2000. She’s one of several actresses who have portrayed Lizzie Spaulding. The current Lizzie, Marcy Rylan, also appears in “Nothing.”

That drew in soap fans as well on Sunday as posters on Soapcentral.com’s messageboards alerted others to their appearance on the ABC Family movie.

Go, Soap Fans!

POWER TO THE SOAP

Worldscreen.com reports:

LONDON, April 17: Power has picked up the worldwide distribution rights to two long-running U.S. daytime dramas: Guiding Light and As The World Turns.

Complete story, here.

THAT WAS THE EMMY YEAR THAT WAS: MICHAEL PARK (JACK; ATWT)

2006 brought Oakdale's ten year veteran his first Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Lead Actor category (he'd previously been nominated for Supporting in 1991).

What drama did Michael guide Jack through to earn such accolades? Check out our year in photos, above!

BAD TO THE BONE

GL's Cyrus is a very, very, very bad man.

So why does actor Murray Bartless look so gosh darn good?

OH, HENRY!

Has Henry (Trent Dawson) ditching Vienna at the altar made him more or less hot to you?

If you're still unsure, use the new photo above for guidance....

DOES IT COUNT AS A CONJUGAL VISIT IF YOU'RE NOT?

This week on GL, Reva (Kim Zimmer) visits Josh (Robert Newman) in jail.

And stuff happens.

As you can see by the above photos....

LUCKY ROLES?

A thought to ponder on this wet (at least on the East Coast), Monday morning: Are there certain daytime roles that are luckier than others when it comes to launching their portrayers on successful careers in other media?

I don't mean roles like GH's Lucky or AW's Vicky, which win Emmys for more than one actor. And I don't mean the showy, dual roles that attract Emmys and adulation within the daytime industry.

I mean roles that are played by more than one actor, many of whom then go on to successful primetime and film parts.

For instance, all of the young women who once played GL' Marah went on to make splashes elsewhere.

The same goes for some of GL's Michelles, including Rachel Miner, Rebecca Budig and Bethany Joy Lenz.

Both the actresses who played the adult Betsy on ATWT -- Meg Ryan and Lindsay Frost -- found success in other genres. (And, as a fun fact, Lisa Denton, who played Betsy just before Ryan, is mom to another ATWT alum, Dylan Denton as the first JJ).

Can you think of other such daytime lucky charm roles? Let us know in the Comments, below!

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: LESLI KAY (EX-MOLLY; ATWT)

As most viewers know, after a brief stint as Lois #2 on GH, Lesli landed on CBS' B&B.

Jamaica-Gleaner.com has more.

THE M.O. ON BRANSON, MO

Officials with “As the World Turns” and CBS Daytime got their first glimpse of Branson this week.

Six officials associated with the daytime drama made their way to the Tri-Lakes Area to be guided on a tour of the sights by the team at Concept Marketing.

“There is an array of treasures here that will be perfect for the filming,” Chris Goutman, executive producer of “As the World Turns” said early Friday, thinking back to the attractions he saw Thursday.

Complete story, here.

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES....

ATWT's Vienna may not have gotten the wedding of her dreams yesterday (what with the groom blurting out that he didn't love her enough and running off like that), but, courtesy of the PGP Classic Soap Blog, she can at least get a pretty wedding album.

Check out our photos of the wedding that wasn't, above!

NEW SOAP FOR ZIMMER!

GL's 4-time Emmy winner Kim Zimmer (Reva; GL) leaves Springfield for a role on brand-new soap, Union.

Get the full story, here!

SOAPS IN THE 21ST CENTURY

From Variety.com:

Even though the soap opera is the daytime staple of soccer moms and retired dads, it is here that gays have achieved the ultimate acceptance: They have become just another neighbor with an endless stream of problems.... On CBS, "As the World Turns" introduced 17-year-old Luke a year ago, and since then the character has admitted and accepted his sexual orientation. "We saw him come through that," says Passante, now head writer at the venerable soap. "He has become far more out and proud, truthful about who he is. This is a kid who is waiting for the next best thing to happen, and we're going to follow him every step of the way. People have accepted it as something that happens in the natural course of family life."

Complete story, here.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: ERIN COTTREL (EX-CAMILLE; GL)

Guiding Light fans knew her as Camille, a.k.a. the mean biological mother of Cassie's adoptive son, Will, the son of Alonzo, true heir to the San Cristobel throne.

Wide World of Disney fans, on the other hand, recognize Erin as Caroline Ingalls from their mini-series remake of Little House on the Prairie.

Now, she's starring in an original series on The Hallmark Channel.

Catch up with Erin Cottrell, here!

THE YEAR IN EMMY!

Will Kim Zimmer (Reva; GL) pick up another Emmy this year to go with the four she already has (1985, 1987, 1990, 2006)?

Check out our photo spread of Reva's 2006 and let us know if you think its Outstanding Lead Actress material!