General Hospital
GH Nurses’ Ball 2023 Part Two: The Curtain Comes Up and Lives are On the Line
The General Hospital Nurses’ Ball continued on Wednesday’s episode and it was time for the music and the drama to kick into high gear.
After Bobbie (Jackie Zeman) and Maxie (Kirsten Storms) open the show, the nurses including: Felix (Marc Anthony Samuel), Deanna (Dioni Michelle Collins) and Amy (Risa Dorken) perform, along with Dr. TJ Ashford (Tajh Bellow), to the song “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers. TJ shows the attendees that not only does he have a good bedside matter, but he can carry a tune, and do a little choreography to boot.
Courtesy/ABC
The 2023 Nurses’ Ball would also be the first without former GH head nurse Epiphany Johnson taking the stage, since she just passed away in story (and in real life, GH recently lost its beloved Sonya Eddy). Not to be forgotten, Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst) pays tribute to her friend and mentor.
Linc (Dan Buran) is getting more creepy backstage causing major problems for Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Blaze (Jacqueline Grace Lopez). Later, Brook Lynn admits to Chase (Josh Swickard) she feels bad for signing the NDA that Linc gave to her.
Photo: ABC
At the safehouse, Lucy (Lynn Herring) is all up in her feelings as she watches the ball, and continues to be upset she is not there in-person. After she exits to her room, Anna (Finola Hughes) tells Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) she wishes she were at the ball too, because it always makes her feel closer to Robin.
Leave it to Valentin to cheer her up … he finds a tiny piano in the attic of the safehouse .. how convenient? Next, he gets close to Anna on the floor and serenades her. As the song continues, the visual morphs into a fantasy-like sequence of Anna dancing with Valentin while he croons. This gives viewers not only the chance to hear James Patrick Stuart sing as part of the Nurses’ Ball episodes, but to see Finola Hughes dance.
Photo: ABC
Back at the ball, Jordan (Tanisha Harper) and Molly (Haley Pullos) give TJ props for his performance in the opening number. As they celebrate, Jordan notices that Molly and TJ are not drinking alcohol. They admit they are trying to conceive a baby. Jordan is thrilled.
Photo: ABC
Next up and hitting the Nurses’ Ball stage are Josslyn (Eden McCoy) and Trina (Tabyana Ali) who perform the Maren Morris smash hit, “The Middle”. Spencer (Nicholas Chavez) comes upon Trina post-performance, and gives her major kudos and throws a bit of shade Josslyn’s way, saying that Trina did much better than Joss during the musical number. Backstage, Josslyn is confronted by Linc just as Brook Lynn comes upon the scene.
Back at the safehouse, Lucy admits to Valentin and Ann, that earlier in the day, she secretly stopped by the Metro Court to check on the ball. They become gravely concerned. Lucy swears no one recognized her. She goes on to say she had the car service pick her up and drop her off down the street.
Photo: ABC
Immediately, Anna says they have to leave the safehouse. As the trio exit, a shot is fired Valentin’s way as Victor’s (Charles Shaughnessy) plan is finally coming to fruition.
What did you think of the musical performances from Wednesday’s episode of the GH Nurses’ Ball and the story thus far? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, but first, in case you missed it, check out Trina and Josslyn singing “The Middle”.
The performers were cute and talented. Of course I didn’t recognize any of the music and Spencer making such a big deal over Trina’s singing as he watched through his rose-colored glasses. They make such a big deal over him, I wondered why he wasn’t strutting his stuff on stage? I’m worried about Joss now that Brook Lyn’s old agent has set his sights on her. What a piece of crap this guy is, no woman’s safe near him.
Spencer is messy, no question. Due to his sad, strange and thoroughly dysfunctional upbringing, he lacks a compass when it comes to expressing loyalty. Spencer wasn’t reacting to Dex as an elitist but rather, as a loyal friend who instinctively knows that Dex was instrumental in hurting his best friend. And he’s so brilliantly played by Chavez. Dex was on the job and probably should not be throwing back cocktails. The one who irks me the most is Carly’s mini-me. Joss has incarnated her mother’s worse traits-she is sanctimonious, judgmental with zero self-awareness of her own moral failures. She cheated on Cameron but orally rewrites history when she claims that she didn’t become involved with Dex until after she broke up with Cameron. Britt saves her life on the docks but Joss abandons her so she can have hot survival sex with Dex. Then she keeps quiet about Britt’s heroics and her involvement with the crime. And yet, like with her mother, the story arc takes a nose dive and Joss doesn’t face the consequences of her actions. There is no comeuppance, therefore no viewer satisfaction. So she’s able to wag her finger and holler in Spencer’s face from her white tower of sanctimony.
