EMMY PRE-NOMS!

Before the Emmy nominations can be announced on March 14, 2007, each of the Daytime Dramas must submit a list of their pre-noms.

The pre-noms are actors selected by peers from their respective shows as being worthy of going on to the next round: when actors from all of the shows select the final nominees.

Here is who ATWT and GL selected:

Lead Actress:
ATWT Maura West (Carly), Martha Byrne (Lily)
- Martha is the only actress to ever win the Emmy for Outstanding Younger and Outstanding Lead Actress
GL Crystal Chappell (Olivia), Kim Zimmer (Reva)
- Crystal is a former winner in the Supporting Category, while Kim has won 4 statuettes for Lead

Lead Actor
ATWT Grayson McCouch (Dusty), Michael Park (Jack)
- Both have previously been nominated in Supporting categories
GL Ricky Paull Goldin (Gus), Ron Raines (Alan)
- Ron was nominated in this category last year

Supporting Actress
ATWT, Kelley Menighan Hensley (Emily), Marie Wilson (Meg)
- Kelley was nominated in this category the last time she was pregnant. She is pregnant again.
GL, Beth Chamberlin (Beth), Gina Tognoni (Dinah)
- Gina won this category last year.

Supporting Actor
ATWT, Trent Dawson (Henry), Paul Leyden (Simon)
- Trent was nominated in this category last year.
GL, Robert Bogue (Mallet), Jordan Clarke (Billy)
- Jordan won this category last year.

Younger Actress
ATWT, Jennifer Landon (Gwen), Alexandra Chando (Maddie)
- Jennifer won this category last year
GL, Stephanie Gatschet (Tammy), Marcy Rylan (Lizzie)

Younger Actor
ATWT, Van Hansis (Luke), Jesse Soffer (Will)
- Jesse was nominated in this category last year.
GL, John Driscoll (Coop), Tom Pelphrey (Jonathan)
- Tom won this category last year.

Emmys will be handed out in Hollywood on June 15, 2007.

GLAAD FOR ATWT!

Congratulations to As The World Turns for its GLAAD Media Award nomination in the category of Outstanding Daily Drama.

Speaking of all the nominees, GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano said, "These bold projects, images and voices have once again raised the bar for excellence in media representations of our lives. As we continue to fight against forces that threaten our progress toward equality, it's gratifying to be able to celebrate the creative accomplishments of those who are committed to sharing the truth of our lives and our stories."

The 18th Annual GLAAD Media Awards will be presented on Monday, March 26th at the New York Marriott Marquis.

For the third consecutive year, they will be televised on Logo, MTV Networks' cable channel for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender viewers and their allies. The Logo airdate for the GLAAD Media Awards is April 21, 2007.

GL: DYLAN SHAYNE-LEWIS

News that soap vet Brian Gaskill (ATWT, AMC, B&B) had been cast as Guiding Light's Dylan, prompted several newer viewers to ask, "Who the heck is Dylan?"

Never fear!

The PGP Classic Soaps Blog is here to tell all!

Dylan, originally played by Morgan Englund (son of Oscar and Emmy winner Cloris Leachman), first appeared on screen in 1989, rowing the boat that brought Reva to wed Josh at Cross Creek. (Englund had actually dislocated his shoulder the night before and couldn't row, so he sat in the boat and pretended).

In short order, Dylan was revealed as the father of the baby girl Harley had given up for adoption (he'd been in jail and didn't know she was pregnant) and the son of Reva and Billy that she'd given up for adoption (Billy went away to college and didn't know that Reva was pregnant).

Though Dylan slept with Harley, by then he was in love with Samantha Marler. Sam and Dylan tried to elope, but her father stopped them. In the Florida Keys with a manic Reva, Dylan and Sam were in the car she was planning to drive off a bridge. Reva pushed Dylan out. Sam jumped after him, and ended up paralyzed as a result. She told Dylan she couldn't marry him like this and, frustrated, Dylan left town.

