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Willkommen To Ze Nurses Ball! Dr. Obrecht Hijacks The Opening Number On Day One!

By Michael Fairman

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Courtesy/ABC

Courtesy/ABC

For those who were looking forward to the 2014 GH Nurses Ball, the first episode of the big event lived up to the hype!

Day one offered up red carpet dazzle, hilarious counterpoint moments from two sit-at-home and watch-from-the-sideline duos, and a showstopping never-saw-this coming, but oh-so-apropos opening number to kick off the gala of the year in Port Charles!

You have to give it up again for the uber-talented Kathleen Gati, who as Dr.  Obrecht decided to hijack the opening number of “Welcome to the Nurses Ball” with her own little ditty, “Willkommen” from Cabaret!  Letting it be known that she is the Chief of Staff at General Hospital, Dr  O delivers a saucy rendition complete with some scantily clad supposed nurses as her dance chorus!  The room is left speechless and the faces on some of the characters during cutaway shots are priceless! What a clever idea from head writer Ron Carlivati and executive producer Frank Valentini, when many thought the opening number would just be a re-treading of last year’s!

As Port Charles most glamorous and notorious walked the red carpet, the show cutaway to a now miserable Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) watching the arrivals in her bathrobe along her former co-conspirator Brad (Parry Shen) who also doesn’t have a date for the ball.  The duo watch the red carpet unfolding and then have a field day replaying the video of poor Sam (Kelly Monaco) tripping in her heels and falling on the carpet … a real red carpet faux pas, indeed!

At Wyndemere, it’s the father and son duo of Spencer (Nicolas Bechtel) and Nikolas (Tyler Christopher) that had us chuckling, especially when Cameron’s foreshadowing for Spencer comes true; the little prince will be sitting at home in his Batman pajamas, eating pizza with his dad, watching the ball on TV!  Spencer then tells Nikolas that they need to get to the ball pronto!  As does Levi (Zachary Garred), who sees how miserable Maxie (Kirsten Storms), the former fashionista is missing out on all the glam!  There was some cute one-liners from Maxie too, as she watched her friends walk the red carpet and saw those gowns!

Tomorrow the Nurses Ball continues! But first, watch the hysterical and brilliant opening number featuring Dr Liesl Obrecht AKA Kathleen Gati as she welcomes everyone to Ze Nurses Ball!  Then let us know, what was your favorite moment in part one of the Nurses Ball 2014?

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Loved it!!

I guess for now Cartoony get what they want. A campy villainous character does something outrageous and gets attention. How about the other 200 episodes a year?

KG was amusing. I could take it if the rest of the episode wasn’t so embarrassingly stupid and if the the show day after day wasn’t such a campy mess. Dr.O’s performance was a skit. That’s what GH has become, just a bunch of skits.

Last year the Ball occurred right at the 50th Anniversary. The Red Carpet was silly, but I saw it as a device to introduce all the vets who were back and to pay homage to them and their history. This year, it’s just stupid. There is so much about this Ball that is identical to last year’s. Have they no ideas. Mac is still busting on Frisco, a year later, after he won Felicia. Why?

I found the remarks on the show about Nathan and the tweets from TPTB to just be pathetic and I’ll leave it at that.

The Nurses Ball used to be an event that had heart, soul, well produced acts with very talented performers. Now it’s just a redux of last year’s and a silly campy event, just like everyday on GH.

It’s pretty funny that they bring out the vets for events to get attention and ratings but then they are relegated to two episodes a month and no story the rest of the time so that the newbies can dominate and drag the ratings down.

Its pretty funny that your claims in your post untrue. Veterans are on numerous times per week. Elizabeth, Nicholas, Sonny, Anna, Alexis, Tracy, Luke. Don’t even try to say they arent vets. Having 15 or more years on the show makes you a vet.

If you don’t like the show then don’t wantch. Oh wait then you couldn’t on here and whine and cry about the show. The ball was far from the same as last year. But hey keep watching a show thats so horrible.

OMG! she is absolutely priceless! I saved it on my dvr so I could watch it over and over. The absolute best villainess EVER!

I agree! LOVED IT! So much better than Molly and kiki’s number!

Kathleen Gati was GH’s find of the decade!

I absolutely agree; I love, love, love her!

Nice ! that s a marquee feature : and it’s Kathleen Gati

Agree Kathleen Gati was outstanding. Great job GH with another successfull nurses ball so far and lots more to come.

Whether being musical or maniacal, KG is magical!!!! Her sparkling presence has added so much to an otherwise bland GH….may she remain at the forefront for the foreseeable future, and finally win the Emmy she so richly deserves!!!!!