Dex is drinking tequila shots, then performing in the stripper act. That doesn’t seem like things he should be doing as “Sonny’s bodyguard”. Especially when a hitman of “unknown origin” was trying to kill them just last week. If another shooter had made their way into the Nurses Ball, what was Dex going to do, whip a gun out of a secret pocket in his boxers??
GH has some very talented cast members. I especially liked the opening number and it was good to see the characters that we don’t see very often. I thought Valentin’s singing to Anna was beautiful . He’s very talented. Overall this year’s Nurse’s Ball has not disappointed. Though I’m fearful of what Victor has planned.
Priscilla S…My favorite act during the Nurses’s Ball has been Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) singing to his love and dancing partner, Anna (Finola Hughes). Both come to these roles naturally…JPS is the son of one of the singing British duo, Chad and Jeremy, and Anna stared as a dancer with John Travolta in the movie Staying Alive.
Who wrote the song “If you believe in love” sung by JPS? Was it an original?
James Patrick Stuart wrote that song himself.
Thanks!!
Boy, that Gladys is a piece of work, poor Sasha when she finds out, knowing her she’ll blame herself. I would like to see her and Cody get together, if it can’t be Chase.
I hate Gladys with the passion of a thousand suns. Why the hook killer had to kill her son, and not his mother, is a travesty of justice.
Harry,
Thanks, for writing this. I thought the same thing, why they took that lovely man instead of his bitch of a mother!
Gladys sure can be annoying, but Bonnie Burroughs plays her to the hilt. With her move of framing Cody, it looks like we might be nearing the end of the road for her time in PC. I’d be surprised if the writers thought they had a long-term character when they first introduced Gladys, but she was the best thing to come out of the lackluster Dev storyline. Bonnie not being included in the 60th photo shoot is another indication Gladys might be headed back to Bridgeport in the near future.
You’re right, Steve. Bonnie reminds me a bit of the actress who first played Opal Gardener from AMC. Both characters are/were wince inducing and played by incredibly by very talented actresses.
Does anyone know the song title from chase and blaze?
does anyone know the name of the song that Chase and Blaze sang today
I want to know this too !!!
This remark came from another Harry as I would never use three exclamation marks. As F Scott Fitzgerald one said,” Never use exclamation marks. It’s like laughing at your own jokes.”
Great quote Harry – feel free to switch to OG Harry. I had to change mine due to interlopers using Steve.
I never knew that’s what OG stood for! Ahem, please ignore that exclamation mark. It’s just a pesky interloper trying to make a fool out of me (not a hard endeavor).
I tried Google my question about 40 different ways and nope.
The song selections were pretty awful this year.
2 days to go. I’m hoping for a performance surprise. We need something to liven the show up. It’s the 60th. We should get a GH Legend who can entertain (I can name at least 4).
I think that the cast songs should be more popular. The song Blaze and Chase sang was ? Love the actors but song choice nope.
The opening number and Trina/Josh songs are both huge hits. Chase/Blaze was an original. Ned (or Eddie Maine) will perform before it’s all over.
Thought we’d get a Rick Springfield (Eli Love) performance or maybe even a John Stamos (Blackie Parrish) sighting. Instead, we got a flashback to Felicia as a clown.
Do you know the name of the Chase/Blaze song or who wrote it? I liked it.
The only one I liked so far was Trina and Joss, and even that wasn’t great. There are too many extras and people we don’t even know. I hope it gets better…
Well I am mostly bored and disappointed. As Beth said, too many unknowns and maybe I’m OLD fashioned but there’s nothing like a romantic love song or Jazz number that everyone can relate to as they did the previous years. Liesel and Franco, Ava’s You Don’t Own Me, Sonny and his Dad signing The Summer Wind, WOW! Sorry, Maxi’s kids and Ooma was way too long and more like a backyard talent show.
