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As The World Turns Fan Club
Luncheon 2004
If you didn't attend the 2004 As The World Turns Fan Club Luncheon
on March 27, I have to ask you, why not???? I just got back, and I
want to tell you, it was great! In the words of my friend, Devin,
it was a B-L-A-S-T!
The
ATWT Official Fan Club
presented its annual event that allows the fans to get up close and personal
with some of the hottest actors in daytime. This year over 400 fans and
more than 20 actors from the show gathered at the Marriot Marquis on Times
Square, to eat, meet, and greet. Two cyber friends, Mel'isa and Devin, and
I, decided we could not miss it!
The doors opened at
11 am, and we
headed up to the fifth floor ballroom.. There, we checked in and then
investigated tables that offered items to be raffled off. We examined
Mike's blue jeans, Paul's beige shirt, Dusty's blue shirt, Alli's backpack
from last year's road trip, Rose's shoes, Carly's wedding invitations, and
different framed photographs of the actors, among other things. While we
bought our raffle tickets and wondered what it would be like to "get in
Mike's jeans(!)," I decided to talk to some of the fans who were present.
 Many fans I talked to stated
that they had been AW fans for many years and had followed Jake McKinnon
over to Oakdale. Others came with Cady McClain when she left AMC, or Roger
Howarth from OLTL. This was the case with the first group of ladies I met,
who were the founders of The RH Factor, an unofficial fan club for Roger
Howarth. Even though he was not in attendance, his fans were a very
enthusiastic group. I spoke with Lois, Vivien, Lilly, who run the RH Factor
and also maintain a website. They told me they are huge fans of Roger's,
and would follow him to any show. They emphasized that their site is about
Roger the actor, not Todd or Paul the characters, and their website is
filled with media galleries, weekly special fan events, and chats. They
even provided gift bags filled with fan buttons, membership card
applications, bookmarks, an ink pen, and a fan autograph booklet to anyone
at the event who was interested. These ladies were great, the kind of fans
every actor would be lucky to have. If you're interested in finding out
more about their group, go to www.TheRHFactor.net.
Next I met Judi, Marcy, and
Abby, a mother, daughter, and granddaughter, who had traveled all the way
from Washington state to attend the fan event. Judi has been watching for
almost 37 years, so it was natural for her daughter Marcy to start watching.
Abby had just celebrated her 10th birthday on March 24th, and she could have
been a member of Hal Munson's family, with her beautiful red hair. Abby was
even born during an episode of the show. She had photos of Peyton List and
Agim Kaba, and was looking forward to meeting both of them. Abby wants Lucy
and Aaron back together again; are you listening, Hogan Sheffer?
I found another mother and
daughter team, Texans Jo and Jesika. Jo started watching in July of 1968 and
told me she would love to see more of John Dixon and Lucinda Walsh together,
as a couple. (I heard a lot of support for the veteran actors on the
show). Jesika said that back when she was in college, she scheduled her
classes around the show so she wouldn't miss an episode. Thank goodness for
VCRs today!
Michelle came from nearby PA,
absolutely loves Jack, and she wants him to stay with Carly. This was
another common comment I encountered, that these two should be allowed to
stay together as a strong couple. Many fans recounted their favorite
Carjack scenes to me, inlcuding their sizzling romantic ones by the
fireplace in the Snyder living room.
Then it was time for lunch,
and the food, by the way, was delicious. We started with a green salad with
cranberries, then baked chicken over a bed of rice and green beans. Dessert
was a chocolate lovers' dream, mousse topped with whipped cream and
raspberries.
Mindi Schulman has been
president of the ATWT official fan club since 1999 and was in charge of the
entire event. During lunch, Mindi spoke to us from the stage, telling us
that this year there would be no games or activities after the actors were
all introduced; they would instead go immediately to their assigned tables
and fans would have more time for photographs and autographs. Fans had
wanted more time to actually meet the actors, so Mindi was happy to oblige
them. Next she called out the numbers of the winning raffle tickets for the
different items. The item that caused the most excitement (how badly did I
want to win this one!) was an ATWT studio tour. Some lucky lady is going
to Oakdale!
As we were finishing our
lunch, Martha Byrne entered to great applause, and took the mike. She
thanked everyone for coming, and told us how much the show appreciates its
fans. Next she introduced the actors one by one. First out was young Chris
Tavani, who plays Luc. As each actor entered, they were greeted with
increasing enthusiasm by the fans. When Ann Sayre, who played Mitzi, came
out, a table of her fans screamed and held up big signs of support for
her. Mark Collier gallantly provided a chair for Terri Columbino who is
expecting a baby this summer. Soon the stage was lined with a crowd of
Oakdale citizens, from the veterans Eileen Fulton and Elizabeth Hubbard
right down to little Cole Kachelhoffer, who plays Parker Munson. Fans were
on their feet cheering by this time. It was great to be in a room with
people who loved ATWT as much as I do!