When he returned, he took up with Mallet's younger sister, Julie. On their wedding day, Bridget Reardon told Dylan that his bride-to-be had slept with Hart. Dylan dumped her.

Dylan and Bridget grew closer when he supported her in the custody battle to win her son, Peter, back from his adoptive parents, Vanessa and Billy.

Dylan and Bridget became a couple in 1994, after Bridget and Vanessa agreed to share custody of Peter. Later that year, Dylan was struck by a hit and run driver and blinded. Feeling helpless, he snuck out of town on New Year's Eve without telling Bridget, to attend a school for the blind.

When his eyesight returned, Dylan came back to Springfield and asked Bridget to marry him. She and Peter moved to Minnesota with Dylan.

Since then, the Shayne-Lewis heir has been back to town several times, including for his grandfather, HB's, funeral, and his mother's wedding to Josh. He also got the chance to meet Daisy, when she was still going by the name Susan.

Dylan most recently met with Reva in New York during her cancer treatment, where she made him promise to look after his younger brother, Jonathan, whose life had definite similarities to Dylan's.

Brian Gaskill takes over the pivotal role in March of 2007. How will his return affect Harley and Gus' marriage? (After all, the first time he showed up, it meant curtains for Harley and Alan-Michael). Tune in to GL and find out!

ATWT WHERE ARE THEY NOW: CADY MCCLAIN (EX-ROSANNA)

She's only been dead on AMC for a few days, but Cady McClain isn't lacking for projects.

She talks to the Sacramento Bee about her debut album, Blue Glitter Fish.

WHO AM I?

This ATWT cutie is going to need a lot more than big, innocent eyes to get out of trouble these days. Most of Oakdale wants nothing to do with her.

Who am I?

LIGHT NEWS

Cast of 'Guiding Light' celebrates rebuilt home from SunHerald.com.

Cast of 'Guiding Light' shuts down studio to rebuild Biloxi from SunHerald.com.

'Light' shines in new media from Variety.com.

GL CLASSIC SCENE #7

(We're skipping doing a background for Classic Scene #6: Reva learns she has breast cancer, as it aired just this past year).

Though sophisticated Vanessa was initially repulsed by good-ol'-boy millionaire Billy Lewis, it wasn't long before she found herself falling for his diamond in the rough charms.

Then, after Billy was presumed dead for several days, Vanessa realized that she was actually in love with the man. (Heck, whatever works...)

They made plans to marry, but Alan Spaulding threw a monkey wrench into their preparations by bringing Billy's ex-wife, Reva, to town, to claim they'd never been legally divorced.

Angry with Billy for trying to hide Reva from her, Vanessa gravitated towards Alan.

Valentine's Day 1984, Vanessa was hosting a party at the country club when Billy, determined to win back the woman he loved, threw Vanessa over his shoulder and announced that no one was leaving the premises until she was his wife. (In the 1980s, you could still do fun, spontaneous things like that without worrying about being picketed).

What happened next is GL Classic Scene #7.

To watch it and vote, go to CBS.com!

(Photo above: Billy and Vanessa, twenty-three years after their first meeting)

GL CLASSIC SCENE #5

When Lizzie Spaulding and her mother, Beth, returned to Springfield from Arizona in 1997, they claimed it was to be closer to their families, Lizzie's dad, Phillip, and Beth's mom, Lillian. They didn't mention that it was also to get away from Beth's abusive boyfriend, Carl. (Having been beaten and raped by her stepfather growing up, Beth was a prime candidate to end up in another abusive relationship).

Carl followed Beth and Lizzie to Springfield, where he threatened Beth with a gun -- but somehow ended up shot to death with it, instead.

Phillip's then wife, Harley, had her suspicions about what had happened and, despite Beth's warnings to stay away, investigated the murder.

