News
Llanview in the Afternoon: An Oral History of One Life to Live Coming In 2013!
Missing Llanview as much as we are? Well news today via a press release is that a new book by Jeff Giles will take a look at the history of the 43-year-old soap with interviews from its cast, to production and crew, and more! The book is said to be due out in the summer of 2013.
The author, Jeff Giles is an entertainment writer and editor with over 20 years of experience, as well as the editor-in-chief of the online pop culture magazines Popdose and Dadnabbit. Here is the official press release below of what Llanview in the Afternoon: An Oral History of One Life to Live will contain and cover.
Press Release: “During its more than four decades on the air, the ABC daytime series One Life to Live told countless stories, from sensational adventures to thoughtful social commentary. But the tales that went untold — the experiences of the writers, producers, cast and crew behind the scenes — are just as fascinating as any kidnapping, baby switch, or courtroom confession. As a youth during the medium’s ratings peak in the ‘80s, entertainment writer Jeff Giles absorbed years of OLTL storylines, thanks to his mother’s dedicated viewership of the ABC daytime lineup.
Today, network soaps are struggling for survival against cheaper-to-produce talk shows and reality series, but their cultural impact resonates more strongly than ever — and a tribute to the work that goes into producing them is long overdue. “Soaps have been at the vanguard in a lot of ways, and now that so many of them are being canceled, I’m afraid they could be the canary in the coalmine for scripted entertainment,” says Giles. “I don’t think Hollywood could support a medium that tells a 40+ year story anymore.” Giles became reacquainted with OLTL during the 2007 Writers Guild strike after reading that the show was undergoing a creative renaissance, and was quickly convinced that there was a more in-depth, less sensationalistic story to tell about the people and the work behind one of the longest-running series in a much-maligned medium.
To that end, Llanview in the Afternoon: An Oral History of One Life to Live focuses on some of the most unique aspects of working on a five-day-a-week television series — from the actors, who had to deal with the daytime stigma and the psychology of living so intimately with their characters for extended periods of time, to the crew, who produced scripts and episodes at a blistering pace while working with a dwindling pool of network resources.
Giles is currently wrapping up an extensive list of interviews, which already includes discussions with such OLTL vets as Erika Slezak, Robin Strasser, Robert S. Woods, Hilary B. Smith, Ilene Kristen, Kassie DePaiva, Michael Storm, Judith Light, and Nathan Fillion — plus many more — with an eye toward publishing the book by summer 2013.”
So will you be picking up your copy of Llanview in the Afternoon: An Oral History of One Life to Live ? Let us know!
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric

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?”

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

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

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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SOLD! I treasure the OLTL 30 Years of Memories harddover (and to a lesser extent the 40th Anniversary paperback), so this is a must buy for me.
Sorry, but that would be dull, boring reading..
Interviews and reading about what was really has no point and being it is not a story continuing OL on book form, I’m not interested..
If it were a continuation of stories of the people of Llanview, that would be worth my time and money 🙂
Are we the only ones who think this way? I agree with you. I want to see these people on my t.v. every day. Not read about how things went for forty yrs. behind the scenes. There are people in the ‘cast’ I wouldnt even know, not having watched the show for that long. I miss it A LOT, really..just like I still miss my CBS soaps ATWT and GL. But would not buy a book .
I agree with su000 and vik, I’d rather see my soap again. Would thumb through the book for pix, but probably wouldn’t read it. At least we get a little OLTL through GH. LOVE LOVE LOVE GH.
I LOOOVE Seeing Llanview In port chuck, wish they all were there! Should have merged the two shows, I know a lot of GH fans dont think so or like them on thier show, but more characters, and storylines just makes a soap better! Im loving GH NOW!
I agree with Vik……………….
That will be great! I’ll buy one for myself and one for Mum, who is still heartbroken about OLTL. Networks should figure out that we’re not interested in talk shows, self help and other cheap programming. We want the escapism that only scripted drama can provide.
this book will be nice to have but, it isn’t the same as watching it everyday on the T.V. Mon.-Fri………………….
I can’t wait! Especially since Michael Storm is included in the actors listed as interviewed. Would love to know if even more old-timers from OLTL are included in the book. This gives me something to look forward to, as OLTL will always be alive in my heart!
I still iss OLTL & all the heart-warming stories………..Makes me want more….They should make a T.V. movie about OLTL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And put it on DVD to buy…
I’m buying!
Looking forward to buying and reading this! Yeah!
Summer 2013 too long to wait. Hope he includes a bunch of photos. But it will also be a little when the book ends.
Waiting for my copy!
I find the soap genre fascinating for more than just the story on screen. I love the art behind it and the fact that it is multi-generational. OLTL was my absolute favorite, so I would love to buy this book!
Oh Yeah! definately sold here! Michael keep us up to date on this please!
Definitely OLTL was my favorite soap opera and I miss everyone , if we can’t have the show the book will have to do. Michael keep us up to date and where we can purchase the book. Thank you for always keeping us informed about things.
OLTL was the best soap by far. I miss it more than I can say.
And I love behind the scenes stuff! I will buy this for sure.
It’s not like we ever hear the TRUTH in these books anyway! We always hear about “oh, we are a just a family”…and “its all for the fans.”. Lol. If someone would publish the TRUTH, I would buy that. It would be juicier than any soap plot. Soaps are dying because of bad recycled writing, actors who think they deserve astronomical salaries, and a refusal to shift away from what they have been doing since the 50’s. Personally, despite the initial glitches, I loved what Ellen Wheeler did at GL. Fake outdoor sets make.soaps look cheap. She gave us locations and REAL houses. I love that. A prime.example.from prime time iS the Golden Girls…LOVE the show…but the outdoor scenes they used as establishing shots totally betrayed what was happenijg.on screen. I also loved seeing a REAL outdoor Pond as the Snyder Pond on ATWT.
IF IT is cheaper to do it that way…WHY NOT DO IT? this is not the era of stars like Erika Slezak and Susan Lucci who command double.digits.
Sold. A book signing with some cast members and author would be wonderful !!!
i hope i can get the book in canada a big fan of one life to live
I will get one,I have Days of our lives and Another World and ATWT and AMC
I got collectors special my People 41 years of love,lust and life in pine valley!12-9-2011
all the pictures of all the soaps are so much to see and read,,,,
35years of AW,,I love it
45 years Days,,, all the pictures ,,,so nice to have
and I miss Another World ,I would love to know how Jake and Vicky and their twin grils are,I now ATWT killed off frist Vicky and then Jake,but to me they live on and are haveing the time of their life, the twins will be about 13 now,,,
o”and my dear Cass,how much I miss you,,,,
Donna,you are so very much missed by me,but I have them on DVD now,,, 🙂
YES I LOVE soaps,and I miss them so much when they go,
I watch Days and I hope it stays on forever just like the other 3….
Can’t wait!
Of course I would rather have OLTL back on our TV screens, but I would absolutely buy and read this book! It might bring a few tears, but I would love to learn about the behind the scene stories.
Absolutely !! Can’t wait !!
Can’t wait for this. I will be buying if for sure! For those of you who say you won’t be buying it because you miss the show, you are missing the point.
Dear Santa
all I want for Christmas is the One Life to Live book…
ok. truth be told, that book would be my 2nd Christmas wish as it doesn’t look like I’ll ever get what I really want – the show to return!
For sure! Every day as a gh, (a show I never watched before the end of oltl,) I think to myself, ” man I miss oltl. ” I love Vicky and Jessie and everybody else that didn’t make it on gh.
No choice but to watch gh now that oltl got killed!