Table of contents for July 18, 2016 in ABC Soaps In Depth

Kirsten Storms (Maxie) may already be back to work at GH as you read this! The actress took time off due to stress-related skin issues in late May, with DAYS OF OUR LIVES vet Molly Burnett (ex-Melanie) stepping in as her temporary recast. While the soap wasn’t offering a specific return date for Storms at press time, a show rep promises, “Viewers can expect to see her on air the first week of August.”…

Andre has a bit of unsettling news for Chad about Abby on Monday, July 4. On Tuesday, July 5, Theresa admits to Brady that she fell asleep during a most inopportune moment. Shawn spends Wednesday, July 6, fretting about his relationship with Belle, which seems to have majorly stalled. Despite not trusting Andre as far as he can throw him, Chad decides to play a dangerous game on Thursday, July 7! And even as Hope is apologizing to Aiden on Friday, July 8, Rafe finds himself thinking something is definitely not right about his recently-returned rival!…

… or did GH do a great job in finally explaining how Nathan, who has been a halo -wearing hero pretty much from the start, could have such a dark past? Sometimes, you have to hit rock bottom before realizing how far you’ve fallen, and the scenes in which Nathan described to Maxie how shooting his wife’s lover changed him gave us much needed insight. What until that moment felt like — and, heck, may have been — a plot point suddenly felt like a changing moment in Nathan’s life. He may have been explaining to Maxie, but we were the ones who truly understood.…

With Carly on the hunt for Josslyn’s kidney donor, Wright is thrilled to be on her first quest involving Helena. “I am a mystery junkie,” she says. “Give me any kind of creepy story to tell, and I’ll sell it all day long!” Wherever this tale goes, she’s glad to have Maurice Benard’s Sonny along for the ride… and Ingo Rademacher’s Jax returning later this month! “At first it was Finn, but it just makes way more sense for this to be a Sonny and Carly adventure,” she says. “It probably happened in a way that was illegal, so Sonny has the means to actually figure it out. Plus, it gives Sonny and Carly something to do together. The fans like that, because there’s only so much loving you can…

1. When T.J. threw a party at Molly’s house, the bash wound up having to be shut down by: a. Michael. b. Sonny. c. Alexis. 2. Ned was once legally married to: a. Katherine. b. Alexis. c. Lois. 3. The Port Charles local once adopted via an illegal ring was: a. Lucas. b. Sam. c. Robin. 4. The Nurses Ball was founded by: a. Elizabeth. b. Katherine. c. Lucy. 5. Elizabeth was saved from drowning by an Aussie named: a. Ewen. b. Levi. c. Scorpio. gh trivia answers (from page 50) ANSWERS: 1. a. Michael, 2. c. Lois, 3. a. Lucas, 4. c. Lucy, 5. a. Ewen.…

Earlier this year, the actor filmed a spoof of the sexy Carl’s Jr. ads for CBS’s “Not Safe For Daytime” on-line promotional series. The bit required him to saunter through the studio’s commissary and eat a burger in a very titillating fashion. “It was great to be completely ridiculous and over the top, especially since there’s not a whole lot of room for [comedy] on the soap,” he says. As for being branded a hunk, Fodé’s not one to balk. “I don’t go to the gym to not have people stare at me,” he says with a laugh, “so let’s not kid ourselves in this situation. I’m only young once; I should embrace it while I can and use it for what it’s worth. Objectify me all you want at…

Lynn Herring (Lucy) adores the GENERAL HOSPITAL Nurses Ball for three reasons: It fosters HIV/AIDS awareness, she gets to play Fashion Barbie, and she gets to both work and play with the GH cast and crew. After a year offthe canvas, there was a lot of fun to be had! Fortunately, photographer Jim Warren captured the magic as Herring caught up with longtime pals and met some of the newer kids on the block. As you can see, a good time was surely had by all!…

