Van Hansis

 Next week is Tom Pelphrey's debut on As the World Turns. Watch the promo after the jump. READ MORE

Carly (Maura West) returns to Oakdale next week for Brad's funeral. Watch the As the World Turns promo after the jump. READ MORE

 Want to know what will happen in Oakdale next week? Watch the As the World Turns promo after the jump. READ MORE

 Looks like Barbrara's life is heating up on As the World Turns next week. Watch the promo after the jump. READ MORE

One family is grieving. Another family is reunited. Next week on As the World Turns.

Holden's (Jon Hensley) "death", the return of James Stenbeck (Anthony Herrera) and the amazing Colleen Zenk Pinter... This week actually looks like something I don't want to miss. 

I fully expect the comments section to be full of invective and angry fist shaking about how ATWT is still "the worst soap on the air," how the vets are misused, and how the "Vortex of Suck" continues to, well, suck. In addition, the now well-documented list of the show's biggest defects remain stubbornly in place: warp-speed storytelling and the soul sucking semi-episodic structure continue to test the rapidly waning patience of the show's dwindling audience.

Having said that, it bears repeating that fans are a stubborn breed. We will praise shows, actors and performances we like, but we are quick to make our displeasure known when we feel things are not up to speed and falling apart. Once the latter narrative has been established it is very hard to turn the tide of opinion, even when a show starts to address its critics and make changes. Therefore, though the longstanding criticisms of ATWT are still valid, I think it is time to once again give credit where credit is due. READ MORE

Today, The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) released its third annual Network Responsibility Index, a report measuring gay, lesbian, and trangender representation on television on various major networks including broadcast & cable covering the broadcast period from June 1, 2008 to May 31, 2009. From the report:

Of the broadcast networks, ABC and the CW received "Good" scores, Fox was marked "Adequate," and NBC and CBS were marked "Failing." While the report takes into account the substance of portrayals up to a point, much of a network's score is based on the simple visibility of characters...On the cable side, HBO was the clear winner (vampires count!), emerging as "Good" (as did Showtime, though with a lower score), while networks including Lifetime and FX were "Adequate" and A&E and TBS were "Failing."

Oddly, daytime serials were not included.

My Take: I find it extraordinarily curious that GLAAD, which has several representatives and bloggers speak and write about As The World Turns' Luke (Van Hansis) & Noah (Jake Silbermann), Guiding Light's Olivia (Crystal Chapell) & Natalia (Jessica Leccia) or All My Children's Bianca (Eden Riegel) & Reese (Tamara Braun) in many interviews or on its website did not include soaps in its survey. If their goal is to track LGBT representation, how do these characters, including Passions' Simone (Cathy Jeneene Doe) — all of which aired during the period covered in their survey — not merit inclusion in the study? Yes, the study only covers prime time but that in and of itself reveals the flaw of it. READ MORE