Beth tried to flee Springfield with Lizzie, but Phillip and Harley caught up with them. Though Lizzie at first insisted that her mother told her never to admit what she'd seen the night Carl was murdered, the little girl eventually cracked, leading to GL Classic Scene #5.

To watch it and vote, go to CBS.com!

DALLAS, WE HAVE A RECAST

The role of ATWT's Dallas Griffin has been recast with daytime newcomer Kenneth Franklin.

BLOODLINES: ATWT

On January 31, Faith Snyder and Parker Munson share a bonding moment over having messed up parents. (Frankly, it's a conversation any child in Oakdale could have with any other child, but, next Thursday, it's Faith and Parker's turn). Also featured in the episode are Faith's sister, Natalie, and Parker's sort of brother, JJ.

They may all just be pre-teens now, but any soap fan worth their lather knows that today's cute kids are tomorrow's supercouples (sometimes, thanks to Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome, "tomorrow" means literally that).

But, the older the show, the more careful it has to be about avoiding inadvertent incest amidst all the double and triple crossed bloodlines. (By law, Lily is Holden's niece, since her biological mother is Holden's sister and her biological father is his cousin. But since both of Lily's parents were adopted Snyders, it's okay).

While Jack may have claimed he brought JJ to Oakdale because he'd grown to love the boy while married to his mother, I suspect it was more of a fresh blood thing. Of course if, down the road, JJ ends up falling for his "sister" Sage, will that be acceptable because they're not blood related, or icky because they were raised as siblings?

Lucky for JJ, his field of potential dates is wide open (in soap terms, anyway, where having two girls in your age rage who aren't related is considered a windfall). Unless a big, biological secret is revealed at some point in the future, he is not blood related to either Faith or Natalie Snyder (though, as Jack's adopted son, they are legal second cousins).

Parker isn't related to Faith or Natalie, either, except, again, as Jack's son if the adoption his former stepfather proposed at Christmas goes through.

So could we be looking at an all Snyder quadrangle down the road?

Well, there wouldn't be any incest laws broken. Though I strongly urge Parker and JJ to keep their biological parents' names. Because a love story where everyone was named Snyder would just be too weird... (Though under the writing regime of Doug Marland, where everyone, including all of the Snyder boys, were madly in love with Lily, it sort of did already happen.)

GL CLASSIC SCENE #4: ROGER UNMASKED

Who was Roger Thorpe?

To begin with, he was probably GL's greatest villain ever. (If you disagree, feel free to do so in the Comments section below -- would love to hear your thoughts).

Introduced in 1971 as the young business student whom boss Stanley Norris urged to show his daughter, Holly, "a good time" as part of the job description of working for Stanley's firm, Roger also played the guitar at and managed Metro, Springfield's young, hip nightclub. (Actor Michael Zaslow had sung in Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway, and was a composer/musician, as well. During his later stint on GL he serenaded Holly at the piano, leaving one to wonder when he found time to practice scales amidst all that time-consuming villainy).

But Roger's true talent was bringing misery to all who know or -- God forbid, for their sakes -- loved him.

His crime spree included blackmail, kidnapping, rape, marital rape, and faking his own death.

No wonder all of Springfield breathed a sigh of relief when Roger plummeted off a cliff to his death in Santo Domingo in 1980.

Oh, wait. Did we say to his death?

Make that, just plummeted.

In 1989, when Alexandra Spaulding and Fletcher Reade crash-landed on a deserted island on their way home from Venezuela, they had no idea that their attempts to survive were being watched by a mysterious, masked man. He called himself Adam (which, btw, was Roger's father's name). Alex confided in Adam about her family problems. Including nephew Phillip's romance with a scheming tart named Blake, daughter of the evil, though now dead, Roger Thorpe.

Not so fast, Alex...

At Blake and Phillip's wedding a few months later, Alan confronted a hidden Roger and shot him.

Ed Bauer ran to attend to the victim. And remove his mask...

To vote for Roger's Unmasking as GL's greatest moment ever, go to CBS.com.

