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QUEENS OF DRAMA's Vanessa Marcil Chats On Girl's Throwing Drinks, Donna Mills & The Man In Her Life!

By Michael Fairman

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Courtesy/POP

Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

When former General Hospital star Vanessa Marcil joined the cast of Pop’s reality series, Queens of Drama (Wednesdays 8PMET), her long time fans were stoked to get to see the woman who played the feisty Brenda Barrett on the ABC daytime drama series from1992- 1998, then returned in 2003 and won a Daytime Emmy for her work, and then returned one more time in 2010 for a longer stint, and followed that up with guest appearances in 2013 surrounding the GH Nurses Ball! Marcil also went on to star in the primetime drama series Las Vegas as Sam Marquez.

If you watched the first four episodes of Queens of Drama, you know that Vanessa along with Crystal Hunt, Lindsay Hartley, Hunter Tylo, and Chrystee Pharris are trying to come up with an idea to pitch to a television network for a new show using their soapy background and expertise.  But, they have run up against and joined forces with the formidable Donna Mills, who doesn’t allow anything to get past her, and is trying to executive produce this all-girl creation and steer the gals in a certain direction.

Tonight on an all-new episode, the “Queens”, since Vanessa has made it clear she does not want to act in front of the camera in the girls production concept, but would rather remain behind-the-scenes, they had to Palm Springs for an outing and the drama ensues … and we finally get to the bottom of that promo where Vanessa looks to be the first girl to throw a drink!  But where does it land?

Marcil sat down with On-Air On-Soaps to give us some insight into shooting the docu-series, the drama in front of the camera, and gives us the scoop on how her new fiancé, a police officer, swept her off her feet!

What was your overall takeaway from being part of Queens of Drama?  Everyone is talking about the scene in the promos, where you get mad saying, “I don’t care what Donna wants” and then we see you throwing a drink.  Can you elaborate?

Photo Credit: Twitter

VANESSA:  I can tell you this: it was a hilarious good time, and just like with all jobs that I have had there are days when I wanted to punch somebody in the face.  But just for the record: I don’t throw drinks on girls … and I don’t call girls, “bitches”.  That is not my nature.  I am not a mean girl.  If you see me do anything, I would act more like a mob wife: punching someone in the face! (Laughs)  I am saying this because everyone thinks in Queens of Drama I throw a drink at somebody, and I am saying for the record, I don’t throw a drink at anyone, and I don’t throw drinks at girls!  There is one moment where I get pissed and I throw my drink off the table.  Now if it was Brenda on GH, she might throw a dinner role at someone, or whatever.  Someone tweeted, “Are you going to throw a dinner role at anyone, because Brenda threw one at Carly (Laura Wright)?”  I enjoy stuff like that, because I think it’s very funny.  Brenda thought that was hilarious!  (Laughs)  I mean, I would get into a fist fight with somebody if they really hurt someone I loved.  All the other stuff is boring to me.  I think it’s silly.

When you found out that the premise of the series is that they wanted these “Soap Queens” to create an original new show, and would collaborate to come up with a concept to pitch a network, did you like that part about it?

Courtesy/POP

VANESSA:  Yes, and that was the whole pitch to us.  I love docu-series, and behind the scenes stuff, and blooper reels.  So it really was: you girls are going to get together and create a female production company and create a show and try pitching it – which means – it could happen, or could not happen.  And you know me, I am a risk-taker and I love that.  And that was a big appeal to me for being in this show – having that underdog feeling to it of: Can we actually pull this off … or, will we tragically fail?

There are some very controlling personalities amongst the women on Queens of Drama!

VANESSA:  Halfway through I thought these girls are crazy, and I can’t work with them!  I have had that feeling many times at work. You know what I mean? That’s the way you feel at times. It’s not that different than any job anyone has in the workplace.  My sister is the CEO of a company and she said it’s the same thing in her work.

Had you ever watched Donna Mills as Abby Cunningham on Knots Landing?  You have quite the interesting relationship with her on Queens of Drama!

