EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN

Holy Cow! Just when you thought Internet marketers had you cornered on every website known to man, Procter and Gamble - the soap opera and soap moguls aim to wash Web 2.0 brains and clothes. The company now offers for your PC and cellphone enjoyment - "Crescent Heights"- an online cit-com/soap opera. This series aimed at young surfers and ring-tone freaks is about a recent college graduate (Ashley) who moves from Cheesehead country to LA. The 3 minute episodes are packed with drama with occasional and almost subliminal Tide appearances. I can just see a 4 car pileup in midtown with the drivers still catching these segments as the cop writes the ticket.

Read the complete story, here.

TOM PELPHREY (EX-JONATHAN; GL) EXCLUSIVE!

Miss Jonathan? Check out this Tom Pelphrey video!

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: PREMIERES

It's a weekend of P&G alumni premieres!

Aubrey Dollar (ex-Marina; GL) appears in Women's Murder Club and Anne Heche (ex-Vicky/Marley; AW) returns to bother Men In Trees.

Also Scott Porter (very briefly Casey; ATWT) in Friday Night Lights.

ACTORS IN STRANGE PLACES

Former Seattle art dealer Kurt Lidtke, who was convicted of stealing artworks and still owes victims more than $400,000, left a tangle of deception in his wake that may never fully be unraveled....

The saga of four Morris Graves paintings shows the quagmire one local family found itself in after consigning artwork with Lidtke. The paintings were owned by New York television actress Barbara Berjer Foley, who appeared in the soap operas "As the World Turns" and "The Guiding Light." Relatives say Graves had given the paintings to Foley's husband.

Near the end of her life, Berjer Foley decided to sell the art and put the money in a trust for her son, who was disabled by cerebral palsy. A niece on Bainbridge Island introduced her to Lidtke, who showed great interest and sent someone in New York to pick up the paintings in 2000.

When Berjer Foley died in 2002 she had received no money for the paintings. Her niece and the executor of her estate kept trying to sort things out with Lidtke.

Complete story, here.

Berjer played Irene on The Edge of Night, Claire on As The World Turns, Barbara on Guiding Light and Bridget on Another World.

ACTOR APPEARANCE: MARCY RYLAN (LIZZIE; GL)

Marcy Rylan (Lizzie) will be signing autographs on Saturday, October 13th from 1-5 PM at Macy's, located on 2900 E. College Ave in State College, Pennsylvania.

The event will coincide with Macy's 'Shop for a Cause' campaign.

BRIGHT LIGHT! BRIGHT LIGHT!

59 years ago today, on October 11, 1948, P&G's radio soap opera, A Brighter Day, began broadcasting on NBC.

An Irna Phillips creation, it was a replacement for Joyce Jordan, MD, though, like when ABC's Loving would turn into The City in 1995, new lead Liz Dennis had previously been introduced on the medically themed-show.

By the time A Brighter Day moved to CBS television in 1954, however, Liz was not a major part of the show (unfortunately for Liz, she was happily married -- and thus in storyline limbo). The move to television also changed the show's locale from Three Rivers to New Hope, PA. The relocation was explained as being the result of a flood. (In the 1980s, Search for Tomorrow tried the same tactic; flooding most of Henderson not as an excuse to move to a new town, but to explain the new sets).

Actors who appeared on A Brighter Day during its eight year television run included Hal Holbrook (before he was Mark Twain), James Noble (before he was Benson's governor), Forrest Compton (before he was Mike on Edge of Night), Lanna Saunders (before she was sister Marie on DOOL), and a tiny Patty Duke (before she was Helen Keller, or identical cousins, or Sean Astin's mom).

In August of 1962, A Brighter Day made history by hiring the first African-American series regular, actor Rex Ingram. (Guiding Light has the distinction of putting the first African-American actors on contract by hiring Billy Dee Wilson and Cecily Tyson, and later James Earl Jones and Ruby Dee for the roles of Jim and Martha Frazier).

Unfortunately for Mr. Ingram and the fans of A Brighter Day, the show was cancelled in September of the same year due to low rating.

On its last air-date on September 28, 1962, A Brighter Day was in third to last place in the ratings, with a 3.7. 45 years later, the #1 soap in daytime is Y&R. With a 4.0 rating.*

* A single Nielsen point is worth more today than it was in 1962, so this isn't a raw number comparison.

MOB WORLD

The mob came to Another World's Bay City in 1980.

Jamie's ex-wife, Blaine, infiltrated Jess Cooper's criminal organization to protect her cop brother, Larry, by impulsively marrying innocent cop Jerry, whose mother had ties to the syndicate.