GL CLASSIC SCENE #3

On CBS.com, Classic Scene #3 is Ross' Election Night Dream.

Here's the backstory:

In 1992, Blake was feeling malicious towards her mother, Holly, and decided to get back at her by seducing Holly's boyfriend, Ross.

Ross protested feebly, but it wasn't long before he and Soon-Yi (er, Blake) were hitting the sheets. Holly discovered the truth eventually, as did Roger. Blake lied to her Daddy that she'd only seduced the senatorial candidate to make him look bad before the election.

To Ross, however, Blake confessed that she'd fallen in love with him. What shocked Ross was that he felt the same way.

The night before the senatorial election, Ross had an episode long, surreal dream in which he only needed one vote to win -- but none of the women in his life would give it to him.

To vote for Ross' dream as GL's number one moment of all time, click here.

GL CLASSIC SCENE #2: THE SLUT OF SPRINGFIELD

Even Guiding Light fans who began watching the show post-1984 know about Reva Shayne's famous fountain dip, wherein she baptized herself The Slut of Springfield. (Such activity, apparently, is genetic, as Jonathan, upon arriving in town, took a similar swan dive a few years ago, proud mom by his side).

Though most viewers assume that actress Kim Zimmer won her first of four Daytime Emmy Awards in 1985 for the episode, Kim actually didn't even submit it for consideration that year.

Emmy rules state that an actor must submit every single scene they appear in from a given episode, and Kim revealed that leading up to the unconventional baptism were too many group party scenes where she simply stood around and did nothing.

So though her Emmy was won for the year she stripped down to her underwear on national television, it wasn't for that particular episode.

However, you can still reward her work now.

To vote for The Slut of Springfield as GL's Greatest Moment Ever, click here!

VOTE EARLY, VOTE OFTEN!

The big day is finally here!

Its Guiding Light's 70th Anniversary!

The special episode begins airing on the East Coast at 10 AM on CBS, but the Anniversary website is up now at CBS.com!

View 70 selected classic GL moments and vote on your ultimate favorite. Seven clips will be posted every week for 10 weeks.

And for background info on the clips in question, keep visiting the PGP Classic Soaps Blog.

Today, we tackle the very first one, a 1952, black and white scene featuring sisters Meta and Trudy Bauer.

Meta, at this point, had already been through a great deal (on the radio), including an affair that resulted in an illegitimate pregnancy, giving her child up for adoption, winning a custody battle against his adoptive parents, then standing trial for shooting to death her son's father when he accidentally killed the boy while playing on the swings.

After she was acquitted, Meta married Joe Roberts, who'd stood by her the entire time. Unfortunately, Meta's daughter, Kathy, hated Meta. Really, really hated her. As a result, Meta agreed to keep her and Joe's marriage a secret.

A fact that she hated. Really, really hated.

Is it any wonder that she decided to leave Los Angeles (then the setting for GL) for a while to visit her sister, Trudy, in New York? Or that, when she met a handsome doctor named Bruce there, Meta began to wonder if he might not be better husband material than a man who couldn't even tell his grown kids he'd remarried?

To watch this classic scene, click here!

SFT IN CHAMBERS

Last Summer at Bluefish Cove, a 1976 play dealing with then-groundbreaking lesbian themes and penned by one-time Search for Tomorrow Headwriter Jane Chambers, runs through February 4th in Albuquerque. More details here.

According to QueerTheory.com:

The late Jane Chambers was well established as a lead writer for TV shows like Search for Tomorrow and Somerset – until 1974 when the success of her lesbian-themed play A Late Snow led the TV industry to blacklist her. She also discovered that most actors were afraid to portray lesbians, on screen, or on stage. When producing A Late Snow, Chambers expected the actors from the soaps to be immune from worrying about the "character" of their characters, but she was wrong.

Since the above isn't a direct quote from Ms. Chambers, I won't speculate as to what she actually said or meant about the subject.

But what exactly is the author who summarized her opinions insinuating about soap opera actors?