The latest comings and goings — and how they will change your shows! The In Depth Story: The soap’s unscheduled preemption in June for Muhammad Ali’s funeral has now bumped Williamson’s first air date to Tuesday, July 5. And ONE LIFE TO LIVE’s former Jess/Bess/Tess has been settling into the role of Claudette with some help from a special GH viewer who brought her up to speed on all things Port Charles related. “My friend, BethAnn [Bonner, OLTL’s Talia], is like, ‘Do you know this? And this is happening now! And you’re doing that! They talked about you today!’” Williamson tells Soaps In Depth with a laugh. “I have my sources.” Claudette is obviously coming in to cause trouble for Nathan and Maxie, but Williamson hopes the “open-ended” recurring gig…

GH viewers will get one more day with Finola Hughes (Anna) before she commences her summer vacation. As previously reported, the actress is taking a short break, but due to the network’s unscheduled preemption for Muhammad Ali’s funeral in June, her last air date will now be Monday, July 11. “She will be in a place in story where she can exit,” GH headwriter Shelly Altman assures In Depth. So while Hughes is enjoying some much-deserved time off, where is her alter ego headed for her summer sojourn? “She has family living in California!” smiles Altman of Anna’s trip to Berkeley for a visit with Robin, Patrick and Emma.…

Liam calls his father to account on Monday, July 4, after inadvertently witnessing something he was most definitely not supposed to see! On Tuesday, July 5, Katie and Bill each give separate speeches concerning their marriage during Steffy’s Fourth Of July party. On Wednesday, July 6, Liam warns Brooke that he will tell Katie what he knows unless she does it first! Having fallen off the wagon, an emotionally frazzled Katie turns to Liam for help on Thursday, July 7. She later unleashes her anger on Brooke in an emotionally charged confrontation that unfolds on Friday, July 8.…

Is history doomed to repeat itself on DAYS OF OUR LIVES? Not long after losing her father, Abigail made what was likely the biggest mistake of her life when she became romantically involved with older guy EJ Di-Mera. Now her cousin, Ciara, has eyes for Abby’s husband (who just happens to be EJ’s equally hot brother), Chad. Might the teen also be trying to fill the absence in her life left by Bo’s unexpected demise? “I think losing her dad really affected her,” Vivian Jovanni (Ciara) suggests. “After not having him be there for years, having him back for only a short time really crushed her. She felt safe with him there.” Having also recently experienced the trauma of being raped, Ciara seems to be looking for a bit of…

Making the jump from daytime to primetime isn’t easy, but GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Annie Ilonzeh (ex-Maya) sure made it look that way. With roles on CHARLIE’S ANGELS, ARROW, PERSON OF INTEREST, SWITCHED AT BIRTH and more under her belt, the actress’ days playing the greatgranddaughter of Edward Quartermaine are long behind her. However, Ilonzeh’s recent recurring role as dogged reporter Harper Scott on FOX’s edgy, music-biz themed drama EMPIRE called her soap skills back into play. Eyes On The Prize “Harper was after Lucious, but she was also investigating the Lyon family’s scandals and the secrets,” Ilonzeh offers. “She doesn’t stop until she gets what she wants, and she uses her strengths — be that her intellect or her sex appeal!” Ilonzeh, who likes playing strong women who own their power,…

Our Wise, Witty Sexpot I’m loving all of the screen time Queen Diane has been getting. Her levelheaded legal advice and sharp wit always put a smile on my face. Naomi Edwards via Soaps In Depth Facebook page Hear Me Roar I hate that so many women are bowing down to men or being mistreated by them. Sonny threatening Ava every day is sickening, and how he treated Alexis was horrible. Julian manhandling Alexis was terrible. Jordan is being written as a total idiot. It’s hard to believe this show is written by women! Cynthia Annette Curtis via Soaps In Depth Facebook page Odd Couple As much as I loved Franco with Nina, I’m liking all the scenes with him and Elizabeth. I’d like to see where that could go.…

