http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=071310_01

IN CELEBRATION OF VANESSA MARCIL'S RETURN TO "GENERAL HOSPITAL"

AS BRENDA BARRETT ON AUGUST 11, SPECIAL BRENDA PROGRAMMING

TAKES OVER ABC DAYTIME AND SOAPNET THE WEEK OF AUGUST 9

"General Hospital" Will Own the ABC Daytime Drama Block from 1:00-3:00 PM, ET

On August 10 With Classic Episodes Featuring the Men in Brenda Barrett's Life

Additional Programming and Digital Events Include Special Retrospectives,

A SOAPnet Marathon of Classic Brenda Episodes, Hosted Wraps, a Countdown

Of the 25 Key Brenda Moments, Timelines, Photo Galleries and Trivia Quizzes

In celebration of Vanessa Marcil's return to "General Hospital" as Brenda Barrett on Wednesday, August 11, special Brenda programming takes over on ABC Daytime and SOAPnet the week of August 9. "General Hospital" will own the ABC Daytime drama block from 1:00-3:00 PM, ET on Tuesday, August 10, with classic episodes featuring the men in Brenda's life (Sonny, Jax and Jason). Additional programming and digital events include special retrospectives, a SOAPnet marathon of classic Brenda episodes, hosted wraps, a countdown of the 25 key Brenda moments, timelines, photo galleries and trivia quizzes.

When we last saw Brenda, Jax had left her at the altar and, as a result, she left town. Now Brenda's return to Port Charles comes at a time when the three most important men in her life - Sonny, Jax and Jason - are all in crisis. Brenda's in trouble herself - when is she not? - possessing an explosive secret. She has no idea of the havoc this indiscretion will wreak or that she'll send the lives of loved ones hurtling into chaos.

The Brenda Barrett ABC Daytime and SOAPnet programming event includes:

July 17: SOAPnet's 25-day countdown to the return of Brenda Barrett begins: Each day leading up to her arrival, a key Brenda moment will be revealed:

Every day, starting on Saturday, July 17 and leading up to her return on August 11, fans will see key Brenda moments on SOAPnet. Some of the moments will include Sonny learning Brenda is wearing a wire; Sonny and Brenda's famous kiss on the beach; and Sonny leaving Brenda in the rain. The complete list of 25 Brenda video moments will be available on ABC.com and SOAPnet.com starting August 10.

August 6 & 9: Original "General Hospital" episodes feature Sonny remembering special moments with Brenda Barrett:

3:00 PM ET ABC / 10:00 PM ET SN: Facing estrangement from all his major relationships, especially from his children, Sonny finds himself reminiscing about Brenda and longing for a past, simpler life that allowed him to love as completely as he did once with her. On Friday, August 6, we leave Sonny on the docks thinking about Brenda -- and he flashes back to the time he helped her lug a heavy suitcase.

Mistaking Claire Walsh for Brenda on August 9, Sonny tries to distract himself from his memories of her by pursuing Claire. However Sonny still cannot get her out of his mind - and he remembers the first time he told Brenda he loved her.

August 10: "General Hospital" takeover event with all three hours of the ABC Daytime drama block dedicated to "Brenda Barrett's Men: A Special 'General Hospital' Marathon," hosted by Vanessa Marcil on ABC and SOAPnet:

1:00 PM ET ABC / 8:00 PM ET SN - "General Hospital" Episode #8602 (OAD November 5, 1996) -- As Brenda prepares to marry Jax at the Quartermaine mansion, Sonny interrupts with Miranda, who's still married to Jax.

2:00 PM ET ABC / 9:00 PM ET SN - "General Hospital" Episode #8831 (OAD September 24, 1997) -- After being left at the altar by Sonny, Brenda reminisces about the key moments of their relationship.

3:00 PM ET ABC / 10:00 PM ET SN - "General Hospital" Episode #10138 (OAD October 29, 2002) -- Brenda and Jason's Las Vegas wedding.

August 11: Brenda Barrett Returns to "General Hospital":

3:00 PM ET ABC/ 10:00 PM ET:

Brenda appears on the "General Hospital" landscape as the face of fashion house Cartullo, only to be attacked by a dangerous stalker.