However, Blaine saw an even better way in when Cooper's top man, Jordan Scott, decided he liked Blaine -- a lot -- and offered her a chance to work alongside him building an entertainment complex encompassing Jordan's Supper Club and spa (which also happened to be a front for prostitution).

The woman running the "spa," Ilsa, became deeply unhappy when one of her boys, Sandy Alexander, decided he no longer wanted to work as a... uhm... masseuse, and took off, snatching Ilsa's book of secrets on his way out.

Blaine divorced Jerry, who got more bad news when his mother was killed by the mob. Blaine's brother, Larry, also risked his marriage to Clarice when he pretended to be a dirty cop in an attempt to bring Jordan down.

While all this was going on, a new arrival in town, Melissa, was keeping several secrets. 1) She too was involved with Jordan and Ilsa. 2) She knew that her boyfriend, Sandy, was Mac Cory's illegitimate son.

Melissa was played by Taro Meyer, a successful actress in her own right, but eventually best known as the mother of Ari Meyers, who played Emma on the prime-time hit, Kate & Allie.

The two worked together only once, on the miniseries Memories of Midnight, where Taro played the vindictive wife of a Greek shipping tycoon, and Ari a sociopathic killer for hire (in the book, the character was a young man; makes you wonder if the producers changed it so that Taro and Ari could work together, or if they just thought a teen female killer was more adorable).

To see what part Melissa plays in reuniting Sandy with his father -- not to mention a violent death and subsequent murder trial for one of the above, tune into Another World on the AOL/PGP Classic Soaps Channel!

TURNING HOME

On October 12, 2007, As The World Turns will launch www.AsTheWorldTurns.net , a brand new website dedicated to providing behind-the-scenes content featuring the cast of As The World Turns.

The site includes a virtual studio where fans can navigate through real As The World Turns sets, a downloadable desktop update, which fans can customize with their favorite character, a community section, complete with an interactive “Tell Us” feature and an engaging character section which will give viewers new ways to learn about their favorite characters. Want to know who they love? Who they hate? What's the best thing they've ever done? What's the worst? This is your spot to find out!

The 100% flash site will provide a one-of-a-kind virtual experience for fans to better experience all that As The World Turns has to offer.

HAPPY MEDIUM

Although this article from MediaVillage.com is almost nine months old, the sentiment it expressed was so interesting, I wanted to share it with the readers of the PGP Classic Soaps Blog and see what you thought about the writer's proposal.

Is it possible that Guiding Light might one day disappear from CBS television, only to continue its historic run on CBS' broadband channel, innertube? That won't be such a bad fate if broadband eventually outpaces broadcast, as so many experts insist it will. Further, if such a transition were to take place, might the number of people who view the program -- especially those elusive youngsters -- actually increase? Surely, the number of people who followed GL on a daily basis increased in the early Fifties when it moved from the declining medium of radio to the burgeoning newcomer that was broadcast television. In other words, GL would have died fifty-five years ago if it had nowhere to go after radio. Is it possible that fifty-five years from now it will have endured in some form online (or in other media yet to come)? We can only hope so, if only because a successful transition from radio to television to broadband would be so damn cool.

This article was written prior to Passions transition to Direct TV, which makes it seem all the more prescient.

WHO AM I: ANSWER

You guessed it!

The adorable little girl above is none other than ATWT's Colleen Zenk Pinter (Barbara)!

Thanks for playing!

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: ROUND UP EDITION

Rosemary Prinz (ex-Penny; ATWT).

Dorothy Lyman (ex-Gwen; AW).

Joseph C. Phillips (ex-Cruiser; SFT).

Crystal Hunt (ex-Lizzie; GL).

DISCOVER FOR YOURSELF

In honor of Columbus discovering America (yes, I know it existed before he got there; and he wasn't exactly looking for it; all PC tropes duly noted), let today be the day you discover a new soap!

If you're a Guiding Light fan, consider tuning into As The World Turns -- and vice versa.

If you're a viewer of current soaps, think about picking up a classic.

On the AOL/PGP Classic Soap Channel, we've got free episodes of:

Another World - Making its NBC debut in 1964, AW was originally supposed to be a spin-off of ATWT and the shows exist in the same universe. Upon AW's cancellation in 1999, several character arrived in Oakdale, with Jake McKinnon staying for several years, and his twin daughters -- born (off-camera) on ATWT -- eventually being taken back to Bay City by their aunt and grandmother after Jake's death. GL also exists in AW's universe. In 1966, Springfield's favorite son, Mike Bauer, took his young daughter, Hope (future mother of Alan-Michael Spaulding) to live in Bay City where Mike spent a year practicing law. The show currently features Victoria Wyndham, Douglas Watson, Tina Sloan, Ray Liotta, Susan Keith, Richard Beakins, and Christopher Rich with David Canary, Kyra Sedgewick, and Morgan Freeman scheduled to arrive shortly!

