As previously reported, Sebastian Roché and Ingo Rademacher are back as brothers Jacks (Jerry and Jasper “Jax,” respectively) on ABC’s “General Hospital.” While the on-screen duo have yet to share scenes together, the actors did share a collage of photos of them off-screen lounging around to their Twitter followers (@sebroche / @IngoRademacher) on Wednesday, August 8. Rademacher’s tweet said, “Me and me bro. Aka. The jacks brothers,” while Roché’s read, ”The irreplaceable Jacks brothers take Mammoth !”

Photo Credit: Twitter

Roché marked his return on Friday, August 3. Rademacher is expected to return to the screen during the week of August 20.

Photo Credit: ABC

Best known for his portrayal of Lucky Spencer on ABC’s “General Hospital,” actor Greg Vaughan has joined the cast of NBC’s “Days of our Lives” in the contract role of Eric Brady. Vaughan tweeted a picture of his first day arriving at the shows Burbank Studio lot on Wednesday, August 8, where he said to his followers, “Here’s to to new beginnings’s!!”

For those new to “Days of our Lives,” or if you have forgotten, Eric Brady is the twin brother of Samantha “Sami” Brady (Alison Sweeney). He was last seen in town in July 2000 and was the first love interest of Nicole Walker (Arianne Zucker), which was the basis of Sami’s long standing feud with Nicole. The role was previously portrayed by “Supernatural” star Jensen Ackles.

Ironically, despite Vaughan signing on to play Sweeney’s on-screen twin brother, the two actors began filming the Hallmark Channel original movie “Two In” in late June. The film finds Sweeney portraying a single mother working at a 911 call center who answers an emergency call from a firefighter (Vaughan) in desperate need of help after he broke his leg while fighting a fire. As the two find themselves drawn together due to circumstances beyond their control, they begin to wonder where their mutual attraction will take them. The film is set to have its world premiere on the Hallmark Channel sometime in 2013.

Based on the current filming schedule for “Days of our Lives,” fans of the series can expect to see Vaughan on-screen as early as November.

In addition to his stint on “GH,” Vaughan also appeared as Diego Guttierez on “The Young and the Restless” and most recently appeared in ABC’s primetime soap “GCB.”

Photo Credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Based on the Vertigo comic book series “Y: The Last Man,” which produced only 60 issues in the span of nearly five years (September 2002 to March 2008), “Y: The Last Man Rising” is a fan film that tells the story of Yorick (Travis Quentin Young), an artist who must be protected at all costs in order to ensure the continued survival of the human race. Special Agent 355 is the one tasked in protecting him by any means necessary. In July, IGN Entertainment debuted the film online that stars former ”General Hospital” and “General Hospital: Night Shift” actress Kent King (ex-Dr. Lainey Winters) in the role of Agent 355. King co-produced the film alongside her husband Christian Cardona, who also served as writer, producer and director of the 21 minute long film.

In addition to King, the film features “an ensemble cast, including my good friend and fellow ‘GH’r' Bergen Williams,” said the actress to Soap Opera Network. ”A few of the other cast members have soap history as well. And if you look/listen really really closely, you can spot my bestie Minae Noji [ex-Dr. Kelly Lee, "GH" and "GH: NS"]. It also stars Travis Quentin Young, Rebecca Marshall, Vida Guerra, and Traci Dinwiddie.”

Note: “Y” is a non-profit fan film and is not endorsed or affiliated with DC Comics/Vertigo or Warner Bros. Studios. It is intended for entertainment purposes only. All names and references of “Y: The Last Man” are copyrights of DC Comics/Vertigo and their respective trademark and copyright holders.

Press Notes

Song: Rise
Artist: DJ Adam 12 (Performed by Chole Leighton)
Download it here: http://soundcloud.com/dj-adam-12/rise

Based on one of the most critically acclaimed comics of all time. A mysterious plague has wiped out all men on the planet, and women are left to pick up the pieces of society. The only surviving man is Yorick, an amateur escape artist who is the key to the continual survival of the human race. Special Agent 355 is tasked to protect his life at all costs. Luckily, she’s really good at her job…

IGN and Drake 1129 Productions are proud to present this new short film, made by super fans of the comic. It covers the initial plague that kills any mammal with a Y chromosome (except Yorick and his trusty monkey companion, Ampersand) and an awesome fight between Agent 355 and a fanatical group of Amazons.

