Anyone thinking General Hospital was going to hold James Franco’s debut on the soap opera to a final-seconds tease today was wrong. Dressed as a shabby graffiti artist, Franco — playing a “world-famous photographer and artist” cleverly named “Franco” — put in a monosyllabic appearance in the first two minutes of Friday’s edition, and skulked around during the entire hour. In between, there were scenes of Hospital regulars arguing and emoting lines like, “Neither one of them gets out of here alive!”
Franco was initially seen witnessing an awkwardly staged gangland shoot-out (I had forgotten the way everything on a soap set, right down to the stairs people run down, looks like flimsy cardboard). I’m not going to pretend I’m a regular GH-watcher — you’d figure that out fast, if I tried to pass — but I’m also the sort of person the producers want to attract: that is, a new viewer, to boost the generally sagging ratings of the soap opera genre.
So, as a Franco fan dating back to his Freaks & Geeks days, I was psyched for his role as “an artist whose canvas is murder,” as the promos hyped it. We saw a bit of artist-Franco’s art installation today. The floor had the chalk outline of an absent corpse; there was graffiti on the walls and lots of random metal sculpture. This Franco is a rip-off artist: part-Jean-Michel Basquiat, part-Keith Haring, all-hack.
Oh, and all-evil. He approaches the bleeding body after the shoot-out. The guy asks for help, but Franco steps on his throat, finishing the fellow off. Then Franco the artiste rearranges the corpse’s limbs in a special way, leaving a message for the cops to figure out.
Back in his studio, Franco phones a woman, saying he needs her. She murmurs, “Should I wear anything special, or nothing at all?” Oooh, those rebel artists-of-death — they attract all the babes, don’t they?
The show kept cutting back to some endless argument involving a woman name Olivia, who babbled ceaselessly about her son Dante. She seemed sullen, defensive, and either terribly rattled or else trapped in a terrible storyline.
(GH fans, care to weigh in on Olivia’s story? Thanks.) (Oh, and pardon a newbie’s question, but: Does General Hospital ever have any scenes in a hospital?)
Meanwhile, I’ll be hanging in to watch how James Franco’s storyline plays out next week. What did you think of it so far?
GH being about a hospital? Surely you jest. The show is a wannabe sopranos show where the moral center is two thugs Sonny and Jason who kill people for a living.
FYI, GH had mobsters years before the Sopranos was even a twinkle in the writer’s eyes. The mob storylines haven’t always been very good, but get your timeline straight! =)
Technically, Sonny and Jason make their living off of coffee and other trade shipments. The getting people killed is apparently part of the dramatic landscape.
GH has totally been influenced by The Sopranos, regardless of “who had mobsters first.” And this is not a good thing. It’s a dreadful soap—where the good guys are the mobsters who kill people. It’s dreadful.
Actually, the character Michael “Sonny” Corinthos was based on the characters Michael and Sonny from the Godfather. A little mixture of both characters makes Sonny a well rounded “mobster”. He sooooo has nothing to do with the Sopranos!!!
To those of you who are bashing Lisa/Olivia, especially in an immature manner — Seriously, if Olivia didn’t stand out in a newbie GH watcher like Ken Tucker, do you think he’d actually ONLY be asking for our input about her story (apart from James Franco’s)? Clearly, Ken was NOT bashing Lisa/Olivia’s acting whether he liked her storyline or not. But she obviously peeked his interest for him to ask about her. Some Olivia haters obviously got a knee jerk reaction and took it as your cue to bash rather than enlighten the editor. Why? Because you want to blame “Olivia” as the reason that Kate was put on the back burner and/or because Olivia is newbie who’s been put on the front burner while the vets are not? GH has been back burnering the vets way before Olivia arrived and they’ve been consistently giving Sonny a new woman to drool over him just to throw them away in a nanosecond before her as well.
It would actually be in Lisa LoCicero’s best interest if Olivia does not become Sonny’s next love interest for that matter since she’ll be history sooner rather than later. Believe me I don’t want Olivia hooking with Sonny at all and don’t wish that on any new woman joining GH when she’s better off when she’s not hooking up with him. I’d rather if Kate remained with Sonny but unfortunately that leads to her just being a blimp on GH when they’re over, which isn’t fair. So let’s not misplace the anger and look for reasons to put the blame on Lisa. Not one soul was complaining before Olivia started drooling over Sonny. Everyone was singing her praises before tptb pushed Kate to the side. Same thing with the Claudia character. Everyone loved Claudia before she hooked up with Sonny.
