General Hospital News & Gossip

News for the week of 29-May-2006

by Carol Banks Weber

Considering his history, it’s not terribly off-base of some fans to be concerned for Maurice Benard’s (Sonny) mental well-being in light of his character mirroring a real-life bi-polar disorder. Benard himself is a little concerned, but still gung-ho to try out this art imitating life story that’s just kicked off a few weeks ago on GH, with Natalie Livingston (Emily). He is a Method actor who uses real-life events, people and emotions to exact truth from his fictional scenes on-screen. He’s suffered setbacks and relapses during the 13 years on GH, confusing character and actor, taking the work home, getting carried away, fooling himself into believing he could live without the lithium treatment he requires to balance out the highs and lows of those manic-depressive mood swings. So to bring the manic-depressive mood swings to the set, as scripted realistically, is to invite trouble. He knows it. But it’s too good an opportunity to pass up; Benard has always wanted to educate, inform and enlighten the audience – many of whom suffer from the disorder too – in such a way. Only now have the writers agreed that this is a social-issue story worth telling, and he’s so glad they have. And, he’s aware of the risks specific to his disorder. He could lose himself in the beginnings of his character’s downward spiral, regressing. He could talk himself out of taking his medication again, confusing fiction with fact. One of the challenges has been portraying the beginnings of the disorder, the part where Sonny’s in denial, and hiding the symptoms of a manic state. It’s easier for him to portray an open breakdown than stifling all those pent-up feelings, Benard said. Nevertheless, he’s as prepared as he could be to tackle this important, dream story. This time, he will remain on point with his meds, no matter what.

The writers’ attention to detail in his manic-depressive story has been nothing short of sensational, respectful and eerily accurate, according to real-life manic-depressive Maurice Benard (Sonny). While a lot of fans have scratched their heads in befuddlement (some a bit too ignorant to realize how cruel they come off on the boards) at the various ticks Sonny, the character, has displayed lately since losing the mobster kingdom, Benard knows from first-hand experience that the signs are coming off just right. While it’s been tough to hold back in the hiding mode, Benard exerts his best effort for the cause; he knows it’s worth the investment. Because before any display of the highs (manic) and the lows (depression) can provide the actor with blessed release, there must be discovery, shame, deceit in all its subtle manifestations. The signs themselves could easily be misinterpreted as straight farce, mock-worthy material by lesser fans. Most normal people don’t get the symptoms. As Benard explained, a straightforward attack on, say, Nikolas, isn’t played strictly for drama and horror, but also for laughs. Sonny’s uncharacteristic behavior will seem on the surface to be a breath of fresh air, comic relief. But before the audience can go there, Sonny will then turn a corner and, in a flash, come crashing down, can the laughter. It’s why manic-depressives laugh when they feel like crying, cry when the situation calls for levity; the inappropriateness of the expression, the extremes of the actions…Benard promised that Sonny will undergo each and every excruciating detail of the journey.

In the May 26th NY Daily News, “Soap Dish” by Carolyn Hinsey, Maurice Benard (Sonny) reiterates that the odd, inappropriate symptoms have their place and are based firmly in the facts of this bi-polar disorder. “You'll see as you keep watching that Sonny is laughing, he's joking, he's acting trippy. Some people might go, ‘Oh, that sucks. What is he doing?’ But that's what manic is.” Natalia Livingston (Emily) injected a bit of humor into the situation by cracking that it’ll be time to remove the crystal decanters.

Natalia Livingston (Emily) and Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth) shared some trade secrets with fans in a May 20th San Antonio public appearance. (Thanks be to Olivia for the fan recap.) Both actresses relished a little on-screen RnR at Jake’s with the tequila shots, the female camaraderie, the naughty talk and the Dr. McDreamy fantasizing. The entire shoot happened at 3 a.m. Livingston had to be coached by Kimberly McCullough (Robin) and Herbst on how to play her fantasy out in as sensual a mode as possible. The ladies were forbidden to use the naughty word, “bang,” more than once in a scene. For fans of the drunken respite, another’s to soon follow. As an Emmy aside, the usually shy and kind Robert LaSardo (Manny) couldn’t get into the after-party because the guards didn’t recognize him as an actor (with all those tattoos). He was even shaken down at the door.

