Van Hansis fans are no doubt counting the minutes until today's Very Special Episode of As the World Turns, which promises some big moments for everyone's favorite Alpha Gay Oakdale Teen, Luke Snyder. (We'll be here liveblogging the big event at 2PM Eastern, don't forget.)

But lo and behold, that's not all the Van we have in store for you today! Here are some brand-spankin'-new pics of Van from his smash off-Broadway debut in Charles Busch's Die Mommie Die!, currently running to rave reviews. It's a Vantasia! A Vantasmagoria! A Vandemic! A ... okay, I'll shut up.

But is it just me, or does it look like there's a been a bit of Vanscaping in the above pic? Alright, alright ...

Enjoy!

And my favorite (eyes up, Van!) ...

• The New York Times' Ben Brantley has mostly glowing things to say about Charles Busch's Die Mommie Die! Alas, he doesn't say anything about Van Hansis!

• Out Aussie singer Darren Hayes causes a minor ruckus trying to update his blog. I can SO relate!

• Queerty interviews the always hilarious and insightful Dan Savage.
  

• Stephen Fry is filming a documentary about driving across America and wants you to snap pictures of his car if you see him. I guess this means he's too cheap to hire his own publicists.
  

• Lance Bass will be in New York, New Jersey, Chicago and elsewhere to promote his autobiography which is out tomorrow.

• If this trashy British magazine just LOVES Mark Indelicato then what's with the tacky pictures?

Here's a special Friday treat for all the Van Hansis fans out there: We just got the first pics of the blonder half of everyone's favorite gay-teen-playing As the World Turns acting duo in his Off-Broadway debut in Charles Busch's hilarious Die Mommie Die!

Currently in previews, the show opens Sunday October 21st and runs through February (which must be exhausting for Van -- probably not a bad thing that he's doing his scenes from in or beneath a hospital bed these days!), and you can get tickets and keep tabs on the show over here. For those who haven't seen the play or the 2003 film version, it's kind of a retro Hollywood version of The Oresteia, with two children seeking to avenge their father after their fame-hungry mother poisons him with a suppository. (Yes, you read that right.) Van plays Lance, the gay son who was kicked out of boarding school for ... well, you can probably imagine.

More great pics of Van, Charles, and the rest of the cast after the jump!

According to Playbill, the actor playing our favorite gay Oakdale resident, Van Hansis, is joining the cast of a revival of Charles Busch's Die Mommie, Die!, which begins previews at New World Stages October 10th and officially opens October 21. Hansis will play "Lance," disturbed son of "Angela Arden" (played in drag by Charles Busch).

If you haven't already seen the play (or the movie), here's the plot:

A comedy-thriller steeped in the glamour of 1960s Hollywood, Die Mommie Die! tells the story of Angela Arden's hateful marriage to film producer Sol Sussman . Desperate to find happiness with her younger lover, an out-of-work TV actor named Tony Parker, Angela gruesomely murders her husband with the aid of a poisoned suppository. In a plot that reflects Greek tragedy as well as Hollywood kitsch, Angela's manipulative daughter, Edith, convinces her "emotionally disturbed" brother, Lance (played by Hansis), that together they must avenge their father's death—by killing their mother.

With his storyline heating up on As The World Turns, we wonder that the actor had time in his busy schedule to play yet another conflicted gay youth. We're not complaining though!

Check out the trailer for the movie version (which featured Stark Sands in Hansis' role) after the jump.

Friday

The Henry Rollins Show (Independent Film Channel) 11:00 PM EDT
Influential (and out) rocker Bob Mould (who pioneered the hardcore scene with Husker Du and followed up with the popular rock band Sugar, aside from his excellent solo work) performs this week. Hey did you know that Mould was a scriptwriter for a professional wrestling group? Thanks, Wikipedia!

The Daytime Emmy Awards (CBS) 9:00 PM EDT
Neil Patrick Harris is one of the presenters. Among the nominees, Ellen Degeneres, Tyra Banks and The View battle over the Outstanding Talk Show and Outstanding Talk Show Host trophies. As the World Turns' Van Hansis is also nominated for Outstanding Younger Actor. Go Van! (BJ: Anyone else find it ironic that the Daytime Emmys are aired at night?)

Touch of Pink (Logo) 9:00 PM EDT
If your mood leans more towards watching a movie than an awards show, Touch of Pink is a fun romantic comedy for a Friday night. Jimi Mistry plays a gay Muslim man who has imaginary conversations with Cary Grant (Kyle MacLachlan)... it's like a Play It Again, Sam for the new century.

Saturday

50 Funniest Women (Oxygen) 10:00 PM EDT
Kelly Ripa hosts this countdown of funny women with clips of their best work including Ellen Degeneres, Kathy Griffin, Mo'Nique, Lisa Kudrow, Whoopi Goldberg and Megan Mullally.

The Graham Norton Show (BBC America) 10:00 PM EDT
I'm not sure what's different, but I'm enjoying this new show much, much more than any of Norton's previous shows. Joan Rivers and Julian McMahon are guests. As Norton notes in the previews, one of them is in a show about plastic surgery and the other has had plastic surgery.

Sunday

Black Men: The Truth (BET) 12:00 PM EDT
This Fathers' Day special examines stereotypes about Black Men including discussions of the issues facing Black Men today, issues that include homosexuality. Chris Rock and Barack Obama are among those commenting.

Psycho Beach Party (Logo) 4:00 PM EDT
Hey, I was just talking about this movie! This parody of 50's beach films is based on the Charles Busch play. Silliness abounds in this movie which features a serial killer, a big dance number, half-naked surfers and electroshock therapy.

Entourage (HBO) 10:00 PM EDT
The popular comedy returns with Rex Lee as gay, long-suffering assistant Lloyd.