Interviews
Ron Carlivati (Part 3) – One Life To Live
One Life to Live head writer, Ron Carlivati chats with Michael Fairman in Part Three of his video interview segment. Here, Ron discusses if Thorsten Kaye might return as Patrick Thornhart, the Natalie/John/Marty triangle, Langston’s affair with Ford, what’s next for Gigi and Rex, writing for Trevor St John and if Tea and Todd have a fighting chance, and Alison Perkins deadly return to Llanview!
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.
General Hospital
‘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)
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.”
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.
Interviews
‘The Young and the Restless’ Eric Braeden Talks Daytime Emmy Nomination, State of Nikki and Victor’s Marriage, and His Co-Stars (Exclusive)
Eric Braeden has been playing Victor Newman on The Young and the Restless for 46 years. The iconic star of the #1 rated daytime drama series has thus far won once for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Daytime Drama Series back in 1998 in a ceremony he did not attend. Fast-forward to 2026 and the 85-year-old Braeden is once again nominated in the category for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards.
Earlier this month, Eric, along with 4 other actors learned they were going for gold at the ceremonies on October 30. In a twist of fate, fellow co-star and also Lead Actor nominee, Christian LeBlanc (Michael, Y&R) and Braeden submitted the same scenes which centered around Victor firing his longtime attorney and friend, Michael Baldwin.
In a new interview, now on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel, Braeden shares: his thoughts on the nomination, if he will attend daytime’s biggest night of the year, what he thinks will happen with the current cracks within the relationship of Y&R’s Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) and Victor, his reaction to the heartbreaking scene where Nick (Joshua Morrow) admits to Victor that he has a drug addiction, and much more.
Photo: JPI
VICTOR NEWMAN AND MICHAEL BALDWIN EMMY SCENES
On his Lead Actor Emmy-nominated reel, Eric recalled, “The show submitted it for me and I said, ‘Yeah, go ahead.’ Had I known Christian was part of it, I would’ve said, ‘No!’ I’m kidding. It’s difficult to do a scene with Christian without beginning to laugh in the middle of it. Anyway, he’s wonderful to work with and he did a wonderful job, and I’m grateful for the nomination.”
Braeden also shared plans for attending this year’s Daytime Emmys with his granddaughter making it all the more special, “I will go this year. You know why? It’s an honor first of all, and secondly, my granddaughter, when she heard about it, she says, ‘Opa, can I go? I already know what dress I would buy.’ I mean, it was so sweet. But you bet. Now, I’ll really go to the Emmys!”
Photo: JPI
CAN NIKKI AND VICTOR’S MARRIAGE SURVIVE?
Over the past year, Nikki and Victor’s marriage has been on shaky ground, especially after Victor caught his nemesis, Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) alone in a hotel room with his wife. Nikki went on a bender and Jack was her AA sponsor, but in order to help her, he almost OD’d himself. Victor believes the two hit the sheets.
Now in 2026, Victor was there after Nikki woke up after surgery to save her eyesight, and she has yet to see post-procedure. However, Braeden notes ‘not so fast’ on a reconciliation.
“I would say it will be a rocky road, because you don’t get over these things so quickly. You don’t,” teased Eric. “It’s jealousy and it’s a very, very deep emotion, and every time there’s something that reminds Victor of that incident, he will feel that emotion. It’s an emotion that is not taken seriously enough by people. Relationships are very difficult because of that sometimes.”
Photo: CBS
JOSHUA MORROW DOING THE FINEST WORK OF HIS CAREER
Back in March of this year, in one of the most unforgettable in this, or any soap season, Nick Newman accompanied by his brother Adam (Mark Grossman), came to see Victor where Nick admitted he now has a drug addiction to fentanyl and how he is so ashamed of himself. In the scene, Victor goes to comfort his son, calling him, “My boy” while broken-hearted.
Eric recalled the taping of the scene: “It touched me deeply and it was one of those moments that a father and son don’t want. They’re horrified by that. I think Joshua made an enormous leap in acting in that scene. He showed what he is capable of. It was a very, very touching scene. We had some scenes after that, again, about the same thing. Now, there’s a whole deeper connection between father and son. Any father would almost have a breakdown knowing that his son is on drugs or his daughter. It was a very well-written scene.”
