GH In The News: The PC Press Club

[Chairperson Meow]

3 hours ago, yowsah1 said:

YOU SHUT YOUR WHORE MOUTH!!!!!  ;)

DAYS OF OUR LIVES has apparently been gaining viewers recently.  I suspect that the recent flop sweat moves are a panicked attempt to try and stave off DOOL knocking GH down to last place.

It's not a far jump.  

[Oracle42]

3 hours ago, wonderwoman said:

When she was at CBS Daytime, word is that she was the driving force behind the final horrible years of As the World Turns. But, according to what I've read, she's going to be writing breakdowns, not a place to inflict any real damage.  And I guess she's got to earn a living:)

If GH is interested in hiring writers that haven't presided over or participated in the destruction and cancellation of at least one soap opera there are several former GH writers who used to create excellent scenes out of even the worst of Guza's stories. 

[Darklazr]

GH is either getting a hail Mary move with Bloom back at ABC or FV is out the door.  Eh.  I enjoyed OLTL 80% of the time under FV and RC, but FV has turned GH into a dumping ground for his supposed pets / gets.  

[TeeVee329]

I wouldn't lump Jessica Tuck into the "All Frank cares about are his pets/OLTL-ers are overrunning the show!" category at all.  As she kinda adorably noted in that interview, he was a PA during her heyday at OLTL and I'd wager most people nowadays know her from her primetime work.

And given this gonzo push on Steve Burton and now them reeling in Tamara Braun - and that Rebecca Budig was likely fired to free up cash for these two - the last thing Frank seems to be doing is trying to turn GH into OLTL, he's doubling down on the Guza-y-est parts of GH.

Edited September 20, 2017 by TeeVee329

[Mrs. Stanwyck]

Quote

And given this gonzo push on Steve Burton and now them reeling in Tamara Braun - and that Rebecca Budig was likely fired to free up cash for these two - the last thing Frank seems to be doing is trying to turn GH into OLTL, he's doubling down on the Guza-y-est parts of GH.

If only someone could make him see that those are not the only two options.

[dubbel zout]

15 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

Sarah Brown failed in a new role. So, yeah, let's fail again with ANOTHER ex-Carly!

IMO, Claudia's failure wasn't SJB's, it was the writers'. The character was all over the place. SJB tried, but Claudia was too big a mess to work.

[jsbt]

47 minutes ago, TeeVee329 said:

I wouldn't lump Jessica Tuck into the "All Frank cares about are his pets/OLTL-ers are overrunning the show!" category at all.  As she kinda adorably noted in that interview, he was a PA during her heyday at OLTL and I'd wager most people nowadays know her from her primetime work.

And given this gonzo push on Steve Burton and now them reeling in Tamara Braun - and that Rebecca Budig was likely fired to free up cash for these two - the last thing Frank seems to be doing is trying to turn GH into OLTL, he's doubling down on the Guza-y-est parts of GH.

I'd be less inclined to believe it if he stopped making special videos for the OLTL cast and his favored performers.

[TeeVee329]

I guess that's true.

I'm honestly more surprised there hasn't been a pop-in from a legit OLTL character a la Nora in the spring.  I thought that was the shape of things to come.  But, like I said, the show's been focusing harder than ever on the Sonny/Carly/Jason trinity, now with an extra Jason and an extra Carly.

Edited September 20, 2017 by TeeVee329

[Oracle42]

2 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

IMO, Claudia's failure wasn't SJB's, it was the writers'. The character was all over the place. SJB tried, but Claudia was too big a mess to work.

I think she could have worked if they'd released her from Sonny's orbit and spun her off into Nik's. There was real chemistry between the two and she would have been better off interacting with a completely different set of characters. 

[dubbel zout]

1 hour ago, TeeVee329 said:

I'm honestly more surprised there hasn't been a pop-in from a legit OLTL character a la Nora in the spring.  I thought that was the shape of things to come.

The OLTL and GH workplaces don't overlap too much, so there's not much reason for a OLTL character to be on GH. Nora worked because she was a lawyer and GH has a law scene, such as it is. The LPD was so much more competent than the PCPD is that it would cruel for someone like Bo to visit. I'd love for Greg Evans to pop into GH so he could flail down the corridor and/or utter such gems as "A brain is not a foot" (an actual line of dialogue), but the hospital isn't much of a story driver. It's more a place for people to run into one another and talk about other plots.

[ulkis]

3 hours ago, TeeVee329 said:

And given this gonzo push on Steve Burton and now them reeling in Tamara Braun - and that Rebecca Budig was likely fired to free up cash for these two - the last thing Frank seems to be doing is trying to turn GH into OLTL, he's doubling down on the Guza-y-est parts of GH.

There has been speculation that the network forced Steve on the show/Frank, whoever the hell "the network" is supposed to be comprised of.

[TeeVee329]

13 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

I'd love for Greg Evans to pop into GH so he could flail down the corridor and/or utter such gems as "A brain is not a foot" (an actual line of dialogue), but the hospital isn't much of a story driver.

