General Hospital News & Gossip

News for the week of 12-Apr-2004
by Carol Banks Weber

Scott Clifton (Dillon) means more to Lindze Letherman (Georgie) than her on-screen romantic half. Besides being uber-talented and uber-funny, he’s almost always there for her when she’s freaking out about the next script that calls for her to grow up a little too fast for her 15-year liking. Take the last memorable time, when initially, she was supposed to put on a see-through negligee for an aborted love scene with Dillon (the costume dept. cleaned up the nightwear eventually before airing). Or the time she spaced on a major chunk of dialogue, with the taping about to begin. Or the many times she’s about to enact a much-too-grown-up simulation and feeling awkward [she must be catatonic by now, what with those shower pictures and her character’s attempts to bed Dillon anew]. Letherman admitted that she’s come to rely on Clifton to help her through, calm her down, reassure her, give her noogies, rehearse scenes to death, prep her through forgotten dialogue, and at times, defend her side (about dating, for example), just like a big brother should.

That’s right, the two actors who are supposed to convince the audience that they have the hots for each other in character relate, in reality, much more as siblings, joking around (you should read their joint April 13^th Soap Opera Digest interview, where he’s going on about her breasts), bickering, mentoring, learning and covering each other’s turfs. Their mushy gushy scenes, in fact, have them, as Clifton revealed, grossed out. So they rectify the discomfort by downing the most unappealing foods before they have to kiss ... asparagus, onions, cod liver oil, in a kind of secret contest between them. Letherman said that Clifton, always the winner, would even try bile if he could.

For the record, let it be known that Letherman – who just switched from public school to independent study – made sure to kiss a civilian before making it public record on GH with Dillon’s Clifton months ago. Knowing that if she didn’t act fast, her on-screen kiss as GQ would be her first, she grabbed a guy at her high school dance and made him break her in, so to speak.

During Scott Clifton’s (Dillon) 10-day winter trip to Scotland with his best friend Trent, they stayed at a cheap, but good, B&B, froze their asses off, mugged for the cameras in front of landmarks, including his family castle, and ate exotic but delicious fare. Showing himself to be the foodie he really is – co-star Lindze Letherman (Georgie) said he’ll eat anything, even a thank-you raspberry mousse cake she dropped to the floor – Clifton even enjoyed the traditional Scottish blood sausage... until he got the details afterward.

About Clifton’s garbage disposal of a diet... Jordan Hagan (Tom/Travis) had been trying to school him on a better way of nourishing the body and the mind than stuffing his face with burgers, fries and shakes.

With Spring comes spring cleaning and spring fashion updating. For Scott Clifton (Dillon), Abercrombie & Fitch is the store to go to add to his paltry pants collection. He has the basics, cords, jeans and cargo khakis. He just needs more.

If it weren’t for his brief but memorable love affair with Vanessa Marcil (ex-Brenda), which nearly ended in a walk down the aisle in the late ‘90s, Tyler Christopher (Nikolas) might not have opened up to a more forever love with wife Eva Longoria (ex-faux-Brenda), which he enjoys today. Back then, during the heyday of the introduction of Stefan and Nikolas Cassadine, Christopher – barely dusted off from his humble Ohio origins – kept his feelings and thoughts tightly in check, behind a cool, calm and collected mask, never imagining in a million years that anybody, much less the resplendent Marcil, might be interested in more than small talk with him. Now, he has the soul-mate experience of a real-life marriage to draw upon whenever he does love scenes with Natalia Livingston (Emily), admittedly a sappy couple. But sappy isn’t necessarily bad, he said, sappy can be, in their case, very realistic, “But it’s what a lot of people have. ...it’s what a lot of people want.” –ABC Soaps in Depth, April 13, 2004

So far, Robin Christopher’s (Skye) first-time pregnancy has been textbook perfect, without the usual morning sickness and discomforts. The only pregnancy symptom she’s experienced, besides natural concern about what happens after labor, is this occasional hormonal tendency to put her looks down when she’s at home with hubby Matt Crane (ex-Lt. Ross Duncan).

When she hankers to go clothes shopping, as she’s wont nowadays what with her being preggers and all, Christopher hits the Gap and Old Navy, online. Best of all are the return policies, allowing her to exchange or get her money back if a size doesn’t fit exactly later, in the stores directly. But she doesn’t go crazy with the credit card; after all, preggers lasts only nine months.

Before the baby was even a glint in his parents Matt Crane’s (ex-Lt. Ross; ex-Matt, AW) and Robin Christopher’s (Skye; ex-Lorna, AW) eyes, his conception and gender were foretold in two pairs of blue newborn jumpers hanging in Macy’s department store. The parents took one look, fell in love and bought the clothes, despite – at the time – not even being aware a pregnancy would follow.

Ironic. While Felicia spent most of the past year neglecting her two daughters, her portrayer Kristina Wagner practically embodied “Mother of the Year,” tending to the care and education of her two sons, developing a program to help teach parents how to adjust to the different speeds and methods with which children learn, dealing with a heartbreaking divorce to Jack (Nick, B&B; ex-Frisco) and occasionally fielding the angry fan mail, confusing the actress and mother with the character that – for all intents and purposes – went out of her creative control way before she went out the door after a contract standstill.

Now, Kristina Wagner is all about her children, returning to infuse as much of her own real-life maternal instincts upon her TV children and enjoying the recurring status that allows her to continue to be a stay-at-home but involved mother.