Directed and Written by Christian Cardona
Produced by Kent King and Christian Cardona

Yorick………………….Travis Quentin Young
Agent 355…………….Kent King
Hero……………………Rebecca Marshall
Roxy……………………Vida Guerra
Victoria………………..Traci Dinwiddie

This fan film is not endorsed by or affiliated with DC Comics/ Vertigo, Warner Bros Studios, or the original creators of the comic, Brian K Vaughan & Pia Guerra. You should read the original comic though — it’s really, really good.

Photo Credit: GH Fan Club

On Saturday, July 23, 2011, “General Hospital” held its annual fan club weekend event at the Sportmen’s Lodge Event Center. Incidentally, in the year that followed many were left wondering if the 2012 event would ever come to be amidst all the drama and rumors surrounding the cancellation, reincarnation (through the Disney/ABC Television Group/Prospect Park Productions deal that wasn’t) and ultimate demise of “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” and the possible effect it would have on “GH” itself. On July 21, 2012, “GH” did indeed holds its annual fan event – again at the Sportsmen’s Lodge Event Center – with a renewed focus and much hope for the future.

“General Hospital” cast members Steve Burton (Jason Morgan), Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth Webber), Kelly Sullivan (Kate Howard/Connie Falconeri), Scott Reeves (Steve Webber), Lisa LoCicero (Olivia Falconeri), Jason Thompson (Patrick Drake), Dominic Zamprogna (Dominic Falconeri), Chad Duell (Michael Corinthos), Jen Lilley (soon-to-be ex-Maxie Jones), Drew Cheetwood (Milo Giambetti), Rebekah Montoya (Delores Padilla), Brandon Barash (Johnny Zacchara), Bradford Anderson (Damien Spinelli), Sean Blakemore (Shawn Butler), Laura Wright (Carly Jacks), Julie Marie Berman (Lulu Spencer-Falconeri), Haley Pulos (Molly Lansing), Erik Valedez (Trey Mitchell), Robin Mattson (Heather Webber), Nathin Butler (Ewen Keenan), Lindsey Morgan (Kristina Corinthos) and Richard Steinmetz (Joe Skully Jr.), were joined by “One Life to Live” turned “GH” stars Kristen Alderson (Starr Manning) and Michael Easton (John McBain), along with the soaps new executive producer Frank Valentini, on the stage as they greeted some of the soaps biggest fans.

Photo Credit: Frank Valentini

For more than half an hour they all took fan questions, while Erik Valdez created a running joke within their answers alluding to shirts coming off. Of course, it couldn’t be helped as Valentini revealed a new boxing set had been built similar to the steam room set seen frequently on “OLTL.” Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos) arrived late and was only on hand for the fan autograph signing sessions that took place immediately afterward.

Before Bradford Anderson took the reigns from “GH” Fan Club President Debbie Morris, Valentini was asked if he wanted to say a few words to the audience gathered. While he kept his responses short and sweet, he did reveal that he had arrived late to the party due to an important commitment. “I was at the Director’s Guild meeting this morning with some of the directors from daytime,” he said referring to the Director’s Guild of America (DGA), which is the union that represents directors in movie and television productions – despite being an executive producer, Valentini frequently directs episodes of his soap operas. “This is my first fan club event. I’m really excited about the show and I’m excited about this cast and I think it’ a great day for celebration, so don’t let me get in the middle. Let me share it with you,” Valentini concluded.

Despite receiving pre-prepared questions, Anderson decided to take the unusual approach of giving the fans the chance to ask their own. He walked around the room and had each person he chose say their name and ask their question of a “GH” cast member. The first question asked was how much time the cast have off each year. While the question was directed at the entire cast it was agreed, in particular by Burton and Zamprogna, that Bradford should be the one to answer it for them. “As you guys know, we have a new episode practically everyday. So that means we have to make a new episode practically everyday, and what we’re doing now is we’re trying to do more in less time so that we can save money to keep our fare show on the air for all of you,” the actor answered.

