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Kassie DePaiva & Michael Easton Share their Disappointment at Prospect Park's Bowing out of Moving OLTL Online!

By Michael Fairman

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Courtesy/ABC

Courtesy/ABC

Two of One Life to Live’s biggest stars, Kassie DePaiva (Blair) and Michael Easton (John), who also had agreed to stay on with the series when it was to move online via Prospect Park, took to their Facebook pages tonight to share their disappointment and share their views on what went down, and to thank the fans of the show for their continued support!

Kassie DePaiva posted:  “I think what upsets me the most is how this whole deal has been handled from the get go. I wanted more than anything not to have been canceled by ABC. I find it mind boggling that a… company can spend 45 years building the strongest brand in daytime… launch a cable network to support it and then decide to cancel both broadcast and cable airings leaving the beloved fans with no where to turn for that brand. Then PP shows up out of nowhere as the great white hope promising to continue these shows…. I was happy to sign on. I love what I do and I’m proud to go to work everyday. I was asked to take a cut in pay and was happy to do it if it meant our show would go on. That was the first week of September. But other than a very quick speech on the studio floor by PP in late September the company did not give out any information regarding when and where we would be working. Last Wednesday the cast received an email telling us our dressing rooms must be cleared out by the 9th of Dec. or ABC would be tossing things out… and then to hear the official news today via a media report.

The last 2 weeks have been emotional for me. The stories are rocking and show is so good. It is must see TV. Don’t miss a day… don’t miss a scene.  My hat goes off to Ron Calivarti…. he has written really powerful stuff and I think the fans are going love it. I especially want to shout out to Frank Valentini… who has fought the hardest to make the transition happen.

Courtesy/ABC

He has been amazing and I want you fans to know how hard he worked to continue giving you fans the show you deserve. He found out this wasn’t going to happen just like I did…via a media report.  Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I have so much to be grateful for but I must say I wish things had worked out differently. It’s been the best 18 years of my life. I hope you will continue to watch “One Life” until the bitter sweet end.

Michael Easton posted: “I know how disappointing this news is to many of you. We tried to fight the good fight, we fought to the end to get the ratings up, but it wasn’t enough. We’re sorry we let you down. I just wanted to thank you all for the years of kindness, love and support you’ve shown me and my family. If you get a chance at some point, maybe say a prayer for the wonderful crew members of “One Life To Live”, many of whom are supporting large families, that they may find work soon. God Bless. Happy Thanksgiving.”

Clearly, Prospect Park’s lack of communication with the series and its stars is something to be discussed and just how many ducks they just could not get in order to pull off their grand plans.  More on this story in the days to come!

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Kassie, I loved every moment watching you as Blair. If you didn’t win an Emmy, perhaps it was because you are so incredible at what you do–you made it look easy and effortless. I will never forget your parody of Grey Gardens with Robin and so many other scenes. Michael, you didn’t let us down. The responsibility lies with ABC and Prospect Park. OLTL was a brilliant shinning star I loved and looked forward to more than anything else broadcast on television. The loss of OLTL is gut-wrenching.

I think Prospect Park should create a brand new soap with the 2 AMC actors and the 13 OLTL actors that have agreed to sign on. This would be a lot more easier for them to do than to try to carrying on AMC or OLTL.

Also, by creating a new soap, Prospect Park wouldn’t have to pay stupid royalties to ABC. Remember, ABC owns the soaps, but not the actors.

We love you both, and Michael, you have nothing to apologize for. ABC and PP have done you wrong. We fans will continue the fight to find our soaps a new home.

God Bless Both Kassie & Michael!!