 Michael Park and Ellen Dolan
made quick appearances. Michael joined the fans before lunch, and signed
autographs and posed for pictures before heading out to a charity event he
had scheduled. He was fast but not rude, and very much at ease in the crowd
that mobbed him. He smiled, joked, and whenever anyone asked for a photo,
he put his arm around them and pulled them close for a pose. Jack is one of
my favorites, so just standing next to the man started my heart racing like
an Indy 500 race car! Ellen is appearing in the play "Graceland," at the
WorkShop Theater Company in NYC, and had to leave early for rehearsal, but
she thanked the fans for coming and for their continued support.
Noticeably absent were Roger
Howarth, Hunt Block, Colleen Zenk Pinter, Don Hastings, Lyrry Bryggman,
Lesli Kaye, and Marie Masters. (Oh, Hunt, where the heck were you?) The
fan club had posted a list in advance of actors who were attending the prior
to the event, and Mindi had explained that the actors who do attend give up
their free time to do so. My friend Mel'isa, though, was very disappointed
that Grayson McGouch was not able to attend after all. Grayson is her
absolute favorite actor on the show, and she had traveled from Southern
California just to meet him. We always describe his voice as 'velvet
gravel.' But there were plenty of other actors to meet, so we jumped up and
got in the closest line. Within minutes we were face to face with Real
Andrews, and I discovered something that I would notice over and over as the
day continued: as beautiful and handsome as these actors are on screen, they
are even better looking in person.
It was hard to maintain my
calm as Real looked up at me and flashed a smile. I gulped and managed to
ask him why he doesn't have more of a storyline, and he laughed and told me
to keep watching, because things would be happening soon. Might there be
anything more to his relationship with Barbara than just doctor and patient,
I wondered, and he grinned. I know the actors are warned to never reveal
future storylines, so Real was tight lipped; he gave NOTHING away, darn it!
He had 8x10 photos of himself to sign for fans, as well as copies of the
April/May issue of American Health and Fitness for Men. The magazine was
provided free by the publishers, and has a story and a lot of extremely hot
photos of Real inside. So thanks to www.ahfmag.com for their generosity,
and if you want to see those pics and you missed the fan event, you'll just
have to buy a copy, but be careful because those photos are smokin'!
 We next headed to the line
for Trent Dawson and Daniella Alonso. Trent had adorable temporary tattoos
for his fans, one of Henry in a tux with a border of champagne glasses, and
another proclaiming 'I (heart) Henry.' Daniella was even wearing one. When
we reached the front of the line, my friend Mel'issa immediately announced
to Trent that I was his biggest fan, so of course I turned bright red. But
he stood up to greet me and give me his full attention. We talked about one
of my favorite Henry scenes, when Katie said "I love you," and Henry's eyes
lit up, only to hear Katie add, "like a brother." He showed Henry's
unrequited love for Katie so effectively with just his eyes and the corners
of his mouth. Trent was pleased that I'd noticed it, since it was exactly
the emotion he was trying for. He also said that he had been doing a lot of
theater in addition to portraying Henry, but that he was taking a break from
theater because it was so hard to do both. And I must say that usually when
I think of hunks on ATWT, I didn't necessarily think of Henry; he's more
cute comic relief. But Trent Dawson is definitely on my hunk list now; he
is absolutely fine! And Katie, quit breaking my Henry's heart!
 We next moved on to the three
youngest actors in attendance, Brent Groeneman, Cole Kachelhoffer, and Chris
Tavani, who were all at one table. Little Cole carefully printed out his
name for anyone who asked, and I told him my favorite scene with him was on
the porch in Montana when he got the giggles with Jack, Craig, and Mike.
He grinned; he still has his baby teeth! I complimented Brent on his
performances in January when Will was revealed as Rose's killer. He said he
didn't even know until the end that Will did it. He also confirmed what we
all suspected, that he will not be back as Will. (Can we say SORAS?) But
he good naturedly said he had a good run on the show and had enjoyed his
time in Oakdale. Chris greeted us with a big smile, and thanked us for
coming. All three boys showed so much poise and enthusiasm in greeting
fans, when I know it must have been difficult for them to sit there, smile
and be friendly to gushing strangers for over 4 hours straight!
