General Hospital

By Roger Newcomb(noreply@blogger.com) Locals who were cast as guest stars and extras in the recent Pittsburgh shoot of CBS soap AS THE WORLD are invited to a cast/wrap party to watch the first of four episodes with scenes shot locally. The gathering will be held today at 2 p.m. at the Damon's Grill at the Waterfront.

By Roger Newcomb(noreply@blogger.com) GENERAL HOSPITAL Is the Most Violent Show on Television: And why an A-list star would agree to be on it

By noreply@blogger.com (Roger Newcomb) Here are some of the latest soap opera videos to hit the web. HE'S HARMLESS: James Franco appeared (a day earlier than advertised) at the end of Thursday's GENERAL HOSPITAL. I CAN'T SEE: The bandages came off Noah's eyes on Thursday's AS THE WORLD TURNS and he blind.

By Roger Newcomb(noreply@blogger.com) Maybe it's time for the TV academy to give up the time delay for the west coast - a quaint relic of the past. Otherwise, between the August airdate and the way cable shows seem to have taken over the best-drama derby, you can expect the 2010 Emmy show to suffer quite the ratings punch in the nose.

By Roger Newcomb(noreply@blogger.com) Two-time Emmy winner Martha Byrne was a guest on the "Not Picture Perfect" radio show last night. She spoke about her roles on AS THE WORLD TURNS and GENERAL HOSPITAL and offered some background and a preview of her upcoming indie soap, GOTHAM, which debuts on Monday, November 23, at 8 p.m. ET.

By Roger Newcomb(noreply@blogger.com) The character will be the hospital’s new chief of staff and get mixed into the Liz/Lucky/Nikolas storyline. Meanwhile, Reeves and wife Melissa (ex-Jennifer, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) are hosting "The Scott and Melissa Reeves Show" featuring country music, soap news and more. You can check it ou...

By Roger Newcomb(noreply@blogger.com) Fans ask me most often: Do Eric and I get along in real life? My answer is … next question." I watch DAYS OF OUR LIVES, ONE LIFE TO LIVE, ALL MY CHILDREN, GENERAL HOSPITAL and THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL. I make my way around a) because I have friends on these shows; and b) because I can steal stuff."

By noreply@blogger.com (Roger Newcomb) RUNNING A COVER 2: Any mention of football gets my attention. Louise impressed on Tuesday's GENERAL HOSPITAL with her knowledge of the popular defensive scheme. Meanwhile, in the mysterious art studio, some model was posing as Claudia in death.

By Roger Newcomb(noreply@blogger.com) “It was wild. James told me all about the character on GH but he swore me to secrecy and said I couldn’t tell anyone else," she told Fox411. "James told me he was so excited to do the pace of a soap opera. He wanted the difference and the challenge.”

By Roger Newcomb(noreply@blogger.com) Stars from ALL MY CHILDREN, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, GENERAL HOSPITAL and THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL will appear in The 2009 Hollywood Christmas Parade/Live Positively Presented by Coca-Cola in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, November 29, 2009 at

By Roger Newcomb(noreply@blogger.com) Chad Brannon back for an episode of GENERAL HOSPITAL Fan fave Chad Brannon, who played the troubled drug dealer turned mob errand boy Zander Smith from 2000 to 2004, will be back for one episode in mid-to-late December as part of the Rebecca storyline.

By Roger Newcomb(noreply@blogger.com) GENERAL HOSPITAL: Making Michael a Monster Ed Marton wonders: "How grand would it be if Michael’s real father, A.J. Quartermaine, returned from the dead and found a way to destroy Sonny, now that he has turned Michael into an axe murderer?"

By noreply@blogger.com (Roger Newcomb) Here are some of the latest soap opera videos to hit the web. TOM PELPHREY: The Emmy winner debuted as Mick Dante on Tuesday's AS THE WORLD TURNS. I WON'T REST UNTIL SONNY CORINTHOS IS DEAD: Anthony Zacchara vowed revenge for Claudia's death on Tuesday's GENERAL HOSPITAL.

By noreply@blogger.com (Roger Newcomb) James Franco debuts on GENERAL HOSPITAL on Friday, November 20. Check out the promos below. Franco's character says in one, "I like it here in Port Charles. Folks are so friendly."

By Shouldless@gmail.com (Damon L. Jacobs) In Part One of my interview with legendary soap writer Claire Labine, Ms. Labine shared her writing process, reflections on her early career, and how mothering contributed to her understanding of soaps In Part Two, she discussed her battles with ABC, struggles with recasts, and the psyc...

By noreply@blogger.com (Roger Newcomb) NEVER SURRENDER IN PHILADELPHIA: Jack arrived in Philly on Friday's AS THE WORLD TURNS and ran into Ben Harris (Peter Parros). Meanwhile, Carly blasted Craig and Rosanna for their affair. YOU DIDN'T PROTECT HIM: Carly wasn't happy with Jax for keeping Jerry's secret on Friday's GENERAL H...

