Van Hansis
When the dynamic Tom Pelphrey left Guiding Light earlier this year, fortunately the writers didn't kill off his character, Jonathan Randall. Not that the death of a character can't be undone in soaps, but by making Jonathan fake his death after his soulmate, Tammy (Stephanie Gatschet), died and leave Springfield, they have made it much easier for Pelphrey to return.Pelphrey accepted an offer to come back for a brief appearance last summer, but absence must have made his heart grow fonder because he is coming back again this January. How long is the question, but fans will take anything if it means having one of daytime's most exciting actors back on their televisions.
Realising the popularity of the character, GL, along with publisher Simon & Schuster, released a novel centered around the rebellious Randall titled Guiding Light: Jonathan's Story, which is currently available at various bookstores and through online distributors such as www.amazon.com.
Since she exited, Gatschet has also appeared on the soap in the form of Ghost Tammy, a version of herself that only her mother, Cassie (Nicole Forester), can see. In the book, Jonathan is reunited with his beloved Tammy. So does this mean Ghost Tammy and Jonathan will share some scenes together on GL again? Let's hope so. The actors are a couple off-screen, too, so I'm sure the possibility has been discussed. Let's just hope the Daytime Emmy-winning Pelphrey extends his stay and doesn't pack his bags before the snow melts.
In casting news, fans of Vincent Irizarry, who has struck gold with his many daytime roles, will be delighted to know that he has signed to stay on The Young and the Restless for another year as David Chow. So does this mean his flame Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) and her husband, Victor (Eric Braeden), won't be reuniting anytime soon? Most likely, but don't rule out happiness for one of soap's most popular supercouples yet.
Break out the popcorn, SOAPnet, the cable channel that shows same-day repeats of many of your favourite daytime dramas, has acquired 12 movies from Disney/ABC Domestic Television that will be broadcast on Sunday nights. The movies will also feature pop-culture trivia segments on "the soap behind the movie". The movies debuted December 2, but there are still plenty more to come. The December 23 instalment features a film starring Samantha Who's? Christina Applegate and Matt Clark in Kiss of Fire, and on December 30, tune in for Deadly Sins, starring David Keith and Alyssa Milano.Van Hansis continues his run in the off-Broadway production of Charles Busch's critically acclaimed dark comedy Die Mommie Die! through February 17, 2008. As the World Turns has kept him very busy as Luke Snyder, one of the most prominent gay characters in daytime history, but he couldn't turn down a chance to experience the thrill of acting in front of a live audience.
- Dana Block