VANESSA:   No. I never watched Knots Landing, and that’s hilarious, and here is where there is six degrees of separation. Donna played my baby daddy’s (Brian Austin Green) mother on the show.  I should at some point watch a clip that the two of them are in together.  It would be cute to see.   Now that I am in Queens of Drama with Donna, the two of them send love through me to each other.

You are now engaged!  What about this guy (MC) worked for you to decide to accept his proposal?

Courtesy/POP

VANESSA:  Yes, I am now engaged, and we are planning our wedding for next summer.  For 20 years I never got married, and I was never the girl that wanted to, and then I decided to marry my last husband because I felt it was the right thing to do. I had known him for 12 years and it didn’t work out.  And then I said to myself, “See, it’s not meant for me to be a married girl.”  Maybe, I thought it wasn’t meant for me to fit into society like that, because I was thinking I should do this to fit into society!  (Laughs)  But now this happened!  So, I learned to say, never say never about anything!  Every time I say, “I’m not doing this.  It’s not for me,” look at me now?  I am now planning a wedding with an Iraq war vet who is a police officer!  I have no secret message, or how you know this is how you know someone is the right one.  I just know that when he asked me I genuinely wanted to say, “Yes!”   He was on one-knee in his police uniform on the side of the road.  I just knew that I meant it when I said, “Yeah! I would like to do this!”  But again, who knows?   It could turn out to be wrong again, but you got to trust your gut, and follow your heart, and when you fail you learn stuff from it.

And you met you man getting a speeding ticket?

VANESSA:  Yes! He pulled me over. You will see more about that story coming up in a new project I am working on.

Courtesy/ABC

Finally, are you staying in touch with your General Hospital people: former cast and crew?

VANESSA:  Oh, always!  Are you kidding?  I have stayed in touch with almost everyone I have worked with, and it’s really meaningful to me, and the best job I have ever had.  I grew up in Indio, California working at a Wienerschnitzel, and I cannot believe that I am lucky enough to do this.  It’s unreal to me.

So, what do you think about Vanessa on Queens of Drama? Are you enjoying watching how the story unfolds and the dynamics between the actresses?  Share your thoughts below, but first watch the promo for tonight’s fifth episode via Pop!

Queens of Drama 105 Preview

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Quit pissing around with this stuff and get your butt back on GH!

I know! I love her as Brenda so much! That show needs her back!

There is no room on GH for any more lead actresses who are over 40 with major storylines who receive a big paycheck to boot. It’s chock full of those kinds of characters. I never thought I would write this – but where is the younger generation on GH? Are TJ & Molly it? Maxie, Lulu, Dante, Michael – believe it or not, they are in their 30s. GH really needs some young adults with character. Kiki & Morgan aren’t cutting it for me. They are unemployed and stupid IMO.

She’s said she doesn’t want to be an actress right now

Thats sad to hear but she needs to me happy. Maybe someday.

I love Vanessa Marcil, she is a wonderful actress. Vanessa needs to come back on General Hospital as Brenda Barrett. I miss her so much. She looks very sexy with her glasses. LOL.

Ok, at first I bought the press that this was a documentary series, but it’s clearly a scripted series. Why are they not honest with the audience that we’re watching a scripted soap opera? In any case, I have been enjoying the show so far–especially Donna Mills.

I knew from the sneak peak it was a bunch of BS!

We need you back on G.H

It definitely comes across as a scripted series – what is the truth about it? I also want to know: do people seriously pitch a series without having worked out the characters, storylines, and even have at least one spec script? Bizarre…. and why, if this is supposed to be about girl power (or woman power) do they have a male showrunner? WTH? Donna Mills is coming across as pure evil – controlling, and infuriating – what’s up with her being “too busy” (???) to go to the Palm Springs meeting? WTH? Ridiculous! It’s my guilty pleasure show right now – it’s so ridiculous and fun fun fun!

