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CONFIRMED: Tonja Walker Returning To General Hospital!

Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

After much speculation, it has been confirmed by General Hospital’s executive producer Frank Valentini on Friday, that Tonja Walker is set to return to the ABC daytime drama series for a prominent role beginning to air in early 2017.

In the statement the EP related: “We are very happy to be bringing Tonja back to GH.  While we can’t share what role she’ll be playing, we can guarantee that she’ll be shaking things up in Port Charles.”

On GH, Walker played Olivia Jerome from 1988-1990, until the character was killed-off by her brother Julian!  Savvy GH fans think they may know who Walker will play! The initiasl O and J may be very important since fans began speculating that the person Julian (William deVry) is speaking with and getting some directives from is named Oscar Jessup.  But Sam (Kelly Monaco) and Jason (Billy Miller) discovered Jessup died in the early 90’s!

If Walker is reprising Olivia, it would provide great drama with her revenge on her brother and her past with Anna Devane (Finola Hughes).  And, how might Ava Jerome (Maura West) feel about having Olivia actually alive and well?  Stay tuned to see how this all plays itself out.

So, excited to hear Tonja is coming back to GH?  Comment below!

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I know zero of Tonja, so really don’t care if she comes on or not.
I do care for Helena and I want her back !!!

Her scenes with Maura West are going to be must see daytime tv!

Just before her death, Olivia Jerome found redemption in a relationship with Lucy’s cousin Colton. If TW is an alive again Olivia, at least one scene with Lynn Herring would be fantastic

Swooning at Maura/Tonja….

whatever it takes… to upend… the dire wasteland that is : Corinthos

this is tour de force acting troupe; Jerome’ Julian, Olivia, Ava. wow

OH happy DAY! Olivia Jerome was a GREAT character brilliantly played by Tonja Walker! Bringing her back is exactly the spark this show and storyline need! Welcome home Tonja!

I believe Tonja was on OLTL for a while.

Yes. She played Alex Olanov.

What a hoot TW was as Alex Olanov. Loved TW then and love her now. Glad she is coming back to GH. Girl has style and delivery. Yeah.

Meh

She was fantastic from I remember of her from back then. A complex kind of crazy a Olivia Jerome was. Maybe Griffin is due to be crazy obsessed over like his Dad

Duke was not obsessed with Olivia, it was the other way around.
Olivia was a creepy-stalker woman who also preyed upon Anna.
But never the less, given her Duke obsession, she cannot be happy with her brother for killing the object of her obsession.

I know. I said crazy obsessed over
Meaning someone was crazy obsessing over him

Okay, thank you for the clarification.

If Tonya is playing Olivia – the scenes between her and Ava will be electrifying I’m sure .

I friggin’ loved Olivia Jerome! This could be great.

I’m excited to see her back on General Hospital and can’t wait to see how all of this will play out.

Tonja and Maura is brilliance!!

If she is playing Olivia Jerome – what do we do with Olivia Falconeri? It has never been the practice on a soap to have two characters with the same first name. A same-named boy may be called “Junior.” When Denise Alexander came back to GH, LesleyLu was then called LuLu. Alan Quartermaine Jr was not Alan but A.J. Will be interesting to see what Tanya’s character will be or maybe LoCicero is leaving GH…with the kid, I hope.

As Tracy would say, it’s time for Mama Leone to he’d back to Brooklyn

Two people in a town can have the same name! Young and Restless had John Silva and John Abbott for years. And GH had John McBain and John Zacchara.

One Life also had John McBain and John Sykes for a short while

I’ve always enjoyed Tonja Walker’s work—dating back to her early role on “Capitol”—so I’m happy to see her return to daytime. I just hope it isn’t as another Jerome family member, even though she was the original one back in the day…Quite frankly, I’ve had it up to here with that corrupt clan monopolizing the GH canvas….both Ava and Julian need to go. But if Olivia—or whoever she is—can accomplish that feat, then I’m all for her (re)appearance. (It would still be a better idea than attaching Walker to her old OLTL character…oh please, for the love of God, let’s not start re-populating Port Charles with Llanview denizens again…we’ve been there, done that, and it didn’t go over well the first time around….)

I only began watching GH when Maura West joined as Ava. I have found the show very bland and poorly written of late. If Ava leaves, I’ll not watch anymore. I humbly respect your opinion.

