Author: Errol Lewis

Just a short time ago, Prospect Park released the following statement to Soap Opera Network regarding the latest developments surrounding its discussions with Disney/ABC Domestic Television and the use of the characters Starr Manning, Todd Manning and John McBain.

According to the company, shortly after deciding to postpone production of “All My Children” and “One Life to Live,” they made an agreement with ABC that would allow “General Hospital” to utilize the characters so that they could “stay alive with the fans and also so that the actors could remain working.” The company also tells Soap Opera Network that “Everyone at ABC and on the production staff of ‘General Hospital’ understood that this was a temporary arrangement until production started once again on ‘One Life to Live.’ Now the time has come to start production and Prospect Park needs to, once again, cast these characters including Llanview transplants Michael Easton (John) and Kristen Alderson (Starr).”

Beginning Wednesday, February 6, fans of “General Hospital’s” Sean Kanan (AJ Quartermaine) can see/hear the actor in a different light as the daytime star has signed on with UBN Radio Network to launch a new radio show, “Kanan’s Rules,” with wife, Michele. The show will air live in both audio and streaming video via http://www.ubnradio.com from the Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood.

In a report by BroadcastEngineering.com, “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” will both begin production on Monday, February 25 for their online incarnations, which are set to premiere sometime in April exclusively on Hulu. NEP Broadcasting, LLC is currently constructing studio space for both series in an old factory in Connecticut, the website says. This would indicate that despite reports stating otherwise, neither show will be filming at the Stamford Media Center, where “Maury” is filmed.

Despite Michael Easton’s announcement early this morning, where he stated that after February 8th he would be exiting “General Hospital,” along with Roger Howarth and Kristen Alderson, due to “some ongoing legal this and that,” an ABC spokesperson tells Soap Opera Network that all three will remain an essential part of the “GH” canvas for the foreseeable future.

As previously reported, Michael Easton along with Kristen Alderson and Roger Howarth are currently at the center of a legal dispute between Prospect Park and Disney/ABC Domestic Television, part of the Disney/ABC Telvision Group, over who has the right to use the characters of John McBain (Easton), Starr Manning (Alderson) and Todd Manning (Howarth)). In one corner you have Prospect Park and “One Life to Live” and in the other you have ABC and “General Hospital.” Unfortunately for the fans, no one is “winning.” According to one of the affected actors, after Friday, February 8, they “cannot be at ‘General Hospital'” any longer.

ABC’s “General Hospital” and “The View” ranked #1 in Women 18-34 for the week of January 21-25, 2013. Both series averaged a 0.7 rating in the key sales demo. This marks “GH’s” 10th time in the past 11 weeks to rank #1 in the demo.

Cleveland is getting hotter as TV Land’s “Hot in Cleveland” brings in soap stars Cameron Mathison (“All My Children”) and a returning Jack Wagner (“General Hospital,” “Melrose Place”) for guest stints.

As expected, CBS has renewed its entire daytime lineup that consists of “Let’s Make a Deal,” “The Price is Right,” “The Young and the Restless,” “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “The Talk” for the 2013-2014 television season.

On Saturday, February 16, “One Life to Live’s” Ilene Kristen (Roxy Balsom) and Lea DeLaria (Madame Delphina) will be hosting a cocktail party dubbed “Mix & Mingle with Roxy and Delphina” at Prohibition bar and restaurant in New York City. The event, brought to you by Soap Opera Socialite Productions, will run from 12:00 noon to 3:00 PM.

TMZ is reporting that former “Passions” star Brook Kerr (ex-Whitney Russell) and husband Christopher Warren, Sr., who are currently involved in a bitter divorce after 22 years of marriage, are being sued by their son Christopher Warren, Jr., who claims his parents stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from funds earned during his childhood acting career. The actor, best known for his role as basketball player Zeke Baylor in the “High School Musical” films, says his parents admitted to blowing through the money for “their own personal expenses.” TMZ reports that the total amount stolen remains unknown. “Chris is now suing his parents for all the money back … even though he’s still not sure exactly how much they took,” said TMZ.

As previously reported, daytime veteran Steve Burton (“General Hospital,” “Days of our Lives”) will debut Tuesday, January 29 on CBS’ “The Young and the Restless” as Dylan McAvoy, a rugged ex-soldier holding a secret upon his arrival in Genoa City. The character looks to be primarily interacting with Joshua Morrow’s Nicholas Newman and Jessica Collins’ Avery Clark, at least initially.

Soap Opera Digest is reporting that soap alum Kale Browne will be heard in upcoming episodes of CBS’ “The Young and the Restless” as he portrays the role of a radio DJ on the soap.

The magazine reports that Browne’s voice will be heard on the Tuesday, February 12 and Wednesday, February 13 episodes of the drama series. The actor isn’t expected to appear in the actual episodes.

Soap Opera Socialite Productions posted a video on their YouTube page from “All My Children’s” Jill Larson (Opal Cortlandt), who shared her excitement in returning to the world of Pine Valley after nearly a two year absence. “We’re all very excited about the possibilites that await all of us, and getting together again and dusting off our old beloved characters and telling new stories that Agnes has been dreaming up since we’ve been off the air,” said the actress.

In a report outlining the tremendous turnaround daytime soap operas have experienced in recent months, following five years of consistent cancellations, which found numerous soaps ending their runs starting with “Passions” in 2008, “Guiding Light” in 2009, “As The World Turns” in 2010, “All My Children” in 2011 and “One Life to Live” in 2012, Deadline is reporting that CBS and ABC are about to forgo another year of fan heartbreak. According to the sites sources, the networks are expected to continue production of “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “General Hospital” for the foreseeable future. This news would follow in line with NBC’s recent announcement that it had renewed “Days of our Lives” through the next television season (2013-2014).

Earlier today we reported on word that Prospect Park would not be airing online episodes of “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” on TOLN/The OnLine Network, as had originally been expected, following today’s announcement by the company that Hulu, the green internet hub owned by The Walt Disney Company, Comcast and News Corp., had acquired digital distribution rights to both series via Hulu’s subscription and free-to-view platforms. In a blog posting on its website, Hulu clarified that news report.

As previously reported, actor Jimmy Deshler has joined the cast of “General Hospital” in the role of Rafe, who is believed to be the son of Alison Barrington and Caleb Morley as a result of their sexual encounter occurring towards the end of ABC’s long canceled “Port Charles.”

Per recent comments made by TV Line’s Matt Webb Mitovich, it looks like Prospect Park’s plans to air new episodes of “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” via its pending TOLN.com and TheOnLineNetwork.com web portal may not be happening after all. This is apparently as a result of today’s announcement that Hulu and its Hulu Plus subdivision, along with Apple’s iTunes, will be the digital places to be plugged (or unplugged if you have wireless capabilities) into for fans of the soap operas. It was initially expected that with the Hulu and Apple deals in place, TOLN.com and TheOnLineNetwork.com would be used for additional viewing opportunities as was done with the shows when they aired on ABC.com and Hulu.com.

Press Release Detailing shows most recent performance

As previously reported, Jack Wagner is returning to ABC’s “General Hospital” to reprise his role as Frisco Jones on the daytime drama series. Soap Opera Network first reported on word of Wagner’s return to the set on Monday, January 14, following a now squashed Twitter controversy surrounding the actor and now co-star Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis). The two appeared separately in the Monday, January 7 episode of “Castle,” which also happens to air on ABC.

In a press release issued just a short time ago, Prospect Park has announced that “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” will premiere on Hulu, Hulu Plus and iTunes.