FYIFYIFYI Birthday: March 17. Born: Phoenix, AZ. Odd Job: Before landing the role of LOVING’s Steffy, Heinle worked as a hat-check girl in Manhattan. Taking The Prize: Heinle and her hubby won $10,000 appearing on the celebrity edition of THE NEWLYWED GAME. They donated the winnings to The Iraq Star Foundation, which helps with reconstructive surgery for war vets. THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS’ Amelia Heinle marvels a bit that it’s been 11 years since she began playing steel magnolia Victoria Newman. “It’s a long time to play one character — and this is the first time in my life that I’ve ever been on a soap this long,” she shares. “I’ve been on other soaps, but I’ve always only stayed one contract cycle. This will be my fourth contract!”…

Melissa Archer has played numerous roles since ONE LIFE TO LIVE’s conclusion, but none have captured her heart quite like that soap’s Natalie. “I loved that Natalie was tough — she would go through these emotional periods where she would become super good, but then they’d bring her back to her roots,” Archer recalls. “Even when they made her do some not-sogreat things, I could justify them because I could understand where they were coming from.” Vengeance Unlimited The actress went on to play DAYS OF OUR LIVES’ manipulative diamond thief, Serena, but it’s her character in the award-winning psychological thriller South 32 that Natalie fans will want to see. The film, which is now touring festivals, stars Archer as the sole survivor of a tragic incident. “It’s about what…

FYIFYIFYI His Better Half: Leslie Bryans. Have You Seen It? Martinez appears in California Winter, now on Amazon Prime. His Celebrity Doppelgangers: The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz and NFLquarterback Jim Plunkett. His New Passion: “I took an unbelievable amount of pleasure in watching the NBA playoffs this year,” the actor admits. If DAYS OF OUR LIVES’ Eduardo wants to win back his children’s hearts, he’d do well to first regain the trust of their mother, Adriana. Eduardo’s portrayer, A Martinez, knows that his character’s efforts are going to take time. “Adriana starts to feel like she could forgive him; she understands that he’s trying,” the actor observes. “[But] there’s something about him that’s really difficult to depend on, and certainly a woman as wise as Adriana will not be able to…

Just when GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Anna thought she was ready to jump back into the game, she was benched… and by one of her best friends, to boot! It may have been a rough week for Anna, but portrayer Finola Hughes handled the emotional upheaval so well that she earned this week’s Gold Star! With Friends Like These… Anna was so shocked when Jordan ordered her to steer clear of Julian’s case that, at first, she seemed to think she’d misunderstood. Though the commissioner was perfectly clear, Anna turned cold as she tried to grasp what her girlfriend was saying. She pled her case calmly and firmly… until Jordan got tough with her. Anna tensed, appearing at once confused and offended, and then finally lost her patience. She raised her voice…

Q: What do you think is the most illogical or ill-advised thing your character has ever done? Michelle Stafford (Nina, GH) “I would say chopping a baby out of a woman’s womb. You can’t really top giving Ava Jerome drugs to deliver her baby, and then taking the baby from her!” Bryan Craig (Morgan, GH) “Probably when he slept with his girlfriend’s mom. Honestly, that was pretty crazy.” Gina Tognoni (Phyllis, Y&R) “Phyllis is perfect… in her mind, of course!” Hunter King (Summer, Y&R) “There have been so many! It’s a tie. When she bullied Jamie. But you have to take into account that she wasn’t an adult, and she wasn’t mature enough to deal with hardship. She put it on other people to get through it herself. That was…

RELEASED Alexis made bail. Morgan got out of the Freedman Clinic. HAUNTED A vision of Carlos told Julian to kill Alexis. KISSED Liz and Franco CONFESSED Finn told Hayden he’s dying. REMEMBERED Griffin flashed back to why he had left the church. SPOTTED Claudette got a glimpse of Nathan and Maxie’s wedding announcement. ESCAPED Nikolas and Ava evaded Huxley and Jason. TORN Guilt pushed Kiki to choose Morgan over Dillon. ARRESTED Finn, for treating Teddy.…

