Dateline Port Charles: Needs More Cow (boy) Bell

Previous thread:

Cody gets to live in this designer stable. I'm jealous.

Cody is not a strong actor as evidenced by his weak performance in the reveal yesterday and today. Shouldn't he be better at this given his past soap experience?

Also, he needs to cut back on the carbs.

I never found his Cutter on OLTL all that compelling, either.

Can we just fire everybody except the teen set? They’re the only ones who bring it every week.

Frank Valentini casting people in parking lots or via text is killing this show. The Cody character is a disaster.

The other thread is officially paywalled now.

Carry on!

I love Cody but it is because of the actor, he is very much my type a hot country-lite guy.

They're giving Cody some ties to the show but not enough that they'd need to recast if they every sent the character on the GH down elevator

Still thinking they brought the actor on the show as a short term placeholder until they can get SB back on the show

Remember how good this show used to be?

Luke sure had some bizarre hairdos over the years.

Interesting.

They refer to MEK "messing up" and Todd being the beneficiary and getting Catherine. Wonder what MEK did....

^^^^I hit post too soon:

Catherine didn't want Hasselhoff's name mentioned and of course Mo did anyway.

Todd discusses Carrie at length. Says his dad was Bipolar.

That they had the nerve to put Jordan and Rory in scenes alone together; wood on wood.

That homophobe Cabrera actor has little man syndrome. He’s a useless character. All the women tower over the little man. He tried to make himself bigger by bullying gays.

Speaking of gays. Does GH plan on doing something with their gays?

The show is so bad right now. Sr. dross and Fr. Cameron, inexplicably celibate after their one encounter. Now dross is going to fuck babyJason and probably get knocked up with his kid. Elizabeth's "story" is awful; hardly bears discussing. Cody is a dud. Like Austin. Like Finn. Like NuNik. Brook Lynn and Chase are as bad as the nun and priest; they should have started sleeping together months ago. I could go on and on but I'm depressing myself. I honestly think it would be better off to end the show.

[quote] Sr. dross and Fr. Cameron, inexplicably celibate after their one encounter.

I wouldn't say inexplicable considering they had their first time taped and shared with the world. GH should've done more with the emotional fallout the two of them would've experienced.

Lots of 45 year anniversaries to celebrate this year, although only Leslie Charleson has been on without a break even though she's been MIA almost all year. Genie, Kin and Jackie all joined sometime in 1977, the same year that Stuart Damon joined, as well as Susan Brown. Peter Hansen returned after less than a year's absence. Todd Davis joined as Scotty's pal, Bryan. Frank Maxwell joined as horny old Dan Rooney.

Brooke Bundy took over as Diana Taylor from 8 year vet Valarie Starrett, and Mary O'Brien was the new Heather, replacing Cher's sister. She didn't last long on GH (just over a year), but Anna Stuart joined early on as Gina, the sister of Mark Dante. They killed off Mark's wife Mary Ellen and quickly gave him a new love interest, Katie Corbin. Rick and Jeff's sister, Terri, was sent away and never mentioned again.

Howard Lansing made my mussy moist!

BB: Well, because we were on day after day, we had the time to develop those layers. Each episode would take the storyline up to a certain point.

GB: Mary told me she had a hard time doing all those terrible things to your character, as you were so supportive of her on the set.

BB: Mary was amazing. She would come in every day and be off book. She would have her lines highlighted, and she would have it down cold.

GB: Mary, of course, left the show in July of '79 with the classic LSD show. Robin Mattson took over the role of Heather a year later. When you started, you were part of the "new cast." Now you had to play opposite a different actress. Was it strange playing opposite Mattson's Heather?

BB: In a way, sure. She and Mary were so different. Robin was much more angry in the role. And it must've been tough for her as well, being the new kid on the block.

Was today the first time pictures of Trina and Rory were featured in the opening credits?

Yes it was first time their photos were featured. The cast just took new photos so I imagine some of the regular photos will be updated too. Maura's photo is awful and needs to be replaced STAT.

R23 Why is it taking so long to update the credits, I would've thought that was the whole point of the new title sequence was that photos could be replaced quickly. Is it some kind of union thing? Because an intern could probably update the credits in ten min.

Why is Liz so bitchy lately?

The Liz story SUCKS!!! Is it even a story?

They shit on Rick Webber's show legacy, maybe Jeff Webber's legacy is the next to be thrown out, by revealing he was a child abuser

Joss was such a bitch today. Like, I admire the care they take in her resemblance to Carly but now we have *two* self-righteous, meddling bitches.

Also, fuck Taggert for being such an asshole to Spencer in the courtroom.

Becky doesn't have the chops to turn "shit into sugar" as they say. That office could've exploded taking her, Finn and Teri out and I'd be fine. I see they're also writing Portia out of character now. smh

Joss is a waste of space. Take her and that midget Cabrera with her. Ugh!

I'm glad to see Cameron going through a growth spurt. He seems taller and getting more into shape. Looking good young man. Wait is he legal?

He’s 19, R31. You can acknowledge that he’s handsome!

I like Becky Herbst and her character, she really is a modern day Jessie Brewer. I'm just amazed that she's managed to hold on to the job for 25 years without zero support from the higher ups. This is the same show that booted Genie Francis when they were done with her. They give her the leftovers and the scraps and she doesn't get a single episode above her guarantee, and she keeps coming back. Good for her.

Something else I find interesting is that the show hasn't had a writing staff change. The show really is a mess and has been for some time.

I've only been watching/following GH for around a decade but it's never, ever in that time imo been worse than it is now. The pacing, the stories, the favoritism...like, everything except the acting is a shambles. GH does have great screen talent going for it, other than Benard and that turd Spinelli.

