Port Charles News & Gossip

News for the week of 08-Sep-2003
by Carol Banks Weber

Following the announcement of PC’s cancellation in June, fans worried that their local affiliates would drop the ball on keeping their doomed half-hour soap on the air through to the bitter end, which would be Oct. 3. Unfortunately, their worst fears have come true; at least for several areas, including New York. To make room for Monday Night Football’s annual extravaganza, WABC/Channel 7 in N.Y. will move PC from 12:30 p.m. to 3:35 a.m. on Mondays and 2:35 a.m. Tuesdays through Fridays for the last 15 episodes. Taking over the daytime slot by then will be the syndicated game show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Other affiliates reportedly may plan to do the same in order to make way for new programming.

If the unfortunate fans have the cable channel SoapNet, they’ll get to watch PC during normal, regular hours, as well as a 24-hour marathon coming soon. The marathon will feature PC actors doing intros of their favorite episodes.

Thorsten Kaye (Ian) and Erin Hershey Presley (Alison) outspokenly react to the possibility that some affiliates won’t air the final episodes of PC (or in N.Y.’s case, at different, inconvenient times). Kaye, for one, was mighty displeased, stating that ABC Daytime should’ve cancelled the show long ago if the network hadn’t really committed. Hershey seemed saddened, especially because the finale gifts fans with a huge pay-off.

The annual PC Fan Club Dinner, August 22, featured former soap stars, a few tearful goodbyes, lots of reminiscing and bonding with loyal fans who’ve become like family. More notable than the easy camaraderie amongst cast members, past and present, were those who could not make the event, held again this year at the Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City, CA. Lynn Herring (Lucy), Jon Robert Lindstrom (Kevin) and Nolan North (Chris) were missing because of personal and professional obligations. But those who were there included Cari Shayne (ex-original Karen), husband Alex Mendoza (ex-Joe #3), Michael Dietz (ex-original Joe), Kimberlin Brown (ex-Rachel) and Tamara Davies (ex-Amy). Sort through some of the fan recaps at the PC message board and Eye on Soaps.

Fans, friends and other guests of Brian Gaskill’s (Rafe) August 24^th charity benefit for the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary helped raise over $13,000 and enjoyed silent and live auctions, raffles, sales of t-shirts, photos and videos, a preview of the actor’s short film, Higher Ground and a chance to interact with the actor himself. SoapTown USA’s Max of the weekly column, PC Musings, attended and recapped over at the Friends of Brian Gaskill website. Details on the charity, the vintage art deco surroundings of the Hollywood Silent Movie Theatre and the rousing success of the event can be found there.

Erin Hershey Presley (Alison) is up for the co-hosting spot on ABC Daytime’s talk show, The View. She competes with several other young female finalists, including Rachel Campos of MTV’s The Real World. And actually landed the coveted candidacy on a lark, by calling ABC Daytime president Brian Frons and suggesting it, not imagining in a million years he’d take her up on the suggestion or that The View’s producer was seriously considering her. The co-hosting spot had been vacated by Lisa Ling, who took a job as roving international reporter for a National Geographic cable channel.

Husband Brian Presley (Jack) continues to perfect his movie project, Guarding Eddie, based on a true story – available at their website soon – which not only co-stars Kiko Ellsworth (Jamal) in a major role, but features cameos by Marie Wilson (ex-Karen) and Susan Haskell (ex-Granya).

Her management team believes that Kelly Monaco (Livvie) can go far, as far as mainstream success, so they puzzled over her #1 choice to cross over to GH, yet another soap. Just prior to accepting a contract role at GH as Samantha – to be paired opposite Jax in an action-adventure romance; hence, the couple moniker, Jam – the buxom actress fielded offers from just about every soap out there, nearly signing on with ATWT, auditioning at AMC, talking with people at OLTL. But throughout, she made clear that if GH called, she’d go running. Maybe one day in the future, she’ll leap into primetime and film, but for now, for whatever reason unclear to her, a need for stability and continued growth, Monaco wants to stick around in daytime.

The theory behind class clowns is that they’re hiding terribly melodramatic, insecure lives. Nolan North (Chris), either joking around or in rare confessional mode, admits the truth to a bit of that. He maintains a jocular prankster personality on and around the set, after taking pains to be perfectly prepared with his scripts, and doesn’t believe in airing the brooding, tortured act for all the world to see. Not that there exists one in him.

Kiko Ellsworth (Jamal) joined the ranks of Maurice Benard (Sonny), Greg Vaughan (Lucky) and Rick Hearst (Ric) over at GH when he took on another pastime: boxing in the great L.A. outdoors. His trainer and friend takes him to a park to punch, focus and release energy.

In case you haven’t noticed yet, Brian Gaskill (Rafe) isn’t typically Hollywood. The painfully shy boy growing up near the Jersey shore took a long time coming into his own, didn’t kiss a girl until his junior year in high school, and still admits to feeling uncomfortable in his skin. His first kiss with Mary happened in her basement and he couldn’t have been more nervous. The following year, he fell in love with a friend and they watched a favorite Disney movie, Lady and the Tramp, together on New Year’s Eve, mimicking the infamous shared spaghetti and meatballs scene.