As I said, Ken Tucker clearly asked about Olivia’s story NOT because he thinks she’s not a good actress but because she stood out and he was also wondering if she was getting shafted by her storyline, which incidentally revolves around Sonny. If he felt she didn’t stand out or was not an interesting actress, something tells me he’d have NO problem holding back at saying so.
That was supposed to say: he’d have NO problem in NOT holding back at saying so.
“Everyone was singing her praises before tptb pushed Kate to the side. Same thing with the Claudia character. Everyone loved Claudia before she hooked up with Sonny.”
i’m sorry but i respectfully disagree. the dislike for olivia and claudia from fans was very strong from day one. if you wanna be objective about it, just look at sarah brown’s fanbase. they intensely disliked claudia but still appreciated sarah brown as an actress. still, to the very end many never came around to supporting the character of claudia.
as for lisa….again, from the first week she was there people had strong reactions to her. not because of olivia as a character (we really knew nothing of her at that point), but because the audience felt gypped at the casting. i’m sorry, but there are a great many of us, overwhelmingly so, that feel that she is indeed a one note actress that doesn’t put forth the effort it takes to withstand the rigors of what daytime calls for. to cast that fact aside by saying people are just simply bitter because other actors have been backburned is so FAR off the mark. plain and simple, if she had the talent to interest me hell yeah i’d watch, but she doesn’t. if there were never a kate, i still wouldn’t have taken to her, and to say otherwise, and put blame elsewhere instead of where it should lie, is petty. just look at her history…at least the OLTL powers that be listened to their fans and fired her. only on GH, where TPTB don’t give a damn what their viewers say, would she have held a job this long.
imo, pointing out that she might be having a problem with her s/l was a reflection on her awful acting. if nothing else, it suggested she’s unprofessional (if she was ‘acting’ in a way that suggested she doesn’t like the s/l that equals not even trying to perform in an interesting or entertaining manner). he doesn’t realize she just CAN’T perform any better
either way, it’s no compliment.
do you realize these people are not real?
I guess we all interpret things differently but it seems to me that Olivia and her incessant whining made a bad enough impression on Mr Tucker that he actually pointed out how distracting her scenes were & had to wonder if the viewers actually enjoy the ridiculous character. If that’s seen as a good thing, then um ok, upside down just like everything else on General Hospital.
I will say that I believe once Olivia hops into bed with Sonny her days on GH (THANKFULLY!) will be numbered. Her only purpose was to make him fall in love with her only to find out what a lying skank she is and how she kept his child away from him for 25 years because of her hypocritical holier than thou beliefs. My hope is she meets a similar end as Claudia (another EPIC FAILURE OF A CHARACTER).
No, GH viewers do not like Olivia. Her fans are few and far between and, well, even the worst character is bound to have a few fans. She’s been shoved down our throats for over a year. Can’t wait till she’s gone.
I couldn’t agree more. Interesting how it took Mr. Tucker one viewing and he had this show pegged.
Is that you from the ABC message board, the one that LOVES Sonny and hates OLIVIA with a passion and puts down Lisa any breathing hour chance that you can get? Fine line between love and hate because it’s like you dream about her every sleeping and waking hour. But don’t worry I don’t expect you to say yes it’s you nor do I expect you say you’re using different alias’ here. What year was Lisa on One Life To Live? One more thing, people from all walks of life noticed Olivia’s great acting, unlike your wish that they don’t. Example: http://bit.ly/5ZiC0D (near end of article). I can also cite many articles and viewers without a bias comments in favor of her even those that hate what Olivia is doing. But hey were allowed to have differing opinions. People will not always see something in the same light.
as a fan of sopranos and general hospital, i can say that they are nothing alike. the soprano’s are so much more real.. that’s the life of many people in jersey. general hospital is a soap opera which just happens to have gangsters… sonny’s not even italian. if you don’t know anything about the sopranos, then watch a few episodes before you run your mouth.
Oh, Guza is clearly more inspired by The Godfather than The Sopranos. Keifer is clearing Carlo. Kristina is Connie. Michael is Santino and Morgan could turn out to be Michael.
GH is the best soap ever. its nothing like the soprano’s! and having James Franco on is pretty nice. but the two people who keep the show #1 are steve burton and maurice [sonny and jason]
GH is the best show on TV period!!!!!!
Its a soap opera. An escape from reality for an hour a day. If you don’t like it then don’t watch. There are plenty of people who are enjoying the show and taking it for what it is. It is entertaining, captivating and fun.
General Hospital is the best show on TV. It has been for a long long time!!!!
Rarely do you find anything involving the hospital or it’s doctors and nurses, even though one of the doctors started on the show as a child in 1985
To your question on hospital scenes… Generally only when someone needs medical attention due to mob-violence… or when a nurse wants to get frisky with her ex-(and future)brother-in-law in a closet.
