News for Wk of 3/11/13
by Carol Banks Weber

Jane Elliot (Tracy) knows she’s in a rare position and never takes that for granted. It isn’t too often when a person can count on a place to go to and be remembered through several decades, and then get paid for the privilege. But she can, on GH. With the soap’s 50th anniversary just around the corner, it’s especially poignant. “I’ve come in and out, and in and out, and in and out like four times, and I’ve lived other lives and I’ve gotten married and divorced and raised children and been on other shows,” she told Access Hollywood’s Jolie Lash. “I have gotten to live this full, rich life, with this being the constant in my life… That I was lucky enough to be hired to play a part that would have this kind of longevity is miraculous, because we all know, thousands of characters and thousands of actors have come and gone on ‘General Hospital’… So to have this character and this family to stay relevant over all of these years, and to give me a place to come home to is, unparalleled in show business, truly — that I get to be 66 years old and I’m a working actress and I raised two children on acting money alone. And most of it was ‘General Hospital’ money.”

Brandon Barash (Johnny) tweeted last week that he has requested to leave GH after five and a half years of service. For followers of Port Chuck, this isn’t news.

Ingo Rademacher (Jax) and Vanessa Marcil (Brenda) return before GH’s 50th anniversary gets underway, for a major story, not just a cameo. Rademacher kept denying his GH return up until last week, on orders from TPTB. There’s more, up at Daytime Confidential.

Tony Geary (Luke) would’ve been the perfect star for the Dancing With The Stars venture — when he was younger, he recently said. He started off in show business first as a dancer, an actor in musical theater, and even a Vegas show boy. “I don't know that I would do it, but it would have been nice to be asked.” That’s okay, he’s fine with rooting on his fellow soap stars and thinking the world of the first winner, Kelly Monaco (Sam), all the way through to the most recent addition, Ingo Rademacher (Jax). He even believes more soap stars are on their way. Zap2it/From Inside The Box by Jay Bobbin, March 6, 2013

Tony Geary (Luke) let the cat out of the bag about his and Genie Francis’ (Laura) non-Nurses’ Ball attendance for the April 1st 50th anniversary show recently. He said Luke and Laura will be out on an adventure during the Nurses’ Ball, so they’ll miss it, which was a kind of a bummer for him.

Cody Murphy of Weekdays With Murph on Blog Talk Radio scored an exclusive interview with Lindsey Morgan (Kristina) March 5, his fifth. He told me he “experienced something for the first time as an interviewer today and it made my respect for the guest skyrocket. I was interviewing Lindsey Morgan, who is the sweetest person ever and she turned around and started asking me questions. I thought it really showed what kind of person Lindsey is, that she takes the time to get to know her fans.”

Lulu has been recast with Emme Rylan/Marcy Rylan (Abby, Y&R). The announcement last week stunned many in the soap community, as Rylan had just returned to the CBS soap she called home for many years. Julie Marie Berman (Lulu) quit her role recently to pursue other things.

Cross-overs Michael Easton (John), Kristen Alderson (Starr), and Roger Howarth (Todd) have to vacate GH on-screen as of the week of March 18, in order to return as ordered to Prospect Park’s online reboot of their canceled soap, OLTL. It’s a licensing rights issue.