By DERRIK J. LANG, AP Entertainment Writer 49 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES - Genie Francis is checking back into "General Hospital."
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The 46-year-old actress again will reprise her role as Laura on the ABC daytime soap opera beginning Aug. 26.
The character's 1981 fairy-tale wedding to Luke (played by Anthony Geary) was watched by 30 million viewers and landed the couple on the cover of Newsweek magazine. Francis began playing Laura in 1976.
"This is a short visit," Francis told The Associated Press on Friday. "It's a mother-daughter story. Years ago when I started playing the character as a 14-year-old girl, it was a mother-daughter story, only I was the daughter. So it's kinda cool this is full circle. It's nice to come back for visits. `General Hospital' is my home."
Laura was last seen slipping in and out of a catatonic state in 2007. The upcoming appearance will feature Laura in a story line with daughter Lulu. Francis, who now runs a home-furnishing shop in Belfast, Maine, said she was told that Laura wouldn't be killed off during her latest guest stint.
"I would stay on, but `General Hospital' honestly doesn't seem to want that relationship with this character at the moment," said Francis. "They want little short doses during sweeps periods. It's not entirely up to me. I'm thrilled and delighted my audience stands behind me. If they didn't, you can be sure I wouldn't get to come back for these visits."
Francis won a supporting actress Daytime Emmy in 2007 for previously reprising the role.
"I would stay on, but `General Hospital' honestly doesn't seem to want that relationship with this character at the moment," said Francis. "They want little short doses during sweeps periods. It's not entirely up to me. I'm thrilled and delighted my audience stands behind me. If they didn't, you can be sure I wouldn't get to come back for these visits."
A Genie Francis return to GH will almost definitely be a good thing. As a person who doesn't care, I find these comments amusing, but if I were a GH fan, I'd be pretty ticked about it. It's kind of a shame that it needs to be specified that the character isn't returning just to be killed off. (This isn't AMC, after all.)
I'll never understand why they don't bring her back full-time, but hey, at least she'll be on. But, they better find a different way to write her back out again because it will be insulting to the fans of the character and the show if she is miraculously cured AGAIN, only to fall back into a "permanent" catatonic state AGAIN.
I think w/this EP/Writing regime goin on at GH this is the only way Francis will be back.
And I hate to be one of these ppl.(no I don't) I think the scenes will be just as amazing as the ones when she came back and I think she'll be the frontrunner for the Guest Actress Emmy if the NATAS makes the category.
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Posts: 2673 | Location: New York/California | Registered: September 30, 2006
I am glad to see her coming back, i just wish that the current regime would realize what they could do ratings wise if they KEPT HER ON THE SHOW FULL TIME! oh and btw, i'm still waiting for Finola's "big summer storyline".
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Posts: 16927 | Location: Rhode Island, USA | Registered: July 28, 2002
My problem is can I stay away from GH when I have a chance to get a Genie fix?? I doubt it, even tho I deplore how JFP has treated Genie and the other vets she has tossed along the wayside during her tenure as EP.
Originally posted by FishBiscuit: Will Laura even intereact with Luke or will Geary still be on vacation?
I am not sure, I would assume that he would still be on vacation, but I think that storyline wise that it would be kinda cool if they didn't have he there, it would be maybe an eye opener to Luke the realize that him leaving all the time isn't good and that the one thing that he has wished for happened while he was gone.
Originally posted by MTSRocks: Who else doesn't really care?
agreed...she comes and goes so often with the show, same with luke, same with the other constant roles reprises on other soaps. unless they're going to be staying for a while, who really cares, and yes that goes for kimberly from days too, she should have been on longer than she was when she came back, apparently she wanted to. hopefully soon.
Posts: 215 | Location: Saskatoon | Registered: March 01, 2007
GH and ABC need to have Genie return on a full time basis. Fans love her and she is good for ratings. They can lock her in for like 100 episodes per year.
Also, Claudia needs to turn back into Carly and it all needs to lead back to kid napping.
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Posts: 526 | Location: Portland, OR | Registered: December 13, 2004
Originally posted by EmmyNominee: GH and ABC need to have Genie return on a full time basis. Fans love her and she is good for ratings. They can lock her in for like 100 episodes per year.
Also, Claudia needs to turn back into Carly and it all needs to lead back to kid napping.
They really do need Genie back full-time, and they also really must give Jackie Zeamen a front-burner story... it's just insane that this woman has no story.
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Posts: 16927 | Location: Rhode Island, USA | Registered: July 28, 2002
The Genie Francis situation is the biggest case of a network and show totally disregarding what the fans want. Almost every single viewer of GH would want Francis back on a regular basis, she has said numerous times that she wants to come back on a regular basis, or at least on a Tony Geary-like regular basis which the show could easily accomodate her in that regard if they really wanted to.
The only reason I can see would be money and if thats the case, I'd be more than willing to sacrifice Sarah Brown at this point because the character of Claudia is a FLOP (again, not Brown's fault) and I'm sure that they are paying her a truckload. I guarantee if that money was being spent on Genie Francis, they would be getting a much better return on their investment when it comes to ratings.
Originally posted by zackfins: The Genie Francis situation is the biggest case of a network and show totally disregarding what the fans want. Almost every single viewer of GH would want Francis back on a regular basis, she has said numerous times that she wants to come back on a regular basis, or at least on a Tony Geary-like regular basis which the show could easily accomodate her in that regard if they really wanted to.
The only reason I can see would be money and if thats the case, I'd be more than willing to sacrifice Sarah Brown at this point because the character of Claudia is a FLOP (again, not Brown's fault) and I'm sure that they are paying her a truckload. I guarantee if that money was being spent on Genie Francis, they would be getting a much better return on their investment when it comes to ratings.
I just finished reading an article in ABC Soaps In Depth in which Guza says and he guranette's that he'll accomadate Sarah Brown's schedule should she ask for time off, yet when Genie asked for time off they said NO and let her quit the show. i just don't get it. And in the same article they discuss how they'll do anything to get Vanessa Marcil back and said basically that money is no obstecal.
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Posts: 16927 | Location: Rhode Island, USA | Registered: July 28, 2002
I think its more of an ego thing for Guza & Phelps. I know they have their differences when it comes to Francis but I think (I hate to say) they would sacrafice a baby b4 admitting that Francis is their best asset to getting the ratings back up.
FYC: The Dark Knight To sweep this award season.
FYC: 2009 Daytime Emmys Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series Noelle Beck as Lily Snyder, As the World Turns (CBS)
Posts: 2673 | Location: New York/California | Registered: September 30, 2006
Originally posted by east/west: I think its more of an ego thing for Guza & Phelps. I know they have their differences when it comes to Francis but I think (I hate to say) they would sacrafice a baby b4 admitting that Francis is their best asset to getting the ratings back up.
I just never understood why they had such a problem with Genie in the first place. In particular Jill Farren Phelps. They have made no issues of accomodating schedules for Tony Geary, Ingo Radamacher, Sarah Brown, Maurice Bernard and Steve Burton but when Genie needed just a few months off to do a family thing they fired her. it's such a shame.
What's even worse to me is that none of the other soaps seemed to offer her a role---Fronz could have used his power to get her a role on another soap on ABC---she could very easily have moved over to OLTL or AMC if they didn't want to keep her at GH.
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Posts: 16927 | Location: Rhode Island, USA | Registered: July 28, 2002