Michael Easton you didn’t let us down….I leave that in the hands of ABC and Prospect Park. I don’t know how many years I’ve been watching OLTL, but it has been an incredibly long time. I literally grew up watching AMC & OLTL. My mom watched it, and my two sisters watched….granted over the years they have not stayed loyal…but I have never stopped watching. You all have become an extended family, and I guess that’s why it’s so hard to hear this news. I vow to do the good fight, and not give up on my all time favorite soap, OLTL…..I will watch until the very end. And my heart and prayers go out to the crew, producers, writers, directors, actors and anyone else associated with OLTL. You have done us proud for 43 years, and you will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Sincerely,
Torrey Breath

To modify an old adage: Hell hath no fury as a soap fan scorned. We have not given up a season or two. We have lost decades of daily enjoyment. How many televisions shows can claim decades of entertainment on a Daily basis. Maybe we fans need to ask all those spotlight stars who watch and have held guest spots throughout the years to pool their fiscal resources to help find a way to save our shows. Donald Trump where is your boardroom and think tank when we need it? Someone has a solution we just need to tap into it.

I am disappointed and it is very rare that I don’t have much to say. This whole thing stinks and is very strange. Kassie DePaiva said it best, that PP came out of no where as the white knight to save AMC & OLTL. I didn’t doubt anything then, because I was so happy the shows were going to continue. But now, the gloves come off! Was this just a smoke screen created by ABC/Disney/Frons, to shut up the vocal fans? I feel for the crew and stars of both shows and I am sure they will find employment elsewhere, because they are a talented bunch. As for ABC Daytime, you have lost me as a viewer. I waxh my hands of The View and I don’t support that thing called The Chew! General Hospital I say a prayer for you,because Frons is gunning for you. Regarding Prospect Park, you had a chance to create something great and unique and you blew it! To give hope to the crew, stars and fans of the shows and leave them dangling for months is just wrong! I will not be watching your programming either. There is something called RESPECT and there isn’t a price tag attached!

So sad and so unecessary! OLTL is a great show and it has been getting greater each day. Thank you to everyone who makes such a wonderful show! The Thanksgiving show was lovely and shocking… still can’t believe the ending! Maybe some wonderful person or corporation will make OLTL a go for all of us! It is Thanksgiving today and we can only hope!

When I read the awful news last night all I could do was lay my head down & cry. Wow, dumping this on everyone right here at the holidays. Very cruel to do this, stringing us along all these weeks. I sure feel for the cast & crew, what a disappointment for all. I have been so relieved & excited since PP came along to save the best show on tv. Now, it feels like April 14 all over again. The whole thing is wrong on every level. I hate ABC forever, will never watch a second of it once OLTL is gone. What a bleak January ahead. OLTL makes my day, every day. I am sick over this.

Agreed! No more ABC for me, unless it is “One Life To Live” !!

I’m sad to hear OLTL won’t go on! I’ll miss these actors! I’d rather see Michael Easton on OLTL, but if it can’t go on I’m hoping Days of Our Lives will ask him back as Tanner! And then sign Nat, Melissa Archer on as redheaded Maggie’s daughter Sarah on Days too. And bring back Farrah Fath as Mimi and JPL as Kate’s son Rex on Days. (then we’ll have a little OLTL on another soap!

Great ideas! I will miss every single person on OLTL.

Prospect Park LET US down.

They’re both a class act. But it seems that class, good storytelling, and a loyal and talented cast and crew are no longer of any value to ABC.

And ABC is no longer of any value to me. But I will follow those actors ANYWHERE they go.

I have been watching One Life to Live every day since I came to the USA, while working I have taped/dvr’ed OLTL. The soaps are a part of American culture, kinda like hot dogs and apple pie,baseball and popcorn…way to represent America ABC, another talk show..Lord Have Mercy! More judges, more cooks, more home decor shows…really? isn’t there enough of that already? Oh well, the great thing about America is that there is so much to choose from. So I can watch another channel – and delete this one as soon as OLTL goes off the air…Farewell ABC.

