General Hospital News & Gossip

News for the week of 05-Dec-2005

by Carol Banks Weber

A 2002 book by Martha P. Nochimson – “Screen Couple Chemistry: The Power of 2” – had many GH fans on the boards buzzing about certain revelations spilling out concerning Tony Geary (Luke) and Genie Francis (ex-Laura), his sexual orientation and her unorthodox rehearsal practices. The writer had the privilege of observing a May 14, 1999 rehearsal and shoot (on-air June 7) between Geary and Francis over the presumed death of their on-screen son Lucky, thanks to the generosity of Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis). Nochimson described the improvisational rehearsal process as highly emotional, as Francis planted kisses all over Geary’s face in order to pull out of him some deeply held emotions, succeeding when he fled the scene at its end to weep violently, in private. After a con-fab with the director, the actors fine-tuned the final scene to be shot, as Francis contributes heavily to the suggestions on where to go emotionally. In that final scene, Francis’s previous attempt at inspiration hits its mark, as Geary returns the favor in Luke’s tender, fragile kiss back to Laura. Cut to Geary and Francis in each other’s loving arms, sharing a kiss for real, then off to their separate dressing rooms. The scene itself was the writer’s main descriptive point, but the fans singled out a few peripheral notations – commented upon by at least one industry name, former writer Patrick Mulcahey – to dish deliciously about. Pertinent excerpts: “It has been for more than twenty years 'common knowledge' in the soap opera community that Geary is a gay man of many social contacts, and that Francis fears his lifestyle, not his gayness, which she fears could make her vulnerable to AIDS. What is certain is that Francis has made it clear that the writers are never to write a kiss between Luke and Laura into the script, a demand she has enforced by angry rages when the writers tested her resolve.” “[According to Mulcahey,] I've always heard it said that Tony's gay, and I assume it's true. As far as I know, he's never denied it, and the rumor doesn't seem to bother him. Certainly he never produces a female escort merely for appearance's sake...” If Francis, the book continued, allows Geary a kiss in character, she will dictate the terms and the conditions, as well as provide the signal – a look exchanged between them – the writer suspects. (The book link goes straight to Google’s search engine.)

The annual GH Fan Club Weekend will again be held at the Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City, CA, in July of next year. The announcement – released on the fan club’s website early the other week – gives fans plenty of advanced notice in which to start booking airlines, hotels, etc. The main event, the GH luncheon falls on a Saturday, July 22, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., at the Lodge’s Event Center, and costs $95 for fan club members and $105 for non-members. Tickets for the limited-seats luncheon won’t be available until January 2, next year, and for fan club members first (non-members must wait until February 1). Other scheduled events – for individual actors – are added as the months go by, closing in on the actual weekend. Already available for reservations, the Leslie Charleson Fan Club’s “Brunch With The Quartermaines,” July 23, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., $75 members, $85 non-members, no assigned seating. Tickets available starting on January 1, 2006.

Tony Geary (Luke) tells TV Guide columnist Michael Logan in the latest issue how much he enjoys working with the SORAS’d Lulu and how the show will revisit the “almost incestuous relationship” between Luke and Carly, this time around, played by Laura Wright. Luke and Carly get themselves tangled up in a big con job, with her owning the biggest hotel in town, and perhaps impressing her uncle in the bargain. In the recent interview, Genie Francis (Laura) and her rumored return to soaps were brought up, but Geary only knew that talks ensued, “not sure where it went.” Logan has gone on record, via his other column, Soap Sass, that Francis never went to Y&R instead, emphatically insisting this has been bandied about as news when it’s the rumor started by some “brat” online.

