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Tonja Walker Clarifies She Is Still At GH Taping New Episodes!

Photo: TonjaWalker/Getty Images

Photo: TonjaWalker/Getty Images

After her facebook post on Monday, many daytime fans were disheartened to hear that Tonja Walker had wrapped her return run as Olivia Jerome.  The actress pointed to that she will air until mid-March.

However, today Tonja clarified her original statement via Twitter relating: “I totally mistyped yesterday! I am in my last weeks. 3 more. AND The story has JUST started, Slowly, but it picks up fast.  It’s a huge story, just started! Goes on, gets crazy! Working w all plus SURPRISES. In last weeks. I’m shooting 7 again this week b4 break.”

In addition, Walker responded to a few comments from site visitors at On-Air On-Soaps as well to clarify noting: “There are stunts, fights , suspense, comedy so much to come and a HUGE surprise. I had to squeeze in 30 episodes in a short time. Still here. Still shocked at all the action. Just wait.  All hell breaks loose.”

So, glad to hear Tonja is still taping episodes? From the teases she has put out via social media, what do you think will happen in story to Olivia J.?  Comment below.

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I. Love. Tonja. Walker. The actress seems self conscious about the work she’s putting on screen, but it is FIRE. she has breathed new life into this show and I’m happy to hear there’s more to come. BRING IT!

She brings it. 100% agree.

Not really sure i care for this story or not…bringing her character back from the dead is predictable and lame-its grown tiresome-Julian is a villain and making him the victim and trying to patch up his relationship with Alexis that way is a real turn off…rather Alexis move forward…Nelle’s story picks up steam but then fizzles out…on the plus side is seeing vets used even if not front and center…trying to stay positive..i have had another death in the family just days after attending my father’s funeral!!!!

Sorry to hear you’ve suffered another loss.

Thanks James

You have my deepest condolences- sometimes we don’t know how strong we can be until we have to— keeping you in my prayers

Thanks Mary

Forgot to add i will see how this story continues…i might like how it ends!

Hey, Jimmy,
You sure are getting a giant dose of misfortune, lately. Your stamina and faith are admirable. More power to you.
Coming here; joining the conversation, only reinforces your strong will. Stay strong, my friend…..and my condolences, again….within such a short period of time.
Much love, Jimmy…

Jimh…my goodness you’ve really had a bout of sad news. Here’s hoping things pick up for you. 🙂

Thanks Rose

She is bringing a much needed energy to the canvas ! I’m going for the ride !!

Ditto, John, looking forward to the energy associated with what will unfold. I think Anna will get wind of Olivia being alive and will join up with those going after her. And maybe Olivia will turn out to be Dr. Griffin Munro’s mother!. Oliviia could have been “Margaret Munro” for all we know!

@MaxDaddee! (Cool Name!)…Finally, I have found a “direct link” to you! I wanted to thank you for your kind comments to me on the “GH Casting…” thread, but there was no such mechanism there. I have since seen your remarks in other discussions, but again, no link…..At any rate, it seems that we are not alone in our frustration about the mob-soaked nature of today’s GH….that and the overuse of newbies, temporary players and other soap’s former stars which all supplant our favored legacy characters on far too many occasions. I may sound like a broken record, but these practices really do dilute the true nature of the GH we have known and loved, so I do tend to get on my “soapbox” (pardon the pun….) on a rather regular basis to voice my objections, and it’s always nice to have company up there!!! Yes, “Nurse Amy” is a dud and Sonny, Carly and the drug-addled Finn do wear upon one’s patience, although I am willing to keep Nelle around just because I liked the actress so much in her first GH stint as “Young Patricia.” That showed her immense talent, so perhaps she just needs better material to display the chops she demonstrated as her former character….at least, that is my hope.

ahaa! Love her enthusiasm ..
But–
No way, less of a miracle, can Jean and Shelly write;
quote-
”“There are stunts, fights , suspense, comedy so much to come and a HUGE surprise. I had to squeeze in 30 episodes in a short time. Still here. Still shocked at all the action. Just wait. All hell breaks loose.””

J&S have never delivered ”suspense” or a ”surprise” and never ”adventure”
And as for ”comedy” not possible, not one laugh since day one..
However J&S can deliver a lot of lame and stupid ..
hmmm ”all hell breaks loose” .. haa that would be a first..

