General Hospital News

General Hospital Happenings© 1999-2016
Warning: This page may contain spoilers.

Little Jake Spencer Recast

Hudson West is taking over the role of Jake Spencer. He will first appear on air on April 25th.

Lexi Ainsworth (Kristina Corinthos) has confirmed her new role on Rizzoli & Isles. The show is due to return in June. She is expected to continue her role on GH.

Watch the trailer>>>

News Bytes

There is a new Nurse Amy in Town!

For more info, see our page 2 Spoilers, under "Coming Attractions".

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Kirsten Storms/Brandon Barash Announce Their Split

Barash (Johnny Zacharra) in SOD, “We are splitting due to the cliché irreconcilable differences, but we’re splitting amicably”. Although they have decided to go their separate ways their daughter Harper, who is now 2 years old, is their first priority. Barash, “This was not a hasty decision; a lot of thought and therapy went into this...We went to therapy for a long time, trying to figure out how to communicate better with each other. It’s not anything that we dislike about each other."

Kirsten Storms (Maxie) shares that, "We are getting along, and I would say enjoying each other’s company more now that we don’t have the pressure of what comes with a relationship added on to that. I think Brandon and I are really looking forward to getting our friendship with each other back.”

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Maurice In New Movie

Maurice Benard (Sonny) is filming the movie, Hold On, in which he takes on the role of Peter Duran. The synopsis of the movie: “Grappling with guilt over her brother’s issues with addiction, aspiring singer Sidney Rhodes struggles to balance her time and talents while working as a Music Director at a small Los Angeles church.” Hold On also stars Luis Guzman, rap pioneer Flavor Flav and Sean Harmon (Mark Harmon and Pam Dawber's son).

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Maurice Benard will also be appearing in the 19th episode of the primetime show Castle, on April 25th.

Michael Easton Returns!

GH Executive Director, Frank Valentini announced, via the cute video seen below, that Easton will be returning in a few weeks.

According to ABC exec, Nathan Varni, Easton will be taking on a NEW role, "An exciting new character with details to be announced later this month!".

announcement from Frank Valentini on Vimeo.

Calling Doctor Griffin Munro!

Matt Cohen joins the General Hospital staff as its newest doctor.

Coming in February.

Meet the NEW Mayor Lomax

Shari Belafonte, daughter of famed musician Harry Belafonte (and wife of Sam Behrens, ex-Jake Meyer, GH '83-'87), is taking over the role of Mayor Lomax from outgoing Saidah Arrika Ekulona.

She made a name for herself in the prime- time series, Hotel, back in the 80's, and has appeared in several made for television movies.

She will begin airing on GH in mid-January.

Saying Good bye:
Dr. Patrick Drake

Previously hinted in Rumorville and further below (see the Kimberly McCullough item), rumors of this exit are now confirmed.

Jason Thompson has decided to leave GH after a decade on the show. You can read his statement about it HERE.

No word as of yet on his final airdate.

Here's....Johnny!

Brandon Barash returns to GH as Johnny Zacchara, in early December. Executive Producer, Frank Valentini, “Hold on tight GH fans because things are going to get absolutely crazy good in Port Charles in the coming months. We are so happy to have Brandon back and with Johnny Z’s unexpected arrival in Port Charles that can only spell one thing: t-r-o-u-b-l-e.”

Casting Call

GH wants a "well known actress for this important role". The recurring character calls for a "strong, dynamic", mid 50 to 60 year old African-American woman, and would begin taping the end of November.

Break Up

Real life couple, Chad Duell (Michael) and Kristen Alderson (ex-Kiki, GH) and have broken up. According to Alderson, they remain friends.

Tristan Rogers GH Bound!

Update: Rogers' representative states that, "Tristan is only visiting Port Charles for a very short time" and will continue in his role on Y&R as Colin. According to a tweet from Rogers, GH fans can expect some "fun stuff".

Rogers returns to his role as Robert Scorpio this December. Executive Producer Frank Valentini, "Scorpio is such a beloved legacy character who evokes a sense of nostalgia and I know the fans have been patiently waiting for Tristan’s return. I share their sentiments and enthusiasm and that of our entire GH team in welcoming him home. It’s been a fantastic week of casting announcements for GH, but it’s not over yet."