Thanks to the presence of Valentini some of the questions directed at the cast ended up being directed at him instead – in part due to Burton’s insistence on Valentini answering one particular question that referenced the timeslot change for the soap. The exact question was “Do you think the change in the timeslot for ‘GH’ is gonna screw up the ratings?” Burton, deciding it wasn’t something he could answer, immediately jumped up and over the legs of his co-stars to hand the microphone over to his boss who was all the way across the other side of the stage. As fans and cast members laughed over Burton’s gesture, Anderson joked “Aren’t you glad you showed up Frank?” Always the trooper, Valentini said “I think there is always risks in having a timeslot change, but I believe that our audience is loyal enough, but more importantly smart enough, to say ‘okay, now we have to watch GH at 2 so we’ll take our naps at 2, we’ll take our lunch at 2, we’ll take our breaks at 2.’ Here on the west coast it’s at 1 o’clock and I think that’ll be better. I actually think on the west coast it’ll be better for us than on the east coast, where it’ll be more of a challenge.”

While not giving anything away, Valentini did reveal that “we have a really great story that’s gearing up for the fall and we’re going to get a lot of promotion from the the network,” which according to the producer includes the recent blurbs popping up that reminds viewers of the change just before the end of each episode of the soap.

Q&A Highlights

• “I would love to play Johnny [Brandon Barash] because I love how he mixes his bad boy with his charm and sexiness and then he gets to flirt with all the girls in the cast,” said Rebekah Montoya, who was asked which character she would love to play other than her own. Bradford Anderson responded with a joke that it could also be that Barash has “phenomenal chest hair.”

• Although he was hosting the Q&A, Bradford Anderson couldn’t hide from another question from a fan. This time the actor was asked which version of Spinelli does he prefer portraying on the soap, “Do I like geek Spinelli or like just ridiculously weird Spinelli? The Jackal P.I. storyline was fun just because it was a challenge for me and I got to wear clothes that fit, so that was cool. It’s fun to go off in a different direction, but it’s always nice to come back home to my geeky self.”

• New to the cast, Erik Valedez was asked about playing a such a sleaze! “It’s a lot of fun to play a sleaze because I’m really not that guy in real life, I promise you,” the actor joked. “It really is a lot of fun to come in and play such a jerk. With that said, stay tuned! There’s going to be a lot more revealed about this jerk/sleaze bag Trey and I think I take my shirt off a time or two, so maybe you guy’s should keep watching.” Thanks to Valdez, more shirtless responses would soon follow.

• Kristen Alderson was asked about leaving the east coast and no longer working with her brother (Eddie Alderson, who portrayed Matthew Buchanan on “OLTL”). “Well, I still live with my brother so I see him every day,” Alderson said in a joking manner. “I grew up on ‘One Life to Live,’ and that was an amazing experience. It was definitely a big move in my life but L.A. couldn’t be any better than it already is. I love the weather, and I love this cast and crew. They’ve been so welcoming to me.”

• Next up was Robin Mattson, who was asked how much fun she was having with playing crazy Heather Webber. “It’s pretty fun!” Mattson said enthusiastically. “Well let’s see, I get to work with Roger Howarth and Tony Geary. That’s especially fun, in addition to having a wonderful son [Mattson said referring to Scott Reeves as Steven Lars] and his lovely girlfriend, who have been so gracious and generous with themselves in real-life to me, so I made some new friends and it’s been great to join some old friends and enjoy good times again.”

• Fans may have noticed an absent Sean Blakemore on the “GH” canvas, but it’s not because they don’t want to use him – he’s just an in demand actor! Blakemore was asked about his disappearance from the soap and let Valentini, like Burton before him, answer the question. “Just so you know, even before I started on the show, I got a call from Sean’s agent asking to let Sean go and do a movie. I said, ‘you know what, you got to let people do things and spread their wings’ and it wasn’t for a long period of time, but he went and shot a movie. He went and had a great time. As you know it takes time to build things and right now we’re in the process of building something that I think you’ll really like,” said Valentini to the pleased audience. ”What Frank said is absolutely true. You guy’s are going to be very pleased. There’s a lot of fun stuff coming up…interesting and I think I may have a shirt off? You guys will be excited. There’s a lot of funs tuff coming up in the fall,” said Blakemore adding to Valentini’s statement. “Sounds like everyone’s having a shirtless scene…I’m not! I subscribe the the Steve Burton method. I won’t take my shirt off,” Anderson jokingly said afterward.

