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Eric Braeden and Melody Thomas Scott Tug At Heartstrings During Special Episode of Y&R!

Courtesy/CBS
The Young and the Restless, Eric Braeden (Victor) and Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki) turned in masterful performances on Thursday’s episode of the number one soap opera.
Victor was grief-stricken over the supposed loss of his lush of wife Nikki Newman only she wasn’t dead at all. She was recovering in a rehab facility meeting up with a counselor named Angel (Frank Runyeon), and facing her demons and deciding it was better to sober up than to lose her family.
Watch the video below of the performance and then weigh-in on what you thoughts of the performances of two great icons?
I’m sorry, but I have seen Victor cry over Nikki’s grave, and Nikki crying over Victors’ one too many times over the years to be moved by yet another fake death scene. It has been done before and done better.
Also the way the show writes them always fighting, breaking up and reuniting, it stopped being a romance years ago, so I don’t buy how in love they are in. It is not love anymore it has become a dysfunctional relationships that I wish would just end. If they won’t write them living happily ever, then I think they should just keep them apart for good.
I agree 100%! I am so tired of Nikki, Nicholas and Victoria forgiving Victor’s evil acts. (Much like I was sick of Stephanie and Brooke’s forgiveness on B&B). Victor has become so heartless and Nikki has just become pathetic…falling for some heath crisis to forgive the fact that he is evil incarnate. And tired of his Crocodile Tears….he only loves Nikki when she is his obedient servant.
I do agree. People in their 60’s and 70’s don’t divorce and remarry 17 times. As an ongoing genre…soaps NEED to find writers who can write these shows not as they have always been written. There is nothing remotely entertaining about couples who keep doing that. Even Carly and Jack on ATWT were right played out and Victor and Nikki have been at it much longer. Soaps have this misguided notion that there are either happy couples….or unhappy ones. Couples don’t sit around talking about how happy and how in love they are…nor do repeatedly divorce and remarry. What makes relationshis endlessly fascinating is in all of life. Soaps have not even begun to scrape the surface of the minutiae involved with couples. On a completely unrelated note, does anyone else find it awkward and uncomfortable watching any scene with Valerie and NuKiki on GH? Terribly contrived jeuvenile writing combined with…um….severely limited acting skills is a recipe for wtf?? And seriously, NO ONE….even casually been like “So Val. You’re mom was white. You’re not. Let’s talk.”. GH is an unwatchable crapfest at the best of times but these two gals….no offense…..they’re not doing themselves any favours by being on this show. I hope no casting director ever sees their work on GH.
Imagine if your whole family is white and theres a knock on the door and its a black girl who claims to be part of your family. Not ONE member of your white family is going to say, oh by the way, your very pretty but I cannot help but notice, how did you get that wonderful tan! STUPID AND LAZY! SHES BLACK, THE SPENCERS ARE WHITE, WHY?
So agree with you Mary this was just an Emmy ploy by JFP I guess they really think long time viewers have forgotten how many times Victor has wished her dead.
Aden and Timm, it is odd. I can only surmise that we’ve become so politically correct that we attempt to fight racism in all the wrong places–as if we have to take being color blind to the point of being in denial.
I’m relatively new to the Y&R since the demise of OLTL and AMC. So I haven’t experienced all of the marriages and divorces of Nikki and Victor. But just in my short time I have not been able to figure out why Nikki stays with him, and why Victoria enables him even though she knows down deep that he is possibly pulling another scheme. And Nick…well I’ve just become disillusioned with him over the last couple of years. What he and Victor do have in common is they never look in the mirror and take any responsibility for the, not ripple, but large wave affects to others their actions produce. And I know Nikki has to take responsibility for her sobriety, but Victor just doesn’t acknowledge his role in it.
PLEASE let Sharon be back with Adam 🙂
PLEASE GET RID OF CHELSEA AND SAGE!
I’m sorry.. but we here had a good laugh..
That was above sapy campy..
here,, my g/f hubby was mincing Victor and she was Nikki and they were hilarious minicing the over the top campy,,
The biggest laugh we had was the angel guy..
