General Hospital
GH's EP Frank Valentini Chats On: Status of OLTL Crossovers With Prospect Park, Nurses' Ball, and Laura's Return!
Photo Credit: ABC
With so many things happening fast and furious over the first two weeks of the New Year in soapland, TV Guide’s William Keck caught up with General Hospital’s executive producer Frank Valentini to get some more inside scoop on some very “hot” topics for soap fans as GH preps for its 50th Anniversary this April!
From the Nurses’ Ball resurrection, what is planned for the return of Genie Francis, and most importantly what is the status of Michael Easton, Kristen Alderson and Roger Howarth with the series, who came aboard as crossovers from One Life to Live, a lot of ground is covered. With Prospect Park readying the One Life reboot online, the legality of continuing the characters of John McBain, Todd Manning, and Starr Manning could be in question. Here now are some excerpts from the interview, and Valentini’s responses and updates on the various situations.
Photo Credit: ABC/Getty Images
Valentini on if fans should be worried that GH may lose John, Todd and Starr now that they have been integrated into the GH canvas: “Right now we’re trying to work it out. I can’t really say because the lawyers are doing their thing. Our hope is that we’ll be able to continue what we’re be doing.”
Valentini on what is the extent of Genie Francis’ upcoming return, what kind of story will it be, and if any of the Spencer boys will follow suit and make appearances too: It’s open-ended (with Genie) and will be something really exciting that will affect the whole Spencer family. We will explore where she’s been, what she’s been doing, why she’s been away and she’ll come back with a big secret. We’re working on bringing back some of the Spencer boys as well. Nashville is part of the ABC family so it’s just a scheduling situation for Jonathan, who is just a lovely guy. And maybe Ethan. And I’ve met with Tyler Christopher (Nikolas) who is a strong possibility. I can’t say definite because we have to make deals.”
Valentini on what viewers can expect when the Nurses Ball happens: “There will be some big story reveals over a few days. We’re now doing the sketches for the set and costume designs, which are going to be really exciting. We’ll have the characters sing and dance. We’ll of course have Kelly Monaco ( Sam) dance. We might even bring (her DWTS partner) Val Chermkovskiy back. The time has also come to reveal Sabrina’s beauty. Maybe around the Nurses Ball.”
Find out what other returns Valentini is trying to lock in for the shows rocking 50th Anniversary and the Nurses’ Ball including Jack Wagner, Jackie Zeman and Rachel Ames, when you read the full interview.
So soapers, what do you think of the chances that GH will be able to keep McBain and Todd and Starr Manning on the canvas? Laura’s return to Port Charles? And the Nurses’ Ball? Let us know!
General Hospital
General Hospital Preemptions This Week for MLB Wild Card Playoff Games
This week, General Hospital will be preempted on Tuesday, October 4 and Wednesday, October 5, and potentially again on Thursday October 6, due to Major League Baseball’s wild card playoff games airing on ABC.
In the best of 3 games, the Texas Rangers face the Tampa Bay Rays in an American League wild card series, starting on Tuesday with a 3:08PM EST start time. If the series goes a full three games, then Thursday’s GH will also be preempted.
Encore episodes of GH will be seen on the east coast on Tuesday and Wednesday, while all other time zones will be preempted for the game.
Photo: MLB
In addition, GH will not be streaming the episodes on Hulu or ABC.com as is it a nationwide preemption. That way, everyone will begin to see the all-new episodes on the same day when they resume.
Photo: ABC
Hopefully, Thursday, GH will resume with an episode that teases: Spencer and Trina affirm their feelings, Tracy has a slip of the tongue, Valentin surprises Anna, and Sasha is in danger.
So, going to miss GH for the next few days? Comment below.
General Hospital
Gregory Harrison Talks His General Hospital ALS Storyline, Battling Addiction, ‘Falcon Crest’ on Maurice Benard’s ‘State of Mind’
Film and TV star, Gregory Harrison is currently appearing on ABC’s General Hospital in the role of Gregory Chase. In story, Gregory is trying to come to the terms with the fact he has ALS and is now displaying symptoms of the disease that will ultimately claim his life.
On the latest episode of Maurice Benard’s (Sonny, General Hospital) You Tube series State of Mind, the actor opens up about the challenges of playing a character with ALS, how he has battled addiction, his prime role on Trapper John M.D and Falcon Crest and much more.
