^ Good point. I guess I just always think of the Stewarts as a core ATWT family. Now TPTB have dwindled them down to just Susan and Emily.

Yes....BIG TIME!! Everytime I see it, thats ALL I think!

The seasons theme song was nice, but it definitely made it look like ATWT was some religious show. Maybe if they had just gotten rid of the season stuff and replaced it w/ clips from past episodes, it would have been nicer and not like something the 700 Club would use. The music was really good though.

The thing that bugs me is that they just used the old shots from the other opening in the beginning, and they haven't even updated half of the actors yet. It's not just the older actors who haven't really changed all that much physically, but younger characters too, like Katie. That's just being lazy! Anyone can convert images from one opening to another...even I can! This isn't a budget concern. I mean, people here make nice openings on their own computers.

If the show has that much of a problem updating the opening, then they shouldn't show the actors at all. I think that's the way to go. Neither of the NBC soaps show the actors, and they never have to change their openings, and their openings are pretty nice, so ATWT should do that. They should have brought back the original-type opening for the 50th anniversary.

Definitely! I have never really liked this current opening..the song sucks and editing just looks pasted together..the way they film the new shots isn't even the same as the originals so they just look horrible as a whole piece. I also think they need to bring back the spinning globe..the show is called "As the World Turns".

My question is why we need cast shots in the opening. We see these characters during the show, why do they need to be in the opening credits too? Unless they're incorporated in a really inventive way (e.g. AW's "You take me away to Another World" opening, or GH's original Faces of the Heart, or B&B's original opening) then they shouldn't be there at all IMO.

This may be veering off topic a little, but I think Goutman's way past his prime. I think ATWT needs a new EP.... preferably a female (why did GL get Ellen Wheeler? She was trained on ATWT, we should have gotten to keep her.)

HA, let's just keep Wheeler right where she is at GL. We don't need her destroying another show.....

HA, let's just keep Wheeler right where she is at GL. We don't need her destroying another show.....

Well she inherited a mess and works with an extremely tight budget. Had she come right after Rauch I think she'd have been more effective.

I can picture it now....spinning globes made up of scenes involving particular actors as that actor stands beside the globe and pose.

Example. Terri Colombino stand beside a spinning globe made entirely of shots of "Katie" scenes.

But yeah...It needs a new opening.

Oooh I like that idea!

I think Wheeler's intentions are right. You can tell that she's devoted to the show and that she's not running it to the ground. Unfortuately, GL's budget is so low that they can't get a better writing team than the hacks that are in charge right now. Also, the problems with GL aren't thing that Wheeler started: she inherited them from the previous EPs. The one thing that GL has is good acting, which if anything, is going to be the thing that saves the show from cancellation. Also, they're not afraid to take on controversial storylines since, obviously, they're in a tough situation.

As for Goutman, I think he's a good EP, but I don't agree with the direction that the show has taken since he took over in 1999. Ever since he took over, the show has started to focus more and more on younger characters and less on the family, which IMO does not work for a show like ATWT. Now it's at its worst, which is why I stopped watching the show for the time-being. The only current storyline that stays true to ATWT's format is Luke's coming out storyline, which also happens to be the only storyline that is well-written IMO.

Even in 2000, when the show was supposedly amazing, I knew that it was heading down a slippery slope. He's had 3 HWs work for him, and I'd say that all 3 of them were less-than-stellar. Laiman was the worst, of course, and was one of the worst HWs in the history of the show. And Sheffer was good, but ran out of steam way too early and created some of the worst storylines in the show's history IMO. And Passanante's just mediocre at best. The current writing regime can write good storylines, but they don't seem to know it b/c 90% of what they write is boring.

The thing is, they cant even really use budget as an excuse to not make a new opening. GL's opening was notoriously thrifty and everyone was expecting something horrid, but it turned out to be one of the best openings any soap has right now. It's easily updatable and uses clips from the show and promo shoots, saving money on having to shoot new shots for characters. ATWT could do a similar one with the globe incorporated. But I'm guessing we'll be stuck with the one they have for a long time, even though it sucks.

Even in 2000, when the show was supposedly amazing, I knew that it was heading down a slippery slope. He's had 3 HWs work for him, and I'd say that all 3 of them were less-than-stellar. Laiman was the worst, of course, and was one of the worst HWs in the history of the show. And Sheffer was good, but ran out of steam way too early and created some of the worst storylines in the show's history IMO. And Passanante's just mediocre at best. The current writing regime can write good storylines, but they don't seem to know it b/c 90% of what they write is boring.

There was a short Goutman-Broderick overlap, and that month was a very good month for ATWT (July 1999.) That month was the only time I've EVER liked Carjack together.