Hold onto the enthusiasm, Tonya, we’re with you !! Bring it home! 🙂

At least THIS writing team has brought Olivia back – all the other writers acted like she never existed / Julian never “killed” her since the Jerome’s returned to town in 2013.

This is great news!

Surprised? Duke is alive! Finally, Anna and Griffin will have their man back!

Bite your tongue, Timmmy!

Hi Cee, my tongue is bit! Since Liv longs for Duke it wouldnt make sense that she was keeping him somewhere. It would be cool for Anna to get her love back and Grif to have his daddy! A lot of funny scenes written by JELLY. One in particular is GH cutting the staff and Liz fretting. Why? She has been there forever and who the hell else works at this hospital anyway? By the way. I want Olivia and Ned to marry and reboot that Q mansion! Yes, keep Tracy and Monica and add Brooklyn, Leo and Dylan is already there with the much improved Kiki. AND, Kristen Storms, and I say this with peace and love, looks horrendous again. Her scenes at Crimson with Nina, they thankfully did no close ups of her. She is frail and her face is sunken in and tons of makeup. ABC should insist on her taking off a year and getting her health in order. Love you Melania II!

I like every single one of your ideas ( input), my Timmmy…..but, NO to Duke.
I would love to see Olivia be the younger mistress of the Q mansion. She and Ned are great together….love this couple.
And, contrary to popular belief, I think Kiki has grown up….evolved into the proverbial swan.
Poor Kristen Storms….I see what you see. I hope her health is not an issue. It seems that since her divorce, she has gone steadily downhill. She is skin and bones. I love this actress so much….wish her the best….she has a little girl….sigh!!
But, I don’t want to jump the gun here; I mean, if she were ill, she would not be at work, right?

Cee, there is an actress on “The Mick” and her name is Kaitlin Olson. She is Maxie on steroids! This lady is what Maxie should be. She is pretty, comical and can act her ass off! Check her out on Youtube, she is awesome!

LOL…love it, Timmmy! Kailin Olson is one unique; hilarious actress…her stunts effortless, and natural.
She actually does resemble Kristen….a cross between her and a young Heather Locklear.

It was nice of Tonja herself to come on here and reply to some of the posters. So many are quick to complain and start with the negativity, without waiting to see how a story is going to play out. Give the negativity a rest. Have some patience. Not everything is an instant gratification. Tonja said there is a lot of exciting stuff coming up, and I for one am very excited to see what they have in store for us.

Very well said Dan…Thank you.

What I am wondering is when Olivia told Julian she had people she loved all those years ago that she left behind she didn’t mention Colton (Scott Thompson Baker), who was at her bedside when she “died” in ’90?! Have a feeling the writers didn’t want to GO THERE, Scott may not be available for a return / they don’t want “Liv” to be vulnerable again. I for one was THRILLED by Olivia’s return, CAN’T WAIT till her and Anna to face each other. No offense to Lisa LoCicero, but would rather her Olivia Falconeri go over the exciting Olivia Jerome.

I think Olivia Jerome is Griffin’s baby mama!

Have thought the same – another reason to KEEP her around instead of the same old, same old……..

I was actually hoping it she’d be Brad’s mom and gave him up for adoption. But then she told Julian that Brad and Lucas make a nice couple. If she was Brad’s mom, wouldn’t she want to let him know he’s married to his cousin? She couldn’t be that sick could she? So that kinda blew that theory away for me.

PS……
Funny you should say that, Rodd. When I started watching GH, not too long ago, I came to understand that Brad was the scion of an Asian crime family?
So, I, automatically, thought the “hands” belonged to Brad’s mother, due to the “Oriental” decor and the music playing. I had said as much to Shay.
However, I assumed that whoever was the owner of those hands, would be Asian. I had no clue who Olivia Jerome was……but, being Brad’s mother makes some sense.
And, as disgusting as a relationship between cousins is, TPTB could change that story at will. Oh, I don’t know……they could very well invent a new story; that is, Lucas really isn’t Julian’s?

Oh, WOW, Joe!! I just realized the implication. What a thunderstorm of an idea! Love it!

Why bring her back to send her packing? She’s a terrific actress playing a great character. She brings a liveliness to these moribund, stuck in neutral. (How long has HeadTrauma Jason and Mumbles Sam been ‘solving’ this case?)