The hospital not much of a story driver on "General Hospital".  Siiigh.

And as fun as it'd be to see Dr. Greg flail, you know what doctor I would want to visit Port Charles... #showinmyhead

[jsbt]

35 minutes ago, ulkis said:

There has been speculation that the network forced Steve on the show/Frank, whoever the hell "the network" is supposed to be comprised of.

I don't buy that. Frank wanted to keep Steve even after he iced him out. He is almost always about getting stars back.

[UYI]

5 hours ago, TeeVee329 said:

I wouldn't lump Jessica Tuck into the "All Frank cares about are his pets/OLTL-ers are overrunning the show!" category at all.  As she kinda adorably noted in that interview, he was a PA during her heyday at OLTL and I'd wager most people nowadays know her from her primetime work.

 

Yeah, Paul Rauch was the one who hired her, and Linda Gottlieb had just arrived when she left in 1992 (and I think she had already planned to leave even before that EP change occurred, too). 

Edited September 20, 2017 by UYI

[Chairperson Meow]

1 hour ago, ulkis said:

There has been speculation that the network forced Steve on the show/Frank, whoever the hell "the network" is supposed to be comprised of.

I believe it.  EW only covers what it knows of soaps, and people actually think Jason Morgan as played by Steve is the show.  I've seen tons of other shows have characters mention or watch GH and it's Jason or Luke and Laura that get mentioned.   However, if Steve  fails to bring ratings,  I totally expect Frank to dial back all the Guza stuff.

[statsgirl]

1 hour ago, Chairperson Meow said:

  However, if Steve  fails to bring ratings,  I totally expect Frank to dial back all the Guza stuff.

Fingers crossed.

[jsbt]

No one is ever going to dial back Sonny, Jason and the mob again without a fundamental shift in the network's outlook re: GH which is unlikely to come short of cancellation.

Edited September 20, 2017 by jsbt

[dubbel zout]

I don't think even cancellation will shift the focus off the mob. That's the hill they're willing to die on, alas.

[TeeVee329]

The show's been turning up the dial on the Sonny/Carly/Jason trinity for a long while now.  Adding in another Jason and another Carly is certainly the peak, but like dubbel zout said, this is clearly the hill they've chosen to die on.

[dubbel zout]

Once they brought in BM as Jason?OrNot, that was it.

[WendyCR72]

5 hours ago, statsgirl said:

However, if Steve  fails to bring ratings,  I totally expect Frank to dial back all the Guza stuff.

This all (two Carlys, Jasons) smells of desperation to me. I think if ratings don't rise, maybe cancellation is on the table. There's only so low ratings can go before the sets consist of a lightbulb and chair due to no budget.

And since this is the last ABC soap and there are only four in total, anyway...

[IWantCandy71]

Good grief I'm so glad I'm not watching. Pretty much sounds like any soul they had left, is dead. Oh, wait. It left with JE, didn't it?  YUP. And sadly-if they'd just focus on the Q's and give them real STORIES, and balance the show again, it might be okay. Maybe. But nope. They gotta  turn the show back into "Mobsters/Killers and the people who love them". Okay then.

[UYI]

I'm suspicious of this whole "two Carlys" thing. For all we know, Laura could be leaving and Tamara coming back, or someone is just leaking rumors about Tamara to pressure Laura in her contract negotiations. I'm very much in a "wait and see" mood on this particular thing. 

[ciarra]

"Why I came back"

No one else would hire you?

Where else can you stare and grunt throughout the day and get paid?

And what's that on your face?  I've never seen you smile.

[jsbt]

He (probably) doesn't need more money. He just wants more.

[Sake614]

he smiled a lot on Y&R

[TeeVee329]

I also love Lucy/Lynn Herring!  I do wish Ron had done better by her, but I should be happy he brought her back to town, something I neeever thought would happen during the Guza years.

[UYI]

I agree. Ron has many, MANY flaws, but he brought back a bunch of characters Guza probably forgot existed because he didn't create them himself (or they weren't already in the mob). 

Edited September 22, 2017 by UYI

[Chairperson Meow]

22 hours ago, UYI said:

I agree. Ron has many, MANY flaws, but he brought back a bunch of characters Guza probably forgot existed because he didn't create them himself (or they weren't already in the mob). 

He also killed Jason, reduced our Sonny viewing a lot, and tried those first few mos.  

[LexieLily]

I can't imagine that it is any sort of surprise to any of you but Jean P admitted that they went to Google for Sam's cat poop disease once they figured out they wanted her to shoot Sonny and needed a reason for it.

[Neptune]

 

ICYMI JEAN PASSANANTE INTERVIEW

http://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/icymi-jean-passanante-interview2/

[sunnyface]

Quote

From the JP interview:  "On GH, I really liked the Morgan stuff that we did leading up to and following his death, when we first figured out that he was bipolar. I loved Sonny and Alexis finding out about Kristina [possibly being gay]; watching Sonny rise above Kristina’s expectations was just great. I love Alexis’s family of girls because I come from a family of girls. Writing for Laura Wright [Carly], her reactions after Morgan’s death … her capacity to be this warmhearted, affectionate mom and be an absolute harridan at the same time is really amazing. Bringing Liz and Franco together; the two of them are so good together, such good actors, and they’ve had a delicate touch with it."