Edge of Night - Premiering on the same day in 1956 as ATWT, EON was intended to be daytime's answer to Perry Mason. Murder mysteries dominated its first few years on the air, with crusading DA Mike Karr attempting (rather fruitlessly, it turned out; the small Midwestern town was quite the hotbed of crime) to rid Monticello of murderers, thieves, thugs and kidnappers. Current episodes star Sharon Gabet, Joe Lambie, Terry Davis, Joel Crothers and Frances Fisher. Margaret Colin (ATWT's first Margo) made her daytime debut on EON.

Search for Tomorrow - For 35 years, SFT revolved around Jo. Even when Jo was (very) frequently kidnapped, Jo was still the center of life in Henderson. Though Jo would only be played by one actress, Mary Stuart, her daughter, Patti, was played by an indeterminate number of actresses (some lasted less than a week as temporary fill-ins while a permanent actress was sought) including Lynn Loring, Abigail Kellog, Leigh Lassen, Tina Sloan, Trish Van Devere, Melinda Plank, and Jacqueline Shultz. The currently airing cast features Louise Shaffer, Sherry Mathis, Jane Krakowski, Joseph C. Phillips, Angela Bassett, Lisa Peluso, Matthew Ashford, David Forsyth and another SFT stalwart, Larry Haines.

Texas - This Another World spin-off aired on NBC for only two years (1980-1982). In that time, however, it managed to bring to daytime Benjamin Hendrickson, Catherine Hickland, Carla Borelli, Lisby Larson, Daniel Davis, Jay Hammer, Harley Jane Kozak, David Forsyth, Jerry Lanning, Pam Long, who would find her greatest success as a soap opera writer, and Christopher Goutman, currently the Executive Producer of ATWT!

WOLFE AT THE DOOR

If I may play Karl Rove to GL's mayoral candidate Doris Wolfe for a moment, I would suggest she forget the well-staged photo-ops with Ashlee and Alan, and simply release the following pictures to derail rival Buzz:

Photos #1: Buzz Cooper pretends to be killed in action in Vietnam! Disrespects all vets! Forces daughter to appear in public wearing unbecoming earmuffs! (And think of the trauma it caused Mallet. He looks completely different today from how he did then.)

Photo #2: Buzz Cooper confuses children of Springfield by suggesting there is more than one Santa! Disrespects Christianity!

Photo #3: Buzz Cooper carries unregistered firearm! (Or maybe it was registered. You go down to City Hall to check it out. Doris doesn't have time.)

Photo #4: Buzz Cooper holds public gathering without a permit! Disrespects good, noble civil servants who issue permits!

Photo #5: Buzz Cooper engages in food-fight while poverty-stricken Springfield citizens go hungry! Disrespects the poor! And... uhm... foodies.

Would you vote for this man?

ATWT: WHO AM I?

This Oakdale fashion plate was always in style, even as a tot. She grew up to play mom to a large brood -- both on and off the air.

Name this As The World Turns icon!

Answer on Monday!

BEFORE HE WAS HAL

The late Benjamin Hendrickson spent over 20 years on and off playing Detective Hal Munson on As The World Turns.

Earlier, he was a very bad guy named Silas on Guiding Light, and the year before that he made his P&G soap debut as an equally bad guy named Chris Shaw on Texas.

Chris was a blackmailer and a thug and a smirking threatener of pregnant women -- but he was a heck of a snappy dresser.

To check Benjamin out in all his early 80s finery -- plus an evil sneer the morally upright Hal would have never dreamed of -- watch the latest episodes of Texas on the AOL/PGP Classic Soap Channel now!

TRAIL(ER) OF TEARS

See the video trailer that Borders.com is using to promote "Jonathan's Story," here.

In addition to being the #1 Romance at Borders and the #7 Fiction title on the New York Times list, the Guiding Light tie-in is also #8 at Publisher's Weekly and #10 at The Wall Street Journal.

With sales numbers like these, it's no wonder that AMC's Kendall Hart has decided to get into the act. Her novel, Charm!, comes out this February.

According to publisher Hyperion's contract report:

The plot deals with Harley Wilkins, a 30-year-old cosmetic company entrepreneur, working to introduce her first perfume. As her partner Parker, little more than a partying socialite, undermines her efforts, Kendall (ed note: I presume they mean "Harley," here) turns to co-worker Justin, her delightfully flamboyant friend and confidante. A chaotic chain of events -- brimming with scandal, back-stabbing, and even a kidnapping -- ensure that soap opera fans will be immensely engaged. (Actual author: Sebastian Stuart).