August 15: SOAPnet marathon: "The Best of Brenda and Sonny," with special appearances by Vanessa Marcil and Maurice Benard:

3:00 PM - "General Hospital" Episode #8105 (OAD December 2, 1994) - In Puerto Rico, Sonny and Brenda escape on a boat and end up washed ashore on a beach, where their relief turns to passion. The two then hurry back to Miguel's (Ricky Martin) concert to warn him that he and Lois are in danger.

4:00 PM - "General Hospital" Episode #8688 (OAD March 7, 1997) -- Trapped in a cave and thinking they're going to die, Sonny and Brenda admit their feelings for each other and make love as Jax and Jason search for them.

5:00 PM - "General Hospital" Episode #8829 (OAD September 22, 1997) -- Brenda is stunned at her wedding when Sonny leaves her waiting alone at the altar.

6:00 PM - "General Hospital" Episode #9002 (OAD May 26, 1998) -- Brenda pays a surprise visit to Sonny and finally gets him to admit why he didn't show up for their wedding.

Additionally, beginning the week of July 12, ABC.com and SOAPnet.com will start rolling out content that will allow fans to reminisce and catch up on all things Brenda. The site will include photo galleries, story histories and trivia questions. The complete list of the key 25 Brenda video moments will be available starting August 10. Fans can log onto www.abc.com/generalhospital and www.soapnet.com for more info.

Vanessa Marcil created the role of Brenda Barrett in 1992 and won a Daytime Emmy® for her portrayal in 2003 for Outstanding Supporting Actress. Named one of People magazine's "100 Most Beautiful People," Marcil has been seen in many successful TV series, including "Las Vegas," "Without a Trace," "Lipstick Jungle" and "Beverly Hills 90210."

"General Hospital" airs at 3:00 p.m., ET, 2:00 p.m., PT on the ABC Television Network, and on SOAPnet at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. Winner of a record-setting 10 Emmys for Outstanding Daytime Drama, the program celebrated 47 years of broadcasting on April 1, 2010, and is the longest-running dramatic serial on ABC, having aired over 12,000 episodes. "General Hospital" consistently rates as one of the top-rated Daytime programs in the key demographic of Women 18-49.

"General Hospital" was created by Frank and Doris Hursley. Jill Farren Phelps is the executive producer. Mary O'Leary, Mercer Barrows and Michelle Henry are producers. Robert Guza, Jr. is the head writer. Full episodes of "General Hospital" are available on ABC.com the day after airing on the network for users to watch online.

SOAPnet owns the world of character-driven soapy drama, from daytime and primetime dramas to reality shows and movies. The network features same-day episodes of popular daytime dramas including "All My Children," "Days of our Lives," "One Life to Live," "General Hospital" and "The Young and the Restless"; favorite primetime series "Gilmore Girls," "The O.C.," "One Tree Hill" and "Beverly Hills 90210"; and original programs including "Being Erica." Wrapped in a 24-hour environment, SOAPnet is the one destination for stories focused on real emotions and revealing truths about intriguing yet flawed characters.

I would happily settle for AMC at 2EST and a David Muir hosted noon news hour. No need to put GH reruns on in OLTL's timeslot.

Over the past decade they seem to be putting GH reruns in GH's timeslot...

Over the past decade they seem to be putting GH reruns in GH's timeslot...

WIN.

All My Brenda

Brenda's Life to Live

All My Brenda

Brenda's Life to Live

LOL!

For the fans of the ABC soaps, this Vanessa gamble better pay with a huge sustained bump in the 18 to 49 women demos because other than cutting production costs some more GH and ABC have no more cards to play. If this doesn't work, cancellation will be closer than lots of people think.

Because these GH themed marathons have really helped SOAPNet stay on air.....

[!@#$%^&*] you too Frons...

All My Brenda

Brenda's Life to Live

The Days of Brenda's Life

The Bold and the Brenda

The Young and the Brenda

As Brenda's Life Turns

Brenda's Guiding Light

Brenda's Passions

LOL!

For the fans of the ABC soaps, this Vanessa gamble better pay with a huge sustained bump in the 18 to 49 women demos because other than cutting production costs some more GH and ABC have no more cards to play. If this doesn't work, cancellation will be closer than lots of people think.

In all seriousness (my Brender vs Ally Rescott war aside), at least GH has a chance. I can only stand to watch nearly one episode of OLTL every couple of weeks just to touch base, and AMC seems to have given up with some of the laziest writing.

