Rumor has it

that there are going to be some cast cuts at GH.

It's about time.  This is nothing personal to the actors.  Although that is a ridiculous statement as it means someone's job and a character they probably love to play.  So it is very personal.  My opinions though are not based on the actor's performance.

I believe the GH canvas is overcrowded and has been since the 50th anniversary when so many characters were brought back and never really left.  More have returned or been added with too few leaving. So we have more people than there is time to properly give them stories.  So I think saying goodbye to a few characters is necessary for the storytelling.  And I'm assuming it is necessary for the budget as well.

Here are my picks as characters that really don't add anything to the current storylines.

Kiki - I know this one is staying - the character, not the actress.  Why oh why did they recast?  It was the perfect opportunity to write out a character no one likes and who has little to do.  She is raising Avery but there are plenty of people in Port Charles who would gladly take on Avery or she could have gone away with Kiki only to return in a few years all grown up.

Morgan - I have grown to like Morgan but he, too, has no job and is just a third wheel.

Lucy - Lucy is my most disliked character. I've been wanting rid of her since she hit town. She is just plain annoying and contributes nothing.

Bobbi - After the Fluke storyline wraps, Bobbi Spencer will probably fade into the background again so the character might as well make an exit.  Watching her and Lucy fight over Scott makes me scratch my head and wonder what either of them sees in him. Scott isn't on the list only because he is the DA, Franco's father and occasionally gives us a good scene.

Felicia - Another one I've wanted rid of since the first time I saw her.  She abandoned her child and as far as I can tell really never did anything with her life and now they are trying to make her mayor?  She's a ditz.

Mac - I like Mac, I really do but either give him something meaningful to do or write him out.

I'll pause here to say that it is sad that an entire generation isn't working out. This is partly plotlines but it is also characters.  We need fresh characters for this generation.  On the other hand, Tracy, Luke, Heather, Helena work very well. Well, a small dose of Heather at a time does. Sometimes Anna works out and sometimes she doesn't. Her character is good; it just depends on the writing.

Duke - I've never warmed to Duke. I don't dislike him; I just don't get very interested in any scenes he is in.

Sabrina - She is really at the top of my list.  I've never liked the character. She as no ties at all, no job, no reason at all to be in Port Charles.

TJ - Why didn't they send him away to school and have him return on holidays since that is about all we see of him? It is time for him and Molly to break up as there is no story here. I miss Molly.

Jordan and Silas are characters I have mixed feelings about.  I wouldn't miss them if they were gone but I think there is plenty of story material.

The only reason Sloan isn't on my list is because he is being recast with the fabulous Grayson McCouch who played the smoldering Dusty Donovan on ATWT. I can't wait to have him back and hopefully add some dimension to this character.

Characters I can't imagine going anywhere are Sonny, Carly, Jake (Jason), Sam, Patrick, Luke, Tracy, Julian (because fans like me adore him with Alexis), Alexis, Maxie, Nicholas, Dante, Lulu, and Michael who is truly the linchpin of the show and finally they are putting this character back to that pivotal position.

Characters I adore and don't want them to leave are:  Nathan (because of Maxie), Ava, Nutty Nina, Ned, Epiphany, Liesl, Lucas, and Olivia.  Several of these are new and are already much adored by fans.  My biggest fear is they are going to write out Ava.  They have really backed her into a corner.  She has already said goodbye to her daughter.  I don't think they will kill her off (not permanently) but I wouldn't be surprised if she is cut.  Not everyone can get a get out of jail free card.

One character I haven't mentioned is Elizabeth. They tried to get rid of her before and fan swell kept her around.  Personally I'm not a big Liz fan.  I call her Nurse Nosy.  I'm not looking to get rid of her; just don't care much one way or another.  Another I haven't mentioned is Franco.  I have mixed feelings on this character.

I'm most disappointed that Felix has been dropped to recurring. There was so much story potential and the actor was fantastic.  I'm already assuming Johnny is temporary.  I would put the old Johnny in the adore category but this version is hard to love.

It will be interesting to see who and how they make cuts.

Best and Worst of GH

I've read a couple of the Best and Worst lists for the year for GH and various other shows.  This is my take. I'm mixing them together throughout the post because worst sometimes brings out the best and vice versa.

Best Actor - Tony Geary, hands down.  It is really amazing to think that we have only seen Luke for less than half the year yet his performance has captivated viewers.  I'm always looking for little breaks in the veneer to see who is hiding beneath the surface as he portrays Luke and the imposters. Any little crack seems intentional to show that he is mostly playing a fake Luke.  The whole storyline has led to lots of speculation and I don't think anyone has nailed who Luke really is.  My current bet is on Trevor Lansing.