In fact, it’s actually the the 40th anniversary of Harrison’s solo TV Guide cover as Dr. George Alonzo “Gonzo” Gates on Trapper John, M.D.
Photo: ABC
Speaking on his General Hospital storyline, and Gregory Chase’s battle with ALS, Harrison detailed: “He’s a complicated character any way, but we’ve added now ALS into the equation and that’s a really fun technical calibration for me. It’s a relatively quick demise – three to five years, generally for ALS, and it moves along pretty quickly. The body deteriorates pretty quickly and things happen, and there is an emotional kind of reaction to those that my character has. My character reacts to the loss of things and that’s what I am starting to be able to play.”
Harrison added, on how he is playing the nuances of ALS in the scripts he is given, “Where am I going to put in that slip and fall? Where am I going to put in that tremor in my hand? Where I am going to put in the stumble, or the slur of this word or that word? That’s real technical stuff, but I have to layer that on top of emotional honesty of what’s going on. So, for me, it’s a buffet and I love that.”
Benard and Harrison also delved into the fact that Gregory he has been sober for 36 years. Harrison opened about how addiction changed his personality at a time when his career was riding high: “If I was the kind of person who would be regretful, then I would say that during my prime, I was busy using all my acting skills to disguise my addiction instead of building my career. ”
Photo: ABC
As his fame rose, Harrison also started his own production company. He admitted to Benard, that at the time, he was barely getting through jobs and projects: “I could act, but I wasn’t doing as good as I should have been doing. I was just persevering … pouring massive amounts of energy into enduring my addiction … not into the creative artist that I was inspired to be. And then I found my way back.” At one point, Harrison sought help at the renowned Betty Ford Center. Gregory shared that he had to hit rock bottom, in order to build himself back up again.
At the conclusion of the episode, Maurice asked Gregory how he enjoyed being part of the cast of the defunct CBS primetime soap, Falcon Crest, to which Harrison said he loved playing the role of Michael Sharp back in 1990. He compared that character to the likes of Port Charles’ Sonny Corinthos.
Check out Maurice and Gregory’s conversation below.
Let us know, are you emotional invested and enjoying Gregory Harrison’s portrayal of the ALS storyline on General Hospital? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
General Hospital
Kelly Monaco Celebrates 20 Years on GH and Sam’s Evolution: “All the Pieces Don’t Fit Perfectly Yet, But It’s Certainly Not Broken Anymore!”
Sunday, October 1st will mark the 20th anniversary of Kelly Monaco’s debut on General Hospital as Sam McCall. And as the story goes, when Kelly finished her run on Port Charles as Livvie Locke (2000-2003), and the show had been canceled, the three major networks were all interested in her to join their soaps.
In the end, GH won out and fans of the ABC daytime drama series have been the lucky ones to have Monaco join the A-list cast of the iconic soap. Throughout Sam’s journey in Port Charles, viewers have seen quite the character growth. Sam started on the show as a con and hustler, and bloomed into a bonafide heroine and a private investigator.
Kelly shared with Soap Opera Digest in their latest issue, how she viewed the Sam of old, to the Sam of today: “Sam came on to the canvas only having herself and her brother, always taking care of someone, and never being taken care of. I think the biggest evolution for her is starting from being a really lonely, scared woman and becoming a woman who is still really independent, but is protected by family and friends and love and relationships and loyalty, and she never had that before.”
Photo: JPI
In a very poetic way, Monaco added on her character’s development: “She came in bent and broken, and I feel like there’s a lot of her that’s still broken, but she’s constantly sort of putting the Rubik’s Cube together. All the pieces don’t fit perfectly, yet, but it’s certainly not broken anymore.”
Throughout Sam’s two decades in Port Charles she has been in love, suffered terrible lost, found family members, had children, and has been involved in some of the most dangerous and criminal cases involving many a villain as she tried to help bring them to justice.
Photo: ABC
Currently, Sam is involved in a romance with Dante Falconeri (Dominic Zamprogna). Viewers wonder if Lulu ever wakes up out of her coma, would that spell trouble for their relationship, and in turn, give Kelly some great meaty story to work with?
Now, in the comment section below, share your congrats to Kelly for her 20-year-run on GH. Then let us know, what has been your favorite Sam story over the years?