To watch vintage episodes of Search for Tomorrow and decide for yourself, click here!

FASHION BACKWARD

Viewers of GL's special, back in time anniversary episode this Thursday may get so engrossed watching a reenactment of the birth of P&G's flagship soap, they risk missing the care that went into creating the actors' vintage era costumes.

The pictures above should rectify that problem.

BREAKFAST WITH THE LIGHT!

GL on location in Biloxi, MS!

Reports from WLOX.com here and here.

Anyone from the local area care to chime in with their own reports?

"NUN" TAKEN

Sophie Hayden, last seen on GL as Gus's biological mother turned nun, pops into ATWT's Oakdale on February 1st as an alcoholic turned savior for a scheming Iris.

In addition to her television work, Ms. Hayden appeared on Broadway in Barnum alongside Glenn Close and ATWT alum Terrence Mann, and The Diary of Anne Frank with Natalie Portman.

MOTHER OF THEM ALL

A TV Week profile on Irna Phillips. The woman who created ATWT. And GL. And, basically, the entire soap opera genre.

BACK TO THE FUTURE!

Ever wish you could have been around during Guiding Light's first days of broadcast? Seen how the original radio show was put together? Witnessed the debut of classic characters? Met the legendary -- and very, very scary -- Irna Phillips?

Well, this Thursday, January 25, you can!

(Sort of.)

In honor of GL's unprecedented 70th anniversary of broadcasting, the current cast takes you back in time.

Witness the mad scramble to produce a daily, live soap opera -- back when people still weren't quite sure what a soap opera was!

See how the need to advertise soap created a genre!

And stand back lest you be hit by Hurricane Irna, as interpreted by GL's own Beth Ehlers!

It promises to be a once in a lifetime show. You can't afford to miss it!

WHO AM I?

This tot was just rolling along without a care in the world, but his grown up, Oakdale alter ego recently hit an unpleasant bump in the road.

Who am I?

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: LOUISE SHAFFER (Stephanie; SFT)

Actress Louise Shaffer played Emily on Search for Tomorrow from 1967 to 1968. After stints on The Edge of Night and Ryan’s Hope, she returned in 1984 to play a different SFT role, that of a recast Stephanie Wyatt, taking over for Maree Cheatham.

Episodes featuring Louise are currently airing on the AOL/PGP Classic Soap Channel. We caught up with Louise in 2007 to chat about her days in Henderson, and the new career she’s embarked on since then.

PGP: Stephanie, it seems, was a very similar role to RH’s Rae. Did Rae have anything to do with your getting cast on SFT?
LS: My role as Stephanie came about because the producer of SFT at that time, Ellen Barrett, knew my work from Ryan's Hope -- so you are quite right about that connection. I'm not quite sure why Maree left the show, but when they were looking for a replacement, Ellen remembered me. She knew that I had been recently let go from Ryan's and she thought I'd be a good fit. The similarities in the roles are obvious. I think the differences were subtle. I think Stephanie was more girly than Rae-- she was more confident of her charms as a woman and more willing to use them to get what she wanted. Socially Rae was always a poor little kid from Oklahoma trying to figure out what fork to use, and no matter how successful she became she never got over that. I think Stephanie was more comfortable with her position and felt she deserved it more. At least, that was where she was when I inherited the role. It was an interesting facet for a character which could so easily have become a cliche over time. Of course, it's a huge credit to Maree that Stephanie never did.

PGP: Peter Haskell, who played Rae’s love interest on RH, also played Lloyd, the man Stephanie was after on SFT!
LS: It was always such a treat to work with Peter Haskell! He's a great actor, and a funny, warm man. And smart? Peter knows something about almost everything! He talked me through the early days of trying to train our sheepdog, Laverne, who was a puppy at the time and determined to rule our home. She actually did rule it for the rest of her life, but that was because we were wimps.