• I was sitting in the dressing room and I was thinking ‘I can’t do this,’ and then the news broke that I booked it [the role of Maxie] so I was like ‘god I got to go upstairs and do this, I can’t give it away!’ and everyone was so kind and so welcoming and no one ever made me feel awkward in an awkward circumstance,” said Jen Lilley when asked about what was going through her head as she was about to take on the role of Maxie Jones from Kirsten Storms, who had gone on medical leave at the time.

• A fan of Jason and Sam wanted some intel on where the cards land in the couple’s future, but Steve Burton stated “We have been advised by Frank Valentini not to answer those questions, so if you want to tweet him please feel free. He does respond every now and then. He’s very interactive socially on the networks also.”

• The ultimate question fans have been asking about since 2001, when it was last seen, was whether or not the show plans on bringing back the uber popular Nurse’s Ball event. The question was of course directed at Frank Valentini. “I’ll just say this, I love music and I love Nurses.”

On a posting on the Official “General Hospital” fan club web site, Debbie Morris revealed that “Yes, we are already working on plans for a fabulous 50^th Anniversary Fan Club Weekend, like no other….so stay tuned!” If you were unable to attend this year’s festivities, make sure to keep one weekend in July 2013 (TBD) on your radar so you can go next time.

Photo Credit: Carol Kaelson/ABC

On the Friday, August 3 episode of ABC’s “General Hospital” fans were shocked to learn that Jerry Jacks (Sebastian Roché) was back! This time the mastermind behind the Metro Court disaster is working with Ewen Keenan (Nathin Butler), and once again Mr. Jacks is playing with the life of Robin Scorpio (Kimberly McCullough) – he previously shot her under the guise of Mr. Craig while trying to prove how serious the hostage situation was to those present.

Jerry’s return plays a pivotal part in the upcoming storyline that will help transition “General Hospital” into its new timeslot (2:00 PM ET/1:00 PM PT) on ABC.

In addition to Jerry, fans can look forward to the return of Jasper “Jax” Jacks (Ingo Rademacher) later this month. According to sources, Jax returns to Port Charles in a more favored circumstance as his ex-wife Carly (Laura Wright) comforts him. Rademacher’s first airdate is scheduled for the week of August 20.

Photo Credit: ABC

Jason Thompson (Patrick Drake, “General Hospital“) announced via Twitter late last week that he would be appearing on The CW’s “90210,” which returns for its fifth season in October.

“Anyone a “90210” fan? Doing a guest spot tomorrow and Monday..looking forward to it,” Thompson’s tweet said.

“90210” moves to Mondays at 8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CT on The CW Television Network.

Photo Credit: ABC

“General Hospital” DVR Alerts for the Week of August 6, 2012.

GENERAL HOSPITAL: DVR ALERTS

Monday, August 6: John McBain finds himself in trouble with the law. Sonny’s concerns about Trey continue to escalate. Jason is not willing to stand by and let Elizabeth get hurt.

Tuesday, August 7: Johnny is determined to figure out what secret Starr is keeping for Trey. Carly becomes witness to the destructive side of Todd Manning. Will Olivia suffer the side effects of being drugged?

Wednesday, August 8: Sam confides in Kristina about what she feels for John McBain. Joe Jr. makes an offer to Johnny. Lulu suddenly becomes ill.

Thursday, August 9: A deceptive plan is revealed. Spinelli urges Jason to get things settled with Sam. John McBain gets a shock from one of the women in his life.

Friday, August 10: Jason and Sam come to a major decision about their marriage. Females in Port Charles find themselves in danger. Lulu needs to have a serious conversation with her husband.

Corday Productions/Sony Pictures Television

Ratings Report for the Week of July 23-27, 2012

NOTE: Please do not copy and paste the entire ratings.  Thank you.

Numbers are based on Live+Same Day ratings

(Compared to Last Week/Compared to Last Year)

Total Viewers
1. Y&R 4,329,000 (-60,000/-449,000)
2. B&B 3,049,000 (-91,000/+61,000)
3. DAYS 2,481,000 (+103,000/+31,000)
4. GH 2,432,000 (-13,000/-77,000)

Households
1. Y&R 3.2/10 (same/-.2)
2. B&B 2.2/7 (-.1/same)
3. DAYS 1.8/5 (+.1/+.1)
3. GH 1.8/5 (same/same)

Women 18-49 Viewers
1. Y&R 874,000 (+22,000/-87,000)
2. B&B 646,000 (+16,000/+58,000)
3. GH 551,000 (+4,000/-146,000)
4. DAYS 540,000 (+87,000/-133,000)

