Austin Peck heading to ATWT

After just exiting Salem on DAYS, Austin Peck has now (improbably) been cast as the returning Brad Snyder on ATWT, a role most recently played by former OLTL vet John Loprieno.

The details from Soap Opera Digest:

DAYS vet Austin Peck has been tapped to resurrect the role of AS THE WORLD TURNS's Brad Snyder, last played by John Loprieno in 1999. The actor just finished airing as DAYS's Austin last week and will start taping in December. "I’m going to be an antagonist, which I think is more up my alley," says Peck. As for who he auditioned with, Peck is coy, explaining. "I cannot say. I would tell you, but I’ve been told to keep it quiet." For the full interview with the actor, check out the 11/14 issue of Soap Opera Digest.

This oughta be interesting. I will say this...people have been known to show exponential growth in talent when taken out of the Salem Slimepit and put in greener pastures. We shall see.

I Dream of Genie

I freakin' love Genie Francis. Her work in 1996 was the best acting I have ever seen on a soap. Bar none. Period.

Now that she's back for a limited run on GH, my once favorite soap now has me back on board during her tenure. And barring a miracle, when she goes, I go. But I intend to enjoy the ride: Tony Geary & Tyler Christopher, in particular, are sure to bring their A-game. (Newbie Julie Berman is also strikingly good and an Emmy nom shoo-in.)

A note to ABC: if the only thing keeping Genie Francis from a full-time gig on GH is money, PLEASE allow me to send you a list of the people you can cut to afford her!

Line of the day on 'Passions'

You can always count on "Passions" chief beefcake coordinator James E. Reilly to serve up some Shakespearean dialogue every day, but Monday's episode had me reeling for the rewind button.

Musclebound rich boy Fox Crane (Mark Cameron Wystrach) to rival musclebound poor boy Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald (Adrian Bellani), as he destroyed the latter's modeling contract: "Sorry, Miguel, the muscleboy look is kind of passe!"

I died laughing. Pot, meet kettle.

T.J. Hoban on 'Passions'

He was only there for a day, so I couldn't really add him to the Shrine itself, but I did think it deserved special attention that fitness model and former Chippendale T.J. Hoban was a recent day-player on "Passions" as a porn star.

If you are unfamiliar with Mr. Hoban, you should get familiar, and quick! One of the hottest models I know of, he is one of the few men you could honestly say has a 10-pack. Check out his personal site at tjhoban.net. Enjoy!

Double whammy: ATWT's Collier, Leyden out?

Oh my.

In the Oct. 31 issue, Soap Opera Weekly is reporting the following horrible news:

Katie is losing both her men on As the World Turns. Setside sources say Mark Collier is leaving the show at the end of his contract this year, while Paul Leyden is headed back to Australia as Simon's six-month stint winds up. At press time, an ATWT spokesperson wouldn't comment on Katie's conundrum.

Leyden's exit isn't much of a surprise, given that his Spring 2006 comeback was announced as being short-term. But the loss of Collier from daytime would be a true blow to the medium's hunk quotient. Collier has been the soap hunk here at this site for the past few years, winning Adonis 2005 and placing 2nd in 2004 and 2006. He also has won 5 Soaphunks.net Awards, including Best Hunk of 2004.

AMC's Mathison plans to stay shirted

The most-awarded soap hunk in this site's history plans to keep his shirt on more often. AMC's Cameron Mathison, who has won 11 Soaphunks.net Awards (including Best Hunk in 2000), was featured in this Scripps Howards article:

Cameron Mathison is in a hurry to keep his shirt on.

"I'm not taking my shirt off as much anymore," says the actor, whose Ryan Lavery character is famous for going topless just about anywhere on "All My Children" (noon weekdays, ABC).

At home. At work. Even standing around an elevator.

"I started on (the soap) as a guy who didn't own a shirt," Mathison jokes. "That digs a hole for an actor. Yeah, it's fun for the fans and stuff, but no one takes you seriously."

A shirtless Ryan became so popular with viewers that Mathison couldn't resist their pleas during public appearances. They chanted for him to take it off - and he obliged.
Now he regrets it.

"I blame myself for letting it get out of control," he says. "I didn't realize it was escalating into such a silly thing."

Turns out that his well-toned tummy and broad chest were getting more notices than his acting chops.

The 35-year-old soap stud stayed with the show for four years. He left for a year, did some prime-time guest gigs and then returned with a new outlook. During the leave from daytime, he got married and became a father. He says his priorities changed. The shirt is staying on.

"I stopped taking it off in places where it was just kind of silly," he says. "On the show, we had a little talk about it, and they promised me my shirt would not come off on the show in places where it doesn't make sense, like at the elevator at the office. It's just a weird place to get naked."

I dunno. I still like him shirtless. ;)

Sabato leaving B&B

Italian stallion Antonio Sabato, Jr. has mutually agreed with the powers that be at B&B to dissolve his contract at the end of its cycle. After joining the cast in June 2005, Sabato became the sudser's No. 1 hunk, with more than his share of shirtless scenes. Last year, he received three soaphunks.net award nominations, including Best Hunk.

After also axing Mario Lopez a few months back, this leads me to one obvious question. Has Brad Bell been drinking some funny Kool-Aid?

Soaphunks.net Awards: I need your feedback!

The 8th annual Soaphunks.net Awards will be here before you know it! And in preparation for the November nominations, I'd like to hear your opinions on a number of questions about this annual site tradition. I'm interested in what both longtime visitors and newbies think. I can't guarantee that majority will rule here, but I'd still like to know your thoughts. You also will have a chance to suggest who you think should be nominated in each category!

The survey is located online at http://www.soaphunks.net/awardsvote.php. Thanks for your input!

I made Soap Opera Digest!

Woohoo! I've hit the big time this week as soaphunks.net scored its first-ever mention in Soap Opera Digest! Check out Page 77 of the October 10th issue. You'll see a shirtless Greg Vaughan and a blurb recommending my site's Video Vault. It reads:

Losing Your Shirt: In the mood to watch GH heartthrobs Tyler Christopher (Nikolas), Greg Vaughan (Lucky) and Steve Burton (Jason) strut around in shirtless scenes? Check out this site for clips and pics of your favorite clothing-challenged hunks. Find it: www.soaphunks.net/video.php

Not sure why they singled out GH when my video clips are inclusive of all the soaps, but I'm not complaining. This rocks! Thanks, Soap Opera Digest!