Too little is actually happening. There’s little to no forward momentum to most of the storylines. Along comes Hurricane Liv and I’m interested once more. I don’t FF through her scenes because I may actually miss something. (Sadly, that can’t be said for most of the other characters. )

The actors deserve better material and the audience deserves something more than another go nowhere Carly/Sonny scene for the twentieth time in six days of episodes.

Agreed, Tomas. I wish Tonja could stay permanently…unfortunately, it seems that she was brought in as the vehicle to escalate Julian to holy heaven. The hypocrisy abounds. She is his saving grace. Add him to Club Sonny–the motto: never pay for your crimes.
Everyone deserves a break. Once. Not over and over….especially gor murder. Yeah! It’s a soap.
We all know where this story is headed. Julian will be the hero; the savior ….
Alexis running towards him in slo-mo….his newly-sewn cape and mystical shield in hand. Oh, brother!!

And right back to those non-stop sexcapades!!!!!! Give me a break…..

Yet another poorly conceived and badly executed “back to life” character.

Totally disagree – they just need to focus more on her hatred of Anna and the history she has in Port Charles.

Yeah, Paul….I inferred as much when I commented that it would be interesting to see how all this unfolds with Anna as a main chess piece in Olivia’s game?

You’re right about playing up her hatred of Anna. The writers are choosing to ignore history by having Olivia call Duke “the only man she ever loved”. She definitely seemed to be in love with Lucy’s cousin Colton Shore at the time of her “death”.

Oh boy, another hateful character. Just what the show needs. But I guess I prefer her to the repulsive Valentin and that spoiled, obnoxious Charlotte. You’d have to go back a long way to find a child character (or performer) so repellent. “THE BAD SEED” comes to mind. But at least Patty McCormack could act.

Hi, Soaphound.,
I can’t answer that, Soaphound. I have only been watching for less than three years. I know nothing about Olivia Jerome. I did not even know there was another Jerome sister. I rely on utube, Shay and others who are deep-rooted in the soap.
I knew Tonja from OLTL, as Alex Olanov……my High School and University days…..
I actually asked the same thing….she comes and goes as she pleases and no one puts one and one together? So dense.

Dense is an understatement, CeeCeeGirl…I guess that can be attributed to the fact that like so many other GH-ers who came back from the land of the non-living before her, Olivia has been presumed dead (at Julian’s hands, no less….) since the early 1990’s, hence nobody ever expected to see her walking around Port Charles alive and well some twenty-plus years later. Yeah, it’s a totally lame excuse for such clueless stupidity, but it’s worked time and time again, so why not keep using this tried-and-true method?

With this plot, they could bring Duke, Carlos and Sabrina back. I’m sure she was behind Paul’s sad murder spree but not because of GH hurt his daughter but because Olivia threatened her life. Also, no one validated Carlos had a twin. Enough with the evil twin plot but Julian and Carlos could have staged the entire thing. And they could have saved Sabrina at the last moment and wish her away leaving Carlos as his brother to get the baby. Come on GH, killing Carlos and Sabrina was a horrible idea.

Cain and Abel, Darnell. I’m afraid we will never be rid of the good twin, evil twin theme. Since the beginning od time…. LOL.
And, yes….I was sad when Sabrina was killed off.
I, also, wanted Paul to stay put. Perhaps, Paul was hypnotized by Olivia Jerome……you have a point; Olivia may have been behind Paul’s schizophrenia ( one of the most ridiculously, stupid, infantile storylines ever!!!!).

Hi Celia, hoping you can answer this as you’ve been watching longer than I. Wasn’t the Olivia Jerome character on the show previously? If so, why can’t anyone figure out Julian has another sister? Are they all suffering from Dante-itis? That’s my synonym for being clueless. Thanks! Hope u are well.

@Shay,
Hello, Shay,
Sometimes, I feel badly for these writers. They all fall into that same pit of either copying each or repeating the same storyline until it’s gnawed to the bone.
I feel as if I mustn’t be so critical, in fear the remaining soaps will stop airing. I should’ve been more forgiving towards other characters, mayhap? I mean, I am capable of forgiving Ava; why not the others? Does that make me as unreasonable as some of these stories? LOL.
So, I’d rather bear through many of the illogical plots/themes, if it means keeping the soaps alive.
I find myself just FF a few scenes whose characters drive me to distraction. Thank goodness for my coveted DVR.

