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Lilly Melgar Gives Details On Her Ending Credits GH LIVE Appearance & How The Boston Marathon Bomber Sentencing Altered It!

Photo Credit: Matt Petit/ABC

Photo Credit: Matt Petit/ABC

Fans who watched Friday’s episode of GH Live were in a for a big surprise when during the closing moments, Lilly Melgar (Ex-Lily Rivera) walked out in front of the camera and handled the closing credits for the episode, and told viewers to stay tuned-in for Monday!

Melgar’s Rivera is infamous for blowing up via a bomb meant for Sonny Corinthos, and was joined by her former on-screen love interest Maurice Benard (Sonny) for the final “wink-wink” nod to the audience during GH Live when Lilly saw a bomb and Maurice came to her rescue!  However, the gimmick had to be changed for the second live show broadcast, after the breaking news that the Boston Marathon Bomber was sentenced to the death penalty, thus the sight gag of a bomb that happened at the end of the first performance was left out.

On-Air On-Soaps got the Intel from Melgar herself,  who first explained how the idea came about to have her included in the final moments of the broadcast!  Lily revealed,  “In mid conversation, Frank (Valentini) had an ‘Aha!’ moment at the General Hospital Daytime Emmy After-Party.  It literally came to him then.  He’s quite creative and brilliant. ”

As to what happened when the news broke during GH Live, that the Boston Marathon Bomber was sentenced to the death penalty while GH was having fun with the Lily Rivera bomb spoof, Melgar revealed what went down:  “We did the first live show and knew the fans would love the bomb spoof.  Maurice and I had a blast with it!  Then on a commercial break during the 2nd taping, Frank came in and said there was breaking news on the Boston Marathon bomber, and it’d be in poor taste to do the bomb act.  He was right.  What are the odds on the timing?!!!  However, the first version is out there on You Tube.  It was so perfect spoofing our history.   Frank was right … the fans loved it, as did we.”

Watch the original version of Lilly Melgar’s GH Live closing credit appearance with Maurice Benard after the jump! Then weigh-in!  What did you think of the bomb spoof?  Are you glad GH changed it for the next performance?  If you watch the GH Live version that is up on Hulu, it has Maurice and Billy Miller (Jason) joining Lilly at the end of the final moments of the broadcast.

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It showed great respect not to show it at that time..

I thought it was disgusting. But the Boston channel had already pre- empted the show because the jury was coming in, I just changed the channel. At least they took it out before the 3 o clock show. GH is on at 2 p m in Boston. It was nice to see Lili .

I think all of New England airs GH at 2 pm. Here, in New York, it airs at 3. Programming was interrupted for just a few minutes….so, I didn’t miss much.
I didn’t know who Lily was, myself. That’s why I was a little taken aback….I thought she was just a random person who was hired to turn cue cards? LOL.

I didn’t even know who the woman was!! It was a great spoof, but it went over my head because i didn’t recognize her as Lily!!

Very wise choices all around. I watched the original version live and it was hilarious, but it would have been awful the next hour.

I liked the nod to Lily’s explosive history, and thought it was smart to change it due to the news. Great seeing Likely Melgar on GH again, beautiful as ever.

*Lilly*. (damn autocorrect)

HaHa…’explosive’ history…how clever…great pun, GMob.

I hated Lily and hope they don’t bring her back!! I was so happy when that car blew up with her in it!!

Lily will be back, thats the rumor out there. I loved Lily, she is a terrific actress. Lily is not dead, she is heading home to Port Charles very soon.

What year(s) was Lily on GH? The idea that Sabrina is Sonny’s daughter still wafts in my head now and then. But, Lily looks too young to be her mother.

Lily was blown up in 1996, she was on for a couple years leading up to that. I still wish Carrrlos had been her vengeful brother.

In general, it was a poor choice. It was not part of a scene, and I felt it was pointless. It’s a LIVE event, and some viewers who don’t get the inside joke, might have believed that it was true that there was a bomb on set. It wasn’t classy – at all, thank goodness, ABC had the sense to nix it from the second show. It was not a good decision on a whole.

With that said, I would love Lilly Melgar to return to GH, if everyone can return from the dead on GH, why not Lily Rivera, or she can play Lily’s “twin sister”.

The nod to her was because her character died in a Car bomb. As to why she was chosen as the surprise, She was at the right place at the right time.

hey Vinnie, yes, I do know that. I’m a long-time viewer of GH, so I was watching way back when that happened to Lily. My point was in regards to how the “nod” was generally done in poor taste by the show.

I hope that’s how it went, vinnie…that she was at the right place at the right time. Otherwise, Jeremy is absolutely right….done in poor taste. If it was meant as a joke? It really would have been disgusting. Coincidence is one thing; purposely done , is another. Lives were lost that day…children were maimed…devastation all around, that will last a lifetime.
I doubt the writers would be so insensitive or callous. Besides, how would they have known the episode would air at the same time as the verdict came in? Pure coincidence.