Ick factor, acknowledged. But still, it’s not as if Sonny and Emily – a woman young enough to be his SORAS’d daughter, his calabash little sister through Jason – went ahead and did the nasty together. That won’t matter a damn to Carly, according to writer Elizabeth Korte. She’ll still notice romantic trouble while Emily denies her wet dreams as anything but mindless crushes and Sonny simply laughs off such a crush, nervously. Those dreams… while the story unfolding keeps Emily chaste, just her subconscious sullied, the two actors had to enact the slumbered fiction. Maurice Benard (Sonny) gave the sexy dream of Emily’s his all, playing it for real, and joking around later, likening his acknowledged, controversial pairing to that of Desi and Lucy. WTF?

Robert LaSardo (Manny) received the highest compliment a guest actor could receive from Emmy-award winner Maurice Benard (Sonny). Benard’s mobster Sonny has been through more than his share of bullies, thugs and rival crime lords, and throughout the years, some of them have been, shall he say, less than fearsome to behold. But LaSardo, who’s made his living in the mainstream entertainment industry as a bad mofo, brings the “real deal” of villainry to the table, Benard praised. “When I’m in a scene with him, I feel the realism of it and the threat.” –Soap Opera Weekly, December 6, 2005

Ooh Ric’s and Alexis’s baby, just born in the tunnels, wasn’t real, as many viewers guessed. The freaky alien baby was really a muppet, a realistic imitation that Rick Hearst had to pretend needed saving from amniotic fluid in the lungs. Acting scared, sucking the fluid out of the doll’s lungs, freaking out at the strangely authentic feel of the “limp, squishy” little thing… “…that was an acting challenge right there.” –Soap Opera Digest, December 6, 2005

Gwendoline Yeo takes on the new, recurring female character of Dr. Kelly Lee – rumored to woo Jax – January 3. Yeo’s (ex-Brigette Murray reporter, 2002) done a lot of voice-overs and a few guest stints on primetime, NYPD Blue, 24, The O.C.

Barry Livingston (a surgeon) tries out GH for December 12 in a cameo. He was Ernie on the old show, My Three Sons.

More praise for the return of Rick Springfield’s Dr. Noah Drake (a now washed-up, boozy neurosurgeon Robin locates in a bar), from executive producer Jill Farren Phelps in the latest New York Times Arts Section. She raises Springfield up from the ranks as the exception to the rule against running a daycare revolving door for former GH stars, because he’s already an established name outside of soaps and commands such a loyal following, even now, decades later. SoapZone.com’s very own GH board received notable, quotable mention (too bad the fan’s post was not attributed) about the Springfield re-hire (only short-term, however): “Have the smelling salt or nitroglyceride prepared for me on Friday [at his debut last week].” Although on for a short term, Noah will indeed cross paths with Bobbie, a woman he loved and dumped for Tiffany lo those many decades ago… And maybe, something more, but Phelps ain’t saying, only teasing. Then, a curious remark uttered by Phelps for publication, which had many savvy fans thinking, Genie Francis (ex-Laura) swipe? Check out this excerpt from the article: “Demi Moore, John Stamos and Ricky Martin all appeared on ‘General Hospital’ in the early stages of their careers. If Ms. Phelps could have her way, was there one adored character closely associated with a specific actor that she would bring back to the show? She hesitated and then said, ‘In a million years, I would not touch that.’” –New York Times, Arts, “Prepare the O.R. (and A.A.): Dr. Drake Is Back” by Kate Aurthur, November 30, 2005

The reason Chris Beetem shows up in Tyler Christopher’s place as the brooding, swoonworthy Nikolas Cassadine for about six shows is because the original actor stumbled on a fireplace hearth at a restaurant, injuring an arm, now in a cast. And, he stuck out in the casting department from his previous (failed) audition as Patrick Drake. Beetem might be amenable to a long-term stay if a new role came up altogether. Don’t cry for Christopher. Poor baby lucked out bigtime when fellow cast members and some of his bosses made sure he wouldn’t starve in his own home, by stocking up his fridge with easy to heat edibles.

