Microseries platform and Studio aTwist launched today (September 3) complete with a slate of 10 original series including the first foray into the vertical drama space from The Bold and the Beautiful’s executive producer and head writer, Brad Bell.

As previously reported, Brad Bell and his son and B&B producer, Oliver Bell produced the vertical title, Hollywood Starlet which is now available on aTwist.

Hollywood Starlet tells the tale of an 0verlooked cleaner named Starlet who supports her abusive sister and mother until her acting talents are finally recognized by famous actor Jack as he falls for her and helps her kickstart her Hollywood career. The microdrama was filmed using sets from The Bold & The Beautiful sets at their Sunset Las Palmas Studios in Hollywood. The series features popular vertical stars: Bella Mraz, Eric Guilmette, and Molly Anderson.

Photo: MFTV

aTWIST FEATURES 10 ORIGINAL MICRODRAMA SERIES

The new vertical entertainment platform from noted TV executives: Jana Winograde (Former Showtime), Susan Rovner (Former NBCUniversal) and Lloyd Braun (Former ABC/WME) debuts by expanding the microdrama genre with scripted, unscriped, animation, horror and comedy titles. The launch today also includes a curated library of content. aTwist is available now at www.aTwist.com, with the app available for download across all major app stores.

New microseries will launch Thursdays on aTwist. Viewers can watch select episodes for free with ads, or unlock complete seasons using coins or a subscription. Countries at launch include: Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Philippines, United Kingdom and United States.

Courtesy/aTwist

The launch slate available now which includes the aforementioned Brad Bell created Hollywood Starlet also features these titles:

Buried Alive, Back For Revenge

A blind heiress, buried alive by her husband and best friend on her wedding day, claws her way out of her grave to reclaim her company and destroy those who betrayed her. Starring: Nicole Mattox, Nick Ritacco, Molly Anderson, Eric Guilmette, Jon Briddell.

Cash Out

A heartbroken woman and her 2 best friends are gifted $50,000 to spend on experiences in Las Vegas in under 24 hours. Roadblocks crop up, her ex returns, chaos ensues. The Hangover meets Bridesmaids. Starring: Violet Benson, Kristen Ochoa, Jaden Ashley, Christa Texeira.

I Fell in Love with a Dragon Prince

Abandoned and enslaved, when Sylvia meets and heals the injured Kiel, heir to the Sky Kingdom, their quests merge – will he regain his crown and she, her freedom? And are they meant for each other? Animation microdrama starring: Jayme Mantos, Ted Evans, Cornelius Mohr, Kristen DiMercurio

I Swiped Right on a Serial Killer

A pediatrician goes looking for love on the apps, but has no idea when she falls for a manipulator with a master plan to wife her, who’s willing to kill anyone who gets in his way. Starring: Mariah Moss, Shayne Davis, Addison Bowman, Ali Badalov, Nick Ritacco<

My Billionaire Kidney

In this rollicking vertical spoof, a down-on-her-luck Cinderella-type becomes a pawn to her evil aunt and uncle and multiple absurdly powerful men as they fight for her kidney. Will she finally find a way to control the chaos and choose herself? From Jonathan Stern (Abominable Pictures), starring Hannah Pilkes, Nate Smith, Brandon Micheal Hall, Erinn Hayes, Steve Agee, Peter S. Kim.

My Book Boyfriend Came To Life

A love-averse librarian accidentally summons a romance novel hero into the real world to help her save her library. Starring: Bella Grace Mraz, Cayman David Cardiff, Eric Ruof, Shannon Foster, Rebecca Ritz.

Pretty Hurts And So Do I

A bullied high school girl is hit by a bus, gets a major glow-up, and comes back for revenge on the mean girls who wronged her. Starring: Kim Sandwich, Jake Ryan Nuttall, Caroline Abigail Rich, Shahadah Keyonna Abdullah.

Something Is Alive In My Attic

A woman returns home to her estranged, ailing mother to discover that something evil is alive in the attic. Starring: Moriah N. Boone, Suzie Haines, Richard Trotter, Charing Draper, Triana Brown.

Strangers, A Plane And A Deadly Game

Two women on a plane joke about committing murder, but when one takes action, the other is drawn into a chaotic, deadly spiral – will there be any survivors?
Starring: Grace Swanson, Monaye Moyes, Sean McHugh, Madeleine Barnette, Myron Donley.

Photo: aTwist

MICRODRAMA PARTNERSHIPS

aTwist recently announced: A strategic partnership with Hartbeat, Kevin Hart’s global entertainment company, making aTwist the exclusive home for Hartbeat’s slate of original microseries, including comedy programming under the LOL umbrella and adaptations of Blake Karrington’s bestselling book series and a partnership with BET to develop and distribute microseries across linear and vertical platforms, with a first-of-its-kind windowing model bringing microseries to television while expanding storytelling rooted in Black culture and community, among others.

Microseries are serialized stories designed for mobile-first viewing: typically 40-60 episodes of one to three minutes each, built vertically, and consumed either in moments throughout the day or as a binge experience all at once. This is a fast-growing global category, generating an estimated $10 billion annually worldwide.

So, will you be checking out Brad Bell’s Hollywood Starlet on the aTwist platform? What do you think of all the currently slated new titles for launch? Drop a comment below.

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) announced on Thursday, September 3 than none other than Genie Francis (Laura, General Hospital) will receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Honor at the upcoming 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, taking place October 30 in Hollywood, California.