Emily O’ Brien Confirmed as Theresa Donovan Replacement on Days of our Lives
General Hospital Preemptions This Week for MLB Wild Card Playoff Games
Gregory Harrison Talks His General Hospital ALS Storyline, Battling Addiction, ‘Falcon Crest’ on Maurice Benard’s ‘State of Mind’
Adam Copeland, Former WWE Superstar, Joins AEW in Climatic Moment at ‘WrestleDream’
Justiin Davis Makes His Debut on The Bold and the Beautiful
Rena Sofer on Her General Hospital Comeback as Lois Cerullo: “She’s Still Loud and She’s Still Mouthy”
Kelly Monaco Celebrates 20 Years on GH and Sam’s Evolution: “All the Pieces Don’t Fit Perfectly Yet, But It’s Certainly Not Broken Anymore!”
GENERAL HOSPITAL: ‘Sprina’ in New York Part One
General Hospital’s Roger Howarth Featured in Film ‘What Doesn’t Float’ Hits Theatres
Chrishell Stause Stars in New Lifetime Thriller ‘You’re Not Supposed to Be Here’
Gregory Harrison Talks His General Hospital ALS Storyline, Battling Addiction, ‘Falcon Crest’ on Maurice Benard’s ‘State of Mind’
Adam Copeland, Former WWE Superstar, Joins AEW in Climatic Moment at ‘WrestleDream’
Justiin Davis Makes His Debut on The Bold and the Beautiful
General Hospital’s Roger Howarth Featured in Film ‘What Doesn’t Float’ Hits Theatres
GENERAL HOSPITAL: ‘Sprina’ in New York Part Two: Trina and Spencer Make Love
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It’s a hard situation. We love Starr, John and Todd on GH. If they return to OLTL, it will be a huge loss for GH. Are they obligated to go back to OLTL?
from what i hear the characters are obligated to go back if PP wants them back but not the actors.
If I remember correctly,both Howarth and Alderson turned down PP’s original offer to join the on line OLTL. Easton was going to be a part of it,but when it fell through he joined GH.
The characters belong to OLTL, but the actors playing them are not abligated to play the roles on the reboot shows. This explaing why there weren’t more oltl characters brought on full time, i’m sure FV and RC would of added Natalie, Blair on full time too, but i’m sure this PP deal was still looming in the background. I hope the characters get to stick around, but we’ll have to wait and see.
I would think that when PP made the announcement last year that they weren’t bringing the show online and then abc/GH signed the 3 actors they covered their asses. I think that abc’s legal dept. thought of the possibilty of PP coming back so they provided for that in the contracts.
Even though i have been watching ALL abc soaps for years i Loved OLTL the most. I WAS GLAD when these characters went to GH but soon became dismayed because i do not like how they are being written. Todd is not acting like Todd, Starr and michael are a BORE and Mcbain and sam are moving soooo slow its painful and boring already. I DONT LIKE that Kassie DePaiva as Blair is only on once in a while and todds other son jack is missing in action. After the snooze fest of TARLY these past few weeks i am HOPING ALL three characters go home to llanview where they interact with family and loved ones. I miss todd and blair and i miss natalie and john i especially miss todds talks with his sister vicki. PLEASE PP make it happen get us back Todd, John and Starr FREE THE OLTL THREE!!!
You might get your wish, but i doubt if you’ll get the same actors playing the role.
I agree Patricia, when we lost One Life I was glad to see some of them come to GH, made me watch more. But Stars part the last few months till Tods reveal came out the other day, has been NOTHING but a support character for Michael. STUPID. McBain has been gone since they went to Switzerland. So Tod has been the only one with a main story..to me. I’d really like to see ALL my characters back on OLTL and let GH go back to fending for itself. Sorry, its gotten better [i used to nap through it] but still love OLTL much much more!
I’m only watching GH some times for John & Star. My favorite soap couple is John & Natalie. Wherever John & Natalie go, I will watch-however, if PP takes the characters and recast, it won’t be the same and if John and Natalie aren’t together, it won’t be the same. So right now it’s a lose, lose situation.The way GH has destroyed the characters hasn’t been good, so i’ve lost interest. I do think tho’ RC/FV know how to write for John McBain/Natalie Buchanan the best. It’s a wait and see game!
Also that needs to be mentioned is the fact that so many of the actors/actresses have moved from the East Coast to the West Coast. The new OLTL is going to be filmed in Connecticut. I believe that is why Blair is on part-time because she would not relocate.
