News
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Nina Clay Is Alive!
Courtesy/ABC
While yesterday’s reveal of the nominees for the 41st Annual Daytime Emmys had a bombshell that General Hospital had been shut out in the Drama Series, Writing and Directing categories, the ABC soap opera had its own bombshell for viewers and soap fans around the world!
While it had been rumored for awhile that acting dynamo and Daytime Emmy winner, Michelle Stafford was in talks with Frank Valentini (the executive producer of GH) to come back to daytime in Port Charles, no one knew for certain if and when it would be.
Yesterday, that all changed when at the end of the episode as Silas (Michael Easton) pays Madeline (Donna Mills) a visit in jail, the bitter mother from hell says to him that he will never see or hear from Nina again. And as we learned early, Madeline claimed to Nathan (Ryan Paevey) that his sister is indeed alive, but he is better off not knowing the details.
Then as Madeline is being taken out of her jail cell in hand cuffs after her parting shots to Silas, the scene quickly shifts to a pan up of a woman in a bed, and it is revealed to be Michelle Stafford as Nina, as she awakens from her coma and utters one word,”Silas!”
Watch the big reveal after the jump, and then let us know if you were shocked and surprised? Or, did you think this was going to happen?
News
Soap Smarts: How Daytime Dramas Are Using Ingenuity To Get Back Into Production During COVID-19
Daytime dramas seldom get the credit they deserve, and now they should be getting further credit for being the first back into production as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage on, and trying to implement new ways to keep their trademarks love scenes, intimate moments and two-person scenes somehow looking in tact; even though it will be far from how it was done in the past.
In the story from the Associated Press The Bold and the Beautiful EP, and head writer, Brad Bell – who’s soap was the first one back into the studio – commented on how the show is utilizing mannequins, or real-life significant others to help pull off close contact love scenes and how it is rather groundbreaking. “We feel almost like television pioneers all these years later because we’re the first ones out, blazing new ways of producing the shows with the current safety standards, and we’re getting the job done. It’s very exciting.”
When B&B scripts written pre-coronavirus were reviewed in preparation for shooting during the pandemic now, originally all the cinches and smooches were cut. But Bell found a solution whereby a remote actor recites lines as their on-camera scene partner responds in a “low, intimate voice” and engages in “beautiful, yearning eye contact” with an off-camera doll.
As far as the soapy embrace or lip-lock, B&B cast member Katrina Bowden (Flo) has had her husband and musician Ben Jorgensen stand in for her on-screen love interest, Darin Brooks (Wyatt) since returning to taping new episodes.
Photo: JPI
Days of our Lives EP Ken Corday noted to AP: The “learning curve” is steep. Before the pandemic, “we were producing eight, one-hour episodes a week. That’s basically 40 or 50 scenes a day. That’s going to be basically impossible to reopen, so to speak, at that pace. We’re going to have to be more careful. So will there be five shows a week, or more? Yet to be determined. It will certainly cost more.”
B&B and now Y&R which heads back into production next week, and the others soaps, will be using the company called Reel Health, which launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to serve the entertainment industry, and hires medically trained workers to monitor sets and enforce protocols developed by a company epidemiologist and in accordance with industry and government standards,
Alicia Rodis, a veteran intimacy coordinator who helped the actors guild develop guidelines for taping scenes of romance and simulated sex. shared: “Finding ways to put romance on the screen is inevitable and necessary. At the end of the day, intimacy isn’t going anywhere. Physical intimacy is a part of the human experience. And we’re going to have to find a way to be able to continue to tell these stories, even in extraordinary circumstances.”
So, what do you think of how soaps are tackling taping episodes in the new normal to give their fans a sense of all that they love from their favorite daytime dramas during COVID-19? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
Breaking News
General Hospital Shifts Production Restart Date
News
NBA Great and LA Laker, LeBron James Buys B&B and Y&R Co-Creator Lee Phillip Bell’s Beverly Hills Estate
One legend is moving into another legend’s previous home. Sources are reporting to The Real Deal, that Los Angeles Laker and NBA star, LeBron James has purchased the estate of the the late, Lee Phillip Bell, the beloved co-creator of The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless.
According to the report, James is in contract to buy Bell’s estate which was being marketed at 39 million. It was unclear what James is paying for the 13,000-square-foot property, which sits on a 2.5-acre plot and boasts seven fireplaces, a pool house with two baths, lighted tennis court, and screening room.
