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General Hospital Mourns The Loss Of Their Beloved Donna Messina

Photo:Jim Warren via SBurtonTwitter

On Friday, so many members of the General Hospital family, past and present, shared their heartfelt remembrances and sorrow via social media on the news of the passing of the longtime head of their hair and make-up department, Donna Messina.

The Daytime Emmy-winning Messina, passed away on Thursday.  She was considered to be a den mother to the entire cast of the show.  Here are just some of the messages shared by current and former GH notables:

Frank Valentini, “Donna Messina (Department Head, Makeup & Hair) joined the family on 8/26/1982. To say her presence will be missed is an understatement. She was an incredibly warm, witty and all around great gal. Our thoughts go out to her loved ones.”

Laura Wright: “We lost our GH mom ……. you will be deeply missed

Genie Francis: “God bless sweet Donna Messina. A great friend and mother hen of us all. We went to her with our feelings, we could speak freely & we knew we were safe..and when we needed it, she would give us a stern no bull talking to, to set us straight. There was no better friend. Godspeed.

Dominic Zamprogna: “Donna welcomed me and treated me like a long lost Italian family member from day 1. Always supportive always smiling. Heart. Broken. Rest easy beautiful Donna.”

Photo: Jim Warren via MBenardInstagram

Maurice Benard:  “Sometimes you meet someone in life you connect with and unfortunately life just takes that person away.  And no matter how much your heart breaks you want to remember the good times.  My best friend, my sister, Donna used to hate taking pictures.. I used to have to grab her and hold her. And we would laugh and laugh.  I will never forget this memory, and I will never forget what you meant in my life.”

Nancy Lee Grahn: “My longest & dearest friend at GH was deeply private. I hold that sacred as I do her life & afterlife. Still, TY for ur kind words of support. Love abounds here today.”

Steve Burton: “We lost a beautiful soul last night. Way too soon! The one who held it all together. Was always there for everyone. A mom to everyone. Someone we can all count on. Donna Messina. I love you. Thank you . Rest In Peace.”

Wally Kurth: “Our dear Donna Messina. We will miss you so much. I always loved sitting in your makeup chair, getting the low down, hearing the latest studio gossip. You were the heart and soul of the GH hair/makeup room. Heartbreaking. RIP”

Photo: Jim Warren via Wally Kurth Instagram

Jason Thompson: “Donna was truly a one of kind. You always got it straight from her.”

Kimberly McCullough: Sending my GH family so much love on this sad morning. We lost a good one.

Jon Lindstrom:  “Life is often mystifying in this way. Donna Messina preceded my arrival to “GH”, and I got there in ‘92! I loved her, as we all did, for her support and kindness, her no-bullshit attitude and honesty. I miss her already. R.I.P.”

Jean Passassante: “I’m devastated about Donna. I’ll always remember her kindness in trying to glitz me up for parties, and how she was everyone’s wise pal. Or Mom. Thinking of you, Mo, and the rest of the GH family.”

Share your condolences to Donna’s loved ones via the comment section below, and share your thoughts on the outpouring of love shown by the cast of GH with their touching sentiments for their longtime colleague.

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I remember reading her name on the old closing credits in the 80s.

RIP Donna. Thank you for the magic for over 35 years.

Same here, Steve. I remember seeing Donna’s name in the credits for many years. Back in the day when they still had closing credits. She obviously had an impact on many people. To last that long in the same job is quite a feat in this day and age.

RIP Donna, my condolences to your family, friends and colleagues.

rally around Shelly and Chris for better

to no avail

There are special people who touch our lives in unmistakeable ways. Although Donna worked in the background of GH, from the comments of the cast, she was truly an angel in clothes. Thank you for your years of service to GH, and for making everyone look so damn good. You have touched this fan through the words of those who loved you. Rest in peace. And, my deepest condolences to your family, the GH family and friends.

So many behind the scenes staff is so overlooked and I believe and feel they are just as important as the stars of the show…RIP Donna, I can tell by the words of the cast that you were and are a very special lady…

Sorry for your loss GH

“My best friend, my sister, Donna used to hate taking pictures.. I used to have to grab her and hold her. And we would laugh and laugh.” That photo of the two of them totally captured MB’s memory of her. Heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time!

Such a wonderful, loving, supportive woman. She gave me my start in makeup in tv and I always admired and respected her. I learned so much from her and she will be deeply missed. My love and prayers to her work family and her family ❤️

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George Cheeks, CBS President & CEO, on Timeline to Launch New Daytime Drama, ‘The Gates’: “We’re So Focused on Getting it Right”

March 2024 will be remembered in the TV and soap world when the news broke that CBS is prepping a brand new daytime drama. Many had thought a major network would never bring a new daytime soap into the world, given that the last time it was attempted was 25 years ago when the now defunct Passions bowed on NBC.

However, The Gates is definitely in development and moving forward with some major players associated with it including: Michele Val Jean as The Gates writer, showrunner and one of its executive producers, and Sheila Ducksworth from NAACP Venture

Now, for the first time since its announcement, George Cheeks, the president and CEO of CBS and chief content officer for news and sports at Paramount+, spoke on the project that will feature a Black family as its central focus who live in a wealthy gated community.

