Frank Valentini

As previously reported, “One Life to Live” executive producer Frank Valentini will be taking over both “OLTL” and “All My Children” when he begins his new position as Vice President, Serial Dramas, for Prospect Park immediately following the end of production for “One Life” under the guidance of ABC. Now comes word from our friends at Daytime Confidential, who are reporting that “One Life to Live” Head Writer Ron Carlivati will be joining the show when it transitions to the web beginning in January, despite ABC declaring his move to “General Hospital” in June – weeks before it was announced production company Prospect Park would be taking over production of the series from the network along with “All My Children.”

The latest cast changes and other odds and ends for “One Life to Live.”

After recently signing four of “One Life to Live’s” most prominent cast members, including long-time veteran Erika Slezak (Viki) to continue with the show when it moves to online-only distribution early next year, Prospect Park takes the next step in their commitment to make for a smooth transition for the show. According to Deadline Hollywood, the production company has hired “One Life” Executive Producer Frank Valentini to remain in his current post with the show, along with becoming Vice President of Serial Dramas.

With the Prospect Park era about to begin for “One Life to Live,” the show appears to be in better shape than its sister soap “All My Children.”

“One Life to Live” star Kassie DePaiva (Blair Cramer) had many fans in attendance at last weekends “One Life to Live” Fan Club Weekend Luncheon scratching their heads when she said “I was told by our executive producer [Frank Valentini] yesterday, that on Wednesday [August 10] we tied with ‘Y&R.'” Considering “The Young and the Restless” is daytime’s #1 soap, we thought she may have made a mistake too, but it turns out she wasn’t wrong at all.

Just weeks before the Prospect Park deal to pick up the production and distribution rights of “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” from the Disney/ABC Television group was announced, ABC revealed that they had decided to move “One Life” head writer Ron Carlivati to “General Hospital” as a script writer once production wrapped on the soap in November. Is that still the case two months later?

Back in June at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, “One Life to Live” executive producer Frank Valentini alluded to Soap Opera Network that we hadn’t seen the last of Farah Fath despite her character, Gigi Morasco, being killed off. In our Twitter posting that night, we stated “according to Frank Valentini, more surprises in store for #OLTL. Have we seen the last of Gigi? Don’t believe what you see!” Come August, that’s never been more certain!

According to Gina Tognoni during Saturday’s “Girl’s Night Out” event during the “One Life to Live” Fan Club Weekend, her character Kelly Cramer will be departing Llanview on Wednesday, August 24, when Kelly decides to return to London to be closer to her son Zane. Meanwhile, Tom Degnan’s Joey Buchanan may not be far behind.

After fifteen years of working in various positions on the “One Life to Live” writing staff, including serving as the show’s head scribe for the last three years, ABC has announced that Ron Carlivati will be joining “General Hospital” as a script writer. The move will fulfill the remainder of the three-year contract Carlivati signed with the network last September. A similar two-year deal was hammered out at the time with “One Life” Executive Producer Frank Valentini.

After a week of unconfirmed (by the show) firings of numerous actors, NBC’s “Days of our Lives” has now fired its co-executive producer, Gary Tomlin. The news was first reported by TV Guide Canada’s Nelson Branco on Twitter. News of Tomlin’s firing comes on the heals of last months firing of head writer Dena Higley and the recent firings of actors Crystal Chappell (Carly Manning), Louise Sorel (Vivian Alamain), Bren Foster (Quinn Hudson), Nadia Bjorlin (Chloe Lane), and Tamara Braun (Taylor Walker).