Olivia is what we call an airhog. On too much and can’t act. And no, there is rarely hospital scenes. The show should be called General Mobster.
Booblivia needs to go! She is major airhog. She is the most unnecessary character on GH. They don’t need Olivia there for the reveal that Dante is Sonny’s son. Kate should be with Sonny and they should be dealing with the fallout of that. Send Olivia packing to Brooklyn! MORE NIZ!!!!!
I agree! Bring Kate back FT and get rid of her cousin! Megan Ward can do one thing that Olivia’s portrayer CAN’T do – ACT! And that can make ALL the difference. Olivia has bombed and there was no reason to take Kate away for that sorry excuse of a character Olivia. More Kate, Less Olivia!
i agree. it only took the author one viewing to see what we’ve been forced to stomach DAILY! the actress who plays olivia is indeed subpar and lacking, and this storyline is overwhelmingly nauseating and downright boring. the only relief i get is in the joy when i actually get to watch…the rare kate sighting. they should wise up and put this character, and phenomenal actress, back on the front burner where she belongs. i miss sonny, too…what the hell happened to him?
Ken – I hope you caught the 2 mins that a character named Kate Howard was on today. Kate is a fabulous character who was in a lead story for 2 years. When Kate was featured on the show, she brought something different and was a much appreciated relief to the mobby stuff that is rampant now. Sadly, this show insanely decide to simply transplant Kate’s entire history and back story to the awful Olivia character whose level of terrible was evident to you right away. Many of us would love to see Kate Howard front and center again. Kate simply improves the show – her portrayer is a wonderful actress.
Weigh in on the Olivia story? Sure! The actress was basically HANDED a story and a leading role on a silver platter, even though her talent is lacking and there was already someone on the show established in a leading role who actually knows how to act (that would be Kate, who was on for under 3 minutes today). Olivia was basically given Kate’s story and it was destined to fall flat because you can’t compare real with fake. And Olivia is just plain fake- from her her plastic forehead to her toes.
ICAM olivia is nothing but a lying cheaTING,whinning, wh*re that took down one of my fave characters down johnny.she cant act for sh*t.they took away the talented kate for this fake two face person.she needs to go!
HOlivia makes it hard for a veteran GH fan like myself to sit through a whole episode. Her character is a waste of space and I can’t wait for someone to put a cap in her ass so my show can be free of her.
You thought a show called General Hospital would be about a hospital? LOL Welcome to the world of backwards morality and storytelling that is GH. Would that it were about a hospital. As for Olivia, she’s the latest in a long line of idiotic, hypocritical female characters who worship at the altar of mobsters, even if it means putting their children in danger and played by a spectacularly bad actress. One episode in and you can already see how warped this show is, that takes talent!
Thanks for the coverage of James Franco’s appearance on GH. As a return viewer after almost a decade, I’ve read up on the GH of today, so here’s a bit of catch-up that might help you…
Olivia is a terribly annoying character, IMO, but her son, Dante has a great storyline. He’s an undercover cop trying to bust Sonny, the resident mob boss. Dante (aka Dominic, his alias) is the guy who Sonny thanked for saving his life and offered him a chance to leave the mob.
And yes, many scenes do take place in the hospital. Just didn’t happen today. Scene locations rotate according to whether hospital staff are in a meaty story.
Don’t forget the most important part though…….Dante aka Dominic is also Olivia’s illegitimate (sp) son with Sonny.
I think the ‘real’ most important part for Ken Tucker and regular EW readers to know about Dante is that he’s played by Dominic Zamprogna, who was Jammer on Battlestar Galactica!!! GH is doing all kinds of crazy awesome casting moves lately. I am so in love with the Dante character, and I’m dreading the day D.Z. leaves to go back to acting in cool stuff like Battlestar… although I’ll certainly be happy for him as an actor to move on with his career. Soap actors get so little respect, hopefully James Franco can change some of the negative perceptions.
*slaps forehead* How he frak did I miss that!? Of course he is Jammer! No wonder he looks familiar! Thanks for mentioning that.
The only people who enjoy the GH mob stories are the Sonny fans who love anything he’s in- with the exception of a GOOD love story. The Dante/Dominic story is lame lame lame. Olivia is a boring, whiney, two-faced, hypocritical cow. And even the most neutral viewers who tune in for Franco, clearly, are catching on to the SORRY state of GH. When will Guza? That’s the million dollar question!
“Oh, and pardon a newbie’s question, but: Does General Hospital ever have any scenes in a hospital?”