There’s a world of difference between GL’s Cassie and GH’s Carly—both characters Laura Wright understands all too well. With Cassie, she had to play more of a wronged, weepy, romantic heroine, someone who would never pull half the disrespectful, bold stunts Carly does. Wright, who called herself a tough cookie, seemed to be having more fun with her current character of Carly, pushing buttons, traipsing all over other people’s boundaries, just because. “I absolutely love the gall this character has. I love that she wears a different hat with every single character,” Wright said. –Soap Opera Digest, “Naughty By Nature,” May 30, 2006

As a little girl on the GH set, the cast and crew took pains – under then-executive producer Gloria Monty’s orders – to shelter Kimberly McCullough (Robin) from the big, bad, nasty world of show business, the cursing, the off-color jokes, and worse. They did a good job. But now it’s the year 2006, McCullough is no longer a 7-year-old child but a 28-year-old woman. Now, the cast and crew treat her as one of them, freely telling those off-color jokes, which she understands. Back in the old, glory days of the ‘80s, her formative years, McCullough was lucky enough to be under the tutelage of some very fine human beings, giants in the industry,… Monty, on-screen parents Tristan Rogers (Robert) and Finola Hughes (Anna). Rogers and Hughes took their roles seriously, transferring some of that parental concern off-screen. Together with Ian Buchanan (ex-Duke), they tried to take care of their little girl co-star as best as they could. And, she remembered every kind gesture. “When there were guns on the set or people were hitting each other, [Tristan] would make sure that I wasn’t around or that I knew exactly what was going on so I wasn’t freaked out. Finola and I always had a strong connection, because we were both dancers. At the time, she didn’t have any children, so she treated me like her child. And Ian taught me how to play the bagpipes. I remember being all into my kilt. I used to wear it everywhere. I thought it was so cool.”

Fast forward to today. Most of the original gang of action-adventurers are still around in some capacity. Buchanan’s AMC character Greg is terrorizing the citizens of Pine Valley. Rogers’ character is currently terrorizing Luke Spencer at the Quartermaine mansion, his former wife Anna will soon be joining in on the fun this summer. Having them all around again has been a “surreal” high for McCullough.

Being used in several major stories has also been a pleasure for the workaholic actress. It’s one of the main reasons she returned full-time to GH, following some inspiring conversations with pals Steve Burton (Jason) and Maurice Benard (Sonny). Drumming up deep wells of emotion, some often paralleling or mirroring her own from past traumas, has been, well, not as easily forthcoming. While McCullough refrained from elaborating on those traumas, which she called “a lot of heavy shit,” she did bring up another pal connected once to GH, Amber Tamblyn (ex-Emily), and her innocent method for welling up. “She’s one of the best criers in the world. She can cry at the drop of a hat, because it’s not a deep thing for her. It’s just part of acting,” McCullough said. “Amber’s like, ‘Well, you know, I’ve never had anything bad happen to me. So it’s not hard for me to bring that up. I haven’t developed any calluses to keep that stuff down.’” Not so for McCullough’s “calluses.” But that’s her deal to work through.

At least she’ll get to work through some pretty enviable scenes that don’t require all that much digging, with the hot Jason Thompson (Patrick). Theirs is a pairing that took off immediately. Theirs is also a friendship that’s been forged immediately. Their Soap Opera Weekly interview took place on the phone, while Thompson and McCullough were headed off to a public appearance together, chatting about her short stature, her boyfriends tending to be real tall, her being able to handle tall drink of water Thompson in love scenes just fine (“Jason mentioned that they usually have him sitting down when we kiss on the show. That way I can reach him. But I have no trouble cutting him down to size”) and teasing about not getting any action off-screen compared to on-.

–Soap Opera Weekly, “Take 3” by Janet Di Lauro, May 30, 2006

Putting on the unlikely, ill-fitting demeanor of a do-right, goody-two-shoes doctor constrains Kimberly McCullough (Robin) somewhat. The actress, who is nothing like the strait-laced, preachy Robin, would rather cut loose a bit more, be more likeable and free-wheeling. Off the show, if dreams were wishes come true, she’d tackle headier stuff, like the leading lady to Rocky or Brad Pitt’s squeeze in Fight Club.

What a level-headed, quirky, normal young woman Julie Marie Berman (Lulu) is. Ya, her posts responding to several fans’ questions could be characterized as casual, easygoing, humorous and real. She even got distracted by a goofy I Dream Of Jeannie icon. An overview: After her first, stress-inducing intro – at Lucky’s wedding ceremony with the one line – “I felt comfortable and it was smooth sailing from there.” She has no idea how she pulls off the dual role of USC student and GH actress, but she does, and despite her occasionally whinging about the stress of it all, she’d rather be in her position “than sitting around wasting my youth.” She’s close to graduating with a cinema/television BA. Because she’s so busy, and so impatient, she hasn’t been able to catch up with every GH storyline, much less much of her own, but her father does enable her a few glimpses via TiVo. Her dream co-stars? She’s already living her dream, dude, with Jane Elliot (Tracy) and Tony Geary (Luke) rockin’ their scenes. But return the February Sweeps chimp, give her a Kirsten Storms (Maxie) crumb, and it’d be sweet. But let her think about Ignacio Serricchio (Diego) first, “He makes me laugh so hard - I don't know if I could get through anything. Other than that, how can I complain about being paired with Tony half of the time?!”

