The Young and the Restless

Just hours after news broke that “The Young and the Restless’” star Emme Rylan (Abby Newman) was leaving the show and headed to play “General Hospital’s” Lulu Spencer, word spread that the soap had already replaced her! A CBS spokesperson has confirmed to Soap Opera Network that the drama series has tapped actress Melissa Ordway to take over the role of the Newman heiress.

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If you were already smitten with “The Young and the Restless” star Ignacio Serricchio (Alex Chavez), you’re about to love him even more. Soap Opera Network recently caught up with the busy actor, who spilled about the dangerous way he spends his free time, how he feels about representing Latinos in the media and his thoughts on a possible family member popping up in Genoa City!

Soap Opera Network has learned that during the week of March 18, ABC’s “General Hospital” will be departing the “One Life to Live” characters consisting of Starr Manning (Kristen Alderson), Todd Manning (Roger Howarth) and John McBain (Michael Easton). As previously reported, ABC Daytime and Prospect Park have been in a dispute over the characters and their appearance on “GH” vs “One Life to Live,” which Prospect Park is rebooting for the web along with “All My Children” later this spring. The actors are under contract to ABC, while Prospect Park holds the license rights to the characters.

Actor Jeffrey James Lippold will appear on the Monday, March 4 episode of ABC’s “General Hospital” as a police officer working at the Port Charles Police Department. The actor will share scenes with Finola Hughes (Anna Devane), who is expected to offer her resignation as Police Commissioner at the PCPD.

One Life to Live, OLTL, #OneLifeToLive, #OLTL

Despite an earlier report stating otherwise, based on information from Robin Strasser’s (Dorian Lord) telephone hotline, a senior level Prospect Park insider tells Soap Opera Network, “production has NOT been pushed back. This has been long planned to make way for a piece of the storyline that involves new sets and use of certain characters and not others.”

Michael Easton (John McBain) posted an update for fans wanting to know where he currently stands in the dispute between ABC’s “General Hospital” and TOLN’s “One Life to Live.” In a Facebook message, the actor said, “THANK YOU…your kind words of support mean the world to me. No word yet on when we might return to work but the fridge is stocked, the bills are paid, and I get to spend lots of precious time with my little girl.”