Frank Valentini, GH's Executive Producer has announced that Kimberly McCullough will return to reprise her role as Robin Scorpio in November, per ABC. She has already begun taping. No word as of yet on her exact air date or for how long, but do not expect it to be lengthy.

Previously, in GHH's Rumorville, we mentioned that Jason Thompson (Patrick) may have decided not to renew his contract, and that if he does exit, his character will do so in order to be with Robin. (There has been some indications that she could be suffering from PSTD.). The previous item also indicated that Emma will remain with Anna. Time will tell how much of that holds up.

Regardless, this could be the reason for Robin's return. And/Or...could there be other people, motives involved?

Casting Call

GH is looking for a, "bonafide leading man, caucasion, 32-37 years old, who is very sexy, dynamic and charismatic." They have widened their search and are now considering, "authentic British & Australian actors" for the role. (source: SOD)

There is a New Therapist in Town!

Anthony Montgomery shows up the first week of November in the role of Dr Andre Maddox.

These Ladies Are Staying Put!

Both Genie Francis (Laura) and Finola Hughes (Anna) have signed new, long term contracts. "We are thrilled that Genie and Finola will continue to make General Hospital their home for years to come," said executive producer Frank Valentini. "These enormously talented actresses have created timeless characters that resonate with our fans."

GH Stars in New Web Series!

Did you know that Kirsten Storms (Maxie) and Kathleen Gati (Dr. Obrecht) are appearing in a new Web Series, called Winterthorne?

Watch the Trailer HERE.
Check out the first episode HERE.

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<---Click on 'The Obituary' title to see a short trailer of Tony Geary's new short film and find out how you can help.

Coming!

Lexi Ainsworth is returning to GH to reprise her role as the original Kristina who we all know and love, the daughter of Alexis with Sonny. A thrilled Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis) tweeted, "My baby's coming home! Mama's happy!" No word as of yet on her first air date.

Going!

Our previous Rumorville item has been confirmed. Michael Easton, who plays Dr. Silas Clay, is leaving General Hospital.

It looks like his exit will leave a murder mystery in its wake. The suspects are quickly being built up on screen. Easton completed his taping several weeks ago.

Ron Carlivati is OUT
as GH Head Writer

Per ABC, Ron Carlivati has been let go from General Hospital.

Daytime veterans Shelly Altman and Jean Passanante have been named co-headwriters, effective August 10. Vicki Dummer, executive vice president current series programming, stated, "We are pleased to welcome back two esteemed writers to our GH family. Shelly and Jean's combined talents and experiences promise to continue the show's legacy of compelling storytelling that will resonate with our impassioned viewers. We're delighted with what they have in store for the show as they continue honoring the rich, diverse environs of Port Charles."

Altman's writing credits include OLTL, Another World, and headwriter at The Young & The Restless. She was previously co-headwriter for GH back in 2012. Passanante, who joined the GH writing staff a few months back, has held the headwriter or co-headwriter position at As The World Turns, The Y&R, All My Children, and AW, and also served on the OLTL writing staff.

Excerpts from Tony Geary's Exit Interview with Michael Logan

"I don’t mind telling you that, for our last episodes [Luke and Lucky] together, Jonathan [Jackson] and I sat in my dressing room for two nights in a row, well into the night, and we deconstructed the scenes we’d been given, and it was an incredibly creative, collaborative experience. Without changing the writer’s intention, we tried to bring to the fore what the audience knows about Luke and Lucky’s relationship, because it just wasn’t on the page. I feel our work it resulted in some of the best moments Jonathan and I have shared on screen. And that’s saying a lot, because we’ve had many. The boy is extraordinary and a true artist. He lives like an artist. He can’t get enough of this world. He is so curious and alive. A real Renaissance man and I so admire him. For that selfish reason, I am glad we ended the way we did."