I agree RC knew how to write John & Natalie. I can’t wait for them to reunite.
I would love to see Todd keep his business in Port Charles and let someone run it for him. Then have Vickie come get Todd and tell him that he never kill his brother Victor… Then he could go home and let him built his relationship with Jack. Natalie finds out that her father has been keeping John away. She comes to Port Charles to get him back.
McBain can go back! Starr & Todd I will MISS! I hope OLTL will be available in my country.
Love all the plans, but don’t want to lose Todd and John! Please give Laura a huge story line so she will stay, and give Liz one too! I’m tired of just seeing her chatting up the nurses!
There are realities to be considered. I’m guessing that the pay levels for an online series would be less than that for a broadcast series. As much as we might like to see Todd, Starr and John back on OLTL, is it fair to ask Roger, Kristen, and Michael to take severe pay cuts to make it happen?
..
I believe the 3 will be crossing-over, going back and forth between the 2 soaps..
but again; they have binding contracts with ABC/GH and may well remain with GH until their contracts end….
Good point…I don’t know what to expect with this PP deal..Will they be the same characters we soap lovers are grown to love and watched all these years. Will they
re-cast some characters with different actors? I really like seeing the three crossovers from OLTL on GH. Because I missed OLTL so much. I was happy when
they joined GH. I would hate to lose them but on the other hand to replace their
characters with different actors on the OLTL reboot Hmmmmm! I am not sure about
this whole situation..We will just have to wait and see what happens.
No, TMJ, its not fair to the actors. I have felt that all along that they have the right to be gainfully employed on TELEVISION.
Nothing against the online series, but it seems like small potatoes compared to a web series. As long as GH continues, and “continue” being the operative word, then the actors have more exposure and rightfully so.
I doubt the 3 will be going back to OLTL..
they are under contract with ABC to do GH ..
ABC/D still has their thumb in PP ..
OLTL and PP will have make do without the 3 at least until their contracts end with GH..
KA is entering year 2 of a 3 yr contract. RH has a long term (unspecified) contract. ME did have a contract with PP but it has expired. ME has been more recurring on GH then contract player (because ME was still under contract with PP) . John McB was not a core character of the original OLTL. He may go to finish the story with Nat. His character is better and likeable on GH. So I think he would stay long term.
I already think that Sabrina is gorgeous!
Me too Michael!
I don’t see why the PP version of OLTL couldn’t have Todd, Starr, and John played by other actors (or, even better, have those 3 stay in PC and work it into their storylines with, perhaps, visits to Llanview). It would be very unfair to the actors now on GH to force them to go online or be out of a job. OLTL was my favorite soap, by far, but I hope the two shows can amicably co-exist.
Hi Michael 🙂
This is a lot to take in. I am thrilled about the new home for AMC and OLTL! I will be there on day one! That being said, I like how the characters of Starr, Todd and John have fit into some existing story lines. They are the best of the best, and they have brought new life to GH. It is wonderful to have Todd’s brand of dysfunctional, Starr’s compassion and John’s not so perfect brooding cop! Dante needed a partner, and John is a great fit! I would hate to seem them have to leave GH.
On the other hand, I wish only the best for all of them. They have been jerked around as much, but probably more, than the fans. I wonder if it would be possible, if all the powers that be, could maybe play nice and let some crossovers continue only now between ABC and The Online Network? After all, we, the fans, are going to be watching both, so why not just try for a solution that doesn’t put anyone in the position of having to choose between the two.
Either way, I wish Roger, Kristen, and Michael all the very best! I will be tuning in wherever they are!
🙂
I also want to see Todd, Starr, John McBain back at OLTL But if it was me and there would be a paycut; I think I’d stay where the money was. But you need to look at it like this; how secure is the future of General Hospital??? Also how secure is the rejuvination of OLTL and AMC plus, they have a contract with GH. Alot of things to consider. I have truly mixed feelings,
on GH these actors are only a shadow of their former selves. Todd was more of action packed fella always in trouble one way or the other , John was so involved with his department and solving crimes and the love of his life and now finding he was a Daddy, how can he just leave little Liam and Natalie by the wayside??? Starr, poor Starr to have gone thr all that and her Mother only making few and far between visits; thats just too sad! Starr very much needed her Mother instead she’s left bearing all the terriable heartache of loosing her boyfriend and little girl.