Tyler Christopher (Nikolas) and Scott Clifton (Dillon) would gladly trade places with some other members of the crew. Christopher, for one, would take on the role of the director for a day, while Clifton eyed the writer’s and/or music editor’s jobs. Reasons? Christopher finds the director’s seat a creative treat. Clifton kidded about writing so he could learn in advance what his character will do next.

For a while, Natalia Livingston (Emily) kept up her svelte figure through dancing, then for a while later, not much in terms of exercise. Recently, she’s taken up another form of fitness via her trainer Drew Cheetwood (Milo). He has her doing primarily the treadmill for the cardio and the weights for the strength training and the exercises—squats and lunges—for the toning. It’s a fitness she could feel working throughout her body immediately.

Head writer Bob Guza’s wish is TPTB’s (and the fans’) command. Finola Hughes (Anna) resurfaces for a longer stay—throughout this summer—as confirmed on the actress’s blog and reconfirmed on Daniel R. Coleridge’s TVGuide.com Soap News blog.

Constance Towers (Helena) also resurfaced recently, promising more pain and heartbreak for those in her wake which may or may not be Sam. Right now, according to Towers, Helena knows nothing (yet) of little John’s paternity or Sam’s new-found mommy. Towers does know that the denizens of PC are right to worry about what Helena will do once she learns of these secrets revealed.

Before the Free World learned of ABC’s new fall season line-up, Constance Towers (Helena) mused on Tyler Christopher’s (Nikolas) acting prospects. Because she adores and respects the actor she often works with, Towers wanted what was best for him, believing the mainstream TV industry would’ve benefited from his unique presence, but would miss his daytime presence terribly. Alas, since Christopher’s Secrets Of A Small Town never made the ABC primetime list, Towers won’t have to miss anything.

The resurrection of GH’s long-time favorite ‘80s/’90s heroes and heroines has proved well worth the investment. Executive producer Jill Farren Phelps said she’s pleased by the ratings turn-out following the reappearances of Rick Springfield (Noah), Tristan Rogers (Robert), Emma Samms (Holly) and Finola Hughes (Anna). With such numbers validation, there is sure to be more resurrection forthcoming. Hughes’s Anna Devane Scorpio will soon make another, lengthier comeback because ratings spiked with her earlier arrival this month, according to head writer Bob Guza. The returns of Stephen Nichols (ex-Stefan) and Mary Beth Evans (ex-Katherine) to DOOL as Patch & Kayla signified to Phelps a possible nostalgia trend elsewhere, which, in her opinion, can only be good for fans.

The L&L Fan Encounters site has more recaps and pictures of the “See Luke, Get Lucky” fan event of a few weeks ago, including up-close-and-personal accounts of how warm, sincere and devilishly handsome these actors really were. Like, when Tony Geary (Luke) asks how you’re doing, he ain’t just reciting empty chitchat.

Genie Francis (ex-Laura), husband Jonathan Frakes and their children have settled into their new Maine, mid-coast home. They’ve been residents for over a year so far. Frakes will direct projects on location.

Jackie Zeman’s (Bobbie) eldest daughter Cassidy Gorden – in her early teens – tried out for something at B&B.

Gossip for the week of 29-May-2006

by Carol Banks Weber

[The following skeevy, secondhand Howard Stern interview was put under gossip because I half can’t believe any of it’s true. -CBW]

WARNING! If you’re a G-rated fan of John Stamos (ex-Blackie), skip this recap of his recent Howard Stern radio show interview, via SIRIUS Satellite Radio. Stamos got down and dirty with the King of All Media, including the chicks he “banged” while on and off GH. Stern promptly anointed Stamos as the guy with “the most used penis in the world.” Stamos proceeded to regale Stern & Co. with his past exploits: losing his virginity to a pal’s sister, bringing his other pals along for the ride, surmising that she could do them too, giving it up for Lori Loughlin, almost scoring with Heather Locklear, then there was the Price Is Right babe Dian Parkinson, some Penthouse Pet auditioning for a GH role (but losing her way, arriving at his dressing room), she cleaned her naughty bits out in his dressing room sink, maybe some fooling around short of intercourse with Demi Moore (ex-Jackie) but he can’t recall because he (and many of his then-cast mates) were frequently loaded on GH. A lot of his then-GH cast mates would wait around after Chippendales shows to hit on the women there. My eternal gratitude to Frank, a regular reader of my columns, for the edited summary. The full-on interview can be found at RapidShare, apparently. Now, I think I shall take a warm shower to cleanse myself of the blech factor. Eeew, Stamos.

