FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Vanessa Ray

In this week's "First Impressions" column, We Love Soaps editor Roger Newcomb gives his first impressions of new AS THE WORLD TURNS actress Vanessa Ray and her character, Teri Ciccone.

AS THE WORLD TURNS' Vanessa Ray (Teri Ciccone)
NEWCOMB: Vanessa Ray debuted on Thursday's episode of AS THE WORLD TURNS as Teri, a waitress in a restaurant in Chicago that Craig and Rosanna brought the kids to for a business meeting. Rosanna asked Teri to keep an eye on the kids while she and Craig took care of business in a different part of the restaurant. Teri happily obliged, almost too happily, and when the kids didn't understand the menu, she made them her own special dish. Now what waitress has the time to go into the kitchen to whip up their own entrée? And what restaurant would allow it? Despite the implausibility of the situation and the forced nature of the set up, Vanessa Ray sparkled on camera. Her Teri displayed heart, warmth and kindness with the children. And when Teri was fired from her job for emailing with Sage, Ray's reaction made you feel for the character. Next week Teri's sisterly connection wtih Janet will be revealed and it should be interesting to see the dynamic between Ray and Julie Pinson. With so many soap characters debuting with "dark" sides in recent years, Vanessa Ray's Teri brought a brightness to AS THE WORLD TURNS that was a breath of fresh air. Might a romance with Hunter or Adam be on the horizon?