By noreply@blogger.com (Roger Newcomb) Kate Lang: The natural selection for the queen bitch of daytime? [Laughs] How long has this show been in the works? Kate Lang: A year? Tristan Rogers: I thnk it's been over a year. 18 months? There was an email note about it here and there.

By noreply@blogger.com (Roger Newcomb) James Franco will appear in more than 10 episodes of GENERAL HOSPITAL, executive producer Jill Farren Phelps told EW. On Franco’s first day of taping Oct. 30, the Milk co-star filmed 65 pages – “pretty Herculean in terms of memorization,” Phelps said. He’ll return to the set two more times in...

By noreply@blogger.com (Roger Newcomb) GENERAL HOSPITAL Welcomes James Franco “Franco is fascinated with Jason and what he does for a living—he thinks they both love death and are essentially the same kind of guy,” Steve Burton reports. “But then Jason refuses to meet with him and that’s when things start to go south.”

By Shouldless@gmail.com (Damon L. Jacobs) In Part Four, Ms. Labine dishes about life at GENERAL HOSPITAL, the pressures of continuing the Luke and Laura legacy, inventing Sonny and Brenda, and why Jason Quartermaine was given amnesia. What was Genie Francis like to work with?

By Shouldless@gmail.com (Damon L. Jacobs) Claire Labine: Oh my God they were wonderful. Mickey Dwyer-Dobbin was the head of daytime. And she and Wendy [Riche, EP of General Hospital] agreed to turn us loose and not to interfere. And Wendy backed us up. If we said we wanted it, she would stand in front of a truck and get it for us. And we loved w...

By noreply@blogger.com (Roger Newcomb) Stuart Damon just finished up a stint as Ralph on AS THE WORLD TURNS. Soap fans know him best as Alan Quartermaine on GENERAL HOSPITAL, a role he played for three decades. But Damon has a resume full of primetime television and film credits as well. Here are some of his most memorable non-soap ro...

By noreply@blogger.com (Roger Newcomb) Here are some of the latest soap opera videos to hit the web. YOU PSYCHOTIC PIECE OF TRASH: Sonny blasted Claudia on Friday's GENERAL HOSPITAL and promised the world Claudia has lied for the last time! Later, Claudia took Carly hostage and they ended up in a car accident.

By noreply@blogger.com (Roger Newcomb) Tristan Rogers has been a favorite of soap fans since he first appeared as Robert Scorpio on GENERAL HOSPITAL in 1980. In recent years, through his online chats, video blogs and posts on his official websites, fans have gotten to know his thoughts on the world of daytime drama and what it tak...

By Shouldless@gmail.com (Damon L. Jacobs) This one is a little closer to home. The past two fundraisers have raised money for this theater. John Conboy came to that one, and I’m sure he will be coming to this one. As well as Tristan [Rogers], Ron Hale [Mike on GENERAL HOSPITAL] and all my other buddies that I’ve asked to just show up. So The T...

By noreply@blogger.com (Roger Newcomb) Here are some of the latest soap opera videos to hit the web. HOW CAN I EVER REPAY YOU: Sonny spoke at Claudia's birthday party and thanked everyone under the sun on Thursday's GENERAL HOSPITAL as he prepared to lower the boom on Claudia.

By Shouldless@gmail.com (Damon L. Jacobs) In Part One of my interview with longtime GENERAL HOSPITAL star Jacklyn Zeman, the actress shared reflections on her early career and Bobbie Spencer’s backstory before coming to Port Charles. In Part Two, she looked back on two groundbreaking storylines, how Bobbie Spencer helped wome...

By noreply@blogger.com (Roger Newcomb) Not only did fans of GENERAL HOSPITAL, ALL MY CHILDREN, and ONE LIFE TO LIVE get to hang out with some of their favorite stars, but also -- and most importantly -- everyone rallied together to beautify two very deserving schools with the help of CityYear, the country-wide non-profit organ...

By Roger Newcomb(noreply@blogger.com) ABC Soaps in Depth reported the news earlier on Tuesday that has been speculated for a while - Natalia Livington is out at GH. Natalia Livingston (Rebecca) is leaving GENERAL HOSPITAL. This is super fresh, so we don’t have a ton of details on when or why, but an inside source says it’s a done dea...

By noreply@blogger.com (Roger Newcomb) THE ROLE OF LUCKY SPENCER IS NOW BEING PLAYED BY JONATHAN JACKSON: Jackson returned to his famous soap role on Tuesday's GENERAL HOSPITAL. YOU JUST MADE A REALLY BIG MISTAKE: Carly broke into Bo's house on Tuesday's DAYS OF OUR LIVES and he tackled her.

By noreply@blogger.com (We Love Soaps) Damon L. Jacobs shares part of his interview with legendary soap scribe Claire Labine where she talks about the constant cast upheaval at RYAN'S HOPE and the "depressing" storylines she wrote on GENERAL HOSPITAL including Robin/Stone

By noreply@blogger.com (Roger Newcomb) Also, if you missed this week's episode of "We Love Soaps Radio" with Roger Newcomb, Damon L. Jacobs and Soap Opera Weekly's Mala Bhattacharjee, featuring the second part of our interview with GENERAL HOSPITAL star Jacklyn Zeman, you can listen below.

