Holden (Jon Hensley) and Lily (Noelle Beck) finally start caring about what's happening in their son's life on Monday's As the World Turns.

As the World Turns is something of a mystery to me these days. I haven't been blogging regularly about the show because, honestly, I am kind of flummoxed about what to actually write about from day to day.

I love ATWT. The show is blessed with some of daytime's strongest actors. In this age of massive cost cutting, ATWT found an arguably better production alternative than Procter & Gamble sister show Guiding Light. Speaking for myself, I find most days, most characters, most stories and most events to be sufficiently captivating to keep me coming back.

Nonetheless, something is badly amiss in Oakdale. The usual criticisms of ATWT are all-too-familiar: far too many recasts, underused vets, storylines that turn on a dime, compressed storytelling and ever shrinking production values to name a few. While those issues are real and important, they are only symptons of several larger problems that encapsulate the issues that I, other Daytime Confidential bloggers and commentators all over the internet have found themselves dismayed about over the last several months. After trying to put a finger on these issues while attempting to "figure out" what's going on at ATWT from a larger perspective, several things have jumped out as serious structural flaws, like a cracked foundation in a beloved old home. READ MORE

Yesterday's As the World Turns had one of those classic soap scenes where bystanders to a train wreck (in this case Carly and Craig's almost wedding) breath a huge sigh of relief after disaster is averted. Take your best shot at a toast by Holden (Jon Hensley), Jack (Michael Park) and Margo (Ellen Dolan) after Carly (Maura West) called off the wedding to Craig (Jon Lindstrom).

TV Guide Network's InFANity was on the set of As the World Turns for a look behind the scenes and to interview the cast. It's obvious that they've used old and new material, because they used a couple of interviews with Martha Byrne. Some of the other stars that were interviewed are Van Hansis, Jake Silbermann, Colleen Zenk Pinter, Marie Wilson, Billy Magnussen and Michael Park. Parts 2, 3 and 4 after the jump. READ MORE

Sonny Corinthos

EJ DiMera

Holden Snyder

In a world where the stock market is crashing, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs decide they would be better off as banks, the price of a barrel of oil jumps $16 in one day, and a Federal bailout plan threatens to balloon between $700 billion and a trillion dollars or more, everyone needs a little Emma Snyder in their lives.

I thought today was a strong episode of As the World Turns. The Chris/Alison/Aaron triangle continued to make less and less sense given that we (the online "we") know that Dylan Bruce is leaving as Chris Hughes while the "Who's The Baby Daddy?" story line is apparently ramping up. Lily and Holden got closer after bringing Ethan home from the hospital. Derek made an outrageous request of Bonnie to be his lawyer, which she wisely refused (although we know Paul is going to rope her into it to help find Meg). Colleen Zenk Pinter was phenomenal with the little bit that Barbara was given to do. Dallas increased his line count to about eight while Ethan officially became The Cutest Kid on Daytime.

But the pure pleasure for today was Kathleen Widdoes as Emma. She certainly wasn't the star of today's show. She's not hip. She doesn't fit the desired 18-34 demographic. She's not a size 0 and she's not a hair model, but that's the point. READ MORE