DECISIONS, DECISIONS! We put GH’s Chad Duell (Michael) to the test… and he passed with flying colors! 30 AND COUNTING! GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Lynn Herring (Lucy) takes us down memory lane as she celebrates three decades in Port Charles! NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT! Brad might not always like his, but GH’s Parry Shen shares all the reasons he loves his job! Don’t Miss The Next Issue Of On Sale... July 18 August 1 August 15 August 29 September 12 September 26 October 10 October 24 November 7 November 21 December 12 December 26…

AMC alum James Patrick Stuart — who stirred up drama in Pine Valley from 1989-’92 as the dastardly Will Cortlandt — joins the GH cast on Friday, July 8, as the mysterious Theo. “If anybody in the audience remembers Will, there’s definitely a wink there for you,” he tells In Depth of his GH role, which has him crossing paths with Ava, Dante and Lulu, as well as legacy characters like Laura and Kevin. Stuart shares that even though executive producer Frank Valentini handpicked him for the part, he initially wasn’t sure if he wanted to return to daytime after 25 years. But best buds Michael E. Knight (Tad, AMC; now Simon, THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS) and Ricky Paull Goldin (Jake, AMC) ultimately convinced him to go for it.…

Ashley Jones (Parker) returned to work on the GH set in mid-June — less than a month after she gave birth to son Hayden! A show rep confirms that Parker will appear on-air later this month. The last time we saw Kristina’s crush, she’d given Alexis advice about how to handle her daughter’s fluid sexuality. Since then, Kristina’s had a tough time forgetting about her favorite teacher. Will Parker’s return disrupt Kristina’s romance with Aaron?…

Griffin has to take someone aside for a rather uncomfortable conversation on Wednesday, July 6. Might it be about his still rather mysterious past? Kristina considers coming clean with new beau Aaron on Friday, July 8. Ava finds something that once belonged to Helena on Monday, July 11, while that same day finds Carly asking a rather unlikely person for a little help! Anna has a moment of truth on Tuesday, July 12, while Nina proves just how loyal she is to her employees on Wednesday, July 13! Kristina and Aaron are presented with a rather intriguing opportunity on Thursday, July 14, and Kevin — usually everyone’s favorite mildmannered doc — catches everyone off guard on Friday, July 15!…

When Phyllis takes a big step where her relationship with Billy is concerned on Monday, July 4, will it be toward him… or her husband? Nick and Victoria try to get a confession out of their father on Tuesday, July 5, but their patriarch is more interested in taking matters into his own hands on Wednesday, July 6! Fearful about the state of her marriage, Abby confides in her mom on Thursday, July 7. And on Friday, July 8, Chelsea turns to a friend for help in figuring out who the mystery woman is!…

Your favorite stars caught in the act!…

Being a young person in today’s world is tough, and no current soap character knows that better than GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Kristina! Even as she’s getting closer to Aaron, she can’t stop thinking about Parker… all of which has left some fans wondering whether Kristina is bisexual, gay or straight. “A lot of young people these days are pondering the idea of not subscribing to a label,” says executive producer Frank Valentini. “What does it mean to have a sexuality that’s fluid? And how do you make that discovery?” It’s a subject Kristina’s little sis, Molly, touched on when counseling her sibling about her sexual confusion. And if the whole topic makes you a little uncomfortable, that’s okay. “It’s all very progressive and current,” Valentini says of the storyline. “This is…

Like a lot of dog lovers, we weren’t pleased when GH had Franco try and gift first Nina and then Jake with a puppy. So we were thrilled when Emma offered up a little lecture on why one should never do exactly that! Bonus points to Emma for giving Anna’s dating profile the awesome user name Zero Dark Flirty! • We liked how subtly it was revealed that Sonny “helped” Lulu and Dante land their dream home. Something tells us that small beat will lead to something much bigger down the line! Why is Crimson, a national magazine, yet again putting locals — let alone barely-employed, totally unknown guys like Curtis — on their cover? Sure, his abs are amazing, but we’re not sure we’d wanna bet our circulation numbers…

