As the World Turns
News

A columnist at soap opera critic Marlena Da Lacroix 's website thinks As the World Turns has grown eerily dark:

A few weeks back, when I watched the scenes surrounding the death of Dusty Donovan on As the World Turns, I was overwhelmed — not because of Dusty’s death, or because of a performance or a line of dialogue.

I was completely overwhelmed at how utterly dark As the World Turns is — and has been for some time now...

Read the full column now and then let us know: Do you agree? 

Thanks to a bit of last-minute contract negotiating with As the World Turns, Trent Dawson (Henry) has inked a deal to stick around.

"Thank you guys for the campaigning! Contract issues were resolved and Hank is sticking around. In fact he's very busy right now. Consider your mission accomplished, and my thanks eternal," the actor wrote to fans online.

Wallace Kurth has made his way from Days of Our Lives to General Hospital to As the World Turns, premiering on the latter in November 2007 as the character of Sam.

Below, CBS speaks with this veteran of the daytime business:

CBS.com: How has it been being back in daytime?
Wally Kurth: I've really enjoyed it. The travel was a little brutal, because I live in Los Angeles, and I commuted back and forth to [Brooklyn, NY]. I learned my way around the Long Beach Airport and racked up some frequent flier points.

CBS.com: What drew you back to daytime?
Wally Kurth: I was contacted by CBS and As the World Turns and they asked me if I'd be interested in playing this role of a ventriloquist. They told me a little bit about the role and what I'd be doing and I thought I've got some time on my hands, let's do this. Playing a ventriloquist and working with a dummy felt like a good challenge. I like trying things that I've never done before.

Also, I had auditioned about a year ago for the show and didn't get the role but as a result started watching the show. So I was excited to come and work with the cast.

Read the full interview with Kurth now.

Susan Dansby took advantage of the writers' strike the only way he knows how: by writing. But not for As the World Turns, as usual.

The soap opera scribe says she though the strike would end fairly quickly - "I was pretty naïve," she admits - but when the studios stopped talks with the writers in early December, she "had to do something to make money."

The resolution? A book titled "How Did You Get That Job? My Dream Jobs and How They Came True." The tome explains how to enjoy a successful career in the world of sex, intrigue and murder; i.e. soap operas

Dansby (a former director for Guiding Light, Generations, Port Charles, and As the World Turns) has the experience to back up her advice. In addition to her soap opera work, she has held jobs at hospitals, Yellowstone Park, Carnegie Mellon University, and Sesame Street.

Her book details goal-setting strategies, while helping others turn their dream job into a reality.

"People always ask how I got started in television," Dansby says. "The truth is I followed a plan that's fairly simple."

Continue Reading...

This month, several actors will be joining the cast of As the World Turns. Some will stay for awhile, some will not.

Here are quick summations of the roles Dominic Fumusa (pictured), Eric William Morris and Tala Ashe will portray on the series.

Fumusa, whose credits include CSI: Miami, The Sopranos and Bones, will make his debut in early February. He'll be a character named Gray.  According to CBS, he'll be portraying a big role in Vienna (Ewa Da Cruz) and Henry's (Trent Dawson) continual happiness.

Morris will appear as Matt, starting February 11.  His character will be included in Casey's (Billy Magnussen) return to Oakdale.

Lastly, Ashe joins the cast of As the World Turns as Ameera. She arrives in town as the link of both Luke (Van Hansis) and Noah (Jake Silbermann).  Ameera is expected to appear on Friday, February 22.

As the World Turns fans have finally accepted the news: Scott Bryce has been fired from the show.

An outpouring of support for the actor has followed this announcement, but the man who has portrayed Craig Montgomery for years is taking it like the professional he is.

Bryce recently chatted with TV Guide about the shocking development:

TVGuide.com: Your followers, and they are legion, are having coronaries over this!
Scott Bryce: I have to say an enormous thank you for their love and support. I'd started thinking to myself, "Wow, maybe I stink" but the response from the fans has been so amazing and overwhelming that it's helped soften the blow. It's touching and affirming and it means the world to me.

TVGuide.com: Word is, your peeps at As the World Turns are pretty bummed.
Bryce: The response from the cast and crew has been equally unbelievable. Hugs and kisses and shock and disbelief. This is a real drag because I've never been fired from an acting job before. In fact, the last time I was fired I was flipping burgers at the Big Top Shop in Westport [Connecticut], so this is kind of stunning.

TVGuide.com: You created Craig in 1982, played him off-and-on into the '90s, then came back to the show just last April. It should have been a triumphant return. What went haywire?
Bryce: I've had dozens of relationships with executive producers and this one, with Chris Goutman, was odd and very disconnected. I think we had an inherent disagreement or a different vision of who Craig is. The plots on the show are so much darker than they used to be — dead babies, pornography, methamphetamines — and maybe I didn't fit into that vision.

It's not the As the World Turns I remember from those many years ago. Chris would say to me, "This is your character, run with it." But when I did he never seemed pleased. Craig, as I understood him, has a need for family and love and fulfillment, and at all costs, which is what creates all the mayhem and madness in his life. Yes, he's a villain but he doesn't know that.

Bryce will appears on the series for the final time on February 21. Read his full interview with TV Guide now.

Want a look at a few As the World Turns spoilers? Here you go!

• Emily comes face-to-face with an angry Chris (Dylan Bruce).

• Lucinda (Elizabeth Hubbard, pictured) suffers through the consequence of her actions.

• Carly doesn't listen to Parker's warnings.

• Sofie puts baby Hallie in danger.

• Lily learns the truth.

Here's a look at one major As the World Turns story line for sweeps period...

The "Who Killed Dusty?" whodunit takes a weird twist when the killer decides to get revenge against the prime suspect, Lily, and her estranged hubby, Holden, who has taken the blame for the murder.

But chaos is good for a broken marriage: before sweeps is over, the couple share a kiss!

On As the World Turns next week, Emily struggles and Brad takes advantage of his injury. Read more spoilers now...

• Emily (Kelley Menighan Hensley, pictured) struggles to put Dusty out of her mind.

• The Hughes' celebrate when Bob opens his eyes.

• Carly questions Sam's odd behavior.

• Barbara prepares to reveal her secret to Gwen and Will.

• Brad (Austin Peck) uses his injury to get close to Katie.

Casey Hughes returns to As the World Turns on Tuesday.

This time, of course, the character will be portrayed by actor Billy Magnussen. He's an alumnus from the N.C. School of the Arts and was recently featured in the Winston-Salem Journal.

Magnussen is the sixth actor to play Casey since the character was born in 1991.

“This is a character that just got released from jail, who’s had gambling troubles and who’s stolen money,” he told the newspaper. “There’s scandal and intrigue happening. It’s a fun plot line to play.”

Magnussen, 22, got into acting when he was a high-school student in Cumming, Ga. “I was a big jock,” he said. “In wrestling I tore a hamstring and couldn’t take gym classes. So I took an acting class, and I fell in love with it.”

Read the full article now.