Isn't it nice to know that in-between obsessing over Spike's deafness and gingerly bonding with the severely premature Ian, Kendall has time to whip up a little chick-lit?

BABY BOOK

New York Times best-selling author Emily Giffin will appear as herself on Friday, October 12 when she stops by Oakdale Now to share some writing tips with Katie and Brad.

Griffin's latest book, Baby Proof, tells the story of a woman whose marriage breaks up when she refuses to have children. Her previous book, Something Blue, was the tale of a pregnant woman who dumps her boyfriend after catching him cheating.

Hmmm... if Katie didn't already have babies on the brain, this author appearance would probably do the trick.

Wonder if Katie will mention that she's a best-selling author, too?

Tune in next Friday to ATWT to find out!

GOOD CHARLOTTE

GL's Elizabeth Keifer (Blake) will appear as Charlotte in a production of Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music beginning on October 26 through November 16 at the Phillipstown Depot Theater located on Lower Station Road in Garrison, NY.

The part of Charlotte was originated on Broadway by Patricia Elliot (Renee; OLTL). Victoria Mallory (Leslie; Y&R) and the late Sherry Mathis (Liza; SFT) were also in that historic cast.

Diana Rigg, of The Avengers fame, played Charlotte in the 1978 feature film, alongside Lesley-Ann Down (Jackie; B&B) and Elizabeth Taylor (ex-Helena; GH).

Charlotte gets all the best, bitchy one-liners in the production, as well as the show-stopping song, Every Day a Little Death:

I'm before him on my knees
And he kisses me
He assumes I'll loose my reason
And I do
Men are stupid
Men are vain
Love's disgusting
Love's insane
A humiliating business...

Wonder if Blake can relate?

Listen to the whole song as performed by Elliot, here. Read a synopsis of the show, here.

For more information on Keifer's production, please visit www.phillipstowndepottheater.com or call (845) 424-3900.

M.I.A E.R.A S.F.T

Actor David Forsyth has been a P&G favorite since he debuted as TJ on Texas in 1981and stayed with the show until its cancellation in 1982.

He went on to play Hogan on Search for Tomorrow, Burke on As The World Turns and John on Another World -- a role created just for him and based heavily on Forsyth's own experience as a Vietnam vet.

His part as Hogan lasted from 1983 to1986 (he was with SFT until the end, as well). As one of the McCleary brothers (the other two were played by future DOOL star Matthew Ashford and ATWT's brief Craig, Jeffrey Meek), Hogan was a noble, crusading reporter... with a very interesting view of women in the workplace.

During Episode #8696 (up now on the AOL/PGP Classic Soap Channel), he tells Liza Sentell, "I love it when women use corporate language. It’s a bad imitation of men at their worst." Adding, "Would you like to hear my theory about why women should never be allowed to run large corporations?"

Does Hogan really feel this un-PC way, or is this just a case of a man doth protesting too much in the face of a beautiful (which he also admits in the same scene) woman?

Tune into Search for Tomorrow today to find out!

WHO YOUR DADDY?

Another World's Mackenzie Cory (Douglas Watson) was, from the beginning, identified with the role of being a father.

His grown daughter, Iris, couldn't make a move without her Electra complex flaring up. Which meant that she was particularly displeased when Mac slipped and, upon the birth of his and Rachel's daughter, Amanda, called her his first-born child.

Turned out Iris was adopted. (Later, when Iris returned to AW in 1988 in the form of Carmen Duncan, she claimed that Mac was her biological father after all, but we're getting ahead of ourselves).

Mac's love for Iris, however, had nothing to do with biology. Neither did his love for Jamie, Rachel's son with the late Steve Frame, or for Matthew, the child Rachel conceived with Mitch while she and Mac were still married (she did it to save Mac's life, but he didn't quite see it that way, at first). To Mac, Iris, Jamie and Matt were as much his as Amanda was.

But then, in 1981, a new arrival in town upset the equation. Sandy Alexander (aka Alex Sanderson) was a male prostitute, an employee of Jordan Scott's Bay City mob operation... and Mac Cory's illegitimate son.

Young Alex grew up in Las Vegas, the son of a struggling single mother who waited until she was on her deathbed to tell him he was the heir to millions. Sandy moved to Bay City and got a job working construction alongside his stepbrother, Jamie. But he didn't tell anyone except his girlfriend, Melissa, about his Cory connection.

Will the truth about Sandy's origins eventually come out? This is daytime. What do you think?

The more interesting question though is how will Jamie who, up to that point, was being groomed to be Mac's heir, react to his new brother?

And, more importantly, what will Cecile, who cozied up to Jamie due solely to his inheritance potential do when she learns there's a potential new heir in play?

Tune into Another World on the AOL/PGP Classic Soap Channel and watch the electric fall-out, now!