Jason asked= ”who is that guy”.. we said an Angel he said looks like Jesus Christ is he the angel Jesus..
well, it was sappy fun, for sure..
And kudos to all for their intervention performances..
Melondy was great !! the best I’ve seen her in years..
BRAVO Melody !
OMGoodness…I am in agreement with you and your g/f’s on this.
Is that what was said? That the Angel looks like Jesus?
Frankly, this guy is a poor representation of what an angel would look like. He looks like the missing link to me.
hi 🙂
the whole intervention was campy satire..
we had fun with it..
when Jason said ”is that the what? the angel Jesus, we cracked up..
had to be there..
Sops are not meant to be serious and are always campy fun, especially when shared with friends..
I’m also a Rocky Horror Show fan .. 🙂
suoo, I hate to quibble with you but the Nikki intervention scenes were NOT good examples of campy satire. That does not fit the definition of camp or satire. They were meant to be taken seriously and perhaps in it’s own blundering way, it became funny.
Also incorrect–soaps are indeed very often meant to be serious dealing with serious real life issues such as bipolar disease, cancer, marital struggles and cancer. The soap opera genre does provide escapism but since its inception on radio, it has delved into serious every day issues.
That said, Nikki falling off the wagon and the family staging an intervention is boringly redundant. I perhaps could have tolerated it had the entire show revolved around this one story and this one character. In short, it seemed to be dedicated to the actress engaging in some serious naval gazing. To me, that is not entertainment–it’s not even campy fun.
Harry, I took the scene as serious also. Campy never entered my mind…
I was just a bit confused. What was that? ….an out-of-body-experience for Nikki? Did she die and was revived? Or, was she in a drunken stupor?
Obviously, the purpose of this scene was meant to awaken her out of her self-destructive slumber and embrace life by starting anew. Well, I sure hope so, Harry….I definitely do not want to go on any more drunken trips with her…..especially not in hotel rooms with strange men doing the cuchi-cuchi.
Furthermore, I hope this will open everyone else’s eyes, as well. But, it’s a soap, there are demons in every corner, ready to pounce.
Cee Cee, well said (as par for the course with you) and thank you for the validation.
Su00? I give up–you win. I honestly do not know what I was thinking.
I am tired. I played tennis with an opponent today who kept hitting the ball way out of bounds and of course, I could not return her shot. Because I could not return her shots, she assumed she had beaten me and I just let her think so.
I didn’t like this drunk story at all. Another mess from Chuck Pratt . Sorry not sorry but he needs to be let go
Dear Harry..
the way soaps deal with bipolar, cancer, tumor, whatever stuff is a fictional story and not a real representation of any illness written by non-medical peoples, they are exaggerated and written for soapy drama and over acted..
Soaps are not medical journals they are entertainment..
The stories can make you cry and at times ridiculous, but not factual.
Nikis intervention was sapy campy, it had campy humor with the over acting and nothing like an actual intervention, as seen on the tv show ”Intervention” .. heh!
anyways we had fun with it.. 🙂 the intervention was a mess, actually lol
Wow!!! A whole lotta people need to dust off shelves and make room for Emmys!!! Pratt can do all his high velocity plot maneuvers, but as long as he can do deeply affecting heart tugging , character driven brilliance like this episode…I’m on board. This had shades of Santa Barbara all over it and I say Bravo to all involved.
com’on ..
I hear that every time an actor does their job and gives a good performance..
So far this year there are the least, via the fans, 18 emmy worthy scenes LOL
the acting was good, that is what is expected of the actors, but emmy?? naww..
((example; they gave an emmy to Hunter for her crying))
Melody was at her best, for sure..
100 percent agree.
Really? I thought Melody overacted and was mugging it big time up for the camera. I am surprised the set is still standing after all Veteran Actress Chews up Scenery Part 12 came to town.
Aden, I really resent it when it feels like an entire show is dedicated to making sure an actor gets the brass ring–the Emmy nomination.