Violet
The kids’ magic act was mainly just a plot point to have Liesl’s disappearance not be an obvious kidnapping. She’s not one to go quietly.
Was the “Devil in Disguise” song also an original?
If not, who is the artist?
There was never any doubt that in watching the riveting and emotional scenes on General Hospital which featured Finola Hughes as a PTSD-driven and mentally tortured Anna Devane, that when the climatic moments in Anna’s story aired, that we would not be singing the praises of Hughes. Once again, Finola showcased why she is one of the soap opera genres greatest assets and actresses.
In the key scenes, Anna has had a complete breakdown as she has lured and cornered Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) on Mount Emerson, and even thought through how she would kill her and cover it up, all thanks to hearing the voice and seeing a dead man, Peter August (Wes Ramsey). It’s visions of Peter that keeps egging Anna on to pull the trigger on Britt while in her delusional state.
Before Britt realizes that Anna trapped her in meeting her in Mount Emerson, she is very confused as to why she was all the way out in the boondocks to talk about what happened to her brother, Cassius Faison. However, Britt soon learned that what Anna was about to do is personal, and not professional, as she pulls the gun on her.
Courtesy/ABC
ANNA FIRES HER GUN IN GAME-CHANGING MOMENT
When Jason (Steve Burton) shows up to save the say, he tries to talk Anna off the ledge, begging her to not shoot Britt and make one of the greatest mistakes of his life. When Jason figured out Anna felt she needed to kill anyone related to Cesar Faison, he made her think twice, because that would mean, she also would need to end the lives of two of Maxie’s children, James and Bailey Lu.
Anna can’t stop seeing hallucinations of Peter pushing her to shoot Britt. Suddenly and completely overcome, Anna fires bullets straight in the direction of where she sees Peter as she declares this all must end tonight.
After the shots are fired, Anna realized what she had done and just sobbed and shook. It was a devastating and heartbreaking moment for longtime General Hospital fans to see the beloved Anna Devane, super spy, so lost. Anna explained to Jason, after he was able to disarm her, how she was being pushed to kill Britt by her visions of Peter.
EMMY-WORTHY SCENES FOR 2027
In another hankie-inducing moment, Anna just grabs Jason and breaks down in his arms. If these weren’t Emmy-worthy scenes, we don’t know what is, and it must be remembered by Hughes, General Hospital, and hopefully the voting body of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) when Emmy submissions and voting get underway in 2027 for the 54th annual Daytime Emmys.
From everything we noted above, to the sheer brilliance of her work, Michael Fairman TV names Finola Hughes, this week’s Power Performance of the Week.
Now let us know, do you agree with our pick of Finola? Were you moved to tears during the gut-wrenching scenes? Should Finola include these scenes in an Emmy submission in 2027, should she decide to compete for Lead Actress gold? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
General Hospital
RATINGS: ‘General Hospital’ Shows Most Gains in Total Viewers Week-Over-Week and Up in Key Demo
The ratings are out for the week of August 24-28 for your favorite broadcast television soaps, and it was ABC’s General Hospital which added the most total viewers and planted itself firmly in third place in its battle with Beyond the Gates in the key demos of women 18-49 and 25-54.
According to Soap Opera Network, all daytime dramas were up year-over-year, and General Hospital was joined by The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful with gains in their total audience viewership, while Beyond the Gates was only slightly off pace for the ratings week.
Let’s take a look at what had viewers tuning-in, starting with General Hospital, who added +79,000 viewers. While still under the 2 million viewers mark (which they can hopefully return in the coming weeks) their overall tally was an average of 1, 935,000 tuning-in, while still up year-to-year +136,000.
GENERAL HOSPITAL
In addition, GH while actually down from the previous week in the 18-49 ratings share, they still out performed Beyond the Gates for third place. However, GH was firmly in third place for the 25-54 ratings share.
The stories that were featured for the week included: Anna’s (Finola Hughes) PTSD and struggle with painful memories tied to Cesar Faison, and her concocting a plan to get rid of Britt (Kelly Thiebaud), Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) recording Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna) threatening her, and later running into a severe threat from Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) regarding Kai (Jens Austin Astrup) and Drew’s (Cameron Mathison) shooting, and Drew enlisting Ava (Maura West) to gain leverage over Jack, which resulted in Ava drugging him, while Drew went snooping for the evidence Brennan had against him.
