As I watched ATWT this week and the news came in about Guiding Light, I continue to be worried about the fate of this show as well. There are times when things are going well; however you see that things can be better. We now have Damian Grimaldi back - a character that moves story and the addition of two new characters that I hope will not be on every day.

Parker and Liberty
Why did these two get married? I know he wanted possession of his trust fund so he could do whatever he wanted to do and that shows to me that his parents have allowed him to have too much that he thinks in this selfish manner. He is so different now than that cute little kid that had visions when Jack was missing - it's amazing that he grew up to be so combative all the time. I have to take into consideration that he is a teenager now who is in love, is sexually active and that changes a boy. It appears that his grand plan has hit a snag; he thought by having Craig as his trustee then he had it made. Well, Craig wants to please Carly so he is consulting her before allowing Parker to think he is in the driver's seat.

One of the beauties about this story is that it will show that marriage is no walk in the park for anybody especially a 16 year old groom and 17 year old bride. Liberty showed this week that she does have things in her life that she wants to do and it is not all about Parker. Parker thinks because he is married to her that he has some control over her - first lesson, you should not try to control another person. I like that the parents are trying to leave them along to experience their married life because they will realize that this was a huge mistake; as least, it seems Liberty is acting like she has doubts and continues to stand up for herself.

The Surrogate Baby Story
This is going to turn out terribly bad with friendships being ruined because of the lies. It's true that Katie had had a number of setbacks since deciding to have a baby; I think that Henry and Vienna need to tell Katie and Brad the truth right now. Henry seems to have warmed up to the idea of him and Vienna being parents so how will this play out when it's time to give their baby to Brad and Katie.

These antics with the sonogram pictures and all are not funny; they are playing with this woman's desire to have a baby which is not playing fair. It's true that Henry and Vienna are known to provide a comedic edge to the story though I don't find this to be comical at all. They need to be honest with their friends by telling them the truth so they can look into different options for becoming parents. I certainly hope this turns out different than what I see right now.

Luke Snyder
Luke continues to be vocal about his likes and dislikes; however he does have ample reason not to trust his biological father, Damian Grimaldi. Damian never comes to town unless there is something up his sleeve and he wants something usually money. The questions now are: did he trash Holden & Lily's place, did he set up the stabbing and does he know the twins who have appeared out of nowhere.

He looks like Zac is interested in Noah and all of this could be engineered by Damian to get Luke in a position of vulnerability then kaboom; he will strike. Who are these twins and are they related to anyone in town? These are my questions; I guess that's why I need to tune in tomorrow to find out more as the story evolves.

Is Lily falling for Damian's antics? She always had a special pull towards him no matter what he does so is she being sympathetic thereby going to cause some problems for her and Holden again. Holden and Lily will continue to be bothered by former lovers and spouses as they can pop up at any time in Oakdale. I think Holden will be keeping a close eye on Damian as Damian always brings trouble when he is in town.

Casey and Alison
Is Casey trying to grow up? He went to the Dean to talk to him instead of giving in to his anger - what was an adult move. He is the son of a police lieutenant and an attorney; his grandfather runs the hospital and his grandmothers own major businesses - so why is he mopping floors in the hospital? In any other soap opera town, he would be CEO of a company right now. I think with all of his connections, he should be doing something different. However, we never see him having any interaction with his grandparents anyway.

I know I keep saying this, I want the Oakdale when Casey would be talking to Lisa or Kim - they give him a job to show how responsible he can be then he moves up where he is running the hotel or doing something major at the television station. Hey, Brad Snyder walks into WOAK and becomes a major star, why can't Casey?

So it looks like they are moving along with another Hughes and Stewart pairing; where is Jade, is she now out of the picture?

Finally, I need to talk about the demise of Guiding Light. I can't believe that CBS has decided to cancel this television institution; it is appalling to know that the stories of the Bauer, Spaulding and Lewis families are no more after September 18th. However, it is true also that there have been major problems with the direction of the show for a while now - so this is not completely surprising. I did think that the show was on an upswing with the return of Philip Spaulding.

I am talking about this because ATWT is in danger as well if things are not done in the immediate future to bring it back to some of its former glory. This show has the ability to be a force to be reckoned with if some changes are made like the integration of the veterans on a regular basis; character development and not the same story over and over again for Paul or Dusty or Meg; make it the multigenerational show that it was created to be and finally, just slow down the storytelling a bit to give the stories more of an emotional edge.

I want this show to be around for 72 years or more but with the way things are happening, someone needs to jump in and make necessary changes. I don't want us to read that CBS has decided to cancel ATWT next year because no one wants to allow some new creative blood backstage and that is the bottom line.

That's all I have for now.
Reggie Jackson