Lisa LoCicero (Olivia) hasn’t worked much on GENERAL HOSPITAL in recent months, but her lighter schedule means that she and 1-year-old daughter Verity get to enjoy the local Mommy and Me scene. “We sing the songs and play in the ball pits together,” the happy mom shares. “There’s a lot to do around here. Of course you have to make sure each place requires every child be vaccinated, because that’s not always a given!” With husband Michael Patrick Jann working in Vancouver on BBC America’s upcoming DIRK GENTLY series, there have also been lots of family trips. “It’s a great city to walk around, so I’ll put Verity in the carrier and we’ll just go,” LoCicero says. “Although, she’s 25 pounds, so using a carrier for epic walks is getting…

What does Heinle know today about acting that she didn’t do back at the beginning of her career? “A lot!” she says with a laugh. “I’m learning every single day. That’s the great thing about being on a soap, because you’re still learning.” Yet if she had to pinpoint one specific thing, the beauty says that she’d advise wannabe actors to never try to force the emotion. “If you try to force it, things just wind up looking fake. In daytime, there’s a lot of crying. When I get a script, it sometimes says something like, ‘Victoria has tears flowing down her face.’ I’m like, ‘There are not going to be tears flowing down my face!’ But you never know when the emotion is going to hit you.” And that’s…

FYIFYIFYI Birthday: November 6. Hometown: Moses Lake, WA. Model Behavior: One of Fodé’s first big breaks was landing a modeling gig with Abercrombie & Fitch. OffThe Wall: The actor is a parkour enthusiast, a discipline that involves navigating urban spaces by running, jumping and vaulting over obstacles. “I’ve been flipping offrooftops since I was thirteen,” he shares. It should have been one of the happiest moments of his life, but when THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL’s Thomas found out that he was a father earlier this year, the discovery was beyond bittersweet. In fact, it was downright heartbreaking! “It seemed like something that had to hit him and simmer there as all of these great big emotions hit,” says Thomas’ portrayal, Pierson Fodé, of that pivotal twist in the story.…

Though, at the wedding of ALL MY CHILDREN supercouple Cliffand Nina, ROBERT DUNCAN McNEILL’s Charlie stole a kiss from LAUREN HOLLY’s Julie, he didn’t stand a chance of stealing her heart once GENERAL HOSPITAL’s MAURICE BENARD (Sonny) arrived on the scene as Nico. ONE LIFE TO LIVE’s ROS COE BORN (Mitch) gave a lift to his on-screen co-conspirator, ANDREA EVANS (Tina), at the 13th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards. Fresh offhis stint as GH’s Leo, JOHN CALLAHAN — better known as AMC’s Edmund — got cooking for a good cause with fellow Port Charles denizen SHELLEY TAYLOR MORGAN (ex-Lorena) at a benefit for Love Is Feeding Everyone. LOVING became the second stop on COL LEEN DION’s career as a soap-hopper when she — and all 20 lbs. of that hair! —…

While DAYS’ Eduardo is just getting to know John Black, Martinez and John’s portrayer, Drake Hogestyn, go way back. “We both played baseball… he took it a lot further than I ever did,” Martinez offers of the former player for the Yankees organization. “Back in the day when we would go on publicity tours, I used to just literally sit in awe of the stories he told. The places he went with it were the stuffof my childhood fantasies.” But mostly, Martinez just enjoys sharing his passion for “The Show” with someone who’s been part of it. “Drake understands the intricacies of the game and how difficult it is to master,” Martinez says. “A lot of people consider baseball boring, because the most important aspects of it are happening beneath…

THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL After Thomas dug in his heels where his relationship with Douglas was concerned, Ridge had an unexpected change of heart in the matter. Thomas and Caroline chatted frankly about their future. Brooke told Bill their reunion was offthe table, as she refused to betray Katie again. Tortured by her decision, Brooke confided in Ridge, and their conversation elicited some startling realizations about their respective romantic woes. Suspicious of her husband, Katie delivered a harsh threat to Bill about what she’d do if he ever left her for Brooke. Knowing how serious Steffy was about keeping Quinn out of their lives, Wyatt visited his mom to lay down strict guidelines about their future interactions. He was surprised by a marked change in Quinn’s attitude. Someone sees…