Photo: JPI
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
Y&R remained in the top spot amongst all the soaps once again with 3,062,000 tuning in, and up +35,000 for the week, while year-to-year still showing strong gains at +231,000 viewers. However, while Y&R remained #1 for the 25-54 ratings share, it fell to #2 in the 18-49 ratings share behind The Bold and the Beautiful.
In story for the week, Nick’s (Joshua Morrow) sobriety in rehab was a focus, as was Victoria (Amelia Heinle) and Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor) hitting the Jabot office couch and having sex for the first time, and Lily (Christel Khalil) and Billy (Jason Thompson) battling over control and ownership of Chancellor Industries.
Photo: JPI
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL
B&B is continuing to be inch closer to Y&R for the top spot, separated by a little more than 300,000 viewers. For the ratings week, the series posted a total audience of 2,719,000 adding +31,000 eyeballs overall, and like Y&R, is up year-to-year in its performance.
The CBS soap now , now in its 40th season is +217,000 from the same time last year. In the key demos, The Bold and the Beautiful was in the top spot for the women 18-49 ratings share and number two for women 25-54.
In story, the major threat to Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) and Finn (Tanner Novlan) and Carter (Lawrence Saint-Victor) and Daphne’s (Murielle Hilaire) marriages continued as Steffy and Carter swore they would not tell their spouses that the two had a drunken hook-up. But as viewers know now, Steffy is pregnant!
Photo: CBS
BEYOND THE GATES
Beyond the Gates tallied an average of 1,611,000 total viewers for the week, up +72.000 year-over-year and down slightly in tune-in for the week losing just -36,000 viewers. The CBS soap came in fourth place in the key demos for the week behind General Hospital, with whom they are often trading places for the third spot.
In story, after Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett) was released from the hospital, Hayley (Marquita Goings) stuck to her plan, doubling down on poisoning him and even getting caught in a major lie or meeting with Randy (Maurice P. Kerry), as Vernon (Clifton Davis) may be on to her machinations.
The ratings report is generated from Nielsen (Live+Same Day Big Data + Panel) for the week of August 24-28, 2026
So, what did you think of the performance of General Hospital for the ratings period? Which daytime drama has you most likely to tune-in each day? Which has you tuning-out? Let us know what’s working, or not working for you in story, via the comment section below.
General Hospital
Kelly Sullivan Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’s’ Maura West Recalling When Ava Shot Connie (Exclusive)
It was just over 13 years ago on General Hospital when Ava Jerome (Maura West) shot and killed Kate Howard/Connie Falconeri (Kelly Sullivan) in an effort to keep her quiet from revealing that Derek Wells was actually Ava’s back-from-the-dead brother, Julian Jerome (William deVry). It’s a crime that somehow Ava never has quite paid for either.
The episode back aired on August 13, 2013 and viewers had to say goodbye to Kelly Sullivan who played Kate and her alter, Connie. In the story, just before she died, Kate/Connie scrawled the letters AJ in her own blood, initially making the PCPD and Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) think that it was AJ Quatermaine (Sean Kanan) who did the deed.
Now, Sullivan recalled sharing scenes with the three-time Daytime Emmy-winning West, during a live conversation on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel. Kelly was the special guest talking about her recent return to the soaps in her new role as The Bold and the Beautiful’s Darcy Dylan.
Photo: JPI
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF MAURA WEST
Speaking of her final GH scenes and working with Maura West, Sullivan gave her then GH co-star major props. “If you’re going to be shot by somebody (on the soaps), you want to be shot by Maura West, c’mon!”
Maura West debuted back in May 2013 as Ava, and Sullivan remembered when the As the World Turns favorite began on GH. “I remember when Maura West first arrived at GH. She walked in with this cute little bob (hairdo) and she’s just delicious,” shared Sullivan.
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
Kelly revealed more about Maura, adding “I think she’s amazing! I remember right before I left the show, someone suggested, and I would still love to do this with her, if she ever want to, but someone suggested that they wanted to direct the stage play A Streetcar Named Desire with Maura and I, where I would play Stella and she would play Blanche! Wouldn’t that be great?”