Photo: JPI
ERIC BRAEDEN AND MICHELLE STAFFORD MUTUAL ADMIRATION SOCIETY
The Young and the Restless led the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Nominations with 18, more than any other series or programs. One of the nominations belongs to Michelle Stafford (Phyllis) who nabbed another Lead Actress nod.
Recently, Eric and Michelle have shared much screen-time since Phyllis took Victor’s company from him. During the Michael Fairman Channel’s Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026 Live!, Stafford she loved working opposite Eric in the storyline, to which Eric has now responded.
“It’s mutual because I love watching her work,” exclaimed the TV icon. “I just don’t know what she’s going to do in a scene and I love spontaneous moments. I don’t like it to be set and adhered to. I like it to be improvised as much as possible. Michelle is just so facile, so quick, so smart as an actress. She’s wonderful.”
Check out the full conversation with Eric below.
Now weigh-in: are you happy to see Eric receive a Lead Actor nomination? Do you think Nikki and Victor will continue to have issues in their marriage? Did you like the scenes with Michelle Stafford and Eric, and of course the hankie-inducing moment between Joshua Morrow and his TV dad? Weigh-in via the comment section.
‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL Preview: Kelly Sullivan Debuts as Dylan’s Mom; Suspicion is Raised About Carter and Steffy
‘Beyond the Gates’ Star Mike Manning Lands Role in Indie Horror Feature ‘Deify’
GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)
‘Guiding Light’s’ Grant Aleksander Shares Heartfelt Remembrance of TV Daughter, Hayden Panettiere On What Would Have Been Her 37th Birthday
‘General Hospital’s’ Maurice Benard Talks: New ‘Sonny’ Storyline, His Contract, and Three Characters He Would Want to See Back in Port Charles
How John Oliver’s ‘Days of Our Lives’ Guest Star Turn as ‘Devlin St. John’ Came to an End
John Oliver Recaps His ‘Days of Our Lives’ and ‘General Hospital’ Soap Opera Experience on ‘Last Week Tonight’
‘Veronica & Julian’ Feature Starring ‘Days of Our Lives’ Alums Nadia Bjorlin and Kyler Pettis Releases Key Art and More (Exclusive)
‘General Hospital’ Alum Bryan Craig Cast in ‘The Weapon’
‘Guiding Light’s’ Grant Aleksander Shares Heartfelt Remembrance of TV Daughter, Hayden Panettiere On What Would Have Been Her 37th Birthday
‘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)
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Ric’s History of Jealousy Where Elizabeth is Concerned Has Come Back Around
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Steffy and Carter Get Lame Excuses From Their Spouses, and Try to Shake Off Their Night Together
‘Veronica & Julian’ Feature Starring ‘Days of Our Lives’ Alums Nadia Bjorlin and Kyler Pettis Releases Key Art and More (Exclusive)
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The acting choices with regards to Todd are questionable. He is not Todd to so many of us and never will be!
Michael, this a wonderful interview with Ron. You have great rapport between you and he seems to be very accessible in answering your questions. So far, he has done remarkable writing The teases about what and who will be front and center storywise keps us guessing. The only complaint I have is withAllison Perkins. With the seriousness of the Sienna Rose story and who is the real father and all the characters involved, she just seems too bizarre and comical. For me,I find that her shenanigans are taking away from the drama and real emotion of the story. As you can tell, I am not happy with that. It was too easy to drug Sklyler and steal the baby , go to Roxys and apply a mud pack to her face as a disguise, put a gun to Natalie, tape up Roxy, all the while praising Mitch, the Messenger. That’s not funny?. Too easy I say….
Good, detailed interview. I’ve watched all four segments now.
Although it’s been four months, I wish you would have asked Mr. Carlivati for his thoughts on the death of Jared and the firing of John Brotherton. I would particularly like to know if this was his idea, or if it was an edict from above.
Interesting that there couldn’t be a body found for Stacy; yet Jared’s fans were “treated” to multiple scenes of his lifeless body in that hospital, making a return for the character and the actor next to impossible. While I can’t deny that Jared’s death and aftermath gave Melissa Archer and Brian Kerwin (as well as John Brotherton, Erika Slezak, Jerry verDorn, Bree Williamson, Mark Lawson and Roscoe Born) some great material which they’ve done an outstanding job with, for this viewer the cost was simply too much.