I think Nikki is a fantastic actress but I’m tired of her putting up with that Victor. He is an evil man and in real life off set I would bet he’s a bully. No matter what he does he’s always above the law and I’m so sick of Nick forgiving his father all the time. As for the funeral I think we saw all of it before but the guy that played angel was great. He looks so familiar great acting. My favorite lately is Jack Abbott, my gosh can that guy act!! He should put in for an award next year.
While I enjoyed the episode for the most part (it was nice to see Frank Runyeon back on Daytime, but what was up with that Chia Pet-like goatee?), the only hollow spot in the whole thing was the fake Jack (“Yack”) giving Nikki phony and hollow words of encouragement. This would have been better if “Yack” was not there.
Why was a fellow alcoholic being the mediator?
I completely agree. I can’t buy that Jack#2 could have had the exact level of empathy for Nikki as Jack #1 would have had – so much so that the only person who seemed surprised was Victor (of course).
great episode. this will be emmy worthy
GOOD ACTING BY ALL……HOWEVER, HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE SEEN THIS SAME OLD…SAME OLD…..STORY LINE……TIME TO WATCH GENERAL HOSPITAL,,
Magnificent, and totally Exquisite acting by Mr. Braeden! He gave one of the Greatest performances of his long and respected career in yesterdays episode!! Since I have been a fan of Mr. Braeden’s for over 50 years, I have seen him give countless, Award Winning performances, Movies, T.V. shows; comedies, mysteries, westerns, so I know that he has a huge range as an actor. He can display in his portrayals, many complicated emotions, and so effortlessly. He is clearly ‘an Actor’s Actor’! And yesterday he validated that fact! Why Mr. Braeden never became a Major Motion Picture Star long ago, is a complete mystery to me. However he Is a ‘Star’ to millions of devoted fans all over the world who have followed his Amazing career for so many years as I have. He is a true Icon! In my opinion, Mr. Braeden is every bit the actor that my other two favorite actors were; the Great Marlon Brando and the Exceptional Jack Lemmon! All three, Sensational actors All!
I love Eric, as well. He IS daytime. Him and Anthony Geary.
Sorry, it didnt tug at my heart strings. The who show tugged at my remote control! It was an awful show! First of all they should have had John Abbott as the “Gate Keeper” in heaven. Secondly, they have a ton of audio they could have used on dialogue Nicki and Kay have shared over the years. Why not have a figure off into the clouds being Katherine and having her talk to Nicki? Last thing, having Yak there was senseless. How the hell does this guy have so much background info on Nicki? VERY weak! However, he did give her some good advice. Melody, good job, Y&R,bad writing!
Although Nikki didn’t really die and never was in heaven, it does seem odd that her vision didn’t include Katherine, not even a mentioned. I like your idea of them using audio from the many lecture Katherine gave Nikki about drinking. But if that would be too bothersome to deal with royalties to her estate to use JC voice, they could have at least mentioned Katherine during the intervention.
As for Yack being there, well, only we and Victor know he is a fake. The real Jack would have been there. Nikki is his ex wife and they share the addiction so I think it would have been odd if Jack wasn’t there. One can assume when Victor hired him, Yack was given history on all the people in Jack’s life including his ex wives. Plus we now know Yack was speaking from his own experiences, having a girl friend who addicted to drugs.
Timm, I could not agree with you more.
yes,, it was a bit campy, wasn’t it 😉 lol
Ha! Yes, campy. Everyone was wearing Timberland boots, lying in sleeping bags while roasting marshmallows roasted on the camp fire.
Great points Timmm! John Abbott would have been great, and scenes with Kay would have made a lot of sense – but given that the history of the show and the authenticity of the characters seems lost on these writers, a great opportunity was lost.
I always say, it would be difficult to write so much dialogue everyday BUT why do us fans always seem to have better ideas?
I thought it was very well done. I cried it was so touching.
These days, unfortunately, I find my focus is on knowing these actors on YR have to spend hours learning their scripts and then add their own acting skills, plus follow the director for that show & do the job. It’s not really about getting lost in the story lines anymore as many are either boring or just so fictitious even an author of a novel would have trouble getting the plots past an editor for a publishing company.