Did the clause in contract that allowed [Geary] to rewrite dialogue cause friction? "Sure, here and there, but I always won because I’m a mean bastard and I’d just say, “F--- it! Fire me!” Some have tried to get that clause out of there, like [former executive producer] Wendy Riche, who never much cared for me. One time she said, “I’ve got a collection of balls in my office, and yours are going up on the wall.” I said, “Well, Wendy, if you want my balls, you’re gonna need a bigger office!” After all my years with this character, I’m not about to let some new hire tell me how Luke would express an idea or an emotion, and I traded money for that. I bypassed salary increases in order to hold on to my right to fix the scripts and to be able to take breaks from the show and live for long stretches in Amsterdam. In the end, I have less money, but I am much richer for having those priorities. I’ll tell you one thing I won’t miss."

He won't miss... "Being told how to do my job. Acting is an interpretive art and that’s really forgotten on our show, where the actors are expected to be slavishly devoted to the stage directions in the script. I get scripts where I’m literally told where to take a deep breath and what line to cry on and when to turn my body. Sometimes the writer’s stage directions are longer than the scenes themselves. The great playwrights don’t do that. They trust their material. They don’t feel the need to tell actors how they’re supposed to be feeling at every moment. There’s a mistrust of actors on our show, as if we’re going to misunderstand the material."

"To be told to weep on a certain line is absurd. I don’t know when the hell I’m going to weep, if I weep at all, until I’m actually playing the scene. You don’t plan that s—t out! In all modesty, Jane Elliot [Tracy] and I have 90 years of professional acting experience between us and for us to be handed a scene where we are told how to read every line is insulting."

Speaking of Jane... "Jane remains the most underused genius in daytime television, and that’s such a mystery to me. I think they’re being foolish not to let her lead GH, make her the head of the mafia or something. It’s such a waste of a great character, a great legacy and a fabulous actress."

"I will say that [current GH executive producer] Frank Valentini is the best on-set producer I’ve worked with since Gloria [Monty, of GH's heyday]. But I doubt daytime will ever see another one with Gloria’s courage. She also had no other life. She devoted herself to GH. Frank does the same. He has Herculean energy and is on the set from the first scene to the last. I have no beef with Frank. From the day he arrived he has been respectful and honorable to me. He always listened to me, heard what I wanted or didn’t want, and tried his best to accommodate that. And that’s all I’ve ever wanted. [Geary goes on to say that he and head writer, Ron Carivati have never spoken.]

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The above are just small teasers from his lengthy interview. It is recommended that you read it in full. You can do that at here at:
TV Insider.

Casting Call

GH is said to be casting a contract role for an African-American male in his mid-30's, “very handsome, dynamic, and charismatic.”

If the late Andy Warhol had made a travelogue, it might look a lot like Amsterdam: On the Move With Anthony Geary. The just-released DVD stars the eight-time Emmy winning Geary, who...is fleeing Los Angeles to live full time in Amsterdam. Why does this city of 17-century canals—his second home for the last several years—intrigue him so? You’ll get an avant-garde clue in the DVD, which tracks Geary on an average day as he travels throughout the Dutch capital, on foot, and by boat on a mysterious mission. Conceived and directed by celebrity photographer Jim Warren, the film has little dialogue, and only the barest hint of plot, but it’s gold for the hardcore Geary fan.

Geary, “You’ve heard of the old man and the sea—well, this is the old man and the canal.” Read more about it in TVInsider HERE.

A tiny Preview is below. (Full disclosure from ghhshirley--most of my family lives in Holland and as much as I have traveled, Amsterdam is one of my favorite places on earth.) :

Casting Call

According to SOD, GH has sent out a casting call for a "complex late teens Caucasian female who is beautiful and dynamic to start shooting a new contract role in two months."

It wasn’t his plan to cry, but General Hospital star Anthony Geary couldn’t hold back the tears when current and former cast members like Kin Shriner, Finola Hughes, Kristina Wagner, Leslie Charleson, Lynn Herring, and, of course, Genie Francis showed up to bid him farewell on his final day at the ABC soap.

Read the exclusive exit interview and see the video from Entertainment Weekly: HERE

Genie Francis:'It's a Crowd-Pleaser'

Excerpted from TV.Online Interview

Genie on Luke and Laura:

“The relationship has always been realistic, and the circumstances have always been absurd.”

