The Benefit site was at the Marriott Marquis which is a gorgeous hotel. I will set up the room to give you a quick idea of how it appeared. The Banquet Room (BR), as expected, is huge. The stage is on your left and centered. The tables are placed in a partial U around the stage and dance floor and continue until about one-third of the way to the back wall. In that remaining section, the Silent Auction Items are displayed. Against the back, right wall are the buffet tables. While the Benefit included actors and auction items from other Soaps, Primetime and Sports, my descriptions are mainly focused around ATWT. In the hallways leading to the BR and in the BR, itself, actors and fans gathered for pictures, autographs, and conversation. A note before I continue. Over the past two years, I have developed friendships through email that started out about ATWT. This event gave us the chance to meet and develop those friendship further. Between this and the happenings of the event, this evening was FUN! Even more important though and as much as we enjoyed meeting friends, actors and seeing the performances, we were all very aware that the real reason for this Benefit was the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. I know that all in attendance sincerely hope that the goals for this event were not just reached but were above and beyond what the planners had worked for. There is never enough support for the important work that the Hospital does! THE BENEFIT Silent Auction Items for ATWT Autographed Eileen Fulton Book with ATWT Wardrobe Item Assorted Wardrobe Items including Lily/Damien's wedding rings, Molly's bird headpiece, David's bullet hole shirt, a Lucinda hat Make over by the ATWT hair and make-up team Autographed ATWT tote bag with Oakdale PD cap/script/die hard video, etc. Autographed ATWT script with ATWT T-shirt Autographed ATWT 40th Anniversary Book with ATWT T-shirt Autographed ATWT T-shirt ATWT hospital scrub worn by Peter Parros with star autograph Autographed "Little Me" script Autographed "Smokey Joe's Café" poster Live Auction Items As the World Turns Set Tour Two lunches with Michael Park (top bids were $1,600 each) There were so many items listed for Live and Silent Auction aside from ATWT, i.e., tickets to the Soap Opera Digest Awards, other set tours, Jay Leno tickets, lunch with other stars, pictures with stars to be published in the different Soap magazines, autographed hockey sticks, basketball, tickets, etc. Performances As all of us are already aware, we have an extremely talented cast. We were treated to the following: Two songs performed by Scott Holmes were "Word Up" and "This is How We Do It." Scott had the room jumping with "This Is How We Do It." We also had a very special treat - Scott's son performed with him. Martha Byrne singing "Dancing in the Streets" and "Walking on Sunshine." Marvelous! Maura West and Leslie Kay Sterling dancing with the Party Dolls to "I Will Survive." These two do know how to get crazy. They were great. Finale by Michael Park with "Hooked on a Feeling." Ahhhhhhhhhh! ACTORS OF ATWT For me, it was a unique opportunity to see the actors/portrayers of our ATWT characters. All of the actors were very gracious. (They are listed in no particular order.) Martha Byrne was the hostess for the evening. She is gorgeous and lively. She set a fun tone for the auction. She reminded me very much of her character, Lily, with her energy and focus. Lauren Martin-Harkins (Camille) is absolutely breathtaking. She has a natural beauty combined with shyness and elegance. Brad may be hot on screen, but it does not compare to seeing Nick Kokotakis, himself. The air feels as if it ignites around him. As you watch Brad narrow his eyes, communicating through them, magnify those expressive eyes ten-fold and, voila, Nick in person. Michael Park (Jack) came directly from his play to do the finale at the benefit. All this was while he was suffering from the flu. Yet, the professional that he is, his performance was perfection. He is like the endearing boy next door, yet sexy. As I watched him talking to fans, it was as if he was talking to his family members. Nathaniel Marston (Eddie) is a cute kid (keep in mind that I am quite a bit older than he is - he reminds me of my nephews). He seemed totally taken by surprise that he was generating so much attention. Guess what, Nathaniel? Your love triangle hasn't even started (and, yes, you are hot). So, you ain't seen nothin' yet. The surprise of the evening, for me, was Daniel Markel (ex-David). I had heard how terrific he was with people but never expected what I saw. His interest in those around him was instinctive and genuine. When he turns those gorgeous blues on you, you KNOW it. Elizabeth Hubbard is the epitome of the word "Lady." I find the way Eddie calls Lucinda "lady" humorous since the character's meaning is quite different. Elizabeth is a lovely, gracious, and sophisticated woman. Anthony Herrera (James) was quiet and a presence in a room that you cannot miss. Every time I saw him, I wondered what he was thinking. Sound familiar? Jon Hensley (Holden) and Kelley Menighan Hensley are a cute couple. Few actors come across on screen looking exactly as they do in person. Jon is the rare exception - sigh! Kelley is softer in appearance. I am not referring to Emily but how the camera records Kelley. Benjamin Henderickson was very attentive and quiet. The best way to describe this is to picture Hal as he stands, slightly leanly back while someone is talking to him. You can see him thinking. He was also very much the gentleman. Peter Parros (Ben) was warm and openly generous. The smile never left his face nor was it forced. Ladies, we do have the sexiest gentlemen on this show. Yvonne Perry (Rosanna), Marie Masters (Susan), my apologies, but I did not have much of a chance to observe them. Sheri Alexander (ex-Samantha) is stunning and funny. The directness that she uses as Sam on screen was mirrored in her actions throughout the night. Annie Parisse (Julia) is sweet and gentle. She definitely turns heads her way with her gracious presence. Maura West was lovely and gracious. Her quickness of humor is very evident in the way we see Carly. Scott Holmes was a surprise, although not as much as Daniel was. While Tom is fairly stiff, Scott is funny and he has a fanatastic voice. Oh, and he was wearing jeans - wow! Scott DeFreitas (Andy) was very nice, gorgeous, hot, gorgeous. I got the impression that when he looked at you, he was able to read quite a bit about you. Jaime Dudney (Georgia) was precious. She is a very sweet person. Lesli Kay Sterling (Molly) was very nice, not to mention, gorgeous. She was very natural and up front talking to fans.