A holiday tale...

In the cozy, green-carpeted corner of the television section of an electronics store, seven people sit on white folding chairs positioned in a circle.

The cancellation of AS THE WORLD TURNS has hit home with scores of people, and those likely include fans of GUIDING LIGHT, who have walked the road ATWT viewers are about to traverse and can sympathize with them. This multigenerational show has changed lives, and those lives will have to change around its ending.

Consistently strong writing and Eric Braeden's powerful performances as YOUNG AND RESTLESS' Victor Newman have succeeded in making the manipulative magnate a character I like to loathe. Unfortunately, that "strong writing" part sank a bit the second Colleen's heart hit the villain's body.

The GUIDING LIGHT fan weekend in Manhattan was bittersweet, but brought many fun, memorable moments and statements, including some revelations. Here are just a few, to complement Soap Opera Weekly's report in our Nov. 3 issue, which is on stands now.

Last week, I attended the Hennessy Artistry event at Manhattan's sprawling Terminal 5 club. The powerhouse night, which wrapped up a multi-city tour celebrating new and emerging musical artists, started out with a few television personalities (and film stars with TV connections) hitting the red carpet, including Lucy Liu (ex-Ling, ALLY MCBEAL; ex-Mia, CASHMERE MAFIA).

As the soap industry's world turns faster than it has in years, with many surprising and controversial behind-the-scenes shakeups, it's vital to look at what GUIDING LIGHT did right and wrong. Although GL triumphed in innumerable ways, killing Maureen was deemed a significant mistake which angered many of the show's viewers, just as Colleen's death has upset many fans of YOUNG AND RESTLESS. So four longtime viewers joined me in an "online roundtable" to discuss GL, including how the beloved 72-year-old series' final week succeeded and what it was missing.

Did you make it through GUIDING LIGHT viewers' toughest day? I don't mean Friday, Sept. 18, but Monday, Sept. 21, the first official weekday without the soap. If so, congratulations to you and all the viewers who were able to handle going Springfieldless. It was a challenge for me, but I believe the advance notice of GL's conclusion, along with the powerful finale, helped me deal with not having my favorite show on the air. Tuesday proved to be somewhat easier...but that might have been far from the case for many people.

Watching the extremely moving developments in GUIDING LIGHT’s Phillip/Alan story, in which Alan bravely saved his son’s life but suddenly passed away, has been challenging but also cathartic. My dad, Sol, would have turned 75 today.

I recall being stuck at home from school on snow days, and as the latest blizzard pounded on the windows, an hour of GUIDING LIGHT brightening up the TV screen was my hot cocoa. Each scene or act, whether the year's holiday season was being celebrated or someone was being romanced or blackmailed, created memorable coziness in my tweenage years, and for many years to come.

With two weeks to go, GUIDING LIGHT is certainly combining the dramatic, the depressing and the delightful these days, as Phillip's terminal illness and Henry's paternity (that's the delightful part) are both out in the open. But I have another storyline to discuss: the revisionist redemption of Cyrus Foley. I have no problem with him being the son of fellow jewel thief Jenna.