Port Charles News & Gossip

News for the week of 15-Sep-2003
by Carol Banks Weber

For many fans, news of executive producer Julie Hanan Carruthers moving over to AMC and displacing five-year veteran Jean Dadario-Burke is not popular. Many pundits surmise this as ABC Daytime president Brian Frons’ latest move to capitalize and cannibalize PC parts and to enable former stars to switch over, Erin Hershey Presley (Alison) as Babe, as rumored. AMC’s Vincent Irizarry (David) obviously held current boss in high regard, but understands that revolving doors come with the territory. That his new boss, as of September 29, comes from solid soap opera stock, a familiar Santa Barbara period and a reputation for ingenious use of cast in story, helps. “We’re all on a cosmic lazy Susan,” he added. –ABC Soaps in Depth, September 16, 2003

A recent trend in interviews – passing on co-stars’ comments – is used in the September 6^th SoapTown USA interview of Kiko Ellsworth (Jamal) by PC Musings columnist Max. There, she mentioned Brian Gaskill’s (Rafe) observation of the admirable closeness between Ellsworth and long-time co-star Erin Hershey Presley (Alison), which surpassed the written script. Ellsworth—who’d planned to break with daytime and try mainstream before word of the cancellation broke—acknowledged the truth of that observation, while admitting the same rough spots as with any close friendship. “He’s right. As actors, we bonded as people, you know. Off-screen, behind the camera at times we definitely had our differences but every single time we always worked them out and what was left was pure fun, pure love. That’s pretty much what shows up on camera. We had our hard times, we did, but we got over them fast.”

It’s too bad PC got cancelled, because the next story arc promised an amazing, heart-stopping crescendo of a doozy of a payoff. Questions answered. Relationships switched and forged. The mother of all Sweeps. Which begs the eternal request: Cable syndication and tell-all non-fiction?

Nothing spells commitment better than Brian (Jack) Presley. His wife, Erin (Alison) marveled at the complete transformation from country hunk soap star to homeless man that Brian underwent for his movie, Guarding Eddie, where he portrays the lead character down on his luck and struggling with mental problems. So seamless has been his portrayal that, amidst the on-location settings of real-life homeless shelters, she could not for the life of her locate Brian anywhere...when he was standing right next to her, dressed totally in character, with a beard, long hair and painted teeth.

Eddie Matos (Ricky) will try to keep in touch with all his PC co-stars. Lynn Herring (Lucy) might be tough to reach, since she lives in a secluded ranch somewhere in California. But Erin (Alison) and Brian (Jack) Presley will remain closest to him, as they’ve taken him in when he’s needed respite, a sleepover, company. Matos and Brian, especially, enjoy oneupping each other in everything from betting on poker and basketball or “whether I’m going to walk with my left foot forward first.” –Soap Opera Digest, September 9, 2003

Despite the mishandling – by whoever is truly in charge – of PC, along with the botched programming of local affiliates following the June cancellation announcement, the actors do not fault ABC Daytime president Brian Frons. Hardly anybody in the industry does, crediting him for working his ass off to save the show and, according to Matos, taking the time to personally call all the actors to let them know about the cancellation. Thorsten Kaye (Ian) also gives kudos to Frons for backing the show.

Not many guys can say they won the heart of the most popular girl in elementary, junior and high school, but Matos can, even if it happened after graduation. One day, during his colleage years, he met up with his best friend and his best friend’s girlfriend at a bar when she asked if another girl could join them, a girl who kinda dug him. The next thing Matos knows, he’s chatting up (later dating) Jill Durling, that popular girl.

At Erin Hershey Presley’s (Alison) high school, on Mercer Island, WA, she could’ve been the popular girl all the boys wanted and all the other girls wanted to be. The actress didn’t think she was that great of an academician, but she involved herself in a special senior project, the Mercer Island Halfathon, horseback riding, Memorial Day weekend at Lake Chelan goofing around in the back of trucks with girlfriends, shopping sprees with big sis, and working in various odd jobs. As well as priming her present post as actress in some modeling. As a junior, she wound up in New York for an International Modeling and Talent Association competition. The friendly, gabby student hung out with six or seven close friends from middle school who then befriended other students regardless of popular affiliation. Today, Hershey Presley keeps up on the latest gossip through Natalie Cooper who in turn keeps in touch with the other friends from back in school. And at the recent Super Soap Weekend in Disney’s California Adventure Theme Park, she ran into her favorite Math teacher. “He didn’t know we were going to be there. He was with his kids, and I was in an autograph session,” explained the actress. “All of a sudden I heard him scream, ‘Hey, Erin! It’s Mr. Brown!’ It was hysterical.” –Soap Opera Digest, September 16, 2003

Michael Easton (Caleb) – jokingly? – blames himself for PC’s cancellation, referring to all the doomed pilots out there that he cursed with his presence. He wonders if his next appearance as John McBain on OLTL will prove another curse for the 35-year show.

Gossip for the week of 15-Sep-2003
by Carol Banks Weber

Okay, someone explain the revised programming situation to me. I can’t watch PC on KOMO-TV, Seattle’s local affiliate, till, like, 2:30 or something in the phucking morning. It’s the same in New York. Then I hear that other affiliates won’t even show PC at all after September 15. What gives?

It’s not often I’m startled out of my bored reverie while watching PC, but last week, as Thorsten Kaye’s Ian went out of his mind, in iambic pentameter, I was. It’s a shame Kaye never had the chance to truly show off, because the man is an actor of Olivier caliber. I nearly couldn’t recognize him as a vampire suffering from an overdose of soul-altering serum.

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