Browsing: General Hospital

“General Hospital” has seen a whirlwind of publicity celebrating its 50th Anniversary, and it looks like “Katie” is the next show to join in on the fun and feature the iconic soap and its beloved stars. Host Katie Couric and an audience filled with die-hard “GH” fans will be spending a full hour paying homage to the long-running drama, and several Port Charles residents are slated to participate!

Just as “General Hospital’s” Julie Marie Berman (ex-Lulu Spencer) started dusting off her daytime shoes, primetime came calling: She’s set to appear on CBS’ popular sitcom, “Two and a Half Men”! But just what’s in store for the actress when she joins the show’s stars, John Cryer (Alan) and Ashton Kutcher (Walden)?

As previously reported, departing “General Hospital” star Brandon Barash (Johhny Zacchara) will appear in the Monday, April 15 episode of FOX’s “Bones,” entitled “The Party in the Pants.” Now you can get your first look as Barash’s character appears scared for his life…or is he?

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of ABC’s “General Hospital,” Jason Thompson (Patrick Drake) and Finola Hughes (Anna Devanne) worked together and just missed taking home $500,000 for their charity, The Art of Elysium (http://www.theartofelysium.org), a non-profit organization that works closely with actors, artists and musicians, encouraging them to volunteer their time and talent to children battling serious medical conditions, on Disney/ABC Domestic Television’s “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.” After appearing on the Monday, April 1 and Tuesday, April 2 episodes, the duo walked away with the guaranteed bank of $250,000.

In a report by Variety, Michael Maloney talks with “General Hospital’s” leading man, Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer), who explains that the renewed success of the soap can be directly credited to its head writer and executive producer.

As the popularity of soap operas fell in recent years (shown by decreased ratings and the cancelation of several sudsers, leaving only “The Young and the Restless,” “The Bold and the Beautiful,” “Days of our Lives,” and “General Hospital” on the air), the Daytime Emmy Awards shifted to keep up: Gone were the beloved clips showcasing the nominated actors’ work and the majority of the show celebrating daytime dramas, in were more moments involving morning, talk, game and cooking shows. And rumor had it that the Emmys would become even less soap-centric as the years went on. But according to the Daytime Emmys’ senior executive director, David Michaels, though this year’s program has not yet been set, he’s sure the ceremony will keep soaps front and center, right where they belong!
“The daytime fan base comes from all genres,” he tells Variety. “We have a Facebook page, and it’s not just the soap fans. The games and the talk shows have some pretty rabid fans, too. But there’s no fans like soap fans.”

Looking at how daytime television has become the pre-primtime of the entertainment landscape in more ways than one, Variety.com, now part of Penske Business Media, LLC (owners of Deadline.com and TVLine.com), has highlighted several of daytime’s biggest stars in front of and behind the scenes who help make the daily drama, the fun & games and the topics of discussion millions of viewers tune into each and every weekday. Those featured in the article include Angelica McDaniel (Senior Vice President, CBS Daytime), Frank Valentini (Executive Producer, “General Hospital”) Kelly Ripa (Tak Show Host, “Live with Kelly and Michael”; ex-Hayley Vaughan Santos, “All My Children”), Heather Tom (Katie Spencer, “The Bold and the Beautiful”), Katie Couric (Talk Show Host, “Katie”), Judge Judy Sheindlin (Judge, “Judge Judy”), Carla Hall and Clinton Kelly (Co-Hosts, “The Chew”) and many more.

As “General Hospital’s” 50th anniversary celebration kicks into high gear this week with a very special episode airing Tuesday, April 2 (episode was originally scheduled to air on Monday, April 1 as the 50th anniversary celebratory episode), fans will have no chance of avoiding the cast of the series as they grace your TV screens in more ways than one. In addition to the upcoming Special Edition of “20/20″ with Katie Couric,” wherein ABC News will feature “General Hospital” in a “Real Soap Dish” episode airing Saturday, April 6 from 9:00 – 10:00 PM ET on ABC, the daytime talk show newbie will host the series in a special edition of “Katie” airing on Thursday, April 4. Stars scheduled to appear in the episode include Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer), Genie Francis (Laura Spencer), Kin Shriner (Scott Baldwin), Finola Hughes (Anna Devanne), and Kelly Monaco, with a special performance by Rick Springfield (Noah Drake).

ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” is heading to the prom on tonight’s 2-hour performance edition of America’s favorite dance competition series. Also expected to attend are Ingo Rademacher’s “General Hospital” leading ladies Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis), Vanessa Marcil (Brenda Barrett) and Laura Wright (Carly Corinthos Jacks).

As previously reported, Anthony Geary appeared on today’s edition of ABC’s “The View.” Geary was there to help celebrate and honor the 50th anniversary of “General Hospital,” whose cast he’s been part of for the last 35 years (off and on).

After what must have been a very successful marathon of classic episodes of ABC’s “General Hospital” this past weekend, SOAPnet has announced that it plans to re-run the marathon again this weekend beginning Friday, April 5 at 10:00 PM ET/PT and running through Monday, April 8 at 12:00 AM ET/PT (Sunday night/Monday morning).

Tweet with cast members of ABC’s “General Hospital” today, April 1, using hashtag #GH50 during the East Coast broadcast of the daytime soap. Fans will be able to chat with such “GH” stars as Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth Webber), Jacklyn Zeman (Bobbie Spencer), and even Kimberly McCullough (Robin Scorpio), whose characters is supposed to be “dead!” Hmm…

Fans of ABC’s “General Hospital” will not only be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the iconic daytime soap today, but will also be able to own a piece of the soaps history. Beginning today, April 1, ABC is offering fans of the show the chance to purchase limited edition prints spanning the decades of the series. In a press release issued just a short time ago, the network noted that they are releasing new prints from the series that captures the most jaw-dropping moments from “GH’s” five storied decades. “An iconic 50th Anniversary Cast Photo is part of the limited edition offering (pictured), which includes fan-favorite characters from past and present commemorating the occasion. Only 1,963 reproductions of the print are available — the year the show premiered,” the network said.

Earlier today “General Hospital” stars Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer), Genie Francis (Laura Spencer), Kin Shriner (Scott Baldwin), Jason Thompson (Patrick Drake), Kelly Monaco (Sam McCall) and Finola Hughes (Anna Devanne) were joined by executive producer Frank Valentini and head writer Ron Carlivati as they rang The Opening Bell® at the New York Stock Exchange in honor of the shows 50th anniversary, airing today, April 1.

Today, April 1, ABC’s “General Hospital” celebrates its 50th anniversary in style! Before the anniversary episode airs (note: due to a national network preemption on Wednesday, March 13, this episode was originally scheduled to air on Friday, March 29; the Tuesday, April 2 episode was the episode previously scheduled to air as the anniversary episode on Monday, April 1) fans of the soaps most recognizable couple can watch “The View” for Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer) or “The Chew” for Genie Francis (Laura Spencer).

Ratings Report for the Week of March 18-22, 2013

On Monday, April 1, ABC’s “General Hospital” turns 50! In honor of the event, fans have been anticipating the return of one of the shows grandest events…the Nurses Ball. While things don’t kick into high gear for the event until the Friday, April 5 episode, we at Soap Opera Network wanted to make sure you got a glimpse of some of your favorite actors before their characters start singing, dancing, and throwing punches.

According to Entertainment Tonight, which has your exclusive first look, the Monday, April 1 and Tuesday, April 2 airings of ABC’s “General Hospital” will have fans receiving a special treat as the soap has mixed together several of its iconic opening sequences into a 35 second mash-up that honors the history and legacy of television’s longest-running current dramatic series.

Although “General Hospital” the TV show will turn the golden age of 50 on Monday, April 1, the General Hospital within the show has been preparing for the return of its annual Nurses Ball charity event, which has been inactive since June 2001, and Frank Valentini, Executive Producer, speaks on the return of the Nurses Ball and celebrating fifty years of a television icon.

On Monday, April 1, ABC’s “General Hospital” will celebrate its 50th anniversary. While the previously planned celebratory episode will now air on Tuesday, April 2, due to a national network preemption on Wednesday, March 13, fans will not be disappointed with the returns of such “GH” legends as Rachel Ames (Audrey Hardy), Stuart Damon (Alan Quartermaine) and Chris Robinson (Rick Webber), who were all originally scheduled to appear on the Friday, March 29 episode of the soap prior to the aforementioned preemption.