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Fred Willard and John McCook Discuss The Arrival of John Forrester On The Bold and the Beautiful!

By Michael Fairman

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Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

This week, perennial funny man and character actor, Fred Willard makes his debut on CBS’ The Bold and the Beautiful as John Forrester … the never-before-seen brother of Eric Forrester (John McCook).  John is also the dad to the beautiful Ivy (Ashleigh Brewer). So what brought this talented man, remembered for a myriad of roles including in the motion picture Best In Show, and for guest spots on Modern Family to the daytime soap opera?

On-Air On-Soaps caught up with Willard and his on-screen bro John McCook for a dishy discussion on just what is a “John Forrester” and what to expect when he hits the airwaves in episodes beginning this week on Thursday, October 2nd and Friday, October 3rd, and continuing next week on Monday, October 6th! Here are some excerpts below from these gents on the latest addition to the Forrester clan!

Willard on what brought him to B&B: “They asked me to do it, and I said ‘yes’, and then they sent me the script, and then when I got the script, I loved it.  I loved the character.  I wasn’t sure what it was going to be.  First they said, ‘Would you like to come in and work with us on a character?’ And I couldn’t do it at first.  I’d done a pilot earlier for NBC and I was under contract. So then when I called I talked to B&B executive producer and head writer, Brad Bell, and he said, ‘Oh, this is a perfect time, because we’re writing in Ivy’s (Ashleigh Brewer) father, who’s come over from Australia, and it might be a two or three show arc.‘  I said, ‘That sounds wonderful.’ And they explained the character to me, and I said, ‘That sounds great.’ And they said, ‘Slowly, we’ll move John McCook out of the picture!’ (Laughs) They told you that  … didn’t they John?  Oh, I’m sorry!” (Laughs)

Courtesy/CBS

McCook on having a quite interesting on-screen brother:  “I thought it was great and clever casting.  It was funny and wonderful.  I just hope that it works out that there is some substantive story in there too, because John is a wonderfully quirky dad for Ivy, and a brother for Eric.  I would love for it to evolve into something really precious for our show.  Who knows? We will see.”

Willard on how he views the character of John: “John is quite a colorful character to play. He seems to be kind of a world traveler, but with a lot of bologna! So I’m sure he makes up half the stories, and he’s probably in love with my own life, and he’s seem to be very fond of his own wife.  He speaks of her very fondly, and his daughter. So I don’t see any bad side. It’s kind of humorous. He’s kind of a harmless guy.  I don’t think it’s a laugh out loud part, but I think there’s a funny scene in the third episode I have. I don’t think it’s turned into a comedy. I play a quirky, kind of strange character.”

Willard on how John views the very successful Eric:  “He probably envy him quite a bit, because he’s got a real job! He try to discourage him from coming down to Australia, but I think when I see the models he works with, and the place he works in, and his friends, I’m quite envious.”

Courtesy/IMDB

McCook on the brothers back-story: “It would be interesting if we got into their history and what was their sibling relationship like when they were young men.  Did Eric get right into his over-achiever mode back then, or not?  We don’t know!”

Willard on what John thinks of daughter Ivy: “She is very attractive, and a very nice daughter.  There is a discussion in a scene I have about her that references ‘coconuts’!  I am assuming it’s an endearing term to his daughter that she is a bit ‘nutty’ and not meant lasciviously.” (Laughs)

Willard on if he wanted to ever work on a soap opera, and if he ever watched any prior to B&B: “I’ve always wanted to be on a soap opera, because as an actor, I love the way they work! They work fast and each scene is like a little quick one-act play; they don’t beat it to death. The atmosphere was wonderful. The actors who have been on the show couldn’t have been nicer. John McCook kind of showed me through the ropes and all and made me feel right at home.  You know, I watched How to Survive a Marriage, which was a long time ago, and most recently, started watching B&B.  I started watching this when I found out I was going to be on it, and I got interested in the storylines. I got to talk to Scott Clifton (Liam)!  I saw him going to Paris, and I thought, ‘Well that’s nice!’” (Laughs)

Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

McCook on the chance to work with the oh-so-funny Willard: “Here is the blessing: if you are in this business long enough, you get to work with really lovely people, not with everybody.  The longer you are around the more likely it is that you get to work with wonderful people that you admire, and that’s a real blessing for … him! (Laughs)  I don’t know I feel about it!” (Laughs)

Willard on if he would come back to the soap again after his first experience: “They said if I enjoy it, then we could do it again. And I’m sure that means if they enjoy it I could do it again!” (Laughs)

And it looks like Willard is indeed coming back to B&B later this year in more episodes!  So, what do you think of Fred and John’s comments on John Forrester?  Are you looking forward to seeing John on your screens this week?  Share your thoughts below!

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I love Fred Willard, he’s so funny and very unique with his approach to comedy. He’s a straight man and funny man all rolled up in one package. He’s been a favorite of mine ever since I saw him in Christopher Guest’s mockumentary, Best in Show.
He’s also a very sweet and kind person in real life.
His appearance on Bold and the Beautiful deserves a look see. I will watch.

How do Maggie Forrester and her daughter Jessica fit into all of this? Was John Forrester the former husband of Maggie and the father of Jessica? If so, I would find it VERY hard to envision a character played by Barbara Crampton being paired with one played by Fred Willard.

Where are Maggie and Jessica? Does anyone ever mention them??

I’m looking forward to the scenes.

General Hospital

‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric

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Dominic Zamprogna

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?”

Dom and Liz

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.

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Beyond the Gates

‘Beyond the Gates’ Star Mike Manning Lands Role in Indie Horror Feature ‘Deify’

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Mike Manning

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.

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General Hospital

GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)

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Patrick J. Gibbons

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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Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

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