PGP: What are some of your favorite memories from working on SFT?
LS: My best memories of the show are what they always are -- working with the people. I got to know and love Lisa Peluso (Wendy). I have always loved Michael Corbett (Warren) -- and talk about making a success of all of your talents, aren't we all proud of him and his new ventures? And then there was (the late) Mary Stuart (Jo). God love her. I had worked on the show before -- back in the days when it was fifteen minutes long -- it was my first job when I came to the city. When I took over as Stephanie, Mary came up to me and said, "Welcome back, you've lost some weight, baby!" And then she proceeded to tell me all about her literacy program for the kids of New York. She'd probably kill me for saying this because she hated mush, but she was a total class act.

PGP: Stephanie and her daughter, Wendy, had one of the most charged parent/child dynamics on daytime. How was that to play?
LS: I thought Wendy and Stephanie had a relationship that was built on equal parts of guilt, control issues, competition and love. It's a fairly usual cocktail for daytime -- and it probably exists more in real life than any of us want to admit.

PGP: Currently, you are novelist. Your latest book, Family Acts, will be out this August. How did you make the transition from actor to writer, and how does your previous profession help with your current one?
LS: I'd always loved writing -- in fact that was my first love. And I hate to admit it, but I'd always re-written my own dialogue on shows. No disrespect, sometimes it just made it easier to say it my way. Of course I hated it when actors did that to my glorious words when I was writing! Anyway, as I started to get older -- and we all know what happens to older actresses -- it just seemed like a natural progression to start doing what I'd always done with my scripts. From there the jump to writing books was a little scary, but I knew deep down that I always wanted to do my own thing. I think the fact that I was an actor is the basis of everything I do. What I love most about writing is that I get to create all these new characters and I get to live in their world. As an actor, I learned to pay attention to tiny details. If you tell an audience in the first act that you have a certain mannerism and then you never use it again, they may not know exactly why they stop believing you, but they will stop. Also, I think you can get away with any plot, no matter how big, as long as you create characters the audience can believe would do all those things.

PGP: Your first novel, All My Suspects, took place on the set of a soap! How much of it was based on real life?
LS: Of course All My Suspects was totally fiction-- but the set and the way of working was accurate to the way soaps were done back then. It's a little different now.

PGP: Tell us about the book currently on the shelves, The Ladies of Garrison Gardens.
LS: We got great reviews for it, and the book clubs are having a wonderful time with it. By the way, if anyone out there has a book club, I love to talk to you guys on the speaker phone. Or I'll come talk to you in person if you can afford the airfare -- and I'll bring a cake. I have recipes for the cakes that appear in my books. But seriously, if anyone would like to talk to me, just check in with my website and we'll set it up. The Ladies of Garrison Gardens is what's known in the industry as a stand alone book which means you can read it without reading the first one, which is The Three Miss Margarets. That said, The Ladies Of Garrison Gardens is both a prequel and a sequel to The Three Miss Margarets. I think it will appeal a lot to soap fans-- we're used to that kind of mulit-layered story telling. Plus, The Ladies Of Garrison Gardens is based on a big secret that was buried for years, and the characters include strong women from the ages of twelve to ninety -- which soap opera audiences love. And it's got a surprise twist that no one sees coming -- at least that's what I keep hearing from everyone who reads it.

PGP: Is there anything in particular you’d like to say directly to the fans who followed you from show to show?
LS: I always thought I was one of the luckiest women alive when I worked in the soaps -- I got to act, which I loved doing, and I was paid for it. Now I feel lucky again -- I love writing, and I'm so grateful to the people who read my books because they are the reason why I can continue doing it. And if you haven't read one of my books yet, please do. My husband and I have quite a few elderly pets and several of them have had senior moments recently. So we need a new carpet. Thank you for remembering me and for giving me this opportunity to take a stroll down Memory Lane.

To see Louise Shaffer, as Stephanie, in action, view an episode of Search For Tomorrow, today!

WANT "AMORE" RON RAINES?

