Warning: The following post contains salty language. Not safe for work. Not safe for kids. Not safe for pets. You have been duly warned!

The key to watching the NASCAR race that is As the World Turns is to latch onto whatever stories are playing, find the good, the bad and the ugly on any given day or week and hang on for dear life. With all the refueling, pit stops, tire changes, sharp curves, unexpected tune ups and occasional pile ups, by the time Head Writer Jean Passanante and Executive Producer Chris Goutman put the pedal to the metal on the storyline racetrack, it sometimes feels like someone is waving a checkered flag at the finish line while simultaneously getting ready to fire the start gun for the next race to begin.

In fact, it would seem that neither Passanante nor Goutman (with an assist from Barbara Bloom) have a firm handle on what's working and what's not working from week to week. The good part is that stories and some characters that aren't working are over and out sooner rather than later. The bad part is that stories and often characters that are working are over sooner rather than later, too. The rain, it seems, falls on the guilty and innocent alike. READ MORE

I've been really busy the last few days and have had to play catch up with As the World Turns, but now that the DVR has practically melted down I'm still enjoying what I'm seeing overall...

THE STAR WARS SAGA CONTINUES:

Darth Vader/Darth Sidous (James Stenbeck) continued to woo weak-willed, emotionally confused and immature Anakin Skywalker (Paul Ryan) to the dark side by twisting psychological daggers in Anakin's/Paul's back. As I've said before, this isn't a new development, but rather a direct nod to ATWT's history of James' attempts to turn Paul to "the dark side." READ MORE

The nominations for the 2008 Sentinel for Health Awards were announced earlier this month and As the World Turns is nominated for Barbara's (Colleen Zenk Pinter) oral cancer storyline. The fact that Colleen Zenk Pinter had the same illness in real life made this story extra special for me. One of my favorite moments is the conversation Barbara had with Lucinda (Elizabeth Hubbard) who had cancer herself in 2005 (watch those scenes in the clip above). My only complaint about the story was that the airtime it got was pretty nonexistent.

The awards take place in Los Angeles on Thursday, October 2. For more information go to The Norman Lear Center.

In honor of Anthony Herrera's return to As the World Turns as James Stenbeck, here is a somewhat recent clip of one of his many encounters with ex-wife Barbara Ryan. If you are unaware of their long history, Barbara and James have been tangled in each other's orbits for decades. They are twice married and twice divorced, but that doesn't keep James from tormenting his favorite target. Barbara is strong, but she knows that James is a dangerous man. The chemistry between these two is undeniable, which makes them one of my favorite all time couples. There is nothing like watching two professionals making their work look like no work at all.

In this clip, Barbara visits James in prison in 2003 to get answers in the kidnapping of Lily and Rose. The music and lighting set the scene as Barbara faces the man she fears most in order to help find the two girls.

This is one of several James and Barbara clips available on YouTube. Just pop it in the search and view storylines that go back to 1987.

As the World Turns rolled out a new bumper that is pretty snazzy and makes everyone look great and the wonderful Colleen Zenk Pinter look amazing. Check it out.

Poor, poor Meg Snyder. Not only is she married to Paul Ryan but now she's being haunted by the ghost of Sofie Duran. No one, not even Meg deserves that.

This week on As the World Turns Sofie returns to haunt Meg and I thought that this picture of her would make a great "Caption This".

So take your best shot. My feeble attempt is Sofie talking to Meg "You see dead people!."