Women 18-49 Rating
1. Y&R 1.4/9 (+.1/-.1)
2. B&B 1.0/6 (same/+.1)
3. GH 0.9/5 (same/-.2)
4. DAYS 0.8/5 (+.1/-.2)

Women 18-34 Rating
1. Y&R 0.7 (same/same)
2. DAYS 0.5 (+.1/-.1)
3. B&B 0.4 (same/same)
3. GH 0.4 (-.1/-.2)

Men 18+ Viewers
1. Y&R 907,000 (+41,000/-125,000)
2. B&B 629,000 (-34,000/+36,000)
3. DAYS 529,000 (+11,000/-7,000)
4. GH 505,000 (+9,000/+59,000)

Day-To-Day Ratings – HH/Total Viewers

B&B
Monday: 2.5/3,571,000
Tuesday: 2.2/2,939,000
Wednesday: 2.2/2,986,000
Thursday: 2.1/2,832,000
Friday: 2.2/2,915,000

DAYS
Monday: 1.8/2,424,000
Tuesday: 1.8/2,400,000
Wednesday: 1.8/2,555,00
Thursday: 1.9/2,691,000
Friday: 1.7/2,334,000

GH
Monday: 1.8/2,302,000
Tuesday: 1.8/2,325,000
Wednesday: 1.8/2,380,000
Thursday: 1.9/2,646,000
Friday: 1.9/2,508,000

Y&R
Monday: 3.4/4,678,000
Tuesday: 3.2/4,275,000
Wednesday: 3.2/4,194,000
Thursday: 3.3/4,435,000
Friday: 3.0/4,065,000

For the SEASON September 19, 2011 through July 29, 2012

Households
1. Y&R 3.5
2. B&B 2.4
3. DAYS 2.0
4. GH 1.9

Women 18-49 Rating
1. Y&R 1.5
2. B&B 1.1
2. GH 1.1
4. DAYS 1.0

Ratings Archive

via Press Release

Investigation Discovery

BELOVED SOAP STARS OF PAST AND PRESENT HOST NEW DAYTIME PROGRAMMING BLOCK ON INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY: DAYS OF OUR KNIVES

– Daytime Block Launches Monday, August 20 from 1-4 PM E/P –

– Includes First Look at DEADLY AFFAIRS with Susan Lucci, Airing September 3 at 1 PM E/P in the Original All My Children Timeslot –

(Beverly Hills, CA) – Walking in on your beau bedding your best friend… Halting your wedding because your evil twin stole your spot at the altar… Discovering that your mortal enemy is really your long-lost sibling. These may seem like the plotlines of a delicious daytime soap, but sensational stories are anything but fiction on Investigation Discovery. Dishing out the drama of blindsided betrayals, mistaken identities, and deadly deceptions, ID is staking its claim on real-life soap operas with the launch of daytime programming block DAYS OF OUR KNIVES on Monday, August 20 from 1-4 PM E/P. By enlisting adored soap stars to host themed programming each weekday, ID will provide a new alternative to devoted soap fans searching for new “stories” to turn to. Hosting the block each day will be talent hailing from the drama that started it all, Guiding Light¸ to the now-longest running soap currently in production, General Hospital.

“Investigation Discovery is already the home of guilty pleasure programming, but perhaps there is no more popular example of a classic guilty pleasure than the soap opera,” said Henry Schleiff, president and general manager of Investigation Discovery. “With ID being the #4 network in daytime for Women 25-54*, we realized that soap fans already love The Young and the Restless so let’s give it to them ID-style: the young and the reckless!”

Read More >>

GrahamShiels.com

Update, Wednesday, August 8 5:41 PM ET: Soap Opera Network has learned Shiels will be portraying the character “Moran” in his scenes with Braeden and Francis.

Previous, Tuesday, August 2 3:07 PM ET: Soap Opera Network has learned that actor Graham Shiels, who most recently appeared in an episode of TNT’s “Leverage,” has booked a recurring role on CBS’ “The Young and the Restless.”

While his character name is being kept under wraps, Soap Opera Network has learned that the role may vacillate between perceived enemy or ally and that Shiels will appear in scenes with Eric Braeden (Victor Newman) and Genie Francis (Genevieve Atkinson). His first airdate is scheduled for Monday, September 10.

Read More >>