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Former General Hospital Daytime Emmy Winner, Julie Berman Cast As Series Regular On Hulu Comedy, CASUAL!

Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

Julie Berman has been garnering several roles of late on primetime series; including her recurring role on NBC’s Chicago Med. Now comes word that Berman has been upped to series regular on the upcoming second season of Hulu’s original comedy, Casual.

According to Deadline on Monday, Berman who plays the role of Lei, the attractive and promiscuous assistant to Valerie (Michaela Watkins) who is a breezy, unintentionally vulgar poster child for the Adderall generation, but endearingly sweet, and who offers Valerie a fresh perspective on what it means to be a sexual women in 2016, role will expand.

The series premise follows the story of a dysfunctional family with a bachelor brother (Tommy Dewey) and his newly divorced sister (Michaela Watkins). Together, they coach each other through the crazy world of dating — online and off — while living under one roof again and raising a teenager (Tara Lynne Barr).

In addition, actress Kate Aselton will join the series for season 2 in the recurring role of Jennifer, a new therapist who takes the vacant office next to Valerie’s. Composed, sophisticated and with a group of long-standing friends, Jennifer has built a satisfying post-divorce life, a life that Valerie is desperate to be a part of.

So, what do you think of the recent successes of three-time Daytime Emmy winner, Julie Berman, the former Lulu Spencer Falconeri on General Hospital? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Miss her as lulu. Emmly rylan is ok but not as lulu , but it is what it is an of course any success that comes her way is deserving .

She’s a beautiful and very talented actress so good for her!

I think she is a marvelous and beautiful actress and I sure wish she would be cast on Days of our Lives. (A perfect Abby)

I didn’t care for her GH.

I love Julie, she is a wonderful actress, I still miss her as LULU. Emme Rylan is also a terrific actress, but I still prefer Julie in the role of Lulu.

I will take Julie over Emme anyday of the week. I still miss Julie as Lulu too.

I promise–if Julie comes back as Lulu I will stop calling that character Boo-Boo.

No matter what I’ve seen her in she always comes off as a “tomboy” to me. I dont like her character on Chicago Med…very abrasive. And I prefer Emme as Lulu. But still…great opportunity for Julie.

Yeah, what happened to her character on Chicago Medical–just saw her briefly in her “briefs”–lol–and didn’t see her again. ??

Let’s try again, lol. Hi Nancy!

Julie hasn’t been a main character on Chicago Med but she was seen in snippets as a very capable ER doctor and lover of one of the main ER doctors. On the latest episode she broke the news to him that she had a great opportunity at another hospital that she was accepting…thus her upcoming exit to her new gig…”Casual.”

Congratulations to her but please come back to GH.

I found this lulu fit very well into the gh of the time. It was very mob heavy and she interacted perfectly w every other character on the show. I enjoyed her when she was younger. Then as she got older the only person they had her interact w was dante. I didn’t care for the adult version of her. She was great as the adventurous young person always getting into trouble. Anyway, a lot of people loved her and dante together, I just did not. Although her acting was always great. She seemed ready to move on. I thought it made sense when they chose a very different, more simple lulu, bc jb’s lulu carried all the drama and susupense over the past few years, and the new folks in charge wanted to start on a clean slate. I thought the new girl was good at first. But, now she has has plenty of time to bring it, and she just has not. She can’t step it up a few notches, and it so the same no matter what the new story is. In my opinion, they need to find a new lulu, and find a completely different one. And, maybe not even one with blonde hair. She had brown hair as a baby. Why not try something different.

I miss Julie as Lulu on GH; however, I enjoy seeing her have success in other areas. Having a recurring gig on the Dick Wolf production, Chicago Med, is a good thing – but being a regular on the Golden Globe-nominated Casual is a bigger deal for me. Loved Casual in its first season and I’m really looking forward to Season 2.

Julie, for me, played the quintessential Lulu, combining some of Luke’s edge and cynicism with a vulnerablity and depth of emotion that touched me. I’ll always be happy to have shared her time on General Hospital.

Agree whole heartedly.

I truly miss Julie’s presence as L. There was an appealing lightness that was a perfect counterpoint to the darker dramatics that she was asked to portray as the equal parts street smart and guard your heart closely Spencer daughter . And her pairing with DZ was (for this viewer), a refreshing as well as potent mix of sweetness and sensuality that oozed across the screen. Seeing her work on “Chicago Med” and “Casual” has allowed her to dive into characters that are completely different and it backs up what I’ve always thought about her as an actress-that she’s got talent to burn and has a chameleon like versatility that allows her to play drama and comedy equally. Kudos to her and I’m thrilled for her being upped to a regular on a very amusing and well produced series.

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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