Ron Raines (Alan; GL) will appear with the Philadelphia Pops in a production of That’s Amore beginning on Wednesday, February 14 with multiple performances throughout the week until Wednesday, February 21.

For tickets, please contact the box office at (215) 893-1999.

MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY

And when this happens,and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every tenement and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old negro spiritual, "Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last."
- Martin Luther King, I Have a Dream, 1963

There is a destiny that makes men brothers:
None goes his way alone;
All that we send into the lives of others
Comes back into our own.
- Guiding Light, 1937

"HUGHES" GOT TO HAVE HOPE

Thursday, January 18, Margo's (Ellen Dolan) whole family pulls together to help her deal with Tom's (Scott Holmes) illness.

Will he make it?

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

STOP! OR MY EX WILL SHOOT!

But, will he really?

Thursday, January 18, Jack (Michael Park) holds Simon (Paul Leyden) at gunpoint.

What will Carly (Maura West) do?

Tune into As The World Turns and find out!

(Based on the picture above, doesn't Simon seem to be saying, "Hey, you wouldn't shoot an unarmed Australian, would you? How about we throw another shrimp on the barbie and talk about it?")

ATWT & GL VET HELPS OTHERS GET A LEG UP

The Brooklyn Young Filmmakers Center is a grassroots effort to increase diversity on and behind the scenes by opening doors for low-income kids. Its first conference - which includes a panel of experts on how to break into the business - is set for this Saturday at Long Island University in downtown Brooklyn.... Tina Bell, one of the panelists, has worked for a set construction company in Brooklyn for 20 years and has made sets for "Saturday Night Live," "As the World Turns" and "Guiding Light."

More on Bell and the conference, here.

WHO AM I: ANSWER

As several folks guessed below, yup, the little guy in question is Trent Dawson (Henry; ATWT).

The question now is, who'd like to see Trent shirtless on ATWT this summer? (Or, heck, this winter, for that matter)?

GL ALL WET

So much daytime drama happens inside -- bedrooms, hospitals, courts, restaurants, more bedrooms... -- that it's a real treat when any show gets to venture into the real world for a splash of local flora and fauna.

Today, in honor of GL's upcoming unprecedented 70th Anniversary, we take a look back at three Guiding Light tropical location shoots.

Alan Spaulding (Christopher Bernau) with one of his many, many, many mistresses, Rita (Lenore Kasdorf), in the Caribbean in 1981.

Reva (Kim Zimmer) and Josh (Robert Newman) doing their version of From Here to Eternity.

And dashing Prince Richard of San Cristobel (Bradley Cole) making his first entrance in 1999. (Or was he already Jeffrey...)

TOM TOM CLUB

As teased below, Thursday, January 18 is a big day for a whole host of ATWT characters.

Margo (Ellen Dolan) gets bad news about Tom (Scott Holmes), and clings to sons Adam (Matt Cavenaugh) and Casey (Zach Roerig) for support.

However, when Gwen (Jennifer Landon) comforts Adam about his adoptive dad, will husband Will (Jesse Lee Soffer) get the wrong idea?

Tune in next week to find out!

And keep checking back to the PGP Classic Soaps Blog for more photo spoilers!

AHOY, MATIE!

Set your VCRs, TiVos, DVD recorders (or go totally wild and watch it live), because Thursday, January 18, 2007 is a big day for all ATWT fans.

There'll be turning points for practically every major Oakdale couple, starting with our first photo spoiler above, estranged Kasnoffs Mike (Mark Collier) and Katie (Terri Colombino).

We'll be posting more photos as we head towards the big day, so make sure you keep checking back here at the PGP Classic Soap Blog!

WHO AM I?

Though all grown up now, this little guy still takes every opportunity to stick his tongue out at Oakdale society.

He doesn't, however, get nearly as many shirtless scenes as his fans would like.

Who is he? (And no cheating!)

