About the GH News Archives
General Hospital-related news from 2008
It's impossible to keep up with all of the twists and turns from the world of soaps. Luckily, Soap Central has archived all the General Hospital news from 2008.
Here are the news stories posted on Soap Central during 2008 that focus on General Hospital or past and present GH performers. To read any of the articles listed below, simply click on the appropriate link. To access articles from other years, click here.
January 2008
Robin Christopher has made her final appearance as Skye Chandler Quartermaine. GH was the final stop on a 20-year odyssey that saw the actress appear on three different ABC soaps. Christopher also appeared on Another World.
January 2008
Another daytime veteran is returning to daytime television. Emmy-nominated Tamara Braun has joined the cast of NBC's Days of our Lives, Soap Central has learned. The actress appeared previously as Carly Corinthos on General Hospital.
January 2008
Former daytime hunk
Sean Kanan (ex-
Deacon Sharpe; ex-
AJ Quartermaine, General Hospital) was sentenced to probation and alcohol education classes after entering a plea in a DUI case. For now, Kanan avoids any jail time. This all stems from an August 2007 arrest in California.
January 2008
SOAPnet will air a special Valentine's Day marathon featuring the loves of Robin Scorpio. The special marathon features episodes dating back to 1995. Viewers also have a chance to have their love letters read on the air.
January 2008
General Hospital execs knew they wanted Jason Gerhardt -- they just needed to find the right role. After auditioning for another GH role, the actor was hired in February 2007 for the role of Coop. Unfortunately, the character had little storyline and will make a dramatic exit.
February 2008
Emmy winner Ian Buchanan will reprise the role of James Warwick on The Bold and the Beautiful later this month. This will mark the actor's first appearance on the CBS soap since 2002. The actor has also appeared on General Hospital, Port Charles and All My Children.
February 2008
Long-time General Hospital star
Shell Kepler (
Amy Vining) has died. The actress passed away suddenly from renal failure on Friday, February 1st, 2008. According to the actress' online biography, she was 46. The medical examiner said the actress was 49.
February 2008
Former General Hospital star David Groh (ex-D.L. Brock) has died. The actor was felled by kidney cancer at the age of 68.
February 2008
The pre-nominations for this year's Daytime Emmys have now been announced. From this list will come this year's winners. In a rule change, shows may now have up to three nominees in any given category.
April 2008
Dylan Cash (
Michael Corinthos III), an actor that General Hospital fans have literally watched grow up, has been let go by the ABC soap. A source says the young actor was caught off guard by the firing. The show is now exploring the possibility of "aging" and ultimately recasting the role. Cash joined the show in 2002.
April 2008
Jason Thompson (
Patrick Drake) is checking out of General Hospital. During the actor's absence, the ABC soap has opted to recast the role of Patrick. Thompson is due back in early May.
May 2008
Former Days of our Lives star
Jason Cook (ex-
Shawn Douglas Brady) will join the cast of General Hospital in June. In Port Charles he will reunite with the actress that played his on-screen DAYS love interest:
Kirsten Storms (ex-
Belle Black). Is a "Shelle" reunion in the works? Cook appeared on DAYS from 1999 through 2006.
May 2008
Little-used GH actress
Kent King (
Lainey Winters) has been bumped to recurring status. The actress, who joined GH after a short stint on the GH spinoff, Port Charles, has also apparently been scrapped from a second season of another GH spinoff, the primetime drama Night Shift.
June 2008
Finola Hughes is joining the cast of The Young and the Res--- oh, no she isn't. After having agreed to appear in a four-episode story arc on CBS's The Young and the Restless, Hughes has graciously bowed out at the request of ABC executives. Y&R is reportedly fuming, though there is no word of any legal action by the show.
June 2008
Antonio Sabato, Jr. will return to Port Charles this month. His return brings to an end Jagger Cates's 13-year absence from the fictional New York town. Since last spotted by GH fans, Sabato has gone on to star on the primetime soap, Melrose Place. He also appeared briefly on CBS's The Bold and the Beautiful. When Jagger returns, he won't be coming alone.