Spinelli looks as though he stinks.

I agree GH has some very strong actors however I submit for consideration the following for inclusion on the list of weak actors:

Nik-Manuel Miranda aka Marcus Coloma

NuNuJordan

Game Show Host Drew Cain

Cody who appears to have been hired specifically to punish Kelly Thiebaud for something awful she has done behind the scenes. Did she kick puppies? Did she set an orphanage on fire on Christmas Eve? What did she do to warrant this??

I get the feeling that if I pricked Jordan with a pin she wouldn't even mutter an "ouch." Vast difference from the passion Vinessa showed when portraying her.

Lol r36. You’re asking some good questions.

GH has become the FOF hour.

I don't get the dislike for Cody. Compared to Drew and Austin, he is great. It looks to me that the show is planning on revisiting iconic stories from its past over the next several months leading to the big anniversary story. The Dominique story was basically the last time they wrote Scott as not being comical, so I'm happy with them revisiting it. Just like I love Victor because I HOPE his purpose on the show is to headline a BIG Cassadine story in the fall.

CM was just a horrible choice for Drew, unless they have him shirtless all the time. Austin is a lame character and would've only made sense if he had been revealed to have been another of Alan's long lost sons, not Jimmy Lee's. As it is if they want to keep the actor they need to kill him off again and give it another shot.

The big knock against Cody is his treatment of Britt, which is what r36 is getting at. He’s stalking/bullying her but they’re trying to play it like a romance. It’s not working. The added silliness with the horse doesn’t help.

R41 I don't see it as stalking/bullying or romance, he is clearly running some sort of con. Though I suspect they will end up falling in love at some point during the con.

I find it frustrating that the show hasn't had any big storyline climaxes since Harmony's death in late April.

This Trina trial storyline, while decently handled although stretched out far too long, should not be the major story of the summer. In years past, they would have something much more exciting as the major summer storyline. I mean, Luke and Laura went on the run the first time in the summer, saved the world from freezing in the summer

Are we gonna see Cam rub one out?

Port Charles should have a hidden underground city built by a Cassadine patriarch...

[quote]Port Charles should have a hidden underground city built by a Cassadine patriarch...

Well, it's never been entirely explained why, out of all the cities in the world, Mikos decided to freeze Port Charles. Perhaps there is more to the backstory than we know.

It seems they have been laying the groundwork to revisit the Ice Princess story in a big way, I expect it will happen this fall.

Harmony's death gave them a quick out from a potential relationship with Alexis, gave them a scapegoat for the murder of Neil that hadn't been addressed, and propped Carly with the Willow secret, but that character's death was a budget reallocation. I'm still curious about the hot weather last Christmas, what happened to Holly, where's Jackie, who was screaming in the cell next to Drew, why Nelle never washed up, who is Esme's mother (let's write her off for a while so we don't have to figure that one out), how did she meet Ryan, etc. Even the "death" of Peter was a total let down. And yet every month there's a new character with no clear direction. Fucking mess.

R48 The hot weather, I presume, was to lay the groundwork for revisiting the iconic Ice Princess much more fully. However, I think they then decided it would be better to save that for closer to the anniversary, that story could also explain what has happened to Holly.

Nelle wasn't the only one, Julian never washed up either, did he?

^ Julian didn't, but I believe they showed DeVry being zipped up in a body bag.

Yeah, poor sexy DeVry pissed someone off GOOD because he got KILLED OFF in a very targeted fashion.

I don't care where Jackie is unless they recast. Kim Delaney was very off-putting.

This cast could lose about half the cast and recenter the show on less characters. Could save money and give us stronger dynamics with the key players… Where would we start axing?

I would dump Spinelli, Curtis, Maxie (maybe long rest), Sam, Brando, Willow, Austin (new character for Howarth), Finn immediately. There are many I’m missing of course but this is off the top of my head.

Michael needs to be recast. Sonny and Carly’s guarantees need to be reduced to 2 or max 2.5 episodes per week. Are they doing quarter episode guarantees now, by the way? I swear I see characters like Liz consistently pop up for 1.25 eps per week.

My top 10 “needs to go” list:

Willow Michael Jordan Sam Austin Maxie Marshall Rory Molly (not on much but she sucks and it would free up TJ) Scott (sadly)

Willow Sam Maxie Brando Gladys Sasha Jordan Finn Austin Marshall. I sadly could go on but I’ll stop at 10.

r54 No, no new character for Howarth. Send him away for good.

Bye bye Britt.

One less character on the canvas come November.

R59 I will miss her.

Britt is one of my favorites, sorry to lose her but good for KT, hope her career takes off.

Rena Sofer is leaving B&B. Could Lois be on the horizon?

I forgot that Rena Sofer and Wally Kurth were once married.

I will miss Spencer in a suit now that the trial is over.

r62

that could be awkward... their relationship wasn't great a while ago but I do think it is better

Wally Kurth will eat a bullet before he works with Rena again.

I had no idea WK and RS were not on good terms. What's the scoop?

I will miss her, too. Out of all the newer characters that have been introduced, she is one of the few that actually worked, both character-wise and actor-wise. I wonder if they will recast, considering that she's in the middle of quite a few story lines, and has history and connections to other established characters and families. Those will be big shoes to fill, for sure.

My guess is the big 60th storyline will be the return of Jason Morgan.

R67 I suspect they will just write her out and keep the role open like they’ve done with Aunt Stella. Especially since Station 19 is an abc aired and produced show.

After Willow and TJ hook up, who will Michael be with next? Is he blood-related to Molly? What about fat Maxie or nuJordan?

Are they getting rid of Kin Shriner and Jackie Zeaman?

Vee, who’s in the biz and bullying people at SON had Kin and Jackie fired. Vee is in the biz you know.

r71 What makes you say that?