Ken, welcome to the world of today’s GH. GH of old (80′s and early 90′s) had plenty of hospital scenes, core families you cared about, and rich, layered, character-driven storylines. Today, GH would be better named “General Mobsital” or “Sopranos Lite”. And it’s not like the producers and writing staff don’t have available acting talent to use to better balance the hospital-side with the mob-side of the canvas. They have numerous characters who are doctors and nurses including my favorites, married docs Robin Scorpio (who first appeared on the show as an 8-year-old) and Patrick Drake (aka Dr. Hottie). But they seem unwilling to let any actor outside the big 4 (all tied to the mob-side) get any significant story or screentime.
It makes this 30+ year viewer sad and angry to see what they’ve let this once-great (and could be great again) show come to.
Franco’s debut was most excellent. He really kicked everything up a notch. I’m pretty excited to see where the story is going. As for Olivia, she basically babbles all the time, when she’s not feeding her twentysomething lovers spaghetti.
PS – The Hospital now serves as a repository for former psychos to store their old incriminating records. Once in awhile the mobsters show up and shoot a few people to save them from toxic substances. No, I’m not kidding.
If you are looking for the hospital part of General Hospital, try the spin-off Nightshift. I recommend season two. You can download it through itunes.
You can ignore the Olivia stuff. We do.
BTW, Olivia is going to be Sonny’s date/alibi for the art show. Sonny’s wife was murdered a few minutes ago but Sonny is pretending he doesn’t know where she is so technically he can’t claim to even be a widower but he’s about to date the Olivia. That’s why you saw so much of her today. Because she’s Sonny’s next POA.
Hey, thanks to you and everyone here who’s helping to catch me up on GH’s storylines: much appreciated!
Bless you for signing on to watch this show regularly, Ken. I stopped watching in 2001 when it was only marginally less banal and atrociously written than it is now.
Dominate (DANTE/DOMINIC) is also Sonny’s son but neither one knows about it
Pretty much everyone else does by now, though. And they discuss it in the streets where others can conveniently overhear.
just like jason is jake’s father everyone knows that but its still a secret….i wouldn’t be surprised if this franco character knows about it since he is obsessed with jason
Isn’t it funny…when we try to explain the soap to non-GH people – it sounds so…lame and outlandish. I guess that’s what a soap is…Still loving GH…I just wish they would hurry past this mob stuff..I mean every week theres a shoot out or kids getting hurt because of mob wars.
Soon enough. Supposedly, the writers will be refocusing on the Cassadine family insanity in a couple of months, with the return of Helena and the introduction of a new character.
Yeah don’t hold your breath on that. I’m still waiting for family stories on this show that people raved about in the early nineties.
Yeah, don’t expect the mob to go anywhere. We’ve been teased countless times over the years with actually moving beyond the mob – but it is always just that, a tease. Guza’s man crush on Sonny and Jason and their criminal activities never seems to dissipate.
Yeah, I haven’t watched in a long time but I keep wondering what happened to the Quartermaines? They used to be the focus of this show
The Quartermaine’s are all dead. Alan, AJ, Emily… dead, dead, dead. Edward is around, but never on, Tracy is married to Luke, Monica is around but never on. No one else is even around.
I think GH is trying to keep the show “young” and that’s why you don’t see the Quartermaines (the ones left) on much any more. I hope they don’t bring back Helena because she’s ancient.
The Quartermaines are who I first think of when I think of GH as well. I watched from 1987 to 1994 (when college disrupted my viewing) and I barely recognize anything!
there all dead
tracy and monica and edward are all thats left! oh yeah and the ones that arn’t featured on the show but are mentioned every once in awhile!
Please GOD, Ken, don’t watch or, better yet, don’t recap. I really respect you, but the nasty asides, the “Oh I’m too good for this, I’d rather be writing about ‘Til Death” attitude is worn & played out.
No one is expecting you to LIKE what you see, but could you PLEASE try to be a little bit objective instead of telegraphing your disdain so painfully obvious.
Also, you spoiler whores (I’m talking to you, Starling) should WARN about spoilers like, you know, civilized, considerate people try to do.
I haven’t watched the episode yet…but some background…Olivia is Sonny’s ex-whatever, from childhood (and is realllly annoying…and I fast forward most of her scenes). Olivia is Dominic’s (aka Dante’s) mother. Dominic/Dante is an undercover NYC cop who is trying to bust Sonny for his mob life, because Sonny’s mob connections supposedly killed his best friend’s father (who was like a father figure to him.) However, what Dominic/Dante doesn’t know is that Sonny is his father. Supposedly, everyone is going to know the truth (about everything)–soon. I believe that I read somewhere that Franco is Dominic/Dante’s friend from childhood…possibly the friend whose father was killed by Sonny’s people?!?