"It’s going to be another Luke-and-Laura adventure. There will be many fan favorites that we’ll touch on. I think it’s going to be a really nice bookend piece for the fans… I think it’s a crowd-pleaser. Other than that, I can’t give away any stories."

"The feeling when Jonathan came back on the set was, everyone was so happy. It was like he came home. They all rushed to embrace him, and then we were all so happy, we embraced each other! It was really an amazing moment. The crew, the directors. It was just an amazing moment...I always knew that he was a mega-talent, and I always knew that he would go far. So no, I’m not surprised [about his success on the primetime show, Nashville]. I’m not surprised to see him do even greater things after this. This young man is very special."

Genie, on Luke and Holly scenes:

"There’s some kind of closure that they have with each other. There’s some really great scenes about what hasn’t been spoken about. They were good scenes, I think the audience will like them. And I have to say: I adored working with Emma. She’s just great. As leading ladies go, she’s not competitive. She just sticks true to her character, and she’s very gracious and sharing. She doesn’t try to undermine the other leading lady. And that’s so hard to find. So many times, that kind of a scene can feel like a battle more than a scene, you know what I mean? And this is just so lovely. I adored her and I would work with her again in a heartbeat."

Genie says she first learned of Tony Geary's coming departure when GH's, "producers called me. I mean, I knew it had been talked about a little bit in the press here and there. I never knew when [it was going to happen]. I know he’s been talking about leaving for more than a couple of years now. But I didn’t really know when..The next question I had to ask was, 'Are you sure he wants me to be there?' Because he’s been very vocal about not wanting it to be Luke and Laura reuniting...They said, “Absolutely.”

"This is the end of an era. It was a big thing and it was a huge part of my life, so yeah. I feel a little weepy at times. Oh yeah."

You can read the full interview HERE

Lisa LoCicero Gives Birth To A Baby Girl!

Lisa LoCicero (Olivia) and husband Michael Patrick Jann became parents for the second time on May 30th to a daughter who they named, Verity Marion Jann. LoCicero also has a 13 year old son, Lukas. LoCicero tweeted, "Too happy to look at phone screen these days. She's absolutely perfect. 8lbs 11oz 21". The happy family are now home.

It's a shock. Then again, it's not. Eight-time Emmy winner Anthony Geary—the most revered and trophied actor in daytime drama—has decided to leave ABC's General Hospital at the end of his current contract.

Tony Geary To Exit GH This Summer (boo!)

Geary will continue shooting at the hit soap until late June and remain on air for a month or so after that. Then he's off to his second home in Amsterdam where, for the last few years, he has been spending more and more time. A rep for ABC Daytime says, "The door at GH will always be open to Tony and we hope that he will make a return visit at some point, even if just for a few weeks." What's behind this major life decision? And what will become of the iconic, yet horribly screwed-up, Luke Spencer?

Read the story, and an interview with the man himself , via TV Insider: HERE

Married

Jason Thompson (Patrick) and long time girlfriend Paloma Jonas tied the knot in a wedding ceremony over Easter break.

The couple said their “I do’s” on Easter Sunday. The ceremony was an elegant and intimate gathering and ceremony on the beaches of San Pancho, Mexico.

Tony Geary Discussed GH's Anniversary Episode And His Character's Story with Michael Logan

Excerpts:

Geary: I think that we can, without hesitation, refer to him as a serial killer now, and I am delighted. Most of the time when Luke has killed over the years, he really felt he was removing people from the earth who deserved to be removed, though it wasn't his place to make those decisions. That was always a stretch for me—just a wonderful conceit I played along with—but now it makes total sense. Luke became like his drunk, abusive father only worse—a marauding dark angel going around spreading as much chaos and misery as he possibly could. It certainly helps clarify Luke's drunken rape of Laura. That was a moment of his father coming through...

You and I have talked so many times over the years about Luke being gray—never black and white. But now it turns out his whole life is black and white. The women in distress you save and protect, the men who abuse them you eliminate. But what happens when the protector becomes the abuser? Keeping this horrible secret about his parents might have manifested itself in some other destructive way—cancer or a heart attack—but as it happened it was Luke's head that exploded. I'm really happy with the story and so hoping that I did it justice on the acting side. And I'm so honored they chose this way to celebrate the anniversary and take us back to the origins of the show.

