As the World Turns (Page 20)

When Brad and Katie got down tot he task of making baby Snyders, they didn't hide their joy for the bedroom romp.

The man who portrays Brad on As the World Turns, meanwhile, recently told Soap Opera Digest how funny they were to tape.

"I really had a good time," said Austin Peck of Brad and Katie's first go-round. "That was a very fun day."

It was also one without a lot of clothing involved.

"I know, I know," Peck said. "I need to get in the gym. I haven't been working out.

Despite Peck's hesitance at getting naked, commented on how confident Brad is in his bare skin.

"I love playing Brad because part of his appeal is that he is so willing to let things hang out," the actor said. "He's very aware of his sexuality, of his looks. He's totally willing to bare it all — and very aware that he is baring it all."

We bet viewers are glad about this fact, as well.

Coming up, during a holiday week of episodes on As the World Turns...

• Carly is grateful when Sam gives her night a boost.

• Dusty enters Bob's hosptial room, determined to get the truth.

• Katie and Brad share a New Years Eve kiss.

• Gwen and Will (Jesse Soffer, pictured) welcome their new baby.

In light of the recent complaints by many As the World Turns about how Luke and Noah have been treated as a couple, a publicist for the show has issued the following statement:

As The World Turns fully supports the Luke and Noah storyline. We have exciting story planned for the couple that will begin airing early next year. As soap opera fans know, there is an ebb and flow to storylines. While Luke and Noah may currently be in a lull, they won’t be for long.

We're gonna hold producers of the series to this statement, as we post a clip of our favorite faux gay couple from last month:

In a dramatic example of art imitating life, Colleen Zenk-Pinter's character of Barbara will soon receive the same news the actress dealt with earlier this year:

A cancer diagnosis.

The bad news will hit Barbara on the January 2 episode of As the World Turns, the same day she's banned from the baptism of her grandchild.

"She's all alone and desperate when she gets the diagnosis," Pinter told TV Guide. "She ends up at the church after the christening, praying for help. Let me tell ya, that was a tough scene to get through."

How will this story play out? "Hard to tell because of the writers' strike," the actress added. "But I told [executive producer, Chris Goutman], 'This cancer can be a real killer, so don't let Barbara ignore it too long. I need my job!'"

After four years on As the World Turns, Grayson McCouch will say goodbye to Oakdale in early 2008.

What is the reason behind this development? There are two dueling theories:

• A show insider says that McCouch was asked to take a salary cut, something even the biggest names in soap operas have been asked to do in this era of budget crunching
• Other says McCouch simply wanted to leave the series.

Either way, McCouch taped his final As the World Turns scenes on December 14. The actor was presented with a cake to celebrate his nearly-five-year run with the show.

"We don't comment on actor contracts," an As the World Turns spokesperson said about the situation.

How do you feel about the current story line involving Luke (Van Hansis) and Noah (Jake Silbermann) on As the World Turns?

Those displeased with the direction of the relationship have actually asked fans to sign a petition. It begins:

We, the fans of As The World Turns, are asking you to support the characters of Luke Snyder and Noah Mayer, and the story line promised to us by representatives of As The World Turns, CBS, and Procter & Gamble.

We were told that the love story of these two gay characters would be told in the same manner as any other love story involving any other teen characters. However, anyone familiar with soap operas can see that this clearly has not been the case.

Check it out - and sign it if you wish - here.

Dylan Bruce didn't try out initially for Chris Hughes on As the World Turns.

What role did he go for? That's just one of many topics covered in the following Soap Opera Digest interview with the actor:

Soap Opera Digest: How did you get the job?
Dylan Bruce: I believe the sides were for "Nate." I auditioned on tape with my manager and then he mailed the tape to Mary Clay [Boland, casting director]. I've tested for As the World Turns before. My manager found out later that it was for Chris Hughes and said, "You don't have a shot; they're going to go much older, so you should just have fun with it."

Digest: Your first week, you were already making out with Kelley Menighan Hensley [Emily].
Bruce: My first day! And there was a kiss in the screen test, too. It's daunting because she's beautiful and she's married to someone on the show [Jon Hensley, Holden], but she makes everything so at ease and so natural that it was great.

Digest: Had you watched soaps before?
Bruce: Yeah, I've tested five or six times, so when I started auditioning and screen-testing for soaps, I would watch to see how the other actors performed, get a feel for the show, try to understand the character I was testing for, who they were involved with. I started watching a lot of soaps. As an actor, we mostly work nights in Los Angeles [laughs], so your days are free.

Coming up this week, on As the World Turns...

• Meg fears that Craig is up to no good.

• Vienna tries to get Katie and Brad back on track.

• Emily issues Dusty a stern warning.

• Sofie makes a decision about the future of her baby.

• Ali pushes Aaron (Agim Kaba, pictured) away.

The latest soap opera rumors are stating that Grayson McCouch (pictured) is out as Dusty on As The World Turns. He'll be exiting the show in January.

In the past two months, there have been numerous cast changes on the show: Dylan Bruce, Wol� Parks, Ryan Serhant, Chaunte� Schuler, Lauretta Vaughn and and Travis Wood have all joined the cast, while Billy Magnussen is on the way.

In outgoing news, Chris Heuisler was recently let go, as was Cady McClain.

Agim Kaba and Scott Bryce also returned to As the World Turns this year. Makes us wonder what 2008 will bring!

Next Friday, fans will be treated to a special episode of As the World Turns.

The show will actually take place in Victorian era, with characters sporting corsets, exaggerated skirts supported by crinolines and frock coats to match the artistic setting that takes viewers back in time.

Costume designer Margarita Delgado recently spoke with Soap Opera Digest about the endeavor.

“It was a nice, well-written script that was really descriptive and gave us a real visual sense of what they wanted it to look like," she said. “We had some things here that have been around for a long time. They were probably bought 40 years ago. This show has been around for a long time. The nicer pieces have been saved throughout the years and some pieces are really falling apart. So we just cut off the sleeves from one of those."

As for the actors, Delgado enjoyed styling and dressing them up as “everyone had their own identity and personality.” Most of the men wore rentals with a lot of added-on decorations, but the women of As the World Turns had to wear more complicated dresses.

“Emily's dress is a bright red, rented dress. We took a lot of things off of it and then applied a lot of things onto it,” Delgado said of the outfit worn by actress Kelley Menighan Hensley.

Delgado also revealed that Katie (Terri Colombino) will be wearing a gown with a lot of beading, while Faith, played by Ashley Marie Greiner, will be in a little dress with a vintage pattern. Sounds like a very, very cool idea to us.