News
UPDATE: OLTL's Ron Carlivati issues statement on TOLN deal!

Photo Credit: Steven Bergman
According to Soap Opera Digest, One Life to Live’s head writer, Ron Carlivati issued this statement on his decision to stay on with One Life with its move online via Prospect Park to The Online Network (TOLN.com) where One Life will be housed come January 2012.
As many know, Carlivati, was set to join the writing team of General Hospital once One Life to Live wrapped up its run on the ABC television network. Then, came the news that Prospect Park had acquired the rights to the show and was intending on moving the shows online, which then put in question, where Carlivati would ultimately choose to go.
In a statement today, Carlivati said, “I am both excited and honored to remain with One Life to Live as Head Writer and Consulting Producer when the show moves online. My heartfelt thanks to Executive Producer Frank Valentini, as well as to Rick Frank and Jeff Kwantinetz of Prospect Park for this incredible opportunity. I would also like to express my very sincere gratitude to everyone at ABC Daytime, especially Jill Phelps at General Hospital, for supporting me in this decision.”
Congratulations to Carlivati from On-Air On-Soaps, and we can’t wait to see what will be in store for the citizens of Llanview on their new home in 2012!
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Chris McKenna On Jack’s Reaction to Carly Cheating On Him with Valentin: ‘Heartbreak and Absolute Rage and Humiliation’
The stage is set for next week on General Hospital, after yesterday’s May 1 cliffhanger, when Brennan (Chris McKenna) sneaks into Carly’s (Laura Wright) house and heads up to her bedroom, bursts in the door and finds her between the sheets, albeit at that moment alone.
However, Jack is already armed with plenty of ammo, he saw two glasses of wine in Carly’s kitchen, Josslyn (Eden McCoy) already lit the fire, by telling him her mother was seeing someone else, the WSB bureau chief then went to visit Carly’s ex, Sonny (Maurice Benard). The mobster’s reaction pretty much sold Jack that Carly must be sleeping with another man.
As Jack goes to check out the situation to confirm his suspicions, Carly and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) have just hit the sheets, after fighting their attraction once again for each other. Now comes the moment of truth that Carly has been sleeping with Brennan’s sworn enemy, Valentin.

Courtesy/ABC
In a preview of what’s to come, Soap Opera Digest spoke to both Chris McKenna and Laura Wright where they talked about the upcoming scenes. McKenna expressed, “This has been coming for such a long time.” He also previews, “Brennan comes at her pretty aggressively.”
THREE’S COMPANY
Wright added, “Carly didn’t expect Brennan to walk into her bedroom! He doesn’t have a key. It’s late at night. She thinks she and Valentin are in the clear. She sees that he’s so angry and so worried about being cheated on… but not that he’s sorry for lying to her face or because her daughter is in danger because of him!”
As to how Jack will handle the situation from here and finding out that Carly is with Valentin, McKenna confirms, to expect, “heartbreak and absolute rage and humiliation” from Jack. He’s thinking, ‘This can’t be real. This can’t have happened. I can’t be this stupid. I can’t have been this blind.’ And as to Jack’s current state of mind, coming into the situation, “Jack is drunk and a little unhinged and the audience finally gets a glimpse of what’s going on underneath that rigid exterior.”
Needless to say, the fallout will be huge, and McKenna is proud of the trios work in the scenes, sharing that Laura Wright was a fantastic as ever, and that GH’s executive producer, Frank Valentini was on the set the entire time with Laura, James and him, making this story point play out to its full effect.
So, are you excited to see how what goes down between Brennan, Carly and Valentin and the fallout? Do you think this will cement Carly and Valentin as a couple, or will Carly regret what she’s done to Jack? Weigh-in on how you hope this all plays out via the comment section below.
Days Of Our Lives
‘Brilliant Minds’ Officially Canceled After 2 Seasons at NBC; DAYS Alum Al Calderon, OLTL Alum Teddy Sears and Zachary Quinto Among the Cast
After languishing on the bubble for months, on Friday, NBC handed down the decision and canceled the medical drama Brilliant Minds after two seasons.
Brilliant Minds stars Zachary Quinto as neurology physician Oliver Wolf, who’s character and the series is inspired by the life and books of neurologist. Oliver Sacks. The series focuses on the medical mysteries of the mind, as Wolf a larger-than-life neurologist and his team of interns explore the last great frontier, the human mind, while grappling with their own relationships and mental health.
The final six episodes of what will now be the end of its second and final season were already set to air beginning on May 27, after being pulled off the network schedule in February as viewership saw a steep decline. Brilliant Minds second season became the lowest-rated drama on linear TV viewing, which didn’t bode well fo a network renewal, although it had its hard core fan base.