GH's production values are great since the HD switch (the lighting, for years, was this show's Achilles heel in that regard) . GH's cast, with a few exceptions, is watchable. GH's outline writers, scriptwriters and editor are the best of the three ABC shows. And, during the rare times when Guza decides not to phone it in, he can write entertaining arcs. So, they have plenty of tools to execute something good during this period. Do I think good enough to send the demos into orbit with the use of Vanity? Not really, but I do think it will be enough to definitely spike past AMC/OLTL.

But this is the fun part -- waiting, watching and then seeing.

In all seriousness (my Brender vs Ally Rescott war aside), at least GH has a chance. I can only stand to watch nearly one episode of OLTL every couple of weeks just to touch base, and AMC seems to have given up with some of the laziest writing.

GH's production values are great since the HD switch (the lighting, for years, was this show's Achilles heel in that regard) . GH's cast, with a few exceptions, is watchable. GH's outline writers, scriptwriters and editor are the best of the three ABC shows. And, during the rare times when Guza decides not to phone it in, he can write entertaining arcs. So, they have plenty of tools to execute something good during this period. Do I think good enough to send the demos into orbit with the use of Vanity? Not really, but I do think it will be enough to definitely spike past AMC/OLTL.

But this is the fun part -- waiting, watching and then seeing.

Awww, DP, you know I you... But, even so, my joy over what Brender/VM's return will do to that horrid character... it can't be contained! WOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!!!

Again, ABC and GH will shove Snarly aside! She'll be where LW's character needs to be -- with Ingo's Jax. Oops, wait! Jax might drop her for Brender, too! I mean, it's only fitting that Jax and Skye are circling around each other when it was Brender Jax dropped Skye for! So, sorry... LW's character might not even be in Jax's orbit . Although, I need to check myself, since Frons insists on showing Sonny/Brender shows, Carly might not get a total wipe out. He might put his second favorite back into a CarJacking.

I ya too man! At least I can take comfort in the fact that when Whatsherface eventually leaves(and we all know she will), my lady will go back to being Guza's #1 pet. Hopefully Lisa Lo sticks around as well.

They're blowing out the whole schedule?! For crap's sake Frons, just get a hooker with dark hair and a tramp stamp!

But... but... but... she's the REAL Brenda... I don't dislike Brenda very much. I don't dislike Marcil. It's just the over-hyping ABC does that makes me want to tune out anything they praise.

WTG in rewarding those shows that have outperformed GH for some time now.

The problem is if it takes this much money and effort just for GH to make a slight improvement then what's going to happen when they run out of these last few trump cards?

I also wonder if Franco might detract from some of the potential Marcil viewer boost. Every time he is on the show the ratings seem to slide.

But... but... but... she's the REAL Brenda... I don't dislike Brenda very much. I don't dislike Marcil. It's just the over-hyping ABC does that makes me want to tune out anything they praise.

WTG in rewarding those shows that have outperformed GH for some time now.

I like VM. I never saw her on GH so my only exposure to her was Las Vegas and I really liked that show so I have nothing against her. On the contrary, I LOVE that Brenda is considered such a golden character. She isn't a vet, isn't a member of a core family and has been off the canvas for years. Brenda goes against all those things we're told (and told and told again) are most valuable in characters. Instead her popularity follows the primetime model, people like her because they like her. That's it and no matter how hard they've tried, GH hasn't been able to replicate or replace her.

Edited July 15, 201015 yr by marceline

I wonder if they'll have Vanessa co-host The View the week of her debut to pimp this even more?

I wonder if they'll have Vanessa co-host The View the week of her debut to pimp this even more?

She will definetly be appearing on it, I can guarantee that. They are going to pimp her out all over the daytime schedule. Im not watching any ABC primetime but I bet they will put some promos there too

GH is a unique show in terms of core families, because when Brenda became popular, they didn't really have any. There was the Quartermaines (and the show heavily played her with the Quartermaines). Otherwise it was sort of very small families, like the Hardys, or the Spencers (I think she became popular before Luke and Laura came back), or the collective ties of Felicia/Bobbie/Tony/Mac/Robin. There was a void in the canvas at that time for younger women.

Now Brenda fits in easily because she's a part of the show's only true family -- the mob. As long as Sonny and Jason are around, Brenda will always have a home with the show. (Jax is too pointless and they went out of their way to trash that relationship the last time around)

Edited July 15, 201015 yr by CarlD2