I think Jason Thompson did a terrific job as Steve and got the essence of Beradino beautifully. It was the subtlest sort of impression. I don't know how Jason did it, but I was most impressed. ...Joey Luthman, the actor who played young Luke was incredible! Amazing control. Amazing professionalism. He's 18 and looks 15. I don't know how someone so young can give such a great performance. I told him, "When I was your age, I couldn't find my way out of the house."

It was a schizophrenic experience. The hardest part, oddly enough, was playing Luke, because he had to be a passive observer of the truth. It was great fun to play the father that Luke has talked about so disparagingly for 37 years.

The Spencer siblings always said the mother died of a burst appendix, and that the father finished his bottle, walked out and was never seen again. It makes total sense Luke would have tried to kill him. But the mother? She was an angel to Luke and, though her death was an accident, he just couldn't live with it, so he had to construct an elaborate lie.

Wasn't it originally the plan that Fluke would turn out to be Bill Eckert?

Yes. That was the case when I was first told the story by Ron [Carlivati] and [executive producer] Frank Valentini on the phone. They didn't quite know how it was going to work out. At first, I was definitely playing two different people, and the assumption was that Fluke was Bill Eckert. But I think when the fans started to guess that outcome—Ron monitors all of the comments so closely—they decided there was a better way to go.

So back to Fluke almost being Bill Eckert…

Well, I was away from the show for several months, after my back surgery, and I assumed that when I got back we'd pick up with the Bill Eckert [reveal], especially after they dug up his grave and it was empty. But, by then, they had decided on a different plan. When I was called to Frank's office, he told me that this other personality had been Luke all the time, and I cheered! Not only did I love the idea but it meant that people like Tracy weren't being stupid... She [Jane Elliot] managed to keep her character smart through the dumbest of actions but, thanks to this reveal, Fluke being Luke totally justifies Tracy's behavior. It really fixes a lot of things in retrospect. I've been racking my brain and can't think of a single thing that this doesn't explain.

In another couple of episodes, we find out why Luke went after Sonny Corinthos, for starters, and a lot of other truths will come spilling out now that Luke's mind has cracked open. I'll have my work cut out for me to balance all these balls in the air when I come back from this break. In the meantime, we will leave Luke going off to some kind of sanitarium for some kind of treatment.

Read the TV Insider interview in full HERE.

TV Insider shared this must-read interview with Jane Elliot (Tracy), Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis), Finola Hughes (Anna), Maura West (Ava), and Michelle Stafford (Nina). Some excerpts follow below:

Not that long ago, women in their forties and beyond were rarely, barely seen on the show. What changed?

Hughes: We now have an evolved executive producer, Frank Valentini. I started out my soap career on GH, then left for several years, and when I wanted to return, they didn’t want me. I couldn’t get my ass back on the show until Frank took over.

Grahn: For years, Jane and I were the only older women on contract, and they weren’t working us. It’s a fact that the previous regime at ABC Daytime [headed by Brian Frons, who exited in 2012] was repelled by age, and there was a very strict policy that only the young GH characters should be focused on, that only the young actors should be used for publicity. And the ratings went down.

Stafford: I hate that women should have to talk about age. To me, it’s a non-issue.

But it is an issue. Rare is the actress who can stay busy into her forties, fifties, and beyond—daytime, primetime, anytime—which makes what’s happening at GH something close to a miracle.

Grahn: Things didn’t change on our show until Vicki Dummer took over [at ABC Daytime]. She and Frank and our head writer, Ron Carlivati, are age-blind. And now the ratings are up.

Hughes: They find older, powerful women sexy instead of something to fear. When women are in charge at the network, it doesn’t become a question.

Elliot: I’m not so sure about that. Over the years, we’ve had several women running ABC Daytime and executive producing GH, and they were quite male-centric. They were very busy sucking up to the guys on the show and would dismiss the rest of us.