Valentini needs to preserve the soaps, and have characters stay true to their character, with obvious growth and reaction to adversity. Cross over is fun and will help all soaps if it is not permanent. New actors can play these characters, and it will be an adjustment, but we viewers will quickly come to love them. It was a shame too many important players were left behind, as they could have helped Starr and McBain find storylines that are intriguing, particularly Blair and Jack, and Natalie would bring huge conflict to McBain. Right now, on GH, too many characters with the thrill wearing off of the major players from the 1980’s.
Ok, why cant the trio do cross over bits between the shows? They used to do it all the time.. Look at Sky Chandler… shes been on all three soaps as the same character. It would be great to lock the three together… keeping viewers glued to their seats for all three soaps…. continuing drama….all three with high ratings… Just my opinion…..
It wouldn’t be easy to do with GH, since they film on the West Coast, while the other two will be filming on the East Coast. But I think it’s a great idea!
Yeah, if only someone would invent a machine that could carry people across the counrty in a matter of mere hours…
It’s called scheduling TRW, logistics. Exactly why Steve Burton went to Y&R instead of sticking with GH – even though they have airplanes.
I am more excited about hearing about Genie coming back with a great story and the hope that Jonathan, Tyler, and Nathan might be coming back too! Oh… and Jack Wagner, Rachel Ames, and Jackie Zeman too…woo hoo! Whatever happens with Todd, John and Starr will hopefully be best for OLTL and GH.
As w/ majority of primetime and daytime soap operas: racial diversity is never a pressing issue for the showrunners when they are interviewed. No one can read their minds but racial diversity was not mentioned from this interview and thus it doesn’t appear to be a priority for soaps. ABC daytime soaps and primetime soaps are horrid when it comes to racial diversity. It’s great that a black actress like Kerry is the lead on Scandal but of course she has to be paired w/ a white actor. Same w/ Sandra Oh’s char on grey’s anatomy as she’s paired w/ a white actor. Yeah she was paired w/ Isaiah Washington before he was fired for the slur. BTW: typical of hollywood that they kill his career for his gay slur but kramer on seinfeld can say a slur against black people and he can still bounce back and have a career. It’s worse w/ sarah silverman bec her career wasn’t even hurt by her slur against chinese people. Typical hollywood bias. The new doctors on grey’s are majority white. Couldn’t they have cast Asian americans? Have they reached their “quota” w/ 1 Asian american char? Typical horrid casting from hollywood for racial diveristy. Practically every storyline must be told w/ white characters.
I could care less about Todd,John & Starr because they don’t add to GH,they takew away from it.GH should be focused on GH ONLY characters so i hope they go.
That is a very small view.
I’m really excited with the show right now LOVE the Spencers hope they bring back all the boys. Also I really LOVE STARR & MICHAEL so I hope they stay at GH. GH ROCKS & I really love DANTE & LULU love story I hope its will always last with problems (since its a soap) BUT always love eachother.
Prospect Park is destined to fail. How can you structure a show based on the availability of certain actors instead of developing a story bible and casting out from that? I loved OLTL but I am afraid to see what it will become.
Ummm…why do you think they are structuring these shows around who can return? I’ve heard no such thing.
ITA, Mike. The characters are important then the actors. You can’t have AMC with Erica, Tad, and Adam or OLTL with Viki, Dorian and Bo. First you get the story and characters and then you see if the actors are available and if not recast or created new similar characters to take the place of the characters not on the canvas. Or then can skip a generation and have show about Miranda and Erica. With Bianca making visits. We want to go back to the simple small town of Pine Valley.
I will be happy no matter where they end up. My only concern is that if they go back to PP with the online version then we will have to pay to see them on the internet. That ?? still has yet to be answered. If I have to pay for cable, and get GH, they would I want to pay an additional fee for internet to see the same characters when they are already on a soap I get with TV.
Starr is my favorite and I love her with Michael but I would also love to see the interaction she has with Blair!
I guess time will tell.
I want them to go back to OLTL I can’t stand them on GH I suffer through GH just to see them and this forced Sam stuff with John not fun to watch it has changes his character so much. I was so naive when they came to GH I was excited to keep something from OLTL but not at the expense of the Happy ending to OLTL and the changing of their characters. If there is soap gods out there please let them go home where they belong. OLTL won’t be the same without them
ITA Sam & McBain were too forced. I’m glad he is going back.
