AND HERE'S TO YOU...

"Mrs. Marler, are you trying to seduce me?"



Yes.

Yes, Coop, she is.

And isn't she setting a wonderful example for her daughter in the process?

Starting Wednesday, June 25 (coincidentally, the same week Blake and Coop are scheduled to play a little game of "Guess who I found in my bed?"), Naelee Rae will join the cast of Guiding Light as Clarissa Marler.

The actress, who turns 12 on August 25, has appeared on The Practice and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. She is also the voice of Tasha on The Backyardigans.

Clarissa Marler was born on-screen Christmas Eve 1999. She was named after her grandmother... Holly.

I can explain.

Back in 1999, Blake and Ross had gotten a divorce due to her affair with Ross' brother, Ben. (Blake initially cried rape and Ross tried to shoot Ben, accidentally paralyzing Blake in the process.) However, as people on the edge of ending their marriages are wont to do, Ross and Blake (no longer paralyzed) had sex while locked in a bathroom. (It's a bathroom. What else is there to do? Your choices are shower, exfoliate, or clean out the drain. Who wouldn't choose sex?)

When Blake discovered she was pregnant, she was reluctant to tell Ross, because she thought he was now involved with Blake's mother, Holly. Seeing as how Blake had initially seduced Ross away from Holly, the turnabout was a pretty logical conclusion for her to leap to.) When Ross found out about the baby, Blake lied that it wasn't his.

In the meantime, to keep her mind occupied while gestating, Blake began writing a novel based on what she believed was the love triangle between her, Holly and Ross.

Ross eventually learned the truth and, when Blake went into labor at the Bauer cabin while stranded alone, he arrived just in time to help deliver their daughter. Who was named Clarissa... after Holly's character in Blake's book.

So what can we expect from young Clarissa?

Will biology prove destiny for this young lady down the road?

After all, Clarissa's grandmother, Holly, was barely a couple of days over eighteen when she became infatuated with one Roger Thorpe, followed him to New York City and hopped into his bed. And that certainly ended well.

Mom Blake was a tad older when she returned to Springfield in 1988. But the late start didn't keep her from managing to become intimately involved with Alan, Alan's favorite son, Phillip, and Alan's less-favorite son, Alan-Michael, within the space of two years.

And then there's Clarissa's half-sister, Dinah. After several strangely goody-two-shoes teen years (yes, there was a time when Dinah was the saint and Harley the sinner), Dinah came into her own post-college, when she tried to seduce her mother's husband, married Roger Thorpe (her stepmother's father, thus becoming, technically, her own grandmother), tried to drive him crazy, fell in love with Roger's son, shot Hart to keep him away from Cassie, committed arson, embezzled, bribed -- really, the list goes on and on.

And that's little Clarissa's legacy. Which family member will she end up taking after? (Keep in mind, her great-grandmother, Barbara, wrote cookbooks and seemed to be more or less liked by all, so there's always hope.)

Tune into Guiding Light next week and find out!

THE EMMYS ARE COMING, THE EMMYS ARE COMING!

Are you feverish with excitement about the upcoming Daytime Emmy Awards?

The big show is this Friday, June 20, 2008 on ABC. But to hold you until then, enjoy our photos below of PGP stars, past and present, at last week's Creative Craft Awards.



As The World Turns' Jon Prescott (Mike), Colleen Zenk Pinter (Barbara), Ellen Dolan (Margo) and Dylan Bruce (Chris).



Guiding Light's Bonnie Dennison (Daisy), Caitlin VanZandt (Ashlee), Murray Bartlett (Cyrus) and Jessica Leccia (Natalia).



David Canary (ex-Steve; AW, ex-Arthur; SFT, now Adam; AMC)



Ellen Wheeler (ex-Vicky/Marly, AW, now Executive Producer of GL)

SILVER CELEBRATION

On June 21, 1983, after a traditional courtship that included a drug dealer's missing hat, a magician's hungry cougar, raging rapids, a booby-trapped castle, a love-struck polygamous African tribal chief, and a homicidal dwarf by the name of Mr. Big (long before Sex and the City co-opted the moniker), ATWT's Margo Montgomery and Thomas Christopher Hughes wed in an out of the blue ceremony beneath a trellis in Oakdale Park.

The bride's mother wore a housecoat and curlers. (Out of the blue meant literally that. Tom and Margo simply called up their friends and family and insisted they come out right away -- it was an emergency!). The minister drove an ice-cream truck. The bride and groom themselves chose to zoom in on a motorcycle. (Unless they were driving with their eyes closed, we have to assume they laughed in the face of superstition and saw each other before the ceremony. Or maybe they just laughed in the face of safe-driving laws.)