For me, Michael Easton took an otherwise lifeless character and exhibited an emotional passion with the perfect touch and balance. I watched him pull off different dimensions of John as he battled with his inner demons and pursued his heart’s desire with the fiery Natalie Buchanan. His pairing with Melissa Archer was electric and was always consistent and kept me watching when I would otherwise have been disinterested. I was devastated when ABC initially cancelled the show, and doubly hurt when I heard the official announcment this week. I can only imagine how it feels for the actors and crew that worked so hard on OLTL even when the chips wee down. Michael Easton made John McBain real and I look forward to his future work. You will be missed.

Well the saddest thing is that the transition to the web might have worked. Whats worse is they had all of us fans hopes up and then decided to scrap the plans to move online.. I will not watch the revolution nor the chew and if i can help it i won’t watch abc at all.. THis is the first time that there will be no soap on at 2pm in all of my years of watching .. It is sad that abc decided to do this they can come up with all the self help shows they want but most soap fans watch for an escape from reality and to be entertained not to have people telling them how to live their lives..

The actors never let us down! I’ve loved watching every second of OLTL & AMC! ABC/ Disney & Prospect Park are liars! I’ll boycott anything to do with either of them!

It breaks my heart that Michael thinks that they let us down. I feel like it was US, the fans, who let them down. So many took the attitude of “the shows will still be there to watch when I retire” and stopped taping or watching. Well, this is what happens when fans take a genre for granted.

Michael, you and the others did not let us down. ABC is the one that let us down. I cannot figure out why they would kick OLTL to the curb because of, “poor ratings,” but keep GH which is even worse. I think OLTL was getting better since they got a new Head Writer. I also think that you played the part of John extremely well. I hope thatyou will be sure to let us all know where you will be in the future. Like a previous person said, you people are extended family. Michael, I would proud to call you my brother.

Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and wanted to mention that I’ve really enjoyed browsing your blog posts. After all I will be subscribing in your feed and I hope you write again soon!

General Hospital

‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric

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Dominic Zamprogna

General Hospital’s Dominic Zamprogna (Dante Falconeri) opened up about the burgeoning love triangle forming between his Port Charles alter-go, Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst) after recently aired scenes, plus his hopes for the future of a Dante and Liz pairing, during his appearance on the Sunday, April 23 edition of the That’s Awesome podcast with Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli).

On last week’s episodes of GH, Ric has made the decision that he wanted to propose to his ex-wife, only when he showed up at Elizabeth’s front door, he misread the scenario he walked in with Liz tending to Dante’s injured leg from the softball game. From there, the legal eagle’s jealous streak is reemerging which may cause him to act out and do something unforgivable, or will he take the high road? Stay tuned.

Speaking with Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson about where Elizabeth stands in the annals of the long-running soap, Zamprogna said, “She’s up there with Steve and Maurice (Maurice Benard) as one of the most legacy-filled people on the show.”

Courtesy/ABC

HOW DANTE AND ELIZABETH CAME ABOUT

Dominic jokes it’s a far cry for where Dante and Elizabeth previously, recalling, “We had some scenes together years ago and we were both laughing. Becky’s like, ‘Well, I guess we’re not going be paired up anytime soon.’ I remember we laughed immediately after they yelled ‘cut,”‘and said to each other, ‘Well, so much for that!'”

Fast-forward to early 2025 and as Zamprogna remembered it, “Elizabeth Korte (co-head writer, GH) came up to me at the General Hospital Christmas party, and I think it was a year and a half ago and she said, ‘We’re going to have you in scenes with Elizabeth,’ My internal monologue is going, ‘I’m not with Lulu (Alexa Havins) anymore and Sam’s (Kelly Monaco) gone, so maybe they want to see if this works.’ I didn’t want to get scenes with Becky and try to find the chemistry. I just wanted to play whatever honestly was written and came across for both of us and hope it was what people liked, and I don’t know if it is … or not.”

Knowing how beloved Elizabeth is to the GH faithfuls, Zamprogna added, “She got a big fan base with Ric … and a big fan base with with Jason … and you know, you’re going to piss somebody off. But, didn’t Ric drug Elizabeth and put Carly in a panic room?”