West: Now we have Nancy playing a high-powered lawyer and Finola is the Port Charles police chief.

Hughes: Uh, excuse me…that’s police commissioner. [Note: This interview took place before Anna was ousted from the PCPD.]

West: And I’m a frickin’ mobster!

Stafford: We all play cool dames who have to fight for their lives in some way. Our female audience doesn’t want to see women being victims. They don’t want to watch women fall apart. You can only feed people that crap for so long. It’s such a tough world right now. We want to watch survivors.

What about the cosmetic demands of soap divadom? Do you feel pressured to stay looking fantastic, especially in this unforgiving era of HD?

Hughes: That's why we have Ryan Paevey [Nathan] always getting naked—to take the heat off us.

Grahn: When I’m doing a bedroom scene, I’m constantly going, “Don’t shoot my fat arms! Get that camera away from my ass!” I hate the fact that we focus so much on looks, yet I’m the first one to get a spray tan. But this obsession is all over primetime, too. Even the f---ing girl zombies on The Walking Dead are 36-24-36.

Elliot: There are actors on our show—beautiful young women—who have already started with the plastic surgery. They’re trying to hold on to what they had. I don’t know that the audience is expecting that of us. We expect it of ourselves. We’re the ones looking in the mirror going, “Oh, my God, I can’t stand my neck! Oh, my God, my eyes!”

Grahn: True. No one is saying that to us at the show. In fact, Frank has done the opposite. He said to me, “Do not even touch your face.” I’ve had a little plastic surgery here and there over the years—and I’m not talking about all the times I’ve had my foot surgically removed from my mouth—but I prefer to be open about it, because I think it’s dishonest otherwise.

Stafford: Nobody notices the good work. They only notice the bad work. Jeez, if this was an interview with a bunch of men, would the subject of plastic surgery even be brought up?

West: Yeah, would you be discussing penile implants?

Hughes: Would five French women be sitting around talking about this? Hell, no.
OK, then let’s talk about another harsh reality—social media. Four out of five of you really work it, while Jane would rather lie down on the 405 Freeway than put out a tweet.

OK, then let’s talk about another harsh reality—social media. Four out of five of you really work it, while Jane would rather lie down on the 405 Freeway than put out a tweet.

Elliot: I think it’s narcissistic and voyeuristic.

Hughes: It doesn’t have to be. It can be an important marketing tool. It’s great for publicizing GH.

Stafford: It’s mandatory in today’s world.
Elliot: But it takes hold of you. I watch people on our show who get lost in it. They have to check in with Twitter all day long to see what’s being said about them. It takes them out of the moment of truly living life. Instead, they’re living their lives in a cell phone.

Grahn: It has its advantages, but sometimes you say things you shouldn’t. I’ve learned the hard way. When you have martinis, you should not tweet.

West: I’m with Jane. I was spending too much time on Twitter, so I have pulled way back. Now when I go home, I shut off the phone. I want to live my life as it’s happening, with the people I love. I have five children who need my attention.

Grahn: It’s so bad at my house that my daughter will tweet from the other room to say, “Mommy, I’m so hungry! Can you feed me?”

Hughes: I love the “block” button. Love, love, love it. Nancy’s Twitter fans went after me when Anna went after Alexis. I was like, “Seriously, people?”

West: There should be cast solidarity when it comes to blocking people. If some fan calls you an “ugly, fat f---” and all of us got together as a team and blocked them, this would stop.

Stafford: We do have the power to stop meanness from occurring. I have been attacked for being an “old cow” by fans who prefer a certain actor, and that actor had the power to say, “Stop it” but chose not to and that only inflamed it. Some actors are literally like, “If people say Michelle Stafford overacts, that’ll mean the fans will love me more!” What kind of thinking is that? For you to feel good, someone else has to fail?

Read the rest of this interview HERE.

The Role of Kiki Has Been Recast

Hayley Erin will be taking over the role of Kiki Jerome. She is best known for playing the teenage Abby Carlton on The Young and the Restless.

According to a statement from ABC, Hayley will first air as Kiki in late February.