 We got in Cady McClain's line
next. She had a chair next to hers and each fan could sit down at her table
with her to chat. I sat down outwardly calm, but inwardly a jiggling like a
mass of melting jello! Cady, however, made me feel like I was the most
important person in the room right then. She looked right in my eyes,
focused only on me (which was difficult to do with over 400 noisy fans in
the room) and we talked about her scenes when Rosanna had to hand over
little Cabot, and how heartbreaking those were. She said they were so
difficult to do, and I answered that, imho, she deserved the Emmy next year
just for those scenes alone.
Then she signed not just an autograph but also
a personal message to me, which she did for each fan. My Mel'isa was next,
and when she sat down, Cady smiled and exclaimed, "Oh, you look beautiful!"
Mel'isa was thrilled with that compliment, and declared to me later that she
was very impressed by Cady's graciousness and the fact that she took the
time to speak personally to everyone. I think that if I had to describe
Cady, in addition to her physical beauty I would say she has personal
charisma, the talent of making anyone feel welcome the moment they met her.
 Okay, so he's not really the
evil James Stenbeck. But I was still a little nervous as we moved towards
Anthony Herrera's table; I couldn't help it! James Stenbeck is soooooooo
intimidating, like a cobra waiting to strike! Mr. Herrera was the only
actor dressed formally in a 3 piece suit, which completed the feeling that
Stenbeck was watching my every move. However, Anthony was completely
charming. He is involved in an organization called poetrytheatre (www.poetrytheatre.org)
that presents readings of poetry by famous actors, to continue the oral
tradition of poetry using modern technology. When I told him I was a
teacher (soaptown.usa is my passion, but not my paycheck!) he gave me
information to take back to my classes about the group. Anthony was also
autographing copies of his book, The Cancer War, and in case you're
interested, here's a website to find information about it: www.thecancerwar.com. I pointed out that James Stenbeck and Jordan Sinclair
share initials, but he would only smile when asked if Stenbeck is somehow
involved with the newcomer. I couldn't get a spoiler from these guys to
save my life!
Mark Collier's and Terri
Columbino's autograph line was the longest; 99% of the fans were females and
wanted a photo with Mark. Terri was glowing in her pregnancy and I commend
her for staying the entire time til 4pm to meet fans. Her baby, a girl, is
expected this July, so Katie will be temporarily written out around that
time. We talked about giving birth during the hottest time of the year,
since my daughter was also born in July. Mark would graciously stand to
pose for photos with fans, but he seemed a little shy about all the
attention. Sorry, Mark, but when you look as beautiful as you do, and we've
seen as much of you on screen as we have (!) then you're going to have to
get used to all the attention! My friend Mel'isa decided that she would be
as happy as a clam to just take a nearby chair and stare at Mark the rest of
the day.
Maura West and Benjamin
Hendrickson were at a table together and were having a wonderful time,
laughing, joking and posing for photos. When I mentioned to Maura how much
I enjoyed the CarJack 'flower deliveryman scene" where she put a tip in his
pocket and remarked that his pocket was already 'full,' she smiled gleefully
and asked if I didn't think it was too risque. Of course not, I reassured
her, and mentioned that I was disappointed we didn't get to see Carly and
Jack play 'the chauffeur and the maid' game! My only complaint about
Benjamin was that he wouldn't take his baseball cap off!
 Scott Holmes and Kathryn
Hayes were together, and I lamented to Scott that he was underused on the
show. He encouraged fans to write to the show to support their favorite
actors. He was very personable, and I have to confess that I developed a
crush on him right then and there. We chatted about theater, specifically
the opportunities he's had to play both Che and Juan Peron in different
productions of "Evita." Scott then started asking me questions about my
life, and was genuinely interested when I told him I'd done "Evita" in
community theater, in the chorus. I think Kathryn Hays comes with a
built-in smile and a twinkle in her eye. I told her how much I loved that
Kim and Bob were getting 'bi-zay' on the kitchen table, and her laughter
bubbled up. I also commented the fans love it when she calls people 'kiddo'
and that her ending remark to Susan of "go to hell" after one argument was
an eye opening ending. She said that it was not in the script and Marie
Masters wasn't expecting it at all.
 Then it was on to the
original Diva of Daytime, the glamorous and larger than life Eileen Fulton.