Good riddance Jean.  The show is called General HOSPITAL for a reason.  It's not called the 'Corinthos Family Hour'.  It's not a soap about men who cherish violence/mob/psychotic behavior and the women-folk who tacitly support them.  

[Oracle42]

Quote

Bringing Liz and Franco together;..., and they’ve had a delicate touch with it."

That story has had all the delicacy of a jackhammer

[Asp Burger]

Mo just outlasts everyone. Executive producers, writers, other actors.

I remember when Jill Farren Phelps took over, late 2000, and she was talking about how they had a good cast, and she wanted to feature all of it, not just one or two people.  A lot of people at the time, who had already overdosed on Sonny and Carly, were all, "Take that, Maurice and Sarah! Maybe JFP is going to be good for the show after all."

Then I remember when Ingo came back with a lot of fanfare in 2001. There was some fan speculation that this was going to be the thing that toppled Sonny, because now they had a popular leading man type who was 30 rather than close to 40.  

Then I remember Ted King. "Well, the show is gangster-crazy, but maybe they're phasing Sonny out. This new guy's around Maurice's age, and possibly a better actor, and they went to the trouble of giving him a twin who was more sympathetic than the first one, and he's even getting Carly. "

On and on...I'll pass lightly over the Drab Four era, but then there was Johnny Zacchara. Finally, a reprieve, right? Bad boy who's around the age Sonny was when he started out. This has to be the start of the new cycle, right? Then there was Dante. Is Sonny really going to still be the show's central figure when he has an adult son who's actually exceeding his air time for long periods? SORAS-ed Michael...the Ron Carlivati era, which I missed a lot of, but I gather Sonny came as close to back burnerdom as he had in 30 years, and it didn't last. The reintroduction of Julian Jerome...was anyone falling for it by this point?

I think he's got his teeth sunk so deeply into this thing that nothing is ever going to dislodge him.  If he's playing second fiddle to anyone, it's going to be the Steve Burton Jason, and that barely counts. They are practically one two-headed character.  

Edited September 25, 2017 by Asp Burger

[Neptune]

[Cheyanne11]

LOL at the intercom "Patient 6 is on the loose!" announcement.  I see the show is going all out by using the backstage halls of the studio for ~location shooting.

[dubbel zout]

Ooooh, Michael snaps at Nelle! Too bad they'll be back to boring coupledom by the end of the week.

Pandora's got nothing on Patient 6.

Actually, she does, because at least when she closed the box, hope was left. I have no hope Patient 6 will enhance the show.

[TeeVee329]

Welp, no more Jax for the foreseeable future:

https://www.tvinsider.com/446115/the-bold-and-the-beautiful-casting-ingo-rademacher-new-thorne-forrester/

[WendyCR72]

I was just coming here to post about Ingo. Wow. But, you know what? Good for him! Jax was never going to win against Sonny and Jason, ever. So...onward.

I'll always pine for my Jaxis, though!

Interestingly, Rena Sofer is on B&B, too. I wonder if she'll be in stories with Ingo?

[WendyCR72]

Aww, Jason Thompson is a Daddy again. Congrats to him, his wife, and the new big brother.

[dubbel zout]

He named his children Rome and Bowie. I...am not a giant fan of those names for humans.

[WendyCR72]

So with B&B snagging Ingo, how long before we hear about Winsor Harmon as Jimmy Lee Holt or some crap?

[stlbf]

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

He named his children Rome and Bowie. I...am not a giant fan of those names for humans.

And added Coco as the middle name. I just don't understand some parents' ideas for names. 

Congrats for sure. 

Edited September 25, 2017 by stlbf

[movingtargetgal]

Having Jimmy Lee Holt back on the canvas could be fun.  I guess WH could work if Steve Bond is not available.  I have been a fan of Steve Bond ever since he bared all in Playgirl magazine. :)  I think I would get in trouble for posting a link to the photos but you can google "steve bond playgirl" and you will be able to find them.

Edited September 25, 2017 by movingtargetgal

[UYI]

Dude, when and how did Winsor Harmon leave B&B? How did I miss THAT?

 

Good for Ingo, though. 

ETA: Never mind, I found the scoop. Just...wow. How weird. 

Edited September 26, 2017 by UYI

[TeeVee329]

Well this is lame...

[dubbel zout]

At least she got cake?

[Neptune]

 

ICYMI STEVE BURTON INTERVIEW

http://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/icymi-steve-burton-interview/

[TeeVee329]

Sad, Anne Jeffreys - who played Amanda Barrington on both "General Hospital" and "Port Charles" -  has passed away.  Let's see if the show acknowledges it at all given a) we learned during the vampire storyline that Amanda had died off-screen and b) her granddaughter and great-grandson are both also dead.

[UYI]

And Lucy isn't on the show now, is she? They were friends and would work on the Nurses Ball together.