Loved it!

Das war ausgezeichnet!

The moment when the nurse’s bland opener gave way to Obrecht’s bizarro spectacular was epic! Truly awesome – looking forward to the rest!

When they said the show would be bigger, badder & sexier, they were not kidding. BRAVO! Last year’s opening number was criticized as not having enough pizzazz, similar to amateur hour – which is what most amateur productions would really look like. But, if GH really wants to hook an audience for 4 days, they DO need to bring a professional shine to the whole event. So, good job bringin’ it, GH!

BTW, if nurses really looked & moved like that, you’d have people lining up down the block for their annual checkup…3 months early. Dang, I wished the entire Ball had a CABARET theme. Ya think Obrecht will bring Mr. Marbles on stage to sing, “Money, Money, Money” with her while asking for donations to AIDS research?

well said Kansas

I was shocked… I too… had it in the back of my mind… that, last years, was amateur’ish… and boy… didn’t they do otherwise…

it was a big splash

Loved it; great episode. Gati is a joy to watch!

BRAVO!!!
THAT WAS FUN !!
great preformance!!

I read Kathleen Gati is a professional opera singer..
She rocked the house !!!!

She was great!!!

HOW this woman wasn’t nominated for an Emmy is a crime! LOVED IT…LOVE HER!!!

She shouldve been nominated…one of daytimes best!!!

glaring omission, that she’s not nominated

that being said : assessing from what interviews she’s shared

she clearly adores her job and being with this production

so natural in her delivery

bring out the bubbly : I celebrate her

How in the world could she not be nominated, she steals every single scene she’s in! AMAZZZING

Dear ABC: Shut up and take my money! I want to buy this song from iTunes!

Like i said, she stole the show but then again she is a criminal…lol…Kathleen Gati is a keeper but GH needs to make her a less violent villian!!!

WHAT A GREAT BEGINNING TO THE NURSES BALL. DR. O IS A KEEPER, CAN’T WAIT TO SEE THE REST. WHAT FUN

THE best addition o GH evah …. please do not ever redeem this fabulous villianess .. brava to Ms Gati

My DVR cut off the last ten minutes, but I have to say that was possibly the cheesiest episode of GH I’ve ever seen! So predictable and stereotypical. The feud between Spencer and Cameron is the only storyline I enjoyed.

Kathleen Gati is such a treasure. I know some are feeling overdosed on her, but Dr. O is just so fabulous. All that was missing was Victor Cassadine emerging from the crowd to shower his beloved with flowers and applause!

I also adored Brad and Britt eating ice cream, wearing sweats, and snarking on the red carpet coverage. Their friendship feels so much more real than you know who’s.

I agree with everything you said…

@C

that would have been a doozy of a shocker… if he did emerge… and SURPRISE Dr. O and the audience

would have been endearing and an emotional scene… as it would bring her some humane

I also got a huge kick out of Britt and Brad’s catty chat, although I really didn’t get the bit with Sam tripping up on the red carpet…why her? She looked so gorgeous in her gown, and she isn’t known for being clumsy. At first I thought perhaps she lost her balance because she might be expecting? Regardless, I didn’t find it one bit amusing….believe you me, there are plenty of other women on the show that I would have LOVED to see taking that dive…….most especially Alexis and Lucy, closely followed by Bobbie. (And of course, Sobby, but thankfully we weren’t subjected to her this year!) Quite frankly, I was underwhelmed with most of the gowns….many were just downright tacky, but I thought that Sam’s was one of the best!I was very disappointed with Anna’s…it did her no favors…the first one Lucy wore on stage (black with a full skirt) would have been a much better choice for Finola…she would have killed in it! Lastly, I do believe it is about time for Duke to retire his kilt….it was kinda cool back in the ’80’s, but old guys in knee socks really don’t cut it!!!!! P.S. As I was watching the parade of mostly tasteless fashions, I couldn’t help but think that Britt looked far more beautiful sitting around in that bathrobe than did most of the women all painted up and prodded into their so-called finery! Mutta was an exception though….KG was absolutely stunning in that unique color and style. I love when she is treated to haute couture!!!!

Good show!

Well it didn’t make me want to run out and get me some Yoplait yogurt — but it was amusing.

ditto

Loved it!!!

Dr. O’s Cabaret performance is the only thing I watched entirely in that episode, and it was so worth it. Bravo …

“Welcome, to, the SHOWstopper”

Leisl Obrecht

“I’m a Chanteuse” “This is a Theatre”

All hail the Big difference with GH.