This episode by Melody and Eric was such a great example of why as their characters they have lasted on the show for all these years. Whether Eric’s tears were real (or induced with drops administered, which can be done for a tearful scene) or not, it had be blinking back my own. The acting and script delivery was impeccable and memorable for me.
It was great to see their ‘work’ on screen given the hour to expand the emotions they bring to the scenes. Rather than the familiar few minutes every now and then throughout the hours of the show.
The cast on YR do their jobs. That is what they are hired to do. To bring a character to life, add the very subtle nuances of each scene as many do, takes great skill and dedication to character development.
Melody’s very indignant walk when outraged, Victor winding up for a loud, “You got that?” are two examples. The ritual of seeing familiar characteristics in the different cast are part of what i watch now. So, even though plot, story lines are the result of new direction with JFP and Pratt, I can still enjoy the actors, their skill and admire them for pulling off every challenge thrown their way.
Melody Thomas Scott is hands down the best drunk on TV. Her balancing act of sobriety has been excellently played. While this is soap opera and stories hit the fine line of ridiculous reality, I have to say that I love how the character of Nikki doesn’t just miraculously get healed of her addictions. How many times do we hear in the news of some actor or actress have fallen off the wagon for the upteenth time? I give kudos to the writing team for making Nikki have those sad, pathetic moments because that is true to her addiction. She is still a strong lady and a fighter but this addiction is stronger and she knows it. Victor is always the villain and never strays from it. True to his character. I hear many people say they are tired of it but no one would like seeing Victor sitting around the table playing Canasta and tweeting to his friends at the office. Victor Newman is VICTOR NEWMAN. No conscience or rules, just a heart that beats to slay ANYONE who attacks his family in any way. He isn’t right. It isn’t rational but it’s who Victor is. The only thing that annoys me the most is that they keep making Nicholas Newman so judgmental of everyone, family and friends alike but he can’t keep his pants on for any reason whatsoever! I mean my god, every woman that comes to town he is going to poke. Phyllis, Sharon, Grace, Avery, Sage and god knows who else….and he comes down on Sharon? And this I am not having any relationship until Faith accepts it. So basically he is teaching his daughter to sleep around with any one and every one as long as you don’t make your kids upset. Faith is going to be a huge slut if he keeps that up. I mean Summer is getting there herself. I love Victoria because even though she comes off as bitchy she still is human. She has heartbreaks, she loves her children and she is confused at the way her life works. She is hopelessly in love with Billy but can’t accept it. For all those that are slamming these characters I have to say they seem pretty realistic to some people I know in real life. I think both Eric Braeden and Melody Thomas Scott deserve kudos for keeping their characters true to their natures. I really don’t want to see Nikki stop her drinking. I love her as a drunk. But I know we have to have her take that delicate walk back to sobriety. I am just glad we got such a good ride with Nikki this time around. She is amazing. Let’s all lift a glass to Nikki’s alcoholism. Cheers. (Yes I know I am awful)
I agree – Nikki is fun to watch, particularly because she’s not all buttoned up when she is drunk and she says what she thinks. I also think they did a good job last week of showing the “angry drunk” side of her – and she played it brilliantly. It seems that in the past she was also repentant when drinking, but last week she was really harsh with everyone.
As for Faith, I simply cannot wait to see what she will be like when they inevitably fast forward age her. Certainly manipulative and definitely addicted to sugar. Seriously – can they stop feeding her cookies to get her out of the room??
Pretty decent episode….Melody Thomas Scott is wonderful.
I would like to see follow up in rehab to make this believable.
Could we puleez split Nikki and Victor up tho – he’s really got to start paying for his misdeeds…enough is enough already !!
lisa, hi
Ohhh noooo!
I have no desire to watch Niki go through rehab, how awfully boring.
Niki will always be with Victor.. if she is not with Victor the Niki’s character has no purpose and Melody could be looking for work..
Her and Victor are older and they are what they are and always will be, there is nothing nor anybody else for them to be with ..
it will be Victor and Niki to the end..
I am soooooo sick of drunk Nikki! She is not convincing at all and is definitely embarrassing to watch.