Why R71 , because fraus on Daytime Confidential say so?

Why would they get rid of Scotty? They just used him to anchor a new character.

Scotty Baldwin is the longest running character in US soap history with the character debuting in 1965. They're not going to stop that run until Kin passes away

R76

Do you really think they care about those things anymore?

Kin and Jackie both tweeted weird shit yesterday.

Thiebaud will be a significant loss…one of the show’s most charismatic and natural performers were sure.

I thought Chavez was incredible yesterday—he seemed genuinely nervous trying to spill his guts to Trina, and the despair after he saw her kissing Rory the Cop was conveyed through his whole body.

Emma got an off-screen SORAS today. Might she be headed to PCU for her sophomore year?

I loathe the shitty acting of Lucy Coe and Felicia Scorpio. Just awful. They both need to go.

Get rid of that tiny weasel Cabrera! Cannot stand him.

Trina has Cabrera’s twins by Christmas.

Comet appears to be the first casualty of the rumored budget cuts.

I have no personal experience with weight gain associated with anti-depressants so I ask this as a layman, is KStorms' situation normal?

Her appearance is off-putting.

The two are related R84 . Storms ate Comet.

So this Elizabeth storyline is turning into Marnie (1964).

I applaud all of you who are still watching this dreck. I come here and the GH snark page on Facebook to keep up because I just found myself FF through almost everything, including actors I love. Maybe when Genie comes back I will return. Thanks for keeping those of us up to date who just can’t do it anymore.

I've only been watching lately to see Britt. Too bad she is leaving. I hope she is successful.

I think KT is already mentally checked out. There's only so much lemonade one can try to squeeze out of lemons.

I picture KT doing an Amy Poehler from SNL "REALLY?" when they paired her with Cody.

The woman has charisma in spades and can do both drama and comedy. I hope her career takes off.

That crazy KooKoosadora is back stinking up the soap boards again. She’s as nuts as they come. She’s stinking up the GH boards among others.

After they got rid of Burton I could see where KT didn’t see much point of sticking around. They wasted her potential.

R91 Since she is leaving, does that mean they are making the tranny fully Chief of Staff?

So is RS really coming back as Lois? There was another namedrop today.

R93 Maybe she and WK are in a better place now, or maybe due to the recent events with DAYS he isn’t going to rock the boat and will just be professional.

Didn’t Wally cheat on Rena? Scumbag.

If Sofer returns to GH, she clearly hasn't been watching.

Leo was very comfortable with that box of feather boas yesterday.

The Chase bit was embarrassing. I guess he is the latest to have pissed someone off.

WK and RS had mutual restraining orders for decades, and not the ones that are automatically issued after a divorce. We’re talking the real deal.

Thanks r98, didn't know that.

RS must really need work if she's putting it out into the universe i.e. letting FV know she's interested.

WK isn't there often, I suppose they could put them on separate schedules after a very brief initial meeting.

She divorced her current husband then remarried him. Perhaps that commotion cost her a lot of money.

Were Kristina and Jack ever that acrimonious?

R98 Right they despised one another, only dealing with each other for the sake of their child. When GG recast Lois in 2004 with Lesli Kay, Rena claimed that she was more offended that "they never asked her" although she didn't necessarily say that she would've been open to a return, only that she might've "considered it" (which would've meant l, most likely, as long as she wasn't really around Wally; Ned & Lois shared scenes, however Lois was matched with Lorenzo before Lesli was let go).

R99 Rumors are that Rena hasn't always been the "nicest person" to be around, and that she didn't exactly like where her story was going (Quinn/Carter as opposed to Quinn/Eric) which is why she quit B&B. Any interest she's showing in returning to GH over staying at a more "stable" show like B&B, while also having to work with Wally again (doubt they'll place them together again though) just goes to show how badly she must've wanted out at B&B (she's been away from GH for about 26 years). We all know that all she has to do is ask and Frank would be willing to bring her back. I'm just wondering whom her love interest would be...Austin maybe? It would free him from Maxie and fit in with the whole Quartermaine story.

I wonder what her objection was to Quinn/Carter if that's why she quit? Not enough episodes/work/money? Carter is the hottest guy on the show by a long shot (imo) and a decent actor--I can't imagine it was a chore to make out with him. So she just didn't want to be a C story anymore? She's in for a rude awakening if she thinks she'll be a lead on GH.

R101 I hope it's not the reason I've heard others say in my personal life, which is maybe she wasn't interested in being in an interracial relationship. I honestly don't know if that's true; even if it is, it may not necessarily have anything to do with her personal feelings, and more so "hate mail" (when Heather Tom as Victoria was with Kristoff St. John's Neil on Y&R, she said she received tons of negative mail about them being together. Same goes for Adrienne Frantz as Amber on B&B when she was with Usher's Raymond). Quinn/Carter ("Quarter") have a fan base, however I'm pretty sure on the flip side of that there are fans who aren't ready to accept a Caucasian female with an African-American male. Then again, it could be for the reasons you've mentioned (which are all valid; and yes Carter is 🔥) however the Bell shows pay significantly higher than GH/DOOL (unless it's for certain performers; Frank may be willing to give her somewhat close to what she's getting at B&B). Someone on one of the soap boards suggested her as a good candidate for a Hope recast on DOOL, if they weren't shifting to streaming, that might've been a stronger possibility, though not as strong as her returning to GH imo. You're right she's not going to be a lead in the same vein as Carly, Ava, Nina etc. although I can see Frank using her to prop Austin or maybe Finn even more (with the whole Brook-Lynn/Chase, Finn/Lois dynamic) although I'm leaning more towards Austin (given his history with Brook-Lynn).