I am not at all interested in a re-teaming of Natalie and John, and I’m more than a little disappointed that Mr. Carlivati has several times since November taken the time to specifically mention the disappointment of fans of the old Natalie/John pairing; yet he has never once, as far as I know, publicly addressed the disappointment of the fans of the Natalie/Jared pairing and the fans of Jared/John Brotherton. Based on this interview, it seems Jared has now been reduced to nothing more than a “different direction” that Natalie was taken in back in ’07. I was under the impression from an old quote of his that Mr. Carlivati loved the Natalie/Jared pairing. For what it may be worth to him (perhaps nothing, at this point), I came out of “soap retirement” in no small part because I like this pairing so much.
I don’t understand why all those scenes took place between John and Mitch at the greenhouse post-shooting wherein Mitch predicted that Natalie would never forgive John (nor would John forgive himself) for the way he pursued Jared as the stalker. That was a waste of time when Natalie was written to forgive John all too easily within 24 hours after Jared’s death and John himself has shown absolutely no lingering feelings of remorse or guilt. Also, I felt that Michael/Marcie and their fans got their happy ending last year when the couple left the canvas together after finding out they were going to have a baby. Although it was a nice tie-in to have Matthew’s surgery take place at the Seattle hospital where Michael now works, was it really necessary to have that cycle of life illustration of Jared dying exactly as Marcie gave birth? To be honest, it seemed kind of cruel to me (even more so after Natalie found out she wasn’t pregnant with Jared’s baby); and all of that time spent on those scenes between John and Mitch and the birth of the baby took away time that could have been spent on longer scenes between Natalie and Jared. The suddenness of his death precluded any proper goodbyes to his loved ones; so it would have been nice to have a few more scenes between them. But I guess I shouldn’t expect more from a show which inexplicably backburnered them for over a year and had them married during a montage in which another character’s fantasy wedding received more airtime.
I’ve never seen any of the prior incarnations of the Natalie/John pairing. I started watching OL during the latter half of ’07. During the time that I’ve watched the show John has basically done the same story with two different women…Marty, then Blair, and now Marty again. All of the women on this show deserve better than this emotional cripple who never outgrows his hero complex. Personally, I can’t look at Natalie and John in a scene together and not remember: a) that for over two years they rarely interacted and displayed absolutely none of the supposed feelings that have now all of a sudden resurfaced within a few short months of her husband’s death (and, in the case of the cabin during the blizzard, within minutes of her hallucinating Jared); b) that he completely blew off her disappearance when Tess had her locked in the Secret Room; c) the gleeful, smug way in which he pursued Jared as the stalker; and d) a big part of the reason Jared is dead is because John inexplicably turned away from Mitch while he still had a loaded gun in his hand. I have to say, it disappoints me greatly that nothing was made of this last one; and I can only surmise it speaks to backstage politics that a scene like this aired and it was felt by the powers that be that John’s gross negligence and error does not need to be addressed in any way; yet Jared and his fans were never allowed to forget Jared’s involvement in Nash’s accidental death, to the extreme point of Nash references during Jessica’s eulogy for Jared and his re-internment on the day of Jared’s funeral.
Much as I hate that Jared is gone, I realize that Natalie has to be moved into different stories now. Personally, I would have liked for Natalie to have Jared’s baby; as a pregnancy would be a new, different story for Natalie, who I understand has never even had so much as a pregnancy scare during her time in Llanview. I’d also like to see her (and not just hear about it) back at BE and maybe take a look at Natalie’s childhood with Roxy.
You say you’ve never seen prior John and Natalie, well you should watch them prior to 2007. They were simply amazing. If you ever want to check out some of the great scenes, you can see why so many people love this couple. Because they truly are meant to be together. John comes to life with Natalie. He really does. And as Doc Crosby once pointed out, she’s the one loss he’ll never recover from. I’m not trying to deter you from your fave, but if you never watched prior to 2007, you really should check out some of the scenes. They really are great. But one thing is for sure-we love what we love.
I’m not a big fan of any of the stories he talk about in part 3. They just don’t interest me and I don’t think are written very well. Kish seems to be the only really good written story (other than who’s the daddy that’s lasted way too long) on the show at the moment. It’s a shame and I think after April 12, when a lot of people will stop watching, OLTL may rethink about Kish.