@CeeCee….I appreciate your magnanimous attitude toward the greatly diminished state of today’s soaps…I think I find it a taller order for me to follow your generous example due to the fact that I so vividly remember these shows when they were at the absolute top of their game, plus I now watch such a variety of really beautifully-produced and cogently written programs (with actual beginnings, middles and conclusions….) from the international market that my patience for this nonsensical stuff has worn totally thin…and is rapidly approaching nil. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t admire your tenacious support for this barely surviving genre….you are a truly good egg, mia amica!

I hate this F…ing stunt casting! Either bring back people and keep them for a while or do not bother!

You said it, Timmm!

Maura West being wasted has been for months she would chew this character actress up can’t believe no scenes with Walker ! Why? Who is running the show over there no scenes with FH waste of time

I say it all the time gh is just copying all of the old story Anna and Valentine is her old story with Fason just turn around

General Hospital

Nancy Lee Grahn’s Star-Studded ALS Fundraiser Reveals “I’ll Be There” Video Featuring Soap Opera Notables

Talk about your impressive line-up! It’s a soap fans dream and for a great cause. General Hospital’s Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis) is prepping her one-night only ALS fundraiser which will feature many of her friends and co-stars.

The benefit is set for May 4th in Glendale, California. Slated to participate are Genie Francis, Jane Elliot, Peter Bergman, Maurice Benard, Eileen Davidson, Thorsten Kaye, Michelle Stafford, Stephen Nichols, Rena Sofer, Jason Thompson, Kelly Monaco, Melissa Claire Egan, Maura West, Kristina Wagner, Gregory Harrison, Trevor St. John, Kate Mansi, Kirsten Storms, Cynthia Watros, and many others.

On Wednesday, Grahn took to her social media and released an “I’ll be there” video shout-out featuring, Monaco, Elliot, Bergman, Bernard, West, Harrison, St. John and more. In a touching and important moment in the new video, Michelle Strogny, who is battling ALS, is featured.

Photo: ABC

Previously, in speaking with Soap Opera Digest on the impetus of the event, Grahn recalled, “I was actually doing Zoom events during Covid and I met this woman that I just fell in love with, Michelle Strojny. At the time, Michelle had been living with ALS for four years. Now, it’s five years. She is a mom of a teenage son, she has the most wonderful husband, and she has been dealing with this [disease] for quite a while. And obviously, there isn’t a cure yet. It’s not survivable yet. But as she says, it’s not incurable. Nothing is; it’s underfunded. But anyway, I just really dug this woman. She is so grounded and filled with grace, and she spends all of her time working to raise money for the cause. We did a fundraiser for her last year and then I thought, ‘You know what? The soaps don’t ever get together to do something for charity.’ Collectively, we have this amazing community and we don’t collectively use it for a good cause, and I think it’s such an easy thing for us to do and we could potentially really make a difference.”

As GH viewers know, Gregory Harrison is playing the character of Gregory Chase, who is also battling ALS in a touching storyline that is currently playing out shedding a light on this disease.

For information on Nancy’s event, including the stars who are s scheduled to participate click here. To purchase tickets to the event click here.

Check out the video featuring Nancy’s friends and co-stars below.  Now let us know, your thought son the line-up for the benefit and helping raise awareness and funds for ALS research via the comment section.

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General Hospital

‘General Hospital’ Writer Shannon Peace Let Go, and Shares on Sprina: “One of My Only Regrets is to Not Have the Opportunity to Develop That ‘Ship’ Further”

As General Hospital’s new head writing team of Elizabeth Korte and Patrick Mulcahy gets off the ground and running, there are still changes a foot on the writing team.

Now comes word via breakdown writer Shannon Peace that she is no longer on contract with the long-running ABC soap heading into its 61st season. Peace shared a heartfelt message on her Instagram, thanking the fans, and the show for the opportunity and the importance of diversity in the writers room.

Peace began, “After almost 3 years on staff and 106 episodes penned, I am no longer on contract with General Hospital. Writing for this country’s longest running television serial drama has been an education of epic proportions; I will forever be grateful that I earned my WGA card on a daytime fixture that holds memories for so many.” (Peace pictured below with GH EP Frank Valentini and script writer, Charlotte Gibson from about ten months ago).

Photo: SPeaceIG

Shannon added “Even more importantly, as the sole Black breakdown writer (and only POC in the writers room) during my tenure, I pushed for vital interactions and discussions that prioritized inclusion, visibility, and representation”

The writer pointed to the example of vital interaction when in story, “Stella and Portia’s frank July 2022 conversation about the role race played in Esme’s framing of Trina is just one example of the impact I’m gratified to have had.”