Actors Margaret Colin and Justin Deas, the couple's original portrayers wed in real-life in January of 1988. They have two sons and are still together to this day.

Margo and Tom, as currently played by Ellen Dolan and Scott Holmes, have also managed to weather the ups and downs of married life. Their marriage produced three sons. Unfortunately, one is his, one is hers, and only one is actually theirs. (And he's currently sleeping with the mother of his younger half brother.)

But twenty-five years, even with infidelities on both sides, is still a milestone to be celebrated.

Tune in on July 2, 2008 to watch Oakdale's longest-married couple toast their quarter decade of togetherness -- and receive a very special gift from mother-in-law Lisa (who knows a little something about marriage -- though not the long lasting kind.)

SPOTLIGHT ON: ELLEN WHEELER

Ellen Wheeler knows a thing or two about reinvention and survival. In the 1980s, the Emmy-winning actress portrayed twins Marley and Vicky Love Hudson on the soap opera "Another World." She moved to "All My Children" as one of the first characters on TV with AIDS. In the late 1990s, she reprised her role as Marley Hudson on "Another World."

Because she didn't resemble her on-camera twin, the writers decided that Wheeler's Marley would be crushed in a car wreck and then, while recovering, burned and disfigured in a horrible hospital fire.

Wheeler is still blazing soap opera trails.

Now working behind the camera, the 46-year-old executive producer of "Guiding Light" early this year ditched the format used since the 1950s to produce soaps: three large pedestal cameras to shoot scenes in a handful of studio sets. As part of her gutsy gambit, "Guiding Light" crews now use hand-held digital cameras to rove the three dozen small sets constructed within the hulking CBS Broadcast Center in Manhattan and outdoors in nearby Peapack, N.J.

Wheeler is trying to create a more modern look to attract younger viewers -- and keep the show alive.

Read the entire profile, here.

(Wheeler is pictured above directing Michael O'Leary (Rick) and Beth Chamberlin (Beth) - left, and Murray Bartlett (Cyrus) and Beth Ehlers (Harley) - right)

AND THE WINNERS WERE....

At the 35th Annual Daytime Creative Arts and Entertainment Emmys held on June 13, 2008 in New York City, the following members of the PGP family received trophies:

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design For A Drama Series

AS THE WORLD TURNS
CBS
PATRICK HOWE, PRODUCTION DESIGNER
TIM GOODMANSON, ART DIRECTOR
KAREN HLIPALA, SET DECORATOR
CATHERINE MCKENNEY, SET DECORATOR
DENNIS DONEGAN, SET DECORATOR

Outstanding Achievement in Multiple Camera Editing

HANDS ON: AFTER KATRINA A GUIDING LIGHT SPECIAL PRESENTATION
CBS
HANNE ANDERSON, EDITOR

Outstanding Achievement in Makeup For A Drama Series

AS THE WORLD TURNS
CBS
ELDO RAY ESTES, KEY MAKEUP ARTIST
KIMBERLY BRAISIN, MAKEUP ARTIST
STEPHANIE GLOVER-MCGEE, MAKEUP ARTIST
ANETTE LIAN-WILLIAMS, MAKEUP ARTIST

Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction And Composition For A Drama Series

GUIDING LIGHT
CBS
GARY DEINSTADT, MUSIC DIRECTOR , COMPOSER
BILLY BARBER, MUSIC DIRECTOR , COMPOSER
ROBYN CUTLER, SUPERVISING MUSIC DIRECTOR
BRIAN D. SIEWERT, COMPOSER
DANNY PELFREY, COMPOSER
CHIELI MINUCCI, COMPOSER
MARK STEPHEN ROSS, COMPOSER
KENNETH EBERHARD, COMPOSER
LINDA LAWLEY, COMPOSER
MICHELE VICE-MASLIN, COMPOSER
RON KOMIE, COMPOSER

Outstanding Achievement in Live & Direct To Tape Sound Mixing For A Drama Series

GUIDING LIGHT
CBS
CHARLIE JONES, PRODUCTION MIXER
ROBERT DREW PRIMROSE, PRODUCTION MIXER
STEVE WATSON, PRODUCTION MIXER
THOMAS INESON, POST-PRODUCTION MIXER
THOMAS BORNKAMP, POST-PRODUCTION MIXER
DOUG KENT, POST-PRODUCTION MIXER
ANDREW C. CAPUANO, BOOM OPERATOR
CHARLIE IACONO, BOOM OPERATOR
ANTHONY VALENTINO, BOOM OPERATOR
ANTHONY BUTCH INGLESE, BOOM OPERATOR
ERIC SHUTTLEWORTH, BOOM OPERATOR

Complete results, here.

CATCHING UP WITH...