Photo: JPI
Bell’s estate was officially put on the market on April 30
This is the third L.A. County mansion purchase for James, who signed as a free agent with the L.A. Lakers in the summer of 2018. LeBron previously bought two homes in Brentwood, California for 23 and 21 million dollars.
Lee Phillip Bell passed away in late February of this year. She was remembered during the just completed 47th annual Daytime Emmys In-Memoriam segment on the telecast on CBS.
So, what do you think of LeBron moving into the renowned soap opera creators home? Comment below.
WATCH: Nancy Lee Grahn, Jane Elliot & Kim Zimmer in ‘Covid Support Group’ Episode Two
DAYS Wally Kurth Delivers ‘The Power Performance of the Week’
Soap Smarts: How Daytime Dramas Are Using Ingenuity To Get Back Into Production During COVID-19
General Hospital Shifts Production Restart Date
Baldwin-Fisher Clan Featured In Theme Week Of Encore Episodes of Y&R
NBA Great and LA Laker, LeBron James Buys B&B and Y&R Co-Creator Lee Phillip Bell’s Beverly Hills Estate
The New Men of B&B Revealed
TODAY: OLTL Buchanan Kids Reunion with Melissa Archer, Kirk Geiger, Erin Torpey and Chris McKenna
DAYS Wally Kurth, Mary Beth Evans & Chandler Massey Take You Behind the Scenes of Kayla and Justin’s Wedding
DAYS Mary Beth Evans & Stephen Nichols with Guest Ron Carlivati Talk Stayla’s Greatest Hits & Approach To Scripts During COVID-19
General Hospital Shifts Production Restart Date
Kristian Alfonso Departs Days of our Lives After 37 Years
B&B’s Denise Richards Reveals Her Husband Aaron Phypers Will Be Stand-In During Ridge Forrester Intimate Scenes
GH’s Mark Lawson Fuels At-Home Workout With Soap Opera Competition: “Dante, Dante, Dante, Dominic, Dominic, Dominic … But What About Dustin?”
DAYS Wally Kurth Delivers ‘The Power Performance of the Week’
DAYS Mary Beth Evans & Stephen Nichols with Guest Ron Carlivati Talk Stayla’s Greatest Hits & Approach To Scripts During COVID-19
REPORT: Days of our Lives Targets September Production Restart
WATCH: Nancy Lee Grahn, Jane Elliot & Kim Zimmer in ‘Covid Support Group’ Episode Two
Who Will Be B&B’s New Love Interest For Steffy Forrester?
The New Men of B&B Revealed
WATCH: Nancy Lee Grahn, Jane Elliot & Kim Zimmer in ‘Covid Support Group’ Episode Two
DAYS Mary Beth Evans & Stephen Nichols with Guest Ron Carlivati Talk Stayla’s Greatest Hits & Approach To Scripts During COVID-19
GH’s Mark Lawson Fuels At-Home Workout With Soap Opera Competition: “Dante, Dante, Dante, Dominic, Dominic, Dominic … But What About Dustin?”
Y&R’s Mishael Morgan Produces Video For Juneteenth Day Featuring Several Soap Notables
Daytime Emmys Release Highlights From Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Nominees
Daytime Emmys Releases Highlights From Outstanding Drama Series Nominees
Y&R Alum Max Ehrich Big Smooch with Demi Lovato in Arianna Grande & Justin Bieber’s New Music Video ‘Stuck With You’
Soap Vet Debbi Morgan’s Emotional Words On How COVID-19 Has Affected the Black Community
WATCH: ‘Venice the Series’ Gregory Zarian Talk Daytime Emmy Pre-Nom, Bullying & Staying Safe During COVID-19
Tony Geary Opens Up About His Iconic Role as GH’s Luke Spencer on Nancy Lee Grahn’s ‘Soaps In Quarantine’
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Breaking NewsJuly 10, 2020General Hospital Shifts Production Restart Date
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Breaking NewsJuly 6, 2020Kristian Alfonso Departs Days of our Lives After 37 Years
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NewsJuly 7, 2020B&B’s Denise Richards Reveals Her Husband Aaron Phypers Will Be Stand-In During Ridge Forrester Intimate Scenes
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General HospitalJuly 5, 2020GH’s Mark Lawson Fuels At-Home Workout With Soap Opera Competition: “Dante, Dante, Dante, Dominic, Dominic, Dominic … But What About Dustin?”