I am having fun watching this show! Didn’t think I would like it but it has a very pleasant surprise.

like the show but like the fact that vanessa worked at my favorite fast food place ever der weinerschnitzel. best chili cheese dogs ever.

can’t say I care for donna mills, interesting to see joan Collins. don’t know the other women. hunter tylo – what in god’s name did she do to her face – just awful

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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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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‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Admits That He Didn’t Expect the Role of Michael Corinthos to be Recast, and Would Consider Working on Another Soap (Exclusive)

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Chad Duell, the Daytime Emmy-winning actor, who stepped away from the pivotal role of Michael Corinthos on General Hospital, opened up about: his previous decision to leave the series after nearly 15 years, where’s he’s at now after time away from the demands of a daytime soap opera, and took a stroll down memory lane with some of Michael’s most-acclaimed storyline during his run, during a livestream chat on August 19 on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel.

Viewers last saw Duell on-screen as Michael in January of 2025, and with his successor in the role, Rory Gibson making his debut at the GH Nurses’ Ball in episodes that aired later in May. It was clear that during the conversation, Chad was a bit surprised that the GH brass decided to recast him when he thought he was just taking some much needed time off.

Burn-out of the daily grind of being on a soap was definitely a part of Chad’s decision to take a break. Duell explained “People know when you’re doing something for so long or your character is kind of in the same place for so long or doing the same stuff over and over again, you do get a a little burnt out, you get a little stiff, stale, a little stiff at times. I didn’t want that to be any sort of lasting impression. I have 15 years of a body of work of I’ve done on that show, which is fantastic.”

Chad Duell

Photo: ABC

WHILE CHAD WAS AWAY GH RECAST MICHAEL CORINTHOS WITH RORY GIBSON

Chad shared, his mindset when leaving GH was, “I’m taking some time away, we’ll see what happens.” Then he added, “Obviously, they decided to go in a different direction with Michael when I was gone. I didn’t think they were going to bring somebody back in my place. But you know, it’s the business. You never know what can happen.”

Duell also shared he has not watched a single episode of General Hospital since he left the series, but now feels he reenergized following the loss of his father and stepping away from the GH, “I’m in a place now mentally, where I’m ready to sink my teeth into it again.”

Courtesy/ABC

Even though he is no longer Michael on GH, Chad was very happy with his final storyline where Michael was set on fire when a bomb exploded at Sonny’s (Maurice Benard) penthouse. “It was fun to put him in a dangerous situation, because I was wanting Michael to be in something scary instead of trying to be a hero character or just things happening around him, but to be the center point of tragedy happening to him. (I always saw) Michael as the heart of the (Corinthos) family.”

When Michael was badly burned the show chose not burn his face, which normally a soap does when they are recasting role and switching actors. Chad weighed-in, “They didn’t burn my face because I told Frank Valentini (EP, GH) I’m willing to come back. It was just a little bit of a break. So, I assumed that if they would have burned my face, they could have brought somebody back looking different than me… if that’s what their plan was.”

Courtesy/ABC

MEMORABLE MICHAEL STORYLINES

One of Chad’s most memorable performances was the in the storyline of Michael’s rape while he was sentenced to prison in 2010 and the confession of it in 2011. “It was so well-written and I was very nervous,” recalled Chad. “When I get really nervous about something, it ends up being really good when I do it, because it just means I care a lot about it”

“I have to put a lot of effort and work into it, and I really want it to be good.  I was working with Dominic  Zamprogna (Dante) and Steve Burton (Jason) a lot during those scenes, and Laura Wright (Carly). It was great working with Steve and Dominic, especially, during that storyline.

A NEW SOAP ROLE FOR CHAD?

As to a future soap opera role, Chad is open to the idea and would love to jump back in to a juicy role, “I know people over at The Bold and the Beautiful, and The Young and the Restless. They know that if they’re interested, I would love to come in for a screen test or something, and they can see what I’m doing.”

Meanwhile, Chad has been busy putting out new music under the moniker Duelly and during the interview he explains how he creates his EDM tracks and much more. You can stream his latest single, Static in the Quiet Room on Spotify, Apple Music and You Tube Music.

You can check out the full conversation with Chad Duell below.

Now let us know: what show would you like to see Chad cast on down the line? BTG, DAYS, B&B, Y&R, or a new role on GH? What did you think of his thoughts on the casting switch while he was away in the role of Michael? What was your favorite Michael storyline during Chad’s 15-year run on the ABC soap opera? Let us know via the comment section.

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