Photo: NBC
There are some exceptional notables in the cast along with the talented Quinto that includes Days of Our Lives alum, Al Calderon (ex-Javi Hernandez) who joined the series in its second season as Nurse Nico Silva, and One Life to Live alum, Teddy Sears (ex-Chad Bennett) who plays Wolf’s love interest and fellow physician, Dr. Josh Nichols.
The rest of the talented cast includes: Tamberla Perry, Ashleigh LaThrop, Alex MacNicoll, Aury Krebs, Spence Moore II, Donna Murphy, John Clarence Stewart, and Brian Altemus.
In an ironic twist of fate on Thursday, April 30, Days of Our Lives finally revealed the actor who was Al Calderon’s successor in the role of Javi, when they announced that actor Jacob Martinez had now stepped into the role. Since DAYS tapes ten months ahead of streaming new episode, Calderon left in the spring of 2025, but will be seen in the part for the final part this month, and then on June 20, Martinez debuts as Salem’s new Javi.
Taking to his Instagram with a sorrowful and heartfelt post on the Brilliant Minds cancellation was Teddy Sears who wrote, “Thank you, Brilliant Minds. I got the call today and I didn’t want to hear, but I knew that it would come, You have to be a particular vintage to quote Don Henley from memory, but that’s the line that came to mind earlier today after I got off the phone with our inimitable showrunner Michael Grassi who delivered the news that NBC has cancelled the series”.

Photo: NBC
Sears continued, “To say that I feel sad to be moving on from these stories, this character, and this cast and crew just doesn’t paint the entire picture. I’m sad, sure. But I’m also deeply grateful that I got hired to play this part, so proud of the stories we told, and the other actors I got to play alongside. I’m excited to see what comes next, what adventures await, and terrified to be without a professional home. A quick and heartfelt thank you to everyone, all over the globe, who found us and found themselves in us, in our characters and in our stories. We wouldn’t have been able to tell them without you. And we still have 6 fresh episodes yet to air, and I do hope you tune in enjoy the remainder of the series. They’re the best we’ve done.”
As he wrapped up his sentiments, Sears signed off with, “The more I know, the less I understand. All the things I figured out I have to learn again. I’ve been trying to get down to the heart of the matter. But everything changes…Thank you, Brilliant Minds.”
Calderon took to his Instagram story and simply shared, “Thank You, Brilliant Minds.”
The medical drama was created and executive produced by Michael Grassi alongside Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Leigh London Redman, Lee Toland Krieger, DeMane Davis, Jasmine Russ, Henrik Bastin, Jonathan Cavendish, Andy Serkis and Shefali Malhoutra.
So, what do you think of NBC’s decision to cancel Brilliant Minds after two seasons? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Jonathan Bennett Receives 3 ‘Critics Choice Real TV Awards’ Nominations for Hallmark Series, ‘Finding Mr. Christmas’
Many things are coming up roses for Jonathan Bennett! On the heels of the news that he is set to debut this month in the role of Joe Fitzpatrick on General Hospital, who is rumored to be a new love interest for Lucas Jones (Van Hansis), comes the news that Bennett’s reality series, Finding Mr. Christmas has received 3 nomination for the Critics Choice Real TV Awards.
Bennett’s Hallmark Channel series finds itself in tough competition alongside fellow nominees: RuPaul’s Drag Race (MTV), Squid Game: The Challenge (Netflix), Survivor 50 (CBS), Top Chef (Bravo) and The Traitors (Peacock). In addition, Jonathan himself is nominated for Best Show Host and the series participants as the Best Ensemble Cast in an Unscripted Series.
The Critics Choice Association (CCA) revealed the nominees for the eighth annual Critics Choice Real TV Awards on Thursday, which recognize excellence in nonfiction, unscripted and reality programming across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. Winners will be announced online at CriticsChoice.com on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at 9:00am PT/12:00pm ET.

