Daytime Nielsen Ratings June 23-27, 2008

From the ABC Daytime ratings release: * Easily Daytime's No. 1 network, ABC clinched its 7th consecutive victory among Women 18-49 (1.3 rating/864,000), towering over NBC (1.1 rating/749,000) and CBS (1.1 rating/716,000) by 18%. * Daytime's No. 1 program for the second week in a row in Women 18-34, "General Hospital" (1.2 rating/394,000) delivered its best ratings in five months (since week of 1/21/08) in the key youthful demo. * In Women 18-34, ABC delivered 4 of Daytime's Top 5 programs, marking the 12th straight week the net has placed at least 3 shows in the Top 5: "General Hospital" (No. 1, 1.2 rating/394,000), "The View" (No. 2T, 1.0 rating/340,000), "One Life to Live" (No. 2T, 1.0 rating/329,000) and "All My Children" (No. 5T, 0.8 rating/257,000). * In Women 18-49, all ABC programs positioned as Top 5 players in Daytime for the fourth time in five weeks, marking the 12th week in a row the net has placed at least 3 programs in the Top 5: "General Hospital" (No. 2, 1.5 rating/985,000), "One Life to Live" (No. 3T, 1.3 rating/859,000), "The View" (No. 3T, 1.3 rating/839,000), and "All My Children" (No. 5T, 1.2 rating/772,000). * Scoring Top 5 ranks in target young Women, "One Life to Live" surpassed time period competitor CBS' "As the World Turns" by a significant 78% in Women 18-34 (329,000 vs. 185,000) and by 34% in Women 18-49 (859,000 vs. 640,000). * With its most dominant victory in recent weeks, "General Hospital" surpassed time period competitor CBS' "Guiding Light" by a substantial 172% in Women 18-34 (394,000 vs. 145,000), by 75% in Women 18-49 (985,000 vs. 564,000) and by 33% in Total Viewers (2.80 million vs. 2.11 million). Following are the Daytime Lineup averages, plus Top 5 Programs Ranks - Week of June 23, 2008:Daytime Rank: Total Viewers Women 18-49 (Rtg/000s) No. 1 CBS 3.46 million No. 1 ABC 1.3/864,000 (+2,000) No. 2 ABC 2.78 million No. 2 NBC 1.1/749,000 (-4,000) No. 3 NBC 2.57 million No. 2 CBS 1.1/716,000 (+18,000) Top 5 Daytime Programs in Women 18-49 (rank based on rating)Program Net Rtg/000s The Young & the Restless CBS 1.6/1.02 million (-40,000) General Hospital ABC 1.5/985,000 (-57,000) One Life to Live ABC 1.3/859,000 (-8,000) The View ABC 1.3/839,000 (-44,000) All My Children ABC 1.2/772,000 (-2,000) Bold and the Beautiful CBS 1.2/778,000 (-5,000)

Lauper and ATWT Lived Up To The Hype

I have to admit that with all the hype surrounding Cyndi Lauper's appearance on AS THE WORLD TURNS today, I was afraid of a couple of things: 1) Most of the "good stuff" had been revealed in various behind the scenes clips 2) The Noah and Luke scenes would be short and choppy like usual and way too much of the story would be left to our imagination. I went into it hoping for the best. This was daytime's first gay pride celebration and a lot of potential new fans might be checking out ATWT today. Boy, did they not let me down. They not only lived up to the hype, they far exceeded it. 1 The show opened with Luke introducing himself to Cyndi as a writer for Oakdale U's school newspaper. He wondered why she would bring her True Colors Tour to a small town like Oakdale. She told him that small towns were so important since there tends to be less of a support system for gays. Later, Noah showed up with Tony, the "hot tub" guy from February, which lead Luke to tell Cyndi that they were broken up. She wasn't buying it claiming she was psychic and she knew they would get back together. She went on to perform "Into the Nightlife," her infectious new single, and then dedicated "True Colors" to Luke and Noah. The performance given by Van Hansis during "True Colors" was a masterpiece. I know Emmy voters don't appreciate subtlety and nuance but very few actor in daytime could have pull off the performance he gave today as Cyndi sang directly to him. That's what makes him so good. By the end of the song, Noah told Luke they needed to talk. Outside, Noah told Luke he was the only one for him and he wanted to be together. They shared the first of two kisses during the episode. The episode with a bit of a downer as Noah told Luke he couldn't be alone with him at the farm because he had enlisted in the Army, and had to leave to be processed in Chicago tomorrow. Despite not ending on a happier note, the show had served its purpose. Luke and Noah were brought back together and then seemingly torn apart again. In this single hour I laughed, I cried, I cheered and I even danced. What more could you ask for from a soap? It was pure entertainment from beginning to end. It's very rare I can say that these days. This is where I get personal. As a gay man of 38 who has watched soaps his entire life, I never thought I would see a show like today. I was incredibly moved when Cyndi was singing "True Colors" to Luke. Not only was I thinking about Luke's journey and how the words were true for him, I was thinking about myself and how I couldn't believe I was watching a gay pride event on AS THE WORLD TURNS on an episode which prominently featured a gay couple, Luke and Noah. There are days I feel the world is not very accepting and there are days when ATWT frustrates me to no end with the Luke and Noah storyline and the lack of airtime. But today was a day to celebrate how far we've come. Thank you to AS THE WORLD TURNS for telling a story no one else on daytime will tell. No matter how much hype other shows and producers and writers may get, no one can take away the groundbreaking storyline you have created and the special episode you created today. You are the only daytime soap who has shown the courage to tell a continuing love story for two gay men. This was not just a good soap episode. It meant something to me. And to lots of fans. Please continue to remember how "real" this story is for a lot of people and treat it with the sensitivity and class it deserves. Here are the clips today including both of Cyndi's fantastic performances.

Soaps On The Entertainment Shows Last Night

Last night's entertainment shows featured several soap appearances. First Caitlin Van Zandt from GUIDING LIGHT appeared on THE INSIDER to follow up on her lap-band surgery. Then Cyndi Lauper appeared on ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT to promote her appearance on AS THE WORLD TURNS today. Later, THE SOUR PRESENTS on E! made fun of Taylor on THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL.

Flashback: Shawn Christian 1996

The current DAYS OF OUR LIVES star and former AS THE WORLD TURNS hunk was a "Mighty Good Man" back in 1996.