By noreply@blogger.com (Roger Newcomb) Here are some of the latest soap videos to hit the web. IT'S GOT TO BE CLAUDIA: Sam found a DVD on Thursday's GENERAL HOSPITAL, marked one week before Michael's shooting, and Jason was convinced it contained evidence against Claudia.

By Shouldless@gmail.com (Damon L. Jacobs) In Part One, Zeman recalls her daytime experiences before GENERAL HOSPITAL, and the psychological backstory behind the Spencer family dramas. Please come back for Part Two of our interview where Zeman discusses highlights from Bobbie Spencer’s time in Port Charles, including her abu...

By noreply@blogger.com (Roger Newcomb) Of course GENERAL HOSPITAL came up. And his amused response was that he thinks it’ll be a good time. He then elaborated that his stint on the soap is part of an ongoing collaboration with Carter. Daytime performance art? Performance art for the MiniVan Majority? James explained that he’s had...

By noreply@blogger.com (Roger Newcomb) Scott Reeves is joining GENERAL HOSPITAL as the new Steven Lars Webber. The character will arrive in December as the hospital’s new chief of staff and be thrown into a storyline involving his half-sister Liz (Rebecca Herbst) and the two men in her life, Lucky (Jonathan Jackson) and Nikola...

By noreply@blogger.com (Roger Newcomb) I had lunch with Jane Eliot (Tracy, GH) and we discussed how the audience was so articulate about Guiding Light and how much they loved the show and were so sad when it ended, and that on GH, Mafia and bad violence has turned people away. The networks don’t get that our viewers are so intuitive a...

By noreply@blogger.com (We Love Soaps) On Episode #16 of “We Love Soaps Radio,” Roger Newcomb, Damon L. Jacobs and Soap Opera Weekly's Mala Bhattacharjee discuss the latest hot topics from the world of soaps including the craziest casting week in soap history. The show also features the second part of our interview with GENERAL...

By noreply@blogger.com (Roger Newcomb) Teams from GENERAL HOSPITAL and DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES were amongh the 30,000 participants in the 25th Annual AIDS Walk which started and ended in West Hollywood on Sunday.

By Roger Newcomb(noreply@blogger.com) Last week convicted murderer David Edenfield was sentenced to die for the murder of 6-year-old Christopher Michael Barrios on March 8, 2007. Barrios was the child whose picture was used accidentally in an episode of GENERAL HOSPITAL: NIGHT SHIFT last year. Lawyers for his family, Mark Ge...

By noreply@blogger.com (We Love Soaps) On Episode #15 of “We Love Soaps Radio,” Roger Newcomb and Damon L. Jacobs are joined by special co-host Joanna Parson, a talented singer, songwriter and actress. We also preview our new in-depth interview with longtime GENERAL HOSPITAL star Jacklyn Zeman.

By noreply@blogger.com (Roger Newcomb) Marlena De Lacroix writes: "For years, we’ve watched and believed plots that would be unlikely or even ridiculous if they actually happened. But the secret of great soap opera is that the best and brightest writers knew how to craft and pace storylines so that they were EMOTIONALLY believ...

By noreply@blogger.com (Roger Newcomb) Here are some of the latest soap opera videos to hit the web. WELCOME TO MY PLANET: Friday's GENERAL HOSPITAL was hilarious with Maxie talking Robin into dressing up in a space outfit to surprise Patrick and spice up their sex life. AMERICAN IDOL's Chizeke appeared at Jake's as well.

By Roger Newcomb(noreply@blogger.com) 9. James Franco joins GENERAL HOSPITAL, calls it "performance art" It's a stylistic break with traditional soap opera actors, most of whom approach a role by using the time-honored acting theory know as "I get to eat this week."

By Roger Newcomb(noreply@blogger.com) In his latest column for The Advoate, Michael Fairman spoke with Austin Peck about the Daytime Emmys and his exit from AS THE WORLD TURNS. The new Soapside column also includes ONE LIFE TO LIVE's same-sex marriage-athon, an update from VENICE, and James Franco heading to GENERAL HOSPITAL.

By noreply@blogger.com (Roger Newcomb) It's an incredibly troubling time for soap operas, and there's no reason to think this isn't going to continue," said Michael Logan, the resident soap opera expert at TV Guide. "Soaps come and go, but this loss is so big, it can't be understated." To fans, it's been more than a soap opera

By We Love Soaps(editor@welovesoaps.com) A return to potboilers. Nobody does the hospital drama better than GENERAL HOSPITAL (not even ER), which will continue to lead the way with its three-hankie storylines. And ALL MY CHILDREN created the winning Kendall, Erica's bitchy daughter, who was born to wreak havoc in Pine Valley for...

By We Love Soaps(noreply@blogger.com) New NIGHT SHIFT promises continuity with original GH SOAPnet has picked up GENERAL HOSPITAL: NIGHT SHIFT for a second season to launch in July, after the General Hospital spin-off scored record ratings for the cabler in its first year. HOLLYOAKS video clip: The "Confession Time" update