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Days Of Our LivesJuly 11, 2020DAYS Wally Kurth Delivers ‘The Power Performance of the Week’
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Days Of Our LivesJuly 7, 2020DAYS Mary Beth Evans & Stephen Nichols with Guest Ron Carlivati Talk Stayla’s Greatest Hits & Approach To Scripts During COVID-19
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Breaking NewsJuly 3, 2020REPORT: Days of our Lives Targets September Production Restart
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General HospitalJuly 12, 2020WATCH: Nancy Lee Grahn, Jane Elliot & Kim Zimmer in ‘Covid Support Group’ Episode Two
with all the rumors going around that Michelle Stafford was going to join General Hospital i knew eventually it would happen.However i was surprised that it happened this fast and that everyone was able to keep it quiet.Plus i’m still wondering if the other GH actors knew about her signing or not.However if the show couldn’t get Michelle then my guess is we would have just seen a woman’s hand move and i know it was Nina’s but not her face.As for Nina i’m wondering now that she’s woken up does she still think it’s still 20 years ago?
Predictable!!!…ill be shocked and suprised only when there are character driven plots with continuity and more focus on the vets…give Felicia, Bobbi, Scott, Lucas, Kevin and Lucy real plotlines that will interest me…i still watch and enjoy the show but not like i used to!!!!
Agree jimh. I am actually enjoying the show…but there’s not the same feel or sense of familiarity. Same as what happened with the hideous online version of OLTL…which actually was worse. THAT show bore no resemblance to the beloved ABC OLTL. But I digress… I do still enjoy GH. But it’s almost, not quite…like watching a new soap. Gone are many of the legacy characters…and the ones that have returned or were present have either been killed off, sent to prison, moved to another town (as in “I want off the show!). The ones they brought back that you mention… Read more »
For me its like ‘The Doctors'(the serial) all over again…i had watched that soap since the 1960s and it…imo…was better than GH…it was usually higher rated…then in the late 70s many of its vets were replaced or dropped or the actors quit…then came the newbies, the Dancy family, which at least had some ties to the few remaining vets and as much as a missed some of the vets that left, i did enjoy the Dancy family(they owned a bar near the hospital like Ryans Hope and one was a doctor)…but unfortunately, they, like the Qs on GH, were being… Read more »
She may be another new character on GH and we have prayed to have our legendary GH characters be brought back to the front burner but Michelle Stafford is a legend in daytime and it is one of the best moves GH has made this decade. She will light up the screen and she will fit right in with other GH legends.
I agree but I certainly did want her back on Y&R. She is amazing
I’m so happy, that Michelle Stafford is back in daytime. Jill phelps no one wants you anymore, Michelle was very smart leaving young and the restless. Big rumor billy miller coming to gh as Jason Quartermaine.
Oh we knew this was coming, i just want Silas and Sam together
Thank U Frank V, For making GH fun again. Michelle is going spice things up.
Like many people I have heard the rumors of Michelle joining the cast but there was never an official confirmation. I look forward to seeing her making Nina Clay a part of the canvas, it will be fun to see her play a different character after years of being Phyllis.
SO glad she’s back on regular television, but I have to wonder what it will mean for Stafford Project? I assume she’ll do both? Must have been something else going on backstage at Y&R, because why would she leave the number one soap for GH? Perhaps she was just done being “Phyllis?” Either way, it’s a big win for GH and Stafford’s fans….
I think there are way too many cast members as it is without adding yet another one. I didn’t care for MS in the role of Phyllis on Y&R and am dreading having to watch her on GH. RC should focus on existing characters. At this point it’s very difficult to invest in any story lines when we sometimes don’t see characters for a month. I’m very disappointed in this latest addition.
Love that Michelle is here..even I it is for a short time while her show is on hiatus…
The bigger news is BIG SNUB GH received after the Daytime Noms ere announced….
Hope the message is read loud ad clear …. fans have been complaining for a while now, so maybe this will wake them up… really want to see this show survive…
BIG kudos for Patrick T. he deserves the NOD! He has been amazing this year!
I agree about Jason Thompson (Patrick). The poor guy has cried a lot this year. I think Finola Hughes was robbed. But, Maura West has done even better stuff this year than last. So, maybe the 2014 Emmys will be her year. GH’s Corinthos brothers were recognized in the younger actor category, which they greatly deserved. Bryan Craig has been on less than a year & his work opposite Maurice Bernard has been riveting. Well done, all.
