Breaking News
‘Port Charles’ Star Jay Pickett Dead at 60
UPDATED: Just heartbreaking news over the weekend. Former Port Charles star and soap veteran, Jay Pickett died suddenly while filming a movie. His cause of death was not immediately known, although in a post on Sunday from Travis Mills it appears to have been from a heart attack. Pickett was 60-years-old. On Sunday, former co-stars have shared their remembrances while mourning Jay including Michael Easton, Kelly Monaco, Michael Dietz, Marie Wilson, Kin Shriner and more.
In addition to his most remembered role on daytime as Frank Scanlon on the GH spinoff, Port Charles, where he appeared in over 762 episodes, Pickett also appeared on GH replacing Ted King as Lorenzo Alcazar and came back to the show in 2006-07 in the recurring role of Detective David Harper. Jay also spent time on Days of our Lives as Dr. Chip Lakin and appeared on primetime’s Desperate Housewives and Queen Sugar countless other TV series and films.
Word of Pickett’s death first came via Facebook from Jim Heffel who is the film’s co-producer, who shared along with these images (see below): “Yesterday I lost a good friend and the world lost a great person. Jay Pickett decided to ride off into the Heavens. Jay died sitting on a horse ready to rope a steer in the movie Treasure Valley in Idaho. The way of a true cowboy. Jay wrote the story and starred in it. He was also coproducer with myself and Vernon Walker. He will be truly missed. Ride like the wind partner.”
Michael Dietz, who played Pickett’s on-screen brother, Joe Scanlon on Port Charles shared his grief on the news on Facebook, expressing: “My greatest friend has sadly left this world. We met when we were cast as brothers on Port Charles many, many years ago. He played my big brother on TV but that carried over into real life and an amazing friendship that was one of a kind. He was an incredible husband, father, friend, and godfather to my daughter. Everyone that knew him loved him. I love you, Jay. Keep smiling my friend. All my love to his family, who truly became our family as well. You will be forever missed.”
Kin Shriner (Scott, GH) and Jay’s former co-star at Port Charles shared: “The sudden passing of my pal Jay Pickett Is very sad . He loved acting and Westerns , and when we got together we laughed a lot . R.I.P. Jay”
Kelly Monaco (Ex-Livvie, PC and now Sam, GH) shared on her Instagram: “My heart goes out to the family and friends of Jay Pickett. If you knew him, you loved him. Words can’t describe…”
Michael Easton (Ex-Caleb/Michael PC, and now Finn on GH) expressed: “Mourning the loss of our friend and colleague. I first met Jay in Margie Haber’s acting class in the late 80’s and was fortunate to get to work with him many times over the next thirty years. He was a wonderful actor but an even better person. My deepest condolences to his wife and his children, his friends and all of his fans. Rest in peace, Brother.”
Marie Wilson (Ex-Karen, Port Charles) shared: “This is one of the most difficult posts I’ve done. My heart is broken to hear that this incredible person has passed. Words cannot described how much you touched my life….your friendship, advice, and support made me feel so grateful and lucky. My first day on the set was with us having a water fight ….and the fun adventures continued from there. So happy to have shared all those moments with you. I will miss you my friend!”
Travis Mills from the film Treasure Valley, in which Pickett was filming at the time of his death, shared on Sunday morning this updated message on Facebook: “Many of you have already heard about the tragedy that happened two days ago. Jay Pickett, our leading man, writer, producer, and creator of this movie passed away suddenly while we were on location preparing to film a scene. There is no official explanation for the cause of his death but it appears to have been a heart attack. Everyone present tried as hard as they could to keep him alive. Our hearts are broken and we grieve for his family who are so devastated by this shocking tragedy. As so many of us know, Jay was an incredible man. He was kind, sweet, and generous. He was one of the best actors I ever worked with and it was an honor to collaborate with him. Everyone who met him, even for the briefest moment, could feel his warmth, his wonderful spirit. It is difficult to find the words right now to say more. His closest friends have said that he was very happy making Treasure Valley and my hope is that he truly was. He was doing what he loved: acting, riding horses, making movies. And he was magnificent.”
Jay is survived by his wife, Elena, and their three children, Maegan, Michaela and Tyler.
We will have more on this continuing story as remembrances for Pickett are shared, and updated on news of his passing.
Share your condolences and thoughts on Jay via the comment section below.
The sudden passing of my pal Jay Pickett Is very sad . He loved acting and Westerns , and when we got together we laughed a lot . R.I.P. Jay . @GeneralHospital #Portcharles pic.twitter.com/rgVkbkFcSY
— Kin Shriner (@kinshriner) August 1, 2021
View this post on Instagram
What terrible news. I remember him very well and enjoyed his performances so much. What a tragic loss. Sincere condolences to his family and friends. May he rest in peace.