Jackie Zeman and Rachel Ames? Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat! They wait for an anniversary to bring them back?
Fair enough.
As a fan of the entire genre…I will wait and see what happens with the OLTL actors/characters. I will watch them on either show and be happy about it.
Looking forward to the Nurse’s Ball!
Really loving General Hospital these days. 🙂
WOW! What a refreshing perspective you have, CTwildheart. Finally someone that is not complaining. What a novel concept. 🙂
I agree with you 100%.
I need McBain and do not want him going anywhere along with the other OLTL characters. I will be watching OLTL (fav), AMC online. GH has become the best show I have ever seen and I know it is because of Ron and Frank, my 2 favorite people. I love the stories and everything else about GH right now. Please save these people on GH.
GH needs to keep Michael Easton & Roger H I love their characters even more on GH than I did on OLTL. Just need to give Michael E more screen time which I’m sure is coming with McBam. Hope they bring Nathan P back as Ethan.
I miss Ethan too! He is on Bunheads, which is owned by ABCFamily (I think) so they should be able to work in at least one visit…
Everyday I feel like my life gets a little bit brighter with every story I read about GH! I am so loving it!!!!!
It’s hard to believe it has been a year already since Valentini took the reigns. I think that part about how they have turned the show around really needs to be emphasized.
I don’t agree with everything they are doing – killing Trey on one hand seems pointless and unfair to the poor guy, but on the other hand, it gives some story to Connie to show that she is human after all and giving Connie a reason to stick around if she can find a way to love Sonny. Speaking of Sonny, they are doing an awesome job of integrating him into the show and supporting the cast instead of being on every day and in everyone’s story.
A lot of the things the TV Guide interviewer said is right in line with what most fans think. I can see Maxie being pregnant with Spinelli’s child only to find out that Lulu’s test results got mixed up and she CAN carry a baby to term.
Unlike some, the new characters are fitting in and actually showing they can be long-term. I really like the turn they have taken with Ellie and Sabrina. Dr. Britt can exit stage left at any moment, as far as I am concerned, but I like the rest.
I only wish poor Elizabeth would get a real story and some real airtime. I feel bad that the character seems to only be part of the hospital background. I guess if they pair her with AJ then she will have a story so I am patiently waiting.
As for the OLTL characters possibly leaving. I don’t see it as a big deal. If the actors want to stay, and they have every right to, then they could just come up with new names and backstory for them one day. Stranger things have happened on TV. They would just have to be extremely careful to make sure that none of the backstory resembled Agnes Nixon’s characters or they could get sued.
How come he didn’t answer the question about Tristan Rogers’ status? 🙂 I am still hoping Tristan can go back to Y&R as well as work on GH, but there are legalities and he is a busy man with other projects.
I am glad I gave up reading the spoilers and inside stuff so that I can watch it unfold before my eyes each week. I am also very happy that I decided to start watching again after GH was on life support because the current regime has definitely made it worth my while.
My only hope is that ABC finally gets its act together and recognizes that there are still some of us who want our soap operas (and NOT reality soaps filmed at a real hospital) to continue on our TELEVISION screens. Please, ABC, renew GH … and do it soon to set our minds at ease.
I will admit I was originally thrilled by the idea of some OLTL characters coming to PC. But I have been left absolutely devastated, especially by the absolute destruction of everything that has defined the character of Todd Manning. He and Starr need to get back to Llanview ASAP so they can become recognizable again.
I love the newer Todd and John!!
They are GH now and I hope they stay that way 🙂
I identify with you!
I hope both GH & OLTL will be successful. My very favorite is OLTL but I watched GH longer since I was 4 and OLTL from 17 until it was taken away. I want hem both to be on for a very long time. GH is so much better with the new writers etc. much better than it used to be, almost like the good old days.
As for oltl, why cant they use the other Tod (Victor) who is also great. As for John McBain we need him on Gh now. Starr can go back and forth because her storyline is boring.
Even though I didn’t watch OLTL when it was on, hearing about the crossovers back in February is what got me watching GH again. It’s been a breath of fresh air to have characters on the show that are not only new but they already have their own background and history. I hope that Starr, Todd, and John can stay. The actors all have contracts with ABC/GH and RH and KA never signed with Prospect Park the first go around. I would hate to see any of these actors forced out of a job. And if none of them are interested in working for Prospect Park, they’ll end up recast. That doesn’t seem fair at all.