How many more times do we have to watch this former stripper who lives in the lap of luxury with a man she claims drives her to drink but she won’t leave him?
I almost gagged when she told “Walt” she used to be a stripper. My first thought was, oh please don’t give him a demonstration. She looked like a tired old housefrau in that awful dress. The wardrobe lady should fired.
I usually really enjoy nikki, except when she’s drunk or she purses her lips as she’s looking down on someone.
well,
If Niki didn’t drink that made made alcohol junk and go earth natural and smoke weed, she would be much better off..
Victor needs some good weed, for sure..
Victor, stoned? Now, seeing the Mustache all glassy eyes and smiling while screaming,”I have what is called the munchies!!! Give me a frankfurter with lots of German mustard and sauerkraut!! Then he would burst into peels of hysterical laughter.
Now that is a scene I’d like to see.
I would love to see Victor stoned! heck, I would pay to see that..
someone needs to get stoned, people do smoke weed, ya know.. lol
No, SUoo, I did not know anyone smoked pot. I am shocked, shocked, I tell ya!
Now imagine you’re working the late shift at the In N Out in Genoa City.
You speak through the intercom and hear a German voice sputter out,” GIVE me a DOUBLE DOUBLE ON THE DOUBLE OR I WILL RUIN YOU!!!”
Then you hear a woman giggle hysterically and she horse whispers,”OH Victor, you should get stoned more often–you are hilarious when high!”
“SHUT UP WOMAN! I haven’t ordered my fries and chocolate shake yet!- You disgust me!” The woman’s voice answers,”OH I love this type of foreplay. Mr Mustache.”
i guess im in the minority but i ff d it and then just erased it. i lost intrest when plastered nikki crawled into bed wth some loser from the club. its been done before and much better when nikki hooked up with deacon in that sleezy motel and victor came charging in!
the only part of this story that excites me is that victoria newman is getting a back bone again! i loved when vic told niiki she didnt need lipstick, she needed a drink! i howled, amelia s killing it!
unfortunatly characters continue to act out of character, neils doin vics dirty work for no real reason, nikki s hoing around in the gcac where everyone can see, victor doesnt care that his daughters are sharing stitch, when normally victor wld ve sent stitch out of town! oh gawd, its sooo bad, i swear first year writing class students who ve never watched an ep of y n r could do better!
pratt n cbs and sony heads for letting this continue are complete ass wipes!
im just waiting for the headline “pratt and jfp canned for shitting all over y n r”
JFP and Pratt are both doing what they are hired to do..
Y&R has gained in the numbers since Pratt aboard..
They have near 60 year experience between them, they are going nowhere..
Soap writers/producers are not easy to come by they are now becoming a lost art ..
Soap writers & producers are on the endangerment list as a rare species.
I am in agreement with you, Damien. Melody is married to a CBS executive so she has a lot of pull. I think that is why they dedicated an ENTIRE show to Nikk’s intervention.
Had they interjected it with other stories it might have been tolerable. I made the first 15 minutes and then deleted it from my DVR.
im not worried suoooo about pratts and jfp s tenure… they are not a match for the quality type of show real y n r fans know the soap deserves. its only a matter of time before pratt hangs himself with his plot driven storytelling. he lacks simple character driven storytelling. averys exit which was initially involving rape is why the ratings spike. he s all stunt storytelling.it gets old quick. the february disaster has had no real consquences for the overall show, nicks silly club was rebuilt the same and speaking of nick the fact that he wld let his hlf bro shack up with his ex and not blast sharon or dyaln shows how badly pratt knows simple characters motives etc. we ‘re losing a strong beautiful character and actress in avery to make room for sage who has no real characterization and is showing no guilt in possibly hiding the real paternity of her unborn child. shows a mess and pratt needs to attend a writing course.
jfp just needs to be shown the door, she s shadier than victor newman , who btw has been completely destroyed as having even the slighest morality.
in a couple of years we ll have a new team, hopefully one with a clue
suooo, dont bother justifying or defending pratts and jfp s involvement with the show. its pathetic and sickening. they dont care about the show so i don t know why u d care about them.
damien..
there are many as myself who like ”plot driven stories”
that is a fact damien.. Plots are a good thing.