Dom and Liz

Photo: ABC

DANTE AND ELIZABETH PAIRING COULD STIR UP STORY FOR OTHERS IN PORT CHARLES

In closing, Dominic felt that the wide-reaching tentacles of a Dante and Elizabeth relationship is something he is 100% down for. “The triangle thing; I was happy to hear it was with Ric and her, because I felt it’s important to have her the top of it as opposed to Dante, Lulu and Elizabeth.”

Zamprogna added, “When you get into relationships on a soap, things seem to fizzle out a little bit, The buildup is what’s the fun part, and the getting to know each other, and the people who are affected by this coming together. When with this case it’s going to affect: Ric, Sonny, Lulu. There’s so much more story here. To me, it’s going to be a fun story to play.”

You can check out Dominic’s visit to That’s Awesome with Steve and Bradford below.

Now weigh-in: Are you rooting for Dante and Liz, or Dante and Ric at this juncture of the story, or neither guy  for Elizabeth? Let us know your thoughts and picks via the comment section.

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Beyond the Gates

‘Beyond the Gates’ Star Mike Manning Lands Role in Indie Horror Feature ‘Deify’

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Mike Manning

While Smitty tries to hold the fort down in his marriage to congressman Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon)  and their two teenaged children, Samantha (Najah Jackson) and Tyrell (Jaden Lucas Miller) on Beyond the Gates, Emmy-winner Mike Manning has also landed another feature film role.

According to Deadline, Manning has joined the cast of Deify with 6 other new cast members for the indie psychological horror film starring Neal McDonough and Skeet Ulrich, which was previously announced last week.

Joining Manning as the latest cast addition are: Dennis Haysbert, Ashley Greene,  Casey Harnett, Kirk Avecdo, Anji White, anf Nicholas Chimera who’s directing the pic also has a part in the film.

WHAT’S THE STORY OF DEIFY?

Taking to his Instagram with the news of his casting, Manning shared, “A movie about a cult? What could possibly go wrong? Come for the enlightenment. Stay because they won’t let you leave. DEIFY is coming…”

The movie is currently shooting in Chicago and in story, “a cult leader is put on trial after causing his devoted followers to be burned alive. The film is inspired in part by events surrounding the 1993 Waco, Texas, standoff between members of the Branch Davidians church and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, one of the largest civilian firefights ever recorded on American soil.”

MIKE MANNING IS A DAYTIME EMMY NOMINEE

In addition, the multi-talented Manning is a producer on the feature. Previously, Mike was nominated last month in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards. He previously won an Emmy for his role on The Bay and for being a producer on the digital drama.

Mike’s previous credits include the role of Charlie Dale on Days of Our Lives and the Manny on This Is Us, plus various primetime and screen credits.

So intrigued to find what role Mike will play in the upcoming horror/cult film, Deify? Enjoying him as Smitty on Beyond the Gates? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

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General Hospital

GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)

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Patrick J. Gibbons

At the conclusion of today’s August 21 episode of General Hospital, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) sings a lullaby to baby Dez, that went into a montage to close out the episode as her father Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) reports to Pentonville and winds up in his jail cell.

However, in a fun fact, the song entitled, “A Lonely Heart To Give” was actually written by none other than former One Life to Live and General Hospital actor, Patrick J. Gibbons.

Daytime fans first met Gibbons as Sam Manning on One Life to Live. At the time, when he started on the soap, he was just 5-years-old. Gibbons played the part from 2010-2013 on ABC and Prospect Park’s editions of the show. Fast-forward to 2018, Gibbons shows up on General Hospital as Wyatt Hoover, the scout who seemed always be injured, but in the thick of the drama. Patrick had appeared on GH multiple times as Wyatt including: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023.

Photo: ABC

FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER’S DEATH CAME THE INSPIRATION FOR HIS SONG

Now in 2026, General Hospital fans are getting to learn about another side of Gibbons’ talent as a songwriter and guitar player after “A Lonely Heart to Give” debuted today! Michael Fairman TV caught up with Patrick, who is now a senior at Penn State entering his final year as a finance major, to get the back-story of how his song wound up on GH!