I miss Todd and Tea. It seems like we are getting rewrites or something. I just wish TnT would start interacting again!!
These horrible rumors about Florencia Lozano being fired better be false!!!!!!!
As a long suffering John and Natalie fan I am thrilled to hear Mr Carlivivati comments about this great couple. In my view Michael Easton and Melissa Archer have a scorching hot chemistry, and if written for correctly could be one of the biggest pairings on ABC. My friend and I were out to dinner and were sitting at the bar waiting for a table we started talking about OLTL and John and Natalie the female bartender overheard us and said”OMG I love John and Natalie also” turned out she was a new viewer, and has become hooked on the show thanks to John and Natalie.
I understand Jarred fans being upset, but they should try to be a John and Natalie fan we have waited 7 years for our story, they had 2 years and even had their characters get married. But I must disagree with anyone who only started to watch the show 2 1/2 years ago trying to explain the relationship of John and Natalie. Unless you have watched them through the years you wouldn’t understand them. And please don’t compare John and Natalie to Blair or Marty, Johns love for Natalie has always been very deep. Natalie is the only woman who can completely break John’s heart. It is true they hardly saw wach other for over 2 years, but the times they were together you could still see they had feelings for each other. Also by them staying away from each other for that time they were able to keep those strong feelings buried. But now that they are back in each others lives they can’t hide those feelings anymore. And once they kissed again the floodgates were opened. John tried to be with other women, but he never fully gave his heart to them, Natalie still owns that heart.
I hope Mr Carlivati will write a true Romance for John and Natalie. With my busy life that is why I watch soaps to see the romance.
Joanna, I can certainly understand wanting an old favorite couple to reunite.
In this particular case, however, I feel that the Natalie/John pairing had its share of chances years ago, with stories written for them. Whereas, with Natalie/Jared, I feel they were never given a fair chance, with stories of their own, after a) the BE story was so obviously aborted; b) they were unfairly made the scapegoats by the powers that be for Nash’s death and the loss of Forbes March; and c) they spent months being The Secret Keepers and supporting players in Jessica’s never-ending dramas. Then they were backburnered for months.
Now, I understand the concept of the backburner; I’ve watched soaps for over 35 years. Believe me, I waited very patiently for Natalie and Jared to have their turn on the frontburner with stories of their own. However, when I finally thought their turn had arrived, it basically consisted of the two of them being kinda/sorta on the frontburner for a couple of weeks; then Jared went missing for three weeks while Natalie kinda/sorta remained on the frontburner; only to have them be reunited and Jared killed within a day.
As far as Natalie and Jared’s wedding, it was probably the worst and also one of the best soap weddings I’ve ever seen. It was the worst because of the way the show treated both the couple and their fans by shoehorning their wedding into a montage in which Gigi’s fantasy wedding received more play; not to mention the multi-day arcs devoted to the Starr/Cole non-wedding and the Todd/Tea wedding. It was the best wedding solely because of the sheer joy conveyed by Melissa Archer and John Brotherton in their wedding scene, which they managed to do despite having a mere half-line of dialogue.
You wrote of waiting for seven years for Natalie and John to get together; and you’re asking Natalie/Jared fans to essentially walk a mile in your shoes. At least when Natalie and John were not together, John was still alive and you therefore could hope for a reunion one day. With Jared dead, Natalie/Jared fans don’t have that luxury. I wonder who’d like to walk in our shoes.
I guess we all have our own opinions, and we should all respect each other views, but has someone who after 7 years has still not had a payoff its nice to hear Mr Carlivati talk about their history and wanting to revisit them. For me I was never a huge Jarred and Natalie fan so I was not into their story. And this was the first time I didn’t like a Natalie pairing. I loved Natalie/Cris and Natalie/ John, but Jarred was not a character I liked with Natalie.
I just hope I can finally get the romantic story for John and Natalie that I have waited 7 years for. I want to see what Michael Easton and Melissa Archer could do with a great love story. These 2 actors have so much heat their scenes can be explosive, and I am hoping Mr Carlivati writes a a story to showcase this.
Christine, we are not asking you to walk a mille in our shoes. But really, you got your payoff. They had their wedding, even if it was short. John/Natalie fans never did. And that’s what has been so bitter to take.