Correcting myself at R100 I meant GH not GG lol

R99 I don’t know how they could believably keep their characters apart, they share a daughter who is, herself, a major character. That alone will require them to share at least the occasional scene. Plus, doesn’t Olivia have history with her?

R103 I know this is for R99 lol yes Olivia (along with Sonny) has history with Lois. I'm still wondering if this will happen and who they'd consider matching her with besides Austin (Sonny and Lois always had a brother/sister type vibe so I don't think they'll go with that angle, plus they seem like they want to keep him with Nina for the sake of her rivalry with Carly/Willow's maternity/Michael's revenge/Wiley)

R104 I could see a Carly/Drew/Lois triangle.

If one reason why Cody's possibly Dominique's son with her ex-husband Leopold Taub is to create some sort of conflict or bonding with Britt since her father is Cesar Faison, wonder if they'll switch his paternity since she's leaving (unless Frank is petty enough to recast)

R105 Now that you mention it, so can I lol

FFS look at Wikipedia. Sofer had her last kid in 2005, who probably graduated HS this year and is leaving for college. No need for a 9-5 job so RS can go look for other projects.

"Gwampa! Dats da lady in da pawk!"

Little Violet has worn out her cuteness act. Next!

Frank faked us out with the photo of Esme in the opening.

Today is the first day I didn't dislike Cody. Although he did pronounce "Dominique" as "Dominic".

Dominic, as in Nicholas Van Buren, played by Joseph Mascolo in 1989? The one "super villain" who never came back.

Violet needs to go away and grow some teeth. Can’t stand her face and scary smile.

Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but I'm not certain KT's exit from the show is permanent.

Likely she was under contract with GH. She didn't audition for her return to the ABC network show. Doesn't sound like she's now a series regular on the network show. Seems likely there was some agreement from the 2 ABC shows to allow her to film the network episodes on a open-ended basis, but I'm not sure that GH would just agree to completely let her out of her contract early

I would love for KT to pull double duty like JPS did with his other Disney series.

I didn't catch JPS show but read it's awful so I doubt he will have to juggle doing two shows again next season.

r113 Has she said anything like that yet? If she was staying, it seems weird not to mention that.

Violet is Roxy's sister, she can stay. No one else seems to care about her anymore.

She wouldn't want to spoil the GH storyline that they have for her upcoming departure and whether or not GH is going to have her back (that's not her call)

Yeah if they bring Jason back which I suspect will happen before or on the anniversary I suspect Britt will be back as well. I didn’t think I’d like them as a couple but I really, really did it was like they brought something softer out in each other that was refreshing to see. I don’t think I’ve really liked a Jason pairing since he and Robin decided to just be friends.

[quote]I didn’t think I’d like them as a couple but I really, really did it was like they brought something softer out in each other that was refreshing to see.

True. And we certainly didn't see a softer side of Jason at any point during that years-long pairing with Sam McCall. So, it was surprising and refreshing to see Britt bring that out in him.

Britt & Jason were a nice surprise and a break from the monotony. I like how Dan O'Connor shook everything up and split Carly from Sonny, Sam from Jason, and turned it back into a real soap opera. GH for the longest was the only soap where somewhat younger couples seemed "untouchable" even though half (or both) actors in said couples wanted out (IE: Maurice, KeMo). The network was also interfering heavily up until the Fall of 2018 (and Frank has always interfered, just sometimes not as much- it's better when he lets the writers do their thing without him rewriting things) so that had a lot to do with the storylines being stale as well. When Dan joined Chris Van Etten in the Fall of 2019, he had a fresh take on everything and has gone strong up until sometime earlier this year. I hope its not burn out on Dan's part; if anything, Frank is up to his old tricks of changing storylines, micromanaging, etc.

With respect, the show started going off the rails toward the end of 2021. Too many unanswered questions, too many unresolved plots, too many characters (although that's been a problem for years). Dan & Chris seem to have fallen into the same trap as Ron. Without an EP with vision, who pays attention to the story, and not just the budget, writers have no checks and balances. I agree, Britt and Jason had spark, and it happened fast and out of nowhere. These are the same writers who haven't had Chase and Brook Lynn even kiss in a year of making goo goo eyes at each other, but Maxie, with three kids, survives a psychopath and is already going steady with one of the most poorly conceived characters in GH history. I hate seeming like a recreational cunt, but the fixes are so simple that it's infuriating.

Budget cuts are coming?

Finn was talking to Dr. Sarah Webber. Did another OLTL alumni contact Frank looking for work?

Also, will Cady McClain show up as Martin's third wife they keep referring to?

R121 No you don't sound like a "recreational Cunt" at all lol your assessment is accurate imo. I also stand corrected; I had my timeline confused since I was pretty much going by the "climax" of the Sonny/Carly/"Mike"/Nina triangle/"quadrangle" in early February, when Carly caught them in bed together. The whole "Mike" story was one of the stories that carried the show and had viewers tuning in, along with Jason falling in love with Carly (we all know she's been in love with him since they first met); Ingo's and Steve's exits changed the dynamic of that story since it was leading to an interesting sextet (Sonny/Carly/Jason/Britt/Jax/Nina) irregardless of Maurice, Steve's, and Ingo's personalities 😆 their characters are popular. Losing not one but two leading men in one of your top stories seemed to have some sort of effect since that's around the time the show derailed. I'm not saying it's all because of them, however it seems more effort was put into that story over some of the other ones, and now they don't seem to know what to do with those characters. Sonny and Nina are pretty boring, same goes for Carly and Drew, who also seem forced, while Britt and Cody seems somewhat forced as well. The only interesting story besides that one they had going for them imo was Ava/Esme with the Cassadine's, however that's now losing steam. Everything else just seems like filler (including Elizabeth's story, which is sad; it feels like they don't even know exactly what's wrong with her, like they're just making it up as they go along, debating whether or not to destroy Jeff Webber's character and his integrity); it just feels like nothing is working. Some of the acting is exceptional however all of their storylines suck lol

R125 Budget cuts are year round with Frank

I meant R122 at R125 SMH

While I am pro vaccine and vaccinated and boosted, I think the vaccine mandate for the GH set was a mistake. They lost their leading man and it fucked what was going to be their main storyline for the next two years. Fans have been waiting for Jason and Carly since the 90s. Ingo was no big loss because these writers didn't know how to write the character.