She provided photos of herself that contained information about her upcoming
singing appearances at Don't Tell Mama, a cabaret nightclub in NYC. She
will be there three Sundays in May, the 9th, 16th, and 23rd. He photo also
contained her website, www.eileenfulton.com. I noticed that Eileen spent a
lot of time talking to each fan, greeting them as if they were old friends
rather than fans. When it was my turn, I found Eileen was delightful to
talk to. I told her how my mother and aunt would dish every day about
"what that Lisa is doing to Bob!" back in the day, and she laughed as she
remembered what a wild girl Lisa Miller Hughes Eldridge Shea Colman McColl
Mitchell Grimaldi was in her youth!
 Time was moving on, and it
was almost 4 o'clock, time for the event to end, so I started to hurry;
there were still more actors I wanted to meet. I spoke briefly with Peter
Parros and Tamara Tunie, who were paired together. Each actor was provided
with a chair and a table to sit behind while they met their fans, but Tamara
and Peter were both standing in front of their table, removing that
psychological 'barrier' between themselves and their fans. And my friend
noticed that Tamara had a sharp pair of shoes, print high heel pumps. A
'breath of spring,' Mel'isa called her. Tamara and Peter would pull each
fan in between them for photos. I will admit I have not been a fan of
Jessica's and Ben's storyline, but I promised myself to give them a second
look; what else could I do as I stood between them smiling for a picture
while they each wrapped an arm around me? Tamara was so concerned that
people were placing their personal belongings on the floor during the photo
op that she dragged a chair over so fans would have somewhere to put their
purses and other items while they chatted and posed.
Jennifer Ferrin and Chris
Beetim were paired together, and fans were trying their best to get
information from Chris about his character, the mysterious Jordan Sinclair.
A fan asked if he was involved with Rosanna, and he just smiled. Later,
while waiting in another line, fans were comparing notes and one fan
insisted that when she asked Chris if Jordan was little Cabot's real father,
she was sure he looked nervous! But I'm telling you, we couldn't pry
spoilers out of these actors for anything! Also, I have to mention that,
although Jennifer wears her hair long and straight for the show, today it
was in big soft curls and looked fabulous! I didn't get to speak to her
during the event, but we did chat a little when I discovered she was in
front of me in line at the ladies' room!
I was in Martha Byrne's line
when 4 o'clock came, and it was time to go. Martha did stay around a bit
longer to pose for pics and chat with fans, so I was able to speak with her
for only a brief moment. And I have to comment on Martha's translucent
skin; all of the female actors had beautiful skin, but Martha's was
absolutely flawless! I would love to know her care regimen!
The event was now officially
over, but Peyton List, Bailey Chase, and Jessica Dunphy stayed late to
continue to meet the fans who just couldn't bear to leave. I shook Bailey's
hand and when he turned those blue eyes on me, I was mesmerized. I'd never
noticed on screen that they were that intense blue, like bright headlight
beams in the dark night. It should be illegal for any man to have eyes
that beautiful! He thanked me for coming, and for being a fan of the show.
I wanted to thank him for being here with us today, but I could barely
speak; I was too busy losing myself in those eyes! I also shook hands
with Jessica, and was immediately struck by the realization that she seems
completely opposite of Allison. She was quiet, smiling but almost shy, and
seemed a little overwhelmed by all the attention. I took away a new
appreciation of Bailey, Jessica, and Peyton (whom I didn't get to talk to)
for sticking around those few extra moments to ensure that every fan was
greeted.
 Mel'isa and I met up with
Devin, who was on cloud nine after meeting Tamara Tunie and Maura West.
Devin proclaimed that all the actors he'd met were wonderful and beautiful,
and he hated that it was all over. Mel'isa was very surprised at the number
of fans who showed up, and was even more surprised at how gracious all the
actors were. As we headed towards the elevators, I saw little Abby from
Washington state, holding her now autographed photos of Peyton and Agim, and
smiling from ear to ear. Agim had even written 'happy birthday' on his for
her. My friends and I stepped out into Times Square and agreed that it was
an exciting, fulfilling adventure, and we started making plans to attend
next year's event. Mel'isa did mention that she wished John James had been
there. She felt his frightening performance as last summer's serial killer
was Emmy worthy, and she would have loved to have met him.
I've included some pictures
from the event, but I've cropped myself out of them; it's bad enough to be
the thorn among so many beautiful roses, but almost impossible to see those
thorn sticking out in cyberspace!
Overall, these actors are
even more gorgeous in person than on my tv. They were friendly and really
seemed to appreciate the fans. Most of them even seemed truly interested in
the fans, asking us questions about our own lives. They asked us to please
write in to the show if there was a character we wanted to see more of,
especially their own! And never fear, ATWT, because NONE of them spilled
any beans about upcoming storylines!
Til then,
I'm in an Oakdale
State of Mind!
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