———

bar none : this was far and away the better of last year… and it’s only day 1. just the way it was done, filmed, the set…. Classy! shouldn’t it be cabaret – broadway – BIG

other finer moments :

Brad and Britt : together, loved the bonding time : laughing together, commiserating, becoming friends. loved how they laughed, and I with… and repeated… when Sam fell on the red carpet

here comes the drama : Dante angered and belting out : You hurt MY mother, for “nothing” (Sonny, tells him it mean’t nothing”. Dante is fine.

Hunk of the Ball : Ned : Wally Kurth ! doesn’t he look yummy

Ladies gowned and gussied up :

Felicia : radiant
Olivia : stunning
Sam: love her in red

——–

this is minute : Maxie : what happened to her on her eat, love, pray sojourn : as she kowtows to Levi. think for yourself Maxie… hasn’t she always done that, irregardless.. we all know she’ll make it to the ball… and have her Nathan moment ???

I love the build up…. with Nicholas – and – Britt…. I’m certain they’ll have a meeting of the minds some how some way…. together again

I was in anticipation mode…. and that’s GOOD
Kathleen Gati : IS otherworldly, she brings it

Bravo!

Kathleen Gati is such a talented lady..I absolutely love her..so what if she is cartoonish she is great..!!!..I guess some of the haters miss deadpan faced Jason…ick..I don’t…he is part of the reason Y&R is so bland & boring..but I do like it just a tiny bit more since Cady McClain is on..I think it is great when villians have more than one dimension..you care about what makes them tick..sometimes on soaps..villians are just bad & there is nothing about them you can like..but Dr.O is certainly more than that..I really liked her rendition of “Is that all there is”..months ago..

The Nurses Ball has ALWAYS been abit cringe-worthy and I’ll admit that I was grousing when they started with that lame-o “welcome to the nurses ball” (even though that’s pretty much the level of talent at any hospital, I would think). But the surprise of Dr. O was brilliant.

I too think the show has gotten a little too campy for my tastes and I wish that FranknRon would ease up on the crazies and put more thought into crafting long term drama (and would get someone on staff to write better climaxes to stories, because Ron does not do them well)… but I am enjoying the show even in the resurgence of the All Sonny All The Time era.

Great start to the nurses ball looking forward to the rest. Id have to disagree that the show is all Sonny all the time. Nowhere near what it was in the past. Plenty of other stuff is featured including Sonny. No reason he shouldn’t be on. But some people are never happy.

@David…you’re not the only one guilty of this but it’s getting a tad tiring when one poster writes something that another poster doesn’t agree with…and you get the classic response such as yours: “but some people are never happy.” Man! I’ve read that so many times…

As for all Sonny all the time…yes; the story lines have branched out but if you think about it, almost all roads lead back to Sonny:

The Jeromes came to town to take down Sonny.

Ava slept with Sonny.

Sonny shot AJ.

Sonny betrayed Michael.

Sonny betrayed Morgan.

Sonny betrayed Olivia.

Olivia broke up with Sonny.

Luke is gunning for Sonny.

Spencer is trying to warn his Uncle Sonny.

Carly is protecting Sonny.

Sean’s new best friend and boss is Sonny.

Duke is working with Sonny.

Shall I go on???

But just to be fair…the “other” stories and characters who (at this point) aren’t necessarily centered around Sonny…have been front and center sporadically…so it’s all good. So to speak….

I didn’t realize how many story lines Sony is actually involved in until I read your post. Maybe some of the Sonny stories will start to slow down as some of the others pick up. Cant wait to see what happens with Fluke and Sonny, I do hope that ends quickly. I dislike Spencer, sorry to say. I think he is acting entitled, I suppose that’s the way he is supposed to act. But I just don’t like it. Onward and Upward.

WUNDERBAR! Encore, encore!!!!!!!

This show has become a parody of a soap and it’s actually a little painful to watch. We’ve lost so many shows – and some pretty good ones, so to see the remaining ABC soap made into a joke, to see characters made into caricatures, and to see cartoon characters hog up screen time is as sad as it is infuriating.
Whoever it is that plays Dr. O, yeah, she’s got some talent, I suppose, underneath all the ham – all the ham that’s written for her by Ron C. But characters like this always worked best in small doses. And she’s the main course most weeks. Frankly I can’t stand her. I’d take Woody the Super Detective over her, just because I can take bad acting over the parody of GH that she represents. But wait…he’s her son, and she’s his MUTTER. GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH.
I wonder why Ron C. is doing this. He did some bad stuff on OLTL, that’s for sure – the Ford brothers – and he’s always had a weakness for admiring his own humor – but what he’s done on GH is so beyond anything he did on OLTL.
I’m not finding anything funny on GH anymore. It just makes me sad, and sadder still to see the show brought so low and so disrespected by a writer who I thought knew better.

