News
OLTL delivers the goods with Best Christmas Episode of the holiday season!

Photo Credit: JPI Studios
On this Christmas Eve, On-Air On-Soaps salutes One Life to Live with a toast of eggnog for it’s brilliant Christmas episode that aired this past Wednesday on ABC Daytime. There were so many great one-liners, and so many great moments it is hard to know where to begin, but leave it to daytime legends, Erika Slezak (Viki), Robin Strasser (Dorian) and Kim Zimmer (Echo) to make this one holiday episode of the soaps we won’t soon forget.
From watching Viki and Dorian trying to rid Echo from completely ruining Viki’s Christmas, Todd’s son Jack, and the very cute new little Sam (even though his line delivery is not so good, we can forgive him!) fighting over the belief of Santa Claus, John giving Natalie his mother’s ring for their engagement and announcing the news to the family, Kelly and her pink goggles given to her by Joey, Starr and James poignant moment near the end of the episode, and the Angel Square Christmas tree lighting (And let us say, beautiful Christmas tree! Props to the set designers for that one), the show had it going on. And the piece de resistance, Echo coming down the chimney at La Boulaie dressed as Santa!
But oh those fantastic one-liners, some of the best. Here are just a few: Viki to Dorian about getting rid of Echo, “Please help me, I would say nice things about you in public.” Dorian to Echo (once she gets trapped in Dorian’s plot to help Viki detain Echo, about her faux Santa Claus outfit PR campaign), “Yes it will be great. The Mayor who delivers the goods with good cheer.” And our personal favorite, after Echo is stuck on the rooftop dressed in Santa suit to keep her warm while screaming for help, inside La Boulaie Kelly says to Dorian, “Did you hear something”? And Dorian responds, “The wind?” Kelly then has the zinger, “It sounds like an echo!” Also, kudos to OLTL for their juxtaposing of Jack and Sam’s reactions to seeing Santa “Echo” Claus.
Watch the episode below and Ho-ho-ho…Happy Holidays!
I only watch Florencia Lozano and Trevor St. John (and Kelley MIssal), so this was a no watch for me.
Wow, then you really missed out on a great episode !
This was very good but B&B with Thursday and Friday’s episodes were a tie or better. OLTL was very funny but B&B was very heartfelt and very much the true Christmas spirit!
I agree, Michael! OLTL had the best Christmas show this week. Although, I watched Y&R today and really loved it. Well-written and very much in the season. I am loving that show more and more. It’s so much better than the ABC soaps on most days.
I agree. It was so great seeing Viki and Dorian working together to get Echo out of the house. I hope Echo sticks around. Seeing Viki just about every day is joy. The show is on fire right now. Almost everything seems to be working well. Kelly is entertaining….I love that Blair loves Kelly’s line “I got Lemon in my eye”. LOL. I think I am going to use that one too.
I have to agree Michael… it was the HAMMER! I loved GH and YnR, but OLTL was so much fun, yep! It delivered big-time. The BnB Xmas Epis were disappointing, where was Eric and the Family around the piano singing Christmas Carols? Where was the Cast Christmas Greeting? While I did love Anthony’s singing, it would have made more sense for Brad to have done these episodes on New Year’s, giving hope to the homeless with the message that Hollywood Cares. But.. as usual, his timing was off and the Xmas feeling was far from on the mark!
Thanks for all your great work and I am looking forward to enjoying you and your words in 2011! Merry Christmas, Mike!
I loved the entire episode! Jack was a riot! He sure takes after his father. Love that Viki and Dorian teamed up to make Echo disappear. My absolute most favorite part of the show was John on his knee again giving Natalie the ring, and what a gorgeous ring that was. John is really opening up and he’s one surprise after another. Thanks Michael for a great write-up!
I hope the New Year brings all good things for the people who love soaps! And please Brad Bell make a story for the TRUE FORRESTER HEIR THORNE!
What a well written episode.It loks like there are more intriging schemes about to happen. Clint is up to a new scheme, obviously with Amber, Joe’s girlfriend. I don’t think the new Joe is so great, though. I always love Dorian and Viki and especially now to get rid of Echo. The chimney scene was hysterical. The turkey upside down by Echo was a hoot and funnier went it fell on the floor.I’m glad that Starr went to visit Cole with Hope and mentioning him so we don’t forget him. Amd finally John giving Natalie his mother’s ring. Now, they are officially engaged. I can’t wait to see the next episodes to see how all the lies by Clint and everyone he has used, play out in the end. Should be enough to keep all us fans watching. Once again, thanks Michael…
My favorites were seeing all of the kids included in this episode, the
way it should be for a Christmas episode. I love Carmen LoPorto and
Patrick Gibbons, Jr. (the new Sam) did great with him as Sam and
Jack brought their antics. It was great seeing Hope, Shane, and
Bree, too. Of course, I had to laugh out loud when Echo fell down that
chimney, but the prelude to that with Sam and Jack made that scene.
I wish we would see more of these kids on a more regular basis.
One Life to Live had the best Christmas episode. The scenes with Jack, Sam, Dorian, Blair, Kelly and Echo were the best! Y&R’s scrooge episode was good too, but will it really change Victor? Y&R lately is too crazy for me. Everyone is bed hopping and there are too many new characters who are just aren’t interesting (the Australian crew, Daisy, Heather & Ronan – He has more chemistry with Chloe). B&B reminds me of the old Y&R, since Ed Scott is the show’s new producer. Mr. Scott used to be Y&R’s executive producer.
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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