Paula's Soapbox

When I first heard that Erin Hershey Presley was coming to General Hospital, I was so excited. Alison was one of my favorite characters on Port Charles; and unlike the other new characters on GH, Alison actually has significant familial ties to Port Charles (the city, not the show).  I had hoped that GH would add her to the cast right after Port Charles was canceled, like they did with Kelly Monaco, but that never happened. When she was finally added this week I naturally had high hopes that she would be around for awhile. I also had high hopes that with the current murder mystery storyline we might be getting rid of some of the more unnecessary characters - sorry if that sounds harsh. I did not, however, anticipate that Alison would be the first victim, and I cannot tell you how disappointed I am.  This is not just because I like the character or dislike other characters on this show, but because GH has single-handedly destroyed the legacy of Port Charles with one, po...

The promo for this week's General Hospital touts a murder mystery, but that's not the big story here. According to  We Love Soaps  this promo features our first look at Caleb and Alison's son Rafe, played by actor Jimmy Deshler. As I posted  last night, several sources are reporting that Erin Hershey Presley is reprising her Port Charles role as Alison. There was some confusion, as Alison married a Rafe on Port Charles, played by Brian Gaskill. Deshler will be playing Rafe Jr. Check out the promo below:

  According to   Soap Opera Network  and various other sources, Port Charles Alum Erin Hershey Presley (Alison) is bringing her character to General Hospital, along with her son Rafe, believed to be the product of her encounter with Caleb (Michael Easton). As you might recall, Erin met her real life husband Brian on the set of Port Charles. Brian recently starred in the film  Touchback   alongside Kurt Russell.  Below is a link to a clip of the last episode of Port Charles where they make mention of Alison being pregnant with Caleb's child.  Port Charles: The Gift Finale

Perhaps no one has complained about the Scullys more than me. I believe I said on more than a few occasions that I rued the day they arrived in Port Charles and I meant it. I still think Joe was one of the worst written soap villains ever. He was virtually irredeemable and that's saying a lot for a soap opera character. Needless to say I wholeheartedly welcomed his exit. Trey, however, was a different story. I wasn't particularly fond of this character in the beginning...okay I hated Trey too. He grated on my nerves almost as much as Joe did; but when I found out he was Kate's son, suddenly he had storyline potential. Moreover he had the potential to be likable. I had hoped with Joe out of the way, it would make room for a moving mother/son relationship between Kate and Trey. Obviously that never happened. Kate found out Trey was her son and promptly switched back to being Connie. I've put up with Connie all these months in much the same way I did Trey for a long time. ...

Last night I watched the film Touchback starring "Port Charles" alum Brian Presley (Jack), who also co-produced the film. I really wasn't sure what to expect from this movie. I knew very little about Presley's production company Freedom Films or about Touchback since it wasn't heavily promoted. In addition I had never seen Presley in anything other than "Port Charles," but I knew the film was supposed to be inspirational and a project that Presley was passionate about so I added it to my watch list, and I am so glad I did.  Touchback is  both inspirational and entertaining and serves as an outstanding showcase for Brian Presley's talent and range as an actor.  Everyone has had those "what if" moments, where they imagine how different their lives would be if they had chosen another path or if various unforeseen incidents had not intervened to change the course of their life forever. Touchback explores this aspect of humanity in a way...

Before Twilight or True Blood, there was Port Charles, a spin-off of General Hospital which featured vampire themes throughout much of its existence. Perhaps being ahead of its time Port Charles never garnered a strong following and remained on the air for only six years. Having never been a fan of this particular subject matter I became a fan of Port Charles near the end of its run on ABC. I found it to be more than what it seemed to be on the surface. Instead of Port Charles being a dark, far-fetched, mythical soap, I felt that the writing attempted to go deeper than that to portray the classic battle of good versus evil and the internal struggle that everyone faces to choose right from wrong. However, by the time that Port Charles peaked my interest the show had already switched time slots from daytime to only airing during the wee hours of the morning, at least in my viewing area. And I suspect that when that switch occurred fewer people watched than before. It is a shame that this...