GH: January 2024 Discussion Thread

[Paul Raven]

@alexisfan07 thanks for that. I was aware that if a current cast member appears in a flashback but is not otherwise in that episode they must be paid their normal rate. That makes sense.

But for actors no longer on the show it appears they are to be paid the amount they received for the original episode. That could be quite expensive if it was a highly paid star eg Tony Geary.

That pertains to speaking parts only I think - someone in the background would not have to paid.

Now for performers who return for a day or two -are they paid the current day player rate or the same amount that  were getting per episode when they were last on contract?

[AMCHistory]

I did not miss not seeing any Luke flashbacks. I guess the last 20 years of Tony’s run just put such a bad taste in my mouth, where he had carte blanche and consumed Port Charles, that I do not miss Luke Spencer one bit. 

I forgot how much chemistry Bobbie and Scotty had. Their flashbacks were full of so much heart. 

[Jdee43]

I guess Geary really is done. If he's not coming back for this, he's not coming back 

I guess the death of Luke and the funeral they had for him in January 2022 is all real; it's the true end of his character. 

I wonder if the network played a role in this. His character is pretty reprehensible. Maybe they just wanted to put a definite end to it and move on, as well as preclude any return possibilities. 

[vetsoapfan]

Yes, but I'm afraid those once-popular characters have disappeared into Forgotten History territory. I was (pleasantly) shocked to see that Lucille March was featured on the wall.

[AbcNbc247]

I guess it was something in Kristina Wagner’s delivery because I, myself, got a little misty eyed at, “Brighton was Barbara Jean!”

It was a good episode. Sad to see Lucas go though. They really need to invest in this character. Even if Ryan doesn’t want be on, they should recast. 

And hopefully, this leads to changes in Carly’s character as well.

[Sapounopera]

Ok I cried my eyes out. GH is the only soap than can make me feel something at this point. 
RIP Miss Zeman, it seems like yesterday I was watching Bobbie next to Jesse at the nurses station talking about Scotty, Luke and Laura.

Soap is such a unique genre.

[carolineg]

I thought the tribute was very nice too!  Again, you did had to suspend disbelief, but it was a very creative choice to find the original BJ actress and she was wonderful.  

I like the idea of 

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[janea4old]

Someone did a comparison clip on twitter.  Kristina Wagner said "Brighton was Barbara Jean!" yesterday -- in exactly the same way 29 years ago that she said "Not Barbara Jean!" when she heard about BJ.

Edited January 12 by janea4old

[titan1978]

I think the memorial ended up being really lovely, especially because of what constraints these shows operate under now.

I appreciate the flashbacks showed just how complete and complex Bobbie was. When she was still on contract all those years I really felt like Bobbie may have bettered herself and overcome a lot, but she still had that fire in her. This was a lovely tribute to Jackie as well.

Also, can we keep Ryan Carnes please? And that Champ scene at the end really got me. 

These writers have their issues, but they really know how to utilize Kristina Wagner and get Felicia. And I have many complaints over the years with Frank. But he has done right by the long term veterans on this show several times. 

[DRW50]

I can't imagine how tough it must be for Kristina Wagner to play that again having lost a child.

[Contessa Donatella]

I think it is quite a bit simpler. I believe he is 77 & may have some health concerns, nothing to be concerned about but enough that he doesn't just pop over from Amsterdam to California. As far as the show is concerned, yes, he is dead. They are not looking to bring him onscreen. At the studio they are not wishing & hoping that Geary will appear. Unlike some of the fans, they aren't thinking about him at all. It is enough that in real life terms, when Jackie died, and also when Sonya died, Geary wrote his own tribute & through email or whatever got it included. 

[janea4old]

The things that happened when filming:  The "Kelly's" sign breaking in the storm and Elizabeth volunteering to paint a new one.  And Elizabeth presented the new sign at the end of the two memorial episodes.
Specifically the dialogue said that the sign broke in a STORM.

And in real life when they filmed this, Laura Wright said that at the end of filming the two episodes, the cast went outside and there was a beautiful rainbow over the studio.  The GH account posted a picture.

 

[DRW50]

On the one hand, I think it's a nice tribute...but to me it's always going to be Kelly's. At least now they don't have to worry about new viewers saying, "Who was Kelly???"

[alexisfan07]

I don't think that's true for whether or not they speak in the clip because Days and GH have definitely blurred faces of people in the background before. They even zoomed in/cropped the shots that Josslyn was in during Willow's flashback to cut out Eden's neck and ear (quite extreme).

No, once their contract is up, it's up. They would negotiate a higher rate than a day player but there would be no automatic honoring of their contract rate. That said, I believe long-standing recurring actors have higher rates and that's why they don't use them constantly.

[titan1978]

I think it’s both now. I think they should leave the Kelly’s branded mugs and menus, and now we have the tribute to Bobbie with the new name.