Photo: Hallmark
Taking to his Instagram to celebrate the nominations, GH’s Bennett, enthused, “3 Critic Choice Nominations! I’m so proud of the FINDING MR CHRISTMAS and to be in the company of all the legends in all these categories is so surreal! Congrats to Hallmark Channel and to our nominated cast and nominated show and everyone who made this magical show possible. This is crazy! This gives FMC 6 Critics Choice nominations in 2 years. Not bad for a little show on Hallmark Channel. What are your thoughts on our show?” Jumping first into the comment thread was one of his new GH co-stars, Dominic Zamprogna (Dante) who expressed, “Yeah buddy!!!🔥🔥”
In the series, Bennett, the host and co-creator spends eight weeks guiding 10 aspiring actors through a series of “festive face-offs” and acting challenges alongside actors like soap opera notables, Hunter King (ex-Summer, Y&R) and Alison Sweeney (Sami, DAYS). Along the way, they develop their skills and a bond with one another. The show, which is available on Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Plus, highlights LGBTQ+ representation with openly gay contestants vying to be the next Hallmark star.
It should be noted that Traitors received the most Critics Choice Real TV Award nominations with 6 nods, followed by Dancing with the Stars with 4.
Bennett is very familiar to daytime fans having started his career as JR Chandler on All My Children in 2000-2001, before landing the part of Aaron Samuels in the motion picture, Mean Girls in 2004 starring Lindsay Lohan, which would become his breakout performance.
You can check out the full list of Critics Choice Real TV Award nominations here.
So, excited for Jonathan Bennett’s General Hospital debut this month? Have you ever watched Finding Mr. Christmas on Hallmark? Let us know via the comment section below.
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I am beyond excited about this. Ron is amazing and a true fan of this genre. I know not everyone agrees or likes some of this storytelling but he is 1000 times better than the other hacks writing for daytime now. Thanks Ron for making this OLTL fans day. Now just bring Dorian Lord and Lindsay Rappaport back for the TOLN.com version.
Soo existed about this news!! hopefully everyone else will sign on tooo .. great step in the right direction !!
This is the best news of the week! Nobody does humor better than Ron. Now I am just holding out for Robin Strasser, Illene Kristen, Bree Williamson, Roger Howarth, Florencia Lozano, Tuc Watkins, Robert Woods, Hillary B Smith, JP Lavoisier, Austin Williams, Peter Bartlett (Nigel), and KISH back by any means necessary! I would love for Chris Stack and Kathy Brier to stay on, as well as Dan Gaulthier and Gina Tognoni. That would be enough for me.
I can’t wait to see what One Life To Live is like when it is online.
Plus, I’m sure he thinks getting away from ABC Daytime is probably the best thing for him….Lord knows that Brian Frons & Company probably have their sites set on getting rid of GH now. I just don’t trust ABC anymore….
OMG, I am so happy! Hopefully now Ron can write more freely without you-know-who breathing down his neck. With Frank, Ron, Erika and so much of the cast moving over, I’m feeling really optimistic about the future of ONE LIFE TO LIVE. Hopefully, AMC can have some good fortune, too, like Susan Lucci signing on, because I’d really like to see these two shows survive and thrive in this new frontier of internet broadcasting. Also, I wonder if any other canceled soaps will be resurrected. It’d be great to see ATWT, GL and/or AW rebooted and broadcast online. If OLTL and AMC do well, maybe PP can approach P&G about getting these other soaps back out there. I am hoping this will be a soaps renaissance. Long live ONE LIFE TO LIVE.
This is wonderful news. I am really thrilled about Llanview’s on-line future–yay! 🙂
So glad to hear Ron will be staying on…and also glad to hear Melissa Archer is staying she is my favorite on the show along with John, can’t wait to see what its like when pp takes over!! a fan of AMC and OLTL forever
The baby business is long overdue, Brody is wrong & so is Natalie. Maybe a new blood test Should be taken For Jess’s baby, & if Brody is the father, Jess can keep baby but let him know he is the father and Ford will help her with the baby. The blood tests got too many hands in it. Natalie has hurt her sister and John so bad. Brody needs to get out of town back where he came from and Natalie needs to get right with her sister. And John can take care of his baby , but don’t take Natalie back she is always going from man to man enough already.
Jared, I would LOVEEEEE if they brought Guiding Light to Prospect Park! Most of the cast would come back. And as long as they don’t have hacks like Ellen Wheeler and writers like David Kreizman and have amazing ones like they had in the past then this would be awesome!!!
So glad Frank and Ron are commited to OLTL. Makes me feel so much better for the online version. Can’t wait to see this and see what they can do online as opposed to network tv.
This guy could have left for General Hospital but is sticking with his show, a class act!!
I think that John really needs to know the truth that he is the Father of Natalie’s baby and not Brody. Brody really needs to see reality that he is not Liam’s Father John is. and Jack man I always knew he lied but doing this to his own Father just because his uncle Victor is the only Father he has ever known that is just cruel Jack manning is cruel I mean where does he think his last name came from it sure did not come from Victor.
Now how dumb do you think we are. Stacy-GiGi how did this all come about ? Stacy
reading the computer also? How did she get in their house. And how can they get from Ok. to Landveiw in 1/2 hour. What child would drop a letter and not give it to her mother or open it to if money is in it. I am getting fed up with all this Grim’s story telling
OLTL is doing. Glad when it is all over no computer watching for me. I know it is soaps, but make it a little believable. IT is so dull now nothing to turn on that channel for other shows are more interesting to watch. Get kim out of jail, get rid of Cutter.
So its set for an online viewing…Frank I think is out for himself.
Please correct me if I’m wrong.
That article dates from September 30th, 2011. That was before Prospect Park “suspended” (read cancelled said in a polite way) on November 23rd the plan to bring back OLTL for January 2012.