A passel of bubbly soap stars gathered June 18 at a Gotham nightclub to help All My Children search for the sexiest man in America.

I was invited -- as a reporter, not a contestant, of course -- to attend the festivities, and now you can take a peek behind the scenes at a soap opera-sponsored event.

One of the very best parts of being a journalist on assignment is having access to places "normal"people can't go --- and avoiding lines. The crowd outside the Coda club on 34th Street in midtown Manhattan stretched around the corner, but I walked up to the gargantuan guard tending the velvet rope at the entrance and recited the magic words: "I'm on the list."He dutifully unhooked the rope and allowed me into the vestibule, where it was confirmed my name was, indeed, on "the list,"and I was issued an orange wristband that granted me admission to the V.I.P. area, where the talent would hang out.

Inside the smallish club, the would-be sexy guys sat on a series of couches, filling out forms on clipboards, in a roped-off section to the right of the small stage. The audience grew as the throng outside was slowly let in. The contestants cycled as small groups of them were taken downstairs for interviews and new ones let inside.

A group from One Life to Live -- Shanelle Workman, Bree Williamson and Jay Wilkison (Flash, Jessica and Riley) -- were the first stars to arrive. They were ushered past another bouncer and velvet rope and up some stairs to a balcony overlooking stage left. The balcony was furnished with couches and chairs, and was marginally quieter than the main floor.

When the night's hostesses -- Alicia Minshew, Rebecca Budig and Terri Ivens (Kendall, Greenlee and Simone, AMC) -- arrived, they were ushered upstairs. I was motioned to follow, and I flashed my wristband. The show publicist asked me to wait a few moments while the women got settled, so I sat off to the side and watched the actresses pose for a photographer. With well-practiced ease, the women smiled and slithered together on the couch, giggling and seeming to enjoy it.

Eventually we were joined by others -- friends, fellow actors, network figures, other reporters and waitresses taking drink orders (but no food). As opportunities arose, I ducked in to quickly ask questions of the stars; other times I just stood back and watched them interact just like...well, regular people -- which is just what they are. They chatted and drank and gossiped and laughed and hugged (and gals went to the ladies' room in pairs) just like any party of friends. Among the other soap stars to make appearances: Eden Riegel, Elizabeth Hendrickson and Ivan Shaw (Bianca, Maggie and Henry, AMC) and Jessica Morris and Bruce Michael Hall (Jen and Joey, OLTL), as well as assorted boyfriends, girlfriends and pals.