Acknowledging former GH co-head writers was also part of Peace’s farewell expressing, “Appreciation to my former bosses, Chris Van Etten and Dan O’Connor – not only taking a chance on me, but for valuing my opinion and championing my voice.”

Courtesy/ABC

Many GH fans know that Peace was key to the development of the love story between Trina Robinson and Spencer Cassadine as played by Tabyana Ali and Nicholas Chavez. Shannon gave a special shout-out to ‘Sprina’ fans, “I also want to thank fans who were supportive of my work, especially the recognition of my love for ‘Sprina’. One of my only regrets is not having to develop that ‘ship’ further.”

She concludes her statement with,”In the aftermath of a historic writer’s strike that shed new light on the troubling ways writers are regarded in daytime, my sincere hope is that General Hospital recommits to valuing staff writer efforts and input, with a more intentional focus on diverse viewpoints — and thrives for another 60 years.”

Accompanying her post, Shannon added, “Thank you all for the love and support these last few years. I hope GH fans get all they hope for and more!”

So, what do you think about GH not renewing Shannon’s contract? Will there be more continued changes afoot? What do you think is the future of ‘Sprina’ anyway at this point as viewers wait to see if Nicholas Chavez officially returns to the show?  Comment below.

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General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Jason Learns Britt Died and Tells Anna He Has Been Working For Cates Since November 2021

On the Tuesday, March 26th of General Hospital, Anna (Finola Hughes) and the viewers learn about where Jason (Steve Burton) has been for over two and half years. However, Jason gets some news of his own.

Anna is visiting Jason at the PCPD interrogation room. She asks him if he shot Dante (Dominic Zamprogna), which he flatly denies. Anna believes him, but she tells Jason it doesn’t matter, because video footage shows him on the roof at the time of the shooting

When talk turns to Jason not willing to speak without his lawyer present, Anna can’t grasp why Jason would instead spend an hour alone talking with John Cates (Adam J. Harrington).

Photo: ABC

It is then that Anna brings up that John went by “Jagger” and that the two of them knew each other in high school. Jason doesn’t recall much of his time in high school following his brain injury, but then he gets furious realizing John knew about “Jason’s” past. That is when Jason slams the table and tells Anna, “I’ve been working for John Cates since November 2021.”

Next, Jason explains further that he has been working as an informant for the FBI. Anna wants to know how this came about and he tells her that after the tunnel collapsed, and he couldn’t make it to Britt (Kelly Thiebaud)… all of a sudden he sees Anna’s face drop.  Anna is the first person to tell him that Britt died and was murdered. She tells Jason the killer is in custody, but he continues to be shocked, overwhelmed with tears welling up in his eyes. Realizing he has to pivot to save his life, Jason continues telling Anna how he wound up working with John.

Jason explains that after the tunnel collapse in Greece, FBI agents grabbed him and placed him under arrest and took him to Quantico where he met John. At Quantico, John played a recording of RICO violations and offered Jason a deal if he agreed to be an informant against Pikeman, the illegal arms dealer.

Anna hears from Jason that he thinks Pikeman is selling illegal arms to anyone flagged by the NSA but has ties to the WSB which they needed a civilian to infiltrate their organization as a military soldier, a mercenary.

Jason tells Anna he was a part of the team brought into eliminate Sonny (Maurice Benard). Every time an attempt was made on Sonny’s life over the last two years, a different team was sent to do the job. Anna gets furious when she learns that John told Jason his job was to kill Sonny and she was with John at the warehouse that night. Jason ensured the sniper missed Sonny and left the rifle behind. However, they were supposed to meet an extraction team. Before he was shot, Dante saw it was Jason on the roof and when he turned around with his hands over his head, Dante was shot by the other guy. Jason says if Dante dies, he’ll be charged with capital murder and then will be useless to the FBI.

Photo: ABC

Meanwhile, John visits Bobbie’s and runs into Carly (Laura Wright). She learns Jason is in custody and is going to head to the PCPD. Before she does, Carly has some words with Cates when she learns not only does John have a vendetta against Sonny, but Jason too.  Carly tells John he should recuse himself from the case.

So, what did you think about the moment when Jason learned Britt died? What do you think of Jason’s return storyline thus far and what we learned about Jagger/Jason and more? Comment below. But first, check out a moment from today’s GH with Jason and Anna.

 

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