Julianne Moore (ex-Frannie; ATWT)

Lisa Loring (ex-Cricket; ATWT)

Emmy Rossum (ex-Abigail; ATWT)

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: EDDIE MEKKA (EX-GRADY; GL)

‘Fiddler on the Roof” was the first show Eddie Mekka ever appeared in; he had a small part in a 1970 production by the Worcester County Light Opera Company.

He went on to become best known for his role as Carmine Ragusa, The Big Ragu on the hit ABC sitcom “Laverne & Shirley".... Since then he’s held his own by touring the theater circuit in shows such as “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” movie appearances (he kissed Madonna in “A League of Their Own”), and television (he was a regular for a while on the CBS soap opera “Guiding Light”).

Entire article, here.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: AMANDA SEYFRIED (EX-LUCY; ATWT)

At times Amanda seems excessively self-critical – as borne out by the comments she makes about her first acting role, in the daytime soap As the World Turns. Though most 15-year-olds would have been delighted to win a role on a widely watched soap opera, Amanda admits that she was in tears at her performance, ‘because I knew it sucked. I was so embarrassed that I’d be on air and be a failure.’ She remained on the show for 27 episodes, and then stopped: after that faltering start (and shaken by the events of 9/11), it took her another 18 months to return to acting.

Entire article, here.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: MARK PINTER (EX-BRIAN; ATWT, EX-MARK; GL, EX-GRANT; ANOTHER WORLD)

A resident of Redding for 22 years, Mr. Pinter is married to actress Colleen Zenk Pinter, who portrays Barbara Ryan on As The World Turns, and they have a blended family of six children, two of whom are pursing acting careers. “Colleen and I look for projects we can do together, such as I Do, I Do and Love Letters,” he says. The best experience, however, is when Colleen and I did Follies, playing Phyllis and Ben, and our kids Kelsey and Dylan played our younger selves.”

Read the entire story, here.

WORKING FOR A LIVING

Guiding Light's new shooting schedule sure is taxing...

While on location, Justin Deas catches a few rays on the hood of Buzz's car, while Executive Producer/Director Ellen Wheeler makes friends with a duck.

Wonder if water fowl qualify for the daily, extra rate?

GREEN GUY

Visit the www.astheworldturns.net video vault to see a special feature with Jon Prescott (Mike) sharing tips on how to stay environmentally friendly.

Was Jon inspired by Mike's dream of turning the Snyder farm into a self-sustaining eco-development (remember how impressed the zoning board was with his proposal -- and remember how pissed off that made Paul?), or is it Mike that's taking notes from Jon?

STRIKE A POSE

Since we discussed Madonna, the 1980s, and As The World Turns yesterday, to continue the theme, here are Austin Peck (Brad), Elizabeth Hubbard (Lucinda), Van Hansis (Luke) and Michael Park (Jack), in the Material Girl's words, striking a pose.

ACTOR APPEARANCE: CAITLIN VAN ZANDT (ASHLEE; GL)

Caitlin Van Zandt will be the special guest speaker for the Obesity Action Coalition’s National obesity awareness event “The Walk from Obesity—Walk on the Capitol” in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, June 17.

For more information, please visit www.walkonthecapitol.com.

GUIDING LIGHT ANNOUNCES NEW HEADWRITING TEAMS

Veteran Writers David Kreizman, Christopher Dunn, Lloyd “Lucky” Gold And Jill Lorie Hurst Will Comprise Headwriting Teams

Christopher Dunn, Lloyd “Lucky” Gold and Jill Lorie Hurst have been appointed Headwriters of broadcast history’s longest running program, Guiding Light, as announced today by the show’s Executive Producer Ellen Wheeler. Dunn, Gold and Lorie Hurst will join current Headwriter David Kreizman to create two new headwriting teams that will work together to bring their vision to the screen.

“I am thrilled about the new roles that David, Jill, Chris and Lucky will play on the headwriting teams at Guiding Light,” said Wheeler. “Since Guiding Light adopted its revolutionary new production model at the start of the year, we have made major changes to nearly every aspect of how we produce the show. I believe that appointing collaborative headwriting teams will help to expand the show’s vision and storytelling ability in this new model. Our new headwriting teams are made up of extraordinarily talented individuals who all respect the rich history of Guiding Light and are all very dedicated to mining that history for the future success of the show.”

Kreizman joined Guiding Light in 1995 as a Production Intern and during his time with the show he has worked as a Production Coordinator, an Associate Producer and began writing scripts and breakdowns for the show in 1997. Kreizman became Headwriter in 2004. Kreizman lives in New Jersey with his wife Natasha, who he met working at Guiding Light, and their two children.