Many of the actors from OLTL had already siad they would not do the online show. So how many original characters does that leave us with? Not many… Some of the ones who are willing to go onlne are not the most interesting of the group. I have also been watching ABC soaps for about 30 years and over the years AMC/GH were lacking and OLTL stayed my favorite. Todd being one of my favorite people. Although I was disheartened to see him leave years ago…Vitor was a decent replacement. I also agree iwth other posters…the real Todd is not acting ike himself on GH. I question how well the show will go if they ave to recast a bunch of new people to play the parts of many characters online. If Natalie is not there…Jon really has no reason to return to Lanview.
as much as i’ve wanted OLTL to come back, I don’t want to lose Roger/Todd and Kristen/Star on GH. I’m able to watch GH and it’s been so good since last Jan/Feb and the OLTL people have been added in. I don’t want it to go back to the drool it was before – the sonny mobster show. There’s much more to the story now.
It’s going to cost me to watch the online soap and not sure if it will be a pay for watching show, on top of having to get hi speed internet! arg! I can get GH – even with rabbit ears! and it doesn’t cost me. There’s a lot to be said for free broadcast tv!
GH doesn’t need out characters. You have so many of your own. OL PP is going to need all the help it can get and John and Todd our are 2 main characters. You get to keep our EP ,writers and time slot we should really get our characters back. You can keep Star though…..
There really isn’t anything we can do except wait and see how it plays out &it hope for the best for the actors’ sakes and the sakes of the SOAPS.
WE ALL WANT WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR BELOVED ACTORS, CHARACTERS, & OUR SOAPS; THE ONE WE STILL HAVE (GH) & THE ONES WE ARE GETTING BACK (AMC &I OLTL).
You know there used to be a lot of crossing over of characters on OLTL and AMC, perhaps to build momentum they should think about combining the two for a better show. This way since I do not expect near the return of the old cast that people might wish for; we can maybe get that as a compromise. This is just a thought and I am sure it might even have been tossed around. It’s been almost two years now, I don’t think that the fans care as long as there is some sort of return for the faith we never lost. Anyone else think this idea could fly or is it a flop. I can take it. Am excited no matter how it goes, just hate to settle for one or two original cast members and already hear the rumbling from GH about Howarth, but then no shock there, the man can easily hold his own against anyone including the great Tony Geary. Would love feedback. What do you think?
To Frank Valentini who I’m sure will never see this comment;
Thank you so much for coming to GH & making such a huge positive difference. You haven’t stopped since your feet hit the floor. You’ve made some brilliant business decisions such as combining the established fanbases of OLTL characters with GH’s characters. You’ve boosted morale. Maurice Benard is happy! The show is more balanced & has your trademark humor that I truly appreciate (and need) You’ve brought favorites back, Anna, FAISON, Lucy, Laura, Scotty &I more. You’ve named dropped, you’ve blended storylines from OLTL &GH PORT CHARLES, you’re a creative genius, & GH hasn’t been this good in a very long time! ….Every single word is sincere. BELIEVE me. People will tell you. So I kind of feel a teeny bit nervous about asking you for just a little tiny favor 🙂 I know you have a really good sense of humor, thank goodness….I was just wondering if maybe you might give some serious thought to bringing back TAMARA BRAUN as CARLY? She had alot of redeeming qualities & had a softness that went with her tough & savvy side, & she was true to her fellow actors. I really don’t expect you to even read this, that’s the probably why I could even ask. But in any case, I don’t mean any disrespect. I just wrote it on an impulse ….I can only imagine the replies this comment might get. 🙂
Before coming to GH Frank Valentini worked for Prospect Park briefly until they put their online network on hold while they worked out the funding. They let him go to GH in an amicable agreement but he proceeded to badmouth the owners of PP even after PP had agreed to loan certain characters to GH for a short time. Valentini went ahead and changed story lines and killed off characters which was all in bad faith according to the agreement between PP and ABC. PP had the best interest of the actors in mind by negotiating a deal where they could work and get paid in the interim of getting the funding for the relaunch of OLTL and AMC. Some say, Valentini proceeded to tell lies about PP and manipulate actors into signing long term deals preventing them from going back to OLTL to play their original characters. This is a complete disservice to the OLTL fans to have watched for years. Good luck Valentini, can’t wait to see this one play out in court.