Nathan Parson's (ex-Ethan Lovett) Stars in a New Pilot

Below is a trailer from it. The entire pilot is available to view HERE for free. It is one of many vying for a slot as one of Amazon's next original series. You can watch the show at that link and then take the survey to help get it produced.

Casting Call

GH has issued a new casting call for a male, contract role, with shooting expected to start in February. He is described as "Caucasian, late 20s. Handsome, dynamic, sexy. A charming bad boy who gets in and out of trouble."

Roger Howarth has landed a recurring role on CW’s superhero series The Flash, based on the DC comic.

The project, from Warner Bros TV and Berlanti Productions, is an origin story about Barry Allen, aka The Flash (Grant Gustin), a Central City assistant police forensics investigator who arrives in Starling to look into a series of unexplained robberies that may have a connection to a tragedy in his past. Howarth, repped by Gersh and McGowan Management, will play Mason Bridge, an award-winning reporter from the Central City Picture News.

He’s assigned to shepherd new employee Iris West (Candice Patton), but their relationship becomes complicated when Bridge begins to investigate Barry’s mentor, Dr. Wells (Tom Cavanagh).

Source: Deadline
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GH's Exec Producer, Frank Valentini shares, "We are thrilled for Roger and this opportunity. Fans can rest assure he is not off the show, as the timing for this role worked out so that he can shoot during our current GH hiatus."

Michelle Stafford Video Interview: Everything You Wanted To Know About Nina Clay & Then Some (with Michael Fairman)
Part 1 and 2, in order, below.
(Personal opinion...Part 2 was more interesting than Part 1)

Casting

GH has a casting call out for an African American male, late 30's/early 40's.

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Watch the trailer of Maurice Benard's new movie, The Ghost and The Whale.

Prospect Park Network Declares Bankruptcy: Owes ABC $1.7 Million

Prospect Park Network, which relaunched the TV soap operas One Life to Live and All My Children online in 2013, owes $1.7 million to ABC, according to the company's Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing on Monday.

The company is in the midst of a lawsuit alleging a "mega soap" fraud on the part of ABC. Prospect Park claims that after licensing the soaps from the network, ABC had second thoughts and attempted to sabotage the relaunch by borrowing characters to kill them off and inducing actors to sign secret, exclusive, multiyear contracts.

According to the Chapter 11 filing, the law firm of Andrews Kurth, which is representing Prospect Park in the ABC fight, is owed $750,000. The law firm of Lavely & Singer is also doing work on the lawsuit. It is owed more than $112,000.

To read more, go to Hollywood Reporter.

In other news, Anne Sweeney ,Disney Media Networks and president, Disney/ABC Television Group, will be stepping down at the end of her current contract in January 2015 to pursue a career as a TV director. Read more about that at Deadline.

Emme Rylan and Kathleen Gati discuss their experiences on being a part of GH.

-Access Hollywood

Tyler Christopher & Becky Herbst Talk ‘General Hospital’: Is There Hope For Nikolas and Liz Getting Together?

--Access Hollywood

Tony Geary Interview

Q: If the time comes, you'd want Luke to exit in a shocking way?

Geary: If I ever do leave GH — not something I want to see happen anytime soon — I want Luke to die. I don't want him coming home for Christmas episodes or the birth of his great grandchildren. I would prefer to have him go out in a blaze of glory and also that it be the climax of a wonderful story that involves the entire community, rather than some inconsequential B plot. Remember how The Bold and the Beautiful got rid of our wonderful Susan Flannery? That was a terrific story, really sensational, and you couldn't do it with a better actress. Last time I saw Susan, I told her how much I admired how that was handled, and how she had set the template for those of us who have been on the soaps forever. We ought to go out in a way that gives the audience real closure, rather than just fading off or being sent away on a cruise. It is a very honorable thing to do with a character that is loved and has been part of the fabric of the daytime medium for a long time. But I know the network has a real resistance to that sort of thing.

Q: Yet killing off major characters is all the rage on cable. Will daytime ever get that bold?

