Frankly, I'm a little concerned for the state of my current favorite soap opera.  It's recently been announced that Ingo Rademacher (Jasper Jax) and Tyler Christopher (Nikolas Cassadine) have been let go from the show, although apparently Jax's character will be left open to return in the future.  Granted, Jax is being a little annoying lately about custody of Jocelyn, but I've been watching these guys on General Hospital since I was a teenager.  Are these departures signs that ABC might be gearing up to cancel the long-running soap opera?  Or is it just a matter of trimming the budget to ensure it keeps running?

That being said, the show must go on.  ABC has released a trailer for General Hospital that would suggest a possible future relationship between Carly and Shawn.  Originally, Shawn was hired by Jason to protect Jocelyn and Carly.  While Carly's warmed up to him, Jax doesn't like the fact that he represents a constant threat to Jocelyn and has done whatever he can to try and get Shawn out of Carly and Jocelyn's lives.

Now it looks like Carly and Shawn might be growing closer.  Jax, of course, is not responding well to this potential new development.  With Jax leaving General Hospital, could Shawn and Carly become a couple?  View the promo below.

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General Hospital Promo: Are Carly & Shawn Growing Closer?

Yikes.  It's bad to be a soap opera fan these days.  ABC recently made the announcement that they were officially canceling long-running soaps All My Children and One Life to Life (read more here).

Now there's a rumor going around (originating out of TMZ) that ABC might be close to signing a $20 million deal with Katie Couric.  If Couric signs with the network, they'll be giving her a talk show, which would debut in the current General Hospital time slot.  Which could mean one of two things: (1) General Hospital would be canceled, or (2) Couric's show could replace one of the two other daytime lifestyle shows that will join the ABC daytime lineup when All My Children and One Life to Live end their runs.

Now, before we start panicking, let's remember that this isn't a done deal.  According to TV Guide, an ABC insider says the deal is not as imminent as TMZ is making it out to be.  In fact, "the network 'still feels like an underdog' in the bidding war to land her".

In other words, nothing isdecided.  At the time of the All My Children and One Life to Live cancellation, it was said that General Hospital, which is apparently daytime's second-highest rated soap, was reportedly safe.  Of course, ABC said All My Children wasn't going to be canceled and then dropped the axe, so we're not sure what will happen.

We hope to have more news for you when the details are known.

clarissa @ tvovermind.com
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Will Katie Couric Replace General Hospital on ABC?

Earlier this week we posted a trailer for an upcoming storyline on General Hospital that should commence on March 17 (view it here).  Little Jake will be hit by a car, which means that Elizabeth, Lucky, Jason and their respective families will have to deal with the fallout.

Jason's in a tough spot, of course.  He gave up his parental rights and a place in Jake's life because of his job with Sonny and the mob a few years ago.  Elizabeth and Lucky have been raising Jake as their son and the truth of Jake's paternity isn't known by everyone.

But it looks like the secret will be revealed.  Below is a sneak peek from ABC that I believe is from the March 18 episode (I think Jake gets hit by the end at the very end of the March 17 episode).  In the sneak peek, Jason and Michael head to the hospital, obviously called there by Elizabeth, who told her brother - Dr. Webber - about Jason being Jake's father.  Jason's desperate for news about his son's condition, but there's not much to tell right now.

Will the driver of the car be another infamous Port Charles character or someone random?  I guess we'll have to wait and see.

clarissa @ tvovermind.com
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General Hospital Sneak Peek: Jason Gets Bad News

I've watched General Hospital on and off since high school.  Right now we're sort of broken up, but I did watch Brenda's return in the past few months, as well as James Franco's continued guest appearances on the show.  Despite a rather shaky past, it looks like Brenda and Sonny might finally be tying the knot the week beginning February 21.  ABC plans to devote a week to the wedding and the aftermath.

And by "aftermath" we're talking about a potential dramatic confession that might derail the wedding (as evidenced in the first clip below) or an explosion that threatens Brenda's life, like in the second clip.

Will the wedding end in tragedy?  You'll have to tune into General Hospital the week of February 21 to find out!

clarissa @ tvovermind.com
twitter.com/clarissa373
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General Hospital Sneak Peeks: Sonny & Brenda Get Married

News broke a while ago that James Franco was going to be making a guest appearance on the long-running soap opera, General Hospital.  I found this fun, because I watch GH (stop making fun of me.....I like some soaps).  Apparently Franco had asked to appear on GH to experience the demanding shoot schedule of soap actors.  I have a lot of respect for them.  Do you know how difficult it would be to learn your lines and film for a show that airs every single day?

Franco will first appear in Port Charles on November 20 and will be some sort of nemesis of Jason Morgan.

Franco will also be appearing in 30 Rock.  This guy is all over the map, but I like this move.  Because it tells me two things: (1) Franco has range, which is always nice in an actor, and (2) he's not too prissy to appear on television, which many movie stars think will tarnish their celebrity image (and which some B-listers look down on despite the fact that they made their career on TV and can't land a decent movie to save their life).  Thanks to EW, here are the details for the 30 Rock appearance:

Sources confirm to me exclusively that the Spider-Man/Milk actor will follow up his upcoming arc on General Hospital with a guest appearance on 30 Rock.

NBC declined to comment, but a Rock-solid insider tells me that Franco (playing himself) will be involved in a faux romance with Jane Krakowski’s Jenna — a relationship engineered by their respective agents. Sound familiar? It’s probably because this is the storyline Tina Fey floated by me at the Emmys way back in September.

”[Jenna gets] into a high-profile relationship with a movie star that is arranged by their agents,” Fey explained at the time (watch the video of our exchange below).

Franco is scheduled to start work on his Rock eppy this week.

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James Franco Coming to a TV Near You (on 30 Rock and General Hospital)