I can appreciate your thoughts, too, toscanti…even though I cannot deny West’s talents, I simply have not enjoyed the character of Ava (nor Julian) and their effect upon the emphasized mob direction of GH. Of course, I can also say the same for the characters of Sonny and Carly…whilst I’ve no quarrel with the actors who portray them, I cannot abide the way they have monopolized the goings-on in Port Charles.

Shay merry Christmas best wishes for 2017 the fact you re still watching GH tells me you have had a lobotomy or a glutton for punishment! Lol you hang in there

Darlings FV thinks it is OLTL

@k/kay…..Thank you, and Merry Christmas to you, as well! For the record, I’ve not had a lobotomy, nor am I a glutton for punishment….I barely watch GH anymore. The last full episode I tuned into was when “painted as sainted” Sabs kicked the proverbial bucket, and that one was worth the price of admission, believe you me! Other than occasional snippets here and there, I really don’t view the show, but hope always springs eternal it will someday get it right again. Until then, the void for daily drama is more than filled by the likes of MFSoaps and the continued antics from those discontented by the U.S. presidential election.

Ooh more Jeromes !!

Let’s complete the family and bring back daddy Victor. Jack Axelrod is still acting at 86!

Hey Olivia meet Olivia falcineri, lol, I was a kid back when Olivia Jerome was on and while I don’t remember everything bout the character I do remember her obsession with Duke, she was cray cray for sure in the good way she’ll be fun to watch with Ava.

Been waiting 26 years for this reunion! I agree the case of the 2 Olivias does complicate things but the addition of Tonja to the canvas is sure to set off a lot of sparks across various storylines. Is Nelle part of her master plot? Did she pull the strings on the Duke hit? If she was so Duke-obsessed why wait so long after his death to reappear! What does she have in mind for Sonny? Lastly, is she connected to Paul Hornsby? See ya around Port Chuck, Oscar!!!!!?

I wasn’t a GH viewer back when Tonja was on, but I’ve heard about Olivia Jerome and think she would be a great addition to the canvas. However, the casting notice doesn’t specify that she’ll be playing Olivia, and since there is already another Olivia currently on the show, are they really going to have two characters with the same name?

I’m glad, it’s about time. She was so great first time around. My only thing is, now we’ll have two Olivias on the show.

Olivia VS Ava=Jerome Fireworks!

Both actresses BRING IT! and i know with them together, it will be magical!
Skip Julian, i’ll take the Jerome girls ANYDAY!

This could potentially shake things up in a really good way that pays homage to GH history.

Maybe she’s Griffin’s mom…believed dead. I didn’t watch back then but since she had a thing for Duke…could it be she changed her identity…Griffin in the dark about her past…

I was gonna say the exact same thing! Could she be Griffin’s believed-to-be-dead Mother? Especially considering her past connection(s) with the character of Duke who of course happens to be Griffin’s father…

Yep…would be interesting! Lol…poor Griffin…he’s so good…it’d devastate him. And Anna’d freak. But still, an interesting twist… Let’s see if we’re right….

I do not remember her. Was she before 1989?

The best years of GH were before 1989, Tskyent. But yes, she came on the show in ’88 and was front burner with Duke and Anna.

And she left in ’90 after being redeemed.

I’ve watched in the seventies, and early eighties. Thank you 🙂

Great to see Tonja Walker on soaps again, I really liked her as Alex on OLTL. I hope GH treats her well and that she is on it full time, or at least recurring.

I know I’m late responding to this announcement but this is awesome. How could they possibly bring her back as Olivia unless she was in disguised as Alex Olonov on OLTL all these years? Coming back as Olivia will pull multiple GH favs into the storyline. This will drive Ana completely crazy. She could also be Griffins mother with Duke. She will definitely come gunning after Julian. She could even have a vendetta against Ava being the bastard child of her father. It could get even more interesting if she removed Ana’s fetus after the elevator accident and implanted it into herself. Making Ana Griffins real mother. What a coo this was!!!!

I would love to see her playing the character from One Life. Certainly she learned a lot from Asa and Carlo to be a very dangerous woman. She’s been living on that Island of hers all these years. A rise to power would be great for her!! And she’s alive, not even presumed dead. She can pretend to be whoever she wants.

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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