Billy Warlock would be weird casting as Gigi’s father. He may be technically old enough, but he’s always looked so young.
Just wanted to say thank you to Christine for saying everything a lot of us Natalie/Jared fans are feeling.
Thank you, Gin, for your comment.
Joanna, the site wouldn’t let me respond to your last comment directly, so I started a new post. Just wanted to close by adding that
“I guess we all have our own opinions, and we should all respect each other’s views”
is one thing we do agree on. 🙂
I am very happy RonC. is revisting John& Natalie! , they have the most sizzling dynamic, even in a normal conversation they sizzle! I am not that much of a Marty fan but loved her with Patrick. if they brought him back , that would be a huge SL for a lot of characters. Todd and Tea were OK ,just not used to Dani’s age.. but if that all their is for Tea, thats too bad. Mitch and Alison are creepy bad guys ,,, but interesting to watch. But I think this should be their last go around.
Add me to the list of another long suffering John and Natalie fan. I am thrilled with this interview and the possibility of John and Natalie being reunited.
I have watched this couple since Oct 1, 2003. I fell in love right along with this couple. And I was saddened when they were broken up in 2007 for no good reason, and paired with people I didn’t want to see.
I was sickened to see that Natalie and John barely had any scenes for more than 2 years. This is a couple that had gone through so many things together, and to end them over “drugged soup”, was just PLAIN RIDICULOUS. And to pair John with a psychiatrist was the most hideous thing I’d ever heard of. This character hates psychiatrists! And to pair Natalie with a gold-digging faux uncle was hideous in itself. And I was THRILLED when Jared was killed. Infact, so thrilled I had popcorn while watching his death scenes. And sayng “thank you soap gods”.
As for Marty, she’s okay as a character, BUT SHE DOES NOT BELONG WITH JOHN. Her and John are beyond boring. During their scenes, I find myself sleeping as I am put to absolute naptime. End this farce of a couple sooner than later!
With Natalie, John comes to life. She is the light at the end of the dark tunnel for John. She breathes life into him. They are truly meant to be together, and I, for one, hope that at the end of this long-suffering road, he and Natalie are back where they both belong–in each other’s arms.
As for Marty’s pregnancy, it is a ridiculous plot point as their “love story” took place off-screen(Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled that it was. Because it meant the viewers wouldn’t have to be sickedended watching it). But NATALIE is the one John dreamed of having a family with. It should be NATALIE pregnant with John’s baby. It should be NATALIE where Marty is with John.
As a John/Natalie fan, I want the payoff every other pairing has had. I want a real proposal, a real wedding(and not a 13 second one)-and I want a John/Natalie baby. I want the TOTAL package that we were robbed of three years ago!
Wow….I couldn’t of said it better myself!!!
As a die hard JOLIE(John and Natalie) Fan I’m soooooooooo looking forward to them reuniting for good this time!!!
I have only watched reg. again since Feb..Thank God for DVR…cause when their not on I can ff thru most of the show or just not watch at all……and I have to say I absolutly LOVE watching them two on screen again!!! Now just if they’d speed up this Marty crap…….
I’m like you I want our due payoff for being loyal to a fault * at times*, die hard fans of this couple!!!
Hi Shelby
Thanks for the response. I felt a little long-winded after I wrote the post, but realized I meant every word I said! Ron has done fantastic thus far, and I just hope he continues the great writing for this couple. I have enjoyed every scene. Every line was delivered with the knowledge of their shared history. It’s been amazing thus far. But the one thing I enjoy most with this pregnancy plot point are the longing glances shared between these two. No one does angst better than Natalie and John! Bring on the eye sex! My pretties can do it justice!!
Starting watching OLTL again in October after hearing that Natalie and John would be sharing scenes again. I stopped watching after their horrible breakup. ME and MA still have such great on-screen chemistry after so long apart. Looking forward to a long awaited reunion. I feel there is still so much story that can be told for this couple especially since both have grown and matured. I think John finally is at peace over his father’s death and can now focus on committing to someone he loves. Hopefully that someone will be Natalie.
i agree totally with christine, i want the total package with john and natalie. we have been waiting seven years for them to get back together, i want proposal, wedding, baby! i want it all with them, i stopped watching when they broke up and started back when bo and nora got back together and now with jolie getting back together one life is getting better and better. that is just my opion everyone is aloud and i’m sorry for the jared fans i really liked him but i love natalie and john together. melissa and michael just have great chemistry together.
