General Hospital News & Gossip
News for the week of 14-Jul-2008
Genie Francis (Laura), 46, returns on a short-term basis to GH, as of August 26th. Her return will involve Lulu, Logan’s murder and Lulu’s slow loss of mental control.
Several of GH’s hottest stars will host fan events in Boston October 4-5. Bradford Anderson (Spinelli) kicks off the weekend with a Saturday morning breakfast, 9 a.m.-noon, at the Marriott Boston Tremont Hotel. Cost is $65. Jason Thompson (Patrick) follows with his 1 p.m.-4 p.m. event that same day, also at $65. Sebastian Roché (Jerry) wraps up October 4th with his 6 p.m.-9 p.m. get-together with fans, $65. The following morning, welcome Brandon Barash (Johnny), GH’s newest find, 9 a.m.-noon, $65. His co-star Julie Marie Berman (Lulu) comes on right after him, 1 p.m.-4 p.m., $65. Contact event organizer Debby O’Connor for information about a hotel room block ($209 per night standard/$219 double occupancy) set up under Your Number One Fan, or about how to order tickets. Hotel reservations: (617) 426-1400.
Check out Bradford Anderson’s (Spinelli) day at the Daytime Emmys via SOAPnet, it’s killer. His rapport with Brandon Barash (Johnny), especially, is hilarious (when they make their individual video-cams make love with shades on). You can really see the cast getting down and letting their hair loose. They all seemed genuinely, pleasantly surprised with nabbing the “Best Show” award and proud of Tony Geary’s win as “Outstanding Lead Actor,” despite having lost in the other major categories.
When prompted by Soap Opera Digest editors (July 15, 2008, ROUNDUP), Jason Thompson (Patrick) envisioned a reality-TV show where the participants all lived in one house to include his co-star Kimberly McCullough (Robin), Jane Elliot (Tracy), Steve Burton (Jason), Bradford Anderson (Spinelli) and Maurice Benard (Sonny)—each for their unique personality contributions. Burton, Thompson said, would get on his ass about keeping a fitness routine, Elliot would crack them all up, McCullough’s a buddy, Anderson’s hilarious too, and then there’s Mo, who is not what viewers “think he is” from his dark role as Sonny.
Josh Duhon (Logan) tried to make the best of a disappointing situation, his ouster from GH. He praised the show, the cast, the writing of his complex, volatile character, the chance to play an outstanding, explosive exit. But he also gave a glimpse into some tension, when praising co-star Julie Marie Berman (Lulu) as a great actress and person. A difference in acting styles—his more intense and edgy—may have contributed to whatever happened in the end. “I loved working with her, but our personality types were a little different, I guess,” he said. “I have a tendency to be a little more intense and on-edge and that’s just who I am. It serves me in certain cases and situations and in others, it doesn’t. I’m not going to go change and I wouldn’t ask anyone else to change, either.” Duhon – who is rumored to hang on in spirit through the end of the summer – only wished Logan and Scott’s relationship as son and father would’ve played out more and had more of an impact to the rest of the related canvas. One thing’s for sure, his GH experience did a lot to improve his pre-conception of soaps. He’s more than enthused to try again on another. –Soap Opera Digest, July 15, 2008
DOOL’s Bryan R. Dattilo (Lucas) went up onstage, shook hands with presenter Barbara Walters, and stood there along with the GH gang when they won for “Best Show” at the recent Daytime Emmys, cracking up the audience. He did it on a $500 bet. Kirsten Storms (Maxie; ex-Belle, DOOL) and Jason Cook (Matt; ex-Shawn, DOOL) thought the prank was so funny. So did Alison Sweeney (Sami, DOOL) and James Scott (E.J., DOOL), who was bowled over in his seat trying not to piss himself with laughter.
Actors Kristin Herrera (Lourdes) and Rolando Molina (Sal) will join GH as recurring characters for July 23rd. Johnny will need Sal to let him hide out at a former piano teacher’s apartment. While hiding out, Johnny teaches Sal’s sister Lourdes how to better play piano. Lourdes falls hard for Johnny. Herrera appeared on Nickelodeon’s Zoey 101, Without A Trace, ERand NYPD Blue. She was also on GH in 2000-2004 in an uncredited role. Molina has done an upcoming murder-flick, Skinned, and several TV shows.
Kiko Ellsworth (ex-Stan; ex-Jamal, PC) stars in the webisodes version of NBC’s hit drama series, Heroes, starting this week.
Stay tuned next week for some dish, post-GH Fan Club Weekend. In the meantime, check EYE ON SOAPS’ temporary LiveJournal updates as they happen.
Gossip for the week of 14-Jul-2008
In the GH: NS July 22nd sequel premiere, hospital chief of staff Dr. Ford gets wiped out with an explosion, Robin’s knocked unconscious and Patrick plays hero, worrying himself sick about her and taking over Dr. Ford’s chief of staff position until a permanent replacement can be found. The GH writers were given orders to reconcile Patrick and Robin by the time NS started up again, so they’re shacking up but hardly harmonious. They still go back and forth over stupid crap, like her wanting to return to work and his forbidding it.
The best dramatic performances aren’t even about Patrick and Robin, but about Patrick and Noah. When these two come together to spar, it’s brutally, viscerally uncomfortable. I daresay it gives the actors more meaty material than they could ever hope for, heads and tails above the usual drudgery soap fare.
Graham Shiels, the best actor to hit soaps, may reprise his critically acclaimed role as Cody for either GH or GH: NS.
Somebody explain to me why I should care about Carly anymore after her convoluted, one-sided defense of screwing her ex-husband in the limo and keeping that a secret from her current husband… yet, making a bigger deal about his having only kissed, once, her ex-husband’s fiancée. Jason wasn’t the only one with a headache. But it gets worse, once her dirty little secret reaches Jax’s ears. This could be what precipitates portrayer Ingo Rademacher’s winter vacation, and Jax’s storyline-dictated exit, with Carly in hot pursuit. Rademacher supposedly will stay put this summer, because of the birth of his firstborn baby (any time now).
PS. I also can’t stand the way Laura Wright’s Carly say “My-cole” (Michael). It’s similar to how I can’t stand Kimberly McCullough’s Robin saying “wrong-guh.”
Sarah Brown (Claudia) previewed a forced marriage to another character – maybe Ric – sometime in the foreseeable future, but then nothing came of it on-screen. It will, eventually.
Lulu blabs about Jason and Elizabeth’s baby Jake to Johnny. Jason figures out that Johnny and Claudia ordered the hit on Sonny that hit Michael instead. To prevent Jason from killing them both, Johnny threatens to blab about Jake to the mob world.
Matt may repent from his evil drug-dealing ways (he knows James Craig aka Jerry Jacks all too well), and become a hero with the clinic and eventually capture Maxie’s heart. But then Spinelli may rebound in a sexual relationship with Leyla, which may provoke Maxie into second-guessing what she’s throwing away. In the meantime, Maxie and Johnny will share many close moments in the noble pursuit of protecting Lulu. Nikolas, Nadine, Sam and Lucky will focus all of their attention on unlocking the mystery of the placebo pills and the illegal drug blackmarket.
General Hospital News & Gossip, Copyright © 2008 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.