All that said, GH needs new writers. It probably needs a new producer, but Frank is not going anywhere until the show is cancelled. The only thing that saves GH is the cast, but even that cast is the most dysfunctional in daytime.

R123 Hmmm if so I wonder which one it could be lol remember Frank likes to dip in the AMC/Y&R wells too, so a new Sarah Webber might come from either one of those. Wouldn't be surprised in the least if Cady showed up as his wife lol for at one point, they were considering casting Michael as Paul Hornsby and Cady as Jenny Eckert Hornsby right before Richard Burgi played Paul (Michael was trying to get a role on GH prior to Martin and the rumor was that he was under consideration as Paul)

I'd like to see Gina Tognoni as Sarah Webber.

R127 Right the vaccine mandate didn't do them any favors. And yes, Jason & Carly fans were waiting 25 years for them to be together lol as for Ingo, the writing for Jax wasn't all that great however he did fit with Nina & Britt imo (and wasn't wooden like new Drew).

Frank usually changes writers every two or three years lol so it might be about that time (Ron 2012-2015; Jean/Shelley 2015-2017; Shelley/Chris 2017-2019; Chris/Dan 2019-now) for he'd rather get rid of a headwriter in an effort to save himself. Another writer switch (maybe Chris in exchange for someone else, going by the pattern lol) would occur before Frank loses his job.

R129 Good choice. I wonder if she's up to commuting again like she did for Y&R? Also nice to know her past issues with LW are long since resolved and are now water under the bridge lol

r131

what were her issues with Laura Wright?

The tweets this week by Kin Shriner and JZ I don’t think mean they were fired or retiring just frustrated. This August was KS’s 45th Anniversary with the show and the best they could do was to feature him getting punched in the nose? Especially with the big anniversary coming up, one would expect to see the vets trotted out a lot more to build up nostalgia, that is soap anniversary 101. My hope is still that, that will be happening this fall and winter as they revisit iconic stories, or that’s how I would do it.

R132 There was a lot of infighting and cliquish behavior on the set of GL between some of their females who pretty much were all in leading roles under Kim Zimmer, so around the time Gina joined in 2004, she walked into an already volatile situation. The "rumor" is that Laura primarily felt threatened by Gina's acting and the attention she was receiving as Dinah, seeing how Laura had already been there for seven years. There was also a slight physically type of altercation between the two on set that resulted in them being separated. Gina had also starting Tom Pelphrey (Jonathan) who had allegedly cheated on her and then ended up with Stephanie Gatschet (Tammy) who played Laura's daughter, however I don't know how much of that played into their feud for they eventually made up, well before Laura exited in the Fall of 2005 (one of the primary reasons Laura left is because Jill Phelps & Brian Frons were offering her a leading role where she would be pretty much the main leading female).

R133 Ouch that's how they chose to honor him? No wonder he's frustrated, and Jackie Zeman should be too. Right that is soap anniversary 101 lol so I guess they could be waiting until its closer to the actual date, for it will be the right thing to do. I've always liked how Ron would celebrate the anniversaries regardless of it being a "big one" or not- there was the 50th celebration in 2013, then he did the "All My Carly's" for 2014 and the "Luke backstory reveal" for 2015.

At R134 meant to say Gina had "started dating" Tom Pelphrey

Tom Pelphrey, is that Kaley Cuoco's next husband? What number is she on now, 3 or 4? I lost count.

Tom ate out Gina’s snatch.

Tom dicked Laura Wright down, too.

r139

lucky bitch then... did she cheat on her husband then?

Was Shady Lane wearing caftans back then, too?

R135 Yes, for all of Ron's faults he understood the soap genre and that certain occasions require certain things. His GH 50th was great, especially for long time fans. For the actual episode he got Rachel Ames and Stuart Damon back for the day. I remember as soon as I saw Audrey Hardy's face, I teared up. I wouldn't say Audrey was ever my favorite character, but seeing her again made that day extra special, because there would be no GH without her. The ratings didn't rise until she was added shortly in the run, and basically she provided a lot of the steam that the show ran on until the late 70s. And then when I saw Alan, Emily and Rick's ghosts, I was like OMG, they really went all out for us, the fans.

R137 Yes that's him lol although she claims that she'll never get married again. He would make lucky husband #3

R139 Maybe that's what started the feud lol there have been rumors for years that Laura had "dalliances" with costars and when I saw her ex-husband I could see why (no offense lol)

R144, Pelphrey is definite but I don't know that it was a trend with her. Maybe?

R140 Supposedly she cheated on him quite often, however when he left her, it came as a "surprise" to her. Wes Ramsey claims he wanted her since they were on GL together so he finally got his wish when she was divorced (unless he had her back then too, just not full-time)

Jesus Christ, I just looked up her ex-husband. Wow.

R142 IA Ron understands history and knows how to incorporate vets properly alongside newbies. It was nice to see Audrey and everyone else from long ago; maybe you'll be surprised and they'll do something similar for the 60th. Dan seems to appreciate history too so it might not turn out as bad as we're probably assuming lol

R145 You mean Kaley probably loves them and leaves them?