Yes, I do think it was coinicidence

Nothing against newer fans but most of us knew who it was and it was a “Tongue in Cheek” moment. I commend Frank for always being different and being spontaneous. He didnt know the verdict was coming in at that particular time. He did the classy thing and omitted it during the second feed.

Well I wasn’t watching GH when she was on, so I had no idea who she was and the whole bomb thing confused me– I thought it was some kind of teaser on what was going to happen on Monday– well at least I understand it now. Yes, they did the classy thing by changing it– a lot of newer viewers like me, might have thought they were poking fun at being interrupted by the news and misunderstood their intent.

I think GH did the right thing by not showing the bomb out of respect. The timing was really bad for this type of viewing and I believe many fans would have been confused, as I was!!!

I guess I don’t have much of a sense of humor…neither version did much for me. The bomb thing was more mobster tasteless stuff, and the credits were just too much RC, etc self promotion for my taste.

This woman is so beautiful from the inside out, and so glad they squeezed her in somehow. Sometimes shows air at a time that something similar is happening, & it’s not always easy to scramble and do damage control so fast. Glad bomb was changed to bug, but I think “Rat” would have been funnier, involving Sonny.

Maurice, William, Finola, Billy, Kelly great live performances.
Adored the final credits with Lilly holding the cue cards, Maurice
was an added bonus.

Definitely wise not to show it.

Speaking of Lilly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Rosalie turns out to be her daughter…with Sonny. Who knows? Maybe she got out of that car alive and was whisked away by her father…or Carlos…who may just turn out to be Lilly’s brother for real…

rebecca1, fingers crossed, I hope your right!

Could be Timmm…which might be the reason they thought to bring Lilly…out of all the characters no longer on the show…back for the end credits. We shall see!

I have no clue why they brought her on at all. It was pointless. I can think of 10 people right off the top of my head better suited for showing the live credits!

It was a surprise Joe. If they teased us about a surprise guest at the end of Live #1 we would have never guessed Lilly! I liked it. Now if I could dream I would have loved if Stuart Damon had appeared.

It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen her I didn’t recognize her. She looks good. Her delivery wasn’t exactly smooth, but maybe she hasn’t done a lot recently, either. Putting her next to Maurice Bernard certainly showed how much he’s aged, though. And how orange he is.

lol

It was great to see Lilly Melgar again. It’s been almost 20 years. A nice tip of the hat to long time GH viewers. I honestly can’t believe that some people are actually complaining about it, though I’m not surprised at all, since some people will complain about anything.

The bit with the bomb was a tongue in cheek ode to GH’s past, I thought it was a clever idea. And yes, it was the right decision to scrap it from the later airing of the show, after the verdict for the Boston bomber came in.

I agree Dan and basically said the same thing as you. Some people live in a world where nothing is ever good enough! Lilly looked hot and Sonny needs to shake Carly lose and this hot ma ma is just the ticket!

Had no idea who she was (have only been watching 3+ years) but she’s a stunning looking woman and the bit was a lot of fun.

Lilly has a radio show now & Maurice & his wife Paula were on it to promote the Ghost & The Whale.
I watched the 2 pm live show & had such a smile on my face when Lilly did the closing
Credits ! Great Idea kudos to GH.
Frank had incredible class to leave the bomb scene out of the 3pm airing!
Loved the LIVE show & GH for 37 years now!
Great job

Loved seeing Lily – I remember when she was blown-up. I saw the “bomb” version of the live show, but I thought she said “it’s a BUG” LOl. So, I didn’t get it! Having said that, since the Boston Bomber news was out, Ron did the right thing. See what you can do when the show is live?? Looking forward to Monday. It would be great if Lily came back. I do believe Carlos is her brother. What will Sonny do when he finds out it was his former brother in law who shot Duke? what will happen to Carly and Sonny if Lily returns?? Is Rosalie Sonny’s daughter? Stay tuned!

Wouldn’t have mattered to me. This whole article puzzled me because I didn’t realize it was Lily, and , most importantly, I saw the east coast version on Friday, but I thought she said “bug!” I had no idea they were talking about a bomb!

I was confused when I saw the closing credits last night as viewed on Hulu Plus. I knew who she was, but I felt it was out of line with the current storylines. I am not a fan of the mob stories on GH at all. That said I think the original concept as bad taste. However the alternate was acceptable, but awkward. Keep in mind the state of the country since 9/11 when making choices Mr. Valentini. I think it would have been fun to have the kid actors that play Spencer and Emma do the cue cards.