Photo: NAACP

Speaking with Vulture, and when asked if The Gates is really something that truly has a chance of getting on the air, Cheeks clarified, “It’s super real. And just to give you a little bit of the backstory,  when we hired Sheila Ducksworth to run the NAACP Venture, she and I had multiple meetings talking about what different genres she was going to lean into, and we talked a lot about daytime.”

Cheeks added, “One of the things that the data made very clear to both of us is that daytime soap operas over index with Black women, and yet when you look at soap operas, it’s usually sort of a white-led family with supporting characters that reflect more of our society. So we just thought, wouldn’t it be interesting to flip that and make the core anchor family a Black family, and then make the other characters reflect more the broader scope of society?”

Photo: JPI

The CEO gave props to Michele Val Jean,  and how Ducksworth came to the table with the former B&B and GH writer. “She found this great writer, Michele Val Jean, who’s been in the soap opera space for 30 years. She came up with a pitch, and we loved it,” shares Cheeks. “We brought Procter & Gamble into it as well, because if there were going to be (product) integrations, we could do it more holistically and organically. All of that is to say, we did a lot of work on the front end to put this together. So while yes, it’s development, it’s accelerated development.”

When prodded on the timeline of when The Gates could come to full fruition, Gates related, “The actual timeline and when we’re going to do it is still uncertain, because we want to get this right. I mean, there hasn’t been a new soap opera launch since I can’t even begin to tell you when. But we have great success with Bold and the Beautiful and Young and the Restless, and so we think we’re the right folks to be launching a new soap. I wish I could tell you more about exact timing, but we’re so focused on getting it right, and that will dictate when we’re ready to launch it.”

The CBS exec also shared that whether The Gates will wind up an hour soap or half-hour is not yet determined, but that it is being developed as an hour show.

So, after reading what George Cheeks, the CBS President & CEO had to say about ‘The Gates’, are you even more excited for what looks to the first new network soap in 25 years? Comment below.

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Robyn Bernard, ‘General Hospital’s’ Terry Brock, Dead at 64

Former General Hospital star, Robyn Bernard, who played aspiring singer Terry Brock has died. She was 64-years-old.

Bernard’s body was found Tuesday in San Jacinto, California. A Riverside County Coroner told TMZ they identified the actress’ body using her fingerprints after deputies responded to a death investigation call on Tuesday March 12th.

Sources told the outlet that Bernard’s body was found in the wee hours of the morning. The cause of death has yet to be determined.

Photo: ABC

Bernard joined General Hospital back in 1984 as Terry Brock, the daughter of the abusive D.L. Brock (played by David Groh). Robyn remained on the ABC soap opera for six years before making her exit in 1990. At one point, Terry’s stepmother would become Bobbie Spencer (the late Jackie Zeman) when the nurse married her father.

Terry was involved in the Laurelton Murders storyline and after first setting her sights on Frisco Jones, wound up with killer Kevin O’Connor. Later, Terry was blamed for several murders and in the end killed Kevin in self-defense. In addition, Terry had a relationship with Dusty Walker played by none other than Shaun Cassidy.  She eventually left Port Charles after landing her own recording contract.

Photo: ABC

The last time GH Fans may have seen Bernard was in 2014, when she appeared at the GH Fan Club Weekend Past Cast event. Robyn is pictured below with the late Susan Brown (ex-Gail) at the fan gathering. She has been out of the limelight for several years.

Photo: JPI

In addition to her role on GH, Bernard was featured throughout her TV career on primetime’s Simon & Simon, Tour of Duty and The Facts of Life.

Share your remembrances and condolences for GH alum Robyn Bernard and her loved ones via the comment section below.

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Breaking News

51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Announce Broadcast Date on CBS

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) revealed on Tuesday, that the 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be broadcast live on Friday night, June 7th (8 – 10 PM, ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+*.

This year will mark the 18th time CBS has broadcast the Daytime Emmy Awards, which is more than any other network.

The 2024 Daytime Emmys will take place at the Westin Bonaventure in downtown Los Angeles. Back in December of 2023, the delayed 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards were also held at that venue. The June 7th date for the upcoming ceremony will be the first time in several years that the event is scheduled a few weeks earlier than normal; excluding last year’s revised date to the actors and writers strikes.

Photo: NATAS

Lifetime Achievement honoree, nominations, host, and additional information will be announced in the coming weeks.

In a statement, Adam Sharp, President and CEO of NATAS noted, “We eagerly anticipate our return in June as we once again partner with CBS to recognize the exceptional and talented individuals who make daytime television great. We’re thrilled to kick off our second half-century of the Daytime Emmys.”

The Daytime Emmy Awards have recognized outstanding achievement in television programming and crafts since 1974, honoring work in a variety of categories, including daytime dramas, talk shows, instructional programming, hosting, culinary, and legal/courtroom programs. In 2021, NATAS and the Television Academy jointly announced plans to realign the Daytime and Primetime Emmy Awards to be organized by content genre, as opposed to program airtime.

Photo: JPI

The 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will once again be produced by NATAS and Associated Television International (ATI), which produced Daytime Emmy Award ceremonies on The CW in 2009 and on CBS in 2010, 2011, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Adam Sharp and Lisa Armstrong are executive producers from NATAS, while David McKenzie is executive producer from ATI.

So, glad to know that the 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards honoring performance and shows in the 2023 calendar year, will be held in early June this year, and once again broadcast on CBS? Comment below.

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