That children’s program, for example, received the audience of a number of big studio execs, but so far, despite enthusiasm, they seem more interested in the reality-TV fare than anything “intellectually based.” The program came from her own personal interest, borne from her second son Harrison’s own learning challenges. Both Harrison, 9, “the lover, the free-thinker,” and his older brother Peter, 13, who just got into theatre, much to Wagner’s surprise, “very comfortable with schedules. He feels really strongly about doing the right thing, because that gives him comfort” – are doing alright, thanks to their mother, who, is about as far from her alter-ego as night and day.

Part of being a mother is watching a child grow, develop and move on. That’s what Kristina Wagner (Felicia) has had to do not just with her children (except for the moving on part), but her fictional daughter Robyn Richards (Maxie), whom she helped mentor from toddler to teen. As Richards faces a decision to attend college or hopefully continue on in a meaty GH story of her own, it is with much pride that Wagner wishes her well in either event. After all, she always extolled the virtue of higher education to the young actress throughout their GH years together, an education Wagner herself missed out on by one year. “My life would have been a whole different life if I’d stayed [at Indiana University-Purdue University, instead of going on to GH in 1984].” –Soap Opera Weekly, April 6, 2004

Cynthia Preston (Faith) could probably advise the writers on the medical aspects of Nikolas’s car-wreck-induced amnesia, since she suffered through a similar event. Her amnesia occurred during the height of her acting career, 1988, following a car wreck. The “amnesia” primarily affects her mid-term memory. She remembers her childhood in bits and pieces—hiding under her crib, tripping on the way upstairs, refusing consolation for boo-boos, happy fuzzy glorious summaries of a warm, loving and laughing family, but nothing too specific.

Veteran soap actress Jackie Zeman (Bobbie) learned from her decades-plus time on the set not to eat with gusto at every take, or else suffer the consequences of a tummy ache or extra pounds. She explained that whatever a character ingests during a conversation over lunch, for example, must be repeated with every take. If the takes start accumulating, you’re talkin’ a lot of food. “By the third take, it starts getting real old [laughs].” –Soap Opera Digest, April 6, 2004

While Billy Warlock (ex-A.J.) left with dignity and class, refusing to dish the dirt on the dirty way his character, rather, plot device, had been routinely treated, that didn’t muzzle the actor for good, and certainly not to every bad thing that occurred on the set. He recently spilled some of his guts to Soap Opera Weekly’s people on his seven painstakingly fruitless years trying to polish turds, yet never being rewarded with more than crumbs. “... there wasn't one thing I liked doing. I just did it. I will never again put myself in the position of what I went through on GH—ever, ever,” Warlock explained. “I always used to say, ‘I don’t care if I have 10 scenes or 1 scene. But please throw me one down the middle. Let me hit it out of the park and I will go home. I don’t want to be the star of your show. I just want to come in, do some work, and go home.' But AJ was always a plot-driven character. He was there to do one thing and serve one purpose. As a actor it just got stale.”

Gossip for the week of 12-Apr-2004
by Carol Banks Weber

They’re tired of contract outs interfering with planned long-range stories over at GH. And if Gedstern’s latest rumor is true, after the show’s lawyers get through with the paperwork, any actor taking off (except for untouchable Tony Geary/Luke) will expect a temporary recast.

MaNik will last through summer into fall, leaving NEm out in the cold. Mary and Nikolas will have developed quite a strong bond that not even the sight of Emily can destroy. Helena will help the estrangement along by working an underhanded deal with Mary to keep Nik away from Em forever. Nik’s amnesia will last, unlike the show’s other physical calamities (Jax paralyzed, Elizabeth blinded, Lorenzo blinded, Carly over-sexualized), through at least several more months. Thus, resulting in another couple experiment when Emily and Lucky comfort each other into love.

Looks like a no-go with a Nu Lois. You know what that means. Sorry, Ingo (Jax), maybe next contract out, you can find a lucrative primetime pilot.

Ever wonder what happened to Wally Kurth’s Ned? He does too, and could also be thinking about bailing for another soap on another network. John Ingle (ex-Edward), currently on contract at DOOL as Mickey Horton, is pushing for some guest starring roles for his former Quartermaine clan.

Since Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth) is out on maternity leave, might as well keep Rick Hearst (Ric) busy with Nancy Lee Grahn’s character, Alexis, romantically maybe, (if it’s true that Ric and Alexis will grow closer after he finds out her Kristina paternity secret). At least, this may be the thought process of executive producer Jill Farren Phelps. So far, no fawking way with the writers on staff (since, obviously they’re the ones who are really in charge). LiRic (Elizabeth & Ric) fans aren’t diggin’ that idea either, considering their couple hardly gets quality airtime as it is.

SoapZone’s own resident “Top 10” smart-ass, MattM, was mentioned as a “red-tagged” poster and hoax-ter, an anti-Robin Christopher (Skye), NOL-loving trouble-maker over at that bastion of truth in rumor-mongering, Data Lounge. Apparently somebody there thinks MattM created and perpetrated quite a number of bogus news and gossip, including a very authentic-reading interview with former OLTL executive producer Gary Tomlin, which then spread like wildfire across soap boards and sites everywhere online. These hoaxes have served as big distractions from the integrity ::cough, cough:: of Data Lounge’s more accurate sources, like Reality Check, Hemmer and Magic 8 Ball. The only hoax MattM has copped to, however, is inferring he wrote the OLTL interview, and perhaps mocking the hoaxes themselves. ...Unless, this, too, is a hoax.

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