Look, this is entertainment. The world came to a halt on 911. You wouldnt go near any of the 911 material on ANY show until the country heals. Remember even the talk shows and SNL struggled to figure out when the right time would be to be funny again. Its a line and you have to figure it out. You will ALWAYS offend some people because some people are never happy. You have to move on and thats what we do as a country. The azzholes responsible for 911 are not going to bring down USA! We will laugh again, we will cry again and we will blow things up as part of pretending and telling a story on TV or in movies. You have a right to be offended and I’m not being critical of YOU its just that 911 was almost 14 years ago and I have moved on and am thankful that when a bomb goes off, bullets fly are a building crumbles, 99.9 percent of the time it is fictional.

It was great to see Lily. I understand out of respect to the victims you censor the west coast feed BUT it also reiterates that the monster who hurt the people at the marathon yet again by his actions wins by affecting what great privileges we have as Americans. I realize life is a bigger than a soap opera but you look at how much these sick bastards have affected our conveniences in our towns, cities and airports because of their sick definition of being a hero or their sick definition of worshiping their “God!” He will burn in hell.

I am newer to GH and was lost as to who she was and why there was a bomb at first. When Maurice yelled “Lilly” my first thought was “Isn’t that Carlos’ sister, wow what bad timing”, then I remembered she died in a car bombing. Personally I didn’t hear about the sentencing until that night and was able to see the 2pm airing, so even though it was a funny scene it was good on ABC’s part to change the ending credits.

I was horrified to see Lily. But not for the reasons mentioned above.
I was horrified because Lily was a sanctimonious, passive-aggressive, Sonny-enabling bitch with a halo.
And I am glad she’s dead! Glad, I tell ya.

I feel ya! Ugh. I dI’d not want to see her ever again

General Hospital

Nancy Lee Grahn’s Star-Studded ALS Fundraiser Reveals “I’ll Be There” Video Featuring Soap Opera Notables

Talk about your impressive line-up! It’s a soap fans dream and for a great cause. General Hospital’s Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis) is prepping her one-night only ALS fundraiser which will feature many of her friends and co-stars.

The benefit is set for May 4th in Glendale, California. Slated to participate are Genie Francis, Jane Elliot, Peter Bergman, Maurice Benard, Eileen Davidson, Thorsten Kaye, Michelle Stafford, Stephen Nichols, Rena Sofer, Jason Thompson, Kelly Monaco, Melissa Claire Egan, Maura West, Kristina Wagner, Gregory Harrison, Trevor St. John, Kate Mansi, Kirsten Storms, Cynthia Watros, and many others.

On Wednesday, Grahn took to her social media and released an “I’ll be there” video shout-out featuring, Monaco, Elliot, Bergman, Bernard, West, Harrison, St. John and more. In a touching and important moment in the new video, Michelle Strogny, who is battling ALS, is featured.

Photo: ABC

Previously, in speaking with Soap Opera Digest on the impetus of the event, Grahn recalled, “I was actually doing Zoom events during Covid and I met this woman that I just fell in love with, Michelle Strojny. At the time, Michelle had been living with ALS for four years. Now, it’s five years. She is a mom of a teenage son, she has the most wonderful husband, and she has been dealing with this [disease] for quite a while. And obviously, there isn’t a cure yet. It’s not survivable yet. But as she says, it’s not incurable. Nothing is; it’s underfunded. But anyway, I just really dug this woman. She is so grounded and filled with grace, and she spends all of her time working to raise money for the cause. We did a fundraiser for her last year and then I thought, ‘You know what? The soaps don’t ever get together to do something for charity.’ Collectively, we have this amazing community and we don’t collectively use it for a good cause, and I think it’s such an easy thing for us to do and we could potentially really make a difference.”

As GH viewers know, Gregory Harrison is playing the character of Gregory Chase, who is also battling ALS in a touching storyline that is currently playing out shedding a light on this disease.

For information on Nancy’s event, including the stars who are s scheduled to participate click here. To purchase tickets to the event click here.

Check out the video featuring Nancy’s friends and co-stars below.  Now let us know, your thought son the line-up for the benefit and helping raise awareness and funds for ALS research via the comment section.

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General Hospital

‘General Hospital’ Writer Shannon Peace Let Go, and Shares on Sprina: “One of My Only Regrets is to Not Have the Opportunity to Develop That ‘Ship’ Further”

As General Hospital’s new head writing team of Elizabeth Korte and Patrick Mulcahy gets off the ground and running, there are still changes a foot on the writing team.

Now comes word via breakdown writer Shannon Peace that she is no longer on contract with the long-running ABC soap heading into its 61st season. Peace shared a heartfelt message on her Instagram, thanking the fans, and the show for the opportunity and the importance of diversity in the writers room.

Peace began, “After almost 3 years on staff and 106 episodes penned, I am no longer on contract with General Hospital. Writing for this country’s longest running television serial drama has been an education of epic proportions; I will forever be grateful that I earned my WGA card on a daytime fixture that holds memories for so many.” (Peace pictured below with GH EP Frank Valentini and script writer, Charlotte Gibson from about ten months ago).