The soap planets were perfectly aligned for Stafford to join GH. I love that she left Y&R slipping into a coma and premiered on GH coming out of a coma!
The only good part of this storyline is seeing Donna Mills as Madeline interact with Dr. Obrecht. Now this means that Sam, Silas, Nina, and Nathan will have more air-time. In my opinion, Sam speaks in a monotone and both her and Silas are boring. Next, Nina and Silas’ son will make an appearance in Port Charles. Another recurring character. The canvas is full of new, recurring characters with no real ties to Port Charles.
I unfortunately got home and got online to your website ( mr. Fairman ). And saw the headline of Michele stafford joining GH, I tried to pretend I hadn’t read enough but alas I had, it’s my own damn fault lol, I had my dinner ready and turned the tv on and went to my desktop, if only I had gone straight to GH and watched then I could’ve been surprised. I hope she gets a juicy story and plays to her strength like they’ve done with Maura west, and as for the bombshell of GH Being excluded from top… Read more »
There is so much more to the Emmy’s. I am quite sure that Ron Carlivati’s drunken, hostile Twitter messages, aimed at both fans and actors (some of whom are Academy members) have not endeared him to anyone. And the arrogance of him and Frank Valentini just oozes out of every pore in interviews and even pictures. All of the lavish praise heaped on them last year during the 50th was mostly unfounded. We were all so happy to see all of our beloved characters back on screen we didn’t even realize the writing for them was a whole lotta nothin’,… Read more »
Seriously? They bring back Anna & Duke in major storylines, reunite Felicia & Mac permanently, integrate Lucy, Kevin & Scott as recurring characters, and you say it’s a “whole lot of nothing?” Not to mention the Cassadines are being refreshed in major ways; Nicholas, Liz & Rick are heating up, and little Lucas Jones is back & looking very hot. I don’t think you realize how difficult it is for one soap to balance old, current & new characters while continuing to develop stories without rehashing old situations. There are a LOT of old characters driving current GH stories. Don’t… Read more »
Maybe RC and FV don’t care that much if they get nominated fro an Emmy or not.I’m sure they are happy for the actors who got nominated but they themselves may know winning an Emmy doesn’t ensure job security.Plus they may know what is important is what you do now and in the future on a soap and not what you did in the past.A lot of people have won Emmys and then gotten fired and even during the same year.As for Michelle Stafford GH may have made her an offer she couldn’t refuse and may let her do other… Read more »
….. EXCITING!!! … GH STYLE !!!
I was pleasantly shocked ; even though , I dislike Phyllis on The Young and the Restless , Michelle is a great choice to play Nina.
Yawn. 20 years in coma and she wakes up and says Silas. What trite, predictable, sophomoric writing. The problem here is Cartini knew for months that Stafford was playing Nina, and they, for whatever reason, are over the moon excited about the character and actress. We the audience have been bombarded with newbies that we don’t give two hoots about, so for us hearing the name Nina Clay ad nauseum seemed to be nothing more than an underdeveloped plot point and a red herring. We were not in on the excitement. We have no emotional involvement or attachment to Nina… Read more »
I don’t think Michael Easton’ chops are equivallent or matching Michelle Stafford calibur…. that being said… they’ll just have to have that clear understanding, from the get go… that lost love is not to be harbored here…. altho… I”ve given it some thought… and do know… that Kelly Monaco is able to steadfast her woman to hers… Nina which could be the awakening… we all want…. for Sam…. and it would be a driving force between these two women…. and not typical or expected…. Carly or Ava she is a ho holds barred or prisoners… affect… and, if the writing… Read more »
Wow. If MS is happy at GH, then I wish her luck.
Can’t believe she chose THAT soap over a return
to Y&R, where she has been soooo missed.
At least now I can stop hoping for her return.
I get that maybe she tired of playing Phyllis.
Or maybe she wanted more money. Whatever
it is, I guess I am just munchng on sour grapes.
Feels like a betrayal…
this is how we felt about steve burton, so we understand, but now we don’t miss him anymore, well, some fans do, but most of us don’t.
A betrayal to whom? She left one job and a year later accepted a new job.
“Feels like” were the key words.
Betrayal to the Y and R fans who
wanted her back to that soap.