Speaking of the Ava/Connie showdown scenes, Sullivan expressed, “On television and on General Hospital specifically, Maura West is able to play a character who does the most horrendous things and you still care about her and that’s the mark of a really great actor. In other words, you’re able to be liked in the midst of the most horrendous things, and as a performer not shying away from that, and to just have the courage to do what’s on the page (in the script).”
Photo: JPI
KELLY SULLIVAN PARTING THOUGHTS AS SHE LEFT GENERAL HOSPITAL
Kelly also shared her sentiments when she walked off the set of General Hospital after her run back in August of 2013. “I really was honored. Every day I would go to work and I would say a little prayer, which is I want to do justice for my character, explained Kelly. “It’s between me and my character. I get to walk this path with her and to leave the show on that note, which is, I left every out there. I just gave it my all and again what an honor it was to play Kate/Connie.”
You can catch the full conversation with Kelly where she talks about her time on General Hospital, The Young and the Restless where she played Sage Warner and now The Bold and the Beautiful below.
So, do you remember the Ava and Connie scenes where Ava shot and killed her? What did you think of Kelly Sullivan’s sentiments about Maura West? Share your thoughts via the comment section. But first, watch the reveal where Ava recalls murdering Connie below!
‘General Hospital’s’ Finola Hughes Delivers the ‘Power Performance of the Week’
RATINGS: ‘General Hospital’ Shows Most Gains in Total Viewers Week-Over-Week and Up in Key Demo
Kelly Sullivan Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’s’ Maura West Recalling When Ava Shot Connie (Exclusive)
Steve Burton Reportedly Signs Three-Year Contract with ‘General Hospital’
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Steffy Tells Carter She’s Pregnant, But He Has a Way ‘Out of This Situation For All of Us’
‘General Hospital’ to Rebroadcast Special Episode in Tribute to Anthony Geary
Vivica A. Fox Exits ‘The Young and the Restless’ For Now to Film Netflix’s ‘Women Like Us’
Jess Walton Memoir ‘The Young and the Rest of Us’ Set for Release in 2027
‘General Hospital’s’ Braedyn Bruner Reveals Her Daytime Emmy-Nominated Scenes and How Emma is Getting Her ‘Edge’ Back
‘General Hospital’s’ Bluesy Burke Marks 1 Year as Charlotte Cassadine: ‘It’s The Best Gift I’ve Ever Received’
Kelly Sullivan Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’s’ Maura West Recalling When Ava Shot Connie (Exclusive)
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Steffy Tells Carter She’s Pregnant, But He Has a Way ‘Out of This Situation For All of Us’
‘Beyond the Gates’ vs. ‘The Young and the Restless’ in a Soap Opera Showdown on ‘Flip Side’ Season 3 Premiere
‘The Bold and the Beautiful’s’ Heather Tom Talks Daytime Emmy-Nominated Scenes and What’s Behind Katie’s Deep-Seated Issues with Dylan (Exclusive)
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Did Brook Lynn Deserve Chase Walking Out on Her?
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General Hospital1 week ago‘General Hospital’ to Rebroadcast Special Episode in Tribute to Anthony Geary
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News1 week agoVivica A. Fox Exits ‘The Young and the Restless’ For Now to Film Netflix’s ‘Women Like Us’
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News2 days agoJess Walton Memoir ‘The Young and the Rest of Us’ Set for Release in 2027
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General Hospital7 days ago‘General Hospital’s’ Braedyn Bruner Reveals Her Daytime Emmy-Nominated Scenes and How Emma is Getting Her ‘Edge’ Back
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General Hospital5 days ago‘General Hospital’s’ Bluesy Burke Marks 1 Year as Charlotte Cassadine: ‘It’s The Best Gift I’ve Ever Received’
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News5 days ago‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ Drops First Look 40th Anniversary Opening Title Sequence
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Interviews6 days ago‘The Bold and the Beautiful’s’ Kelly Sullivan Talks Becoming Darcy Dylan, Who’s Melissa’s Dad, and Future Love Interest (Exclusive)
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News3 days agoY&R’s Co-Head Writer Jamey Giddens, Ahead of November Stories and Scripts Debut with Dan O’Connor, Explains How Fall Tees Up Their Plans for Genoa City