It’s really sad to see the last ABC soap in the hands of someone who only sees the show as a vehicle for his humor. It’s astonishing to see in what contempt he really must hold the genre that has been his bread and butter. What a betrayal.

Been watching the 2014 production of the Nurses Ball. Who is the female singer performing the duet with
Wally Kurth ( Ned Ashton?). Is it KiKi Clay? Great number by the way! Wally still has it! Fun stuff! :–))

omg Ms Gati was amazing. imo the best thing to happen at the nurse’s ball in a long time. Bravo Ms Gati. Broadway awaits!!!

Imo Ms Gait was amazing as Dr O. Bravo Ms Gait Broadway awaits

I really enjoyed the Cabaret song.K G is a very talented women, of course her running the hospital is stupid. She did bring it. She had me singing along. After two days she was still the most entertaining number. I don’t watch too much of GH anymore bu6t I wanted to DVR the NB so I could watch if I wanted to. I also liked Britt and brad. they were funny Someone shoot Levi he is almost as annoying as Sonny and he hasn’t been on as long. Someone find out what hospi6tal maxie was in she acts like she had a lobotomy. Can’t tptb find a normal guy for maxie ? Ron gets his strip again?

Dr. O stole the show (as usual). I usually don’t like kids on GH, but Spencer is growing on me (townie—heh!).

I really enjoyed the opening number on a few different levels, as well as the entire episode. So far so good

Fab. U. Lous.

I think Michael Fairman should’ve been on the Red Carpet doing the interviews!

General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Carly and Lulu Make Plans to Rescue Their Children; Anna Looks Determined to Secure Her Freedom

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This week on all-new episodes of General Hospital, the race is on! Can Lulu (Alexa Havins) and Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) get to Rocco (Finn Carr) and Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) in time to ensure their safety from Cullum (Andrew Hawkes)? Can Carly (Laura Wright) with the help of her brother, Lucas (Van Hansis) rescue Josslyn (Eden McCoy) from captivity at Wyndemere? These questions may be answered, plus the return of the one and only Anna Devane (Finola Hughes) are on tap!

In the just released General Hospital spoilers video for the week of June 22-26, Lulu tells her mother, Laura (Genie Francis), “Dante and I have to get to Rocco before Cullum!” Meanwhile, Rocco (Finn Carr) looks angered and emotional as Britt walks through their cabin hideout. Does Rocco know his parents are on the way to find them, or has Cullum already tracked them down to the British Virgin Islands?

Back in Port Charles, Carly is informing Lucas that his niece, “is a WSB agent.” She knows Josslyn (Eden McCoy) is being held against her will at Wyndemere, and she has to find a way to get her out. Lucas agrees with Carly’s plan of, “We go in and we don’t leave without Josslyn!” Elsewhere, Josslyn is looking worried for her future as she is stuck in captivity thanks to Cassius, Cullum and Sidwell!

Courtesy/ABC

FINOLA HUGHES RETURNS

The final moments of the teaser promo reveal Anna in a psychiatric clinic in France. We have not seen her for months after Cullum, Sidwell and Pascal fed her hallucinogenics to make her believe her arch nemesis, Cesar Faison was alive!

Now, the doctors walk towards her hospital bed, where we see the super spy calmly knitting. Is Anna back to normal and playing everyone to get out of her predicament, or does she still remain deeply traumatized … or both?

Take a look at the rest of the official GH spoilers for the week below.

MONDAY, JUNE 22
Willow gets an unwelcome surprise. Trina sticks to her guns. “Nathan” wants reassurance. Ethan advises Ava. Brook Lynn receives an update.

TUESDAY, JUNE 23
Dante cautions Liz. Laura learns a secret. Brook Lynn confides in Michael. Sonny challenges Ava. Chase makes a decision.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24
Anna meets with her doctor. Carly makes a stunning confession. Britt extracts a promise. Cullum pulls a fast one. Gio and Emma hit the pool.

THURSDAY, JUNE 25
Josslyn clashes with Cassius. Lulu and Dante make a discovery. Chase receives a warning. Jordan seeks help. Alexis is summoned to the PCPD.

FRIDAY, JUNE 26
Anna takes a huge risk. Britt is in grave danger. Willow is in disbelief. Danny must act fast. Curtis jumps to the wrong conclusion.

Check out the latest General Hospital promo entitled, “Rescue Mission” below.

