Paula's Soapbox

I guess the rumors were true --  ABC Soaps in Depth   has announced that Julie Marie Berman, who has played Lulu on General Hospital since 2005 is now exiting the show. Apparently Berman just taped her final episode yesterday. The actress made the following statement on twitter about her departure:  There is no word yet on whether GH intends to recast the character. 

It looks like soap fans will once again have a reason to watch Dancing with the Stars when the show returns March 18th. According to  Access Hollywood ,   on-again/off-again GH star Ingo Rademacher (Jax) will be competing on the hit ABC show alongside professional dancer Kym Johnson.  Other cast members include Kellie Pickler, Wynona Judd, and Andy Dick. For a complete list of contestants go to  http://www.accesshollywood.com/dancing-with-the-stars-cast-revealed_article_76351   Will you be rooting for Ingo this season? 

I have tons of updates to tell you about on the AMC reboot. First off Jill Larson (Opal) announced via  facebook   AJ has been aged and will be played by actor Eric Nelson (pictured below). Larson also posted a pic of the new Cassandra, played by Sal Stowers... a pic of Miranda played by Denyse Tontz... and a pic of Opal's son Petey, played by Rob Wilson... Also Jordi Vilasuso (Griffin, ex-Tony, GL) posted a video tour of the new dressing rooms:  In addition  Soap Opera Network   is reporting that actor Ryan Bittle will be playing JR Chandler: photo by Hallmark Channel  Also,  Soap Opera Digest   is reporting that Ray MacDonnell (Dr. Joe Martin) will be appearing in the reboot.  In other news Susan Lucci appearing on The View this morning and talked about the possibility of returning to AMC. See a clip below:  Also  ABC Soaps in Depth   is reporting that two new teens have been cast

Earlier today actress Kassie DePaiva (Blair, OLTL) tweeted her excitement for the OLTL reboot, set to begin production later this month.  It's difficult not to get excited about the renewal of these soaps when the stars are this enthused. Despite the fact that many people don't like watching tv online, I really hope AMC and OLTL can defy the odds and build an audience, making history in the process. Now that we are down to only four soaps on network tv the success of these shows online is imperative to the future of the genre.  According to  ABC Soaps in Depth   AMC and OLTL will alternate their tapings in Connecticut until both shows have filmed for 17 weeks.

Last week I  posted  a series of tweets from actor John Stamos (ex-Blackie, GH), where he showed off pictures from his visit to the set of General Hospital. Now comes a report from  tvguide.com  that Stamos has met with GH execs and would indeed be open to a return if he could do some acting. Apparently the show had originally wanted him to play back-up for Rick Springfield during a rendition of "Jessie's Girl", but the actor passed...good call! It does sound as though he is open to coming back to the show even if he can't appear in time for the 50th anniversary. Dear GH: Make. It. Happen - This is a struggling genre and if a successful actor who began his career on this show wants to return AND do some actual acting, LET HIM! This is a far better offer than your original idea to have him appear as part of some cheap stunt. You can watch Stamos talk about his possible return to GH Monday on The Jeff Probst Show. Check out a clip of that interview below!

Earlier today  Soap Opera Digest  posted a press release from The Online Network, the future home of All My Children and One Life to Live. The release states that production for both shows will begin on February 25th. They will air sometime this spring.  As previously reported the following actors have been confirmed to re-join AMC:  Lindsay Hartley (Cara) Vincent Irizarry (David) Thorsten Kaye (Zach) Jill Larson (Opal) Cady McClain (Dixie) Debbi Morgan (Angie) Jordi Vilasuso (Griffin) Darnell Williams (Jesse) In addition  ABC Soaps in Depth   is reporting that David Canary (Adam/Stuart) is coming back and that Susan Lucci (Erica) will re-join for one episode.  The following actors have signed on for OLTL: Melissa Archer (Natalie) Nick Choksi (Vimal) Kassie DePaiva (Blair) Josh Kelly (Cutter) Florencia Lozano (Tea) Kelley Missal (Danielle) Sean Ringgold (Shaun) Erika Slezak (Victoria) Hillary B. Smith (Nora) Robin Strasser (Dorian) Shenaz Treasury (Rama) A

Eariler today General Hospital's Laura Wright (Carly) tweeted that we will indeed be seeing more of Michael Easton, Roger Howarth, and Kristen Alderson on the show. Of course it remains to be seen if we will be seeing them in the same roles. As I posted  last week there has been speculation that these three actors would return to GH as different characters. This would mean that the roles of Todd, Starr, and John would be recast on the OLTL reboot. Obviously Michael Easton is playing dual roles on GH right now, so could we be saying goodbye to John at some point, and hello to Caleb? I guess we'll have to stay tuned to find out.

Well this should make a few longtime General Hospital fans happy. Actor John Stamos (ex-Blackie) recently posted a string of tweets about his visit to the GH set. He even responded to one fan's tweet about wanting Blackie to return to the show. Read his tweets below and check out the youtube clip of his GH stint from the 80's. Instagram photo

This should be interesting!   ABC Soaps in Depth   is reporting that actor Sean Kanan (AJ, GH) and his wife will be hosting their own Internet radio show beginning tomorrow night at 8 PST. The show is called "Kanan's Rules" and will air every Wednesday at  http://www.ubnradio.com/kanansrules   Do you plan to listen? 

Actress Debbi Morgan tweets the start date for taping the AMC reboot. It looks like things are well under way. Here's hoping everything works out this time.  Are you excited for the new AMC? 

Well, I saw this coming about a mile away and I'm not at all happy about it. I am, of course, talking about Britt and Maxie teaming up to destroy Sabrina. First of all, I don't buy that Britt and Sabrina are at all in love with Patrick. Britt has never acted like Patrick was any more than a conquest; and I think what Sabrina is experiencing is merely a school girl crush.  I get that Britt is angry because she has such a massive ego, but that's all it is. She didn't just lose a husband, or some great love of her life. She's basically a stalker whose prey got away. And instead of throwing a fit like a toddler, she needs a major reality check and possibly some sort of medication.  All of this is bad enough, but I really hate that GH has decided to involve Maxie in this mess. This show had an opportunity to tell a story about a formerly selfish woman doing one of the most selfless things she could do for her best friend, be her surrogate. I think th

Earlier today OLTL's Robin Strasser (Dorian) tweeted the date they will begin taping the show's reboot  and thanks fans for making it possible:  Are you excited for the new OLTL? 

For a while now we have all been expecting that Roger Howarth (Todd, GH), Michael Easton (John, GH), and Kristen Alderson (Starr, GH) would soon be exiting GH due to legal entanglements between ABC and Prospect Park. That has now been confirmed. While disappointing for some, including myself, who thought their characters integrated into GH quite nicely, the news gets worse. According to  Soap Opera Digest , Prospect Park will most likely recast the roles of Todd, Star, and John, allowing Howarth, Easton, and Alderson to come back to GH at some point, but as different characters.  Personally, I don't foresee any situation where this could work out to anyone's advantage, least of all the viewers. Let's just hope the writers of both shows can come up with a creative and engaging solution to this casting mess, no matter how it works out.  Michael Easton and Kristen Alderson have released statements to their fans via facebook and twitter:  -continued belo