Dunn joined Guiding Light in 1999 and was Co-Headwriter from 2001 – 2002. He began his daytime career as a breakdown writer on Santa Barbara and has also worked on the writing teams of Sunset Beach and General Hospital. Dunn has been married to Catherine Sedwick for 17 years. The Dunns live in California with their 11 year-old daughter Emma.

Gold began his writing career playwriting at Edward Albee’s summer workshop in Montauk. Gold’s plays have been produced at the Eugene O’Neill Foundation, the Seattle Rep and McCarter Theatre among others. He has written extensively for film and television including work on Marvin’s Room and Shakespeare in Love. Gold is co-creator of the PBS American Mystery Series, produced by Robert Redford and Rebecca Eaton. In daytime, he has written for One Life to Live, Another World and Guiding Light. He joined Guiding Light in 2001 and has been with the show ever since. Gold lives in New York City with his wife, daughters and their dog.

Jill Lorie Hurst joined Guiding Light in 1994 and spent her first five years as a writer’s assistant. During that time Lorie Hurst was partnered with then assistant producer David Kreizman to write a couple of sample scripts for the show. Jill decided to keep her assistant job and wrote part time, while David went on to write full-time. Shortly thereafter, Lorie Hurst was made a script editor, a job she’s held on and off depending on the needs of the writing team and executive producer. In May 2007 Lorie Hurst was named Story Producer when the writing team was reorganized. Lorie Hurst lives in New York City with her husband Tony Hurst, their dog Scout and cat Molly.

A PICTURE IS WORTH...

Ashlee loves Blake...



She's thrilled that Blake has taken an interest in boyfriend Coop's burgeoning writing career...



Why? Is there any reason she shouldn't be thrilled?



Tune into Guiding Light this summer to find out!

WE LOVE THE 80s

What's not to love about the 80s?

Madonna... Mary Lou Retton... Michael Jackson... Mikhail Gorbachev... (obviously a big M period...)

Katie Peretti was born on-screen at the very tail end of that very hip and happening decade on February 22, 1989.

Brad Snyder was presumably at least a young teen by then if we're to judge by the fact that when he first showed up in Oakdale in 1998 he was already well into drinking and driving age.

However, through the magic of both SORAS (hi, Tom Hughes in 1970) and reverse SORAS (hi, Tom Hughes post-Justin Deas), Katie and Brad are now pretty close in age.

To watch the Snyder newlyweds (plus a couple of interlopers) pay tribute to the decade that brought us both "Where's the Beef?" and Live Aid to fight hunger, tune into As The World Turns next week!

Until then, enjoy our preview photos above.

HOT, HOT, HOT

Is it hot where you are? It is very hot where we are.

The above ATWT and GL characters are obviously feeling rather hot, as well.

Good thing they all happen to be hot.

Enjoy the photos. More when the weather cools...

PLAY BALL!

Summer means it's time for the 10th Annual Tammy Rubin Celebrity Softball game in Brooklyn.

The day is tomorrow, Saturday, June 7, 2008, the time is 11:30 AM, and the place is Midwood High School, located at Avenue K and East 16th Street in Brooklyn, New York. Tickets are $25.00 a piece.

Batting against teams from OLTL and AMC are, from As The World Turns: Dylan Bruce (Chris), Billy Magnussen (Casey), Jon Presoctt (Mike), Jake Silbermann (Noah), Agim Kaba (Aaron), Michael Park (Jack), Austin Peck (Brad) and Ewa da Cruz (Vienna).

And from Guiding Light: John Driscoll (Coop), EJ Bonilla (Rafe), Robert Bogue (Mallet), Nicole Forester (Cassie), Lawrence Saint-Victor (Remy) and Bonnie Dennison (Daisy).

Make sure you come out and say hello!

ACTOR APPEARANCE: BRADLEY COLE (JEFFREY; GL)

Bradley Cole will perform at the following venues this summer in New York City:

The Underground Lounge, located at 955 West End Avenue on Saturday, June 28, The Huron Club, located at 15 Vandam St. on Saturday, July 26 and at The Cutting Room, located at 19 West 24th St. on Tuesday August 26.

Cole will also perform at the 5th Annual Bradley Cole Rock Show for Charity to Benefit the Red Cross on Friday, September 26.

For more information, please visit www.nomadicmusic.com.

STUDENT SOAP

Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy aren't the only soaps set to show up on TV in the fall. We're at a taping today of University 101, written, staged and shot entirely by students in Drexel University's Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design....

Students in the screenwriting and playwriting program made up the scripts. Six-time Emmy winner Lorraine Broderick, former head writer on Days of Our Lives, As the World Turns, All My Children and The Guiding Light, was the professor. Now film and video students, under the direction of Felicia M. Behr, former ABC-TV senior vice president of daytime programming, are completing production of the show's five episodes.

Entire story, here.