Breaking News
George Cheeks, CBS President & CEO, on Timeline to Launch New Daytime Drama, ‘The Gates’: “We’re So Focused on Getting it Right”
March 2024 will be remembered in the TV and soap world when the news broke that CBS is prepping a brand new daytime drama. Many had thought a major network would never bring a new daytime soap into the world, given that the last time it was attempted was 25 years ago when the now defunct Passions bowed on NBC.
However, The Gates is definitely in development and moving forward with some major players associated with it including: Michele Val Jean as The Gates writer, showrunner and one of its executive producers, and Sheila Ducksworth from NAACP Venture
Now, for the first time since its announcement, George Cheeks, the president and CEO of CBS and chief content officer for news and sports at Paramount+, spoke on the project that will feature a Black family as its central focus who live in a wealthy gated community.
Speaking with Vulture, and when asked if The Gates is really something that truly has a chance of getting on the air, Cheeks clarified, “It’s super real. And just to give you a little bit of the backstory, when we hired Sheila Ducksworth to run the NAACP Venture, she and I had multiple meetings talking about what different genres she was going to lean into, and we talked a lot about daytime.”
Cheeks added, “One of the things that the data made very clear to both of us is that daytime soap operas over index with Black women, and yet when you look at soap operas, it’s usually sort of a white-led family with supporting characters that reflect more of our society. So we just thought, wouldn’t it be interesting to flip that and make the core anchor family a Black family, and then make the other characters reflect more the broader scope of society?”
The CEO gave props to Michele Val Jean, and how Ducksworth came to the table with the former B&B and GH writer. “She found this great writer, Michele Val Jean, who’s been in the soap opera space for 30 years. She came up with a pitch, and we loved it,” shares Cheeks. “We brought Procter & Gamble into it as well, because if there were going to be (product) integrations, we could do it more holistically and organically. All of that is to say, we did a lot of work on the front end to put this together. So while yes, it’s development, it’s accelerated development.”
When prodded on the timeline of when The Gates could come to full fruition, Gates related, “The actual timeline and when we’re going to do it is still uncertain, because we want to get this right. I mean, there hasn’t been a new soap opera launch since I can’t even begin to tell you when. But we have great success with Bold and the Beautiful and Young and the Restless, and so we think we’re the right folks to be launching a new soap. I wish I could tell you more about exact timing, but we’re so focused on getting it right, and that will dictate when we’re ready to launch it.”
The CBS exec also shared that whether The Gates will wind up an hour soap or half-hour is not yet determined, but that it is being developed as an hour show.
So, after reading what George Cheeks, the CBS President & CEO had to say about ‘The Gates’, are you even more excited for what looks to the first new network soap in 25 years? Comment below.
Breaking News
Robyn Bernard, ‘General Hospital’s’ Terry Brock, Dead at 64
Breaking News
51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Announce Broadcast Date on CBS
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) revealed on Tuesday, that the 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be broadcast live on Friday night, June 7th (8 – 10 PM, ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+*.
This year will mark the 18th time CBS has broadcast the Daytime Emmy Awards, which is more than any other network.
The 2024 Daytime Emmys will take place at the Westin Bonaventure in downtown Los Angeles. Back in December of 2023, the delayed 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards were also held at that venue. The June 7th date for the upcoming ceremony will be the first time in several years that the event is scheduled a few weeks earlier than normal; excluding last year’s revised date to the actors and writers strikes.
Lifetime Achievement honoree, nominations, host, and additional information will be announced in the coming weeks.
In a statement, Adam Sharp, President and CEO of NATAS noted, “We eagerly anticipate our return in June as we once again partner with CBS to recognize the exceptional and talented individuals who make daytime television great. We’re thrilled to kick off our second half-century of the Daytime Emmys.”
The Daytime Emmy Awards have recognized outstanding achievement in television programming and crafts since 1974, honoring work in a variety of categories, including daytime dramas, talk shows, instructional programming, hosting, culinary, and legal/courtroom programs. In 2021, NATAS and the Television Academy jointly announced plans to realign the Daytime and Primetime Emmy Awards to be organized by content genre, as opposed to program airtime.
The 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will once again be produced by NATAS and Associated Television International (ATI), which produced Daytime Emmy Award ceremonies on The CW in 2009 and on CBS in 2010, 2011, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Adam Sharp and Lisa Armstrong are executive producers from NATAS, while David McKenzie is executive producer from ATI.
So, glad to know that the 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards honoring performance and shows in the 2023 calendar year, will be held in early June this year, and once again broadcast on CBS? Comment below.
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