Geary: That's one of the reasons people are loving the great cable shows so much right now — because characters are in real jeopardy and they really do die. That makes us invest as viewers. It makes us feel. It makes us believe. In soaps, people come back from the dead all the time, to the point where death is just a bus stop. It's not my choice to go but I've had an awfully good run and I wouldn't mind being a sacrificial lamb to let the audience believe that characters can really, really die. I think that would be offering the show, and the medium in general, a great gift...

Read TVGuide's interview with Geary in full
HERE.

Tequan Richmond (TJ Ashford on GH): Breakout Role as Beltway Sniper, Lee Boyd Malvo, in "Blue Caprice"

The film, which made waves at Sundance this past January, tells the story of the “father and son” duo that terrorized several states in 2002.

Tequan says, "This film is mainly about what got two killers motivated to kill. Better yet, what got two regular people motivated to kill. Basically, it tells all the events leading up to what motivated them to kill, not really the relationship between the two. I mean, the relationship is shown and how they met.

"Basically, it tells all the events leading up to what motivated them to kill, not really the relationship between the two. I mean, the relationship is shown and how they met. That’s all covered in the movie, but the whole thing is about the reason behind the killings because people never knew why this was going on."

Read his full interview, which includes discussion about his future with GH, HERE.

"M" is for Maura...and Mobster!

Maura West [Ava Jerome] on her initial experience with GH: "You have to put your faith in people, which was hard because I'd never met [executive producer] Frank Valentini and [head writer] Ron Carlivati, but they are so fun, so infectious! But, then, Ava was not intended to hang around all that long.

The role was original written for just five episodes. Basically, she was there to drop off Kiki [Kristen Alderson] and then leave town. By the time I left my meeting with Frank, it was up to seven episodes, with the possibility of it becoming recurring. Then I was offered a contract before I even started my first day."

Read TV Guide's full interview with West in HERE.

A Brutally Honest, yet Amusing Interview with Tony Geary, Jane Elliot and Kin Shriner

TV Guide Magazine: It's such a joy to have the old guard back together on GH these days. Jane, I saw you on Access Hollywood asking a great question: "Why did these people ever go away?"

Elliot: I'll tell you why! It's a writing issue. Writers dry up. They can't think of a place to go with the older characters. It's easier for them to do an old story with a new character than do a new story with an old character.

Geary: And let us not forget that writers get residuals for every new character they create as long as that character is on the air.

Elliot: It's my belief that The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful are the highest-rated shows because they use the same people decade after decade. That's what this audience wants to see — their old characters in new situations. And that's what our current executive producer and head writer, Frank Valentini and Ron Carlivati, are delivering.

Geary: Usually, new producers and writers want to put their stamp on a show. They don't want to continue what's working. They want to reinvent the wheel. It's an ego thing. And once they've gotten rid of characters that were well known and deeply loved, they think they can create that same magic with new characters. Frank and Ron did the exact opposite and it saved our ass. Things were pretty rough there for a while, but they got better as soon as [ABC Daytime chief] Brian Frons left. He hated the soap medium. He hated it from the beginning. He wanted reality TV.

Shriner: It's weird how it all changed overnight. Everybody was firing everybody. Brian fired [head writer] Bob Guza. Then [exec producer] Jill Phelps got fired. Then ABC fired Brian. "You're fired!" "No, you're fired!" It was crazy. But, then, out of the ashes came Frank and Ron.

Geary: The timing was so right.

This is just a very tiny excerpt of this not-to-be-missed interview. For the full article go to TVGuide.

Maurice Bernard has been working on a new film, "The Ghost and The Whale", and has

a new trailer out.

“The Ghost and the Whale” tells the story of Joseph Hawthorne, a man who went off to sea with the love of his life and came back to town (Bodega Bay) alone. Accused of murder, Joseph was found not guilty after a long and grueling trial that was nationally covered. Now, Joseph questions his own innocence, because at the time of the death of his wife, he was suffering a bi-polar episode. One year later, acclaimed journalist Ed Hale has been called to Bodega to cover Joseph’s mysterious story. What he encounters is a hornet’s nest of uncontrollable consequences.

You can learn more about the film, view a trailer and find how you can help HERE.

<--- This cute video to the left explains the Nielsen TV Ratings.

Read our EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with Adrienne Barbeau!

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