R147 😆 😆

r147

I remember the article in SOD where she discussed how he proposed... he took the ring around their cigarette pack and made it into a engagement ring... classy

R151 No way lmaooooo wow

Sarah Weber would be a great addition. Like the idea of Gina T. What about Christie Clark from Days fame?

1. LW sexually harassed the last Dillon actor.

2. She’s as fug as her ex-husband.

They owned a winery.

Yes, I remember the story about her coming on to Dillon actor, her ego couldn't take the rejection and to have to continue to see him at work so she got him canned. She wanted a young handsome one to make her ex jealous. Then she stumbled back across WR and proceeded to inflict him upon GH viewers for 4 1/2 years.

I might be wrong but I thought it was rumored that Robert Palmer Watkins was dating Brytini Sarpy at the time Laura was trying to get her hands on him.

It's a shame that RPW shot her down, at least for the audience. We could have avoided Peter. Wes Ramsey is unwatchable. I'm waiting for him to come back as Peter or another character--it's just a matter of time.

RPW was a bland Dillon! Think in real life he looks like a good lay?

r157 Speaking of (sort of) Valerie, that's another character that was dropped without any word.

Where hasn't Tom Pelpry's cock been? That guy has been drowning in pussy since his GL days.

R160 There was rumors claiming that Brytni Sarpy had gotten sorta fed up that her character wasn't being used and her screen time significantly reduced. Allegedly that's why she jumped ship to Y&R because they were willing to write for her and pay her more.

R153 Is she still acting? She'd work imo haven't heard her name in awhile

R159 Who knows.

R154 😆

R156 I remember hearing that too lol

R157 They might have dated; I remember they were extremely close. I also remember her dating Nathan actor and her being good friends with Kirsten at one point, then the relationship ended and Kirsten had some sort of falling out with Nathan actor...not sure if one had to do with the other but it was really messy. Backstage GH has almost always been messier than what we see on-screen

Nathan actor aka Ryan Paevey lol his name escaped me

R158 😆 yeah I think he'll be back too.

R159 He looks like he might be. He's rumored to be really nice irl

Interesting about Kirsten and Paevey. I thought Paevey *definitely* chose to leave of his own accord, though maybe that was accelerated by Kirsten Storms shooting daggers as she gobbled her cupcakes between scenes.

R160 Valerie was initially written out because Jean/Shelley didn't particularly care for her, like Ron did (one of his last creations). Before Ron was fired, he was planning a big story for Valerie; she was going to learn she was pregnant by Dante, miscarry, go insane over him, then get pregnant by someone else and pretend that the baby was his, while driving a wedge between Dante & Lulu (pretty much a redux of the Gigi/Rex/Stacy Morasco story on OLTL). Idk if anyone remembers but Valerie thought she was pregnant/feeling ill in or around September 2015; this was around the time Jean/Shelley were taking over and rewriting Ron's stories, so by the time their material hit the air, Valerie wasn't pregnant (Sabrina was, and instead of Michael being the father, which I think is what Ron wanted, the father was Carlos in some sort of rewrite) and she was placed on recurring. She returned as a somewhat butch looking lesbian recast lol however she was barely on and written out.

I kind of like the actor who plays Cody. On OLTL a dozen years ago, he was a magnet for the eyes. Not so much anymore, but maybe he can get back in shape.

R170 😆 😆 not cupcakes. He did choose to leave on his own; not sure if he and Kirsten were back on good terms by then, but it was his decision. He actually tried to come back before his Hallmark movie career took off, however Frank wouldn't make it happen (same goes for Bryan Craig and Kristen Alderson; Frank is known to hold grudges, especially when some actors leave or ask to be excused early from their contracts- and around this time, Maurice was no longer able to go over his head anymore like he did with Steve) which actually looks like it worked out in Ryan's favor. Frank let Chloe Lanier return after she asked to leave and Dominic Zamprogna although with Dominic, it was Frank's fault that he left in the first place since Frank tried to lowball him by offering him a contract with guarantees of only five episodes a month, in an effort to maintain the budget, leading Dominic to walk.

5 episodes a month? Damn. That's a far cry from 2 or 3 episodes a week. It's seems like Sonny and Carly are on every day, what kind of guarantee must they have.

I seem to recall a story back then that Ryan Pavey dated Kirsten's sister and that ended badly which is why KSt was angry with him. Before that, Ryan was close with both KSt and Johnny and often at their house and spending time with their kid.

But I could be wrong....

R162 I recall it happening that way as well.

R174 Right lol if I'm not mistaken, Maurice and Laura have at least four guarantees a week (three is the usual weekly guarantee for vets and newbies, with vets making significantly more per episode, of course)

R175 That sounds very familiar lol I don't think you're wrong. I also remember Kirsten having to hang out with Emme outside of Emme's home when she visited her for some reason (Idk if it was because of Emme's husband or their kids) and at one point Brandon was the main custodial parent of their child. Kirsten seems to have been through alot.

That guy theatening Austin (or whatever, I can't be bothered to pay attention to that s/l.) calling Maxie "lovely" was laughable. Give me a break.

Valentini is not a sentimental guy so what's the deal with keeping Storms around? Is it because the actress is popular? The character? Both? I swear I've seen her trembling in scenes and even leaving aside the weight she looks unwell and has for years. It's very distracting.

r178, I meant her husband Brandon not Johnny. Where did I get Johnny? Was that his character's name?

Both RPW and WR are MAJOR improvements over her ex-husband, so at least LW's taste in men has improved in the looks department. I mean she isn't ugly, other than the moles, why was she with that troll? And why doesn't she get those moles removed?

R174 I think their guarantee reads like, if the studio is open they are guaranteed to be there filming.