OLTL right now is not as good of a show as it has been in the past. A lot of the storylines right now are not working. But there are 2 things that are working right now and that is the pairings of Bo/Nora and John/Natalie.
Bo/Nora have finally been reunited after 10 years apart. RSW and HBS have the chemistry that every soap producer dreams of. And after 10 years of horrible forced pairings for both Bo and Nora Ron got it right and he reunited them.
John/Natalie have not been reunited but they are on their way to finding their way back to each other. This is one couple that Ron knows how to write. ME And MA have an explosive chemistry. If given the right storylines they could become a supercouple. John/Natalie can be amazing if given the right material. Ron has given them great material this year. The Feb blizzard scenes as well as the Lanfair second kiss scenes shows us that Ron knows how to write them. Ron just needs to end this contrived Marty/John/Natalie tri and give this couple the payoff that they should have had 3 years ago. John/Natalie need a full reunion complete with marriage and a baby.
Thanks for sharing this!!! I’m excited about the reunion of John and Natalie and cannot wait to see them as a couple again!!! They bring the chemistry,angst,love,passion back to OLTL….I look forward to watching again, when I know their going to be on. 😉
I, too, am a huge John/Natalie fan and love this interview with Ron. I am hoping with baited breath that this means John and Natalie will be reunited. Like many others, I stopped watching after they broke up, and recently started watching again with the Stalker Storyline when I stood in line one day at the grocery store and pcked up a copy of SID, and turned to OLTL fall previews and saw John/Natalie would be back in a story together.
Since then, I put OLTL back on my DVR! The scenes these past few months have NOT disappointed me, but I want MORE!!
This latest plot twist with Marty being pregnant, although ridiculous, is giving me what I have loved about the John/Natalie relationship and that’s the longing, the eye sex and the angst. NO ONE, and I do mean NO ONE, does angst quite like Natalie and John. ME and MA have amazing chemistry and it should be showcased and built upon.
Really good interview overall.
Love that RC comments on how FL is a wonderful actress and he makes it a point to say that TnT is just as wonderful a love story as T/B. ICAM. In fact, as far as I am concerned, TnT are the best, period. But it is nice that he showed respect to TnT. So tired of the T/B merry go round. There has been nothing “super” about that couple in a decade, IMHO.
Really hoping to get my TnT back. Not even going to deal with the possibility they may be releasing FL. That would just set me off and after losing DD, this is not a good time to be messing with me, lol.
I am a HUGE Jolie fan. I been waiting years for these two to reconnect!
I just can’t stand that they paired John and Marty, that was definately a HUGE mistake. Natalie and Jared, I couldn’t stand, Jared just was blah! I am just annoyed that they don’t pair John and Natalie up instead of having all these wrenches thrown in between them. The writeers know that more than half of the viewers are rooting for this couple. I hope they do bring Patrick back for Marty, cause thats the only person she had chemistry with.
I have been a OLTL fan since Vicky/Joe and Clint, Ed and Carla, Dorian/David/Jenny, Jenny/Brad, Karen/Larry, Tina/Cord and I say Jolie is the best couple they have EVER HAD IMHO. From the beginning, their scenes just jumped off the screen and their scenes were great especially the non-verbal ones, what they do with their eyes should be rated “R.” Like so many others after 5 years, I felt gipped by the horrible ending and hated that they were never on screen together although now “Others” get it, you could never put them in a scene together with other characters, the other characters just faded away. My question has always been if you have a couple with that much chemistry, why not use it? I am holding bated breath for the Jolie reunion and true love story that these two can tell. Although here to now, OLTL has not indicated that they listen to fans, but Jolie had jumpstarted all the boards, magazines, they have that buzz and imagine what a really good love story could do. That is why we or at least I watch for love in the afternoon and NO ONE does it better than Michael Easton and Melissa Archer, so as Natalie told John on the plane to Thailand “Bring It On.”
Fantastic, detailed interviews Michael, i’m trying to get thru all of them. I love this show and i hope Ron sticks around. GREAT JOB and great questions! Good provocative discussions had in the Ron C. interviews.