Like most of his co-stars, Eddie Matos (Ricky) took the news of PC’s cancellation very hard. After a period of mourning, the resilient actor/musician picked himself up and hit the audition circuit all over again. Open to any opportunity, on daytime, primetime, film, moonlighting as a drummer, singer in a variety of musical genres, Matos counts himself lucky to have experienced the challenge, supernatural spin and half-hour intimacy of the little soap that nearly walked away with the Emmy for “Outstanding Drama.” After having dabbled a bit on the wild side, partying, flirting, see and be seen – without the drugs or the bad attitude – Matos plans to keep in touch with everybody at PC, continue his music, and who knows what else, while trying to keep his money worries in check by touching base with his parents. And if a particular East Coast soap comes calling with a permanent, lifetime contract, more’s the better. “I feel like I’ve only begun to scratch the surface as far as daytime goes. If I wake up 20 years down the road and I’m a soap-opera actor, and I have a family and I make good money and am living in one place, then I’ll be the happiest guy on the Earth.” –Soap Opera Digest, September 9, 2003

There’s a lot more to Kent Masters-King than PC’s Imani. She practically grew up on the ‘80s primetime drama Knots Landing, she studied dance in high school, she ventured into cinema and television-production in college, earning accolades as producer and director on two projects and she can sing her own stuff too, having recorded a few tracks. It’s all part of her multi-faceted lifestyle, honed way back before acting took off. “I’ve always had other interests. I think if you make acting the only thing in your life, it gets a little lopsided.” This explains her recently adding acting and martial arts classes to the impressive repertoire, inspired by co-star Kiko Ellsworth (Jamal). –ABC Soaps in Depth, September 16, 2003

Masters-King’s fiancé Kelly Hilaire doesn’t let her love scenes bother him. After all, he’s a professional who understands the business, co-owns a production company with movie star Mekhi Phifer (Eight Mile, ER) and appreciates when chemistry just happens. The actress, philosophical about her brief PC run, hopes to one day collaborate on a few film projects with her boyfriend. Her previous works netted a Sundance Film Festival premiere as well as a Black American Cinema Society Award.

Folks, I don’t know about that snaking tattoo on Reese’s neck (my guess is it’s as fake as Casey’s), but the rhinestones, glitter and long lashes around her eyes were taken from the hit movie, Chicago, according to PC make-up artist Robert Rapport. The tiny rhinestones must be applied individually by hand with a tweezer and removed by actress Mariam Parris after her scenes are done, with as many saved for use later as possible, since the jewels aren’t exactly cheap.

Soap actors develop close relationships with each other and the crew over time. The test comes when or if a late-night emergency arises and they need help. Many would phone their show’s make-up artists without hesitation, others would call on trusted co-stars, and in Nolan North’s (Chris) case, he’d ring up Thorsten Kaye (Ian) just to needle him. Eddie Matos (Ricky) stuck to the serious answer by relying on Brian Presley (Jack) for all his 3 a.m. needs, citing the times in the past when his co-star and wife Erin (Alison) have offered to drive him home or put him up in theirs. Tyler Christopher (Nikolas, GH) would not hesitate to reach out for Jonathan Jackson (ex-Lucky, GH) in times of trouble, no matter the hour. “I could call Jonathan ..., having not spoken to him for a few weeks and he’d be right there, even though he doesn’t live here [California] anymore.” They’ve developed quite a friendship, especially after they left the soap a few years ago. Stuart Damon (Alan, GH) counts his fictional Quartermaine family, Leslie Charleson (Monica), John Ingle (Edward) and Billy Warlock (A.J.), as part of his real-life family; they’d be for him no questions asked. –ABC Soaps in Depth, September 16, 2003

Gossip for the week of 08-Sep-2003
by Carol Banks Weber

Some Thorsten Kaye (Ian) fans had a cow over another fan’s recap of his August 22^nd fan event with Michael Easton (Caleb)—held in conjunction with a host of other PC-related ice cream socials, dinners and shindigs that weekend. Seems the fan mentioned Kaye joking around about drinking a lot, forgetting names and generally drowning his sorrows about PC’s cancellation with Easton, while obsessing over a football score and joking some more about each other’s high-maintenance hair styles. The drinking part resulted in a correction by Kaye’s fans that he had one beer, had an extreme sense of humor that could be misconstrued and had clean, healthy, innocent fun. BFD, I say. If the guy wanted to toss a few to relax and let off steam, let him; it’s not as if he’s being accused of a Clinton.

As far as the soap mags are concerned, talk of PC actors moving on to other ABC soaps, notably AMC, is simply that, the wishful talk of fans wanting more.

Nolan North (Chris)—who seems set on pursuing primetime and settling in his California home with a wife and two kids—has not been contacted by AMC’s people. Neither has his manager.

Rebecca Staab (Elizabeth), heavily rumored to be cast as the love interest of Michael E. Knight’s Tad on AMC, would consider returning to New York and somehow working out arrangements that would separate her from her established life in California, including a boyfriend who has a job there.

Especially if she—as the rumored Krystal—were reunited with Erin Hershey Presley (Alison) as Babe, the mother-and-daughter duo, repeated on AMC.

---

Port Charles News & Gossip, Copyright © 2003 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.

Opinions expressed on this page are not necessarily those of SoapZone.com or its advertisers.