Is FV unable to fire Kirsten because her weight problems are a result of meds for a medical condition or is it sentimental reasons about BJ's heart?

Whatever the case, she is not appealing.

Also, it is now being reported KT can do both shows. Kathleen Gati tweeted she will miss her while she's gone suggesting it will just be an absence.

R180 No he isn't particularly lol however he does have a soft spot for his "niece" Kirsten, who has been extremely close to him since she returned from her leave of absence during his first year. I don't think the character of Maxie is as popular as she once was (guess the same can be said for several other characters) however Kirsten is a fan favorite.

R181 Yes lol that was his character's name Johnny Zacchara. I knew who you meant though when you said Johnny.

R182 Lmaooooo she was with him for a long time, going back to the 90's; I'm wondering if he was better looking back then lol or maybe his personality at the time was what attracted him to her, for the rumors over the years is that he's an asshole and that some fans weren't happy about Laura somewhat pimping his wine to them at fan events (and online).

R184 It is possible he could fire her, although I'm sure she would have some sort of case due to her medical issues. However, her "Uncle Frank" loves her and uses her to prop new male characters based off of her popularity lol so I doubt he wants to fire her. Remember Jill and Brian fired Kari Wuhrer (Reese) in 2005 shortly after she informed them that she was pregnant; they claimed that wasn't the reason, citing storyline dictated. Kari wasn't convinced and sued ABC; I believe they settled with her out of court.

I'm sure at one time there were "appearance" clauses in contracts, but let's be real no producer is going to fire an overweight actor who plays a popular character because they're overweight in 2022, especially when the alleged reason for the weight gain keeps her on the show and out of rehab.

Whatever happened to the alleged Wes and LW sex tape that was making the rounds at the GH studio?

Anyone else notice the scene on Friday where the writers had Storms eating a salad?

R190 Did Wes and Laura leak it lol

R184 Considering the story Bill Maher shared on his show last night about Station 19, which I hadn't heard before, she would be wise to keep her options open.

Also, where do they film Station 19? Grey's is shot at the same studio as GH, or used to be.

If Frank holds such grudges about actors leaving, why did he let Kelly T come back as Britt a few years after she left?

I think Frank really likes Kristen. There has been a rumor alleging that an actress over at GH knows some things that some over ABC would not like to get out to the public.

It ain’t Nancy Lee Grahn. You know that broad would shoot her mouth off.

R193, it could be because KT went to DOOL for a minute and Frank LOVES a get from another soap. Or maybe KT got fired the first time she left GH?

DL loves to believe that Frank is some sort of backstage villian - vengfully ruining the lives of actors who have done him wrong.

Morgan, Nathan and Nelle all brought more and better storylines as dead characters than they ever did while on the show

R192 What exactly did Bill Maher say?

R193 From what I remember, when KT left the first time in 2014, it was because she didn't have her contract renewed by Frank and was placed on recurring staus, leading her to leave altogether. I know that she says it was her decision not to renew her contract, and that she initially chose recurring then decided to leave, however that's not how I remember it lol and I like KT. Not saying that this was the main reason for her contract not being renewed, but Michelle had joined six months prior that year and she didn't come cheap (nor did her wardrobe) so Frank could have saw her as one of the characters to get rid of in order to maintain the budget (the same way he didn't renew Teresa Castillo's four-year contract in favor of offering Chloe Lanier a four-year deal a few months before Teresa was let go). In some instances, Frank did let actors who quit return, though more often than not he wouldn't. And in KT's case, I distinctly remember her being placed on recurring/pretty much let go by Frank, only for her to leave entirely (then making guest visits throughout the years)

R194 I heard that was Monaco lol however that's unconfirmed so idk lol

R196 That's what I remember, her essentially being let go by not having her two-year contract renewed, so instead of taking the offer of recurring, she left. Britt was never supposed to be long-term; she was brought on as the "Britch" the heavy to the "precious" Sabrina. What ended up occurring was Britt becoming more popular than Sabrina, which was unexpected (idk why lol Sabrina was somewhat annoying at times imo) so they offered her a contract. At one point, Ron considered making Sabrina the miscarried child of Anna/Duke (like how Griffin was supposed to be years afterwards) and Britt was going to be Tracy's long-lost daughter, to play off of the whole Tracy/Luke/Anna situation with Britt/Patrick/Sabrina. Either he changed his mind, or Frank changed it for him.

R197 Well...lol he has his moments (and his favorites). When Scott Clifton was portraying Schuyler on OLTL, he kept asking Frank if he was getting fired, for his lease on his apartment was almost up, and he didn't want to renew unless he knew for a fact that he wasn't being let go. Frank assured him that he wasn't going anywhere and to go ahead and sign the lease. Scott renewed, informed Frank that he did, and about a month or so after he signed it, Frank fired him.

[quote]What exactly did Bill Maher say?

Maybe this is what they are referencing:

R203 Thank you

Kirsten was wildly popular in her Xenon movies for Disney Channel (and we know nothing good happens on those sets). She made her last Xenon movie around the time she left DAYS and right before joining GH. She either has a fairy godfather at Disney, or she traded her silence for a lifetime contract. Dramatic, I know, but we're talking soaps here.

BJ's heart storyline made Maxie a foundation character for the show.

Surprisingly, many viewers also have issues with weight management, can relate to Kirsten and aren't as bothered as many here

R206 is right and KS being heavy allows viewers to live vicariously through her and believe that a heavy-set girl can been pursued as a romantic partner by hot men.

R203 That was it, it just seems like Station 19 is having some super woke problems, that could end up eating it from the inside.