Now weigh-in: Do you think Anna is still mentally off-balance, or OK, and just pretending to be troubled to get out of France and get back to Port Charles? Will Josslyn finally be rescued, or will Carly and Lucas find themselves locked up with her? And, who will get to Britt and Rocco first? Cullum, or Dante and Lulu? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section below.

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General Hospital

Maurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric

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With the highly-anticipated returns of Finola Hughes (Anna Devane) on this week’s June 24 episode of General Hospital, Steve Burton’s (Jason Morgan) upcoming return on July 13, which also serves as the ABC daytime drama’s 16,000 episode, things are about to fire on all cylinders in the story, as noted today by series star, Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos).

On Father’s Day, the three-time Daytime Emmy-winning actor and mental health activist took to his Instagram and expressed in a video that he has some unbelievable upcoming senes with the aforementioned Burton and Hughes. Add to that Nazneen Contractor (Justine Turner) and Rick Hearst (Ric Lansing), where Benard gave credit where credit is due to the GH writing team, which is led by co-head writers, Elizabeth Korte and Chris Van Etten..

In this video, Benard said, “I just want to get on here and say that I did some work with Steve Burton, Finola Hughes, Rick Hearst, Nazneen Contractor, and they’re all just fantastic. Truly fantastic. But, I want to say the writing was just exceptional. It truly was. It was exceptional. So, thankful for that kind of writing. I know writers don’t get the credit a lot, but I just want to say to the General Hospital writing team, keep rolling!”

GENERAL HOSPITAL PREVIEW

So now the question becomes, with a major tease like that, what is about to go down between Sonny, Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric? Will we finally get to the end of the line for Sidwell (Carlo Rota), as previously teased by the GH co-head writers? Will we learn what happened to Jason and Anna, fully? Will Justine and Sonny becomes closer or stop their liaisons? And what of Ric? Will he be true blue to his brother or double-cross him? There is a lot at stake as we move further into the summer and one that looks like it could be one of the more exciting ones in years!

FINOLA HUGHES CONFIRMED AMAZING SCENES WITH MAURICE BENARD

As a punctuation point to his video, Benard also shared this written message in the post: “I just did some wonderful scenes with Steve Burton, Rick Hearst, Finola Hughes and Nazneen Contractor and  and unbelievable writing, freaking amazing scenes that you will see in the near future on General Hospital.” In fact, Finola Hughes jumped in the post comment thread and responded, “I loved our scenes so much xxx”

Fans will most likely see all the scenes Benard referred to later in July, since GH tapes approximately six weeks ahead of air.

So, are you excited to see what Maurice is talking about? Are you hyped for what’s to come on GH? Any clue on what you think will go down between the main characters on the soap with the returns of Anna Devane and Jason Morgan to the mix? Weigh-in via the comment section below.

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‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Announces Upcoming Release of His First Single, ‘If You Need Me’

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In a surprise move, Daytime Emmy winner, Chad Duell (ex-Michael Corinthos, GH) is getting ready to unveil a new chapter of his career in music.

The former GH star, where he played the son of Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and Carly Spencer (Laura Wright) for 15 years, has announced his new single, “If You Need Me” will drop on Friday, June 26. The single is now available for pre-order on Spotify and major music streaming platforms and is distributed by DistroKid.

Taking to his Instagram story over the weekend, to announce the pre-save of his new single, Chad expressed, “I’ll make a full post about what I’ve been up to and my music once it goes live next week, but you can pre-save my first single so it goes straight to your Spotify once it drops next week.”

Photo: CDuellIG

SINCE LEAVING GENERAL HOSPITAL

Previously, since his departure from the ABC soap opera. Chad starred alongside Zach Mendez in the world premiere of of Yum Yum at Annapolis, a new play written by Bruce Reisman. Duell last appeared on General Hospital on the January 21, 2025 episode.

The part was recast with Rory Gibson who debuted as the new Michael in May of 2025 during the Nurses’ Ball episodes and who has remained in the role since that time.

In an interview earlier this year on The Able Show, Duell said on his decision to exit the soap opera, “I was blessed to be part of that (show) for as long as I have, but what happens sometimes is if you’re doing the same thing, especially in a creative field for such a long time, you can get a little burnt out in a way. It can make you a little depressed, so that’s kind of what happened. On top of that, I had other things going on in my life at the time. My father passed away recently and I just needed a reset. So, I stepped away. A lot of times you have to go through some stuff to really step into that next level. I needed to kind of feel uncomfortable.”

So, what type of musical genre will Chad’s new song be? Country? Pop? Rock? Dance/Club? Something else? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below, and if you are eager to hear the new single next week via the comment section below.

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Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

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