July 2008
Genie Francis (Laura Spencer) is returning to General Hospital in August for what is slated to be a short-term gig. Fans will recall that the actress returned briefly in 2006 -- and that return helped Francis win her very first Daytime Emmy. While Francis is happy to return to her on-screen family, she also expresses some disappointment over her return.
August 2008
A Martinez is once again returning to the world of daytime television. The former General Hospital star has landed a role on ABC's One Life to Live in a newly created role. Martinez will make his debut later this summer.
August 2008
Rumors indicate that Rick Hearst (Ric Lansing) is leaving General Hospital. That's news to the three-time Emmy-winning actor, who says that he wants to continue on with the ABC soap. He does, however, express concern over his character's lack of new story. Hearst's current contract is set to expire in October.
August 2008
General Hospital fans, whether they like it or not, are already familiar with the show's mob-related storylines. Now the show is bringing in the big guns, so to speak. Former Sopranos star, Vincent Pastore, joins the cast this month as a mob boss.
September 2008
In a case of blink-and-you-missed-him, Soap Central has learned that A Martinez's stint on One Life to Live has already come to an end. The former GH actor just started appearing on viewers' television screens last week.
September 2008
Rumors say that former Guiding Light star Jonathan Pelphrey might be headed to Port Charles. If the rumors are true, Pelphrey would play a new and crucial General Hospital role. Others say the rumors are nothing more than hype.
September 2008
It looks like Bianca Montgomery has undergone some life changes while in Paris over the last year. When she returns to Pine Valley in October, Bianca will bring with her a new girlfriend. The woman, named Reese, will be played by Emmy-nominated former General Hospital star Tamara Braun. Braun recently wrapped up a Days of our Lives gig.
September 2008
For the past three months, Emmy winner Rick Hearst's (Ric Lansing) status with General Hospital has been very much in doubt. In fact, the actor himself questioned whether or not he had a future with the show. As the end of Hearst's contract grew nearer, some wondered if he might reprise one of his old soap roles.
October 2008
Less than a year after slinking out of Oakdale, Craig Montgomery is on his way back to town. This time, though, a new actor will be tackling the role. Soap vet Jon Lindstrom, known for roles on General Hospital and Port Charles, makes his As the World Turns debut in December. Three other actors have previously held the role.
October 2008
Fans holding out hope that Vanessa Marcil (Brenda Barrett) would soon be re-appearing on General Hospital will again have to get used to having those hopes dashed. Talks between the actress and ABC have stalled. Meanwhile, Marcil has signed on to appear on a primetime series and she will soon be hosting a new reality series.
October 2008
It's another case of look-alikes in Salem. Veteran soap opera actor John Callahan returns to Days of our Lives next month, but it will not be in the role that he previously played back in 1989. Callahan is known for his long-running role on All My Children, as well as for work on General Hospital and Santa Barbara.
October 2008
Former General Hospital heartthrob Antonio Sabato, Jr. (Jagger Cates) is tired of looking for love in all the wrong places. So he has decided to look someplace new -- cable television. Sabato will star in his own reality series sometime next year, following in the footsteps of other celebrities who've sought out love on TV.
November 2008
Emmy winner David Lago is reportedly joining the cast of General Hospital in the weeks ahead. The former star of The Young and the Restless is said to have landed the role of Dante, Sonny's son with Olivia. Former Guiding Light star Tom Pelphrey was also rumored to have been a candidate for the part. A GH spokesperson had no comment.
December 2008
Last year at this time, General Hospital fans were rejoicing over the announced returned of Sarah J Brown. Though fans weren't initially sure whom the actress would portray, they were happy nonetheless. Now, almost a year to the day, fans will get more good news: the actress has signed a new contract with GH that will keep here in Port Charles through 2010.
December 2008
One Life to Live has shuffled around some of its recent casting decisions thanks to the signing on of a big name talent. Former General Hospital star Scott Clifton will join the residents of Llanview beginning in the new year. During his four-year tenure with GH, Clifton received three Daytime Emmy nominations.
December 2008
Natalia Livingston will be returning to General Hospital in January. The actress, whose recent sighting at the GH studios prompted rumors that she might be returning to the show, left her role as Emily Quartermaine in May 2008. The actress earned a 2005 Daytime Emmy win
in the Outstanding Supporting Actress category.