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: NIA LONG (KAT; GL)

Nia Long played Kat Speaks on GL from 1991-1994.

Now, she chats with ESSENCE Magazine and attempts to set the record straight on baby daddy drama. Rumors had to be squashed regarding the tumult between her, now, ex-“friend” and her ex-fiance.... Long also talks about her career and being back on television after doing shows like Third Watch and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Photo above features Long with co-star Monti Sharp, who played boyfriend David... until Kat moved to Europe and dumped him by letter.

ACTOR APPEARANCE: TAMARA TUNIE (JESSICA; ATWT)

Monday, January 15, 2007 will be a day on, not a day off for volunteers working on the Sea Island Habitat for Humanity MLK House! The day will begin at 7:00am with a rally and march in Hollywood with celebrity guest Tamara Tunie from Law & Order: SVU and As the World Turns and will finish with volunteers honoring the dreams of Dr. King by building the first Habitat house in St. Paul’s Parish.

More here.

PAUL LEYDEN (SIMON) NEWS

ATWT's Carly and Simon may be suffering from an assortment of delicious, soap opera angst, but actor Paul Leyden's personal life is on an upswing.

TO MARAH, TO MARAH, WE LOVE YOU, TO MARAH....

Last week, we took a look at Reva and Josh's three (and counting???) weddings.

Today, in honor of GL's upcoming 70th Anniversary, we explore Where Are They Now with all the young women who've played their daughter, Marah, through the years.

Little Marah (named after Josh's mom, Martha, and Reva's mom, Sarah) was born on the air in 1987 (Kim Zimmer gave birth to her second child, son Max, at the same time).

Marah was played by Nicole Otto as an infant, but the first, speaking Marah was actress Ashley Peldon, who stepped into the role at age 4, in 1989, becoming P&G's youngest contract player ever. That's Ashley up above. To see what she looks like now, click here.

Marah, as played by Ashley, left Springfield in 1991 with Josh when he went to search the world for Reva. She returned in 1995, now played by Kimberly J. Brown. For more on Kimberly, click here.

Lauren C. Mayhew was Marah from 1998 to 1999. She left the show when she signed a record deal with Sony as a member of the pop quartet PYT and headed out on tour with ‘N SYNC, Britney Spears, 98 Degrees and Destiny’s Child. Read more about her current signing, acting and hosting duties, here.

Laura Bell Bundy was the first teen Marah, and is, as we wrote earlier, at the moment getting ready to open on Broadway in Legally Blonde.

Finally, two time Daytime Emmy nominee Lindsey McKeon was Marah from 2001 to 2004. Since then, she's appeared on One Tree Hill, Veronica Mars, and completed the feature film, Repo. Visit her official site, here.

Do you think GL needs to bring Marah back on the canvas? And which actress should play her? Let us know!

THEY'RE GREEEAT!

Check out some of daytime's sprightliest great-great grandparents, here.

LE JAZZ HOT

Even though Jack Cortner has been making a living as a musician in New York City for more than 45 years, Fast Track is the first-ever big band album with his name as leader. No, Cortner isn’t a late bloomer. The compose arranger and former trumpeter has simply been too busy with other pursuits, such as writing and arranging for the musical theatre, television and broadcast commercials (otherwise known as jingles). Along the way, Cortner wrote the themes for the soap operas The Edge of Night and As the World Turns, and arranged the theme used for years on ABC-TV’s Monday Night Football.

More here.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: P&G SONGBIRDS

Those feeling the yen to hear some former P&G stars lift their voices in song as we kick off 2007, are in luck:

Sharon Leal (ex-Dahlia; GL) is currently appearing on the big screen as Michelle in Dreamgirls.

Lea Salonga (ex-Lien; ATWT) will be returning to the Broadway cast of Les Miz in March.

Laura Bell Bundy (ex-Marah; GL) brings Legally Blonde to Broadway in April (she opens in San Francisco at the end of Janaury).

So keep your eyes -- and ears! -- peeled!