Gossip for the week of 05-Dec-2005

by Carol Banks Weber

The buzz surrounding Genie Francis’s (ex-Laura) return to the States from Britain points to either a Y&R coup, however short-term, as the mother of JT, or a GH miracle, depending on the source. ABC Daytime reps maintain tight-lipped. Tony Geary (Luke) acknowledged to TV Guide’s Michael Logan that he’d heard of some talks between the actress and TPTB. Logan countered that the Y&R part is the fabrication of an online fan. A Y&R rep agreed. Others in the industry, through fans posting online, insist that when ABC Daytime heads heard the same Y&R rumor, they went to Francis, requesting she consider them first, and ABC Daytime went so far as to lay out a GH comeback storyline for her, but then somewhere along the line, one or both parties bagged on a deal. My advice: Don’t be so quick to dismiss rumors the so-called experts officially deny. We’ve all been down that road before.

Hmm, let’s see… Genie Francis (ex-Laura) may be available. Kin Shriner (ex-Scottie) just became available, his ATWT stint’s done. Rick Springfield’s (Dr. Noah) back in town, maybe Jackie Zeman’s Bobbie could perk him up. Finola Hughes (ex-Anna) might be talked into (or already has been talked into) a holiday reunion with Robin, her presumed-dead dad Robert Scorpio, too. Mary Beth Evans (ex-Katherine), Stephen Nichols (ex-Stefan) are amenable to a soap reprisal, DOOL, but still. With all these stars aligned, the proper alignment of TPTB – meaning, fire everybody in charge, rehire everybody in charge back in the ‘80s-‘90s – could bring the real fans of GH to their feet (or their knees), by bringing back the real GH again. Luke wakes up from a terrible dream…

Sung Hi Lee (ex-Sophie, DOOL; Playboy) missed out on a chance to smooch up and down Ingo Rademacher’s Jax. She gave it the ole college try (in rumored auditions).

Last week, in the “News” section of this column, I raised the rafters on new, SORAS’d Lulu, Julie Marie Berman, as did a Soap Opera Weekly editor. But Soap Sass’s Michael Logan disagreed in his November 28th edition, calling her Lulu “thoroughly aggravating and just one more boring, sniveling, needy, pouty, bitchy little TV teen,” then added, “And the actress, like so many of today's young ones, has yet to develop any real skill. Can't writers write any OTHER kind of teenager? These paint-by-number kids are everywhere, prime time included — the ones on COMMANDER IN CHIEF are damn near ruining the show for me. Since most soap scribes are rip-off artists, I've long wondered why no one has ever ripped off the rich, refreshingly different mother-daughter relationship on GILMORE GIRLS. But I digress.” Has yet to develop any real skill?! Has this guy even bothered to watch her interact with Elizabeth and Luke at the hospital several weeks ago? She’s more than capable of tenderness, vulnerability, in that fiercely protective shell—just as Geary requires. Logan should go back to communing with the spirits :: smirk ::

I keep hearing about Manny sexually violating Sam, Sam’s Kelly Monaco earning cast-and-crew props for her gritty rape victim delivery (award winning?), and yet another trial in progress for Alexis to take on in the near future. Did the writers hear about Monaco’s real-life, near-miss with a rapist up in Canada during her start-up actress years, and want to capitalize on that?

With Diego facing prosecution (and rehabilitation), he could be the one to turn gay all of a sudden and be Lucas’s one, true man on man love. Until the writers change their story to revert back to straight. My faithful reader Ben Bryant fears another whitewash recast.

L.A.’s ABC affiliate adds to the news blitz on Rick Springfield’s Dr. Noah Drake comeback… like it’s the second coming of Christ. It is, but…

Meanwhile, fans have gotten torked up over the first Asian actress (Chinese?) in a long while to debut on GH, like she’ll stick around or something. Gwendoline Yeo and Mark Teschner, make me eat my words.

General Hospital News & Gossip, Copyright © 2005 Carol Banks Weber. No part of this page may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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