Photo: SPeaceIG

Shannon added “Even more importantly, as the sole Black breakdown writer (and only POC in the writers room) during my tenure, I pushed for vital interactions and discussions that prioritized inclusion, visibility, and representation”

The writer pointed to the example of vital interaction when in story, “Stella and Portia’s frank July 2022 conversation about the role race played in Esme’s framing of Trina is just one example of the impact I’m gratified to have had.”

Acknowledging former GH co-head writers was also part of Peace’s farewell expressing, “Appreciation to my former bosses, Chris Van Etten and Dan O’Connor – not only taking a chance on me, but for valuing my opinion and championing my voice.”

Courtesy/ABC

Many GH fans know that Peace was key to the development of the love story between Trina Robinson and Spencer Cassadine as played by Tabyana Ali and Nicholas Chavez. Shannon gave a special shout-out to ‘Sprina’ fans, “I also want to thank fans who were supportive of my work, especially the recognition of my love for ‘Sprina’. One of my only regrets is not having to develop that ‘ship’ further.”

She concludes her statement with,”In the aftermath of a historic writer’s strike that shed new light on the troubling ways writers are regarded in daytime, my sincere hope is that General Hospital recommits to valuing staff writer efforts and input, with a more intentional focus on diverse viewpoints — and thrives for another 60 years.”

Accompanying her post, Shannon added, “Thank you all for the love and support these last few years. I hope GH fans get all they hope for and more!”

So, what do you think about GH not renewing Shannon’s contract? Will there be more continued changes afoot? What do you think is the future of ‘Sprina’ anyway at this point as viewers wait to see if Nicholas Chavez officially returns to the show?  Comment below.

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General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Jason Learns Britt Died and Tells Anna He Has Been Working For Cates Since November 2021

On the Tuesday, March 26th of General Hospital, Anna (Finola Hughes) and the viewers learn about where Jason (Steve Burton) has been for over two and half years. However, Jason gets some news of his own.

Anna is visiting Jason at the PCPD interrogation room. She asks him if he shot Dante (Dominic Zamprogna), which he flatly denies. Anna believes him, but she tells Jason it doesn’t matter, because video footage shows him on the roof at the time of the shooting

When talk turns to Jason not willing to speak without his lawyer present, Anna can’t grasp why Jason would instead spend an hour alone talking with John Cates (Adam J. Harrington).

Photo: ABC

It is then that Anna brings up that John went by “Jagger” and that the two of them knew each other in high school. Jason doesn’t recall much of his time in high school following his brain injury, but then he gets furious realizing John knew about “Jason’s” past. That is when Jason slams the table and tells Anna, “I’ve been working for John Cates since November 2021.”

Next, Jason explains further that he has been working as an informant for the FBI. Anna wants to know how this came about and he tells her that after the tunnel collapsed, and he couldn’t make it to Britt (Kelly Thiebaud)… all of a sudden he sees Anna’s face drop.  Anna is the first person to tell him that Britt died and was murdered. She tells Jason the killer is in custody, but he continues to be shocked, overwhelmed with tears welling up in his eyes. Realizing he has to pivot to save his life, Jason continues telling Anna how he wound up working with John.

Jason explains that after the tunnel collapse in Greece, FBI agents grabbed him and placed him under arrest and took him to Quantico where he met John. At Quantico, John played a recording of RICO violations and offered Jason a deal if he agreed to be an informant against Pikeman, the illegal arms dealer.

Anna hears from Jason that he thinks Pikeman is selling illegal arms to anyone flagged by the NSA but has ties to the WSB which they needed a civilian to infiltrate their organization as a military soldier, a mercenary.

Jason tells Anna he was a part of the team brought into eliminate Sonny (Maurice Benard). Every time an attempt was made on Sonny’s life over the last two years, a different team was sent to do the job. Anna gets furious when she learns that John told Jason his job was to kill Sonny and she was with John at the warehouse that night. Jason ensured the sniper missed Sonny and left the rifle behind. However, they were supposed to meet an extraction team. Before he was shot, Dante saw it was Jason on the roof and when he turned around with his hands over his head, Dante was shot by the other guy. Jason says if Dante dies, he’ll be charged with capital murder and then will be useless to the FBI.

Photo: ABC

Meanwhile, John visits Bobbie’s and runs into Carly (Laura Wright). She learns Jason is in custody and is going to head to the PCPD. Before she does, Carly has some words with Cates when she learns not only does John have a vendetta against Sonny, but Jason too.  Carly tells John he should recuse himself from the case.

So, what did you think about the moment when Jason learned Britt died? What do you think of Jason’s return storyline thus far and what we learned about Jagger/Jason and more? Comment below. But first, check out a moment from today’s GH with Jason and Anna.

 

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