An SZ poster brought up a legitimate concern on the boards last week surrounding the manic-depressive storyline given to Maurice Benard (Sonny) and Natalia Livingston (Emily). Grace worried that the current regime only agreed to this in order to help Benard sell the Sonny and Emily pairing that has arguably been failing with much of the audience. Benard going to the press to promote this story, responding favorably to the comparisons of the characters as similar to himself and his wife Paula, further blurs lines. In the end, all this effort won’t matter anyway, Grace thinks, because the fans who hate S&Em will continue to hate S&Em. “We're still going to say it isn't a good story. Because the characters are awful. We're not going to think ‘I finally see the beauty of Soily....because look at MBG pouring his real heart into that scene.’ No, we're going think, ‘GH has bent us over once again.’” Had the writers given Benard the green light earlier, in a more popular pairing, maybe the rest of the fans would’ve been on board and not harbored such skepticism of the story from the get-go.

Elizabeth and Zander’s baby boy will soon see a different face when a different, older actor takes over.

Robin spills the beans about Nikolas and little John to Patrick. Then Patrick spills, to Nikolas.

The following comes from Anonymous, Insider, et al at SoapDish:

Kelly Monaco (Sam) plans to take off to explore what else is out there in Hollywood. This would leave a vacuum in Jason’s life. Perhaps Elizabeth could fill it, Part II.

If Ms. Monaco does take off, it may be to take over as emcee of Dancing With The Stars, the next installment. Current emcee Tom Bergeron will then be free to join Good Morning, America for the fall season. Or maybe she’ll find a way to do double-duty, forcing the writers to write Sam off to law school, swayed by Alexis.

Lucky and Sam burn with jealousy after witnessing the glory that was Liason. But Elizabeth and Jason are just tending to an ill Cameron at the time.

Ill? Cameron got a hold of Lucky’s painkillers and downed a few. Elizabeth’s little boy had to go to General Hospital directly afterward.

Alexis feels the burn of Sonny’s bi-polar fire this week. But next week, it’s Sonny’s turn to experience her Cassadine fury.

Emily goes to Ric about Sonny’s mental deterioration. This revelation prompts Ric to pack up and leave his family, so that he may more closely tend to his half-brother Sonny. Sure beats dealing with that banshee Sam.

Emily can’t help but notice, with growing admiration, the paternal instincts in Nikolas around little John. Enough to ditch Sonny for her former lover?

With the truth out there, Jax runs away to think on his own, taking his plane with him, but then goes AWOL, possibly DOA. Nikolas steps in as father material to little John. With major distraction Jax gone, Carly reverts to messing with the remaining “couples”: Robin and Patrick, Alexis and Ric, Jason and Elizabeth, Lorenzo and Skye. Carly really goes gunning for Robin because of the paternity fallout. But Carly should mind her own affairs, as soon, her neglected son Michael will cause another fiery disaster. Sloughing the kids off to Leticia all the time will cost Carly dearly this summer vacation.

Robert seems to make headway into Tracy’s hard heart, as Luke regretfully observes. To fight Robert’s advances on his wife, Luke brings in the big guns, aka Robert’s former wife Anna. Anna arrives, but then must fill in for an ailing Mac as Police Commissioner. Together with DA Alexis, Anna just may manage to succeed where the big boys failed – by bringing the mob to its knees.

Lulu and Diego play at this couple thing to evoke jealousy in Dillon and Georgie, respectively. Trouble is, their charade results in a little bun in the oven, Lulu’s and Diego’s.

If TPTB really desire Ingo Rademacher (Jax) as a major component to its leading male roster, then they’ll offer him what he most desires – a summer vacation. If they do, then his character will go AWOL, DOA, from a plane crash, only to rise again, back from the dead by the middle of August.

Forget Charles Pratt Jr. reinstated as co-head writer. The ABC Daytime honchos have refused to accommodate his alleged big bucks request. The million-plus, dream salary, in their eyes, doesn’t seem warranted given the show’s reported, marked improvement since Pratt’s departure. And besides, his writing partner Bob Guza Jr., the current head writer, may prefer the status quo just fine.

General Hospital News & Gossip, Copyright © 2006 Carol Banks Weber. Published by SoapZone.com / Jeff Jungblut. 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. Opinions expressed on this page are those of the author and may not be representative of SoapZone.com or its advertisers. Don't steal scoops.