And this leads us to our first well, not worst, but let's say 'could be better' and that is the dragging out of this storyline.  I'm not too bothered in that it is a good mystery, has drawn in most of the cast, and showcases Tony Geary.  Of course I thought it was solved at Thanksgiving for about a day until we knew that Luke wasn't Luke and we were back to the beginning.  It makes sense that Geary would not want to return from what was probably a challenging recovery from surgery to fade to the background as 'uncle Luke' usually does.  No, he earned this opportunity.

So the only real issue is the time from August to November when they talked about Fluke incessantly and went on the Euro trek to try to find Luke.  All that was unnecessary build up imo.

Best Actress - a tie between Maura West and Michelle Stafford.  As I was mentally running through the cast, it took me awhile to get to their characters and then instantly I though, of course!  Though they have been on the show a short time, I can't imagine the show without them.  Both actresses have shown us depths of their personalities in just a year or less that we often don't see in 5 years time of other performers.  So somehow we have to spring Ava from jail and Nina from wherever they sent her and get them back on screen regularly.  I don't think Sonny's is the father of Ava's baby. There is definitely more to that story.

Best storyline - AJ's murder and the coverup.  I cheered when Franco was sharing what he knew of AJ's murder with Michael.  The aftermath was also a wonderful chance for Chad Duell who has been sorely underused the last 2 years to shine and he did.  I never cared for AJ.  He didn't deserve to be murdered but I certainly won't miss him.

Worst storyline - Cryton Clark which I've misspelled and I don't care.  Everything to do with that place was ridiculous which brings us to the biggest problem of the year...

Resurrecting everyone - Helena, Stavros, Jason, Levi's father, and how many more?  Faison wasn't really dead this time.  It has become just too much.

Worst character - Levi.  Never has a character been so universally disliked as this one.  I never read a single nice thing about this character.  He had no redeeming qualities and we all just wanted him gone!  Tying him to some past character that apparently even long time viewers don't or barely remember didn't help at all.

Best Villian - Liesl though this is a very tough category.  There are so many.  Liesl though is a delight to watch no matter what she is doing. I knew she was responsible for Maxi getting visitation again.  Today we found out how - blackmail.  No surprise there just delighted it happened because another bad story was the judge who would not allow Maxi to see her child.  Could Spinelli not let her see Maxi since he clearly wanted to?  If I had been Maxi, I would have moved to Portland last year instead of going on a Eat Pray Love mission and that would have forced the court to transfer the case.  It would have also shown them how much she wanted to be with her daughter.  Good for us though that she has remained in Port Charles.  No matter what Maxi does, I love her.  She is one of my favorite characters.  And I look forward to the day when she and Liesl tangle over Nathan's affections.

Best Romance - tie between Maxie and Nathan or Julian and Alexis.  Fantastic chemistry for both couples.  I've lost track of why Julian is back in the business again.  One thing that is getting repetitive is how many times Alexis and Julian can have the same scene where she tells him she can't accept what he is doing.  Maxie and Nathan are really just getting started.  I'm curious where this New Year's Eve story will end up.  I knew he was calling his Mutter to help Maxie out.  It was a good move on his part and the explanatory scenes helped us understand why Judge Walters had it in for Maxi.

Worst Romance - Ava and Sonny if you could call it a romance which I suppose you would not.  If not, let's go with Kiki and Michael because they were incredibly boring together.

Most annoying character - Lucy Coe.  Last year, this year and probably next year unless my prayers are answered and she is gone.  When she volunteered to go with Levi as his hostage, I screamed at the TV "take her, take her."

Most useless character - Sabrina.  Why oh why did they bring her back from maternity leave?  I never, ever liked her and with her and Patrick's child gone and their romance - if you could call it that - over, she had no ties at all to Port Charles.  Now she has lost her job so she really has no reason to stay.

Most wasted talent - Felix.  This character is fantastic and he is off the show?  It makes no sense.  Plus GH has no idea what to do with African American characters.  Shawn and Jordan are constantly screwing up at their jobs. Felix was just everyone's friend and never had a good story of his own.  The idea that he thought he could 'turn' Milo was silly and disrespectful to the gay community.

Best twist - Sending Sonny to jail to meet up with Johnny. You always expect Sonny to find a way out and he will but this is giving his character a whole new dimension.  I don't enjoy prison scenes but these work so far.  Plus he now has Franco in with him.

With Maurice Bernard renewing his contract, Sonny will not be forgotten behind bars.  Let's just hope he gets out before things get too dismal.

Happy New Year!