Today's Soap Star Birthdays

Helen Gallagher (ex-Maeve, RYAN'S HOPE; ex-Hannah, ANOTHER WORLD) - 82 Peter Barton (ex-Eddie, SUNSET BEACH; ex-Scott, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS) - 52

1 Lindsay Hartley (Theresa, PASSIONS) and Justin…

1 Lindsay Hartley (Theresa, PASSIONS) and Justin Hartley (ex-Fox, PASSIONS) atttended the CBS, CW & Showtime Press Tour Stars Party at Boulevard 3 Friday in Hollywood. Other current and former soap stars in attendance were Grant Show (ex-Rick, RYAN'S HOPE), Eva La Rue (ex-Maria, ALL MY CHILDREN), Shenae Grimes (Darcy, DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION), Shemar Moore (ex-Malcolm, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS), Ray Wise (ex-Jamie, LOVE OF LIFE; ex-Hal, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) and Lori Loughlin (ex-Jody, THE EDGE OF NIGHT).

My Visit To The Set of AS THE WORLD TURNS

Yesterday I spent the day at the AS THE WORLD TURNS studios, thanks to an invitation from a friend, Angela, who won the visit at Soapfest. Our friends Theresa and Renee also went on the tour. We were supposed to arrive at 10am and we all got there early. I went inside and singed in and had my picture taken for my badge/sticker and then greeted the girls. I had to go to the bathroom after the drive into Brooklyn so I made my way down the hall and guess who was the only person in there when I walked in - Chris Goutman. I didn't say anything to him though. :) Marnie Shulenberg was our tour guide for the day and I loved her before, but I completely worship the ground she walks on now. She is just so incredibly amazing and gracious that I can't even describe how wonderful she was to us. Marnie tooks us downstars to the gym, the "Chicago" scenic shop and a few other places before making her way to her favorite coffee station. We even stopped to take pictures in the "Memorial Hospital" echo-y hallway. 1 Then we went to her dressing room where she ordered lunch for us to be had later in the day. At some point we went to the hallway where the comment line folks work, casting directors and writer's assistants. There are large pictures of the actors where and while looking at those, Billy came in with his little brother. We chatted for a bit and then Dylan came by. Marnie took us to Studio 1 where she was taking a morning scene. We watched that scene at the hospital while sitting on Lily's couch and chair in her new house. It was really surreal to walk through "Oakdale". After she finished that scene, she took us up to Hair & Make-up. 1 1 Van and Jake were in there so we go to hang out with them for a bit and take a group picture (first normal then "soapy"). They were incredibly gracious and awesome as always. 1 1 I forget what happened next but at some point we ended up hanging out in the green room where we watched Van Hansis and Jake Silbermann on the monitors taping some scenes down in Studio 1. It was cool to see them do a scene multiple times and how it was different each time. Later, we went up to rehearsal room where Renee and I acted out a scene as Marnie took pictures. Then we took pictures with Marnie. 1 Marnie then set us up in a conference room where we could eat lunch while she rehearsed for the afternoon scenes. We got to order whatever we wanted on the menu. The guy who answers the comment line, Jeremy, brought us the food when it was delivered. Marnie had brought in champagne and orange juice for us as well to make mimosas. She also had gift bags for each of us full of NY stuff and a personalized note. This was all way above and beyond anything I was expecting. 1 Once rehearsal was over Marnie joined us for lunch and we got to have a nice talk with her. After lunch, she showed us Studio 2 which wasn't in use on Friday but where the Snyder farm is and other sets. It was cool to in Emma's kitchen. :) Then Marnie had to go film a long list of afternoon scenes. We watched from Brad and Katie's living room and an empty space next to it across from the Lakeview set. A lot of actors were taping on Friday so we got to see and/or talk to (in addition to those previously mentioned) people like Liz Hubbard, Agim Kaba, Kathleen Widdoes, Jon and Kelley Hensley (who was impressed by our knowledge of the show), Marie Masters and on and on. By around 4:30, I needed to go to beat traffic and get home to Lyle. I said my goodbyes to the girls, gave Marnie a hug and a gave Agim a handshake and went on my way. I can't give away any spoilers from the set, but when this episode airs in late August I'll mention a few things.