I liked Dempsey. I just got used to him. I am loving him and Beth together.

I guess I am in the minority on Gaskill. I think he fits okay as Dylan - not as good as Englund but I think he is an okay recast. I like him better with Zimmer than I do with Ehlers but I am getting used to them.

I agree with Tishy that he is hot.

I was just starting to like Dempsey as Alan-Michael, so it figures NOW they would fire him.

I totally agree! I was finally taking a liking to Dempsey as Alan-Michael. I was finally *caring* about the character and realizing that Michael Dempsey is damn delicious (a good haircut and a decent storyline is what did the trick for me). So now that they've finally given A-M some good use to the show, NOW'S the time they cut him loose? DUMB!

And Brian Gaskill, UGH. Talk about overrated! His Port Charles days are long gone, and so are his youthful looks. Now he's just a greasy, hairy marble-mouth. The only hairy hottie I need is Gus

I always sort-of liked Michael Dempsey as Alan-Michael. I just, personally, felt that almost every scene he had with a lead female was a chemistry test. Remember "Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed?," the episode where Olivia and Buzz have sex?! I swear, every other scene was a chemistry test.

Could I completely buy his Alan-Michael? It depended on his lines and the mood I was in. A lot of the times, I thought Michael Dempsey looked too rugged and, dare I say it, blue collar to play such a rich boy.

Dempsey's best stuff, IMO, is with Michelle Ray Smith's Ava. They have both been feeding off each other really well and they have grown a lot over the past year.

Geez...I knew I should have finished my article instead of surfing the soap boards this morning! I am soo upset about this!

I know I've !@#$%^&*]ed about the Ava & A-M pairing ever since they so much hinted at it but that was in no way attributed to Michael Dempsey's acting. I think he's a great, charismatic, and HOT actor! Who's dumbass idea was it to give Caitlin Van Zandt a 3-year contract and bring Brian Gaskill in (don't know if he has a contract or not) to let MD go?? Not to mention that A-M has soo many connections on canvas, is a complex character, and MD is able to play the "is he bad or good?" card in a way that many actors can't.

I always sort-of liked Michael Dempsey as Alan-Michael. I just, personally, felt that almost every scene he had with a lead female was a chemistry test. Remember "Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed?," the episode where Olivia and Buzz have sex?! I swear, every other scene was a chemistry test.

But you've gotta admit that MD has chemistry with almost everyone he shares a scene with! The only exception is Michelle Ray Smith but even they have their moments. I can't believe SOW or whatever mag it was had the nerve to say that the actor never caught on with the viewers because of his failed romance with Marina. I always felt the general opinion was that people liked MD and Alan-Michael but wanted to see him in other stories with other people. And he was FINALLY getting that. Just look at how much airtime he got in February.

Dempsey's best stuff, IMO, is with Michelle Ray Smith's Ava. They have both been feeding off each other really well and they have grown a lot over the past year.

I don't think I have to say again how much I completely disagree with this statement. I'm even angrier that they are keeping MRA and John Driscoll instead of him. I think MD has great chemistry with Gina Tognoni and Beth Chamberlin and I always love his scenes with Ron Raines.

This could easily be the most stupid decision the execs at GL have made in a while.

Edited March 10, 200718 yr by SpiritualJunkie

^^ I thought of you the second I saw this news, I knew you would be really disappointed. I am too, although I didn't like AM quite as much as you. I did like him though and there was a lot of potential there. AM/Dinah could have tore up the screen, but let's keep her in that boring relationship with Mallet instead.

I really like Caitlin Van Zandt, so I'm going to choose to see these two events as unrelated. I imagine they are and that she'll be making peanuts compared to what Dempsey was making anyway. Brian Gaskill is more in the Michael D. leaugue money wise I have to believe.

Edited March 10, 200718 yr by Juliajms

I have grown to like Dempsey as A-M. This is unlike a few who haven't grown on me....the girl that plays Ava and Bradley Cole as Jeffrey.

I shudder to think how DK is going to write off Alan-Michael...is he going to meet the same fate that Alan and Phillip have?

Edited March 10, 200718 yr by MichaelGL

^^ I thought of you the second I saw this news, I knew you would be really disappointed. I am too, although I didn't like AM quite as much as you. I did like him though and there was a lot of potential there. AM/Dinah could have tore up the screen, but let's keep her in that boring relationship with Mallet instead.

I just found out that they brought MD in to pair A-M with Dinah but that Dinah & Mallet got so popular that they dumped the idea. Geez...I knew that MD tested with GT and got the part because he had the most chemistry with her but it sucks that they were so quick to trash the idea of a Dinah/A-M pairing. I did love Dinah/Mallet at first but they got boring fast. A-M reminded Dinah of the person she was so afraid of becoming again. That would have been great stuff for GT to work with but nooo...now, she's normal like just about every other soap character out there.

I really like Caitlin Van Zandt, so I'm going to choose to see these two events as unrelated. I imagine they are and that she'll be making peanuts compared to what Dempsey was making anyway. Brian Gaskill is more in the Michael D. leaugue money wise I have to believe.

I don't dislike CVZ...but Ashlee doesn't have a quarter of the layers that A-M has. For TPTB to let MD go on the excuse that the character lacked direction and that the character never caught on with the viewers is a fabricated lie. They should have gotten rid of Ava, Jeffrey, Remy, Coop, Mallet, and co. a looong time ago if this were the case.

Has anyone been to the PGP boards? People there are PISSED. I think TPTB underestimated just how well-liked MD and the character of A-M really are. He's just never had that great following like other actors because the romances they gave him to work with were bland and repetitive (in fact, he was the one who saved just about every scene in those romances) and they took him away from the Spaulding/Harley/Dinah/etc. camp to be in completely pointless scenes with Ava & Coop.

Three-year contract?! Ashlee is such a POINTLESS character. And Memo to Caitlin Van Zandt: Lori Beth Denberg did it better!

bellcurve, I don't see the appeal of the Ashlee character like everyone else does. She's such a stock character. Does anyone here know if Michelle Ray Smith has a contract as well? It seems like they're giving the wrong people these standard 3-year contracts.

Not that this applies to MD, I believe he had a 3-year-contract as well...but it would have been nice if they had actually stuck with it instead of ending it early.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold the phone! Since when did Caitlin Van Zandt of all people have a contract?! I mean, I like Ashlee, but that's ridiculous.

Very VERY recently! She'll also have her own Inside the Light soon.

Very VERY recently! She'll also have her own Inside the Light soon.

Oy vey....

bellcurve, I don't see the appeal of the Ashlee character like everyone else does. She's such a stock character. Does anyone here know if Michelle Ray Smith has a contract as well? It seems like they're giving the wrong people these standard 3-year contracts.

Not that this applies to MD, I believe he had a 3-year-contract as well...but it would have been nice if they had actually stuck with it instead of ending it early.

Michelle Ray Smith has been on contract since February 2005.

Michelle Ray Smith has been on contract since February 2005.

Yea and she didn't appear on the screen until August 2005. Oye! LOL....

Also I would much rather have Catlin and Ashlee on screen rather than Ava. I think DK is trying to make Ava the nuTammy replacement and if that is so gag! me. LOL! I would much rather see Ashlee in that role.

I'll take Ashlee any day over Ava gladly, but still....