'The Fosters' Executive Producers Bradley Bredeweg, Joanna Johnson and Peter Paige to be Honored by Lambda Legal

The Fosters Executive Producers /Showrunners Bradley Bredeweg, Joanna Johnson and Peter Paige will receive Lambda Legal’s Liberty Award for the work they have done to give a voice to LGBT families through the creation of their show and for the impact they’ve had in creating an environment of increasing tolerance and acceptance. Also recently announced, they will join fellow honorees Dan Bucatinsky, the Emmy-winning Scandal alumni, and transgender activist Bamby Salcedo at the West Coast Liberty Awards. The annual red carpet fundraising gala celebrates those working towards Lambda Legal’s vision of equality and will be held on Friday, June 13th, at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons in Beverly Hills.

THE FOSTERS Summer Finale Preview: Watch "I Do" & Twitter Chat With Executive Producer Jennifer Lopez

Photo: ABC Family

Fans of THE FOSTERS will have the opportunity to chat live with cast and executive producers from the series during the East Coast and West Coast broadcasts of the series' Summer finale on Monday, August 5th, from 9-10 p.m. ET/PT. THE FOSTERS executive producer Jennifer Lopez will be tweeting live with fans via her handle @JLo during the East Coast broadcast from 9-10 p.m. ET/6-7 p.m. PT. To join the conversation, fans should include the hashtag #TheFostersChat in their tweets.

In the Summer finale episode of THE FOSTERS, entitled "I Do," Stef and Lena try to maintain calm when their parents descend on the Foster house for a very special celebration. Lena's dad, Stewart (played by Stephen Collins), has agreed to officiate the ceremony while her mother, Dana (Lorraine Toussaint), and Stef's colorful, talkative mom Sharon (Annie Potts) attempt to keep things civil when disagreeing on floral arrangements. Sharon tries to strong-arm Frank (Sam McMurray) into attending.

THE FOSTERS Preview: "Vigil"; Twitter Chat With Sherri Saum

Photo: ABC Family

THE FOSTERS star Sherri Saum will participate in a live Twitter chat with fans during the East Coast broadcast of the show on Monday, July 29th at 9 p.m. ET.

Saum will be tweeting via her handle @SherriSaum1 from 9-10 p.m. ET, 6-7 p.m. PT. To ask Saum questions, fans should tweet at her handle and include the hashtag #TheFostersChat. On THE FOSTERS, she plays Lena Adams, devoted lesbian partner to Stef Foster and loving co-mother to their three children.

In the all-new episode, titled "Vigil," Lena tries to process the extent of Mariana and Jesus' lies while Stef and Mike head to Ana's to try and find Jesus. What they encounter lands someone in the hospital and changes the Foster family forever.

Stars Ryan Lane of SWITCHED AT BIRTH and Danny Nucci & Madisen of THE FOSTERS Will Live-Twitter Chat During Tonight's New Episodes

Photo: ABC Family

On Monday, July 22nd, fans can participate in live chats via Twitter with actors from ABC Family original drama series SWITCHED AT BIRTH and THE FOSTERS during the East Coast broadcasts of the series starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Ryan Lane, who guest stars as Travis on SWITCHED AT BIRTH, will be tweeting live during the East Coast broadcast of the series from 8-9 p.m. ET/5-6 p.m. PT. Fans should tweet at Ryan's handle @RyanLane1123 and include the hashtag #SwitchedAtBirthChat in their tweets to ask their questions.

In the new episode of SWITCHED AT BIRTH, titled "Prudence, Avarice, Lust, Justice, Anger," Angelo invites Bay to join him at a pivotal meeting concerning the custody of his infant daughter. When Daphne and Jace uncover a potential scandal regarding Senator Coto, they must decide what to do with the confidential information. Meanwhile, Nikki discovers that Toby and Simone have been in touch, and Emmett and Travis try to set Melody up on a blind date.

SWITCHED AT BIRTH's Vanessa Marano & Creators of THE FOSTERS' Will Live-Twitter Chat During Tonight's New Episodes

Photo: ABC Family

Vanessa Marano, who stars as Bay Kennish on SWITCHED AT BIRTH, and Peter Paige and Bradley Bredeweg, Creators and Executive Producers of THE FOSTERS, will participate in live chats via Twitter during the East Coast broadcasts of their series Monday, July 15th, starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Vanessa Marano will be tweeting live during the East Coast broadcast of SWITCHED AT BIRTH from 8-9 p.m. ET/5-6 p.m. PT. Fans can ask Vanessa their questions by tweeting her at the ABC Family official SWITCHED AT BIRTH handle @ABCFsab. They should include the hashtag #SwitchedAtBirthChat in their tweets.

YEAR OF THE SOAP: New Jennifer Lopez Lesbian Family Drama to Unite Emmett from QUEER AS FOLK, Janice Dickinson's Ex-Husband, ABC Family

1993: "From the producers of KNOTS LANDING."

With a couple movies out this year, huge clothing and perfume lines, a new greatest hits album about to drop and a summer concert tour, Jennifer Lopez is busy. Soap fans are busy, too.  Let's join her as she jettisons the sclerotic AMERICAN IDOL (three weeks of satire, three weeks of farce, with several weeks of nap time in between) for an exciting new ABC Family venture featuring "a new kind of family" indeed - one with same-sex parents, adopted twins, a biological son and a new, teenage homewrecker.

That sounds to me like a recipe for some fabulous family drama - and another ABC Family hit that just happens to be a soap opera.

2012 has seen a steady flow of high-profile soap opera projects backed by big names from the entertainment industry. Let's take a look at the latest.