Plots first, that is what makes the stories is plots, the couples should always be secondary because they are boring..
and as ”pathetic and sickening” you see Y&R as being you tune in to watch it..
( there is something wrong with doing that- it is not logical)
I think Y&r should kill off Victor by Nicky like when Gewn Alden from Loving went nuts and killed her family… Maybe Victor, Sharon, Victoria and Neil could be her victims! That would shake things up! Then Y&r could focus on the Abotts and Jabot, making it more comptatible with B&B..fashion and costmetics blend well ;p
You need an intervention!
When is someone gonna put #YR’s Neil in a time-out so he can give his ivory tower a rest?! I have NEVER been a fan of the Winters clan, always posturing and parading around Genoa City like they are morally-superior to everyone else, while each member is like nails on a chalkboard: insufferable princess daughter Lily, whose sense of entitlement has always been off the charts; son-in-law Cane, whose permanent smirk and constant mauling of wife Lily are yawn-inducing; sudden-billionaire son Devon, who’s needed to grow-a-pair since he was adopted into this clan…and finally patriarch Neil, the perpetual Charlie Brown who always seems to draw the losing straw in life, yet keeps getting back-up to pontificate and grandstand for another day!! (Just last month, HE fell-off the wagon hard, and now look at him: leading an intervention and bullying Nikki like HE has all the answers?! Hypocrite!!) Nikki had the line of the episode: “He’s been sober for what, ten minutes?, and he’s gonna tell ME HOW TO LIVE?!” Why can’t Pratt do something about altering the traits of THESE characters instead of re-writing those we actually can tolerate?!
I cannot stand Devon and Cane should run fast as he can away from Lilly just not into Lauren’s arms!
Geoffrey-Martin Cyr, hi
You said that brilliantly !
The Winters family have been FF for a very long time, a horrible hoard of yuck ..
Neil and Devon the worst !
I did not like the episode. Would have been better if we had seen just the intervention and not the ‘Heaven’ part.
Rumor has it Nickii will really fall off the rails this summer and I predict she end up in Ian Ward’s arms!
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric

General Hospital’s Dominic Zamprogna (Dante Falconeri) opened up about the burgeoning love triangle forming between his Port Charles alter-go, Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst) after recently aired scenes, plus his hopes for the future of a Dante and Liz pairing, during his appearance on the Sunday, April 23 edition of the That’s Awesome podcast with Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli).
On last week’s episodes of GH, Ric has made the decision that he wanted to propose to his ex-wife, only when he showed up at Elizabeth’s front door, he misread the scenario he walked in with Liz tending to Dante’s injured leg from the softball game. From there, the legal eagle’s jealous streak is reemerging which may cause him to act out and do something unforgivable, or will he take the high road? Stay tuned.
Speaking with Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson about where Elizabeth stands in the annals of the long-running soap, Zamprogna said, “She’s up there with Steve and Maurice (Maurice Benard) as one of the most legacy-filled people on the show.”

Courtesy/ABC
HOW DANTE AND ELIZABETH CAME ABOUT
Dominic jokes it’s a far cry for where Dante and Elizabeth previously, recalling, “We had some scenes together years ago and we were both laughing. Becky’s like, ‘Well, I guess we’re not going be paired up anytime soon.’ I remember we laughed immediately after they yelled ‘cut,”‘and said to each other, ‘Well, so much for that!'”
Fast-forward to early 2025 and as Zamprogna remembered it, “Elizabeth Korte (co-head writer, GH) came up to me at the General Hospital Christmas party, and I think it was a year and a half ago and she said, ‘We’re going to have you in scenes with Elizabeth,’ My internal monologue is going, ‘I’m not with Lulu (Alexa Havins) anymore and Sam’s (Kelly Monaco) gone, so maybe they want to see if this works.’ I didn’t want to get scenes with Becky and try to find the chemistry. I just wanted to play whatever honestly was written and came across for both of us and hope it was what people liked, and I don’t know if it is … or not.”