But the grapes are eaten, and I’m
sure I’ll get over it.
What betrayal?Michelle Stafford was under no obligation to go back to Y&R.Just like Y&R was under no obligation to hire her back if she wanted to return there.Plus maybe she wants to play a different character than Phyllis when she has the chance.Plus i’m sure Michelle didn’t just sign with GH overnight.She and the show may have been negotiating for awhile.
What I remember her stating was that she just didnt
want to be on a soap anymore…and now she is on a
different soap, anyway. A girl can change her mind. But
I did feel sad about her going there. I assumed she would
just keep doing her web show or some night-time gig at
some point. Not another soap.
Yeah, maybe she just didnt want to play Phyllis anymore.
And who knows when we will know what the Phyllis status
will be. New actress? Stay in coma? Eventually die? Kinda
doubt that last option.
I’ve read some interviews w/GH actors, & I get the feeling it’s HUGE rotating cast allows them to actually work less than in the past. I can’t remember which actor said it. But, they said that they are able to take more time off w/their families than they ever have because everyone is sharing more screen time. So, regarding Stafford, just because she’ll be playing Nina Clay doesn’t mean it will take as much of her time as being Phyllis did on Y&R. If her role is recurring, she could still do THE STAFFORD PROJECT online. Maurice Bernard shot a… Read more »
Hummmm i knew it!! Now Billy Miller will probably appear as Jason and Elizabeth H. will be Robin!! Take that Jill Farren Phelps!!! I hope all Y&R viewers join GH. And by the way, we dont need a daytime emmy to to say which soap is the best. Watching GH everyday and wanting more is proof enough that GH is the best. Thanks again Ron and Frank
Nina Clay is alive.
And here I thought the plot to freeze Port Charles was the most boring storyline in history. Gotta give Ron C. credit. He knows how to craft utter garbage into…utter garbage.
I love RC and FV they work magic!!
perhaps a book would be more pleasing for you .. 🙂
I take it you have something against books?
Boes: You said it perfectly in the fewest words… And what a waste of Stafford’s talents this will be.
Who cares????
Lol. Agreed!!
With Michelle Stafford joining Maura West, there’s going to be so much scenery chewing going on at GH that they’ll have to start building these ladies’ sets out of gingerbread.
They gotta get Nina out of that bed first to find her backbone.
No shock or surprise because the rumors have been swirling for quite some time… So glad to see her on board!
Awesome! Can’t wait to see what unfolds! Congrats GH for adding Ms. Stafford to the cast!
Love Michelle Stafford. We have all been missing her something crazy!!!
Not all of us. Not by a long shot.
I doubt anyone here knows Michelle Stafford personally to like or not like her ..
She will not be Phyllis on GH ..
Sometimes I really wonder about peoples state of mind..
I wonder too, Miss Su000.
No, Dear. It’s Nicholas. Come home to Genoa City to your soul mate and your daughter.
Nicholas has happily moved on from the Red who should have NEVER shared his bed.
It’s a classic cat fight between two rival sports. Y&r took Jason gh got a new lulu. Gh loses Scorpio but get good old Phyllis as the new Nina . My question is … Who is y& r gunning for now? I mean they have 100 on the cast of gh to go after lol
I meant soaps
This is a very boring storyline.
I thought the rumors about Michelle Stafford coming to GH were just wishful thinking on fans’ part — on my part too. But she is HERE! Wow!! Congrats to GH for luring MS back to daytime and to General Hospital. As an actress, MS is a powerhouse. I want to see her in scenes that will make her acting partners stretch and stretch. Someone up stream mentioned Hendrickson should come to GH as a recast of Robin. What a wonderful idea. She could pull it off too. I’m not so sure about the actor who played Billy Abbott playing Jason,… Read more »
Sweeney could come on board as Scott’s daughter Christina.
Aww c’mon 🙁 What was the point of leaving one show just to go to another cut from the same cloth??? MS is very talented and if sshe wasn’t going to be part of y&r I asssumed it would be to go to something bigger like primetime or a life/network movie… So sad. Wishing her well though. RIP phyllis.
Bait n Switch FrankenRon are at it again. MS will not make me watch, it will make sure I don’t .had enough of her scenery chewing on Y&R.. Wonder will Re-Ron copy the sex on a desk ,and everywhere else, Will she be Phyllis again. No thanks. GH isn’t GH anymore.