Gibbons explained he wrote the song in honor of his grandmother who passed away a few years ago with whom he was, very, very close with. “Randomly, my grandmother had a downfall and passed away during the second semester of my sophomore year. I was in my dorm a lot and I was just playing with my guitar. And at the time, I was really into finger-style playing. I wrote the lyric and music to it (with a little help from my guitar teacher Lou), and my mom showed the rough demo to Frank Valentini (EP, General Hospital). He’s like an uncle to me. Frank loved it so much he said, “Finish that up. I want to hear the whole thing, and I want it on the show.”

MAKING MUSIC FOR GENERAL HOSPITAL

Gibbons and his parents took the next steps! “So now, all we needed was a female voice, because I thought that would fit the song well,” Patrick shared. “At the golf club we go to my parents were at a dinner. They liked the singer that was performing and spoke to her about the song, and she says she would like to bring it to her ‘boss’ who ended up being Eric Bazilian of the Hooters fame!” (Bazilian also wrote the smash hit song “One of Us” for Joan Osborne).

Next, “We went in the studio and recorded it and the song came together and it was beautiful. We loved it. They loved it at General Hospital and now they’re putting it the show and they are coming in with a piano, instead of a guitar. Paul Glass, the GH musical director, has been keeping us updated over the last six months of how it was coming along, and when it would air, and how GH put their own arrangement to it. I can’t wait to see and hear what they did with it.”

Photo: JPI

PATRICK’S ONE LIFE TO LIVE FAMILY

Everyone knows that the One Life to Live extended family share a very tight bond, and Patrick said he does stay in touch with a few of his former One Life to Live co-stars, especially those from the Manning family! “I stayed in touch with Kassie DePaiva (ex-Blair) and sent her little videos here and there. She was like my second mom for five years. We keep in contact with Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr) over X the most, and she can’t believe how big I’ve gotten. Like, none of them can! (laughs). I also loved working with Roger Howarth (ex-Todd) and Trevor St. John (ex-Todd and Victor Jr.), and to me since I was so young, they were just my friends, ‘Roger and Trevor,’ not Todd Manning or Victor Jr.”

It was a trip to California and a visit to Port Charles that ultimately led to Gibbons second soap role of Wyatt Hoover. Patrick explains, “In 2016, Frank Valentini invited us out to Los Angeles to visit the set of General Hospital. I think he heard me say, ‘This is so much fun. I miss being on the set.’ He goes, ‘You should come out. I’ll bring you on the show. We can make you a character.'”

A few years later, Patrick’s dream became a reality! “Then, by the summer of 2018, I was playing Wyatt, the scout, and shared scenes with Wes Ramsey (Peter August), and the best was when I shared a scene with Roger Howarth and Michael Easton (ex-John, OLTL and ex-Silas, Finn et al, GH), it was like chemistry from the old days.”

Photo: PGibbons

IT’S ALL IN THE NUMBERS

As to his future aspirations, it’s a career in the finance game that has piqued Gibbons’ real-life interest. But never say never to a return to acting. Patrick explained, “I’ve always enjoyed numbers. And on top of that, one of the biggest parts of finance is being personable and outgoing.”

He continued, “That’s one of the greatest skills I developed growing up. I really love the markets. I’m super interested. I’m never going to close the door to acting. I’m always open to that because I just love it so much. It’s such a great art.”

Take note! If there are any investment bankers or private equity folks among the GH faithful looking for a young analyst next year, Patrick’s DMs are open. You can find him on X at @PatrickJGibbons.

So, what did you think of the song sung by Trina on today’s GH that was written by Patrick J. Gibbons? Did you enjoy Patrick’s performances as One Life’s Sam and GH’s Wyatt? Would you like to see him back on GH at some point? Let us know via the comment section.

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