Knowing how beloved Elizabeth is to the GH faithfuls, Zamprogna added, “She got a big fan base with Ric … and a big fan base with with Jason … and you know, you’re going to piss somebody off. But, didn’t Ric drug Elizabeth and put Carly in a panic room?”

Photo: ABC
DANTE AND ELIZABETH PAIRING COULD STIR UP STORY FOR OTHERS IN PORT CHARLES
In closing, Dominic felt that the wide-reaching tentacles of a Dante and Elizabeth relationship is something he is 100% down for. “The triangle thing; I was happy to hear it was with Ric and her, because I felt it’s important to have her the top of it as opposed to Dante, Lulu and Elizabeth.”
Zamprogna added, “When you get into relationships on a soap, things seem to fizzle out a little bit, The buildup is what’s the fun part, and the getting to know each other, and the people who are affected by this coming together. When with this case it’s going to affect: Ric, Sonny, Lulu. There’s so much more story here. To me, it’s going to be a fun story to play.”
You can check out Dominic’s visit to That’s Awesome with Steve and Bradford below.
Now weigh-in: Are you rooting for Dante and Liz, or Dante and Ric at this juncture of the story, or neither guy for Elizabeth? Let us know your thoughts and picks via the comment section.
Beyond the Gates
‘Beyond the Gates’ Star Mike Manning Lands Role in Indie Horror Feature ‘Deify’

While Smitty tries to hold the fort down in his marriage to congressman Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) and their two teenaged children, Samantha (Najah Jackson) and Tyrell (Jaden Lucas Miller) on Beyond the Gates, Emmy-winner Mike Manning has also landed another feature film role.
According to Deadline, Manning has joined the cast of Deify with 6 other new cast members for the indie psychological horror film starring Neal McDonough and Skeet Ulrich, which was previously announced last week.
Joining Manning as the latest cast addition are: Dennis Haysbert, Ashley Greene, Casey Harnett, Kirk Avecdo, Anji White, anf Nicholas Chimera who’s directing the pic also has a part in the film.
WHAT’S THE STORY OF DEIFY?
Taking to his Instagram with the news of his casting, Manning shared, “A movie about a cult? What could possibly go wrong? Come for the enlightenment. Stay because they won’t let you leave. DEIFY is coming…”
The movie is currently shooting in Chicago and in story, “a cult leader is put on trial after causing his devoted followers to be burned alive. The film is inspired in part by events surrounding the 1993 Waco, Texas, standoff between members of the Branch Davidians church and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, one of the largest civilian firefights ever recorded on American soil.”
MIKE MANNING IS A DAYTIME EMMY NOMINEE
In addition, the multi-talented Manning is a producer on the feature. Previously, Mike was nominated last month in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards. He previously won an Emmy for his role on The Bay and for being a producer on the digital drama.
Mike’s previous credits include the role of Charlie Dale on Days of Our Lives and the Manny on This Is Us, plus various primetime and screen credits.
So intrigued to find what role Mike will play in the upcoming horror/cult film, Deify? Enjoying him as Smitty on Beyond the Gates? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
General Hospital
GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)

At the conclusion of today’s August 21 episode of General Hospital, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) sings a lullaby to baby Dez, that went into a montage to close out the episode as her father Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) reports to Pentonville and winds up in his jail cell.
However, in a fun fact, the song entitled, “A Lonely Heart To Give” was actually written by none other than former One Life to Live and General Hospital actor, Patrick J. Gibbons.
Daytime fans first met Gibbons as Sam Manning on One Life to Live. At the time, when he started on the soap, he was just 5-years-old. Gibbons played the part from 2010-2013 on ABC and Prospect Park’s editions of the show. Fast-forward to 2018, Gibbons shows up on General Hospital as Wyatt Hoover, the scout who seemed always be injured, but in the thick of the drama. Patrick had appeared on GH multiple times as Wyatt including: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023.