The schoolmarmish sniffing of “bothered as many here” is tiresome. Like 3 people in this thread have said something about KS’s weight, and my comment actually excluded it from my evaluation that she doesn’t seem fit to be working. Please hold the self-righteousness, r206.

GH is a better show than Station 19, to be honest.

Didn't people hate Kirsten Storms when she first started and they wanted the original Maxie back?

I remember that storyline well. Maxie didn't just eat BJ's heart, she ate her liver and a few fingers, too.

Yes, R211. There was backlash when original Maxie - Robyn Richards - was fired. Twice. Frons brought Kirsten in and thought she’d bring in younger viewers because of her “Zenon”/Disney fanbase. They made Maxie into a blonde bimbo with her casting. She’s still an idiot.

And I disagree that she’s used to prop useless male newbies based on her popularity. She couldn’t make Peter work. She isn’t making Austin work. Nathan was an brick. If anything, GH uses Becky Herbst’s popularity for propping. The writers admitted that in print during Friz. She has a pretty flawless record when it comes to love interests. The problem is they don’t care about her or Elizabeth.

To: FAT Fuck Caseys Hutch from twitter: I don’t give one FUCK that you don’t like GH. Fuck off and lose weight!!!! You FAT fuck. The fat slob Casey is a god damn mess!

Criticizing KSt's weight is now frowned upon here on DL - the Pointless Bitchery Capital of the World?

Lol maybe some of the housewives at Soap Central or one of those other boards made their way over here to hush our mouths 😆

R216 We can respectively agree to disagree lol I didn't say it ever really worked, however Frank has used Maxie to prop new male characters (the closest he came to making it work was Nathan; although they didn't take off as high as Frank wanted, they had a bigger buzz around them than Maxie/Levi, Maxie/Peter, Maxie/Austin, etc. I'm not saying Maxie is the only one; yes Elizabeth was definitely used to prop Jake, Franco, Finn...based off of her popularity too. Frank has done this since he first started, when he brought over characters from OLTL. Carly/Todd, Sam/McBain, Michael/Starr, then he turned around and did it again with Carly/Franco, Sam/Silas, Michael/Kiki. Same goes for Patrick with Sabrina, and there are many other examples. Maxie seems to be more popular with Frank and with housewives who watched her grow up. She was a very popular character before Frank took over and was in several popular pairings however after the whole Maxie/Spinelli/Ellie triangle (where Spinelli was used to prop Ellie) she fell off, was watered down, and hasn't been the same since imo. And I think Kirsten is aware that her character's popularity has waned, same goes for Kelly Monaco and many others who aren't in denial, and are pretty much just there showing up to collect a check. I also remember the backlash when Robyn Richards was fired twice, once replaced by Danica Stewart (who alot of viewers felt was playing Maxie as "sexualized, too grown,") then brought back, only to be fired again and replaced with Kirsten Storms (they felt that her popularity wouldn't cause the same backlash as it did when Robyn replaced Danica, however it did somewhat, for Robyn was a fan favorite, and not everyone watched Kirsten on Days or her other projects lol). Kirsten eventually won viewers over, although when she took her leave of absence from 2011-2012, I remember how Jen Lilley ended up growing on ppl and they didn't exactly want Kirsten back.

Meant to say at R217 "when Danica replaced Robyn" and that Jen grew on some ppl who "didn't exactly want Kirsten back" saying how Jen's Maxie wasn't as irritating as Kirsten's lol

LEAVE MAXIE ALOOOONE!

She's my biggest customer.

R219 Lololol

Come to think of it, I remember Molly Burnett getting positive reviews for her temp Maxie too. Some ppl wanted her to stay on as another character, which was the case with Jen Lilley as well.

I feel like the show needs a reset. Not necessarily like the time jump on Days, just some sort of redo. Even though Days can be silly at times, it's not particularly boring like GH.

The show needs Frank Valentini gone. He’s the cancer of GH. He’s burnt out. He’s not the only person in this world who can manage a soap budget. Fire his ass. It’s way past time.

Once a month they write a few lines for Violet, take off Chase's shirt, and wheel a vet (Bobbie, Monica) into a scene to make viewers think they care about them. Otherwise it's all women screaming and snarking at each other, and worthless male characters.

I agree with R221 that a reset is needed. Preferably of the Moldavian Massacre variety.

R223 I would propose that the 60th Anniversary Episode would be a great one to use to reset the show, because there will be many people who do not normally watch who will watch that day. The goal of the episode should be to honor the show's history while capturing new and lapsed and giving them a reason to start watching regularly.

I'm all for a disaster that cleans house of unnecessary characters and bad actors.

Or at the very least a police shoot out that claims the lives of Jordan and Rory.

How about Victor Cassadine having some sort of sinister Cassadine plot that goes awry?

I think the writers have fallen into a coma at this point. Many of the characters have the same conversations over and over and over and over...looking at you Sonny, Carly, Nina, Millow. They drag things on so when their is finally some action, no one cares anymore (Effme, the ludicrous teen scene). The bright parts of the show are Ava and Britt, and the writers are dumbing Britt down to try to force her into a relationship with Cody. The Cassadine's have been so gutted I think Helena is rolling in her grave demanding paternity tests for the lot of them.

Nelson Branco died

r228

link?

Found dead

Emma Samms finally returning to GH as Holly.

Facebook Live session with the Cassadine clan!

I thought Valentin was no longer a regular Cassadine? I would’ve preferred NLG and NAC.

Damn, I miss the Stefan/Helena/Alexis years.

[quote]I thought Valentin was no longer a regular Cassadine?

You're way, way behind!! Valentin is Victor's son now. Victor's son with Helena.

New Thread

R223 Good idea lol we already have a Prince with Nikolas so maybe he could have a wedding similar to that one lol

Wow RIP to Nelson Branco that's terrible.