In addition, next year in February, Genie will celebrate her 50th anniversary milestone of her debut on General Hospital where she first appeared on-screen as a teenaged Laura Vining back in 1977. She secured her place in pop culture history when an estimated 30 million viewers tuned in to watch the iconic 1981 wedding of Laura and Luke Spencer (the late Anthony Geary) Fast-forward to 2026, and Laura serves as the mayor of Port Charles.

Throughout her daytime career, Francis has also appeared on ABC’s All My Children as Ceara Connor, Days of Our Lives as Diana Colville, and CBS’s The Young and the Restless as Genevieve Atkinson. She won her only  Daytime Emmy back in 2007 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Daytime Drama Series for her role as Laura on General Hospital.

Photo: JPI

GENIE FRANCIS TO MARK 50 YEARS AS GENERAL HOSPITAL’S LAURA

In a statement on her Lifetime Achievement honor, Genie Francis expressed, “I want to offer my deepest gratitude to the leadership of NATAS for honoring me with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. This February marks 50 years since I first portrayed Laura on General Hospital. Stepping onto that set at just 14, I could never have imagined the extraordinary journey that lay ahead. I am deeply grateful to have been welcomed onto your television screens and into your homes for five decades; for the love, support, and loyalty I’ve been given; and for the privilege of being a small part of your lives.”

She continued, “Thank you to NATAS, my colleagues, the daytime community and, most of all, the viewers. My career in daytime television has truly been the adventure of a lifetime, and I am deeply honored by this recognition.”

Adam Sharp, President and CEO, NATAS said on the selection of the iconic actress, “We are thrilled to celebrate Genie Francis’s remarkable career. From Port Charles and beyond, she has left an indelible mark on the landscape of daytime television, and she continues to tackle bold topics as a courageous storyteller to this day.”

Photo: ABC

A CAREER THAT SPANNED DAYTIME, PRIMETIME AND THE STAGE

In addition to daytime, Francis began her career at the age of 13 guest starring on ABC’s Family. Thereafter, she has enjoyed a diverse acting career, with notable roles in the miniseries North and South and Bare Essence, as well as The Note. Following were numerous television guest starring roles ranging from: Third Rock From the Sun, Murder She Wrote, the final episode of  Perry Mason, Roswell, and more, plus numerous stage productions.

Francis and her husband, Jonathan Frakes, (best known for his role as Commander William Riker on Star Trek: The Next Generation) have been married for nearly 40 years, and have two adult children, Jameson and Eliza.

MORE ON THE 53RD ANNUAL DAYTIME EMMY AWARDS

The Daytime Emmy Awards have recognized outstanding achievement in television programming and crafts since 1974, honoring work in a variety of genres, including daytime dramas, talk series, entertainment news, culinary, adventure, instructional and legal/courtroom programming. This year’s Gold & Silver Circle Inductees and ceremony presenters will be announced at a later date. Tickets will go on sale September 9, 2026.

The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be a single ceremony in 2026, produced by NATAS Productions. Adam Sharp and Lara Gates are executive producers, with Leon Knoles returning to direct for a fifth straight year. Rachel Schwartz serves as Head of Daytime, and the firm of Lutz & Carr, LLP, provides accounting services for the competition.

Fans can watch the ceremony when it streams live on October 30 via the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) official website at watch.theemmys.tv or via the official The Emmys app.

What do you think of Genie Francis being named the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient at this year’s Daytime Emmys? Share your thoughts and reactions via the comment section below.

If you enjoyed the original song “Pray”as performed by Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) and Gio Palmieri (Giovanni Mazza) on the September 1 episode of General Hospital, it is now available on all music streaming platforms and their is a music video forthcoming featuring Ali.

In story, suspicious music executive, Simon (Grady Eldridge) booked his new signings to perform at the Cat’s Eye Lounge in Rochester, New York. Trina and Gio take to the stage and perform “Pray” featuring Trina on vocals. The duo perform a second song later.

However, someone is still stalking Trina, and we see the previously shown disturbing collage of the young woman, and now a photo of her performing on the Cat’s Eye Lounge stage was added.

This moment left viewers questioning if it could be Simon, or Kai’s (Jens Austin Astrup) friend, Quinn (Jequan Jackson), who were both at the venue, and could have easily taken the photo, or is this all a red-herring and the real culprit who is obsessed with Trina hasn’t even been seen on-screen yet?

Courtesy/ABC

WHERE YOU CAN STREAM TABYANA ALI’S “PRAY”

Following the airing of the episode and over the last 24 hours, Tabyana Ali took to her Instagram to share that “Pray” was a poem written by her and turned into the track heard on General Hospital. Now you can download or stream it via You Tube Music, Apple Music, Spotify and more. She also shared a music video for the track is forthcoming.

Ali also wrote on her IG post, “PRAY poem by yours truly. Grateful to the amazing team who helped me.” Jumping into the comment thread were her GH co-stars including: Cameron Mathison (Drew Cain) who gave Tabyana 5 applause emojis and GH newcomer Kayden Brenna Tokarski (Scout Cain) who expressed, “You are so amazing and talented!!❤️”

Tabyana Ali has been playing the part of Trina Robinson ,the daughter of Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) and Portia Robinson (Brooke Kerr) since 2022, taking over from Sydney Mikayla who stepped away from the role to finish college.

Now below, check out the full performance of “Pray” from Tuesday’s episode of General Hospital, and a preview link for the track on Apple Music.

Let us know, what do you think of the song “Pray” and Tabyana Ali’s performance on the track? Who do you think is stalking Trina Robinson on General Hospital? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section.

 

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