Photo: ABC
FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER’S DEATH CAME THE INSPIRATION FOR HIS SONG
Now in 2026, General Hospital fans are getting to learn about another side of Gibbons’ talent as a songwriter and guitar player after “A Lonely Heart to Give” debuted today! Michael Fairman TV caught up with Patrick, who is now a senior at Penn State entering his final year as a finance major, to get the back-story of how his song wound up on GH!
Gibbons explained he wrote the song in honor of his grandmother who passed away a few years ago with whom he was, very, very close with. “Randomly, my grandmother had a downfall and passed away during the second semester of my sophomore year. I was in my dorm a lot and I was just playing with my guitar. And at the time, I was really into finger-style playing. I wrote the lyric and music to it (with a little help from my guitar teacher Lou), and my mom showed the rough demo to Frank Valentini (EP, General Hospital). He’s like an uncle to me. Frank loved it so much he said, “Finish that up. I want to hear the whole thing, and I want it on the show.”
MAKING MUSIC FOR GENERAL HOSPITAL
Gibbons and his parents took the next steps! “So now, all we needed was a female voice, because I thought that would fit the song well,” Patrick shared. “At the golf club we go to my parents were at a dinner. They liked the singer that was performing and spoke to her about the song, and she says she would like to bring it to her ‘boss’ who ended up being Eric Bazilian of the Hooters fame!” (Bazilian also wrote the smash hit song “One of Us” for Joan Osborne).
Next, “We went in the studio and recorded it and the song came together and it was beautiful. We loved it. They loved it at General Hospital and now they’re putting it the show and they are coming in with a piano, instead of a guitar. Paul Glass, the GH musical director, has been keeping us updated over the last six months of how it was coming along, and when it would air, and how GH put their own arrangement to it. I can’t wait to see and hear what they did with it.”

Photo: JPI
PATRICK’S ONE LIFE TO LIVE FAMILY
Everyone knows that the One Life to Live extended family share a very tight bond, and Patrick said he does stay in touch with a few of his former One Life to Live co-stars, especially those from the Manning family! “I stayed in touch with Kassie DePaiva (ex-Blair) and sent her little videos here and there. She was like my second mom for five years. We keep in contact with Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr) over X the most, and she can’t believe how big I’ve gotten. Like, none of them can! (laughs). I also loved working with Roger Howarth (ex-Todd) and Trevor St. John (ex-Todd and Victor Jr.), and to me since I was so young, they were just my friends, ‘Roger and Trevor,’ not Todd Manning or Victor Jr.”
It was a trip to California and a visit to Port Charles that ultimately led to Gibbons second soap role of Wyatt Hoover. Patrick explains, “In 2016, Frank Valentini invited us out to Los Angeles to visit the set of General Hospital. I think he heard me say, ‘This is so much fun. I miss being on the set.’ He goes, ‘You should come out. I’ll bring you on the show. We can make you a character.'”
A few years later, Patrick’s dream became a reality! “Then, by the summer of 2018, I was playing Wyatt, the scout, and shared scenes with Wes Ramsey (Peter August), and the best was when I shared a scene with Roger Howarth and Michael Easton (ex-John, OLTL and ex-Silas, Finn et al, GH), it was like chemistry from the old days.”

Photo: PGibbons
IT’S ALL IN THE NUMBERS
As to his future aspirations, it’s a career in the finance game that has piqued Gibbons’ real-life interest. But never say never to a return to acting. Patrick explained, “I’ve always enjoyed numbers. And on top of that, one of the biggest parts of finance is being personable and outgoing.”
He continued, “That’s one of the greatest skills I developed growing up. I really love the markets. I’m super interested. I’m never going to close the door to acting. I’m always open to that because I just love it so much. It’s such a great art.”
Take note! If there are any investment bankers or private equity folks among the GH faithful looking for a young analyst next year, Patrick’s DMs are open. You can find him on X at @PatrickJGibbons.”
So, what did you think of the song sung by Trina on today’s GH that was written by Patrick J. Gibbons? Did you enjoy Patrick’s performances as One Life’s Sam and GH’s Wyatt? Would you like to see him back on GH at some point? Let us know via the comment section.
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