Soap Spotlight: A New Super Hero, Casting News and Your Online "Passions"

Last week, “Guiding Light” teamed up with Marvel Comics to create a new super hero, The Guiding Light.

And no, that’s not a joke.

Every Wednesday, “Light” does a special episode called “Inside the Light,” where they focus the entire hour on one character. Last week’s episode was “She’s a Marvel,” which focused on Harley Davidson Cooper. After an electricity mishap, Harley found herself with superpowers and became The Guiding Light.

In conjunction with the episode, you can find an eight-page “Guiding Light” story in several Marvel comics out this month.

“Light” head writer David Kreizman says that teaming up with Marvel was “such a natural fit for us because comic books and soap operas have so much in common.”

This is actually the second time “Light” and Marvel have teamed up. “GL” costume designer David Kreizman designed Storm’s wedding dress in the “Black Panther” comic.

You can see the entire episode and get all of the behind-the-scenes secrets at www.cbs.com/daytime/gl/behind/specials/...

Austin Peck wasted no time in finding another daytime role after he was written off the “Days of Our Lives” canvas (as Austin). Peck will play Brad Snyder on “As the World Turns.” Brad was last seen on the show (played by another actor) in 1999. Peck has signed a three-year contract and will first appear in early 2007…

In my favorite casting news of the week, Betty White will join “The Bold & the Beautiful” in a limited run as Stephanie’s mother, Ann Douglas. If you saw White whack that guy with a frying pan on “Boston Legal” last season, you know she was made to play a classic soap opera witch. Alley Mills (“The Wonder Years”) will play Stephanie’s sister, Pamela. Their first air date is scheduled for December 1st…

Finally, NBC announced this week that it is now streaming full episodes of “Passions” online at NBC.com (What did we do before the Internet?). The shows will remain accessible for a week until they are replaced by new episodes.

So why “Passions” and not “Days”? NBC owns “Passions,” which allows it to more easily clear the digital rights…

So what soap-related things are on your mind this week?